Sower and the Soil

I've been in church all my life, and I've seen all kinds of people that comprise the church. And when I read the story of the sower, I reckon I can see certain groups of people which fall into those categories named by Lord Jesus Christ in our passage today, which is found in Luke's gospel in chapter 8. You can turn in your Bibles there now, friends. We will be in verses 11 through 15.

And in this familiar passage of scripture, we find Jesus describing to his disciples the parable of the sower. And he walks them through all four categories one by one and explains them to them. Let's look at these now, beginning in verse 11.

Now the parable is this, the seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside, or they that hear, then come at the devil and take away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. Let me pause here, friends, to say this reminds me of a man I used to witness to who was a womanizer.

I always tried to witness to him, but he could care less about my Jesus. Then I thought if only I could get him to come to church with me to hear Adrian Rogers preach, then maybe he could be saved. Finally, this man came to church with me one Sunday.

And as he sat there, he smiled while listening to Dr. Rogers. And I kept my eye on him at the invitation time while I was praying for him, but he was unmoved. He fell into this category of the careless hearer who listens, but who does not absorb.

Let's look at the next category of hearers. They on the rock are they, which when they hear, receive the word with joy, and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. Mark's gospel refers to them as stony ground hearers who eventually get offended.

The stony ground hearer is the emotional hearer who lives in their emotions. They get all excited when they first receive Jesus and want everybody to know all about it. They will often carry the biggest Bible, plaster their cars with bumper stickers like, honk if you love Jesus, and at worship time, they're the ones shouting amen the loudest and waving their arms over their head, swaying to the music.

They are surface individuals with a surface profession of Christ. Their heart is still stony, for they have not undergone any change within, and the first person who hurts their feelings at church will send them right out the door. Now I've seen this time and time again, friends.

The next hearer is a more complicated type, and very tricky, because they can really fool you into believing they are Christians. They can be so convincing that you may even end up marrying them, thinking they are truly a believer. They'll go to church with you, and read their Bible with you, and pray with you, and talk to you about how much they love Jesus.

Like I said, they can really fool you. You'll appoint them to deacon committees, give them authority in the church. You'll consider them to be true blue believers, but that's the trouble with them.

They are true blue believers who merely made an intellectual ascent to become a Christian, and although they are true blue attenders, they are not red converts washed in the blood. Jesus describes them this way, and they which fell among thorns are they which, when they have heard, go forth and are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. This describes the worldly Christian to a tee, friends.

They want Jesus and heaven too, but they have such a hold onto the world that it's their main influence, and when the world either smiles on them, or frowns on them, their religion gives way to that stronger pole. They become apostates like Demas, and fall away. Demas was Paul's co-laborer, so to speak, and Paul believed this man was a true believer, but he wasn't on a sound foundation, and soon the world pulled him off his religious profession.

That's why so many deacons fall into adultery. That's why so many pastors fall morally. They pass mustard with man as far as their profession of Christ, but they did not possess Christ by true saving faith.

That transforms a person's life. Like I said, these religious folk can fool you because only God knows the heart, and I believe, friends, that it is this third category of hearers described here that comprises much of our churches today. One of the greatest mission fields we have is often our own church.

The fourth hearer is the sincere convert who has undergone change by way of a work of grace upon the heart, performed by the Spirit of God in regeneration, which is the new birth. Jesus has this to say about these good ground hearers, but that on the good ground are they which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. Listen, friends, it is by the trials in life that God does his deepest work in a believer.

Fruit brought forth with patience describes the sincere convert whose faith is deepened by trial and affliction. That person of faith emerges a more fit vessel for the Lord to flow his rivers of blessings through in richer fruit production that not only perseveres but brings glory to the Father. Let us pray.