Sunday Sermon
1 August 2004
Matt 13: 1-9
Jesus was preaching the Word and to Him
every word, every minute was of utmost importance. In the short time He had He wanted the
message to reach the people. He wanted the Word to reach people’s hearts. That is why
He spoke in parables, such as this one in our text.
The Sower sowed in different soils.
- Some
fell on the path (a way), trodden by many people. The soil was so hard that nothing could
be planted and thrive. The seed simply couldn’t penetrate the hardness. This is like
the hardened heart. Even when God’s Word is preached which is the good and genuine
seed, it falls on a hard place. It could be that Jesus has been sending seed to your heart
for years but it just does not penetrate because you’ve allowed your heart to become
hard. Perhaps you still attend meetings (with your Bible), even some prayer meetings, but
your heart remains hard. Check the hardness of your heart. Perhaps your hardness is also
preventing others from coming to God.
- Some
fell on rocky soil. It is so stony that there is little soil for the seed to thrive, even
though it germinates quickly. It just can’t get rooted. Such a person withers with a
little heat. Perhaps he is over-sensitive and is easily offended – perhaps by someone
who seems to not greet them in the expected way. His faith withers at the slightest
provocation.
- The
soil with thorns and weeds is truly troublesome. Weeds grow much faster than the good
seed. These weeds block the growth of the good. Sin is like that. It stops growth
immediately. This may be the reason for your lack of growth. We must deal with these
thorns and weeds. Sin must be confessed. Do you really expect to grow spiritually when you
don’t thoroughly deal with sin? No matter the quality of the seed, its potential is
lost when weeds are allowed to grow with it. Therefore, get rid of these weeds! Pull out
the roots!
- Then
there is the fertile soil. The Sower trusts that he’ll get a harvest. It responds
immediately to the seed. God’s grace is in abundant supply and it becomes evident.
People will not be afraid of approaching you and easily offending you. There is a
graciousness about you which will make others to be drawn to you for they know that they
will receive something from it.
Is this grace evident in your life? That
love, patience and having time for other people. Those who are around you find that, they
too, grow spiritually.
If there is not this good crop in your
life then you must recognize that it is because you’re a “path”, or “stony”,
or “thorny”.
Perhaps you remember a time of spiritual
fertility in your distant past. It could be that the “cares of this life” have
choked the good seed. Perhaps your chasing after money has throttled the life out of you.
Pull out the weeds, deal with the stones,
by repentance. Then, you’ll be the good field that the Lord speaks of and you will
enjoy a new sensitivity towards God and His work.
[At the end of the sermon, Mr Heino
Stegen closed off with the words of Jn 3:16 where God shows that in His love He has made
it possible to be good soil. He closed in prayer and a Zulu hymn was sung: “Nkosi
Bhek’ iBandla lakho” - click here for Zulu words and English
translation.]
