I’ve borrowed some of these thoughts from Jim Rohn, as well as other motivational speakers from the past, but have modified their thoughts to fit this sermon. Religious motivational speakers love talking about the parable of the sower.
The parable of the sower can be a cold sermon if we are just a numbers person. Admittedly, if we are in sales, farming, and accounting this parable will make a lot of sense to us because we understand the numbers. We understand that 3% will get it and 97% won’t. Why doesn’t the 97% or majority get it? We don’t know—that’s just the way it is for people like them. They just don’t get it. We can understand why they don’t get it and why we do get it. What’s to explain because we just go by the numbers and the numbers tell us that 97% just won’t get it. Some do and some don’t or some will and some won’t. We’re just glad to be part of the 3% that get it aren’t we? Who’s not right in their own mind? Of course we are part of the 3% aren’t we?
Jim Rohn tells us that only 3% have a library card even though it is free. In other words, 97% don’t get it. We can have access to a lot of free stuff that will benefit us in life. The bible is a good book to read. What will benefit us like the word of God? After all, Jim Rohn died in 2009 telling people how to live their life for a long time so I guess he knows more about it now.
Sometimes people can be really cold because they are all about the numbers. We probably can’t be too effective teaching hell fire and damnation sermons unless we can shed a few tears and show some emotion. When we are telling someone they are wrong and on their way to hell without the proper emotion, perhaps smiling while telling them they are on their way to hell, people might think that we don’t care. We all understand there are many ways to show a lack of concern because we show a lack of concern every day. Perhaps some sermons will never be effective without sincerity and tears. If we don’t really care it may show without the tears. Emotions are powerful. It is powerful when we love, when we hate, when we show encouragement, and when we show discouragement. We all have powerful emotions.
There is no such thing in life as not teaching the negative as well as the positive. There would be no joy if there were no tears. There is no such thing as a positive without a negative—it’s just a law or principle. And so, in the parable of the sower we are going to consider laws or principles of the world in which we live. We can change these laws when we are able to change the world we live in. But while we are in this world we will just have to live by these laws.
In all biblical subjects we should realize that teaching in all sincerity with emotion added is not the same as teaching truth. Why? Because we can all be sincerely wrong. In fact, we’ve all been counted in that category many times. Some will say, he must be right because he’s just so sincere.
If we ask an older person about the color of a Yield sign they would probably tell us it is yellow even though in 1971 the color was changed to red. Some haven’t really noticed that their mental pictures don’t really match reality. Their reality is reality for them. Even so, yield signs are really red and not yellow. We all understand that we can be mentally wrong because we all have made mental errors.
Let’s read the explanation Christ gave for his parable of the sower. In verse 9 Jesus said, “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Some people don’t seem to have ears to hear so Christ explained the mysteries to his disciples. In fact, he said beginning at verse 16: “But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
That’s a simple story so it is hard for us to understand why some are so perplexed. We take the principles of the word that we know realizing that we have seed, soil, rain, sunshine, seasons, and the miracle of life. These are the things that God gave in the beginning. He gave these things to Adam and Eve and if God took away our cell phones, our economic books, our philosophies of life, and even our bible (so that we have nothing) we would use these same inputs to go plant a garden so we might sustain life. We might all dig in the ground to sustain our life if we had to do it.
We wouldn’t be standing around asking ourselves: How can I make it rain today? The wisest man on earth called the Preacher, the son of David, and king in Jerusalem said this in Ecclesiastes 11, “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.”
Unfortunately, Christ had to start his explanation of the sower with these words, “When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart.” Some are perplexed.
There’s an old story about a preacher starting a tent revival and he was perplexed. He went out and put up a big tent and passed out some fliers that said come here the word of God preached on these dates at these times. The starting time was at 7:00 PM so at 7:15 he was still standing in the tent alone. Finally, at 7:30 one old farmer wandered in and sat down. The preacher said, I’m so embarrassed because this tent was supposed to be filled and you’re the only one who showed up. What should I do? He said, well, I’m just an old farmer but if just one cow shows up in the evening I still feed him. So the preacher got up to preach and he preached and he preached. One hour went by and then two. When the preacher got down he asked the farmer: Well, what did you think. The farmer said, I’m just a farmer but if just one cow showed up I wouldn’t dump the whole load on him.
Some people are perplexed as to what to do. They would tell liars they shouldn’t lie but isn’t that what a liar does? That’s why we call them liars. Some people mock and laugh. They mocked and laughed at Christ. And so, we call them mockers and laughers. That’s just what mockers and laughers do. They mock and laugh. Some people believe because that’s just what believers do.
When it comes to religion some people are perplexed. Paul wasn’t perplexed. In 1st Corinthians 3:6 Paul said, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” What did Paul do? He planted the seed. What did Apollos do? He watered the seed. What did God do? He gave the increase. We leave the tree building up to God. Can we just imagine how perplexed we could become if we took on God’s role? Instead of planting the seed in the ground we lay awake at night trying to figure out how to make a tree. We can let God deal with the mysteries and miracles of life and just plant the seed because God gives the increase.
We see the first seed planting in the Kingdom in Acts chapter two. Were there people there from every nation that believed?
Verse 41 says, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” Wow, what a tent meeting the Apostles had. They planted the seed and three thousand souls believed the word. What was the word? You’ve crucified the Lord of Glory and when they believed they had done it they asked in verse 37: “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
What did Peter say to them? Did he say, here’s how you build a tree. No, they would have probably been perplexed so he said in verse 38, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Repent and be baptized. Since they were Jews they probably understood these concepts and if they didn’t they could just watch and learn as the 3,000 souls that gladly received the word were added by the Lord. Verse 47, “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” God gives the increase.
Well, Mr. Farmer, what about the rest of the story: “And ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” I suspect the preacher could talk several hours on that subject and drop the whole load by doing God’s work. Repent is a commandment and being baptized is a commandment but receiving the Gift is God’s work as he builds the tree. The Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
We’ve considered the seed sown in the ground so let us now consider the seasons. Proverbs 6, at verse 6: “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.”
What is the ant doing? The ant is thinking about the seasons of life. The ant knows that winter is coming. We look around and it’s so sunny and nice. We may not be thinking about winter but the ant is never without the thought of winter. The ant doesn’t need some overseer to tell them how to live because the ant realizes that winter is coming.
What happens when we spend the summer trying to build a tree or God’s work? We won’t have a harvest and we won’t be prepared for winter. Genesis 8, at verse 22 gives us a law to live by and these laws are fixed. “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”
Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.”
Do we look forward to the harvest or do we fear the coming winter of life? What have we said previously about those that are mockers and laughers? They will always be with us. That’s why they are called mockers and laughers. 2nd Peter 3, at verse 3: “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”
How many mockers and laughers will we observe in that day? Revelations 6, at verse 12: “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”
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