Pastor Rich's Sermon, Sunday, May 16, 2004

What is a parable?

The footnotes in my life application Bible states, “parables compare something familiar to something unfamiliar. They help us understand spiritual truth by using everyday objects and relationships.”

Parables compel listeners to discover the truth provided the listener is honestly listening and searching for the truth of God.

In this morning’s parable Jesus talks about a farmer who sows the same seeds in four different types of soils. The seed the farmer is sowing is God’s Word and the four types of soils represent four different responses to God’s Word.

Iam sure you have heard sermons asking the question, which soil are you? There is a tendency to categorize people into these four different responses. I personally feel that all four different responses can be found in each one of us.

Our response to God’s Word depends a great deal on our readiness to receive God’s Word. Our readiness however does not determine or affect the truth of God’s Word.

For example, Jesus said,

“Love your neighbor as yourself.”

This is easy when our neighbor is someone we like. When our neighbor is someone who is glad to give assistance when asked. What about when our neighbor is not like that, when our neighbor is our enemy. Jesus said,

“Love your enemies and pray
for those who persecute you.”

Do you embrace this teaching of Jesus with as much openness and enthusiasm as we do the former?

“Then Jesus told them many things in parables, saying:
‘A farmer went to sow his seed.’”

Several years ago one sunflower plant was placed in the front of my house. It grew and bloomed and after it bloomed the seeds in the sunflower plant dropped out of the blossom as it dried. Some of the seeds fell on the sidewalk, some fell between the spaces between the border blocks, some fell amongst other plantings and some fell on the soil. The next summer I noticed a number of sunflower plants growing in the front of my house. Of course there were none growing on the sidewalk, but I noticed plants sprouting up in all other three places. As the days and weeks went by only those seeds that fell in the soil grew to a good size and bloomed.

The plant that grew out of the soil became a planter as well.

This is the challenge of this morning’s parable.

We are not only called to be good soil we are called to be farmers.

This truth is similar to the truth that Jesus is the Lamb of God and at the same time Jesus is the Good Shepherd, that Jesus is Master and Servant.

In this parable we are the soil and we are to be the farmer. Be aware that there is a direct correlation between the kinds of soil your are and the way you sow God’s Word. We have a responsibility of sowing the truth of God’s Word. Jesus’ great commission states,

“Go out into the world and make disciples.”

Making disciples requires planting the seeds of God’s Words, Love and Grace. Like the farmer who sowed the same seed in all four soils we must do the same. Unfortunately as I pointed out earlier this is not always the case.

“Then Jesus told them many things in parables, saying:
‘A farmer went to sow his seed.’”

Max Lucado in his book Next Door Savior gives a parable with regards to our responsibility as a farmer. He wrote, “Everyplace you live will be Bethlehem, and everyday you live will be Christmas. You like Mary, will deliver Christ into the world.”

Think how absurd it must have been for Mary. She is visited by an angel and told that she is going to have a baby and that her baby is going to be the Son of God. She responded to this greeting saying,

“May it be to me as you have said.”

Is there any question as to what kind of soil she was?

Like a seed planted in the ground that grows in good soil Jesus grew in Mary’s womb until she gave birth to Him. Mary delivered Christ into the world.

You and I have that same responsibility. We are to deliver Christ into the world. Think about that wherever you go to today, be it home or the market place. Wherever you go tomorrow whether it is to work, to the gym, or to school you have a responsibility to sow seeds. Specifically you have the responsibility of delivering Christ. You have no control over how God’s Word is received, only on how faithfully you sow it.

Remember God won't ask:

What kind of car you drove, He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.

The square footage of your house, He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

About the clothes you had in your closet, He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.

What your highest salary was, He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

What your job title was, He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of our ability.

How many friends you had, He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

In what neighborhood you lived, He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.

About the color of your skin, He'll ask about the content of your character.

Why it took you so long to seek Salvation, He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates of Hell.

“Then Jesus told them many things in parables, saying:
‘A farmer went to sow his seed.’”

We go out this morning, challenged by Jesus, to go and sow God’s love, grace and mercy wherever and to whomever.