The Life Of Christ Lesson 9 The First Parables of Jesus Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15 - Parable of the sower September 4, 2019

Parable Of The Sower - Matthew 13:1-23 The same: Seed. 1 Peter 1:23; Luke 8:11 Gospel designed to change the heart. Acts 2:36-37; James 1:21-22; Romans 12:1-2. Sower. Sowing. Matthew 13:19; 2 Corinthians 9:6; Galatians 6:7-8 What varied? 1. The soil was the difference.

Parable Of The Sower - Matthew 13:1-23 As sowers Be opportunistic and humble. (1 Corinthians 3:5-7; John 4:35-36) Be ready and patient. (2 Timothy 4:1-3) Be diligent. (2 Timothy 2:15) Be loving and compassionate. (Ephesians 4:15; Matthew 9:36-38; cf. 2 Chronicles 26:10) Be trusting. (Isaiah 55:10-11; 2 Timothy 3:16-17) Not “soil testers” but “seed sowers.” “…he loved the soil.” - 2 Chronicles 26:10

Parable Of The Sower - Matthew 13:1-23 As recipients of the seed. Prepare your heart. (Psalms 78:8; Ezra 7:10) Carefully watch/guard (what goes in) your heart. (Proverbs 4:23; cf. Matthew 15:19) Direct your heart (Colossians 3:1-2) Purify your heart (2 Corinthians 10:5) Maintain a “tender” heart. (James 4:8; 2 Chronicles 34:27; Matthew 13:15; Isaiah 6:10; Ephesians 4:17ff) Break up our fallow ground. (Hosea 10:12) Be “obedient from the heart.” (Romans 6:17) How do we manage the soil of our own heart? (Proverbs 4:23; 2 Corinthians 13:5; James 1:21)

Parable Of The Sower - Matthew 13:1-23 And purify your hearts - That is, do not rest satisfied with a mere external reformation; with putting away your outward transgressions. There must be a deeper work than that; a work which shall reach to the heart, and which shall purify the affections.- Barnes How do we manage the soil of our own heart? (Proverbs 4:23; 2 Corinthians 13:5; James 1:21)

Parable Of The Sower - Matthew 13:1-23 James 1:21, “Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.” “Implanted” - emphutos meaning: “implanted or rooted … a word whose property is to root itself like a seed in the heart” (Vine) The Hebrew writer refers to the word of God written “on their hearts” (Hebrews 8:10)

Parable Of The Sower - Matthew 13:1-23 To bear fruit, James writes: Put off sin - “putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness.” (Colossians 3:5-9; cf. Titus 2:11ff). “For the Word of God to bear its fruit in our lives, the ‘weeds of sin’ must first be uprooted!” (Copeland) Put on humility - “In humility receive the word.” (Isaiah 55:6-11, recognition that “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways, My ways.” (cf. Jeremiah 10:23) James 1:21;

Parable Of The Sower - Matthew 13:1-23 “The Word Of God.” Luke 8:11-12 The wayside soil. “Hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart” (verse 18). Having “heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.” (Luke 8:12) NOTE: This is an individual choice! cf. James 4:7; Acts 7:51; Hebrews 3:7ff; cf. Jeremiah 5:21-23 “The god of this world.” 2 Corinthians 4:1-4 “To reject with disdain.” (Strong)

Parable Of The Sower - Matthew 13:1-23 The wayside soil. Seed that “fell beside the road” (verse 4) and was “trampled under foot.” (Luke 8:5) What does it mean to “trample” something under our feet? (Matthew 5:13; 7:6; Hebrews 10:29) “To treat with the utmost contempt and indignity” (Zodhiates) Eaten by the birds … never germinated. “To reject with disdain.” (Strong)

Parable Of The Sower - Matthew 13:1-23 The wayside soil. Need to link the “trampling” of the seed and the lack of understanding. cf. Trampling Jesus / Trampling His word! How much understanding will we gain when we have disdain and contempt for the seed, the word of God? NOTE: Context (Matthew 13:13ff; cf. John 12:37-40 “… They could not believe …”) Contempt because of our fleshly focus and mindset. 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:3. “… he cannot understand …” “To reject with disdain.” (Strong)

Parable Of The Sower - Matthew 13:1-23 They have trodden under foot the Son of God. To trample upon an ordinary person shows intolerable insolence; to treat a person of honour in that vile manner is insufferable; but to deal thus with the Son of God, who himself is God, must be the highest provocation - to trample upon his person, denying him to be the Messiah - to trample upon his authority, and undermine his kingdom - to trample upon his members as the offscouring of all things, and not fit to live in the world; what punishment can be too great for such men? – Matthew Henry “To reject with disdain.” (Strong)

Parable Of The Sower - Matthew 13:1-23 The wayside soil. Note: The failure to understand is not attributable to the proclaimer or the obscurity of the word, but to the hardhearted condition of the receptor’s heart. cf. 1 Peter 1:22; James 1:18 Referring to those who don’t “take it to heart” (Malachi 2:2; Deuteronomy 32:46 ). It’s up to us to choose to “take into your heart all My words” (Ezekiel 3:10; cf. Job 22:21-22; 1 Corinthians 9:24) An "uncircumcised heart" is one that is closed and impervious to God's attempts to affect it. It resists them, which is why Stephen calls them "stiff-necked.".