Sermon
#46 Luke
Sermons
Title: Take Heed How You
Hear
Text: Luke 8:4-18
Subject: The Parable of the Sower
Date: Sunday Evening –
Tape # W-31b
Introduction:
We
have before us the parable of the
sower. Of all the parables spoken by our Lord during his earthly
ministry, none is so widely known and so little heeded as the parable of the
sower. The parable itself is easily comprehended. Everyone is familiar with the
work of a farmer. He plows his fields, sows his seeds, tends his plants, and
gathers in his crop. And every farmer knows that much of the seed sown is lost
forever, bears no fruit, and is profitable for nothing. Yet, very few people
appear to understand the spiritual implications of this well-known parable.
This
parable is of universal application. So long as the Kingdom of God is in this
world, so long as there are assemblies of saints like this one, so long as
sinners gather to worship God in hope of grace and eternal life in Christ, this
parable will be applicable. Let’s read it together.
[Luke
8:4-18] "And when much people were
gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a
parable: [5] A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some
fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air
devoured it. [6] And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung
up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. [7] And some fell
among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. [8] And
other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an
hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. [9] And his disciples asked him,
saying, What might this parable be? [10] And he
said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of
the
Proposition:
In this parable, our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us plainly that the vast majority of those who hear the gospel of the grace of God
preached, even the vast majority of those who profess faith in him after
hearing the gospel, are unregenerate, lost, and perish under the wrath of God.
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” the
parable of the sower.
I. The Sower Is The Gospel
Preacher.
Gospel
preachers are like farmers sowing wheat. They broadcast the Word of God upon
the ground, upon the hearts of eternity bound men and women. This is not a
careless, thoughtless process. The preacher, if he is indeed a faithful, gospel
preacher, has his heart in his work. He is not indifferent to those to whom he
preaches, or indifferent to their response. Oh, no. God’s servants care deeply
for the souls of men. They sow in hope of harvest.
Psalms 126:5 "They that sow in tears shall
reap in joy."
Ecclesiastes
11:1 "Cast thy bread upon the
waters: for thou shalt find it after many days."
Isaiah 55:11 "So shall my word be that
goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall
accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."
***1 Corinthians 15:58
The
sower is the servant of God, the who faithfully sows
the seed of the gospel in hope of a great harvest.
II. The Seed Sown Is The Word
Of God, The Gospel Of The Grace Of God Revealed In The Word.
[Luke
8:11] "Now the parable is this: The
seed is the word of God."
We
recognize, preach, and rejoice in the glorious sovereignty of our God. I take a
back seat to no one in preaching God’s absolute sovereignty in all things, and
especially in the salvation of his elect. Yet, we recognize that God almighty
has chosen to use specific means for the accomplishment of his purposes. “It pleased God, by the foolishness of
preaching, to save them that believe.” “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the
Word of God.” That is Bible
language. God declares that he saves
sinners through the utility of the Word.
James
1 Peter
1:23-25 "Being born again, not of
corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and
abideth for ever. (24) For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as
the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: (25) But the word of the Lord endureth
for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."
A. God saves chosen sinners only through, or by means of, the faithful
exposition of the Scriptures.
B. The Word of God is faithfully expounded and preached only when the gospel
of Christ is faithfully expounded and preached.
Rolland Hill was exactly right when he
said, “Any sermon that does not contain the `Three R’s’ (Ruin by the Fall, Redemption by the Blood, and Regeneration by the Holy
Spirit) ought never to have been preached.”
God’s
servants are not just preachers. They are gospel preachers. They do not just
preach. They preach the gospel.
The
sower is the gospel preacher. The seed sown is the Word of God, the gospel of
Christ.
III. The Results Of Gospel
Preaching Are Always Exactly According To The Purpose Of God.
We
randomly preach the gospel to all who will hear us. But the results are not
random. When God almighty sends forth his Word, his Word always accomplishes
his purpose. It either produces life and faith in Christ, or it produces
judicial blindness and hardness of heart.
[Luke 8:10]
"And he said, Unto you it is given to know
the mysteries of the
The Lord is quoting from the prophecy of Isaiah.
Isaiah
6:9-10 "And he said, Go, and tell this people,
Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. (10) Make the heart of this people fat,
and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be
healed."
The
apostle Paul argues in much the same way, declaring that man’s unbelief does
not in any way, or to even the slightest degree alter the purpose of God.
Rather, even the willful unbelief of the reprobate fulfills God’s sovereign
purpose
Romans 3:3-4 "For what if some did not
believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God
without effect? (4) God forbid: yea,
let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That
thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art
judged."
2
Corinthians 2:14-16
"Now thanks be unto
God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the
savour of his knowledge by us in every place. (15) For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that
are saved, and in them that perish: (16) To the one we are the
savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And
who is sufficient for these
things?"
A. Faith in Christ is the gift of God.
The seeing eye, the
hearing ear, and the believing heart are from the Lord. Faith is not something
men muster from within. Faith is the gift and operation of God’s free grace in
Christ. If you believe, it is because “unto
you it is given in the behalf of Christ to believe on his name.”
·
Eph. 2:8-9
·
Col. 2:12
B. To those who will not believe, the Word of God is both blinding and
binding.
None are so blind as
those who will not see. And none are so hardened as
those who are gospel hardened. When men and women willfully despise the gospel
of the grace of God, when they resolutely harden themselves to the Word
preached, the very Word which they despise becomes the instrument by which they
are bound over to everlasting judgment.
IV. Some Who Hear The Gospel Receive It As Seed
Sown By The Wayside.
[Luke 8:12] "Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved."
Some
of you have come here tonight with no concern for your souls, glory of God, or
eternity. You come to church because you have to, or because it is the
respectable thing to do, or because you think it is your duty to do so. But you
really have no interest in what is going on here. You try your best not to hear
a word I say, or at least not to be bothered by what I say. All the time I am
preaching, you try to think about something else. Unless God intervenes and
does something for you, the gospel you have heard today will profit you
nothing. Before you get out the door the old black crow of hell will have
snatched away the seed from your hard heart.
V. Some Are Described As Stony
Ground Hearers.
[Luke
8:13] "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."
***John
2:23-24
There
are many stony ground hearers. The preaching of the gospel makes very quick,
but only temporary impressions upon them. Their religion is all superficial,
just a flash in the pan, nothing else. Like burning briars in a fire, they may
crackle and pop, and make a lot of noise, but they produce nothing. They appear
enthusiastic. They talk a good game. They are sometimes moved to tears. They
may even speak about inward conflicts, hopes, desires, struggles, and fears.
But they lack one thing. They have no root. The root of the matter is not in
them. Like seed sown in unprepared soil, the Word of God takes no root in them
because there is no work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts.
·
Unconvinced -- No Conviction!
·
Unturned -- No Repentance!
·
Unbelieving -- No Faith!
These stony ground hearers
endure for a while; but they will not last. Their religion is like Jonah’s
gourd. It springs up in a night and is gone in a night. They are like cut
flowers. They look pretty and smell nice for a while; but soon wither and die.
They have no root. Christ is not in them and they are not in Christ.
A. A little trial, affliction, or temptation will be too great for the
stony ground hearer to endure.
B. Any persecution or opposition because of the offense of the gospel will
destroy them.
VI. Others Are Described In This Parable As Thorny Ground Hearers.
[Luke
8:14] "And that which fell among
thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with
cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to
perfection."
The
wayside hearer has no interest at all in the things of God. He could care less
who Christ is and what he did. The stony ground hearer is somewhat impressive.
He makes a big splash, but does not last very long. The thorny ground hearer is
something else.
The
thorny ground hearer assents to the gospel, approves of it, and is moved by it.
He makes a good start and goes a long way in religion. He feels much,
experiences much, and may even do much that appears to be truly spiritual; but
he has a basic, fundamental, underlying problem. It is a problem that may lie
under the surface, hidden from every eye but God’s. It may even be hidden from
his own eyes. But it will eventually destroy him. The problem is worldliness.
The world still holds his heart. He loves the world.
A. Beware of religion without Christ!
You may think, “All is well with my soul. No
one could ever feel what I feel and experience what I have experienced and yet
be lost.” You ought to think again! False faith is a strong delusion, a
delusion by which, in this parable, one
in four who profess faith in Christ are dragged down to hell!
1.
False faith may be greatly enlightened and knowledgeable of the gospel
(Heb. 6:4).
2.
False faith may greatly reform the outward life. - The Pharisees!
3.
False faith may speak very well of Christ. - The Jews!
4.
False faith may confess personal sins like Saul.
5.
False faith may humble itself in sackcloth and ashes with Ahab.
6.
False faith may repent in tears with Esau and Judas.
7.
False faith may diligently perform religious works with the Jews.
8.
False faith may be very generous and charitable, like Ananias and Sapphira.
9.
False faith may tremble under the Word with Felix.
10. False faith
may experience great
things in religion (Heb. 6:1-4).
11. False faith may enjoy great
religious privileges with
12. False faith may preach,
perform miracles, and cast out devils, like those mentioned by our Lord.
13. False faith may attain high
office in the church like Diotrephes.
14. False faith may walk with
great preachers like Demas.
15. May even be peaceful and
carnally secure like the five foolish virgins.
B. Yet, it is written, “If any man
love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John
Sooner
or later those who love the world will choose the world. The sad fact is that
though they willfully choose the world and turn from Christ, they are so
thoroughly justified in their own minds that what they are doing is right that
they never even realize they have done it, until they wake up in hell.
If
you are one of these thorny ground hearers, the Lord Jesus plainly warns you
that one of these three things will eventually destroy your soul.
1.
“The Cares Of This World” -- Legitimate Cares.
2.
“The Deceitfulness Of Riches” -- Materialism.
3.
“The Pleasures of This Life” -- “The Lusts Of
Other Things” --- Fame -- Acceptance -- Position -- Power – Sensuality.
VII. The True Believer Is That Person Who Receives The Gospel As Seed
Sown In Good Ground.
[Luke
8:15] "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."
The good ground is a regenerate heart,
a heart prepared by God the Holy Spirit to receive the Word of grace. The
fallow ground of the heart has been broken up by the deep cutting, sharp plow
of the law. The hard clods have been broken by the heavy harrow of conviction,
beaten to pieces by the thunderous rain of God’s wrath, and at last softened by
the sweet dew of heaven.
The
Word of God sown in the regenerate heart, the heart prepared by the grace and
power of God to receive it, brings forth fruit unto God. Some bear fruit more
rapidly and more plentifully than others; but all bear fruit from God. The
fruit they bear is the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians
5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit
is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (23) Meekness, temperance: against such
there is no law."
Application: You have heard the Word of
God tonight. What kind of hearer are you?
1.
Wayside Hearer?
2.
A Stony Ground Hearer?
3.
A Thorny Ground Hearer?
4.
A Good Ground Hearer?
Now, read these next three verses as they are given, in this context,
and hear the Master’s warning.
[Luke
8:16-18] "No man, when he hath
lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed;
but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the
light. [17] For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest;
neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. [18] Take
heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him
shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which
he seemeth to have."
·
Take heed what you hear!
·
Take heed that you hear!
·
Take heed how you hear!