CONVINCED: Dirt Matters
Luke 8:4–8 (ESV) And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Luke 8:9–11 (ESV) And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Kingdom of God (Heaven)
Intended Kingdom vs Kingdom of this World
God Is King vs Satan Is King
God’s Citizens Abundant Life vs Steal Kill & Destroy
God’s Word/Truth Is Law vs Lies and Deception Thriving
God’s Economy Of More vs Steal Kill and Destroy
Trumps The Kingdom Of This World
God’s Word Unlocks These Realities.
YOU ARE SOIL.
CIRCUMSTANCES ATTACK, ATTEMPTING TO LESSEN SOIL CONDITIONS.
GOD’S SEED IS SENT TO PURIFY SOIL FOR ABUNDANCE.
LOGOS: written Word, rightly interpreted and applied
RHEMA: right now Word, Spirit empowered
SOIL’S RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD DETERMINES FUTURE FRUIT.
Hard Soil - Luke 8:12 ESV “The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.”
SOIL, hardened by frequent weight, impact
Hardened by life experience
Exodus 7:13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.”
Sun on clay vs. wax
Hardened by decision
Psalm 95:8 - "Do not harden your hearts, as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness."
Especially true of Christians who are bombarded with God’s Word but do not treasure it. They almost become inoculated.
Ezekiel 11:19. “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”
Rocky Soil - Luke 8:13 ESV “And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.”
Things allowed into the soil that should not be there - Proverbs 25:26 (ESV) Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
Sometimes there is an immediate growth, excitement, but testing comes and it withers.
Specific seed sent by God to deal with specific rock - refusal to embrace truth
Congested Soil - Luke 8:14 ESV “And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.”
The WORD is one of many things valued, like a book in the library that completes the collection, but not the primary source.
1 John 2:15–17 (NLT) Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
GOOD SOIL - Luke 8:15 ESV “As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.”
Hold Fast - Sailors - “Hold Fast” is a nautical term that refers to securing a rope or a line tightly to prevent it from slipping. In a broader sense, it conveys the idea of holding on firmly in the face of adversity. For sailors, this phrase served as both a practical reminder and a moral encouragement to remain steadfast, especially during difficult times at sea.
Prioritizing God’s Word above all else, securing it in one’s soil of life.
Patience = Fruit