THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
(Chapter 8)
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Kevin Pendergrass.
Welcome to the third lesson in our study of the Book of Luke. In this lesson we will be looking at the parable of the sower. We will see what the parable is, what it means, and how we can apply the parable to our lives. In Luke 8:4-8 we find the parable as given by Jesus.
“When a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: ‘A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.’ When He had said these things He cried, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear!’”
Let us do exactly that—hear what the parable is teaching. What does each part of this parable represent or mean? Jesus explains each part of the parable. In Luke 8:11 we read about what the seed represents. Jesus said, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.” First and foremost, we must understand the importance of the Word of God, which is the seed. In Acts 12:24 the Bible says that “the word of God grew and multiplied.” It is impossible to grow without the Word of God. Someone cannot become a Christian without hearing what the Bible has to say (Rom. 10:17). Someone cannot get to Heaven without the Word of God (2 Thess. 1:7-9). In Hebrews 11:6 we read, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him [God].” It does not say that it is unlikely that we will please God or that it is hard to please Him. Rather, it says that it is impossible to please God if we do not have faith because “he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” How important is the Word of God? It is vital. It is essential if we want to get to Heaven. John 8:32 says, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Jesus did not say that it is our intentions that will set us free. He did not say that it will be our feelings or what our parents have taught us. Rather, it is truth, which is the only thing that can set us free. Pilate once asked, “What is truth?” (Jn. 18:38). That is a very good question. John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” We are sanctified (set apart) by the Word of God. When we talk about the seed, we are talking about the Word of God. It is only God’s truth that can set us free. In order to have an apple tree, you must apple seed. This is a very simple concept to understand. In order to become a Christian, you must have the Word of God. A person cannot become a Christian without the seed that produces the Christian. It is interesting to notice that in this parable, there is no discussion regarding how the seed is scattered. In some Bibles, one of the titles that accompanies the text is “The Parable of the Sower.” There is not much said about the sower. The text concentrates instead on the seed, and on the ground on which the seed lands. The simple fact is that we must make sure that we are Christians. If we are members of the one true church (the Lord’s church—Mt. 16:18; Eph. 4:4), then we need to make sure that we are scattering the seed. It is our responsibility to scatter the precious Word of God. If you are not a Christian, then you need to make sure that you are finding the seed so you can go to the Word of God to learn what to do to become a Christian.
Now that we know that the seed is God’s Word (the Bible), I want to talk about the type of ground that you may be. I want you to honestly be thinking about this as we talk about the different types of ground (or soil) discussed in Jesus’ parable. What kind of ground are you? Luke 8:12 speaks of the first type of soil when it says, “Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.” This is discussing people who hear, but before they can believe and be saved, the devil comes and takes away the seed so that they cannot be saved. In Acts 24:25 we find an excellent example of this. As Paul spoke to Felix about righteousness, self-control, and the Judgment to come, Felix was afraid. He said, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.” Paul was talking to Felix about those things. But before the Word of God could establish itself in his heart so that he could believe it, he told Paul to go away, and when he had a more convenient time, he would call for him. One time I was studying with a man. We were talking about the Bible. He understood very clearly what the Scriptures taught about the one church, about how the Lord adds a person to the church (Acts 2:47), and about how a person must believe the truth and be baptized in order to be saved (Mk. 16:16). So, I asked him, “Are you going to become a Christian?” He said, “No. I’ll probably do that later in my life.” This man was in his late 70s or early 80s. I asked, “Why wait? Remember what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 6:2, ‘Today is the day of salvation.’ Don’t just hear the Word, but make sure that you act upon it. If a person just hears the Word but does not do anything, that is the same as Satan coming along and taking the seed so that you cannot be saved.” I tried talking with him about this, and asked him, “How long have you been saying, ‘In the future I’ll do it, when it’s a more convenient time?’” His response? “About 35 or 40 years I’ve been saying that.” I told him, “So really, you’re not going to change. You’re just wanting me to leave because you don’t want to study your Bible any more.” I did everything I could to convince him. But he was the kind of person who represented the soil of which Christ was speaking in this part of His parable—someone who had an opportunity to hear the Word of God, but did not do anything after he had heard it. His attitude was, “Go, and when I have a more convenient time, I will call for you.” In reality, the man’s real attitude was, “Please leave so I don’t have to do anything. Leave me alone so I can continue living the life I want to.”
Another example of this is King Agrippa in Acts 26:26-28.
“‘The king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.’ Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You almost persuade me to become a Christian.’”
Some of the saddest words found in Scripture are “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” The attitude is, “I hear what you are saying, and I know what you are saying, but I’m not going to do it. You’ve almost persuaded me, but I’m not there yet.” Perhaps you are watching or hearing this program, but you are not a Christian. Right now you have an opportunity because you know what the Bible has to say. I beg you not to be like Felix. Don’t say, “Maybe at a more convenient time I’ll change.” Don’t be like Agrippa and say, “Yes, everything you’ve said is what the Bible says, and you’ve almost persuaded me. But I’m not going to do it anyway.” Do not be that type of soil. Don’t have that type of heart. Instead, have the kind of heart that says, “I’ve now heard what the Bible has to say, so I’m going to do it. I want to follow through with the steps in the plan of salvation.” You need to make sure that you are the type of soil that allows you to change so you can go to Heaven.
Now I want to address the question, “How does Satan take the seed out of a person’s heart?” When the Bible says that Satan comes and takes the seed out of a person’s heart, is that suggesting that the person has no control over this—so that even if a person wants to do the right thing, he cannot because Satan has control? Of course not! This is saying that a person is living his life not according to God’s will, but according to Satan’s will. The person is not living his life for God, but for Satan, whether you want to or not. That is what this is saying. A person can allow Satan to rule his life. Romans 6 explains that people are either slaves of righteousness or slaves of sin. If you are a slave of sin, then you are allowing Satan, not biblical truth, to control your life. In Acts 5:1-3 we see another example of this happening.
“A certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?’”
The Bible talks about how Satan had filled their hearts. This is not something that Satan did which Ananias and Sapphira could not control. Rather, they allowed Satan’s sinful actions to control their lives. We need to understand that this is something that we can control. But we must make the choice about whether we are going to be the good soil (and have a good heart), or whether we are going to live our lives whatever way we want to. If that describes you, I hope you will change so that you will no longer be that type of soil.
But maybe you are not the wayside soil. Perhaps you’re saying to yourself, “No, he’s not talking about me. That doesn’t apply to me because I’m not the wayside soil.” Maybe, then, you are the type of rocky ground discussed in Luke 8:13—“The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while, but in time of temptation fall away.” This describes some who receive God’s Word with joy, but they do not have any roots to their faith. Yes, they are faithful for a little while. But then they end up falling away. There is a popular religious belief known as “once saved, always saved.” Luke 8:13 is very clear in teaching that such a doctrine is not true. People can receive God’s Word and obey it, yet later fall away because of worldly things. Paul wrote exactly that to the churches of Galatia when he spoke of how someone can fall away because their faith does not have roots. In Galatians 3:1 Paul said, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?” Those people had received and obeyed God’s truth. But then suddenly they began to listen to what men had to say. They listened to false doctrine. And since their faith did not have any roots, they began to turn away from the truth. That, in fact, was how Paul actually started his letter to the churches in Galatia. In Galatians 1:6-10 Paul said,
“I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”
Paul wanted to know how these people could turn away from the truth. He told them that even if an angel from Heaven tried to teach them something else, they should not believe it. Rather, they should believe that they have a good foundation and good roots so they will not turn away when they hear something else. Ephesians 4:14 says that we should not be like children who are “tossed to and fro.” We need to understand what the Word of God says so we can be sure that we are obedient to it. In Galatians 3:3-4 Paul said, “Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?” Paul is wondering how the Galatian Christians could so such a thing. They had heard the Word of God. They were joyful when they first received it. Yet they turned away from it. They wanted to be made “perfect” by going back to the Old Law. In Galatians 5:4 Paul said, “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” Make sure that you are not the type of Christian who sits at home because you’ve made up your mind that you’re not going to attend worship services any longer. Perhaps you did not like something that was done. Or perhaps you just didn’t like having to get up early to go to worship. If this is the case, you are not allowing the Word of God to guide you, but instead are allowing your own thoughts and emotions to guide you. You are the rocky ground. If you are a Christian, do you remember the day when you became a Christian, and how joyful you were because you knew that your sins had been washed away in the watery grave of baptism (Rom. 6:3-5; Acts 22:16)? What a wonderful feeling it was. I remember on the way to the baptistery how scared I was, knowing that I was lost because I had not contacted the blood of Christ through water (Rev. 1:5; 1 Pet. 3:21). But when I came up out of that watery grave (Rom. 6:3-4) to walk in newness of life (2 Cor. 5:17), what a joyful time that was! But it is not enough just to begin. Rather, we need to be sure that we finish what we have started. Some older preachers even end up losing their zeal and faithful. At first they are excited and joyful. But then they end up falling away because they had no roots. They had not completely given themselves to Christ, and had not completely followed Him as He said that we must do. Not only do we have to have that joy for a short period of time, but the joy must last if we are to go to Heaven. Do not be the rocky soil—where you were joyful when you became a Christian, but that’s as far as it went. If that describes you, then you need to understand that you are lost and that you have fallen from God’s grace. You no longer are on the road to Heaven, but are on the road to Hell. You must repent so that you once more can be the good soil that we will discuss in a few minutes. In 1 Corinthians 10:12 the Bible says, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” In 2 Corinthians 13:5 Paul said, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.” Don’t just be joyful for a short period of time, but keep the faith. Jude said, “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (vs. 3). If you are a Christian, but you have fallen away, you need to repent, change your life, and once again contend for the faith.
But perhaps you are thinking to yourself, “No, that’s not the type of ground I am. He’s not talking about me.” Perhaps you are the thorny ground, of which Luke 8:14 speaks—“Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.” Think about “superstars” who are in movies or in Hollywood. These are the people who have all the money that they could ever want. They drive the best cars. They live in the biggest mansions. They think that those things will make them happy, but in reality, they do not. A lot of people become Christians, but then see how others live in a pleasurable way (which really is not pleasurable), and then those Christians end up choosing that life over God. In the Bible we see a sad situation with a man by the name of Demas. In 2 Timothy 4:10 Paul said, “Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world.” Demas forsook Paul, which means that he also had forsaken Christ. He had forsaken everything associated with the Christian life. Why did he do that? It was because his heart represented thorny ground. His life was choked with all the cares, riches, and pleasures that this life has to offer. There may be some who are happy having all the riches that this world has to offer. But look at what Matthew 16:26 says: “What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” I was speaking one time with a man who was an atheist. He said, “Do you not see my big house and my nice car? I don’t need God. I’ve done all of this for myself. I have everything that I could ever want.” When I think of Matthew 16:26, I think about that man. What had he profited if he had gained the whole world, but had lost his own soul? Think about some of the things that people give in exchange for their souls. Some people love alcohol. They want to go out to bars or drinking parties. They like to go out and get drunk so they can “have a good old time.” What are they doing? They are saying, “Here’s my soul. Give me alcohol in exchange for it.” The Bible says in Proverbs 23:31, “Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly.” Some people give up their souls because they want to be in an unscriptural marriage. In Matthew 19:9 Jesus said that there is only one scriptural reason to divorce a spouse. That reason is fornication. If your spouse has cheated on you sexually, then and only then can you put him or her away for fornication. If you are not the person who divorced your mate for that reason, then you cannot marry anyone else. And if you do, you must get out of that marriage according to Romans 6:1-2. But many people will not because they love the sinful relationship in which they are living. They have exchanged their soul for their unscriptural marriage, which will send them to Hell. How sad it is to see people trade their souls for things like that. What is the price of a person’s soul? There is no price! I hope you have already given your soul to Christ. But if not, you need to change and do that.
Is sin pleasurable? Absolutely. I’m not saying it’s not. The Bible doesn’t say it’s not. From a worldly, physical standpoint, sin is something that is very pleasurable. Hebrews 11:24-26 says,
“By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.”
We must “look to the reward.” We cannot look to this world for joy. Instead, we must look to the reward of Heaven so that we will not be involved with the passing pleasures of sin. We need to make sure that this is not the type of ground that we are. In 1 Peter 4:4 we read in regard to lewdness, drunkenness, and drinking parties that some people “think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.” There will be people who speak evil of us when we do the right thing. But we must realize that it will be worth it for us in the end. Many false teachers have always tried to tickle the ears of men (2 Tim. 4:1-4). Jeremiah 6:14 tells us that they preach, “’Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” You need to make sure that you are not that ground that has gone off. But if you are, then come back. In Philippians 3:20 Paul said, “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Make sure that you are not that type of ground.
Make sure you are good ground. In Luke 8:15 the Bible speaks of the good soil. “But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.” Paul is a wonderful example of this. He had been wrong and in sin. In Acts 23:1 he said that he had done those things “in good conscience.” Yet he still was wrong. Did he think he was doing the right thing when he was persecuting Christians? Yes, but he was wrong. Why did he change? It was because he saw the truth. The seed (the Word of God) was sown in his heart, and he was obedient to what God had commanded him to do (Heb. 5:9). That is the type of person who has a good heart and who is good ground. In 2 Timothy 4:6-8 Paul wrote,
“I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
According to 2 Timothy 4:6-8, Paul realized that life was a fight. But he had fought it. He had finished the race. He had kept the faith. We must do the same thing. What a wonderful thing it is to follow such a good example. Luke 8:15 says, “But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.”
What kind of heart do you have? What kind of ground are you? Are you the ground that is receptive to truth? Are you an honest seeker when it comes to God’s Word? Are you going to be the type of ground that has a noble heart so that when you hear God’s Word, you retain it and bear fruit with perseverance? If you are not a Christian, we pray today that you will obey the Gospel of Christ.
Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
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1. What parable did Jesus tell in Luke 8?
2. In Jesus’ parable, what does “the seed” represent?
3. According to Acts 12:24, what did the Word of God do in the first century?
4. What, according to Romans 10:17, is the source of a person’s faith?
5. Hebrews 11:6 mentions something, without which, it is “impossible to please God.” What is it?
6. What important question did Pilate ask in John 18:38?
7. According to the last part of John 17:17, what is God’s Word?
8. According to Luke 8:5, what is the first type of soil mentioned by Christ in His parable?
9. According to Luke 8:12, what does the type of soil mentioned in question #8 above represent?
10. According to Luke 8:6, what is the second type of soil mentioned by Christ in His parable?
11. According to Luke 8:13, what does the type of soil mentioned in question #10 above represent?
12. According to Luke 8:7, what is the third type of soil mentioned by Christ in His parable?
13. According to Luke 8:14, what does the type of soil mentioned in question #12 above represent?
14. According to Luke 8:8, what is the fourth type of soil mentioned by Christ in His parable?
15. According to Luke 8:15, what does the type of soil mentioned in question #14 above represent?
16. What, according to Acts 5:3, had Satan done to Ananias and Sapphira?
17. What does Ephesians 4:14 admonish Christians not to be?
18. What command did the apostle Paul give in 2 Corinthians 13:5 that every Christian should heed every day of his or her life?
19. What important question did Christ ask in Matthew 16:26?
20. According to Philippians 3:20, where is every Christian’s true citizenship to be found?
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