Sermon in Rockford 10.01.2016

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, let us quieten this evening in prayer and thanksgiving.

Holy and righteous God, our beloved Heavenly Father, this evening as we have again been granted grace to pause before your holy and precious Word, we thank you for the blessings of this day. You have again, as you have day after day, provided for us those things that are required and necessary for this temporal journey. You have given us abundant food and clothing. You have given us loved ones, friends, those kinds of joys that come as your children. But you've also, dear Father, in addition to this, gifted us with those spiritual blessings and needs that you know are necessary for us as we journey homeward. You have gifted us with your kingdom. You have blessed us with those believing escorts, those dear friends, those fellow travelers who uplift us and lead us towards heaven. You have also gifted us with your Word, that Word that is a lamp and a light as we journey in this dark and cold world. You have also, most of all, dear Father, gifted us with your Son, through whom, even this evening, we have as our hope and our encouragement, our joy and our crown. He is our Savior. He has fulfilled all for us, that we can simply trust and believe upon Him. And through your Word, through believing on Him, we have hope of one day there in the glory of heaven.

So we now even pray, dear Father, that you would grant unto us your service blessing, that we might be nourished and fed around your holy and precious Word. All of this we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

This evening, as we pause around God's Word, I have thought today around this parable that Jesus spoke, and it is the parable of the sower. And I've tried to wrestle this parable out of my mind because it's not really the sowing season. It's the dead of winter here in Minnesota, and I can't imagine even considering trying to till the ground, much less plant seed. But for some reason, this text has been rambling around in my thoughts and mind today.

And so I'll read from the fourth chapter of Mark. This parable is spoken in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, all three of them. And I'll read from the fourth chapter of Mark, the first part of that chapter. The words are as follows in Jesus' name:

"And he began to teach by the seaside, and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship and sat in the sea, and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, He said unto them, Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased, and brought forth some thirty and some sixty and some a hundred. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was alone, they that were about him, with the twelve asked of him the parable. And he said unto them, Unto you is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables, that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable, and how will ye know all parables? The sower soweth the word, and these are they by the wayside where the word is sown, but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground, who when they had heard the word, immediately received, received with gladness, and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time; afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the world's sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns, such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entered in. Entering in, they choke the word, and it become unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground, such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred."

Amen.

This parable is one of those few parables that Jesus actually explains what the parable means. Most of the parables that Jesus speaks are simply spoken and left. But Jesus returns and gives explanation to this parable. I found it interesting. It must have been that important of a parable that Jesus wanted to make sure even his own children understood it.

We have now been planning for the upcoming work for year 2016 and also this week we begin planning for LLC work in the year 2017. This has been one of the areas that has been maybe most challenging or new for me to consider that we're looking well off into the future as we plan LLC work. And of course the mission command of Jesus is central to the teaching of the organization also, that we would, with prayerful hearts, sow the seed of God's word in the world around us.

There comes questions in planning, that what is God's plan or intentions? Because we live in God's kingdom. It is his kingdom. We are blessed. We are graced to be members of his kingdom. We are children in his kingdom. And it is a great calling. It is a great blessing that God has allowed each of us to believe. When we have been allowed to believe, then we also have this thought or hope that all men might believe with us, that we would share that mystery of faith, that joy of believing, that security that comes through believing in God's kingdom with those around us.

With those around us.

We think about this time of epiphany. It's a time when the light of God's word is especially made known in the world around us. A few weeks ago, one brother, as I was listening to his sermon, said that there was a man and his son that were in a dark room. And I didn't know him. I didn't catch if it was because of a power outage or if it was for some other reason. But it was dark. And the young boy was fearful. And he told his father, "Say something, father, say something, dad." When you speak, I'm comforted.

And I thought how in God's kingdom, it is the same prayer that we have in this dark room, in this dark world around us. And the light of God's word shines in our midst. And as children in the kingdom, we say, "Speak, Father," for we feel comforted and secure when we hear the voice of our heavenly Father, the voice of the good shepherd that calls, that gathers, that unites us together as God's children.

Have you experienced with me how you have been comforted in hearing the voice of the heavenly Father? That young boy was comforted when he heard the voice of his father.

I've thought about that many times in the recent weeks since I've heard that. How dark the world is becoming. Seems like it's impossible that it becomes darker than it already is. But it must be before the end comes. And as the world grows darker, the kingdom of God becomes more brilliant. It is more readily seen as a small light that shines in darkness. Eyes are drawn towards that light.

But think how much more God's kingdom, the brilliance and the radiance of God's kingdom, shining in this dark world, is seen and is evidenced by this word. And brothers and sisters, that is the word that is being spoken of in this parable.

When Jesus spoke this parable, he talked about a sower. And he talked about the seed. And that sower is the child of God. The apostle Paul writes in the book of Corinthians that I, Paul, have planted. Apollos watered, but God gives the increase. It is the responsibility of God's children to sow. Not only for the ministers, of course, that's primary responsibility. But this matter of sowing is for all believers.

Parents, how do you sow that word? Perhaps mothers have the greatest area of responsibility of sowing. Into the hearts of your children, you speak of that which you believe. You share with your children and your grandchildren those things that have been a comfort to you as you've grown, as you've lived your life as a child of God.

The world would wish to minimize that role of a mother in our day. Place a much higher level and degree of working mothers and careers in the world. Someone might even be thinking that it's but such a small job. I remember more than once Maggie mentioning when talking about her role in the home, commenting to other people that "I'm just a mother." And that never said well. I would hate to see any of you mothers say "I'm just a mother," because the role of a mother is so important in the sowing of this seed into the hearts of your children.

But you children also are those sowers of the seed. When you go to school, you have those friends at school. And have your friends ever asked you at school that, "Why don't you do those kinds of things that so many in the world do? Why don't you go to those dances or why don't you listen to that music or that worldly music? Why don't you participate in those activities that so many of your school friends do?"

Have you boys and girls thought that you are this kind of a light in the world around you? That you can reveal God's kingdom through your words and actions to all of those around you. This is the sowing of God's word. And that sowing doesn't end just because we are older. But that sowing of God's word is a responsibility for us until the day that we pass from this life.

Remember many times my own grandmother asking, "What is my purpose any longer here?" Grandpa's died many years ago. She hoped for her home in heaven. And of course that is all of our hope as well, that one day we would make it to that place, that heavenly shore. But neither was I ready to give up and say, "It's okay now, grandma, you can go," because I felt like she taught me so much. And maybe not only with words but more with her actions and how she cared for her family. All of those are the sowing of this seed.

So Jesus gives this responsibility and in this parable he tells the sower to go and sow. And I suppose in those days as it is today you think about seed. I know the farmers today are quite cautious. In fact, so much new technology they're able to very clearly define how many seeds are being planted, how far they're spaced, how close the rows are. And they try to waste no seed at all.

And when we think of the sowers in the time of Jesus they would take a bag, fill it with seed, and simply broadcast that seed. But I'm sure there were those sowers that were mindful of that seed as to how far and wide it would be spread, very careful that they would keep it within the confines of good soil. But Jesus in this parable he says that this seed is to be scattered into all types of soil. And so God's word is that kind of word that goes into all areas of this world.

And in fact at the end of Matthew, as we heard this morning, Jesus reminded his disciples and us to go ye therefore, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

To go ye therefore and to sow that seed is easy. Well, I speak for myself. I've had those occasions in my life where I've had those chances. I've had those kinds of feelings that by using those that I've felt have emerged. It used to be my mind when you say I will be able to ever focus that new seed as well. I've done what I've done for those who never worshipped the Holy Spirit.

And I think that as the next human who can understand who I am, I need to live life quiet and change for them who otherwise first. So I'm going to declare the Lord.

This was in West Africa. In my corrupt flesh, I looked at those men and I thought, well, write this guy off just how he carried himself and how he related to his other fellow man. And then I looked at the other guy and thought, well, maybe he would have hope to be able to hear or even believe. And in my mind, I made this calculation that, okay, when we have this kind of service and meeting, for sure this guy would be important that he would be able to hear.

And how wrong I was in that situation. And there have been other times as well in my life where God has needed to teach me that it's not the sower that's important. God knows the hearts of those who receive. God knows the hearts of those who receive his word. And in this particular case, that one that I had written off in the beginning, in the end, was granted the grace to believe.

It was a lesson for me. And I've tried to learn those lessons, but I'm so slow in learning that it still remains for me that kind of a very easy for my flesh to divide and say, well, who might be an acceptable hearer? Who might be an acceptable hearer? And I've tried to learn those lessons, but I'm so slow in learning that God has needed to teach me that it's not the sower that's important. But Jesus wants this word to simply go and be sown and allow God then to prepare the hearts to receive it.

And in this parable, it is so, and you know this parable well as you've read it, I'm sure many times as well, where this seed of God's word is sown. And it came and it fell on four different types of soil. One, some fell by the wayside. Some fell on stony ground. The third fell among thorns. And the fourth fell on good ground. And he uses examples from nature, as Jesus so often did.

And the seed that fell by the wayside, it says that the fowls of the air came and devoured. And the seed that fell on stony ground, it did not have much earth. And immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.

I'm sure all of us have witnessed a wayside. You know, the side of the road, concrete or asphalt. Little or no chance at all of that seed even germinating. Simply brushed away, blown away, or eaten by the birds.

You know, in Phoenix, late in the fall of the year, they change grasses. The summer grass is a Bermuda grass. And they plant a rye for the winter. So they have green grass all winter. And they go through those golf courses and they plant rye seed. And you can see the birds. They flock to those golf courses and they eat this seed. I'm sure they're just... Harley can fly when they're done eating the amount of seed that they're eating.

And it would be the same if the seed was scattered on the side of the road. The birds would come. And Jesus later says it's the enemy of souls that comes and devours that seed. So this seed never even penetrates a person's heart.

Who might this be? Of course it could be those unbelieving people who would make mockery of God's word. When they hear this, they say, when they hear God's word, it is foolishness to them. But remember what Paul writes about the foolishness of preaching. How God allowed it to be for those of us who are saved to be our source of strength. But for the world, when they hear God's word, it's simply foolishness. And it would be like this, where this word is just eaten and devoured by the enemy of souls before it even enters into the heart of a man.

Secondly, on this stony ground, I'm sure you've witnessed this as well, where this seed would start to germinate. But because there's no depth of earth, it quickly dies, as Jesus said.

There was a mountain in Colorado, Snowmass Village. It was called Mountain Daly. And when you go from Highway 82 into Snowmass Village, it's the prominent mountain straight ahead. And in the spring of the year, well, throughout the year, you can see a stripe that goes through the mountain. A different color rock. I think it was a gray stripe. It was a darker stone, top and bottom. But it was like a perfectly measured stripe from afar. It would have been some thousands of feet wide.

But in the spring of the year, if you caught it on the perfect day, that stripe on the mountain would turn green. I'm sure there was some kind of a mountain, like a lichen, small grass that would grow there. And there was enough soil, minerals, enough that this soil or this grass would germinate. But it would only stay for a very, very short amount of time. Sometimes only a day or a few days.

And I've thought of that many times when I've read this portion of the book, the description of God's Word. How, again, now the seed of God's Word is sown. And there may be someone who hears God's Word. Maybe it's a friend at school. And they hear it and they think there's something to that Word. We should follow and dig more into that. But it doesn't last very long because there's no good soil of the heart.

And I've wondered about those kinds of people who have come close to God's Word, who have come close to God's Kingdom. I have heard those kinds of comments in my life where some have said, "I wish I could believe like you." Or they see your family. And they see that there's something different about your family. There are those in the world who respect how we believe. They're able to see God's Kingdom from afar. But they aren't able to believe.

I've wondered for them and others as well on that day of judgment, when they may see some of God's children who they ridiculed or made mockery of being called into the glory of heaven and wishing that they had listened or heard or been able to believe.

The third type of soil that Jesus speaks about here is this that grows in the soil, the thorny soil, or that kind of soil where thorns grow. And those of you that have been on the west coast know of those blackberry vines. We had that kind of a home in Longview when we lived there. There was a little creek that ran to the side of the house. And every year we'd go and cut those blackberry vines down to zero almost. But through the course of the summer they would grow and they'd grow like crazy.

There would also be those kinds of, there were so many berries on them the birds would eat them. And of course when they would eat them then they'd fly over some other area and they'd drop their waste and the seed would be planted in the lawn. And these blackberries, they're so aggressive that they would take over. They would begin to grow even in the night. It was a nice grassy area. And if you didn't keep those thorns down they would grow and they would grow.

And that area where those thorns grew, those blackberry vines grew in abundance. Our kids called it the skunk hole because they were sure that the skunks would go and live in there. And it was dark. You'd pull the brambles back and there was nothing left inside of that berry vine. Everything that was in there was dead. It was just the canopy of vine that was growing.

And I thought how even this picture that Jesus says where he said that "and some fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it and yielded no fruit." In a natural way we were able to see that so perfectly how there was nothing left growing under these vines. But the soil was good and good enough that there was abundant growth and it would last all summer, well into the winter.

But the problem was it was the thorns that choked out the good seed, the good plant. And Jesus later on describes this and explains it in this way that "and these are they which are sown among thorns," and they are not good. They are not good. They are not good. They are not good. Such as hear the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word and it becometh unfruitful.

This, brothers and sisters, I think would be at least when I've thought about this parable. I've wondered sometimes that, you know, will I make it to heaven? Perhaps you brothers and sisters haven't pondered this like I have, but you know it's a long journey. And so often you feel the burden of sin.

You know the enemy doesn't have to go far to tempt us. He uses our own corruption to tempt us. He uses that which lives in us no matter what it is. The temptations on the left or the right. He uses all of that and all of that dwells in us.

On one hand we're cautious and we're careful about battling against the sins of our own flesh. And you know the world brings such enticements to us that we're not able to. "Why don't you live your life, you know, enjoy some of those pleasures that the world offers? Why wouldn't you?" And our flesh is so drawn to those things of course we would.

But it's a battle. Every day we battle. And then there are those days that you know the enemy comes and tempts us that way that "oh there's these, you know, worldly things that are enticing." And God gives you strength to battle against it.

And then how come? How quickly are we, how quick we are, or I am, to boast that "oh today was a good day, I was successful against that battle and I was much better today." So you go in the other ditch. This ditch of self-righteousness or feeling yourself to be better or you might even look at someone who is struggling in matters of faith.

And unfortunately we have that portion that might look down even on those who struggle. So the enemy uses our own corruption. He doesn't have to go far and he brings the world close and he has his own sermons, sermon of unbelief, doubts and all of that which we know as God's children is a daily endeavor and battle.

So I pondered that will the cares of this world, will they choke out that small, small, small, small, small, small, small, small, small, small, small, small, small, small, small, small, small, small, small, small, small, small, small that is there?

What would it be like to live well into your 70s and 80s and 90s and then lose at the very last because of whatever the temptation the enemy might bring that hope of eternal life?

Jesus speaks that there's four kinds of soils. And we have seen in our lives how there have been those who have been enticed away, either at young age. You young people know how it is. And I remember myself at the time of youth. And we sing in many of the songs of Zion how in the time of youth a youth may ponder how will we make it to the end when we feel buffeted by Satan and the enticements that come.

So how do we make it to that goal? Jesus gives that fourth type of soil. A soil that is a good soil. It's cultivated. It's deep. It's fertilized. It's watered. All of those things that we know we need to plant and to grow a good crop.

The soil of our heart needs to be watered by God's word. We need to be in the hearing of God's word. We need to be in the fellowship of God's children. We can't expect that we would make it to heaven on our own. We need God's kingdom. We need our brothers and sisters in living faith.

And if we place our care and our trust in God then he's able to take into our hearts and prepare that heart to receive his word. May it be, brothers and sisters, that we would have that kind of desire. And if we have that kind of a desire then we want to make it to heaven. And we recognize that we are unable to do it on our own.

God has promised through his word to help us make it there. He's given us everything that we need that we would make it. God wants us to make it to heaven. He wants no man to perish as he said. He gave his only begotten Son.

But why do we doubt then? Isn't it because we know how faulty and how sinful we are? But, brothers and sisters, if you find yourself to be a sinner and faulty, it's a good thing. If you find yourself to be a faulty sinner then there's need for grace and forgiveness.

If you were to boast and who can boast? But if we were to boast of our own goodness then there's no need any longer for God's work to help us. Amen.

It's okay to be a sinner. It's okay to be a child in God's kingdom. This is what God wants for us. God wants us to rely on him. He wants us to be needful of him.

You as fathers know how pleasant it is when your children come asking. I remember those times when my children would come home from apps. They would have those kinds of discussions there with their believing parents. They would have those kinds of conversations with their believing friends around the endeavor of faith. And they would have those questions for mom and dad that how is it that we believe?

It's such a joy to be able to share what God has done for us and how God has helped us unto this day. How the preaching of the gospel and the forgiveness of sins has strengthened us. That's not difficult for the parents to teach or to feed, is it? For the parents to teach, for those ones that are asking.

It is the same for us when we think of a little bird that sits in the nest. You've seen that picture yourself. A bird sitting in the nest waiting for that mother bird to come, trusting that mother will come. And the mother comes with that food and places that food in the mouths of those little ones that can't even fend for themselves.

It is the same kind of picture that we have in God's kingdom where this mother around us feeds us and feeds us with those morsels of grace that even the weakest one can manage. Is it Peter who writes that we are nourished with that sincere milk of the word? And when the mother is nursing that child and that child is nourished, nourished with that sincere milk of the word, it grows thereby.

We also as God's children grow in grace with that same nurturing word of God that is sown into the hearts of his children. May it be, brothers and sisters, even this year as we look to this year, may it be that our hearts would be well cultivated to receive that teaching and instruction, that morsel of grace that God wants to feed us with.

Don't reject that, but ask that God would break it small enough that you as a weak traveler would be able to bear it. And the most simple word is this: when we find ourselves doubting and fearful, our hearts can be comforted with that word that God gives. And that is this life-giving gospel.

And even today at the end of this day, each of you brothers and sisters of faith who may be doubting and fearful and feel your own corruption, I uplift your heart to believe that your sins are all forgiven in the name and precious blood of Jesus.

And it is a good prayer that your prayer would be this: that dear God make my heart this kind of soil. As Jesus says in this parable, "and other seeds fell on good ground and it yield fruit that sprang up and increased and brought forth some thirty and some sixty and some and hundreds."

God has good plans for his children. Not only has he promised us to care for us in this life, even more than this we would receive a double blessing, blessings of this life and even more than this the glory one day in heaven.

Jesus says he that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Faith cometh by hearing. When you find yourself to be doubting and fearful, place your trust upon him who has promised to care for you.

I also this evening ask that for my own doubts and many sins can I also hear that same gospel. I want to believe as you brothers and sisters believe in believing I know one day make it to the glory of heaven. In Jesus name, Amen.

Let us close with the Lord's prayer.

Let us close with the Lord's prayer.

Let us close with the Lord's benediction.

The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face to shine upon us and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up his countenance upon us and give us peace. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Amen. Amen.