SOW WHAT?

SOW WHAT? The Parable of the Sower Matthew 13:1-23

“Building the Kingdom” Series

ME  Growing up it was my job to help mom in the garden…

WE  There is a law that God put into the world after the world was devastated by the flood recorded in the book of Genesis:

Genesis 8:22 (NKJV) While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.

We will never enjoy a harvest unless we plant some seed.

GOD  Today we will look at the first of the parables of the Kingdom in Matthew chapter 13: The Parable of the Sower.

Matthew 13:1–23 (NKJV) On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. ² And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

³ Then He spoke many things to them in parables (earthly story with a heavenly meaning) saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed (continual ongoing process), some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. ⁶ But when the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. ⁷ And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. ⁸ But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ⁹ He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

¹⁰ And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

¹¹ He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ¹³ Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. ¹⁴ And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand and seeing you will see and not perceive; ¹⁵ for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.’

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; ¹⁷ for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Jesus made it so clear that if they rejected the truth He spoke, it would be because of their hard hearts, not because it was obscure or hidden.

¹⁸ “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word of the kingdom (this is our message), and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. ²⁰ But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; ²¹ yet he has no root in himself but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. ²² Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. ²³ But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

We are not responsible for the souls or the results. We are responsible to sow. No seed, no harvest. No sowing, no reaping. The Kingdom will not expand unless we sow. The church will not grow unless we go!

YOU  Let’s look at four applications we can make from this passage.

1.    Get out of the house

Get out of your house and get out of the church house!

What is in the house: comfort, security, family, food, rest.

What is not in the house: people that Jesus died for, lost people, hurting people, outcast people.

The sower went out to sow…

Matthew 13:3 (NLT) Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds.

He went out with a purpose: to plant seeds, to share the Gospel. When we leave our house our job that day is to share the Gospel. We can go about making a living, but our purpose is to tell others about Jesus. This is your town; this is your neighborhood; this is your job!

Proverbs 20:4 (NKJV) The lazy man will not plow because of winter; he will beg during harvest and have nothing.

2 Corinthians 9:6 (NKJV) But this I say: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

You do not have to devise some door to door program, just let sowing become part of you everyday life.

Matthew 28:19 As you go…

2.    Throw some seed around.

Mark 4:14 (NKJV) The sower sows the word.

Mark 4:14 (NLT) The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others.

Luke 8:11 (NKJV) Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.

We sow the Word, not our opinion, our politics, out platitudes, our doctrines, even our church. Only the Word will produce fruit.

1 Peter 1:23 (NKJV) having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,

How much seed do you have: your testimony, verses of Scripture, plans of salvation? The more seed you have, the more you can sow.

3.    Watch God work.

Isaiah 55:11 (NKJV) So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Mark 16:17 (NKJV) And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;

Mark 16:20 (NKJV) And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.

4.    Gather the harvest.

Psalms 126:6 (NKJV) He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

This is key: we fertilize our seed with prayer.

WE  Many years ago, we would sing this hymn called Bringing in the Sheaves. The words talk about harvesting wheat, but are symbolic of harvesting souls.

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,

Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;

Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,

Fearing neither clouds nor winter's chilling breeze;

By and by the harvest, and the labor ended,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master,

Though the loss sustained, our spirit often grieves;

When our weeping's over, He will bid us welcome,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

John 4:35 (NKJV) Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

Luke 14:21-23...

ACTIONS

1.  Ask God to send you one person this week to share with.
2.  3 x 5 card
3.  Invite to Christmas Eve service