church

INI
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
July 10, 2011
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

SAME SEED - DIFFERENT CROPS
Luke 8:4-8

To Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or
think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by
Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Today the Holy
Spirit directs our attention to the Word of God in Luke, chapter eight,
beginning with the fourth verse, as follows:

And when a great multitude had gathered, and others 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!" These are the words.

In Christ Jesus, Whose Gospel never fails to bear fruit in the lives of believers,
Dear Fellow Redeemed,

Sometimes the same seed can produce different crops. Recently corn has pretty
much taken over as the crop of choice in the American midwest. If you travel
back there this time of year, you can look out over vast fields of sweet corn,
green and gold, all the same height, every plant looking exactly like every other
plant. With one or two exceptions, that is. Every once in a while you’ll see a
giant. One plant that was maybe two feet higher than those around it. And
these taller plants don’t escape the notice of the seed companies, either. They
have representatives whodrive around looking for these super plants, so they
can find out what makes them “super,” and hopefully incorporate those traits
into future seed products.

Sometimes it happens that the same seed produces different crops. Today we
have before us the familiar Parable of the Sower. In it, Jesus tells the story of a
sort of “test plot,” a test plot that has four sections. In the first three sections,
the crop fails so badly that it doesn't bear any fruit at all. In the fourth section,
there's a bumper crop that produces a rich harvest. If you were driving past a
test plot like that, you might think, "Well, I guess the first three sections must
have had a poorer quality seed." But in this parable, the seed is the same -- The
seed is the Word of God. And the four different outcomes represent the
different ways that God's Word is received in this world. Let's probe a little
more deeply into Jesus' Parable of the Sower, as we consider the theme:

SAME SEED - DIFFERENT CROPS
I. The failed crops of unbelievers' sin
II. The bumper crops of God's grace

As you know, a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. It was a
teaching device that Jesus used a lot when the multitudes gathered to listen to
Him. You might ask, as Jesus’ disciples did, "Why did the Lord use parables in
teaching people; why didn't He just come out and say what He meant?" Well,
there was a specific reason. And when the disciples showed confusion over the
story of the Sower, Jesus explained that reason to them. "His disciples asked
Him, saying, 'What does this parable mean?' And He said, 'To you it has been
given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in
parables, that "Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not
understand."'"

The majority of the Jews who flocked to Jesus were not - and would never be -
believers. They had forsaken the faith of their ancestors. They no longer looked
for the promised Messiah who would redeem them from their sins. What they
wanted was an earthly King. In Jesus they saw a wonderful Man who could
perform miracles of healing and feed five thousand people with a few loaves of
bread and a couple of fish. They thought He might be the One to finally kick
the Romans out of Palestine and restore Israel to political power! Repentance
was the furthest thing from their minds. They had hardened themselves in sin
and unbelief. That's why Jesus taught in parables - He didn't want to "cast
pearls before swine." Listening to these parables, the small remnant of believers
among the Jews could learn the truths of God's Word, while the same truths
were hidden from those who had already closed their minds to the Gospel.

Jesus explained to His disciples: "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word
of God." Modern farmers have seed drills which plant the seed with exact
precision, putting it just where they want it, and no place else. In Jesus' time,
though, a farmer would simply walk across his fields with a bag of seed under
his arm and scatter it by hand. This "broadcast method" of sowing was a far less
accurate way of planting a field. But it's a good picture of how the Word of God
goes out in our day, isn't it? Today, the Word of salvation through Christ is
literally broadcast far and wide in the world. With all of the churches in our
country; with all the Christian literature; with all the TV and radio evangelists
on the air -- I don't think there could possibly be very many people left in
America who haven't heard the Gospel. And yet, there is such a multitude of
people who don't believe the Gospel!

-And that's the point of this parable. The seed is the same. It's the same Good
News about Jesus that the Holy Spirit lays before the hearts of all men. But the
results of that sowing of the Word are very different. You see? SAME SEED --
DIFFERENT CROPS!

Whenever the seed of the Gospel fails to take root and grow in somebody's
heart, it's because of sin. What an awful crop failure that is! But it's a disaster
that happens all too often. In the parable, Jesus describes how some of the seed
was scattered on "the wayside," or on the hard, trampled-down path where
everyone walks. What does that represent? Jesus explains, "Those by the
wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word
out of their hearts." They're the people who have become so hardened against
God's Word that it just can't penetrate their hearts. There's about as much
chance of the Word taking root and growing in them -- as there is of grass seed
taking root and growing in a slab of solid concrete. They're people who aren't
convinced of their sin; or, who realize their sin, but have hardened themselves
and simply won't repent and be saved. The same seed but - because of sin - a
failed crop.

What about the seed that fell into the rocky soil? Jesus says they are the ones
"...who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who
believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away." We've all known
people like that, too, haven't we? The "fair weather Christians;" the enthusiastic
new converts who are all excited about the faith at first -- but who soon cool off
and drift away from the Lord. The confident Christian young people who go off
to college dead certain that nothing could ever shake their faith -- but who
suddenly find themselves robbed of their faith by the pervasive humanism of
the university atmosphere. The Christian couple who vow faithfulness to God
and each other at marriage -- but who, when they're faced with marital
problems, end up taking the easy route of divorce, often giving up their faith
and their marriage at the same time. All of these reveal a hidden shallowness of
faith; an unwillingness to bear the "burden and heat of the day." Once again,
the same seed but - because of sin - a failed crop.

The sower scatters his seed -- and some of it falls on thorny ground. "The ones
that fell among thorns," Jesus said, "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." Perhaps in the neighborhood where you live, the trimmings and
trappings of life are relatively modest. Maybe there are no million dollar homes
or BMW's on your street. But even in the most modest surrounding, the cares,
riches and pleasures of life will manage to choke the Word of God out of people
- people who are too wrapped up in the things they have, and in getting more
things, to pay much attention to their souls. I've certainly heard the excuses
often enough, and it breaks my heart: "Yes, Pastor - maybe someday I'll stop in
and talk to you about coming to church; but right now I'm too busy trying to
make a go of my business." Or, "I haven't got time;" or even, "Sunday is the
only day when I get to sleep in; I owe it to myself to relax." The thorns and
thistles and weeds of this world are crowding in on that heart -- and crowding
out the Word of Life! Once again, it's the same seed, but - because of sin - a
failed crop.

And you? "Oh, none of those situations apply to me," you may be thinking,
"I'm the good ground." And you're right - you Christians are the good ground;
that last section of the test plot, where the seed springs up and bears good fruit.
But remember: you weren't good ground to start out with. It's the work of the
Holy Spirit that has made you good ground by giving you your faith in Jesus. By
nature you, too, deserved the just condemnation of God for your sins. Scripture
says, "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Including you.
Including me. All the more reason for us to rejoice, then, that the Lord has
"created in me a clean heart, and renewed a right spirit within me."

We can't take credit for the fact that the Lord has chosen us to be that good
ground in which the seed of His Word will mature and bear fruit. The credit
belongs entirely to our loving God, as Paul said, "God has shown us the
exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by
grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the
gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Eph 2:7-9.

Yes, we believers are the good ground. In us, God would have His Word bear a
healthy crop of the fruits of faith. But if there's any bragging to be done, let's be
like the Apostle Paul, who boasted only in the love of his dear Lord Jesus. Here,
indeed, is a Friend we can brag about! Because He loved you and me, Jesus
made the agonizing journey down the streets of Jerusalem, bearing His cross to
Golgotha. Not many weeks ago we concluded the season of Lent. During Lent,
we followed our Lord Jesus, step by step, in our hearts - we saw again how
much He gave of Himself in order to free us from our sins. We saw the brutality
and the torture He endured, so that you and I might enjoy the gentle love of
God. He bore the punishment so we wouldn't have to bear it. He suffered
shame, so that we can stand unashamed before the judgment throne of God.
With Paul, you too can boast a Savior slain, your best Friend whose holy life
and innocent death have earned for you an everlasting crown of glory!

Jesus finished explaining the parable by saying, "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." Yes, you are the good ground, and it's God's
grace that has made you so. Yes, you are the ones with the noble and good
hearts, and it's God's undeserved love that chose you, and created that heart
within you. In the explanation to the Third Article of the Creed we confess this
truth; maybe you remember those words that you once learned from the
catechism: "I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in
Jesus Christ, my Lord, nor come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by
the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true
faith."

In Grace, God turned your heart into the rich soil that willingly received the
seed of the Word. That precious word grew in your heart, and is still growing
today. Simply by being here and listening to the preaching of the Gospel, you
are allowing the Holy Spirit to nourish and enrich that growing seed. That
Gospel is already bearing a bumper crop in your heart, and by the grace of God
will continue to produce all kinds of fruits of faith in your life, until the Day
when you will meet your loving Savior face to face in heaven.

I’ve told the story before about my grandfather, who was a farmer in Iowa. He
raised corn in the days when anhydrous ammonia was commonly used as a
fertilizer. He used to say that, when the crops are looking poorly, that's when
you've got to "pour the ammonia to the corn!" And that's my advice to you
today. Your family Bible is still there at home where it always was. If your faith
has been on the slide lately -- if you're going through a difficult time in your life
-- if you're feeling the weariness of just making it from day to day -- then by all
means my friends, pour the ammonia to corn! Open up your Bible! You've got a
ready-made, life-enriching fertilizer in the Word of God. Use it! Read it! And
what better advice could there possibly be for this congregation as a whole?
We’ve got a lovely facility, recently upgraded, we’ve got the perfect location,
we’ve got an extremely fertile mission field here in the south Puget Sound
metropolitan area – all that’s great. But don’t forget the most important thing –
we’ve got the seed! We’ve got the bountiful, effective seed of the Gospel of
salvation by faith in Jesus Christ! We, of all churches in the CLC, need to get
that seed out there and pour the ammonia to the corn! God grant that we may
all make full use of the precious seed of his Word, and that we may bring forth
in our lives and in this community the bumper crop of God's grace! In Jesus'
name, AMEN.