“The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;” – Psalm 24:1
Let us remember the ultimate source of our food. The verse above reminds us that everything in the earth belongs to God, he is the creator and source of all things. Ultimately, he is the one who provides the food we enjoy, so it is only right that we stop to thank him!
Sowing for Harvest (Luke 8:1-15)
Harvest – Reaping the Sown Seed
At harvest time, farmers reap the crop.
After months of work, ploughing, planting, watering and fertilising, they finally see the fruits of their hard labour and can give thanks to God for his good provision.
The harvest only comes… if you sow the seeds.
So let’s sow some seeds.
Give out conkers.
Yet, from one seed, many other seeds come:
- One seed potato can grow up to 10 other potatoes.
- One seed of wheat can produce over 100 grains at harvest.
- One apple seed can grow into a mature apple tree, which can yield up to 800 apples annually.
In each tiny seed is the power to grow an amazing plant and produce many more seeds.
Horse Chestnuts are a kind of seed. One seed has the power to grow into an enormous tree as tall as this church…
Each seed has the potential to become an amazing plant and produce many more seeds. But not every seed ends up producing other seeds…
Context:
Jesus has been going from town to town, preaching God’s word. Now, Luke tells us people were coming from lots of different towns to hear Jesus. He was becoming very popular, a kind of celebrity, that people wanted to see and hear.
But when a big crowd of people came, Jesus told them a parable, that is a story with a deeper meaning.
Many of you would have heard this story many times before, but imagine you were in the crowd and just heard the story about the sower and the seeds. What would you have made of it? How would you have reacted?
So, let’s consider the story and consider what it means.
The harvest only comes… if you sow the seeds.
Let’s sow some seeds.
Throw out 1st screwed up seed…
The Seed is the Word of God – vs. 11
Let’s look at the seed…
Jesus says, the seeds in the story are ‘the word of God’.
Just as a seed has incredible potential to produce even more seeds and to grow into amazing plants, so when we share the word of God in the world, we know it has incredible potential to change people and transform the world. In fact as the word of God has spread down the centuries it has transformed the world and today the church, the people who believe the word of God, spreads across all the continents and peoples of the world and has helped to change the world into a more caring and peaceful place.
The seed has power to grow something amazing, but not every seed does. The word of God has power to grow something amazing, but it depends where the seed lands.
—-
The harvest only comes… if you sow the seeds.
Let’s sow some seeds.
Throw out 2nd screwed up seed…
The Seed that fell on the Path – vs. 12
Let’s look at the seed.
The first seed in Jesus’ story fell on the path and was trodden under foot or eaten by birds.
Did this seed bear fruit? No!
Jesus says this stands for those people who hear the word of God, but the devil takes it away before it can grow.
Remember the devil is the father of lies. Many people reject the Christian message because they believe Satan’s lies. Lies like:
“Science has shown that God does not exist.”
“Religion is a made up idea to control people.”
“Jesus is just a made up story.”
“Suffering shows that there cannot be a God of love.”
Because people believe these lies without questioning them, they dismiss the word of God, without even considering it. Sadly, their hearts are not ready to receive the word.
—-
The harvest only comes… if you sow the seeds.
Let’s sow some seeds.
Throw out 3rd screwed up seed…
The Seed that fell on the Rock – vs. 13
Let’s look at the seed.
The seed that fell on the rock begins to grow, but because the rock is dry, it cannot get enough water and so it shrivels up and dies.
Did this seed bear fruit? No!
Jesus says that this stands for people who hear God’s word and are excited about it to start with. They seem to be enthusiastic new Christians. But, it does not last. When it becomes difficult to be a Christian, perhaps because:
their friends take the mickey out of them or
because life becomes difficult, or
Christian friends let them down,
they give up on following Jesus. Sadly, their hearts are not ready to hold on to God’s word for it to bear fruit.
—-
The harvest only comes… if you sow the seeds.
Let’s sow some seeds.
Throw out 4th screwed up seed…
The Seed that fell among the Weeds – vs. 14
Let’s look at the seed.
The seed that fell among weeds, begins to grow, but unfortunately the weeds choke it, so it does not grow properly.
Did this seed bear fruit? No!
Jesus says this stands for people who hear God’s word and start believing, but the worries of life and its riches and pleasures take over from God’s word, so that they do not mature in faith. There are many things in today’s world that are weeds to faith.
There is an obsession with money or wealth, resulting either in constant worry about having enough or obsession in gaining more. As Jesus says, you cannot serve both God and money, if you try, the danger is that money will become your real master and God will be choked out of any meaningful role in your life.
There is also the distractions of pleasure. In our world, these are multiplied, through the distractions of our phones, social media, YouTube and so on, that eat up our time and choke out time spent in reading God’s word, praying or meeting with other Christians.
—-
The seed has the power to produce amazing amounts of fruit, but not every seed does. So far, Jesus’ parable points to those for whom the word of God fails to have the desired effect. But is it all doom and gloom? Let’s try one more seed.
The harvest only comes… if you sow the seeds.
Let’s sow some seeds.
Throw out 5th screwed up seed…
The Seed that fell on Good Soil – vs. 15
Let’s look at the seed.
The seed that fell on good soil.
Did this seed bear fruit? Yes!
Whereas the other seeds failed, this seed produces 100 more seeds. There was a harvest, because someone sowed the seed. The seed’s potential to transform and increase was fulfilled the word of God does have power to transform, when it finds a heart ready to truly listen to God’s word and persevere with it through their lives.
—
What does this say to the disciples?
For the disciples and those of us who want to spread God’s word, this parable acts as a reality check. The word of God has power to transform, but not everyone who hears it will be transformed.
We will face lots of disappointment over people who show no interest or show an interest, but do not persevere with God’s word or are too distracted by other things to hold on to it.
But, we shouldn’t be surprised by this and we shouldn’t give up. Because sometimes when we share God’s word it will make a profound impact on someone who will persevere and not be distracted.
What does this say to the crowds?
At the start I asked you to consider what it would be like to hear the parable without any explanation for the first time.
I think it would have felt a bit odd. You might have wondered why Jesus was giving a lesson on farming. It would have been hard to see the point that Jesus was making. You would hear Jesus, but not understand him.
But, for Jesus that was part of the point of the Parable. He told his disciples in verse 10, that he spoke in parables, so that people may hear, but not understand.
If you just heard what Jesus said and were not keen to understand, you would probably just shrug your shoulders and walk off. That showed that your heart was not ready to receive the word of God, you were not the good soil.
But if you heard the parable and wanted to understand what would you do? You would ask Jesus what it meant. Or ask someone else who had found out what it meant. This is what the disciples did. They asked Jesus and he explained it to them, because in asking they showed they wanted to understand. They had hearts ready to receive God’s word and ultimately bear fruit!
The parable is a challenge to the crowds to consider how they are listening to him. They are a challenge to us today about how we are listening to God’s word:
Are we listening, but just dismissing his words without thinking?
Are we listening, but not willing to persevere with God’s word when things become tough?
Are we listening, but too distracted by other issues in life to take it seriously?
Or are we really listening? Eager to understand more and to share the word of God with others too?
St. George's Church Ramsgate 