We are sowers

 

1)      The parable of the sower is one of the few parables found in Matthew, Mark and Luke.

2)      Including it in three of the four gospel accounts suggests it is pretty important.

a)      Today I want to look at that parable form the standpoint of just one word.

b)      Jesus spoke about a “sower” going forth to “sow.”

 

3)      The word translated “sow” in this parable is used 54 times in the New Testament.

a)      As we look at several of these places we discover some things.

b)      The first time sow occurs in the Bible is Mt. 6:26.

c)      Before using this word Jesus spoke of the “fowls of the air.”

d)     Jesus said these creatures to not “gather into barns.”

e)      They do not “reap.”  Neither do they “sow.”  God takes care of their food needs.

 

4)      If someone or something is to be involved with sowing, it is not birds.

5)      It is man; men and women have been given the responsibility to sow.

a)      Some of ouir responsibility in this area takes place in the physical realm.

b)      The second time “sow” occurs in the New Testament is Mt. 13:3.

c)      Here Jesus was teaching a spiritual lesson, but he used a secular illustration.

d)     He had the “sower” went forth to “sow” (he pictured a farmer planting seeds).

e)      Jesus knew some seeds sown by farmers do not produce a crop (they die, Mt. 13:4).

f)       In the parable Jesus said some seeds “fell by the way side” and birds ate them.

 

6)      In verses 18-23 of Mt. 13 Jesus used the word “sow” many times.

a)      His words show that His people are to be “sowers.”

b)      Instead of planting seeds that will yield physical food, the seed Christians plant is for spiritual fruit.

 

7)      God wants His people to plant the seeds of evangelism in every place they can.

8)      There will be times when Christians sow seed on the “wayside” (Mt. 13:19).

a)      This means we will present information that may not always be understand.

b)      Jesus said Satan will come by very quickly and take the gospel seed away.

c)      Other seed we sow will fall on “rocky places” (Mt. 13:20).

d)     In these cases a person will receive the word for a short time, but their interest does not last.

e)      We will plant seed in places that have thorns (verse 22).

f)       Once again, the seed will take root, but it will not last.

g)      Cares of the world will “choke” the seed and no fruit will be borne.

 

9)      Other seed will be sown in “good ground.”

a)      Jesus used the word “sower” to describe part of a Christian’s job.

b)      He meant we are to spread the gospel message as far and as wide as possible.

c)      An especially strong incentive to do that is found in Mt. 13.

d)     In the Lord’s parable ¾ of the seed does not produce a crop.

e)      If on the average 75% of the seed dies, we need to plant a lot of it.

f)       We want to spread the seed anywhere and everywhere we can.

 

10)  Imagine an employer saying we would not get paid for 75% of the work we do.

11)  What would we think of an appliance that works only 75% of the time?

12)  What if our houses this winter only had heat 25% of the time—about 7 days out of each month?

13)  A 75% loss rate is shocking, but experience tells us Jesus was exactly right.

a)      As Christians we need to think of ourselves as seed planters.

b)      If we have found and obeyed the truth, how will we take that message to others.

c)      In our day and time we have method upon method available to us to be a spreader of the gospel.

 

14)  We have house to house, tracts, bookmarks, correspondence courses, etc.

15)  We have the seed, but are we using it?

16)  When was the last time we left some house to house pamphlets at a doctor’s office?

17)  If we had our oil changed, did we leave some tracts in the waiting area?

18)  We sing songs about “sowing the seed of the kingdom.”

19)  Are we singing the truth, or are we leaving the seed in the church building and in our homes?

a)      We need to accept God’s invitation to be sowers because someone else is working the field.

b)      After the sower parable Jesus gave another parable in verses 24-25 of Mt. 13.

c)      Once again we encounter the word “sower.”

d)     Verses 24-25 – READ

 

20)  Satan and His helpers are sowing seed.

21)  Satan is the “god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4), but he is not content to sit on his hands.

22)  He wants to sow error and lies.  Our job is to sow the truth.

23)  Some will not listen to what we have to say.  People may take what we offer and toss it in the trash.

24)  Christians are not responsible for the germination of the seed.

25)  Our job is to sow.  We need to put down the seed of the gospel at every opportunity.

a)      Someone may say, “I can’t believe that sowing the seed will make that much difference.”

b)      I am only one person.  I am not equipped to be a very good sower.”

c)      “I don’t know enough.  I do not go to many places.  What can I do?”

d)     Jesus gave the answer to these questions in verses 31-32.

e)      In these two verses our word for “sower” occurs again – READ

 

26)  A man “sowed” his field with mustard seed—a very small seed.

27)  Jesus said this is the “least” of all seeds (verse 32).

28)  Yet, when this seed grows, it is the “greatest among herbs.”  It “becomes a tree.”

a)      The seed of the gospel can bring some very significant results.

b)      In the parable Jesus said this tree is where birds can lodge in the branches.”

c)      Lots of wild ideas have been proposed about the birds and the branches.

d)     One whacky view is that Jesus had in mind all types of denominations.

e)      If this were the point, a single tree would have varying kinds of branches.

 

29)  There would be a branch of apples, a branch for pears, a branch for cherries, a branch for oranges, etc.

30)  This is not the point.

31)  Birds find refuge in the branches (in the branches they can perch or build nests).

32)  A similar thing is true of the seed; we plant it and when it takes root in a person’s life it offers refuge.

33)  Through the seed we plant people find spiritual refuge from sin.

a)      As Paul said in Rom. 1:16, the gospel is God’s power to salvation.

b)      The world regards the gospel as foolishness (1 Cor. 1:18), but Christians know it is God’s power.

c)      We therefore want to spread that power.  We want to take the message as far and wide as possible.

 

34)  One of the things we see in the life of Jesus is someone who was a sower.

a)      Look at Mt. 13:37 – READ

b)      The one who “sows the good seed” is the “Son of Man.”

c)      We know the devil sows error and falsehood (verse 39).

d)     There is no doubt about the devil working to sow a false message every single day.

 

35)  Hour after hour he plots and schemes on how he can get out his message.

36)  What about us?  How often do we think about spreading the news of God?

 

37)  There are certain things we do almost everyday in our lives.

a)      Some routine tasks are around the house; others are outside the house.

b)      One of the things we should incorporate into our daily lives is “seed sowing.”

c)      Someway, somehow we will plant some gospel seeds every single day.

d)     That may happen within our family or outside it, but we make this a daily commitment.

e)      If we do that, we will see some results.

 

38)  The seed we sow is very, very important.

 

39)  The word we are looking at also occurs in verse 39 of Mt. 13.

40)  This verse reminds us of gardens or a field.

a)      This past year a garden or field may have been very good, okay, or not too swell.

b)      Whatever it was like, that harvest time is gone.  Seeds are planted and then they die.

c)      The seed of the gospel is not like that.

d)     Hear how the seed of the gospel works - verse 39 -  READ

e)      A time will come when the seeds of the gospel will be harvested.

 

41)  If we planted seed and it did not grow in a person’s life, that will be a terrible loss.

42)  For the seeds that we did plant and they grew, God says there will be a “reaping.”

43)  Paul made this same point in 1 Cor. 3 where he compared converts to various items.

44)  Some are like gold and silver while others are like hay and stubble.

45)  Some seed (people) are wonderful Christians and others are duds.

46)  We would like for our seed to spring up in the lives of people who are like gold.

47)  Often we will sow in places where the reception is like hay and grass—results are zero or short lived.

48)  Our job is to sow and God will sort things out at the end of time.

49)  We can have no results if we sow no seed.

a)      Later in the book of Matthew (25:24) we find another interesting passage about sowing.

b)      A one talent man hid his talent; he said he knew his master “reaped where he did not sow.”

c)      Our ability to sow may not be great, but we can do something.

d)     God expects some sowing from us and we do not want to disappoint Him.

 

50)  We can look at congregations like Corinth and missionaries like Paul.

51)  We can ask how Paul was able to start congregations.  The Bible tells us.  He sowed the seed.

52)  In Paul’s  day and time the gospel was pretty new; today most have heard about Jesus and Christianity.

53)  Some do not know much about the Bible and we can sow the seeds of the gospel in their lives.

54)  Lots of people know absolutely nothing about the New Testament church; we can sow that information.

55)  If we do not know the truth that needs to be imparted to others, we can learn it.

56)  If we cannot explain it, we can hand out information.

57)  If we can’t hand out something, we can invite people to come worship with us.

 

58)  We often use 2 Cor. 9:6 to talk about the collection.

a)      If we “sow sparingly” we will “reap sparingly.”

b)      This text also has the word we are examining.

c)      What is said there contains a principle for evangelism.

d)     If we do not so much gospel seed, we ought not to expect much of a harvest.

e)      If we are a child of God, we have a big field—the entire world.

f)       We also have plenty of seed.  Will we take it to those who need it each and everyday?

59)  We need to be sowers, but we cannot sower before we the word has been sown in our heart.

60)  Have we been taught the basics of the Christian faith?