Good Soil Bears Fruit
Matthew 13:1-23
Harry Stoliker
April 26, 2009 EBC
Good Soil Bears Fruit
Who knows how many parables King Solomon spoke? 1 Kings 4:32-34
"He also spoke 3,000 proverbs (LXX 'parbolai'), and his songs were 1,005.
He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out
of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish.
And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings
of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom." Now, one greater than Solomon
is here! His parables speak of the Kingdom of God with greater clarity and force.
A parable is an utterance which does not carry its meaning on the
surface but demands thought, perception and a willing heart if it
is to be understood and benefited from. That is why "the same parable which enlightens
one may puzzle or even repel another" (France).
This is commonly called the Parable of the Sower, but it should
be called the Parable of the Soils. The focus isn't on the sower or
ever the seed, but on the fruitfulness of the soil. There has been
some apparent failure of Jesus message to affect all his hearers
so far. How can this be explained? Is there something internally wrong
with the message of the Kingdom of God? If not, why isn't everyone
who hears it saved? The parable of the soils gives an explanation to this question.
We are supposed to learn Jesus' meaning by comparing and contrasting the soils
in regard to their yield, their response to the seed. Then we are to look at our
own lives to see which soil our life resembles. The "take home"
this morning that you can talk about around your dinner table is the title: "Good
Soil Bears Fruit." Ask each other: "Do you think your life
is bearing good fruit?" "Do you think my life is bearing good fruit
for the glory of God?"
Our text is clearly divided into 3 parts. The first is the story
itself in V.1-9. The second is a discourse on why Jesus
used parables as a teaching method in V.10-17. And the third is Jesus'
interpretation of the parable of the soils in V.18-23.
V.1-2 Jesus speaks this parable on the same day that his mother and brothers
had come to take him home, thinking he'd lost his mind in all the
claims he was making about himself. He goes outside the house they were in, perhaps
Peter's house, and sat by the lake until the crowd got so large he had to get into
a boat and push out a little on the lake.
V.3-9 He tells them the message of the Kingdom of God in parables,
the first of which is the one on the 4 soils. He masterfully transforms
the ordinary scenes of their lives into vehicles of ultimate truth.
He goes from the known to the unknown. The sight of a sower was common in an agrarian
culture. He tells them about 4 kinds of soil in order to make a clear
point: good soil produces fruit! The key in this section
is V.9 "He who has ears, let him hear." This is critical material;
you better hear this and understand this. It is foundational. Mark 4:13 "And
he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand
all the parables?" Jesus seems to indicate that if you don't get this parable
you won't get any other ones. What a challenge for us? Do we get
the main point of this parable?
V.10-17 The Fantastic Question from the Disciples and
the Monster Answer of Jesus V.12 "The disciples came
to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?" They may
have wondered why Jesus was being so vague or difficult to understand.
Was that the way to impress and win these crowds with the gospel?
Why would he make is so obscure, so incomprehensible???
Is this the best strategy in preaching the Kingdom? Even we can't really grasp what
you're saying most of the time!
Sometimes when some of you bring an unsaved relative to church, you
take me aside and say something like "Be really clear and simple today, ok, Harry?
My uncle Charlie is here and he doesn't know the Lord yet!" They were taking
Jesus aside and finding out why he spoke in hard parables.
His Monster Answer: V.11-13 (1) It's because they haven't been given
the secrets of the Kingdom like you have. Jesus true disciples have access
that is jealously guarded from unbelievers. God reveals special
knowledge to His people. By His sovereign grace He reveals
truth to whomever He wills. Matthew 11:27 "All things have been handed over
to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows
the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
Jesus' disciples are in a privileged relationship with the Master
and receive privileged information about the Kingdom of God and they
get private explanations of the parables. So to understand the gospel
teaching of Jesus is a function of God's sovereign will, a work of
the Holy Spirit in bringing light to the mind and understanding to
the heart. 1 Corinthians 2:7-10" But we impart a secret and hidden
wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8
None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would
not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written,
"What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has
prepared for those who love him"— 10 these things God has revealed
to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the
depths of God."
(2) V.12 This is a strange sounding verse, at first. It seems
like God is being unfair! But that is not what is going on. Whatever
God does is "fair." What this verse means is that those who have committed their
lives to receiving Jesus teaching, obeying Jesus will,
and loving Jesus with their whole hearts, will get more revelation,
more illumination. Whereas, those who are not receptive
to Jesus as their Lord and Master with appropriate commitment of life,
will even lose what surface illumination they might have gained from
hearing Jesus preach and teach. (3) V.14-15 is yet another "fulfillment"
quotation. This is from Isaiah 6:9, 10. This is a blockbuster quotation from
the OT to explain the mystery of the rejection of Jesus by unbelieving Jews.
John 1:11 "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him."
The Isaiah 6:9, 10 quote comes right after Isaiah said: "Here am I send me!"
So, God sends him with this message to Israel: "And he said, "Yes,
go. But tell my people this: 'You will hear my words, but you will not understand.
You will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning. 'Harden the hearts
of these people. Close their ears, and shut their eyes. That way, they will
not see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and
turn to me for healing." This is strong language! God hardens
their hearts like he hardened Pharaoh's heart. That leaves us
with the question: Does God have the right to harden people's hearts if He so
decides? Isn't that unfair? Isn't it unfair for Jesus to teach in parables
so people's hearts would be hardened? What's your answer? Let me remind
you of Paul's answer in Romans 9:14-16 "What shall we say then?
Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says
to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on
whom I have compassion." 16 So then it depends not on human will
or exertion, but on God, who has mercy." Our salvation, our understanding
of the gospel, our ability to respond to the preaching of Jesus is all completely
under the control of God's sovereignty!
Now look at V.16 "But blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears
because they hear!" If you can respond to this parable this
morning, it is a sign that you have been blessed by God. If you can
take the meaning of this parable into your heart and have a changed
life because of it, you have been blessed by God. If this parable doesn't
harden your heart and make you frustrated and angry at God, then
it is a sign that you are under his blessing.
The True Meaning of the Parable: V.18 "Listen then to what the parable
of the sower means…" The meaning of this parable is the title of this sermon:
Good Soil Produces Fruit. Jesus explains that the parable is a picture
of the lives of people. V.19- Person #1: Seed along the path represents the
person who hears the truth about the Kingdom of Jesus and has no
idea what it means or the infinite significance of it,
nor does he much care. This is an unbeliever, an atheist, an agnostic, a pluralist.
The devil comes and snatches away the life giving word of God before
it can even begin to germinate. The result: absolutely no fruit
is produced. He could hear a million excellent sermons and have a
million skilled Christians explain the gospel to him, but still, no
fruit.
V.20 Person #2: Seed on the rocky soil is the person who comes
to church or listens to his friend tell him about the gospel of the Kingdom and
gets all happy about it right away. His enthusiasm is immediate
but based on external stimulus and lacks roots. It is short lived.
Next week, you don't see him in church any more. A little bit of
scorching heat from persecution or ridicule and the word quickly falls
away. These are the 'rootless people' who in the end produce no more
fruit than the 'pathway people.'
V.22 Person #3: Seed among the thorns represents the person
who sits long enough to hear the word of a sermon or a friend witnessing
to him, but the worries of life and the deceitfulness of riches
choke off all fruitfulness. He might say, "Yeah, that
makes sense. But I don't think it's going to pay my mortgage and get my kids through
college. I'm really worried about the real things in life. I've
got to be practical if I'm going to make it in this life. I need security
and only a good paycheck can give me that. I can't be concerned
first with the Kingdom!" So, the 'thorn people' don't produce any fruit either.
Notice the end of V.22: "making it unfruitful."
V.23 Person #4: Seed that falls on good soil is the
man who hears the word and understands it infinite value and truth.
To hear with the heart and understand with the heart is the work
of the Holy Spirit in a man's life. The understanding of the gospel
isn't just an intellectual exercise, it points to a yielding of
the life to the Kingship of Jesus. It is a lifestyle commitment.
It is entering into genuine discipleship to Christ. This results in
a great harvest of fruit to God's glory. I love V.23 "As for what was
sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He
indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another
sixty, and in another thirty." Every true disciple will yield
fruit, some more than others, but all very fruitful!
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Each of us has to look at his own life
to see if there is any real fruit on the tree. Can you imagine how
Bob Best fells when he goes up to the orchard during a good harvest
season? He sees all those peaches hanging there ready to be picked. He doesn't
have to hunt for them, they are right there on the boughs staring him
in the face. He feels happy and thankful. Is that
what God sees in your life? What is Fruit? The first good fruit
that the Holy Spirit produces in a man is genuine repentance for sin,
much, frequent, humble repentance. Then there is the fruit of belief
and faith. Then there is the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Then we read in Ephesians 5:8-10". "for at one time you were darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9
(for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),
10and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord." Jesus said in John
15:1-8 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2
Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch
that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3
Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear
fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide
in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides
in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for
apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide
in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches
are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me,
and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to
be my disciples."
Is your life producing fruit? How do I do that? Jesus said: "If you
abide in me and my words abide in you!" Let me say it another way: OBEDIENCE AND
SATURATION IN THE WORD. Every believer I meet who is having trouble
in the Christian life, trouble in his family, job or school…it can be traced back
to a lack of saturation and obedience to God's Word.
Would your wife/husband/parents say that you are producing biblical
fruit? Ask them! Be concerned about this! Don't assume
you are producing fruit unless trusted friends can affirm it! Paul
told Timothy that his progress in Christ should be evident to everyone!
(1Tim.4:15). You should be seriously concerned about producing a fruitful
crop of righteousness, so concerned that you find some trusted friends
and ask them: "Have you seen the fruit of righteousness growing in my life this
year?" Spend with God crying out to him to increase your harvest of
righteousness and so prove that you are good soil to the glory of God and the good
of His Kingdom!
Let's pray,
H.