Luke 8:4-15
I want to go over the parable of the sower today as a part of this series for getting your life in order. I want to show you what’s important for your life by using this parable from the Lord Jesus Christ. A parable is a story used to illustrate a lesson. Jesus gave us many parables.
Sometimes they are more difficult to understand. But, in this parable, Jesus tells us exactly what he means. Let’s take a close look at this today and learn from the word of God.
Luke 8:4-6
And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: 5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
Luke 8:7-8
And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
You Sow Seed to Grow Something
Think about sowing seed. I’ve sown much grass seed in my life because we’ve built homes. When you build a home, the ground is all dirt. When you’re finished, you want to get grass growing so you go out and sow grass seed. And then you spread straw over the grass seed to help protect it from birds and other creatures that love to eat it for food.
I would use a seed spreader. I would pour a bunch of seeds into a spreader and then I would go out walking and turning the wheel on the spreader. The seeds would go flying in the direction I pointed the spreader or the sower. Some would fall on rock of concrete. Some would fall on good soil.
This parable is similar to that. This sower goes out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell by the way side. That seed was trodden down and the fowls of the air or the birds devoured the seed. The goal here is to get the seeds to grow. Just as I sowed the grass seed, I wanted grass to grow. I didn’t want the birds to come and eat the grass seed.
In the first case, the seed is sowed and the birds devoured it. The seeds were trodden down and destroyed. Nothing is coming from the sowing of that seed.
Next we see some of the seed fall upon rock. It sprung up or sprouted, but it withered away because it lacked moisture.
Then we see some of the seed fell among thorns. The thorns spring up with the good seed. The thorns end up choking out the good seed. The good seed doesn’t get the light and moisture it needs to grow.
And finally, we see the seed falling on good ground, springing up, and bearing fruit an hundredfold. This is what you want right there. And Jesus cried out loud, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
If you’re here today and you are ready to listen and to learn, hear this as this is going to help you get your life in order today.
The Parable of the Sower in Matthew, Mark, and Luke
Now, since we’re in the Gospels, we’re going to see this same parable in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John doesn’t have this parable.
| # | Category | Matthew 13 | Mark 4 | Luke 8 | Sprouted | Saved |
| 1 | Fell by the way side | Mt 13:4 | Mr 4:4 | Lu 8:5 | No | No |
| 2 | Fell upon a rock | Mt 13:5-6 | Mr 4:5-6 | Lu 8:6 | Yes | Yes |
| 3 | Fell among thorns | Mt 13:7 | Mr 4:7 | Lu 8:7 | Yes | Yes |
| 4 | Fell on good ground | Mt 13:8 | Mr 4:8 | Lu 8:8 | Yes | Yes |
We use all accounts, in the Gospels, to help us in our study. I want you to remember these 4 categories. 1) Seed that fell by the wayside. 2) Seed that fell upon a rock. 3) Seed that fell among thorns. 4) Seed that fell on good ground.
Let’s see what this parable means as Jesus explains this to us.
Luke 8:11
Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
We are to go out and preach the Gospel. Right now, I am preaching the word of God straight from the King James Version of the Bible. I am sowing the seed of the word of God right now. Are you hearing the preaching? Are you receiving the word of God? The seed being sowed is the word of God. When we go out and preach the Gospel, as saved believers, we are sowing seed.
Luke 8:12
Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
We preach the word of God, which is the seed, and people hear what we’re preaching. Then comes the devil and takes away the word out of their hearts. Now, do these people get saved? The Bible says, “Lest they should believe and be saved.” We know that only believing the word of God, believing the Gospel, saves you. That’s all it takes.
When we go out, some people hear the Gospel, but the devil takes it away out of their heart before they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. We’ve seen this many times. Remember, we have four situations here. This one receives seed by the way side. It’s taken away. This person doesn’t get saved.
Luke 8:13
They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
These are people we go to out there with the Gospel. They are on the rock but there’s not much good soil there. They hear the word of God. They receive the word of God with joy, but they don’t have a deep root. The Bible says, “Which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.”
Believing in Jesus Christ Saves You In a Moment
They received the word of God. They believed. They are saved. They believe for a while. It only takes a moment of belief to be saved. They don’t have strong soil. They don’t have a deep root. And then, in time of temptation, fall away. They are going to heaven, but temptation takes them away. They are struggling with temptations in their life.
All of this is very important. All of this applies to you right now and the choices you are making. If you want to have a strong root where you don’t fall away due to temptation, this church provides you with that. You need to continue to increase your faith by hearing the word of God.
Romans 10:17
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Hearing this teaching about the parable of the sower will increase your faith. You’ll see how the word of God works. People in this category are people who hear the word of God, get saved, and then come to church for a while. Temptations in this world cause them not to come to church. They stop hearing the word of God. They fall away. They go back to temptations.
For example, we see this happening right now all around us. We’ve been able to get 146 salvations since starting this church and at the time I wrote this sermon. Many people will get saved, they may come to church for a little while, and then they are gone. Temptations in this world cause them to fall away. Don’t let that happen to you.
Keep coming. Keep hearing the word of God and be one on the good ground. Increase your faith in God always. That should be your goal. Every day increase your faith.
So far, we’ve seen 2 of the 4 categories. First was seed by the wayside. That person was not saved. Second was seed on the rock. They are saved, but they fall away. Now, let’s see the third.
Luke 8:14
And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
These are people who are saved. They hear the word of God. They go forth. They are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life. They are saved. They have believed. But they don’t do any of the first works for God. They don’t go preach the Gospel. Other things are more important to them.
Don’t Say You Won’t Preach the Gospel
Some people might think, “Well, I’m never going to preach the Gospel.” Never say never. Let the word of God, the seed, spring up within you and God will help you to preach the Gospel. He will. For example, I have the word of God ready to preach. And if I can’t get it out each day, it bothers me. That’s why I try my best to go out preaching the Gospel every day or as much as I can.
They bring no fruit to perfection. What is the fruit that they don’t bring?
The seed is the word of God. The word of God, the Gospel, brings forth saved people. Saved people should bring forth saved people. Your fruit should be other saved people. You get that fruit by preaching the Gospel. This third category of people are those who are saved, but they won’t preach the Gospel.
These might be people who stay in a church but allow thorns to grow up around them. The things of the world are important to them. They are choked out with cares and riches and pleasures of this life. For example, watching TV would be more important than soul winning. Playing video games would be more important than preaching the Gospel.
They aren’t yet realizing the importance of God’s word to others. If you won’t go forth with the Gospel, you aren’t doing what God asked you to do. You aren’t realizing that people may go to hell because you decided not to preach God’s words. Someone came to you. What if that person had the same attitude and they didn’t come to you with the Gospel?
Hey, care for others. Have love for others. Have a plant to start preaching the Gospel. You can go out with us and just listen. You’ll learn how to do it. It’s simple, easy, and you will love it. You will begin to enjoy it greatly. You are bringing the greatest gift in existence to someone.
Don’t be someone who takes, takes, takes, and never gives. Be the opposite. Give, give, give. Give the Gospel to others.
So far, we’ve seen 3 of the 4 categories. First was seed by the wayside. That person was not saved. Second was seed on the rock. They are saved, but they fall away. Third was seed among the thorns. They are saved but are choked with the cares of this world. They bring no fruit. Now, let’s see the fourth and final category. This is where you want to be.
You Want to Be On The Good Ground
Luke 8:15
But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
We see the good ground here. THIS IS WHERE GOD WANTS YOU TO BE. Have an honest and good heart. You hear the word. You keep the word. You bring forth fruit with patience. You preach the Gospel. You bring forth fruit with patience. You stay consistent. You go out soul winning every week. You continue going week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade.
Then we you go home to Jesus in heaven, he meets you upon arrival, he looks you in the eye, and says: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” That’s what I want to hear more than anything. I want to give Jesus Christ all I’ve got because Jesus gave it all for me. I want to serve him. I want to do what he’s asked me to do.
| # | Category | 1st Part of Parable | 2nd Part of Parable | Saved | Fruit |
| 1 | Seed by the Wayside | Trodden down Fowls devoured it | They hear Devil takes it away | No | No |
| 2 | Seed upon a Rock | Not much earth Sprung up Scorched No root Withered away Lacked moisture | They hear Receive the word with joy Receive with gladness Have no root Believe for a while Time of temptation Tribulation arises Persecution arises He is offended Fall away | Yes | No |
| 3 | Seed among the Thorns | Thorns sprang up with it Thorns choked it Yielded no fruit | Hear Go forth Choked with cares Choked with riches Choked with pleasures Deceitfulness of riches Lusts of other things Choke the word Bring no fruit Becomes unfruitful | Yes | No |
| 4 | Seed on Good Ground | Sprang up Yield fruit Increased Bare fruit an hundredfold Brought forth fruit Some an hundredfold Some sixtyfold Some thirtyfold | Honest Good heart Heard the word Understands the word Keep the word Bring forth fruit Bears fruit With patience Hundredfold Sixty Thirty | Yes | Yes |
Now, I want to talk about this table that summarizes the parable of the sower preached by Jesus Christ himself. Which one of these are you going to be? If you’re saved, you’re already past that first one. Thank God. That first category is headed to hell because they haven’t believed. That can be changed today. You can move it on to the second category today.
Once you’re saved, you’re saved forever. But you don’t want to end up in category 2 where you fall away from God when times get touch. You want a strong deep root in the word of God. If you aren’t reading your Bible, your root is going to get weaker and weaker. This is how someone falls away.
You must feed the root with the word of God. If you want to get to category three, you need to be in church and stay in church. Don’t stop coming, or you will go straight to category two and be there the rest of your life. Don’t do that.
Don’t Allow the Cares of the World to Choke You
People in category three, as an example, would be coming to church. But they allow the cares of the world to be more important than doing the work of God. For example, football might be more important than going out soul winning.
Or sleep. I’ve got to get some sleep. I worked hard all week. I need to rest. Any excuse possible is made not to go out and preach the Gospel ever. If you go out preaching the Gospel, you will bear fruit. Guaranteed. Again, I can take you somewhere right now and get salvations immediately. That’s fruit. That moves you to the fourth category. That’s what God wants.
Begin to bare fruit by taking the word of God out and preaching it to others. Bring forth fruit. Some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred.
I thought, in the past, years ago, that maybe I could go out and preach the Gospel and hopefully I could get 100 people saved every year. That was my goal. In this country, I thought that would be a great goal based on this Scripture. I wanted to get 100 people saved every year. If you haven’t been out soul winning before, you might think: “That’s a lot of people every year. 100 people every year.”
Well, let me tell you something. If you go out soul winning around here, once per week, you could meet that goal. Many people set their goal on soul winning once per week. And that’s a great goal.
But, my goal is to go out soul winning 5 to 7 times per week. Most of the time I go 6 days per week. Sometimes I go 7 days per week. As a church, we go all 7 days per week. And we stay consistent with this.
If we went once per week as a church, we would have 52 opportunities to win souls to Christ every year. If we go out seven times per week, we would have 364 opportunities to win souls to Christ every year. This is a huge difference. And I’m going for seven times per week because I don’t have much time left here on earth.
Do I get tired? Yes, I get tired. Do I feel like staying at home and resting? Yes, I do. But do I go out soul winning instead of sitting at home? Yes, I do.
And, I’m telling you right now. Come here to this church. Go out soul winning with us in this area consistently every time we go, and you will smash the 100 salvations per year. As a church, during the first five weeks of being open, we have averaged 28.4 salvations per week. We are on pace for 1,477 salvations per year as a small church.
And this is sometimes just with two people out soul winning. If we can multiply the soul winners here, we can win thousands and thousands more to Jesus Christ every year.
For me personally, I’ll shoot for 1,000 salvations per year. I’ll do my best to get there. And I’m not stopping. Come go soul winning with me.
Get On The Good Ground With Us Here
I want you to get in that fourth category with me. I’m not leaving that fourth category. I will bring forth fruit for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I will do what he told me to do. That’s my goal for you. I want you there in that fourth category in the parable of the sower with me.
I am the leader here. My job is to show you what to do. My job is to lead. I am to go out there and do the work and lead in that work. I’m going soul winning. I want you to go with me.
Get your life in the order God want you to have it in. He wants you here at church. He wants you soul winning. He wants you to put Him first. He wants you to not care about all the other things of this world.
He wants you to focus in on his words. If you do that, you’ll stay out of trouble. You won’t wither away. You won’t get choked out by this world. You won’t let the temptations, trials, and troubles get you. Fight back. Fight back against this world. Be in that fourth category. Get on the good ground. Start bringing forth fruit. Go soul winning with us.
If you decide to do that, I promise you that you’ll be very happy when you get to heaven one day. If you won’t do that, you’ll regret it when you get to heaven. I’m asking you to please go soul winning with us. Partake in the rewards that God has in store for you.
God is a good God and he wants to reward you. He has the best rewards, and it’s not close. Let’s get your life in the perfect order and doing what God has asked you to do. He’ll take care of you.
Let’s pray.
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