Welcome to Affirm Foundation presented by Princeton Ministries with Dr. Ken Smith. This is Carol Smith, Ken’s wife. Please enjoy.

Last week I completed the book of Philippians, and for the next several weeks we will be looking at the parables of Jesus Christ. The first parable that Jesus taught is found in the book of Matthew chapter 13.

I’ll be reading verses 1 through 9. On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. The great multitudes were gathered together to him so that he got into a boat and sat, and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

Then he spoke many things to them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went out to sow. As he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places where they did not have much earth, and they immediately sprang up, because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.

Our God and our Father, we ask that this teaching of Jesus Christ would be placed like a seed in our own hearts, and that the soil might be good. That there would be growth not only in the knowledge of Christ, but in the application of this truth. For we ask it in Jesus’ name, Amen. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. In the next few minutes, I believe that in my hand, and I pray that in your hand, you will be able to take the soil of your heart and sift it through your fingers. My prayer is that the soil that would be in your hand would be able to sift through your fingers, and that it would not be filled with rocks and thorns and hard gravel.

It was a day of full ministry, and Jesus, as usual, had more to say and more ministry. He came out of the house, and there was this large crowd. The crowd pressed against him, wanted to hear from him. And so great was the size of this crowd that Jesus decided that he would get in a small boat and row just off shore. And from that position, he would address the crowd. And as they all stand on the banks of the shore, Jesus says, a farmer went out to sow his seed. He was scattering the seed. Some of it fell among the path, and birds came, and they ate that seed up. Some fell on rocky places where it didn’t have much soil. It sprang up quickly, and because the soil was shallow, the sun came up, the plants were scorched. They withered because they had no root. But other seed fell among thorns, which grew up, and as it grew, those thorns choked it. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop a hundredfold, sixtyfold, thirtyfold. He who has ears, he who has ears to hear, let him hear. I wonder how many people on the shore said, I hear. I hear. 

I understand exactly what that teaching was all about. The reason I wonder is because Jesus spoke in parables. We are told in the scripture that Jesus never spoke to the crowd where he did not speak to them in parables. This is the first parable of our Lord. The word parable means a likeness, a comparison. So Jesus is saying the kingdom of heaven is like this story that I’m about to tell you.

In the New Testament, there are some twenty-seven parables that are recorded for us. Undoubtedly, Jesus spoke many more parables than that, but twenty-seven are recorded for us. And without a parable, Jesus did not speak to the people. The first parable of our Lord is the parable of the sower. Now we might ask the question, why did Jesus choose to communicate to people in the form of a parable? Couldn’t he have simply told them what his message was very directly? Well, we read in verse eleven of Matthew chapter thirteen that the disciples had the same question. Why would you talk to us in this manner? Jesus gives three interesting responses. The first, in verse eleven, he answered and said to them, because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

You mean to say that Jesus spoke using parables so that some people could hear and other people could not hear. That’s right. That is offensive to twentieth century Americans, because we want a communicator whose object is to communicate to everyone equally. Yet Jesus says there are some for whom it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to these others it’s not been given. That’s one of the reasons that Jesus spoke in parables. The second reason is found in verse fifteen. He quotes from the prophet who tells us, the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing. Their eyes have been closed. Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears. Lest they should understand with their heart in turn so that eyes should heal them.

The second reason that Jesus spoke in parables was that the world which he was communicating to was and is a sinful world. And that hearts are dull. That ears are hard of hearing. That eyes are closed. John Wesley stood before a congregation. A man fell asleep on the front row. And suddenly Wesley stopped his sermon and yelled, Fire, fire! And the man leaped to his feet and he said, Fire where? And Wesley said, In hell for anyone who would sleep under the preaching of the gospel. Why did Jesus speak in parables? He spoke in parables because the regular way of communicating is dull to a sinful ear. It is boring. And Jesus spoke in a way that pierced through the heart.

The third reason that Jesus spoke in parables is found in verses sixteen and seventeen of Matthew chapter thirteen. But blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear. For assuredly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see and they did not see it. And to hear what you hear. And they did not hear it. When a Christian, when a person of the household of faith would hear one of the parables of Jesus Christ, Jesus says I have given these parables as a blessing for you that you might be encouraged by the things that you hear.  And you say, but nobody else seems to be hearing those things. The only people who seem to be hearing these teachings are people who are of the household of faith. That’s exactly correct. And Jesus spoke in parables so that the children of his family, as they would read these wonderful parables, would know the truth that is contained and it would be a great blessing to our hearts. I don’t know if it has ever bothered you as you look across Christendom and across the world.

Why is it that so few people seem to respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ? And perhaps more profoundly than that, why is it that of those who hear the gospel and seemingly respond to the gospel, that many of those do not persevere in the faith? They don’t endure over the long run. That bothers me. For as I look at the kingdom of the church of Jesus Christ, if I were to have created the way that things would work, I would have created it this way. You make a profession of faith. You trust in Jesus Christ and you begin to grow in a marvellous way so that the world can see the changes that happens in every life of every person who makes a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. But the world in which I live is a world where people make professions of faith and sometimes six months later or six years or 60 years later, they are no longer to be found in the church of Jesus Christ. And it is as though they have withered and that which once brought great nourishment to their soul has evaporated. That is a more troublesome understanding. And yet Jesus was aware of what would come through the casting of the seed of the gospel.

I think it’s fitting that the first parable he would give is an instruction about who will respond to the gospel

and secondly, what can we expect where the true seed lands in good soil? The parable of the sower is one of the only parables that Jesus gives an answer and an explanation to the teaching. In virtually all of the other parables, we simply find the parable itself with no explanation by Jesus. And the listener is left to explain the teaching.

Jesus and his explanation of this parable in verse 19 begins to explain the various seed. He tells us, when anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received the seed by the wayside. What we have is a heart, a life that has become so compressed and so impenetrable to the seed of the gospel of Jesus Christ that when that seed is cast out, it lands on that hard soil, but there is no means by which it can take root. And so it lays on the surface. A bird, Satan, comes and snatches it away. And it is as though the seed had never been scattered.

The effect of that seed is no effect at all. I enjoy working in carpentry. And one of the joys of carpentry is to take a piece of wood that is easily blemished with a chisel or a hammer, and to shape it in such a way that when you’re all done, it turns into a table or a cabinet. But when the process is finished of construction, then begins the refinishing. And so you sand, and you give a coat of varnish, and then you sand again in another coat of varnish. And after five, six, seven, eight coats of that varnish, the surface underneath, which could be easily scratched, easily bruised, now becomes impenetrable to water, becomes impenetrable to any of the blows it would be given because of that hardening of the varnish.

Jesus says that there is a person whose heart has become so hardened, hardened through sin, hardened through neglect, hardened through experience, that when they hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, it has no place to take root. Now, you may say to yourself, well, I know people like that. But let me ask you, are you a person like that? Because as Christians, we must guard ourselves lest we constantly think that that point was for someone else.

Do you ever think to yourself; I have no need to study the Bible? I’ve been through so many Bible studies that I really have a pretty good understanding of the Bible. Do you ever think to yourself; I have no need to pray? Do you ever think to yourself; I won’t worship today? I went last week. I haven’t missed in six weeks. Does your conscience ever become so hard that when a need crosses your path, that you don’t see it, or you ignore it, or you act as though it were no need at all?

Jesus said our hearts can become so hardened that the seed of the gospel, which wants to bring forth a great fruit in your life, can’t find a place to be rooted. Once Oliver Cromwell wrote to an intolerant Scotchman, he said, I beseech you, by the bowels of Christ, think it possible that you might be wrong. There was a second seed that fell. Jesus explains it to us in verses 20 and 21. He who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.

Yet he has no root in himself. He endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now notice two things about this soil. One is that the person, when the gospel comes, first of all, they actually hear the word. It’s not a question of miscommunication. They actually heard it very clearly. Secondly, they received it joyfully. There was a smile on their face. There was a word of appreciation. Perhaps they came to church and they sang with the greatest enthusiasm. There was a joy in this person who had received this wonderful seed of the gospel. You ask the question, well, is this a Christian? Is this a person who we are to follow as an example? Well, we read that he had no root in himself. He endured for a while until tribulation or persecution came.

I have noticed that the religion of my father often produces a religion that does not stand up under tribulation and persecution. Spurgeon said it was their father’s religion and their mother’s religion. Therefore, they believed it. They swallowed the pill with their eyes shut, carrying nothing, whether it was God’s truth or Satan’s lie. Let me ask, have you examined the faith that you have today in relation to your parents? Do you know that the religion of your parents cannot save you? No matter how godly they were, it will never save you. Each one of us must give an account of our stand with Jesus Christ. It is that and that alone which will be heard on that final day. We cannot stand on that final day and say, I want to explain to you the religion of my father. I want to tell you about my mother. They were so godly. On that day, we must stand and give an account of our own deeds. We must give an account of what we have done with the gospel seed of Jesus Christ.

I would suppose that being joyful is a happy state of mind. I would assume that this seed that fell on stony places was received joyfully. There must have been happiness, joy. And happiness is something that our world is encouraging us to find. But I would remind you, nowhere in the scripture are we encouraged to see or grade our walk with Jesus Christ by how happy it makes us. As a matter of fact, happiness is decidedly difficult to determine anything about. Just notice, the rich man. Do you remember in the story that Jesus told about the rich man? The rich man, we are told, was happy having eaten a sumptuous dinner. He pulled those silk sheets up to his neck, and that night we are told he died. And he went to hell. You mean he was happy in this world? He seems to be.

Do you remember the prodigal son? He was happy, and he was full of joy while he was spending the inheritance that his father gave him. Until finally it was all squandered and then he had to dine with the hogs. But he was happy. Be very careful of things that only make you happy. And to decide that happiness therefore produces right Christianity. If you were to ask me what was the happiest, I ever was in my life, immediately a picture comes to mind.

I was 14 years old. I was in a tent in Camp Reed in the Adirondack Mountains. And I can still see in my mind’s eye this beautiful silhouette of Mount Stevens. As I looked out every evening, the moon would rise and fall and the stars of the Adirondacks would shine and glimmer. And I would have a radio near my ear and I would listen to my favorite radio station. And if ever there was a happy, contented person, it was me. I was happy, but I was lost. And if I had died at 14 years of age, everyone would have known me as a happy boy. Be very careful of the things that make you happy and joyful. And assuming that because you are happy, because you are joyful, because you have learned a way to accept this life, therefore you must be following Jesus Christ.

The third seed is placed on thorny ground. And we read in verse 22, Jesus says, now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becomes unfruitful. There is a soil of the heart that is referred to as thorny. In that heart, there grows two bushes. One is a good seed. It produces seemingly a wonderful harvest, but also cast in that same field are tares, weeds. They grow intermingled. As time would go by, the cares of this world, these weeds would begin to grow and grow and grow. And they would out distance and outgrow the good seed until finally that weed would begin to choke. And the affairs of this world begin to place their hand around the neck of Jesus Christ and begins to choke and to take away that breath until finally the only concern that is in that family or that individual are the concerns of this world, my job, my car, my house, my vacation, my retirement, my bank account.

And these things begin to choke out Jesus Christ. We’re told that there are some who will hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, but it is very thorny. And over a period of time, the things of Christ become choked by the tinsel of this world. Do you remember Pliable in Pilgrim’s Progress? Pliable started well, and he was on his way to the celestial city until he came to the slough, the swamp of despair. And one mouthful of that mud caused him to turn around and to end his journey towards the celestial city.

Sometimes in this world, one taste of this world, one persecution, one tribulation, one problem that begins to interfere with our walk with Jesus Christ. I must choose, shall I follow Christ or shall I follow this world? And we take one mouthful and we turn away from Christ. There is a final seed, and Jesus explains to us about that seed in verse 23. He who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word, understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

There are four seeds, but only one of them lands on good soil. The first three seeds are to help us understand people as they walk with Christ. Those who say, oh yes, I once heard, and what happened? Well, I believed that evening, but I woke up the next day and I never thought much about it again. And Satan came and took that seed away. Someone else says, oh yes, I used to believe in Jesus Christ, but then there was an illness in my family. And I prayed and Christ didn’t answer me like I thought he should. And you can’t trust Christ. They no longer believe.

There’s another who said, oh yes, I believe in Jesus Christ. But you know, it’s awfully hard to continue business and to keep one foot with Christ and one foot with the world. And I’m so busy. My schedule is so full that I want to pray, I want to read his word, I want to worship. But it is slowly being choked out of my life.

I would remind you that Jesus is teaching to instruct us about heaven. And that that last seed is the seed that lands on good soil. Its intended purpose is to land in a life and by grace to grow a fruitful harvest. And that is the reason that Jesus said, by their fruits you will know them. And what of that first seed that says, I have no fruit, then you have not Christ. And what of that seed that says, I trusted. But life became so difficult that it was years since I’ve been in the fellowship of the church. It has been years since I’ve prayed. It has been years since I’ve studied God’s word. And know that for you, the seed has landed on thorny ground. And those who would say the affairs of this world are far greater than this privilege of knowing Jesus Christ, why I’ve got to make money. I’ve got to be promoted. I’ve got to get ahead. Be very careful lest the world choke that seed. For Jesus said, there was a seed. It landed in good soil. And what happens? It became fruitful. What do you mean by fruitful? Fruitful has to do with personal fruitfulness, the fruit of the Spirit, where you would know that you have love, joy, peace. That through Jesus Christ your life has personally been changed.

Secondly, external fruit. The fruit of worship, of prayer, of reading God’s word, of telling others about Jesus Christ. That that fruit would be visible in your life.

There was a man who in 1640 came to America. His name was John. He left England as one of the most gifted ministers of that country. He was a devoted Christian. He was only married a year. He came and after one year in the United States, died. He left behind 700 pounds and 200 books. He gave them to a newly begun school that did not have a name.

Being the first one to give a sizable gift, they decided to name Harvard after John. And as years would go by, that little seed that was planted by a devout Christian would turn into an institution which for decades would produce ministers going into the ministry of Jesus Christ. We’ve become an institution with over a thousand teachers, with over a billion dollars of endowment, with over 10,000 students. And who’d have guessed that the little seed that was cast in faith by John Harvard would grow into such a crop? Well, we have no guarantee that the seed that we sow is going to grow into Harvard University. But we do have this guarantee that where the seed of God has been planted in good soil, that there will be fruit, some cases 100-fold, others 60-fold, and others 30-fold. But there will be fruit. Jesus says to you and to me, He who has ears, let him hear.

Let us pray.

Our God and our Father, we thank you that Jesus, spoken away, that not only caught attention but communicated divine truth. Help us, Father, to see the seed of your gospel as it would be sown in our hearts. And we pray, Lord, that as we take our hand and sift it through the dirt of our own hearts, that we would find that sod to be porous, to be broken, to be yielded, to be moist, to be good soil, that there might be an increased crop. And we know that that crop comes only by grace. And so we thank you for Jesus Christ, who plants that seed and waters us by the Spirit, and teaches us by the Word, and that the increase would be all from him. We thank you in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

That’s Princeton Ministries, Post Office Box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey, 08543. The Lord bless you. And Dr. Smith looks forward to hearing from you.

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