<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Reed Webster

Lessons from the Sower: The Conditions of the Soil

It's surreal for me to be here up front, not because I'm not up front normally, but because I'll be sharing with you.

Avent Hope's been pretty instrumental in my growth as an Adventist, so I want to give you a warning.

I'm a student, but first and foremost, I'm a disciple.

And we're all called to be disciples, right?

So as disciples, I want you to put your place, I want you to put yourself in the position of the disciples in Christ's day, as I read this quote from Acts of the Apostles, Page 37, paragraph 1.

The disciples prayed with intense earnestness for a fitness to meet men and in their daily intercourse to speak words that would lead sinners to Christ.

Putting away all differences, all desire for the supremacy, they came close together in Christian fellowship.

And as they did this, they realized what a privilege had been theirs in being permitted to associate so closely with Christ.

Sadness filled their hearts as they thought of how many times they had grieved Him by their slowness of comprehension, their failure to understand the lessons that for their good He was trying to teach them.

You know, Christ is still that good teacher today, but how often do we fail to comprehend, how often do we fail the opportunities that Christ is trying to teach us?

If we're going to be taught the truth by Him, we should understand the method in which He teaches us.

So in order to do this, I want to look at a familiar parable, but before I begin, I want to open it with a word of prayer.

Dear Father in heaven, I thank you for the opportunity to share what I've learned as a student, And I pray that people would take away something that would affect them and their walk with you.

Lord, please don't let us be slow of comprehension.

Let us learn the lessons that for your good you're trying to teach us.

I pray your spirit be here with me and help me to get through this message with peace and assurity knowing you're here with me.

So the title of this message is, oops go back, Lessons from the sower, the condition of the soil.

I'd like everybody to turn their books, their Bibles to Matthew 13.

We're going to spend most of our time here, but we will bounce around a little bit.

The same day went Jesus out of the house and sat by the seaside and great multitudes, How many?

Great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went to his ship and sat, and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

And he spoke many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow, and When he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up.

Some seeds fell upon stony places, where there had not been much earth.

And fortwith they sprung up because they had no deepness of earth.

And when the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away.

And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprung up and choked them.

But others fell onto good ground and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." Now I don't know about you, but if I was standing there in that great multitude and I heard, He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

I would be thinking, I have ears to hear.

I hear what he's saying, but I don't understand.

I mean, I don't know if you can resonate with that.

Just by reading those 9 verses, how many of you say, I could explain this to someone else?

So the disciples asked the most logical question, verse 10.

And the disciples came and said unto him, why speakest thou unto them in parables?" Basically, in other words, why aren't you speaking more plainly?

Why don't you make it so everyone can understand?

Why aren't you expounding on this for everyone?

And Jesus' response, verse 11, And he answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Is Jesus arbitrarily keeping these things from these people?

We don't know who them quite is based on Matthew's account.

9 to 11, he just finished telling the parable, starting verse 9, and he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

And when he was alone, wait, how many were there before him?

Now Mark says, and when he was alone, but was he really alone?

They that were about him with the 12 asked him of the parable.

So there was the 12 disciples, and then there were those that were there with him.

And verse 11, And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God.

But to them that are without, all these things are done in parables." So Jesus had a great multitude of people here around him.

He tells the parable, and we don't know how much time has passed, but now he's alone.

Or at least in consideration, in comparison to how many people were surrounding him, hundreds, maybe thousands of people sitting on the seashore, so great that he had to sit in a boat to get away.

The numbers have dwindled, except for those that stuck around, the 12 disciples and the few that remained.

Now was the parable, was this still a parable to the disciples?

It was, it was still a parable, But what's the difference?

Those that stayed were able to get the understanding.

Now, why do you think this was important to the disciples to ask, why do you speak to them in parables?

At this time, There's a great multitude, a mass amount of people, and this is such an opportunity for Christ to get just a tremendous following.

He was going to be the Messiah that was going to lead the nation to freedom.

And the parable leaves them wondering, why did he do that for?

So the question remains, why not speak to them plainly?

Didn't Jesus want everyone to understand?

This is from Christ Object Lessons, page 20, paragraph 2.

In the early part of his ministry, Christ had spoken to the people in words so plain that all his hearers might have grasped truths, which would make them wise in salvation.

But in many hearts, the truth had taken no root.

Therefore I speak to them in parables." Jesus' desire to awaken inquiry.

He sought to arouse the careless and impress truth upon the heart.

To arouse the careless, to awaken inquiry.

Now Jesus' ministry was often accompanied by questions, often directly, often indirectly.

When did Jesus' ministry officially begin?

Back to Menu

Lessons from the Sower: The Conditions of the Soil

Transcript

Sponsor

Recorded

Attachments

Related

Keep and Do

38m

Restoration 2023

The Atheist Who Found God

50m

GYC SE 2013 Plenary Sessions

Heaven On Earth

53m

How to Stand at the end of Time

1h 6m

Designer gods

47m

Plenary

Why is Jesus Always Talking About Plants

1h

How To Study the Bible and Know God’s Will For Your Life

1h 25m

Journeys in Agriculture

03 Cultivating the Heart and Mind

1h 4m

Cultivating Faith

Cultivating Faith

1h 35m

Preparing the Ark: Lessons from Noah’s Faith

1h 4m

Acts: First Generation Lessons for Last Generation Believers

6. Cutting Timothy

55m

ASI 2012 Seminar: Evangelism

Bible Studies Made Easy

1h 22m

Sound Doctrine