The Stony Ground Hearer, Part 1

In this part of the sermon: Martin transitions to the second type of soil, the stony ground, explaining its physical characteristics in Palestine: a thin layer of soil over a rock shelf. He describes the…

Martin contrasts the common image of rocky fields in New England, where rocks are interspersed in deep soil, with the Palestinian 'stony ground' which is a thin layer of soil over a solid rock shelf. This clarifies the specific geological condition Jesus was describing.

We read in Luke 8, 6, it was sown upon the rock. Now when we read in these accounts of the parable that the seed fell upon the rocky ground, we must not think in terms of that which we have seen in fields in this area and in particular if you've traveled at all through parts of New England, you've seen fields where every spring the farmer must go out with his tractor and his flatbed and gather the rocks that have worked their way up through the soil and would be an impediment to any efficient plowing and you have seen soil in which there was a considerable amount of rock. Now our Lord is not s...

11:33 - 13:00 Read in full sermon

Driving home: from indifference to receiving the word with joy from the careless non-comprehending indifferent listener to the joyful enthusiastic but rootless receiver of the message of God

He uses the analogy of planting identical seeds in cold earth versus a hot house to explain why the stony ground seed germinates quickly: the rock beneath acts like a hot house, accelerating initial growth but preventing deep rooting.

there is an initial though temporary manifestation of life verse 17 and they have no root in themselves but endure for a while and in Luke's account we read who for a while believe Luke 8 13 what is the message intended to produce a response of faith isn't that what God demands in the face of the message of his overtures of mercy and kindness in Jesus Christ well in the case of these stony ground hearers there is an initial though temporary manifestation of life in fact our Lord emphasizes in its causal language that because of this peculiar circumstance with just the shallow and very narrow b...

20:24 - 21:52 Read in full sermon

Driving home: our Lord never conned people into following him never never

Martin compares someone joining the Marine Corps for the 'spit polish and dress blues' without considering the 'blood in the trenches' to those who embrace Christianity for its superficial benefits without understanding the demands of spiritual warfare and suffering.

upon the most personal areas of your life and there exercise my sovereign rights as well as promise living water when vast multitudes were following the Lord Jesus at the height of his popularity in Luke chapter 14 it says great multitudes went out after him what did he do he turned and he said to them if any man come to me he laid out the terms of discipleship but in that day there were some who were willfully ignorant in spite of our Lord's careful instruction it was ignorance of the totality of the demands of the gospel that caused some to receive the word with joy and yet the moment that a...

32:16 - 33:45 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second reason is ignorance of the spiritual nature of the blessings promised in the gospel. Many in Jesus's day and today misinterpret peace and joy carnally, leading to…

He illustrates how the 'instant mentality generation' might interpret gospel promises of peace and joy with a 'drug oriented mentality,' seeking a 'high on Jesus' rather than spiritual blessings, which can lead to a superficial, rootless response.

far into his intention the Lord's Lord Jesus when he began to deal with that as recorded in John 651 to 69 and began to talk about the fact that if you're attached to him you must be attached in a manner in which you eat of his flesh and drink of his blood that is you have an attachment to him that is found in terms of spiritually feeding upon him as the crucified one they said this is a hard saying how can this man give us his flesh to eat and his blood to drink and it says from that time forth many went back and walked with him no more enthusiastic followers who fall away because of their ig...

35:14 - 36:44 Read in full sermon

Driving home: if you do not renounce all that you have including yourself you can't be his you've got to be done with any sense of right to run your life in any single area

Martin uses Jesus's parables of a king going to war and a builder constructing a tower (from Luke 14) to illustrate the necessity of soberly counting the cost of discipleship before committing, lest one start and be unable to finish.

as though they were saying look we'll come with you and sit down at the banquet and he turned and said to them if any man comes to me you see he laid out the cost of discipleship and then by the use of those two illustrations he said count the cost like a general a king before he goes out to war does some logistical analysis of his enemy of his strengths of himself and his own army and its strengths do I have a fighting chance if not I'm not going to be a fool and sacrifice myself and my men I'll ring up the flag of surrender but there's sober contemplation before there is action then he talks...

39:42 - 41:11 Read in full sermon

Driving home: if you do not renounce all that you have including yourself you can't be his you've got to be done with any sense of right to run your life in any single area

He gives a local example of an unfinished house on Horseneck Road as a 'monument of incompletion' to illustrate the folly of starting something without counting the cost, mirroring the spiritual tragedy of those who fall away from discipleship.

as though they were saying look we'll come with you and sit down at the banquet and he turned and said to them if any man comes to me you see he laid out the cost of discipleship and then by the use of those two illustrations he said count the cost like a general a king before he goes out to war does some logistical analysis of his enemy of his strengths of himself and his own army and its strengths do I have a fighting chance if not I'm not going to be a fool and sacrifice myself and my men I'll ring up the flag of surrender but there's sober contemplation before there is action then he talks...

39:42 - 41:11 Read in full sermon

Driving home: if you do not renounce all that you have including yourself you can't be his you've got to be done with any sense of right to run your life in any single area

The story of the rich young ruler is referenced to show someone who desired eternal life but was unwilling to renounce his possessions, illustrating that an unwillingness to count the cost of discipleship, particularly regarding money, can prevent true saving faith.

not prepared to say Lord yours you don't renounce all that you have you can't be his disciple he said it I didn't and he said you count the cost see if you're ready for that are you ready for that so that when you say Lord every last penny is yours if God by his providence and by the counsel of wise people and by a mysterious collation of circumstances over which we have no control as well as those over which we do have control would bring us from this level of affluence to a level that borders on poverty are you prepared to have his peace if his control over your purse brings you there are yo...

42:40 - 44:09 Read in full sermon

Driving home: if you do not renounce all that you have including yourself you can't be his you've got to be done with any sense of right to run your life in any single area

Martin shares the story of Stephen and Carroll, who, having counted the cost when they closed with Christ, found it 'no big deal' to move to the Philippines when God called, demonstrating a true, rooted discipleship where all possessions and life decisions are surrendered to Christ.

it's not enough that I just give the Lord his tithe no that's exactly what I'm saying the giving of the tithe is simply acknowledging tangibly regularly that all that I have is his and I hold it as a steward and every bit of it I use in the consciousness that neither I nor what I possess belongs to me you are not your own you have been bought with a price now what makes you you your time your energies your contacts your ability to earn money the whole bit of you is purchased property if you belong to Jesus that means for you children contemplating the life of discipleship you've been reared in...

44:09 - 45:39 Read in full sermon

Driving home: if you do not renounce all that you have including yourself you can't be his you've got to be done with any sense of right to run your life in any single area

He uses his wife's response to his frequent absences for ministry ('He's the Lord's property, not mine') to illustrate the complete surrender of self and loved ones that true discipleship entails, showing that the cost has been counted.

was the place of his appointment I didn't have to counsel for hours with Carroll and with Steve to try to persuade them that they ought not to let their parents stay no that issue was settled when they received peace from the hand of the Lord Jesus who died for sinners by his grace the cost had been counted and they're his and if he says my property belongs in the Philippines to the Philippines it goes people have often said to my wife don't you find it hard to let your husband go off weeks at a time here there and the other place what her stock answer is so it's not fun but no it's not hard h...

45:39 - 47:07 Read in full sermon