Introduction: Wayside Hearers

Introduction to the Parable of the Sower and its Importance

0:04 I announced this morning that we would be beginning tonight a series of studies on the parable of the sower.

0:15 This parable is found recorded for us in the 13th of Matthew, in the 4th of Mark, and in the 8th chapter of the Gospel according to Luke. Some of you perhaps may ask why we would commence a study of this nature. And I want to sort of bring you along the path of my own thought processes in the past hours as we've thought of beginning this series. And this will just be by way of general introduction, and then we'll read the passage and begin to expound some of its truth tonight.

0:49 There is a beautiful harmony in the teaching of the Word of God. At present, the truths that we are setting before our minds in the morning service are those sobering truths found in the Word of God. In the latter portion of the 7th of Matthew, in which our Lord is warning us about the great danger of false prophets, the great danger of false profession as we were considering it this morning,

1:15 and in a desire to enforce the teaching that is set forth with such clarity and sobriety in those passages in Matthew 7, I thought it would be to our prophet to begin a study in Matthew 13. For we will see the great similarity. The great similarity of emphasis in these two sections of the Word of God. I've wanted for some months, perhaps even some years, I could say two or three years since coming here as your pastor, to bring a series of studies on Matthew 13.

1:43 One or two occasions I have tried to get such a series off the ground, but somehow it felt restrained in my spirit. And I believe that perhaps in the providence of God, He has held us off from studying it so that we might enter into the study of Matthew 13 with what we are learning. Or I trust we are learning in Matthew 7 as a background and as a parallel portion of the Word of God. One of the great amazements to men when they begin to study the Bible seriously is to see how far people can go in exposure to divine truth and in obvious response to divine truth and even apparent fruit from that response and still fall short of the saving work, of God in the heart. And our generation is pretty ignorant of this truth. For the moment someone makes any kind of response to the Word of truth, everyone's ready to make him feel that the work is all done and he's as good as in heaven. Well, the Bible doesn't teach that.

2:48 No, John Bunyan never taught that. You can't read Pilgrim's Progress against the background of modern concepts of what it means to be saved. You just can't do it. It's just plain nonsense.

3:00 But when we begin to catch something, of the climate, of the biblical perspective concerning this matter of the narrow gate and the narrow way which lead unto life, then we are in some position to begin to appreciate this beautiful harmony that is found in the Word of God. There is this harmony and secondly there is an interdependence of one section of the Word of God upon another. And I trust that as Matthew 7 will help us in coming to Matthew 13, so Matthew 13 will throw some light back. We'll get into Matthew 7.

3:34 Now let us turn to Matthew 13. We could use Mark 4 or Luke 8, but we'll stick with Matthew 13 and be making a few references to the other accounts. Matthew chapter 13.

3:54 The same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the seaside. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship and sat. And the whole multitude stood on the shore. They spake.

4:09 And he said 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 seed fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth. And forthwith they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth.

4:31 And when the sun was up, they were scorched. And because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns. The thorns sprung up and choked them.

4:42 But other fell into good ground and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Then shortly after, his disciples were alone with him. And our Lord, in answer to their request, gave an interpretation of this parable, beginning with verse 18.

5:07 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and snatcheth or catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which has received seed by the wayside. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it.

5:31 Yet hath no root in himself, but dureth for a while. For when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that receiveth seed among the thorns, is he that heareth the word, and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choked the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that receiveth seed into the good ground, is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it, which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, thirty.

6:10 This is the parable of the sower, and our Lord's own interpretation of it. Now as we try to think our way through its teaching, first of all let's consider the importance of this parable. How important is it? Well, if repetition is an indication of importance, then this parable stands high in the classification of importance, for God the Holy Spirit has been careful to give it to us in all three of what we call the parable of the sower.

6:40 This is the parable of the sower. This is the parable of the sower. This is the parable of the sower. These are the synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

6:45 This is not true of all of the parables. In fact, it's not true of many of them. It may not be true. I can't speak with authority.

6:51 Someone as authoritative as Bishop Ryle states that it's the only parable that is quoted in all three of the gospels, but I don't want to make that statement until I've checked it out, because I've trusted some good men, and it's been like the proverb says, leaning your hand upon a thorn, and I've had to retract some things. So I'll not make that statement. But it's obvious that it's important because of the repetition. And then the statement of our Lord in Mark chapter 4 and verse 13, where we have Mark's account, we read this, And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable, this parable of the sower and the seed?

7:32 And how then will ye know all parables? And here is a clear indication from our Lord that this parable stands in a place of the Lord, in a place of peculiar importance, even in relationship to the other parables. And to understand this parable is in one sense to have a key that will unlock the other parables. Not only because here our Lord lays down the principles of interpretation, and we have a method of handling parables, He's shown us that there is a meaning in the birds.

8:02 There's a meaning in the kind of soil into which the seed fell, and all of these details. But also, I believe, our Lord has reference here to the fact that the content, not only the method of interpreting a parable, but the actual content is a key to unlock the substance of some of the other parables that follow. Now, so much for the importance of the parable, let's look at several introductory principles or observations. We find some common denominators in all the different kinds of soil.

Common Denominators in the Parable: Sower, Seed, and Soil

8:36 The basic ingredients in the whole parable are these. A sower, seed, and sower. Now, who is the sower? Well, our Lord speaks in a very indefinite way.

8:46 He says, Behold, a sower went forth to sow. In its context, it's obvious that our Lord Himself is the sower. For the great multitudes come before Him. He moves out into the ship.

8:59 He begins to speak to them the message of the kingdom. Later on, He says in this same chapter, in verse 19, When anyone heareth the word of the kingdom. And so, Our Lord is, in the very real sense, the great sower. But as we read in Corinthians, we are laborers together with Him.

9:19 And Paul said, One comes along and plants, and another is the instrument of God to water, but God gives the increase. He uses the illustration. He said, You Corinthians are God's husbandry, your God's garden, and we have been lesser sowers. The Lord Jesus, the great sower, who has put gospel seed into our hands and has told us, scatter that seed amongst all the nations and to every creature.

9:45 So much then for the sower. The next ingredient is the seed. Now, what is the seed? We made reference in Matthew 13, 19 that the seed is the word or the message of the kingdom.

9:58 Now, this would seem to limit the seed to that peculiar proclamation of the gospel. Our Lord, when He preached the gospel, preached it as the gospel of the kingdom. Paul preached, the same gospel. There is no special gospel for the Jew here, for Paul, we read in Acts 28, was kept there in that Roman prison and had liberty to receive people and he expounded unto them the things of the kingdom of God.

10:28 He spoke to the Ephesian elders and said, I went in and out among you, speaking the gospel of the grace of God, and later on he says, teaching you the things pertaining to the kingdom. But when we turn to, to Mark chapter 4 and verse 14, we see that there is a broader application of this matter of seed. For Mark says, the sower soweth the word. Mark 4 and verse 14.

10:55 The sower soweth the word. So this broadens it out to where we see that seed is any proclamation of divine truth. Perhaps more particularly, what we would call the proclamation of the gospel. The gospel announcing the good tidings, declaring unto men the basic structure of that God-given message which brings life and which brings spiritual deliverance.

11:23 But in a broader sense, it's any aspect of God's divine truth. In Luke chapter 8 and verse 4, we have a similar reference.

11:43 Luke chapter 8 verse 11, I'm sorry. Now the parable is this, the seed is the word of God. All right, we have the sower, our Lord, the great sower, all of his commissioned servants, lesser sowers. The seed, perhaps particularly the message of the gospel, whatever happens when the seed is sown, will invariably happen whenever the gospel is preached.

12:05 But in a broader sense, it occurs every time the word of God is expounded. From this pulpit, what our Lord described went on in this place this morning. It's going on tonight. For the seed is the word of God.

12:18 Now what is the sower? Well, Matthew 13, 19. I love a parable like this where the Lord gives the answers. It makes preaching a lot easier from the standpoint that you're not going out in the realm of conjecture.

12:33 All right, 13, 19. When anyone heareth the word of the kingdom and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one and catches away that which was sown, where? In his heart. Sown in his heart.

12:48 You can find in Luke chapter 8 and verse 12.

12:54 Luke 8 and verse 12. Those by the wayside are they that hear, then cometh the devil and taketh away the word out of their hearts. Verse 15 of Luke 8. That on good ground are they which in an honest and a good heart.

13:09 What is the sower? The soil is your heart, your understanding, your mind, your affections, heart being used in the broadest sense, including all of these faculties, the mind, the affections, the will. That's what the soil is. Now it's obvious then that the theme of this parable is one of caution.

Three Common Denominators of the Soils

13:32 Wherever the sower comes, whenever he comes, and whenever divine seed is distributed and we're exposed to it, and our hearts and minds are the recipients of that seed, our Lord is giving us a word of caution. He's saying be careful how you hear. Be careful how you hear. Now look at the basic similarities in each of these different kinds of soils.

13:57 So, the first thing that's a common denominator in all four categories is that they all heard the word. The sower did not have six different kinds of seed and choose a special seed for the kind of soil to be discerned with his eye. Our Lord was describing something that every one of his hearers had seen many, many times. In fact, it's quite possible that they could even turn around from the place where they were listening to him preach and see a man off somewhere with a seed bag over his shoulder with one kind of seed in that bag and going up and scattering his seed as he goes.

14:32 So, the basic similarity that we notice first of all is that they all heard the same word, but they heard the word. This parable then, like Matthew 7, 21 to 23, only applies to those of us who've come under the hearing of the Scriptures, who've come under the blessing of special revelation. We have something more than the witness of God in the heavens. We have the witness of God from his inspired book.

15:00 And so this parable of caution is one directed peculiarly to us who are privileged to sit week after week, month after month, exposed to the proclamation of divine truth. This is a description of what happens in this place week by week, month by month. It happens at the shop when you witness to that companion. It happens down the street when you pass out that tract to that neighbor.

15:27 Wherever the word comes forth, that special revelation, this is what happens. Second common denominator is that all of them, all the different soils had some reaction to the seed.

15:41 That first type soil, as it were, threw off the seed. Second type, it received it, but it received it in a defective manner or in a defective place. The third type, it received the soil, but it received it with the wrong kind of surroundings. And the fourth kind, the good soil, it received the seed, but in every case, there was some reaction of the soil to the seed and the seed to the soil.

16:04 There was no neutrality.

16:07 And I would submit to you that basic truth. We need to be reminded of it again and again that there is no neutrality to divine revelation, especially the word of the kingdom. For it comes as an announcement from the God of heaven demanding certain things of us, announcing certain truths before which we must bow in childlike humility, announcing commands before which we must bow in humility. And for which we must bend in abject surrender and submission.

16:38 It's an interesting thing to realize when one is preaching, it looks like most of the activities up here in the pulpit.

16:46 And from a physical standpoint, that ought to be so. Now with some preachers, there's more or less physical activity, but at least there should be some mental activity. And there ought to at least be some verbal activity. But as I'm speaking now, and most of you are sitting there very quiet and attentive, your eyes glued here, there's a tremendous amount of activity.

17:04 There's a tremendous amount of activity going on right where you sit. Because the word that's coming, you're doing something. Your heart, your mind, your will, your understanding, it's doing something with that divine seed that is coming out right now. There's activity in the pew as well as in the pulpit.

17:23 And there's activity continually. And that's the principle that we find as a common denominator in this parable. And then the third common denominator is this. All the different reactions were determined by the condition of the soil.

17:40 The seed was the same. When it fell, it did not create any conditions whatsoever. The falling of the seed merely revealed the condition of the soil prior to its reception of the seed.

17:57 You know what this tells me? It tells me that there's no magical power in sermons. It tells me that a basic principle is this. Follow me closely.

18:08 Whether or not you're to be blessed in this hour was something settled before you came here tonight.

18:18 All conditions being there are exceptions. But here's the general principle. The sower went forth to sow. He did not go out with any instrument to change the condition of the soil.

18:32 As he sowed, the soil was there in one of these four conditions to either bring forth fruit or to fail in the production of fruit. Now do you see why I keep arping on the principle? Please seek the face of God before you ever come here. Do you see why I keep harping on that thing again and again and again?

18:53 And why I remind some of you if you don't even spend five minutes Sunday morning preparing your heart? No wonder you can sit through two hours of preaching and it doesn't do you that much good. Why? Because the preaching has no power to change the soil.

19:12 We're speaking in this sense now. What happens when a sermon is preached is simply a revelation of the heart that you brought to that sermon.

19:25 You found this true, haven't you? You meet God in the presence of God. You meet God in the presence of God. You meet God in the presence of God.

19:28 In the fresh early hours of a Sunday morning, you're alone with Him and you call upon Him that this day He'd lift up the light of His countenance upon you. You've asked Him by the Spirit to reveal anything that would grieve and quench His ministry of revelation, making Christ real, opening the Scriptures. You come to a service having met Him and your heart full of expectation He's going to speak. I tell you, I can preach a pretty punk sermon but you'll go away blessed to the hilt.

20:01 Why? I'll listen. If a little boy with an unskilled hand takes some of the seed that the skilled farmer scatters, even though a little boy scatters it, what falls on good soil it'll bring forth just as much fruit as if an expert sowed it.

20:21 In fact, one preacher told of an instance when he was a little boy. His dad was a farmer and his dad would be out in the field sowing as they did in those days and he used to tag along with his dad, get in his way and once in a while his dad would say, Dad would favor his son. He'd put the seed bag over his son's shoulder and he'd put a couple of handfuls of seed in there and he'd let his son scatter the seed and he said, I made this observation that even though I didn't have the skill of my dad when the seed that I scattered fell on good soil it brought forth just as much fruit as if dad had scattered it. Now, I'm not excusing poor sermons.

20:58 You folk who are here know that that's not true. I'm not excusing but what I'm trying to emphasize is a principle that I believe our Lord is emphasizing here. That the seed does not create the basic ingredients for good response. It's the condition of the heart.

21:17 The condition of the heart.

21:23 So this is not so much a plea for good preaching as it is for good hearing.

21:28 And I trust you hear the plea. So there are those three common denominators.

21:33 All of them heard the same word.

21:36 All of them had some reaction to it. And the condition of heart that was brought to the word determined its fruit or lack of fruit. Now tonight, let us begin our study by simply looking at the wayside here. We'll not get any further than that, I'm sure.

The Wayside Hearer: Facts and Interpretation

21:53 Any farther than that. So let's look at the wayside here. Let's get the facts and then our Lord's interpretation of the facts and then let us consider some applications to ourselves. The facts themselves are few.

22:07 Matthew 13 beginning with verse 3. And he spake many things unto them in parables saying, A sower went forth to sow. When he sowed some seed fell by the wayside. And the fowls came and devoured them up.

22:21 Luke 8.5 says that those seed were trodden underfoot. If you'll just flip back to Matthew 12 you find what this path was. This wayside.

22:33 Matthew 12.1 At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the corn.

22:40 Apparently there were paths that were cut through the cornfields. And the Lord and His disciples were walking along one of these paths. So here's the picture of the sower who's gone out and as he casts his seed some of it falls by one of these footpaths that goes right through the cornfield. Now the birds would always follow the sower as he went.

23:02 For any seed that was not covered by the soil this was a free meal for them. I've seen this down in Lancaster County when they're plowing. I've seen some of the Amish folk out with their horse-drawn plows and see a whole flock of birds following behind them not to get seed but to pick up any kind of grubs and worms that would be turned up. And wherever that plow would go you'd find the flock of birds hovering or walking right behind all ready to pick up anything that had been exposed by the plowshare.

23:30 Well here's the picture here. The sower going out and some of the seed falls on that footpath that's been made for the cornfield and as soon as they see it exposed lying there unreceived by the soil this is their indication of a free meal. And down they swoop and they take away the seed. Now what's our Lord's interpretation of these few facts?

23:50 Well look at verse 18 of Matthew 13. Hear therefore the parable of the sower when anyone hears the word of the kingdom and understandeth it not then cometh the wicked one and catches away that which was sown in his heart this is he which received seed by the wayside. Notice our Lord's interpretation involves first of all this principle that a wayside here is one who hears the message he hears the word of the kingdom he hears the exposition of the word of God but hearing he does not understand. Now what does that mean?

Application 1: The Necessity of Understanding for Salvation

24:32 He does not understand.

24:34 Well I think it could possibly mean this the Lord Jesus speaks as he does in these following parables about a kingdom of the heavens a kingdom that is not of this world a kingdom of grace in which there is forgiveness a kingdom of glory in which men shall see the face of the God who made them a kingdom in the realm of the spirit a kingdom that is eternal a kingdom involving a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God a kingdom eternal in the heavens and as this message of the kingdom is announced with its message of forgiveness of grace of pardon for sin of new life of the new birth of the new life of eternity with God men hear it and say man I'm a practical kind of a fellow you're going to come and tell me how religion can help me to have a more harmonious home how religion can help me to do better in my business alright I'll listen to you but you talk about a kingdom that deals with things I can't see with my eyes touch with my hands smell with my nose it's all this pie in the sky by and by I've got no time for it I don't understand what you're talking about it doesn't relate to me here could be the person all involved in business problems and when someone announces the gospel and says look my friend there's a time coming when success or lack of it in business will mean nothing

26:03 he says look I realize that may be but my problem now is how to get myself out of this I've got no time for that or maybe it's the person swallowed up with natural grief the loss of a child a loved one when one comes with a message of grace and forgiveness and eternal life they don't understand it because it doesn't seem to relate directly to their immediate pressing crushing problem and so they don't understand it they don't understand it they don't understand it they don't understand it they dismiss the message for the child of God who comes to the exposition of the word of God perhaps this is the similar similar case you come perhaps you came this morning mind and thoughts all tied up in some area of personal interest and concern and when we started talking this morning about examining ourselves of how we can be self-deceived you couldn't have cared less at that point and so you didn't understand the message your heart through the through it all as hard soil throws off the seed and cannot receive it I believe it possibly may mean that one thing I'm sure it means when he says they understand not if you read down to verse 22 he that received seed verse 23 he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word and understandeth it it's this whole matter of divine revelation I see the suitableness of that truth to my own personal need and I see when the message comes talking about forgiveness

27:30 it's not talking about some airy fairy pie in the sky thing for I've seen myself as a help to my own need but with the wayside here they hear but they understand not and involved in this there is immediately following a direct activity of Satan to actually take away what they've heard for our Lord likens you notice the birds the fowls of the air he likens them to the birds to Satan who would come and would pluck away that seed for remember as soon as the birds who hovered saw that the seed was not covered they came and they snatched it away now those are the factors involved in our Lord's interpretation of this parable now may we apply it and seek to suck from this parable something that will be sweetness to us perhaps may be a catharsis to us but let us seek to gain some practical applications to our own hearts and lives the first one that I see in this parable of our Lord the stony ground the by-path here is this that men must understand the message before they can be saved there must be this revelation of the suitableness of the message

28:58 to my need not only initially in coming into the kingdom but continually as we go on in the kingdom we must understand the message before it can be embraced in its saving or its sanctifying power in Luke 8 in verse 12 we have an interesting remark by our Lord that emphasizes this Luke 8 in verse 12 those by the wayside are they that hear then cometh the devil and taketh away the word out of their hearts lest they should believe and be saved there is no salvation by faith or through faith until there is perception and understanding of truth now get the pattern the word comes if it's not understood it's rejected cast off and the enemy then snatches it away but when the word comes and there is understanding then there is faith then there is salvation now this is a very vital principle that no person is saved until there's been an operation of divine revelation upon his heart no one is saved until there's an operation of divine revelation for the whole problem here is that they understood not and until they understand they can't believe and until they believe they can't be saved and so there must be that revelation

30:27 showing me my desperate need of the message of the kingdom my need of Christ that by nature and practice I am guilty I am depraved I've got a problem in the record books of heaven and I've got a problem and in the inner recesses of my rebel heart there must be a revelation of the suitableness of Christ to my need that Bethlehem and the manger and the cross and the tomb these are not just symbols of a man-made religion these are the mighty acts by which almighty God is moved out to the redemption of a poor hell-deserving wretch like myself and suddenly a halo of glory begins to shine around the manger instead of throwing as it were a light of light laurels to Christ and somehow extending to him a little bit of sympathy I fall down like the shepherds like the magi and I see in that manger my only hope of life for if my sins are to be forgiven they must be judged and if they're to be judged someone must die for the wages of sin is death and God who is spirit cannot die there must be a body there must be a man to die and I see in that manger a little glimmer of hope for he's Emmanuel and I see in that manger God with us God with us God joined to humanity in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ that comes by revelation beloved you can gaze at that manger scene until your eyeballs fall out of your head

31:56 and perish when God the Holy Ghost reveals your need and he reveals that the one who came is perfectly suited to that need you see that same one on a cross we might be moved with tears of human sympathy we might be moved with tears of human sympathy with feelings of righteous anger when we see them take the pure and holy one and put him on a Roman gibbet and treat him worse than a common criminal ah but when there's revelation and I see in that cross the glorious truth of the word of God that God was redeeming me from the curse of the law making him a curse for me there's that mingled paradox of affection I stand back with shocked horror at the ugliness of my sin so I stand back oddly so terrible that God will not spare his only son that he brings down the stroke of his wrath unmixed with mercy even upon the one in whom he was well pleased and I stand back with a holy horror and yet wonder of wonders here's the paradox I'm drawn near with an irresistible drawing for I see in that bloody form that's my only hope of heaven the just dying for the unjust the holy one for the unholy one the sinless for the unholy one for the sinner heaven's best for earth's worst I can preach that but only the Holy Ghost can reveal it

33:25 and bring you to the place where you'll say with Paul God forbid that I should glory save in that cross and you'll say with Paul I determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified and I'll listen when the Holy Ghost reveals the meaning of that cross you know what it'll do with you it'll do exactly what it did to Paul it'll do exactly what it did to Paul he said God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by which the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world for the sinking cross became the severing cross and when he saw that his only hope of mercy was in that Christ he said I first took all things and reckoned them but dumb and my embrace of Christ is my end my all my goal and he says the world had as much attraction for me with all of its claims and all of its things and all of its loud seductions it was no more attracted to me than a man upon a cross and he said the feeling was mutual for I was no more attracted to the world than a man upon a cross and they proved it kicked him around beat him clubbed him falsely accused him they proved their attitude to Paul and Paul proved his attitude to the world if anyone could sing that song with meaning Paul could let the world deride

34:54 forsake me they have left my savior too human looks may human hearts and looks deceive me thou art not like man untrue but if thou wilt smile upon me God of wisdom love and grace that's it let the men forsake me show thy face and all is well now that understanding has got to be brought to your heart by the Holy Ghost of the Bethlehem of the cross of the tomb that led to the throne that he's alive that's not a theological proposition it is but it's more than that for it's only from the hand of a living Christ that salvation can be received God has exalted him Peter says with his right hand to give repentance and remission if you're ever to have that holy morning which leads to salvation it must come from the hand of a mighty Christ who can break the hardest heart and cause it to turn from sin and to receive the free offer of mercy the Lord Jesus said when the message of the kingdom is preached so many are just like that hard path that goes through the cornfield one can stand here and speak of the glories of the manger of the glories

36:22 mingled with the agonies of the cross and the majesty of the throne any of you young men the hand of God upon you for the ministry let me say now be prepared for this to be your deepest grief to speak of things that cause your own soul to burn to the faces of men and women who week after week give evidence still to love them and to pray and to preach I think that's a little bit of the fellowship of the sufferings because only the Holy Ghost can give understanding but thank God he can thank God he can but it only comes by way of divine revelation for the Lord Jesus Christ Jesus said no man knoweth the Father save the Son no man knoweth the Son save the Father and he to whomsoever he will reveal it Matthew 11 verse 26 and 7 you say Pastor why is that so?

37:38 well it brings you right back to that basic doctrine of the words because sin has defiled all our faculties isn't this what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2.14 the natural man with the equipment that God or that my father and mother gave me that came down through Adam I can't perceive divine truth the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God there is foolishness unto him neither can he know them can is a word of ability you ask me may I take to him book that's a word of permission if you say can I look at you and say well I think you're strong enough that's a word of ability neither can he know them has no ability to know Ephesians 4.18 speaks of the mind being darkened like the little girl we've got several teachers here tonight little girl in school teacher been trying to teach her a very simple little piece of information poor little girl was just so tense she couldn't get hold of it and the teacher said why don't you understand that's such a simple thing you know what her answer was to her teacher she said teacher I don't know why I can't understand except I've got so many things to learn I don't have time to understand get her out of here she said the only thing I can see I've just got so many things to learn I don't have time to understand ah beloved there's an application in this maybe the reason you don't see any glory

39:06 in that manger though you've heard about it time after time no glory in the cross no glory in the throne nothing that's captured your heart and ravished it with love for Christ maybe it's you've got so many things to learn you're not taking time to understand no prayer before you come to the word no prayer when you go away from the word one of the old Puritans said let us come from the closet to the word and from the word back to the closet would that be the reason see you can't make the seed germinate but you can and you must use the means that God has given for the preparation of your heart for the word only God can give increase only God can make seed germinate but God says you and I must break up our fallow ground God says we must lay aside all superfluity of naughtiness and these other things in James and receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save our souls we can call upon God by his grace and spirit to dispose our hearts to be good soil saint and sinner alike can and must do this and so this is the first application that I see in our text tonight that men must understand the message before they can be saved

40:34 we as God's people must understand the truth that's being expounded before it will have life and power and that only comes by divine revelation Bill Franklin had hoped to be with us tonight as some of you know we're at the picnic he was visiting with us yesterday but what a thrill it was and I can say this because he's not here he was just aglow and he's got a little room there I think it's the room you had Will isn't it across from Ernie there in Carlisle and at first when he saw that little room he was like oh my gosh when we were there at the conference he said boy I gotta get me a bigger room I can't spread my books out and he was a little bit disturbed but then the Lord spoke to him about whatsoever state you're in there with the beacon 10 and we were talking yesterday and he said pastor he said it's not repetition it's revelation he said in the past days in that little room truths that I thought I knew and I've preached to the people there and called while the Holy Spirit has revealed them to me and they're just like new just like new when's God done that for you when's the Holy Ghost burned some truth into your heart so that if the pastor and every elder and every preacher from here to Kalamazoo would stand up and deny it you'd say that's God's proof and nobody will take it from me I tell you dear when we have a congregation of people to whom the Holy Ghost is revealing truth maybe I can pack up and start a church somewhere else that's the first application can't labor it longer

The Natural Man's Inability to Understand

42:03 I want to hurry to a second one second obvious application we need to remember this is that there is a present activity of Satan wherever the word is preached Jesus said in his parable the soil went out to sow and the moment the seed was seen to be lying there on the footpath trodden underfoot but still lying above the soil the fowls of the air came immediately we find that in Luke straightway comeeth the devil and snatches away the seed that was sown you see the birds in that illustration are continually waiting for an opportunity to get seed and the obvious teaching is that whenever the word is preached either the peculiar proclamation or the special proclamation of the gospel to sinners or the exposition of divine truth in any circumstance there is a present activity of the devil he is seeking to snatch away the word of God now how does he do this does he do it immediately or immediately does he do it directly or indirectly now I'm going to be a little fanciful here but I think I'm taking the other passages the Lord says to Satan the Lord didn't say there is a buzzard one buzzard circling around but he said the fowls of the air there's usually a flock of birds waiting there now the Lord says the mastermind behind that flock of birds is the devil now I don't believe the devil deals with most of us immediately directly to snatch away the word he's not omnipresent he's not everywhere

Application 2: Satan's Present Activity Against the Word

43:31 he couldn't do this so he works immediately he works through many means he has many birds hovering to snatch away the seed of the word that we don't know about understand now what are some of those birds may I suggest four or five of them very quickly there's that bird called wandering thoughts you know that bird you can be talking about some relative outside the church and have absolutely no problems whatsoever your mind is as clear and it can think in a straight line without any bypass no wandering of thoughts why you've just got enough social grace that if you're talking to someone outside you don't let your eyes drift off to someone else and start thinking about the birds and thinking about this and that you wouldn't keep your friends very long if you did that right yet you can step within these walls and wonder of wonders inside of fifteen minutes as the word is preached what happens the thoughts begin to run off in a thousand directions or vagabond thoughts from a thousand different planets try to invade the planet of your mind recognize behind this is the work of the enemy of your soul he doesn't want that seed to germinate there's the fowl of the air there's that bird called wandering thoughts then there's that bird called dullness of mind

44:59 one of the greatest proofs of our inherent depravity and the fact that it's not completely eradicated when we're saved is this thing here this matter of dullness of mind have you ever noticed how you can come in at the end of the day tired and worn and the thought of sitting down and reading your bible you say I just can't concentrate enough yet you'll pick up the paper and you'll get involved in reading of some sex scandal somewhere and before long your eyes are bug-eyed wide and you're catching every single word that's a proof that we've got corrupt rotten hearts that have a natural disposition to anything that's spiritual a natural repulsion or we can pick up the funny paper amazing how interested we can get or the sports page or looking up the batting average of our favorite ball player dullness of mind our minds can be quick about a thousand things and we come to try to listen to a sermon and all of a sudden dullness, heaviness now I know some of it at times the fault of the preacher I know that God knows some of us at least try to be interesting try to talk in language easy to be understood try to have many windows of illustration to let the light through but I'm sure there are times when I've put you to sleep I've preached too heavy I've preached perhaps too long

46:26 but could it be that maybe the fault's yours sometime and you just let those birds come and pick the seed up we didn't recognize that that mental dullness had Satan as its author he just thought of something physical now the Lord said Satan come he believed in a personal devil who was presently active whenever the word was preached he hadn't gotten so smug and smart that he relegated all satanic activity to psychological and physiological reasons as so many are willing to do in our day may I mention another bird and I believe he's floating around this place right now I see him here every Sunday morning especially that's the bird of trivial talk trivial talk you want to have an interesting experience it's the most ego deflating thing I know you know what it is once in a while I'll put on a tape of one of my sermons and turn it up to the last part where I'm finishing the sermon and I'm liable to think boy I must have really had him that morning no rustling no stirring and the organ plays for a few bars soft music

47:51 and she pushes that right pedal down the loud music and that's the signal it's time to get up and then the chatter the chatter the giggling gets louder builds up the shingle in my mind's eye I can just see those birds a whole flock of them called birds of trivial talk and they've taken the seed and they've snatched him trivial talk I don't know anybody that's telling dirty jokes in the church no it's not that I don't know that you're passing gossip but just true talk God says let every man be swift to hear slow to speak but the Proverbs said in the multitude of words there wanteth not sin we were reading in our own family devotions the other night we're going through Proverbs present where it speaks about the fool is the man that just opens up his mouth and pours out foolishness and Joel said daddy what does it mean pour out foolishness I said son when you turn that glass up and you pour out whatever's in there it just goes out anywhere in any direction it just goes and I said that's what the Lord's talking about just saying what comes to our minds without any discipline of our talk not realizing that a that a humorous word is not in the spirit at the end of a serious sobering time

49:21 can be a bird from the enemy to pluck away the seed of the word of God trivial talk and there's the bird of unwise humor God has smitten my heart there are times when I believe I breathe the spirit at that door back there I don't know if I'm going to be able to of anyone individually here my conscience doesn't bring to remembrance but I know I've had to go home some mornings and ask God to forgive me for I said a word in light jest to a person that apparently was under exercise of mind and heart grieving to the spirit beloved do we believe in a personal devil Bishop Ryle said and I thought it was a quaint statement perhaps he said there's no more active place for the devil than a congregation of gospel hearers he said that's probably the place where the devil is more active than any other place in all of God's creation a congregation of gospel hearers isn't that the teaching of our text that when the seed is sown and there isn't immediate understanding and embracing and absorption of the truth into the soil of the heart then cometh the evil one immediately where the birds of wandering thought of distracting interest dullness of mind trivial talk unwise humor and I close with I trust what will be a helpful word of exhortation in the light of those two principles the divine truth must come with divine revelation before there can be divine deliverance and salvation

Exhortation: Prayer and Meditation for Understanding

50:49 in the light of the fact whenever the truth is preached whenever it comes there's a present activity of the devil what should I do what should I do let me exhort you first of all if we're to have understanding if we're to have that revelation if we're to understand the truth if the soil of our minds and hearts is to enfold that seed so it can germinate and bring forth fruit then we've got to do something about it then we've got to cry to God for illumination prayer is the first step to that matter of understanding if you're outside of Christ I believe you have a ground to pray that God will illuminate your mind to his saving truth this idea that God doesn't hear the prayer of anyone unless they're saved until they pray the sinner's prayer I don't believe it's taught in the Bible I believe we have grounds to cry to God for illumination he commands us to believe and we say God but I can't believe what I don't understand if I don't believe it if I don't understand my need how can I embrace the Savior who's suited to my need oh God open my eyes open my eyes oh if God's children hear I'm not going to ask you to sign a pledge all we do is break them but what would happen if in our hearts we pledged before God and by the power of the Spirit we kept that pledge that unless we were providentially hindered we'd never step foot within the walls of this building or any place where the word was to be expounded without spending at least five minutes of quietness

52:18 before God praying oh Holy Spirit be my teacher today I happen to know that there's some people in this congregation and I'm not singling them out to put them up on a pedestal they could be in far worse shape spiritually in God's eyes but I know there's some folk who take notes and there's no virtue in that in itself but you know what they do with them they take them home and they get their Bibles and they look up all the references and they pray over them and they ask the Holy Spirit Holy Ghost to make it real no wonder some of them who are babes in Christ are miles further down the road of spiritual understanding than some of you that have been in Christ for years they're simple enough to believe that God's got to teach them so they pray do you pray for illumination? and then coupled with illumination there's got to be meditation meditation I love this verse in 2nd Timothy 2.7 it's been a great help to me over the past few years you look at this verse that I think throws some light on the parable 2nd Timothy 2 the Apostle Paul has been dispensing some truth to Timothy he's been speaking in what we might say parabolic language he's been talking about a soldier talking about an athlete talking about a farmer in 2nd Timothy chapter 2 and then after giving these

53:46 illustrations of divine truth notice what he says to Timothy in verse 7 he said now Timothy consider what I say and the word consider there is a word it has as part of its root the word for the mind it means to diligently exercise your mind meditate think upon what I say and the Lord give thee what? understanding only God can give understanding we've seen that tonight I trust we have only the Lord can help you to understand it only He can make you understand I can't even make that truth real to you He's got to make it real to you but now how does He do it? what's the means? not only prayer David praying open thou mine eyes Paul praying in Ephesians 1 that the God and Father of the Lord Jesus would give the spirit of wisdom and revelation but now he says consider what I say meditate upon it think upon it and as you meditate suddenly the truth will break open do you meditate?

54:50 what would happen if you vowed not only to spend 5 minutes before the sermon praying but at least 5 minutes when you got home sitting down and going over in your mind what you heard okay now that's not unreasonable is it 5 minutes is that unreasonable? just 5 minutes is that unreasonable?

55:08 what would happen? well the Lord would begin to give you understanding and when He gives it oh it's precious you know what will happen to you? some of you will come and you'll say Pastor look I never heard this before it'll be something that's been preached from this pulpit 30,000 times but I won't be offended when you say that I have to warn people of this when I go out in meetings where a faithful pastor has been holding forth basic truth year in and year out and then during a special series of meetings the Holy Spirit will open someone's eyes and they'll come to their pastor and say Pastor look look I never saw this before look what the Lord showed me through Brother Martin's ministry see I have to take him aside and say look I know your pastor he's been telling you that for 3 years he's been telling you that for 10 years what happened is under the concentration of a special series of meetings you got enough of the garbage out of your mind of temporal things and began to meditate and consider and the Lord in the context of meditation has broken open His truth upon your heart