Let us turn then to God's Word
in Luke chapter 8 and our text is found at verse 11
to verse 15 where Christ speaks and gives the interpretation
of the parable of the sower and his seeds. And what he describes
in these verses may be said to be the gospel seedbed, the various
types of grounds upon which the seed is sown, the gospel seedbed. Let's read then again this portion
in Luke 8, at verse 11 now the parable is this the seed is the
word of God 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 they on the rock are they which
when they hear receive the words with joy and these have no root which
for a while believe and in time of temptation fall away 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 but that on the good ground are
they which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word,
keep it and bring forth fruits with patience." The gospel seed
bed. Christ himself says that the
seed is the word of God, and then he goes on speaking of these
various soils, but the emphasis is very much upon the importance
of hearing. The hearing of the Word of God. In verse 8, when He had said
these things, He cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Again in verse 18, He says, Take
heed therefore how ye hear. In verse 21, He answered and
said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear
the Word of God and do it. The great point and purpose of
the parable then is to emphasize the importance of the right hearing
of the word of God. And it is important when it comes
to our understanding of the parables that we don't become lost in
all the detail. but that we understand what is
the real significance, the great point and purpose of what Christ
is saying in the parable. Now it's true of course that
in this form of teaching we see Christ making a difference, how
his ministry is a discriminating ministry, how there is a separating
As he says in verse 10, unto you it is given to know the mysteries
of the kingdom of God. That's the disciples. Unto you
it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to
others in parables that seeing they might not see, and hearing
they might not understand. There is a certain concealing
as well as there being a revealing. And what a great favor, what
a blessing it is if we're those who are true hearers. But as
we turn to these words, these verses in which Christ gives
the interpretation, we see that there are four types of ground,
four types of hearers. And I want us simply to consider
each of these. First of all, he speaks of the
wayside hearer, or the wayside grouse, which is representative
of one that we might say is a careless hearer. In the parable, verse
5, a sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed, some fell
by the wayside. and it was trodden down, and
the fowls of the air devoured it. And then when we come to
the interpretation in verse 12, He says, Those by the wayside
are they that hear, then cometh the devil. He is the fowl of
the air. Then cometh the devil, and taketh
away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and
be saved. They are careless hearers that
are being described here in Matthew's account and of course the parable
is found not only in Luke but we also have it recorded in the
opening part of Matthew 13 and again in the opening part of
Mark chapter 4 so in each of these synoptic Gospels we have
this record of Christ's teaching this particular parable. Now
in Matthew's account with regards to that seed that fell by the
wayside, that careless hearer, Matthew says, Matthew 13 verse
19, that such understandeth it not. The word comes and they
understand it not. Now the particular word they
choose, the verb, to understand has this basic meaning of putting
things together, making a comparison. They don't trouble themselves
to hear very carefully. They're careless, you see. There's
not even in a sense that natural hearing. Of course, when God's
Word is opened and preached There's a sense in which many are called.
The Lord says many are called, few are chosen. The words can
come to all who are sitting there, who have the faculty of hearing. They hear the word of God in
a natural sense. But it doesn't trouble them.
They don't make any attempt to understand what is being spoken.
They are careless hearers. They know nothing at all of that
spirit of the Bereans that was so much commended in Acts 17. They were more noble, of course,
we are told, than they of Thessalonica. Because they searched the Scriptures
daily to see if these things were so. That's how we should
be hearing, friends. Or to have ears to hear. to heed the Word of the Lord
Jesus Christ Himself. In the course of speaking this
parable there in verse 8, when He had said these things He cried,
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Let us not be those
who are careless in the manner in which we are hearing the Word
of God. There's no problem. This is what
the Lord is saying, is it not here in verse 12? The wayside
hearer. that person who is so careless,
doesn't consider in any sense the Word of God, will not exert
himself or apply his mind to it, doesn't even seek to have
a natural understanding of these things. And then he goes on to
speak of the stony ground. There in the parable of verse
6, some fell upon a rock And as soon as it was sprung up,
it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And then at verse 13, the interpretation,
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. Now what can we say of these?
If the first Those by the wayside are such hearers as can be described
as careless. Now when we come to the rock
or the stony ground, we see that hearer who is so superficial.
There's a certain superficiality here. He seems to have faith,
but there's no real substance to his faith. There's no depth. His faith is only a temporary
faith in that sense. and that's not saving faith,
it is possible to have a remarkable faith and yet for that faith
not to be the genuine article, those solemn passages that we
find in the Hebrews, remember. In Hebrews chapter 6 verse 4,
it is impossible, says the Apostle, for those who were once enlightened
and have tasted the heavenly gift and were made partakers
of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the
powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew
them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the
Son of God afresh, and put into an open fray. Theirs is but a
temporary fire, and they are really proved in the long term
they become apostate. they are such as fall away. And then again, in chapter 10
of Hebrews, verse 29, of how much sorer punishment, suppose
ye, shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden on the foot
the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith
he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the
Spirit of grace. These are those who sin willfulness
after they receive the knowledge of the truth. Their faith on
the surface seems to be so real, so genuine, but they don't endure. There's a superficiality here. Remember the words of Christ
again in the Gospel, "...he that shall endure unto the end, the
same shall be saved." Yes, we must make a beginning and it
must be a right beginning. Where there is a right beginning,
there will be a persevering, there will be a continuing and
an enduring. Now what do we read with regards
to this stony ground here, this superficial here? Well, there
is no root to their religion. Here in verse 13. These have
no root. These have no root. If Job was
a man, who was clearly a justified man, how are we introduced to
Job? At the beginning of the book
of Job we're told something concerning the character of this great man
of the East. He was perfect and upright, and
feared God, understood evil. Perfect and upright, he was justified. That's what it means. His righteousness
was that righteousness of Christ that was imputed to him. He was
a godly man, a God-fearer. And yet how Job and his faith
were so sorely tried and he comes through the trial. Oh yes, there
was much in Job's religion that was dross and needed to be burnt
up, that's why God dealt with him in the manner, the strange
manner that he did. But you know, in the midst of his trials, we
find Job saying this, chapter 19, verse 28, The root of the
matter is found in me. The root of the matter is found
in me. Oh friends, we have to look to
ourselves, examine ourselves. Can we really say that as we
look to our own hearts? The root of the matter is found
in man. With these, you see, stony ground,
here are these superficial people. There's no root. No root to their
religion. They have no root. And who is the root? And the
offspring. of Jesus, why it's the Lord Jesus
Christ. It's Christ who must be in us.
That's the root of the matter. I am the root, he says, and offspring
of David. But see what we're told more
concerning these characters. Here in verse 13. Down the rock
are they which when they hear receive the word with joy they
receive the word with joy in Mark's account Mark 14 we're
told they immediately receive it with gladness they hear the
word and immediately the first emotion that they experience
is that of gladness, that of joy now surely that should make
us suspicious of these characters Remember when the Spirit is come,
what Christ says. When He is come, He will reprove
the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. Surely the first
emotion is not one of joy and gladness. Isn't the sinner made
sad? Isn't the sinner made to see
and to feel what he is as a sinner? Who did Christ come to call?
Not the righteous, not the self-righteous man he came to call sinners surely
the immediate response should be not to receive the word with
gladness but to feel the offense of the word there's no root here
you see, there's no depth to this person there's not been
any of that breaking up of the fallow ground of their hearts
how the heart needs to be broken God says through Jeremiah is
not my word like as a fire and like as a hammer that breaketh
the rocks in pieces. No, the initial reaction, the
first response of these people is indicative that there's something
wanting in their religion, there's no root. They immediately receive
the word with joy and gladness, that's not good. But not only
do we read concerning this here that there's no root, we also
see that there's no moisture. There's no moisture. Back at
verse 6, some fell upon a rock and as soon as it was sprung
up it withered away because it lacked moisture. What is that
moisture? Is it not to be understood in
terms of the gracious ministry of the Holy Spirit? If we know
nothing of the Spirit in our religion, we have no real religion. This day is the day of the Holy
Ghost and we need the Spirit. No wonder David in his great
penitential prayer cries out, take not thy Holy Spirit from
me. What are we without the Spirit of God? What is the Word of God?
Except we have the Spirit to be to us an interpreter and an
instructor, how the Spirit has to open the Word to us. It was
the Spirit who first gave the Word. When He inspired those
holy men He is the one, you see, who has given the scriptures.
He is the one who must bring the scriptures to us. Oh, we
need that blessed moisture of the Spirit. But these, you see,
these superficial hearers, they know nothing of the Spirit. They're
self-made Christians in that sense, and there cannot be such
a creature as that. They're not true Christians who
are self-made Christians. And there are many, you know,
who are encouraged to think that they can make themselves Christians.
Isn't that really the sum and substance of free willism? You
know, God, they say, has done so much that you have that, that
you have to do that. You have to seal it, as it were.
You have to believe. Ultimately, the choice is yours.
It's not so, is it? I know I mentioned it before,
but it did strike me so forcibly when compiling that little history
of the cause of truth here at Salem, and it wasn't one who
was ministering at Salem, but ministering there in Kent Street, the original particular
Baptist Church in Portmouth, of which Salem, of course, was
a church planted by those people, but one of the ministers in Kent
Street, if I remember right, was a man called Daniel Myle,
or Myle. And he was Dr. Doudna in one
of the issues of the Gospel Magazine back in the 19th century. referred
to that man's ministry he remembered how as a young man of course
he was himself born and reared in Portsmouth was Dr Doudna and
he obviously attended there at Kensford on occasions and he
said he remembered how Mr Mayall would come out with statements
such as this if God so dealt with me as to bring me to the
very gates of heaven and when he came to the last step it was
left to me and my last step would take me into heaven he said if
it was left to me I'd step into hell that's how weak we are you see
God has to do it all if only the last step is left to us we're
lost salvation is of the Lord, and it's of the Lord in its entirety. But here you see we have those
who might be described as self-made. They know nothing of the ministry
of the Spirit. There is no moisture. It withered
away. because it lacked moisture."
No root, no moisture, and therefore, not surprisingly, there is no
endurance. The end of verse 13, "...in time
of temptation they fall away." How the trial finds them out!
How the trial of faith finds them out! "...in time of temptation
they fall away." Shallow! Their religion is so shallow,
so superficial. There's nothing of substance
there. The trial comes and they fall
away. They do not endure. The stony
ground, soil, representative, I say, of the superficial era. And then we have a third type
of soil spoken of in verse 7. some fell among thorns and the
thorns sprang up with it and choked it. What is the thorny
ground representative of? Is it not to be understood in
terms of the worldly hearer? They're all hearing, you see,
in a sense. There's the careless hearer,
the wayside hearer, careless. There's the stony ground, Hera
is a superficial Hera, there's no real substance, there's only
shallowness of ground. And now we come to this, the
worldly Hera represented by the thorny ground. Now, when we observe
these different types of soil, we can see a certain progression. The first, in a sense, do not
receive the word at all. Immediately the word is taken
away by the birds of the air. Satan immediately takes the word
away. The second type of hearer, why,
they appear to receive it on the stony ground but there's
no depth. But there's a certain progression there, it's not taken
away immediately. And now with this third type
of hearer, the the thorny ground, why there appears to be some
fruit. Because it says they bring no
fruit to perfection. No fruit to perfection. It seems
to be some further responsive, but it's inadequate. And why
so? Well, a number of things are
spoken of here in verse 14. 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 the affairs of the world that's the problem
the cares the cares of this life we have the words of the Lord
Jesus Christ himself do we not In another account of his ministry,
he is preaching the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew chapter
6, verse 24, he says, No man can
serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love
the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other.
He cannot serve God and man, and therefore I say unto you,
take no thought for your life. What ye shall eat or what ye
shall drink, nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat
and the body than raiment? All the cares, you see. The cares
of this life. The eating and the drinking and
the clothing. We have responsibilities, of
course, in this life. To make provision for ourselves,
to make provision for our loved ones. But we're not to be preoccupied
with these things. This is those who have not the
right priorities in their lives. These are worldly hearers. And
there's not only the cares, the cares of this life spoken of
here in verse 14, there's also the riches of this life. The riches of this life. cares are understandable. We
have our concerns and our cares, our anxieties that we might make
proper provision, that we might address our responsibilities
to others who are dependent upon us. But all the riches, how people
are taken up with the riches. In the other accounts, Matthew
13 and Mark 4, the expression is the deceitfulness of riches.
Oh, riches deceive me. Oh, riches deceive me. And they
think if they have riches all will be well. All will be well. And even the godly, you know,
come to that sometimes. I was envious, says the psalmist.
I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of
the wicked. Oh, how it grieved him. How he
longed to have what they He wanted that as much as they wanted it. He wanted their wealth and their
riches. And he was envious, he says,
there in Psalm 73. But how does he continue? How
the man ultimately is brought to his senses there in Psalm
73. Three, he says, I was envious
at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For
there are no bans in their death, but their strength is firm. They
are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued as other
men. Therefore pride compasses them about as a child, violence
covers them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness,
they have more than heart could wish. But then he comes to this,
until I went. into the sanctuary of God. Then
understood I their end. Surely thou did set them in slippery
places, thou castest them down into destruction. How are they
brought into desolation, as in the moment they are utterly consumed
with terror. Oh, the riches of this life,
how they make to the wings, and they fly away. But not only the
cares, not only the riches, but also the pleasures. Choked
with cares, and riches, and pleasures. The pleasures of this life. In
Mark's account, Mark 14, 19, it says, the lusts of other things. The lusts of other things. All
friends love not the world, Neither the things that are in the world.
If any man loved the world, the love of the Father is not in
him. All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father,
but is of the world. Oh friends, how we need that
God should come and break up our hearts. Break up your fallow
ground, says Jeremiah. Sow not among thorns. Sow not among thorns. Oh, how
we need God to deal with us that we might truly be good ground
hearers. Now, we've spoken of these three
types of ground, these three types of hearers. The wayside,
the stony ground, the thorny ground, the careless, the superficial,
the worthless. Three types of grounds. And then
there's a fourth type, but the amazing thing is this, that three
quarters, three quarters, you see, of these grounds and these
heras are really unprofitable. Three quarters. Three out of
four. But then we come to the good ground. The good ground. The profitable ground. the spiritual
ground. Verse 8, Odder fell on good ground
and sprang up and bear fruit, says Christ, and hundredfold.
And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to
hear, let him hear. or that we might be good ground
hearers, who really do hear the voice of Christ, who hear the
word of God. And then the interpretation,
verse 15, 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. What sort of hearers are these?
Well, two things I would mention with regards to the good ground
hearer. They are, first of all, faithful hearers. They are faithful
hearers of the Word of God. And then secondly, they are fruitful
hearers of the Word of God. First of all, they are clearly
faithful in their hearing. How do we know that? Well, it
says here, in verse 15, that having heard the Word, they keep
it. It finds a dwelling place in
their hearts. It's not taken away by the birds
of the air. It's not choked by the things
of this world. It's kept. It's kept. And again, it's always profitable,
isn't it, to compare scripture with scripture. Look at the other
accounts. In Mark 4.20 it says they receive it. of course they must receive it
in order to keep it but what it is friends to be those who
are receiving the Word of God receiving the Word of God and
in Matthew's account it says concerning this man he understandeth
it he receives it he keeps it he
understands it why the word is meat and drink to this man He's
able to feed upon it. Now look at this faithful here
and what do we see concerning him? Well, we have mention of
the good ground as an honest and a good heart. It's an honest
heart. He receives it into an honest
heart. In other words, there's something
sincere about this man, there's something guileless about this
man. Remember what Christ said concerning
Nathanael? Behold an Israelite indeed, in
whom there is no guile. Ought to be guileless, transparent,
to be those who are so sincere. That's not our natural condition,
is it? What is our heart by nature is deceitful. The heart is deceitful
above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? I, the Lord. I, the Lord, know
the heart and try the reins to give to every man according to
the fruit of his doing. The Lord knows the heart. And the Lord will show us what
our hearts are if we're going to be those who are good, grand
heroes. We'll want a different heart. Not that deceitful heart
that's there by nature because we're sinners. In other words,
we're going to need a new heart. What does David say when he comes
to God in prayer in Psalm 51? His desire is expressed there. Creating me a cleaner heart,
O God, he says. and renew a right spirit within
me. Or do we not need that, friends,
a clean heart? A right spirit? We need that
the Lord Himself should do it. Only He can do it. The wise man
tells us the preparations of the heart in man and the answer
of the tongue are from the Lord. The preparation of the heart
is from the Lord. The Lord does it. Only the Lord
can do it. But that's the great promise,
is it not, of the New Covenant. That's the promise of the Gospel.
A new heart also I will give them. A new spirit I will put
within thee. I will take away the stony heart
out of thy flesh. I will give thee a heart of flesh.
God has said it. What are we to do? We're to plead
it. We're to pray to Him that we would have such a heart as
that. We want a sincere heart, a clean heart. a heart that is
harnessed before God this is the good ground here
you see, this is a sort of heart, it's not it's not in me, it's
not in any of you by nature the Lord has to give us this heart
and how do we obtain it? we ask Him ask and it shall be
given you says Christ everyone that asks must receive it do
we ask? do we ask God to give us a believing
heart, a new heart but not only does it say that the good ground
is a man who has an honest heart, he also has a good heart that on the good ground are they
which in an honest and good heart what is the good heart? is not
that in a sense the contrite heart? Oh yes, we're to be sincere. In that sense we're to be wholehearted
in our desire towards God. We're not to come half-heartedly. We're not to have divided hearts. We're not to have a heart that
one minute is running after the world and the ways of the world
and being taken up with the thorny ground here. No, we're to be
sincere, we're to be wholehearted, and we're to seek Him with all
the heart. But then also there's this aspect, the good heart is
also the contrite heart, is it not? The sacrifices of God are
a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart of God, thou
will not despise. Now God delights in broken-hearted
sinners. Or do we know what it is to come
as those who feel our sin, who grieve at our sin, who sorrow
over our sins, who are broken-hearted sinners. And sometimes we feel it because
alas, we have to confess with such a mystery to ourselves,
our hearts seem to be so hard and it grieves us. We don't want
to be hard-hearted. we want to be broken hearted
and only the Lord can give a man such a good heart as that all
the good grand hearer you see is a spiritual hearer his heart
is right with God he's sincere and he's contrite
as he comes under the Word of God he wants to receive the Word
of God into that sort of a heart that broken heart all that fallow
ground you see so broken up that it's able to receive the truth
of God's Word this is the faithful hearer of the Word and the man
keeps it that on the good ground are they
which in an honest and good heart having heard the Word keep it,
it takes root and it takes root downwards and it bears fruit
upward. And so, he's not only a faithful
hearer, he's also a fruitful hearer. He's a fruitful hearer. The end of verse 15, they bring
forth fruit with patience. And what sort of fruit is it?
Well, Christ says in verse 18, concerning the good ground, it
sprang up and bare fruit and hundred-fold. Oh, what fruit
this is! Mark says some thirty-fold, some
sixty, some a hundred. But whether it be thirty or whether
it be a hundred, it's fruitful. It's fruitful ground. Now, from
where does this fruit come? Well, it only comes where there
is that blessed union with the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, from
me is thy fruit found. From me is thy fruit found. Without me ye can do nothing. It comes from Christ, He comes
from a union with Christ. And what is that union with Christ?
We know that there is an eternal union in the Covenant. The election
of grace are chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.
That's a precious truth, a precious doctrine, is it not? Eternal
union. But there's no fruit there. The
fruit comes where there is an experience. Or there must be
an experimental union. That's the union of faith, is
it not? That's the union of faith. And this is the whole point of
the hearing. He that hath ears to hear, let
him hear, says Christ. Take heed therefore how ye hear. Faith cometh by hearing. And
where there is fruit, it comes from Christ and it comes from
that faith in Christ. It comes by that blessed work
of the Holy Spirit, that fruit of the Spirit that we read of
in the fifth chapter of Paul's letter to the Galatians. Remember there at the end of
Galatians chapter 5, the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance. Against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have
crucified the flesh with the affections of lust. If we live
in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Lord, this is
the fruit, friend. It comes by union with Christ,
comes only through that gracious ministry of God, the Holy Spirit. But look again at the text there
at verse 15. They bring forth fruit, it says,
with patience. Fruit with patience. Fruit with
endurance, or does He not remind us of the way and the manner
whereby the Lord makes His people fruitful? How do they come to
be fruitful? Well, think of what Christ says
concerning Himself as the vine and His people as the branches.
Every branch that beareth fruit, He says. He, that is the Father,
The Father, remember, is the husband who sets the vine. Christ is the vine. His people,
the branch, is every branch that beareth fruit. He purges it that
it may bring forth more fruit. Oh, what is that purging? It's
when the Lord deals with His people, crosses His people, tests and tries the faith of
His people, chastises His people, goes contrary to His people.
They have to live that life of faith, that paradoxical life.
That's how he purges. And so what do God's people do
in order this? They have to endure. They have
to endure, they have to persevere. They have to persevere all the
time. This is how they bring forth
truth, they bring it forth with patience, with endurance. But in the midst of all of this,
what do God's children do? They attend to the Word of God,
they hear the Word of God. This is the great emphasis, I
say, of the parable. The parable is this, the seed
is the Word of God. Oh friends, how are we receiving
the Word of God? What sort of hearts are we receiving
God's Word into? Are we those who are but careless?
Or are we superficial? Or are we worldly? We have to
examine ourselves. We want to be good ground-hearers,
I trust, each of us, all of us. As we come into services like
this, this is our prayer, that the Lord would make us good ground-hearers,
that there might be some profit to our soul. All God grant then,
that we might be found amongst that 25%, not with the 75%, not
with the majority. Three quarters, you see, were
unfruitful, unprofitable heroes. But all those 25%, those who
hear the words, and receive the words, and understand the word,
and keep the word, 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. May the Lord bless His word to
us tonight. The singers are concluding hymn
this evening, hymn number 865, the tune is Thornton 607. Guardian of thy helpers, sheep,
Jesus, almighty Lord, help our heedful hearts to keep the treasure
of thy word. Let not Satan steal what's sown,
bid it bring forth precious fruit. Thou can soften hearts