I'd like to ask you this morning
to turn in your Bibles to the 10th chapter of John. Last week
we looked at the words, be ye reprobates. We asked ourselves
the question, am I a reprobate? Am I one who we're supposed to
examine ourselves? Are we in the faith? Am I a reprobate?
Do we not see Christ in us? And I had referred to the parable
of the sower, which we will look at a little deeper here in just
a moment. I'm back into the book of Luke again, studying the book
of Luke. We're going to continue again, once again, Lord willing,
in our series from the book of Luke. But I want to read from
Matthew 7, verse 13 and 14 before I join you in John chapter 10.
In Matthew 13 and 14, our Lord says these words. Enter ye in
at the straight gate. Now remember my point last week
in bringing about the parable of the sower is that the Lord
gives us four different types of ground. Four different types
of ground. There's only one good ground.
Three of those types of ground that he gives us. And I find
that interesting. I'm going to repeat what I said
last week. I find it very interesting. The Lord gives us three types
of ground where the results are exactly the same. They're worthless. Some become religious, and they
grow up for a while and act religious, hang out with God's people. And
then something comes up and they flurry away, or the sun beats
down on them and burns them up. So the Lord gives us three different
types of ground in the parable of the sower, and only one type
that is good. One type where there is fruit.
And we're talking about spiritual things. Enter ye in, it says
Matthew 7, 13, 14. And at the straight gate, for
wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction. There's the three types of ground.
Three types of ground. And many there be that go in
thereat. Many go through those first three
types of ground. Because straight is the gate
and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life. And few there be that find it. What is my message every Sunday?
Is it not grace? Is that not the theme I try to
make every message to you? Do I not try to bring something
every week that expounds and highlights the grace of God to
us? How gracious it is to him that
he didn't leave us to be one of those who are the three types
of ground that perish. The straight gate is Christ himself. He is the door of life and salvation
And I need to get there. I apologize John chapter 10 we
read in verse 7 John chapter 10 beginning at verse 7 then
said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the
door of the sheep all that ever came before me are thieves are
thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. Verse 9, I am the door. By me,
if any man enter in, he shall be saved and shall go in and
out and find pasture. By him alone, by him alone, Christ
Jesus alone, we have access to and acceptance with the Father.
That's what that's telling us there. He's the way. He says
in other places in the book of John, I am the way, the truth,
and the life. We have access to the Father,
acceptance with the Father through Jesus Christ the Lord. He is
the straight gate, and the straight gate is exactly as wide as Christ
himself, and exactly as narrow. The wide gate is as broad as
anything and everything added to, the wide gate is as broad
as anything and everything that you can add to Christ, the wide
gate to destruction. Listen to the words of Galatians
5 for Christ has become of no effect unto you whosoever of
you are justified by the law Those who are going about to
establish their own works in the law and that includes after
the time the Lord saved you how many religious People are going
about today trying to say, OK, now you've accepted Christ. It's
time for you to be this. That's what that's talking about.
That's men who stand before people and say, OK, now you're saved. You've got to prove it. Prove
it by your actions. You've got to prove it by doing
this, or you've got to prove it by doing that. Most people are on
the broad way of destruction. Therefore, our Lord graciously
urges you and I to strive stride, work towards, put out an effort
to enter into that straight gate. Because the straight gate is
the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, but
few there be that find it. Folks, salvation is by grace
alone. I want to repeat that. Salvation
is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Period. Salvation is of the Lord. Scripture is clear about that.
In Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9, we read these words, for by
grace are ye saved. Not grace and this, or grace
and that, but for by grace. Grace alone, through faith, not
through faith and your works, not through faith in your belief
or your doings, but through faith, believing in who the grace is. Who is it from? For by grace
are you saved through faith in that not of yourselves, it is
the gift of God, not of works, lest any mention both. Broad
is the way that leadeth to destruction. Look over at Luke chapter 8.
Turn over to Luke chapter 8. I've heard many messages. Just recently, our brother Kevin
Thacker preached on it, about two or three weeks ago, this
parable of the sower. I've heard Don Fortner bring
messages from it. I've heard our own pastor, Gene
Harmon, bring more than one. There's many, many different
messages that you could bring from this very thing, but I want
to talk to you this morning about the way. What makes you and I
to differ? Better than that, who maketh
us to differ? Who makes us any different than
those who go to all the churches around us? Because that's what
the ground that the Lord is warning us about here. That's the ground
that people, and even those who have come to this very church
and sat and listened to the gospel, even one that we spoke of in
the Bible study, who got up here and preached the gospel. has left something came up in
the world and turned him away. Who maketh you and I to differ,
and why? Why would he be different to
you and I? What is the result of him making that difference
in you and I? Here in Luke chapter 8, beginning at verse 5, we read
these words, and a sower went out to sow his seed. And he sowed. Some fell by the wayside, and
it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
And some fell upon a rock, and as soon as it was sprung up,
it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among
thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. Another
fell on good ground and sprang up and bare fruit and a hundredfold.
And when he had said these things, he cried, he that hath ears,
let him hear. Let him hear. And his disciples
asked him, saying, verse 9, what might this parable be? Verse
10. And he said, unto you it is given
to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to others
and parables of seeing they may not see, and hearing they may
not understand. 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. Verse 13. 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 a time of temptation they
fall away. And that which fell among the
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 fruit and patience. No man when he
hath lit a candle. Oh, I'm sorry. No, we're gonna
stop there. All right, so We see the the
different types of ground And I want to make a point Our
Lord says over in Mark chapter 10 verse 18. There is none good
but one Do you understand How that applies
to us, how that applies to you. I heard a message brought one time
about sinners and saved by grace. And the first thing the pastor
did, he got up and he said, are there any sinners here today? You know, sinners are few and
far between. There's a whole lot of righteous and religious
people going on that path to destruction. Are there any sinners
who are looking for that path, that narrow path to salvation? Do you understand what these
words mean to you? There is none good, then it says
this, but one, and that is God. Our Lord is talking here about
there are some that are called good ground. There's a whole
bunch that are called ground with thorns. There is a whole
bunch that are called ground that is rocky. There are a whole
bunch that are called the wayside of the path, ground on the wayside
of the path. But there's one type of ground
where the Lord brings salvation. He brings forth fruit and patience
through that ground, and it's called good ground. Could that
be me? Do you ever wonder, could that
be me? Is by God's grace that apply
to me? The message of our Lord in this
parable is for you and I to search our souls. In this parable, our
Lord teaches us plainly that the vast majority of those who
hear the gospel, the grace of God preached, even the vast majority
of those who profess to have faith in him, after hearing that
gospel, are unregenerate people, lost, perish under the wrath
of God. Our Lord tells us, he that hath
ears, let him hear. There's only one way, and that's
by grace alone, through faith alone, and Christ alone. Grace,
grace, grace. Amazing grace. How sweet to sound. When the Lord brings you to see
the brightness of His grace in saving a sinner like you, You
sing out those words, amazing grace, how sweet the sound. I don't mean just with lips.
I mean with the heart. Can you sing those words from
your heart without moving your lips and feel the joy of God's
grace to his people? Saving a sinner like me. It says in verse 10 of what we
just read, it says, unto you it is given to know the mysteries
of the kingdom of God, but to others in parables. See the difference? Unto you it is given to know. Not to everybody. And God's word
is clear, but to others in parables that seeing they might not see. and hearing, they might not understand. Was there a day when you didn't
care about the parables of God like me? Is there a day in your
life you can look back upon and say, I didn't care anything about
the parables of God. Why? Because I couldn't hear
them. I didn't have ears to hear, and neither did you. Unto you,
the Lord says. Unto you, our God says. It is given to know the mysteries
of the kingdom of God. But to others, to other types
of ground, these parables are nothing more than a blinding
spot, a stumbling stone. only by grace our son given an
understanding of God's truths. Remember the men that were on
the road to Emmaus? The Lord, He blinded them to
who He was. They had walked with Him. They
knew who He was in person just a little bit before. They had
seen Him hanging on the crop, dying, His life bleeding out
of Him. Yet the Lord blinded them. blinded them. And what happened
when he made them know who and what it was he was talking about?
When he revealed himself to them, what happened? Their hearts burned
within them. Does your heart burn within you
over God's grace to you? Can you sing out the words of
that song, amazing grace, how sweet the sound? that saved a
wretch like me. Only by God's grace, our son
giving the understanding of God's truths and the act of grace is
what some good ground is from. That's the title I want to bring
to you this morning, the message of good ground. Who are the good
ground? How are some made to be good
ground? And what is the good fruit that
comes from good ground? First, we have who are the good
ground? Now, I have several verses, so
I'm going to ask you to set your Bibles down in your laps for
just a few moments and allow me to read for you. Who are? Who are those that God calls
good ground. In Jeremiah 31.3, we read these
words, the Lord hath appeared unto me of old. And if you look up that phrase
of old there, it's talking about all the way back from the beginning,
before anything was ever made. The Lord has appeared to me of
old saying, yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. So God's talking to somebody
about love, isn't he? The world has taken these very
words, along with others, and just a few, and denied a whole
bunch of rest, but they've taken these words and they say, see,
Jesus loves everybody. He's loved everybody from the
beginning of his creation. Our Lord says, I have loved thee
with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn
thee. Who was it that did a work here?
God. He draws his people. He draws
His people. Who are the good ground? It's
those for whom He has loved before the world was. We read in Ephesians
chapter 1 verse 5, In love having predestinated us unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good
pleasure of His will. So we see that something has
to be done, and it has to be done to a people. He calls them
my people. In Leviticus 26, 12, he says,
and I will walk among you and will be your God. And ye shall be my people. Didn't that go right along with
all that the Father gives me? Shall come to me? Didn't that
work right along with that? Listen to Jeremiah 24-7, and
I will give them a heart to know me. Speaking of those, those
who are made to be a good ground, I will give them a heart to know
me, that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people, and I will
be their God. Who are the good ground? The
people of God. Those who have always been the
people of God, they just didn't know it. Didn't that sound like
just you and I? We walked around this world for
a long time not knowing who our God was. Some of us thought it
was us. Some of us thought it was some
little God waiting for us to do something. Some of us thought
of maybe a tree. Some of us thought it was something
we had done. We didn't know who the true and living God was.
He says, I will give unto them at heart to know me, that I am
the Lord, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. In Jeremiah 31, verse 33, this
people, these ones that he makes good ground, He says this, but
this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of
Israel after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in
their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be
their God and they shall be my people. Second Corinthians 6
16. And what agreement hath the temple
of God with idols? Meaning, what does the temple
of God have to do with idols? For ye are the temple of the
living God. This is that true ground. Who
are the true ground, the good ground? Ye are the temple of
the living God. And God hath said, I will dwell
in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they
shall be my people. A couple of more, if you don't
mind me going on. Isaiah 65 9 and I will bring
forth a seed out of Jacob and out of Judah an inheritor of
my mountains and mine elect shall inherit it and my servants shall
dwell there. Matthew 24 31 And he shall send his angel with
a great sound of trumpet, and there shall gather together his
elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."
Who are the good ground? It's those that Christ has done
a work in. Those that he has loved. See,
that's one thing we know. One thing we know is that we
didn't do anything to become that good ground. God had to
do something in us. I didn't become good ground one
day just because I got tired of the chaos that was going on
in the world around me or in my own life. It took the preaching
of God's word to till the ground and pull that old stony heart
out. and discard it out of the field.
You know, that's what they do when they go through a field.
They plow through it and they pull the rocks out of it. Norm
Wells has shared many a times about the rocks that he had pulled
out of the fields of his father's land up in Northern California
as a kid. He said he'd go back and he'd
till the land again and pull more rocks out and move it out.
He had to keep tilling it till all those rocks were out. Christ
only has to till it one time and get that old stony heart
out of it. And then he plants the seed. The good news, Christ
came to save sinners. I love that. I love that. Christ came to save sinners of
whom I am chief. I'll bet every one of you can
say the same thing. I pray you can. I pray you can, because
until you know the depth of your sin, you cannot know the greatness
of his grace to you. Listen to Romans chapter 9, verse
12 through 15. It was said unto her, the elder
shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, But Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? God forbid, for he saith to Moses,
I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. There is grace that
God would have mercy at all on any of us. I will have mercy
and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
And then to be sure that you understand it, If you belong
to him, just to be sure, to throw a little more icing on that cake,
he says, so then it is not of him that willeth. It's not of
you and your free will. It's not of you and your decision
to get baptized or come to the front or to pray or to do anything
else. It's not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth. It's not your good works. I go
to church on Sunday, but of God that showeth mercy. But of God
that showeth mercy. The good ground are those whom
God has loved from the foundation of the world, those for whom
He is merciful to, those who were chosen to be the recipients
of His grace, those who were called by the irresistible grace,
those who came into this world as all others did in trespasses
and sin, yet have been made good by the gracious good works of
His Son, Christ Jesus. Folks, everyone has sinned and
come short of the glory of God. Left to ourselves, left to ourselves,
we would be as one of those other grounds that he warns you and
I of. And this brings me to my next
question. How are some made to be good ground? In John 3, verse
3, we read this. Speaking to Nicodemus, A Pharisee
who came to the Lord by night and asked, how is it? He said,
we know you're a man of God. With all the miracles that you've
been committing, we know you're a man of God. How is it? Can
I be saved? And the Lord says, verily, verily,
I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see
the kingdom of God. Do you understand that? Can you
comprehend that? What did we have to do with our
first birth? Nothing. It took our father and
mother, is that not right? And it took God to place the
seed and man's fertilization together. We got nothing to do
with it. We can't have anything to do
with the new birth either. Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God. Turn over to 1 Peter 1. Look
at verse 23. Being born again, not of corruptible
seed. Now see, that's what we came
into this world with. We came into this world with the seed
of Adam. To be born again, we must have
an incorruptible seed. Being born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible. And how do we get that incorruptible
seed? By the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. That's
the preaching of the gospel. Verse 24, For all flesh is as
grass, and all the glory of man is as the flower of grass. The
grass withereth, and the flower thereof falls away. But the word
of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by
the gospel is preached unto you. We must be born again with incorruptible
seed. The seed is Christ. When Abraham
was promised through his seed, the word is seed. Through his
seed, one. And that seed is the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's the only good ground.
That's the ground that you and I must be made into. How can
we be with God? How can we be made good ground? By being put in our Savior. It's not anything we can do.
By being put in Christ. We must be born again of the
incorruptible seed. the gospel, the truth. Look over at verse 18 with me
if you would, 1 Peter chapter 1. For as much as ye know that
ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from
your vain conversation received by the tradition of your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot. who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last
times for you, who by him do believe in God, that raised him
up from the dead and gave him glory, that your faith, your
belief, your hope might be in God. What can wash me clean of
sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Look over at verses 8 and 9.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the
truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness. Who is it that does the work
of making us good ground? We all came into the world Is
all of those other three grounds, or even worse, who is it? And how is it? God makes us good
ground through the blood of His Son, as we just read back in
1 Peter 1. We must be born again with the
incorruptible seed, we must be cleansed, purged from the corrupted
seed we are born into. The old stony heart must be circumcised,
cut away. We must be made righteous. Familiar
words to you in 2 Corinthians 5.21, for he hath made him to
be sin for us who knew no sin. Becoming God in the flesh was
not good enough. Sin had to be answered for. The
sins of his people had to be put away. Why? That we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. Those for whom He has loved with
an everlasting love, He has made them to be righteous in Him.
Those whom He has chosen to be merciful, gracious, will be made
the righteousness of God in Him. Listen to Hebrews chapter 1 verses
1 through 3. God, who at sundry times, and
in diverse manners, spake in times past unto the fathers by
the prophet, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son,
whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made
the worlds, who being the brightness of his glory, and the expressed
image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his
power, when he had by himself, and here's that word, cleansed.
Here's that word, making you good ground, purged. That's a good word, isn't it?
That means thoroughly. That means there can be nothing
left that is undesirable. That means to be washed away,
cleansed completely, purged our sins, After he had done that
by himself, he sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on
high. How? How do these who God had
loved from before the world was be made good ground if they came
into this world dirty, self-righteous, ugly, rebellious people? against God, they be made righteous
through His Son, the Lord Jesus. That's how. He's the way, the
truth, and the life. When the Lord spoke to His disciples,
telling them that they must drink His blood and eat His flesh,
it was a hard saying. And after several had gone up
and walked out and walked with him no more, he said to his disciples,
will you go away also? And they said to him, Lord, you
know, there's no other place to go. You have the words of
life. He's the way, the truth, and
life. Lastly, what are the fruits? And I'll be quick with this.
What are the fruits of this work? What are the results of this
ground being made good by Him? Look over at 1 Corinthians. Some
very familiar words. Turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter
1. Look with me if you would, verses 29 through 31. What are
the results? What is this good fruit the Lord
speaks of that comes up out of this ground that He is tilled
and removed the stony heart, removed that old rock that shook
its fist at Him. What are the results? Verse 29,
that no flesh should glory in His presence. That's the results
right there. That's the results. We don't
take any credit for making a decision. God made the decision. We don't
take any credit for exercising what we thought was a free will.
God's will be done. Verse 30, but of him are ye in
Christ. This is giving God the credit,
but of him are ye in Christ. Christ Jesus, who of God is made
unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
that according it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory
in the Lord. We glory in Him. We give Him
all the glory. Salvation and all that is, is
of Him, through Him, and for His glory. We have no confidence
in this flesh, this mind, this being that stands before you.
Our only confidence is in Christ Jesus, the Lord, and in Him alone.
Matthew 11, verses 28 through 30, our Lord says to you and
I, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn
of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest
unto your souls. My yoke is easy, and my burden
is light. In John chapter 3 verses 14 and
15, our Lord said this, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in
the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. The whosoever that believeth
are those who are made the good ground.