The Sower, The Seed, and the Soil
Author: Leroy Baker
Title: The Sower, The Seed, and the Soil
Text: Mathew 13: 1-9 / Matthew 13:21-23 / Mathew 13:37-43 / Luke 8:11
Introduction: Now we would like to talk about the Sower, the Seed and the Soil. To address it simply is to just say the Sower is our Father God, the Seed is the Word of the Father (The Son) and the Soil is the heart of mankind. To deepen it is to say the Law of God is the Ten Commandments or the Covenant of Sinai or the Body of Moses Jude 8-11. The Seed is covered in a shell and the core is a natural miracle with the ability to bring forth after its own kind thirty, sixty, and a hundred-fold. We are talking here about the Truth of God coming forth as light out of darkness, the Cosmos coming out of Chaos, and Revelation coming out of Nothingness. The Sower, the Seed, and the Soil speaks to us of our Father God’s intention to bring forth after His own Image a family of Faith like the sands of the sea and the stars of the heavens Genesis 15:5. Some may suggest the carelessness of the Sower in throwing the seed into unproductive places a waist of good seed, thinking most of mankind is unworthy of any opportunity of redemption. What then can be said of the birds, the common Sparrow who is watched by the Father’s eye, who carries a seed to the unknown, softens the shell, and deposits with dung in a place of need and then from a small Mustard seed produces a great and fruitful tree. The Sower knows that even in the hardest of soil the seed has the power to cause change. The Apostle Paul said it best, of himself, in Romans 1:16-17 “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the Power of God unto Salvation for everyone who believes; unto the Jew first and also for the Greek.” Now, having shared some insight first, let us look at these three special truths, the Sower, the Seed, and the Soil.
I- The Sower: The Love of our Father John 3:16 Let us remember here that “The Purpose of God in all creation is the Church.” This is what caused the heart of our heavenly Father to out of nowhere make somewhere, think into existence the foundation of the World, with a purpose, knowing it would need a redemption possibility built in to insure final victory. Then, from the Garden of God to the ark of Noah our Father God had the plan in His Mind and Heart, and His will for all creation.
Our Father God dealt with disobedience; spoke to the darkness; and by the power of His Word brought forth - Light. God set all creation in order by His Voice and Word, John 1:1-3 “All things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that was made.” The Father redeemed Adam by the power of the blood of the Lamb and revealed by the blood of Able the Blood of HIs faithful Son. Our Heavenly Father would offer once and for all the Sacrifice of His only begotten Son, the Lamb of God, for the Redemption of all Creation. We see by the Word of God that the Father is a Sower, John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him (receives His Seed) shall not perish but have everlasting life. The Son is a Sower Matthew 13:37 “He Who soweth the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.”
II- The Seed: “The seed is the Word of God.” Luke 8:11 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” John 1:1-2 Our Heavenly Father planted a Garden for Adam to live in, walk in, and to fellowship with his Creator by His Word. Genesis 2:8, God almighty revealed in His Son, Jesus Christ, His Word Who became flesh and dwelt among us, that His Seed would bring forth “His harvest,” Matthew 9:38. The teaching of Jesus in Luke 8:11 shows us that the seed is the Word of God and that the enemy comes by tribulation and persecution to steal the Word. See Matthew 13:21. Jesus promised in John 10:10 “The thief does not come but to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have life and that more Abundantly.” Jesus in revealing the importance of His coming death and resurrection in John 12:24 “The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” Here we see clearly the Power of the Word of God in Jesus by His death and resurrection. It is important that we understand the focus of Jesus, in this teaching is not the quality of the soil but rather the Power of the of the seed, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Word of God. The “Glorified,” Resurrected Jesus is the fulfilled Word of God almighty. Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is like a
Mustard Seed, Matthew 13:31. Jesus also said that Mustard Seed faith can move mountains of unbelief, redeem the lost, restore the Image of God, heal the sick, cast out devils, cleanse leapers and calm the troubled sea. St. Paul teaches us that “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Romans 10:17
III- The Soil: The heart of man James 1:21-27 Here we can clearly see that, though most want to put our attention on the Soil. Jesus is teaching the most important fact; that is the Power of the Gospel Seed, rather than the quality of the soil. The condition of the soil though hard, rocky, weedy; does not change the power and the ability of God’s Word, the Seed, to bring change under any and all conditions. The Word of God has the power to create beauty out of ashes, the Cosmos out of Chaos, and Saints out of sinners. St. Paul said it this way “If any man be in Christ, he is a new Creation” 2 Corinthians 5:17. The Father sowed His Son Jesus, the Seed of the woman, Genesis 3:15 into the soil of all creation. John 12:24 “Most assuredly, I say unto you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” Jesus in His last earthly instructions to His followers says “All authority (power) has been given unto Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Mathew 28:18-20 and also in Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Closing: So very much has been said about Christian giving as sowing seed into good ground. Some teachers have talked about “breaking the back of poverty by giving a thousand-dollar Seed offering” and you need to give your seed into good soil. Now we know the power is not in the soil, but rather in the Seed. When Jesus came to earth, He came for all the World not just the good parts. Jesus came “to the Jew and the Greek, to the Bond and Free, to Male and Female.” Galatians 3:27-29.
Jesus said that He Came not for the well but the sick. “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Mathew 9:12,13
When I was a young Christian, I saw my mother put a few dollars into an envelope to send to a radio preacher who I thought was not worthy of her gift. My mother said “Son, I am not giving this seed to the preacher; but to God for His work.” I will close with the words of St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 “But this I say: He who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. So, let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance in every good work. As it is written: He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor, His righteousness endures forever. Now may He who supplies seed for the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits for righteousness.” Amen
Author: Leroy Baker
Title: The Sower, The Seed, and the Soil
Text: Mathew 13: 1-9 / Matthew 13:21-23 / Mathew 13:37-43 / Luke 8:11
Introduction: Now we would like to talk about the Sower, the Seed and the Soil. To address it simply is to just say the Sower is our Father God, the Seed is the Word of the Father (The Son) and the Soil is the heart of mankind. To deepen it is to say the Law of God is the Ten Commandments or the Covenant of Sinai or the Body of Moses Jude 8-11. The Seed is covered in a shell and the core is a natural miracle with the ability to bring forth after its own kind thirty, sixty, and a hundred-fold. We are talking here about the Truth of God coming forth as light out of darkness, the Cosmos coming out of Chaos, and Revelation coming out of Nothingness. The Sower, the Seed, and the Soil speaks to us of our Father God’s intention to bring forth after His own Image a family of Faith like the sands of the sea and the stars of the heavens Genesis 15:5. Some may suggest the carelessness of the Sower in throwing the seed into unproductive places a waist of good seed, thinking most of mankind is unworthy of any opportunity of redemption. What then can be said of the birds, the common Sparrow who is watched by the Father’s eye, who carries a seed to the unknown, softens the shell, and deposits with dung in a place of need and then from a small Mustard seed produces a great and fruitful tree. The Sower knows that even in the hardest of soil the seed has the power to cause change. The Apostle Paul said it best, of himself, in Romans 1:16-17 “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the Power of God unto Salvation for everyone who believes; unto the Jew first and also for the Greek.” Now, having shared some insight first, let us look at these three special truths, the Sower, the Seed, and the Soil.
I- The Sower: The Love of our Father John 3:16 Let us remember here that “The Purpose of God in all creation is the Church.” This is what caused the heart of our heavenly Father to out of nowhere make somewhere, think into existence the foundation of the World, with a purpose, knowing it would need a redemption possibility built in to insure final victory. Then, from the Garden of God to the ark of Noah our Father God had the plan in His Mind and Heart, and His will for all creation.
Our Father God dealt with disobedience; spoke to the darkness; and by the power of His Word brought forth - Light. God set all creation in order by His Voice and Word, John 1:1-3 “All things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that was made.” The Father redeemed Adam by the power of the blood of the Lamb and revealed by the blood of Able the Blood of HIs faithful Son. Our Heavenly Father would offer once and for all the Sacrifice of His only begotten Son, the Lamb of God, for the Redemption of all Creation. We see by the Word of God that the Father is a Sower, John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him (receives His Seed) shall not perish but have everlasting life. The Son is a Sower Matthew 13:37 “He Who soweth the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.”
II- The Seed: “The seed is the Word of God.” Luke 8:11 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” John 1:1-2 Our Heavenly Father planted a Garden for Adam to live in, walk in, and to fellowship with his Creator by His Word. Genesis 2:8, God almighty revealed in His Son, Jesus Christ, His Word Who became flesh and dwelt among us, that His Seed would bring forth “His harvest,” Matthew 9:38. The teaching of Jesus in Luke 8:11 shows us that the seed is the Word of God and that the enemy comes by tribulation and persecution to steal the Word. See Matthew 13:21. Jesus promised in John 10:10 “The thief does not come but to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have life and that more Abundantly.” Jesus in revealing the importance of His coming death and resurrection in John 12:24 “The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” Here we see clearly the Power of the Word of God in Jesus by His death and resurrection. It is important that we understand the focus of Jesus, in this teaching is not the quality of the soil but rather the Power of the of the seed, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Word of God. The “Glorified,” Resurrected Jesus is the fulfilled Word of God almighty. Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is like a
Mustard Seed, Matthew 13:31. Jesus also said that Mustard Seed faith can move mountains of unbelief, redeem the lost, restore the Image of God, heal the sick, cast out devils, cleanse leapers and calm the troubled sea. St. Paul teaches us that “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Romans 10:17
III- The Soil: The heart of man James 1:21-27 Here we can clearly see that, though most want to put our attention on the Soil. Jesus is teaching the most important fact; that is the Power of the Gospel Seed, rather than the quality of the soil. The condition of the soil though hard, rocky, weedy; does not change the power and the ability of God’s Word, the Seed, to bring change under any and all conditions. The Word of God has the power to create beauty out of ashes, the Cosmos out of Chaos, and Saints out of sinners. St. Paul said it this way “If any man be in Christ, he is a new Creation” 2 Corinthians 5:17. The Father sowed His Son Jesus, the Seed of the woman, Genesis 3:15 into the soil of all creation. John 12:24 “Most assuredly, I say unto you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” Jesus in His last earthly instructions to His followers says “All authority (power) has been given unto Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Mathew 28:18-20 and also in Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Closing: So very much has been said about Christian giving as sowing seed into good ground. Some teachers have talked about “breaking the back of poverty by giving a thousand-dollar Seed offering” and you need to give your seed into good soil. Now we know the power is not in the soil, but rather in the Seed. When Jesus came to earth, He came for all the World not just the good parts. Jesus came “to the Jew and the Greek, to the Bond and Free, to Male and Female.” Galatians 3:27-29.
Jesus said that He Came not for the well but the sick. “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Mathew 9:12,13
When I was a young Christian, I saw my mother put a few dollars into an envelope to send to a radio preacher who I thought was not worthy of her gift. My mother said “Son, I am not giving this seed to the preacher; but to God for His work.” I will close with the words of St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 “But this I say: He who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. So, let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance in every good work. As it is written: He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor, His righteousness endures forever. Now may He who supplies seed for the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits for righteousness.” Amen