{"id":1897,"date":"2023-07-16T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-16T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/?p=1897"},"modified":"2023-07-21T18:07:36","modified_gmt":"2023-07-22T01:07:36","slug":"seventh-sunday-after-pentecost-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/2023\/07\/16\/seventh-sunday-after-pentecost-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Seventh Sunday after Pentecost"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Pentecost-7-07-16-23.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What Is a Christian?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Someone Who Sows the Seed of God\u2019s Word!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>1<\/sup>That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.&nbsp;<sup>2<\/sup>Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.&nbsp;<sup>3<\/sup>Then he told them many things in parables, saying:&nbsp;<em>\u201cA farmer went out to sow his seed.&nbsp;<sup>4<\/sup>As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.&nbsp;<sup>5<\/sup>Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.&nbsp;<sup>6<\/sup>But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.&nbsp;<sup>7<\/sup>Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.&nbsp;<sup>8<\/sup>Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop\u2014a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.&nbsp;<sup>9<\/sup>He who has ears, let him hear.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><sup>18<\/sup>\u201cListen then to what the parable of the sower means:&nbsp;<sup>19<\/sup>When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.&nbsp;<sup>20<\/sup>The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.&nbsp;<sup>21<\/sup>But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.&nbsp;<sup>22<\/sup>The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.&nbsp;<sup>23<\/sup>But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;(NIV1984)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you were&nbsp; to ask a variety of people the question, \u201cWhat is a Christian?\u201d you would probably get a variety of answers.&nbsp; One person might say, \u201cA Christian is someone who believes in Jesus.\u201d&nbsp; Okay.&nbsp; But since the Scriptures tell us that even the demons believe that Jesus is,&nbsp;<em>\u201cThe Holy One of God!\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;(Mark 1:24) that definition isn\u2019t very adequate, is it.&nbsp; Someone else might say that a Christian is someone who&nbsp;<strong>accepts&nbsp;<\/strong>Jesus as their Savior.&nbsp; And yet, since Scripture reveals to us that no one can say&nbsp;<em>\u201cJesus is Lord\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;unless God the Holy Spirit&nbsp;<strong>gives&nbsp;<\/strong>them that ability, (See 1 Corinthians 12:3) that answer is also incomplete.&nbsp; Still another person might answer that question in a more cynical way by saying, \u201cA Christian is someone who believes that they are better than others.\u201d&nbsp; While that answer pains our heart, we\u2019ll have to admit that sometimes it might have a little bit of truth to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What is a Christian?&nbsp; For the next few weeks we are going to address that question using various portions of Scripture.&nbsp; As we begin this sermon series let\u2019s see how this portion of Matthew\u2019s Gospel answers the question,&nbsp;<strong><em>What Is a Christian?&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong>by reminding us that a Christian is:&nbsp;&nbsp;<strong><em>Someone Who Sow\u2019s God\u2019s Word!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Matthew begins our text by saying to us,&nbsp;<em>\u201cThat same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.&nbsp; Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.&nbsp; Then he told them many things in parables.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; This was one of Jesus\u2019 busiest days recorded in the Bible.&nbsp; Looking back on Matthew 12 we see that Jesus had a busy day of healing and teaching. &nbsp;He had an emotionally stressful day in that He had to defend Himself against the cruel accusation that He was in cahoots with Beelzebub.&nbsp; And to top it all off His mother and brothers came to talk to Him because\u2014 as Mark tells us\u2014 they were afraid He was&nbsp;<em>\u201cout of his mind\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;(Mark 3:21).&nbsp; After a day like that you and I would probably want to the day to end so that we could finally get some rest\u2014 but not Jesus!&nbsp; Jesus took this opportunity to teach this large crowd&nbsp;<em>\u201cmany things in parables.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus very often used parables as He taught the people.&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; There are two reasons.&nbsp; First, in Matthew 13:35 Jesus tells us that His use of parables was in fulfillment of Old Testament Messianic prophecies.&nbsp; Second, Jesus\u2019 parables were designed to both reveal as well as conceal.&nbsp; For those who believed and trusted in Jesus\u2014 such as His disciples, such as us\u2014 the parables reveal eternal heavenly truths by using an earthly comparison.&nbsp; For those who did&nbsp;<strong>not&nbsp;<\/strong>believe and trust in Jesus the parables became an act of judgment against them.&nbsp; (See Matthew 13:10-18)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the Parable of the Sower utilizes events and truths that were extremely common in the lives of the people who first heard Jesus speak this parable we need to make sure that we do not&nbsp;<strong>misunderstand&nbsp;<\/strong>what Jesus is teaching us here.&nbsp; This parable is&nbsp;<strong>not&nbsp;<\/strong>intended to teach us that the different kinds of&nbsp;<em>\u201csoil\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;represent different kinds of people\u2014 some whose hearts are more \u201copen\u201d and more \u201creceptive\u201d to the seed of God\u2019s holy Word and some whose hearts are not.&nbsp; Scripture very clearly teaches that by nature we are&nbsp;<strong>all&nbsp;<\/strong>born spiritually blind, spiritually dead, and spiritually the enemies of God.&nbsp; Nor is this parable designed to teach us that there is a difference in the&nbsp;<em>\u201cseed\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;that is sown\u2014 sometimes it \u201cworks\u201d and sometimes it doesn\u2019t.&nbsp; The prophet Isaiah remined us this morning that God\u2019s powerful effective Word&nbsp;<em>\u201cwill not return to&nbsp;<\/em>(Him)&nbsp;<em>me empty, but will accomplish what&nbsp;<\/em>(He)&nbsp;<em>I desires and achieve the purpose for which&nbsp;<\/em>(He)&nbsp;<em>I sends it\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;(Isaiah 55:11).&nbsp; What this parable&nbsp;<strong>is&nbsp;<\/strong>intended to do is to encourage us to remember that as Christians our responsibility is to sow the seeds of God\u2019s holy Word\u2014 and then let God do what&nbsp;<strong>only&nbsp;<\/strong>God can do!&nbsp; This dovetails beautifully with what the apostle Paul proclaimed in our Epistle Lesson for today,&nbsp;<em>\u201cWhat, after all, is Apollos?&nbsp; And what is Paul?&nbsp; Only servants, through whom you came to believe\u2014 as the Lord assigned to each his task.&nbsp; I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow\u201d&nbsp;<\/em>(1 Corinthians 3:5, 6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is what gives us confidence to share God\u2019s Word with others.&nbsp; As Christians our responsibility is to sow the seed of God\u2019s holy Word as far and as wide as we can\u2014 and then trust God to do what only God can do!&nbsp; At the same time, however, we need to understand, we need to recognize that some of the seeds that we sow will never take root and grow; some of the seeds that we sow may grow for a little while and then wither away, and some of the seeds that we sow may grow and then get choked out, and \u2014 by the grace and power of God alone\u2014 some of the seeds that we sow will not only grow but bear abundant fruit!&nbsp; Let\u2019s take a closer look at how Jesus addresses each of those four scenarios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Christians we sow the seeds of God\u2019s holy Word as far and as wide as we can\u2014 with the understanding that some of those seeds will never take root and grow.&nbsp; Jesus addresses this reality when He says,&nbsp;<em>\u201cA farmer went out to sow his seed.&nbsp; As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up\u2026Listen to what the parable of the sower means.&nbsp; When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.&nbsp; This is the seed sown along the path.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes we share God\u2019s holy Word with people whom\u2014 unbeknownst to us\u2014 fall into the category of hard-hearted hearers.&nbsp; No matter how well we share God\u2019s Word, no matter how clearly we share God\u2019s Word, no matter how faithfully we share God\u2019s Word they are among the people whom the Bible describes as&nbsp;<em>\u201chearing but never understanding\u2026seeing but never perceiving\u2026their heart has become calloused\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;(Matthew 13:14).&nbsp; You may have encountered people like this as you are sharing the seeds of God\u2019s holy Word.&nbsp; If so, should you simply give up?&nbsp; Should you consider it a waste of time to keep on sowing the seed of God\u2019s holy Word?&nbsp; Not at all!&nbsp; This is where we need to remember that as Christians our responsibility is to&nbsp;<strong>sow&nbsp;<\/strong>the seeds of God\u2019s holy Word!&nbsp; It is&nbsp;<strong>not&nbsp;<\/strong>our responsibility to make that seed grow!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, this serves as a warning to us, my friends.&nbsp; Our old sinful nature is constantly trying to \u201charden\u201d our hearts.&nbsp; Our old sinful nature is constantly trying to push us onto the path where Jesus will say to us what He said to the Emmaus disciples,&nbsp;<em>\u201cHow foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;(Luke 24:25).&nbsp; Satan is constantly trying to use our own sin and our own doubts to trample our hearts and prevent the seeds of God\u2019s Word from growing inside of us.&nbsp; Recognize those threats so that you can avoid your faith being \u201ctrampled\u201d to death!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Christians we sow the seeds of God\u2019s holy Word as far and as wide as we can\u2014 with the understanding that some of those seeds may take root and grow\u2014 but only for a short time.&nbsp; Jesus addressed this reality when He says,&nbsp;<em>\u201cSome fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil.&nbsp; It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.&nbsp; But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root\u2026The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.&nbsp; But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time.&nbsp; When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may be able to picture the faces and remember the names of people who fit this description.&nbsp; When they first start worshiping with us they are filled with joy and enthusiasm!&nbsp; This may be the first time that they heard how much God loves them and how completely God forgives them!&nbsp; (Pointing to the cross)&nbsp; Then the persecution sets in.&nbsp; Their family or their friends begin to ridicule them because church has suddenly become so important to them. Then their peers begin to pressure them to go back to doing all the \u201cfun\u201d things that used to enjoy doing, things that they now know are&nbsp;<strong>not&nbsp;<\/strong>God-pleasing.&nbsp; Then they become disappointed or disillusioned because their life is not as easy or as carefree as they hoped it would be.&nbsp; Then they begin to drift away from church and we don\u2019t see them anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This also serves as a warning to us, doesn\u2019t it.&nbsp; If we allow our \u201cconnection\u201d to Jesus to become \u201cshallow\u201d and \u201csuperficial,\u201d if we do not sink the roots of our faith deep into God\u2019s holy Word through regular attendance in church and Bible class, if gathering together in God\u2019s Name is done for any other reason than&nbsp;<em>\u201cgrowing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;(2 Peter 3:18), then we too run the risk of having our faith scorched by&nbsp;<em>\u201ctroubles\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>\u201cpersecution.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; Pray that God Himself will help you to avoid this spiritual tragedy.&nbsp; Maintain regular contact with the spiritual food God freely provides for you in His holy Word and in His holy Sacrament so that the roots of your faith will grow strong and deep!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Christians we sow the seed of God\u2019s holy Word as far and as wide as we can\u2014 with the understanding that some of these seeds may take root and grow\u2014 only to be choked out by the&nbsp;<em>\u201cthorns\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>\u201cthistles\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;of this world.&nbsp; Jesus addresses this reality when He says,&nbsp;<em>\u201cOther seed fell among the thorns, which grew up and choked the plants\u2026The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since our sermon text for next Sunday is the Parable of the Weeds, we\u2019re not going to go into a great deal of depth here today.&nbsp; Suffice it to say that any of us who have been unfortunate enough to run into&nbsp;<em>\u201cthistles\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>\u201cthorns\u201d&nbsp;<\/em>when we are out in the field or out in the woods understand very easily what Jesus is talking about here.&nbsp; Satan knows each and every one of us well enough to know which&nbsp;<em>\u201cthorns\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;and which&nbsp;<em>\u201cthistles\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;to use against us.&nbsp; For some it is the&nbsp;<em>\u201cworries of this life.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; For others it is the&nbsp;<em>\u201cdeceitfulness of wealth.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; Recognize what Satan is trying to do to you!&nbsp; Realize that Satan\u2019s goal is to&nbsp;<em>\u201cchoke\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;your faith to death!&nbsp; Run to Him (Pointing to the cross) for protection and for strength!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And finally, as Christians we sow the seeds of God\u2019s holy Word as far and as wide as we can\u2014 with the understanding that purely by the power and grace of God alone some of those seeds will fall on&nbsp;<em>\u201cgood soil\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;and bear&nbsp;<em>\u201cabundant fruit.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; Jesus addresses this wonderful reality when He says,&nbsp;<em>\u201cStill other seed fell on good soil, where it produces a crop\u2014 a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown\u2026But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understand it.&nbsp; He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The fact that we are Christians is a miracle\u2014 a miracle performed by God Himself!&nbsp; Through the power of His holy Law God shattered the hardness of our sinful hearts.&nbsp; Through the power of God\u2019s glorious Gospel He planted the seed of saving faith in our heart.&nbsp; Through the power of His holy Word and Sacrament God continues to&nbsp;<em>\u201cwater\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;our faith and causes it to not only&nbsp;<em>\u201cgrow\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;but He causes it to&nbsp;<em>\u201cproduce a crop, yielding a hundred, or sixty or thirty times what was sown.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; Just as one kernel of corn produces multiple cobs of corn that all have many seeds on them, so also God empowers the Gospel seed which He has planted in your heart to grow even more seeds\u2014 seeds that you can now sow into the hearts of others!&nbsp; While this crop can vary from Christian to Christian, while this crop can vary from year to year\u2014 each and every one of us can have the confidence of knowing that we are to simply sow the seed of God\u2019s holy Word and then rejoice every time God causes that seed to grow and bear fruit!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What is a Christian?&nbsp; A Christian is someone who confidently sows the seeds of God\u2019s holy Word!&nbsp; As you look back over the course of your life you can see how true that statement is.&nbsp; Your parents faithfully sowed the seed of God\u2019s holy Word by bringing you to be baptized in the Name of the Triune God.&nbsp; As a result God gave you the gift of saving faith in your heart.&nbsp; As your parents brought you to church and to Sunday school pastors and teachers faithfully watered the seeds of God\u2019s holy Word.&nbsp; As a result your faith was strengthened and nourished.&nbsp; As a Christian you now sow the seed of God\u2019s holy Word in the hearts of your children and your grandchildren, your friends and your neighbors and your acquaintances.&nbsp; As a result others have come to know Jesus as their only Lord and Savior.&nbsp; Through your offerings you are sowing the seed of God\u2019s holy Word in hearts all across the world.&nbsp; While we confidently sow the seeds of God\u2019s holy Word as far and as wide as we can, let\u2019s humbly remember what God Himself told us through His servant Isaiah:&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>\u201cFor my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways\u2026As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.&nbsp; As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:&nbsp; It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To God be the glory!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 What Is a Christian? Someone Who Sows the Seed of God\u2019s Word! 1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.&nbsp;2Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.&nbsp;3Then he told them many things in parables, saying:&nbsp;\u201cA [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1897"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1918,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1897\/revisions\/1918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}