The Six-Fold Heart of the Good Soil

 Temple Baptist Church - 7-19-2020

Luke 8:4-15

 

Introduction:

 

A.  Here in the Book of Luke, we find the second account of the Parable of the Sower.  As I was reading here the other morning, I began to ponder upon why many people hear the “Good Seed” of the gospel, pray a prayer, and yet few are saved or live like they are saved

 

B.  Two different types of people are found here:

 

1.  The Faithless.  We look around us at Christendom and see multitudes who have no desire to assemble, no desire to serve, no desire for the things of God.  It causes us to ask the question, “What happened?”

 

Matthew 7:13-14  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  (14)  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

 

2.  The Fruitless.  I tell people who dislike being continually asked if they are saved to remedy the problem.  LIVE LIKE YOU ARE SAVED!

 

John 15:2  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

 

Hebrews 5:11-12  Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.  (12)  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

 

C.  I want to look at the four different soils upon which the seed of the gospel fell and why the reaction to the Word of God as so different.

 

1.  The Wayside Ground Heart.  The unconcerned hearer.  Those who hear with not only a lack of faith but a lack of concern.  To put it simply, they just do not care!  People of our day in general have no fear of God nor do they have a desire for God!  They are damned by their choice to not “hear” with their hearts.

 

2.  The Stoney Ground Heart.  The calloused or hard-hearted hearer.  Those who hear but have chosen to harden their hearts to the gospel.  They do not want to go to hell but neither do they want to go to heaven.  They are shopping for “fire insurance” instead of “blessed assurance.” The stony ground does not absorb water, it sheds it.  No topsoil, no water absorbed, no fruit!

 

3.  The Thorny Ground Heart.  The worldly-minded hearer.  Those who are more concerned with living than dying.  Idolatry can be both or either “metal” or “mental.”  Your “god” is what you place above the true and living God.  Family, finances, family, and fun always take precedent over God.

 

4.  The Good Ground Heart.  The hearer who hears.  Those who desire the heavenly over the earthly.  Those who choose dying over living.  Those who choose the eternal over the temporal.

 

D.  People who plant to bring increase always “till” the ground.  They prepare the ground to bear the seed.

 

Genesis 3:22-24  And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:  (23)  Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.  (24)  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

 

1.  Before the Fall, Adam and Eve simply put forth their hands and took of the fruit of the

Garden.

 

2.  After the Fall, Adam was required to “till” the ground to partake of its fruit.  The First Mention of “till” is found here and it means “to enslave” the ground.  To force its compliance to his will.

 

E.  As I pondered verse 15, I found 6 characteristics of the “Good Ground” hearers.

 

1.  They have an Honest Heart.  “honest … heart”  They are honest with self and therefore, honest with God.  A right perspective that sees self as God sees us.  One of the hardest things to do in the Bible Belt is get people lost.  Until one is lost, one cannot be found because their will be so true searching.  I never search for my billfold until I place my hand upon my hip and find it missing.  People of our day are self-centered and self-righteous.

 

Luke 18:13-14  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.  (14)  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

 

2.  They have a Good Heart.  “good heart”  America was once full of good-hearted people.  Neighborly, compassionate, caring people.  Today, it is “Me and my four and no more.”  I still remember my Dad calling our neighbors Mr. Fugate, Mr. Fox, etc.  People opened doors for others, put others first, because they cared!

 

Matthew 12:33-35  Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.  (34)  O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.  (35)  A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

 

3.  They have a Hearing Heart.  “having heard the word”  In Romans, chapter 10, verse 17, we find two hearings.  “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”  Our Lord Jesus often rebuked those who came to hear Him by using the words “ears to hear, let him hear.”  These words are found 8x in the four Gospels.  People come and hear but they will not listen!  Hearing Heart people hear with both the physical ears and the ears of their hearts!

 

Zechariah 7:11-12  But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.  (12)  Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.

 

4.  They have an Obedient Heart.  “keep it”  People who not only hear but also obey the Word of God.  Our world is filled with people who profess salvation but have no outward show of true Christianity.

 

Mark 7:6  He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

 

Titus 1:15-16  Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.  (16)  They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

 

5.  They have a Teachable Heart.  “bring forth fruit”  These learn God’s Word, perceive God’s Word, and follow God’s Word.  In our day, those who have a desire to follow Christ and the Bible have become labeled cultic.  What a joy to follow Christ and the Bible!

 

1 Peter 2:2  As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

 

Psalms 19:7-11  The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.  (8)  The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.  (9)  The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.  (10)  More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.  (11)  Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

 

6.  They have an Enduring Heart.  “patience”  These often falter and sometimes fail but they get back on track and continue.  I look over our congregation at the older people who have been saved for years and are still the most faithful to the things of God.  Every service, they come.  Their hearts have been changed; their lives have been changed; and their condition remains unchanged.

 

Psalms 92:12-15  The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  (13)  Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.  (14)  They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;  (15)  To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

America: A Nation In Crisis

Temple Baptist Church - 7-5-2020

Zephaniah 3:1-8

 

Introduction:  The 4th of July; the Declaration of Independence; Freedom!

 

Free-dom – a contraction for “free” and “dom” or “doom.”  To have the freedom to choose one’s death or one’s doom.  Freedom to choose your doom or death but not freedom to control it.

 

America’s freedom is one of choice and I fear that, in many cases the freedom to choose will bring either doom or death to our nation.  In Zephaniah, we have a classic example of choosing and choosing wrong.

 

A.  This year has been one of great change and those changes have not been good ones.

 

1.  Our economy was running on “High Test.”

 

2.  People had money in their pockets and home in the future.

 

3. Then, in a couple of months, the COVID-19 Hoax.  Now, before you get mad at me for making that statement, let me explain.

 

a.  Our nation has been faced with war, depression, sickness, etc. many times in my lifetime and survived each one because of our great American spirit.

 

b.  COVID-19 should have been no different!  Wash your hands, quarantine the Nursing Homes and Retirement Centers, stay at home if you get sick, and do not cough on me!

 

c.  CDC decided to scare the nation and, with the help of our 24 hour “no news media,” did a great job and the people panicked. 

 

B.  The Stock Market began to tumble, people began to get laid off as businesses were forced to close, schools closed, unemployment—which had been at a historic low—rose to historic highs, Government overreach caused people to hide in their homes and criticize those who did not, “Rat Phone Lines” came into existence, all categorized as non-essential services were closed (churches were the first on the list and readily complied), and now the far left is trying to keep America in distress until the November elections are over with.

 

C.  A man was killed.  It was a shame and justice needed to be done.  Justice was in the process of being done, but protests turned to riots and riots to burning and looting causing heightened racial division.  The police became the enemy, and many were killed and many more injured.  What is said to be protest, which is an American right, turned into anarchy and lawlessness.

 

D.  Anarchy is now ruling in many of these Democratic run cities with a “Neo-Nazi” like youth corps taking over parts of cities with no fear of reprisal.  Monuments defaced and destroyed.  A nation that has no history has no future because history will then repeat itself and become the face of the future.

 

E.  We are watching as our Country is going from:

 

1.  God to Atheism

2.  Pride to Shame

3.  Morality to Perversion

4.  Prayer to Apostasy

5.  Strength to Apologies

6.  Humility to Arrogancy

7.  Structure to Anarchy

8.  Law to Lawlessness

9.  Capitalism to Socialism

10. Prosperous to Bankruptcy

 

F.  The Interpretation of our Scriptures this morning are to the nation of Israel.  Zephaniah deals with the coming of the Day of the Lord and the end time.

 

G. Application is to any nation.  There have been many great nations that have come to power and then, through moral decay have declined to annihilation.

 

1.  Egypt (rose to its zenith of power under Joseph)

2.  Israel (the greatest nation and most feared upon the face of the earth to dispersion)

3.  Babylon (from Nebuchadnezzar to Belshazzar)

4.  Medio Persia (From Cyrus the anointed to oblivion)

5.  Greece (Alexander the Great and no more worlds to conquer at age 30)

6.  Rome (the great Caesars, armies, and roads to internal decay)

7.  Spain (the great explorers and Spanish Armada to mediocrity)

8.  England (great military and missions’ outreach to total apostasy)

9.  America (In God We Trust to In Government We Mistrust)

 

1.  Our Nation Is Sinful - vs 1 “filthy and polluted”

 

a.  Lack of integrity among the people

b.  Immorality and Sexual Perversion

c.  God haters and Baby killers

 

2.  Our Nation Is Disobedient - vs 2a “obeyed not the voice”

 

a.  She Both Had and Knew God’s Word

b.  She Willfully Rejected God’s Word

 

3.  Our Nation Is Stiff-Necked - vs 2 “received not correction”

 

a.  She Rejected the Message From God’s Men

b.  She Rejected the signs of Impending Destruction

 

4.  Our Nation Has Become Self-Reliant - vs 2 “she trusted not the Lord”

 

a.  She Forgot From Whence Her Blessings Came

b.  She Became Proud In Her Accomplishments

 

5.  Our Nation Has Willfully Rejected God - vs 2 “she drew not near to her God”

 

a.  In our Government

b.  In Our Schools

c.  In Our Homes

 

6.  Our Nation Has Become Politically Corrupt - vs 3 “roaring lions...evening wolves”

 

a.  From Government by the people and for the people to Anarchy

b.  From Statesmen to Politicians

c.  From Trust to Distrust

 

7.  Our Nation Has Become Religiously Apostate - vs 4 “prophets...light and treacherous...priests...polluted the sanctuary...done violence to the law”

 

a.  Our Pulpits are Shallow

b.  Our Pews are Sinful (we embrace sin and compromise)

 

8.  Our Nation Is Shameless - vs 5 “knoweth no shame”

 

a.  Sinners are Justified

b.  Sin Is Acceptable

 

9.  Our Nation And Her End - vs 8 “mine indignation...my fierce anger”

 

10.   Our Nation and Her Salvation - vs 2:1-3

 

a.  Seek The Lord - vs 3a  Seek ye the LORD

b.  Seek Righteousness - vs 3b  all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment;

c.  Seek Meekness - vs 3c  seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD's anger.

The Valley of Unbelief

Temple Baptist Church - 6-28-2020

Mark 9:14-29

 

Introduction:

 

A.  Here, we find our Lord and 3 of His disciples coming down from the Mount of Transfiguration and finding confusion.  The scribes, enemies of Christ, were questioning the other 9 disciples.  Within the context, they were probably asking the 9 disciples, “If you are followers of Christ, why can you not help the child?”

 

B.  The eyes of the world and especially those who are God haters are always on God’s people to see how they both act and react.

 

C.  While they were on the mount, a man with a dumb child had come to the other 9 of His disciples for his healing and they were not able to help the child.

 

D.  The child’s father has come to the Lord and He was able to heal the child.  When the 9 disciples ask the Lord why they were not able to cast the “dumb spirit” out, He said that this healing required prayer and fasting.

 

E.  What I want to look at this morning is the mixture of faith and unbelief found in the father in verse 24 and the reaction of our Lord Jesus in verse 25. 

 

F.  We live in a day of the Oxymoron. 

 

1.  Oxy-moron - (oxús, “sharp, keen, pointed”)[2] (English oxy-, as in oxygen) + μωρός (mōrós, “dull, stupid, foolish”)[3] (English moron (“stupid person”)). Literally "sharp-dull", "keen-stupid", or "pointed-foolish"[4] – itself an oxymoron, hence autological; compare sophomore ((sophós, “wise”) + μωρός (mōrós, “fool”) literally “wise fool”)

 

2.  Social Distancing.  Social – collective, gathering and Distancing – Space between two points, Gap.   

 

3.  New Normal – New, not existing before and Normal, usual, average, or typical state of condition.

 

4.  Believe and unbelief makeup another oxymoron as believe destroys unbelief and unbelief destroys belief.  Believe-to accept as true or to be sure of something and Unbelief-skepticism or absence of faith.

 

G.  Unbelief is a New Testament word is only found 16x.  It is found 2x in Matthew, 3x in Mark, and 6x in Romans. 1x in 1 Timothy, and 4x in Hebrews.

 

1.  Unbelief is sin - Romans 14:23  And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

 

2.   Unbelief is displeasing to God - Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

 

3.  Unbelief limits God – Matthew 13:58  And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

 

4.  Unbelief makes the possible impossible – Matthew 17:20  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

 

5.  Unbelief can bring failure – Romans 4:20  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

 

6.  Unbelief can cause one to quit on God – Hebrews 3:12  Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

 

H.  A man of unbelief who got what he asked of the Lord Jesus?

 

1.  The Man’s Devastation. Verses 18, 20, 22

 

a.  I think that we all understand the love of this father for his afflicted son.  

 

1)  Many families have children (I call them special children born to special parents-gifts from God) born that have either mental issues or physical ones.  Asperger’s Syndrome is one that we see often in our day.  Down’s Syndrome is another of the challenges that some families face.  Then there are children born with special physical needs such as Muscular Dystrophy. 

 

2)  I will not even try to name everything that special needs children can have but I believe that the key word is “special!”  I have no doubt that this father loved his son and had done everything that he could to give him as good quality of life as possible.

 

b.  The son had a dumb spirit or indwelling devil that “taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away.”  This had evidently been going on for years.

 

2.  The Man’s Faith in the Lord.  Verses 17, 20, 22

 

a.  His disappointment in the Disciples. Verse 18-19.  He brought his son to them and, in his disappointment, they were helpless.  Though they could have healed the son, they were not is a spiritual condition to do so.

 

b.  His faith in Jesus.  Verses 17, 22, 23-24a  This man, like us, knew and believed that with God all things were possible.  I do not know how far he had traveled to get to Jesus but his faith brought him to the Lord.

 

3.  The Man’s Honesty in Unbelief.  Verses 22-24.

 

a.  “but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us ... And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (If you can, if you have compassion, if you want to help is what the man was saying.)

 

b.  Unbelief to some extent is found in all of us at times.  How many times have all of us said in our hearts and often in our words, “I know God can, but I do not know if God will?”

 

c.  In Psalms, we find a pattern of faith, hope, discouragement, and help.  I did not search the entire Bible but in the Book of Psalms (Israel’s Book of Worship) and tried to take these words in Psalms in context:

 

“How long” is found 15x in Psalms

“Why” is found 24x in Psalms

“Help” is found 22x in Psalms

“Forsake” is found 8x in Psalms

 

d.  There are times when we “come to the end of our rope.”  When this man brought his son to the disciples, I believe that he came hoping, praying, asking, but in unbelief.

 

e.   When he saw the Lord, he came the same way: hoping, praying, asking, but in unbelief!  “and said with tears, Lord!”  An oxymoron: “with tears … Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief!”

 

Now I want to get to the moral of the story.  This is not a story of the UNBELIEF of a man.  We all come to this place.  It is a story of the FAITHFULNESS of his Lord!

 

4.  The Lord’s Compassion.  Verses 25-27

 

a.  First, let me say that I found no rebuke from the Lord.

 

Psalms 78:38-39  But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.  (39)  For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

 

Psalms 103:13-14  Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.  (14)  For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. 

 

b.  The Lord gave them man the desire of his heart.  He cast out the dumb spirit and healed the man’s son.

 

c.  The Lord remains faithful in our unbelief!  2 Timothy 2:13  If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

 

1)  The Lord will be faithful when we are tempted - 1 Corinthians 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

 

2)  The Lord will be faithful when we serve - 1 Thessalonians 5:24  Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

 

3)  The Lord will be faithful when we are in trouble - 2 Thessalonians 3:3  But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

 

4)  The Lord will be faithful when we witness - 1 Timothy 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

 

5)  The Lord will be faithful when we are doctrinally attacked - Titus 1:9  Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

 

6)  The Lord will be faithful when we stray - Hebrews 2:17  Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. 

 

7)  The Lord will be faithful when we fail - Hebrews 3:1-2  Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;  (2)  Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

 

8)  The Lord will be faithful when we sin - 1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

9)  The Lord will be faithful when we die - 1 Corinthians 1:8-9  Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (9)  God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Conclusion:  1 Peter 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.  (God is a faithful Creator!)