The Word And The Kingdom
Have you ever been in a moment, perhaps…
here in church on a Sunday morning,
at a church camp,
when reading your Bible alone early in the morning, or
listening to a podcast,
where something true landed on you with a force?
And you thought:
“This is it. This is what I needed to hear. This is going to change me.”
And then it didn't!
Not immediately.
Sometimes, within days, even a week or so,
And you were back to exactly who you were before.
● The same patterns.
● The same fears.
● The same compromises you had been meaning to deal with for years.
What you felt was real and genuine.
But the question is: Why didn’t you change?
You are even disappointed with yourself: “What is wrong with me?”
Cultural Context
We live in an age where we have access to more truth, more teaching, more spiritual content
than any generation that has ever lived.
Podcasts.
Books.
Sermons on demand.
The entire Bible in your pocket!
We are, by any measure, the most informationally wealthy people who have ever lived.
And yet it doesn’t make any significant difference in a real and meaningful way.
We are not being transformed by the information we consume.
What we should be asking is:
Why does what we know not produce change?
Is there a way to hear this information,
learn this knowledge that can change us?
Two thousand years ago, on the shore of a lake, Jesus told a parable that gives us the
answer to our question.
Luke 8:4–15 (ESV)
[4] And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after
town came to him, he said in a parable, [5] “A sower went out to sow his
seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled
underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. [6] And some fell on the
rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. [7]
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked
it. [8] And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.”
As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him
hear.”
[9] And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, [10] he
said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of
God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not
see, and hearing they may not understand.’ [11] Now the parable is this:
The seed is the word of God. [12] The ones along the path are those
who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from
their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. [13] And the
ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with
joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of
testing fall away. [14] And as for what fell among the thorns, they are
those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the
cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.
[15] As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word,
hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
Did you notice what Jesus says the seed is?
Jesus explained plainly that “the seed is the word of God.” (Verse 11)
And He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Verse 8)
It is crucial how we hear.
The parable is about how one enters the kingdom of God and how it advances.
The kingdom of God advances not by force,
but by the word of God received with a surrendered heart.
That is what this parable is about, it’s about the Word and the Kingdom.
We are going to walk through it in three movements:
1. Received through the Word.
2. Exposed by the Word.
3. Transformed by the Word.
Received. Exposed. Transformed.
1. Received through the Word
Jesus has just said something that should stop us in our tracks:
The kingdom of God comes through a word.
Not by force.
Not by the mighty army.
But through a word.
A message.
A truth heard and received.
That is a very strange way to establish a kingdom.
Think about every kingdom, every empire, every government.
How do they advance?
How do they establish themselves?
Through force. Through law.
Seatbelts
When Australia introduced the seatbelt law in 1970, it did not wait for every driver to
be personally convinced that seatbelts were a good idea. It was made compulsory.
And it worked, a double-digit reduction in road deaths in the first year.
People comply not because they are convinced,
They did so because of the penalty.
Source: https://www.tac.vic.gov.au/about-the-tac/media-room/news-and-events/2010-media-
releases/40-years-of-seatb
Now that’s how human authority operates.
● It does not need your heart.
● It only needs your compliance.
What Jesus says is nothing like the world has ever heard before.
Completely radical!
→ He says the kingdom of God comes like a seed.
Seed
Now, think about what a seed actually does.
A seed does not force its way into the soil.
A seed can only grow if the soil receives it.
Once received, it does not produce instant results.
Rather, it grows slowly, quietly, from the inside out.
Most of the time,
you cannot see it happening.
But over time it is going to transform the entire field.
Receiving…
Slow growth…
Quietly…
Now, this is not a weakness.
This is real power.
A completely different kind of power.
This is telling us about the kind of people God is after.
He is not building a kingdom of people who comply because they are forced.
In John 15:15, Jesus says to the disciples:
"No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know
what his master is doing; but I have called you friends.”
Servants obey because they have to.
Friends obey because they want to.
Jesus is saying that the kingdom of God advances through hearing.
● Which means it is entirely possible to be in church when the word is preached,
○ to nod along in agreement,
○ to feel something powerful,
○ and yet just to go home unchanged.
Some of you know that,
for so long,
you are still struggling with the same struggles.
Why?
Jesus says: he who has ears to hear, let him hear.
There is a kind of hearing that the kingdom advances through, and there is a kind of hearing
that does not.
Did you notice in the parable?
● The seed is the same in every case.
● The sower scatters it generously and without discrimination.
● The difference, as we are about to see, is in the soil.
So, the question is not only: Am I hearing God’s Word, but how is my hearing?
2. Exposed by the Word
Jesus gives us four kinds of soil.
● Four conditions of the heart.
These are four mirrors for our hearts!
● Don't hold the mirror up to the person next to you.
● It is for you.
In verse 10, Jesus said to the disciples:
“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of
God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may
not see, and hearing they may not understand.’”
You can have perfect church attendance,
But the seed (God’s Word), has never truly taken root in your life.
So, four soils…
Soil 1: The Hard Ground
"The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil
comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not
believe and be saved." (Luke 8:12)
The first soil that received the seed is a path,
a hard ground.
Paths are hard because they have been walked on so many times that the surface has
compacted.
The seed lands, but it cannot get in.
It just sits there on the surface until the birds come and take it.
Here is what that looks like in a person.
This is someone for whom Christianity is entirely theoretical.
● They know the gospel content.
● They even enjoy a good sermon the way they enjoy a good talk.
● But the Word has never become personal.
Cultural Context
We live in an age that has trained us to be exceptional consumers.
We consume content in a large amount with ease
● Podcasts play in our ears all the time.
● Sermons stream while we are driving.
While we are very good at consuming,
We are very bad at changing.
The hard ground person is not hostile to the gospel per se.
They are not aggressive.
They are just good at consuming.
The question is not:
Do you know the gospel?
The question is:
Has the gospel gripped your heart?
Soil 2: The Shallow Ground
"And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word,
receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and
in time of testing fall away." (Luke 8:13)
This person looks most alive.
They receive God’s word with joy!
They are not cold and indifferent like the first soil.
And yet Jesus calls this shallow ground.
Here’s why…
● When testing comes, they fall away.
When the heat comes and burns away what’s precious to them,
● They were devastated.
● They become bitter.
● They blame God.
Some of you have seen this pattern.
● Someone comes to faith in a season of difficulty.
○ A relationship breaks down.
○ A health scare.
○ A financial struggle.
And in that season, they come to Jesus with a need.
● They are in church.
● They are praying.
● They are reading their Bible.
But, when then things get better for them,
Slowly, they drift away.
A shallow-ground person wants a solution, not a saviour.
● They wanted Jesus to enter their kingdom.
Cultural Context
If you’ve been a concert,
You know that people are willing to pay good money to feel something real for a few hours.
● The feelings are genuine.
● But they don’t last.
The whole economy of experience is built on the fact that the feeling fades,
so you’d come back for more.
And this is the posture of a shallow-ground person in his relationship with God.
● They come for the emotional high.
● The sermon that motivates them.
Why are you here today?
Are you here to receive His blessing, or
Are you here because your life belongs to Jesus?
● Belonging means you stay even when the feeling is gone.
● You stay put when testing comes.
● You stay not because it feels good, or easy,
○ You stay because He is King and you belong to Him.
Soil 3: The Thorny Ground
"And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as
they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and
pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature." (Luke 8:14)
This is the most uncomfortable soil.
The first two soils…
● The hard ground person never really engages.
● The shallow ground person eventually drifts away.
● They are not Christians.
However, the third soil,
The thorny ground person,
is a Christian who attends the church.
● They are committed.
● They love Jesus.
Yet their fruit does not mature (verse 14)
Because they are choked by the thorns.
What are these thorns?
Jesus explains: “the cares and riches and pleasures of life” (verse 14)
Jesus is not talking about people living in open rebellion.
● He is talking about people who are distracted.
○ Whose hearts are divided.
1. The cares of life.
● They are anxious about their financial security.
● About their children.
● About their future.
2. The deceitfulness of riches.
● Not necessarily great wealth.
● Just the assumption that a bit more would fix their restlessness.
Life is about chasing…
that next pay rise,
the next goal,
thinking that if they have them,
they will finally be satisfied.
3. The pleasures of life.
Not wild indulgence.
But a comfortable life.
The weekend that fills up with good things,
but leave no room for the gospel to go deep,
penetrates the heart.
Simply put,
They live in two kingdoms.
They see God as a deity who serves in their own kingdom.
They love God for what He can do for them,
not for who He is.
Cultural Context
You say: “I don’t have thorns. What are these thorns?”
● They do not look like thorns that are going to prick and bleed you out.
But your life is crowded.
● Some with leisures.
● Some with work.
● Others with family.
These are bad things, or necessarily evil.
But if you are not careful, they may choke life out of you.
You will always stay shallow.
You never ever get deep.
The result?
● You’re not growing.
● Not bearing fruit.
So, what will you do?
You may be convicted.
You say:
“That’s it…
I am going to read my Bible.
I am going to…”
Let me stop right there!
Remember,
The seed is God’s word.
The ground is your life, your heart.
If you’re the ground,
You cannot pull the thorns out yourself.
You know this.
You have tried (many times)
But the thorns keep growing back.
Which brings us to the fourth soil.
Soil 4: The Good Ground
"As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it
fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience." (Luke
8:15)
1. They hear.
2. They hold fast.
3. They bear fruit with patience.
This is not a description of someone who is spiritually gifted.
Or the disciplined.
Or one who doesn’t struggle and doubt.
Jesus is describing a posture toward the word.
● They receive it honestly.
● They hold onto it, in good times and bad.
● And they trust that the fruit will come, even when they cannot see it.
ὑπομονή
The word patience comes from the Greek word hupomone.
● It means steadfast endurance.
● Holding on under pressure.
Four soils—
Which one are you?
3. Transformed by the Word
Four different soils.
In every case, the problem is the same:
The soil cannot fix itself.
● You cannot strong-will yourself into becoming a good ground.
● You cannot discipline yourself out of hard ground.
● You cannot manage yourself out of thorny ground.
If transformation depends on the soil on improving itself,
there would be no hope for any of us.
However, Jesus says,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and
dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24
(ESV)
Jesus isn’t talking about you.
● He is talking about himself.
● He is the grain of wheat.
● He is the seed.
Not only Jesus is the Sower.
He is also the Seed that enters the ground.
This is the Gospel.
This is what makes Christianity unique.
All other religions tell you to try harder.
Only Christ,
He didn’t tell you go under,
But He himself goes down.
All the way down.
Into the dark, cold ground.
Do you see?
Jesus, the eternal Son of God,
did not stand at a safe distance and shouting instructions to the soil of our broken world.
Instead…
He entered it.
He took on flesh.
He lived among us.
He walked into the hardest ground there is.
● The ground of suffering.
● The ground of betrayal.
● The ground of a Roman cross.
And there, in the place that looked most like a terrible ending,
He rose.
This changes everything!
The question is no longer:
What kind of soil are you?
The real question is:
Do you know what the Seed has done for you?
Jesus Christ,
The Seed,
The Word of God,
He is also the Gardener.
He does not stand at the edge of your life and hand you over a list of instructions.
● He kneels down.
● Gets his hand dirty.
● Picking out the rocks and thorns.
This morning,
if your heart is hard, the soil is rocky and thorny,
if you have only known the gospel in your head but it has never gripped your heart,
hear this:
The stone that sealed Jesus in the tomb did not hold Him there.
● He can break through the hard ground.
● He did it 2,000 years ago.
● He is still doing it today.
Come to Him not with more determination,
But come to Him in your helplessness.
Come desperately.
You need not be strong.
Just come.
If you are not yet a Christian this morning…
You are still searching…
And you have heard something this afternoon..
Will you let the Word sink in deeper?
Transformation does not happen by trying harder.
● Not by making a fresh commitment that fades by midweek.
● It happens the way a seed works.
You receive the word.
You hold it fast.
You bring yourself to the Gardener honestly,
with all the rocks and thorns and hard ground,
and you ask him to do what only He can do.
And then you wait.
The Man on the Middle Cross
Let me tell you a story
(A retelling of a gospel account by a scottish pastor Alistair Begg)
Remember the thief on the cross.
The one who was saved at the last minute.
Imagine,
There he was standing in the gate of heaven,
The angel was dumbfounded seeing this bad person made it there.
He was interviewed,
Do you know the ten commandments? No
Do you know the doctrine of salvation? No
Do you even read your Bible? No, don’t own one.
And why do you think you can come here?
He replied, “I don’t know. The man on the middle cross said I could come.”
2,000 years ago,
the Seed that went into the ground and rose again
is alive and at work in you,
even when you cannot see it,
And he said, you can come to Him.
Discussion questions:
- What struck you the most from the sermon?
- Out of the four soils, which one resonates the most with you and why?
- What are some disciplines or habits you can start to tackle your problem?
- How does the gospel transform you to be the good ground?