Our Lord indeed is Lord of the harvest, both physical harvest and the spiritual harvest, which we will begin to look a little bit at this evening. Our text will be from Matthew chapter 13. Matthew 13 will read the first 23 verses of that chapter. Our particular focus will be on Matthew 13 verses 3 through 9, but we will read the first 23 verses of the chapter. Beginning at verse 1, congregation, this is the word of the Lord. On the same day, Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to him, so that he got into a boat and sat, and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Then he bespoke many things to them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went out to sow, and as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds came down and devoured them. Some fell in stony places where they did not have much earth, and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of the earth. But when the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among the thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. And the disciples came to him and said, Why do you speak to them in parables? He answered them and said to them, Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, hearing you will hear, hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive. For the hearts of this people have grown dull, their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed. Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For surely I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see and did not see it, and to hear what you hear and did not hear it. Therefore, hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart. This is he who received the seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a little while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the world, immediately he stumbles. Now he who receives seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who receives seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." Thus far the reading of God's holy word. Congregation, what we have before us here in this passage this afternoon is Christ's first parable. It's important that we know that a parable is different from other types of stories. It's different from, say, a fable. A fable is a story which often contains situations which are contrary to reality, considered Aesop's fables, such as the tortoise and the hare. Their goal is typically simply to make a moral point. Parables are also different from allegories, where every single detail in the story represents something in reality. Parables are also different from simple stories, because simple stories are told for the sake of a laugh, perhaps to reminisce, or to relay news or facts. But parables are in a completely different category from each of these styles of literature. Parables are stories or situations which are taken from real life, and from which we can learn spiritual truth. In this way, they are much more than stories which are heard and forgotten in the same day. They are more profound than fables, and they are far more straightforward and simpler than allegories. And so this parable of the sower begins our Lord's teaching on the kingdom of God. And these parables come at a place in our Lord's ministry where the boundaries of the kingdom of God are becoming more clearly defined. In fact, the very use of parables speaks to this fact. The multitudes had already begun to reject the ministry of Jesus Christ, and therefore they could not understand the deeper spiritual things about the kingdom of God. If you would, turn back with me just a couple pages to Matthew chapter 11. We'll begin reading at verse 20. Matthew 11, beginning at verse 20. Then he began to rebuke the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought low to Hades. For if the mighty works which were done in you have been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you." At that time, Jesus answered and said, "'I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in your sight. All things have been delivered to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal him. Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The Lord explains that no one can see him unless he is revealed to them. And so Jesus is using parables to withhold information about himself and the kingdom of God from unbelieving crowds whose deaf ears could not hear his words. For them, perhaps this story was, this parable was an interesting story, but they would not understand it. And they would receive no divine truth from it. And our Lord, even in our passage, makes this explicitly clear. Because in verse 10 of the passage at hand, the disciples come to him and they say, why do you speak to them in parables? And our Lord says to them, because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." You see, in preparing the way for Jesus' ministry, John the Baptist, the last great Old Testament prophet, cried out, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. This was in Matthew 3 verse 2. And our Lord Jesus Christ confirmed this mission in Matthew 4 verse 17 when he began his preaching ministry by saying, repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Were we to read on in Matthew 13, our Lord would offer us six more parables which help to describe the kingdom of heaven. the parable of the weeds and the tares, of the mustard seed and the leaven, of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, and finally, the parable of the net. Each of these parables speaks to some aspect of the kingdom of God, its growth, its adversaries, its strength, its victory, and finally, its consummation. But the parable of the sower here before us speak to the kingdom of Christ's origins. The seed being sown is a proclamation of the glorious message of the gospel. And the different types of soils represent different types of hearts and how they will reject or how they will receive this good news. At His coming, Christ has indeed inaugurated the kingdom of God. But how will this kingdom be received? And so the Gospel message is sown here, and we see the responses in four different types of hearts this afternoon. Four different types of hearts. First, the hard heart. Second, the shallow heart. Third, the strangled heart. And fourth, the open heart. The hard, the shallow, the strangled, and the open heart is what we will be looking at this afternoon. So first, the hard heart. In verse 4 of our text, as the sower is sowing, we read that as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured them. And our Lord explains further down in verse 19 what he meant by this to his disciples who had ears to hear. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who receives a seed by the wayside. The soil on the path, on the wayside, has been trampled down for many years. It has become hard and calloused. It would seem that nothing can penetrate through it. And so the good news of the gospel falls on deaf ears, which do not heed its call. And Romans 1, verses 16 through 21 explains this, that this is man's natural condition, unable and unwilling to hear. meaning that this is his condition without the work of the Holy Spirit. Romans 1 verse 18 says, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth and unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and the Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were they thankful. But they became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Those who reject the good news of the gospel have already begun by rejecting God Himself, and they are completely left without any excuse. They have known His invisible attributes, His power, His might, His glory, His redeeming acts, and His holiness. They know who God is, and yet they hate Him all the more. They know their sin. They know of God's holiness, but instead of crying out for mercy, instead of hearing the glorious news of the cross with joy and thanksgiving, they reject it and their foolish hearts are darkened. They love their sin more than they love God. They desire satisfaction and pleasure more than they desire mercy and forgiveness. And their sin leads them to deeper and more sin. And eventually, according to Romans 1 verse 26, the Lord gives them over to the passions of their heart. In the coming of the kingdom, the king of the universe comes to reign over the hearts and lives of those whom he loves. However, the hardened heart refuses to bow the knee to the king of kings. It will have no one but self to reign over it. congregation, what a tragedy, what a sad and terrible situation this is. When I was preparing for the sermon, I ran across a quote from a man who said the following, quote, I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died for sinners, but I guess I don't want to give him my life. I want to make my own decisions. To this man, this parable would be a very nice story, but there would be no real spiritual significance for him. Seeing, he does not perceive, and hearing, he does not understand. His heart is hard and callous, and the wicked one has snatched away from him what was sown in his heart." Well, the second type of heart that we see, the second type of soil we see in this passage, is that of the shallow heart in verses 5 and 6. If you look there with me in verses 5 and 6 of Matthew chapter 13. Some fell on stony places where they did not have much earth, and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. And in verses 20 and 21, if you'll drop down, our Lord explains again what this means. Verse 20 and 21, but he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For while tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Unlike the hard soil, Here, the seed actually seems to sink in a little bit. In fact, the good news is received with joy immediately. However, the joy is quite short-lived, because there is no root to ground it. The force behind the word immediately here has an urgency to it. When the gospel is heard, it's met with enthusiasm, joy, and even excitement. But when trial and persecution come to this man, the shallow heart doesn't stick around when things get tough. As many times, the things are tough in the church, and he flees. Others think that they are Christians simply by coming to church and going through the motions. Then it's no wonder that they fall away in difficult times. They haven't fully understood the gospel. We don't gather together to worship God in order to earn his favor. We are gathered here this afternoon because each and every one of us here is a broken sinner. Each of us knows that we are in great need of mercy and forgiveness. We know God's holiness and that we have no standing before him in and of ourselves. But we also know that Christ is a gracious Savior. We also know that the Holy Spirit changes hearts. And so we gather together, not out of obligation, no, but in joyful response to the great and glorious salvation, which is ours in Christ. We are worshiping today in response to God's saving work in every one of our, each of our lives. With this fuller understanding of the gospel, and with this fuller understanding of the church, we can endure difficult times. We can endure persecution knowing the bigger picture of what's going on. Without a real understanding of both the depth of our sin on one hand, and how amazing grace is on the other hand, the words of the gospel sound exciting at first, but often it never truly takes root. And at the first sign of trouble, the shallow heart turns away in despair, blown about and carried away by the slightest breeze. And so we've seen the hard heart and the shallow heart. Now we come thirdly to the strangled heart in verse 7. The strangled heart. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. And once again we have our Lord's explanation of this in verse 22, dropping down there. Now he who receives seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. Consider as well our Lord's later teaching in Matthew chapter 19, verses 23 and 24. Assuredly, our Lord says, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again, I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Or think of the parable of the rich man in Luke 12, when he says to himself, soul, you have many good things laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. the riches of the strangled heart have choked it to death." Congregation, this is by no means saying that it is a sin to be wealthy, nor is it a sin to have wealth. In fact, material wealth can be a wonderful blessing from God. When we remember, who gives all these good gifts? Every good gift we have comes from the hand of our Father in heaven. Therefore, the strangling Therefore the strangling heart which our Lord speaks of is going through a process of shifting trust. At one point in life it seems that the strangled heart was trusting in God. It was dependent on Him for all they need. But as the one who possesses his heart acquires more and more wealth, as he becomes more and more concerned with only the things of this world, He trusts God less and less and ends up becoming focused on everything around him and not on the Lord. His only desire is to amass more material goods. The danger is that this is a slow process. It's like the frog in boiling water. If you heat up a pot slowly enough, a frog's body will adjust to the subtle changes in temperature and he will swim freely. until he has been eventually boiled to death. And the same exact thing can happen to the heart. Trust in and desire for more and more wealth without recognizing the giver and provider of that wealth ends up choking the word and the faith of the heart concerned only with the cares of this world. And slowly but surely, the heart is strangled. Brothers and sisters, it's easy for us to consider the obvious. We quickly think and point our finger at the millionaires and those who we perceive as wealthy. But let us remember that compared to those who would have been hearing this in Jesus' day, and compared to a vast majority of our world, we are very wealthy. We have nice houses, sometimes multiple vehicles for getting around. We have RVs and other toys. We have a wealth of information at our fingertips. We have unlimited access to entertainment through TV, the internet. We have food, media, and communications literally at our beck and call. Things which are completely foreign to most of the rest of the world. How easy is it for us, even those of us of modest means, to get caught up in these things, caught up in the cares of the world, as the Lord puts it? I fear more easily, probably, than we often are willing to admit. Congregation, finally, we do come to the good news this afternoon. We've seen three different types of hearts which have yielded disaster, the hard heart, the shallow heart, and the strangled heart. But now we come, finally, to the open heart. Back to verse 8 of our text. In verse 8 we read of this open heart. But others fell on good ground, and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear. Again our Lord explains this to us in verse twenty-three. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. If you notice something special, what this parable has been doing up to this point, we've moved along a continuum from a very hard heart to a heart which appears soft on the surface, but which is hard underneath, to a heart which appears to allow some growth, but is strangled by thorns, and now to a heart which is soft and ready to receive the good news of the gospel and to bear its fruit. Only a heart whose crusty shell has been broken is open to hearing the gospel. The open heart knows its own weakness and that it cannot bring forth a crop or any sort of life without outside intervention. It is a heart prompted by the Holy Spirit that is in desperate need of mercy. And so when the sweet seed of the gospel falls onto the open heart, The good news is not only received with joy, but it takes root. It germinates. It flourishes and produces an abundant yield. What kind of heart can it be said that you have this afternoon? What kind of heart do I have? You may become a little bit uneasy and say, I want to have a soft heart. I know that's what I need. but I feel my heart being strangled. I feel it becoming hard and I cannot fix it." Well, congregation, the answer is that we cannot fix it. We cannot fix our hearts on our own. We cannot cause the seed of the gospel to germinate, sprout, or grow. The good news is that the Holy Spirit sovereignly softens hearts. He is able to remove stumbling blocks. He cuts back thorns and thistles. The Lord, the sower himself, can and He does give new life to dry bones and hardened hearts. He turns hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. He makes dry bones live by the preaching of the gospel. He confirms us and nourishes us by word and sacrament. His Spirit causes us to bear much fruit. Indeed, our Lord is bringing in an abundant harvest. If you are able to think back a couple of weeks to our study of Amos, the final verse of our passage that day, Amos 9, verse 15, said the following, I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them, says the Lord your God. It's the Lord who gives the growth. What He plants, what He nurtures, what He sustains and causes to grow, will never be uprooted. Come drought, storm, wind, hell, or otherwise, the Lord will preserve His crop. Notice what our text says finally in verse 9. He who has ears, let him hear. To those who are spiritually deaf, this is no more than a nice story. It reveals nothing to them. They are indifferent to the nature of the soil in their heart. But those in whom the sower is at work, to them this is wonderful news. The kingdom is here. And in Christ we have what the prophets and saints of old could only hope for, as verse 17 of our passage reminds us. Finally, brothers and sisters, I read for you a passage from Matthew 19, verses 23 and 24. Matthew 19, 23 and 24, a few minutes ago. It was about the difficulty of a rich man entering the kingdom. It would be very helpful for us, finally, to note the disciples' response immediately after in verse 25. In Matthew 19, verse 25, we read that when the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus looked at them and said to them, With men, this is impossible. But with God, all things are possible. The disciples rightly saw the futility of self-salvation. Another good translation for the word used for astonished here could be overwhelmed. So we could read it as, when the disciples heard it, they were greatly overwhelmed. Where is any hope, they ask? Who can be saved? They knew they could do nothing to earn their salvation, and they were laid bare before the face of God. But our Lord Jesus Christ graciously reminded them, as He reminds us here and now, that with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible, verse 26. And so, dear congregation, examine yourself, your heart, with me. and put your complete trust in the One who not only sows the seed, but also the One who tills the ground. Flee to Christ. Cling to Him. Trust the One who can do the impossible for your soul. Hear the good news with joy and the expectation of an abundant harvest. Amen. Let's pray. Lord our God, you have given to us the glorious gospel of our risen Savior and Master. By your Spirit, soften and open the soil of our hearts. Grant that as we joyfully receive the good news for ourselves, so may we gratefully share it with others, and ever give glory to you, by whose grace alone we are what we are, through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.