A sower went forth to sow

Matthew 13 verses 1 – 9, 18 – 23

“Behold a sower went forth to sow”

In this parable the Lord wants us to examine something, stop in your tracks and look at it clearly and learn from it.  When you look at this portion you will realise it is Jesus going forth to sow.  Somehow we can bring it to our situations today, apply to our own various ministries.  Being busy, sowing the seed.  What is the seed?  Luke tells us it is the word of God.  It is given to encourage us if not challenge us whether we are a Sunday School teacher, a pastor, giving out a track, speaking to people about their soul. 

The sower’s direction – “went forth”.  For a purpose – “to sow”.  The seed he had, he knew it would be no use sitting in the barn to become profitable.  It had to be scattered.  Here was a man who had direction in his actions.  Farming is in the blood, preaching is in the blood, teaching is in the blood.  There is a great responsibility to sow.  He would have to go in and bring out the seed from the barn.  For you and I today if you want to see a harvest of souls then we have to go forth with the seed, the word of God.  This is the direction we have to go in.  This is not going to get the work done.  When Jesus called the disciples and told them “I want you to go into all the world and preach the gospel”, they were a motley crew – fishermen, doctors and tax collectors.  This man set forth because he believed in what he was doing.  He believed in what he was taking part in was going to be profitable.  Once scattered on the ground it would bring forth a harvest.  He believed in the seed in his hand would one day look forward to a mighty harvest.  “My word shall not return unto me void.”  Do we really believe this?  As we place a tract in a person’s hand that that word will bring forth a harvest for that person?  Do we believe the potential in the word of God?  This sower realised once this weed would come into contact with the ground something special would happen.  The seed would swell in the ground, burst open, a blade would appear and it would be successful in a harvest.  George Whitfield preached to tens of thousands in the open air.  No church would have him so he had to go out to the people.  He was not content to preach in England and so went to America with it.  He preached with all his heart.  One day he was preaching in a city in England.  A business man came running down the street when someone stopped him and asked “surely with all your intelligence you do not believe what George Whitfield preaches?”  The business man replied “no sir I do not but he believes it and that is what makes all the difference.”  Here was the sower who went forth to sow.  He believed in what he was sowing.  Wouldn’t it be awful to preach and not believe in what he preached?  To give out the gospel tract and not believe it will bring a man or woman to Christ?  We go out not merely to see the church filled with people.  Whitfield preached for 5 nights in a mission on the phrase “ye must be born again.”  One man who attended every night asked him why he preached on the same text.  Whitfield said “because ye must be born again.”  Many churches don’t believe any longer.  That is the sad thing.  They don’t believe in what they are doing.  That it will bring forth a harvest.  That is why many fail to go out in outreach, fail to speak for the Lord.  Many pastors and evangelists don’t believe in what they preach or talk about Jesus coming into the world, in the forgiveness of sins, that new life can be had.  Somehow it comes across as not really believed in, that somehow a man can be saved by God’s grace.  Ecclesiastes 11 verse 4 “he that observeth the wind shall not sow and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.”  Doesn’t believe he shall sow because it is going to rain.  Ecclesiastes goes on to say in verse 6 “in the morning sow thy seed and in the evening withhold not thine hand for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.”  Maybe you might never preach a sermon but you can give out a gospel tract.  The disciples were told to leave everything and to go out and preach.  Remember the demonic man living in the tombs who cut himself.  He had a violent character until one day Jesus met him.  He restored him to his right mind.  He was so taken up with Jesus that he wanted to follow him wherever he went but that is not what Jesus told him to do.  Jesus said “I want you to go home to your friends, tell them how great things the Lord hath down for thee and hath compassion on thee.”  Quite a ministry in his own home.  Imagine the people watching him walking down the street. 

The sower’s determination.  He went out to sow and had a determination.  If you are going to sow the seed of the kingdom we have to have the determination.  Yes we may feel like giving up, to throw in the towel sometimes but this man showed his determination when he went out to the field.  He continued on sowing the seed and never gave up.  Days when we sow the seed and feel like quitting, giving up all together just like the sower.  Look at the clouds, felt the wind wouldn’t do anything because of the elements of the day.  John Mark followed Paul and Barnabas into the ministry.  They went down to Antioch and met the governor of the land.  He wanted to know all about the Lord.  Paul and Barnabas sat with him, showed to him how he could be saved, how he was born into the world in sin, shapen in iniquity.  His heart was deceitful and desperately wicked.  He took him to show this man Christ, how he came into the world to die and to save that which was lost.  He was at the crossroads, either ready to take the Lord as Saviour or reject him.  How many times have you been at that crossroads?  You would love to be saved.  You have heard the preacher giving the invitation and would love to take the step of faith.  This governor Paul and Barnabas were talking to had a counsellor who did all in his power to turn the governor away from faith in Christ.  He did everything he could to stop him from believing.  There will be those who will try to stop you believing in Christ.  The devil makes sure of that.  The devil will put someone in your way.  If it wasn’t for that you could get saved.  That is what happened in Paul and Barnabas’ day.  Paul rebuked the man and the counsellor was made blind.  The governor believed that day and John Mark saw all that went on.  Perhaps he thought to himself “I couldn’t go through with this battle and fight.”  John Mark went not with them to the work.  Is there something keeping you out of the work of God?  You are saved by God’s grace.  You can point to the day when you trusted Christ as Saviour but there is something holding you back from telling others about Christ.  You don’t have that determination.

He had his disappointments.  “Some fell by the way side and the fowls came and devoured them up.  Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth and forthwith they sprung up because they had no deepness of earth.  And when the sun was up, they were scorched and because they had no root they withered away.  And some fell among thorns and the thorns sprung up and choked them.”

He had his delight.  “But other fell into good ground and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.”  Sometimes when we see nothing happens we despair but then all of a sudden one here and there believes.  A little link in the chain.  Isn’t that what the scriptures tell us?  We shall reap if we faint not.  The Psalmist pictures the man going forth bearing precious seed rejoicing.  Why?  Because he would come one day with his sheaves with him.  Paul said to the Thessalonians “for what is our hope, or joy or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.”