You Sow and Let God Grow
From My Notes by Pastor Ron Campbell
These questions bring to mind Jesus’ parable of the four soils.
Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. (Matthew 13:3-8 NIV)
Of all the parables of our Lord Jesus, this is one of the most well-known. It is designed to teach the truth that only a prepared heart can and will receive the Gospel message. The Gospel message will come to every kind of person, but only those who are ready to receive it will be saved and produce fruit of the Holy Spirit. Since we know this is true, this parable answers several questions we have regarding witnessing, preaching and why some people are saved and others are not.
You may ask, “How can a lost person hear a message like that and not be saved?” The soil of their heart was not properly prepared. Sometimes, we see people make confessions of their faith, then go right back into sin. We look at them and say “What happened?” Here, the condition of the soil of their heart was not conducive to life! However, there are those who hear the Gospel message, they come to Jesus and receive Him. Their life changes and they serve our Lord Jesus. And, we see Jesus in them and we say, “Praise the Lord!” What’s the difference? The seed of the Gospel message fell into prepared soil!
Now, the main drive of this passage revolves around the different types of soil and what is produced by each. But, I want to focus in on the sower. I want to look at the person who takes the seeds of the Gospel message, goes into the field and begins to sow. I believe that in this parable, there is encouragement, challenge and help for all those who want to be sowers of Gospel seed. And perhaps, even some understanding for that “Christian” friend that you feel must always preach to you.
So, as you read these verses, we see the sower casting his seed into the field everywhere. He casts it far and wide, so that every square inch of his field has been blanketed by the seed. This should be our method of our sowing as well.
The commands of the Lord’s commission are to go into all the world, Mark 16:15. No place, no group of people are off limits. We are to go everywhere and tell everybody! Our going and our telling is to be a lifestyle! We are to be living epistles, proclaiming the Gospel message as we go through life. What do we tell everyone? We share the Gospel! We tell the world about the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did for sinners and what Jesus has done for us. Now to tell something, you have to open your mouth and speak! The word “preach” means “to earnestly and publicly proclaim a message or belief.” We are to open our mouths and declare the truths of the Gospel!
It becomes apparent, when reading this parable, that some of the sower’s seed was lost. Some of it fell on soil that was unprepared, and that seed produced no fruit. Since this is true, was the sower a failure? No, he was completely successful in his work, because he fulfilled God’s mandate. His undertaking was to sow the seed, and that is what he did! He had no control over the soil and he had no control over the amount of fruit each plant produced.
As sowers we are not responsible for the kind of soil our seed falls into. It is not even possible for us to judge the condition of the soil, because we cannot see into the heart of it. Three of the four soils in this parable looked good on the surface. The only difference between these types of soil was fruit. On the hard soil, the seed never penetrated the hard ground and was carried away. On the other three soils, the seed penetrated and disappeared, but only that which fell on the good soil produced fruit!
This is an example of the heart that has been plowed deeply by the Word and Grace of God. When the seed of the Gospel hits a prepared heart, it germinates, grows up and bears fruit to the glory of God. Don’t get hung up on fruit bearing. If you are saved, fruit happens. As you walk with Jesus, He will produce His fruit in your life.
There can never be a harvest unless the seed of the Gospel message is actually sown into the soil! The soil can be the most fertile soil, but if the sower never actually gets out into the field and sows the seed, no fruit will ever be produced!
We have the precious Word of God in our hands and in our hearts, but until we actually go into the world and tell the lost and dying sinners about Jesus Christ, we will never see a harvest.
Whether we sow or whether we get to reap, what does it matter? You sow and let God grow. After all, all that matters is fulfilling the great commission and telling a lost world about a loving Lord.
