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The Book of Luke, The Parable of the Soils, Part IV - Lesson 100
Luke 8:11-15, Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 14And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 15But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
In our study of the soils which receive the seed broadcast by the sower, we have already discussed the soil that was in the wayside, the soil that was on the rock and the soil that was filled with thorns.
We have learned that the sower of the seed is the Lord Jesus Christ, the seed is the word of God and the soil is the soul upon whom the seed falls.
That leaves us with the fourth soil which the Lord calls good ground for it is with this soil that fruit is brought forth with patience.
Verse 15 can be read in this manner: But as for that in good soil, those are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, cling to it and by persevering produce a crop.
One interesting fact in gardening is that when planting a tree you are instructed to insure that all the roots have soil tightly packed against the roots.
You are to leave no air pockets.
The soil is to cling to the roots in order for the tree to grow.
So the lesson here is that a distinguishing characteristic of good soil is that of perseverance.
When Paul said: they went out from us because they were not of us he was describing them as other than “good soil souls” for they did not persevere.
It is easy to see why God calls the souls of men “soil” for it was out of the dust of the ground that God made Adam.
God took soil and formed man with it and he breathed into it the breath of life.
The Bible on many occasions reminds us of our origin from the soil of the earth as we can read in:
Isaiah 64:8, But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
God has planted this earth with every green tree and every plant.
He has planted them in soil, always expecting fruit.
And it is no different with the soil that walks on two legs and talks with a mouth formed by God.
God expects his soil to bear fruit whether it is under the foot of man or it is the foot of man.
Soil of one type or another is the surface covering of most of the earth’s land.
It is composed of loose mineral and organic particles produced by the action of wind, water, and organic decay.
So it is easy to see why soils vary widely from place to place because there are so many variables that cause differences.
Variables such as where the materials came from, what vegetative cover there is, the length of time the soil has been weathered, the topography, and what effect the activities of man has had on the soil.
Nature changes the soil gradually while cultivation of land changes it much more quickly.
Cultivation deprives the soil of its natural vegetative covering and of much of its protection against erosion by water and wind.
But one thing is sure, natural soil in most places requires extensive preparation in order to produce a bounty of successful crops.
The soil requirements of different plants vary widely and no sweeping statement can by made concerning an ideal soil for the growth of all plants.
Any gardener will tell you that all soils do not promote growth of all plants.
A good gardener must know his or her soil.
A good gardener from Illinois will not automatically know how to garden in Florida for conditions of the soil are completely different.
There has to be a preparation scheme that fits the soil in order to produce a bountiful crop.
This principle also pertains to the clay that walks on two feet.
If fruit is to be realized for God there has to be preparation of the soil to produce good fruit, whether it be edible or of the flower and shrub variety.
Proverbs 22:6 says: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
What does that mean?
It means that you as the father or the mother are to till that child, you are to cultivate that child, you are to add ingredients to that child, in order to produce a “good soil child” that will be used to produce fruit for God.
That is why a Christian parent studies and puts into practice the book of Proverbs so that the soil of their children can be tilled and cultivated to produce good soil for the reception of the seed that is the word of God.
That is why we have a Christian school.
You who are teachers are tillers and cultivators of soil.
You do that when you teach children to learn Bible verses.
You do that when they are given discipline and taught to obey so that when the word of God is broadcast in their lives it will bring forth fruit.
Good soil does not just happen.
It takes a gardener years to produce good soil and likewise it is the Christian’s responsibility to produce good soil in their children and also to make sure they themselves are good soil for God.
Also we are to remember that a good gardener does not nurture soil for only one season.
It is a long term effort just as the “training up a child in the way he should go” is a long term effort.
Soil is to continually produce fruit not just produce fruit on a one time basis.
So this fourth soil mentioned by the Lord is the soil in which our attention ought to be focused for it is the good soil and we ought to want to be good soil.
This fourth soil represents all those whose hearts are prepared for the gospel, and whose lives are uncluttered with competing interests and values.
It is soil that has come to an intimate knowledge of the seed, soil that embraces the seed, and does not allow the birds of the air to snatch it away.
It is clean, deep soil without rocks that is only interested in the seed and what it can do with the seed.
It is unencumbered by competitive seeds and therefore it is dedicated to the true seed, the seed that is the word of God.
Like good soil does, it clings to the seed.
Paul expressed this same idea in Col. 3:16, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs is tilling and cultivating the soil so that fruit bearing is enhanced.
James spoke of the same care for the soil when in James 1:21, he said to ………..lay apart all filthiness and superfluity (superabundance) of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
The word of God that has been implanted in the believer’s heart should be received with meekness, the description of a teachable spirit, one without resistance, disputing, or questioning.
So in this fourth soil the word not only brings forth life, i.e., salvation. but the plant comes to maturity and it bears fruit.
Here in this forth soil is the goal of discipleship. There is only one kind of soil which attains the goal.
The goal which our Lord holds out in this parable is that of reaching full maturity and of bearing fruit.
We are saved, not only to escape the wrath to come and to live forever in heaven, but God’s people are to attain to the “the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13) and to bear fruit (John 15:5).
The husbandman that has saved you, has saved you that you may bring forth fruit.
Paul tells us in Eph 5:22, that that fruit is produced by the Spirit of God:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
So much of the time we think of the world only in terms of those who are saved and those who are lost; those who are going to heaven and those who are going to hell.
The parable of the soils which Jesus told forces us to think in terms of more than just these two categories.
We should concentrate on the purpose for which we are saved which is to persevere, to grow, to reach maturity, and to produce more fruit.
To fall short of this purpose is to fail to attain that for which we were called and set apart.
The kind of man or woman which pleases the heart of God is not one which makes a dramatic start and then dies out, nor one whose supposed commitment to Christ is slowly choked out by worldly desires and cares.
The kind of man or woman which pleases God is that one which thoughtfully hears the gospel, understands the Gospel’s consequences, and then by yielding to God grows and matures in a consistent manner, and because of this bears much fruit.
Our Lord’s parable of the soils should exhort us to desire and to depend upon Him to enable us to be like the fourth soil, and to find all other soils unacceptable.
It is only this fourth soil kind of person who perseveres through adversity to maturity and fruitfulness.
Jesus said it this way in Luke 8:15, But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
In the gospel accounts we find that these four types of soil describe all of those who heard the gospel of the kingdom.
We find those who immediately rejected it; those who too quickly accepted it, those who fizzled out over a longer period, and those who endured and who bore fruit.
The heart of the true believer is a heart that desires to be the good ground that when God casts his seed the seed takes root and thrives and brings forth fruit.
As any husbandman does, God looks in his garden and expects to see fruit.
We as God’s children who are of the God who husbands us, ought to cheer the heart of God with fruitful lives.
For we are his workmanship, we are to bear his fruit and that can only be done by yielding to his word.
So after explaining this parable the Lord Jesus Christ instructs his disciples further.
Luke 8:16-18, No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. 17For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. 18Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have. |