New Hope Calendar

The Pressure’s Off
Luke 8:4-15

 

Intro and background

a.       I felt like a failure when I shared the gospel with my friend.

b.      Did the disciples ever feel like a failure?

c.       Jesus was both rejected and accepted. 

d.      The disciples believed that Jesus was the messiah, surely the people would respond!

 

Parable of the Soils Luke 8:5-9
5"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown."  When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

 

Parable of the Soils

e.       Jesus’ listeners would have been able to immediately picture this agricultural scene. 

f.        Many of them would have thought his teaching was nothing special

g.       The disciples would have known that he was teaching something greater than what it appeared to be on the surface.

 

Why Jesus spoke in parables
h.      Luke 8:10:  "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that," 'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.'

i.         People have already rejected me in their hearts

j.        Jesus conceals his message in parables as a judgment for their hardened hearts.

k.      The disciples have been given insight into the kingdom of God.

 

Parable of the soils explained
Luke 8:11-15: The seed is the word of God. 12Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

 

Parable of the soils explained

l.         God’s word is responded to in many different ways and faces many obstacles in its reception. 

m.     We shouldn’t be surprised when God’s message is rejected.

n.       God is the one who prepares the hearts of the people to receive Jesus’ message.

o.      The pressure’s off…We aren’t the ones who are going to change people’s lives…God is. 

 

Study of the text

p.      Different prepositions

                                                               i.      by the road
                                                             ii.      upon the rock
                                                            iii.      in the midst of thorns

                                                           iv.      into good soil

q.      Passive verb: “You have been given”

 

Parable of the soils likened to courtship

r.        God used me to soften her heart and it was fun to be a part of the process!

s.       Because it just didn’t happen, God matured me through the process.

t.        I had to trust God for the outcome.

u.       Now married, I have to persevere to continually bear fruit.

 

Additional thoughts

v.       We cannot know for sure where people’s hearts are at.

w.     We don’t have to fear rejection.

x.       The “waiting” for people to respond in faith leads to our growth.

y.       This all leads us into a trust and dependence on God.