The Life we Face:

Matthew 13:1-9 and vv.18-23 (NIV)


1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9He who has ears, let him hear."


18"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." (NIV)

Every person can grow in their faith by avoiding these pitfalls.

Pitfall #1. Lack of understanding. Usually the result of hard heartedness or unwillingness to change. V. 19
In life we often make excuses so that our daily lives and responsibilities go the way we desire.
When I was a boy, my father told me that we were to never sing ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic.’ Whether that was more a southern thing, or a political thing, I don’t know. But one thing I do know what that his resistance to sing that song had nothing to do with his faith. It was about “northern aggression” or “the Republicans.” Now, I have read the words to the song, and I found something amazing. It doesn’t say anything about the U.S., our government, or even our land. Rather it is a song about God and his relationship to mankind, regardless of who may use it along the way. The point in sharing this with you is that for years, I lacked understanding of what this song really was about. And I was unwilling to learn the truth.
Many of us are unwilling to learn, because usually learning means change. We have learned overtime that if an automobile accident occurs, the people involved are much more likely to survive that accident if they are wearing a seatbelt. Hence the change was made to require all motorists to wear a seatbelt. Even with this knowledge, some of us do not want to comply. We do not like change.
But in our relationship to God, change in needed. We have to change our attitude, our heart toward God. That is what it is to repent. But our own hardness tries to prevent that change.

Pitfall #2. Shallow life. Usually the result of a restless and/or unsettled life. Vv.20 and 21
In many ways this is very similar to the hardness we see above. But it is a bit different.
For example, I know a young man who is willing to work hard. He knows the he needs to work in order to succeed. But he has a problem ‘sticking to it.’ He changes jobs often, and knows what he wants to do. But he will not do what is needed to be successful at what his heart desires. Because of this lack of discipline, he finds himself often in turmoil in his life. One frustrating event after another. All of these frustrating events finding their source in the fact that he knows what he wants to do, what he should be doing, but is unwilling to do what he must to find success where his heart desires.
When we slow down and allow roots to develop in our relationships with our family, friends, and with God, the rocky soil that is referred to in scripture begins to clear out. We find fewer rocky places, and more deep good soil to work with.
In our relationship to God we have to be willing to slow down and trust him. He will lead us. But sometimes, we are in a bigger hurry than He. (Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God….”)

Pitfall #3. Worldly perspective. Usually the result of a overdeveloped sense of commitment to one’s career or possessions. V.22.
Many people think that the biggest threat to Christianity in the world today is the emergence of the well spoken atheists, agnostics, and evolutionists. Many of them are very smart people. But they are not the threat that some perceive them to be. The bigger threat is found inside each of us. Our own desires for power, recognition, possession, money. We want our lives to be about us. Only problem is, our lives are not about us, they are about God and those around us. (Matthew 22:36-29, read it.)
The example here will come from the Bible. In Matthew 19:21, Jesus instructs a rich young man to sell all he has, give it all to the poor and come follow him. But the young man then turned and walked away. He could not, or would not let go of his wealth.
We often fall into that trap of the young man. We say we want to follow God and be obedient. But when the Bible tells us to give the first 10% of all we have to him, to his church, we justify our decision not to do that by saying, the church is full of flawed men and women who can not be trusted. They may take it for themselves. I’ll keep this money and use it for something good instead. But there are two problems there. First, God didn’t instruct you to evaluate his servants in the church. He can and will judge them appropriately. There level of obedience should never stand between you and your obedience to the word of God. Second, you rarely actually take your 10% and do a good deed with it. And even if you did, it goes contrary to the Bible. In Malachi 3:10 we are told directly to bring our tithe to the storehouse. In these, the days of the church of Jesus, we call that storehouse, the church.
Jesus talks more about money than any other topic. But why? Is he after your money? Is he after your stuff? NO! He’s not trying to get your stuff, He is trying to keep your stuff from getting you! (Andy Stanley said something like that in a sermon I heard him give.) The principle is made clear in a line from the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 6:21, Jesus says “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (NIV) So if you put treasure your wealth, or money, or position, more than you treasure your relationship with Christ, your heart will then be in those things, rather than in Christ, your savior. When that happens, our priorities are out of order, and we are guilty of sin.
In our relationship with God we have to be willing to put Christ first and our brother second and the things of this world third.

Success: Success comes when these pitfalls are avoided. And we take hold of the whole message, we listen, understand, apply it day in and day out and we put Christ in his proper place, number 1.
A truly successful life of faith comes when we know what God would have us do and we do it.
Many examples of that exist, from people who have had to leave the teaching of the culture they grew up in to obey Jesus. Others have gone into ministry’s such as mission work, prison ministries, working with the poor, or volunteering to help those in need. Whatever way you find to serve Christ, just remember to put him first. There are many statistics that say that one of the biggest observations about Christians by those who are not, is that they can not tell the difference in a Christian and anyone else. Their behaviors are the same. That is not the goal.
We must not only have faith and be saved, but also obey his teachings. That is what sets us apart from the rest of the world. It doesn’t mean to ignore the world, or to even withdraw. But it means to stand by the principles found in the Bible at all times, regardless of the situation.
In our relationship with God we have to walk with Christ. Day by day, we carry our cross (our burden) and we do what Jesus has commanded along the way. The end result is not only our salvation, but better lives for us, and all those around us.