SERMON OUTLINE

The Parable of the Sowing 

The Shallow Heart

Matthew 13.5-6, 20-21; Mark 4.5-6, 16-17; Luke 8.6, 13 

Introduction

-“I tried that and it did not work for me”.

-Scandalized = Caused to stumble. Withdraws. 

Immediately Receives It

-No examination or understanding but impulsive and without consideration of requirements and consequences. 

With Joy

-Emotional response. Attraction to the sensual is a mark of the flesh. Genesis 3.6

-Flesh conversion for promise of blessing, happiness, needs, heaven, and not a response to conviction of sin. 

No Root in Himself

1) No depth of character. A product of this pampered, instant gratification culture.

2) No source of life and power in Jesus Christ. 

Scandalized

-Trouble and persecution causes withdrawal. John 6.60-69

-Perseverance to the end is a sign of true salvation. Matthew 10.22 

Conclusion

The Church in North America is full of shallow-heart believers who do not know God. They have responded to a shallow Gospel presentation. They are not challenged by the Word of God in weekly preaching. There has never been conviction of sin, repentance, and new birth. Understanding and obedience lead to a fruit filled and Christ-like life.

SERMON NOTES

Parables (3)     The Shallow Heart  (Matthew 13.5-6; 20-21 NASB)

Matthew 13.1-9, 18-23; Mark 4.1-9, 14-20; Luke 8.4-8, 11-15

-Today we are going to study the response of the shallow-heart to the Word of God. If you have ever met a person with whom you tried to share the message of the Gospel who replied to you, “I tried that and it did not work for me”, you likely met the person described in this parable as having a shallow-heart.

-In the parable Jesus describes this person as a thin layer of soil that is covering bedrock. This circumstance provides quick growth for the seed because of the shallow soil but just as quickly causes the plant to wither because it has no root. Instead of saying the plants have no root Luke says the plants have no moisture which leads to the same result of withered and dead plants.

-In the explanation of this part of the parable Jesus says that this is the person who immediately receives the message with joy but because he has no root in himself he only lasts a short time and when trouble or persecution comes on account of the Word he falls away. Both Matthew and Mark write that “when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away”. “Falls away” is the English translation for the Greek word “scandalized” which means “caused to stumble”. When this person is troubled and persecuted by others because of their confessed belief in the Word of God it causes them to stumble and they just quit. Luke says that in time of trial this person “withdraws”.  This person no longer wants to be identified with the Word of God and he goes back to his previous way of life. Trouble and persecution was not what they expected.

-In contrast to the hard-heart this person is open to receiving the Word of God but there are still some things that cause the Word of God to have no long term transforming effect on this person. There are some words in Jesus’ explanation of the parable which may help us to understand why this person responds in this way to the Word of God.

1) When this person hears the Word of God they immediately receive it. We are not told that they understand the Word of God or that they examine the Word of God before they make a choice. Instead they immediately receive it. In some cases the Holy Spirit so prepares a person’s heart that when they hear the message of the Gospel they immediately recognize it as the truth that God has been preparing them for and accept it and never turn back, but this is not the case here. This person impulsively and without much consideration of what receiving the Word of God requires and of the consequences that might follow, immediately receives to the Word of God.

2) We are also told that this person receives the Word of God with joy. The emotional component in this person’s response is pointed out to us by Jesus in his explanation. This is not done in the other 3 explanations of the hearts that hear the Word of God. One of the prevalent marks of the sinful nature, which the Bible calls the flesh, is its attraction to the sensual, to what feels good and has the potential of bringing happiness. We are told that when Eve was tempted by the Devil and looked at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, “when she saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate it” (Genesis 3.6). Because of sin, God has allowed mankind to be controlled by their lusts and not by the truth of God. So in this shallow-heart we see a flesh conversion to the Word of God, a conversion that seeks good feeling and happiness in life. This is not a response to God and God’s Word based on conviction of sin and an understanding of the Gospel. Just as in the hard-heart there was no understanding so in this heart there is no understand even though there is an immediate and joyful response to the Word of God.

-This kind of impulsive person who is controlled by a desire for good feelings and the promise of happiness, easily and quickly follows the fads and novelties of the day. They are drawn in by the promise of happiness and blessing, by the possibility of satisfying their immediate need, by the assurance of the bliss of heaven.

3) We are also told that this person has no root in himself, Luke says no moisture. I take this to have two meanings. A) First, that this person has no depth of character that motivates perseverance and commitment. They have never learned to follow through on anything that proves to be difficult, requires hard work and suffering, and needs an application of discipline. This may have something to do with their temperament but is more likely to do with their upbringing and the culture that we live in. I think we pamper our children too much and we do not train them to be committed and to persevere through difficulties. We live in the instant gratification generation. We do not allow our children and young adults to suffer the consequences of irresponsible behavior. We provide safety nets and shelter from the harsh reality of the real world. We do our children and the kingdom of God a great disservice by pampering and so quickly providing for our children. We are producing young adults who are soft, whining, indecisive, people that want others to support them and to make the way easy for them. They have no root in themselves, no backbone, no independent thinking, no resilience, no perseverance, no discipline and commitment. They are not willing to press on and press through, and they easily give up as they have learned to do in this culture. Enthusiasm is a great thing but sticking to the task through the drudgery, difficult times, and persevering to fulfill commitments is what really brings fruit.

Morality by Matthew Arnold

We cannot kindle when we will

The fire which in the heart resides;

The spirit bloweth and is still,

In mystery our soul abides.

But tasks in hours of insight will'd

Can be through hours of gloom fulfill'd.

With aching hands and bleeding feet

We dig and heap, lay stone on stone;

We bear the burden and the heat

Of the long day, and wish 'twere done.

Not till the hours of light return,

All we have built do we discern.

B) Second, because this person does not have a true born-again conversion they have no spiritual life to draw from in times of trouble and persecution. They are in the battle on their own and they are not able to fight because of they have no root through which they can draw strength from a relationship with God in Jesus Christ. There is no moisture to sustain them. They do not have God’s Grace and the Holy Spirit within them. They are fighting a spiritual battle in the flesh, in their own strength, and not in the Spirit. They do not have the armor of God on.

-There are Christians who have had the pampered upbringing I just described who never learned about commitment and sacrifice and perseverance but because they have a true relationship with God and therefore a source of real spiritual power, gradually learn to overcome their lack of character and are made stronger and more patient and persevering and committed and stand firm in times of trouble and persecution. The needed character was produced because they had roots that could suck the life of God into them when needed. The life of God kept them going through all the rough patches. This is the difference between this shallow hearted person and the fruitful person in the last part of the parable. The life of God is inside of them.

4) The last thing we are told in this parable is that this person shows signs of growth but that growth is short and ends when they are scandalized by trouble and persecution that arises because of the Word of God. Then they quit, they withdraw, they walk away from it all. They have tried it but it did not work for them and they return to their old ways. No inner change has taken place. No true conversion ever took place. They began as sinners, they responded to the Word of God because it appealed to their sinful nature, and they gave up because their sinful nature was scandalized. Matthew 10.22 says, “You will be hated by all on account of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved”. (see also Hebrews 10.32-39) Perseverance to the end is the sign of true salvation. There will be falling and failure along the way but the saint will get up and keep moving forward in Christ.

-Many people followed Jesus because of the many miracles and healings that he did, and the free food that he provided, but only a few were true disciples. One day Jesus told the people who were following him that in order to have life they had to eat his flesh and drink his blood meaning that Jesus had to be in them and be their life, and not just with them. We are told in John 6.60, 66-69, “Many therefore of His disciples, when they heard this said, ‘This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it? …As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew, and were not walking with him anymore. Jesus said therefore to the twelve, ‘You do not want to go away also, do you?’ Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.’ ” Peter and the other disciples understood who Jesus was and would soon have the Holy Spirit and spiritual life in them. They fell into sin and they stumbled along the way but because they knew God and regularly received the Grace of God they followed Jesus unto the end.

-“If a person’s profession of Christ does not involve a deep conviction of sin, a genuine sense of lostness, a strong desire for forgiveness and cleansing, a hunger and thirst for righteousness, and a love of God’s Word, and a willingness to suffer for the faith, there is no root in his spiritual life and he will eventually fail.” (John MacArthur)

-Today in our North American culture we are not much troubled or persecuted because of the Word of God. Rather we are ignored and marginalized. Because professing Christians are not troubled and persecuted we have many shallow hearted Christians, who are not Christians, in the church. They falsely believe that they are going to heaven but they are not. The reason that they stay in churches today is because the preaching is shallow and the Word of God does not trouble them. The reason they are in church in the first place is because they received a shallow Gospel that offered them heaven in exchange for a short prayer. They were never convicted of their sin, they never repented of their sin, and they were never converted and given new life in Jesus Christ. They were promised a better marriage, cleaner entertainment, friendships and pleasant social interaction, financial blessings, help with addictions, forgiveness of sin, and the guarantee of heaven. The problem is that they still worship Self as they sing praises to God because there has never been conviction of sin, repentance, submission to the Lord Jesus Christ, and new birth by the Holy Spirit.

-As true Christians we are to challenge shallow hearted professing Christians with the truth of the Word of God. They will either be offended and walk away or repent and become fruit producing Christians.

-The parable of the sowing teaches us that the Word of God is capable of bringing transformational change and fruitfulness in our lives and in the lives of others, but what is required is understanding of the Word of God and then a full obedience to the Word of God. Through obedience, shallowness is replaced with character and Christ-likeness, which is God’s goal in bringing the Word of God to us.