Have Faith in God - Mark 11:22-26

Matthew 13:1-9 - Scattering the Seed of the Gospel

By Retired Pastor Lee Hemen

May 22, 2022

We have always loved putting out birdseed for the wild birds in our yards. It’s fun to watch all of the different species that come to our feeders. Recently, a pair of birds called Evening Grosbeaks has been coming to our feeders, and they are pigs. They kind of force out other birds, scatter the seed everywhere, and remind me of uninvited relatives that show up for dinner. However, one of the things that they do by scattering the seed from the feeders is provide for the dozens of squirrels and smaller birds that hop around the base of the feeders searching for scattered seeds. And some of the seeds, being grass seeds, have made my lawn area thick and rich.

We forget that when we scatter the seed of the gospel that it falls on many kinds of ground, and we never know who might benefit from the process. Like those Evening Grosbeaks we are not to be just about feeding ourselves the seeds of the gospel, we are to scatter them as well. Let’s discover this morning what that means.

READ: Matthew 13:1-9

Last week, Pastor Matthew spoke about the Great Commission Jesus gave his disciples, and thereby us as well to go out and share our faith. While we may know we should be sharing, we often do not share it as we go about our lives, and yet we can. Let’s discover how. We learn that…

I. Scattering the seed of the gospel means speaking the gospel!

“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying…”

  1. Notice what Jesus does here in these verses. He goes outside, sits down by the lake, and waits. He knew what would occur. He knew that by this time people were following him around hoping to speak with him, have him perform some kind of miracle, or simply to listen to what he might share. They longed for his words. In our day there are many who long for some kind of word from God that will speak to the empty longing of their souls. You can be the one who does this simply by going and sharing what you already know about Jesus. Jesus didn’t wait for the “right moment”, he shared wherever he was, whenever he was. Notice then when the crowd got too large “he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore”. In this we discover that Jesus also used the moment and whatever was around him to share with the crowds. Now I know we may not attract “crowds” but we do have relatives, friends, or neighbors who are nearby. They come to our homes for holidays, birthdays, dinners, to borrow the weed eater, or whatever. And it is in these moments we can share our faith. It can be by praying with them, encouraging them with the words of Jesus, or sharing what Jesus is doing in our lives, the lives of our Christian friends, or our church. What could you share today, what could you share tomorrow, what could you share by scattering the seed of the gospel by speaking it to those around you?

  EXAMPLE: Recently, I was in a WinCo, and I had opened up the frozen food case looking for some individual macaroni and cheese dinners for our granddaughter. As I was looking another person was looking for something else and muttered, “It looks like they are out of what I was looking for.” I simply stated, “Seek and ye shall find” as I found what I was looking for. She immediately came back with, “I’ve heard that before, who said that?” I shared that it was what Jesus spoke to people who were searching for spiritual answers to their lives. She replied, “Boy do we need spiritual help today.” I told her quickly about Grace Baptist and how it helps me to go because I learn how to apply the words of Jesus to my life there. And then I invited her to come or to go online and watch one of our worship videos. Scattering the seed of the gospel means speaking the gospel!

Whether it is at the grocery store, over the neighbor’s fence, or waiting in the doctor’s office, we can scatter the seed of the gospel. In fact, we realize that…

II. Scattering the seed of the gospel means planting it anywhere!

“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.”

  1. A lot of folks want to spend way too much time talking over and over about the condition of the soil here in this passage rather than what actually occurs in the parable Jesus shares. The farmer scattered his seed and it was scattered, planted, on all kinds of ground, but it was planted. In some places the wheat sprang up quickly, but it was scorched by the heat of the sun and it withered because it had no root. Other seed was scatter among weeds and got chocked out. And yet there was some that fell on good ground and it grew and produced a fine “crop-- a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Notice that the farmer was not concerned where his seed fell; his only concern was to scatter it. His job was to plant, the seeds job was to grow. We cannot make the seed grow; we cannot be so concerned about the soil the seed is planted in that we lose our focus of scattering the seed! We have often heard that it is not our job to save people; it is only our job to share the gospel. We do not scatter because we become too concerned about how the soil will receive it, react to it, or respond to us rather than simply scattering the seed of the gospel! Stop it! Just start scattering the seed! In the days of Jesus they did not fully understand how to cultivate soil, prepare it, and mulch it or fertilize it properly. They did know that good soil could produce a good crop if it was watered well. But Jesus was not teaching this here, rather he was teaching the fact that the farmer scattered his seed on many kinds of ground. The ground either produced or it didn’t; the farmer just scattered his seed! Scattering the seed of the gospel means planting it anywhere!

  EXAMPLE: When I was younger I learned all kinds of ways to share my faith, Four Spiritual Laws, The Roman Road, Evangelism Explosion, and Sharing Jesus Without Fear just to name a few. Now there is nothing wrong with learning something that helps you to share your faith, but it can make us lose focus of what we are supposed to be doing. Most people do not share their faith because they are either afraid to do so or they think they do not know enough to do so. When I plant my bush beans in my backyard garden I do not worry about what the neighbors think or if I know enough about farming to plant them. Now I know this sounds silly, but let me share a secret about sharing your faith that really is no secret: Don’t think so much! The more you share what you do know, the easier it gets. Jesus did not quote Scripture that day on the lake. He shared what he knew the crowd needed to hear; you can as well. Share what you know about Jesus, scattering the seed of the gospel means planting it anywhere!

Most people probably know you are a Christian already and will not be surprised if you share what you believe! Stop worrying about what others think, they already know! Instead let’s take a look at the last thing we truly should be concerned about…

III. Scattering the seed means we have heard our Master!

“He who has ears, let him hear.”

  1. Now this seems to be kind of a curious statement by Jesus because we all have ears. And probably all of the people in that crowd on the lake that day had both of their ears as well. (And Peter did not have a sword at this time.) We understand that what Jesus meant was if you were truly listening to what he was sharing, you would scatter the seed of the gospel just like he was doing. Jesus scattered the seeds by speaking it, living it, and sharing it wherever he went. Yet, in his words right here we discover a tacit command: We are to be about scattering the seeds of the gospel. Last week we learned again about the commission of Christ to “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV84)” Now this does not mean we have to memorize specific passages of the Bible, learn a specific way to share our faith, or that we fail Jesus if we do not share our faith every minute of every day. Jesus never taught this nor does he command it, so stop feeling guilty over it. What Jesus means here is that if you have experienced the gospel for yourself, then share when you can what you know! You do this by praying with someone who is hurting, by writing a note to someone who needs encouragement, by telling those around you when you can how Jesus has blessed your life recently. Now let me ask you “Are you listening?” If so, then you understand that: Scattering the seed means we have heard our Master!

  EXAMPLE: Guilt should not be the motivator for us to share our faith with others around us. Rather it should be the fact of what Jesus has done and is doing in our lives right now! There is a reason why the Psalmist sang, “The joy of the Lord is my strength!” When I watch those Evening Grosbeaks in my backyard I realize that they come there because they feel safe and there is lots of free food, seed, provided by me! Also, I have noticed that when they come, they begin to chirp and carry on, and then other birds are attracted and they come as well! And you know something, I fill my birdfeeders with birdseed and share it, not out of guilt, but because I enjoy seeing birds of all kinds come into my yard! Let the joy of the Lord be your motivator to share your faith, not your guilt. Perhaps you need to begin looking for those precious moments in life where God has blessed you that you can share with others so that they too can be fed from your joy in the Lord? Have you heard the Master lately? Remember, scattering the seed means we have heard our Master!

Conclusion:

Scattering the seed of the gospel means speaking the gospel! Scattering the seed of the gospel means planting it anywhere! Scattering the seed means we have heard our Master!

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This article is copyrighted © 2022 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.