Tuesday, October 1

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Matthew 13:3-9

“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. He who has ears, let him hear.”

Matthew 13:22

The one who receives 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.

A few weeks ago a friend gave us tickets to a Cubs game. So, against our better judgment (just kidding), we loaded up the family and headed to Wrigley Field.

We don’t often make the drive into Chicago, and, as most of us Chicago-landers know, it can be a pleasant or harrowing experience, depending on traffic. Our trip went smoothly until we hit a pocket of congestion right as we entered the city. Traffic was moving about 55 MPH but cars were almost bumper to bumper.

Just as we were merging into an onrushing stream of traffic, we noticed that a young woman in a car right next to us on the crowded freeway was holding her cell phone up against her steering wheel and was clearly sending and receiving texts as she drove.

Now, I have to admit here, for the sake of transparency, that I have occasionally succumbed to the temptation to sneak a peek at my phone for emails and texts - usually at traffic lights. But I think watching this woman with a death wish might have cured me forever from that particular vice!

A recent study claims that “distracted driving” is not only dangerous, but is up to six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated.

In his disarmingly simple parable about a farmer and his field, Jesus points out that a distracted heart can be even more dangerous than distracted driving!

The one who receives 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.

Look at those last three words again: “making it unfruitful.”

It makes me think of an apple tree with no apples; or a stalk of corn that fails to produce ears of corn. There’s something sad and almost tragic about an unfruitful apple tree or a corn-less cornstalk.

Think of our own lives for a moment. Who wants to get to the end of earthly life and have this written on his or her tombstone: “An unfruitful life.”

Jesus is saying that the way to get to that destination is to live a distracted life. But what is that? 

It seems to me that a distracted life, like a distracted driver, is a life focused more on lesser, trivial things than on the greater, more important things. 

A father so focused on his career that he fails to notice that his wife has become more business partner than marriage partner.

A mother so focused on the academic or athletic success of her child that she forgets to teach her son or daughter how to pray.

A college student so focused on fitting in with the peer group party scene that she doesn’t even notice the weeds beginning to choke out the goodness and joy of her own life. 

The truth is that God has many competitors when it comes to the attention and direction of our hearts!

That day driving into Chicago I wanted to shout to that young woman, “Watch where you are going! Put down the phone and pay attention! Nothing on your phone is as important as the road in front of you!”

In other words, nothing is as unfruitful as driving your car into an accident because you were distracted by an LOL on your phone!

Jesus is saying that the word of God, the gospel of the Kingdom, is designed to bear fruit in our lives; fruit like joy and hope and goodness and salvation. But it can’t grow unless we pay attention to it; unless we cultivate the soil of our hearts with prayer and confession and obedience.

Is there any way in which you have allowed your heart to become distracted by trivial things?

Pastor Brian Coffey

Monday, September 30

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Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23

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:

“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. He who has ears, let him hear.”

Matthew 13:18-23

“Listen to what the parable of the sower means: When someone 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. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who receives 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. But 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.”

Not long ago I walked into my home office and found one of my sons doing his homework. That was a good thing. But he wasn’t just doing his homework. While working on his geometry or whatever he was simultaneously listening to music on his ipod, touching base with friends on Facebook, watching his cell phone for incoming text messages, and had another computer screen minimized so he could occasionally see what was happening on Twitter.

I said something like, “Hey, I’m glad you’re working on homework, but how can you get anything done like that?”

Without a hint of sarcasm, he said, “I get more done this way.”

We live in the age of “multi-tasking.” And most of us think we’ve become pretty good at it. In fact, we take a kind of pride in being able to juggle several tasks simultaneously and live under the illusion that we are getting more accomplished by doing so.

But the truth is that there is a whole body of research beginning to emerge that suggests we’re not as good at “multi-tasking” as we think we are. The evidence is that every time we add a task we don’t actually multiply our effectiveness, rather, we divide our attention. The result is that we for perform each task less efficiently.

I can give you a prime example.

Let’s say I’m watching T.V.; say, oh, something like Monday Night Football. Now say my wife, who is sitting just six feet away from me, says something important like, “The house is on fire,” or, “There’s a wildebeest in the living room.” How do I respond?

I say, “Oh, that’s nice,” or, “That’s fine with me.”

Why do I respond that way? It’s not because I don’t care about the house burning down; it’s not because I don’t love my wife; I really do! It’s because I can’t do two things well at once! My eyes and my ears only work on one frequency at a time.

Jesus suggests something similar may be true of our hearts. He says:

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.

Here Jesus is comparing our hearts to a portion of a farmers field where all kinds of weeds are growing right along side of the crop the farmer is trying to grow. And, as anyone who has ever tried to grow a garden knows, weeds, if left unchecked, will eventually take over and choke out the tomatoes or cucumbers or whatever you are trying to grow.

I think Jesus is saying that while we can certainly attend to many activities and issues in our lives, our hearts can only have one top priority at a time. Our hearts can only have one Master; one Lord.

Take a few moments sometime today and invite Jesus to walk with you through the field of your heart. Ask him to show you the good things that are growing there; things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (the “fruit of the Spirit” mentioned in Galatians 5:22). Then ask him to point out where weeds may also be growing; weeds like hurry, impatience, anger, selfishness or temptation; and give him permission to do a little “spiritual weeding” in your heart.

Pastor Brian Coffey

Friday, Sept. 27

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This week we have been examining the rocky soil, or the “shallow heart” from Jesus’ Parable of the Sower that is recorded in Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8. 

As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.  - Matthew 13:20-21 

And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.  - Mark 4:20  

And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.  - Luke 8:13  

One of the striking things about this kind of soil is that it is not immediately easy to tell that it is not good soil.  In fact, it looks good initially because there are signs of growth.  But Jesus us shows us how to discern a shallow heart from a truly genuine heart for God.  In each passage, Jesus indicates that there is something that will ultimately reveal the authenticity of the heart - what is it?  Persecution and tribulation, in other words, pain.  When difficulty and pain comes into our lives, it shines a spotlight on our faith.

It is interesting that Luke’s gospel refers to this as a “time of testing”.  This idea of our faith being tested and refined through trials and pain is a consistent theme throughout Scripture.

James 1:2-4 - Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:12 - Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Romans 5:3-5 - Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

1 Peter 1:6-7 - In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

These passages, and many others like them, help us get a clearer picture of what Jesus is saying about the shallow heart in the Parable of the Sower.  It is important to point out that the Bible does not teach that God is arbitrarily deciding who suffers and who does not.  But the Bible does clearly teach that God is able and willing to use the difficulty, pain and suffering in our lives to grow us, and  deepen our faith and trust in Him. 

The shallow heart says...

“If I can’t see any possible good from my present pain, then there must not be any.”

“If I can’t comprehend how God could possibly use this pain in my life, then He cannot use it.”

“If I don’t  feel close to God in this moment, then He must have abandoned me.”

The shallow heart is short-sighted and impatient, and it cannot see that despite the pain of present circumstances, God is still good and He is still working to bring about a harvest of righteousness as the writer of Hebrews puts it...No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.  - Hebrews 12:11

May God deepen our hearts to know Him and to trust Him more everyday!

Jeff Frazier

Thursday, Sept. 26

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“No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”   - Luke 8:16-18

This little passage from Luke comes right after Jesus gives the Parable of the Sower.  Earlier in this same chapter, Jesus tells us that the seed in the parable is the Word of God (Luke 8:11).  

The lamp was a small clay pitcher with a spout, filled with oil and a wick. Obviously, a person didn’t light such a lamp for the purpose of putting it under a container or under a bed. He lit it so that he could set it on a stand and light up his house. In other words, the lamp had a very practical function. Without it, a person couldn’t see where he/she was going in the dark and would bang against low-lying furniture. He would trip over the kids toys that had been left on the floor. He couldn’t see to cook or read or do anything. The lamp was lit to be used, not to be hidden.

In the same way, God has given us the Bible, including the teachings of Jesus, to shed light on how we should live so that we don’t grope around in the darkness, whacking our shins or bumping into the obstacles that the Word warns us about.

Several years ago when our children were younger, we went as a family on a missions trip to Ecuador with a group of high school students and leaders.  One of the projects that we worked on was digging a 3 foot deep trench that stretched about 3/4 of a mile down the side of a mountain.  The trench was for a water line to bring fresh water from a mountain spring down to a group of houses.  When we had finally finished digging the trench it was getting late, we were exhausted and we neglected to cover the portion that ran through yard between the houses.  That night, the wife of one of the missionaries was walking home, but she had no idea that there was a 3 foot hole across her yard.  As she walked across the yard in the dark, she fell into the trench badly injuring her leg.  

Without God’s Word, people are wandering in this dark, dangerous world without illumination from God. They’re falling into the open holes of fear, sexual immorality, anger, bitterness, self-centeredness, greed, drunkenness (just to name a few).  God’s Word is the light that tells them how to walk so that they don’t walk alone or i darkness.  As believers, we are called to live in the light of God’s Word, so that by our example and our words, we may help others see the truth of God’s love.

It’s hard not to wonder why anyone wouldn’t want God’s light to illumine their lives so that they can see how to avoid the holes and dangers of the dark?  Jesus tells us why, “Men loved the darkness rather than the light for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light lest his deeds should be exposed” (John 3:19-20).

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus is both the Living Word made flesh and the Light of the World.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  - John 1:14

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  - John 8:12 

Jeff Frazier

Wednesday, Sept. 25

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Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.  - Matthew 13:5-6

As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.    - Matthew 13:20-21

And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.  - Luke 8:13

The rocky soil that Jesus is describing in these passages is a metaphor for a shallow heart when it comes to receiving the message of the Gospel.  Jesus says that this kind of person has no depth and no root, and therefore whatever begins to grow in this kind of heart will not last.  I think it is fair to characterize this shallow heart as a kind of spiritual immaturity.  

This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.  Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.  - Ephesians 4:13-14 (NLT)

It is entirely possible (and sadly all too common) to be well into maturity, biologically speaking, and yet also be spiritually very immature.  I believe that one of the marks of a shallow, or immature heart is to desire things from God more than simply desiring God.  

The spiritually immature person does not really want Christ, as much as he/she wants what Christ can given him/her; blessing, healing, prosperity, friendship, hope, etc.  There is nothing at all wrong with wanting the blessings which God promises us in Scripture.  The problem comes when we feel these blessings are late, or lacking, or absent all-together...if our focus has been on the blessings, and not the Blesser, we can quickly become discouraged, and disillusioned with our faith.  

I recall meeting with a man who came to see me to discuss some spiritual issues in his life.  He sat down in my office and began to list all of the disappointments and frustrations he was experiencing; his career had not turned out the way he had hoped, his marriage was struggling and was not at all what he envisioned, he was not close to his kids, his youngest was really struggling emotionally and his oldest had married someone that he did not approve of...the list went on and on...when he had finished listing all of his disappointments, he said looked at me and said, “I guess Christianity is just not working for me anymore.”

Like so many people today who claim to be Christians, this man was basing the validity of his faith, and the faithfulness of God entirely on his circumstances.  In other words he looked at his life and determined that it was not what he had hoped, and he blamed God, and he was ready to walk away from God entirely.  This is what Jesus was talking about when He said that “they withered away” from the heat of the trials of life.

Now, let me say again that there is nothing wrong with clinging to the many promises of God in His Word.  But when the trials of life come (and they will come) the deep and mature heart says, “If I have Christ and only Christ, I need nothing else because I already have more than enough!”

Jeff Frazier

Tuesday, Sept. 24

To listen to the audio version, click here. 

Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.  - Matthew 13:5-6

As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.    
- Matthew 13:20-21

In the parable of the sower, Jesus shows us how we receive, or resist the message of the Gospel.  One of the most fascinating things about this parable is the fact that if we are willing to read it with honesty and humility, we will recognize ourselves somewhere in the four soils that Jesus describes.

I want to draw our attention to the second soil type in this parable - the rocky soil.  When Jesus explains the meaning of the parable, He says that this soil has no depth, and no root, this is why we are calling this soil type “the shallow heart”.  The key characteristic of the shallow heart is that although there is some initial growth, it is short-lived, it doesn’t last.  In other words, these are people who initially look like genuine Christians, but eventually they fall away from faith in Christ.

I must admit that in my role as a pastor, and especially when I was a youth pastor, I have seen this kind of soil in the hearts of many people.  I remember one young man who came on a fall retreat with our ministry.  He was not not a Christian, and I could tell that he was really only coming on the retreat because was interested in a particular young woman in our ministry.  On the last night of the retreat, our guest speaker clearly presented the message of the gospel (sowing seeds) and to the surprise of many of us, this young man stood up and confessed his desire to trust in Christ!

At first I was a bit skeptical of the sincerity of his commitment, but over the next few weeks, he started coming to church on a regular basis and got involved in a student Bible study.  He was excited about his new faith and he was very involved, in other words, he looked and acted just like the rest of the Christian kids.  But over time a couple of things happened.  First, the young lady from our ministry that he was so interested in, turned out to be significantly less interested in him.  Second, he went to spend a month with his father in California over that summer.  His parents had divorced when he was younger, and his father was an avowed atheist.  His dad spent that summer ridiculing his son and tearing down his new found faith.  When the young man returned home, it was clear that something had changed in him.  He stopped coming to church and to Bible study, and he stopped responding to his Christian friends who were reaching out to him.

Eventually we lost touch with this young man, and I don’t know what became of him.  I have often wondered about the authenticity of his initial profession of faith in Christ, but only God knows if he ever truly placed his trust in Jesus.  However, when I think about what Jesus is saying here about the rocky soil and the shallow heart, I can see where the lack of depth caused him to wither away when the pain and pressure came into his life.

It is very interesting that Jesus compares the trouble and persecution of life, to the heat of the sun.  Sunlight and warmth are not bad things, in fact they are necessary for plants to grow.  The point is that it is not the heat, or the trouble, that is the problem, it is the lack of depth in the soil.  The reality is that pain, and difficulty comes to all of us at one time or another.  The shallow heart quite literally “can’t take the heat”, but the genuine heart, the one who has received the seed of the gospel, can echo what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans...

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.  - Romans 5:3-5

Jeff Frazier

Monday, Sept. 23

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Monday

And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”  - Matthew 13:3-9

Although this parable is more commonly named “The Parable of the Sower”, after the sower of the seed, the “Parable of the Soils” might be a more fitting title.  The role of the sower in the story is of course critically important, but the parable’s point is twofold: first, to explain why different soils — different people — respond differently to the Gospel and, second, to invite us to examine ourselves to think about the kind of soil we hope to be.  

The parable and its explanation are straightforward enough. All of the first three people portrayed are ultimately hard in heart, but the hardness is especially clear in the person described in the first kind of soil, since that individual never shows an interest in the Gospel. His heart is hardened to the point where it resists all penetration by the seed.  Those who fall away after professing faith are represented by the second and third kinds of soils. Without solid rooting in good soil, plants will wither and die under the sun’s heat (vv. 5–6). Similarly, some people appear to be thriving believers until persecution reveals their true colors (vv. 20–21).  Others, like vegetation choked by weeds, are strangled by the cares of this world and the love of money (vv. 7, 22).  This is an especially dangerous fate, for the one in this condition usually does not know his predicament until it is too late.

When I was a kid, I would spend a week or two every summer with my cousins on my uncle’s small farm down in central Illinois.  I have fond memories of riding mini-bikes, playing in the hayloft, riding on the tractor, etc. I have even romanticized the times I spent cleaning out the stalls with my uncle.  However, one memory that is not so fond, is of the few times my uncle had us pick up rocks in his fields, ugh!  We would walk back and forth across the dirt field and pick up rocks, starting with the larger more obvious ones, and then the smaller ones, until my uncle finally told us we could stop.  

I look back now and realize that these were really small fields, and we only did this on a couple of occasions for a few hours, but at the time, I thought the fields were enormous and the job would never end!  I can remember thinking that this was a totally pointless task.  The fields looked the same to me when we had finished, as they did when we started.  But my uncle knew the difference.  He knew that the soil was really not yet ready to receive the seeds he was going to be planting there soon.

I think Jesus is telling us something very similar in this parable.  He is showing us that when it comes to soils, and to the human heart, external appearances can be deceiving.  God wants to prepare our hearts to receive the seed, His living word!  

Matthew Henry writes: “That which distinguished this good ground from the rest, was, in one word, fruitfulness. He does not say that this good ground has no stones in it, or no thorns; but there were none that prevailed to hinder its fruitfulness.”  

Stones or thorns may be found in the good soil of a true believer’s heart, but such obstructions do not finally prevent him from bearing fruit. Despite your remaining issues (and we’ve all got them) is your life bearing fruit for Christ?

Jeff Frazier

Friday, September 20

To listen to the audio version, click here.

Matthew 13:3-9

“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. He who has ears, let him hear.”

Matthew 13:18-19

“Listen to what the parable of the sower means: When someone 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. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The 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. But 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.”

We all know that it’s the nature of living things to grow. From children to blue whales to corn, it’s the very nature of living things to grow.

And it’s the nature of the gospel to grow!

Just as a seed contains within it the potential for explosive growth, so the gospel contains the potential for explosive growth, given the right soil conditions.

In his parable Jesus teaches that when the soil of the heart is hardened, the seed of the gospel cannot take root.

When someone 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.

But, on the other hand, Jesus suggests that when the soil of a person’s heart is soft, then the gospel of the kingdom produces a dramatic harvest.

But 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.”

We’re going to talk more about the harvest Jesus is talking about in a few weeks. But for now, let’s go back to the story of Lee Strobel for a minute.

By his own admission, he was a hard driving, hard-hearted, newspaper man who also happened to be an atheist. That’s not just hard soil, that’s an asphalt parking lot!

But the grace of Christ, through one courageous and compassionate junior reporter, created a small crack in the asphalt. And in that smallest of openings, the good farmer sowed a tiny seed of the gospel.

Have you ever seen a tuft of grass that looks like it’s growing right through a parking lot or sidewalk?

That’s what happened to Lee Strobel.

By the time I heard him tell his story, Mr. Strobel had not only become a follower of Jesus, but a teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, one of the largest and most influential evangelical churches in North America.

Today he is the author of over 20 books; is a popular speaker; and hosted the network TV program “Faith Under Fire.”

That’s not just growth; that’s explosive growth! That’s not just a blade of grass pushing up through the parking lot; that’s an oak tree!

Now, think for a moment about that young Christian reporter who, despite being bullied by Mr. Strobel, called him to express concern and offered to pray for his wife and unborn child. 

What if he had allowed his heart to become hardened by hurt, resentment and anger? What if he had never made that call? What if that tiny gospel seed had never been planted?

May we never tire of helping the good Farmer scatter his seed!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Thursday, September 19

To listen to the audio version, click here.

Matthew 13:3-9

“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. He who has ears, let him hear.”

Matthew 13:18-19

“Listen to what the parable of the sower means: When someone 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. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The 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. But 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.”

Some time ago I heard author and pastor Lee Strobel tell a story from his days as a hard charging newspaper reporter who also happened to be an atheist. 

He said that during the 14 years or so that he worked for the Chicago Tribune he was not only an atheist himself, but he knew very few Christians. When a junior reporter who was transparent about his faith in Christ joined his staff, Strobel went out of his way to make the guy’s work life miserable. Strobel admitted to openly mocking the younger reporter’s faith and routinely gave him poor assignments.

Then, after this was going on for a while, Strobel’s wife, who was expecting a baby, experienced a dangerous complication with her pregnancy. Strobel then recalled that the only person in his whole office to call or offer any care was the young man he had been abusing and mocking for months. The younger reporter called Strobel and simply said, “Mr. Strobel, I just want you to know that I am praying for your wife and baby during this time.”

That’s all it was; just a simple call to express concern and prayer. Strobel said that, looking back, that young man was the first person that helped him know the God he didn’t believe even existed!

Mr. Strobel freely admits that for many years he was a great example of what Jesus was talking about in this parable.

When someone 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.

His heart was hardened through pride and arrogance. 

But all week we have been saying that the good farmer doesn’t give up on hard soil!

So how does hard soil get broken up? How does hard soil become good soil?

It seems to me that God the farmer uses two main tools to break up hardened soil; the brokenness of confession and the breaking in of grace.

In Lee Strobel’s case, we can see how God used both tools.

First, Mr. Strobel came face to face with a circumstance he couldn’t control, no matter how smart, driven or successful he had become. He was helpless. Sometimes confession happens when we simply admit we are afraid and need help. Sometimes confession is about the guilt and remorse over sin that we feel in our hearts as the result of the conviction of the Holy Spirit. But confession requires the death of pride and the triumph of humility. Through confession, the soil of our hearts is plowed and broken up!

Second, Mr. Strobel came face to face with a love that he did not understand; a grace that he did not deserve. The very person he had mocked and abused reached out to him with compassion and care. That young reporter was the face of Christ.

The combination of confession and grace shattered his defenses and softened the soil of his heart enough for the seed of the gospel to take root.

Do you have a hard spot or two in your heart? Is there some area of your life or relationships that the Holy Spirit has been trying to plow up? 

Remember that God already knows your hard spots and has already offered you the love and forgiveness that you don’t deserve.

Will you invite the good Farmer to do his work?

Pastor Brian Coffey

Wednesday, September 18

To download the audio version, click here. 

Matthew 13:3-9

“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. He who has ears, let him hear.”

Matthew 13:18-19

“Listen to what the parable of the sower means: When someone 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.

During my final year in seminary, back in the mid ‘80’s, I had to complete a unit of study called “Clinical Pastoral Education,” or, “C.P.E.” I was assigned as a student chaplain to a large suburban hospital that had several full time chaplains on staff. My particular assignment involved visiting patients on an oncology wing.

Even though I had grown up in a ministry family, and had been in churches all my life, this was a new experience for me. I had to walk “cold turkey” into the rooms of people who were in various stages of very serious treatment, some of who knew they were dying. They had no idea who I was or why I was coming into their room. I was supposed to introduce myself, tell them I was a student chaplain, and then try to discern if I could offer any ministry or encouragement to them or their family members who may be with them.

It was awkward at best, but I did the best I could to offer care and prayer to strangers who were suffering.

One day one of the nurses caught me as I walked onto the wing. She told me I should go see the man in room 512 (I no longer remember the actual room number). So I went.

As I entered the room I saw a gaunt looking man who seemed to me to be about 75 years old and clearly very, very sick. His skin had the grayish/yellow tone I have come to know signals the final stages of life.

My first instinct, I’m sorry to say, was to turn on my heels and leave the room before he saw me; I just felt helpless.

But before I could do that the man looked up and growled, “Who the h___ are you?”

I stammered out, “Uh, I’m the student chaplain on this floor, and I just stopped by to….” I never finished my sentence.

The man interrupted me, “I don’t need a “blankety-blank” (read: “unprintable profanity”) chaplain!”

I was surprised more than offended. But I did what seemed like my only option at the time; I turned and left the room.

When I came back two days later the man was gone. He had died the day I walked out of his room.

I wished I had stayed. He did need a chaplain, he was just too proud to admit it.

Read again Jesus words:

When someone 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.

While it sounds like the hardened heart simply doesn’t “understand” the message of the kingdom; like I struggled to understand trigonometry in high school; a better translation of the phrase Jesus uses might be, “does not receive it.”

I think the man in that hospital room did not want to receive me as a chaplain because he didn’t want to need a chaplain, just like he didn’t want to need God.

That’s the very definition of pride. And while all sin hardens our hearts, pride is particularly deadly.

Pride, by its very nature, resists the gospel. Pride keeps us from the freedom and humility of confession. Pride says, “I don’t need help. I don’t need God. I can do it myself, thank you!”

C.S. Lewis’ great essay, “The Great Divorce,” revolves around a bus that travels each day from hell to heaven. Residents of the former are welcome to make the journey, and even to get off the bus and stay in heaven, if they will only confess their need for the forgiveness of Christ. But, in most cases, that is the one thing they are unwilling to do.

One character, upon learning the requirement to stay in God’s heaven, says, “I only want my rights. I’m not asking for anybody’s bleeding charity.”

The citizen of heaven who is accompanying him responds, “Then do. At once. Ask for the Bleeding Charity.”

Pride was the sin of Lucifer, the angel of light, that caused him to be cast out of heaven (Luke 10:18; Isaiah 14:12).

And pride is what hardens our hearts so that we can’t bear to receive the kingdom message of grace and repentance.

But, again, the good farmer does not give up on hard soil. He is willing to use every tool at his disposal to break through the crust so that the seed has a chance to grow.

Sometimes he simply allows the consequences of our pride to break us. And sometimes his love can look an awful lot like an iron plow or a jackhammer. 

Have you ever allowed pride to harden your heart? Have you ever felt the power of his grace plow through the crusty surface of your soul?

Are you ready to ask for his Bleeding Charity?

Pastor Brian Coffey

Tuesday, September 17

To listen to the audio version, click here.

Matthew 13:3-4

“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.

Matthew 13:18-19

“Listen to what the parable of the sower means: When someone 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.

Grass grows in lots of places; in yards, through asphalt parking lots, in the cracks of sidewalks, and even on the roofs of some houses. But there’s one place where grass will never grow: under a children’s swing set!

For a number of years when our boys were younger we had a swing set in our back yard. Within just a few weeks of putting it up I noticed that the spots under the swings had been rubbed completely bare. The scraping and pounding of little feet had left rock hard spots of barren soil, so trampled and downtrodden, that those areas were destined forever to be devoid of vegetation!

That’s like the one of the soil types Jesus mentions in his parable.

A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path…

In Jesus’ day farmer’s fields were often small and located near footpaths used by people and carts as they did their daily business. Sometimes fields were actually criss-crossed with these narrow paths. 

The farmer would just scatter seed by hand, flinging it all over his whole field, including onto these footpaths. But since the paths were worn rock hard by traffic, the seed had no chance to penetrate the soil and would be easily picked off by hungry birds.

What does Jesus have in mind when he talks about the path, the hardened soil?

Many years ago my father had the difficult pastoral task of leading the funeral service for a young man who had been severely disabled from birth. The boy’s mother and sister attended my Dad’s church, but the father did not, and was, in fact, an agnostic and somewhat hostile toward religion. The father had actually objected to a funeral, preferring simply to go straight to the cemetery and bury his son. But his wife and daughter had persuaded him to allow my father to lead simple service in a local funeral home.

My Dad says that as he stepped up to the lectern to open the service, the father, who was seated in the front row directly in front of the lectern, gave a great sigh and muttered through clenched teeth, “Keep it short.”

That’s a heart that’s been worn hard by pain and bitterness.

That’s what Jesus is talking about when he says:

When someone 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.

I don’t know that man’s full story, but I’ve heard enough stories through the years to know that his heart had probably been in the process of hardening for a long time. Maybe it started with the pain of having a son born with severe disabilities. Maybe it began long before that. 

Pain is inevitable in human life. Our lives are filled not only with joys and successes, but also with failures and grief. And when we experience pain or loss the soil of our hearts tends to either grow deeper and softer through our faith, or harder and harder through anger and bitterness.

We must not miss or underestimate the role of the one Jesus calls “the evil one” in the story.

The evil one is Satan, and Satan loves to harden hearts. Hearts that have been hardened by pain and bitterness become resistant to the seed of the gospel. They become resistant to truth; and even resistant to love. Hardened hearts want to be left alone with their pain; hardened harts want to “Keep it short.”

So Satan relentlessly accuses God and tempts us.

“Look what happened to you,” he says, “God doesn’t love you. God doesn’t care about you.”

“You deserve better. You deserve to have everything you want. You have the right to be angry and bitter.”

And slowly our hearts grow as hard as the bare spots under a swing set.

But a good farmer does not give up on hard soil! Rather, the good farmer works tirelessly to break up that hard soil. He rolls up his sleeves and plows and tills and digs and does everything he can to soften that soil. And he continues to scatter seed in hopes that sooner or later it will take root.

Is your heart hardened in some way today? Have you allowed the evil one to convince you that God does not care for you?

He does care. He knows your pain. And he wants to break up the hard soil so that his joy may grow once again. Will you let him?

Pastor Brian Coffey