Jeff Tacklind’s message on Luke 8:1-21
Sermon Notes:
1 Cor: 8:1-3 We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God.
Proverbs 24:3-4
3 By wisdom a house is built,
and through understanding it is established;
4 through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures.
Luke 8:4-8
4 And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 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. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
TYPES OF SOIL
1.The hard path: This is the person who is somewhere between curiosity and cynicism. They are the cautious observer. They never commit to anything.
“It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.” C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
TYPES OF SOIL
2. The rocky soil is the person who is always looking for the next new thing. They are quick to get on board, but never end up sticking with it. The result is shallowness, a critical heart, and impatience.
TYPES OF SOIL
3. The thorny soil is the person whose life has become cluttered with possessions, pleasures, and anxieties. The result is a life where the greater things are choked out by the lesser things. They always seem to be struggling with frustration and discontent.
TYPES OF SOIL
4. The good soil is teachable. It is both open and cautious. It uses authority without clinging to old ways. It is humble and listens well. It is willing to question, but always clings to the good.
“Contemplation is the highest expression of man’s intellectual and spiritual life. It is that life itself, fully awake, fully active, fully aware that it is alive. It is spiritual wonder. It is spontaneous awe at the sacredness of life, of being. It is a vivid realization of the fact that life and being in us proceed from an invisible, transcendent, and infinitely abundant source. Contemplation is above all, awareness of the reality of that source. It knows the Source, obscurely, inexplicably, but with a certitude that goes beyond reason and beyond simple faith…It is a more profound depth of faith, a knowledge too deep to be grasped in images, in words, or even in clear concepts…” Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
Suggestions for noble thinking:
Remember that anything worthwhile takes time…
Luke 8:16-18
16 “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. 17 For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. 18 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.”
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
1. Where have I become cynical? Where am I resistant towards growth? Are there people who draw these feelings out of you? Is there some truth you might learn from them?
2. What lies am I believing about myself? Where are my beliefs and God’s beliefs about me incongruent? Is there a verse that I might hold onto that would allow me to fight back against these accusations?
3. Where are my worries effecting my trust in God? How are these fears diminishing my hope in the future? How are these anxieties holding me back from producing fruit?
4. What choices in my life are choking out the work that God is doing in my heart. Where have I become double-minded? What weeds is God desiring to pull from my life?