One of the best ways for you and I to understand and learn is this story, isnt it? I might make some points in this sermon that youll forget, but ten years from now you will be able to remember some story that was told. Thats how our minds think. They didnt have tapes, books, or CDs, DVDs. They would hear this once, and that was it. They couldnt go back and read it like we can, time and again. Jesus would tell us in a parable, so people could retain that and think about what He said. [It would give them] that word picture that they would take home with them that day. So, He is going to tell the parable of the sower and the seed to teach them an important point about how we receive the Word of God and how it grows in our lives. In Luke 8:4, we will start reading (page 1023 of pew Bibles). It says, While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, He told this parable: A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering his seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown. When He said this, He called out, He who has ears to hear, let him hear. He would often say that. What does that mean: he who has ears to hear let him hear? What Hes really saying there is those who are seeking truth, those who are listening for truth, Youll find it. You know you can listen and not really listen. By the way, just so you know, were flipping our service this morning. Were doing the preaching first and the music second. So, if youre walking in, and Im already preaching and youre really confused, thats why. Were preaching first this morning. So, ears to hear…Sometimes, even on a Sunday morning, I can look out, and some of you look like youre really listening to what I have to say. But, if I were to walk down to you and say, What did I just say? youd say, I dont know. I wasnt listening. At some point in time, youre going to tune out during the sermon. Have you ever experienced this: somebody is talking to you, and it dawns on you that you havent heard what he or she has said for like the last three minutes or so? You look like youre listening, but you really havent listened. Sometimes Ill have to have my wife repeat something to me, and Ill say, You said all of that? Where was I? She said, You were right here. I heard about a man who read a story on men and women and how they communicate. He went home and he told his wife, Honey, this study is really scientific, and it says that women speak twice as much as men. You girls just love to talk. You use twice as many words to communicate as men do. She said, Well, honey, thats easy to figure out. Its because we have to say everything twice because you never hear it the first time. He replied, Did you say something? Verse 9, His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand. Thats also a little bit of a perplexing verse. Jesus is saying, Parables both reveal and conceal. It depends on where your heart is. There were those in the audience who were coming not to learn from Jesus but to find words that would accuse Him, to find evidence against Him, to affirm what they already believed about Him-that He was a deceiver. He was an imposter. So those were the kind of ears they listened with. They listened not with ears to learn, but ears ready to accuse, ready to catch Him in something. So Jesus would tell them a parable, and the one who was really seeking truth would meditate on it, pray about it, reflect on it, and discuss it. Over time, they would start to remember things. Yes, I understand what Jesus meant now. For those who were looking for reasons to accuse and condemn, theyd go home and someone would ask, What did you think about this Jesus of Nazareth? Hes quite a teacher, ha? Oh, no. Overrated. He had some story about birds, seeds, and plants. It really wasnt that good. He just talked about nature. It wasnt deep at all. They totally missed the mark. It was concealed from them. So Jesus talks about that. It depends on the condition of our hearts. This morning, were going to focus on how to prepare our hearts to receive the seed of the Word of God. Jesus is going to explain the parable here. He doesnt always do that. We wish He would. We wish after every parable, Jesus would go back and say, Now, let Me tell you what it meant. Some of them, we have to scratch our heads and really read them through again and again to try to figure out what Hes saying. This one, He goes back and says, Let Me explain to you what it means. Verse 11, The seed is the Word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the Word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. That, right away, should get our attention. It talks about spiritual conflict. It talks about the fact that God wants to plant His Word-or His truth-in our lives. The enemy wants to take it away. When we share the Word of God on a Sunday morning, you should be all the more ready and all the more prepared and sober-minded and alert because there is somebody who is trying to steal it from you. [That gives you] all the more reason to be on your guard. How does he steal it? How does that happen? If I know how he steals it, then I can prevent him from stealing it, correct? If I know what his methodology is? Keeping our place in Luke, lets turn to Matthew 13 together. In Matthew 13:18 (page 968 of pew Bibles), Jesus also was explaining the same parable, but He adds a phrase in this book that we dont read in Luke. This phrase is very insightful. Listen to what the parable of the sower means: When 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. So how does he steal it from us? Because we dont what? Understand. Its easy for him to take away what we dont understand. You cannot retain-is another way to put it-what you dont understand. If I say something to you in French right now, probably only Tim and maybe a handful of others are going to be able to understand what I said. If you dont speak that language, it doesnt mean anything to you. You dont understand it. Have you ever had somebody explain a concept to you-it could be a theological concept? It could be mathematical. It could be something to do with construction or mechanical or musical. Youre listening to what theyre saying, and youre saying, Ah ha, and youre pretending like you understand everything thats being said. If we were to ask you, What did they say? youd say, I have no clue. But, you act like you know what they are saying. You dont even tell them you dont understand. Have you ever done that? Some of you are nodding your head. Does that mean you understand me or are you doing what I just talked about? Weve all done that. Weve all gone, Mmm. Yeah. Mmm hmm. They walk away, and one person turns to you and says, What did that mean? You say, I have no idea, but you pretend like you did, right? Sometimes well talk about theological matters, and maybe youre in cross training or maybe its a weekend message, and there is something you dont understand. Rather than seeking out the answer, rather than studying it more and gaining understanding, asking the right questions, you dont do anything with it. Whats going to happen to that seed? Its gone. That will be stolen. You dont understand it. I would rather humble myself and admit I dont know something and learn than have it stolen away from me. All of us are students. Never be ashamed or embarrassed to ask a question. Everybody in this room is a student. Im a student of the Word of God. Im learning and growing. Youre a student of the Word of God. You learn from me; I learn from you. We learn from each other. Never think, I dont want this person to think I dont understand or I am too embarrassed to admit I need help. Thats just pride, and that will hinder you. That will prohibit the seed from growing in your life as God wants it to. Lets return back to the parable in Luke 8. Jesus then goes on to explain what the other seed that was sown means. Verse 13, Those on the rock are the ones who receive the Word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. In other words, when some sort of persecution arose, in those days, if you were to be a follower of Christ, it would cost you. When I was ministering in Sweden-to be a Christian in Sweden, it costs you something. They didnt understand that. They would ridicule you in that secular society. They didnt understand in America: You mean in America, you can go to church and be a Christian, and its acceptable? I said, Yes. They thought we lived in a Utopia of some sort. They couldnt conceive of living in a country like we live in. When were persecuted or the threat of persecution arises, Jesus says, People neglect the Word that has been sown in their hearts. The seed that fell among the thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by lifes worries, riches and pleasures… There are three distractions, the worries of life. We all have worries and concerns and riches, the good things the world has to offer us materially and by pleasures-the good things the world has to offer us sensually, through our senses. We become distracted from Godly things or spiritual matters and begin to pursue these other matters. When that plant is growing up, if its surrounded by weeds, thorns, and other things, those things steal and rob the nutrition thats meant for that good plan. They robb the rays of the sun. They rob the water, the nutrients that are in the soil. In that same way, these concerns of this life rob you and me of what we need to have Gods Word grow in our lives. The result is our growth is stunted. We dont grow and mature as we should. Notice, what the Lord says here. He did not say the plants in this case died. He says, in Verse 14, …and they do not mature. They dont grow up. They become spiritual Peter Pans. Weve heard the Word. Were excited about the Word, but we become distracted by these other things. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the Word, Number one. …retain it… They seek to understand it. They contemplate it. They discuss it. They ask questions; they ponder it. …and by perseverance, produce a good crop. Even good seed doesnt grow up over night. The things were talking about, this is Jesus Word, so this is good seed, but it may not produce a crop in you instantly. Its not going to grow instantly. It could be that a year from now, when you come to church, you will be coming to church with a different mindset. Heres what I mean: Because the enemy is trying to snatch away the seed, when you come to the services, are you preparing your heart? When youre driving here in your car, what are you doing? Do you pray? Do you spend any time cracking the Bible on a Sunday morning before the service starts? Have you ever opened up Luke to read through it before we get here? To specifically pray and say, Lord, I need to hear from You today. We sang a hymn in our traditional service this morning that Neil picked out. Understand, he knew the topic, but he didnt know exactly how I was going to preach it. I just know what my topic is. The programming team does their thing, and the music team picks out their music, but I dont prepare sermons weeks in advance. I havent started on next weeks message yet because I just finished this one. So, its hard to tell them every detail of what Im going to say because I havent prepared it yet. When I got done, the team came up and led us in music. Listen to the song they picked out: Open my eyes that I might see, glimpses of truth Thou has for me. Place in my hands the wonderful key that shall unclasp and set me free (unlock the mysteries of the Word). Silently now I wait for Thee, ready my God, thou will to see. Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit Divine. Thats what Im talking about, that we prepare our heart to receive. Maybe a year from now or a month from now, when you come to church, youll have a different mindset. Ill walk around sometimes, and Ill see people who get here early. Ill see them reading the text that were going to talk about. Or, Ill see them with their head bowed in prayer. Ill say to myself, Theres a person with ears to hear this morning. I guarantee when I look at them, theyre going to be locked in. Ill be able to tell theyre receiving the same Word. Another person will come in here, and their mind is somewhere else. [They come in with the] worries of life, the pleasures of life, the material things of life, other distractions, and theyll walk out of here. Youll say, What did the pastor talk about? I dont know, but I have to get home. I didnt really get anything out of it this morning. Another person thought it was great. [Even if you have] the most boring speaker, the most boring monotone lecture in the world, if someone is preaching the Word of God, you should get something from that if your soil is prepared. You should walk away with something from that. Were going to do a little case study this morning with the time we have left. Were going to look at a man who had seeds sown in his life by the ultimate sower of seeds. He had Jesus Himself plant seed of the Word of God in his life. Were going to watch how he deals with it when he doesnt understand it, how he deals with it when theres persecution, and how he deals with it when there are distractions in his life. Were going to find out if it grows. Before we talk about whom he is, I want us to turn in our Bibles to John 12 (page 1066) and talk about the situation thats going on here. Lets read together verses 42 and 43 of John 12. John writes, Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue… In other words, the fear of persecution; the fear of a loss of their privilege-of their status; of their position as theyre seeking to climb in the ranks of the hierarchy, seeking advancement, the loss of friends and colleagues and peers; the loss of the reputation prohibited them from saying, Im a believer in Jesus. If he or she said, Im a believer in Jesus, they would be ostracized. …for they loved the praise from men more than praise from God, John writes. Sometimes, that can be said of you and me. There have been times in our lives when we have been silent or have not acted because we are afraid of what others might think or do, so at that particular moment-in that particular day, we cared more about what men thought about us than what God thought about us. The Pharisees-for the most part-were the enemies of Christ. They didnt like the way He acted. He broke their traditions, not Gods traditions-not Gods love, but mans love. He broke them. He went out of his way to cause trouble for them. They didnt approve of his theology. He would say things like, I and the Father are One. If youve seen Me, youve seen the Father. They didnt approve of that. They saw that as blasphemy. They didnt like the fact that this man-who had gone through no formal education-was attracting followers by the thousands; He was a threat to their powerbase. He was a threat to their security. They deemed him a blasphemer; they deemed him a heretic; they even believed He needed to die because He was having too much negative influence. He was teaching too contrary to what they believed. He was bucking the system. If you swore allegiance to Jesus, you were seen as a betrayer by the other Pharisees. So, to come out as a Pharisee and say, Im a believer in Jesus meant the loss of all of these other things. Really, its a gain, but they were looking at it from an earthly perspective and said, Its a loss. So, they would refuse allegiance to Christ. They refused to verbalize their faith in Him. The seed would be choked in their lives. Now, there was a man by the name of Nicodemus in John 3 (page 1051) who were going to meet. Lets read about him together in Verse 1, Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. This is an important individual. His name means conqueror, so hes maybe grown up with a little bit of an ego because every time hes addressed, he hears the word conqueror. How would you like to hear that? What if your parents had named you Conqueror? Conqueror, its time to eat. Conqueror, have you done your homework yet? I dont have to. Im the conqueror. Nicodemus, his mindset is that of a leader from the very onset. He is a Pharisee, so that means hes one of the most religiously powerful people of the day. Hes also a member of the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin. The ruling council was like the Supreme Court and Congress all rolled into one. That is what were talking about. So this is a man who was wealthy, educated, powerful in religious circles, powerful in the government circles. This man also is a key teacher. He was very prominent in society. He comes to the Lord it says at night. Why does he come at night? He didnt want to be seen. He didnt want to stir up any rumors. He didnt want anyone to think he was a follower of Christ, so he comes at night. He comes in secret. In Verse 2, he says, Rabbi, we know… Now, when he says we know, he doesnt mean all of the Pharisees. Hes probably talking about a few, maybe Joseph of Arimathea or a couple others that were talked about in John 12 who recognized that Jesus is from God, but they were afraid to speak out of fear. When he says we, its probably a few people that hes referring to. We know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him. In reply, Jesus declared, I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. These are the first times these words are every uttered, to be born again. Understand, weve heard those words. Many of us have grown up with those words. Those words have been used in our pop culture. Theyve been misconstrued, but Jesus spoke those words, and those words still apply. We still better understand what they mean because Jesus says, You have to be born again to see the Kingdom of God. If Jesus said it, I better listen to it, right, because it still applies? It hasnt changed. He is very perplexed at that statement, I must be born again. You might be afraid to ask some stupid questions, but I promise you-you will never ask as dumb of a question as Nicodemus is about to ask. He listens to Him and he says, How can a man be born again when he is old? Nicodemus asked. Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mothers womb to be born! The Nicodemus question is well how does that work? You have to go back inside there somehow? I dont get it? You may have asked some doosies in your life, but you think, Well, I wouldnt have asked that. Common sense tells you thats impossible. Lets give Nicodemus the credit. He asked the question. The teacher asked the question. He becomes the pupil, the student. When Jesus says you must be born again, Nicodemus doesnt say, Oh, yes. Thats what I thought. Thank You, Jesus, and you have a good day. He walks out and reports to his friends who ask, What did He say? He said we must be born again to see the Kingdom of God. Whats that mean? I dont know. He asked the question. Hes not too proud to say, I dont know what that means. Jesus explains what He means. Nicodemus still does not understand what Hes talking about, so what does he do? Verse 9, a second time, he says, How can this be? Im still lost. Im still confused. Nicodemus is grappling with this. Nicodemus has questions, so hes not just allowing those questions to be unanswered because if he does, that seed is going to be gone. He wants to be sure he understands, I need more information. I need more facts. I need more knowledge. I need more. I need more, Jesus. Thats what we have to be like. We have to be tenacious like that. When we dont know the answer, [we need to] get the answer. Study it. Dig into it. Discuss it. Ask more questions. Dont walk away and pretend like you know it when you dont. You want that seed to grow? Dig into the Word of God and say, Okay. Because once you say, Okay, now I get it, then no one can take it from you. Its not going to be stolen. It takes work, but you can say, Now, Ive got it. Now its mine. Jesus replies and says, You are Israels teacher, and do you not understand these things? Now, He is not cutting Nicodemus down. Jesus is just a little bit taken back at Nicodemuss total lack of understanding of spiritual matters because…Listen to what Jesus says, You are Israels teacher. When you read this in the Greek, theres a definite article there. In other words, it could be read like this: You are the teacher of Israel, and you dont understand these things? Nicodemus wasnt just a teacher; he was a teacher. He was regarded as one of the premier teachers in the land. We learn that simply from what Jesus says here, You are Israels teacher. Youre the teacher of Israel, and you dont understand these things? I mean, here he is. Everybody comes to Nicodemus to get their questions answered, and here is Nicodemus coming to Jesus like a little kid and saying, Im lost. I dont understand anything You said. Think of the greatest teacher you know, a math teacher, science teacher-somebody you learned the most from. Think of that person talking to somebody else about that subject they are so good at, and saying, Im lost. Could you explain it to me? But Nicodemus, to his credit, asks the question. He was not content with simply being confused. He wants to know the truth. Now, lets watch what happens as that seed is in his life because I guarantee he has ears to hear. I guarantee hes reflecting on it; hes contemplating it; hes continuing to search. Were going to meet him again in John 7 (page 1058). Theres persecution that has starting to come because of the teachings of Christ. Verse 44, Some wanted to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him. Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, Why didnt you bring Him in? We wanted to talk to Him. Why didnt you bring Him in like we asked? No one ever spoke the way this man does, the guards declared. You mean the guy you told us to go seize? When we went to seize Him, [we learned] that guy can talk! That guy is smart! I dont think we should be bringing Him anywhere! You should go listen to what He has to say! You mean He has deceived you also? the Pharisees retorted. Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in Him? No! There sits Nicodemus sort of going, Mmmm. I do. Remember Nicodemus says, I believe in the Lord. I believe youre from God. Right? But Nicodemus isnt going to tell his peers that he thinks Jesus is from God because he is afraid. That persecution is choking out that seed, causing that seed to not grow. He could lose his place. He could lose his status as a teacher of Israel. Hes been a Pharisee, Sanhedrin, teacher, and [it would all be] gone, all of it! The money, the status, the power, [it would be] gone. So Nicodemus zips his lip, sort of. He doesnt come out and say, Well, I think Jesus is from God because no body could do the works He did. I went to Jesus and spoke to Him. Heres what He said. Nobody knows. Its still a secret. By the way, let me ask you this question: John records for us [what happens] behind closed doors with the Pharisees, right? He tells us the discussion. He tells us what Nicodemus said. John was not there. Jesus was not there. Who is the source of this conversation behind closed doors? Were going to learn at the end of the message this morning that it might be Nicodemus. He could be the very man who tells John what happened that day. There were no apostles back there when they were having this discussion. How did they find out? Nicodemus speaks in Verse 50, Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing? What Nicodemus is saying is listen, we have to give this guy a fair shake. We have to cut Him some slack. We have to hear what He has for us before we judge Him. So hes speaking up and defending the Lord, but not fully coming out all the way. They replied, Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee. Now, lets turn to John 19 (page 1074). In John 19, Jesus is dead. Theyve had their way. Now at the foot of the cross are those who have to be there, the Romans. Its their job. Those who want to be there are because theyre saying good-bye. His followers, His family, are there. Theyre weeping and theyre crying. Theyre crushed. His enemies are there too. Theyre making sure the job is done. They want to make sure Hes dead. They want to be sure Hes buried and gone. Its no longer nighttime. Its daytime. Who emerges from the people to take care of the body of Jesus? The Pharisees want Him buried with the two thieves. [They want to] just dump the corpse in the ground. The world is rid of a nuisance. His voice is silenced forever. He got what He deserved. They have no care for the body, but two very unlikely people step forward. Both of them are Pharisees. One is named Joseph of Arimathea, and the other is named Nicodemus. They come out; they take the body of Jesus down from the cross. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. I didnt research how much this would have cost him, but myrrh was very expensive. Remember when the kings brought Jesus gold, frankincense and myrrh. This is very costly, and [they have] 75 pounds of it! Nicodemus spent a lot of money. Taking Jesus body, the two of them wrapped it with the spices and strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. They found the tomb where nobody had been laid, and in there they put Jesus. They came out and said, Listen, we dont care who knows anymore. We love this man. They took his body with loving care, wrapped it, anointed it, and placed it in a tomb with expensive spices. We dont have the words he spoke here, but his actions spoke volumes. His actions said Nicodemus no longer was hiding, no longer coming at night. He didnt care anymore who knew that he loved this man Jesus. The seed had taken root. The seed had grown. Persecution didnt matter. The loss of the comforts of this world-those worries-didnt matter anymore. All that mattered was Jesus.