Title: For Abundant Fruits/Luke 8:1-15
For rich fruit
Unlike other years this year, Chuseok is fast approaching. Now that the holiday is about 20 days away, the hands of farmers who want to ship fresh grains and fresh fruits are getting busier. Every farmer looks forward to a bountiful harvest. In John 15:1, God is compared to a farmer.
“I am the true vine, and my father is the farmer.”
Naturally, he wants us Christians to bear fruit in our lives. And He wants us to bear more abundantly, not just being satisfied with bearing fruit.
“For every branch in me that does not bear fruit, the Father takes it away, and every branch that bears fruit he purifies so that it may bear more fruit” (verse 2).
When we bear as much fruit as God wants, He is pleased and glorified.
“My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and you will be my disciples” (verse 8).
In the text, Jesus tells the parable of the sower and teaches how to bear much fruit.
First, we must receive the seed (verse 8).
You have to sow a seed to bear fruit. That doesn't mean sowing any seeds. If you sow dead seeds, no matter how much you fertilize and how well you control diseases and diseases, they will not bear fruit. You must sow living seeds. The word of God also has life. The word of God is alive and has power (Hebrews 4:12). And not perishable, but incorruptible (1 Peter 2:23). It bears fruit in people's lives. Therefore, Jesus compared the word of God to a seed (verse 11).
After telling the parable of the sower, Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (verse 8). Obviously, this implies that not many have ears to hear. There is no one in the world without ears. And with the exception of a few people with disabilities, everyone can hear. So, how should we understand Jesus' words? Those who have ears to hear are none other than those who have an interest in the Word of God. Only such a person can benefit from hearing the word.
Second, the ground must be soft (verse 8).
When planting, first plow and plow the hardened soil. This makes it easier for the sown seeds to take root in the ground. The ground that has become a road is inevitably much harder than other ground because it is often trampled through by people and carts. So, even if you sow the seed, it will not sprout well and will not bear fruit. The same goes for rocky land.
In this parable, the earth means the field of a person's heart. Jesus said that receiving the word with an honest and good heart is what was sown on good soil. Although Jesus explained the roadside, the rocky field, and the thorny field, it would be safe to say that these are bad soils that contrast with good soils, so they mean a hard, stubborn, hard heart.
“As we are, we also have the gospel preached to them, but the words they heard did not do them any good, because those who heard did not unite their faith” (Hebrews 4:2).
“…today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7).
Good land refers to receptivity beyond interest or curiosity for the Word. Those who humbly receive the word and accept it as Amen can bear much fruit.
"Any number of the promises of God are yes in Christ, so that through him we say, Amen, to the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 1:20).
Jay Adams had this to say about preaching and the mindset of the listener:
"Preaching is one of God's principal ways of sowing seeds and making the fruit grow. Preaching is also a way to water and fertilize the grain. But the reader deserves to prepare himself for the work of the Word. You must be prepared to receive the good seeds by overturning the hard lumps of dirt that have accumulated in your soul all the time and pulling out the weeds."
Third, it must be planted immediately (v. 12).
If the seeds are left uncovered without being buried in the ground, they are trampled on by people and eaten by birds of the air. If you have received the seed of God's word, you must immediately take it and act. Otherwise, if you are hesitating, just as the devil and Satan gather the seeds of the birds in the air.
It will take away from our hearts and minds.
Fourth, it must have roots (verse 13).
Jesus spoke of a case where it fell on a rock and had no root. In order to bear lasting fruit through the Word of God, our roots must extend deeply to Jesus, the source of life. It means you need to be saved.
“Therefore, since you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, walk in him, being rooted and built up in him, standing firm in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
(Colossians 2:6-7)