Senior Pastor Mark Stafford

Strength in Action

When the Word of God is spread, some people receive it and some people don’t.  James tells us that you can tell the difference between a hearer of the Word and a disciple of Christ’s by observing their actions.  A true disciple hears the word and then follows it.  He’s a “doer.”

An English teacher might call James 1:22 the “thesis statement” for the book of James.  It says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”  Let me give you an illustration that might help you better understand what James is saying:

Let’s say that you own a print shop.  You’ve hired a shop supervisor and the business is growing rapidly.  As the owner, you need to travel overseas to interface with contacts you have in India for a future expansion.  You pack up your family, put the shop supervisor in charge of day-to-day operations, and head to India for several months.  Where you’re going has poor cell service, but you tell your supervisor that you’ll be in communication with him through email.

As the weeks go by, a steady stream of email has been exchanged.  He asks you questions about difficult issues regarding clients, staff members, and equipment.  You respond with detailed instructions on how to handle each delicate situation.  It seems like this arrangement is working out nicely.  After several months, you finish up your business in India and head back to the States.

Monday morning after your return, you’re looking forward to getting back to the shop and to introducing the new products you’ve acquired.  When you drive up to your building, the weeds are all overgrown.  Several of the windows are broken.  There is graffiti on the wall.  You walk up to the sales counter and find the cashier playing games on her phone.  You walk back to the production area and the salesmen, the copywriters, the accountants, and the pressmen are out back playing basketball. 

You look around and notice that there is trash piled up in every corner, the machines have not been maintained and the bathrooms smell terrible.  Nobody seems too concerned about the fact that the shop is a mess and that the owner has returned.  You ask for the whereabouts of the shop supervisor and one of the basketball players yells out, “I think he’s over in the design studio.”

Noticeably upset, you move toward the studio.  When you arrive, you find that the designers have turned the studio into a movie theater and your shop supervisor has been watching “Frozen” instead of … well … supervising.  You ask him to step into your office.

You ask, “What in the world is going on here?”

“What do you mean, boss?”

“Well, look at this place.  Didn’t you get my texts and emails?”

Then he responds by saying, “Emails? You bet!  We got every one of them.  As a matter of fact boss, we stopped the basketball game for an email study session every Friday afternoon since you left.  I have to say sir, those emails were brilliant!  We even divided up into department small groups to study them more in detail.  We analyzed each word and when we came back together as a group, we discussed what those words meant to each one of us.  Some of the copywriters thought the emails were so compelling that they memorized some of your sentences and paragraphs.  I have to say, your emails are truly works of art!”

Then you say, “So, let me get this straight.  You got my emails, you studied them, you discussed them, and some people even memorized them, BUT WHAT DID YOU DO WHILE I WAS GONE?!”
The supervisor replies, “Well, we did what you asked for a few days, but we mostly watched movies and played basketball.  We had even a jam session one afternoon.  You didn’t expect us to really do everything you asked us to do, did you?  We just kinda did what we felt like doing.  You know, when the boss is away….”

In a busy print shop, that kind of behavior would get everybody fired.  It is professional suicide!  But, it is just as absurd for those who claim to be disciples to hear, discuss, and even memorize the Word, when they have absolutely no intention of obeying it!  In order to benefit from God’s Word, We must both hear it and do it.  To think any differently is to live in deception.

If someone says, “I have received Jesus as Savior and Lord,” and then lives in total disregard to His instructions, they are not being truthful about who really is the Lord of their life.  1 John 2:4 says, “Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.”

A disciple lives their life with the Word of God planted deep in their heart.  It is grows, thrives, and even multiplies.  Jesus told a parable to help us understand how the gospel is received by true disciples.  It is often called the “Parable of the Sower”.  Please turn in your Bible to Luke Chapter 8.

Keep in mind that this parable if not about the seed, nor is it about improving the skill of the sower.  The parable is all about the soil.  Whether or not the seed yields a profitable harvest depends mostly on the condition of the soil.  Let’s read through the parable, then we’ll look at it piece by piece.

8 ⁴ And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he [Jesus] 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.”

For Jesus’ listeners, the sower was part of their everyday lives.  The sower would take a handful of seeds out of a seed bag at his side and broadcast them.  He would fling the seeds over a wide part of the field.  Their goal was to waste as few seeds as possible, but inevitably, some of the seed would be cast on soil that was not unsuitable.

Four types of Soil

#1: Hardened Pathway

Verse 5 says, “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.”

The first type of soil refers to the hardened, well-beaten pathways that separated the fields.  Fields in 1^st century Israel were long narrow strips of land that were often marked off by footpaths instead of hedges or fences.  The soil there remained unplowed and, in the arid climate of ancient Israel, the sun baked it until it was as hard as concrete.  Seed that landed on the hardened pathway had no hope of penetrating the surface and eventually it would be destroyed underfoot or eaten by birds.

#2: Rocks

Verse 6 says, “And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.”

The rocky soil is probably referring to a large rock that is buried by a shallow layer of good soil.  In this kind of soil, the seed would germinate very quickly and grow very leafy plants.  Notice in the foreground of the picture how green and leafy the plants are in the rocky soil.  However, the rocks underneath the soil will eventually lead to lack of moisture and the plant will soon die.

#3: Weedy Soil

 ^“7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.”

Seed that is sown in a field of weeds will never mature to a healthy harvest.  If you try to plow a field of weeds, dense roots and tiny weed seeds will still loom deep within the soil.  The weeds will grow up quickly alongside the crops and even have beautiful green leaves, but the growth will be worthless for food.  In fact, the weeds will suck up the soil’s moisture and nutrients.  Their big leaves will block the sunlight and in the end the weeds will choke out the life of anything in the soil that might be beneficial.

#4 Fertile Soil

 ^“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.”

The seed that falls into the fertile soil flourishes because it can get down deep within the soil.  It is out of the way of being trampled.  The birds can’t get to it.  There is no danger of being choked out by rocks or weeds.  The soil is fertile and the result is a healthy and profitable harvest.

At this point, even the disciples were a bit confused by Jesus’ parable.  Let’s read on to see Jesus’ explanation of his parable.  Look at Luke 8:9

^“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.”

Jesus begins the explanation in verse 11 by telling to us that “The seed is the word of God.”  Specifically, it refers to the message of the gospel or the good news of the kingdom of God. The gospel message is also explained as seed earlier in our study of James.  In James 1:18-21, listen for the farming inferences as James explains the spread of the gospel:

^“18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.  ²¹ Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

Notice that nothing is said about the skill of the sower or the quality of the seed in the parable.  We must assume that the sower is competent and the seed is good.  The only difference in the outcome of the crop is the fertility of the soil.

Four Types of Hearers

Specifically, the parable is about the four types of people who hear the gospel and how they respond to it.  The first type is the Hardened Hearer.

#1 Hardened Hearer

Verse 12, “¹² 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.”

The first hearer is pressed-down, dry and hardened to the message of the gospel.  This person is depicted by the well-worn, barren footpath around the field.  Their heart is a busy intersection that is frequently crossed by the traffic of sinful desire.  They don’t live fenced or guarded lives.  They are completely vulnerable to every evil thing that comes their way.  Jesus said, “the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.”

• Their life is never plowed by conviction.
• Holiness is not cultivated by any form of self-searching, self-examination, honest assessment of guilt or by true repentance. Their hard hearts balk at such things.
• Indifference to sin, along with a secret love for sin have made this person’s heart dense, dry, and impenetrable.

Jesus is addressing people who may have been outwardly religious and they may have spent a lot of time reading, listening to, and even memorizing the scriptures, but the Word never seemed to penetrate the surface of their lives.

James 1 is addressing the same crowd.  James asks how a man can be a diligent student of the Word and yet remain unchanged by it.  James 1:23 says, “²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.”

There is a mirror ministry that the Word of God is meant to perform on every person who looks into it.  Religious people are sometimes fooled into believing that their main task is to accumulate biblical knowledge.  They may be thrilled to open up old theology books and discuss the writings of those who were master theologians.

But… isn’t it better to learn one thing about the Bible and to do it whole-heartedly than to learn a hundred Biblical truths and not do any of them?

I’m not suggesting that we stop learning about the Bible, but knowing a lot of biblical facts does not make a person holy.  The Pharisees in Jesus’ day knew theology.  They memorized a huge amount of scripture.  But, they had hard hearts.  James said, “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”  (James 1:22)

The next hearer is the person who hears the word, but only responds only superficially.

#2 Shallow Hearer

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.

Without deep roots, vegetation can’t survive long in a dry climate.  If a plant quickly springs up green and leafy, an Israeli farmer knows it is likely to die out just as quickly.

The rocky soil illustrates the person who responds to the gospel immediately but only superficially.  The shallow hearer responded eagerly to the gospel in a moment of emotion.  They start out excited, but when the tough realities of life begin, their new found faith is quickly dried up.  It’s not real faith.

Each person who responds to the Word will eventually face a time of testing.  Consider these scriptures about enduring tests of faith:

• John 8:31b – Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.”
• James 1:12 – “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.”

It doesn’t matter how much enthusiasm there was about the Gospel at first.  If testing and trials are able to dry up a person’s faith so they are no longer a “doer of the word” their faith is not genuine.

The third type of soil is the weedy soil.  It represents that person who hears the word, but is preoccupied with all the things the world has to offer.

#3: Worldly Hearer

“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.”

Like the shallow hearer, the worldly person might respond quickly to the gospel at first, but they get easily lured back into the passions of the world.  There are all kinds of impurities in their heart.  A love for the world has left behind roots and seeds.  Those indwelling sins grow faster and stronger than the good news of the gospel.  The interest of the world still owns that person’s heart.  They are unwilling to weed out their worldliness in order to make room for Jesus.

James calls this type of person a “double-minded man.”  They are intrigued by spiritual things, but they are also intrigued by the pleasures of sin, the promise of power and a whole host of trivial diversions.   James 1:6b-8 says, “the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

The hardened hearer, the shallow hearer and the worldly hearer all have one thing in common.  Jesus said, “their fruit does not mature.”  The whole purpose of agriculture is to produce a harvest.  In the same way, the whole purpose of Christianity is to produce righteousness.  Consider what Paul says in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

All three varieties of fruitless soil are typical of an unbeliever – especially those who may have originally shown some interest in the gospel, but their hearing of the word never turned into doing.

The last category is a hearer who is ready to become a doer of the word after the seed has been planted.  We’ll call this person the Fruitful Hearer.

#4: Fruitful Hearer

Jesus said in verse 15, “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.”

Jesus is describing someone with a heart that hears the gospel, receives the gospel and follows the teaching of Jesus.  Their faith endures the trials.  It resists the pull of the world and it results in action.

Some people might think that the exhortation to follow God’s commands could sound burdensome until you look closely at James 1:25.  It says, “…the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

When we exhort one another to do what the Bible says, we lead one another into liberty.  Sin brings bondage, but following God’s commands bring freedom, blessing, and fruitfulness.

While it is true that our good works don’t bring salvation, they do bring tremendous blessing and prove that we are disciples.  Our Christian experience only begins when we are saved.  As we grow in the Lord, we can experience the outpouring of God’s blessing when we follow His commands.

Application

Salvation is a free gift, but God’s blessings are conditional.  James tells us that the glorious blessings that God has in store for us are experienced by the doers of the word, not by those who hear only.  Listening to the Word is good, but don’t settle for only being a hearer without being a doer.  There are so many disciples who God has been urging for days or weeks or months maybe even years to step out in faith.  He’s been calling them to do something in particular in their life, their family, their church, or their community.

If God is urging you to do something for Him, humbly receive that word and put a plan into action to get that thing done for the Lord.

Real faith always results in action.  You and I prove that the gospel fell on fertile soil every time we step out in faith and put our faith into real tangible actions.  If the Word is implanted and growing in you, it is also going to lead and guide you to complete the works God has called you to complete.

Abide in God’s Word; when He speaks to you through His Word, trust Him enough to follow through with action.