Howdy. And just a quick reminder to all of our
confirmation students, if you haven't finished
your sermons, go ahead and do a sermon write
-up for today. So, good enough. Now, there is
a movie. that has become one of the more well
-known films in recent history. One of the stars
of that movie is Tim Robbins. Now, as I say that,
you may or may not necessarily realize which
movie that it is, but when I also tell you that
it's starring Morgan Freeman, you're much more
likely to know which movie that it is. It seems
like it doesn't matter who the star is, it's
a Morgan Freeman film. But the movie I'm thinking
about is Shawshank Redemption, and the story
is about a man named Andy Dufresne. a man who
is wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife
and sentenced to life in prison. And what makes
the movie so powerful is not just the fact that
he's wrongfully in prison or suffering for no
fault of his own. It is a question that follows
him throughout the movie. How does someone survive
when everything tells them nothing's ever going
to change? Andy knows he does not belong there.
He knows that he did not commit the crime. He
knows that this prison sentence, this is not
something he deserves. But over and over again,
the circumstances around him seem to say the
same thing. This is your life now. This is where
you belong, and this is where you will stay.
Throughout the movie, you see these moments where
it seems like maybe something will change. And
maybe a guard will help him out. Maybe a warden
will listen to his words. Maybe somebody will
discover the truth. But time and time again in
this movie, those moments of hope and optimism,
they just seem to disappear. And even when someone
comes forward with information that could prove
Andy's innocence, and you as the audience begin
to think, maybe this is it. This is how he will
be free. Those who have power over him do not
use that truth to set him free. Instead, they
protect themselves and their own interests. They
hide the truth and they get rid of the person
who could have helped him. Andy is left in the
same place. Trapped. Stuck. Waiting. And maybe
you felt that way before. Maybe not in a prison
cell, but maybe in your own life. Maybe physically.
Maybe mentally, spiritually, maybe emotionally.
And yes, we do hear the words from Isaiah. For
as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there, but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed
to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall
my word be that comes out from my mouth. It shall
not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish
that which I purpose. and shall succeed in the
thing for which I sent it." Yes, ultimately we
believe that. Sure, we trust that. But frankly,
sometimes we struggle with it. Because if God's
Word truly accomplishes His purposes, why does
it sometimes feel like nothing is happening?
Like nothing ever changes? Why does it feel like
we continue to proclaim God's Word, continue
to teach what is good? continue to pray to our
loving God, continue to serve God and the people
in our lives, and yet people still seem unchanged.
When will people finally hear and know Christ?
When will those who claim His name actually change
their hearts and their lives? Why does it seem
like the Word keeps falling on deaf ears? And
for those of you who are parents, maybe you know
this feeling where you teach your children, you
tell them what is right, you show them what is
good, you pray with them night after night, and
then they grow up and make the very mistakes
that you warned them about. And maybe we wonder,
did any of it matter? Was all of it wasted? And
Isaiah's answer is no. The Word of God is never
wasted. The words are never wasted. They are
still there for a reason. And Jesus gives us
a picture in this parable of the sower. At first,
it is a very strange picture of a very strange
farmer. Because look at where he puts the seed.
The seed falls on a road. And of course, birds
come and devour it. How often Are there people
whose hearts are not even open to the Gospel?
Could you imagine going down to Memorial Drive
in Kirkwood and scattering seed onto the road
in the middle of that intersection, hoping that
something would grow? You would think the farmer
had lost his mind, and so do all the people driving
through that intersection. Why would God sow
the seed on a road where seed won't do anything?
But then the seed falls on rocky ground and at
first you're a little bit more hopeful Because
it grows quickly But it does so because it can
only grow upward But because it has no depth
for roots it withers when the Sun comes How often
has there been someone who was very excited about
the gospel, right? Someone who actually seems
to be responding to following Christ, who wants
to read their Bible, who wants to be here week
in and week out, who wants to volunteer for every
single thing. And then they're gone within a
year. For what reason? How often because faith
for them was about the emotion they experienced
without truly knowing the Christ who gave Himself.
and then the seed falls among thorns. And it
grows, but the thorns around it keep it from
having a chance to bear any real fruit. All the
things we care about this world, hobbies, TV
shows, people's opinions, some episode of Love
Island, trying to attain wealth and security,
they take away our focus. our desire to give
time and energy to God, to spend time in His
Word, to help others in His name. We may be able,
yes, we're able to do some nice things for people
from time to time, but how often is it just because
we get something out of it? Or it just gives
us another excuse to go hang out with our friends.
And Jesus says the sower goes out and scatters
seed everywhere. on the road, on the rocks, among
the thorns. And yes, some of it does get onto
some good soil, sure. But we look at this and
we think, why would a farmer do this? Sure, he
got some seed on good ground and produced something,
but why waste so much? Why not just focus on
the good soil? Why? And no, it's not just because
he must have been an Aggie. This is not just
a picture of a careless farmer. This is a picture
of a generous God. The sower does not stop sowing
because some seed does not immediately grow.
The sower keeps sowing. The word keeps going
forth and the rain keeps falling. And that is
why we are not meant to look at someone and say
that person is a lost cause. That person will
never know Christ. That person's heart is too
hard because we never know what God is doing
beneath the surface. But then the disciples,
they ask Jesus a question. Why do you speak to
them in parables? And frankly, isn't that the
question we keep asking all the time? Jesus,
why do you have to make these things so complicated?
Why not make it obvious? Why not make the Gospel
completely straightforward? Hey everybody, I'm
here to save you. That's great. Why does Jesus
have to speak in all these images and stories?
And Jesus responds by quoting Isaiah. You will
indeed hear, but never understand. And you will
indeed see, but never perceive. For this people's
heart has grown dull. And there's almost a part
of us that may become upset. A little piece of
us that wants to say, God, what are you doing?
Have you given up on some people? How could you
leave them in the hardness of their hearts? But
you know, humanity, it has created its own problems.
We know that we deserve far less than what we
have received. As much as we have spent the past
week celebrating who we are as a nation and giving
thanks for the freedoms we enjoy, we also have
to face the fact that humanity, even our own
part of it, is every bit as broken and twisted
as God has always said we are. Sin is not simply
over there. It is in here. But when Jesus speaks
about people who do not understand and do not
perceive, we naturally ask, does that mean that
God has finally given up on them? And this is
where we may become tempted to believe that God
simply gives up on some people. And we think
those people are too far gone. Those people will
never listen. Those people are a lost cause and
we need to make sure they stop ruining it for
the rest of us. And the danger is that we begin
to think that this only applies to those other
people. We must be talking about the atheists,
the agnostics, the Hindus, the Muslims, the secularists,
the people who reject the Christian religion.
Clearly, those are the ones who have the issue.
But look who Jesus is speaking to. It's all of
us. Because all of us have moments where we hear
God's Word and we push it out because we want
to reshape it into something easier. We hear
what God says and we think, surely He didn't
mean that. Surely, with my modern knowledge,
I can adjust this. Surely my way of looking at
it would make a whole lot more sense. You see,
Jesus is not saying that God does not desire
people to know Him. Jesus is not saying that
God delights in people being lost. The problem
is not that God has stopped speaking, but rather
our hearts are unwilling to hear. And rather
than allowing people to pretend that we have
this whole faith thing figured out, By having
a really easy message that we can just say really
quickly to everybody, God presses us to see who
wants the real thing. Who really wants Jesus?
Not just a quick slogan. See, the problem is
not that God's Word is unclear. The problem is
that our hearts know exactly what Jesus means.
We know what he means about mercy about humility
about conviction about grace and about sacrifice
We know exactly what he's saying, but we don't
really want it to be that straightforward because
then we'd have to do it period We want to fight
and we want to wrestle and we want to struggle
with it That is why the answer is not simply
getting more information because then we would
just tell ourselves that we know exactly where
to go in life, and what to support, and which
bumper stickers to use, and which comforting
slogan to embroider, and which copy of Chicken
Soup for the Soul will inspire people for 30
seconds before going back to life exactly as
it was on our own terms without changing at all.
But Jesus was asking something deeper. Do you
actually want the Kingdom of God? More than that.
Do you want the actual King? Because the Kingdom
cannot be separated from Christ. You cannot perceive
the Kingdom apart from Him. You cannot understand
God's purposes if you keep walking away from
the very One who reveals them. It always comes
back to Christ. You cannot hear one sermon, learn
one lesson, read one Bible scripture, and think,
I've got it, now I can move on. James says it's
like someone who looks at his face in the mirror,
and then immediately walks away and forgets what
he just saw. The Christian life is not mastering
one lesson and then graduating. It is returning.
Time and time again. Returning to Christ. Returning
to His Word. to his promises, returning to his
forgiveness that we need every day, returning
to the place where the sower continues to sow
his seed. Let me explain it from another perspective.
Let's go back to that movie we mentioned. The
issue was not whether or not there was truth
to be had. Finding the actual guilty person,
they knew the truth. and it would have rescued
an innocent man. The problem was that it did
not fit the narrative they had. The plans, the
goals of the warden. Even when something is straightforward
and clear, that's often when people twist it
the most for their own gain. The clearer it is,
the easier it is for many people to twist it
around. And sadly, we do that with the Gospel
too. using it to make ourselves into good people,
good Christians, without worrying enough whether
we're pursuing Christ and His righteousness at
all. But let's stick with that character Andy
for just a little bit longer. Because the best
part of that movie is the part you don't see
coming. Spoiler alert, Andy does escape. Sorry
Dino. But how? Because every day, he had this
tiny little rock hammer. And every day, he carries
away a little bit of dust into the courtyard.
And nobody understands what is happening, or
at least I didn't, until the very end. When Andy
disappears and no one can find him, until the
warden in his anger throws a rock at the poster
on the wall hanging in his cell, and discovers
a hole behind that poster. A hole that was not
created in a day. Not in a week. Not in a month.
But in 19 years. Years of work that nobody saw.
Years of effort that nobody understood until
finally, the wall that looked impossible to overcome
was no longer standing in his way. And isn't
that how God's Word works. We want immediate
results. We want the quick response. We want
someone to say, right then, yes, you're right.
I will change. The struggles are over. But Jesus
shows us something different. The road looks
firm and established, but nothing grows there.
The rocky soil produces excitement, but nothing
grows with no roots. The thorny soil has growth,
but there's no fruit. God is not looking for
quick results. God is growing roots. God is producing
fruit. God is doing a work that lasts. So sometimes,
the person that you're praying for has not ultimately
and for all the rest of time rejected God's Word,
because sometimes the seed that you've been planting
is waiting to grow at the right time. Sometimes
the soil is still being prepared by God and changing
from rock into flesh. Words are not wasted. Soil
is changing, and the farmer has plenty of seed
left to sow. But the greatest evidence that God
does not give up is not found in the field, it's
found at the cross. Because there may be any
number of people saying, Pastor, that's just
the way you're looking at it. I see it more black
and white. I have a much clearer understanding
of what this passage is saying. But you see,
Jesus Himself walked that road. The road that
led to Calvary. And you see, the cross was planted
in rocky ground. Not because something needed
to grow there, but because someone was going
to die there. And the thorns that choke out life
in the parable? became the crown twisted upon
His head. The thorns that represented sin and
suffering placed upon the brow of our Savior.
As His blood was shed, the life was given a hundredfold,
sixtyfold, thirtyfold. Forgiveness was given.
Hope was given. Eternal life was given. The place
where humanity expected to see defeat? became
the place where God accomplished salvation. The
cross looked like the end, but God was already
bringing forth life. And that's why we know that
no story, even that road and those rocks and
those thorns, they are never beyond God's reach
because God has already entered into the darkest
place. He has already gone into death itself,
and then he brought life out of it. So what does
it mean for us? It means that when we baptize
someone, whatever their age may be, we know that
baptism is not a magical moment where every struggle
now disappears. People who are baptized still
struggle. People who are baptized still wander.
People who are baptized still need to be brought
back to God's grace. but the seed has been planted.
And God continues His work. When we gather around
this table for communion, we receive Christ's
body and blood for the forgiveness of sins, yet
we know we still struggle with sin. We still
need to confess. We still need forgiveness. God's
Word does not simply just give you a little flash
or an idea of faith, and then we've got it figured
out and He can leave us alone. God's Word continues
to speak in our hearts. The Spirit continues
to work in our lives. The sower continues to
sow. So maybe, maybe today you feel like the
road. Maybe your heart feels a little hard. You
know why. You know what's hurt you. Or maybe
you feel like the rocky soil and life just dries
you out. You don't know where to spread. Or maybe
you're just surrounded by thorns and everything
that worries you just consumes your time and
your energy. But hear this. God's Word has not
given up on you. The sower is still sowing. The
rain is still falling. And the Spirit is still
working. And the God who promises that His Word
will not return empty is still accomplishing
His purpose is with you and with them. His purpose
is not merely that we call ourselves Christians
and be done with it. His purpose is that we become
people who bear fruit. Fruit of the Spirit. Love.
Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness.
Gentleness. self -control. A harvest of people
transformed by God's grace. A harvest of people
who know that the prisoner has been set free.
A harvest of people who go forth in joy and proclaim
the goodness of God. Because the sower has not
stopped sowing, and he will not stop until his
harvest is complete. Thanks be to God.