What we can expect when we work hard for God

Text: Luke 8:4-8, 11-15

Introduction

• Illustration: A detailed story of a convict named Danny who accepted Christ, grew in faith, but then diverged into an elitist sect and damaged his family.
• Like Danny's story, Jesus' parable of the soils reveals difficult realities about spreading the gospel.
• In explaining the parable to his disciples, Jesus emphasizes that they must work hard and must expect three things to happen.

If we sow the seed of the gospel, we will be frustrated.

• Jesus promised that some seed would land on the hard path where it won't penetrate the ground.
  • Illustration: A humorous story of a telephone operator who refuses to understand the request of a customer.
• A wide variety of circumstances can harden a person's heart beyond our influence.
  • Illustration: A Will Willimon quote regarding a student who asked him, "How could any intelligent person believe that Jesus was conceived of a virgin?"

If we sow the seed of the gospel, we will be heartbroken.

• Jesus promised that some seed would fall in the shallow, rocky soil where plants spring up but quickly die from a lack of moisture.
• Some people receive the gospel message and begin to show growth but end up right back where they started because of poor choices and stubborn behavior.
  • Illustration: A story tells of Jesus healing a weeping blind man, healing a weeping lame man, but weeping with a minister.

As we sow the seed of the gospel, we can become distracted.

• Jesus promised that some seed would become choked out by weeds and thistles.
  • Illustration: A man returning from vacation finds the watermelons in his garden squeezing out the tomatoes and peppers.
• It's not normal for Christians to turn their backs on God out of a desire to commit big sins.
• It is normal for Christians to get squeezed out of their faith by everyday activities.
• This happens to those doing the ministering as much as those being ministered to.

If we sow the seed of the gospel, we will eventually be overwhelmed by its fruit.

• We will be frustrated, heartbroken, and tempted to distraction when we work hard for God, but it all becomes worth it when we see the fruit.