“A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Luke 8:5-8 (read v. 4-15)

From Jesus’ parable of the sower, we learn that not all who hear the Word of God with their ears rightly receive it in faith. In fact, some who initially hear it and come to faith in Jesus fall away again; but, by the grace of God, some of the seed of God’s Word falls on good ground – prepared by the Lord – and grows and produces faith and its fruits.

As we read the parable of the sower and its explanation, we are quick to identify people we know with the poor kinds of soil and ourselves with the good ground. But, when we do this, we miss the warning and comfort of this parable for ourselves.

This parable certainly warns against being like one of the three poor kinds of soil. We may think of ourselves as the good soil, but how often do we not also fit the descriptions of the poor ground!

Many times we are like the hard ground. The Word of God is sown upon us, but it doesn’t sink in and produce fruit in our lives because we have either been uninterested or inattentive. Then the Word is snatched away by the devil.

This even happens during our church services when the Word is read and preached and we fail to listen attentively and let its message sink down into our hearts and minds. We leave, not even remembering what was read and preached to us. The devil snatches it away before it can sink in and grow!

Often we are also like the rocky soil. In times of trouble, affliction or persecution, we shrink back from a bold and faithful confession of the truths of God’s Word because we have not let that Word sink its roots deep into our lives. When trouble comes, or persecution, we turn away in doubt and unbelief.

This happens when we hear the word with our ears but don’t let it put down deep roots into our lives – when we don’t receive the promises of the Gospel with a faith that lives by the Word of God. Then, when persecution, trouble, or other challenges come up in our lives, we shrink back from the truth taught in God’s Word instead of holding fast to Christ and His Word in faith.

Sad to say, we are often like the thorny ground, we let the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things in this life keep us from faithfully hearing and learning God’s Word! These things choke out the Word and keep us from living our lives by faith in Christ Jesus.

This is so common among those professing to be Jesus’ disciples. We become so busy with the cares and concerns of this life – our jobs, our interests, our families, recreational activities, and even church work – that we let these things choke out God’s Word and keep it from producing faith and the fruits of faith in our lives.

And, when we are good soil, we can take no credit. We must say with Jesus that it is a blessing of the Lord when the Word sinks in, grows and produces fruit in our lives (Matt. 13:16).

It is the Lord who cultivates the soil of our hearts, breaking up the hard ground, removing the rocks and pulling out the weeds, that the Gospel of forgiveness of sins and life eternal for the sake of Jesus Christ and His innocent sufferings and death on the cross might be heard and believed by us and produce fruit in our lives, for “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17).

For example, we see in Romans 3:9-26 how far short we have come and that we are all guilty before God, but then we learn of the righteousness which is imputed to those who despair of their own righteousness under the law and look in faith to Christ Jesus and His holy life and His innocent sufferings and death on the cross for our sins. We hear that God graciously forgives sins and justifies those who turn to Christ in faith.

So, what kind of soil are you? Certainly. According to our corrupt and sinful nature inherited from Adam as a result of his fall, we are poor soil, unfit for the seed of God’s Word to grow. But the Holy Spirit, working through the Word of God, breaks up the hard ground, removes all the rocks, and pulls out the weeds and thorns that the seed of the Gospel – God’s promises of forgiveness and life everlasting to all who look in faith to Christ and His atoning sacrifice on the cross – may grow in our lives, spring up and bear abundant fruit.

Almighty God, Thy Word is cast like seed into the ground; now let the dew of heaven descend and righteous fruits abound. Amen. (The Lutheran Hymnal, “Almighty God, Thy Word is Cast,” Verse 1)

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-20

Some in Jesus’ day misunderstood and thought that Jesus was trying to throw out all that is taught in the Old Testament Scriptures because He offered forgiveness and life through faith in His name.

Unfortunately, some today assume that Jesus’ teaching does away with the Old Testament and makes these Scriptures obsolete and unnecessary for Christians. Many even believe and teach that one can be a Christian and disregard some or all of what the Bible teaches. But this couldn’t be further from the truth!

It is as Jesus said: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” Jesus, the long-promised Messiah and Savior, came to fulfill all that is taught in the Old Testament, not to destroy it. Not the smallest letter (jot) of the Law or the smallest part of a letter (tittle) in the Scriptures will pass away until all is fulfilled.

And Jesus went on to say: “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

Therefore, it is a grave offense to break even the smallest commandment in the Scriptures and teach others so. Those who do so will be least or excluded entirely from God’s kingdom (cf. Ex. 20:1-17; Rom. 6:1ff.).

And, as a study of the Scriptures will reveal, the righteousness which God demands is far greater than the outward righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. It far exceeds the righteousness of the churchgoers of our day who depend on their own righteous works and deeds.

The Scriptures demand perfect righteousness of heart, soul and mind. Jesus said later in His Sermon on the Mount: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). And God says in Leviticus 19:2: “Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy” (cf. Matt. 5:21ff.; 5:27ff.; 5:33ff.; 5:38ff; 5:43ff).

The Scriptures demand a holy life in thought, word and deed — righteousness which we do not have and cannot attain by our own attempts to keep God’s Law. Instead of being righteous by keeping the law, the law condemns us.

We read in Romans 3:19-20: “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (cf. Rom. 3:9-20).

But Jesus came to keep every commandment of the Scriptures perfectly for us. He regarded the Scriptures as the very Word of God and was obedient in thoughts, desires, words and actions to every teaching of the Law and the Prophets! He fulfilled all and regarded all as absolute truth. He fulfilled the righteous demands of the Scriptures for us.

Jesus also, as prophesied by the Law and the Prophets (the Old Testament Scriptures), took our place under God’s Law and took the guilt and punishment of our sins upon Himself and suffered our just punishment, that we might have forgiveness and life through faith in Him and His blood shed for us upon the cross. In Isaiah 53:6, we read: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

And these same Scriptures declare to us Christ’s full atonement for our sins and the acceptance and pardon of a merciful God for Jesus’ sake. “We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1,2; cf. 2 Cor. 5:18-21; Rom. 3:21-28; 4:3-8; 4:23ff.). The Scriptures offer to us the imputed, perfect righteousness of Christ Jesus that we might stand in God’s judgment through faith in Jesus’ name (cf. Psalm 130).

And, the Bible assures us that all who trust in Christ will be saved. Jesus said in John 5:24: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” Those who trust in Jesus will not be condemned but have eternal life in Christ’s everlasting kingdom (cf. John 3:16-18; Mark 16:16; Col. 1:19-23; Eph. 1:6-7)!

Dear LORD Jesus, holy Son of God and true man, our Savior, thank You for fulfilling for us the perfect righteousness taught and demanded in the Holy Scriptures, and thank You for bearing upon the cross the full and just punishment for all our sins and then rising again to grant us forgiveness and life — perfect righteousness — through faith in Your name. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

Before finishing His sermon on the mount, Jesus adds this admonition to his disciples: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

What could Jesus mean? Won’t most people be saved and go to heaven? The answer is why Jesus added this admonition. Most will not be saved. Most will not enter unto life eternal. The road to heaven is narrow; the gate is strait and hard to pass through. He wants His disciples – including you and me – to take the narrow and unpopular path which leads to life rather than taking the broad road and the wide gate which leads to death and eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord (cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:7ff.).

People usually err in one of two ways: Either they think they can enter life by their own good works and life, or they think they can use the cross of Christ as a license to sin. Both groups are on the wide road, thinking they are heaven bound when, in fact, they are headed for the fires of hell!

Those who trust in their own works and deeds err because they do not recognize their own utter sinfulness and place their faith in God the Son and His innocent sufferings and death upon the cross. It is as the Scripture says, “There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not” (Eccl.7:20). No one can enter heaven by his own works, because all are sinners!

Remember that Jesus had said earlier in this same sermon: “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:20). The scribes and Pharisees were some of the most religious and righteous (at least outwardly) people of Jesus’ day, but their righteousness didn’t measure up, nor does ours.

And there are many who claim faith in Christ Jesus and may also hold church membership but do not wish to follow Christ Jesus or live in accord with all that His Word teaches. They use the cross of Christ like a life insurance policy tucked away in a file cabinet or locked in a safety deposit box. They are baptized and may even go to church, but they are not truly penitent – they wish to have forgiveness and eternal life but they are unwilling to give up their selfish and sinful ways and walk with Christ Jesus and seek to live in accord with His Word.

It happens all the time. People want forgiveness and heaven, but they don’t want Jesus or God’s Word dictating how they live. They don’t want to go to hell, but they aren’t interested in living like a citizen of heaven either. They want the assurance of heaven in the life to come, but they want to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin – at least certain of their favorite sins – while they live here in this world.

Yes, it’s the broad way – the way the world seeks to obtain life. But even though the road is a superhighway and a well-traveled path, even though the gate is broad and inviting and no one is turned away, it leads to eternal death and hell!

Jesus doesn’t want us to travel that path or seek to enter by that gate. Rather, He would have us take that strait and restricted path and to enter that narrow gate that few ever find. What is that narrow way and path? Jesus answers that for us when He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

There is only one way to heaven, and that is through faith in Christ Jesus and His innocent sufferings and death on the cross. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24).

But though our salvation is by God’s grace alone and received through faith alone in Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world, it is not a license to sin. In fact, the Bible sternly warns us that we can lose our salvation if we willfully turn back into sin and rebellion against God our Maker (cf. Romans 6).

Hebrews 10:26-29 says, “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”

And so, don’t follow the multitudes down the road of life. Don’t be fooled into thinking all is well with your soul while you trust is in your own works and deeds rather than in Christ Jesus and His holy and precious blood shed for you upon the cross. Instead, repent and acknowledge your sins and failures and place your faith in Christ and His cross and the redemption He accomplished for you.

But also, don’t be deceived into thinking you can continue on in sin and rebellion against God and His Word and still have true faith in Christ. To turn back into sin and disobedience is to reject Christ and count His blood shed for you as a common and unholy thing. To claim faith in Christ and yet choose to live in sin and disobedience to the LORD God is that broad and wide path that appeals to so many. But, in the end, it leads to death and hell.

St Paul told the Romans that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). And St. Peter wrote of those who turn back to their old sinful ways: “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire” (cf. 2 Peter 2:20-22).

Christ died to redeem you from sin that you might live unto God (cf. 2 Cor. 5:15; Eph. 2:8-10). He did not shed His blood that you might continue to freely sin and live in rebellion against God. Jesus calls upon each of us to sincerely repent of our sinful ways and trust in Christ Jesus. He would have us walk on the strait and narrow – trusting in Christ alone for forgiveness and life and seeking, as a fruit of our faith, to live our lives for Him in full obedience to God’s Word.

Dear Lord Jesus, grant that we walk on the narrow way and enter through the strait gate. Keep us trusting in Your shed blood alone for the forgiveness of all our sins and for life everlasting, and grant that we not be deceived into thinking we can continue in sin and disobedience without consequence. Forgive us for grieving Your Holy Spirit, and renew our hearts and minds that we may love You and gladly and willingly walk in accord with Your commandments. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

It is a sad fact that many who were led by Moses out of the land of Egypt, who were “baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink” (1 Cor. 10:1-4) did not enter into the promised land. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “but with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness” (1 Cor. 10:5).

So also it is today. Not all who are outwardly affiliated with a church — even with a faithful church — not all who have been baptized or who have partaken of the Lord’s Supper will be saved. Why? Because they do not believe! And, if they did once believe, they failed to continue in the hearing of God’s Word and in the reception of Christ’s Supper and their faith in the promises of the Gospel grew weaker and weaker until it died!

This is why St. Paul writes to the believers in Corinth (1 Cor. 9:24-27): “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

It is why he adds the warning in the following verses (10:6-12): “Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

And there is the warning in our Gospel reading for today in which the kingdom of heaven is compared to a landowner who hired workers to go out and work in his vineyard, going out early in the morning and agreeing to pay a penny (denarius) per day; again at 9 a.m. offering to pay what is right; at noon; at 3 in the afternoon and at 5 p.m. (only an hour before quitting time). And when he graciously paid those who had only worked a short time a denarius, those who worked all day thought they deserved more and grumbled when they were only given a denarius.

What had happened? Those who had gladly accepted the landowner’s gracious offer of a denarius a day now thought they deserved more because of their hard work all day long in the heat of the sun. Instead of being thankful for what they were given and rejoicing that those who came later were also treated graciously, they grumbled and complained and, as a result, were told to take their pay — “that thine is” — and leave.

So also it is in the kingdom of God. God finds us wasting our lives in the marketplace and employs us in His kingdom. Some are baptized as little children and spend their whole lives in God’s service, and others do not come to faith until late in life and serve only a short time before they are called home and stand before God. Yet, because their reward depends not upon their own works but upon the merits of Christ — upon Christ’s holy life and His innocent suffering and death for the sins of the world — those who came to faith late in life receive the same eternal reward, the everlasting joys of heaven!

As Jesus said in Matt. 20:16, “So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.” The rewards God gives us are of His grace and mercy in Christ, not of works (cf. Eph. 2:8-10).

And, if we begin to think that God owes us heaven and all its blessings or that we deserve more blessings and glory than others because of all our devotion and service to Christ, we may find that we are cast out. Why? Because of unbelief, because we ceased trusting in Christ and God’s grace and favor for Christ’s sake and began to trust in our own life and works and somehow think we are worthy and deserving of God’s grace and mercy!

As Jesus said, “For many be called, but few chosen.” Though God calls all to repent of their fruitless ways and come work for Him in His kingdom, trusting in His grace and mercy which are offered and given to us for the sake of Christ and His cross, not all believe. Some turn away from Christ in order to continue on in their sinful ways, and some fail to trust in Christ because they feel deserving of God’s favor on account of their own works and service to God. The end result, of course, is the same: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16; John 3:18,36; 1 John 5:11-12).

Many are called. Christ died for all and atoned for the sins of all — He won forgiveness for all. God’s call goes out to all through the preaching of His Word, calling upon them to repent of their sinful ways and trust in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins and a place in God’s everlasting kingdom. The Holy Spirit graciously works through the Gospel to bring all who hear it to believe its promises and to place their faith in Christ Jesus that they might be justified, absolved and forgiven of all their sins.

Few are chosen. Only those who, by the grace of God, believe are justified, forgiven and absolved. And it is through the continued use of Word and Sacraments, that they are, by the Holy Spirit’s working, preserved in the true and saving faith and remain possessors of God’s gifts. And those who are preserved in the true and saving faith through God’s life-giving Word and Sacraments are also those who will be glorified and partake of the eternal joys of heaven!

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified” (Romans 8:29-30; cf. John 17:1ff.; Eph. 1:3ff.; Col. 1:19-23; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; 2 Tim. 1:9-10; Phil. 1:6).

O gracious and merciful God, grant that we hear Your Gospel call and trust in Christ our Savior unto life everlasting. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.” Colossians 3:20-21

It is God’s perfect will that children obey their parents in all things – the only exception being when obedience to parents would cause disobedience to God (cf. Acts 5:29). Obedience to parents, God says, is “well pleasing unto the Lord.”

This, of course, is one of the Ten Commandments of the LORD God. The Bible says: “Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth” (Eph. 6:2-3).

Such honor and respect for parents and others in authority over us are sorely lacking in our day. Children, out of both selfishness and rebelliousness, dishonor parents, teachers and authorities and refuse to obey. Such disobedience and rebelliousness, they need to understand, are not only against their earthly parents and authorities but against God Himself, who placed their parents and other authorities over them for their good.

Disrespect and disobedience toward parents are disrespect and disobedience toward the LORD God. Not honoring teachers and authorities placed over us is not honoring God who created us and placed us under authority.

While it is, sad to say, the way of the world and our own sinful nature not to honor parents and authorities, those regenerated by God’s Spirit will see and acknowledge their own sinfulness in this regard and turn to the LORD God for His mercy and forgiveness won for all by the innocent sufferings and death of His own obedient Son, Christ Jesus. And, as a fruit of their faith in Jesus, they will also, with the help and aid of God’s Spirit, seek to honor and obey parents and others placed in authority over them.

Of course, the command to honor and obey parents has another side to it as well. Fathers are not to provoke their children to wrath and discouragement by being overly harsh or mistreating them. This command also applies to mothers, for they are helpmeets to their husbands.

Here, too, fathers and mothers often fail. Instead of remembering that their children are both created and redeemed of the LORD God and that He desires children to be brought to Him in baptism and raised up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4; cf. Matt. 28:19-20; Acts. 2:38-39; Luke 18:15-17), they treat their children in selfishness and anger, punishing them when they get in the way rather than when they do wrong and sin. And, all too often, parents fail to bring their children to Christ Jesus in baptism and neglect to teach them to know the LORD and His Word.

Jesus’ warning is amply clear: “Whoso shall offend [causing to sin or fall from faith in the Lord Jesus] one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matt. 18:6).

Provoking children to anger and abusing or neglecting them and their needs, both temporal and spiritual, is also the way of this world and our old sinful nature. But such behavior on the part of parents, teachers and others in authority greatly displeases the LORD God, who gave His only-begotten Son to redeem not only adults but children, both young and old.

Again, parents and those in authority who have been born anew by the mighty working of God’s Spirit through the washing of water by the Word will examine themselves and their own attitudes and actions toward their children, acknowledging their sins and shortcomings and turning to their merciful heavenly Father for forgiveness and the strength to amend their lives and bring up their children as He would have them raised. In the shed blood of Jesus, there is forgiveness. In the working of God’s Spirit, there is help and strength to change one’s attitudes and actions.

Dear Father in heaven, mercifully forgive me for dishonoring and disobeying my parents and others in authority over me. Forgive me also for failing to love the children You have placed under my care with Your love, for failing to be patient and understanding with them, for being overly harsh with them, for failing to bring them to You and teach them Your life-giving Word, and for failing to correct them and bring them up in Your nurture and admonition. Forgive me for the sake of Jesus, Your Son, and His sufferings, death and resurrection in my stead. By Your regenerating Spirit, give me the will and strength to conform my attitude and actions to Your holy will. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]