A Noble and Good Heart

Luke 8:1-15

Key Verse 8:15 

But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

Today we would like to think about the parable of the sower. God's kingdom rests and thrives in a noble and good heart. Thus the title for today's message is, "A noble and good heart." 

Part I, Jesus and his company

Look at verse 1. "After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God." 

They say that the word "trouble" came from the word "travel." It also has been said, "There is no place like home." These lines indicate that it is not easy for one to leave home and travel about from one place to another all the time. But in order to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God, Jesus took the trouble of traveling about from one town and village to another.  

Jesus' example inspires us about how we Christians should live our lives here on earth, that is, to not try to take roots here on earth, but remember that our home is in God's kingdom. While we are here on earth, we are like a man leaving his hometown, traveling through foreign lands on a business trip. Spiritually we are holy pilgrims here on earth. We are like Jesus taking the trouble of traveling in foreign lands preaching the good news. Like Jesus, while on earth, we are called do our best to preach the gospel of God's kingdom. Then we will go back home. 

In the day of Jesus a lot of people lived on the surface of the planet earth. But not all people lived for God's kingdom purpose. When Jesus came to the land of Israel Jesus planted the hope of God's kingdom in the hearts of several people. Who were they? They were the Twelve and some women. Together with them, Jesus established a partnership of gospel and preached the good news of God's kingdom. 

Look at verses 1b-3. "The Twelve were with him, And also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means." This passage gives us an inside look at "Jesus and his Company": it shows us how Jesus and his staff members fulfilled the noble task of spreading the good news of God's kingdom. In one of the advertisements run by a religious network a certain TV evangelist asked for donations from his viewers saying that it costs more than $6 million on average in order for him to organize a crusade and pay for its staff and defray other expenses such as air-time, travel expenses, room and board for his staff members, etc. But the passage we read yields a different picture. 

Look at verses 1b-3 again. The Twelve were with him. They were so to speak; full time staff members. As staff members what did they do? Well they did not do much. Most likely all they did was to accompany Jesus wherever Jesus went. Then, each time Jesus opened up a Bible conference they filled the front seats and listened to Jesus. Then when meal time came they were the first ones to say, "Lord! It is lunch time. Where do you want us to eat?" 

How did Jesus cover the expenses for his company? Well, according to the four gospels, it did not seem like Jesus asked for donations from the general public. Verses 2 and 3 then say that it was some women who supported Jesus and the Twelve. Although the passage says, "many others", all added up, I do not think the number might have exceeded 12. Yet the Apostle Luke tells us that it was "some women" who took care of Jesus and his staff members financially and otherwise. The expression "helping to support them out of their own means" indicates that they were like a lot of UBF women missionaries working full time, with their husbands serving the ministry full time. These women are like Missionary Joy Kim of COD who works full time as an RN supporting Missionary David Kim who in turn works full time as a staff shepherd teaching the Bible full time. 

Of course this does not mean that all husbands in UBF quit their jobs and work full time to preach the good news. And I do not mean that all wives must find a job and support the family, so their husbands would preach the gospel full time. My point however is this: when God's kingdom rests in the heart of a man or woman, he or she becomes a formidable work force for God's kingdom purpose. When God's kingdom is inside of you, you are no longer dependant on visible human beings. Because God is inside of you, God who is all sufficient makes you to be sufficient. Because God opened the Garden of Eden inside of you, and because God provides you with all that are necessary for you to operate as a source of blessing for all peoples on earth, you become literally like the Garden as the Prophet Isaiah described it in Isaiah 58:11, "The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." 

Part II. The parable

Let us read responsively verses 4-10. "4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6 Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." 9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, 'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.'"

Let us step back for a while and consider what is going on in the passage. Yes. What is Jesus talking about? What is Jesus' point? In my opinion the word "asked" holds a clue. The large crowd heard what the disciples heard. The disciples heard what the crowd heard. Both, the crowd and the disciples heard the same parable. Yet, it was only the disciples who asked Jesus about the meaning of the parable. The crowd did not ask. But the disciples did. I love Missionary Rebekah Kim, not just because she is my wife, but particularly because she "loves" to ask me about all kinds of questions she has about the Bible. I know God loves me as well for the same reason. I know He loves me not just because I am his child but particularly because I love to ask him all kinds of questions about virtually every Bible passage I read. And my favorite time to ask the Lord Bible questions is the morning time, especially between 5:30 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. On many occasions each time Rebekah brings Bible questions to me, I end up not answering all the questions, for I am kind of occupied by other concerns. But it is not so with God the Father. God is all powerful. He is omnipotent. Although he has a zillion different things to take care of, still he has time to stop and answer all the questions we bring to Him. And he loves his children who bring all kinds of difficult questions. 

In the passage Jesus demonstrated the same character as God's. After giving out the parable Jesus was in fact dying to see someone coming to him, asking questions about it. But no one did. Oh, wait a minute. The disciples did. Probably Jesus gave the parable during the daytime. Then, when evening came people went back home. But the disciples still stayed with Jesus. They seized quiet moments with him. They came around and asked Jesus about the parable. Jesus was very pleased with them. And he explained the meaning to them. 

The example of the disciples then encourages us to come to the Lord daily especially during quiet moments of a day such as the morning hours or before bedtime. Then, in our prayers and moments of personal Bible reading, we can bring all the questions and inquiries to the Lord. Then, the Lord will reward us with all the spiritual blessings he has in mind. 

Part III. The meaning

Look at verses 11-14. "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 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. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature." 

In this passage Jesus described three categories of people who fail to produce a crop. Each category is represented by the path, the rock, and the thorns. The question then becomes, "How can a man like the path, the rock, or the thorns, becomes a person who can see the kingdom of God arising and thriving in and through him? The Bible passage we just read answers the question. 

First, the path

The problem of the path is the devil. You hear the word but the devil comes and takes away the word. How can we help a man like this? The answer is obvious. We need to prevent the devil from coming and taking away the word. But the problem is even if you do not want him to come, he still comes. Then, how can you keep him from not getting inside of you? How can you kick him out while he’s still at the front door? Well, that is a good question. The problem is that when he comes and knocks on the door, he does not introduce himself as the devil saying,
 “Hi, I’m the devil. How are you?” No. He does not do that. Without exception each time Jehovah's witnesses ring a doorbell and ask whether or not they can come in and talk to you, they never say, at the outset, "We are Jehovah's witnesses. We are a cult. We came to deceive you so you would go to hell." Oh, no. They never say that. Likewise, the devil never says, "Hello! I am the devil. May I have a little conversation with you." No. He never does that. Remember he mastered the art of deception. He deceives others without his victim knowing that he is being deceived. Thus, most likely, you might have already fallen victim to the devil. The devil or his agents might already be inside of you. You are already under his control or influence. And yet you do not know it. 

How then can we help a man like this? One Bible passage we can look at is Acts 26:18. Let us read this passage altogether, "To open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'" The risen Jesus who made the devil and who knows him inside and out, keeps him working for his own good purposes.  This message was given to the Apostle Paul, whom the Lord appointed to preach the good news of God's kingdom to the Gentiles. In this passage then Jesus gave Paul instructions on how to save his Bible students from the power of Satan. 

In order to toss the devil (also known as Satan) out of your Bible student, you need to do two things: first, help him to open his eyes; and second, help him to turn from darkness to light. Then, and only then, you can kick the devil out of the Bible student. And you can apply this recipe to yourself, if you are either under the control or influence of the devil. Here the "eyes" refer to the spiritual eyes to see what is right and what is wrong. In order to help people open their spiritual eyes we need to teach them the word of God, for if we serve the word of God prayerfully, the word of God which is God-breathed, touches the blind, and opens his eyes, so he could see God's truths plainly. One person I know used to be blind about God, himself, and the world. But one day one of his classmates invited him to a Bible study on Genesis. Genesis 1:1 and 1:31 then helped this man to open his spiritual eyes to see that God is good, God made him to be good, and God made the universe and everything in it to be good. Before he came across this passage he used to think that someone out there made his life miserable. He thought that he was truly ugly, and was born even illegally. He thought that life was a series of tortures. So he wanted to be a Buddhist monk. But even becoming a monk itself seemed meaningless. Thus all day long, he did nothing but goofing around playing the Korean “Go” game. But, the word of Genesis changed him completely. It helped him to not only open his spiritual eyes, but also to turn from darkness to light! And thereby even without himself knowing it, he was released and turned from the power of Satan to the power of God. [For more insight on this point, I would encourage everyone to read 2Co 4:1-6.] 

Second, the rock

Jesus says, "Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away." The problem with a man like the seed sown on the rock is not that the testing is so severe that they fall away but that they have no root. No what? Yes. No root! That is the problem. Testing is good. And it is necessary. Temptations, trials, troubles, and tragedies are all more than what they seem: testing. They are God's testing devices. 

And everyone goes through testing. God tested Job. God tested Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God tested Joseph. God tested David. And God tested Jesus Christ (not as God but as a man in flesh like us.) And you are not exempt from God's testing. I am not exempt either. Living in this ministry, I have been through all kinds of tests. In regard to all of these tests, each time they came, it seemed as through it was people who were giving me a hard time. But through God's help, I quickly figured out that it was not men who were testing me but the Lord God who tests me, and he tests me through events and people around me. And most of the tests have been extremely difficult and "painful". 

How can we not fall away in time of testing, and stand firm, and run the race bravely and manfully? Again the answer is to develop a deep root in the Lord, especially in His love. This answer is not what I made up but what the Bible says, for in Ephesians 3:14-19 the Apostle Paul says that if we are to be rooted in the Lord, we must first be rooted in His love, for it is this love that keeps us standing firm and remaining faithful to him no matter what. [Let us read this passage responsively. Please also read for further insight on this point Romans 8:31-39.] Then, James 1:12 says, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." To those who what? Yes. Love him. 

In order to help people develop their root in the Lord, we must dearly pray for them to know the love God has for them. In this world people are framed to doubt God's love. They are trained not to trust anyone including God. This is particularly true with students from broken families. In order to help them overcome their problems and remain strong in the Lord, we must practically shepherd over them in long patience. Just as Paul shared in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, we need to pray for them, and practically labor in love for them, by teaching them God's word, correcting them, rebuking them, and then encouraging them, with great patience and careful instruction. 

Third, the thorns

"The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature." What is the problem with a man who is like the seed that fell among thorns? Three sub-problems contribute to producing one major problem. The sub-problems are: worries, riches, and pleasures. These sub-problems result in one main problem: that is, causing people not mature. Not what? Yes. Mature. They do not become mature! They may carry fancy titles like pastor, missionary, shepherd, deacon, or elder. They may have matured in their human age, but still spiritually they remain an adult baby or even an adult infant. Remember it is not the seed which does not mature. It is they – the actual people - who do not mature. Remember what Jesus says: "The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear but as they go on their way they are choked by..., and they do not mature." The seed has all the capabilities to make them mature. But, the worries, riches, and pleasures cause them to remain spiritually retarded. 

Remember that it is a disciple who makes a disciple. It is a mature servant of God who produces a crop. The question then becomes, "How can we help a man like the thorns overcome the problems and grow mature?" Tons of books can be written on this subject matter. But, if you’ve prayed about it, it is not difficult to understand that there is one simple solution: that is, help them to develop firm faith in the Lord, the faith that “sees” that the Lord God is better than all that are the so-called “best looking things” in this world. People are so worried about this or that, simply because they do not see and have in them what is infinitely comforting, satisfying, rich and permanently secure. 

Jacob in the book of Genesis is the case in point. In Genesis 33:11 we find Jacob making an interesting confession to his brother Esau. There he says, "Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need." And because Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it." Say, "I have all I need." What does “all” mean? “All” really means “all.” When did Jacob earn this faith? He earned this faith at the Jabbok River. The previous night, Jacob was terribly worried. Until he reached that point of his life, he worked hard to build his life securities. He strove to secure human love from Rachel, and sweat to build his assets. He succeeded in all these things. But still he remained totally uneasy. But that night, at the Jabbok River, he met the Lord God in person. Then, the next morning, the perception of his life changed. As he met the Lord personally, for the first time in his life, he learned that in the Lord (not in all that he grabbed with his bare hands) he had all he needed for life. 

Standing in strong contrast with Jacob was what Esau said in Genesis 33:9, "But Esau said, "I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself."" Let us compare the fact that Jacob used the word "all" but Esau adopted the word "plenty." What is the difference between “all” and “plenty”? The difference is infinite vs. finite. All is infinite, but plenty is finite. All means all sufficient, but plenty means insufficient. 

Speaking of the same truth, then, Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law." This passage shows us that when we do not know that in the Lord God we have all we need for life, we remain condemned to be in slavery to the worries, riches, and pleasures of this world. It is only when we know that the Lord God is the only true eternal secure source of life, that we can be truly set free from the demons of worry, and the life that is enslaved by the riches and pleasures of the flesh.

Fourth, a noble and good heart

Lastly let us read verse 15. "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop." Now, we got rid of the problems of the path, the rock, and the thorns. Does this mean that automatically God's kingdom will thrive in our hearts? No.  By getting rid of these problems, all we did was the work of cultivation like removing weeds. Then, in order for God's kingdom to arise, and thrive, we need to do two things positively: 

1) We must ensure that our heart would become noble and good. What does it mean to have a noble and good heart? In my opinion noble means loftiness in ideals. Isaiah 32:8 says, "But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands." How then can we become a noble person making a noble plan doing noble deeds? Again in my opinion Luke 19:12 answers the question. Luke 19:12 reads, "He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return."" Here, by "a man of noble birth" Jesus refers to himself! Noble birth then refers to the birth through God. Jesus’ birth is of God. He came from God the Father. Nobility is God's unique character! This then indicates that we too can become a noble person when we think about God's purpose, God's will, God's mind, and God's plan all the time! 

In addition we can see our heart becoming "good" when we follow what Luke says in Luke 6:45, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." A few days ago, I felt very powerless. I also felt sad for no particular reason. Basically I was no good. Then, that day I came to the daily bread meeting. The key verse for that day was from Exodus 15:2, "The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him." The word that says, "The Lord is my strength and my song" struck me. Then, suddenly I saw myself charged up with new strength. Joy also filled my heart. So, after the daily bread I said some words of encouragement to many whom I met that day. 

2) Next comes persevering. What is persevering? Persevere has many different meanings: abide, continue, endure, persist, labor, struggle... and much more. These words give us an idea of what we need to do to bear good fruit in the Lord.

In conclusion let us all read verse 15 again. Here we learned that Jesus came to bestow upon us the kingdom of God. But in order for us to receive it, enjoy it, and share it with many, we must keep our hearts free from the problems of the path, the rock, and the thorns. Then by fixing our thoughts and eyes on Jesus, and by feeding ourselves on the living word of God, rain or shine, we can become a man with a noble and good heart. Then as we persevere the Lord will help us to bear good fruit 30 times, 60 times, and even 100 times.

One word: a noble and good heart