Text: Matthew 13:1-8, 18-23
(Trenton, Summer, 1989 - On Radio)
(North Toronto, April 14/91 AM)
(Wallaceburg, September 5th, 1999 AFT)
I want to tell you a parable this morning. It goes like this:
One day at a car dealership not far from here, four men went in. Each was looking to buy a family car. As luck would have It, they all bought the very same car, all on that very same day.
Now the first man took his car home and proudly showed it off to his wife and neighbors explaining all of the great features and how he had gotten such a wonderful deal. But that night, the car was stolen because he left the keys in the ignition and forgot to lock his doors.
The second man took his car home and also showed it off. It drove well, but unfortunately, the man didn't. On the third day he had the car, he drove around a curve at too high a speed and rolled the car into a ditch. It was totaled.
The third man brought his car home and it drove well, going many miles, but he didn't follow the maintenance schedule and take care of it. It wasn’t very long before it started giving him trouble. He blamed it on the fact that the car was built on a Friday, on the way his wife drove to work, on the guy who was supposed to repair it (even though he never took it to him), and anyone else he could think of, but the car simply fell apart around him.
The fourth man took good care of his car. He looked after it, followed the instructions, maintained it regularly, and drove carefully. His car took him 1000 miles, 10,000 miles, even 100,000 miles requiring only regular maintenance and checkups.
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
If Jesus come today, he would probably use things around him in parables just as he did in Israel. I wonder if he would have told the parable of the seeds something like this? But just as the parable of the seeds had meaning, the parable of the cars holds the same meaning. Listen carefully to see if I am right.
THE FIRST CAR: STOLEN
The first type of car, was the one stolen the same night it was bought. It is the seed that fell on the path. It represents someone who hears the word, but ignores what that word has to say to them. This man took his car home, but ignored the security features – the locks - that would have saved his car from being stolen that night.
In scripture, the seed that fell on the path couldn't take root and was plucked up by birds that passed by. The message of the gospel didn't sink in. Like someone not listening to what I am saying this morning, but instead thinking about what they want to have for lunch. The words of the gospel are heard, but they bounce right off again, unable to sink in.
People might tell you that the gospel is just so much dribble spoken by people who are half crazy. But If you hear the gospel and half believe it – that is, you find it interesting, and maybe even attend church, but you won’t let it affect your life - then you haven't taken the time to lock your doors and secure your faith. God is very real, and you can anchor your roots in His word, so that you will know the word will not be stolen from your heart when someone tries to steal it away.
Everyone can hear and understand God's word. It has meaning and application to every life. Some might try to convince you otherwise. The devil will tell you that it isn't true. But the only thing that can really stop the word of God from taking root in you is your own heart. If you haven’t already - find a bible and read it. Find out what God has to say, then take it further: let it sink into your heart. Every word can be applied to your life in some way. There is enough material in the bible to have kept preachers going for centuries. Volumes have been written on the truths contained in just a single verse. How can anyone say there is nothing in scripture that can apply to them directly?
Isaiah talked about people like this almost five hundred years before Jesus came, when he wrote:
"You will be ever hearing but never understanding, you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them." (Isaiah 6:9 & Various)
Open our eyes, and our ears. Read the owner’s manual and lock the doors. Look into the word of God and find the message it holds for you today. Lock it in your heart and keep the key safe.
SECOND CAR: WRECKED
Now, remember the second driver? His was the car that was rolled in the ditch because he didn't know what he was doing. This car is like the seed that fell on the rocky places. Both represent the kind of person, who hears the word and receives it, but they are careless with it, and it can’t make the impression it needs to, to really be effective. It doesn't go deep enough, and it only lasts a short time. As soon as trouble comes along, control is lost, and this type of person winds up lying in a ditch somewhere blaming everyone and everything except themselves.
I wonder how many people you know who are like that? I wonder how many people you talk to every day, who have been involved in a church, who were regular attendees, who were considered fairly, or even very religious, but who suddenly thought that it wasn't enough and turned away? Jesus described them this way, in Matthew 13:20-21. He says they have:
"received the ... word and at once received it with joy. But since it could not take root, it only lasted a short time. When trouble came, or persecution, you quickly fall away."
Once you receive the word, you must let it sink in. If the man with the second car had only thought about the laws of the road that were laid down for his own benefit, he might have followed the speed limit on that corner and been safer. If he had taken a drivers education course on how to drive the car safely, he might have not only saved the car, but enjoyed it far more as well.
Some of us are people who like to dive into things; to jump on the bandwagon. Our society is very much like that. In spite of recycling, and maybe even partly because of it, we are an “on demand”, “throw away” society. Everything is available instantly and is tossed aside when it is no longer useful to us. Razors, glasses, plates, cups, bulbs.... friendships ... marriages.
Most things come with a cost and a value. If you’re like me, then you often look at the cost right off the bat – how much is it going to cost me? Can I afford that?. But how many look at the value? If I buy something for 10 cents here that lasts me 10 minutes, but can buy one over there for a dollar that will last me a lifetime, which is the better value?
Most people consider the price, but not the value when they first look for something. We must consider the cost, not just in an initial look at the pricetag, but in the entire value of the proposition. In any relationship, there must be commitment, because without it, failure is certain when times of trouble come along. How much more should that apply when we are talking about securing an eternity in heaven. The benefits far outweigh the price – it is great value! But we must expect there to be a higher price.
Christ will see us through our hardships. We are promised that He will never let us down. Romans 8:31 tells us:
"What then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?"
And in verse 35:
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine, or nakedness or danger or sword?"
Christ is not a quitter! He went to the cross, suffered a humiliating, horrible painful death and took upon himself all of the sins of the world, so that you and I, just two insignificant people among millions, could personally be saved from the consequences of sin that is within us.
That is the message of the gospel. Receive it, believe it and be saved. Let it take root in your life. Search for God, and He will be found. Matthew 7:7 says:
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you, for everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
When you find it, commit yourself to it. Join a small group and study the owners manual. Be ready for times of hardship and trust that by following and applying the rules of the road, Christ will be with you. Read the instruction manual, take the drivers education course and obey the road signs. Then you will be able to navigate the corners safely and can avoid ending up in that ditch.
THIRD CAR: FELL APART
The third car was the one that was not taken proper care of. It is like the seed that fell on thorny ground. This person is one who listens to the instructions and knows them well, but for whatever reason, chooses to ignore them along the way.
We all know that anything worth keeping requires care and maintenance on a regular basis. If things are not maintained, they fall into disrepair and decay. Perhaps you have heard the word of God. You have received it. You actively try to live like you believe God wants you to, but neglect taking time with him, you rarely or never study his word, and you’ve given up on praying with Him?
Before you know it, you begin to drift. You begin to lack Christ's presence in your life. You begin to fall back into your old, ungodly ways. You ignore the rust holes and the broken pieces. You become one of those who gives the church the name “hypocrite” because your life does not demonstrate the truths you say you hold to.
Who would want to buy a car when they see the same model in disrepair and falling apart? When something needs fixed, you fix it or it will begin to cause you other problems.
I remember one time when I had a screw fall out of the tailpipe clamp on my car. I didn't have time to fix it, so I left it. A while later, after several pot holes, the end of the tailpipe fell off. I still wasn't willing to take the time to fix it, so I tried to tie it up with a coat hanger. A little while after that, the muffler fell off. I figured then, it was about time to get it fixed, but by the time I made it to the garage, the whole pipe from engine to trunk needed replacing.
If only I had replaced that one small screw, the whole assembly would have stayed in place and I would not have had the expense of replacing the entire system.
Many things in our lives try to crowd out Christ. Jesus said in verse 22 of Matthew 13:
"The worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth chock it."
Day to day living is not a bad thing at all, but it can make us forget about God, let alone that Jesus died to save us from our sins.
If you’ve been married for any length of time, you know that the day to day chore of simply living and getting by can wear on your relationship with your spouse. You can begin to take them for granted, and unless you maintain that relationship with the occasional date, or time talking, or otherwise spent with each other, the relationship can crumble. How then can you expect the relationship with Christ to be any different? It also needs time and maintenance.
Wealth is another deceiver. When things look good financially, we can begin to feel so secure in this world that we forget there is a coming world into which we cannot take these comforts. Imagine being so focused on such a few short years that you can forget the eternity ahead. That sounds a little like my teen years! And what an amazing deception!
We must let God's word into our hearts, we must understand Christ's presence with us, and we must maintain our Christian experience.
FOURTH CAR: GOOD CAR
The fourth type of car was the one that was taken good care of. It is like the seed that fell on good ground. All of the security precautions were observed, all of the rules of the road were followed. Regular maintenance was performed, and the car served the driver not only for 1000 miles, not only for 10,000 miles, but even up to 100,000 miles.
This is the man who heard the word and didn't ignore it. He listened to what it said to him, and he put it into practice. He found Christ and asked him into his heart. But it didn't end there. He read the rules of the road and obeyed them. He read the owners manual and followed the instructions that were given in it. He took the drivers education course and applied what he learned. He met with other drivers to share tips of the road and share the fun of driving. He maintained his faith. He made sure Christ was still with him, and that he was still with Christ.
Because he did all this, he was able to keep his car running, to keep his faith going. It ran like it was supposed to. Even when he hit rough roads, he knew he was safe because he had discovered how to trust in God and obey his commands.
Naturally, I hope you will be like this fourth man. But probably you feel at least a little bit like one of the first three. So now you have heard the parable – “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”.
How does this parable relate to you, and what are you going to do about it? Christ can find the time for you when you need it, why not find time for him right now.
