Plow your land (Matthew13:1~9)

·         Plow your land (Matthew13:1~9)
13 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Farming season is a time when farmers plow their land and put fertilizers on their land. It is very tiring and a lot of physical hard labor. In our life of faith sometimes we need to work on our faith the way farmers work on farms. We need to throw away the bad plants and rocks in our minds.
We need to plow and cut the sin which is like a thrombus too us with the holy spirit's plow, and scythe. We need to change our hearts which is like the hard road to rich soil. Then we need to put the seeds of God so we can produce 30, 60, 100 times to get a result.
Today in our text, Jesus told us about four types of soil of heart by using the metaphor of “persons who spread seeds.”
one's heart is like the hard road, which cannot accept God in their hearts. Others may have hearts like a land full of small rocks, or a blood clot. However, some people have rich soil like minds that whenever God’s word is landed on their heart, it produces lots of Good results.
God spoke through Hosea “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”(Hosea 10:12)

Fallow ground here means people of Israel which was full of sins at the time era. Furthermore, the state of Christians’ mind we need to break up our mind.

In the bible there are lots of story about people’s life. God sometimes, complement their life or guide them or rebuke them.
So, today we need to check ourselves life, and what is our state of mind. Also get healed through today’s sermon.
1. There are wasted land.(Luke13:6-7)
Let’s see Luke 13: 6-7
6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.
The land lord was upset because the fruit tree had no berry. So he decide to remove that tree.
“Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?”
As a result, tree will be replaced, if the tree that supposes to have some berry had any. It’s a waste of land. This applies to us too, if we didn’t make a fruit of holy spirit but disturb church inside, Jesus will be disappointed.

Matthew 21:19 says“And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.”
John also said in Matthew 3:10 “And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”Of course this wasn’t toward Christians; this was towards Israel people who didn’t accept Jesus.

Brothers and sisters! We need to check ourselves and see if we are doing okay according to bible or not.
2. Resulted in wild grape. ( Isaiah 5:1-4 )

Let’s see Isaiah chapter 5 verse 2-7.
(Isaiah 5:2-4) “2 And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
4 What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?”
So God blamed them.
(Isaiah 5:5-7) “5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:
6 And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.”God blamed north Israel and South Jude because they disappointed God.
Brothers and sisters!
Each and every one of you was picked by God him self and he put you in this church and blessed you with his grace, so what do you think you need to come up with? We need to produce 1st class grapes.

3. Current version of Prodigal son .(눅15:24)
In Luke 15 there is a metaphor about the prodigal son. His father could support him very well without making him work, but he left his father anyways. Eventually, he wasted all his money for nothing and became a beggar, he had nowhere else to go but to his father. “And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!”(Luke15:17)…The prodigal son was ready to become his father’s slave; he didn’t expect any love from his father, But he was wrong, the father welcomes his return.

Brothers and sisters! This prodigal son is us. We are all loved sons and daughters of God. If we stay under his watch and protection he guaranteed us to go to heaven and get eternal life. But still, we wanted to try this world, all the fun that this world can give us. This shouldn’t be us.

You don’t need to starve life prodigal son, just stay with God who provides us well. Please, stop live life like prodigal son, comeback to where you belong where the joy and bless of God is more than enough.

4.Disobey .(Jonah 1:1-3)
Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
In Jonah, God order him to go to to Nineveh “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.” However Jonah disobeyed because people of Nineveh were barbarians who kept bothering and attacking Israel. So he wanted them to collapse, all he had to was do nothing, that is why he didn’t follow God’s order Jonah can represent the selfish faith who live with their own thought. They think they are better than what is written in the bible.
So he choose to go to opposite direction “Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”
However, God uses typoon and big fish to take him and brought him back to Nineveh

That Jonah who disobeyed God could be us today, we saying we live life as what bible said, but actually there are many times we failed God. We need to repent.
5. life with punishments. Isaiah 1:5-6

Isaiah 41:8-10 God promised like this “8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
9 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

When we see the history of the Israel, they disobeyed God countless time. So God used prophets to brought them back, like hen go after its chicks. However it didn’t work.
As a result, He punishes them, with Assur, Amon, Egypt, Philistine and Babylon empire. Jerusalem, and temples were collapse, nobles and king were slaughter., and people of Israel were held as prisoners for 70 years.
God Used Isaiah to tell his people about how God feels. (Isaiah1:5-8) “5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
8 And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

Brothers and sisters we shouldn’t punished by God. Our Parents gives us punishments sometimes but if we can we have to prevent that to happen. Cane of love also hurts.

Conclusion
Our life is neither long or forever.
Moses said in Psalms 90:4 -10
“4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
5 Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
6 In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
7 For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.
8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”

James 4:14 says “14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

So what we need to do with this short life??
You want to live life like wasted land? Or with poor wild berry as a result? Or like prodigal son? Or life disobeys God whole time? Or life full of punishments by God? Now we need to wake up! God already approved us as His children. So, we became his sons, and daughters, and then we need to live like God’s children. Without shame on ourselves, so when God call us one day, we should stands in front of God with no shame and get complement from God. Amen