Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 6

“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’ And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’ And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’ And he said, ‘Go, and say to this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.’ Then I said, ‘How long, O Lord?’ And he said: ‘Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, and the LORD removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled.’ The holy seed is its stump.” (Isaiah 6, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 8:4-15

“And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, ‘A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.’ As he said these things, he called out, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear.’ And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:4–15, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

As many of you will remember, we considered this passage in the sermon that was delivered last Sunday. In that sermon, we considered this parable of Jesus about a sower who sows seed on various types of soil. The seed represents the word of God. The sower represents the one who preaches the word. The different types of soil – the hard compacted soil of the wayside, the rocky soil, the weedy soil, and the good soil – represent the different ways that people hear or receive God’s word. In that sermon, we gave special attention to the symbolism of the soils. The exhortation delivered to you was to tend to the garden of your soul – to have a heart that is soft and receptive towards God – one that is well-tilled, stone-free, and regularly weeded – so that you might receive with meekness the implanted word of God which is able to save your souls (James 1:22). Today we will consider this passage again, but this time we will give special attention to the sower and the seed.

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The Sower

First, let us consider the sower. Notice his surprising behavior. This sower casts his seed far and wide. He casts his seed indiscriminately. He casts his seed with what seems to be no concern at all for the condition of the soil upon which it falls. I say this behavior is surprising because farmers would typically be more careful with their precious seeds. If you and I lived in an agrarian society we would be immediately struck by the strange behavior of this sower of seed. We would ask the question, why is he being so careless? Why is he throwing his seed on soils that have not been prepared? Does he not know that the seed he throws on the path will be wasted? Does he not know that the seed he throws on the stony ground will spring up only for a while but will never bear fruit? Does he not know that the seed he throws on soil not previously cleared of weeds will be overrun? The sower of the seed in Jesus’ parable behaves surprisingly, and I think this is deliberate. 

The sower, as you know, symbolizes the one who preaches the word of God. And preachers are to preach in the same way that this sower sowed his seed. Preachers must preach the word indiscriminately. They must cast the seed of the gospel of the kingdom everywhere with no concern for the condition of the soil upon which the word of God falls. Yes, they are to pray that God’s word would be received by men and women with good, soft, and fertile minds and hearts. But preachers must not be concerned with the condition of the hearts and minds of their hearers as they cast the seed of the gospel. The seed of the gospel is to be cast freely and indiscriminately. 

The reason for this should be obvious. Firstly, we cannot see the condition of the hearts and minds of men. As heralds of God’s message of salvation, we are, in fact, blind to the condition of the souls of others. Those who appear to us to be soft and receptive may be hard as stone, whereas those who appear to be hard, may be soft to God and his word. Secondly, even if we could see that a person’s heart was hard and compacted, stony, or thorny, there is nothing we can do about it (except to pray). And so we are to simply proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to all who will listen (with their natural ears), leaving the preparation of the mind and heart of man to God, who alone can take a heart of stone to make it soft towards him (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26).

I want you to notice that Christ preached like this. He proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom indiscriminately to all who came to him. In fact, our text begins with these words in 8:4: “And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, ‘A sower went out to sow his seed’”, etc. At the end of this section we read in 8:8,  “As he said these things, he called out, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke 8:8, ESV).

These words, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”, show us that Christ knew that not all who heard him would hear him. Stated differently, Christ knew that not all who possessed the natural ability to hear his voice would have the ability to hear him inwardly, spiritually, and truly leading to the salvation of their souls. To use the imagery from our parable, Christ knew that many who listened to his preaching would listen to him with hearts and minds characterized by the soil of the wayside, the stony ground, and the soil choked by weeds. Yes, they heard him preach, but they did not have ears to hear him truly. Stated positively, as Christ preached to the multitudes, he knew that some would not only hear his voice in a natural way. Some would hear his voice inwardly and truly with understanding and receptiveness. They would take his word to heart and receive it by faith. To use the imagery of our parable, though Christ knew that much of the seed of the word of God that he cast upon the multitude would fall upon poor soil, he knew that some would fall upon good, soft, and receptive soil, and, by God’s grace, would bear fruit. It was to these that Christ called out saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

So you can see that Christ himself cast the seed of the word of God freely and indiscriminately as he preached. He did not aim at the good soil only. No, he preached to the multitudes as they came to him. And we should also see that Christ was, by his example and through this parable, training his Apostles to preach the gospel of the kingdom in the same way. This parable, you see, applies to the one who hears God’s word. By it, the hearer of God’s word is exhorted to hear in a good way! But this parable is also for the preacher of God’s word. You see, the preacher of God’s word is called to sow the seed of the gospel of the kingdom like Jesus did, liberally and without concern for the condition of the hearts and minds of those who listened. Those who preach the word must know for certain that those with ears to hear will hear. 

In Luke 9 we are told about Jesus sending out the twelve Apostles to preach. Listen to the text:  “And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal” (Luke 9:1–2, ESV). And in verse 6 we read, “And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere” (Luke 9:6, ESV). There is much to consider in these verses, and we will consider it all in due time. For now, I want you to see that the Apostles preached like Jesus did. They proclaimed the gospel freely and indiscriminately. 

In Luke 10, seventy-two of Jesus’ disciples are sent out to preach, and the same may be said of these. They preached liberally. Some who heard them received their word. Many didn’t. And when their message was rejected, Christ instructed them to shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against them (Luke 10:11).

And we should not forget about Luke’s second volume, called the Acts of the Apostles. In that book, we are told all about the preaching ministry of Christ’s Apostles, including the Apostle Paul. And what do we find? They preached the gospel of the kingdom boldly and freely at every opportunity. They did not attempt to judge the condition of the hearts of men but cast the seed of the gospel on all who would listen, and they left the results to God. 

Take, for example, Acts 13:44-52. There we are told about the preaching ministry of Paul and Barnabus. The text says, “The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, ‘It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,’ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 13:44–52, ESV)

Five things must be noted about this text. One, Paul and Barnabus preached the gospel like the sower in our parable. They cast the seed of the gospel far and wide, making no attempt to discern the condition of the hearts and minds of men. Two, when the gospel was rejected by some who were heard-hearted, Paul and Barnabus shook the dust from their feet as a sign against them and went on preaching to others. Three, humanly speaking it was those you would expect to receive the world who rejected it (the Jews), whereas those you would not expect to receive it (the Gentiles) were the ones who believed. Four, Luke interpreted the reception of the word of God by some in this way, saying, “and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48, ESV). This is the doctrine of election or predestination and effectual calling, to which we will return shortly. Five, this approach and this mindset made for happy preachers and a happy church. Despite the difficulty and the persecution, we are told that “the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52, ESV).

As we return to our parable in Luke 8, I hope that you would agree that serves a dual purpose. The parable is both an exhortation to hear the word of God in a good way, and it is an exhortation to to proclaim the word of God in a good way. We are to from both the soils and the sower.

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The Seed

Let us now turn our attention to the seed. Jesus tells us in verse 11 that the seed in this parable represents the word of God. It is the gospel of the kingdom. It is the message contained in Holy Scripture. There are three things that I want you to notice about the seed. 

First of all, the seed has within it the power to produce life and fruitfulness.

In the previous sermon, I mentioned my garden which is currently overgrown and in need of of some attention. I put some effort into that garden late last winter and in the early spring. I very much enjoyed the process of growing food from seed. In fact, I was fascinated by the process. On many occasions I held seeds in my hand – some large and some very small – and marveled at the thought that these little things have within them the power to grow into plants that we can eat to the nourishment of our bodies. These little seeds have life in them. Isn’t that incredible to consider? You can walk around with a whole garden in your pocket. Think of it. You can walk around your house with dozens of watermelons, butternut squashes, and zucchini in your pocket. I marvel over this. My family knows that I marvel over this because I would often make comments about it, especially as the seeds began to emerge in the starter trays and at the time of harvest. It is incredible to think of the power that is contained within a little seed. The seed has the power to produce fruit, to give life, and even to produce more seeds, so that the process may continue. As strange as it sounds, I would highly encourage you to buy some seeds so that you might hold one in your hand and ponder all of the life is contained within that little package. And then reflect on the seed of the gospel.    

It is no wonder that Jesus chose the seed as a metaphor for the word of God. The gospel of the kingdom of God, that is to say, the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus the Messiah, is a small, simple message, that can be taken with you wherever you go, and yet it has within it the power to save, to give life eternal, and to produce a great harvest of fruit. Have you ever stopped to think about the power that is contained within the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ? The gospel message contains within it the power to make men and women right with God, to set them free from bondage to sin, to produce a holy and fruitful life, and to give eternal life to all who receive it by faith. Indeed, this is what Paul teh Apostle has famously said: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, ESV).

The second thing that I want you to notice about seed is that it does not sprout and grow unless planted. There is great power contained within the seed, but it must be planted if its power is to be released. How convenient is this! A farmer can therefore store his seed and plant it at the right time. A traveler can take seed with him on his journey and he will not have a garden bursting out of his pack! He can plant the seed when he arrives at his destination. Natural seeds must be sown into the soil if they are to germinate and come to maturity. And so it is with the seed of the gospel. It must be sown to release its power. The gospel of Jesus Christ must be proclaimed, friends. It will do no good to keep it in our pocket. Yes, the word of God – the gospel of Jesus Christ – has within it the power to save. But it must be cast upon the soil of the souls of men if its power is ever to be released. 

The third thing to notice about seed is that it must be planted in good soil if it is to reach maturity and produce fruit. The soil must be soft, and filled with nutrients and moisture if the seed is to germinate and grow to maturity. And in our parable, as it pertains to the seed of the word of God, this means that the good news of the kingdom of God must be received in the minds and hearts of men and women by faith. Does the seed of the gospel contain within it the power to save? Does it contain within it the power to grant the forgiveness of sins, to reconcile to God, and to give eternal life? Yes, but it must be truly received by those who hear it. Those who hear the word of God must take it in. They must believe the word of God. They must place their faith in the word of God and in the Christ who is offered to them therein. You see, the seed of the gospel, as powerful as it is, will not release its power unless it is received by faith into the good, soft, and fertile soil of the minds and hearts of those who hear it. 

In the previous sermon, we considered this truth from the vantage point of the soil. There in that sermon, I exhorted you to be good soil, that is, to receive the word in a good way – to be a good hearer of God’s word – to receive the gospel of the kingdom of Christ truly, by faith, and with repentance. But here we are analyzing the seed of the word of God itself. We are marveling over the power that is contained within the seed of the gospel. We are recognizing that the seed of the gospel must be sown into soil if it is ever to release its power. And we are contemplating the fact that it must be received, not by any kind of soil, but by good soil if it is to germinate, grow, and reach the fruitful maturity of holiness and life eternal. 

This is how the word of God – the gospel of the kingdom of God – works. It works like a seed works. The gospel has contained within it the power to save. But for this power to be released, the gospel must be proclaimed to men and women and received by faith. Listen again to Paul’s famous statement about the power of the gospel. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, ESV). In Romans 10:13-15 the Apostle expands upon this when he says, “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” (Romans 10:13–15, ESV). You see, the gospel has the power to save, for it is through belief in the gospel that men and women call upon the name of the Lord. But to call upon the Lord Jesus Christ, they must believe in him. And to believe in him, they must hear about him. And to hear about him, someone must preach to them. And if preachers are to preach, they must be sent. 

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The Soil

One last thing I would like to do with you this morning is to consider the soils again, but this time I would like to consider them, not from the vantage point of the hearer of God’s word (like we did in the previous sermon), but from the vantage point of the preacher of God’s word. We should remember that this parable was presented to two different audiences. First, Christ delivered this parable to the multitudes that came from the towns (Luke 8:4). These were undoubtedly being exhorted by Christ through this parable to be good hearers of the word of God that was delivered to them. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”, Christ concluded (Luke 8:8). But the parable was explained in detail to the disciples of Christ who gathered with him in private. These, you see,  were not only hearers of God’s word, but they would be preachers of God’s word too. So, they would consider the soils not only from the vantage point of a hearer but also a preacher, or sower of the seed of the gospel. A question that they would have had is a question that you and I likely have: how will it be that any will receive the word of God with an honest and good heart? 

Do you understand the importance of this question? These men would be sent out as sowers of the seed of the gospel of the kingdom. They would be sent out soon, even during Christ’s earthly ministry ( see Luke 9:1ff. & 10:1ff.). They would be sent out permanently as sowers at the end of Christ’s earthly ministry before his ascension (see Matthew 28:18ff. & Acts 1:8). And thankfully, they would be sent out with powerful and potent seed – the seed of the word of God. But what about the soil? If it is true that success requires, not only potent seed but also good soil, what about the soil?  Where would this good soil, that is to say, these good, honest, and receptive hearts and minds come from? The answer is that the disciples of Jesus would always have good seed to cast upon good soil by God’s grace. The seed is the word of God, so it is inherently good and potent. And God by his grace will prepare the soil of the hearts and minds of some to make them good and receptive to the seed of his word. 

Friends, the Scriptures are clear that our hearts and minds are not naturally good, honest, and receptive to God’s word, given our fall into sin. In sin, our minds are darkened, our hearts are hard, and our wills are polluted, being bent towards evil. To use the language of our parable, our hearts are by nature like the soil of the wayside, the rocky soil, and the thorny soil. Where then will this good soil come from? Again I say, that God will give it as a gift through the preaching of his word and by the inward working of his Holy Spirit upon the hearts of his elect.     

This is the doctrine of effectual calling. I have not left myself much time to demonstrate this doctrine from Scripture, though it could easily be done. For the sake of brevity and clarity, I’ll cite our Second London Confession 10:1. It faithfully summarizes the teaching of Holy Scripture when it says, “Those whom God hath predestinated unto life, he is pleased in his appointed, and accepted time, effectually to call, by his Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ; enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God; taking away their heart of stone; and giving to them a heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and by his almighty power determining them to that which is good, and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ; yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by his grace.”

(Romans 8:30; Romans 11:7; Ephesians 1:10, 11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 14; Ephesians 2:1-6; Acts 26:18; Ephesians 1:17, 18; Ezekiel 36:26; Deuteronomy 30:6; Ezekiel 36:27; Ephesians 1:19; Psalm 110:3; Song of Solomon 1:4)

Yes, in this parable we find an exhortation to receive the word of God with a good and honest heart. But no one is able do so unless the Lord effectually calls them externally by his word and inwardly by his Spirit. This is what is behind the words of Christ in verse 8, “he who has ears to hear let him hear.” Some, by God’s grace, have ears to hear his voice. And this is the doctrine that is behind the words of Christ that he spoke to his disciples in verse 10: “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’” (Luke 8:10, ESV). It is the Biblical doctrines of predestination, effectual calling, and reprobation (or the passing over of the non-elect) that stand behind these words of our Lord.

You see, the words of Christ concerning the good soil in verse 8, “And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold”, and in verse 15, “As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience”, do not only function as an external call to be good hearers of the word, they are also a promise to the preacher of the word that there will always be good soil in the world on which to cast the seed of the gospel. Yes, as you proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, many seeds will fall upon hearts hardened and deceived by sin, but some will fall on good soil – that is to say, on hearts and minds made good and receptive to God’s word by God’s grace through the working of the Holy Spirit. This is in fulfillment to the word of the Lord spoken through the prophet Ezekiel, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (Ezekiel 36:26–27, ESV).

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Implications

One, if we wish to see Christ’s kingdom expand, the preaching of the word of God must be primary.

The word must be proclaimed:

Faithfully

Freely 

Clearly

To the congregation

To the world

The church must walk by faith knowing that God will call his elect to himself by his word and Spirit. We ought never to rely on man-made schemes and tactics for the building up of Christ’s church. The church is spiritual. We must preaching the word relying ever on the Spirit’s work.

The church must pray for the success of the gospel and the conversion of soul, for prayer is a means that God uses alongside the preaching of his word. 

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 52:1–7

“Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. For thus says the LORD: ‘You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.’ For thus says the Lord GOD: ‘My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian oppressed them for nothing. Now therefore what have I here,’ declares the LORD, ‘seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Their rulers wail,’ declares the LORD, ‘and continually all the day my name is despised. Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.’ How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’” (Isaiah 52:1–7, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 8:1-3

“Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.” (Luke 8:1–3, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

I was not expecting to be so captivated by the first three verses of Luke 8. On the surface, this passage seems to be rather insignificant and plain – a transitional passage meant only to provide us with a few details about the ministry of Christ to move us along in the narrative. But as I meditated upon this text, two things grabbed my attention. 

First of all, the words, “the good news of the kingdom of God” stood out to me. Luke tells us that Christ “went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God”, but he does not tell us what that message was. So, we are left to wonder, what did he preach? What was the content of his message? What is this “good news of the kingdom of God” that Christ proclaimed? 

In the previous sermon, I attempted to show you that the good news of the kingdom of God is the story of Scripture. To know what it is we must start with Genesis 1. To appreciate the fullness of the good news of the kingdom we must read all the way through to the end of the book of Revelation. In brief, the good news of the kingdom of God is that, though man has fallen into sin, rebelled against God the King, lost communion with God his Maker, and has come now under his wrath and curse, being now liable to all the miseries of this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever (see Baptist Cathecism 22), God the King has shown mercy and grace. He has sent a Savior, Christ the King, to defeat Satan, the usurper king, to overthrow his illegitimate kingdom of darkness, and to conquer sin and death. More than this Christ the King has atoned for the sins of those given to him by the Father in eternity – this he did by dying on the cross in their place. And because Christ lived a sinless life, he has righteousness to give to those who turn from their sins to trust in him as Lord and Savior. And please hear this: not only did Christ come to redeem a people for himself to reconcile them to God the Father, but he also redeemed a place. Satan, the usurper – the one who tempted Eve in the garden, and the one to whom Adam bowed the knee – is called in the Scriptures, “the ruler of this world”. It is so very important to recognize this. The Scriptures teach that Satan has been the ruler of this world since man’s fall into sin. He is an illegitimate king, who rules over an illegitimate kingdom. And where is this kingdom? On earth. And who are the citizens of this kingdom? They are the descendants of fallen Adam born into this world in sin. But it is also importaint to remember the words of Christ in John 12:31: “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out” (John 12:31, ESV). You see, King Jesus did not only come to redeem a people by atoning for their sins and by clothing them with his righteousness so that they can stand upright and holy in the presence of God Almighty to behold his glory –  King Jesus also came to take back a realm – a realm that was stolen by a hostile invader – namely, the earth. In brief, this is “the good news of the kingdom of God” that Christ and his Apostles preached. It is the good news that we have believed and that we are to proclaim as well.

Here is the second thing that captivated me as I meditated upon the first three verses of Luke 8: I was struck by the primacy and power of preaching. Here in our text, we are told that Jesus Christ “went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God” (Luke 8:1, ESV). This agrees with what we read in Luke 4:43. There we hear Christ say, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43, ESV). Furthermore, here in Luke 8 we are told that the “twelve were with him…” Who are these twelve? They are the twelve Apostles that were named in Luke 6:12. What does the word, Apostle mean? An Apostle is a messenger or delegate. An Apostle, as we will soon see, is one who is sent to proclaim a message. In fact, when we come to Luke 9:2 we read, “and [Jesus] sent [the twelve Apostles] out to proclaim the kingdom of God…” (Luke 9:2, ESV). Lastly, in our text for today, we are told of a group of women who followed Jesus and accompanied the Apostles. And what did these women do?  The text says that they “provided for them out of their means” (Luke 8:3, ESV). In other words, they used their time, their treasures, and their talents to support Christ the his Apostles so they might do what? Devoted themselves to preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God. Notice, dear brothers and sisters, the primacy and power of preaching.

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The Primacy Of Preaching

When I speak of the primacy of preaching, I’m referring to the supreme importance of it. The word primacy means, of greatest importance, preeminence, priority, or superiority. And here I am making the observation that preaching the good news of the kingdom of God was of supreme importance to Jesus. He himself said that he came for this purpose. He gathered twelve Apostles (delegates, messengers) to himself to train them to preach this same gospel of the kingdom and to send them out. Others followed him too. In our text, women are mentioned. These believed in Christ and his message. These were transformed by him. And these devoted themselves to the support of his ministry. They provided for Christ and his Apostles so that they could proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God. Preaching the good news of the kingdom of God was clearly of primary importance to  Christ and his Apostles.

The question I have is, why? That’s a good question, isn’t it? Why was preaching this message, or telling this story, of primary importance to Jesus?  Stated differently, some might ask, couldn’t Jesus have done better things with his time than to proclaim this message?

For example, there must have been many poor and hungry people in the villages. Would it have not been a better use of time for Jesus to feed the poor? After all, Jesus demonstrated to have the ability to take a very small amount of food and multiply it greatly. Why not feed the poor, Jesus? Why spend your time and energy telling a story?

And there must have been many who were sick in these villages. Why not make healing them of primary importance? Again, Jesus demonstrated that he had the ability to heal the sick. Why not make this primary? Why spend time telling a story?

Or given the fact that Isarel was at this time occupied and oppressed by the Romans, why not gather an army of zealots and train them to fight rather than training twelve Apostles to preach?

I could go on and on. Certainly, there were many uneducated people. Why not establish schools? I’m sure there were many dysfunctional families. Why not counsel? We know that there was great corruption and injustice within the political class of both Israel and Rome. Why not seek to transform society through political reforms?

I’m quite sure that Jesus saw all of this suffering and darkness within the world. Why then did he make preaching primary? Why did he say, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43, ESV)? And why does Luke tell us, that he went “on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him…” (Luke 8:1, ESV). The answer is that there is true power in this message. As good and right as these other endeavors may be, they pale in comparison to the power of preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and so never shall they be primary for the Christian church. But preaching the gospel of the kingdom will always be primary.    

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The Power Of Preaching

Let us consider, for a moment, the power of preaching. And of course, I am not here referring to the power of preaching in general, but the power of preaching the good news of the kingdom of God. For it is not the act of preaching that is powerful, but the content of the message that Christ and his Apostles preached. 

You see, this story that I have told you – extensively in the previous sermon, and very briefly in the introduction to this one – regarding the accomplishment of our redemption and the establishment of the kingdom of God, is powerful. It is life-changing. It is life-changing in the here and now, and for tonight. Indeed, it is through this message about the person of Christ, his fished work, and the establishment of his eternal kingdom that men and women are forgiven, saved, and renewed. 

This is why Paul the Apostle says in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16, ESV). Please allow me to say a few things about this famous verse. 

One, the gospel that Paul preached is the same gospel that Jesus preached. Gospel means “good news”. Jesus proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom of God. His Apostles were trained and commissioned to preach this same gospel. And Paul was called to preach this gospel too. The gospel of the kingdom of God is the gospel of Jesus Christ. And the gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel of the Apostles. And the gospel of the Apostles is the gospel that Paul preached, for he was an Apostle of Jesus too, having been commissioned personally by the risen Lord. 

Two, when Paul wrote, I am not ashamed of the gospel, he acknowledges that it is possible to be tempted to be ashamed of it. Were it not tempting to be ashamed of the gospel, then why would Paul write,  “For I am not ashamed of the gospel”? Was Paul tempted to be ashamed of the gospel of the kingdom of God? Perhaps he was tempted. Think of all of the ridicule and mistreatment he endured as an Apostle of Christ – a herald of this message of good news. Perhaps he was tempted to pull back and to alter his course. But having considered all things carefully and according to the truth of Scripture, he was resolved: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel”, he says. 

One of the reasons that Christians are sometimes ashamed of the Gospel of the kingdom of God is that others do not see the point of it, and so they ridicule it. The story of salvation through faith in a crucified and risen Savior seems foolish to them. This is what Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 1:18: “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18, ESV). So then, for those who are dead in their sins, who have no spiritual light or life in them, the message of salvation through the cross of Christ sounds foolish. But to those who have been the gift of faith – to those who have been given eyes to see and ears to hear – this message of redemption through the crucified and risen Christ, sounds like “the power of God.”

This brings us back to Romans 1:16 where Paul says something very similar. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Why was Paul not ashamed to proclaim the good of the kingdom of God, and of Christ the crucified and risen, King? Because he was convinced that it was the power of God unto salvation. 

Brothers and sisters, it is not the act of preaching that is powerful. A preacher may preach with great eloquence. A preacher may preach with great oratorical skill. But if the message he proclaims is not the true gospel of the kingdom of God, then his message will have no power to save. Conversely, a preacher may lack eloquence and skill, but if the message he proclaims is the true gospel of the kingdom of God, then his preaching will have the power to save. You see, it is not the preacher or the act of preaching that has power, but the message. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, ESV).

So, why does the good news of the kingdom of God have such power – yes, even the power to save sinners?

The Gospel Of The Kingdom Is Powerful Because It Is True

First of all, the gospel of the kingdom is powerful because it is true. The gospel of the kingdom tells us the truth about God and the world he has made. The gospel of the kingdom tells us the truth about our sin and misery now that man has fallen into sin. The gospel of the kingdom also tells us the truth about the grace of God, the Savior he has provided – Christ the Lord – the victory he has won, and his eternal reward. The gospel of the kingdom of God is a story. It is the story of God, creation, man, sin, salvation in Christ Jesus, and the consummation of all things at the end of time. It is the story that is told in the Bible from Genesis 1 through to the end of Revelation. It is the story of the kingdom of God – the kingdom offered, promised, prefigured, inaugurated, and consummated. And I am here simply observing that this story is powerful because it is true. 

Truth is powerful (or at least it has the potential to be), don’t you agree? The truth has the potential to free us to live according to what is real. Lies will lead only to division, darkness, and death. But truth sets people free. And this is especially true when it comes to the truth of the gospel. This is why Christ spoke to the Jews who had believed in him, saying, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32, ESV). 

It is so sad to think that many people live their entire lives according to a lie. They have believed the lie, perhaps, that God does not exist, that there are many gods, or that there is one only, but that they are right with him, and have no need for a Savior, therefore. These are lies that bind people in darkness. These are lies that lead straight to hell. But the gospel of the kingdom of God is true – the one that is proclaimed from Genesis 1 through to the end of Revelation – is true. And the truth has the power to set men and women free. 

The Gospel Of The Kingdom Is Powerful Because In It Christ Is Offered To Us

Secondly, the gospel of the kingdom is powerful, not only because it is true, but because it is through this message that we come to be united to Christ the Savior and to have him as King.

Brothers and sisters, please allow me to make a very important distinction. We are saved – and by that I mean, our sins are forgiven, we are made righteous in God’s sight, and transferred out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light – not by believing in the gospel message per se, but by trusting the person of Jesus Christ and the work he has done for us as he is offered to us in the gospel. This is a fine distinction that I am making, I know. But it is an important one. It is not the gospel message that saves us. It is Jesus who saves. And we come to be saved as we trust in him, as he is offered to us in the gospel. Stated another way, the gospel is powerful, not because it is a powerful or moving story, but because the person of Jesus Christ is introduced to us and offered to us in the gospel.  

 You’ve heard me talk about how much I love our catechism. And one of the things I love about our catechism is its precision. Listen to Baptist Catechism questions 90 and 91. The gospel is preached in these questions. Q. 90 “What doth God require of us, that we may escape His wrath and curse, due to us for sin?” Put into simpler terms, what must we do to be saved? A. “To escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption.” How do we come to be saved? Baptist Catechism 90 is right to say that is through faith in Jesus Christ. Now listen to question  91. It asks, “What is faith in Jesus Christ?” A. “Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace [gift], whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He is offered to us in the Gospel.” What did you notice about Baptist Catechism 91? I hope you caught it. It is there reiterated and further emphasized that we are saved by the grace of God alone and through faith in Christ alone. In fact, it is said that by faith, “we receive and rest upon [Jesus] alone for salvation”. You see, to be saved we must receive Christ as our Lord and Savior. We must receive him as our mediator. We must receive him as our Covenant Head. We must receive Christ as our King if we wish to be citizens in his eternal kingdom. And to receive Christ is to rest in him. I do love the words receive and rest in this answer. They very much help to clarify what it means to have faith in Christ. The word receive reminds us that Christ and the salvation offered to us through him is a gift. You don’t earn Christ, you receive him by faith! And the word rest communicates that to have Christ as Lord and Savior, one must fall humbly and helplessly into his loving arms. Friends, you don’t work your way to Christ, you rest in him by faith! 

The point that I am here making is that we are saved by the person of Christ, not the gospel. But it is through the gospel – it is through the message of the good news of the kingdom of God – that Christ is offered to us. Did you catch that at the end of Baptist Catechism 91? Hear it again: Q. “What is faith in Jesus Christ?” A. “Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He is offered to us in the Gospel.” It is through the gospel – it is through the good news of the kingdom of God that Christ, his Apostles, and the true church in every age proclaims – that men and women, boys and girls, come to trust in the person of Jesus Christ and in the work he has done for sinners, unto salvation. Stated in yet another way, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, not because the gospel message, in and of itself, saves, but because Jesus saves. And it is Jesus who is offered to sinners in the preaching of the gospel.  

You might be thinking that this distinction is too fine, but it is not. I do wonder how many people have been brought up in the church hearing the preaching of the good news of the kingdom of God, and even thinking, yes, this message is true! This is what the Bible teaches, ect! But never have they placed their faith in Christ. In other words, they have heard and even agreed with the sound doctrine that is taught, but never have they received the gift of Christ. Never have they humbly and helplessly fallen into the strong and loving arms of King Jesus.  

You’ve probably heard it said that true Christianity is not about doctrine, it’s about a relationship. That statement is half true. True Christianity is about a relationship. It is about sinners being reconciled to the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, through a personal relationship with Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God incarnate. But how do we come to know this Jesus? How do we come to be united to him by faith? It is through the proclamation of the good news of the kingdom of God, and that involves doctrine or teaching.  

The Gospel Of The Kingdom Is Powerful Because Through It We Are United To Christ By Faith And Come To Have All Of The New Covenant Blessings That He Has Earned 

So then, the gospel of the kingdom of God is powerful because it is true. And it is powerful because it is through the gospel that Christ – his person and finished work – are offered to us. Thirdly, the gospel of the kingdom of God is powerful because through it we are united to Christ by faith and come to have all of the benefits of the redemption he has accomplished as our own.

This good news of the kingdom of God will change your life now and for eternity if it is believed. And of course, I mean that your life will be changed now and for eternity if you believe upon King Jesus, who is offered to us in the gospel. 

And no, I am not merely talking about some kind of superficial, momentary, or earthly change. I’m talking about deep, spiritual, and everlasting change. I have no doubt that if you are a drunkard now, Christ can and will change your life if you come to him by faith. He will free you from bondage to that sin. I have no doubt that if your marriage is on the verge of disaster, Christ can change that. But please hear me, Christ did not lay down his life, rise again on the third day, ascend to the Father, and sit down on his thrown to merely set you free from drunkenness and to bless you with a better marriage. No, those who come to Christ to receive and rest in him as he is offered to us in the gospel, are blessed in him with blessings far deeper than these. 

Those who come to Christ to receive and rest in him as he is offered to us in the gospel, come because they have been given spiritual life. Through the preaching of the gospel, and by the working of the Holy Spirit, they have been given eyes to see and ears to hear. They have been given new life, and so they come to Jesus to receive and rest in him. This is what Jesus meant when he spoke to Nicodemus as it is recorded for us in John 3:3,  saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, ESV). And a bit later he said, “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5, ESV). The gospel of the kingdom of God will be received by those who are called and regenerated by the Spirit. Indeed, the parable of the sower that follows the passage we are now considering in Luke 8 makes the same point, but in a different way. Christ did not come to give you a better life now, friends. He came to redeem his people. He came to thoroughly renew them, and to bring them from a state of sin and death to life.

And what blessings do those who trust in Christ as he is offered to us in the gospel receive? They are justified by God. This means their sins are pardoned, or forgiven. They are clothed with the righteousness of Christ. This means that Christ’s righteousness is given to them as a gift. They are adopted into God’s family! Though they were by natural birth children of the devil and children of wrath, they are, through faith in Christ, adopted as God’s beloved children. Those who trust in Christ are set free from bondage to sin. They are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. They have a new King, therefore. He is Christ the Lord. They have a new identity, a new name, and even a new nature. Their minds are renewed. So too are their affections and their wills. If united to Christ by faith, the drunkard will not continue in his drunkenness, and the abuser will not continue in his abuse. Why? Because in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation. Friends that is the thing that Christ has earned through his life, death, and resurrection – a new creation. And if you are in Christ Jesus, you are a new creation. The question is this: how do we come to have these New Covenant and new creation blessings as our own? It is through faith in the person and work of Christ, as he is offered to us in the gospel. 

This is why we agree with the Apostle who said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16, ESV). And this is why we agree with Christ and his Apostles that preaching the gospel of the kingdom, as foolish as it may seem to those who are perishing, is of primary importance. 

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Application

Let us now move to a conclusion by considering some possible applications. 

First, the church of Jesus Christ must be resolved to keep the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of God primary. Yes, pastors and elders have a special role to play in this, but the members of Christ’s church must also be resolved and see to it that the preaching of the gospel is kept primary. 

To be clear, this does not mean that every sermon preached must be like the one that was preached last Sunday – a sweeping overview of the gospel of the kingdom from Genesis through Revelation. And neither does it mean that every sermon must focus exclusively on themes of redemption and atonement, or faith and repentance. There are many things that ministers of the word must address in their preaching, for there are many things addressed in the Scriptures! Preaching should be well-rounded and varied, touching upon many different heads of doctrine, and addressing the many concerns faced by the people of God as they sojourn in this world. But please hear me, no matter what topic or concern is addressed from this pulpit, it must be centered upon Christ and the gospel of his Kingdom. You’ve probably heard me say that all theology hangs together. By this I mean, all of the doctrines of the Christian faith are connected and intertwined so that if you pull on this thread of doctrine here, it will have an effect on another thread of doctrine over there. And to this statement, I should add, that all doctrine has the glory of the Triune God as its aim and is centered upon Christ and the redemption he has accomplished for his people. Your growth in holiness, your victory over sin, the health of your marriage, your approach in parenting, struggles in your emotional life, your confidence or assurance before God – whatever the topic or concern may be – the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and of his kingdom must be kept central. Paul the Apostle, for example, addressed many of these concerns in his letters, and yet he said, “we preach Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:23, ESV). And in Colossians 1:28 he said, ​​“[Christ] we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Colossians 1:28, ESV). Did you hear it? Ministers must not only preach Christ in an evangelistic way, urging men and women, boys and girls, to turn from their sins and to trust in him for the forgiveness of their sins. Ministers must also preach Christ and the gospel of his kingdom to those who have already believed, drawing out its many implications, so as to present those under their care unto God, “mature in Christ”. The gospel of the kingdom does not only save sinners, it sanctifies saints as the Spirit works. 

Members of Christ’s church must desire to have the good news of the kingdom of Christ proclaimed. They must insist that preaching Christ be kept primary given its power to save and to sanctify. They must also support the preaching ministry of the church with their time, treasures, and talents. This is my second suggestion for application.

We see this principle in our text, don’t we? Jesus Christ went from town to town preaching the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him. They were being trained to do the same. Soon they would be sent out to preach this message. And there were women who accompanied Christ and his Apostles. What did they do? They “provided for them out of their means”. Their ministry of service was vital. 

Not all are called to the ministry of the word, brothers and sisters. Most within the church are called to serve and support the ministry of the word. This is not the time for a thorough teaching on the doctrine of spiritual gifts. For now, it will suffice to say that the gifts of support and service are of vital importance in Christ’s church. It is vitally important, brothers and sisters, that you serve one another under the leadership of the deacons. It is important that you use the gifts that God has given you, whatever they may be, for the building up of the body of Christ. It is important that you work and give so that the teaching ministries of the church might be sustained and expanded. As Galatians 6:6 says, “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches” (Galatians 6:6, ESV).

Brothers and sisters, this is how Christ’s kingdom will be advanced, through the preaching and teaching of the gospel of the kingdom of God. Men must be appointed to preach. Some will need to be sent out to preach, even to the ends of the earth. And these will need to be supported. 

1 Peter 4:10-11 will be a good text for us to conclude with, for in it both speaking gifts and service gifts are mentioned, and the conclusion is very much about Christ and his kingdom. Listen now to Peter, and with this, we close. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:10–11, ESV)