Romans 8:1-11

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." The story is one right out of the newspapers. A man is accused and convicted of a murder. He sits on death row for years awaiting his execution. Time and again he comes within days or even hours of execution only to receive a stay or execution.

Finally after years he is exonerated. Perhaps the real killer is captured or confesses. Maybe DNA evidence proves his innocence. Either was the man is freed.

And one who was under a sentence of death is set free. There is now no longer a reason to condemn the man to death.

This is kind of like us. The main difference is that we are guilty. Paul himself says, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Rom 3:23) This is one of those rare Christian truths that is empirically verifiable. Just consider the best people you can think of: Martin Luther King Jr., Bishop Desmond Tutu, Pope John Paul II, Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, the Apostle Paul � Were any of them perfect? No, they would all admit that they had sinned.

Paul the Apostle is a good example. Here was the man God chose to take the Gospel to the Gentile world. Paul was the inspired author of almost half the New Testament. Yet he admits, "For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do." (Romans 7:19) He also says, "For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it." (Romans 7:18) If even the best of people are sinners, then what about the rest of us?

But most people say, "Oh, no one is perfect, but I am better than most." Maybe you are better than most. It's kind of like the man who responded to an ad for a used car. He called the car dealer and asked, "How does the car run?" He dealer replied "Better than most of the cars on my lot." Then the man asked, "How fast will it go?" "Faster than any of the other cars here." "How does it look?" "Best looking car on the lot." So the man asked "By the way what kind of dealership is this? Are you Ford or Chevy or Honda?" "Nope, we're a junk dealership." Are you sure you want to compare yourself to the majority of people in our world today. I mean just look at the human race! Saying that we are better than most people doesn't say much!

God doesn't compare us to other to the rest of the human race anyway. God is not a junk dealer. God deals in only the best. So he compared us to the best and that is Jesus. How do you measure up to that standard. Have you died on a cross for dirty rotten sinners and prayed for the forgiveness of the very people who nailed you to the cross lately? So by God's standards we're all toast!

We are guilty! And we are sentenced to die! The Bible says "For the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23) It also says, "it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment." (Hebrews 9:27) So we will all die and then we will face judgment.

You and I are on death row. We are living on borrowed time. The only reason any of us is here is because we have been given a stay of execution from on high. And remember we deserve to be here on death row. It's not like the person in the beginning of the sermon who was innocent. We are all guilty.

What should we do? Maybe we can all try to be the best we possibly can be! Maybe if we keep all ten of the commandments we'll slip by. But Paul said that for millennia people had tried that and it never worked. Remember even the best people are sinners. And what about all the sins we've already committed. There is no DNA evidence to prove our innocence, because we are as guilty as sin.

Based on all of this Paul declares "There is therefore now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Excuse me, umm, there seems to be a problem here. I must have gotten the part of different sermons mixed up here or something. I mean didn't I just say that we are all as guilty as sin. And that there is no way to get off for good behavior?

Yep, that is what I said. It's written right here in my notes. Then why does Paul say that there is now NO condemnation? It's all because of Jesus. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! There once was condemnation but it is gone now.

It is gone and Jesus is the difference! Jesus granted each of us a pardon. But it was not for good behavior, but just as a gift! We were set free because he chose to die in our place. He took on our sin and died in our place! That is why we are freed from eternal death row!

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! We were all sentenced to death, and rightly so. But Jesus purchased our freedom through his death on the cross. We were once condemned but there is now, after Jesus, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. What about those who are not in Christ Jesus? Well, the condemnation still stands.

You see that is why you have to accept Jesus to be saved. All salvation is through Jesus. No one has ever been saved by being good enough! Jesus is the only one who can grant any of us a pardon.

If you have given your life to Jesus, there is now no condemnation for you! If you haven't � Well, that's another matter. You better. I don't know how much longer your stay of execution will continue. And after death comes the judgment.

Give your life to Christ. Admit that you are a sinner who needs forgiveness and ask Jesus to pardon you. Maybe you have been a Christian all your life and you don't know if you have ever given your life to Christ. Then do it today and be sure. Then you can declare with joy "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!"

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

We all need to grow. This is a biological fact. Growth is nothing more than change, and without change we will die. It is a law of nature that every organism needs to change and adapt to its environment. If it doesn't adapt and change it dies. There is no such thing as an organism which is neither growing nor dying.

This is also a spiritual fact. Too often we Christians fail to recognize the need for spiritual growth. We mistakenly think that once we have accepted the forgiveness and redemption which Christ offers that we have reached the goal. We think there is no more need for growth. The fact of the matter is that being cleansed of our sins and forgiven is just the beginning of a life of spiritual growth. Just like a plant if our spirits are not growing and adapting, we are dying spiritually. Either we are moving ahead growing in faith or we are moving backwards and we are dying in faith. Once we stop growing and adapting to the changing environment around us will put us in danger.

The Parable of the sower is about growth. On the surface it is about the growth of some seeds planted by an indiscriminate sower. On a deeper level, it is about the spiritual growth which God gives to those who trust in Christ.

The parable is simple enough. There are four groups of seeds. The first group of seeds are those which fell on the path where the birds came and devoured them. Even though it was a bad place to try to grow plants the sower threw the seeds in a place where they were easily visible to the birds. And before they had a chance to grow they were eaten by the birds.

The second group fell on rocky soil. These seeds were given the opportunity to grow. They spread their roots out in the soil. But the rocks kept the roots from going deep enough to reach a dependable supply of water. So when the scorching sun came out they withered.

The third group fell in among the weeds. These seeds also had a chance to grow but they were limited in their growth by the plants around them. The plants around them took up the water and the nutrients and the light which the tender seedling needed to survive and grow. They were chocked out by the environment.

The final group were those which fell on good soil. These seeds got the water they needed and the sunlight and they were able to grow and they yielded not just the expected amount of grain, but many times more. They grew and adapted and produced.

Now the disciples understood the surface meaning of the Parable. Even though they were tax collectors and fishermen, they understood the concept of how plants grow. They understood how the seeds which fell on the path could be eaten up and how the other young plants would die because of weeds or lack of water. But they had trouble understanding how these seeds were like the Kingdom of God. They didn't understand the parable's spiritual point.

So they asked Jesus about these parables and Jesus explained the parable of the sower. And thank God he did. There is no telling how many different interpretations there would be today if he hadn't.

The explanation Jesus gave really clears the parable up and makes its application easier. The soils represent the different ways that people receive the message of the Gospel. The seeds themselves represent the Message of the Gospel. Of course it is the Holy Spirit who plants the Gospel message in our hearts.

With this interpretation we can begin to understand how the message applies to us as Christians living in the 20th century. The seeds which fell on the path are those who hear the Good News and do not accept it and the devil comes and takes it away. Just imagine how many people in our world hear the good news that God loves them and that Jesus can save them. But tragically most do not believe it. They believe the lies of the Devil that they don't have to be saved or that they can save themselves or that Jesus is just myth. So the seed never takes root in their lives.

The Seeds sown on the rocky ground represents those who hear and accept the message of forgiveness but when times get hard they fall away. In the early church there were many like this. At that time people were sometimes killed for professing Christ. They were given a choice between worshipping the Emperor or dying. Many who had not grown in faith would be willing to worship the emperor to save their necks. They had not let their faith grow enough that they could trust it to support them in times of trouble. Even today this happens. Many times people hear the good new that God loved them enough to come down to earth and die for them. In fact they accept it with joy. But they fail to let the roots of their faith go deep enough to drink from the streams of life, and when tribulations and troubles come they haven't developed their faith enough to trust in God to see them through it.

The seeds which fell among the weeds represent those who hear the Good News but let the cares of this world take over their lives and choke it out. This is a matter of priorities. They let their jobs or their hobbies or worries about food clothing and shelter to take precedent. They keep pushing their relationship with God to the back burner of their lives. Finally it gets pushed off the stove. Much like the previous group this group's seed cannot reach the water of life. Not because it has no roots, but because too much is being cultivated in their lives and these other things take over and strangle their tender faith before it can grow much.

The seeds which fell on the good earth represent those who hear the word and let it produce fruit. They not only accept the word but they nurture it. They allow the Good News of Jesus Christ to take root in their lives. They nourish it with living waters. So it grows and produces fruit. Their faith grows so that it is a source of nourishment in times of trouble

One of the truths of this Parable is the fact that God sows the seeds of the gospel everywhere. God in his wisdom knows that some people are rocky or shallow or too busy. But in his grace he sows it anyway. And the truth is that in some peoples lives it takes root and produces fruit and in others it doesn't. If we are honest with ourselves, we have all been rocky or shallow or busy in our faith at times. But God kept sowing.

God has sown his truth and love in your life. I think that is why many of you are here. I have seen this church at work and it is producing fruit. And if it hasn't taken root before it is being sown again as we speak. God loves you and gave His only Begotten so that you could believe in him and be saved.

The difference between the soils in this parable and us is important. Soil can't help if it is rocky or shallow or weedy. We can. We can, with the Spirit's help, soften our hearts to receive the word. With God's help we can remove the rocks of sin that impede spiritual growth in our lives. Through the Spirit we can remove the weeds that preoccupy us. Then the Gospel seeds can grow and produce fruit in our lives.

Oh, by the way, do you know what the biological purpose of fruit is? It is to produce seeds and to aid in them being spread. But that is the subject of another sermon.

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Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

One day Jesus was teaching and as happened often a great crowd came. This crowd was made of many different kinds of people. Doctors and lawyers, teachers and factory workers, men and women, young and old, and maybe even a few preachers. The disciples had seen this all before. A huge crowd but many of them would drift away after the excitement was over. In fact this day the disciples were scoping out the crowd. They were looking the people up and down trying to figure out who would fall away and who would join up. Matthew, being good at math was even figuring odds on who would accept Jesus and who would reject him. Oddly enough Matthew seemed to be the only one favoring the IRS agent on the front row. Everyone thought the groups from the fishermen's convention were the best prospects. No one thought the preachers or the corporate executive would become followers.

I guess Jesus knew what the disciples were doing because he told them a parable that might have gone something like this: One day a farmer went out to plant his field. And he turned on the spreader as soon as he left the barn. Some of the seeds landed on the asphalt road he went down to get to the field. And the birds had a feast.

Some of the seeds fell on the gravel road. They grew but didn't have much root. So when the sun got hot and there wasn't much rain they wilted.

Some of the seeds fell in a patch of kudzu. It was good soil! But there was already a bunch of weeds growing there. So when it sprouted it was quickly choked out.

Finally he got to the field and the seeds landed in good soil. They grew and grew. They had deep roots and plenty of water and little or no weeds. And the farmer had a bumper crop that year.

Now Jesus' disciples understood the surface meaning of the Parable. Even though they were tax collectors and fishermen, they understood the concept of how plants grow. They understood how the seeds which fell on the road or path could be eaten up and how the other young plants would die because of weeds or lack of water. But they had trouble understanding how these seeds were like the Kingdom of God. They didn't understand the parable's spiritual point.

So they asked Jesus to explain the parable. And thank God Jesus did. There is no telling how many different interpretations there would be today if he hadn't.

The explanation Jesus gave really clears the parable up and makes its application easier. The soils represent the different ways that people receive the message of the Gospel: the Good News that God loved us enough to give his Son to die for our sins. But people react differently to this message of love. The seeds themselves represent the Message of the Gospel. The message that God loves us. And that our Heavenly Father gave us a savior.

There are really two levels that we can apply this message to our lives. The first we will call the cosmic level. On the cosmic level God is the sower. And God sows the seeds everywhere. That means God sends the good news to everyone no matter who they are. When Jesus came, he preached the good news for all to hear. He even taught sinners and tax collectors.

You see Jesus knew that for people it is impossible to judge what is beneath the surface. A seemingly hard exterior may hide soft fertile soil and someone who seems receptive may actually have a hard heart. So Jesus proclaimed the good news to everyone. The Pharisees and Sadducees heard, but most of their hearts were hardened like a well worn path. And the master of lies told them that Jesus was a blasphemer and Sabbath breaker and not the Messiah. And that great liar stole the good news. Jesus called Judas, a religious zealot, to be his follower. And he followed for a while. But when times got tough he fell away and betrayed Christ. His roots were not deep enough because his own greed and self love got in their way. Jesus offered the kingdom to a rich young ruler who was begging for it. He would do anything for the kingdom, or so it seemed. But he cared more for his wealth than God. And like weeds the cares of this world choked out the Gospel. And Jesus called tax collectors like Matthew and Zacchaeus. Even though they were professional traitors they became loyal to Christ. No one would have expected it, but Jesus did. And their deeds produced fruit for the kingdom.

Aren't you glad that God sows the seed everywhere no matter what the soil looks like on the surface? After all some of us were pretty rocky soil, or so it seemed. To look at us, our prospects were not great. Who would have thought about calling you and me to be growers of love? But that is what God did. And the glorious thing is that God keeps sowing the seeds. God keeps throwing seeds at soil that hasn't produced before. Some of us have let our relationship with Christ wither because of our business or preoccupations. But God is gracious and keeps giving us his love and over time the roots of his love overcome the obstacles in our lives, if we will only let it.

That is the cosmic level. The second level is the earthly level. On this level you and I are the sowers. Christ, the master of the garden has given us some seeds and told us to spread it. Some people would think that we should only spread it in the best of soil. That would seem logical.

But God tells us to spread his love everywhere, even where the prospects of its growth are not great. When I was in college at U.S.C. I used to volunteer at the Washington St. Soup Cellar. This was a soup kitchen in the cellar under Washington St. UMC's sanctuary. There were some pretty hard people who came in there each day. And we would graciously give them soup and sandwiches. Most were impolite and thankless. Some were even rude. One day a woman came. She said she had eaten there when she had no food. Her situation was better now yet she had no money to give us. But she gave us what she had; she sang. And her beautiful voice echoed in that cellar. All in that soup kitchen may have been literally lower than the streets but her voice lifted us up. God's love sown in her heart by our actions had brought forth a harvest of gratitude.

Some would have said, "You're wasting our time on those deadbeats." But God knows better. God tells us to spread the seed of God's love everywhere. Sometimes it will be stolen or it will die. But we should not worry about the results; we should just be faithful to our master.

One day God looked down from heaven and saw the barrenness of humanity. And God decided to sow some love. He sent the angels to proclaim the word that God was loving and steadfast, but many people refused to believe them. God sent the prophets and many choked them out. Then God sent the Son and he spread his arms out on a cross and said, "My Daddy loves you this much." Many mocked him and killed him, but a few believed. And that message of love grew in their hearts and they spread it to others.

Jesus died for all humanity. Not just for those who were religious or receptive. Jesus died so that anyone could enter the Kingdom of God. Anyone means just that: anyone. Not just the ones who lived in nice houses and neighborhoods. Not just the ones who were nice and polite to everyone. Not just the ones who had time, talent, and money to give to the church. Jesus died for everyone - even you and me!

Spread the seed of God's love to everyone. Don't say, "Oh they're not the church type." Don't say, "We shouldn't help them because they will never come to our church." Or "They'd be happier in that church with their own kind." Or "Their hair is too long." Maybe they won't accept the love of God we offer them, but our actions of love may help them see that God does love them. Spread God's love to everyone without prejudice. The harvest may not be impressive, or it may be. Either way the Lord of the harvest will be proud.