Pentecost 8

Pentecost 8 ETERNITY IS ON THE LINE! 7/7 & 10/05

You have, likely, heard the term “oxymoron.” Webster defines this term as: “a combination,for epigrammatic effect, of contradictory or incongruous words.” In a simpler way, “words that don’t seem to go together…like “jumbo shrimp” or “pretty ugly.” The other day I saw an oxymoron printed on a sign beside the road:

“Wanted—Clean fill dirt!” I understand what they are asking for, but we don’t often describe “dirt” as “clean”. “Clean” is the absence of “dirt”! Our Gospel lesson this week is all about “dirt.” Four types of dirt are described and each type of dirt identifies a certain type of person. This is one of the very few parables for which Jesus provides such clear explanation. This fact, along with the fact that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all containt this lesson, indicates to me the significance of this teaching!

You and I are just dirt! God made us from the soil, calling the first human being “Adam”, meaning “taken out of the red earth.” I know some folks consider creationism senseless and naive, but they are not arguing with my word…they argue with, or even contradict, God’s Word. We are dirt, and there’s ample evidence that we “soil” most everything we get our hands on, from our relationships to our environment! How people can believe that we are, by nature, good is beyond me. Our natural sin makes us dirty, thus this Gospel lesson fits quite nicely. Will any of this “dirt” make it to heaven? One author humorously writes: “The clues are in the clods!” Four kinds of soil are described: 1)hard, useless soil at the edge of the road 2)rocky, shallow soil with no depth 3)soil infested with weeds, thistles, and thorns…and 4)fertile, rich, productive soil.

One very popular Christian speaker, for over 10 years, asked people at every conference where he spoke: “Which soil best describes you?” Over 80% of the Christians surveyed identified with soil #3… “They hear the Word, but as they go along , worries, riches, and pleasures of life choke them, and they don’t produce anything good.” (Luke 8:14) Whereas theologians debate which of the four soils are heaven bound, few theologians give much chance to soil #1…hard and useless. Most theologians do agree that soil #4 will get to heaven, for Christ’s sake. The argument centers primarily around soil types #2 and #3…the rocky, shallow dirt and the dirt infested with the “weeds,” or the “pleasures of life”.

Hell is the destination for the first soil described, as confirmed by Jesus’ teaching in Luke 8:12/ “Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.” If you believe that people fitting the description of the first soil are actually going to heaven, you are betting against the Bible itself! A person must “believe” in order to be saved, about this, Scripture is consistent and clear. But, a person doesn’t have to stay “stuck in their own mud” and people can change soils. But, if you identify with soil #1, changing to soil #2 will not help!

Sure, at least the person described by soil #2 “hears the Word” and even “at once receives it with joy.” But, in Mark 4:14, Jesus teaches of soil #2, “It is the same with those in whom the seed falls on rocky ground…they believe for a while...but when the Word brings them trouble, they immediately fall away.” Neglecting God’s Word due to conflict is no better than rejecting God’s Word due to convenience! Soil #2 are the “once-churched.” Soil #2 describes those we more comfortably describe, with yet another oxymoron, as our “inactive members.” One cannot be a “member” and be “inactive.” All members of the “body of Christ” have a God-given responsibility, a role to serve, or a function to fulfill! “Inactivity” and “membership” do not go together!

Soil #4 is pretty simple to understand, so let’s take a quick look at soil #3…the one 80% of the surveyed Christians identified with. Christ challenges us to be “in the world, but not of the world” and this is no easy expectation. Personal ambition, desires, and dreams…the quest for money, position, and power all vie to replace Christ at the top of our value system. The cares of the world, if allowed to take root, choke out our faith. Can a person be a Christian while placing Jesus in second place or lower? If so, your odds are incredibly poor! A professor once told me, “Many people consider themselves Christians, but aren’t!” Time has proven to me the wisdom of this statement.

In closing, God does not “grade on a curve.” Discipleship is a “pass/fail” undertaking…Regarding Jesus, we’re either “for him, or against him.” If you identify with any soil in our Gospel lesson, other than soil #4, and do not change, you are taking a monumental chance. Why take the chance? Eternity is on the line! AMEN.