Why People Rush for Anything But the Gospel – Des Ford

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Apr 1, 2015 1802

I want to ask a question today, if the Gospel is so good, why isn’t it rushed?

The Gospel offers things that money cannot buy including the forgiveness of sins and immortality, resurrection from the grave, and the personal presence of Jesus. Why isn’t it rushed?

When Jesus finished his ministry he didn’t have many followers. Jimmy Baker and Jimmy Swaggart who both brought terrible disgrace on the Gospel, had many, many times that number. Why did Jesus have so few? He told the answer in a story. The story is found at the beginning of Matthew 13. Let’s look at it; here’s the answer to why isn’t the Gospel rushed.

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea and great crowds gathered about him so he got into the boat and sat there and the whole crowd stood on the beach. He told them many things in parables saying, “A sower went out to sow and as he sowed some seeds fell on the path and the birds came and devoured them; other seeds fell on rocky ground where they had not much soil and immediately they sprang up since they had no depth of soil and when the sun rose they were scorched and since they had no root they withered away. Other seeds fell upon thorns and the thorns grew up and choked them; other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty and he who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Our Lord had just been accused of working miracles through the prince of demons. His disciples are tempted to discouragement. He is halfway through his ministry and he is meeting terrible opposition and Jesus tells them a story which says, in effect, don’t make the foolish mistake of thinking that truth, because it is truth, will be rushed. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that when I am gone and you are going to the world that everybody is going to hear your word with gladness. Oh no! At least three out of four who hear will turn it down.

This is called the parable of the sower. It is really the parable of the soils. The seed is the same. The sower is the same. But the soils are different and the success of the sower, the efficacy of the seed depends on the nature of the soil.

Jesus is not only an optimist but a realist. He says most out there won’t take it. Most have hearts as hard as an aiport tarmac or they are superficial, frothing in emotion but no depth of soul or they are so preoccupied with getting and spending they lay waste their powers and they will never see the glory of the Gospel.

What an amazing thing for him to say!

– Des Ford. Rom 8:27–32 (Adapted from “Why the Gospel Isn’t Rushed”)