Parable of the Sower: A New Interpretation Pt 1

0:01 All right, if you have a Bible, the Gospel of Mark chapter four, Gospel of Mark chapter four, tell me, amen, when you're there, Mark chapter four. We're gonna start with reading one verse, and then all the problems began. All right, Mark chapter four, Mark chapter four. We're gonna be looking at verse thirteen. Mark chapter four, Verse thirteen. We read these words. This is Jesus speaking, and he said to them, do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? All right, I'm gonna read that again.

0:56 I'm reading from the New King James. And he said, unto them, do you not un understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? Meaning, or at least one of the possible meanings of this verse is that if you can't understand the parable he just gave, then you can't understand any of the others. Now, what parable is Jesus referring to? There? Well, if you go back to starting in verse three, you'll see the parable he's referring to. And what parable is it? Yeah, the sower, the seed, and the soil right, soil's plural, right, the different grounds. It's typically references the parable of the Sower.

1:44 So we if we cannot understand the parable of the sower, ladies and gentlemen, we can't understand any of the other parables. Well, I got bad news for you. Nobody understands the parable of the Sower because and here's the reason I know, is because no one agrees basically on any element of the parable. There is literally no agreement. And so that is troubling because then that would mean if nobody can agree on it, then that means no one can truly understand it. And if no one can any truly understand this parable, then what's the implication? We can't understand any of the parables? So that should bother us, and it should make us really committed to trying to do what understand the parable of the Sower. So that is what we're going to attempt to do today. All right. I think it's probably gonna end up taking two hours, and I don't even know if we're going to be able to finish it in two hours, but we're gonna be working on it. But let me take you on. Let's take the journey on how I ended up at this parable.

2:52 If you haven't been listening to the podcast, you won't know, So I'm let me help you all figure out how I got there. For some weird reason, this Bible that I'm holding in my hand, the KJV Study Bible from Holman, It was sitting on that back table and somehow I ended up in my bag and ended up at my house. All right. Now, for me, if I see a book anywhere, if I see a book in the church, if I see a book at my house, if I look at the book and my mind immediately says, hmm, this is what my mind will immediately think, what have I done with that book? Have I taken extensive notes on that book? Have I read that book more than once? Have I turned that book into a sermon? Have I turned it into a podcast? And if I can't answer the affirmative, then I get bothered because I'm like, well, I've got to get as much out of that book as I possibly can, right, I've got to get as much out of either. I need a notebook filled with notes. I need something. So I saw the Homean Study Bible for some reason at the house, and I was like, what have I done with this study Bible? Have I used it? I?

3:53 Do I have any notes on it? I'm like, well, I've got to do something with it, because well, that's how I am with any book. If I see a book, I've got to have done something with it. So I open it up and I started looking and I'm like, oh, here's an article on how to read and study the Bible. Okay, well, I love teaching Bible study methods. Let me grab this and I'll know what I'll do. I'll just work through this article on the podcast so that can turn it into a mini podcast series. This is simple, this is easy, this will be fun. I'll be able to say, well, here's their principles of Bible study. Here are my principles of Bible study. Maybe I'll learn from that one. Maybe I can develop a new Bible study method. This would just be a fun, easy time, right. So I read the first like little section. Okay, it's a little bit too much about like listening to God kind of thing.

4:44 All right, all right, why spend time in the Bible. It's God's word, Okay, all right, no major issue. Then I get to the next section and the next section is entitled begin with the Heart, Begin with the Heart, And immediately I was like, I got a problem because to me my philosophy. When it comes to Bible study, you do not begin with your heart. You begin with your brain. You've got to learn, as we've even saw an Augustine's view of studying the Bible. Augustine said, we learned to study the Bible when when we learn how to read right. So you've got to begin with your mind, reading comprehension, things about the definition of words, the meaning of words, how words are connected together, context s intext all of the original languages. You've got to know hermeneutical principles, interpretive principles. You start with your mind, that's my philosophy.

5:48 But start with your heart. Now, as soon as I saw begin with your heart, I'm like, however, I do know this preaching that if you want to be a good Bible student, if you want to understand your Bible, begin with your mind does not sound near as spiritual as begin with your heart, right, which one preaches, better begin with your heart, right, Hey, it's the condition of your heart that matters. Right. It doesn't matter how much you study, it doesn't matter how much you read. If your heart is not right, it won't be of any value. That preaches good. Everyone will say amen, and people will say I was so convicted by that pastor thank you.

6:31 But sometimes the things that sound good and preaching are sometimes the most foolish, illogical things on the face of the earth. But I was not prepared for what I was about to read, So begin with the heart. Immediately I was like, I'm going to say, begin with your mind. Here's the words you're ready. In the Parable of the Seeds, that's how and soils, right, that's how they define it. In the Parable of the Seed and the Soils Mark Chapter four, verses three through twenty, Jesus used a word picture to describe the different levels of receptivity people have towards God's word, and then he goes on and kind of describes the parable. Basically, the argument is this, you can read your Bible, you can listen to sermons, you can study your Bible, and it will do absolutely nothing for you. It will be of no value unless the heart is right. First. Now, I could say that in almost any church, and everyone's sitting in the pew would say what amen. I would be the one sitting in the back of the church raising my hand, going uh, this is illogical, and let me try to explain if I have to get my heart right before the Bible is in of any value, don't we also argue that

8:03 it's the Bible which helps transform the heart. Well, how can the Bible transform the heart if the heart has to be right before the Bible can transform anything? That makes absolutely no sense. Does everyone there understand what I'm saying. It's just like it's broken, right. So I was like, this can't make any sense. So I was like, well, maybe it's just me because I sometimes find a problem where maybe other people don't see a problem. So I even asked artificial intelligence and artificial intelligence. It was like, this is like circular reasoning. It's illogical. This doesn't make any sense. You can't say you've got to get your heart right for the Bible to have any effect, but the Bible is the thing that gets the heart right.

8:48 That makes no sense. Well I'm like, well, I'm glad AI understands it makes no sense. But obviously Christians don't get that. So I was like, well, I've got to figure this parable out, right, So I started trying to work out. I started to trying this, trying that, trying to figure it out. Then I started reviewing sermons, which has been one of the worst experiences in the history of mankind. The three sermons that I have reviewed so far have been insane maddening. All right, So when you come to the parable, let's just work through a couple of things out. Go ahead and go to mark chapter four. I'll just start showing you where some of the disagreements are right. First of all, so does everyone see that if you have to get your heart right before the Bibles of any value, then once you get if who gets the heart right, then do I get the heart right?

9:41 And if I'm getting the heart right, am I doing it apart from the Bible? So then what value is the Bible? If I already have my heart right before I can It's just the whole thing makes no sense. So that's already problem number one. Problem number two is nobody agrees on anything. For example, listen, behold a sower went out to sew. All right. Now, when we say he went out to sow, how do we typically interpret what that seed is that he is sewing. Well, if you go down to the interpretation of the parable, which begins where fourteen the sower sows the word, would you be surprised to know nobody agrees. And what the word represents.

10:26 You would think the word represents what the Bible. Well, there's disagreement. Some say it's the Bible. Some say it's the word there represents basically the message of when Jesus came and started preaching. What did he preach about the Kingdom of God is at hand? It's the message about the kingdom. Others say the word there represents the Gospel. It's just the gospel. Some say it represents the entirety of God's written revelation. So there's not even agreement there, all right, So everybody already realized there's not an agreement even there. But now let's continue reading. And it happened as he sawed that some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds of the air came and devoured it.

11:22 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth, and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, it was scorched, and because it had no root, it withered away. And some seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it out and yielded no crop. But the other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop. And they sprang up and a crease and produced some thirtyfold, some sixty and some one hundred. All right, Now, typically what does everyone say the soils represent the heart? All right? Okay, the heart? All right? Now, here's the thing if we say it represents the heart, and here's where Now the next major disagreement is, okay, this represents the heart or different kinds of people. Correct?

12:08 So who out of those different soils, how many different soils are there? Go ahead and count them. We got the wayside, We got the stony places. Is how it's referred to. Is that that's the second one. Then the third one is with the thorns, and then the fourth one is the good ground. Is that fair to say? Is that a easy side? All right? Out of those four, how many of those people are saved? Oh, this is the next big debate. Okay, Well, when all the sermons that we've reviewed, this is how they've gone. Some say only one is saved the last. Others say two of them are saved. Some say everyone is saying right so, some so so. And then some of the sermons, even though they say only one is saved, they will say that we can all somehow experience these things. So then it gets all complicated. Right, So who's saved who's not safe?

13:18 So we don't agree on what the word is. We don't agree on who's saved is not saved. But here's even the more complicated issue. How do you fix the problem? If the ground represents the heart, how do you get the heart fixed where it's no longer the wayside or the packed down hard ground. How do you get to the tilled up ground? How? What? Who fixes it? Now this is where you're gonna get into some logical fallacies, right because if you say God fixes it, well, then why doesn't God just give everyone good ground? Why was that right? But I'm just saying whether whether they get fixed or don't get fixed, The point is, how do you get to the good ground? Who does it? If you say it's God, then what would be the logical question? Then?

14:11 Why doesn't everyone just have good ground? So some say, well, yeah, well all Christians have good ground? So all Christians have good ground. Now wait a minute. If you connect this the Bible study, then you would say with then all good Christians will be effectual Bible students who can understand the Bible when they become saved. Well, we got two thousand years of church history showing Christians don't all agree on the Bible, understand the Bible, or even know what to do with the Bible, so connecting it to Bible study already seems to fall apart. Well, then if you say, well, Christians will bear fruit, now we're back to the idea. How do you know when they're bearing fruit? Do you base that off external? Do external things always amount to actual good fruit? No? Hey, Lord, Lord, didn't we do this and this and this and this. I'm sorry, I never knew you. So then how do you judge whether it's good fruit? Was it an internal external? Then this all becomes complicated and convoluted, right, And if God, I'm sorry, go ahead. It looks to look at people, so it's an expect it possibly could it possibly could observe, Well, it would be. I guess you could say it's God making the observation, right, since he's the one tell on the parable So but but typically, typically, once you get into all of this, you see how convoluted and different

15:41 it can be. But typically hermeneutically speaking, the rules were parable are what is one of the fundamental rules about a parable hermeneutically speaking, interpreatively speaking, what's the number one interpretive rule when it comes to a parable. It's like basic hermeneutics, one on one, Like, okay, well, I think the number one rule is that parables are to be understood as giving one meaning, because when you get into all the details and this represents this, and this could be this, and this could be this, you almost inevilably end up in just circular, confused reasoning because the parables are really designed to have just one primary meaning. Right. Well, even one of the sermons I reviewed said it only has one primary meeting, and by the time the sermon was over, I don't know if we ever got what the one primary meeting meaning was, because once again it broke down and well, this is this, and this could be this and this this, and it's like, ah, So the primary meaning to me simply is what as the seed whatever that word is, goes out, there's gonna be different responses. It's just showing you the different responses. It's just using a word picture to say there's gonna be different responses. Now, philologically, the question is why are there different responses to it? Now? I think maybe I'm wrong, but I think if I'm just very practical and honest, even within a church where you have actual believers, do you not get different responses to the word. Hey, some

17:17 people are very receptive. They take it in, they meditate on it, they think about it, they take notes, they talk about it, they do something with it, and others kind of be like whatever, whatever. And one of the pastors made the argument that basically, if you can't remember what was preached, then you're the hard soil and the word is just bouncing off I'm like, well, if I'm gonna base it off that, then I've preached to people everyone has been the hard soil because nobody can remember anything when I review the next week, right, So, like that's the way we're gonna judge people. And I mean, we've got all the statistics that say that what's preached on a Sunday, by the following Sunday, unless people open up their notebook, they will not remember it, which then makes me go, what you preach really is meaningless because no one's going to remember it a week later. By some statistics, by what's preached Sunday morning can't even be remembered Sunday Night. Do you understand how discouraging so well?

18:22 Then does that mean everyone has a heart. I don't think that's the way you can judge the soils based off that, right. I think that's a ridiculous way to judge it. But the point is we all know in our Christian lives we have different interactions with the word do we not? Sometimes we're kind of cold to it, it kind of not does much other times? So how do we understand all of this? I don't have any easy answers, So what I set out to do is, like, you know what, since no one can come up with these answers, I'm going to come up with my own. So I'm going to offer two completely different interpretations to this parable. This parables found in Mark four. This parables also found in Matthew thirteen. Those are the two passages that has been the focus this week. I think it may also show up in Luke, but Matthew thirteen and Mark four is where we're going to spend most of our time. I'm going to offer two completely different and unique ways to interpret the parable. I am not saying my ways are right. What I'm going to say is that I'm simply trying to come up with a solution, because someone's got to be able to explain this, right, Someone's got to be able to explain it. And just to say one group of people are saved. I don't think this parable was designed as a test for salvation. Yeah, yeah, it doesn't. It just showing you the different responses, right right,

20:02 So oh, exactly, yeah, exactly, I don't. I don't. And and what some do. Some try to argue, well, by your fruits you will know them, which is a quote from the Matthew. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that is the worst cross reference in the history of humankind because that verse in Matthew about by his fruits you will know them is not a reference to the fruit and Mark four. The fruit and Matthew, where it says, by your fruits will know them is how you can understand if someone is a false teacher. By your fruits will know them. That passage is not even about whether you know someone is saved or not saved. It's knowing if someone is a false teacher. So so even that, in fact, I spent an hour talking about that in the podcast, that that cross reference is ridiculous. So there's just so many problems with this parable so many problems. So are you ready to try to work something out? All right? So here we go. All right, I'm going to put forth some of the principles that I came up with. We're gonna call this first one. I don't now. This is a work in progress. Right, So everyone can be patient here because I may have to. You know, one of the things I always say now is that we try to do theology here. We don't just learn theology. See learning theology. I would just pick a commentary, choose one, and just preach whatever that commentary says in my own words, and then everybody would say, amen, oh that was a good sermon. It had three points and it was wonderful.

21:29 The only problem is you would walk out of here no smarter than when you walked in. Sometimes you got to blow up that ridiculous sermon concept that everybody so loves because it does no one any good. We've got two thousand years of sermons and Christians are more biblically illiterate than at any time in human history. Sermons don't work, all right, at some point we got to actually study, right, So what I'm going to try so I'm gonna try to put our concept of not just teaching theology but doing it into practice, which we always do. So we're gonna work on this, so in real time, we're gonna try to figure this out. I've got two ideas. The first one, I'm just gonna reference this as to understand the parable of the Sower, we need to understand this and context of Israel. I'm gonna refer to this as a more dispensational approach. Ai argued with me because I had Ai analyze my interpretation, and Ai called it more in line with covenant theology. I don't care what team I mean, that's one of the things I love here is I don't care about the team, right, I don't care about the team. What do I care about trying to figure out the text? Right? So, and Ai doesn't really care about the team. But so me and Ai we disagreed on its analysis of my interpretive concept here, but we're gonna work to it. So I'm just gonna say, well that to understand the parable of the Sower, we need to under stand Israel. All right, That's how I'm

23:02 going to approach this. Does that sound okay? Okay? All right? So Ai said that my interpretation aligns well with they say covenant theology. It says, which often emphasizes continuity in God's dealings with his people through the covenants, and tends to interpret scripture in light of the whole narrative of redemption. And here's how your here's how your view would elaborate the parable of the sower. So it breaks down my interpretation into points. Right. I gave my interpretation. Ai Ai said, hey, this, this looks good. Here's how it would be articulated, and then it broke it down for me, all right, which I love that. So but me and Ai, we don't necessarily I don't think it's in line with covenant theology.

23:52 I think it's in line with dispensationalism. But we disagreed, and I'll read some of our back and forth here in a little bit. All right, So here's how it's broken down. You're ready. Point number one. The seed as God's message to Israel. Point number one. And my interpretation is when I read that the seed, the sower went out to sow the seed, and he threw the seed out that seed. That word is a word to Israel. It's a word to Israel. Okay, right, Jesus primarily spoke.

24:35 I mean there was times he went to the Gentiles, but his message was to whom first, to the Jews. I think we can all agree with that, right. And before we get really to the death barrel and resurrection of Christ, things are still operating in very much an Old Testament mindset. Right. They're talking about things about washing your hands and eating and the Sabbath, and they're going to the synagogue and they're going to the temple like things are very much in an Old Testa mindset. Right. I know that's a very dispensational way to look at it, but I think this is a very dispensational concept here. So my interpretation holds that the seed represents the message of God's covenant promises and his kingdom consistently offered to Israel throughout their history. The focus is on Israel's response to God's covenantal outreach from the time of the Exodus.

25:24 So when I wrote out my interpretation and to give it to Ai, I was like, Hey, the seed represents the message to Israel, and then everything that follows is going to outline Israel's response to that message from the time of the Exodus all the way up to the time of Jesus. It covers that entire period of time because when you look at those soils, all of those soils to me sound like Israel over and over and over again from the time they came out of Egypt.

26:06 That's my argument. So does everyone understand my perspective? Right? So I'm saying, forget me, forget you. This is this is God trying to show the Jews, this is what's happened. The seed has been sent out and has been spread all throughout Israel's history, has it not? They could say God's God's seed has been has been sown to Israel from Abram Abram all the way on correct, over and over and over. What was Israel given? They were given the prophets, they were given the promises, they were given the law. They were given everything, over and over and over and just more seed and more seed, just being thrown out, thrown out, thrown out, over and over. And they were given it all. They were the ones giving God's revelation. But that priest. They had the tabernacle, they had the temple, they had the prophets, they had the law.

27:13 I mean, what more could they need, correct. So, so the number one, the seed is God's message to Israel. It deals with the Covenant, It deals with the kingdom, right and over and over. Do we not see all those covenants being talked about the Israel, Oh, all the way from from from and from the Abrahamic Covenant. We can we can move all the way forward, right, Abrahamic, all the way Davidic. When we've been talking about those covenants in our study of eschatology, right, we talked about those covenants in light of our study of dispensationalism, did we not? So we've been really really doubling down on that idea all the way to the new covenant that we believe has made with whom Israel over and over and over. Okay, So keep that mine right. So that's number one, The seed is God's message to Israel. Number two, The different soils is Israel's historical responses. The different soils represent the different historical responses of Israel. Okay, So the Ai broke it down this way they call it. They called it the path. The rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the good soil. This is the way that broke it down. Here's how Ai decided to take my interpretation.

28:39 The path could symbolize periods in Israel's history when the people were hardened and unresponsive to God's word, such as during the wilderness wanderings, or in the times of the Judges, whenever Wind did what was right in his own eyes? Is that not fair to say? Over and over and over? What would many times? What would Israel do? Now? Listen? Did not Jesus himself? Does he not mention how Israel was sent the prophets? And what did they do to the prophets? In many cases they killed them? Did they listen to Jeremiah? Did they listen to Isaiah? They listened to Ezekiel? That's the path, is it not? The seed kept being sown, and Israel just kept like it, just kept bouncing off of them, bouncing off of them, bouncing off of them. Even when the word in the flesh comes to Israel, which is Jesus himself, crucify him. That's the path, is it not? That's the hard soil? How about the rocky soil? This could represent times of initial revival or acceptance followed by quick apostasy, perhaps reflecting the reigns of certain kings. Who initially followed God but quickly turned away like Saul or Solomon. Did we not see that in Israel's history there'd be a a little sign of what, oh, revival, They're they're, they're, they're reforming, they're they're doing things right, and inevitably what happens. Inevitably what happens?

30:14 They fall right back away? Do we not even see that? In the judges? They seem to be following God and then they become apathetic, complacent, turn to idols. Then God brings them into bondage. They cry out to God. God raises up a judge, they are delivered. There's a sign of everything's going great. Then they become apathetic. Then over and over. It wasn't a one time cycle. It was a continuing, going on cycle. Is it not so? The the path could represent the periods of history where they just don't care. The rocky soil could represent times of initial revival, the third the thorny soil. This might reflect periods like the Divided Kingdom, where idolatry and the influence of surrounding nations choked out true worship. They do we not see that constantly in Israel? Hey? Israel? When you go into the land, don't do what, don't be influenced by them, And inevitably they would go and they would be like, we're gonna worship God. And the next thing you know, they're corrupting their worship, and their worship is choked out by the cares of the world right, politics, war relationships, and then it would get choked out. Good soil.

31:34 This reflects moments that remain that this reflects the remnant that remained faithful, such as during the reforms of Hezekiah or Josiah and those who wouldultimately be part of the restored Israel under the New Covenant. Now hear that. Now, I do believe it has some reflection to those good periods of the Remnant in Israel's history. But I believe the good Soil ultimately represents restored Israel and the new covet it because I believe that being thirtyfold, sixtyfold, one hundredfold, the fruitfulness is New Covenant language. And I will try to demonstrate that here. And well, I mean, y'all should already know, because I'm gonna tell you to look up the passages. I tell you to look up five hundred times when we ever mentioned the New Covenant, but we won't look them up right now, all right, So what is my interpretation? The seed is the message of the covenants and of the Kingdom to whom Israel the soil represents.

32:32 The soils represent what Israel's historical response to that message. Right, And it's been the path, right, that's the hard soil, the next the rocky soil, and next the thorny soil, and then the good soil. Right. So Number one, the seed is God's message Israel. Number two, the soils represents Israel's historical responses. Number three alignment with the New Covenant promises and the Covenant or we'll call it the Land Covenant in Deuteronomy. That this allignment well, So if I do it in order, this aligns with the Land Covenant in Deuteronomy, and the New Covenant promises. The fruitful response of the good soil can be likened to the blessings, the blessings promised in Deuteronomy twenty eight through thirty. Everyone turned to Deuteronomy twenty eight through thirty. You start looking through there and tell me what kind of promises seem to be given to Israel if they will be faithful if they will do what God calls them to do, if they will believe you. Just look, Start looking through Deuteronomy twenty eight through thirty and tell me what you find.

33:58 Look at the blessings. Oh wait, wait, what's what's almost immediately used? Fruit? Can I remember in Mark four? What's the thing? The good soul is going to be fruitful? Right? That stood around me? Twenty eight what's the first verse that uses the word fruit? Twenty eight four? Okay, and then as it begins to describe everything else, what does that describe to start going through some of those blessings? Okay, keep going, Yeah, everything's going to be fruitful and blessed. Right, just keep keep going through it. Just keep going through this, go out. Enemies are going to be defeated, You're gonna be blessed. There's gonna be fruitfulness. Doesn't talk about the land being producing all kinds of good stuff? Yeah? Does that sound like being fruitful? Right? So in my mind when I read Mark four and I'm like, hey, thirtyfold, sixtyfold, one hundredfold, that sounds like Deuteronomy. That sounds like Deuteronomy.

35:29 This is the promised guy. And remember I said that when we read all of those prayers in the Old Testament, that the reason that Israel could pray a certain way is because of all the blessings given to them. Correct, right, God promised all the things blessings, so Israel could pray for the destruction of the enemy, for blessing, this blessing, this being fruitful here, being fruitful there, because they were praying consistent with the Covenant. Well, what Jesus will say, hey, Israel, the message has been given to you, and you guys have responded this way, in this way, in this way. How however, the ultimate promise is that you can be fruitful and have thirty sixty and one hundredfold blessing. And that goes all the way back to Deuteronomy. All right, now, please know so this aligns with the promises in Deuteronomy and the New Covenant. So let me read how hey I put this. The fruitful response of the good soul can be likened to the blessings promised in Deuteronomy twenty eight through thirty for obedience and the spiritual renewal and national restoration outline in the prophetic books. So now everyone go find the passages in the Ezekiel that speaks of the New Covenant. You knew I was going to go there.

36:42 You knew I was going to go there. I make y'all look these up all the time. Well, there's a bunch. I think there's mentioned a couple of times. So the New Covenant promises in Ezequel, what do we got is Eequel. We'll get to Jeremiah. We'll get to Jeremiah. Okay, all right, So what do we have? Well, we go with the Esequel first. Why do we always go to Ezequel first?

37:30 Because Ezequiel is the one that makes it very clear about a new heart that everyone always talks about that I think everyone rips it completely out of context. Right, Well, thirty six is probably a good place to start, right, Okay, all right, we'll go to thirty six first and then will bounce back to thirty three. Go to Ezequel thirty six, starting in verse twenty four. Okay, oh, verse thirty three, okay, yeah, we'll get to that one, all right, So we'll go to thirty six twenty four, and then we'll get down to verse thirty three. All right, everybody ready, thirty six twenty four, God speaking to Israel, for I will take you from among nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean.

38:26 I will cleanse you from all filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spear within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh, and will give you the heart of stone out of your flesh. And we'll give you a heart of flesh. Now, wait a minute, what's the hard ground. Everybody says it's the heart. Well, who's the only one promised to get a new heart? Everyone says, that's us. That's ridiculous. Execuel's not about us. It's about Israel. When will they get a new heart when God the new covenant with them. Has it happened yet? No? And what's going to happen when He gives them this new heart. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to do what walk in my statutes, And you will keep my judgments and will do them. Let me make it very clear, if we were given a new heart, what should be the results perfect obedience? There is no perfect obedience. You don't have a new heart and any Christian who tells you that is drunk and out of their minds, okay, because it's not true. It's just ridiculous for Christians to continue to believe that. But you tell Christian friends you know that you don't have a new heart, they'll be like, because you're not saved, And then they'll quote Ezekiel or they'll say you're in Who knows what they'll reference you ask, but I don't know what they're talking about, right, And I'm grown very tired of this debate, all right, because anyone who can read Ezekiel knows this is about Israel, right, And then

39:57 he says, so what's going to happen. You're gonna walk in my statutes, You're gonna keep my judgments. Then you shall verse twenty eight. Then you shall dwell in the land. Why is that important? Because I know that immediately knows it's talking about Israel, right, Okay, you should dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers. And there's no way to make this about the church. This is where I go sick and tired to reform. People Stop telling me I can't read. It's obvious, yes, all right, Then what happens, you shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will deliver you from I want everyone to read verse twenty nine. All your uncleanliness, all that means what spiritual perfection? This is not us?

40:55 And I will and I will call for the grain. Oh the way, you know, we talked about being fruitful, so we have the hard ground mentioned, yes, that rocky soil and the thorns. In a sense, it's all mentioned here because God's gonna redo what, clean it all up. He's gonna clean it all up. And then what's going to happen. What's the next part here? Yeah, I'm he's gonna I'm going to uh call, I'm gonna call for the grain and multiply it and bring no famine upon you, and I will everyone read the next verse, multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields that you need never again bear reproach. Oh wait a minute, now we got fruit. That's literally Mark chapter four. It's literally the New Covenant. What Jesus is saying, if historically the seed has gone out to you and get guess how you guys have responded. You've responded like hard soil.

42:00 You've responded with a little bit of like, Ooh, it's going okay, but there's no root, so it doesn't last. Or you sound like it's all good, but immediately it gets choked out. But the time is coming when the ground is going to be perfectly tilled, and then the fruit is going to a crow. And who's gonna till the ground? Who's gonna make it? Right? God? God? Now what verse were you referring to? Uh Sarah? Verse thirty four? The desolate land should be tilled? Oh there, look at that instead of lying desolate and the side of all who passed by, And so what's going to happen to the land that was desolate has become like the garden of Looking verse thirty five. Eden. And when when we think of the garden of Eden, what do we think of fruit? This is the whole parables about it, the history of Israel, and nobody in Christian he seems to be able to figure this part out. So we're over here having all of these arguments, who's saved, who's not saved? Wait, this is how you read your Bible. All you're gonna do is just read it in the context of who it's being spoken to. Does that make sense? Yeah, you get the valley of the dry bones and then ultimately what happens complete restoration, which is Israel. Yeah, it's just

43:33 the same word picture, right, I mean Jesus was Jewish? What scripture did Jesus know? He's just using this same picture. It's not that complicated. Now it is complicated. You know why it's complicated because we listen to sermons. If we'd stop listening to sermons, we'd all be better off Christians because sermons have He's ruined the parable that we can And what did Jesus say? If you can't figure this one out, you can't understand any of it. I think we've all missed the point. Now. I know I'm being more dogmatic than I typically would be with the hypothesis, so I am going to at least remind you I still believe this is the hypotheses, and I got to work it out. But I just think this is This removes all of these other problems, doesn't not. This is not telling me how to be a good Bible student.

44:25 This is not trying to give me a test on who's saved or not saved. This is trying to say Israel I've shown up. And from the very minute he started preaching, what did he say, repent for the The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand right Israel. The king has arrived, the kingdom, and what did they do? Don't want it? And even when we get to it, right before he ascends, what did the disciples ask? Are you going to restore the kingdom now? No? Not, You're not going to get the kingdom now, But the kingdom is going to come. And when the kingdom comes, what's going to happen. The ground's going to be tilled, They're going to be restored, and it's going to be like Eden.

45:08 They're fruitful, and God will be their God. There will be his people and that will be cleaned from all unrighteousness because I see it. Yeah, I don't think we're with a parable you're supposed to do that. I think that what we're supposed to do with the parable is is what is it? Just demonstrating thirty six to one hundred is just saying what it's fruitful. I don't think it's supposed to like what thirty represents this, sixty represents this a right, But I just think it's going to be fruitfulness, just going to be fruitful. I mean, if you went, if we want to break it, then the parable is never We're never gonna be able to interpret the parable if we're going to try to make every part fit, but nothing else is going to work, nothing else, everything else is going to fall apart. This at least there's gonna be fruit. And what's gonna happen. There's gonna be fruit, right, I think now by all means, if it doesn't work for you, that's that's perfectly okay. All I can do is offer the best interpret interpretation I can. Right, if you go to Jeremiah thirty one, just to double down on this, Jeremiah thirty one. We're going to run out of time. Jeremiah thirty one, thirty one through thirty four.

46:46 All right, we know this right thirty one thirty one. Behold, the days are coming. Say it's the Lord that I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah, not according to the covenant I made with their fathers in the days that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they they broke. Right now, what's awesome about that that covers all those other responses, does it not? Though I was a husbandman to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel and those days, says the Lord. I will put my law in their minds, and I will write it in their hearts, and that will be their God, and they shall be my people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying know the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity and their sin. I will remember no more, that says the Lord. And he goes on and talks about everything that's going to occur, right, and everything that's going to occur sounds like it's going to be fruitful, it's going to be beneficial, it's going to be great, it's going to be wonderful. Ezekiel goes into far more detail. Obviously, all right, so this is how this is how I, uh, this is how AI rewrote my interpretation. AI said this these passages, those passages right there, and I gave Ai the Deuteronomy passage and the Ezekiel passage in the Jeremiah passage. So then it took those passages and said this, these passages promises a new heart, a new spirit, leading to obedience and blessing, paralleling the

48:16 fruitful soil that yields a harvest. So AI was like, Hey, the whole point of Mark four about the thirty sixty hundred is just simply what it yields a harvest, not the individual numbers. Again, if that keeps you from accepting my hypothesis, that's perfectly okay. I just don't know what you put in place of it, because the thirty sixty hundred you're going to have to do something with it. Anyway. Now I can pull out MacArthur and go full blown lordship with it. I can go full blown lordship with it. And it's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in the history of humankind. Right, it's trash okay. So, but I understand that position because I used to preach the parable that way. So I know the lordship way. Right.

48:59 Unless you do this, you're not saved. Now everybody hears it, we'd all I'm served. I'm served, And it doesn't matter what fruit we had or we would convince ourselves that we have some level of fruit. But how so what we tell it's just the whole thing's ridiculous. And at the same time, the whole lords of view is based on that you've got the new heart while I got the new heart, then I should be perfect. Right, the whole thing falls apart. So all right, but uh so, well, I guess I can go to the next point. All right, So this isn't now Ai. Again, I didn't. This is where me and Ai had a problem. So number one, the seed belongs to the seed is the message to Israel.

49:41 Number two, the different soul represents Israel's historical responses. Number three it aligns with Deuteronomy and New Covenant promises. And then number four, this is how Ai wrote it, So don't write it down this way. AI wrote down implications of a covenantal view. Now I don't like that. Refer to it the covenental view, because the way the way I'm explaining my view, almost everyone would refer to that as what kind of a view? Dispensational. Most would not put covenantal. I don't know why Ai. I think the reason Ai is using the word covenental is because and I didn't have I like I was going to argue more last night with it, but I had other things going on. So well, because is it because Deuteronomy, Ezekiel, and Jeremia are all covenant versus So I think it's using covenantal in that way. I when I hear covenantal, I'm thinking covenant theology. So I didn't have a chance to continue back and forth with Ai to get there.

50:43 But so I'm going to say this the I'm gonna put it this way. Number four, the implications of this view, the implications of my view. So AI wanted me to know the implications of what I was saying, right, Well, that's good. I wanted AI to child. I wanted it to analyze my hypotheses and see what we could come up with. All right, So here's what AI believes are the implications of my view, all right. Number one, God's faithfulness. This interpretation or your interpretation, underscores God's faithfulness and patience with Israel despite their repeated failures. He highlights it highlights the continuity of his covenant promises and his plan for redemption.

51:29 So AI believe that my view shows that God remained faithful to continue doing what with Israel seed? What did he not do? Stop? He kept giving them seed? Right even to this day, the Gospel stills to be preached to Israel, is it not? Okay? So second Israel's role in future. It also maintains a strong future orientation, affirming that Israel still has a role in God's redemptive plan and that the promises of restoration and blessings under the New Covenant will be fully realized in the future. So AI is like, Hey, your interpretation says God has not done with Israel, and Israel will be what the tilled ground that will produce root, just as God promised, just says God promised. All right, Okay, everybody got that next universal application and this one made me a little nervous, right, So now AI wants to apply this universally. This is what AI said, while focusing on Israel, your interpretation can also apply can apply universally, reflecting the broader human condition and the various responses to God's message across all nations and times. Okay, I have no problem with that that in some ways we parallel Israel? Do we not? Do we not parallel? Is? Think about it? Now? Tell me

53:02 if this works. Israel was in bondage too. Egypt they were set free, and from the moment they were set free, they had every one of those soils present in their history correct. And they will not be the good soil producing all the fruit until till the end. We have been delivered from the penalty and condemnation of sin. And what is the history of our lives? Does it not parallel those soils. Sometimes we're hard, and we don't listen very well, do we not? Sometimes we are like yay, and it doesn't last very long. And then sometimes we're like and in all the cares of the world and the thorns, and we get deceitfulness of riches, and then we get pulled away from scripture. When are we ever going to be the good soil producing thirty sixteen one hundred glorification? Why? Because we will get a a new heart.

54:04 The old will be remembered. I know that's gonna take off every Christian who I've got a new heart now perfect? Now, okay, Well, you continue to believe that nonsense because I know you're not right. You know why I know you're not because I'm not right. Two thousand years of church history. What's the one thing we know, we're all trash, right, Okay, well nobody wants to say that. Okay, we're all trash now. Then the next thing is gonna give me is stillological relevance. But we'll wait. Now, this is my first attempt to well, let me take it back. This is my second attempt to interpret it. I took my second and made it first today because my first AI rejected. AI had a problem with my first interpretation. It didn't have a problem, AI first said, my first attempt to interpret it was really good until I pointed out a possible flaw in my view, and then AI was like, well you do realize, yeah, that's a problem and things you may need to rethink your interpretation. So but AI liked this one. My other one it kind of liked. But then it was like, well, there could be a problem here we have to consider.

55:28 And that problem is you're interpreting Mark four in a way that may not work with how you interpret Matthew thirteen, where the same parable is found. So but we're going to test that theory coming out. So my way of interpreting it, if you were to summarize, right, so if you go somewhere today and people like, what did you learn in church? We talked about the parable of the Sower, and they'd be like, oh, good, so they met their first question. Maybe, so who did y'all determine is saved or not saved in the parable? And then you can look at them going, I don't know what Bible you're reading, but that's not what the parable is about. Right, So now summarize my interpretation of the parable. Go well, okay, that's a good way. Or we could just break down bullet points. The seed is God's message of the Covenant in the Kingdom to Israel. The soils represent Israel's responses from the time of the Exodus all the way to their restoration. Okay, that's it. That's it, and just as simple as you can put it. Obviously there's more elements to it. Meaning then we don't need to get into all the arguments about it. How do we see ourselves in it? Just as Israel was delivered, we have been delivered from the penalty. I know Christians say from the power of sin. We haven't obviously been delivered from the power of sin. That's ridiculous. We've been delivered from the penalty and condemnation of sin, and yet our path parallels

56:59 Israel's path. Sometimes we're very hard hearted and the seed just kind of bounces off of us. Right. Sometimes there's a little bit of excitement, but it doesn't last the same thing. And obviously we know. And so it's not about well, God's the one who changes the heart. God's not going to change the heart to win glorification. I know that goes against everything you've ever been taught. But I there's no way you can tell me God has transformed my heart now, because if He's transformed my heart now, then guess what I should be? Basically perfect? And are you perfect and not? I'm perfect? No? And how do I know God does not transformed the heart. Here's what I want. Here's what I want you to look up, and we'll read it in the next hour. Okay, So here's what I want you to look up. You're ready.

57:50 Find the verse where Jesus refers to it's out of the heart that comes all to sin. Find that verse. Okay, it's in it. It's in I think, Matthew, I believe it's in Matthew. Okay, Well, we'll look it up and we'll read it in the next hour. For now we'll pray. All right, Lord God, we come before you. I am so thankful. There may not be many people here, This building may be sold, and this may be the end of what we do here. But Lord, I'm grateful for the time that we've had to be a church where we can put forth hypotheses like this and challenge interpretations. I would not get away with this in almost any church. I would be fired on the spot because people don't want to have things challenged or to look for new interpretations.

58:38 So Lord, I'm grateful for the time you've given us here to do these types of things. Lord, I pray that we would always, no matter where this what happens here, we would always be people who will continue to pursue truth and not just rely on previous interpretations. Because Lord, I think so many times our previous understanding has been so flawed and so broken, and we ask you to forgive us for those times. And we asked us in Jesus name, and God's people said