Matthew 13:1-9.18-23

Pentecost 7 | 07.16.2023 | Mt 13:1-9,18-23 | Pastor Evan McClanahan |

For my own peace of mind, I considered one of my newsletter articles being a simple listing of the top ten problems in the world. That’s just the way I think. Lists – whether they are to-do lists or just musings about the state of the world – help clarify our current reality. That way, whenever I would hear about these problems, I could say, “Ah yes, problem number 9 on my list.” It’s almost like listing it helps me deal with it, even if in reality listing does nothing to solve the problem. Naming something gives you some power over it, you know?

But instead of that being a newsletter article, I thought I would just broadside you with it this morning. I mean, who doesn’t want to hear about our most pressing problems. But don’t worry…I have solutions, too.

So, here we go:

1. A general loss of the Christian faith…at least in the West. It’s booming in Sub-Saharan Africa and South America. But the West either has or is abandoning Christianity…and that ultimately leads to other problems.

2. Having watched Sound of Freedom last week, and coming to learn that there has never been more slavery in the world than today, human trafficking – both of children and adults – has to be on this list.

3. Since it is America’s great pastime to think very lowly of our political leaders – the current approval rating of Congress is at 20% – let’s just say that corrupt politicians is a major problem. It’s hard to get the government to work for you out of a sense of service when so many seem to be for sale.

4. Rising prices is a problem, especially for our young people who want to buy a home and find the market less than accessible. It’s not necessarily life or death, but for the poor especially, rising prices makes everything a lot harder.

5. Related to higher prices is our fiat currency. While the subject of currency is quite complicated, creating money out of thin air generally is not a practice that ends well. In fact, it often ends in war.

6. The loud minority of adherents to what is called wokeism are proposing a completely different social order. Maybe that’s a good thing, but I don’t think so. I think it is quite literally Marxism in drag.

7. We are experiencing a lack of trust in our institutions. For example, according to a recent Rasmussen poll, “42% of U.S. likely voters believe it is at least somewhat likely that the CIA was involved in a conspiracy to assassinate JFK.” When you don’t trust the government, the foundations, the museums, the universities, the media…well, you don’t have cohesion and I don’t think that is a good thing. We need to trust each other to live well together.

8. Crime and homelessness. As our personal morality crumbles, prices get out of control, and our institutions stop working, we have become tolerant of crime. In some cities, criminals are even a protected class. There are examples of cities and nations that decided to get serious about crime and it was a blessing for those who abided by the law. Hopefully we become one of them.

9. Indecency. It wasn’t that long ago that we had indecency laws and we took them seriously. I wish we did again. I would gladly deal with the uptight prudes of the world if it meant more common decency.

10. And finally underpopulation. Yes, I know everyone will tell you the world has an overpopulation problem. But that just isn’t true. There are not enough people…and those population bombs will hit many parts of the world and, again, often lead to war.

Yes, these are the kinds of problems that keep us up at night, that make us wonder how much longer we can keep these good times rolling. Every society always has problems, but doesn’t it seem like there is an unusual confluence of problems at one time? I mean, I didn’t even mention the possibility of a nuclear war on the horizon!

And in the face of that list, which is not exhaustive by any means, what in the world could the solution possibly be! Shall we go through the list, one at a time and offer a set of policy proposals for each one?

Well, as exciting as that may sound, I would admit that that sounds a little tedious and there are surely different views about how to solve these problems. But I do believe there is a solution. Jesus has given it to us. The Word of God is more than a collection of comforting ditties that make us feel better when times are tough. The Word of God is the solution to all of these evils of the world. It is only our lack of imagination which has kept us from realizing that. And it is our distraction and lack of commitment and open rebellion that has kept us from this happening.

Yes, the parable of the sower, or the soils, or the seed – for they all play an important role – is a prescription and a promise not only to your personal blues or only your personal salvation, but to generation upon generation of fruit. For the seed, the Word of God, is powerful. It is our window into the truth. It is the direct voice of the living God, the king of the universe, the creator of all. It tells us how to live. It offers us forgiveness when we fail. It instructs us how to live among one another.

In other things, rather than a million policies to solve every problem, it should be obvious to all of us that there is only one thing needed: the Word of God. That is the solution. Now, yes, we have to apply that Word of God, which means we need to know the Word of God, revere and respect the Word of God, and have seriously knowledgeable people debate and discuss how and where God’s Word applies, for example, to my top ten list above.

But even without specific application, the most basic Christian instructions would solve almost every problem imaginable. Christians do not traffic or harm others, especially children. Christians cannot be bribed. The Bible even speaks to a non-inflated money supply, that is unequal weights and measures and adding less valuable metal when smelting silver or gold. Basic beliefs about family, marriage…how localized charity is best done…the need to be fruitful and multiply…these are not complicated biblical commands that you need a Ph.D. in Hebrew to understand. So why, with the solutions to so many of our problems staring us in the face, are we still plagued by them?

Well, Jesus describes it perfectly, doesn’t he? Since the apostolic age, and certainly in the Internet age, there is no shortage of access to God’s Word. But it is snatched away by the cares of the world; it is accepted with joy but not committed to. It is set alongside the cares of the world, instead of dominating and usurping those cares. We treat God’s Word more like a pet than our master.

For when God’s Word is heard and received, the result is both exponential and generational. The results are at least a 30-fold and up to a100-fold benefit. That is an excellent return on investment. And if we can take the long view of history, we can see those results. Indeed, if we wanted to make a top 10 list of all the things right or incredible or right with the world, we could easily do that! For example, while our justice system is far from perfect, it’s better than most alternatives. While our prosperity leads to problems of its own, we have enjoyed incredible prosperity for centuries. We enjoy the benefits of instant communication, of novocaine, airplanes and automobiles, of hobbies and sports, of ice chests that can cook our briskets and keep our drinks cold for days! We love our films and recorded music and BBQ and fireworks on the 4th of July. Really, it’s not all bad.

And those delightful progresses in life are the result of institutions that protect innovation, that defend virtue, that have earned our trust. They are the result of the Word of God being heard and bearing fruit.

So, really, all the world needs is the Word of God. That’s the good news. We must say it, not only from the pulpit, but in our films, in our conversations, in our newspaper, in our schools, and the Word of God will bear fruit.

The question for you today is: can you, will you, be good soil? Can you, will you, hear God’s Word – all of it, the whole counsel, the Law and the Gospel – and let it form you, mold you, shape you, change you? We can’t control the world. But we can answer for ourselves. Amen.