In Jesus’s parable of the soils, the seed of the Word was scattered across the top of various conditions of dirt.
Some of the seed fell on hard and stony ground where it either couldn’t germinate or if it did there wasn’t enough nourishment to let it grow.
And then some of the seed fell amongst weeds, and there it was choked out and died.
But some of the seed managed to fall on dirt that was conducive to growth.
And some of them produced somewhat less.
He could have talked about the importance of soil preparation by the farmer, in plowing and weeding.
Or He could have mentioned that it was foolish to toss seeds onto hard, stony ground where it would be impossible to grow.
That farmer should from now on seek out good soil, where those tiny seeds will have a fighting chance to survive and to produce a worthwhile crop.
The Lord Jesus DID say that the seed in His story illustrated the Word of God.
In Acts 13 Paul was the farmer scattering the precious seed.
He had a commission and obligation to sow the seed over every inch of the city of Antioch,
But when the Jews hardened their hearts against it, like a wise farmer, Paul knew that it was time to make sure the seed reached better soil.
“Lo we turn to the Gentiles.”
“Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.”
This morning I’d like you to think about the idea that the Jews “judged themselves unworthy of everlasting life.”
Isn’t that a rather odd statement?
Clearly, Paul was saying that they didn’t want what he had to offer them as an ambassador of the Lord.
But how could anyone in reasonable mind and health not want everlasting life?
Possibly, they didn’t understand the MEANING of “eternal life.”
But it is the book that reveals it most thoroughly.
In John 5:39 the Lord Jesus made a significant statement:
And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.”
“We go to church several times a year, so that means we must be going to heaven too.”
“We had our children christened and so they became recipients of God’s covenant blessings just as we did when our parents christened us.”
They believed that by having these writings in their hands, and by their reading them, and by hearing them expounded every sabbath day, these things obtained for them life-everlasting.
This is what the Jews in Antioch believed.
But the Lord Jesus contradicted the thought by saying that the scriptures only revealed eternal life by testifying of Him.
And to reject Christ is to reject salvation from sin and thus to reject eternal life
It amazes me that otherwise sane men argue about the definition of the words “eternal” and “everlasting.”
There are theologians, quoting Greek, who say that the word means only “age-long.”
Some of them particularly like to make that argument when talking about eternal punishment in hell.
Matthew 25:41 – “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Matthew 25:46 – “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
There are various forms of this heresy, but all boils down to a temporary judgment for sin.
Romans 16 – “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. ”
It doesn’t necessarily BEGIN after death, but it certainly extends BEYOND death.
Daniel 12:2 – “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
John 6:27 – “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.”
John 10 – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
John 6:47 – “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
It is predicated, or established, on our complete forgiveness of sins.
It necessitates justification, the application and declaration of God’s righteousness to the sinner.
Eternal life is the gift of which ultimately means “Heaven” for people who were once sinners.
“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
Like the average person in any age or culture, most people imagine that they are good enough for God.
If they aren’t as consistent in religion as they ought to be, then they think that deficiency is overcome by their generosity and their hospitality.
If this doesn’t do it, then they compare themselves with other sinners and unilaterally decide that God must certainly grade on a sliding scale and that they will squeeze through the door of Heaven.
We have more ways of getting into Heaven than little boys have to get into trouble.
Jesus is the way, the truth and eternal life, and no man cometh unto the Father without Him.
When Paul said that those Jews judged themselves unworthy of everlasting life, he was obviously saying that this was A NEGATIVE THING.
But if the circumstances were changed, then for a person to judge himself unworthy is A GOOD THING.
And this may have been the difference between the Jews in Antioch and their Gentile counterparts.
The Lord Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. AND YE WILL NOT COME TO ME, THAT YE MIGHT HAVE LIFE.”
Paul said, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”
They couldn’t search the scriptures, because TO ISRAEL “pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises.”
They had nothing but the vanity of their heathen religions.
They did judge themselves unworthy of eternal life, and so when the evangelist told them that salvation was in Christ Jesus, they rejoiced to hear that the Lord might accept them anyway through Christ.
What Paul was saying with the words, ye “judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life …”
Was that by their rejecting the Gospel, they were passing sentence upon themselves – condemning themselves to eternal death.
All those scriptures that I gave to you a moment ago declare that salvation from sin, and eternal life, are found in only one place and one Person.
As the Lord said, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
In John 6 the Lord said, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”
When he said, “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”
He was telling those people that only in Christ Jesus is there salvation and eternal life.
And furthermore, they were, in effect, telling Paul to take his gospel of eternal life elsewhere.
They were saying that they were not worthy to have the Gospel preached to them any more.
They were fulfilling Old Testament scriptures, which said that the Good News should be taken to the Gentiles.
I think that we’ve sufficiently looked over this idea in the last few weeks.
A people which were not a people – not the people of God – were presented with the gospel.
And WE have received it.
Not all of us, but many of us, have humbled ourselves before this gracious God.
We have been grafted into the Lord’s olive tree and been permitted to produce fruit for the glory of God.
And if the people of Israel were not worthy of eternal life, then we who are children of Japheth are even less worthy.
But the gospel is all about grace – the unmerited favour of the Lord.
Not only is eternal life through the grace of God, so is even the divine revelation of that life.
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The word “ordained” is the Greek “tasso” and it simply means to “put in order” or “set apart.”
It’s the word that we might use the word when speaking about ordaining a man to the ministry.
I am told that “tasso” is a military word, as when a general orders his men into a certain formation in order to defend a position or to attack another position.
This is not the word “elect” or “predestinate.”
But notice that the people who were ordained in this verse were passive in that ordination.
They didn’t make themselves ordained.
Was it the sinner himself? Again, no, they were all passive in that ordination.
And those people who were set apart for eternal life BELIEVED the gospel.
But it wasn’t their faith which set them in order to receive the grace of God.
It was the grace of God which set them in order to receive and even to believe.
“As many as were ordained to eternal life believed.”
Are you also ordained to eternal life? You don’t know? You aren’t sure?
Then I exhort you to humble yourself before the cross of Christ in repentance and sorrow for your sin.
And I exhort you to trust the Lord Jesus to wash away that sin; believe the promise, believe on Christ.
To make an atonement for sin was Jesus’ purpose in dying on the cross.
Put your trust in Christ that it was for YOU that he died.
That is what it is to believe on the Lord: Jesus died for me; Jesus died My soul to save.