THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER Jesus illustrates 4 kinds of hearts that the word of God, scattered about... landed on. 3 of them described those that will be thrown in the fire for not having produced fruit, and the 4th is the heart of a wise person, through whom much fruit was produced for the farmer (Jesus). He was pleased with the fruit just as all farmers are, they are useful plants, but the three types that did not produce fruit, are worthless and good for nothing, and tossed into the fire. Which might you be? 1. SEED SOWN ALONG PATH - this person did not try to understand and retain the message, and so vulnerable to the Kingdom of Darkness to come and steal what they heard. They never produce the fruit that the Farmer wanted. 2. SEED SOWN ON ROCKY GROUND - this person hears the word, but does not grow roots. We see Jesus teach that roots come from applying and doing what He says. Because of this, when the persecutions come from the Kingdom of Darkness to try to draw them back into the wicked life and make them think the life of God is not all it is cracked up to be, they fall away, never producing the fruit the Farmer intended. 3. SEED FALLING AMONG THE THORNS - this person hears the word, and ignoring the call from Jesus to give up everything for his glory by helping others, this person hoards his wealth, and even spends time pursuing making wealth instead of building the Kingdom of God, and so does not produce the fruit that the Farmer intended. This person wants to have his cake and eat it too and so ignores those teachings of Jesus. 4. SEED FALLING ON GOOD SOIL - this person fully practices and accepts all of the commands and teachings of Jesus, and in doing so, produces a massive fruit crop to the glory of God. . Matthew 13:1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.” 10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” 11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. 18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 22:19:07 +0000