Brother-Paul
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This message follows on from the The Sower posted last week.
The Sower
'THE SOIL AND THE SEED'
Matthew 13:1-9 (NKJV)
1 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.
2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow.
4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.
5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.
6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.
8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
Matthew 13:18-23 (NKJV)
18 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:
19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."
"AN honest and good heart"—Our Lord's parable of the sower in Matthew 13 is fairly familiar as a Sunday school lesson, but not so real in actual appreciation of its searching message. Every preacher ought to remember that he has four kinds of soil before him when he preaches, lest he be unduly discouraged if all fail to bear fruit.
Our old adversaries, the world, the flesh and the devil, are in evidence in this parable, but the order is reversed. The devil comes first, stealing away the seed sown by the wayside. He is the thief of sermons as well as of souls, and is ever at church.
Those who do not understand the Word are simply those who make no effort to understand it! The trouble is not ignorance or inability to understand, for then the fault would not be theirs. They are not in earnest; they merely come to church and hear and go away. The message went in one ear and out the other, and often there is little between the ears to stop it! It is true that the Word is spiritually discerned, but these are not willing to be made spiritual; they do not give more earnest heed, and the Word does not profit them, not being mixed with faith. What booty they are for the devil, and how quickly he snatches away the seed!
Then there are those who hear the Word and receive it with joy.
They not only hear, the Word makes an impression. They swallow it whole, but they merely "enjoy the sermon," and while they may excitedly make a move, they have no real principle, and their profession fails for lack of perseverance. These lack "patient continuance" and fail to "continue in the perfect law of liberty," though they joyfully look therein. Tribulation and persecution show them up, and they are soon offended. Theirs is weakness of the flesh.
Others hear the Word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches are a problem.
Just as it is not money but the love of money that God warns against, here it is not the world but love of the world that hinders the Word.
But, thank God, there is the good soil. There are those who with an honest and good heart receive the Word
Luke 8:15 (NKJV)
15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
and they bear fruit in different degrees. Some are more faithful than others, but the heart is honest and they mean business.
Along with this, one thinks of
Hosea 10:12 (NKJV)
12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
"Break up your fallow ground." Good ground must be broken. There is fallow ground that looks very solid and permanent, but it never can be productive until it has been plowed. Only weeds and thorns grow on fallow ground. There is much preaching today that is wasting the seed on ground that never has been prepared, and God tells us not to do that
Jeremiah 4:3 (NKJV)
3 For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: "Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns.
There is much prayer for showers of blessing that is amiss, for God will not waste showers on fallow ground.
Christians and churches today do not like to be disturbed; they do not want the plow put in, but there can be no harvest without it!
There is much talk about revival that overlooks this fact.
The broken and contrite heart is God's accepted sacrifice on our part.
It takes broken clouds to give rain and broken clods to bear fruit.
Do not look for harvest without first breaking up the ground.
Reflections on the Gospels by Vance Havner
Prayer: Gracious and most loving Father, we give thanks for the Wisdom and Truth in Jesus' teaching.
Help us Lord, as ministers of your grace, and may we take on board that when we are sowing the Good Seed in the hearts of others, we first praying, we repent and we ensure the vessel the seeds come from is clean and not contaminated. Give us wisdom Lord, by the Power of your Holy Spirit, to understand the soil in the hearts of those we sow seeds in, give us your Word Lord, as we need it, so that the seed we plant, in Your Name, lands on good soil and is deep enough to grow in their hearts. Lord we pray that if the soil in the heart of the person we are sowing the Good Seed in is not ready, that Your Spirit will turn over the soil in their heart, so that when we sow the seed in Faith, in your Name, it will grow, pushing from the darkness in the earth towards the light, and may God receive the Glory through you Lord, in Jesus Name we pray. Amen
The Sower
'THE SOIL AND THE SEED'
Matthew 13:1-9 (NKJV)
1 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.
2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow.
4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.
5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.
6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.
8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
Matthew 13:18-23 (NKJV)
18 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:
19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."
"AN honest and good heart"—Our Lord's parable of the sower in Matthew 13 is fairly familiar as a Sunday school lesson, but not so real in actual appreciation of its searching message. Every preacher ought to remember that he has four kinds of soil before him when he preaches, lest he be unduly discouraged if all fail to bear fruit.
Our old adversaries, the world, the flesh and the devil, are in evidence in this parable, but the order is reversed. The devil comes first, stealing away the seed sown by the wayside. He is the thief of sermons as well as of souls, and is ever at church.
Those who do not understand the Word are simply those who make no effort to understand it! The trouble is not ignorance or inability to understand, for then the fault would not be theirs. They are not in earnest; they merely come to church and hear and go away. The message went in one ear and out the other, and often there is little between the ears to stop it! It is true that the Word is spiritually discerned, but these are not willing to be made spiritual; they do not give more earnest heed, and the Word does not profit them, not being mixed with faith. What booty they are for the devil, and how quickly he snatches away the seed!
Then there are those who hear the Word and receive it with joy.
They not only hear, the Word makes an impression. They swallow it whole, but they merely "enjoy the sermon," and while they may excitedly make a move, they have no real principle, and their profession fails for lack of perseverance. These lack "patient continuance" and fail to "continue in the perfect law of liberty," though they joyfully look therein. Tribulation and persecution show them up, and they are soon offended. Theirs is weakness of the flesh.
Others hear the Word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches are a problem.
Just as it is not money but the love of money that God warns against, here it is not the world but love of the world that hinders the Word.
But, thank God, there is the good soil. There are those who with an honest and good heart receive the Word
Luke 8:15 (NKJV)
15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
and they bear fruit in different degrees. Some are more faithful than others, but the heart is honest and they mean business.
Along with this, one thinks of
Hosea 10:12 (NKJV)
12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
"Break up your fallow ground." Good ground must be broken. There is fallow ground that looks very solid and permanent, but it never can be productive until it has been plowed. Only weeds and thorns grow on fallow ground. There is much preaching today that is wasting the seed on ground that never has been prepared, and God tells us not to do that
Jeremiah 4:3 (NKJV)
3 For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: "Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns.
There is much prayer for showers of blessing that is amiss, for God will not waste showers on fallow ground.
Christians and churches today do not like to be disturbed; they do not want the plow put in, but there can be no harvest without it!
There is much talk about revival that overlooks this fact.
The broken and contrite heart is God's accepted sacrifice on our part.
It takes broken clouds to give rain and broken clods to bear fruit.
Do not look for harvest without first breaking up the ground.
Reflections on the Gospels by Vance Havner
Prayer: Gracious and most loving Father, we give thanks for the Wisdom and Truth in Jesus' teaching.
Help us Lord, as ministers of your grace, and may we take on board that when we are sowing the Good Seed in the hearts of others, we first praying, we repent and we ensure the vessel the seeds come from is clean and not contaminated. Give us wisdom Lord, by the Power of your Holy Spirit, to understand the soil in the hearts of those we sow seeds in, give us your Word Lord, as we need it, so that the seed we plant, in Your Name, lands on good soil and is deep enough to grow in their hearts. Lord we pray that if the soil in the heart of the person we are sowing the Good Seed in is not ready, that Your Spirit will turn over the soil in their heart, so that when we sow the seed in Faith, in your Name, it will grow, pushing from the darkness in the earth towards the light, and may God receive the Glory through you Lord, in Jesus Name we pray. Amen
