And when much people were gathered
together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: A
sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and
it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a
rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked
moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and
choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an
hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to
hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this
parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom
of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing
they might not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of
God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and
taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be
saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with
joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of
temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when
they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures
of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are
they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and
bring forth fruit with patience. Luke 8:4-15 KJV
They that sow in tears shall reap in
joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless
come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. Psalms 126:5-6 KJV
While the earth remaineth, seedtime
and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall
not cease. Genesis 8:22 KJV
Sow to yourselves in righteousness,
reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD,
till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
Hosea 10:12 KJV
Definition of Fallow:"plowed
and left unseeded for a season or more; uncultivated. land that has undergone
plowing and harrowing and has been left unseeded for one or more growing
seasons.
1. (of land) left
unseeded after being ploughed and harrowed to regain fertility for a crop
2. (of an idea,
state of mind, etc) undeveloped or inactive, but potentially useful"
Let
me emphasize once again! There is NOTHING wrong with the SEED!
The
SEED is the WORD! Just like a good seed has within it the potential to become a
fruitful plant, so every Word of God has within it the ability to bring to pass
what it says!
The Word is
Pure!
Every word of God is pure: he is a
shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest
he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Proverbs 30:5-6 KJV
Thy word is very pure: therefore thy
servant loveth it. Psalms 119:140 KJV
The Word is
powerful!
For the word of God is quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of
the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12 KJV
The Word is
Precious!
And the child Samuel ministered unto
the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there
was no open vision. 1 Samuel 3:1 KJV. They
that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing
precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves
with him. Psalms 126:5-6 KJV
The Word is
Prophetic!
We have also a more sure word of
prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth
in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing
this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God
spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 2 Peter 1:19-21 KJV
The Word is
Perfect!
The law of the LORD is perfect,
converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the
simple. Psalms 19:7 KJV
It's
the soil that requires attention! We therefore look at the four described soils
and examine a possible solution.
Wayside soil...refers to minds
and hearts that have been conditioned by the constant inroad and trampling of
excessive worldly ties and opinions! It creates a hardboiled, critical and
skeptical life that will not receive the Word which has resulted in a gradual
hardening against the truth. Too much of worldly and otherworldly opinions have
resulted in a life so hardboiled, critical and skeptical that it scoffs at the
simple truth of the Word of God
Shallow Soil...is open to
the Word but only to an extent. Below the surface is a hidden, resistant
impenetrable layer of cultural and traditional beliefs, and self interest that
prevents further penetration and therefore further commitment. There is a
stubborn refusal to allow a deeper commitment, with the end result that, what
find its way into the life is sooner or later burned out
Thorny Soil...is pretty
good ground which allows the Word access easily. However this type allows the
wear and tear and cares of this life too much influence in their lives. Life
becomes compromising, and preoccupation with too many cares results in a
stifling of the effect of the Word, producing less than perfect fruit. In the
constant struggle between the Word and the Weeds, the believer allows the weeds
to take over, choking off the Word! It's always a choice to be made
Good Soil...is ground
that is well prepared and attended to, so that it is constantly receptive to
the Word. This person continues to believe, trust and hold on to God's Word
regardless. No weed of doubt, fear, unbelief, is allowed to make any headway or
lay down roots. This soil is constantly tended to ensure that it is receptive
to the Word, and is therefore very fruitful.
Now ye Philippians know also, that in
the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church
communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. Philippians 4:15 KJV
SOIL SAMPLE
|
DESCRIPTION
|
HEARER TYPE
|
SOLUTION
|
WAYSIDE SOIL
|
Continuous
travelling, inroads, trafficking, trampling results in compacting of soil
into a hard bind.
|
Constant
inroads of excessive worldly ties and
opinions! It creates a hardboiled, critical and skeptical life that will not
receive the Word!
|
Put
up barriers to any intrusion prevention further trespassing. Make a definite and decided effort to open to the Word!
|
SHALLOW SOIL
|
This
appears good on the surface, but a stony resistant layer lies somewhere below
the surface preventing in-depth penetration.
|
The
Word is received, but eventually reaches a hidden impenetrable layer of
cultural and traditional beliefs, and self interest.
|
Removal
and rejection of all previous false cultural and traditional barriers. Move
away from self absorption to Word reception!
|
THORNY SOIL
|
Good
productive ground as evidenced by the presence of thorns which choke and
stifle development of the good seed to its goal
|
Easily
reached by the Word which grows readily! However the preoccupation with wear,
tear and care of the present life stifles and stunts spiritual growth.
Continuous failings!
|
Uproot
the cares and other compromise and preoccupation that stifles and stunts
spiritual growth and production!
|
GOOD SOIL
|
Just
that! Good, well prepared, well kept and well protected!
|
Yielded
hearers, who receive the Word gladly, reinforce it constantly and guard it
jealously!
|
Full
productivity!
|
In
order to receive effectively from God we may have to drastically change the way
we operate sometimes. Remember your giving is also sowing and people sow seeds
with a single purpose in mind. To reap
what they sow! No one puts seed in the ground just because it's a nice
thing to do. The sow and plant with an expectation to receive and harvest a
crop. The farmer always tries to plant his best seeds, because he wants the
best produce in return. There are many enemies he has to battle to ensure his
seed brings returns; from the birds which will try to steal the seed right out
of the ground, to the weeds which will try to strangle the produce. He has to
be cautious about where and how he sows, lest he lose the seed.
It is absolutely in order to live in
expectation of increase when you have sown correctly! If you expect to receive
then you will live in expectation after giving.
But this I say, He which soweth
sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap
also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him
give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God
is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all
sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He
hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth
for ever. 2 Corinthians 9:6-9 KJV
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