Scripture:
Matthew 13:1-23 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!” [10] And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” [11] He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. [12] For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. [13] Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. [14] And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; [15] For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’ [16] But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; [17] for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. [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.”
Observation:
I have fallen in love with GOD’S word. Every answer I have ever needed for every situation I have ever faced has been found in its pages. Over the years the questions have changed, but GOD’S word has seemingly grown with me in this walk. Now I know tgat there words have not changed at all. But much like the seeds that are spoken about in the parables that we just had the privilege of reading, as the word was planted it has taken root and developed into something that was not necessarily seen before. I know there is a lot of scripture to process through. Unfortunately, we are going to have to do a brief flyover. I would love to be able to spend my days just writing about GOD’S word, and maybe at some point the LORD will put me in that position, but at this point maintaining a regular job is still part of my life. As we look at what is being said in these verses. We see that there is more being said than what is on the surface. If you take out all the separation that has been placed there to make it easier to study. A deeper purpose begins to unfold. Now don’t get me wrong. I love the fact that the Bible has been made easy to study. Chapters and verses have made it easy to go and find exactly what you are looking for. But that has also made it easy to separate it and hear only what you want to, and there lies the problem. As Jesus is speaking to the crowd and talking about not only seeds but the condition of the soil and how important it is for both to be working together. HE makes a very valuable statement in verse 9, “He who has ears let him hear.” As a sower sows seed it travels through the air finding its spot. If the soil has been properly prepared. The ears will be open and ready for the sower. But all this is low-hanging fruit. The reason that Jesus spoke the way HE did is because of a very important statement made in Jeremiah chapter 29 and verse 13. Finding GOD has to do with a heartfelt pursuit where he meets you right where you are. When the condition of the soil has been prepared, and all the rocks of self-seeking, self-centered, selfish ambition have been uprooted and set aside. That’s when the sowing is most effective and the ears of the hearers are opened, and the soil is prepared to receive what God has in store. The disciples were somewhat confused by what Jesus was saying, but they did exactly what they needed to; they went to HIM and said, “We don’t understand. Why do you speak in parables? The response that is given says so much. In verses 10 through 17, HE says, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and to hear will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” What HE is saying is, the disciples had a desire to understand what HE was saying, so they went to HIM and asked HIM to explain it. Because they did so their understanding grew. After they sought an answer from the LORD, they were given what they sought. Continuing to explain what HE is saying. HE begins to quote the Old Testament. Saying the hearts have grown dull, even though they hear, they will never perceive, they will barely hear with their ears, and not even see with their eyes. What HE is saying is that most believers will barely scratch the surface. Sure salvation will be had. But a true understanding of the kingdom will slide right by. Verses 18 through 23 bring HIS point to the surface. But if you are not listening with the ears of your heart. It will be missed. I’m going to have to fly over real fast so I hope you are tuned in. When the seed lands on prepared soil it grows. The kingdom works just like that. It will produce a crop. In other words, you will have GOD’S word welling up inside of you, and it will come out. Others will hear it and crops will continue to grow and spread.
Application:
My desire for the last 15 or 16 years has been for others to know the same freedom I experienced. Once the word of GOD was planted in my heart. I always want a deeper understanding of it. I don’t know that I will ever be satisfied with what I know. In fact, for the past 7 or 8 years, I have continued to dig and search and plant. I want my soil to be ready to receive what HE has for me. As the rocks of this world get removed from my heart the soil is able to grow more and more crop. I don’t want to focus on this life. It’s not where my home is. I want everything GOD has given me. Digging into HIS word and searching out who HE is eliminates selfishness, self-centeredness, and selfish-ambition. The kingdom of heaven is designed to grow. As the love of Jesus grows in you. A desire for others to know HIM will grow as well. This is the crop, 30, 60, or 100 fold. The freedom you have been given is designed to spread and cover the entire earth. Allow GOD’S word to be planted in your heart. Allow it to grow. Don’t focus on this life focus on the kingdom, focus on HIS righteousness, seek HIM first. Not the pursuit of life here, but the pursuit of kingdom life. Everything that you have here will be left here. You come into this world naked and will leave the same way. As the word of GOD grows in said of you. The only thing that you will take with you is what you have done for the kingdom. I will say it again… It’s all about HIM. If you are living for the things of this world, they are going to burn up, they will rust, they will decay. This world is passing away along with its comforts. But HE has prepared a place for us that is beyond this place. Grab as many as you can and let’s go. Let YOUR kingdom come.
Prayer:
Father, we want your word to grow inside of us. We desire you more than anything else more than anything this world has to offer. We want you to increase in our lives. We want less selfishness and more selflessness. Help us to sow your word into the hearts of those around us. As you prepare their soil. We know that this life is not our own. You have purchased it at a price way beyond anything we could have paid. Change us from being worldly-minded into kingdom-minded people. This life and all that is in it will fade away, but you never will. Help us to seek you above all else. To seek your kingdom knowing that you have already seen and know all our needs. As the deception grows. Keep our ears tuned into your voice heard only through the Holy Spirit. Let us be so familiar with it that every seed sown by us has all self removed. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus we pray, amen.