Tag Archives: parable of the sower

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Satan Opposes God’s Word

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John MacArthur

“Take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17).

Despite Satanic opposition, God’s Word will accomplish its work in His people.

In Matthew 13 Jesus tells the parable of the sower and the seed: “Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. And others fell upon the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up. . . . But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. And others fell on the good soil, and yielded a crop” (vv. 3-8).

Jesus went on to explain that the seed is the truth of God’s Word. Satan and his demonic forces can snatch it away from those who hear it yet don’t understand what it means. They can bring affliction and persecution against those who have an emotional commitment only, thereby causing them to lose heart and fall away. In some cases they choke out the Word with worry and the deceitfulness of riches (vv. 19-22).

But truly repentant sinners receive and nurture the gospel truth, just as prepared soil receives and nurtures seed. They hear it, understand it, receive it, and produce spiritual fruit (v. 23).

Proclaiming the gospel is an important aspect of taking the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17). As you do, others are saved and join God’s army. But be warned: Satan never gives up territory without a fight. Some of the people you witness to will forget what you tell them. Others will refuse to turn from worldly influences. Still others may respond emotionally, but without a genuine commitment to serving Christ and forsaking sin.

Those spiritual battles should compel you to bathe your evangelism in prayer and undergird it with a clear gospel presentation. If people understand precisely what it means to receive Christ, and if their hearts are prepared by the Holy Spirit, they’ll not be so easily victimized by satanic opposition.

Suggestions for Prayer; Ask the Lord to give you an opportunity to share Christ with someone today, or to encourage a struggling believer.

For Further Study; Read 1 Thessalonians 3:1-8.

  • What was Paul’s concern for the Thessalonian believers?
  • What did he do to eliminate his concern?
Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Sow What

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Our Daily Bread

Mark 4:1-20

On the clock tower of my alma mater is an Art Deco bas-relief sculpture titled The Sower. The inscription beneath it is from Galatians 6:7, “Whatsoever a man soweth.” Michigan State University remains a leader in agricultural research, but despite many improvements in farming techniques and crop production, this fact remains: Seeds of corn will not produce a crop of beans.

Jesus used many farming metaphors to explain the kingdom of God. In the parable of the sower (Mark 4), He compared the Word of God to seeds sown in different types of soil. As the parable indicates, the sower sows indiscriminately, knowing that some seed will fall in places where it will not grow.

Like Jesus, we are to sow good seed in all places at all times. God is responsible for where it lands and how it grows. The important thing is that we sow. God does not want us to reap destruction, so He wants us to sow what is good and right (Prov. 11:18). The apostle Paul elaborated on the metaphor when he warned believers not to sow seeds of corruption. Instead, we are to sow seeds that will reap eternal life (Gal. 6:8).

The answer to the question, “Sow what?” is “Sow what you want to reap.” To reap a good harvest in your life, start sowing seeds of goodness.—Julie Ackerman Link

Sow a thought, reap an act;

Sow an act, reap a habit;

Sow a habit, reap a character;

Sow a character, reap a destiny. —Anon.

A buried seed brings fruit; a selfless life reaps an eternal harvest.

Bible in a year: Proverbs 3-5; 2 Corinthians 1

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Preparing Hearts Through Fasting

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Charles Stanley

Matthew 13:1-23

In the parable of the sower, Jesus teaches that it takes good soil to produce a plentiful harvest. He warns against planting seed on the rocky places and also speaks about dangerous thorns that choke the plants. He directly applies the parable to our spiritual lives, explaining that the seed is God’s Truth; it’s only in the soil of a devoted and steadfast heart that the Word is received and spiritual fruitfulness is produced. In fact, He says soil that’s prepared to receive what is planted can produce a crop 30, 60, or 100 times what is sown.

Many people testify that God has used biblical fasting to position their hearts to receive His truth. It has made them ready for the planting of the Word, and through that, to receive greater insight and direction, and to develop a deeper faith (Rom. 10:17). During the hours of fasting, they set themselves apart from earthly concerns and spent their time concentrating on heavenly matters. It was then that God revealed the stumps, rocks, and thick roots that entangled their hearts and prevented spiritual growth. Through His Spirit, He also provided the courage to confess and the strength to obey.

What is the condition of your heart soil? How much “groundwork” needs to be done so that you can receive a major planting of the Word? God desires to clear out the rocks and weeds in our lives and break up any hard soil; biblical fasting prepares us for such tilling. God is calling His people to consecrate themselves to Him. Won’t you come before Him to be made ready?

 

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Satan Opposes God’s Word

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John MacArthur

“Take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17).

In Matthew 13 Jesus tells the parable of the sower and the seed: “Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. And others fell upon the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up. . . . But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. And others fell on the good soil, and yielded a crop” (vv. 3-8).

Jesus went on to explain that the seed is the truth of God’s Word. Satan and his demonic forces can snatch it away from those who hear it yet don’t understand what it means. They can bring affliction and persecution against those who have an emotional commitment only, thereby causing them to lose heart and fall away. In some cases they choke out the Word with worry and the deceitfulness of riches (vv. 19-22).

But truly repentant sinners receive and nurture the gospel truth, just as prepared soil receives and nurtures seed. They hear it, understand it, receive it, and produce spiritual fruit (v. 23).

Proclaiming the gospel is an important aspect of taking the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17). As you do, others are saved and join God’s army. But be warned: Satan never gives up territory without a fight. Some of the people you witness to will forget what you tell them. Others will refuse to turn from worldly influences. Still others may respond emotionally, but without a genuine commitment to serving Christ and forsaking sin.

Those spiritual battles should compel you to bathe your evangelism in prayer and undergird it with a clear gospel presentation. If people understand precisely what it means to receive Christ, and if their hearts are prepared by the Holy Spirit, they’ll not be so easily victimized by satanic opposition.

Suggestions for Prayer:

Ask the Lord to give you an opportunity to share Christ with someone today, or to encourage a struggling believer.

For Further Study:

Read 1 Thessalonians 3:1-8.

What was Paul’s concern for the Thessalonian believers?

What did he do to eliminate his concern?

Uncategorized

Crowded Out – Greg Laurie

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“The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.”—Luke 8:14

I have always been amazed by weeds. You can take a little flower, plant it in the perfect location, water it, and make sure there are no pests to threaten it. You can do everything possible for that flower, and it will slowly grow. But then, in the same amount of time, some weed springs up from a little crack in the sidewalk, and that weed chokes out the flower.

But the weed doesn’t suddenly burst out of the ground, grab the flower, and start shaking it. The process is gradual. First, there is a flower growing, and then the weed appears. The next day, the weed is a little closer. And on it goes until the weed starts to wrap itself around the flower and choke out its growth.

That is what Jesus was describing in the parable of the sower when He spoke about those who are “choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity” (Luke 8:14). This is not something that happens overnight; it happens over a period of time.

I also find it interesting that it is the “cares, riches, and pleasures of life” that prevent the seed of God’s Word from maturing and producing fruit. These are not necessarily bad things, in and of themselves. But these are good things that became the most important things and choked out the spiritual things.

This is not a picture of someone who says they don’t want to pray, read the Bible, or go to church. Rather, this represents someone who thinks those are good things to do. But over time, they start losing interest, and the things of this world become more important to them than the things of the next world. And that is what chokes them out spiritually.

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A Lesson from the Sower – Greg Laurie

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So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase —1 Corinthians 3:7

The parable of the sower is an illustration Jesus used that shows different reactions to the gospel message. In this story, a sower goes out and sows seed, and it falls on four different types of soil. Today, we might go and prepare the ground, carefully put in the seed, and use an irrigation system and all kinds of sophisticated hardware to help us get the job done well. But back then, it was a little more primitive.

Basically, the sower would reach into his sack with his hand and then throw out the seed . . . to the left . . . to the right . . . forward . . . backward. And wherever the seed went, it went. Some of it fell on good ground, some of it fell on rocky ground, and some of it fell along the roadside and so forth. Finally, some fell and was very productive. The actual act of plowing was done later, and then the sower would harvest whatever kind of crop he had.

The same could be said of so-called crusade evangelism, or proclamation evangelism. At Harvest Ministries, we throw out the seed in a stadium. We throw it out over the Internet. Then we throw it out over the radio. And so the seed gets thrown out further and further and further, but it is God who ultimately does the work of conversion. Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him . . .” (John 6:44).

Some people are critical of this type of evangelism. But my question is, why wouldn’t we want to reach as many people as possible, using every form of media available? Our job is to reach as many as we can.