“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred….And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” Mark 4:3-8, 15-20 (NKJV) emphasis added.Jesus calls this soil good soil or good ground. This ground is not hard but has been broken. This soil has no hidden stones underneath that would hinder the growth of the seed. This soil is deep; all the stones hiding underneath have been removed. This soil has been weeded. The seed will not be choked out in this soil for everything has been removed that would kill the growth of the seed.
This person has been broken. This person will endure through trials and persecution. This person is not easily entangled with the things of this world because this person’s desires have been changed. This person sits under the Word, and the Word takes root. There is a continual and constant desire for the Word of God in the life of this person, and fruit is born by the power of God in the life of this individual. They are growing and fruit is produced. You can see spiritual growth in this person. This soil, unlike the others, is saved.
Some may say that all the soils can be saved, but in reality they all cannot. For only the soil that bears fruit is good soil, and the others will not bear fruit. The only way the other soils can be saved is for them to be radically altered, and only God can do that. The hard ground will not break itself. The stony ground will not dig deep enough and pull out the stones that lie beneath. The stony ground doesn’t even recognize that it is stony. The thorny soil is deceived and thinks they can live for God according to the world’s standards. It is imperative that these first three soils be completely changed before they can and will receive the seed so that it will grow in them; and this is the supernatural work of God.
The first three soils are finally eclipsed by the three good soils. There are those soils that produce some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. Jesus points out in greater detail the first three soils, for He is surrounded by them as the multitudes of those who call themselves God’s people gather around Him yet have little to know reality to their so-called faith. The multitudes will abandon Him in the end, for they will be offended by Him.
Which soil best represents your life? If you are not growing in the Lord, I urge you to examine yourself to see if you are truly in the faith. Where there is no growth, there is no life. I implore you to run to Christ and beg for forgiveness. Repent and believe.
No comments:
Post a Comment