SCRIPTURE:
"Again Jesus began to
teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that
he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people
were along the shore at the water's edge. He taught them many things by
parables, and in his teaching said: "Listen! A farmer went out to sow
his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and
the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did
not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered
because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up
and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed
fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying
thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times." (Mark 4:1-8, NIV)
“Then
Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." When he was alone,
the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He
told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But
to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that," 'they
may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never
understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'" (Mark
4:10-12, NIV)
Yesterday, I focused on
"What do P.A.R.A.B.L.E.S mean to you in life?" (Nov
13, 08, 10:56 a.m.)
Today, I decided to focus on the
meaning of the parable itself.
Observations:
I asked
myself what kinds of places did the seed fall?
-
Along the Path (v.4)
-
On Rocky places (v. 5)
-
Among the Thorns (v. 7)
-
On Good soil (v. 8)
I asked
myself what happened to the seed that fell, ‘Along the Path’.
The birds came and ate it up!
I asked
myself what happened to the seed that fell, ‘On Rocky places’.
-
It did not have much soil.
-
It sprang up quickly, because the soil was
shallow.
-
When the sun came up, the plants were
scorched.
-
The plants withered because they had no root.
I asked
myself what happened to the seed that fell, ‘Among the Thorns’.
-
They grew up and choked the plants.
-
They did not bear grain.
I asked
myself what happened to the seed that fell, ‘On Good soil.’
-
It came up.
-
It grew.
-
It produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty,
or even a hundred times.
Now I
decided to focus on verses 13-20 to find out why things happened this
way!
“Then
Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will
you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are
like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear
it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others,
like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it
with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When
trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall
away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the
worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for
other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others,
like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a
crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown." (Mark
4:13-20, NIV)
Interpretations/Implications:
I learned the path I choose will
determine my walk with the Lord. In every path, the seed refers to the
Word that is sown. The Sower is God who represents the farmer. The
question is how the Word of God will be handled.
There are four ways the Word of
God can be handled but only one of them is the right way that will
produce a crop --- thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.
That is amazing to know that the Word of God will produce a crop in us
when we handle it properly in our lives.
I ask you
now dear friend where are you at your walk with God?
Dear friend, your walk with God
is dependent on what you do with the Word of God that is sown in your
life. I have learned four things that can happen to us in the 21st
century but lasting happiness only comes from one of those four things!
To desire that one thing, it
helps for us to know about the pitfalls the other three can cause so I
want to share them with you using the University of Pittsburgh campus as
a context but it does not have to be limited to the University of
Pittsburgh campus.
Soil 1: Along the Path
Many people hear the Word of
God. Right here on Pitt Campus, we have classes called ‘Bible as
Literature I & II’ that are offered. No one can say those students have
not had exposure to Scripture. Each one of them has had exposure to
Scripture. Many in the world have had exposure to Scripture. Yet, not
all of them are saved or come to the knowledge of knowing Jesus Christ
as their Lord and Personal Savior.
I asked
myself why?
Jesus Himself gives the reason
which is evident by v. 15
“Some
people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as
they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in
them.” (Mark 4:15)
Why do you
think that happens?
Many people believe there are
many paths to God and do not take the ‘Words written in the Bible’
seriously. Those who do not take the Bible as the Word of God seriously
have already hardened their hearts to the Truth and lose the Word from
their hearts as Satan takes it away.
Soil 2: On Rocky places
Friend, do
you receive the Word with joy?
Maybe you are very excited to
hear the Word of God at Church or wherever it is being proclaimed! That
is awesome and great!
What do we
do with the Word of God in times of temptation or testing?
Many people do receive the Word
of God with joy when they hear it. It is joyful for them to have the
Word. They believe they can hold on to the Word with all their heart.
Yet, how
many people do we know that have been raised in a Christian home fall
away from the faith or those that have come to college fall away from
the faith?
Why?
Jesus gives the reason in
Mark 4:16-17:
“Others,
like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it
with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When
trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall
away.” (Mark 4:16-17, NIV)
Let me tell you if there was a
place of persecution for your faith, it would mostly be on the college
setting with our professors, with peer pressure, etc or at home with
family members.
Why do you
think that happens?
Many students who come to
college shun their faith as they cannot handle trials and tribulations
and the testing of their own faith in classes such as Philosophy,
Biology, Geology, Astronomy, Anthropology, etc.
The problem is not with the
classes themselves for many followers of Christ are philosophers,
biologists, geologists, astronomers (not astrologists), anthropologists,
etc for we need God’s people in every field of academia to make a
difference.
The problem here is that those
who listen just to the professors’ remarks and what textbooks say take
it at face value. If they would take the same approach to the Word of
God, they will see the difference. However, they never allow God’s Word
to take root in their lives. Many just take what professors’ feed them.
Not everything they say is the truth. If we disagree with our Prof’s we
need to challenge their thinking courteously. I have always done that as
I have sought the Lord. The professor’s start to respect that.
Through my college years, in my
philosophy, psychology, poetry, General Writing classes, I wrote about
Jesus. In my legal studies classes, I have talked to the professors about
Jesus. In my internship in legal studies, I have focused on the Ultimate
Law Giver! The key is taking the Word of God and allowing the Word to
make the difference in our lives through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Soil 3: Among the Thorns
You are a
follower of Christ and do not allow Satan to take the Word from your
heart or let testing to let you fall away, yet do you feel stagnant in
your Christian walk?
Why?
Jesus gives the reasons in Mark
4:18-19:
“Still
others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of
this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things
come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” (Mark 4:18-19)
Many students allow the
pleasures, comfort zones, and the need for fun, fame, and fortune to
crowd out Jesus from their life. This however does not mean that
followers of Christ cannot have any fun, become famous, or try to amass
a fortune. There is nothing wrong with fun, fame, and fortune when they
come in God’s timing and not through sinful means.
The problem is even though
people on this soil may come to Jesus now and then with a Quiet Time
here and there, it is not consistent though. Their time with the Lord
through study of His Word, prayer, and church life is not consistent.
Hence, they never become mature as Christians but feel like their faith
has become stagnant.
Soil 4: Good soil
What is
different about those on good soil?
I like the way Luke 8:15,
describes those on good soil:
“But the
seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear
the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” (Luke 8:15, NIV)
We see 5 important points here:
-
They have a noble heart.
-
They have a good heart.
-
They hear the Word.
-
They retain the Word.
-
They persevere with the Word in their lives.
This results in an abundant
Harvest.
The Parable of the Sower,
chronologically the first of Christ's parables, is a prophecy about the
acceptance of the good tidings of the Gospel by mankind.
In it is narrated how men accept
the Word of God in different ways, and how this Word acts differently on
men, depending on the state of their soul.
So, I ask
you now friend what kind of soil are you on?
What is
the condition of your heart?
How
seriously do you take the Word of God?
Are you
Along the Path?
If you have been on the path and
feel the Word is taken away from you, it does not have to be that way.
Satan’s purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. But, Jesus’ purpose is
to give you life in all its fullness. (John 10) If you have never had God’s solid
Word in your heart, you don’t have to wait. You can start in the Word
from now on. Spend time in the Word of God daily!
Look for a Bible study to go
too! If you are in the Pittsburgh area, I am part of a small group
called Living Acts, which is part of Oakland International Fellowship,
where we study God's Word together, pray together, share together our
burdens, joys, etc and have a time of community together through
it all with food :). We would love to have you there! Let me know!
Are you on
Rock?
If you have been the one who has
received the Word with joy at one time, but now you are so confused and
hurt because of all the testing you have been facing, it does not have
to be that way. Many of the classes you take can test your faith,
confuse you and make you doubt. But God offers you a solution.
“So then,
just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in
him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were
taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes
you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on
human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on
Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily
form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over
every power and authority.” (Colossians 2:6-10, NIV)
You do not have to be confused
and hurt. Jesus never promised we would escape from testing, trials and
tribulations but He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us.
He has promised,
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end
of the age." (Matthew 28:20, NIV)
You can be rooted in the Word by
being committed to the Word of God, no matter what is happening. God
will not forsake you. Please do not forsake your daily Quiet Times with
the Lord. If you have trouble with your Quiet Times, I have free
booklets that will help you with your Quiet Times.
Are you
Among the Thorns?
If you have been the one who has
allowed life’s worries, pleasures, and riches to come in the way to
become thorns crowding out your relationship with the Lord, I say again
it does not have to be that way. You can mature in your Christian faith.
I know being in college or away, we can be prone to life’s worries, etc but the
Lord Jesus offers you hope.
"Therefore
I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or
about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than
food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the
air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do
you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do
not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his
splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the
grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the
fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not
worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What
shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your
heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and
his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25-34, NIV)
You
can become a mature Christian. Take the help the Lord provides. I say
once again, join a small group Bible study this FALL of 2008, have your Quiet Times daily with the Lord
through His Word and prayer, and most of all be involved in fellowship
with other believers. Don’t be a lone ranger Christian.
Are you on
Good Soil?
If you are the one who feels
like they are on good soil. Take heed lest you fall back into the other
soils. Satan is crafty and will try all means to get you on his side.
“Submit
yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (James 4:7-8a, NIV)
Remember,
“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the
one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John
4:4, NIV)
Each of you knows where you are
at in your walk with God. You could have already known even before I
shared with you what I have learned.
No matter where you are at, if
you are not on the good soil, you can be on the good soil. It does not
have to be one day. It can be right now. Now is the time of Salvation.
”Just as
man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ
was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will
appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those
who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:26-27, NIV)
Jesus loves each of you so much
and wants you to be victorious.
“Those
whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I
am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens
the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who
overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I
overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Revelation 3:19-20,
NIV)
The theme of the Parable of the
Sower is to let us know the soil we are on determines our own spiritual
growth and our victorious living as a follower of Christ!
The purpose of the Parable of
the Sower is to understand the importance of looking at the state of our
own heart to see what place we are allowing God’s Word to have in our
daily lives.
This happens as we take God’s
Word seriously and cultivate it daily in our hearts by becoming a doer
of the Word.
“Walk
Among Lord’s Kingdom!”(W.A.L.K)” “Where are
you at your walk with God?”
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much how much you have taught me from your
Word. Lord, you know what kind of soil we have been on. You want us to
be on the good soil. Even now Lord, I feel I am not always on the good
soil. There are so many times I revert back to the other soils and feel
the pain and also cause others pain because I have not consistently
sought you but gone my own way. I am so sorry Jesus. I know Lord that I
cannot live the victorious Christian life on my own but need your
guidance and wisdom. Please fill me with the Holy Spirit and guide me
through your Word as I seek you in prayer. Provide the right fellowship
for me at church and away from church. Thank you Jesus! I am so sorry
for my sins and acknowledge that you went to the cross to pay the ransom
for my sin to set me free. Thank you so much for bearing my burden.
Please cleanse me with your cleansing blood and I will be clean again!
Wash me and I will be whiter than snow! Thank you Jesus for coming into
my heart as I accept you into my heart! Thank you for making my heart
your home and living in me. I will live for you and serve you the rest
of the days of my life. Thank you Jesus for being my Lord and Personal
Savior! Thank you Jesus that you have heard my prayer and answered me!
Thank you that I belong to you and you will help me live a victorious
life in you. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
ANALOGY OF INVITING PEOPLE TO THE GREAT PHYSICIAN:
We are like an ambulance taking
sick people to the
hospital. People are dying and there is an emergency because of an
epidemic virus. The ambulance takes the initiative to go to the place
people are dying and bring them to the hospital. They are not dead yet
but there is no time to wait. The ambulance needs to get to the hospital
for that virus to be treated. The virus has infected the mind, body, and
soul spreading rapidly. You and I cannot do anything to heal our friends
of this virus except be the AMBULANCE taking them to the HOSPITAL where
the GREAT PHYSICIAN waits.
Once at the hospital, there is a GREAT PHYSICIAN that waits. The sick
are gathered from all corners of the earth and come to this hospital.
This hospital is called CALVARY OF SALVATION and the EMERGENCY WARD is
called GOLGOTHA.
The GREAT PHYSICIAN is not like other doctors who can only treat
patients with physical ailments but this GREAT PHYSICIAN is much
more and knows He has to stay 72 HOURS for every dying person there to
be healed.
He knows what He has to do! This GREAT PHYSICIAN knew that only His
BLOOD can wipe away this epidemic VIRUS, so for you and me He went to
the blood transfusion room where people were about to die. There He lay
down on the bed made of wood.
The surgeons walk into the room. They turn this GREAT PHYSICIAN on
His back. Instead of using an IV, a WHIP with sharp glass, etc is
used to draw out the BLOOD from the GREAT PHYSICIAN'S back! It does not
stop there but to elevate the head on the bed of wood, a CROWN OF THORNS
is used which draws more BLOOD.
As the head is elevated, the GREAT PHYSICIAN's hands are stretched
wide on the wooden bed. Then the feet are bound together. This is done
for the BLOOD transfusion to begin. Instead of using an IV, NAILS and a
HAMMER is used. The NAILS are pounded through the hands into the wooden
bed with a HAMMER so the BLOOD flows and that BLOOD is saved. The NAILS
are pounded through the feet into the wooden bed with a HAMMER so more
BLOOD flows and that BLOOD is saved. As the BLOOD continues to flow from
the GREAT PHYSICIAN's body, the GREAT PHYSICIAN flat lines. Then the
surgeons insert a SPEAR into the heart to make sure all the BLOOD is
out. All the BLOOD is out!
Now, the GREAT PHYSICIAN is moved into the JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA MORGUE
being guarded by security.
Now the CALVARY OF SALVATION hospital has a BLOOD DONOR whose BLOOD
can be used to save everyone there from this EPIDEMIC VIRUS.
Those dying need to be taken there to receive the BLOOD transfusion
that is available. However, the BLOOD will not be forced upon those
dying! THE PUREST RED ANTIDOTE is only given to those that are willing
to receive the BLOOD TRANSFUSION so they could LIVE.
All that accept the BLOOD are being CLEANSED of this EPIDEMIC VIRUS
in their system that is infecting the mind, body, and soul. This
BLOOD goes into the dying person's mind, body, and soul and eats away at
the virus cleaning them and making them pure. This VIRUS is known as
SIN. The BLOOD is the PRECIOUS CLEANSING BLOOD OF THE GREAT PHYSICIAN,
JESUS CHRIST.
The WOODEN BED is the CROSS OF CHRIST where the dying need to be led
too.
72 HOURS LATER, there is a commotion at the JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA
MORGUE. THE GREAT PHYSICIAN is not there anymore and the ANGELS that
visit tell loved ones who came there, that THE GREAT PHYSICIAN IS ALIVE
and will save all that come to Him.
It is true even to this day, for all that come to the HOSPITAL OF CALVARY come to realize that His CLEANSING
BLOOD shed on the WOODEN BED (CROSS) will never run out. Anyone infected
who wants to be healed of their sickness can accept what Jesus did for
them and be covered in His precious CLEANSING
BLOOD.
I have done that friend and know that at the foot of the cross where
Jesus died shedding His precious cleansing blood for my sin and the sins
of the world, I can find forgiveness and grace.
Thanks be to God that Christ's death on the cross was temporary to
remove all His precious cleansing blood for our sake but after He was
buried, Jesus came back to life to save.
To this day, all who call on the Name of the Lord will be saved when
they acknowledge what Jesus Christ has done for them and what He can do
for them.
Friend, Jesus loves you so much and if you were the only one living
on earth, Jesus would have done the same for you. What I shared with you
was an analogy but in real life it has happened. Jesus went to the cross
for you and me and His precious cleansing blood was shed so you and I
could have life. Jesus came back to life 72 hours later and is alive but
His blood continues to heal people on every corner of the earth to those
that accept Him.
May my spoken words and
unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my
Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)
If you would like to invite Jesus
Christ into your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you can
this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's promises
for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your eyes, in His
wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time to come to
the Lord. You can come right now as you pray this prayer, meaning it in
your heart. You can invite the GREAT PHYSICIAN right now as you make this your prayer.
Dear Jesus,
thank you for healing the paralytic after forgiving his sins. You set him
free to go home. I want to be free. I don’t know
everything about you. I still have a lot of questions. What I do know is
that you died on the cross for my sins. When it comes to sin, I am a
paralytic Oh Lord. I am infected with this deadly disease known as sin.
I am not perfect but a sinner who needs your cleansing blood to clean me
of my sin. I confess to you my sin and repent of my sin. I know
you have forgiven me when you died on the cross. I want to accept that
forgiveness. Thank
you for shedding your cleansing precious blood for me. You were nailed
to the cross because of me. It is like I actually held the hammer and
pounded the nails so I could be free. Thank you for willingly dying for
me Jesus. Thank you for taking the shame and pain for me. Thank you for
doing that to set me free. I come to the cross and ask you for your
healing in my life. Thank you for the power of your Blood to redeem
humanity. Thank you for coming back to life to save us and give us
Eternal Life as we yield to you. Your blood can heal us where we are. I
love you Jesus. I want you Jesus. Even with my questions, I come to you now and accept you
into my heart. Please Jesus come into my heart and make my heart your
home. Give me a transfusion of change. Live in me Jesus and I will live
for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I thank you Jesus
for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for
living in me Jesus. I acknowledge you now as my Lord and Personal
Savior. Please be the Lord and Savior of my life. Thank you for being my
Lord and Personal Savior Jesus and because of what you have done for me when
God looks at me, He now sees me covered in your blood and His judgment
passes over me. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me.
Thank you for being with me Lord. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit.
Thank you Jesus I now belong to you and never need to be alone! You will
always be with me and have given me Salvation. In Your Name I Pray
Jesus! Amen!
May my spoken words and
unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my
Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)
