Hi Everyone
Last Friday, we looked at Soil #3, the thorny ground.
And share this as you are blessed!
Blessings!
Chris
Sower and the Soils Part 4
Matthew 13:7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. (NKJV)
Matthew 13:22 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. (NKJV)
Mark 4:7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. (NKJV)
Mark 4:18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 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. (NKJV)
Luke 8:7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. (NKJV)
Luke 8:14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. (NKJV)
The Seed Did Not Die
Mark 4:7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. (NKJV)
It just did not bear fruit.
There is an expectation by the farmer that as he sows seed, he would get fruit. It is completely of the plant’s nature to bear fruit. When our plants do not bear fruit, it is disappointing to the farmer. Similarly, when our lives don’t bear fruit in certain areas as Christians, the truth for that area, part of what Christ died for, is wasted.
God fully expects that His Living Word to us will bear fruit in every area, but the ability to do so is very much in our hands, in the process of how we hear the Word.
Each area that we bear fruit in, we will find fulfillment as that is in our design as new creations.
The Word was Choked
Mark 4:18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 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. (NKJV)
It is not going to Church, not our ability to avoid sin, not our serving, not even us trying to love one another that gets choked. It is not even Bible reading that gets choked, but the Word – the living truths of the Bible. This is not even about sin, but wherever the Word is choked, sin will result.
It is not things that were just introduced to us that we got excited about but failed to keep (stony ground) but truths that we have known for some time already in our minds that we aren't living by because of the “chokers”.
The Common Denominator
Luke 8:14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. (NKJV)
- Cares of the World
- Deceitfulness of Riches
- Pleasures of Life
What is the common denominator of all three? Fear! Fear causing us to refuse to take something in the Word and believe it, act on it, to walk by faith, preferring instead to go by what we see. It is a fear of not being in control, the fear of not having enough things, the fear that we are missing out in life.
In each area that the Word is presented, we can continue to fear because we don’t believe that Word. In each area the Lord beckons us to step out of the boat!
Cares of the World – God Cares for You
Luke 12:6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (NKJV)
Actually, we are worth the blood of Jesus. God saw fit to put His Son on the cross for each of us. We must be worth a lot to Him. (Matt 13:45)
Don't ever accept teaching that makes Christians sound like we don’t deserve to be saved. If God saw that we are worth saving, who are we to say otherwise? Will putting yourself down make you just one bit more worthy of His Son? [Accepting a gift].
Don't ever associate yourself with low value. Don’t call junk what God has deemed precious.
Cares of the World – God Wants to Take Your Cares
We all know 1 Peter 5:7. In the NIV, it says:
1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (NIV)
However, we need to look at the verse that was before it. In the NKJV, it the two verses are a single sentence.
1 Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (NKJV)
We cast our cares on Him by humbling ourselves under God. The question is: How do you humble yourself under God’s hand? Believe what has already been purchased by Jesus with His blood and receive them by faith!
Each area we fail to cast our cares is another area we are failing to believe in His Word!
Deceitfulness of Riches – God Supplies Your Needs
We have a God who delights in meeting our needs.
2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (NKJV)
It is good to know that His divine power has given (past tense) all that we need, not only for godliness, but also for life!
Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (NKJV)
The supply is according to His riches in glory by our Lord. It is a part of the finished work of Christ, not according to our behaviour, our avoidance of sin or our ability to keep laws. It is by faith.
2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (NKJV)
He makes all grace abound toward us for us to have all sufficiency so that we can do His will with abundance. Grace is received through faith, so as we believe, we will receive.
1 Timothy 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. (NKJV)
Riches in themselves are uncertain, so our trust must be in the living God. In His goodness to us, He gives us richly all things to enjoy.
All this provision is premised by one thing:
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (NKJV)
Seek the KINGDOM. When we are not seeking the Kingdom, we will busy ourselves seeking other things or finding no meaning in life. Note also that it does not say to seek to be moral, nor seek to avoid sin. When need to see who we are in Christ and what our purpose is.
Seek God and His will. Know what He is doing in your life, what He wants for you as a part of the Kingdom. Seek to know where this war to hold on to captives is headed.
Pleasures of Life – Gain Life by Losing
Jesus was quoted saying a similar thing 5 times in the Gospels:
Matthew 10:38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. (NKJV)
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. (NKJV)
Mark 8:34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. (NKJV)
Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. (NKJV)
John 12:25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (NKJV)
I think the Lord is saying something here…
True pleasure is only found when we start to move in sync with Him, to live the life He meant for us to live. We find it only when we start to lose ourselves, our flesh and what the senses want, in favour of what the Word says. This is how we gain what He died for. When we choose God’s way, when we go by the Spirit, the Words of life, then we have life. The flesh (manifested in the cares, riches and pleasures) profits nothing (John 6:63).
The choice we have each day is to die to these, to cast cares on Him, to depend on Him for our needs and to find our pleasure in Him. It is not in trying to change ourselves to be better people, but choosing to trust His Word because we know His love for us. In realising that God has a better way in His Word we start to change the way we think and choose life by letting go (2 Cor 3:18).
The Abundant Life
John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (NKJV)
The abundant life is not found in more materials or earthly pleasures as we know it. It is not in us having it all. It is in when we have no need of it for ourselves, when Christ is the centre of our lives and in when we know His love for us and we trust in this love. That is when these can come into our hands to steward.
Abundant life is not in getting what we want – it is in living in the New Creation He has made us to be. It is the freedom of knowing that God is my all, I don’t need anything else.
When we are willing to die to ourselves, discount our fleshly lives, in favour of His promises, His Word kicks in and we live by the Divine Life in us.
He wants to be our everything!
The Tipping Point
Matthew 6:31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (NKJV)
The tipping point is when we get into worry. When we start to lose our peace of something that bothers us (care), something that we wish we had (riches) or something we don’t want to miss out on (pleasures).
Worry and fear are in the realm of the flesh. Seeking the Kingdom, meditating on His Word and faith are in the realm of the Spirit.
Jesus said:
John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. (NKJV)
If we live our lives driven by the flesh, we will be driven by cares, riches and pleasure and there will be no profit, no fruit. In each area where the Word is choked, our lives are led without power and we will resemble the unbelievers around us in that area. We must know that are no longer of this world, but citizens of heaven and we live by a very different source and provision. God is our Father and He will not let us down.
The Take-Away
- Each area of the Word was made to bear fruit in our lives.
- Fear gives rise to cares, the need for riches and the need for pleasure.
- Each promise of the Word was to bring faith in that area, to overcome fear
- God wants us to lead abundant, fruitful, meaningful lives in Him
- Every area of the Word is Spirit giving life. Once choked, we go back to flesh life which profits nothing.
- Jesus loves us. Let Him be your everything.
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