Hi Everyone
Soil #4 at last - the Good Ground!
This is such an important parable and it takes us having a really close look at it to squeeze the most out of it.
And share this as you are blessed!
Blessings!
Chris
Good Soil
This is the culmination of everything that the first 3 soils were not and more!
Matthew 13:8 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!” (NKJV)
Matthew 13:23 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.” (NKJV)
Mark 4:8 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.” 9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (NKJV)
Mark 4:20 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.” (NKJV)
Luke 8:8 But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (NKJV)
Luke 8:15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. (NKJV)
Hearing
Matthew 13:23 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.” (NKJV)
Mark 4:20 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.” (NKJV)
Hearing the Word is so important. Without hearing, nothing else takes place. All the best intentions we can have as Christian will come to nought without us coming into contact with the Word of God.
This is what Paul said about it:
Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God [Christ]. (NKJV)
Hearing is the start. Without hearing, there is nothing to believe in. Faith comes by hearing, which is a continuous process. We cannot just go to Bible school and think that we have heard it all. We are all in the growing process, each of us growing at different levels in different areas of the Word.
We can hear many things in the Word continuously and without doubt there will always be truths that we embrace willingly, others that we might give mental assent to and yet others that we might outright reject others. However, the more we hear, the more there is chance for the Word to change us. We need every truth in the Word to be made complete.
Accepting
Mark 4:20 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.” (NKJV)
We can be like Soil #1 that heard it and not bother about it or we can accepting (receiving/welcoming) of it. Skepticism, unbelief and thoughts not from the Word can cause us not to accept the Word.
Understanding
Matthew 13:23 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.” (NKJV)
“Understand” here is defined in the Strong’s Concordance as “realize to the point of insight”. This is an interesting definition. It tells us that the Word has to be in our heads to the point that it clicks, when the lights come on and we have the “Ah ha!” moment, seeing the truth of God first in our minds. Wisdom invariably comes first from knowledge. Many places in Scriptures talk about seeking after God and really, what it means is seeking first for knowledge, seeking to know Him in the Word:
Proverbs 1:28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. 29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord, (NKJV)
Without knowledge, there can be no wisdom. We cannot begin to know God without knowing His Word. We cannot say we are seeking God if we don’t read the Word.
Proverbs 2:3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, 4 If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God. (NKJV)
We have to seek to know, to really want to understand. We then need to mull on the Word till it clicks in our heads first. When we have insights, writing them down is a powerful way to remember.
Noble and Good Heart
Luke 8:15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. (NKJV)
Hear the Word with noble (honest) and good heart. It is all about the heart, its intents. The ‘A’ word: We need to approach God’s Word with the right attitude, one of a learner seeking knowledge, to know more about God, to understand His character, to be in relationship with Him.
Acts 17:11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. (NKJV)
These received the Word with all readiness. There was nothing in the Word that they were skeptical about. Skepticism is unbelief. Instead, they checked it out with what little scriptures they had.
Today, we have the complete Bible to check out. Before we write off anything being said by a preacher, we need to test it against scripture. The best way is to know the scriptures well! The next best is to read the scriptures that were being preached for yourself, in context, asking God for revelation.
Keep It!
Luke 8:15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. (NKJV)
We need to keep the Word. In all we hear, treasure it. Regardless of whether it was a “big” revelation or a “little” one, we need to keep it and treasure it. We need to meditate on it, to imagine with our minds the things the Word says and piece them together in our thinking. Once we have a revelation, an understanding of a part of it, we need to grab hold of it and not let it go. That is why I am a big proponent of writing it all down, to journal what God is speaking to you through His Word. We have to build on what we learn all the time.
Jesus has to be on the forefront of our minds. Not a physical image of who He might be, based on tradition or religion, but as portrayed according to the Word and ONLY the Word to us.
The Word WILL Bear Fruit
Matthew 13:23 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.” (NKJV)
Mark 4:20 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.” (NKJV)
Luke 8:15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. (NKJV)
This is a promise from the Lord. It is the Word that grows and bears fruit. We are the soil. Our part is to accept, understand and keep the Word with a noble and good heart.
Soil by itself, no matter how good, CANNOT bear fruit!
It needs the seed to do this. We cannot try to bear fruit. The only solution is to meditate on the Word to allow the Word to grow into a fruitful plant.
2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (NKJV)
The mirror often refers to the Word of God and here it talks about us seeing who Christ has made us to be as is shown in the Word. When this happens, we become fruitful, going from glory to glory.
Word Bears Fruit – Spirit Triumphs over Flesh
The Word is seed and God fully intends for it to bear fruit in our lives. It His will that His Word gives us the best that He has for us. 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)
His Words are Spirit and they are Life. The more of the Word we have in our lives, the more life we have. The comparison here is the same one we see in many places in scripture: the struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. Paul said this:
Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? (NKJV)
The Galatians had every intent to do good. They wanted to be good Christians and were not intrinsically evil in their desires. Doing evil per se was not the problem. The problem was wanting to be better Christians using the flesh!
If we do not take the whole counsel of God’s Word (to believe and be in the Spirit), if we think that by doing good we become good Christians, Paul actually calls this the flesh. Thus he says:
Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
If we stay in the Word, in a living relationship with Christ in His Word, we will be in the Spirit (John 6:63). Otherwise, we end up being in the flesh that comes against the Spirit. Not being in the Spirit means we are in the flesh that is under the law. It gets worse…
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
So those who intended to do well, but not trusting in the Word of God, instead relying on their own strength, actually end up in even more sin. This has shown itself over and over.
But if we stay in the Word…
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (NKJV)
We manifest the Word. This is where we the soil start to bear fruit.
When this happens, there will be a harvest. And harvesting is never about one plant but about many. I believe this is talking also about the local Church and what we are hearing. If we collectively hear the Word well to bear fruit, there will be multiplication:
John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (NKJV)
Fruit once manifested always means many people are attracted. This proved true in Acts:
Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. (NKJV)
The Take Away
- Hear the Word with an open, accepting heart
- Seek hard to understand it
- Treasure the truths you have established
- Fruit will come. Don’t try to do what the Word will do.
- Jesus loves you. Trust His Word, not your effort.
