Thoughts On The Parable Of The Sower--3

     As our Lord explained the meaning of this great parable, He moved His attention to the seed sown among the thorns. His explanation is as follows: “As for what was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22).

     Whereas the along-the-path heart simply does not believe, and the rocky ground heart almost immediately succumbs to persecution, the among-the-thorns heart just has too many things on its plate all of which take preference over God.

     It is folly to conclude that the person described here never takes the outward actions of becoming a Christian or never darkens the doorway of a meetinghouse. This person may very well be sitting right next to us in the worship assembly week in and week out. This person may word some beautiful prayers and deliver some well-organized talks. Perhaps he even teaches some Bible classes. However, one does not necessarily need any zeal or enthusiasm for the Lord to perform these outward actions. Herein lies the problem with the Christian whose heart dwells among the thorns. Worldliness has zapped him of spiritual joy and zeal.

     Even as he sings hymns his thoughts turn to worldly matters. Even as he bows his head to pray the cares of the world dominate his heart. Though his body is present to worship the God of Heaven, his heart is busy bowing to the gods of wealth and worldliness. He goes through the outward motions, yet his devotion to the things of this world proves him unfruitful.

     James gives us some important thoughts to consider in James 1:9-11. “Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.” James calls upon both lowly and wealthy saints to view their lot in light of eternity. Though the lowly Christian appears to have very little going for him in this life He can comfort himself in the knowledge that his faithfulness and trust in the Lord prepares for him an eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17). The rich saint must understand that even though his wealth affords him the finer things in this life, he must still rely upon the Lord’s grace and mercy for his salvation. His wealth offers no spiritual security whatever. Indeed, it makes maintaining an eternal perspective that much more difficult.

     Please notice that James turns his attention from the wealthy brother to the wealthy in general in verse 11. There he makes the point that the rich man fades away in the midst of his pursuits. As he focuses so much time and attention upon acquiring more stuff his spirit remains unattended and forgotten. As his physical life prospers and thrives, his spiritual life shrivels and dies. His devotion to worldly pursuits is death to his soul (Luke 12:16-21). The deceitfulness of riches, indeed!

     Neither Jesus nor His disciples ever spoke against a person simply because they were wealthy. They always spoke against those whose entire lives consisted of acquiring more stuff. It was not without reason that Jesus said it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of needle than for a rich person to inherit the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 19:23-26). Divided loyalty is no loyalty at all for our Lord Jesus also said, “he who is not with me (completely, totally, unfailingly, wholly) is against me.” (Matthew 12:30a). The among-the-thorns heart must come to understand that all the wealth in the world does not suffice to pay the value of a single soul (Matthew 16:26).

     I mentioned earlier that this brother might be sitting right next to us as we worship the Lord. Let us beware that he is not sitting in our very seat!                  

Seeds For Study

     I keep a small notepad with me at all times. Whenever a thought for a sermon, article, or just an observation comes to me I write it down to consider it more carefully at a later time. The following are “sermon seeds” that I have written in my notepad over time. They may also be thought of as “study seeds” as each is the bare bones of a study just waiting to be fleshed out. I encourage you to write these outlines down and develop the thoughts through personal Bible study. Develop them as if you were going to preach or teach them yourself. I think you’ll find the practice quite beneficial.

The determination of true devotion

(Judges 24:15)

1. Devotion to self—“As for me”

2. Devotion to family—“and for my house”

3. Devotion to God—“we will serve the Lord”

“For the grace of God has appeared”

(Titus 2:11-14)

1. Learning (training, v. 12)

2. Leaving (renounce, v. 12)

3. Living (to live, v. 12)

4. Looking (waiting, v. 13)

Restoring the transgressor

(Galatians 6:1)

1. What to do?

2. Who is to do it?

3. How is it to be done?

A Miracle Of Judgment

     In Matthew 21:18-19 we read, “In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, ‘May no fruit ever come from you again!’ And the fig tree withered at once.”

     At first glance this particular miracle seems to be completely out of character for our Lord. Some might be inclined to say that this resembles a childish outburst more than anything else. Jesus was hungry, the fig tree disappointed Him, and so He struck it down in a burst of mindless anger. I would agree that such an act would have been petty and childish if that’s what Jesus had done. Let’s consider this a bit more closely to see if there is more to this miracle than meets the eye and the lessons we may draw from it.

     This is the only recorded miracle of Jesus that was not performed on the basis of mercy and compassion. The one on the business end of this miracle was not helped in any way. This miracle was entirely one of judgment where an offending party was destroyed for its transgression. This thought alone should give us pause and motivate us to consider the event very carefully.

     Jesus thought there should have been figs on that tree because its leaves were already in bloom. Those familiar with fig trees tell us that when the leaves bloom figs grow. The leaves of this tree were showy enough to suggest that fruit should be among them. Indeed, there was no good reason for why figs should not have been among the leaves. Seeing that it failed to produce the fruit its leaves promised, Jesus judged it unfit for service and destroyed it. Wow!

     Jesus never did anything without a cause and the severity of His reaction to the unfruitful fig tree demands we ask a few questions of ourselves. Am I a Christian who looks the part but fails to produce the fruit that should go hand in hand with my claim? Do I attend the worship assembly decked out in my coat and tie for everyone to see and yet fail to produce fruits of faith, service, and love throughout the week? If so I am all show and no substance. Jesus was loud and clear about His feelings on that!

     Never forget this same Jesus said, “You will recognize them by their fruits…Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16a, 19-20). Dear Christian, not bearing bad fruit or no fruit at all is simply not going to cut it as far as Christ is concerned. He said bear good fruit or be cut down and cast into the fire. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that Christians are created in Christ Jesus for good works and that God prepared those works specifically for Christians to walk in them. Failure to do and walk in them is open rebellion against God.

     Jesus is crystal clear: all show and no fruit equals judgment. I can claim to love Christ until I’m blue in the face, but you’ll truly come to know me by the fruits that I bear. Far from a petty outburst, this miracle is a mighty warning. Heed it!

Thoughts On The Parable Of The Sower (2)

“A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seed fell on the rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” (Matthew 13:3-8)

In our previous post we discussed the seed planted along the path. In this post we shall consider the rocky ground of our Lord’s parable. He explains His meaning in verses 20-21. “As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who receives the word with joy, yet has not root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately falls away.”

Sometimes a person hears the word of God and is so overwhelmed that they respond immediately with great joy and enthusiasm. They start off like a ball of fire, adrenaline and excitement spurring them on. However, pure adrenaline and excitement does not last forever. Faith based upon such temporary conditions must necessarily be temporary itself. When persecution arises because of the word, their excitement dissolves into confusion and disillusionment.

Sadly, many new Christians have the mistaken idea that putting on Christ (Galatians 3:27) marks the end of hardship in this life. It is a rude awakening when they continue to face the “normal” difficulties of life plus new one’s because of the Word itself! It is not a pleasant thing to be mocked, laughed at, or excluded because of one’s faith in God’s Word; yet it is the Christian’s lot in this life (2 Timothy 3:12). The only way to truly prepare for such times is to continually arm one’s self with God’s Word.  

Saving faith is a settled, convicted thing. It is something that has never happened by accident. The Hebrew writer warned of the need to pay much closer attention to God’s Word or one will drift away from it (Hebrews 2:1). When persecution arises because of the word, the answer is to cling even more closely to it. It is God’s word that warns of the persecutions to come (2 Timothy 3:12), explains how they can be overcome (2 Timothy 3:16-17), explains why they should be overcome (James 1:2-4), and explains the ultimate reward for overcoming them (James 1:12).   

Always remember that the cross comes before the crown. What a tragedy for a Christian to denounce the crown just to avoid the cross! Such is the foolish and fatal choice of the rocky ground heart.

Heaven Declares

It’s everywhere my eyes alight,

A sun-drenched day or darkest night.

It’s in the very air I breathe,

And in the sound of rustling leafs.

I see it when a bird takes flight,

And in frothing waves crashing might.

I hear it in the thunder’s sound,

And as the raindrops plummet down.

I see it in the lightning’s flash,

And in the rabbit’s sudden dash.

I hear the ocean tell the tale,

In duet with the winds strong gale.

I can see it in every face,

And hear its sound in every place.

The proof of God surrounds us all,

And beckons with an awesome call.

Name the god who compares to ours,

Creator of earth and the stars!

So give me strength to gladly share,

The very thing Heaven declares.