This morning, we continue our series on “The Parables of Jesus.” We will seek to glean “Pearls from the Parables.”
Before we get to the parable, let’s look at a scripture we have been looking at all year. This is something I believe the Lord wants us to meditate on.
(Psalm 126:4 TPT)
Now, Lord, do it again! Restore us to our former glory! May streams of your refreshing flow over us until our dry hearts are drenched again.
This is a season of refreshing and restoring for us.
We have been looking at “The Mother of All Parables.” Let’s get back to it today. Jesus said:
(Mark 4:13-20 ERV)
The farmer is like someone who plants God’s teaching in people. Sometimes the teaching falls on the path. That is like some people who hear the teaching of God. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the teaching that was planted in them.
Other people are like the seed planted on rocky ground. They hear the teaching, and they quickly and gladly accept it. But they don’t allow it to go deep into their lives. They keep it only a short time. As soon as trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching they accepted, they give up.
Others are like the seed planted among the thorny weeds. They hear the teaching, but their lives become full of other things: the worries of this life, the love of money, and everything else they want. This keeps the teaching from growing, and it does not produce a crop in their lives.
And others are like the seed planted on the good ground. They hear the teaching and accept it. Then they grow and produce a good crop—sometimes 30 times more, sometimes 60 times more, and sometimes 100 times more.
I have discussed all the grounds in the parable, and now I will deal with the levels of harvest from the good ground.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. Many Christians do not receive the full potential of the Word God has spoken to them.
If you have been watching the video version of this series, you know that I routinely ask you to declare, “I am good ground!” That’s a good declaration. However, as we see in the text, there are levels of harvest associated with good ground.
Within the context of this parable, we see that God is the sower, His Word is the seed, and we are the soil. God wants to produce a harvest in, with, and through our lives. So He provides the seed that will produce. What He is looking for from us is a heart (soil) that receives the seed of His Word (without any distractions) and then HOLDS ON to that seed long enough to see the desired result (a full harvest) come to pass.
Let’s think about what Jesus is teaching us in this parable. Here are a few takeaways we can glean from it:
— God sows into our lives by speaking Words. He can illuminate something He already said in His written Word (the Bible) or speak to us directly by the Holy Spirit. Either way, when God speaks to us, His Word is a seed, and it comes with the power to produce a harvest. The potential for a FULL HARVEST is always INSIDE of the seed we receive from God.
— No Word from God ever comes without the power (or grace) to perform it.
— The power to do what God said is locked up inside the Words He spoke.
— God created the entire universe by speaking words. Never underestimate the power of ONE WORD from God!
— The way we receive the seed impacts the level of harvest we get from it.
— The power to produce a 100-fold return is locked up inside every Word (seed) from God. But most seeds don’t produce 100! Some produce 60. Some produce 30. Some don’t produce at all (from the other types of soil). The power to produce 100 (God’s intent) is locked up inside every Word He speaks. But seeing the 100 manifested is the exception and not the norm, not because there is something wrong with God or His Word. The issue is always with the soil (i.e., you and me).
2. There are reasons why believers fail to walk in the maximum potential of the Word they received from God.
Remember, if there’s ever a disconnect or a problem between you and God, the problem is you! The problem is never God!
— In the parable of the sower, 3 of the 4 types of soil did not produce ANY results. And then, with the 4th, the good ground, there were varying results. The issue was not with the sower (God) or the seed (God’s Word). The issue is with the soil. The soil represents US! We are the people who have to receive what God said to the maximum extent so that we can see the maximum results!
— There are different levels of yield from the seed, even in good ground, because there are different levels of submission and faith in the soil.
— If you don’t believe what God said and then hold on long enough to see it come to pass, you won’t see a 100-fold return on the seed. In other words, you won’t see the fullness of what God promised. You may get a portion of it (30 fold, 60 fold), but you won’t see the full harvest (100 fold) unless you hold on to that Word, in faith, for the long haul.
3. Some people receive no harvest or a partial harvest.
We already covered the first three types of soil: wayside, rocky, and thorny. If you fall into any of these categories, the Word will not work in your life. While in the good ground, I am talking about varying LEVELS of harvest (30 fold, 60 fold, and 100 fold); in the first three soil types, the harvest is ZERO!
Let me pause here and make a point about God and His Word. Since what I just said is accurate, and the Word of God only produces a harvest in people who receive it correctly, I want to point out that a good portion of the criticism the church receives is unwarranted. People complain about Pastors, churches, God, and His “antiquated” Word when often the issue is simply with them. There is nothing wrong with God. There is nothing wrong with His Word. His Word works. But the Word will not work for you until you get to the point where YOU are good ground!
Some receive a 30-fold return. Some receive a 60-fold return. Some receive a 100-fold return. Some receive zero returns. The grace of God is on every seed for a 100-fold return. But we must access God’s grace with our faith to obtain it. Where there is no faith, there will be no harvest from the Word God spoke (the seed He has sown).
4. God requires you to receive His Word in faith.
— When you receive a Word from God and rest in what God said, you know (as far as God is concerned) that it is already done. What God promised is done in heaven, and it is only a matter of time before it manifests in the earthly realm.
— You know you don’t have to make it happen because God made it happen before the world began.
— You know you don’t have to work to earn it because Jesus earned it for you. God’s promises are offered to you by His unearned and amazing grace.
— You are open to doing whatever the Holy Spirit leads you to do by faith, to receive what God has already provided. But you are not working for God to do it. You are working because you believe God already did it. You are not working to make it happen. You are operating in faith because you believe it is already done (in heaven).
— You believe the story of your life was written before you were born. You believe God made plans for you before the world began. So you live your life with a heart that is OPEN to whatever God says. You receive God’s words as something that is ALREADY DONE!
— The reason there are levels to the return of the seed is that there are levels of believing. Faith receives what God has already provided. But since there are levels of faith, there will be levels of harvest.
— The reason why 3 of the 4 types of soil did not produce ANY HARVEST is because they did not provide any faith. The reason why the size of the harvest varied in the 4th type of soil (the good ground) is because the level of faith varies in the hearts of God’s people. Some believers have no faith. Some have little faith. Some have wavering faith (they hit and miss). Some have strong faith. Once again, the only variable in the parable is the soil. The issue was not with the sower. The sower is God. He is a constant throughout the parable. The issue was not with the seed. The seed is God’s Word. It is a constant throughout the parable. The only variable is the soil: that’s us! The harvest varied because people vary.
So check your heart this morning. Are you one of the types of soil that will produce ZERO harvest? Or are you good ground? Then again, as good ground, are you the type that will produce a partial harvest or the full harvest God wants for you?
I have given you enough to think about today. We will pick it up from here tomorrow.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me! I boldly declare:
I embrace the full potential of Your spoken Word in and over my life.
My heart is the soil where Your Word takes root and flourishes.
I commit to receiving Your Word, free from distractions, and persevering until I see the fullness of Your promised harvest.
Your spoken Word arrives with the grace to perform it, and I embrace that grace!
To do so, I ensure my heart is fertile soil, receptive to Your Word.
The power for a 100-fold return rests in each Word from You. My faith determines the level of harvest I reap.
I activate Your grace through unwavering faith, and I see the maximum harvest on every seed sown into my heart!
I am good ground, and my life produces Your intended harvest.
Living this way, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
