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.
Yesterday, I taught about the varying degrees of harvest associated with the “good ground” in the parable. I will continue to flow in this vein today. The title of today’s message comes in the form of a question. The question is: Are you hindering God from moving in your life due to a lack of belief or faith?
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. When you live by faith (in earnest), you are in the minority.
I said something in the video version of yesterday’s message that I want to elaborate further on today. As believers who are committed to God, surrender to Him, dying to self, and living by faith, I want you to know that we are in the minority.
Jesus said, “You can enter true life only through the narrow gate. The gate to hell is very wide, and there is plenty of room on the road that leads there. Many people go that way. But the gate that opens the way to true life is narrow. And the road that leads there is hard to follow. Only a few people find it” (Matthew 7:13,14 ERV).
So Jesus, from our own lips, told us that the number of people going to hell is massive. The number of people going to heaven is small. This is not something I came up with, this came from Jesus Himself. This is one of the reasons why we must PREACH the Gospel to the lost.
Now, for those listening to God and paying attention to his Word, Jesus tells us of a parable that paints a picture of four groups of people. The first group of people hear the Word but don’t understand it, so the Word doesn’t produce. The second group of people hear the Word but don’t hold onto it, and since they’re quick to give up, the Word doesn’t produce. The third group of people hear the Word, but they have allowed a louder their lives to become full of other things, so the Word doesn’t produce. And then, in the fourth group of people (where I believe you and I are), hear the Word, which produces a harvest. But even then, they are levels of harvest because there are levels of faith, levels of surrender, and levels of perseverance/persistence.
I said all that to say if you are entirely dedicated to God, committed to his Word, and actively living by faith, you are in the minority. Just know that the people who don’t live the way that you live will criticize what they do not understand. So you cannot look for validation from people who don’t have the same understanding of God’s Word and God’s Spirit that you do. Said another way, don’t expect the world to validate what you were receiving from the Spirit because you’re not from the same realms. Jesus had run-ins all the time with people from this world, and instead of seeking validation from them.
One time, when talking to people who were coming up against Him, Jesus said, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44 NIV).
Considering all of this:
— Realize that you are in the minority.
— You are part of a small group of people who are committed to living by every Word God speaks to you.
— You will be misunderstood, and even criticized, by the world and believers living like one of the first three grounds described in the parable.
— If you are committed to receiving a 100-fold return on what God planted in your heart, you will even be misunderstood by those who settle for 30-fold or 60-fold because they will think, “It does not take all that!“
— You cannot be moved by people. You must only be led by God!
— You will be in the minority, but you must be okay with that!
2. You can be good ground and still miss out on God’s best.
I have already covered how the first three types of soil in the parable of the sower received ZERO harvests. God’s Word was sown down in their hearts, and the seed sown did not produce anything. It was basically a wasted investment on God’s part. God sees a return on His investment in the last type of soil, good ground, but even then, there are varying yield levels.
Some people open their hearts to receive, and as soon as their situation starts turning towards what God said, they get excited over the INITIAL blessing, and they think that’s it. So they shift their hearts on to the next thing(s). I believe this is a picture of the people who receive but who only receive a 30-fold return.
Others receive 60-fold. I believe this is a picture of the people who endure for a while, they enjoy a tremendous blessing, but while they know they have not received ALL of what God said, they think “the blessing” is enough. So they move on in their heart, thinking, “God has already been better to me than I deserve. So that’s enough.”
For those of us who are pursuing 100 (symbolic of the fullness of what God said), we will remain in faith until God does what He said He would do. While we appreciate the journey, we will never be satisfied until we see everything God promised come to pass!
I will use myself as an example. I am a blessed man. God has already blessed me beyond every dream I ever had as a child. But in many ways, I am JUST GETTING STARTED. I refuse to settle for any less than what God said. I want the fullness of everything God promised. I want 100! Nothing more, nothing less. I pray that is your desire as well.
3. Your capacity to believe God will either agree with God so He can move (that’s faith), or it will KEEP Him from moving in your life (that’s unbelief).
The parable of the sower is a parable about faith. If you want a 100-fold return on every seed (Word) God has spoken over you, you must believe and receive what God said, and you must then remain in faith for the long haul to see it comes to pass.
The seed in the parable is God’s Word. Jesus referred to this as the most important parable because of the importance of God’s Word in our lives.
Jesus said, “It is not just bread that keeps people alive. Their lives depend on what God says” (Matthew 4:4). We are supposed to live off of what God is saying to us.
What is God saying to you in this season?
Jesus said, “All things are possible for the one who believes” (Mark 9:23). Good or bad, you will only experience God on the level of your belief system.
— You are only limited by your capacity to believe God.
— Our God is a God of no limits. If you see limits when God speaks to you, you are seeing limits you came up with. God does not see limits when He speaks to you because He is a limitless God. Therefore, if you want the fullness of what God wants to do in and through your life, you must remove every artificial limit you have ever placed on our limitless God. If you maintain limits, you are hindering God from moving in your life. Said another way, if you can’t believe it, you will never receive it.
— Don’t believe based on your power. Many Christians make the mistake of dreaming small dreams or believing in God for things based on their power, ability, and strength. When God gives them a big dream, they whittle the dream down to the size of their belief system because their capacity to believe is based on their resume. This is a major mistake. This is NOT how God deals with us! God wants to bless you by grace, not your human ability. God wants to use you based on HIS POWER, not your own. God routinely calls you to operate on levels that exceed your experience, education, finances, and circle of friends. Why? Because He wants you to rely on HIM and HIS GRACE, not you and your limited power.
— There is nothing God can’t do. Think about that for a minute. God is limitless. He is infinite. He has all power. He sits on the circle of the earth. And this same God LIVES INSIDE OF YOU! So He is the one who wants to do things through you in 2023. He is the one who wants you to LEVEL UP your thinking and your believing, so He can LEVEL UP your life! He is the one who lives in you, giving you the words and performing the work (John 14:10). So stop basing your future on your limited ability. No matter how smart you are, you are not that smart. No matter how much money you think you have, you don’t have enough to do what God has called you to do. Stop basing your life on YOU! Make your life ALL ABOUT HIM! If you ever get to that point, you will be in the minority, and you will be amazed at what God does in/with/through you! You are only limited by your capacity to believe God!
That is enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me! I boldly declare:
I unashamedly stand in the minority, committed to living by faith.
I embrace the narrow path to true life, as Jesus revealed.
I understand that my validation comes from You, not the world.
I am resolute in pursuing the fullness of Your promises.
I refuse to settle for anything less than Your best.
My belief in You aligns with Your grace in and on my life.
I break free from self-imposed limits and trust in Your limitless power.
I live off Your life-giving words, knowing all things are possible with faith.
I surrender my understanding to Your limitless potential.
My life is devoted to You, operating in Your grace and guidance every moment of every day.
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!
