I trust you have enjoyed the “Leveling Up with the Word!” series. We have studied the parable of the sower for months. Today’s message will be the last. I trust God has blessed you through the revelation of this parable, a parable I call “The mother of all parables.”
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 for 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.”
So what does this mean for you today? Let’s find out as I give you one final recap of each of the four soils.
1. From what Jesus said about the wayside soil, we learned that receiving divine understanding is critical.
— It is possible to receive a Word from God and to understand it clearly. If we don’t understand it, Jesus told us that satan would come immediately to snatch away the Word that was sown in our hearts.
— This teaches us two things: 1) we should put a major focus on understanding God’s Word, and 2) we should not be surprised when satan comes after the Word we received.
— The more Word you receive, understand, process, believe, and apply, the better equipped you are to win in life (to become the man/woman you are called to be), and the more of a threat you will be to satan and his kingdom.
— I do a great deal of teaching on hearing from God through the impulses of the Holy Spirit, and without question, that is critical, but you will have a hard time hearing God’s voice if you don’t know His Word. This parable drives home the importance of God’s Word.
— People in the Old Testament did not have access to God’s Word. The Word was written on scrolls that very few had access to. You have access to God’s Word today like never before. It is on the internet. You can read it on your phone. You probably have several copies around the house. Please don’t devalue God’s Word. Read it, meditate on it, and do all you can to understand it. Understanding is critical! That’s the message we get from the wayside soil.
2. From what Jesus said about the rocky soil, we learn the importance of going beyond a surface-level relationship with God.
— Jesus told us that trouble and persecution would come BECAUSE of the Word we receive.
— The power of God’s Word will attract opposition from satan, and if we have not allowed the Word to go deep into our lives, we will not be equipped to handle the opposition. As a result, we will give up.
— We must have a deep and personal relationship with God in order to withstand the attacks of the enemy.
— You cannot just know God from a book. You have to know God through experiences. The people Jesus likened to this soil are people that just know God from a book. They just know God from church. But they don’t know God from real life.
— If you don’t allow the Word of God to go “deep into your life,” you are failing to do what Jesus taught us to do. God does not want a surface-level relationship with you. He is either LORD OF ALL, or He is not LORD AT ALL!
— Jesus said, “These people honor me only with their lips, for their hearts are so very distant from me. Their worship is a farce. Theyy pretend to worship me, but their worship is nothing more than the empty traditions of men” (Matthew 15:8,9). Please don’t be one of these people. Don’t be like the rocky soil. Allow the Word fo God to go deep into your heart. Let it change you from the inside out!
3. From what Jesus said about the thorny soil, we learn the importance of giving God and His Word first place in our lives.
— The lesson of this soil comes down to a matter of competing priorities.
— Some people allow the cares of this world, the love of money, and other selfish desires to take priority over God and His Word. As a result, the Word of God is ineffective in their lives.
— It’s not that the Word of God does not work because the Word surely works; it’s just that it will not work for them because they have allowed other things to take priority over the Word.
— These people have way too many other things going on to give their priority and attention to God. The “other things” grow up like weeds and choke out the Word in their lives.
— From this, we learn the danger of allowing our lives to become “full of other things.” You only get one life. Please don’t waste it chasing things God did not predestine for you to have. Wouldn’t it be a shame for you to make it to heaven, only to realize that you spent your entire life becoming someone God never called you to be? Don’t let this be you! My prayer for you is that you FIND, FOLLOW and FINISH God’s divine purpose for your life!
4. From what Jesus said about the good ground, we learn that when you don’t make the mistakes the first three grounds made, you can position yourself to receive the Word of God with gladness, and that Word will cause supernatural growth.
— We also learn here that sometimes the growth will be 30 times more, sometimes 60 times more, and sometimes 100 times more. While you can’t MAKE the harvest come (because God is the Lord of the Harvest, and He will see it to that you receive a harvest on the seed sown), you can GIVE UP before you receive the fulness of what God said. The message of the 100 fold is a message of faith that will endure until EVERYTHING God said comes to pass.
— Paul said, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (Gal 6:9 NLT). This teaches us a few things: 1) there is a “season” or “time” when our harvest will come due, 2) we have to hold on long enough for that time to come, 3) Paul did not guarantee that we will receive the harvest, he just said that the time of blessing would come “if we don’t give up,” and 4) if you get excited about the 30 fold or 60 fold blessing and you SHIFT your heart to something else, you basically GAVE UP before your received the fulness of what God said!
— The writer of Hebrews said, “So don’t allow your hearts to grow dull or lose your enthusiasm, but follow the example of those who fully received what God has promised because of their strong faith and patient endurance.” (Hebrews 6:12 TPT, underline added).
I trust you have enjoyed this series. I know I have. I will start a new series on Monday. Have a great weekend!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of LEVELING UP for me! I LEVEL UP in 2021! I free my heart of all distractors. I give Your Word the priority it deserves. I allow Your Word to go deep into my life. I open my heart to believe and receive daily. Your Word is sown in my heart, and it produces supernatural growth and change. I am thankful for the change it is producing in me and through me. I am not surprised when the Word attracts trouble and persecution. I am simply not moved. I am not swayed. I am not dismayed. I am not distracted. I will never give up until I see the FULNESS of what You promised. I remain focused, encouraged, and thankful as I walk my walk, run my race, and pursue my purpose. GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
