Proverbs 19:8 – 8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul;
he who cherishes understanding prospers.
Where does wisdom come from?
Proverbs 2:6 – For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Where do we find God’s wisdom as humans? In the BIBLE!
I’m convinced many people believe this book exists in the Bible.
A lot of people have never cracked the Bible open and believe that God believes exactly the way they do.
If I had to take a stab of how the scripture starts in this book I would guess it looks like this:
Myself 1:1 – Whatever I believe is just fine with God since He gave me freewill to choose my own path. I have been made a certain way and however I feel about things is correct (even though I don’t think the same way in different times of my life).
Let’s continue to verse 2.
Myself 1:2 –God made me, but He could care less what I do with my life, how I act, and how I treat others. He gave me a brain to make the decision of rather I treated people well or done things correctly.
Myself 1:3- As long as I’m sincere about my belief, no matter what it is, I’m doing well in God’s eyes, because God is too busy to care about much of anything.
I was talking to someone the other day that believed that if you are sincere that you’re good to go. I asked that person, “So if someone blows themselves up and kills themselves along with 50 others in a terrorist act, they are good to go because they were dedicated and sincere?”
I’ll be doing another post called sincerely wrong in the future, so I won’t beat that one to death today.
(Actually that was already posted.)
Myself 1:4 – I told God once a long time ago that I loved Him and if it changed I’ll let Him know.
That’s not even working anymore in regular marriage. The divorce rate is around 50 percent.
Myself 1:5 – God would never send me to hell. Look at others around me. I’m doing pretty good based on the curve I’m using. Deep down I’m a pretty nice person. Sure I might have a few flaws, but who doesn’t?
We’re all majorly flawed. No one is good.
Romans 3:23 – 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 – 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Grace is a free gift and the only way to get back with God is by making His Son Jesus Lord and asking for forgiveness. There is a penalty to pay. Now either you choose Jesus’ death to cover yours, or you pay the price after you die.
I invite you to go over to the right upper column of the blog page and click on “How To Accept Jesus As Savior”, if you have not done so in your life already.
You don’t have to be a great athlete to accomplish this feat. You don’t have to be rich. This is something every living human being can do.
Don’t get hung up on what happens to those who haven’t heard and have died. The Judge of the whole universe will make the right decision in those cases. That same Judge says if you do know, you need to accept the pardon.
God doesn’t believe the way fallen man does. I don’t think that’s really that hard to grasp. So He does think a certain way. He wants you to think that way. That way is in His Word and love letter to you.
It’s called the Bible and the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, is a great place to start.
Well how exciting is that? Thank you Mr. Obama. Kind of strange for this quote to be coming from a self proclaimed Christian man.
In fact I don’t know too many true Christians that would brag to other countries in this world that America is no longer a Christian nation. I believe we have always had Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and other religions, in our Country. However, if President Obama is stating we are no longer a Christian nation, we must have been considered one before he volunteered that we are no longer one.
What has changed?
One thing that has changed is how people view things. Take for instance the percentage of people that call themselves Christians in this nation. In 2008 around the time Obama made his statement 76 percent of Americans called themselves Christian. So how offended were ¾ of all Americans? Enough to still elect him.
I don’t know about you but I would consider many of the Arab nations Muslim. I would consider Israel and Jewish nation. I would consider India a Hindu Nation.
So why is my self proclaimed Christian president so excited to indicate a nation that is self proclaimed 76% Christian, not just a Christian nation? I’ll let you ponder that one.
Maybe it’s because he knows most don’t care. Maybe it’s because he sees the breakdown of what the same people who call themselves Christians really believe. Have you ever looked at polling numbers and seen what self proclaimed Christians believe in when you break it down? It’s quite amazing really. You’ll no longer wonder why Christianity is losing ground in America and why there is a great falling away in these last days.
Matthew 24:10-13 – 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Proverbs 3:11-12 –
11 My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline
and do not resent his rebuke,
12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.
My experience is that it is always out of Love.
The last two days we have been looking over the Parable of the Sower. Day one we looked at the first two groups, yesterday we looked at group three. Today we will discuss the last group in the parable.
Matthew 13:23 – 23But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
A couple of things really jump out at me in this verse.
First it says the good soil is the man who hears the Word and understands it. I am a firm believer that anyone who honestly seeks Jesus, will find and understand Jesus.
Do we all have different gifts? Absolutely.
Do we all have different talents? Absolutely.
Do we all have a different ability on how much we can absorb? Yes.
We were all uniquely made and God has a ministry for you, if you just tap into Him.
So everyone can be in group four and everyone is capable of being that good soil.
The second part that jumps out at me is that some produced a crop of a hundred, some produced sixty, and others thirty times what was sown.
Each one brought in much more just by seeking, understanding, and willing to be a Sower. Thirty times is the lowest example in the parable and it’s true. If you apply yourself, you’re not going to reach one person. You’re not only going to just touch the life of just two people. If you’re faithful and make Jesus and God your first love everyday, you’re going to reach tens, to hundreds, and possibly thousands in a normal lifetime.
I want to cross reference the Parable of the Talents again. The one who had five talents and brought five talents more in, was congratulated and praised as much as the one who had two talents and brought in two more.
Matthew 25: – 19“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
21“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22“The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
23“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
God knows your talent. He made you and knows your gifts. He knows what you are capable of and that’s what he wants. Were all not supposed to be Billy Graham, but were all suppose to use OUR talent.
If you’re not using your talent at this time, it’s time to quit sitting around and get off your talent. He wants to reward you. He doesn’t want to chasten you. The time of the harvest is growing near.
Be one of those he says “Well done, good and faithful servant!” – Matthew 13:23
Don’t be one of those he says “throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” – Matthew 13:30
Yesterday we talked about the first two groups in the Parable of the Sower. Group One never really accepts after hearing the Good News.
Group two, hears it with joy, but the roots are shallow and anything that comes along causes their faith to die before it really had a chance to get established.
That brings us to Group Three. Group Three appears to have inserted roots at one time into the soil. Unlike Group Two, they have a different problem.
Matthew 13:22 – 22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
Is group three in the Parable saved? It doesn’t say the words falls away like in the second group. My guess is group three is saved, but is unfruitful and unproductive.
It says that the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth are making this group unfruitful.
Do we want to be fruitful? Does God and Jesus want us to be fruitful? I will have many other posts on the this subject so I won’t go into a lot of detail, but in the parable of the talents, Jesus uses phrases in it such as:
Matthew 25:21 – 21“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
On the other hand:
Matthew 25:26-30 – 26“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28” ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
After reading that, my assessment is that we all want to be in Group Four. Those are not the only versus in the Bible that make you want to be in Group Four.
Tomorrow let’s look at Group Four a little closer.
Matthew 13:1-9 – 1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9He who has ears, let him hear.”
Jesus explains parable
Matthew 13:18-23 – 18“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
First group never grasps, second group falls away quickly, because of no roots.
Third Group is choked out by the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth in this world.
First two groups seem to be unsaved. First group has the seed snatched away before they can understand it. Who snatches it away, the devil also known as the evil one. It’s says the second group is happy at first, but then falls away. He didn’t use a word like gets stagnant or dormant. He uses “falls away.”
They work their way in order from not really knowing, to knowing and being excited and dying out quickly, to once appearing to have a relationship and left it behind for the world.
We are not saved by works.
Ephesians 2:8-9 – 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.
So if we are not saved by works, how does group two miss the boat?
The second group is one we’ve seen when we go to faith rallies or retreats. Some go on to become strong (leaving the second group) or at least continue to make Jesus Lord. Then there are those that move onto the next thing in their lives after few short days and no more God.
The Lord doesn’t want any to perish, so it’s not Him wanting to dump these people because they don’t live up to the standard. In John 10:27-28 we know that his sheep hear his voice and shall never perish.
John 10:27-28 – 27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
A one time quick conversion and then not seeking Jesus again, is not a good idea according to the Parable of the Sower. It would appear that group two never knew His voice.
Group Three? Tomorrow let’s address group three.
Proverbs 2:1-6
1 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding,
3 and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
This runs right alongside my life verse of Matthew 7:7-8. You want truth and understanding? Seriously? Approach God with a true sincerity and He’ll reveal it to you. It takes time, but the process starts right away. Just crack open His Word and start reading.
Hebrews 6:11 – 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Yesterday we spoke about how it is impossible to please God without faith. What kind of faith does God love? He loves a humble loving faith and we looked at scriptures that talked about having faith like a child.
Today let’s look at last portion of this scripture.
“And that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” That on the surface it looks to say God rewards those who really love Him and seek Him. I believe He does. God takes pleasure in rewarding His children that love Him and seek Him. However, this scripture adds a little bit more the way it is written.
This scripture again says because anyone who comes to Him must believe He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek him. What does that mean? It means He likes the double dose of faith.
Don’t just believe I exist, but believe that you also will be rewarded by Me if you earnestly seek Me.
This world is full of self seeking people. God wants to reward those who are chasing after Him and not the world.
What are those rewards? The same things the world is chasing after? Five vacation homes, an airplane, a fleet of automobiles, diamonds to cover yourselves in from head to toe? With a lot of people living in poverty and many without food and clean water, I seriously don’t think so.
No, I believe it comes in the fact he knows you need a home to live in, a car to get around in this country, relationships that are in peace and not in turmoil, health, income to pay the bills, and a spouse that helps you grow towards the most important thing of all and that’s the Lord. These are just the earthly blessings. Much more is waiting in the perfect life to come.
Without faith….without faith….it is IMPOSSIBLE….. to please God. How sad, not to please God and all you had to do is believe that He is and that He cares about you and loves you. He cared enough to have His Son die for you. This is the One you need to have faith in and accept His sacrifice of redemption.
If you haven’t accepted Jesus and still don’t know why you should, I have condensed an outline page to the right of why you need to. If you are ready to do so, there is a page to guide you through that also.
Hebrews 6:11 – 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
There is a lot to this scripture. First is the most obvious which is without faith it is impossible to please God. So the great prize winners out there in this world that don’t have any faith in God, don’t please Him at all. The athlete that has the whole stadium cheering and on their feet, if he don’t have faith in God, he doesn’t please Him at all.
God’s not impressed with the scientist who sits back and states that he needs more proof if he is to believe in God. God takes joy in the little child who has faith and comes asking for help or to tell Him that they love him.
Matthew 11:25-26 – 25At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.
Now is it terrible that in that verse it sounds like God wants the wise and learned to perish. No. The wise and learned should easily know the God exists and have faith in Him. Why don’t they? Pride, anger, special agendas, self seeking, etc, all keep the wise and learned from God. They should see the obvious things around them and recognize God more than a small child would.
Jesus talking about the children again in Matthew 19 says this:
Matthew 19:14 –14Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Does He mean only children belong in Heaven? No, what he is implying is we need to humble ourselves like little children when seeking our Father who is in Heaven.
Faith is very important and much power comes from it. Not selfish power, but power that helps the Kingdom of God.
Matthew 17:20 – He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Now there are those who have tried to be abusive when speaking about this kind of faith. Usually it’s in the form of asking for worldly possessions. God will not answer prayer or reward faith that contradicts His Kingdom in any way. However, if you have faith and it is for the goodness in the Kingdom of God, He wants to move mountains. Faith pleases God.
Tomorrow we’ll go over another part of this scripture.