Bible Prophecy and Inspiration

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.