Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
My son Andrew really enjoys planting and gardening so one year in April I decided that we should build a greenhouse for him. We bought some clear plastic and made a 12 by 8 frame and put a large barrel stove inside for heat. We went to the store and bought lots and lots of seed to plant, everything from tomatoes to pumpkins squash and chilies. Over a weekend I planted so much that we had to go back and get more seed. Andrew kept telling me that we didn’t need that many plants, but I continued to plant until it seemed like we had approximately 5,000 plants growing.
In a few weeks the greenhouse looked like a forest. Everybody wondered what we were going to do with all these plants because we didn’t have nearly enough space for them in our garden. I told them that we could give some away or plant them anywhere on our property wherever we found a patch of dirt and that’s what we did. They were spread out over three acres in various spots throughout the woods.
That was ten years ago and just the other day I found a tomato plant that was still growing on a random place on our property. It was still producing since the time we had planted it years ago.
My family always wondered why I planted so many, but the truth is, not all the seed is going to find good ground. It’s got to find the right soil to finally make it.
Matt 13:3-9
3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
The sower has a responsibility to plant lots of seed, but like all things, It’s God that causes it to grow.
1 Cor 3:6-8
6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
Matt 13:18-23
18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Let’s take a few minutes to look at some of the reasons why certain plants don’t make it.
Remember the seed of God’s Holy Word is planted into people’s hearts. This is done through preaching. Some people can listen to the Word of God being taught but then completely forget the things that they’ve heard. If they forget the things that they hear, there won’t be any biblical application in their lives.
Other people will receive the word of God joyfully into their hearts, but their roots into God’s word are not very deep. It’s from the scriptures that we draw nourishment day by day so without roots the plant slowly dies. Lots of people who attempt the Christian faith don’t want to deal with any kind of persecution and without that strong root system to keep them in place they fade away from the faith.
There are still other people who receive the word of God but they’re so caught up in the world and the cares of this place that they don’t have any time in their life left to bring forth fruit. The world and its concerns choke the word in their hearts.
To bear fruit someday in the Christian Life we need to hear God’s word and understand the things that it teaches us. This is so that we can become a doer of God’s Will and eventually bring forth fruit unto life eternal.
So you see, the sower is responsible to plant lots of seed. In order for it to grow into maturity it has to hit the right soil, a faithful and obedient heart.
Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤
tlkjbc.wordpress
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 