![]() With persistent patience, God sent prophet after prophet to faithfully warn His people of coming judgment and call them to repentance.īrief moments of revival offered interludes of hope. A long list of mostly evil kings led both kingdoms away from God and deeply into idolatry. The glorious kingdom of the future is present in this age only in an obscure and hidden way, except to those with eyes of faith.After Solomon’s failures, God’s chosen nation divided into two separate kingdoms: Israel and Judah. The sense of hearing cannot be better employed than in hearing God’s word and let us look to ourselves that we may know what sort of hearers we are. Christ does not say that this good ground has no stones in it, or no thorns but none that could hinder its fruitfulness.Īll are not alike we should aim at the highest, to bring forth most fruit. By the fruits, true Christians are distinguished from hypocrites. What distinguished the good ground was fruitfulness.The deceitfulness of riches does the mischief they cannot be said to deceive us unless we put our trust in them, after which they choke the good seed. *It is crucial for us to fix our eyes on Jesus, Who must hold first place in our lives. They are great hinderances to our profiting by the word of God. Worldly cares are entangling, vexing, scratching, and their end is to be burned (Hebrews 6:8). Some embrace the Gospel, but when exposed to such worldly lusts as wealth, fame, security etc. Worldly cares are fitly compared to thorns, for they came in with sin, and are a fruit of the curse.*It is not about how quickly we run at the beginning of the race, what really matters is whether we truly finish it. When some heavy trial threatens them, or some sinful advantage may be had, they give up or disguise their profession, or turn to some easier system. However, without any change of heart, without any abiding conviction of their own depravity, their need of a Saviour, or the excellence of holiness, they soon profess an unwarranted assurance. They are told of free salvation, of the believer’s privileges, and the happiness of heaven. Many are glad to hear a good sermon, but they do not profit by it. Hypocrites, like the stony ground, often get the start of true Christians in the shows of profession.Also to note: simply hearing the Gospel does not guarantee understanding or embracing it. A careless, trifling hearer, is an easy prey to Satan who, as he is the great murderer of souls, so he is the great thief of sermons, and will be sure to rob us of the Word, if we are not careful to retain it.So it is with the hearts of men, whose different characters are here described by 4 types of ground. Some sort of ground, though we take ever so much pains with it, brings forth no fruit to purpose, while the good soil brings forth plentifully. Yet those who did turn to the Truth would be “healed” (v. The rest of the hearers, unable to fathom His message, fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah about penal blindness: because of Israel’s sin, they would be unable to truly see, hear and understand God’s message (Is 6:9-10 29:9-10). 16) as they lived in a time when they could receive a greater revelation than the prophets of old because of the greater One among them (v. The disciples’ eyes and ears were blessed (v. Jesus spoke in parables because the Kingdom involved end-time “mysteries” now being revealed to those with ears to hear. “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.” (Ecclesiastes 11:6 KJV) 23).Īs it is difficult to judge and know the conditions of the hearers’ hearts before we share the Gospel, we must sow as widely as possible and let God bring forth the appropriate fruit. 18) in verses 3-9 in verses 18-23 he provides the interpretation, in which only one who “hears the Word and understands it”! perseveres to eternal life (v. Jesus tells the “parable of the sower” (v. Aunty Judy facilitated on Matthew 13:1-23. ![]()
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