THE ISSUES THAT CHOKE THE WORD OF GOD IN PEOPLE’S LIVES (4)
Matthew 13:18-23 (AMPC)
“18 Listen then to the [meaning of the] parable of the sower:
19 While anyone is hearing the Word of the kingdom and does not grasp and comprehend it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the roadside.
20 As for what was sown on thin (rocky) soil, this is he who hears the Word and at once welcomes and accepts it with joy;
21 Yet it has no real root in him, but is temporary (inconstant, lasts but a little while); and when affliction or trouble or persecution comes on account of the Word, at once he is caused to stumble [he is repelled and begins to distrust and desert Him Whom he ought to trust and obey] and he falls away.
22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the Word, but the cares of the world and the pleasure and delight and glamour and deceitfulness of riches choke and suffocate the Word, and it yields no fruit.
23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the Word and grasps and comprehends it; he indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundred times as much as was sown, in another sixty times as much, and in another thirty.
Dear people of God, in the last 3 posts on this topic using the Lord Jesus’ parable of the sower as a reference resource, we have seen how 3 categories of people respond to God’s Word that is preached to them thus:
• Those who hear God’s Word but allow the devil to distract them with negative thoughts they consider and accept.
• Those who hear God’s Word but are distracted by persecution and they give up trusting God and then deny their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His unchangeable ability to save and protect them.
• Those who hear God’s Word but are distracted by the deceitfulness of riches, glamour, pleasure and cares of the world and as a result God’s Word does not take root in them to bear visible fruits.
Today, we consider the last group of people who hear God’s Word and it bears fruit in their lives for all to see. Let us consider today’s main text in Matthew 13:23, “As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the Word and grasps and comprehends it; he indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundred times as much as was sown, in another sixty times as much, and in another thirty.”
This group of people are those who go to Church to listen to God’s Word. They also take time to prayerfully and meditatively study God’s Word daily on a regular schedule.
As a result, the Word of God takes root in their spirit and bears visible fruits for all to see. The Bible also makes it clear that the borne fruit is in categories of 30, 60 and a 100 times what was sown.
So what makes the difference?
The difference comes from the person’s ability to utilize by faith what was sown by God’s Word. Remember, the Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God – Romans 10:17.
The Bible also says nobody can please God without faith – Hebrews 11:6.
Since the same amount of seed of God’s Word is sown into the person’s heart, it becomes evident that it is not the hearer that benefits but the doer of God’s Word.
The individual who bear a 100-fold fruit of God’s Word sown in his heart/mind obeys God completely in all areas. The person understands God’s Word, knows his right in Christ and claims it in every situation.
He knows how to use God’s Word in every area of his life. He agrees completely without doubting whatever is written in God’s Word concerning him.
The individual who reaps 60-fold fruit of what was sown into his heart sometimes gets distracted by certain situations and fails to activate God’s Word in his life in those areas.
He resorts to prayer asking God to do for him what God’s Word says has already been done and so he fails to reap the benefits of God’s Word in those situations.
What he should rather do is activate God’s Word as his right in those situations by agreement with God and then thank God for doing it because it was already done when the Lord Jesus Christ said on the Cross of Calvary, “It is finished.”
For the individual who reaps 30-fold fruit of God’s Word sown into his life, it is for him the same as for the person with 60-fold. However, in his own case, he struggles also in more areas than the person with 60-fold fruit, which is why his fruit evidence of God’s Word is lower.
Dear friend, this Parable of the sower and the interpretation as given by the Lord Jesus Christ is another clear reminder to everyone, Christians and non-Christians alike that the Holy Bible is God’s only authentic Word.
It is also a clear reminder that nobody can successfully navigate through this life without God and His Word.
It is also a reminder that the devil is always and would always do all in his power to distract and even confuse Christians and blind the eyes of unbelievers from the Truth and Power in God’s Word with a view to ensuring that no one enters heaven when they depart this world.
It is only the individual who comes to Christ Jesus sincerely, repents of sin, confesses and forsakes sin, accepts Christ as Messiah, lives in a genuine relationship with Christ in full obedience to His commandments in the Holy Bible that would always be an overcomer.
A word is enough for the wise.
May the good Lord bless you as you heed His Word today, act on it and share with others in Jesus’ Most Powerful Name, Amen.
Gabriel Ama.
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