The Seed & The Sower

The seed is the Word of God.

The seed is good.

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.1 Peter 1:23-25

We must never blame the lack of fruit on the seed.

The issue is not the sower.

Lack of fruit or abundance of fruit is determined by condition of the hearer’s heart.

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.Mark 7:21-23

Wayside: Hard

Hard as concrete. No chance of the seed penetrating the soil.

When people reject God and reject the Gospel, they harden their hearts.

Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.Proverbs 28:14

Satan is a deceiver and peddles lies, deception, doubt, confusion and fear.

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.John 8:44

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.Matthew 7:15-17

Rocky: Shallow

Superficial hopes of what Jesus can do will leave some disappointed.

Lack of roots will cause people to fall away from the faith when testing comes.

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.Colossians 2:6-7

The faith of true believers is not damaged by trials, but rather strengthened by them.

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.James 1:2-4

Thorny: Co-existing with weeds

Those who have failed to clear the weeds of the world will struggle producing consistently good fruit.

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.James 1:8

God refuses to share Himself with other idols.

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.Matthew 6:24

Those with thorny soil are not ruined by suffering and difficulty, but by prosperity and ease.

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.1 Timothy 6:9

Good

When the good seed finds good ground, supernatural fruit-bearing commences.

We must settle in for the long-haul.

Our obedience to the Word blesses those around us.

Sow seed at every opportunity you’re given.

Don’t pre-judge the ground before you sow the seed.

If we don’t sow seed, people never have a chance.

Don’t automatically assume that you’re the good ground.

Protect your ground.

You should have regular soil tests and fruit inspection of your own heart.