BY Argie Simonis
"And he said to them, Know you not this parable? and how then will you know all parables?" Mark 4:13
This parable is similar to the Rosetta stone. The Rosetta stone is a stone slab dating to the 2nd century BC and it bears a carved inscription in two languages (Egyptian and Greek) and three writing systems (hieroglyphic, normal Egyptian and Greek). The discovery of this trilingual stone proved to be of fundamental importance because it was the key to deciphering the Egyptian hieroglyphics, which for many years had been unknown to science.
The parable of the sower is the Rosetta stone of all the Lord's teaching. Therefore he said to them:
"And he said to them, Know you not this parable? and how then will you know all parables?" Mark 4:13
So the sower came out and as he sowed by hand, the seed fell into 4 different types of soil. The first soil was hard, and the seed did not penetrate but remained on the surface and the birds came and ate it.
"And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up." Mark 4:4
Other seeds fell on stony ground,
"... where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away." Mark 4:5-6
Other seeds fell among thorns,
"And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit." Mark 4:7
"And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred." Mark 4:8
In verse 14 the Lord begins to explain the parable. The reason Jesus chose a seed to give this illustration is because you cannot steal from the harvest because it follows certain laws that God has set. See the previous message on the parable of the seed, where I explain this in detail.
"The sower sows the word.
And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan comes immediately, and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts." Mark 4:14-15
---------- 1. The road ------------------
The birds of the air that came and ate the seed that fell by the wayside is the devil that came and stole the word before it could germinate.
There are 4 different stages in a man's heart and the only one the devil had direct access to was the first. He just came and stole it because the seed never got into the heart.
Let's look at the description of the same parable by Matthew in chapter 13 and verse. 19:
"When any one hears the word of the kingdom, and understands it not, then comes the wicked one, and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side." Matt. 13:19
Our mind is the determining factor in whether the word will be able to reach our heart. That is, if you do not understand the word of God, the devil has direct access to come and steal it from you. So in order to see the seed, that is, the word of God bearing fruit in your life, you must first understand it. This is the first step. That is why it is very important that the word of God is presented in an understandable way so that everyone can understand.
I have again explained the difference between preaching and teaching. The preacher proclaims the word of God, while the teacher explains it. Both are very important. The preaching will draw a man to God and the teaching will help him understand and put into practice what he heard from the preaching. The Lord has called me to teach and I really love what I do. If one does not understand the word of God, the devil immediately comes and steals it away:
"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you from now on walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:" Eph. 4:17-18
From the time we go to school, we have to work hard to learn. Knowledge does not come by itself. We have to spend time and study. And yet there are many Christians that have their Bibles gather dust on a library shelf. They have no idea what the word of God says and they just sit and wait for the Lord to come and touch them to change their lives.
God has given us our minds so that we can understand what He tells us. This, in fact, is the work of the Holy Spirit:
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you." John 14:26
"However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of himself; but whatever He shall hear, that shall he speak: and He will show you things to come.
He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it to you.
All things that the Father has are mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of mine, and shall show it to you." John 16:13-15
The Holly Spirit has been appointed as your teacher in your spiritual school, but you must be present in class. Unfortunately, many miss the lesson and then fail because everything goes wrong. One of the devil's greatest weapons is to steal the word from those who do not understand it. And in order to understand it, they must first listen to it and study it:
"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting get understanding." Prov. 4:7
Understanding gives you the ability to think and decide correctly.
Let me give an example:
Many times we observe some people behaving strangely, or harshly . This is a fact, a piece of information. But before we rush to criticize them, we should understand why they behave like this. You don't know what pain and suffering this man can carry. Once we understand the reason (discernment), the Lord also gives us wisdom, that shows us how to respond practically to it.
So this is why understanding is so important. God's word will not magically produce fruit in your life. You have to understand it first, let it pass through your mind before it reaches your heart.
Let me make a clarification here. These 4
types of soil are stages we all go through. We all go through the stage where at first we don't understand and we have to work hard to learn and start to understand.
We now come to the second type of ground (stage):
--------- 2. The stones --------
"And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:" Mark 4:5
"And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution rises for the word's sake, immediately they are offended." Mark 4:16-17
I'm sure many of you already are or have been in this position. You hear anointed sermons, you receive revelations, you begin to see with fresh eyes what you once read and did not understand, and you begin to share them with others. That's where the devil stirs up religious people who come against you and you begin to feel that what you say no longer has power and just falls to the ground as soon as you say it. You move away from these people for a while to reorganize. You keep listening to anointed sermons, but as soon as you come face to face with these people again, you fall back into the same situation, that what you say has no power.
Do you know what your problem is? You were sharing revelations of others and not yours. The seed had not taken deep root in you. It is good to hear other people's revelations, but you should personally sit down and study God's word until these revelations become yours. You should get to the point of saying
"The Lord spoke this to me"
and no
"So-and-so said that person."
There is a type of bamboo that when you sow it, the first year there are no visible signs of activity or growth. The second year, again, no growth above ground. And the third and fourth, still no sign. Your patience is tested and you begin to wonder if your efforts will ever be rewarded.
Finally, in the fifth year the plant begins to sprout and reaches almost 30 meters within six weeks!
And today's quiz:
How long did it take to reach 30 meters high?
Write down your opinion down in the comments section.
"when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy;
but they have no root in them,"
These people live by the revelations of others, they see the blessing of God in the lives of others, but if it does not take root in them, persecution and tribulation comes because of the word and they are offended.
We live in a fallen world. Persecution and tribulations do not come from God to help you mature, but from the devil, to steal the word from your heart.
"Yes, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." 2Tim. 3:12
The devil immediately steals the word from those who do not understand it, but once it begins to take root in you, satan will come with persecution and afflictions to prevent it from taking root. Do you know what the key features of this condition are? You start having self pitty and hesitate to speak up because of the criticism you will receive. Persecutions and tribulations try to distract you from the word of God. This is the thief's strategy.
Nobody likes rejection. God created us to be accepted and to have a relationship with Him. But rejection will come, and when it comes it causes pain, so we must know how to deal with it.
Imagine this picture:
You're running a marathon. Spectators who see you run start shouting and telling you that you are running wrong. If you stop and go to the stands to explain to them that you are not wrong, you may win the debate, but you will lose the race. In other words, you were trying to justify yourself instead of continuing your calling and thus the devil won. Don't waste your energy and time where you don't need it.
"Yes, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." 2Tim. 3:12
If you do not experience persecution, it is because you are not living in a godly way. Persecution does not necessarily mean going to jail, being beaten or tortured. It can take the form of rejection, criticism, being called dumb, bigoted and crazy. This persecution is more dangerous because it comes in a subtle way. If someone forces you at gunpoint into denying your faith, this is an obvious persecution, but if someone says to you:
"Are you okay with leaving your good old life behind and going fanatic with religion?"
This you know, it can be more dangerous. You have to be determined to keep your course. And the better you understand the Word, the more you understand that persecution is a sign that you are walking right.
"Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." Μatt. 5:11-12
"If you be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you; for the spirit of glory and of God rests on you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified." 1Pet. 4:14
As you mature in the Lord, you get to the point where you can stand being persecuted but not being ignored. When the Lord taught, no one remained indifferent. His word would either cause a revival, or a riot against Him. If you throw a stone at a pack of dogs, the one that will yelp the most is the one that got hit. When they persecute you for Christ's sake, it means that what you said hit a nerve and be assured that God is already convicting them.
One of the devil's basic strategies that hurts the most is this: He will stir up people in your family, whom you love and expect their acceptance, to come against you. And this is because the Lord showed you what He showed you to do and not them.
You must come to the point where Paul writes:
"God forbid: yes, let God be true, but every man a liar; " Rom. 3:4
That means, be so focused on what the Lord says in His word that you will not allow any man to influence you, change your mind or distract you from it. If you don't do that, that's where the devil comes in and prevents the word of God sown in your heart from bearing fruit.
"And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution rises for the word's sake, immediately they are offended." Mark 4:17
Notice the word "offended" here. This does not mean that they completely reject the word of God, but that they have been hurt. They don't have the same zeal and enthusiasm.
Let's see an example. Let's take healing. You may believe that God wants you to be healthy and you believe well. That's where they'll come and tell you
"If God wants you to be well, then why did that person got sick and die?"
or
"Because I'm not healed, does that mean I'm problematic and against God?"
The same can happen to your finances. You may believe that God can make you prosperous, but you are afraid that if you share your faith with other people, they will criticize you, saying that you are one of those who preach the prosperity gospel. The Lord promised us an abundant life, but not an easy one:
"And Jesus answered and said, Truly I say to you, There is no man that has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
But he shall receive an hundred times now in this time, houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life." Mark 10:29-30
Those who preach the prosperity gospel leave out the last part of the verse that talks about persecution. So once you are offended by the persecution and condemnation you will suffer, it is enough to prevent the seed from sprouting and bearing fruit. The seed must first have root in you to bear fruit.
If the Lord speaks a word to you, gives you a direction to leave for example the place you live and go somewhere else and you start receiving all the negative comments and criticisms from others, be sure that this seed is not going to germinate. (What will my family think if I leave, my parents, my church, etc.)
You must be determined that if you know the Lord is showing you something, you just do it and leave aside any kind of negative influence. This does not mean insensitivity, but I would say immunity to criticism. You don't need to be mean or rude to those who cannot understand you, but you must be aware that the word which the Lord has spoken to you is your first concern. It's purely a matter of priorities and protecting your heart as best you can from any kind of negative influence.
- This is what it means that the Word has a root in you. -
If you try to pull out a weed that has just started to grow in your garden it is quite easy. But if you let it grow 30-40 cm, you'll probably need a shovel to get it out. What I'm trying to say is that most of a plant's growth is underground, in the roots.
"And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
But when it is sown, it grows up, and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it." Mark 4:30-32
How many times have you imagined yourself and prayed to the Lord to make you like that big tree that will touch many people and bring them into the Kingdom of God? Do you know that if the Lord immediately fulfills this desire of yours, your roots are so small that with the first bird that comes to sit on the branches, it will bring down the whole tree? Don't let the above-ground growth fool you. The whole foundation lies in the roots that are underground and cannot be seen. So when you give priority to the roots, be sure that all the growth that will come will be the result of good and deep roots.
You don't need to worry and stress about your ministry or the fulfillment of God's will in your life. Take the seed from His word, keep it in your heart and give it proper care.
And yet, most people do not give time to the Lord and they do not study His word. They become impatient and seek the outward appearance rather than the substance. The root is what will determine how much increase you get.
Everyone wants to see the dead raised, the eyes of the blind opened, and the sick healed. But what seed are you planting in your heart? Do you allow the words of the world or the word of God to direct you? This is a procedure that will change your life. All the visible signs and the fruit of people who you admire and have great ministries, are precisely the result of this process.
If you study the properties of electricity, you don't have to put your hand in the socket to see that electricity can kill you. It's the same with life. You don't have to be hit by any kind of evil to learn. The problems and suffering that comes as a consequence of the wrong choices you make in life may teach you things that can later become a testimony to your life, but there is a better way to avoid the traps of the devil. You have the Bible, the manual of life:
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" 2Tim. 3:16
As long as we walk with the Lord, tribulation will follow us. But don't forget that it is not us who are persecuted, but the Lord who lives within us. It is the words we speak that stir up reactions, and just as in a court of law the accuser tries to discredit every defense witness, so it is in the world, where some try to discredit your testimony, because the Spirit of God brings conviction in their hearts. Actually, they are not coming against you, but against the One you represent.
That is why Paul writes:
"That I may know him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death;" Phil. 3:10
Jesus is the One who is persecuted and continues to suffer. Do you remember what He said to Paul when He met him on the road to Damascus?
"... Saul, Saul, why persecute you me?" Acts 9:4
The Lord takes the persecution you suffer for His sake very personally. That is why the Lord will supernaturally comfort you in the midst of persecution. No one likes persecution, but what a delight it is when the comfort of the Lord comes!
Amen!
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