Quest for Hope
Human Soil 3-10-16
Matthew 13:3-9
Last night, we enjoyed talking about the “rest for our souls” that Christ provides. A rest that includes physical refreshment and a rest that brings spiritual freedom, because we are “joined” with him. Today, we will look at the soil of our hearts, because the seed of the Word will fall there and either flourish or die.
Matthew 13:3-9 (NLT)
3 He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:
“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! 9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
Jesus is teaching his disciples through a parable (story revealing spiritual truth) about the “soil” or composition of the human heart; four soils representing four types of human nature (character). This passage calls the readers to evaluate and take action, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” To “understand” means we take action and do something with the information. Let’s find ourselves this morning as we think about the Kingdom of God and the sowing of the Seed of His Word (message of God’s love and instruction for Kingdom Living):
- Seed sown on footpath—This person hears and receives the Word, but cannot understand how God’s truth relates to his/her life; the enemy comes and robs the mental understanding that drives the will for change. The battle is in the mind for Kingdom Living.
- Seed sown on shallow soil with underlying rock—This person hears and receives the sown Word to the heart with joy, but there are no roots (little discipline for the will) to hold onto the truth or the Living Word that came to bring a new life. When conflict and trouble comes because of believing the Word (Truth causes us to make a choice) it cannot handle the heat and within a short time the life that sprang up in the heart begins to wither and die. We must not turn away from God or we will never know truth.
- Seed sown among thorns—This person receives the sown Word to the heart and even understands the message and how to live it, but the Word is choked out by the worries of life and the will for gaining material goods stop the production of fruit. We cannot serve two masters and produce fruit.
- Seed sown on good soil—This person receives the sown Word to the heart, understands the message and how to live it and chooses to produce a supernatural harvest of fruit from that seed. Here is the victorious nature/soil: The Holy Spirit produces eternal fruit as we allow the process.
Prayer: Father, I want to offer you good soil for the seed of your Word. Help me to provide an environment in my heart that welcomes your ways of producing the spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, thoughtfulness, and self-control. Not my will, Lord, but yours be done in me, today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.