hundredfold – Praying Pint

32.y. “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it”

Matthew 13:18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

Proverbs 1:7   The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:20-22    Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice;  at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:  “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?

Proverbs 2:1-6   My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you,  making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;  yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,  if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,  then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.  For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

John 3:19-20    And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

Hebrews 2:1   Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

Satan is always on the watch to hinder the Word of God from having any depth in the lives of people. He is very clever and the father of all lies. He will find any and all weaknesses in a person and exploit them to keep a person from growing in depth and width in the Word of God and commitment to honor and glorify Jesus Christ. He will cast doubt, incite fear, promote anger, cause division, produce lust, marginalize greed, promote pride, invoke jealousy, harden hearts, deafen ears, stiffen necks, create chaos, insert busyness, and whatever else he can do to keep peoples lives from deeply grounded commitment to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all they think, say, and do.

We ought to never be content with our current understanding and knowledge of the things of God. Certainly, we must be content with what we know so far for it is the basis of our faith and walk with God. However, a plant must be watered and weeded if there is to be growth and fruit produced.

When we truly and deeply commit and above all else, strive to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we think, say, and do, it is then we will find our desire to produce continued growth and the things of this world and the lies and falsehoods promoted by Satan (though they come at us like thousands of arrows shot from a strong bow) will not hit. They will be recognized/discerned and put in their proper place like weeds plucked from a garden and cast aside to die.

32.w. “Other seeds fell on good soil”

Matthew 13:1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”

We would normally look at this scripture and say it is speaking to those who proclaim the Word of God and the results they will see in the unsaved people to whom they have proclaimed. I think there is another important application for the believer. In order for God’s Word to have meaning, application, and purpose in our lives our ground of hearts and minds must be prepared for seeding. If we neglect God’s Word there is no seeding. If we neglect God’s Word there is no watering of previously planted seed. How is there to be any growth or harvest when there is neglect? This would be like a farmer who plants no seed and wonder why there is no harvest. Sounds foolish, doesn’t it. But, this is exactly what happens when God’s Word is neglected. There is no growth, no meaning, no application, no purpose in our lives. Neglecting God’s Word is an intentional choice. Oh, we can come up with thousands of reasons and excuses but the fact remains – we choose to neglect it. This should not be. How are we to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we think, say, and do if our hearts and minds neglect the very seed of God’s Word. We do well to think hard about the soil of our hearts and minds. Are they prepared and ready for the Seeds of God’s Word? If seeds of God’s Word are not planted there will be no holiness harvested in our life for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ. If there is no watering of the seeds of God’s Word in our life there will be no holiness harvest for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ. “He who has ears, let him hear”

Let God’s Word find “good soil” for which to plant and grow in your life.

32.v. “A sower went out to sow”

Matthew 13:1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”

This scripture has much meaning and application. God’s Word, the Seed, proclaimed by a person will not always have a salvation result in its hearers. To some the Word of God passes them by for their heart is closed to things of God. When they hear His Word it has no meaning, no application, and no purpose. Though the person may be standing right in front of the proclaimer of God’s Word it is as if nothing is heard for they are stone deaf to it. We should not be shocked that this occurs no matter how eloquent and persuasive our speech for we were much like them until our ears were opened and our hearts softened to things of God. I have no idea how a person’s heart can be so stone-hard and their rejection of God’s Word so firm. The aspects of birds devouring, stony ground, and being choked out by thorns are pictures of how the Word of God has no effect or little to no effect or no lasting effect in the life of the hearer.

If no seed is planted how will anything ever grow? This is very clear and understandable. The results of growth after planting are surely not known at the time of planting. We must never look upon a person and make judgment on the type of soil their heart and mind. Plant we must. God’s Word is powerful and is able to produce a bountiful harvest in the most unlikely of the hearts of people.

31.y. “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”

Matthew 8:18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Luke 14:33    So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Isaiah 53:2-3   For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.  He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Matthew 19:29     And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.

With the miracles associated with the ministry of Jesus, following Him might have seemed more glamorous than it really was. Jesus perhaps received many spontaneous offers like this. Jesus didn’t tell the man “No, you can’t follow Me.” But He told him the truth, without painting a glamorized version of what it was like to follow Him. This is the opposite of techniques used by many evangelists today, but Jesus wanted the man to know what it would really be like. This man did not ask for permission to dig a grave for his deceased father. He wanted to remain in his father’s house and care for him until the father died. This was obviously an indefinite period, which could drag on and on.

The man wanted to follow Jesus, but not just yet. He knew it was good and that he should do it, but he felt there was a good reason why he could not do it now. “If the scribe was too quick in promising, this ‘disciple’ was too slow in performing.” Jesus was not afraid to discourage potential disciples. Unlike many modern evangelists, He was interested more in quality than in quantity. “Nothing has done more harm to Christianity than the practice of filling the ranks of Christ’s army with every volunteer who is willing to make a little profession, and to talk fluently of experience.” (Carson)

Jesus pressed the man to follow Him now and clearly stated the principle that family obligations – or any other obligation – must not be put ahead of following Jesus. Jesus must come first. “Much of the concerns of politics, party tactics, committee meetings, social reforms, innocent amusements, and so forth, maybe very fitly described as burying the dead. Much of this is very needful, proper, and commendable work. (Spurgeon)

What each person must settle in their own hearts and minds – is what I am doing – what I have been called or led to do, and am I doing it for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is being one all of the time. All of our thoughts, words, and actions should fall under our careful eyes and be viewed by and through God’s Word to ensure that in all things and at all times we are honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ. Some of the godliest people I have met are not pastors or preachers but those who, in whatever vocation God has led them, give themselves wholly to being a disciple who honors and glorifies Jesus Christ in all they do at all times.

30.m. “Immediately they left their nets and followed him”

Matthew 4:18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Mark 10:28-31 Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Luke 14:33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

God usually calls people as they are busy doing something. Jesus called the apostles as they were casting a net into the sea or mending their nets. “They were busy in a lawful occupation when he called them to be ministers: our Lord does not call idlers but fishers.” (Spurgeon) Look at men of God; Saul was looking for his father’s donkeys, David was keeping his father’s sheep, The shepherds were guarding their flocks, Amos was farming in Tekoa, Matthew was working at the tax collector’s table, Moses was tending his father-in-law’s flock, Gideon was threshing wheat, Abraham was a very busy man with large herds and flocks, Luke was a physician, Paul was a high ranking official. All of these men heard the calling of God and responded to that calling with obedience. Therein is the difference between those that hear and obey and those that hear and don’t. It does not matter when or where you hear God’s calling of you to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. It does matter what you do after you hear Him calling. People deny hearing it, deafen their ears to hear it, neglect it, cast it aside as foolishness, delay acting upon it, and a host of other “not nows”. The day of salvation is now. Hebrews 3:7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.

But they understood none of these things

Exodus 4:1 Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”

Acts 7:25  He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand.

Psalms 106:7  Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.

Luke 9:45  But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it.

Luke 18:34  But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

Psalms 78:42  They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,

Mar 4:11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that “‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’” And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

“They will not believe or listen to my voice”. This is what Moses said to God when God told him to go speak to the elders. Note in Acts where Paul explained what happened to Moses – the people did not understand.

What keeps people from understanding, listening, remembering, perceiving, or grasping things of God?

Could it be a hardened heart? Weak heart? Lukewarm heart? Proud heart? Worldly heart? Greedy heart? Self-seeking heart? Fearful heart? Faithless heart? Yes these can all happen but why?

Being complacent and living in prosperity, not thinking about needing God. It is a sad place to be, to think you do not need God everyday for every moment. It gets worse from here. When we see little need for God there is no time spent in His word, no time in prayer, no time seeking to serve Him, no time to worship Him, no time to honor Him.

How do we think we will see any of His mighty works, or loving kindness, or grace, or mercy, or forgiveness, or power, or strength, or peace, or courage, or healing….. if neglecting God is the norm for our daily life.

The same neglect will void any understanding of His word and knowing how to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey.

The same neglect leaves us defenseless from the darts of satan in our lives.

“And though they said all is well, destruction came upon them unaware”

If his word is not breath, food and water for your soul there is little hope for honoring Him. If humbly serving, following and obeying Him is not your first goal in life there is little hope for honoring Him. If honoring Him is not the first thought in the morning and last thought at night, how will it ever happen. If His word is not feeding your heart, mind, and soul how will their be fruit.

My strength comes from the Lord.

My hope is in the Lord

My life is in the Lord’s hands

My peace, joy, and love comes from the Lord

My soul rejoices in His promises

My ears seek to hear His leading

My eyes desire to see His mighty hand

My heart loves the Lord