Tag: scorched

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. 

2.z. But they were the ruin of him

2 Chronicles 28:22  In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the Lord—this same King Ahaz. For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.

Isaiah 1:5     Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

Ezekiel 21:13    For it will not be a testing

Revelation 16:9-11   They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.  The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish  and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.

Hosea 5:15    I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.

Psalms 52:7   “See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!”

There are times of testing from God.  These times are for our growth in knowledge and understanding of our heart and mind.  These times of testing reveal our deepest thoughts, beliefs, and intents within our heart, mind, and soul.  God uses these, in love, to draw us into a closer, everlasting, and meaningful walk with Him.  We come out the other side of testing with more reliance, trust, and obedience.

Ahaz was not in a time of testing.  He was making decisions and leading people who willingly followed him straight into the wrath and anger of God.  God is not mocked.  What a man sows so shall he reap.  You reap what you sow means you get what you deserve, whatever you put your time, talent and energy into is what you get back. You reap what you sow means you must eventually face the consequences of your actions.

When we are neglectful and complacent in our commitment, listening, and obedience to God the world and our sinful nature will fill this void with things that do not honor or glorify Him.  It will fill us with promises of satisfaction, peace and rest but will never deliver on them.  It will walk arm and arm, hand in hand with us into darkness, confusion, anxiousness, and proclaiming false hopes.  When the light of Jesus Christ is all but a dim flicker in our soul we will make an intentional choice to either extinguish or to fan it into a brilliant flame.  We will either repent and turn away from our wayward path or go deeper into darkness and apart from Jesus Christ.

Do not follow family, friends, colleagues, culture, or society into darkness.  Make an intentional choice to humbly return to the Light of Jesus Christ and make this your heart, mind, and soul desire.  Live in His presence every moment of every day.  Keep the light of Jesus Christ held high to stay on the path of eternity with Him.  Keep this light held high for others to see.  Live in the Light of Jesus Christ.  Keep thoughts and actions and words exposed to the Light of Jesus Christ.

Listen and Obey

“And I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the people of Judah all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, but they would not hear.’”

““But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.”

“Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.”

Zechariah 5:1  Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a flying scroll!   And he said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.”  Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who swears falsely shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side.   I will send it out, declares the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. And it shall remain in his house and consume it, both timber and stones.”

Jeremiah 36:1  In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:  “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today.  It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

Jeremiah 36:20  So they went into the court to the king, having put the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the secretary, and they reported all the words to the king.  Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary. And Jehudi read it to the king and all the officials who stood beside the king.  It was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in the winter house, and there was a fire burning in the fire pot before him.  As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot.  Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments.

It is not a good thing to get a scroll written from God and read to you if you are not going to take care to what is being communicated.  I wonder if this might be the same as what is written in the bible and we do not open our heart, mind, or eyes to what is being communicated.  Being aware of what God is saying and then turning away from it or hardening our heart to it, or stiffening our neck against it can only end in judgment.  Look at what is said here “Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments.” And “all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, but they would not hear.’”  Do we actually think it will end well for us in light of what God says He will do to those who neglect to hear, act and obey His word?  How much warning must be given?  Do we think God will count to 10 and we have until then to react, repent, and turn away?  Now is the time to take His word serious.  Now is the time to commit to humbly serve, honor, follow, and obey Him.  Spend time in His word and live in true peace trusting in Him and not on our own understanding and wishfully thinking we can coast through life without commitment to our heavenly Father.