He who has ears, let him hear!
“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused, they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.
Matt. 13-14-15.
Introduction
This is a very good example how people hear or don’t the word of God. It has been my experience as an ordained minister serving the Lord. That my main function as a teacher is present the truth, and let people decide for themselves. This is exactly what Christ is doing in this teaching. It’s important for us. Understand that God does not deal with relative truth. He only deals with absolute truth that is stated in His word. Jesus stated that those who hear the Word of God and Obey are truly His disciples.
Hard Hearts-Hard Heads
They are basically four reasons why people become harden to the gospel and do not surrender to Jesus.
First, is that they rebel and they are rebels at heart. They do not want to be accountable and when they fail miserably, they blame God.
Second, they do not stay alert or attentive. They do not consider the gospel will be important enough to keep their attention. Their minds are on other things.
Third, they are very careless and handle the truth they have been given. They treated it as something they can only use when life goes south. The attitude is at the Gospel has his place, but it’s not a central factor of life.
Fourth, they have religion but it is just that, religion. They don’t want to change of heart and their life is meaningless so therefore anything that has to do with the worship and surrender to God has not necessary because he is like an absentee landlord.
“They have a form of godliness but deny its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” 2 Timothy 3:5
Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. Matt. 15:17-19.
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Heb, 3:13.
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. Romans. 2:5.
Sowing & Reaping
“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it (receives it in faith), the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Matt. 13:18-23
The word of God does not return void. Isa. 55:11. This means that when God sends out His word it will accomplish salvation or condemnation on the day of judgement. God ends out His word to bear fruit in a persons’ life. (John 15:1-8). People are present physically but mentally and spiritual they resist the Word of God.
First. Satan’s job is to create confusion when one hears the gospel message. Along the path means in their life course. Satan is the god of this world. “He god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Cor. 4:4. This is the ‘Battle of the mind”. This is our carnal nature that is in enmity with God and His word. It can be pride, education. Prestige, and or wealth which hinders a person to fully embrace the truth of God’s word. These things make man feel self-confident and self-dependent. “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds”. John 12:24.
Second. The “Rocky Ground” is soil that cannot sustain any roots. It is like a person who hears and understands but finds the requirements of God to difficult for them to embrace. The seed is the word of God but some people do not see it as essential to living.
Example: I have known a woman for over 40 years. She a person who has physically heard the gospel in church week after week, moth after month, and year after year, but her heart is very far from God. But she only heard with her physical ears, but her heart was far from God. She is mean, resentful, hateful, criticize, bossy, prideful, full of rage and anger. Matt, 15:17-19.
Third. Thorns represent something extra not essential to growth. They see the Word of God as a philosophy not the Word. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7. Jesus asked the disciples who He is. “Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:68-69. All these types of attitudes and lifestyle choke off the word of God and it become unfruitful in our lives with the lack of faith.
Fourth. “Good Soil”. Is truly accepting and believing the Word of God to bring about growth which is called progressive sanctification. Growth like fruit develops little by little but there must be fruit. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5.
Conclusion
Every one of us must examine ourselves and see where we stand. Is your heart like the good soil to receive the Word of God? Is there the fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life. Are those who know you see the fruit of love and peace. Many people pretend to follow Jesus. Another example of pretending is as follows. I know of this one family where the wife is very violent, but she hides it very well. She threw oil at her husband and when after him with a knife. And the time of counseling she never recognized her violence or how abusive she is. What was her reward, she was made a leader of the youth group in her church. How ironic, what hypocrisy. When we walk out of love we walk into darkness.
We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,’ Col. 1:9-10.