How Hard Would You Dig? Series

January 09, 2021

The Context – Matthew 13 – A series of stories pertaining to “The Kingdom of Heaven”:

The Sower {13:1-23} = The Word of God is given to everyone, but growth rests 100% with the individual who receives it:

• Path - anyone hears the Word, but does not understand it. The evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.

• Rocky Place – anyone who hears the Word and receives it with joy, but since he has no root, he quickly falls away when trouble or persecution comes.

• Thorns – anyone who hears the Word, but the worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.

• Good Soil – anyone who hears the Word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

The Weeds {13:24-30} = The Villain in our story pays special attention where ever the word of God takes root and begins to flourish. He works extra hard to plant his people among the People of God in order to distract, disrupt, discourage and other wise derail them. While the church has a responsibility to uphold the truths of Scripture and deal with persistent and open sin, it does not fall within its purview to uproot those who might not be as “Christian” as we’d like. That leads to such atrocities as the Spanish Inquisition. That job belongs exclusively to God, who judges each heart.

• 1 Samuel 16:7 - But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

• 1 Chronicles 28:9 - And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

The Mustard Seed and Yeast {13:31-33} = The kingdom Christ established had humble beginnings and His movement appeared to be a complete failure as He hung on the cross, yet the mighty truths committed to His followers possessed divine power. How rapid was its growth – from 120 in the upper room in 33 AD to over 2.3 billion in 2020 AD.

• Isaiah 11:1-10 - A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him -- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -- 3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. 6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.

• Habakkuk 2:14 - For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

• Revelation 7:9-10 - After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."