Parables Of The Kingdom – The First - The Sower Or Rather The Soil – Part 5 Of 7 Series

PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM – THE FIRST - THE SOWER OR RATHER THE SOIL – Part 5 of 7

So far we have covered the first three soils in the Parable of the Sower and in this message we come to the last one. The outcome here is what everyone wants to happen in preaching the gospel, but experience and the bible tells us it is not the common outcome. It would be wonderful if salvation was the common result of preaching, but balance that with this verse – {{Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction and many are those who enter by it, for the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life and FEW ARE THOSE WHO FIND IT.”}}

The fourth soil is too long for one study, being over 4 000 words, so I am going to have to split it. I don’t like doing that. I just wanted to let you know. That length would be alright at a Seminar but these are not a seminar.

THE FOURTH RESULT – THE GOOD FERTILE SOIL PROVED BY FRUITFULNESS

The grace of God is so lovely, and the grace extended to us in salvation, is a precious gift. Let us praise and thank God for the grace that extended to us, awful sinners, unclean in the Lord’s eyes. Such is the tremendous working power of the cross. He allowed the seed to fall on the good and prepared ground.

{{Matthew 13:8 “and others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, SOME A HUNDREDFOLD, SOME SIXTY, AND SOME THIRTY.”}}

{{Matthew 13:23 “and the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and UNDERSTANDS IT, who INDEED BEARS FRUIT and brings forth, some A HUNDREDFOLD, SOME SIXTY, AND SOME THIRTY.”}}

{{Mark 4:8 “and other seeds fell into the good soil and as they grew up AND INCREASED, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”}}

{{Mark 4:20 “Those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil and they hear the word and accept it, and bear fruit, THIRTY, SIXTY, AND A HUNDREDFOLD.”}}

{{Luke 8:8 Other seed fell into the good soil and grew up, and produced a crop A HUNDRED TIMES AS GREAT.” As He said these things, He would call out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”}}

{{Luke 8:15 “and the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an HONEST AND GOOD HEART, AND HOLD IT FAST, and BEAR FRUIT WITH PERSEVERANCE.”}}

The last of these groups represents the proper fruitfulness which is the sower’s expectation. The ground was fertile, the heart receptive, and a genuine work has been done as the application of the word through the Holy Spirit brought about true conviction resulting in salvation.

Luke is the only one who qualifies the receptive person. All speak about the multiplication, which we do later on in the study. Luke uses these expressions, “honest and good heart” and “hold it fast” and “fruit with perseverance” as the NASB reads. Matthew states simply the good soil is the man who hears, understands and is fruitful.

There are those who would like to read into this passage an endurance for salvation that is not implied in this parable. Luke’s “hold it fast” equals perseverance under trial and steadfastness in the face of the factors that caused failure from the thorns of the third category. This perseverance or “bearing up” ought to be a characteristic of Christians. These people here, the good seed, are the wheat in the next parable of Matthew in contradistinction to the tares.

The quality of the crop is the ultimate success of the seed. The seed is of excellent quality. The crop ought to be of an excellent standard. There may be a constant striving for the truth and to live genuinely for the Lord; there may be failures and certain inconsistencies but the genuineness of the conversion is not in question.

Those grouped in this section have faced up to the opponents and battled their way right around the field with honour and commendation. They have made it right the way home.

LOOKING DEEPER INTO THIS PARABLE

In these Kingdom parables the words “good seed” is used only in the second parable to distinguish the good seed from the bad seed, that of false wheat, darnel, or tares. In the Sower, all the seed was good. The problem was not the seed. It was the ground on which the seed fell. That is why I like to refer to this parable as “The Parable of the Four Soils” (or the Four Grounds). “The Parable of the Sower” is not really what the parable is about. Now we want to look at two issues –