PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM – THE FIRST - THE SOWER OR RATHER THE SOIL – Part 4 of 5
In the last message we did the seed that fell on the rocky soil, and we also did some of the seed that was choked by thorns. We will finish that choked seed this time. Let us revise the relevant verses from last time:-
{{Luke 8:14 “The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are CHOKED WITH WORRIES AND RICHES AND PLEASURES OF THIS LIFE, and bring no fruit to maturity”}}
{{Matthew 13:7 “Others fell among the thorns and the thorns came up and CHOKED THEM out,”}}
{{Matthew 13:22 “The one on whom seed was sown AMONG THE THORNS, this is the man who hears the word, and THE WORRY OF THE WORLD AND THE DECEITFULNESS OF RICHES choke the word and it becomes unfruitful”}}
{{Mark 4:18-19 “Others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns. These are the ones who have heard the word, and THE WORRIES OF THE WORLD, AND THE DECEITFULNESS OF RICHES, and THE DESIRES FOR OTHER THINGS enter in and CHOKE THE WORD, and it becomes unfruitful.”}}
LOOKING AT THE STATED ITEMS OF DEFEAT MENTIONED IN THE GOSPELS
Does it then come down to a matter of priorities? I think in many cases it does. I can recall in the case of the two men cited earlier (in the last message) certain factors that overcame them, one was rationality in the end dismissing any God, and the other, peer associations in the world. If the faith is not fed, but more interest is taken in the development of “other things” those other things will dominate, grow up well, and choke the stunted Christian growth.
Luke mentions, “WORRIES, the deceitfulness of RICHES and the PLEASURES OF THIS LIFE.” Mark adds the similar item, “DESIRE FOR OTHER THINGS”. All these are very real (tangible) issues of life, not hypothetical reasons advanced by a brainstorming group.
[A]. WORRIES
Worries are real and very severe for some people. Making ends meet, struggling in and out of work, faltering marital relationships, wayward teenagers and children, relationships with people and family, and severe trials of life, all assault people, sometimes advancing in centurion-tank style. The principle of being steadfast in the Lord, establishing one’s foundations on rock solid faith in Him, is the only way of meeting these onslaughts for the Lord’s faithfulness is not in question. Our holding to the lifeline might be.
This again is a difficult area to be working in. Some people are very sensitive in their personalities and when things go wrong, they find it hard to cope. Others are concerned about things all the time and they are termed “worriers”. Mark uses “worries of the world,” meaning worries and concerns and problems you get by living in the world. Is it wrong to have these worries and concerns?
I would be a hypocrite if I said, “It is wrong.” We all encounter them and they can get us down. All worries want to climb up on our backs and weigh us down. I yet have to find a person who is not worried about something.
It is not the worry part that is problematic. It is the utter defeat worries can bring into our lives. To be weighed down so much that you let slip what is important in life is when you are in real trouble. That is what the third class did in this parable. They let God go instead of embracing Him further. They walked away from God. The soil produced failure and defeat.
I do not want to digress here too much, but Christian teachers have written on issues such as “How to handle the matter of worry from the bible.” I won’t do that in this study. Often I quote this passage – {{Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to Me all who are WEARY AND HEAVY-LADEN and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you shall find rest for your souls”}}
Let us add this one also for this is a passage of priorities. There is always a divine order. Can you see it in these three verses? {{Matthew 6:31-33 “Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’ For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things, BUT SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS and all these things shall be added to you.”}}
*** GETTING OUR PRIORITIES RIGHT – The matters relating to God must come first. The people in this third class reversed the order and that brings grief. {{Matthew 6:33 “BUT SEEK FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.”}}
*** THE SUMMARY FOR WORRY – {{Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”}}
[B]. THE DESIRE FOR RICHES BEING PROGRAMMED BY THE WORLD
The world is very subtle. It tells you that you have a right to be rich. Advertisements with alluring, smiling females, and all manner of materialism get thrown at you from every quarter. The lust of the flesh in one of its ways wants you to be rich. The pride of life says you have to possess even better than your neighbour. Matthew and Mark term it as “the deceitfulness of riches.” Affluence deceives a person and draws his/her whole attention into getting rich (therefore away from God). In my experience people who sell themselves out to being rich or seeking riches, create problems with morality and honesty, and straightforward dealings with other people. Some might term it as “dog eats dog”.
The deceitfulness of riches, so tantalising in the beginning, so appealing to our desires and so justifiable if we want it so, is as old as Eden. The desire, the lust to want what is so appealing, becomes the downfall of such large numbers. It becomes the prime motivation in one’s life and the Christian faith is choked and stifled given the opposition of getting rich, so a guard must be maintained in the area of riches.
Christians must always be careful in the desire for money to increase riches. I think we need to read and reread Matthew 5-7 often.
One other aspect that is demonic and so evil is this Health and Wealth Syndrome, otherwise called Word of Faith Movement, otherwise called The Prosperity Doctrine. This claims God never wants you to be poor or unhealthy and you have to keep sowing your seed. This seed is giving your money away to people like Copeland, Hinn, Meyer, Duplantis, Olsteen, and a conglomeration of other demonic agents.
All those people are worth tens of millions each and have houses/mansions airplanes, the most expensive Rolexes and so on. The people who are deceived by riches give their money in the hope that God will give them many times over and pay their debts, etc., etc! – like a payback! The movement is sweeping Africa, making destitute, immature Christians, even poorer. These extortioners will suffer in hell for the satanic damage they do to desperate people by fleecing their money so they can sit at the top of the pyramid scheme. If you want to understand this movement better, might I suggest on YouTube you look up Justin Peters.
Briefly we will consider what Paul wrote advisedly – {{1 Timothy 6:9-11 “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction, for the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have WANDERED AWAY FROM THE FAITH, and pierced themselves with many a pang, BUT FLEE FROM THESE THINGS (1), you man of God and PURSUE RIGHTEOUSNESS (2), GODLINESS (3), FAITH (4), LOVE (5), PERSEVERANCE (6) AND GENTLENESS (7).”}}
These Paul writes about have wandered from the faith into ruin and destruction. They are the products of the thorny ground. Christian, beware of the temptation to become rich. Paul advised to FLEE from these things, but more than that, he gave the answer that combats the wicked desire and stops a person from being choked by thorns and thistles and into ruin. There are 7 injunctions here to follow.
[C]. THE PLEASURES OF THIS LIFE AND THE DESIRE FOR OTHER THINGS
Engaging in pleasures is one reason given for the chocking of the sown seed. The thorns of greed and desire and materialism and pleasure sprung up prolifically and chocked the life out of the seed sown; taken it by the neck and strangled it. That is what happens to some who make professions. They are happy and joyous for a time, then they begin to wane, and finally have walked away from the closeness with God. Why, we must ask?
{{Proverbs 21:17 “HE WHO LOVES PLEASURE WILL BECOME A POOR MAN. He who loves wine and oil will not become rich.”}} Those who branch off to swallow the pleasures and luxuries of life will lose their own soul, for they will dismiss the good hand of God in their lives and seek mammon. {{Matthew 16:26 “What will a man be profited if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”}}
The pleasures of this life are fleeting and might appeal to the lust of the flesh in mortal man but do much harm to the spiritual man. It is sad that some people are never satisfied and have to have more, and bigger, and more impressive, and then, more valuable. I often think that what Paul wrote under inspiration, is the Lord’s message to us all – {{Philippians 4:11 “not that I speak from want for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”}} And also {{1 Timothy 6:8-9 “If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction,”}}
Many legitimate things are in the world. It is not wrong for Christians to belong to a sporting club for instance, or work for a charity, or buy and sell houses, but when that becomes an engrossing feature of life, and church attendances fail and fellowship suffers, then the choking process is already in operation. All of us must be aware of the potential for the new life to be choked no matter how long we have been Christians. “Caution” must be the word to preface all our activities.
Some believers will claim that people who fall into this category were never really saved in the first place. It is a hard decision and a brave, if not foolhardy, comment to make especially when it involves a person who for many years was a recognised leader in the Christian confession, known personally. Intelligent people who have walked in the Lord for many years, now don’t. None of us can answer this properly and the matter must rest with God. It is not the purpose here to canvass Calvinism or Armininism, election and predestination, endurance and perseverance, all topics raised in relation with this issue, especially with what we call the eternal security of the believer.
In some cases there is a suggestion of fruit-bearing in this third class, but does it see maturity? This group seems to be made up of those who have been saved but have been overcome by carnality and worldliness, rationalism and liberalism, and lapse of a dependent faith. They have become defeated and unprofitable. Matthew says the word is choked so can that mean the growth of the word is choked?
Sometimes I think of the Apostle Paul. He was in prison for his brilliant testimony and daily had the care of the churches on his mind. It was like he did not want any more troubles, but, alas, they kept coming. Here is one of them – Demas had been a real help to Paul – {{Colossians 4:14 “Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas.”}} BUT later on we read – {{2 Timothy 4:10 “for Demas, HAVING LOVED THIS PRESENT WORLD, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia; Titus to Dalmatia.”}} What sadness that would have brought to Paul. The defection of Demas is a red light to all of us!
This group of hearers is like those who have gained first base well, and the second and perhaps the third, but have become lost somewhere between second and home.
This is a shorter message but to add the next section makes it too long. We have to break here. However we will finish with a poem of mine:-
GOOD SEED IN THE THORNY GROUND
Take the world but give me Jesus.
Keep your worries and your snares.
No one satisfies my living.
The world condemns but Jesus cares.
========================
Lord Jesus Christ, I ask of You,
Let not temptation be my lot.
Lord, keep me in the bonds of love,
And satisfied with what I’ve got.
========================
The thorny ground is so perverse,
And with its evils cause defeat.
Worries, desires and riches
Will rise up and choke out the wheat.
========================
And you, O man who walked away
From all the blessings of the Lord,
Submitting to temptation’s call,
What was it in you that was flawed?
========================
When you heard the word you believed
That word, and walked in it with joy,
But now from that, you defected,
And what you once held, you destroy.
========================
In your soul it will cause such grief.
That thorny ground will pierce you through.
Riches pursued achieve just nil,
But will complete your deathly wreath.
========================
Good seed fallen on thorny soil
Will be choked, and no fruit is gained.
A life with promise to the full,
Is rendered useless and then chained.
========================
Be diligent and be alert!
Both you and I must be aware
Of where the latent dangers lurk,
That will choke our lives and ensnare.
========================
A trust in God that will ensure
Strong growth and true vitality,
Is where the good seed brings forth fruit –
The joy of its finality.
Ron Ferguson 29 July 2025 8-8-8-8 ABCB
