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As you read this newsletter, I am preaching in meetings out in the Mid-west, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and I will be in Michigan in May…
As I drive along these country roads for miles, you can see the fresh plowed fields where the farmers have planted seeds of corn. It is time to plant seeds of corn. I thought about that and am reminded when I was a boy and planting corn as well; we always got our hands dirty in our Garden. It’s impossible to plant seeds and not get your hands dirty.
PLANTING SEEDS AND DIRTY HANDS
(Matthew 13:3-9)
Notice with me in this parable the different conditions of the soil. 1. The Wayside Soil (v.4), 2. The Stony Soil (v.5), 3. The Weedy Soil (v.7), and finally 4. The Good Soil (v.8). Notice in God’s Word that it was all the same dirt…The only difference was the way the soil was prepared…and that’s what made the difference in each situation. And so, it is with the human heart. We are all made of the same essence, but we are conditioned by different influences and environment that have shaped us.
As we look also in (v. 19) at the wayside soil, this is the unresponsive heart…This person just sits there and hears the Word of God time and time again and has no time for the Gospel, no time for no one but themselves and their own selfish desires…Their hearts are hardened.
I remember walking through rows of corn as a boy. In between the rows of corn was hard dirt that was packed down by walking on it all the time. The purpose of walking on the same path of dirt was so we wouldn’t disturb the virgin soil around the corn.
So was it in Palestine and this is what Jesus was telling His disciples in this parable. Along the wayside, there were paths that went around the field, that were heavily traveled and dirt was packed down. Birds would come and take the seeds that fell on this hard soil before it had a chance to germinate or the winds would blow it away…
1. The sower is the Christian,
2. The seed is the Gospel,
3. The field is the world, 4. The soil is the human heart.
So this is the person who has no time for spiritual matters.
As we look in (v.5) we see the stony heart or the superficial heart…The seeds were not planted deep enough, so when the sun came out the plants would die and wither away…They had no root in themselves, this is the professed Christian…Those who claim to be God’s Children for awhile…but there’s no spiritual fruit (1John 2:19). Not everyone in our midst…is of us…
Thirdly, as we read (v.22) we see the weedy soil which is the worldly heart…This person still has a lot of the world in them. They are more concerned for the things of the world. A double-minded person…They try to serve Christ and self too.
They know a lot of facts about Christ but they don’t know Him personally. There is only one road that leads to Eternal Life and the Bible tells us, “Narrow is the Way…”
Now I would like for you to see with me the enemies…
The Shallow soil in (v.7) here the weeds were the worries of the world. My friend’s weeds will grow. Even spiritual weeds will grow but they will not bear any fruit. True Christians will show and bear fruit. And you won’t have to get on your hands and knees to look for them either…They’ll stand out among the weeds. You will be able to spot them by their lack of fruit.
In (v.6) the sun is the affliction and persecution. Again these are those who planted their seeds in shallow soil. The minute that troubles or persecution come along, they fall away. They have no root in themselves, as we see not only in (v.6) but also in (v.21).
In (v.4) birds are the evil one [Satan] and in (v.19) this is the person with a hard heart. The three enemies are…The World, The Flesh and The Devil.
Jesus is telling the disciples that you will face resistance. That is will not be an easy life or an easy walk. That there will be shallow short-term converts, there will be double-minded people, the hardness of the road, and the shallow soil. The aggressiveness of the weeds will frustrate the efforts to grow good crops…But my friends God will till the soil of the most stubborn heart.
But then there’s the Good Soil, as we see in (v.23). This is the receptive heart…This is the field that is plowed, been prepared and is ready to receive the seed of the Gospel. This is the heart that is ready to receive the Lord Jesus Christ. Without plowing or cultivation, there is NO SALVATION FRUIT…The ultimate test of Salvation is bearing fruit (Matthew 7:17-20). Only good soil and plowed dirt from a good cultivated ground can produce fruit.
As sowers, we are called to broadcast the seeds of the Gospel. Even if some fall on unprepared soil, there will always be wayside soil, shallow and rocky soil, and weedy soil. But also my friends, there will always BE GOOD SOIL. It only needs the right seeds thrown on it.
A farmer knows if he wants corn next year, he has to plant and replant corn every year. If he only thinks of this year, then next year he will not have anything to eat.
It’s the same with planting the seed of the Gospel. If we just plant seeds this year, there will not be any growth or increase in the harvest for the Lord Jesus Christ.
I am so afraid that too many of us today, for too long of a time…Have clean hands. We need to get our hands dirty. We need to plant some seeds.
You know my friends you can never create a seed you can only reproduce the original seed. The original seed of the Gospel was created by the Lord Jesus Christ and we can only reproduce that seed.
We cannot preach another Gospel, or another Christ or another way. There is only one way, only one Gospel and only one plan of Salvation.
Planting Seeds And Dirty Hands…Let’s get busy and reap a harvest for the Lord Jesus Christ.
His For Souls,
Bro. Randy Davis
(Psalms 126:5, 7)
