Mark 4:9. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let hm hear.
Now what shall we say today eh? That it’s a wet and cloudy morning with a bit of drizzle in the atmosphere. Well, that’s nothing new. ((smile) Neither is the fact that Jesus, our Lord and Saviour is in the wings watching it all and keeping it all under control! That’s one of the many great things about our Jesus: He always has things under control. They might seem out of control to us, but we know that there’s method to His apparent madness, because His thoughts and ways are higher than ours.
We are just the finite created beings while He is the infinite Creator, that’s why we don’t worry when circumstances come against us, when our whole world feels like it’s falling apart and the unbelievers are holding their heads and bawling. No sir! We, the followers of Jesus, stay calm and unruffled in the storms of life, because we know that we have the most able pilot around…in fact the one who creates and controls the storms, so we can just go about our business, rejoicing and giving thanks to Christ and the Father for their unconditional LOVE, amazing grace and never-ending mercy.
Wow! And if you agree with and sincerely believe that, then shout out a loud and grateful ‘Glory Hallelujah! Amen!’ (smile)
Now, here’s an interesting and important parable of Jesus that pertains to faith and belief in Him, to staying strong in His word and bearing good fruit. It’s the parable of the Sower. But before we get into it, let’s get a quick explanation of ‘a parable’ from the scholars. They say ‘a parable is a brief story that makes a comparison. It typically uses an illustration from everyday life to bring out a spiritual truth.’
So listen as Jesus weaves this parable to bring out the spiritual truth He desires to share. He said: ‘Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow. And it came to pass, as he sowed, some (seed) fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some (seed) fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
And some (seed) fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other (seed) fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth some thirty, and some sixty, and some and hundred (fold).’ (Mark 4:3-8)
Oh friends, don’t you just enjoy Jesus’ parables. No one can spin a tale like Him. He’s definitely the greatest storyteller ever! But His stories are ever so important to mankind. And it’s also very interesting how He ends them with some noteworthy statement, like He did with this parable of the sower. Mark writes: ‘And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let hm hear.’ (Mark 4:9)
Now, the scholars tell us that that statement ‘goes beyond physical hearing and implies an inner spiritual reception of truth.’ This led the disciples to ask: ‘Why speakest thou unto them in parables?’ (Matt. 13:10) ‘Before Jesus had used parables to illustrate His messages, now they formed the basis of the message.’
‘And He said unto them, Unto you is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God (secret or hidden truths): but unto them that are without (outside), all these things are done in parables. That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.’ (Mark 4:11-12) Jesus was referring there to Isaiah’s prophecy about the rejection of His message, that the people should hear but not understand, and see but not perceive.(Is. 6:9-10)
Then Jesus said unto the disciples: ‘Know ye not (don’t you understand) this parable? And how then will ye know (understand ) all parables?’ (Mark 4:13) Consequently, He explains: ‘The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground, who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and have no root in themselves, and so endure for but a time: afterward when affliction (tribulation) or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended (caused to stumble).
And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts (desires) of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground, such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.’ (Mark. 4:14-20)
Oh my people, we have seen all those types in our walk with God. At one stage some of us might have even been in one of those unfruitful categories, but eventually we truly heard, and now we are good ground, the word has been sown deeply in us, it’s rooted and grounded, and we are bringing forth good fruit! Glory to God!
And our God is so good that He’s bestowed blessings on us so that we can be even more fruitful. We call them our Thursday Blessings, but they need to be activated by declaring (steups!!!) them out loud. So let’s do that right now. As one strong voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And the corollary to that is we use those blessings just as generously as God gave them to us, to go out and bear good fruit for Him! Much LOVE!
…what kind of soil are you…unresponsive, stony, thorny or good…
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