Unclogging The Wells – Part 4 | Sun, Feb 13 | 2022 Year of Abundant Harvest

We thank you for joining us and we are glad that you are here.

We will be continuing from our ongoing series, “Unclogging the wells“, and this will be the Part-4 of this series.

Today we will learn that “The word of God is like a seed.“

In Gospel of Mark 4, there are 4 parables. Someone said once that parables are “Heavenly Truth”.

1st is verses 1-20, is a parable about a sower who sows a seed.

Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that “‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’” And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

Few things we need to understand…

– There will be people, but not truly see and understand what Jesus is talking about.

– They will be amazed at the signs and wonders of Jesus, however there will be no change in them as they don’t understand the purpose.

This parable contained instruction so important, that all capable of hearing were bound to attend to it. There are many things we are concerned to know; and if we understand not the plain truths of the gospel, how shall we learn those more difficult! It will help us to value the privileges we enjoy as disciples of Christ, if we seriously consider the deplorable state of all who have not such privileges. In the great field of the church, the word of God is dispensed to all. Of the many that hear the word of the gospel, but few receive it, so as to bring forth fruit. Many are much affected with the word for the present, who yet receive no abiding benefit. The word does not leave abiding impressions upon the minds of men, because their hearts are not duly disposed to receive it. The devil is very busy about careless hearers, as the fowls of the air go about the seed that lies above ground. Many continue in a barren, false profession, and go down to hell. Impressions that are not deep, will not last. Many do not mind heart-work, without which religion is nothing. Others are hindered from profiting by the word of God, by abundance of the world. And those who have but little of the world, may yet be ruined by indulging the body. God expects and requires fruit from those who enjoy the gospel, a temper of mind and Christian graces daily exercised, Christian duties duly performed. Let us look to the Lord, that by his new-creating grace our hearts may become good ground, and that the good seed of the word may produce in our lives those good words and works which are through Jesus Christ, to the praise and glory of God the Father.

The seed is the word of God!

The sower sows the word.

Word of God is a divine thing that fills our spirit and soul. If you need spiritual harvest, you need to pray in Spirit of God.

Enemy knows that seed will take time to germinate in someone’s heart, so he will tey his best to make sure that seed is pulled out before it germinates. In order to stop this, we need to continue to seek God’s presence through His word.

If You do not understand the word of God, enemy will take it away.

According to Jesus, whenever the sower was sowing the seed, the enemy was present right there to steal.

There are two things that enemy will use to take the word of God away from your life.

In the book of Genesis, Chapter 3, we will notice that enemy was present to craft his plots.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.”

You note here, enemy puts a doubt in your mind like he did with Eve, by telling her “You will not surely die.”

Not just enemy here is putting a doubt, but also twisting the word of God.

A good example is Job, where his friends comes to sow seeds of doubts in his heart against God, but Job said, “It doesn’t matter because I will see my savior”. He didn’t let the enemy take God’s blessing from him and God blessed him abundantly.

Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Another steong tool of enemy is the prosperity gospel. Due to which we have seen many examples in the history where people have become doubters of the word of God, since their foundation of spiritual life is laid by the prosperity gospel.

Not just the doubters of word, there have been people who tried to attack the very idea if Christian faith, however they were either transformed or they failed. Here are few examples:

– Gilbert West tried to disprove Christ’s resurrection, but ended up writing “Observations on the History and Evidences of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

– Lew Lewis set to disprove Christianity, ended up writing Ben-Hur.

– Frank Morrison se out to disprove Christianity and resurrection, ended up writing”Who moved the stone?”

There are similar numerous lies by enemy such as humans came from apes via evolution, earth came as a result of big bang theory etc.

There are different kinds of distraction…

– Sometimes we feel sleepy.

– Sometimes we start getting different thoughts in our mind. Our body is in the Church, but mind is somewhere else.

– We are more interested in social media than the word of God.

– Netflix’ never ending supply of entertainment.

– There was a time when 2G was sufficient, biw 4G has become insufficient.

Faith comes by hearing, by hearing the word of God. But satan will try to distract you by various means.

Do not allow enemy immediately! Because when enemy takes the word from you, you are spiritually dead. Enemy will take the seed and fly away and you will be left empty handed.

Remember Church, this is the year of abundant harvest and You do not allow enemy to take away the word of God from you.

Do not be fooled by enemy’s wicked thoughts. Read the word of God and not just that, you also have to implement the word of God in your life.

Church, we hope you are encouraged with today’s word. We look forward to see you again next Sunday.