Tag Archives: Parable of the Sower

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What Does Offense Have to Do with Living a Fruitful Life?

The Parable of the Sower

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Jesus gives us the essential reason why we must have our roots in Mark 4:17. The King James uses the word ‘offended’ which means to fall. Jesus is saying, ‘Make sure you allow God’s Word and God’s love to be rooted in you or you will fall away when the enemy sends affliction and persecution your way. People who are rooted in love endure. They endure persecution and affliction. They understand it is for the Word’s sake.

This is part 7 of the Series “The Parable of the Sower?” You can find Part 1 ‘What Is the Parable of the Sower [Podcast]’ here, Part 2 ‘How Important is Understanding Jesus Parables?‘ here, Part 3 ‘What Are Fruitful and Unfruitful Places with God?’ here, Part 4 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Wayside Ground?‘, Part 5 ‘How Can You Become a Man of Understanding?’ here‘, Part 6 ‘How Meditating the Word Makes You Sharp in the Things of God’ and Part 7 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Stony Ground?’
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In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Stony Ground?

The Parable of the Sower

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John Bunyan, that great Puritan soul said these words. “If you would be rid of a hard heart, that great enemy to the growth of the grace of fear, be much with Christ upon the cross in your meditations, for that is an excellent remedy against hardness of heart. A right sight of him, as he hanged there for your sins, will dissolve your heart into tears, and make it soft and tender” 1. Stony ground is the term Jesus used in the Parable of the Sower to describe a hard heart which won’t produce a harvest. What does Jesus say about how we can avoid it?

This is part 6 of the Series “The Parable of the Sower?” You can find Part 1 ‘What Is the Parable of the Sower [Podcast]’ here, Part 2 ‘How Important is Understanding Jesus Parables?‘ here, Part 3 ‘What Are Fruitful and Unfruitful Places with God?’ here, Part 4 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Wayside Ground?‘, Part 5 ‘How Can You Become a Man of Understanding?’ here‘, and Part 6 ‘How Meditating the Word Makes You Sharp in the Things of God’.
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How Meditating the Word Makes You Sharp in the Things of God

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“The end of study is information, and the end of meditation is practice, or a work upon the affections. Study is like a winter sun that shines but does not warm, but meditation is like blowing up the fire, where we do not mind the blaze but the heat” 1. So says English Puritan Thomas Manton. Studying a Bible verse is different than meditating on it. Jesus proved this out in His own life. And you can prove it out in yours.

This is part 6 of the Series “The Parable of the Sower?” You can find Part 1 ‘What Is the Parable of the Sower [Podcast]’ here, Part 2 ‘How Important is Understanding Jesus Parables?‘ here, Part 3 ‘What Are Fruitful and Unfruitful Places with God?’ here, Part 4 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Wayside Ground?‘, Part 5 ‘How Can You Become a Man of Understanding?’ here‘.
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How Can You Become a Man of Understanding?

The Parable of the Sower

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D.L. Moody said these words on the subject of understanding. “It makes all the difference in the world how we look upon God. Some people fear God, but when they understand that He is their Father, that fear is gone.” 1. How we are to look upon God and God’s Word is laid out for us in the pages of the Bible. You can become a man of understanding.

This is part 5 of the Series “The Parable of the Sower?” You can find Part 1 ‘What Is the Parable of the Sower [Podcast]’ here, Part 2 ‘How Important is Understanding Jesus Parables?‘ here, Part 3 ‘What Are Fruitful and Unfruitful Places with God?’ here, Part 4 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Wayside Ground?‘.
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In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Wayside Ground?

The Parable of the Sower

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In last week’s blog, we took a look at what a parable was and what the disciples understanding of Jesus message was. In this week’s podcast, we are going to begin to look at the different types of unfruitful ground so that we might learn and align ourselves with God’s plan for our life. Jesus mentioned three types of unfruitful ground; Wayside Ground, Stony Ground, and Thorny Ground. Let’s take a look today at the first type of ground, wayside ground.

This is part 4 of the Series “The Parable of the Sower?” You can find Part 1 ‘What Is the Parable of the Sower?’ here, Part 2 ‘How Important is Understanding Jesus Parables?‘ here, Part 3 ‘What Are Fruitful and Unfruitful Places with God?’
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What Are Fruitful and Unfruitful Places with God?

The Parable of the Sower

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A rich man said to his minister, “Why is it everyone is always criticizing me for being miserly, when everyone knows that I have made provision to leave everything I possess to charity when I die?”
“Well,” said the minister, “let me tell you about the pig and the cow. The pig was lamenting to the cow one day about how unpopular he was. “People are always talking about your gentleness and your kindness,” said the pig. “You give milk and cream, but I give even more. I give bacon and ham—I give bristles and they even pickle my feet! Still no one likes me. I’m just a pig. Why is this?” The cow thought a minute, and then said: “Well, maybe it’s because I give while I’m still living.”  1. Our desire as believers is to be rich in fruit and good works while we are alive. The Parable of the Sower gives us insights into the realm of fruitfulness showing us exactly how we come to this.

This is part 3 of the Series “The Parable of the Sower?” You can find Part 1 ‘What Is the Parable of the Sower [Podcast]’ here; Part 2 ‘What Was the Disciples Understanding of Jesus Parables?‘ here.
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What Is The Parable of the Sower?

The Parable of the Sower

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Jesus was first and foremost a teacher anointed by the Spirit of God. One of Jesus teaching methods was the use of parables. In this new series, we will look at one of these parables, The Parable of the Sower. Does this parable apply to us in the church? If it does what powerful truths can we glean from it and how can we apply these truths in our everyday life.

This is part 1 of the Series “The Parable of the Sower?”
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Why Is the Root of Bitterness Lethal?

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“I hate humanity. I am allergic to it. I see no one. I don’t go out. I am disgusted with everything. Men are beasts, and even beasts don’t behave like them.” Those are the words of actress Brigitte Bardot, sex symbol of the 1950’s and 1960’s. In those years she made the headlines with her three marriages, a series of lovers, and “a sun-kissed life on the French Riviera.” She plans to quit the movie world and retire to a farm. 1 In a similar, fashion some have walked away from Jesus. They are disgusted and embittered souls. No one can afford the root of bitterness in their life. It is a lethal root which must be pulled up and out of a believer’s life.

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#S2-018: In the Parable of the Sower, What Are the Lust of Other Things? [Podcast]

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Radio personality Paul Harvey tells the story of how an Eskimo kills a wolf. The account is grisly, yet it offers fresh insight into the consuming, self-destructive nature of sin. First, the Eskimo coats his knife blade with animal blood and allows it to freeze. Then he adds another layer of blood, and another, until the blade is completely concealed by frozen blood. Next, the hunter fixes his knife in the ground with the blade up. When a wolf follows his sensitive nose to the source of the scent and discovers the bait, he licks it, tasting the fresh frozen blood. He begins to lick faster, more and more vigorously, lapping the blade until the keen edge is bare. Feverishly now, harder and harder the wolf licks the blade in the arctic night. So great becomes his craving for blood that the wolf does not notice the razor-sharp sting of the naked blade on his own tongue, nor does he recognize the instant at which his insatiable thirst is being satisfied by his OWN warm blood. His carnivorous appetite just craves more—until the dawn finds him dead in the snow! In this closing episode to the series ‘The Parable of the Sower’, we’ll talk about how to avoid the wolf’s lustful fate. 1

This is part 7 of the Series “The Parable of the Sower?” You can find Part 1 ‘What Is the Parable of the Sower [Podcast]’ here. Part 2 ‘How Important is Understanding Jesus Parables?’ here. Part 3 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Wayside Ground?’ here. Part 4 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Stony Ground? here,  Part 5 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, More of “What Is Stony Ground? here, Part 6 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, What is Thorny Ground? here and Part 7 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, What is the Deceitfulness of Riches’.

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#S2-017: In the Parable of the Sower, What Are the Deceitfulness of Riches? [Podcast]

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Happiness is not determined by wealth or fame but by character, says Billy Graham in his autobiography “Just as I Am.” He went on to say: “Ruth and I had a vivid illustration of this on an island in the Caribbean. One of the wealthiest men in the world asked us to come to his lavish home for lunch. He was 75 years old, and throughout the entire meal he seemed close to tears. “I am the most miserable man in the world,” he said. “Out there is my yacht. I can go anywhere I want to. I have my private plane, my helicopters. I have everything I want to make my life happy, yet I am as miserable as hell.” We prayed with him, trying to point him to Christ, who alone gives lasting meaning to life.” 1 The man Billy Graham described was caught up in the deceitfulness of riches. What is the deceitfulness of riches and how can you stay free from it?

This is part 7 of the Series “The Parable of the Sower?” You can find Part 1 ‘What Is the Parable of the Sower [Podcast]’ here. Part 2 ‘How Important is Understanding Jesus Parables?’ here. Part 3 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Wayside Ground?’ here. Part 4 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Stony Ground?,  Part 5 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, More of “What Is Stony Ground? , and Part 6 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, What is Thorny Ground? here.

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#S2-016: In the Parable of the Sower, What is Thorny Ground? [Podcast]

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The word “worry” is derived from an old Anglo-Saxon word meaning to strangle or to choke. How well-named the emotion it has been demonstrated again and again in persons who have lost their effectiveness due to the stultifying effect of anxiety and apprehension. A certain well-controlled carefreeness may well be an asset. Normal sensible concern is an important attribute of the mature person. But worry frustrates one’s best functioning. 1 In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus mentions three thorns which choke the Word in a believer’s life. One of these thorns is the sin of worrying.

This is part 6 of the Series “The Parable of the Sower?” You can find Part 1 ‘What Is the Parable of the Sower [Podcast]’ here. Part 2 ‘How Important is Understanding Jesus Parables?’ here. Part 3 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Wayside Ground?’ here. Part 4 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Stony Ground?, and Part 5 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, More of “What Is Stony Ground? here.

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#S2-015: In the Parable of the Sower, More of “What Is Stony Ground? [Podcast]

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In the previous podcast in this series entitled ‘In the Parable of the Sower, What is Wayside Ground’, we looked at the importance of understanding God’s Word and how to acquire it. In this week’s podcast we are going to look the next type of non-harvestable ground, stony ground.

This is part 5 of the Series “The Parable of the Sower?” You can find Part 1 ‘What Is the Parable of the Sower [Podcast]’ here. Part 2 ‘How Important is Understanding Jesus Parables?’ here. Part 3 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Wayside Ground?’ here and Part 4 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Stony Ground?

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Click to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in iTunes