Michael continues and explains that in the parable of the Sower, the Sower went forth to sow
the seed. The seed is the word of God. The seed falls on four types of
ground. Each type of soil represents the four categories of people according to
their heart's response when they hear the Word. Some of the seed fell on the
hard packed path. This type of ground represents people who have hardened
their hearts so that the seed of the Word of God cannot penetrate. They
cannot receive the truth of the gospel of Salvation.
The second response to the
seed of the gospel is represented by the stony ground. These are people
who hear the gospel and with joy they receive the Word. However, because they
have no depth of soil in their heart, when the sun comes up the seedling
withers and dies. These people fade away when persecution and troubles
arise. The third type of soil receives the seed but then the weeds and
thorns grow up and choke the seedling. The weeds are the cares of the world and
the deceitfulness of riches (aka idols). These people have a heart of flesh for
self-centered desires and not a heart for the things of the spirit. Jesus
said, “if you love the world, the love of
the Father is not in you.” To turn away from sin, we must forsake the God-rejecting
world system and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance means to make a
u-turn from myself and unto the Lord.
The fourth category is those
who know that they know Jesus is Lord. According to 1 John 5:11-14, “And this is the record, that God has given
to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that has the Son has
life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life. These things have I
written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know
that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of
God. And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing
according to His will, He hears us.”
Many people have false
security, thinking they're saved but they're really not saved. Salvation
is on His terms, not ours. Salvation is defined as: the act of saving; preservation from destruction, danger or great
calamity. Appropriately in theology, Remission of sins, or saving graces of God
for the redemption of man from the bondage of sin and liability to eternal
death, and the conferring on him everlasting happiness. This is the great
salvation. Salvation means to subject my will to His will. It means to make
Jesus Christ my Lord. Lord means owner. 1 Corinthians 6:20 explains, “For you were bought at
a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are
God’s. We're no longer our own.
According to Romans
6:16, “Do you not know
that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s
slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of
obedience leading to righteousness?”
Without Jesus Christ we are
slaves to sin. Not that we don’t sin plenty on our own, but we also inherited
our sin nature from Adam's original sin and the wages of sin is
death. We're without God and without hope unless we accept the Savior of
the world, Jesus Christ, who takes away our sin. It's not sin that keeps us
from salvation, but rather rejection of the Savior, who takes our the sins upon
Himself for our redemption. The devil's best-kept secret in the church
today is that “it's not about us; it's all about Him”. It's none of me and
all of Thee Lord Jesus.
Let's conclude Michael's message on receiving the gospel in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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