Soft
Ground
Matthew 13:19-23
Before the reformation, the written word was rare.
Few could read and fewer had bibles. Even today, many people are not allowed to
have bibles, so people hold onto every word and write it down secretly.
In our society, we have an abundance of religious
freedom and a plethora of bible sermons and commentaries as well as translated bibles.
In Matthew 13 we read about the sower and the
four types of soil which the seed lands or the types of people who hear the word.
Matthew 13:19 ESV
[19] When anyone hears the word of the kingdom
and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown
in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.
Matthew 13:20-21 ESV
[20] As for what was sown on rocky ground, this
is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, [21] yet he
has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution
arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.
Matthew 13:22 ESV
[22] As for what was sown among thorns, this is
the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of
riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
Matthew 13:23 ESV
[23] As for what was sown on good soil, this is
the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields,
in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
In order to avoid the bad soil, we need to do
the opposite of what prevents the word from taking root and growth. We must put
God first in every situation and praise him no matter what. We need to remove the
desires of this world
Also, we need to sow seeds and be like sower.
In fact, Jesus has ordered us to do this.
Matthew 13:23 ESV
[23] As for what was sown on good soil, this is
the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields,
in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
God softens the
ground, fertilizes the ground and removes the rocks so that the plants will grow
from the seeds. We do this by loving the people who we share the gospel with. This
is the same way that God softened our hearts.
