Seeing the deeper layer in one of Jesus' parables

[Sharpened]

This is not mine, but another confirmation He has been leading me down the narrow path.

3 Characteristics Every Believer MUST HAVE: A Powerful Look at JESUS' Parable

The other day while meditating on The Word of GOD, I came to an incredibly deep revelation that helped me unlock one of JESUS' parables. This may seem like a simple parable, but it is MUCH deeper that it appears. I urge you to read through this study, as this will show 3 characteristics that every believer must obtain. It will show you what type of fruit is not just 30 or 60 fold, but 100 fold.

You have most likely read this parable:
Matthew 13:3-9
Quote:
Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Here Jesus gives us the basic interpretation:
Matthew 13:18-23
Quote:
“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
When we read this scripture, we see what Jesus said will HINDER his word from making fruit. More importantly, what do we need to MANIFEST the fruit of His word in our lives?

I believe the HOLY SPIRIT helped me understand that it can be broken into 3 categories that JESUS discreetly displayed in the parable above.

1) HAVING SPIRITUAL EYES TO UNDERSTAND THE WORD OF GOD
Quote:
"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside."
(Matthew 13:19)

It is clear here that without UNDERSTANDING, the devil will take away the true meaning of scripture. So what does Jesus warn us beforehand to obtain? UNDERSTANDING OF HIS WORD. Without truly having spiritual eyes opened to understand the words of Jesus people will fall away. They will give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons. They will fall victim to false gospels or false forms of the eternal gospel such as believing sin is okay, GOD wants you to store up treasures in this life (prosperity gospel), other religions like muslims etc go to heaven, or other various new age or deceitful falsehoods.

What is the solution? Eat up GOD's word like food and water. Diligently seek GOD to unlock the true meaning of scripture through prayer, reading the word and even fasting.

2) HAVING THE ABILITY TO ENDURE HARDSHIP
Quote:
"But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles."
(Matthew 13:20-21)

We see clearly here another reason why the word of GOD did not manifest lasting fruit. The problem is not that they did not understand the word, the problem was that they DID NOT HAVE ENDURANCE. Jesus did not say that this person did not understand. He said he "endures only for a while." Jesus makes it clear here, a major reason people fall away is BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO ENDURE HARDSHIP. We can understand GOD's word clearly, but if we cannot endure persecution, hardship and tribulation... we will fall away and not bring forth the fruit of His Word like we should. Suffering is a PROMISE that Jesus gave to every true believer. His wrongful suffering has set us an example to endure hardship when we are innocent (love and bless those who do wrong to us). If we were ever in the face of horrible persecution and told "denounce your faith in CHRIST or we will brutally kill you," and we denounced our faith in the LORD, JESUS would have to deny us before the Heavenly Father.

What is the solution? WE MUST LEARN TO MASTER ENDURANCE. Let me say from experience being hit, spat on, mocked and threatened with death that regardless of what you say, you truly do not know how you will react in the face of fear and death. Look at Peters example when he PROMISED Jesus he would go with Him even to death. Jesus told us not to keep promises because we don't have it in our ability to always keep them. Peter ended up not keeping his promise and repented. The ONLY way to be able to endure is to learn that this is what CHRIST had to endure. Endurance is something we all must seek from GOD, for ONLY by His SPIRIT will we be able to endure the most vicious attacks from the enemy. To be able to endure, you also must have a SOLID foundation of understanding of what Christ told to His believers: TAKE UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOW HIM. LEARN TO TAKE HUMILITY, SHAME AND DISHONOR FOR THE SAKE OF CHRIST. FEAR GOD, AND NOT WHAT MAN CAN DO TO YOUR BODY. In addition to enduring hardship for the sake of CHRIST, we must also be prepared to endure harsh outer conditions. Jesus at times had no where to even lay His head. Paul the apostle at times was dressed in rags, endured cold nights, was physically a dead man walking, endured hunger and thirst in ADDITION to being put to public shame, ridicule and torment for the sake of CHRIST. This is the essence of what Christ meant when He said we cannot be His disciple if we cannot TAKE UP OUR CROSS AND FOLLOW HIM.

 

[Sharpened]

3) BEING SELFLESS ENOUGH TO FORSAKE EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE
Quote:
"Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful."
(Matthew 13:22)

Jesus makes it clear that the riches and cares of this world are one of the 3 major hindrances to manifesting the Word of GOD in our lives. In other passages of scripture Jesus makes it clear that the love of the world or the things in the world is ENMITY with GOD. Jesus says in parts of scripture that if we even put our families, wife, house, land or anything above GOD we cannot be His disciple. To become His disciple we must be willing to forsake ALL. This is no understatement. You have to be willing to give up your ego, pride, fears of what others think, dearest possessions and family members if GOD calls you too. To make it simple, you must love GOD so much that you would give up everything in your entire life to serve HIM. You must love GOD so much that you would with gladness drop EVERYTHING in your life to go, do or obey whatsoever He commands you in HIS WORD or in personal direction or council. If GOD says something in HIS word or commands you personally, and you are not willing to submit because of your own selfish desires, fears of what others will think, fears of losing possessions or wealth etc YOU CANNOT BE HIS DISCIPLE and WILL END UP FALLING AWAY, NOT BRINGING ANY FRUITFUL MANIFESTATIONS OF HIS WORD.

What is the solution? The solution is simple; Love GOD more than even your own life. Love others more than yourself. Learn to live a sacrificial life like JESUS did and give up anything HE says too. LOVE GOD so much that you would be willing to die for Him and sacrifice (give up) everything and anything for HIS NAMES SAKE, including your personal image of yourself or what you think you should be.

There you have it; a secret from the parable unlocked. Without Spiritual understanding of GOD's word, the ability to endure hardship, or being selfless enough to forsake everything for Christ... we will fall away and His word will not manifest true fruits in our lives like it should. If we cannot obtain these 3 things we will most likely fall away and end up in Hell.

THE LAST PART OF THE PARABLE MAY NOW BECOME CLEAR:

Quote:
But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
(Matthew 13:23)

If you want to have good soil in your heart to yield good crops for the LORD 100fold, you must demonstrate:
1) True spiritual understanding and ability to understand Jesus' word.
2) The ability to endure hardship for Jesus patiently
3) The ability to be selfless enough to give up everything for Him

Here is another hint that Jesus gave:
Quote:
For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
(Matthew 13:12-13)

Jesus says that those who "have" will be given more. If you seek GOD diligently searching for understanding He will give you more. If you first gain understanding then you will learn we must be selfless. If you then are able to demonstrate selflessness and an ability to follow CHRIST regardless of the circumstances, then you will learn endurance. We must learn to master all 3 areas, that the Word of God will manifest 100fold fruit in our lives... not just 30fold. Lets face it guys. We are all found lacking in these areas. These areas are the entire essence of becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ and of what "bearing our cross" really means. Pentecost did not come until after the Cross. In other words, if we want to see GOD's SPIRIT move powerfully in our lives, we must bear the brunt of the cross.

Let us seek these things like fine jewels, that we may be arrayed with white robes and unashamed at the coming of our LORD, for the day is nearer than EVER before!

I pray that this study has blessed you in your walk.

GOD Bless you

Your brother in CHRIST,
David

 

[Laela]

This really is good food!

 

[Sharpened]

This really is good food!

I know! I love this stuff and I'm still chewing...LOL!

 

[Sharpened]

Here is another one, but more piercing:

Jesus Explained The Most Important Parable

February 9, 2011
by Pete


What you don’t know might just destroy you.

Mark 4:13 - Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?​

Jesus spoke these words to His followers right after speaking the Parable of the Sower, also known as the Parable of the Word to the great crowds and multitudes of people. There is a profound message in this parable that is written in simple metaphoric language. If you don’t truly understand the Parable of the Sower, Jesus said you will not be able to understand all the other parables that are in the Holy Scriptures. So my friends, it is terribly important therefore that this parable be understood in its fullest meaning. The church today by and large does not understand this parable and they are blind as bats to the rest of them also. The deceived fallen away church does not know the living God. They are ever learning but never able to come to knowledge of the truth.



What this parable is really about is something the fallen church does not want to talk about. It is a taboo topic and you will know why at the end of this post. The key takeaways of this parable are all about our enemy, the powers of darkness and how they would wage war against the brethren to steal and pervert the WORD of God from our hearts. The powers of darkness have been astonishingly successful in keeping the people of God with hardened hearts and filled with spiritual blindness. Perhaps some escaping to the true light will read this and know they are on the right path out of Babylon and onto the narrow Highway of Holiness. I pray your eyes will be opened. If a Christian lets the powers of darkness steal the WORD out of their heart, they will have no light and will not know the way that leads to righteousness.

Psalm 119 - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path


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This parable and the interpretation Jesus gave privately to His followers is provided below. Please realize that Jesus gave the understanding ONLY to His followers, the multitudes did not get the understanding. It works the same way today. If you love God with all your heart, He will reveal the Scriptures to you. If you walk in rebellion to God and His covenant, you will not understand and you will not be given eyes to see or ears to hear.

Mark 4:10-12 As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables (and will be BLIND)…​

You see, only God’s Disciples that are IN COVENANT with Him will be given the mysteries of the Kingdom. Everyone else is on the outside. Jesus continued…

SO THAT WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN.​

Now maybe one can truly grasp the importance of knowing Christ, hearing His voice and truly being Born Again of a repentant heart. When the church focuses on Bible Studies, buildings and boasts in membership counts and sows a corrupted seed that cuts out us having to go to the cross with Jesus — true disciples are not made and there will be NO UNDERSTANDING of the mysteries and truth of God’s Word.

The Parable of the Word


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Mark 4:4 – “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
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The WORD is sown to those standing near the road (v14), this road being the Highway to Holiness. The WORD leads the people of God to get onto this road; the lies will lead you away. The cross is the way. When the people hear this WORD, Satan IMMEDIATELY comes and takes the WORD away that has been sown into the hearts of the people. It hasn’t changed!

Mark 4:15 - These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.


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So we see here, the birds are the powers of darkness which encompasses Satan and his demons; a mighty army that accomplishes the purposes of the Lord Jesus Christ. The congregations in the Babylon churches are famished. The WORD that feeds their souls has been stolen and instead they are fed bad bread that points them to a false Jesus which is really the image of the beast. There is great spiritual famine in the land in these last days. The seed of truth is being stolen.

Mark 4:5-6 Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.​

Other people receive the WORD but have not firm root in their heart. They have not really turned to the Lord, they wanted to simply add Jesus and stay in the world. Their hearts remain rocky and hardened. When the trials and tribulations come, they resort to their flesh and do not trust in the Lord. Their faith is phony.

Mark 4:16-17 - In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.​

Here we see two of Satan’s schemes to bring the furnace of fire (testing and heat) to God’s people to steal the WORD out of their heart. The Powers of Darkness bring affliction (sickness, disease) and persecution (mocking, scoffing, and ridicule). These trials foster unbelief in the hearts of professing Christians who deep down doubt God and His promises to heal them and protect them. They do not understand the war; they are in and are easily deceived and shaken off the Rock Eternal. Without a firm root, when these trials come, people will shrink back from the WORD and will ultimately be destroyed by the enemy, unless they repent with their whole heart.

 

[Sharpened]

Hebrews 10:38 - BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.


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Luke’s version of this Parable says those with the rocky hearts “believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away”. There is no Once Saved Always Saved; we must endure all the way to end, otherwise you will shrink back and BE DESTROYED BY THE DESTROYERS.

Mark 4:7 – Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
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Other people receive the WORD but then like Lot’s wife, they turn their hearts back into the world. They worry about the same things the world worries about, they are deceived by a lust for money and they are consumed with covetousness. Like the Israelites in the wilderness, they want to return to Egypt in their hearts.

Mark 4:18-19 - And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.


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So here are three more of Satan’s schemes to add to the prior two. If anyone turns their hearts to pursue these worldly and fleshly lusts, they become an enemy of the Lord. God will send His chosen instruments of righteous judgment, the powers of darkness, to bring judgment and turn the hearts of the people back to Him. That is a god kind of love that those in Babylon cannot comprehend. Yet the church teaches lies such as OSAS that keeps the people in ignorance and in bondage to the enemy.

James 4:4 - do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God​

The WORD of GOD can only take root and bear fruit where there is good soil that has been properly prepared. Our hearts are the land spoken of in Scripture. Good soil is fertile, it is fallow land, it has been tilled and the rocks removed by true sincere repentance. If one does not repent, their hearts remain hardened and as we saw above, the WORD will not take root and be able to stand the trials and tribulations brought by the powers of darkness. But of course true repentance and the fleshly suffering that will result are not taught in Babylon.

Mark 4:8 – Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”​

When we get this WORD into our hearts of fertile soil, we will yield a good and bountiful crop. The WORD of God will not fail. The fruits will be evident and the true brethren will be multiplied by sowing good seed in turn into the world and where God has prepared someone’s heart, they will receive this WORD and Jesus will give the increase and build His Church just the way He said He would. That is true discipleship as workers in God’s field. The parable ends with a warning and a consequence about what we do with this WORD that has been sown into our hearts.

Mark 4:24-25 Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. “For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”​

The real underlying message of this parable is the workings of our enemy that comes to kill, steal and destroy the WORD of God and our souls. This enemy has kept the professing church “in the world” and not set apart as a peculiar people. The enemy lies coming from most pulpits say we can serve two masters and don’t need to go to the cross and DIE. The devil has stolen and perverted the truth. Many souls have perished and God’s people continue to be destroyed. I pray more of you will wake up to this great apostasy and repent and go tell your neighbors. The teachers in Babylon are feeding off the sin of the people. They are doing violence to the truth and replacing the good seed of God with a seed from their master the powers of darkness.

Hosea 4:6 - My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge because you have rejected knowledge. There is no fear of God in the land!


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I hope it is becoming obvious to those with eyes to see and ears to hear that the reason the Babylon Churches don’t teach about what this parable is really speaking about is because these very churches are infested with demons and controlled by the powers of darkness. Yes, that is right I am sorry to say, but God said it. The angel cries out with a mighty voice…

Revelation 18:2 – Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird​

These are the same birds spoken about in the Parable of the Sower that come and eat up the true WORD that is sown. The thief has come to kill, steal and destroy the WORD OF GOD and has done it right under the nose of the church.


This is the war that has raged in the background that most professing Christians have zero awareness about and have not been taught how to fight. They have not put on the Lord Jesus Christ with HIS WEAPONS and outside of saying some words with their lips, have not the power of the Holy Spirit working in them to fight this battle. They have been overcome by deceit and the God Sent deluding influence of the demons who have captured their hearts with a false gospel and the traditions of men. Oh how great the apostasy.

2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness​

WAKE UP MY BROTHERS & SISTERS. UNDERSTAND THIS PARABLE SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THE REST OF THEM.


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The spirit of the Satan is working in the sons of disobedience today yet the church does not even acknowledge the basic tenants of this most important parable. They have no eyes to see it. I have spoken the truth of God’s WORD in this post. If you are offended by this truth, I ask that you prayerfully consider what spirit is arousing your offense? I say this out of love because all of us have been there my friend at one time. But then the Lord in His mercy and grace came and opened our eyes. He chose us and has called us for His purposes. Jesus can set you free from the birds and get the seed planted deep into your heart. But you must seek deliverance from a problem that you need to admit is a problem. Cry out to Him in repentance and you shall be delivered. I hope you are beginning to understand some things. You do not want to be in the majority crowd of “Many” that Jesus said would not have a clue and would become victims.

Matthew 24:39 - and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be


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May God Bless You Richly!