129 - The Parable of the Four Types of Soil#
129 - The Parable of the Four Types of Soil
(JP Text Group - Organized by Grace Grass)
Luke 8:4-15
4 When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to Jesus, he said in a parable: 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.”
11 “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.”
Let us begin with a prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank You! We come together to celebrate a day of gratitude. Today is a special day to celebrate the abundant grace that Jesus has given us. As a new week begins, and a new month starts, we receive Your provision. You are our strength. We lay down any burdens we carry and give them to Jesus, for in You, we find the answers we need. Lord, we completely dedicate this time to You. Holy Spirit, lead us. We thank and praise You, in the name of our Lord Jesus, Amen!
Are you good soil? Yes. If you are not good soil, it’s okay; God has a way. Thank God!
The topic of sharing is: The Parable of the Four Types of Soil.
Jesus used parables to help us understand the kingdom of heaven. Can we clearly express the kingdom of heaven in our words? No, it is too beautiful to be fully described. We can only say that the kingdom of heaven is truly magnificent.
How great is God's love for you? We cannot describe it. Therefore, Jesus used many parables to help us understand God's love and what the kingdom of heaven is like, mentioning four types of soil. Is God's word good? Absolutely. Who is the sower? Jesus Christ is the sower, or we can say our Father in heaven is the sower. What is being sown? It is the word of God. The soil mentioned in this text refers to our individual hearts.
How does our heart respond to God?
He wants to give us the word, which will produce four different life outcomes. In the parable, Jesus often reminds people to think about these things. Parables are easier for people to understand. When I was young, I particularly enjoyed fairy tales, many of which used stories to illustrate real-life issues. Jesus uses parables to tell us how our hearts prepare for God's word and whether it can enter our hearts, as He wants to have a significant impact on our lives. The lessons contained in this parable are profound yet simple enough for children to understand.
It tells us that there is a sower who goes out to sow. Some seeds fall along the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and the last type falls into good soil. Amen! All are the word of God; the seed is not the problem; it is definitely good seed. But what determines whether the seed can sprout? The soil determines that. Hallelujah!
Brothers and sisters, is grace good? Yes, do all people want to receive it? God's word is good, but it does not mean everyone is willing to receive it. When Jesus preached, did everyone receive it? No!
There are still people who do not believe in Jesus and oppose Him. This means that the word of God itself is not the problem; the problem lies in the soil. Even if the seed is good, if it is placed on rocky ground, can it sprout? No. So do not let your heart become a heart of stone; let your heart become good soil. Hallelujah!
From the parable of the sower, we can see that the sower is our Jesus Christ. Jesus is preaching about the kingdom of heaven and its blessings. He is also sowing through the mouths and hands of His servants. Who are the sowers? Jesus and those who believe in Him. When you go out to preach the gospel, what are you doing? You are sowing, and the seed you sow is the word of the kingdom.
In Luke 8:11, it tells us, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.”
The word of God is indeed like a seed; it is alive. Would you sow seeds that have already been cooked? No, because they are dead and lifeless. The seed that God produces is alive and has life, so the seed that is sown must be a living seed. What do you need to share when you preach the gospel to others? You need to talk about Jesus.
Do not say, “Based on my experience, you should handle this matter this way.” It may have some effect, but your experience cannot save everyone; only the word of God—Jesus—can. When you share Jesus with people, His words are full of life. Hallelujah! He Himself is life. When you place this life into someone's heart, the soil changes, and the seed will surely sprout. Amen!
1 Peter 1:23 says, “You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.”
Brothers and sisters, many people complicate the concept of being born again.
Many even ask me, “Are you born again?”
I say, “Yes, I am!”
“Do you remember the date you were born again?”
“How could I remember that!”
“Then you weren’t born again.”
Have you heard such arguments? Brothers and sisters, have you seen that little child? If you ask him, “Do you know what day you were born?” he wouldn’t know. Does that mean he wasn’t born? Who remembers his birth date? His parents! This date is remembered by God. Amen!
“Do you know when you believed?” I don’t know. You might think you believed on the day you made a decision, but actually, you believed long before that decision; you just don’t remember when. So the date is not important; what matters is that you know you are a born-again person. Hallelujah!
What kind of method does a born-again person have? It says here, “You have been born again, not of perishable seed.” As mentioned earlier, the seed is the word of God. Being born again is not based on the devil's word; it relies on the word of Jesus Christ. Amen! His word is the imperishable seed. The moment you believe in Jesus, your life is reborn. Do not complicate this; do not make people uncertain about their salvation.
The seed is absolutely fine, but if there is only the seed, it is not enough; there must also be good soil to bear fruit. Here, “soil” refers to the human heart. The word of God is good, eternal life is good, but if people do not accept it, the seed cannot take effect in their hearts, their lives will not change, let alone bear fruit. Therefore, today we will share about the four types of soil, representing the life states of all people.
The first type: The seed by the roadside.
A sower went out to sow, and as he sowed, some fell along the path. Jesus used this parable to refer to something very common in the Palestinian region. In rural Palestine, there are many fields, and those who have farmed know that there are distinctions between fields; there may be a narrow path between yours and mine.
When sowing, it is very likely that some seeds will fall on the path, which is the seed that falls by the roadside. When it falls by the roadside, people will not pick it up; it may fall very little, and it is not fenced in or blocked by high walls. The seeds that fall by the roadside cannot enter the soil. Are there birds that come? Yes, the birds come and eat them all.
In Mark 4:15, Jesus says, “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.”
Who comes? Very timely! It says here that Satan immediately comes. Brothers and sisters, is it difficult for you to come here? Not everyone can walk into church on Sundays; many people have too many things going on. We will talk about this shortly. You also need to pay attention to one thing: do not let today’s word fall by the roadside.
For example, a person is sitting here but thinking: “What is my husband doing at home right now? Is he still online? What is my son doing at home? Is he not finished with his homework?” If you think like this, the word falls by the roadside. It has not entered you at all; it hasn’t gone in at all. You might remember that today you sang a song called: “Grace Has Come.” The devil “snatches” it away, taking that word from you. When you get home, you really see your husband online and your son hasn’t done any homework, and you get furious, forgetting the word you heard today.
What does this mean? We need to prepare our hearts to become good soil so that the word can enter you, and your family and life will change. Amen! Therefore, receiving is so important; do not become a roadside person, because the soil by the roadside is hard, so it cannot enter.
As mentioned earlier, the seed is the word of God. Those by the roadside are those who hear the word, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts. You have shared the gospel with many people, and at first, many say, “Believing in Jesus is great.” But then they turn around and do not believe. The devil pays special attention to those who hear the word; he is very afraid of them. Once you understand, you sever your relationship with him.
If a person does not believe in Jesus, they remain in the devil's hands, and the devil can do whatever he wants with them; if he wants them to be depressed, they will be depressed; if he wants them to have insomnia, they will have insomnia. But one day someone tells them, “Come believe in Jesus; He can change your life.” This person thinks, “Yes, I want to believe in Jesus.” The devil pulls them back, making sure they do not believe in Jesus. This is the work of the devil.
In fact, there is always a spiritual battle going on. We are saving souls, while the devil is trying to pull them back. So brothers and sisters, remember, when you invite many people to hear the word, some say, “I want to go today,” but in the end, they cannot come because they are held back by the devil.
This means that the word you gave them has not yet entered them, has not produced any effect; that word may have fallen by the roadside. So what kind of people are those who fall by the roadside? Their hearts are hard. It mentions that because they did not listen, when the devil comes, he immediately comes; he does not linger, he comes immediately and takes away the word from their hearts. Please note that “immediately” means that the devil comes deliberately; it is not by chance that he encounters you; he has been watching you. If you have listened, he cannot do anything to you.
If you do not believe in God's word, and that word does not fall into your heart, I can assure you that as time passes, the sermons you have heard thousands of times will not stay in your heart; that word will be ineffective.
No matter how much you can listen in this hour, even if it is just one sentence, if you hear it and believe it, and when you go home, you firmly believe it, that word is what God has given you, and it can change your life this week. If you say today’s sermon was good, what was it about? You forget it; you remember nothing. That is being taken away.
Some people have listened to sermons for many years, but their lives have not changed. Where does the problem lie? Perhaps it is simply that the word has not entered their hearts. The more they listen, the more proud they become, even commenting on others' sermons. There are indeed too many such people. “You have said this many times; can you change to something fresh?” In the end, people become like this; their ears start to itch because they feel it is too simple.
Brothers and sisters, is God's word very simple? Simple enough to be applied in life, to have an effect on your life. Those who have had the word taken away by Satan are what kind of people? Unbelievers. There are two types of unbelievers: the first type does not believe in Jesus; they come to church and hear the word but do not believe in Jesus, so they are not saved. The second type does not believe in the words of Jesus; there is a phrase inside them that says, “I do not believe this verse in the Bible.” So such words can also be taken away by the devil.
Jesus uses this parable to describe the first type of person, the unbeliever. Because this seed fell by the roadside, such people think, “This is quite interesting; this sermon is quite novel; I have never heard of this in the world.” Falling by the roadside will have no effect on their lives; such people are unbelievers, the first type of person Jesus spoke of, because it did not enter them, did the devil come and eat it? No faith.
The second type is the shallow rocky ground.
Verse 6 tells us about the seed that fell on the rock. There may be some shallow soil on the rock. These people hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing, they fall away.
Brothers and sisters, I want to ask you, do you think this type of person is a believer or an unbeliever? Looking at the latter part, they immediately fall away. Do you know what is underneath them? Rock. Can a seed that falls on the rock survive? No. So this is very important, brothers and sisters.
It tells us that when people hear the word, they receive it with joy, but their hearts have no root. What does it mean to have no root? Is it faith or unbelief? Let me give you an example that perhaps you can understand.
In the past, I had a friend who preached the gospel to his boss for a long time. His boss said, “Okay, today I will go to church with you. The Jesus you told me about is quite good; I am willing to believe with you.” The boss then went to church with the sister. After listening, the boss said, “This is great; believing in Jesus is truly wonderful; I want to believe in Jesus.”
Then what happened the next week? He owned a factory, and the next day when the employees came to work, his company had a dog that bit one of the employees. This dog had never bitten anyone in many years, but that week it bit his employee, and the boss had to pay a lot of money.
And it was not just one incident. The next day, there was a fire in the company, causing significant losses. The boss’s wife also caused trouble for him that week. By the following week, the sister said to her boss, “Boss, come to church with me.” The boss replied, “I can’t go; Jesus is too scary.”
Did the word enter him? It did enter him; he indeed felt that believing in Jesus was wonderful at that moment. He received it with joy, but when he encountered those difficulties the following week, he thought all of this was caused by Jesus, so he stopped believing. Such faith is merely intellectual agreement, not true faith. Amen!
Many people’s acknowledgment of Jesus is merely intellectual acknowledgment. Many theologians study Jesus’s life but do not believe in Him. Did the Pharisees in the Bible believe in Jesus? No. When the true Lord stood before them, they rejected Him. It is not that they did not know; they already knew that the future Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. They knew what He was like; they only had intellectual agreement and acknowledgment, saying, “I know you are like a prophet, but I do not accept you.” This is merely intellectual agreement, not true faith. There are indeed many such people. So such people are very unfortunate; they have a layer of soil above but underneath is rocky ground. This rock must be removed. If it is not removed, it tells us that when the sun comes out, they wither.
What does the “sun” refer to? It refers to when they encounter difficulties and problems; true faith will emerge. I have often told brothers and sisters that true faith is revealed when you fall and are weak, when you encounter circumstances, the true state of your faith will be revealed, right? It is not just saying you believe; not everyone who comes to church is saved. Can you understand this? Truly accepting Jesus as your Savior, regardless of the environment, they hold fast to the Lord they believe in; that is true belief. Hallelujah!
Those on shallow rocky ground are people whose hearts have no root. They only pursue outward behavior but lack inner life. The hypocritical Pharisees are exactly such a group of people. They particularly pursue outward behavior; they want to do this and that, but it is all done in front of people. They do not do it before God and do not truly believe. What does Jesus say about them? These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They may do well on the surface, but inside they do not truly believe; it is merely intellectual agreement. These are very frightening people.
So when the sun comes out, it is when they encounter persecution and difficulties; the first thing they deny is their faith. These people initially received the Lord’s word with joy, so it is unfortunate that they have that stubborn rock underneath. If it is not removed, they cannot truly accept Jesus. Amen! Let’s talk about the deeper meaning. In fact, “rock” in the Bible can also symbolize the law. Many people live under the law; for example, how do Jews get saved? Is it by the law? They strive to pursue the law and obey it to be saved.
Many around us tell us, “You must strive to enter the kingdom of heaven!” Recently, we were discussing this issue, “You must strive to enter the kingdom of heaven!” Even some preachers say, “I am still striving to enter the kingdom of heaven! When I die, I might enter the kingdom of heaven; let alone you!” When they say this, everyone below feels hopeless. They are buried under the heavy stone of the law. If the law is not removed, people cannot become good soil. Amen!
Removing the rock is so important! Because if the Jews do not remove that rock, they cannot accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen! You are blessed; Jesus has fulfilled the law for us. He has fulfilled the law and brought us into His rich soil. Hallelujah! If there are still people around you holding onto the law, telling you that you must strive to keep the law to be saved, you need to tell them that it is time to remove that rock, time to remove the law. Amen!
The third type is thorny ground.
As mentioned earlier, the second type is intellectual agreement but does not have true faith. The third type is thorny ground. The seeds that fell among thorns grew up with the thorns and were choked. What does Jesus explain?
Verse 14 states, “And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.”
Let me ask you, do you think this third type of soil is believing or not believing? It is indeed believing. The first two types are unbelieving, while the latter two are believing, but among the believers, there will also be different life states. Those who believe in Jesus will have two different types of life. Jesus tells us in John 10, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Amen! This means that among those who believe in Jesus, there will be two different types of life. One type merely receives life, while the other receives abundant life.
What is the difference between abundant life and the previous life? The life is abundant; this person is filled with joy and can respond to everything with faith. But the other type, as mentioned earlier, “fell among thorns.” This person has heard the word, has believed, but in the process of believing, there are worries and battles within.
Let’s take a look at the thorny ground. You may not know what “thorns” refer to here. In Israel, there are many desert areas, and thorns are quite large, growing underneath. When thorns grow up, even if you cut off the upper part, the roots remain, and the thorns will grow back quickly.
In the Garden of Eden, how beautiful was the world God created! Was there any thorn at that time? No. But later, the land was cursed because of Adam’s sin. When Adam sinned, the land was cursed, and thorns and thistles grew. Farmers must find ways to remove thorns and weeds, which grow faster than crops.
This has a spiritual meaning; whether one can believe the word of God is extremely important. When the word comes, our first reaction is, “Lord, this seems impossible!” For example, when Moses brought the Israelites to the Red Sea, with the enemy behind and the Red Sea in front, there was no way out.
God said to Moses, “What is in your hand? Why do you cry to me?”
Why did he cry to God? Because he felt there was no way out! What can I do? What was God’s method? “Stretch out your staff over the sea, and the sea will part!” If God told you this, what would your first reaction be? “Is that possible?” “Can it be done?”
If you were Joshua, and God said, “Command your priests to carry the Ark of the Covenant into the Jordan River; just walk across, and I will make it part.” Would you make that decision? Would you think, “What if the waters do not part, and we all drown? What if the Ark falls into the river?” Would you have such thoughts? Do not say you wouldn’t. If you wouldn’t, your life would absolutely be like Jesus.
Usually, when circumstances arise, on one hand, God’s word says this, and on the other hand, the circumstances are overwhelming. “Lord, this seems a bit impossible!” We begin to measure God’s word with our own thoughts; this is the worry of this life. We feel we are smarter than God and start to judge, “No, let’s set God’s word aside for now.”
Brothers and sisters, today is a special day; it is a day to receive provision. You spend six days in the world, hearing too many negative things. Why come to gather? There are many places to hear the word; why come together? Because during the gathering, you can feel God’s presence. I am talking about feeling, not saying, “I know God is with me, so I…” That is wrong. God is always with you, but here, you can feel His presence because His word is supplying you. In this process, you are not only listening to God’s word but also enjoying rest.
Why can’t people come? It is simple; they have things on their minds, worries in their hearts, and cannot let go, so they cannot come. This is the worry of this life. “Those doing business in the market, would they want to take an afternoon off? They do not want to rest; they are afraid to rest. Why do you dare to come here? Because you believe God is my provision. They do not dare to believe.
In verse 9, there is a passage that explains, “The disciples asked him, ‘What does this parable mean?’ Jesus said, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’” In other places, it also tells us, “Lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn, so that I should heal them.”
You might wonder why Jesus seems so biased. Is He afraid they will hear, understand, and be healed? Is that so? Have you read many such verses and not understood? “Jesus said, ‘Let them hear and not understand, see and not perceive, lest they should understand and turn, so that I should heal them.’”
“Lest” in Chinese is translated as “恐怕，” which misleads many people. The original text is “or,” which is a choice. You either understand, and God will let you understand. Amen! Or if you understand, God can heal you; the fear is that you do not want to understand.
It is like saying, “Come to church with me! You will see that believing in God will never waste your time; you can also enjoy rest, and God will make up for the half day you missed.” The problem is, can people believe? No, they cannot, because they are afraid that if they go, the afternoon will be closed, and that family will definitely sell more than I do. You are measuring God’s word with your own thoughts; God is not like that. Amen!
What is God’s word? Every time God’s word goes out, there will definitely be results. It is impossible for God to say something and have no effect. We are receiving God’s word, and you must believe that when you receive it, it enters your heart, and when it comes out from you, it carries power. Hallelujah! Do not worry about this; God hopes that we can enjoy His blessings.
Those in thorny ground are believers, but they are entangled by thorns. How are they entangled? By the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, and worldly pleasures. When plants are choked by thorns, they cannot bear fruit because they cannot absorb nutrients and do not receive sunlight.
Let me ask you, after planting crops, when weeds also grow, after applying fertilizer, which absorbs more, the crops or the weeds? Weeds. Why is their life so strong? Have you thought about it? This is the state of a Christian's life; our hearts are the fields, and thorns and weeds grow in the fields. When God’s provision comes, the weeds absorb more. This means they take away what you should absorb. This is our life.
Why do we have at least one gathering time a week? Because it is too important; for six days, you are absorbing filthy things from the world. When you turn on the TV, read newspapers, or check WeChat, there are so many negative things. “Oh no, another plane has crashed today.” If you happen to be flying, and you see this news, how do you feel? “Please don’t crash.”
Is there worry? Because our eyes and ears, what we hear and see, are all these weedy things; everything we see is like this, and our lives are affected. When we come to church on Sunday, we need to clear out these things inside us. If we do not clear them out, the soil will not yield a harvest. Amen! Because weeds grow very quickly and will choke the crops.
Brothers and sisters, always remember that when negative things come, when God’s word is nearby, the first thing people accept is definitely the negative, because people’s thoughts tend to lean toward sin, toward the rational side. Because that seems more practical.
For example, taking an afternoon off for business seems more practical, right? It is much better than sitting here, hollowly listening to Jesus’s words. But from a spiritual perspective, blessings are given by God. Amen! If God does not give blessings, will staying there for an afternoon have any effect? It will not have any effect.
Even if you think hard all day, if it does not rain from heaven, what can you do? You might say, “I can divert water from elsewhere.” But what if that place has no water? What if the whole world does not rain for three years? Then there is no way. So if God does not provide grace, you will not receive grace. The best way is to put down your worries and receive God’s grace! Do not block this channel.
So those in thorny ground believe, but their behavior has not changed, and they have not borne fruit because they are blocked by the worries of this life. They often have an excuse: “I am busy; I am really too busy.” In the last days, the devil uses the most common method to bind people’s hearts, which is “busy,” making you busy. Is making money good? Yes. But if you are so busy all year that you do not have a single day to rest, is that good? That is not good, brothers and sisters.
But in the last days, the devil uses this method to bind Christians’ hearts. “Go ahead! The more you do, the bigger you get.” I have told brothers and sisters before, if you become the richest person in the city, will you be satisfied? No. You want to become the richest person in the province. If you become the richest person in the province, will you be satisfied? Not satisfied; you want to become the richest person in the country. You want to become the richest person in the world.
Will becoming the richest person in the world satisfy you? After he becomes the richest person in the world, this word will manifest in him. He is completely bound by the worries of this life. He wants to maintain the title of the richest person in the world, and he has to spend more of his time and energy to maintain this empty identity. This is the devil’s trick. You see the devil’s trick and know, “Yes, God has given me all this; it is God’s blessing. Amen!” So I use this to glorify God. The more God gives me, the more I will glorify Him, and you will live joyfully. Hallelujah!
They are choked by the worries of this life, riches, and pleasures, and it tells us in verse 14, “they do not bear mature fruit.”
Did they bear fruit? This fruit is not ripe; it always grows just a little bit. Some people have been believers for thirty years. Their lives are like children. They are choked by many worries, pleasures, and riches. Although they have life, it is like a child’s life. Such a life cannot nurture others. Although a child has life, it cannot nurture others; sometimes it may even negatively affect others.
For example, my daughter has life, right? She has life. You have to be careful when holding her; if you are not careful, she might pee or poop on you. When she poops on you, she does not feel anything wrong, but we feel it is terrible. So if some people’s lives are like the third type of soil, you need to be careful with such people; do not let them hurt you. They have the life of a child.
The greatest crisis for believers is being too busy, entangled by many worries of this life. The second type is the deceitfulness of riches. Some people work hard from dawn to dusk, working overtime, finishing one job is not enough, they have to do a second job, binding themselves tightly in this, until many people end up with health problems.
Today, there is also a benefit; when you come to seek God, you are blessed, and your body can also rest. Amen! You can continue to work, and God will add health to you. Many people ask God for health while not resting. Can the body endure? No, it cannot. So you must let your body and soul receive provision. Amen!
The third is the temptation of worldly pleasures. For example, becoming addicted to the internet, being caught up in some TV dramas or novels, and being entangled, they cannot bear fruit. Because when thorns grow alongside God’s word, God’s word will be restricted, and they cannot bear mature fruit.
Such a life is not dead; it is merely an immature life that cannot grow. Although it has borne fruit, it is immature and cannot be stored in the barn. Indeed, there are some people who have believed for many years but cannot bring much edification to those around them. Their behavior is poor; they are still saved, but when others mention this person, they say, “I do not want to believe in Jesus; if it is like that, I do not want to believe.” Their behavior has not changed.
Preaching grace does not emphasize behavior; it tells you to believe correctly. Amen! Correct belief will definitely lead to good behavior. If you receive God’s love from God, what you give out will definitely be God’s love. If you receive love from God and give out hate, what you received was not love, or you have set the word aside and given out your own things.
This is the third type, which is believing but has no behavior. Are there such Christians? Yes, such Christians have no reward, but they are still saved. Belief leads to salvation. Amen! When you believe in Jesus, you are already saved.
Now let’s look at the fourth type, “And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.”
You need to become this good soil. Many people are not good soil and cannot bear fruit; perhaps they just believe incorrectly. Now you need to turn your soil into good soil. Good soil will grow and yield a hundredfold. Amen!
- Let’s look at, “As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.”
The fourth type, good soil, is characterized by a heart that hears the word and holds it fast in an honest and good heart. Amen! What is the characteristic of good soil? It is an honest and good heart. To put it simply, no matter how your soil is now, to become good soil, let God’s word enter your heart. This is what we often emphasize; you need to believe correctly. Amen!
If you believe incorrectly, it will only get worse. What if you believe in Eastern Lightning? The more you believe, the more extreme and frightening it becomes. You drift further away from God. You need to ensure that the word you hear is correct; this is the first step. Are you sure what you hear is correct?
If you are sure, the second step is to solve the problem of the soil, our belief problem. The characteristic of good soil is that when people hear the word, they place it in their hearts, and it says, “and bear fruit with patience.” Why do we need patience?
Let me explain to you, the Bible tells us that we should be like farmers who patiently wait for the autumn harvest. For example, if a farmer plants seeds, can he dig up the seeds the next day to see if they have grown? No. So this is our pattern; after I place God’s word in your heart, I need to pray for you over time. Amen!
When you go out to preach the gospel, and you tell someone the gospel, you need to continue praying for them. Can you understand this? The process of prayer requires a heart of patience. “Did you hear the gospel yesterday? Why is everything still a mess today?” You are too anxious; you need to give them time to grow and bear fruit. Amen.
It is the same before God; when you hear God’s word, you need to place the word in your heart and often meditate on it. Many people are always impatient to pull up the seedlings. They think, “The teacher preached, and we received from God today; everything will be different next week, and I will become a billionaire.” Although your idea is good, you need to give time for the seed to grow. If you plant wheat today, will you harvest it tomorrow? No. You need to patiently wait for it to grow. Amen!
After growth, how much will the harvest be? Thirtyfold, sixtyfold, a hundredfold. This means that even if we are good soil, there are still different life states. When you hear the correct word and become good soil, some may only have a thirtyfold harvest. Some may have sixtyfold, and some may have a hundredfold. This depends on the individual’s reception of the word. Amen! Some believe completely, and indeed there will be a hundredfold harvest.
I will give an example from the Bible, Isaac. I often like to use Isaac as a metaphor for obedience because he is wonderful. When he was very young, his father Abraham told him what kind of God God was. He believed in the God his father spoke of. Later, when he was a teenager, his father said, “Son, God said to offer you as a burnt offering on the altar and to kill you.” This son seemed foolish, saying, “Okay, let God’s will be done.” He was truly obedient. In Isaac’s life, we see the characteristics of a hundredfold.
Once, he was in Gerar, and there was a famine. God said to him, “Do not leave this place; I will bless you.” So he truly believed God’s word and stayed there, and that year he sowed seeds. The Bible tells us that year he had a hundredfold harvest. Amen!
He had a hundredfold harvest because he already had a hundredfold harvest in his heart. Amen! When you receive God’s word, you must first believe that God’s word has been accomplished in you, and then you can see the fruit outside.
We have been emphasizing that faith is the driving force, and behavior is just the fruit. When faith is correct and produces behavior, it will definitely be correct behavior. So at that time, when others did not sow, Isaac seemed a bit foolish, clearly it was impossible; it hadn’t rained, yet he still sowed. That year, he truly had a hundredfold harvest. Hallelujah! This is good soil; regardless of the environment, you still believe that God’s word is faithful and will be fulfilled in me. Amen! Even if there is no effect today, I still believe and hope that tomorrow this matter will be accomplished.
Do you know when the fruit will mature? No, but there will be a day of maturity. Indeed, if you go today and check, it seems to be the same size. But if you do not check for a week, will you see a difference? This is our faith. So our faith in Jesus should be like this; perhaps you start with thirtyfold, then sixtyfold, and later a hundredfold. There is a growth process. Hallelujah!
You will see this is the parable of the sower that Jesus spoke of. In Galilee, which is a major agricultural province, Jesus used this parable to illustrate this issue. Because indeed, after sowing, there can be thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold harvest. Thank the Lord! This is determined by our level of reception of God’s word. Therefore, I hope that in you, God’s word can come alive. Amen!
If you hear this word and set it aside, that is falling by the roadside. The best way is to receive it into your heart! You have already believed; do not become like the first type, which is the thorny ground. The word of God is like this; the world tells you this. How will you choose? You must choose to believe God’s word. Amen! Choose to believe that what God says will surely be fulfilled.
Many times I have shared with brothers and sisters that by the stripes Jesus received, we are healed. Although the symptoms are still in my body, God’s word tells us that Jesus was wounded, and this matter was completed two thousand years ago. Why is the disease still in my body? It seems as if God’s word has no effect. But you believe, “Lord, You have already taken away this disease.” Hallelujah! This is belief.
Let me give you a live testimony. I hope you can provide timely feedback on your testimonies. Yesterday, I do not know what I ate, but my throat hurt particularly badly. Since I have learning next week, I was worried. I usually talk a lot, and the devil’s first attack is on my throat because if I do not speak, the world will be peaceful, and the devil will not stir things up. When I share, many lives will change.
Yesterday, I saw that the situation was not good, so I needed to pray. I began to pray in tongues, and during the prayer, God told me, “Do not worry about this; it will not affect you at all.” At that time, I did not think about taking medicine. When I woke up this morning, I thought I should be completely fine. But instead, it was worse.
I made a bold declaration, “In the name of Jesus, disappear!” I touched my throat and said, “In the name of Jesus Christ, may the pain inside disappear!” I wanted to testify to God’s glory in front of the brothers and sisters this afternoon.
Those who have been in our church for more than three years should know this situation; my throat is often attacked. But there is a miracle: every time I stand on the podium, I am healed. Isn’t that wonderful? The world tells you it cannot get better so quickly; you must take medicine and go through some process. But God tells you that in an instant, if you believe, I can give it to you. Hallelujah!
Let your heart become good soil means to fully believe in God! Amen! Even if you say this is unreasonable, it does not matter; God’s word does not require you to believe because it is reasonable. You believe even when it seems impossible; that is God’s word. You need to tell yourself, “God said this, so I believe it.” Amen!
You need to know what kind of soil your heart is. If it is one of the first two types, I encourage you to accept Jesus as your Savior today. You say, “Lord Jesus, I am willing to accept You as my Savior. Please remove all the thorns, thistles, and weeds from my heart.”
Does God have the power to remove them? Let me give you a testimony. God has many testimonies among the Israelites. When they were establishing their nation, all the surrounding countries excluded them. Two thousand years ago in the Bible, they were scattered all over the world, but later in 1948, they restored their nation.
Their land was bought with money; the Jews were very wealthy, but they had no land. They had become others and were scattered and divided. So they bought some land. When others sold land, they would not sell the best; they would sell them the desert or less desirable land. So these Jews used money to buy large tracts of land, marked it, and said, “This is our land.” Later, as the area grew, they said, “We want to become a nation.”
That land was not very good; it was full of rocks and sand. After they restored their nation in 1948, the first thing they did was to make the land usable. They thought of a way to remove the sandy soil first. After removing the top layer of sand, they found that underneath was fertile land, and that fertile land even had gold. Amen! Who could know that if the Arabs had known what was underneath, would they have sold it to them? They would not sell it for any price. What is underneath is too precious.
Now in the wars, why are those Middle Eastern countries like Syria and Turkey fighting? What is under that land? Isn’t it all precious things? That is the land of milk and honey that God gave to the Israelites! Do you know? Although it may seem not very good on the surface, when the rocks are removed, it can bear abundant fruit.
Do not look at your current environment; although it seems terrible, remember God’s word. Confront these environments and negative things; the power of Jesus can overcome. After removing these, good soil will yield at least thirtyfold. Therefore, we must be like farmers, patiently waiting for the hundredfold harvest to come. Hallelujah!
Brothers and sisters, let us stand together and pray to God for the festival of gratitude. Tell our Heavenly Father, “Heavenly Father, thank You for allowing me to believe in You. You have removed the thorns, thistles, weeds, and rocks from my heart. I accept You entirely because of Your grace. Let this good soil bear a hundredfold harvest. I fully believe in Your word, regardless of how the environment is, regardless of how those around me treat me, I solely look to You, Jesus, for my provision. Thank You and praise You!”
Let us pray together:
Lord! When we rely on You, we can overcome all powers and difficulties. You have removed these weeds from our hearts through Your word; these thorns have been taken away. Through the precious blood of Jesus, I have been justified. Because Your power is in my heart, You are my ever-present help. When I encounter problems, I can call upon You, and You will surely listen. Thank You for accepting me as Your beloved son. Please accept my worship before You. You have always loved me and always listened to my prayers. My life is changing because Your seed is already in my heart, and this soil is being transformed and changed. Thank You and praise You. I believe this week will be different; God’s grace will fill my life. Thank You and praise You. In the name of Lord Jesus, I pray, Amen!