The Principle Parable
and Jesus said to them.. "If you do not understand this parable, how shall you understand all parables?"
"The Sower sows the Word"
Has God said something to you?.. even many years ago and nothing seems to have happened?
Are you struggling getting anything from the Word of God? Do you have more questions than answers?
Jesus said you NEED to understand this parable.. then all things will become clear to you.
God said in Genesis.. "As long as the Earth remains, it shall be seedtime and harvest" I call this, the Genesis principle. It was set down in creation and as God said, still remains today.
The God, Who never changes, laid down this principle and it hasn't changed. It's not just talking about growing wheat either.. far from it.
Notice this.. "SEEDTIME and HARVEST"
Now, with that in mind, let's look at the words of Jesus and why He said understanding this parable is SO important.
Jesus begins.. And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear"
Jesus is describing here HOW the 'seed' or the 'Word' works in the lives of people..
And when He was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
And he said unto them,
"Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables"
The word 'mystery' means 'an open secret' The things of God are not hidden 'from' us.. but 'for' us. It's hidden from the world but not from His people who will seek it out. Jesus then goes on to say how this will happen and how the Kingdom
of God operates.. He opens with a BIG warning..
And He said unto them,
"Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?.. The sower soweth the word" This is how it works..
The 'seed' is the Word of God. The apostle Peter says.. "being born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible seed, by the Word of God"
Jesus then goes on to list the conditions of peoples hearts and the things that stop the 'incorruptible seed' of the Word of God from producing in peoples lives.
Then Jesus explains the reason for the Word being 'hidden'..
And He said unto them,
"Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?"
The 'candle' here is the Word of God.. "Thy word oh Lord is a light to my path and a lamp to my feet" ~ Jesus continues..
"For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad"
It was hidden.. yes.. but the only purpose of it being hid was so it could be revealed to them that would hear.. "He that has ears to hear, let him hear"
Everybody had physical ears but Jesus was talking about the 'ears' of the heart..
EXAMPLE:
Many years ago, I was reading Hebrews.. "now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" but somehow, I just couldn't grasp what that meant! So I meditated upon it (planted the seed)
I did this for a couple of days.. (The seed was growing and sprouting, even though I couldn't 'see' it yet) I would think about it and speak the verse out loud over and over whilst going about my daily business. Then whilst cutting firewood a few days later, I suddenly stopped and out of my mouth came this..
"Faith is confidence in God's ability and His willingness to perform that which He has promised in His Word!" I saw it! You can too! Instead of just reading this and saying "how nice" (This won't profit you because at the moment, it is just 'information' or knowledge revealed to our heads, not 'revelation' which is knowledge revealed to our hearts.)
Why not meditate upon it?
NOW
Jesus warns us here..
"And He said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given"
IE: The measure of thought and study you give to the truth of the Word of God, will be the measure of revelation/faith you receive from it.
'WHAT' is 'content'.. Be careful what you continually listen to..
People who only spend a small amount of time in the Word and studying it, will only receive a small measure of increase in it. Just like sowing 'natural' seed into the ground. If you
only sow a few seeds and look after them. (water them, keep out the weeds) you will only get a small harvest.. Plant a LOT of seed, through meditating the Word and study and you will get
a large increase..
Jesus continues to expound upon this 'secret'
And He said,
"So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground" (Remember .. "Seedtime and harvest")
And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
The ground is your heart. You start to 'receive' the seed of the Word of God and begin to study it and meditate upon it.. The seed, like natural seed that has been sown and watered, begins to grow.. and
just like natural seed, it will do this by itself.. No-one knows how a seed works.. They only know if you plant it and water it, it WILL start to grow. It works because God said 'Let the seed have life in itself.."
So is the Word of God.. as Jesus said "for the earth (your heart) brings for fruit of herself" The word 'of herself' is the Greek word we get the word "automatically' from.
And He, Jesus, said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it
The Kingdom of God is as a man who casts seed into the ground. Jesus said
"The Kingdom of God is within you"
Everything we receive from God comes in a 'seed form' Be it from the Scriptures or a personal word from Him to you!
He is the Great Sower, Who sowed the incorruptible seed of the Word of God into our hearts. The Holy Spirit went before to prepare the soil (our hearts)
to receive the Word of God.. Then God sends someone along to preach the Gospel to you (IE: sows the Word of God)
"and when they were alone, He expounded all things to His disciples." Get the 'Word of God" and get alone with Jesus and meditate upon whatever you desire from Him.
This is the principle set down in the Old Testament in Proverbs 4:
"My son, attend to my words, incline your ears to my sayings, let them not depart from your eyes, keep them in the midst of your hearts.. (Why??) for they are LIFE to those that find (grasp) them and health medicine) to all your flesh.."
This what God told Joshua to do..
"Do not let this book of the Law depart from out of your mouth, .. for then you shall make your way prosperous, then you shall have good success" Jos1:8
Jesus now expounds on how the Kingdom of God works... You 'hear' the Word.. spend time meditating upon it (to mumble, to chew as a cow does!) and then if you mix faith with it, it will start to grow.. "first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear.." Just like a stalk of corn!
THIS IS VITAL
The Bible says
"The Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it" Jesus told me a little while back.
"The Word of God will not grow in the soils of doubt and unbelief"
The decision to believe what the Word says, despite your circumstances, is very important.
Then comes the harvest! "What sort of harvest? you ask?" It depends on what seed you have sown and watered. If you want say, healing, then plant some 'healing seed" The Bible says "He sent
His Word and healed them" That's where I started many years ago. I would write down scriptures on healing from the Bible on little cards and place them in my top pocket.. During the day, I would bring them out and say them over and over a few times.. then I would
spend time 'thinking upon them' Then I would spend time praising God, then some time in the Spirit, then back to the Word again.. I did this non stop for 3 days..
At the end of the third day, the healing power of God was so strong upon me! "So is the Kingdom of God as if a man should cast seed into the ground" That's what I did and 3 days later.. the harvest came (both in revelation knowledge and in power)
Remember: Jesus said..
"If you do not understand this parable (hidden mystery) then how shall you understand all parables?"
This is the principle key to unlocking anything you want from the Lord. Jesus said 'Sow some seed"
A PERSONAL WORD FROM THE LORD.
HOW MANY OF US HAVE RECEIVED 'WORDS FROM THE LORD' THAT HAVEN'T HAPPENED? ~ PROBABLY LOTS!
Why is this you ask? Answer: Because what He gave you was a seed! "As long as the Earth remains, it shall be seedtime and harvest" The Great Sower came to you
and sowed a seed into your life. What YOU do with that seed is up to you. Go and get those prophecies out that you wrote down years ago and read them over and over. Spend
time planting that 'seed' again and water it with prayer and faith. Spend time meditating upon it and it
WILL start to grow on the inside of you.. and as it does, you will start to see clearly, what to do and where to go!
The incorruptible seed will grow.. It doesn't take years either! It can be weeks.. It up to you! With healing, it was 3 days with me..
We measure to ourselves the blessings of God. Just because God said it, doesn't mean it will happen!
That's like taking a handful of seed and throwing into the air and saying "Thy will be done!"
Read Mark Chapter 4 and Luke Chapter 8. It is the key to all parables! And He said,
"So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground" ~ "The sower soweth the word"
Here's how it works and where your faith comes in:
Faith is ACTING on the Word of God (or what Jesus says to do. He said to a group of lepers, "Go show yourselves to the priests" They acted upon it and received their healing)
so.. Let's say you want a revelation/harvest of healing?
You find scriptures in Bible that relate to it..
You meditate upon them, (literally means 'to chew the cud' as a cow does!)
You 'sow them' into your heart.. "So is the Kingdom of God as if a man should cast seed into the ground" and "The sower sows the Word"
You write them down on bits of paper and refer to them during the day ("Let them not depart from your eyes.." Prov4:24)
You spend time worshipping God AND fellowshipping with Him..
If you are Spirit filled as in Acts 2:4, then you would spend a lot of time speaking in tongues. If you are not, it's ok.. Neither were they in the Old Testament! (But Jesus commanded His disciples to be filled and receive power from on high - Acts1:8)
Then you BELIEVE that it is happening! "God is Faithful and True" and "He that gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater SHALL multiply your seed sown..."
This your faith (or believing part!) It's funny but we have no problem with believing a natural seed is growing when we plant and water it, yet when it comes
to believing that the 'incorruptible seed' from the God Who cannot lie, is growing as He said.. we have issues!!
This is where we get robbed, through doubt and unbelief.. The devil doesn't change either you know! He is still a liar and wants to steal your faith.. "Hath God said you shall not eat of the fruit?" and
"If you be the Son of God?" He tries to plant seeds of doubt in our minds.. Tares and weeds that, if we attend to them, will start to grow and choke the Word as Jesus said in Mark 4.
"The Kingdom of God is within you" and
"So is the Kingdom of God as if a man should cast seed into the ground".. ok, you are planting the Word of God on say 'healing'
"And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself"
so it's not a 5 minute thing.. BUT you have confidence (faith, belief based on God's Word) that it is happening!.. (This is VERY important! ~ No faith = No results!)
This is not hard.. A farmer who sows natural seed, KNOWS that if he waters it and keeps out the weeds, he WILL get a harvest.. you will too!
"first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear."
You WILL start to sense an increase in your heart.. It's like a strength.. when you first planted, there was nothing.. now as the seed begins to sprout, you start to have a greater confidence in your heart
(Just like a natural seed that you can 'see' growing.. first the little green shoot pops out!) or.. you may 'hear' further 'revelation/directions' on what you are seeking God for. It WILL start to sprout if you plant it and water it.. Jesus said so..
"But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come."
The 'Harvest' here is...
FAITH and REVELATION KNOWLEDGE.. This is the 'revealed knowledge' of God. "Grace and peace be multiplied to you (how?) through the Knowledge (Greek: Epignosis, or higher knowledge..) of God and Jesus our Lord.
This knowledge, revealed to your heart by the Holy Spirit, enables you to receive more and more from God, both in peace and grace (divine favour AND enabling ability)
Suddenly, you start to 'know that you know' that healing is for today AND for you! It's the same way that you 'know' that Jesus is your Lord. Who told you so?
The Holy Spirit revealed this knowledge to your heart and man can't take it away either! This is the first piece of 'revealed' knowledge we received from God.. the need Jesus as our Lord and saviour.
And He said unto them,
"Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? The sower soweth the Word"
This is the primary parable because it teaches you how the Kingdom of God operates and how to receive anything from the Lord..
This applies to any 'Words' that God has spoken to you as well.. Get them out and start the principle Jesus outlined above with them. The Great Sower has given you a promise, a seed of what is to come.. But nothing seems to be happening??
Well 'plant it' in your heart (remember how good it felt when you received it? Either direct from Him or through one of His servants) As you meditate upon it, it will begin to 'sprout and then bring for fruit' There is no end to the Word of God.
A word will turn into a line, (first the blade) which will turn into a paragraph, (then the ear) which will turn into page, (then the full corn in the ear) which turns into a book! (then the harvest) YOU are the deciding factor here..
We even say "I got a
word from the Lord!" Well... plant it!
And He said unto them, "Take heed what you hear: with what measure ye measure, (or the attention you give it) it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given" The more thought and study you give to the Word, will determine what comes back to you..
"Now He that gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater, SHALL multiply your seed sown.. and increase the fruits the righteousness" God promises to, Firstly.. Give you seed, then if you will sow it, He promises to multiply it back to you!
I know in this case that the 'seed' here is finances.. but it is still the primary principle of God.. Jesus implied that if you understood this parable, you would be in a position to understand them all.. (because you would then be able to apply this principle to everything in the Word of God.)
"Now the parable is this: The sower sows the Word... The seed is the Word of God"
FINANCES:
Last year, whilst I was thinking about thinking of finances and the many needs of many of the Brethern, the Lord spoke to me and said these simple words
"In desperate need, sow some seed!"
John
God Bless
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