The Parable of the
Soils

The Parable of the Soils: Or the "condition of our spiritual heart"...

Luke 8.4-15

"One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: 5 “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it.

Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture.

Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants.

Still other seed fell on fertile ground. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!” When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables to teach the others so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:

‘When they look, they won’t really see. When they hear, they won’t understand."

11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word.

12 The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved.

13 The seeds on the rocky ground represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation.

14 The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.

15 And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.

The Parable: reveals our thinking is what determines if the seed can grow in our "spiritual heart" the problem is not the seed the effectiveness of GOD's word is determined by the condition of our thought-life...

There is a question that needs to be answered...

Why is our "thinking so important?"

I know this may seem a little off, but let me show you a little secret -

Matthew 13.58 Jesus was at Nazareth - "And He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." The thoughts of the people limited their response to His power... it did not diminish His power or healing, but their response to it. The seed has limited success in contaminated soils. No matter how powerful the seed - it cannot overcome -

• the seed cannot grow if it is left in the barn. It must be planted...
  
• the seed cannot germinate unless the ground is receptive and the soil is good
  

The fault is not in the power and authority of GOD's Word - rather in the messed up minds of the hearers. The hearer is the problem.

There is no question of the power of the Words of Jesus.."The temple guards answered, "No human has ever spoken like this man." John 7.46 - YET they nailed Him to a cross! The "hearers" had a problem. They still do!

Luke 16.31 "And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, if one rise from the dead."

The "imagination" is a whole world inside the mind...

Parables are powerful "word-pictures" that are meant to be engrafted into our thinking...as mental pictures do control our thought-life. That's where the "imagination" gets involved. The imagination allows mental exploration of the past, present, future. It is the ability to see pictures and images in the "movie theater" of the mind. The imagination is the "workshop" of the human mind. It is the only thing in the world we have complete control over. That's why GOD takes great interest of what goes on there, and judges what we allow to grow there - Genesis 6.5

It's not a problem with the seed No matter how powerful the seed might be - the soil dictates whether the seed grows to its full potential the seed cannot control the soil, the soil energizes and germinates the seed in secret Get the soil right! Be receptive to GOD's word, period! In some areas on our thinking we have a mixture of soils Jesus prayed for Peter, "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." Luke 22.32 Peter struggled to be able to discern the voice of GOD and the voice of Satan. So do we. It may take a lifetime to get the soil of the mind right! The purpose of the seed - the word of GOD - is to impregnate our thinking, and imagination to bring forth "the mind of Christ" in us.

The seeds fell by the wayside, and the birds came by and devoured them...

"The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts." The enemy lies to us about GOD's intentions - if he succeeds - it reveals that our "spiritual heart" is too hard - like the pathway where all the seeds are fully exposed to whatever or whoever comes along. Easy pickings for the birds... just like roadkill. The seed must be able to get into the soil to germinate - it can't do that on a hard surface...

Some seed fell on rocky soil, where they withered away...

The seed on the rocky ground represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. Too many hard places in our thinking - like stubbornness - which reduces the percentage of good ground needed to activate the seed - too shallow - no staying power - gives up

Some seed fell among thorns already crowding out the space...

The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. Distractions take all the energy out of this ground. Thorny soil is "unclean" It attacks the roots underneath, and crowds out any growth above the ground. No room left for anything to grow.

Some fell into good ground...

This parable is all about our willingness to hear GOD's word and allow it to change us... This parable is about the soil - which GOD brings "seed" to - in order to plant that seed in our thinking to "reverse the corrupt thinking that comes out of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil"... Matthew 12.33 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good: or make the tree evil, and its fruit evil. For by the fruit the tree is known." Only GOD's word, activated by the Holy Spirit - in good "spiritual hearts" - can accomplish this...

The seed that fell on good ground represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” This is where we hear GOD's word, cling to it, allow it to transform our thinking - obey it - watch over it, and continue to replenish it in our thoughts, imaginations, will, and emotions - bring our body decisions under, and bringing every thought into captivity, into the obedience of Jesus Christ by the inherent working of the Holy Spirit of GOD. Never giving up...

GOD's purpose is to turn the water into wine within our thinking, our thought-life, imagination - our spiritual heart

At the Wedding in Cana - Jesus demonstrates how transformation works...

John 2.1-12 "The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. 3 The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”

5 But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, 8 he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.

9 When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. 10 “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”

11 This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

12 After the wedding he went to Capernaum for a few days with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples.

Thy word have I hid in my heart... Ephesians 5.26 "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.." Hebrews 4.12 "For God's word is full of life and power, and is keener than the sharpest two-edged sword. It pierces even to the severance of soul from spirit, and penetrates between the joints and the marrow, and it can discern the secret thoughts and purposes of the heart."

John 2.9 "When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom"

Romans 12.2 "And do not follow the customs of the present age, but be transformed by the entire renewal of your minds, so that you may learn by experience what God's will is--that will which is good and beautiful and perfect."

What are you going to do?

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