Sower, part 2: The understanding of the successful believer; John 16:1; Mat 13:1-8; 19-23.

Title: Sower, part 2: The understanding of the successful believer; JOH 16:1; MAT 13:1-8; 19-23.

 

Some of the methods for producing stumbling blocks are listed in the parable of the sower, MAT 13:1-8; 18-23.

 

MAT 13:1 On that day Jesus went out of the house, and was sitting by the sea.

 

Jesus is going to teach a series of parables to Israel, knowing that her end is near, which is the meaning of leaving the house. She will fall under the 5^th cycle of discipline in 70 AD and will not be restored until the Second Coming, therefore each of these parables deal with the time of the dispersion or the time of no client nation status for Israel which is the CA and the Tribulation.

 

Matt 13:2 And great multitudes gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole multitude was standing on the beach.

 

Matt 13:3 And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, "Behold, the sower went out to sow;

 

Matt 13:4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.

 

Explanation: Matt 13:19 "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one [poneros - evil of the cosmos] comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.

 

#1 - the person who has heard the gospel, rejected it, and has his heart immediately implanted with falsehoods concerning Christ.

 

Matt 13:5 "And others fell upon the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil [doctrine].

 

Matt 13:6 "But when the sun had risen [pressure], they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

 

Explanation:

Matt 13:20 "And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy [early enthusiasm];

 

Matt 13:21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.

 

He’s shocked that affliction and persecution would go along with Bible doctrine. This is because he’s never heard sound doctrine before and so he never experienced persecution because of some form of knowledge. No one persecuted him for taking a cooking class or a yoga class, but they come out of the woodwork when he is identified with doctrine class.

 

#2 - the new student of the word of God who soon quits on doctrine due to the pressure that comes with being associated with doctrine.

 

Our next contestant hears a little doctrine and begins to be a testimony or ambassador for Christ. He has some doctrine and so he stumbles in another way.

 

Matt 13:7 "And others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out.

 

He grows a bit. There is root and stalk, but the thorns grow right alongside.

 

Matt 13:22 "And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

 

So not only does he have mental attitude sins but he has a false scale of values, which indicates some doctrine but not enough to change his scale of values; no faith rest, no PSD, and no occupation with Christ.

 

And because this believer can never break away from the mental attitude sins, fear, worry, envy, jealousy, etc., and because he has a false scale of values, he never succeeds. He is a believer but he never succeeds.

 

In categories two and three we have eternal security. In each case the believer is saved but in each case the believer does not succeed.

 

The second category of believer does not succeed here because he is ignorant of doctrine and, of course, operates on his emotions.

 

The third category of believer does not succeed here because he never puts into action the doctrines he has learned with regard to the techniques of application, specifically the faith rest drill, personal sense of destiny, and occupation with Christ.

 

If the word is choked due to lack of application then there is no fruit and Christ is not glorified by your life.

 

You are a branch in the vine of Christ and so fruit production is your sole purpose. To not produce fruit is to waste your time in life and to experience momentary shame and embarrassment at the JSOC.

 

#3 - the believer with some doctrine but a refusal to apply that doctrine with the techniques of the FRD, PSD, and OC.

 

Matt 13:8 "And others fell on the good soil, and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.

 

It doesn’t say “crop” but the word is karpos, the Greek word for fruit. The verb is in the imperfect linear tense meaning continual fruit production, or in other words, what would be expected from a positive believer who doesn’t quit.

 

 “crop” - karpo,j[karpos] = fruit. The verb “yielded” is imperfect linear = continual fruit production at different times in the believer’s life.

 

This is a believer who went through the pressures of believer’s #2 and #3 but he didn’t quit or get distracted.

 

Yet in no way can he take credit for his tenacity because he is following something that he desires that has been offered to him by grace.

 

John 6:67-68

Jesus said therefore to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?"  Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.

 

He rebounded his sins and kept moving forward. He’s had plenty of failures and has fallen over the stumbling blocks, but he believed that the Lord would pick him back up and he got moving again. Failures and successes have put muscle on his faith.

 

The apostles failed in a big way:

Matt 26:31

Then Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, 'I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.' [Zech 13:7]

 

The numbers 100, 60, and 30 refer to levels of spiritual growth. A young tree produces fruit, and older tree more fruit in the next season and eventually the tree matures to full fruit production as the root system grows and the tree strengthens. The hundred fold refers to the mature believer, the sixty to the strong young man, and the thirty to the infant or child believer.

 

1 John 2:13

I am writing to you, fathers [100], because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men [60], because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children [30], because you know the Father.

 

Matt 13:23 "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit, and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty."

 

This is a believer who has the doctrine, applies it by doctrinal techniques, has faith; in a phrase he has the whole works.

 

 “understands” - suni,hmi[suniemi (sun-ee-ah-me)] = to bring or to set together, uniting thoughts so as to gain understanding, comprehension.

 

This word indicates a process. He didn’t come to understanding concerning all at once, but enjoyed the process of learning a little bit at a time as a lifelong student of the word of God.

 

No doctrine is brought together by hearing it once and here is implied many doctrines that are brought together so that the believer obtains a panoramic view of the plan of God for his life in the CA. He has not come and gone but stayed with his right assigned PT and heard many doctrines and them repeated so that now he comprehends and understands. This is a plugger; a non-quitter; a disciple, a teknon, a lifelong student of the word of God.

 

#4 - the positive believer who faces the stumbling blocks but eventually overcomes them through plugging with doctrine.

 

This is the successful believer who is called the overcomer or winner (nikao) in Rev 2 - 3.

 

During the time of the Church Age and during the time of the Tribulation there will always be evangelism and the doctrines of the word of God will always be taught. And during this particular period three things will be true: a. there will be unbelievers, people who reject the gospel; b. there will be believers who will be minus doctrine and who never get with the Christian life; c. there will be believers who learn a little bit but who do not utilise doctrine; d. there will be believers who produce — successful believers.

 

This prepares us for the parable of the tares.

 

However, the stumbling blocks are allowed to exist in all generations throughout the CA because to judge them in time could damage the believer by association, MAT 13:24-30, 36-43.

 

Matt 13:24 He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

 

Explanation:

Matt 13:36 Then He left the multitudes, and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."

 

Going into the house again [He left the house in verse 1] metaphorical for His return to the Father to sit at His right hand until his enemies be made a footstool - the son enters the house and remains forever; John 8:35.

 

 

 

John 8:35

And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.

 

Matt 13:37 And He answered and said, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man [JC is the sower],

 

Matt 13:25 "But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away.

 

Explanation:

Matt 13:38 and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one;

 

The tares refer to unbelievers, but if every unbeliever never spoke or did anything they wouldn’t have the stumbling block impact desired by satan.

 

Therefore the tares are the unbeliever enveloped in the cosmos and antagonistic towards Jesus Christ, grace, and His Church.