Friday, July 5, 2013

THE SOWER


The Sower Sows The Word

"The sower sows the word. "And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  "These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;  "and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.  "Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word,  "and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. "But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred." Mark 4:10-20

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that the same word of God sown in the hearts of men doesn’t produce the same result! Each person is different in many ways including character, experiences, hurts, disappointments, expectations, and desires. As a result he handles the same word of God differently.  For some easy come easy go. They are like Esau who for temporal things gave away quite readily eternal things. While others are just a puff of hot air? They are excited at the possibility of the Word of God and what it can do. But the cost is too great and they do not have the persistence and endurance which is required to see the Word of God give fruit in due season? While others are very sincere and presumptive but unfortunately they get side tracked by the cares s of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things. All things which choke the word which was sown in them and they become unfruitful.

Then there are those who understand the growth process and it takes time for the Word of God to develop it in God’s darkroom. Development in the trials and testing of life when many times nothing makes sense.  The wise ones understand the word “patience” because God’s promises are inherited through faith and patience. As a result they go from Step A, B, C, D  consecutively and prosper, instead of going from Step A to Step D as  others do and crash. God's word is true:

 "But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. Luke 8:14

Jesus also said something about the seed of the word of God that men tend to ignore even though He came from the author and finisher of faith. God's word records:

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. John 12:24-36

There is a process of where the seed has to be put into the ground and die. Unfortunately there are those who do not let the seed die while others do not give the seed a chance to do its thing. For God's word tells us there is a process which is not necessarily understandable:

Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  "For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him." 

And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground,  "and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.  "For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. "But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." Mark 4:24-29

So the hearer must take head of the measure he uses to hear. As  "For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."  Then the seed must sprout and grow and there must be the full grain in the head. Then when the grain ripens it is time to harvest what was sown.   Seed which is not sown will never be harvested? It is hard for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of heaven because they do not want to give away their riches. They want instead to horde them only for themselves whatever riches they posses selfishly and greedily.  So with men is it impossible to be saved but not with God. For with God all things are possible.

Another important truth about the seed of the word of God is that the promises of God only profit those who when they hear the word they mix it with faith. It doesn’t profit those who don’t use their faith or have given up their faith.  This is something that Jesus brought out to His unbelieving disciples who saw and expererienced the many miracles that He did. The bible records for our profit and instruction.

Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"  And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!" Mark 4:36-41

Yes, in life we experience real sudden storms like sickness, disease, distress, financial losses, that threaten to sink our little earthen vessel. And in the middle of these storms we are not to panic but to have faith in God and speak to the storms just like Jesus did and rebuke them and say to them  "Peace, be still.  It’s to be noted that the Hebrew word for peace is shalom (both adjective and substantive), meaning, primarily, "soundness," "health," "prosperity," well-being in general, all good in relation to both man and God. God wants peace and prosperity to be within our walls and palaces. He wants His people and His church to be sound, healthy, wealthy, and prosperous and have favor with God and with men. Hence we can rebuke anything that takes away our peace and root it out, pull it down, destroy it, and throw it down. God’s word is unchanging:

Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.  See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant."  Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" And I said, "I see a branch of an almond tree." Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word." Jeremiah 1:9-12

With the anointing that God has put on us and the words in our mouth we can also root out and pull down, destroy and throw down, build and plant things, including nations and kingdoms and principalities. And the good news is that God, who watches over His Word, wants performance out of what He as put into our mouth.  He has promised that His words that go forth out of His mouth shall not return unto Him void but shall accomplish that which He pleases and it shall prosper in the thing He has sent it. His word is true:

"For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,  And do not return there,  But water the earth,  And make it bring forth and bud,  That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;  It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please,  And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.  "For you shall go out with joy,  And be led out with peace;  The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you,  And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.  Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,  And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;  And it shall be to the LORD for a name,  For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." Isaiah 55:10-13

The Word of God comes like snow and rain. The snow and the rain bring seed and bread - seed to the sower and bread to the eater. So shall the Word of God be - it will cause nice trees to grow where there once were thorns. Where there were briers and thistles, there will now be myrtle trees. We know thorns and thistles came into the Garden of Eden because of sin - because of mankind that listened to the words and temptation of Satan and fell for sin. There instead of the beautiful trees, came thorns and thistles.  God says that His word that comes forth from His mouth, the word that comes like the rain that brings forth seed and bread (seed for the sower, bread for the eater - so is the word that comes from God, it will not return unto Him void) will cause thorns and thistles to disappear and again there shall be beautiful trees. Instead of thorns and thistles, there will be trees.

When will there be beautiful fir trees and myrtle trees? When we accept the word that goes forth from the mouth of God. What is this word? Jesus said that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. God said it. This Word is the Word that became flesh, which is the bread of life. If we partake of that, if we fellowship with that, we will be totally free and we will have seed and bread.

Yes, if God has a Word and He gives it to us, He is going to watch over it to perform it and every Word that proceeds forth out of His mouth, shall not return empty. He will see to it that His Word will accomplish what it was sent to do for God is not a man that He should lie; neither the son of man that He should repent. Has He not said and shall He not do it? Has He not spoken and shall it not come to pass? (Numbers 23:19). Yes, if God said something, He shall accomplish it. Hence if we are not healthy, wealthy and successful the problem is not with God. It's probably that we didn’t receive the Word of God into our life which is Jesus or we didn’t mix the Word of God with faith. But God’s word is unchanging:

Even to them I will give in My house  And within My walls a place and a name Better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name That shall not be cut off. Isaiah 56:5

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  John 1:11-12

Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. Hebrews 4:1-2



WALTER KAMBULOW
VICTORY MINISTRIES

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