Key: SCHAFF: “When the Lord open his mouth, we should open our ears and hearts”
THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER continues Matt. 13:3-9, 18-23.
“Even if preaching were in itself perfect, it would have a very different effect upon different classes of hearers. “ Broadus John A. “Mark this, I pray thee, that the way of destruction is not one only, but there are differing ones, and wide apart from one another. Let us not soothe ourselves upon our not perishing in all these ways, but let it be our grief in whichever way we are perishing” CHRYS
- The four types of ground continues.
a. The good ground. The difference between this good ground and others, is, in one word, fruitfulness. “He does not say that the good ground has no stones in it, or no thorns but there were none that prevailed to hinder its fruitfulness. Saints, in this world, are not perfectly free from the remains of sin but happily freed from the reign of it.” Henry.
b. How to treat the gospel.
I. Hear the word. Gal. 4:13-14, 1Thess. 2:13, Lk. 10:38-39, Act. 2:40-41, Act. 17:11. This involves accepting the minister of the word, receiving the word with readiness, joy, and with openness of mind, not as the word of men.
II. Understand the word. Pro. 2:6; 8:14, 2Tim. 2:7. Understanding comes from the Lord Himself, and he will only give to the humble who is ready to learn. Ps. 119:101-104, 1Cor. 2:11-14. He is inviting the meek, as it is written, “Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breast.” Is. 28:9-10, 1Cor. 1:25-29. Mathew Henry call them “Intelligent hearers, they hear the word and understand it they understand not only the sense and the meaning of the word, but their own concern in it they understand it as a man of business understands his business.”
III. They act on the word. Jas. 1:21-25. Let us look at Rahab in Josh. 2:8-13, 4-7.
IV. Fruitfulness “Not all alike some a hundred-fold, some sixty, some thirty. Note, Among Christians, some are more fruitful than others: where there is true grace, yet there are degrees of it some are of greater attainment in knowledge and holiness than others, all Christ’s scholars are not in the same form. We should aim at the highest degree, to bring forth a hundred-fold, as Isaac’s ground did Gen. 26:12, abounding in the work of the Lord. Jn. 15:8” Henry. Let us sing this hymn and the chorus RH 393: “I’M pressing on the upward way/New heights I’m gaining ev’ry day/etc.
