The Sower
Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser, Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town
The Parable of the Sower
Mat 13:1 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.
Mat 13:2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
Mat 13:3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow.
Mat 13:4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.
Mat 13:5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.
Mat 13:6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.
Mat 13:7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.
Mat 13:8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Mat 13:9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The Parable of the Sower Explained
Jesus provides the clearest explanation of the parable here:
Mat 13:18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower:
Mat 13:19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
Mat 13:20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
Mat 13:21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
Mat 13:22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
Mat 13:23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
Requirements for Harvest
Requirements for a harvest of the Word Seed of the Kingdom of God.
1. Discerning wicked thieves of the Word Seed.
2. Being Rooted withing through persecution.
3. Overcoming deception and choking cares of this world.
4. Receiving the Word with Understanding
Summary of Parable of the Sower. ”Son of man” (Mt. 13.37). Matthew – word of the kingdom: Mark – word: Luke – word of God. Heart (Mt. 13.19). The nature of the soil, hard, stony, overgrown with weeds, or good ground.
Thieves:
There are many distractions fighting for your attention when the Seed of the Word is being sown. Our functions during a church service should reduce the distractions and help people focus on the Lord and the word being preached. Let’s keep things simple and focused on Christ Jesus going forward. When we lift the name of Jesus, He draws all men to Himself. Sometimes, religious institutions tend to use gimmicks to keep people entertained to catch them. However, this is not a sustainable process for spiritual growth and depth of relationship with God. We need to go deeper in our meetings, not shallower. People hunger and thirst for righteousness, not a show. They are actually waiting for the revelation of the true sons of God.
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.
Being rooted
There are levels of being rooted – I the truth, in yourself, in a local church assembly:
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
Heb 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Eph 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
Eph 3:18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—
Eph 3:19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Col 2:7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
Col 2:8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
Col 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
Col 2:10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
Isa 37:31 And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah Shall again take root downward, And bear fruit upward.
Rev 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
Overcome deception and cares
Deception comes from the lawless one that has already been released in the earth:
2Th 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
2Th 2:9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
2Th 2:12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Receive the love of the truth – truth in a Christian context, is our Lord Jesus Christ – the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Understanding
Mar 4:13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
We can unlock understanding with the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding:
Isa 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
1Co 2:9 But as it is written: “EYE HAS NOT SEEN, NOR EAR HEARD, NOR HAVE ENTERED INTO THE HEART OF MAN THE THINGS WHICH GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”
1Co 2:10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
Simple Application for Daily Living
This sermon calls us to become good ground for the Word of God. Daily living application means receiving the Word with attention, allowing it to take root, resisting distractions and deception, and walking in understanding so that our lives bear fruit.
1. Guard your heart daily: Give focused time to prayer, worship, and the Word so that distractions do not steal what God is speaking. Identify potential thieving influences of the word.
2. Build deep roots: Stay grounded in Christ through obedience, consistency, and fellowship with the local church, especially when facing pressure or persecution. What root of truth is God giving you currently?
3. Reject choking cares: Bring your worries, ambitions, and burdens before the Lord so that the cares of this world do not make you unfruitful. Ask for prayer concerning choking cares and anxieties that choke the word.
4. Love the truth: Choose truth over deception by measuring thoughts, teachings, and decisions against Jesus Christ and His Word. Which doubts and deceptive teachings are competing for your attention and faith?
5. Ask for understanding: Invite the Holy Spirit to give wisdom and understanding, so that what you hear becomes revelation and not only information. Ask the Holy Spirit in prayer to release wisdom and understanding regarding the soil of your heart, so the Seed of the Word can bear more fruit.
6. Bear fruit intentionally: Abide in the Vine and bear fruit by the Spirit. Be led by the Holy Spirit in simple ways each day to live out the Word through love, faith, discipline, encouragement, and good works. Discuss areas where you feel you are already bearing fruit to acknowledge the work of the Holy Spirit already present in your life. Build on that!