INSIGHTS & NOTES FROM
"VERS. 1, 2. And He began again to teach by the seaside."
"By parables." "Ver. 3. Hearken; behold, there went out a sower to sow." "This parable is both a solemn lesson & warning, & also a description of what is actually taking place in the world." "To begin a thing, & to go on with it, are 2 totally different affairs. The commencement is in its own nature something fresh; but to go on with an undertaking is to do things over & over again, when all the freshness has disappeared, & no incentive remains but the sense of duty. This is the true test, & under it how many fail!" "Those who have begun well may boldly cast away the Spirit, or they may fall away from grace because they have no root, or they may be swallowed up by the cares & aims of worldly life." "Let us strive to enter in at the strait gate, & to be found among the faithful. (J. R. Mozley, D. D.)" "The FUNCTION of the sower, not destructive but constructive; not to root up or remove, but to plant." "Thousands reap the fruit of what one man sows." "...the most skillful & painful of all sowers was our Lord Jesus Christ." "...the gospel is the seed of this kingdom." "The ground must be first made good, & then it will be fruitful." "The growth of the seed depends always on the quality of the soil. The stress of the story lies not on the character of the sower, or even on the quality of the seed, but on the nature of the soil. The character of the hearer determines the effect of the Word upon him. We should cultivate the habit of profitable hearing." "The man of depth looks before he leaps." "...the merely impulsive, shallow, flippant hearer acts without deliberation, signs his bond without reading it, & is therefore easily discouraged." "THE QUALITIES TO BE CULTIVATED BY GOSPEL HEARERS... 1. Attention: they hear. 2. Meditation: they keep. 3. Obedience: they bring forth fruit with patience. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)" "Varied soils: - The wayside hearers do not take in the seed at all; the rocky-ground hearers take in the seed, but do not let it sink deep enough; the thorny-ground hearers take it in, but take in bad seeds also; the good-ground hearers take the seed into their deepest heart, & take in nothing else." "God's Word has all the hidden life of a seed." "Heaven & earth shall pass away, but the Word of Christ shall not pass away." "Vers. 4 - 15. Some fell by the way-side, & the fowls of the air came & devoured it up. - Though men be outward hearers of the Word, & do also in some sort understand what is taught, yet if their hearts be so hardened in sin & through Satan's temptations that they are not affected & moved by it, it can never profit them." "If the seed of the Word be only sown in their outward ears & in their minds; if it lie above ground, i.e., if it swim & float aloft in their brain & understanding only, & do not enter & sink into their hearts; if their hearts be not affected to love & embrace it, as well as their understandings enlightened by it, it will never take root or bear fruit in them. (G. Petter.)" "1. Satan uses his utmost endeavours to divert men's attention from the Word while they are hearing it. 2. Satan uses every art to excite & inflame men's prejudices against the Word they hear. 3. Another artifice Satan uses to counteract the influence of God's Word on men's hearts is to prevent their recollecting it after they have heard it. (S. Stennett, D. D.)" "Wasted food, wasted money, wasted health, wasted time, wasted instruction, wasted opportunities of doing & receiving good; these, in their several ways, are all sins against God & our own souls." "How needful in time of hearing to watch against Satan, that he hinder not our attention by suggesting to us roving thoughts." "How needful to watch against Satan after we have heard, that he do not quickly thrust the Word out of our minds & memories." "Vers. 5, 16, 17 - And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth." "Stone is a figure used in Scripture to signify the obstinate aversion of the mind to what is holy & good. So Ezekiel speaks of a stony heart in opposition to a heart of flesh; & Paul, of the living epistles of Christ being written, not on tables of stone, but fleshly tables of the heart." "THE CAUSE OF MEN'S APOSTASY." "1. Something is wanting within. ...'The seed forthwith sprung up, because it had no deepness of earth.' ...'and lacked moisture'" "'The Word preached does not profit them, not being mixed with faith" "Excited but not converted..." "...charmed but not changed" "These are they that 'have no root in themselves, & so endure but for a time.'" "Fair-weather Christians" "Vers. 7, 18, 19. And some fell among thorns, & the thorns grew up & choked it. - The character of worldly-minded hearers considered:" "These thorns choke the Word." "WHAT THESE THINGS ARE WHICH OBSTRUCT THE DUE OPERATION OF GOD'S WORD ON THE HEARTS OF THESE MEN? The cares of the world." "The deceitfulness of riches." "The pleasures of this life, or 'the lusts of other things.'" "'The carnal mind is enmity against God.'" "Covetousness, drink, the love of pleasure, & pride, have often been the ivy that has wrought the ruin. (The Sword & Trowel.)" "Let our chief care be for heavenly & spiritual things, which concern God's glory & the salvation of our souls. This will moderate & slake our care for temporal things. (G. Petter.)" "Prosperity causes men to forget God: - Prosperity most usually makes us proud, insolent, forgetful of God, & of all duties we owe unto Him." "Vers. 8, 20. And other fell on good ground, & did yield fruit that sprang up & increased. - The character of sincere hearers considered:" "They hear it with attention, candour, meekness, & simplicity" "Understand the Word." "It is laid up in the understanding, memory, & affections; & guarded with attention & care, as the most invaluable treasure." "They bring forth fruit. The seed springs up, looks green, & promises a fair harvest." "How gracious is that influence which the blessed God exerts, to make the heart honest & good, & so dispose it to receive the Word, & profit by it!" "Of what importance is it that we converse intimately with the gospel, in order to our bringing forth the fruits of holiness!" "In the garden of God there are trees of different growth." "Hold on; hold fast; hold out;" "Ver. 9. He that hath ears to hear." "...our dependence should be firmly placed on the gracious & seasonable influences of the Holy Spirit." "Ver. 11. Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God." "The truth of things, begin with it where you will, if you follow it out will lead you up to God." "Ver. 12. That seeing, they may see, & not perceive." "Ver. 21. Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed?" "Ver. 22. For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested." Many things are concealed, both in nature & by art, though the concealment is by no means designed to be permanent." "The precise time for the unveiling it is not always easy to decide, because man's knowledge is finite, but we rest assured that it will coincide with the need for its use." "Everything is brought to light sooner or later." "Secret sin comes out at the judgment" "Ver. 23, 24. Take heed what ye hear." "Hear the truth & the truth only." "Hear with discrimination, shunning false doctrines. 2. Hear with attention; ...3. Hear for yourself, with personal application. 4. Hear retentively, endeavouring to remember the truth. 5. Hear desiringly, pryaing that the Word may be blessed to you. 6. Hear practically, obeying the exhortation which has come to you." "There is no place where His voice does not reach." "Truth glories in exposure." "Men fail to receive truth because of the impurity of their hearts. (W. L. Watkinson.)" "Whosoever 'willeth to do the will of God, shall know the doctrine that is of God.'" "It is only through obedience that we get knowledge. It is only in obedience that light passes into knowledge" "The dawn of truth will pass to the noon, only whilst we do the work God gives us to do." "Believe in God's love as declared in the cross; imitate the principle in your own life, & you 'shall comprehend with all saints the length, & breadth, & depth, & height, & know the love of God which passeth knowledge.'" "Teach, instruct, give forth illumination, & as you do so your own brain shall be the clearer, your own knowledge the more full & certain. Light comes through evangelistic work." "...we should hear for ourselves, & cause others to hear, the gospel" "Ver. 25. For he that hath, to him shall be given. - The law of increase:" "A base & slothful soul grows poorer every day, until it is stripped of all." "Capital tends to gather more wealth." "One victory leads the way to another." "Any one can 'have' what is given; only the diligent have more." "The more wealth a man has, the easier it is for him to increase it. So of knowledge; so of influence; so of affection. So also of spiritual gifts." "Vers. 26, 29. So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground." "There are 'means of grace;' human beings must put themselves in the way of them. The first step in the new life is displayed in the willingness to take every other step." "The man does not need to 'know how.' He needs only to keep growing, & all will be right in the end." "Time is wasted in efforts to help man savingly in any other way than by teaching them to 'grow up in all things into Christ, which is the head ' (Eph. 4:14-16)." "As it requires a whole man to make a successful farmer, so all the energies of character, study & devotion are needed to make a successful sower of the seed of the kingdom." "The test of real life is growth." "No standing still." "God leads on the converted soul step by step;" "Confine your care to the seed you sow, &, calm & hopeful, leave the rest to God." "Plants that are meant to live long grow slowly. A mushroom grows swiftly, & passes away swiftly. The oak grows slow to stand long. Grace is meant to live for ever, & grows, therefore slowly." "We are eager for quick results; we have not the patience to wait for the slow development from seed to fruit. BUT THIS IS GOD'S PLAN IN ALL THINGS." "We 'cast the seed into the ground,' we 'sleep & rise night & day.' We go about our customary avocations & know nothing for certain of what has become of the seed for a time." "...a lesson of diligence. We can only sow, therefore let us sow." "The Spirit of God is striving with human spirits!" "Having sown the seed, leave it with God. Think - 'It has passed now from my care into a more sacred department, & into far higher hands. With Him let me leave it.' Finally, a lesson of trust. (A. Raleigh, D. D.)" "THE PROGRESS OF CHRISTIAN LIFE." "We are born infants, & we gain strength & knowledge by gradual progression." "The plant does not reach its maturity in one hour, but it is the growth of different seasons, treatment night & day, weeks & months." "If we are slow in the climbing, we have time to reflect & gain wisdom as we proceed" "Light, faith, love, hope, patience, action, communion, perseverance, & sacrifice, must be united in the delicate & important work of the building up of Christian life." "Salvation comes not from the personal authority of the preacher, but through the personal conviction, personal faith, & personal love of the hearer." "We are all casting live seeds. Every word, act, look, goes down into somebody's mind, & lives there." "The seeds growing secretly: - 1. God does His work silently. 2. God does His work slowly. 3. God does His work surely." "1. Has the Word of God been sown in your hearts? ...2. You that seem to receive the Word, what evidence have you of its growth? 3. What prospect have you of this glorious result? (T. Kidd.)" "Unto the ministers of the gospel, who are the great moral labourers in the field of the world, there is entrusted the task of preparing the soil & of casting in the seed." "Often, when we do not see it... (God) is at work; often, when we never suspected it, it has made considerable progress." "Thought it is very slow & imperceptible in its growth, still the seed never really lies idle. From the moment of its first start to its final ripening, it is always on its way; it never once stops, far less does it ever go backward." "...so, too, it is with the good seed in the heart. Trials & temptations may check its growth there for a while; but it is only for a while" "It has but one way of growing, & that is heavenwards. (H. Harris.)" "But let it begin as it may, the process is one of continuous growth, innocence maturing into holiness, passion deepening into principle, struggle developing strength, laborious act becomes easy habit; a gracious mellowing influence permeating & glorifying the entire life; the life of the soul growing, not as a fragile succulent gourd, but as a close-grained tree, every day & every experience adding growth & strength. (H. Allon.)" "You see a foolish, wicked boy, into whose heart a praying mother has dropped the good seed. All seems lost; but wait, & he becomes a great Christian like John Newton, like thousands whose biographies are the best commentaries upon this parable. (J. Wells, M. A.)" "Real life is that which has in it a principle of expansion. It 'springs & grows up.'" "Ministers need not torment themselves about the issue of their work, for God gives the increase." "All around you are things that are growing, but that you cannot see grow. And if it is so with trees, & things that spring out of the ground, how much more is it so with the kingdom of God? That kingdom is advancing surely, though it advances slowly, & though it is invisible to us." "You will find that things have been done, though you could not see them done." "Christ's kingdom goes forward from age to age, though you cannot discern the steps by which it is going forward. While men, as individuals, pass off from the stage of life, God's work does not stop. (H. W. Beecher.)" "The growth of Christianity is MYSTERIOUS." "Once, like a grain of mustard seed, it was the smallest of seeds; but now it has become the largest of herbs, overshadowing with its blessed canopy that fairest portion of the world which we fondly call Christendom. But how came it thus to spread? Because the doctrine of the cross has been preached." "The kingdom of God, like the seed which grows GRADUALLY, stage by stage, does not burst forth full-grown" "Just as the seed does not leap instantly or whimsically into the fruit, but unfolds itself in ORDERLY SUCCESSION - first the tender blade, then the swelling ear, then the ripe grain in the ear - so it is with the seed of the kingdom, or God's truth." "Christianity means something more than sowing: it also means reaping. Do not be over-anxious." "Plant faithfully the seed, & then go trustfully away. (G. D. Boardman, D. D.)" "Vers. 30, 32. It is like a grain of mustard seed." "The growth of the little seed: - This suggests the treatment we ourselves should give the truths of God." "Spiritual growth: - Impressions growing into resolutions constitute conversion, or the beginning of the Divine life in man." "VITALITY. The small seed of the mustard is brimful of life." "The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Divine thoughts are full of life because the Spirit of God is in them." "Christ in the heart enlarges its capacity for purity, love & goodness." "MATURITY. The life of the believer steps forward by slow degrees, until it reaches the measure of the stature of Christ." "The maxims of human philosophy not so productive as Divine truth" "All great movements have had trivial commencements" "All the greatest work has been done both before & after, not often by producing immediate results, but by sowing seeds." "Vers. 33, 34. But without a parable spake He not unto them." "Be it a boat, a plank, a rope, a beggar's rags, an imperial robe, we would seize on anything to save a drowning man; & in His anxiety to save poor sinners, to rouse their fears, their love, their interest , to make them understand & feel the truth, our Lord pressed everything - art & nature, earth & heaven - into His service." "And when they were alone. Christ alone with His disciples; or, the parable expounded" "Parables... It was a way of teaching, but by calling out the desire & effort to learn." "Christ is the best revelation of spiritual truth, its strongest evidence, & its only quickening force; & we may say of Him & Christianity, what Cowper says of God & Providence - 'He is His own interpreter, & He will make it plain.'" "Vers. 35 - 41. And the same day, when the even was come, He saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side." "THE INFLUENCE OF DANGER. It caused the disciples to doubt the care of Christ. Why is it we doubt the Lord in seasons of danger? 1. Imperfect knowledge of the Lord. 2. Natural impatience. 3. Satanic temptations." "Unbelief causes God to delay or deny (Matt. 13:58)" "Our childlike faith has seen the Saviour as the little ship of life glided over the smooth waters; it has not yet learnt to know Him in the storm & the tempest." "...Lord I believe; help Thou mine unbelief." "It is when men have weighed Him in the balances of some great necessity, & found Him not wanting, that they believe in Him." "Worse than the storms of political violence or of intellectual rebellion, have been THE TEMPESTS OF INSURGENT IMMORALITY THROUGH WHICH THE CHURCH HAS PASSED." "...FOLLOWING CHRIST WILL NOT PREVENT OUR HAVING EARTHLY SORROWS & TROUBLES." "'Master, carest Thou not that we perish?' 1. There was impatience. 2. There was distrust. 3. There was unbelief." "How TENDERLY & PATIENTLY THE LORD JESUS DEALS WITH WEAK BELIEVERS." "...PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW CHRIST MUST NOT ALWAYS EXPECT SMOOTH SAILING." "...CHRIST CAN HUSH THE TEMPEST. Christ can hush the tempest of bereavement, loss & death. (Dr. Talmage.)" "I. THE INNER CALM. In every soul there has been storm. It rages through the whole being. But Jesus is the stiller of this storm in man. 1. In his conscience. 2. In his heart. 3. In his intellect." "Consider Jesus as the stiller of the heart." "...we should always have Christ aboard with us; we should have Him formed within us as our hope of glory; under His ensign we should sail, as our only hope of reaching that haven for which we are making. (W. B. Philpot, M. A.)" "I. They escaped one fear, only to get into another; losing the fear of the tempest, they get a greater fear, that of the Lord of the tempest. II. They lose a bad fear to get a good one - a fear which is reverent, & one which has as much trust as awe in it. Such fear is the beginning of faith in Christ's Godhead." The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 122 - 189.
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AuthorCross Preaching Pentecostal Pastor. Husband to Tonia, Father to 3 beautiful girls, Monica, Zoe & Briana, & Grandfather to Wesley & Elliott Archives
September 2023
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