A Fruitful Life - Part 3

In this series of teachings, we are discovering keys to consistency and increased fruitfulness in our lives.

The parable of the sower is where we have been studying. In this teaching Jesus revealed the spiritual laws that govern the production of God's Word (seed) in our lives. Living a fruitful life as a believer is not really that complicated, it requires us to maintain the soil of our hearts so that the seed of God's Word can produce its fruit.

This is what we have discovered so far:

• Seedtime and harvest will never cease as long as the earth remains. (Genesis 8:22)
• The seed is the Word of God. (Luke 8:11; Matt. 13:18,9; Mark 4:14; 1 Peter 1:23)
• We are God's garden; we are God's field. (1 Cor. 3:5-9)
• Jesus taught in parables because the people were not really listening. (Matt. 13:1-15) Parables hide truth for and from people, they reveal the condition of a person’s heart.

In part 3 in this series, we begin to look at the first type of ground or soil that the Lord mentions. All of the grounds that Jesus describes are representative of the heart conditions of humanity.

So, what is wayside ground. This is a ground that is hard, where the seed of the Word of God sits on the surface and the enemy comes and is able to snatch the seed from the persons heart.

Scripture:  Matthew 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.

The key to understanding this verse is realizing what the word understand in the Greek actually means in this verse. First, we will define this word and then we will give other translations to help with clarity.

Understand (4920 suniemi) – This word means to piously put together and comprehend.
So, we see from this verse that a person who does not understand the Word of the Kingdom is a person who hears but doesn’t hear, who sees but doesn’t see, they are not taking the time to comprehend and cultivate the seed into their lives. They are an uninterested listener; they do not take the time to comprehend the Words they are hearing.

This is why the seed lays on top of the ground, and the enemy is able to snatch it away.
It is safe to say then that this is a person whose heart is hard, it is wayside ground. They choose to reject the Word. God is not rejecting them; they are rejecting Him. Let's look at this verse in other translations and in 2 of the other Gospels and you will see that this is the case.

Other Translations:

Matt 13:19 While anyone is hearing the Word of the kingdom and does not grasp and comprehend it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the roadside. AMP

Matt 13:19 When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn't take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person's heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

Same Verse Recorded In Other Gospels:

Mark 4:15 The hard pathway, where some of the seed fell, represents the hard hearts of some of those who hear God's message; Satan comes at once to try to make them forget it. TLB

Luke 8:12 The hard path where some seed fell represents the hard hearts of those who hear the words of God, but then the devil comes and steals the words away and prevents people from believing and being saved. TLB

You can see that "wayside ground" represents people who have hardened their hearts toward the Lord and His Word. This applies to the unsaved, but it also applies to the saved as well.

• When the unsaved do not open their hearts to the Gospel the seed sits on the hard ground of their hearts, and the enemy comes and snatches it away. The enemy grabs the seed forcefully and takes off.
• So how does this apply to someone that is saved? A person may have received Jesus in their heart but afterward they may reject other aspects of the Gospel. In other words, they may receive forgiveness but harden their heart to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This can happen with any of the provisions of God clearly expressed in the Word of God.

Let's summarize the "wayside ground" like this -

The Complete Biblical Library New Testament Commentary – Page 170

This verse addresses those who hear the Word but who ignore its summons (hard hearts). It is not that they cannot understand, but that they will not make the effort to understand (hard heart) because they do not want to understand. Satan can work in those who do not want to hear the message; immediately he steals the Word from their hearts.

Here is a question for your devotion time.  Is my heart hard to the Word of God in any area?

*The central truth in this portion of the parable of the sower is this, when a person is not open to the Word of God it will be taken from them. God will not force His seed to grow in a heart that does not want it.

In Christ, Pastor Sean