May 27, 2011
“
A
sower went out to sow his seeds. And as he sowed, some fell by the
wayside . . . some fell on stony places . . . some fell among the
thorns . . . but others fell on good ground
(Matthew 13:1-8).
The
Parable of the Sower
“The
Good Earth”
Continued from April 29, 2011; May 6, 2011; May 13, 2011; May 20, 2011
Dear Brethren,
In my last writing of the Parable of the Sower I wrote primarily about the seed sown upon the Thorny Ground.
In this writing I will be focusing on the SEED that fell upon the Good Ground.
The Mysterious Secret Parables
Jesus Christ spoke seven parables in all in Matthew. The first four were spoken to the mixed multitude. The remaining three were spoken to His disciples in private. The Parable of the Sower introduces all the others. All are dependent on the state of the heart.
I
t
should be remembered: The KEY that unlocks the door
of
understanding of the Parable of the Sower: the SEED sown upon the
STONY (rocky) ground, among the THORNS, and upon the Good Earth, is
to understand that the EARTH is used as a type of the HUMAN HEART in
which the SEED of God’s Holy Spirit is sown.
Jesus Christ was buried in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:40).
The Need for Understanding the Parables
There are those who would ask: “WHY is there a NEED to write about these parables in such lengthy detail?” The answer: “If it were not vitally important for our understanding today, Jesus Christ would not have spoken these parables, nor would He have given the understanding of them to His disciples.”
He wants us to learn vital lessons from these parables so that we might remain VIRGINS preparing for our wedding with our bridal garments unspotted in order to be accepted by our Bridegroom when He returns to this earth (Revelation 14:1, 4-5).
Not to profit from these intended lesson is to lose our virginity and become sexually immoral by associating with corporate churches that are off-track in doctrinal teachings as were restored by Jesus Christ within His Church through His late apostle, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong (II Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 2:20).
Remember! — There is only one true Church of God; and no other! (Matthew 16:18). And it can be identified by God’s faithful and true ministers, His holy righteous laws, and His true doctrinal teachings (I Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:4-16).
Now for the next part of this mysterious Parable of the Sower.
Seed Sown Upon the Good Ground (Earth)
Coupled with, and following the parable of the 10 Virgins, is the SEED sown on the Good Ground (meaning deep within the heart of the true Christian).
Looking closely at the prophetic warnings of the end-time in Matthew 24:1-29, Jesus Christ speaks of His imminent return to this earth, verses 30-31, and gives the advanced warning of it by using the following parable:
The Parable of the Fig Tree
“
Now
learn this parable of the fig tree: When its branch has already
become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So
you also, when you see all these (foregoing)
things,
KNOW that it
is NEAR— at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will
NOT pass away (in
which the foregoing prophetic events are witnessed taking place)
TILL all these things take place . . .” (Matthew 24:32-34).
Witnessing what Christ said in this chapter, along with what is recorded in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, we are now witnessing the prophetic curse of record-breaking events taking place by the fury of nature, as well as in other areas.
Summer is now very near –meaning the end of this age!
With the end of this age closing in on us, Jesus Christ then speaks of the WORK of the Church He will be using it to do before it comes to be too late:
“I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the NIGHT is coming WHEN no one can work” (John 9:4; 14:12).
Jesus Christ then speaks of the faithful and enduring shepherds who are to feed and care for His people (John 21:15-17):
“Who then is a FAITHFUL AND WISE servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you, I will make him ruler over all his goods (Matthew 24:45-46).
“For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father (having received the Kingdom), with His angels, and THEN He will REWARD each according to his works” (Matthew 16:27; Isaiah 62:11).
In stark contrast, Christ spoke of those who are neglecting giving the NEEDED FOOD to His people by sleeping, (similar to Eli who did not see the importance of keeping the lamps burning during the night in the Temple even though this was commanded by God, I Samuel 3:3; Exodus 27:20-21); instead they are browbeating their members for not doing more for them:
“But IF that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ . . .”
This fits the 10 Virgins who are waiting for the Lord’s coming; while the servants of God are applying their God-given individual talents (talent: meaning any gift entrusted to one to use), by patiently working, preparing others as well as themselves for the return of Jesus Christ by doing His Work, preaching the Gospel, and the Ezekiel Warning Message.
Immediately following— Jesus Christ spoke of the 10 Virgins.
It is enlightening to read of the continuity of what Christ says in these Scriptures that lead from one into another. Remember in the original writings there were no breaks in the Scripture. The chapters and verses entered into Scripture in 1250 A. D. by Cardinal Hugo.
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins
“THEN (At that same time) the Kingdom of Heaven shall be likened to 10 Virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom . . . but while the bridegroom was DELAYED, they all slumbered and slept . . .” (Matthew 25:1, 5).
Following this parable, Christ then spoke of the talents He has given His people and their application of them in contrast to the 10 Virgins who waited (slept) without working in God’s harvest.
The Parable of the Talents
“FOR the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man traveling to a far country who called his own servants (John 6:44) and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave 5 talents, to another two, and to another one to each ACCORDING TO HIS OWN ABILITY (every person has been graced in human life with a talent of one kind or another); and immediately he went on a journey . . .” Matthew 25:14-15).
M
YSTERY
OF THE AGES, “Real Purpose of the Church”,
Pages 265-272, Mr. Armstrong:
“. . . The individual lay member has his VITAL PART in proclaiming the GOOD NEWS (Gospel) to the world . . .”
In the same parable, as recorded in Luke’s writing, the need of applying God-given talents is presented a little differently but having the same effect:
“. . . A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called 10 of his servants, delivered to them 10 minas, and said to them, ‘Do business until I return . . .’ ” (Luke 19:12-13)
“But his citizens HATED him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will NOT have this man to REIGN (rejecting government which is being done today) over us. And so it was that WHEN he returned, having received the Kingdom (Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14, 27; Revelation 11:15-17) he THEN commanded those servants, to whom he had given the money to be called to him that he might KNOW how much every man had gained by trading . . . (Luke 19:14-15).
“Then another came saying, “Master is your mina, which I have kept PUT AWAY in a handkerchief (their refusal to do God’s Work, His way, not their way) . . . and he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to who has the 10 minas (who tirelessly worked, Luke 19:20-27).
They are doing a work – their version of the Gospel, no Elijah warning, but what they do is NOT acceptable to Jesus Christ because of their refusal of letting Him rule over them –rejecting His Government and the major true doctrinal teachings with which they do not agree.
“But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me (Luke 19:27; Matthew 25:11-13 – door shut).
Though ministering to the hungry, thirsty, stranger, clothing, sick and in prison, has a literal meaning (James 2:14-17); it also has a much broader spiritual application of preaching the Gospel Message (James 1:25). A lack of caring, or not caring!
“THEN he will say to those on the left hand. ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels, for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did NOT take Me in, naked and you did NOT clothe Me; sick and in prison did NOT minister to Me . . .” (Matthew 25:41-43).
Due to their sleeping, they FAILED in fulfilling the commission of doing God’s Work; they were then utterly surprised to find themselves with the door of salvation closed to them (Matthew 7:21-23), as the following Scriptures makes known, and then having to experience fiery deaths in the Great Tribulation (Matthew 25:41-46).
The Son of Man will Judge the Nations
“WHEN the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations (spiritually— representing the corporate churches of God) will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, AS a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
The Literal and Spiritual Application
“THEN the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (The ELECT, Romans 8:28-29; Ephesians 1:4-5; II Timothy 1:9): FOR I was hungry and you gave Me food (Work: spiritually hungry and thirsty people, unclothed spiritually, and literally); I was thirsty (John 4:14; 7:37-39) and you gave Me drink; I was naked and you clothed Me (Revelation 3:17-18); I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison (bondage of sin, and literal) and you came to me.’ ”
Because of the Seed (God’s Holy Spirit) being planted in the good earth (deep within their hearts) there was the compassionate and caring LOVE of God to do all they could to help those in need spiritually and physically.
Spiritual Parallels
In the following Scriptures, please note the exact same spiritual parallels of the ministry of Jesus Christ. As the Apostle John wrote: we are to walk in his footsteps— following His example (I John 2:6; John 13:15):
So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath Day, and stood up to read . . . “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to PREACH THE GOSPEL to the poor; He has sent Me to HEAL the brokenhearted, to PROCLAIM liberty to the captives and RECOVERY of sight to the blind, to SET at liberty those who are oppressed; to PROCLAIM the acceptable year of the LORD.”(Luke 4:16-21).
Seed Sown on the Good Ground
“
Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has BLESSED us
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ . . .
He CHOSE us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before Him in LOVE, having predestined us
to SONSHIP as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good
pleasure of His will . . . In Him we also have obtained an
INHERITANCE, being predestined according to the PURPOSE of Him who
works all things according to the counsel of His will . . . In Him
you also trusted, AFTER YOU HEARD THE WORD OF TRUTH, THE GOSPEL of
your salvation; in whom also, HAVING
BELIEVED,
YOU WERE SEALED
with the Holy Spirit of Promise,
who is the guarantee of our INHERITANCE until the redemption of the
purchased possession, to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:3-5,
11, 13-14).
The seeds of God’s truth were sown in various areas in this world: the wayside, rocky places, the thorny ground, and last of all they were sown upon the Good Ground. All were given the same potential, but the SEED (truth) did not have firm roots.
They withered away or were overcome by their own worldly pursuits; thus, they failed to be approved by God to enter through the door of salvation except through the Great Tribulation, as has already noted in these writings!
It is only the SEED that fell upon the Good Ground that really sank their roots deeply into it; the LOVE for God and His truth, and because of it are doing the Work.
M
athew
13:8 “But others fell on GOOD GROUND and yielded a crop: some a
hundred-fold, some 60 and some 30 (Parable of the
Talents,
Luke 19:11-27).
The explanation given by Jesus Christ:
Matthew 13:23 “And he who received SEED (the smallest of all seeds Mr. Armstrong – Mustard Seed) on the GOOD GROUND [Poor ground cannot produce a good crop – good ground continues to bear fruit because it is good ground] is he who HEARS THE WORD and understands it, who indeed BEARS FRUIT and PRODUCES, some a hundred-fold, some 60, some 30.”
Mark 4:20 “But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who HEAR the Word, ACCEPT IT, and bear fruit, some 30-fold, some 60, and some a hundred.”
Luke 8:14-15 “But the ones [Good Seed] that fell on the good ground are those who, HAVING HEARD THE WORD with a noble (excellent) and good heart, KEEP IT and bear FRUIT WITH PATIENCE (margin: endurance, perseverance, Revelation 3:12).
Mark 4:9 And He said to them, “He who has EARS to hear, LET HIM HEAR.”
Bearing Fruit
Jesus Christ makes known by this parable of the Sower, with related Scriptures, the vital necessity of BEARING Fruit in our Christian lives.
The Philadelphia Church Era of God’s Church
W
hen
reading the letter of Jesus Christ to the Philadelphia Church Era in
view of all of the other Church Eras, and what we witness today with
over 450-plus corporate Churches of God [by actual count some
years ago, nigh 700 by now] who have rejected doctrinal
teachings, the apostle, and promised Elijah of the end-time, it
becomes easy to see the Good Seed that is planted in the Good Earth
(meaning – planted deep within the hearts and minds)
can
be no other than the surviving remnant of the Philadelphia Church
Era.
Revelation 3:7-13 “And to the angel of the Church in Philadelphia (meaning, brotherly love), write: . . .
Verse 8 “I know your works. See I have set before you AN OPEN DOOR, and NO ONE can shut it (but Christ); BUT you have a little strength, HAVE KEPT MY WORD, AND HAVE NOT DENIED MY NAME . . .
Verse 10 “Because you have KEPT MY COMMAND to persevere, I also will KEEP YOU (the Seed Sown in the Good Earth) from the hour of trial (Great Tribulation) which shall come UPON the whole world, to TEST those who dwell on the earth.
Verse 11 “Behold, I am coming quickly! HOLD FAST what you have that NO ONE may take your crown. . . .”
“Behold the proud (pious, self-righteous); his soul is NOT straight or upright within him; but the rigidly just and the uncompromisingly righteous man shall live by his faith and in his faithfulness” (Habakkuk 2:4, Amplified Translation).
To be Continued
Having in mind that Christ spoke 7 parables, the next writing will be focusing on the remaining ones.
Your servant and friend,
Don Billingsley
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