What Ground Are You? by Brother Duke Hansen

         Everyone understands what a parable is this morning don't they? A parable is using earthly examples to understand the spiritual. Jesus coming to earth fulfills the prophecy given by prophets hundreds of years ago in the Old Testament. Today's scripture reading is the parable of the sower and we will turn to Matthew chapter 13 and begin with verse 1.

        The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.

        2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

        3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold a sower went forth to sow;

        4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

        5 Some fell upon the stony places where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

        6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched: and because they had no root, they withered away.

        7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

        8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixty-fold, some thirtyfold.

        9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

        In reviewing the parable let's look at the types of ground Jesus spoke about. The four different types of ground are descriptions of man. You have 1) Wayside 2) Stony 3) Thorns and 4) Good ground.

        10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speak thou unto them in parables?

        11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 

        Culture and the world continue to debate and argue over equality among man and women. What does it look like? Will it work? One of the many subjects people get themselves knotted up over. Here in the Bible you see something not readily noticed. God is not equal. He is not fair. He does show favor. Now, because of the many divisions man has for himself both in the world and here in church, there's a good portion who would loudly claim that those God finds favor in have great wealth and plenty of things in this life. That has never been the case. There's no VIP notice in prayers to God because of wealth or influence. He favors the blue collar or no collar believer as well as the one of means. He is not a respecter of persons! There are two seeds upon the earth. There is the seed of truth and the seed of wickedness. When you allow God to reveal things of your character and of himself to you personally, you need to keep in mind that he's not going that for everyone. When you think about it in a big picture sense, God is not fair not only to man but also himself. You know, there is nothing more obnoxious than Christians complaining of situations not being fair. That comes from a haughty and arrogant mindset. You are not born again to live in some gilded, untroubled time.

        Now the various grounds in this parable are self explanatory but let's focus on the good ground. Good ground isn't just ready made for planting. Good ground is tilled, cut up, beat down, watered, fertilized. It has to be beaten down. For the remainder of this message this morning, search yourself and think about what kind of ground you are in your walk with God. Back to the scripture verse 12.

        12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

        God demands profit and profitability in your life. For further context on the meaning of this statement you could hop over to chapter 25 starting in verse 14 of this same book to read the parable of the men with the talents. You have been given gifts in your life by God and they are not meant to be just sat on or for used for monetary benefit here on earth. 

        13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

        14 And in them is fulfilled the prophesy of Esaias, which says: By hearing the shall hear, and shall not understand: and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

        15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

        When God came to Israel he purposely blinded them because every prophet in Israel before Jesus had been killed. Jesus performed more miracles which were not recorded in the gospels, yet people still had problems grasping who he was. Their eyes remained blind, heart waxed gross, ears hard of hearing.

        16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

        17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

        We are living in times that were prophesied about. We are the people described by Jesus in that many of us have dull hearing, weak sight, and heart hardened. let's examine closer the types of ground in this parable.

        Those on the wayside are people who hear the word but do not understand it. The wicked one catches them and pulls them away. If you know a person on the wayside, you should have a mental checklist. Evaluate the situation they are in, find out how much scripture they know. One goal is not overloading this person with too much scripture. When we are talking about ground that you are, the wayside seems bad, but there on the wayside you are still seeking. You want understanding and the devil snatches it up. 

        20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that hearth the word, and anon with joy receive it:

        21 Yet hath he not the root in himself, but surety for a while: for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, by and by he is offended.

        In the description of stony ground we see that the person does not know who they truly are in God nor has a relationship with God. the last phrase here by and by he is offended.  His first flush of joy is zeal after hearing the word, but that zeal evaporates the more he digs into the scripture. This scripture is going to try and will anger the reader because it is against our base human nature. The processes detailed to a holy life have steps no one wants to take. It clarifies a relationship by removing obstacles and distractions to focus one on one with God. Those obstacles and distractions are a part of life.

        22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that hears the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the words and he becomes unfruitful.

        With the ground that has the thorns we see the man who hears the word, understands the word, but is too caught up in the cares of the world to put the word into practice. Jobs, money, family, materials, social status, public image. All these are examples that stunt your growth. They choke out that growth because we always make time for more. More money, more high end possessions, more status. More is fleeting and always needing filled. Separate from this is deceitfulness of riches. God will bless you and supply your basic needs. You know what a burden of accumulating wealth is? More insurance. Watch that what you own does not end up owning you.

        23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that hears the word, and understands it: which also bears fruit, and brings forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

        Good ground is where most believers want to think their seed is currently except they view the perfect soil with the right balances and no word This ground is worked and worked again. Fertilized and watered. There is no ground which is perfect in life. There are people who fight the devil, fight their flesh and that's good. Fight develops backbone. A little grit in your life and gravel in your guts. The devil will remind you of moments in your life where you were at your peak physically, yet were horrible in behavior and attitude with others.

         Continuing on in our reading verse 24 of chapter 13. Jesus is now going to tell his disciples another parable.

        24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

        25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

        26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

        27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

        28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

        Now a brief description of a tare is an injurious weed that resembles wheat when growing. If you get to a place of asking "Where's God", it is more about where you are at in your life at that moment and your decisions. God chose conviction to bring forth repentance and preaching which brings forth wisdom. What kind of seed has God sown into you? You need to be aware of the words you speak to others. Everything God has brought me through, I failed at time and time again before I stopped, listened to Him and he delivered me to victory. Now we all understand the process laid out in the Bible but we don't like the steps of it. 

        We are born into sin and wickedness. Your family line may have multiple generational curses. If you are born into sin without strongholds or curses somehow, your life can still lead to a wounded soul and a broken vessel. Any situation in your life not handled correctly will make your heart hardened. If how things are going everyday dictates your mood, like you are on the never-ending roller coaster, you have an unstable life. When you allow people in your life dictate your mood by their words and actions, your life is unstable. 

        The devil is an inside trader, he understands the bigger picture because he was in heaven at one time leading the worship. If you are truly born again, you have authority over him. He's a small being with lots of smaller helpers and evil spirits. Some people are bound, have strongholds and bondage on the roller coaster or in the mire of life. It is important to know your surroundings, guard your door, and apply wisdom daily.

        As a father, you should have the wisdom to encourage others, give information and advice, but most important you give it to God. Truly give it to God! Don't hold tight onto those lines to the world or your old self. Have the spiritual maturity and foresight not surrendering your child to the worlds ways and process. Be a help to your children, have a foundation in the church and relationship with God. Look up Ephesians chapter 6:4 and Proverbs 22:6. Many people have had plenty of daddies in their life and few fathers. If you want to be a good father, give your children every benefit in life. This is not a call to spoil them with objects and things!

        What's a dad know about their children? They know their likes, dislikes, behaviors, interests and reactions. Do you not think God knows yours? If you can do it, God will do it. The father knows but do you? Can you hear his voice and sense his direction for your life? Correction occurs at times because your father loves you and wants you to learn from your mistake. Correction should bring conviction and repentance and not "I hate the preacher!" Even good ground needs work. Realizing this you must know you flesh will be afflicted and you will have to endure many things. Your treasure is not only here but in heaven. This gospel is the only consistent thing in life. Start your day with God either in prayer or in study. Start your day where you are talking to him and your walk gets easier.