E F I L F O D SEE
Introduction We need the seed of life to gain salvation from this wicked world. What is this seed of life and how do we obtain it? From a common perspective, a seed is the part of the plant that typically contains its embryo, which is the part of the seed that can develop into a new plant under the proper conditions. A seed is often enclosed in a protective outer covering called the seed coat and usually has some stored food.
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The Truth Did you know that a seed symbolizes the word of God or truth? When Christ came down in the flesh he preached and advocated the word of God, often teaching in parables. A parable is a simple story or scenario used to illustrate a spiritual lesson. A very well known parable is that of the Sower and the Seed in which Christ describes the “word of the kingdom� as he so called it, to seeds planted in different types of ground. This is found in Matthew 13: 1-9. \
Matthew 13: 1-9 "The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. 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. And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."
Sower and the Seed ‣ To fully understand this parable you must keep in mind the following: The sower represents Christ Seeds represent the word of God Fowls represent Satan and his dark forces The different types of ground including the way side, stony ground, thorny ground and good ground represent the hearts of people in different spiritual conditions. The fruit that came from the good ground represents the righteous works of saints.
The Bible Note in the parable that the sower planted seed in each type of ground. Christ is teaching us that the word of God has been made available to everyone, giving all an opportunity to be saved if they are willing to obey him. How do we know this? The bible is God’s word. “Then said I, Lo I come: in the volume of a book it is written of me,” (Psalms 40:7). And it says in Isaiah 34:16, “Seek ye out the book of the Lord, and read.”
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The Bible It is from his word that we come to know God, who he is and how to obey him. The bible has been translated, printed and dispersed throughout the world to people in every language. It is through the will of God, that it remains the most published book in history, made affordable to even the poor. And if you have internet access, you can view the bible online for absolutely free. \
Rejecting the Truth Though God’s word through the bible has been available to the masses, most will not obey. Christ teaches us this point when he talks about the different types of ground, which represent the hearts of different types of people. Let us review closely.
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The Way Side “When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.”
The way side represents individuals that hear the word of God but don’t have the heart to perceive or the will to understand it. We can think of those individuals that are so wrapped up in their religious traditions or their own personal philosophies. They have no desire to let go of Sunday service, Christmas, Easter, Halloween or any other tradition that they value, even if it is contrary to the laws of God or rooted in paganism. Perhaps they don’t believe in God at all. \
The Way Side When they hear the actual word of God, it is quickly drowned out by Satan as he reminds them of their wonderful religious traditions or their own philosophies. Therefore, they have no desire to adhere to the Lord’s law and reject his seed or the word he gave unto them.
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Stony Ground (Matthew 13: 20-21) “But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.”
When we think of stony places we think of people that lack faith and strong conviction, who are quickly steered away from God’s word at the moment of temptation and tribulation. The scriptures further convey that one who abides on stony ground has no root and quickly withers away. Let’s talk more about the root. \
Stony Ground A root is a plant’s organ and life support, having two primary functions which include: 1). absorption of water and nutrients; and 2). anchoring a plant body firmly to the ground. So how does this relate to us and our spiritual growth? We have learned that the Holy Spirit bares witness to the Word of God, places it in our hearts and minds and enables us to understand it. When you come into the knowledge of the truth, a seed has been implanted into your heart. \
Stoney Ground The Holy Spirit then cultivates and nurtures that seed by raining down knowledge, understanding and spiritual gifts. As a result, the word of God begins to take root within your heart. You become anchored or affixed to the law of Christ so that you never waver. If you lack the root of truth, you have no life support and therefore lack the nutrients and water that enable you to consistently grow in the Lord. This leaves you extremely vulnerable to Satan who will cause your faith to deteriorate as he leads you into tempestuous sin and tribulations. You become overwhelmed, discontent and quickly give up.
Thorny Ground (Matthew 13: 22) “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.�
Now the thorny ground symbolizes those individuals that fail to place God at the forefront of their lives, distracted by their own worldly ambitions, pleasures and desires. Though they hear the word of God and may perform some works on his behalf, they’re not entirely devoted to Him. They are unable to develop to their fullest potential in the Lord because their love for this world outweighs their love for God. \
Thorny Ground Think of the cares of this world as weeds. These invasive plants grow where they don’t belong and degrade the quality of good plants by taking over valuable space, water and nutrients. Those who work with gardens know first hand, that as soon as you see a weed you get rid of it. If not, you will soon find your garden completely overtaken by weeds, with hardly a good plant in sight. So how does this apply to us? If we are not extremely cautious Satan will quickly distract us with the wealth and pleasures of this world, such as, a thriving career, a great education, a beautiful home, luxurious vacations and so on. To experience common pleasure and enjoy the fruits of your labor is not a sin. However, if any common aspect in your life begins to rank above God, it always leads to sin.
Good Gound (Matthew 13: 23) “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
As you might guess, the seeds that fell on good ground represent the hearts of his children. When they receive Christ’s word, they indeed hear it. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me,” (St. John 10: 27). Upon hearing the word we then gain understanding through guidance of the Holy Ghost, who is also referred to as the Comforter and Spirit of Truth. \
Holy Spirit “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come,” (St. John 16: 13). “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you,” (St. John 14: 26).
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Good Ground Understanding God’s word leads to obedience of his word by applying the teachings and principles we have learned to our everyday lives. This includes the keeping of the 10 commandments, (Exodus 20: 1-17). With obedience we then bear fruit, which represents works and exploits performed on God’s behalf. This could include writing a spiritual lesson, preparing a sermon every Sabbath, donating money and service to the food bank, writing a song, or helping to clean the church so that we can worship in a presentable environment.
Good Ground We all have different skills, talents and abilities that can have an impact on the amount and types of fruit we bear. However, having skill alone won’t yield fruit. You have to be willing to give your very best. We must have zeal when serving God, an energy, enthusiasm and passion that keeps us looking for more ways to please Him.
Christ the Seed Christ, himself, is the seed of life because he is the word, the spoken word that originated from God the Father, (St. John 17: 1 & 8). God the Father commanded for his only begotten son to come down on the earth in the flesh (St. John 1: 1 & 14). Though he was not conceived the typical way, that is, the way when man and woman come together. Instead, he was placed as a seed of life in the womb of his very own creation, that being Mary. This was done by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1: 26 -35).
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Christ the Seed The scriptures teach us that Mary was a virgin and was engaged to Joseph at the time she became pregnant with Jesus. So the seed of life grew into a man of flesh, yet this man was God and our Savior. He taught the word, performed great miracles, was persecuted, suffered and ultimately sacrificed his life for our sins, all at the commandment of God the Father. Christ died and rose from the grave. He gained victory over sin and death and now is in heaven, sitting at the right hand of God the Father, (Romans 8: 34, Mark 16: 19 & Hebrews 1: 1-3). \
Holy Spirit Though Christ is physically not here, we even to this day, have the seed of life. How so? The Father sent the Holy Spirit to inspire holy men to write the books of the bible, before, during and after Christ’s coming. These words were not subject to man’s own personal interpretation but came directly from God. “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost,” (2 Peter 1: 20 - 21) \
The Entire Bible Let us keep in mind, that the entire bible including as some like to say, the “old” and the “new” testaments, as well as the apocrypha make up the word of God, this precious seed of life. We need all of it to make our spiritual education and preparation for salvation complete. Despite popular belief, Christ’s death and resurrection did not do away with the old testament, which goes into detail about the 10 commandments, food laws, keeping of the feast days as well as important history of God’s people.
Jesus said himself.. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven,” (Matthew 5: 17-19). ““If ye love me, keep my commandments;” (St. John 14: 15)
The Law So if Christ, himself, said that we are to keep the commandments how can the old testament that teaches these very laws be done away with? What we no longer have to practice is the sacrificial offering of animals, which was done during the Levitical Priesthood of ancient Israel. Why? Know that the old testament prophecies of the new testament. Also, remember the words of Christ “I am not come to destroy but to fulfill.�
To Fulfill The word fulfill means to bring to completion or reality; to carry out a task or role. So the sacrificial blood of animals was a work God commanded ancient Israel to complete to symbolize what was to come, this being the sacrificial offering of Christ by his death on the cross. Jesus is liken unto a sacrificial lamb. It is the shedding of His blood that fulfilled and brought to completion the offering of animals. Therefore, we no longer sacrifice animals as our forefathers did.
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In Conclusion The blood of animals can in no way save us but it is Christ’s blood that saves us, which has the power to give us grace and purge away our sins from our record books. So when we receive the seed of life, we must accept all of it, not a piece or portion but all because it is Christ and his word. For the seed of life embodies all that is true, all that is holy and all that is life eternal for those who gladly receive it with their whole hearts. Amen. \
Questions? For questions regarding this presentation please contact us via email at info@householdofisrael.org or by phone at 219.949.9308.
Special Thanks This presentation was developed by: Elisabeth C. Pointer