An Appointment with Christ: the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1), Part 6

We are now almost finished with this lengthy exposition of the parable of the sower found in Matthew, Chapter 13. We have taken our time because, as you can see, there are many profound and very beneficial truths expressed in this brief yet profound and rich parable of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We have spoken about the different ways in which people receive the word of the Gospel. So far, we have focused on inadequate ways of receiving the Gospel. Unfortunately, as we can see, of the four types of soil on which the seed falls, three—that is, three-fourths—are unsuitable soils, soils that do not receive the seed in the right way. Sadly, we could say the same thing about humanity. Most people today receive the word, but they do not receive it in the right way, and they lose the opportunity to have reconciliation and peace with God and to enjoy the wonderful blessings God has for them. Often, only a minority receive the word of God in the proper way, and this is not God’s desire. God does not want anyone to perish, the Word says, but for everyone to come to repentance and be saved by receiving Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Last time, we spoke about this type of soil that is like thorns, where the seed among those thorns is choked. And the Lord compares this to people who are so caught up in the cares of the world—that is, in material matters—who are so materialistic, so preoccupied and involved in the things of the world, that they are deceived and do not receive the word in the right way. They give more importance to the things of the here and now than to eternal and spiritual things. As for the deceitfulness of riches, the Bible certainly says that we should not love money because money is the root of all evil. Money has its place and its importance. I believe it is important for us to work and save, and to be diligent in material matters, but the Bible certainly condemns anxious striving and excessive attachment to money—that falling in love with money, falling in love with the things of the world.

There are people who do not love money so much, but they love other things in the world. There are people who care so much about what others will say, who care so much about other people’s opinions. You see, they care more about what their friends think of them than about what God thinks of them, and this seems utterly foolish to me. I would prefer a thousand times over to have God’s approval than to have my friends’ approval without God’s approval. How good it is to have both, but if I have to choose between one and the other, I will definitely choose God’s good opinion. And this is part of that syndrome; it is part of that foolish attitude of worrying more about the things of this world than about the things of the Spirit that lead to eternal life.

In fact, I want to pause here a little longer because in the last session we did not have time to cover this great truth completely. A passage from First John came to mind—the First Epistle of the Apostle John, toward the end of the New Testament. In Chapter 2, the Apostle John says: “Do not love the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, because everything in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—does not come from the Father but from the world. And the world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God remains forever.”

I believe you will agree with me that these words I have just read fit perfectly with what the Lord sets forth there in that parable of the seed that falls among thorns, which represents people who are preoccupied and entangled in the cares of the world, riches, the opinions of others, professional achievement, fame, and all the things we associate with laying up our treasure here on earth. The counsel of the Word of God, my dear friend listening to me, is that you should not love the world—that is, do not cling to the world. The world has many very good and very beautiful things, but we are not supposed to love the world.

The Bible says that we, the children of God, are like pilgrims and strangers; we are merely passing through the world. The world is not our home; the world is not our homeland. The child of God, the person who understands who God is, is someone who knows that his true homeland is the heavenly homeland—eternity. We are passing through this world. We work in the world; we may have certain comforts. There is nothing wrong with your having a house, a good car, getting married, having children, having a good job, a bank account, and nice clothes. There is nothing wrong with that. The problem arises when you love these things—that is, when you give them too much importance and focus on them at the expense of your spiritual life. Christians know that material things are of secondary or tertiary importance. Our love is set on the things of God. The Bible says that spiritual people think about the things of the Spirit, while carnal, biological, earthly people think about the things of the earth.

I simply wanted to ask you a question: Where are your priorities? Are they in eternal and spiritual things, or in material things, in the here and now? Because that, my brother, my sister listening to me, defines what type of soil, what type of person you are. If you love the things of this world and material things more than the things of the Spirit; if your work is more important to you than the house of God; if on Sunday you are anxious, burdened, working, and striving instead of seeking the house of God in order to worship the Lord and serve the Lord, then I am afraid that Christ’s words are against you. For, as children of God, we are supposed to love the concerns of the Kingdom of God above all things. That is why the Apostle John says: “Do not love the world or the things that are in the world, because if you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you.”

Brothers and sisters, everything in the world—all its beauties, all its achievements, the great museums, the great machines, the great hotels and luxurious places—all of that will burn up one day, the Bible says. All of that will disappear; all of it is temporary and partial. The only things that remain are the heavenly Father, the will of God, and the values of the Kingdom of God. Those remain forever.

Unfortunately, there are so many people who invest in vain things that last only for a moment, and afterward people do not even remember them. How sad that you should spend your entire life investing in something that will disappear. Invest in the Kingdom of God. The Lord Jesus Christ says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you.”

God wants you to take away that love you have and that anxious striving for the world and set them on the things of God. When you do this, you will often receive even material things, but without anxiety, without working yourself to death, and without sinning against God, because God’s chief commandment is: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Make the things of the Kingdom your priority, love God above all things, and concern yourself with heavenly and spiritual things. Enter the Kingdom of God and place your life in the hands of Christ Jesus. May the Lord continue to bless you.