3- Implanted, Part One: Trodden Seed

His Delight: The Pathway of Pleasing God www.coffeetalk.org ©2010 Julie West

Lesson Three: Implanted Part One

Trodden Seed Matthew Henry once said, “In the great field of the church, the Word of God is dispensed to all. Of the many that hear the Word of the gospel, but few receive it, so as to bring forth fruit. Many are much affected with the Word for the present, who yet receive no abiding benefit. The Word does not leave abiding impressions upon the minds of men, because their hearts are not duly disposed to receive it.”1 The condition of a man’s heart is reflected in his willingness to hear and respond to God’s instruction. James 1:21-22 says, “Humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves” (NLT). Seed that lies loosely on the surface of the heart is easily stolen and consumed by the adversary. A man aids his thievery by treating the Seed “which is committed to him”2 with indifference and negligence. It is not enough to merely hear God’s Word, or even to agree with it; a man must “accept it”, and then, “keep it and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15, NKJV). James 1:25 continues: “But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience)” (AMP, emphasis mine).

The Hearers The same seed is sown in the heart of every man who travels the pathway to eternity. “The seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:11, NKJV) and upon hearing it, every man chooses whether he will trample it underfoot, or receive it and continue in it. Turn to Mark 4 and read verses 1-20. The soils represent the hearts and minds of men. The hearers are identified by the types of soil in which the Seed is received.


If you were identified by the effect of the Word of God upon your heart and mind, how would you describe yourself? _________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Each hearer in The Parable of the Sower possesses a fundamental belief about God’s Word. Their beliefs become apparent upon examination of: the manner in which they receive the Seed, their responses to the Seed that is sown, the effects of opposing forces upon the Seed (the adversary, the flesh, and the world), the results of the Seed in their lives, and finally, what becomes of them in the end. Complete the following chart. (Parallel accounts of The Parable of the Sower are found in Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23 and Luke 8:4-8, 11-15.) Roadside Soil Shallow, rocky

Soil Thorn-infested

Soil Fertile Soil

Manner Seed is received:

Response to Seed:

Effect of opposing forces:

Results of Seed in life:

What becomes of hearer:

Fundamental belief:

Luke 8:8 says, “When [Christ] had said these things, He cried, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear!’” (NKJV). Mark 4:24-25 continues, “And He said to them, ‘Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you—and more [besides] will be given to you who hear. For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away [by force]’” (AMP). What emphasis does this place on receiving, responding, and cultivating God’s truth in the heart and mind? __________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ What consequence comes to those who refuse to listen, or understand God’s Word “to the point of insight”3? _________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________


Read Romans 10:17. “Without faith it is impossible to please [God]” (Hebrews 11:6, NKJV). Can a man please God while neglecting this essential component of faith-building? Why or why not? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ The reception of God’s Word directly relates to what becomes of the traveler when, and if, he arrives at the difficult path’s end. It is not enough to simply hear God’s Word; a man must seek to “understand it” (Matthew 13:23), “accept it” (Mark 4:20), and then, “keep it and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15, NKJV). Luke 11:28 says, “Blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice” (NLT). Read Proverbs 3:1-4.

On the Outskirts The wayside hearer is literally “[one] alongside the road”4. He hears the Word at present (Mark 4:15), and has heard the Word in the past (Matthew 13:19), for it is and has been sown in his heart. But, like a spectator, the wayside hearer remains at the path’s edge, unresponsive to the truths God’s Word presents. When the sower casts his seed, he does it in the midst of his field. The seed that is sown “by the wayside” is the seed that falls on the outskirts of the field where the ground is unploughed. Describe the unploughed heart. ______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Between each field lies a path, or road, separating the common plots.5 These paths serve as a means of travel for the multitudes. Figuratively speaking, why might an individual choose to abide at the edge of the field, alongside of the road? ____________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ What happens to soil when it is heavily traveled? _________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Similarly, what happens to a man’s heart when, “like a highway… it lies common to be trodden on by every passenger”6? _____________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________


With a great deal of foot traffic, it is likely that the wayside hearer is a great company-keeper; swayed by the doctrines of every passerby. How does this affect the Seed that has been sown in his heart? Consider 2 Timothy 4:3-4. _______________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

Indifferent

Many commentators have deemed the wayside hearer an “indifferent hearer”. Webster’s Dictionary defines the indifferent individual as one who is “marked by a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern for something”. When he hears, he is unmoved, “incurious, aloof, detached, and disinterested”, placing “no importance or value”7 on the instruction of God’s Word. How can you judge whether you have placed importance or value on the Seed that is sown in your heart? ____________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Read James 1:21-25. If a man observes his face in a mirror, sees that it is dirty, and then does nothing to change his appearance, it can be concluded that his appearance is of no importance to him. When a man peers into the Word of God in a similar manner, observing the condition of his heart, and then fails to apply what he has observed, what can be said of him? (v.22) ___________ ________________________________________________________________________ Read Matthew 7:24-27. In James 1:21 it said, “Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (NKJV, emphasis mine). The Greek word for “receive” (dechomai) means “‘to accept’, by a deliberate and ready reception of what is offered”8. Instead of accepting the truths he is given, what does the indifferent hearer do? ____________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

Trampled Down The parallel account of The Parable of the Sower in Luke 8 reveals that the Seed was first “trampled down”, and then “the birds of the air devoured it” (v.5, NKJV). Turn to Luke 8 and read verses 4-5 and 11-12.


The Greek word for “trampled” in verse 5 is katapateo. Metaphorically, it means “to reject with disdain”9, and “to treat with rudeness and insult; to spurn; treat with insulting neglect”10 (emphasis mine). Describe the difference between rejecting God’s Word and neglecting God’s Word. _______ ________________________________________________________________________ What fruit is produced in a man’s life if he rejects God’s Word? What fruit is produced if he neglects it? Is the outcome the same? Why, or why not? __________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ To “reject” the Seed is “to refuse to accept, consider, submit to, [and] take for some purpose or use; to refuse to hear, receive, or admit; to spew out”11. Consider the implications of rejecting the Seed: read John 12:48 and Romans 2:5-8. To “neglect” the Seed means “to give little attention or respect to: disregard; to leave undone or unattended to especially through carelessness”12. Return to Mark 4 and reread verses 4 and 15. What happens to the Seed that is sown in the wayside hearer’s heart? __________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ The fowls of the air are continually on the lookout for seeds lying loosely on the surface of the soil. Left unattended, the seeds are “immediately” (v.15, NKJV) apprehended. How does neglecting the Seed make it easy for the adversary to steal the truth from a man’s heart? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ If the seed is attended even momentarily, the adversary, like a bird of the air, will wait for the hearer’s attention to be drawn away so as to “[snatch] away what was sown in his heart” (Matthew 13:19, NKJV). In what other ways might the adversary accomplish this? __________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Reread Luke 8:12. What is the devil’s purpose in “taking away the word out of [a man’s] heart”? (Also consider John 10:9.) ____________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Whether a man’s heart is hard or indifferent; whether he rejects the Word or neglects it, the outcome is the same: the Seed that was sown is consumed, and therefore comes to nothing, “lest [the wayside hearer] should believe and be saved” (Luke 8:12, NKJV).


In closing, Hosea 10:12 says, “Sow for yourselves according to righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God); reap according to mercy and loving-kindness. Break up your uncultivated ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, to inquire for and of Him, and to require His favor, till He comes and teaches you righteousness and rains His righteous gift of salvation upon you” (AMP, emphasis mine). 1 Henry, M. & Scott, T. (1997). Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Mark 4:1). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems. 2 The phrase “takes away” in Mark 4:15 means “to take away from another what is his or what is committed to him; to take by force”. (Wuest, K.S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: For theEnglish reader (Mark4:13-20). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.) 3 Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc. 4 Jamieson, R., Fausset, A.R. & Brown, D. (1997). A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments (Mk. 2:12-4:25). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. 5 Wiersbe, W. W. (2001). The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, Vol. 1 (200). Colorado Springs, Colorado: Cook Communications. 6 Henry, M. (1996). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: Complete and unabridged in one volume (Mark 4:1-20). Peabody: Hendrickson. 7 Merriam-Webster, I. (2003). Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. (Eleventh ed.). Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, Inc. 8 Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W. (1996). Vol. 2: Vine's complete expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words (7). Nashville: T. Nelson. 9 Strong, J. (1997). The new Strong's dictionary of Hebrew and Greek words. Nashville: Thomas Nelson. 10 Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible: Showing every word of the text of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurrence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship. 11 Merriam-Webster 12 Merriam-Webster

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3- Implanted, Part One: Trodden Seed