Heart
Condition,
it is a matter of choice.
THE FOUR HEARTS
Luke
8:11-15
11
"Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
The heart of rejection.
12
"Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and
takes away the word out of their
hearts, lest they should believe and be saved."
Comments:
These never accept the truth, but rather reject it out of hand. This is usually because they have a moral
problem, an intellectual problem with the truth.
The heart of weakness.
13
"But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word
with joy; and these have no root,
who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away."
Comments: To these the word is perhaps a passing fad. For whatever reason they do not delve into
the truth deeply enough to gain its' strength and knowledge during times of
temptations.
The heart of perpetual immaturity.
14
"And the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard,
go out and are choked with
cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity."
Comment: These never completely fall away, they just never
grow up. They are probably characterized
by poor attendance, chronic problems, and are in constant need of
encouragement. The problem is one of
focus. They allow the world to distract
them to the extent that spiritually they never grow up.
The heart of nobility.
15
"But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the
word with a noble and good heart,
keep it and bear fruit with patience." (NKJ)
The
Noble
Acts
Matt
5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
These
are those who apply themselves to knowing Gods truth.
2
Tim 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word
of truth. (KJV)
The
great peace of those who love the law of God.
Ps
119:165 Great peace have they which love
thy law: and nothing shall offend them. (KJV)
Get
Wisdom
Prov
4:1-6 1 Hear, my children, the instruction
of a father, and give attention to know understanding; 2 For I give you good
doctrine: do not forsake my law. 3 When I was my father's son, tender and the
only one in the sight of my mother, 4 He also taught me, and said to me:
"Let your heart retain my words; keep my commands, and live. 5 Get wisdom!
Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. 6
Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you.
(NKJ)
It
is our choice!
WHY
DID THE LORD USE A PARABLE IN THE FIRST PLACE?
Does
the use of the "parable" mean that God does not want them to see are
hear?
Luke
8:10 And He said, "To you it has been
given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given
in parables, that `Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not
understand.' (NKJ)
Remember
God desires that all be saved.
2
Pet 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning
His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing
that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Knowing
the truth is a personal choice.
Acts
28:26-27 26 "saying, 'Go to this
people and say: "Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; and
seeing you will see, and not perceive; 27 For the hearts of this people have
grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should
understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them." (NKJ)
Finally
we must all do as Joshua said. We must
choose who we will serve.
Josh
24:15 "And if it seems evil to you to
serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the
gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the
gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we
will serve the LORD." (NKJ)
Heart Condition,
it is a matter of choice.
THE FOUR HEARTS
Luke
8:11-15
11
"Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Question:
What is the soil? ญญญญญญญญญญญญ___________
The heart of rejection.
12
"Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and
takes away the word out of their
hearts, lest they should believe and be saved."
Comments:
These never accept the truth, but rather reject it out of hand. This is usually because they have a moral
problem, an intellectual problem with the truth.
The heart of weakness.
13
"But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word
with joy; and these have no root,
who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away."
Comments: To these the word is perhaps a passing fad. For whatever reason they do not delve into
the truth deeply enough to gain its' strength and knowledge during times of
temptations.
The heart of perpetual immaturity.
14
"And the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard,
go out and are choked with
cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity."
Comment: These never completely fall away, they just never
grow up. They are probably characterized
by poor attendance, chronic problems, and are in constant need of encouragement. The problem is one of focus. They allow the world to distract them to the
extent that spiritually they never grow up.
The heart of nobility.
15
"But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the
word with a noble and good heart,
keep it and bear fruit with patience." (NKJ)
The
Noble
Acts
17:11 Now these were more _______ than
those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all _________ of the
mind, __________ the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.
Matt
5:6 Blessed are those who __________ and
________ for _____________, for they shall be filled.
These
are those who apply themselves to knowing Gods truth.
2
Tim 2:15 _________ to shew thyself
_________ unto God, a workman that needeth not to be __________, rightly
dividing (correctly handling) the word of truth. (KJV)
The
great peace of those who love the law of God.
Ps
119:165 Great _______ have they which
______ thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
Get
Wisdom
Prov
4:1-6 1 Hear, my children, the instruction
of a father, and give attention to know understanding; 2 For I give you good
doctrine: do not forsake my law. 3 When I was my father's son, tender and the
only one in the sight of my mother, 4 He also taught me, and said to me:
"Let your heart retain my words; keep my commands, and live. 5 Get wisdom!
Get understanding! Do not
forget,
nor turn away from the words of my mouth. 6 Do not forsake her, and she will
preserve you; love her, and she will keep you. (NKJ)
It
is our choice!
WHY
DID THE LORD USE A PARABLE IN THE FIRST PLACE?
Does
the use of the "parable" mean that God does not want them to see are
hear?
Luke
8:10 And He said, "To you it has been
given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given
in parables, that `Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not
understand.' (NKJ)
Some
may conclude from this that God does not want them to see and obey the truth
and be saved.
Remember
God desires that all be saved.
2
Pet 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning
His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not
_________ that any should ________ but that all should come to __________.
Knowing
the truth is a personal choice.
Acts
28:26-27 26 "saying, 'Go to this
people and say: "Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; and
seeing you will see, and not perceive; 27 For the hearts of this people have
grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should
understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them." (NKJ)
Finally
we must all do as Joshua said. We must
choose who we will serve.
Josh
24:15 "And if it seems evil to you to
serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the
gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the
gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we
will serve the LORD." (NKJ)