The Word as Seed
The sower soweth the word. Mark 4:14
And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. Mark 4:15
And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; Mark 4:16
And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. Mark 4:17
And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, Mark 4:18
And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. Mark 4:19
And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred. Mark 4:20
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 1Pet. 1:23
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Matt. 4:4
Jesus tells us that the Word is the Seed
Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Luke 8:11
If the Word is the Seed then the Seed is alive. The Seed is ripe and ready to produce. The Seed has heaven-potential in it. Whatever is in Heaven is in the Word. The Seed of Heaven is the Word of God. There is life in the Seed. There is healing in the Seed. There is deliverance in the Seed. There is prosperity in the Seed. There is peace in the Seed. There is joy in the Seed. There is victory in the Seed.
When the Word Seed is planted in good ground, watered and protected, it will produce exactly what God produces. There are no restrictions in the Seed… nothing is held back that is good.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly…
Psa 84:11
The SEED is OK. Nothing is wrong with the Seed. The Seed is perfect and the Seed is complete. The Seed will grow and mature and produce fruit IF the proper conditions are met. God’s Purpose is in the Seed. God’s Will is in the Seed. God’s Power is in the Seed.
Just as all the intricate characteristics of any plant are in the seed of that plant, so are all the intricate plans and purposes for YOU in the Seed of God.
There are two things we need to know:
1. What does God want the Seed to grow?
2. What will it take to for the Seed to grow what God wants it to grow?
FIRST: God wants to grow the Kingdom
He wants the Kingdom of Heaven to grow on earth.
Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hollowed be Thy Name; Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, in EARTH as it is in HEAVEN… Mat 6:9-10
Jesus prayed this prayer. It is a “model” prayer he gave us and should be a pattern for the way we pray. God wants to Grow Heaven on Earth. He wants to grow Heaven’s provisions on earth, He wants to grow Heaven’s qualities on earth and He wants to grow Heaven’s purpose on earth.
This crop will not grow unless it grows in and though people. The people this crop is to grow through is the Church. We (the Church) are God’s hope and dream for His crop production and His ultimate harvest.
SECOND: It will take the Seed (the Word of God) to grow what God wants to grow
The entire purpose and plan of God is contained in His Seed. In order for it to grow and mature and produce, several things have to happen:
1. The Seed has to be SOWN
In the parable of the sower in Mark chapter four there is an interesting word that is translated sow. It is spiro and it is derived from a primitive Greek verb which means “to draw out.”
The Bible concept of sowing is DRAWING OUT or PULLING OUT what God has PUT IN.
Therefore, it does not mean just to scatter or throw out or to cast out, rather the primary meaning is to DRAW OUT or PULL OUT.
In order for the Seed of God to produce, the ground must PULL OUT of it what GOD has PUT IN IT. Paul tells the Philippians to “work out your own salvation…” (2:12b) And this is the idea of “working out” or “pulling out” what God has put in. In order to SOW the SEED the GROUND has an important responsibility. It must PULL OUT what God has put in.
You are the Ground. I am the Ground. We are the Ground. The ground determines the harvest potential of the Seed of God. The ground determines what the Seed will produce. In order to pull the Kingdom of Heaven out of the Seed of God, the ground has an awesome responsibility.
According the parable, there are four kinds of ground. (1) Way side ground. (2) Stony ground. (3) Ground with thorns, and (4) good Ground.
And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. Mark 4:15
Way side ground ignores the Seed
It is sown, but it is ignored. Because it is sown and ignored, Satan comes at once and steals it.
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; Hebr. 2:3
Unfortunately, many people in the Body of Christ are guilty of ignoring the Word… the Seed of God. They often cast it aside. At times they make light of it. Many fail to see the importance of it. Sometimes they allow this Life-Providing, Need-Meeting, Sin-Forgiving, Sickness-Healing, devil-Defeating, SEED to remain unplanted and unproductive. And sadly, some do not really care.
Because many are careless, Satan comes and steals their healing, their prosperity, their joy, their strength, their hope and their protection. Absolutely nothing is wrong with the Seed. The problem is always with the ground.
And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; Mark 4:16
And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. Mark 4:17
Stony ground can’t stand any pressure
The Seed is gladly received, but before it can pull out what God has put in, when pressure and opposition arise, it just gives up and quits. When pressures, temptations, trials and contradictions happen, they forget what is in the Seed and begin to look instead at what is outside the Seed.
They often look at the impossibilities, the obstacles, the sicknesses and the failures of others. Thousands today have quit or compromised because of the pressure and stress Satan has caused in their Christian walk.
God does not create trials and temptations and circumstances and “situations,” rather, they are orchestrated by the devil and their purpose is to make you give up and quit. Stony ground is shallow. Stony ground is “touchy-feely.” Stony ground is immature. Stony ground is self-centered. Stony ground is easily offended. Stony ground is emotion-driven and often lives by feelings, by assumptions and by suppositions.
And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, Mark 4:18
And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. Mark 4:19
Ground with thorns is choked on materialism
Before it can pull out what God has put in, it gets hooked on and addicted to the world system. The glitter and glamour of riches and security, the lust of the flesh and the desire for recognition take precedent over pulling out what God has put in.
The Kingdom harvest is choked and stunted and it becomes unfruitful because of the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, and the desire for money and material things.
And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred. Mark 4:20
Good ground hears and receives the Seed of God
Hears: (akouo) to hear with understanding;
Receives:(parad-ekhomahee) to receive near; to delight in.
Interestingly, in the case of the stony ground, the word “receive” is lambano which means to take casually.
When you hear with the understanding and delight greatly in the truth of the Seed you are on the way to producing a Kingdom Harvest!
Now, how do you reap your harvest? Reaping your harvest involves five principles:
1. Sowing the Seed.
2. Protecting the Seed that is sown.
3. Watering the Seed that is sown.
4. Waiting for the Seed that is sown to grow.
5. Harvesting what the Seed that is sown produces.
First, you MUST SOW
You will never reap anything if you do not sow something. Something must be sown, if you are ever going to reap. No sowing means no reaping. No reaping means no harvest. No harvest means no life. The first thing we must learn to do is sow.
You have to know to sow. If you do not know you will not sow. If you know you will sow! And what you sow is what you will grow. And what you grow you will reap.
Be not deceived; God is not mocked (ridiculed): for whatsoever a man soweth (draws out) that shall he also reap… Gal 6:7
When you sow the Word, you reap what the Word produces.
Remember what the seed is
The Seed of God is the Word of God. God was the First Sower and He operates by the sowing principle. God sowed the Seed (His Word) and as a result, He reaped a Creation.
God drew out of His Seed the sun, the moon, the stars… all of Creation. God sowed His Word and Created. God sowed His Word and Man came into being.
And God SAID, Let us make man in our image… Gen 1:26
God sowed His Word (Jesus) and reaped a Family. Jesus is the Word. Therefore Jesus is the SEED. And God DREW OUT OF JESUS a New Creation. A Holy Family. A Royal Priesthood. An invincible, undefeatable and unstoppable Church.
How do you sow? What do you sow?
You sow the same way God sows and you sow the same thing God sows.
God sows by saying. And God says His Word. SOWING begins by SAYING. Saying is WORDS. Saying is the fruit of the tongue. You plant your dreams and plan your harvest by what you say (sow) with your mouth!
A man shall be satisfied (filled to satisfaction, have plenty of, have enough, filled to the fullest) with good by the fruit of his mouth… Pro 12:14
A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth… Pro 13:2
A fools mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snare of his soul.. Pro 18:7
A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth: and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled… Pro 18:20
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it (death or life) shall eat the fruit thereof… Pro 18:21
Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles… Pro 21:23
How do we protect what we plant? How can we safeguard the ground that the Seed of God is in? What can we do to guarantee an abundant harvest? Here are some suggestions:
1. You protect what you plant by Surrounding yourself with solid, Word teaching and ministry.
You don’t need to be around false teachers and false teaching. Get as much of the true Word as you can get. Stay in church. Stay in a good church. Go to Bible class and small group Bible teachings. Be in the every service. Listen to good teaching on CDs and watch Bible Centered television channels. Play worship music in your home or on your automobile audio system.
2. You protect what you plant by Personal Intimacy with the Father.
Seeking God protects the Word Seed that you plant. If you want to “find God” and fellowship with Him, you are going to have to seek Him.
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. Jer. 29:13
When you spend quality time with God you will safeguard the Word in your heart. Practice the presence of God. In addition to your scheduled “prayer” or “devotion” or “quiet” time, stay in communion with the Father all the time. Paul admonishes all believes to “pray without ceasing.”
Talk with Him. Practice His continual presence. Pray in the Spirit. Instead of talking with yourself, talk with the Holy Spirit. Let your natural man consider His presence by your side as you go through your normal daily routines. Let Him “sit” with you. Walk with you. Ride with you. See Him with you all the time in whatever you do. Carry on personal conversations with Him. Communicate with Him. This is personal intimacy… be as personal with Him as you are with any close friend… or as close with you as a family member. Practice His Presence with you all the time in every situation and in all circumstances.
3. You protect what you plant by Continually Speaking the Word.
Saying what God says keeps the Word Seed safe. When you say the Word you are literally agreeing with God. When you agree with God you are able to walk with Him. As you walk with God the Word Seed is protected.
Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Amos 3:3
4. You protect what you plant by Keeping your Mind Renewed by the Word and by casting down “ imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.”
Right thinking protects the Seed. Right thinking is Word thinking. Don’t get caught up in a day-dream-imaginary world. Get out of fantasy land. Your mind is always active. It never shuts down. Keep it focused on God stuff. Get some Word CDs and listen to them as you sleep at night. Keep your mind submerged in the Word. This will protect the Seed.
5. You protect what you plant by being Aggressive and militant… by standing your ground.
Don’t be a wimp. Don’t be a push-over. Don’t be easy on the devil. Don’t wait for demons to show up… go after them. You do not need to be defensive be on the offensive. Refuse to be ashamed. Don’t be in the “silent majority” be in the “out-spoken minority.” The more you stand up the braver you will become.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Rom. 1:16
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. Matt. 10:32
And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, Acts 4:29
According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. Phil. 1:20
6. You protect what you plant by “observing to do all that is written therein (the Word)…”
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. Josh. 1:7
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Josh. 1:8
Obeying God’s Word protects the Seed. Doing the Word is living the Word. Keeping the Word is obeying the Word. The most important thing you can do to insure that the Seed is protected and that it grows and produces is that you DO WHAT IT SAYS.
7. You protect what you plantby Believing the Crop is coming in!
Believing is expecting something good to happen. It is knowing that God will honor His Word. Knowing is the substance of things hoped for. It is knowing you have the crop (and acting like it!) before you have it!
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Mark 11:23
8. You protect what you plant by Being Diligent and Persistent.
Remember the woman with the issue of blood? Diligence is determination. Persisting is keeping on keeping on. Refusing to quit or back down or ease up no matter what the difficulty may be protects the Word Seed. Constantly confess: “I will not quit. I will not stop. I will not give up. I will not ease up. I will not grow weary and faint. I will fight until I win.” Be stubborn and hard-headed about going on with God. Don’t allow the flak from the devil deter you. Press on toward the mark for prize of the high calling of God.
Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Mark 5:25-29
And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse
When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
9. You protect what you plant by Praying in the Spirit.
Praying in Tongues safeguards the Seed. This is your special gift from God to help you build up your faith and to keep you strong.
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Jude 20
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. 1Cor. 14:15
Praying in the Spirit is correct praying, accurate praying and effective praying. You can pray in tongues anytime, anywhere and no matter what is going on around you. Your mind is not involved. It is your recreated human spirit that will be talking to God with utterances that cannot be understood by the natural man.
10. You protect what you plant by Rejoicing in God, through heart-felt worship and praise and by keeping a thankful heart.
Singing, rejoicing, worshipping, praising, dancing, shouting, making a joyful noise unto the Lord… all these are ways to keep the seed safe and secure. There is freedom where the Spirit of the Lord is. God’s Presence induces joy unspeakable and filled with glory.
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. Neh. 8:10
Your crop can be increased
God wants it increased. You need it to increase. The world waits to see the increase. Going into all the world with the Gospel demands an increase.
God provides the Seed. You provide the ground. It is your responsibility to “draw out” of the seed what God has put in the seed. You can increase your crop or you can decrease your crop. You can make it grow or you can make it stop.
The increase is up to you. Knowing and understanding the Seed Principle is necessary to increase your crop. Not hearing only, but seeing what you hear and doing what you hear will increase your crop. When you work the Word (Seed) the Word (Seed) will work for you. If you do nothing with what you hear you will receive nothing at harvest time.
When your crop is increased there will be ENOUGH to go around. There will be no lack and no shortage.
Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the POWER (seed) that worketh in us… Eph 3:20
The purpose of the increase is to reach the World with the Word. Jesus called the Church to preach the Gospel to all nations. This will require an increase in our crop. It will take more money. It will take more material. It will take more personnel. It will take more prayer. It will take more commitment. It will take more determination. It will take MORE.
We have some, but we can have MORE. We have a little, but we can have ENOUGH! Jesus can take your small seed and produce a big crop! Jesus can take a little and make a lot out of it! He took two fishes and five loaves and fed 5000 with 12 baskets of leftovers! He is the Same today!!
Little is much when God is in it
Labor not for wealth or fame
There’s a crown and you can win it
If you go in Jesus’ Name[1]
Here are some suggestions on how to increase your crop:
Water what you plant with the Word
Water it with the uncompromised Word…the infallible Word…the Inerrant Word…the inspired Word. The ground of your heart needs watering. Watering will keep it soft and make it easy for the seed to break through. Watering it will release the in-born nutrients in the ground that will cause the seed to grow strong and healthy.
Once your dream is planted, you keep it nourished and watered with the Word. Saturate your mind and your body with the Word. Get in the Word. Stay in the Word.
See what you plant before it comes up
The farmer will look at the package containing the seed he plans to sow. The seed package has a picture of a healthy, fully matured, producing plant on it. That is the goal the farmer is shooting for…. a healthy, fully matured, producing and reproducing plant.
When he plants the little seed, he can already see in his heart what the healthy, fully matured producing plant looks like. He sees hundreds of them. Thousands of them. They are all lined up in neat rows and they are unrestrained and unrestricted… no fungus, no bugs, no imperfections, no weeds….. he sees the PERFECT FINISHED product IN HIS HEART.
To increase your crop SEE what you SOW. See it in the completed, God-created form! See it finished and complete. See it with your eye of faith.
Take heed (blepo: to see) what you hear, with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you; and to you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath (the Word) to him shall be given; and he that hath not (the Word), from him shall be taken even that which he hath… And He said, So is the kingdom of God… Mark 4:24-26
Here the Word tells us to “see” what we “hear.”
We are told to walk by Faith (believing) and not by Sight (reasoning). When we walk by Faith, we see the finished product with our Faith Eyes … We see it just like God created it to be!
Be willing to wait
You don’t have to hurry the seed. The production time is programmed in and it is just as dependable as God is dependable. Waiting for your crop to come up will develop your patience and James reminds us to let
…patience have her perfect work, that we may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing… James 1:4
This is the probably the hardest thing to do in crop production. It is not too hard to plant. It is not too hard to water. It is not too hard to expect a harvest…But it is next to impossible to wait, with patience, until God will produce in us the “wanting nothing” condition!
You will be tempted to dig the seed up every day to see “if anything” has happened. This is your carnal, reasoning man over-riding your Spirit Man and trying to get you to depend on “sight” instead of faith! God HAS SAID that we would:
reap in due season IF we faint not… Gal 6:9
In Hebrews the Word declares:
For consider Him (Jesus) that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds… Hebrews 12:3
“Contradiction” here is anything that appears to disagree with God’s Promise. It is the “high thing” that exalts itself against God that Paul writes to the Corinthians about (2Cor 10:5). The contradictions are what cause our patience to waver. The things that seem to make God and His Word out to be a lie are the things that attack our patience.
Rejoice in the answer before it comes
“IT is finished!” It is done. It is settled. It is established. It is MINE! How would you react if your crop came in today? What would you do if your miracle manifested right here at this moment? Would you be quiet? Would you be still? Would you be unmoved? How would you act if your crop came in today?
I believe you would show some outward emotion and response. I believe you would rejoice and praise God with total abandonment! You might even go so far as to shout and run and dance. Possibly your reaction would be like the one you would have if your favorite team won the national championship.
So…. Go ahead and rejoice in God RIGHT NOW just as if your harvest has come in and your dream has come true!
[1] Words and Music: Katie L. Suffield, 1924
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