Growing in Grace

“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” (Matthew 13:5-6).

Here is a different kind of soil. Remember that all the seed was good, but it fell on different kinds of soil. So the gospel is always true, but how various people receive it is different.

The soil in our verses today was not hard like the soil we saw yesterday. But there was another problem. There were big stones in it, and the amount of soil on top of the stones was rather thin. This kind of soil always heats up fast when the sun comes out, and of course the seed immediately tried to grow. But as the sun got hotter, the plants could not get enough moisture to keep them healthy, because the stones stopped the roots from penetrating down deep into the ground. The plants were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away.

This sometimes happens where I live, for it is a rocky area. The soil on top of the rocks is sometimes only a few inches deep, perhaps 10 cm. Grass and other plants begin to grow quickly in it, but when it gets really hot, the grass starts to wither. We have to water it a lot to keep it looking healthy.

As the Lord Jesus told His disciples, this is like those who hear the gospel, and think it sounds good. But there is no real work in their heart; they believe only with their head. Then, when they find the Christian life difficult and encounter persecution or reproach from this world, they fall back into the same things that they did before they heard the Word. They were not really saved at all.

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Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“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” (Matthew 13:3-4).

After the Lord Jesus was rejected by Israel as the true Messiah, it tells us in verse 1 of our chapter (Matthew 13) that He went “out of the house, and sat by the seaside.” The house is a picture of Israel, and the seaside is a picture of the Gentile nations. The Lord Jesus was going outside the nation of Israel and was going to bring blessing to the whole world.

He shows us what He was going to do by telling us the parable of the sower. We do not sow seed like this today where I live, as most of it is now done by machines pulled behind tractors. But in those days they worked the land up, and then a man went out with a bag of seed over his shoulder. He scattered the seed by hand, and of course it fell on different kinds of soil. The Lord Jesus uses this parable to show us what happens to the Word of God when it is preached, for the Word of God is the good seed.

Here in today’s verse we find the first kind of soil. The “wayside” is a term for a hard path beside the field, where people walked. As you can imagine, the ground was all packed down hard from the many feet that walked on it, and there is no way that any seed that fell there would grow. No, the birds quickly ate it.

Later in the chapter, the Lord Jesus explains that this is a picture of the devil catching away the good seed that was sown, so that it never had a chance to grow. The ground was hard, and our hearts are sometimes hard too, so that they do not want to receive the Word of God. Then Satan snatches away that seed by filling our minds with many other things. How many people have heard the gospel but have had Satan snatch away that good seed that they heard!

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“For whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have” (Luke 8:18).

This verse is so important that the Lord repeats it in the Bible, with small differences, five times. See if you can find the other four times it is used. Two are in Matthew, one is in Mark, and one more is in Luke. Let me explain what this verse means.

As Christians, when we hear something from the Word of God, or perhaps read it for ourselves, we are among those who have that particular truth. We have learned it, but then the question arises, What do we do with it? Are we willing to practice it in our lives, or is it just something interesting that we have read? In the language of the Bible, we do not really have something unless we have put it into practice in our life. We may have it in our head, but we do not really have it unless it becomes part of us, and we live out the truth of it.

When we walk in the truth that we learn, then the Lord gives us more. This is the way we grow as Christians. That is what it means when it says, “For whosoever hath, to him shall be given.” But God does not give us more if we do not practice what we already have.

But suppose we learn something, but decide that we do not want to do it. The Lord tells us that “from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.” God will not allow us to carry the truth in our heads without walking in it. God says that we only “seem” to have it, if we have it only in our heads. If we do not walk in it, we will lose it.

It is a serious thing to lose what we have heard or read, but that is what will happen if we do not practice it. The Lord values our obedience, and as I have said, repeats this verse five times in His Word to emphasize the truth it contains.

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“And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and He [Jesus] alone on the land. And he saw them [the disciples] toiling in rowing” (Mark 6:47-48).

Have you ever seen a professional rowing team in action? It is a most graceful and rhythmic sight. A team often consists of eight men plus the coxswain (pronounced “cox’n”). He is the team member that sits in the rear of the boat and directs the whole operation. Of course, the rowers are sitting with their backs to where they are going, and only the coxswain can see what lies ahead. He calls the “stroke” so that the team all pulls together, and he also directs when to pull left or right to keep the boat on course. He is like a coach. He does not contribute physically but motivates and with his vision ahead, without touching an oar, steers the boat. The rowers must have faith in their coxswain and trust him fully.

As the boat races along its course, the rowers work to their absolute limit, for rowing is a competitive sport. But you would not usually say they were “toiling in rowing.” So, what was happening in our verse today? The disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee, and a storm had come up. Verse 48 says, “the wind was contrary unto them.” But the Lord Jesus was not in the boat with them. They had no “coxswain.”

They were afraid and had no one to calm, direct, and motivate them. No one to call the “stroke” and help them pull together with assurance. They were toiling. Jesus comes alongside and talks with them. “Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid” (vs. 50). He gets into the ship, and the wind stops. All is well.

In everyday life, it is often with us as it was with Jesus’ disciples that day on the Sea of Galilee. We are struggling to keep on course, and often fearful of the outcome of something we are doing. They were actually doing what Jesus had told them to do! Verse 45 it tells us that He told them to get into the ship and cross to the other side. But they were finding out that they could not do it in their own strength. They needed the help of their Lord, the Creator of the seas.

No coxswain could calm a storm so his team could win a race! But we need to invite Jesus into the ship with us, each and every day. He can see the end of our journey and knows just which way to direct the rowing. He can make us all pull together. He can motivate and encourage. We dare not take the journey without Him in the boat with us. The way may sometimes be rough, but we do not need to “toil.”

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“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20).

Trees grow in many parts of the world, although there are some places where there is not enough rainfall to support the growth of trees. When we live where trees grow, we learn to identify them by various means — the shape of the tree, the kind of bark it has, the kind of leaves on it, and the kind of fruit it produces. Trees that lose their leaves in the fall are called deciduous trees, and we who live in cooler climates are used to seeing the leaves change color in the fall, then drop off. It is harder to identify a tree without any leaves, although sometimes the shape of it tells us what it is.

Because I grew up on a fruit farm, I can usually identify a fruit tree even in wintertime, but there is one thing I cannot tell. I cannot tell whether it will produce a good crop of fruit, or only a poor crop. However, in our verse for today, the Lord Jesus is talking about whether a tree produces fruit, or whether it produces only thorns, or something like that.

According to verse 15 in this same chapter, there are many false prophets around. They are like wolves in sheep’s clothing, and are not true believers. They are like trees that look like fruit trees, but when they produce something, it is only thorns instead of fruit that can be eaten.

It is important for us to be real before the Lord, too. Being real means that we have truly accepted the Lord as Savior and are not pretending. Then we will have a desire to please the Lord. Sooner or later it will come out as to what we really are, for “neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit” (vs. 18). Let us make sure that we are good trees!

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“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).

In today’s verse we have another happy expression in the Bible — “Be of good courage.” This expression occurs six times in the Bible; see if you can find the other five. One is in 2nd Samuel, one in 1st Chronicles, one in Ezra, one more in Psalms, and one in Isaiah. It is interesting that while all the verses that say, “Be of good cheer” are in the New Testament, all those that say, “Be of good courage” are in the Old Testament.

We all admire people who have courage, and we all would like to have courage ourselves. However, it is important to have courage to do what is right. Many times in this world people have courage, and use their strength to do something, but they do not always do the right thing. It is possible to use our strength and courage to do the wrong thing, if we are not guided by the Lord.

Here in our verse, we are to have courage, not to do something, but to “wait on the Lord.” Does it take courage just to wait, instead of doing something? Yes, it does, and often it takes more courage than if we do something. We all like action, and when we see a problem, we like to do something about it. But sometimes it is more important to wait on the Lord and let Him solve the problem for us. King David, who wrote this psalm, had to learn this, and then he saw how the Lord could deliver him from the difficulty.

At other times, however, when the Lord has clearly shown us what to do, it is important to go ahead and do something. Joshua had to learn this when Israel was defeated at a city called Ai. You can read about it in Joshua 7. When this happened, Joshua “fell to the earth upon his face” (Joshua 7:6). But then the Lord said to him, “Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?” (Joshua 7:10). There was something that needed to be done, and Joshua needed to do it.

It is encouraging when the Lord says to us, “Be of good courage,” for He will give us the wisdom to know what to do, even if it is only to wait on Him.

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“And, behold, they brought to Him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee” (Matthew 9:2).

The expression “be of good cheer” is a most encouraging thing to hear, and especially when it comes from someone who really cares about us, and really means it. We have all known people who rather flippantly say, “Don’t worry; everything is going to be all right,” when they have no idea what we are going through. Sometimes we get the impression that they do not care that much either. But the Lord Jesus cared deeply about the man who was sick of the palsy, and He cares about you and me too.

The Lord Jesus not only cared about this man, but He was going to heal him, right then and there. This was certainly a message of good cheer, for no one else could heal him. However, the Lord Jesus said unusual words when He healed this man. He said, “Thy sins be forgiven thee.” What does this mean? The people who heard the Lord Jesus say this were upset, and especially the scribes, who accused the Lord Jesus of blaspheming. This means that they thought He was acting as if He were God, when He forgave the man’s sins. But that was the very point; He was God, and as God He could forgive sins!

The man was sick because of some serious sin in his life, and the Lord Jesus forgave him. A few minutes later, He told the sick man to pick up his bed and go to his house. It was indeed a day of good cheer for him.

Perhaps you are going through a difficult time in your own life, The Covid virus has disrupted most people’s lives today, and many of you young people are often having a hard time. Perhaps you cannot go to school at the moment, and have to study at home. Perhaps you had a career you wanted to pursue, and now you have to wait. Perhaps you miss the nice social times that you enjoyed a few years ago. But the Lord Jesus says to each of us, “Be of good cheer.” He is there for us, and His presence is worth everything. Sometimes we learn more of Christ when things are difficult than when they are going smoothly. Better still, He is coming soon, and as the hymn says, “It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus.”

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“The weight of the brass could not be found out” (2 Chronicles 4:18).

This statement is made twice in the Bible concerning the amount of brass used in the building of Solomon’s temple. See if you can find the verse in 1st Kings that also says this. Why was the weight of the brass so hard to find out?

When all the measurements are given concerning the materials used in the temple, most of them are carefully recorded. The amount of gold used was very large, yet we know how much there was (1 Chronicles 22:14). Even the weight of the nails used in the building is recorded (2 Chronicles 3:9). But somehow the weight of the brass (or copper) could not be found out.

In the Word of God, brass (or copper) speaks of judgment. You will recall that the serpent on the pole that the Lord told Moses to make was of brass. Also, the altar on which sacrifices were to be offered was covered with brass, had a brass grate, and had instruments of brass. All this speaks of judgment. It is a picture to us of what the Lord Jesus suffered on the cross for sin.

No one will ever know how much the Lord Jesus suffered for sin on the cross. Even when we are with Him up in heaven for all eternity, we will never know what He suffered for us. It is for this reason that the weight of the brass used in the temple could not be found out. Brass was used for many things in the temple, but the Lord saw to it that no one kept track of all the brass that was used. The Lord wants to remind us of how much He suffered for our sins.

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“And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building” (1 Kings 6:7).

If you read the story in 1st Kings of the building of Solomon’s temple, and the similar account in 2nd Chronicles, you will be amazed at the amount of money and effort that went into the building. It was truly one of the most magnificent and expensive buildings ever constructed. Yet our verse for today tells us that there was something unusual about the way it was built.

At present my wife and I live in a subdivision where all the lots have not yet been built on, and from time to time a new house is constructed. We can usually hear the noises of construction — first of all the power shovel digging the foundation; then the noise of the trucks delivering building materials; then the noise of the workmen as they use both hand tools and power tools to do the actual building. There is often the noise of a generator that provides electricity to the power tools. But during the building of Solomon’s temple, it was quiet. Very quiet!

All the stone had been quarried before, and was perfectly chiseled to fit, before it was brought into the area where it was to be used. All the wood was cut beforehand, and shaped to fit just where it would be needed. As it says in our verse, no tool of iron was heard in the house. Why was this?

First of all, Solomon was to be a man of peace. The house of God was to be “a house of prayer for all people” (Isaiah 56:7), and it was to be a quiet place. Noise and confusion do not favor prayer and meditation. Perhaps Solomon realized this, and asked that there be no noise in the actual building. It is quite possible that Solomon did this out of respect for God’s house.

However, there is something more for our hearts. Today souls are being saved, and God is building a house for Himself. We read about this house in 1 Peter 2:5 — “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house.” Every soul that is saved becomes a “living stone” in this house that God is building. This building is also being built quietly. God is not making a lot of noise in this world; rather, the Spirit of God is quietly working among souls to bring them to Christ, and one by one the living stones are being built into God’s house. Soon it will be finished! Are you one of those living stones?

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“Quit yourselves like men; be strong. Let all things ye do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14 JND).

As I mentioned yesterday, today’s talk is mainly for young men, although the young women may read it too.

In the Western world today, young men are often confused about what they should do, and how they should act. Even we older men sometimes do not know what we should do. Let me give you an illustration. A few years ago I was in an airport, and stepped up to an elevator. I had to wait a minute or two for it, and in the meanwhile several younger women stepped up too. When the elevator arrived, I immediately stepped back to allow the women to get on first. But instead of getting on, they just stood there, until I was finally obliged to get on. They got on behind me, and then one of them immediately asked me if I was all right. She evidently thought there was something medically wrong with me that I had just stood there and did not get on ahead of them. (I did not get into an explanation, but simply assured her that I was perfectly all right.)

In our verses today, the Apostle Paul is speaking to the Corinthian assembly, but his advice is very good for us men today. He tells them to be strong, yet to do everything with love. What a good combination! When men talk about being strong, sometimes they mean being “macho.” This simply means being tough, perhaps even mean and fierce, and with a domineering attitude toward women. We never find this to be a proper manly attitude in the Bible.

Rather, the Lord wants men to take the place of leadership in a protective and helpful way, and to treat women with love and respect. Despite the wrong attitudes prevailing in the Western world today, most women will respond to this character in a man. However, as Paul points out, this strength and leadership must be tempered with love. An overbearing and arrogant attitude will not do; this is not the character God wants in men.

It is important for Christian young men to develop this type of leadership and love. It is sadly lacking in the world today, and if men would act as they should, I believe that women would respond to it. (They did not respond at that elevator; they were evidently accustomed to being treated just like men.) May the Lord help us in these last days to walk in the wisdom of His Word, and not in this world’s wisdom.

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Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers