Lucas 8
Ray Stedman · Citado em PreceptAustin
Lucas 8
Stedman says this person has "what we can call the callous heart. The seed is sown upon the beaten, trodden-down pathway. This represents people whose hearts are busy, who are not open, who have been beaten down so many times they have grown cynical, hardhearted, callous to truth. When the seed hits them, the birds come and gather it up immediately. (Perhaps there are people like that here this morning. You are here not because you wanted to hear the Word but because coming to church is the "right" thing to do. Your hearts are callous and unresponsive, and the Word falls on them as on asphalt.) What does Jesus say about that kind of a life? He says it is strictly for the birds! The seed will be snatched away by Satan before you even have a chance to hear it. C S. Lewis, in his Screwtape Letters, describes a man who goes into a library to read and meditate. His mind is suddenly opened to deep thoughts of God. Confronted with his own standing before God, he starts thinking in terms of his eternal welfare. Then, Lewis says, the demons that are assigned to keep him from discovering truth call his attention to the sounds on the street, to the newsboy calling out the latest news, and to the fact that he is hungry, ready for lunch. And that is all it takes. All thoughts of God disappear, and he is involved in the mundane affairs of life. And, from the point of view of the satanic emissaries, he is delivered from this danger of thinking about God. That is what happens to the callous mind and heart. (Seed Thoughts) Devil (Mk 4:15+ = Satan, Mt 13:19+ = evil one)(1228)(diabolos from diá = through, between + ballo = to cast, throw) means a false accuser, slanderer (one who utters false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage another’s reputation), backbiting (malicious comment about one not present), one given to malicious gossip or a calumniator (one who utters maliciously false statements, charges, or imputations about, this term imputes malice to the speaker and falsity to the assertions). Takes away (142)(airo) literally means to lift up something (Mt 17:27) and to carry it (Lxx - Ge 44:1, Ex 25:28 = the Ark). Heart (2588)(kardia) does not refer to the physical organ but is always used figuratively in Scripture to refer to the seat and center of human life. The heart is the center of the personality, and it controls the intellect, emotions, and will. No outward obedience is of the slightest value unless the heart turns to God. Our "control center" (to make a play on the "air traffic control center" at the airport which carefully guards and guides what flies in and what flies out. How applicable to our "hearts" which are so prone to wander!). In short kardia refers to the the affective center of our being wherein lies the capacity of moral preference and volitional desire. The kardia generates thoughts that make the decisions which the mind works out. In other words, our logic flows out of our heart-decisions and not vice versa. Gleason Archer called the kardia, the "desire-producer that makes us tick" for it is the place where our "desire-decisions" occur, and which establish who we really are. WHO ARE YOU? HAVE YOU HAD A HEART CHECK UP RECENTLY? We are assiduous to do this medically, but woefully lax in doing it spiritually (beloved, I speak from experience!). At regeneration God reverses the spiritual atherosclerosis of our old sinful heart by giving us a total heart transplant! Daily confession and repentance are thereafter necessary to avoid "spiritual atherosclerosis" and gradual, subtle hardening (and becoming cold to the things of God) of our heart! (Read and practice daily "preventative maintenance" = 1 Jn 1:9+, Pr 28:13+). Will...Believe (4100)(pisteuo means to consider something to be true and therefore worthy of one’s trust. To accept as true, genuine, or real. To have a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacy, or ability of something or someone. To consider to be true. To accept the word or evidence of. The respected Greek lexicon author W E Vine defines genuine, saving belief as consisting of (1) a firm conviction which produces full acknowledgment of God's revelation of Truth - (2Thes 2:11 -"in order that they all may be judged who did not believe [pisteuo] the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.") (2) a personal surrender to the Truth (Jn 1:12 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe [pisteuo] in His name") and (3) a conduct inspired by and consistent with that surrender. (Reference) Be saved (4982) (sozo) has the basic meaning of rescuing one from great peril. Additional nuances include to protect, keep alive, preserve life, deliver, heal, be made whole. Sozo is sometimes used of physical deliverance from danger of perishing (see Mt 8:25; Mt 14:30; Lk 23:35; Acts 27:20, 27:31), physical healing from sickness (Mt 9:21, 22; Mk 5:23, Acts 4:9), and deliverance from demonic possession (Lk 8:36). More often sozo refers to salvation in a spiritual sense as illustrated in the following passages: Matthew recorded the angel's conversation with Joseph declaring "She (Mary) will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save (sozo) His people from their sins." (Mt 1:21) In Mt 1:21 sozo is equated with deliverance from sins (guilt and power of) with Jesus' Name being a transliteration of Joshua meaning "Jehovah is salvation". Satan's Strategies to take away the Word John Piper There are two other kinds of soil where the Word bears no fruit. There is the rocky ground in Mk 4:16 and the thorny ground in Mk 4:18. Jesus doesn't mention Satan in connection with these. But we know from other teachings in the New Testament that Satan is very much at work in these soils to nullify the Word of God and make the hearers fruitless. So there are really three strategies (at least!) by which Satan takes away the Word. Let's look at each briefly. 1. Immediately—with Inattention, Ill-Will, or Ignorance In Mk 4:15 it says that he does it immediately. He does it before there is any sympathetic response at all. "Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them." I can think of at least three ways this happens. It happens through people's inattention, ill-will, or ignorance. Satan works overtime to keep people from giving serious attention to the Word of God. He may keep you up late Saturday night so that you can't stay awake during the sermon or Sunday School. He may put a dozen different distractions around you in the service to take your mind away from the message. He may send thoughts into your mind (ED: Eph 6:16b+ Note the antidote/defense is found in the first clause in this same verse!) about tomorrow's meeting with your supervisor. If he can only distract you so that the sounds coming out of the preacher's mouth go in one ear and out the other, he will have successfully taken away the Word of God and made it ineffectual for you (ED: cf James 1:25+ = contrast "forgetful hearer but an effectual doer"). Inattention is his game. (ED: disregard; heedlessness; neglect; ATTENTION is the cognitive process of selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things. Attention has also been referred to as the allocation of processing resources.). He also uses ill-will. (ED: a hostile, very unfriendly, disposition, enmity, dislike) He causes feelings of aversion to block the Word. These feelings might be against the preacher or against his language or simply against the truths of the gospel. People may hear and understand exactly what is being said, but despise it. Paul said the gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing (ED: 1 Cor 1:18). Satan works to maintain their worldly sense of values so that the value of the death of Christ is as nothing. Satan gives people such a high estimation of themselves that the evangelical message of brokenness before the cross for our sin is disgusting and threatening. So the Word of God gains no foothold. Satan takes it away. Satan also uses ignorance. The work of Satan can be so thorough that his servants can actually lose the capacity to grasp what is being said well enough even to get angry about it. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:3–4, "Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God." When the glory of God is described, Satan blinds the eyes of his people so that they wonder what in the world is going on when spiritual people are deeply affected by this glory. Thus Satan takes away the Word of God. 2. Eventually—with Shallow Soil and Persecution But Satan's battle against the Word is not just directed against that first hearing of the Word. Even after a person has heard the Word and received it with joy, Satan does his best to take it away and bring the person to fruitlessness and ruin. Mark 4:16–17 describe this attack. "And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away." The reason I feel confident in saying that this too is the work of Satan, even though Jesus doesn't mention him here, is that persecution is mentioned and this is a key strategy of Satan elsewhere in the New Testament. For example, when Paul heard that the Thessalonian Christians were being persecuted, he chalked it up to the devil and said, "For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent that I might know your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and that our labor would be in vain." (1 Th 3:5+) It's clear that Paul saw persecution as a work of Satan that could destroy the gospel labor he had expended. In other words, the Word could be taken away. Just because Satan is not able to keep everyone from responding joyfully to the Word of God, doesn't mean he gives up on those people. He brings many of them to ruin by keeping their soil shallow and battering them with hard times so that they fall for the lie that the Word of God is not worth the trouble it brings. And so Satan takes away the Word of God even after it has gained a little toehold. 3. Eventually—with Prosperity If persecution doesn't look like it will work, Satan will try prosperity. This is his third strategy for taking away the Word and making people fruitless. Mk 4:18–19 describe this strategy: "And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the deceit of riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful." Ephesians 2:2–3+ teaches that when people follow Satan they are not dragged along against their desires, but are giving in to their ungodly desires. Satan takes away the Word by making us feel that if we hold fast to the Word, we will have to give up something better. He is the great deceiver. And in America he majors not on soil 2 but on soil 3. He doesn't snatch the Word as much by the threat of persecution (ED: AS IN PLACES LIKE INDIA AND MUSLIM NATIONS WHERE A PERSON'S LIFE MAY BE AT STAKE IF THEY RECEIVE THE WORD OF THE GOSPEL!) as by the deceptive promise that things will go better if you don't get fanatical about the Word of God. And so thousands of people who had made a start with the Word of God give in to his lies and have the Word choked out of their lives. In summary, Satan has three strategies to take away the Word of God. First, he often acts immediately as soon as the Word is heard to make people inattentive, or cause them to feel ill-will, or to simply be so ignorant of spiritual reality they can't grasp what's being said. Second, he comes in after the Word has been received with joy and attacks it with hard times. He convinces some that holding fast to the Word is not worth the trouble. Third, he comes in where the Word has begun to take root and strangles it with the lie that too many good things are being sacrificed. (Read the rest of Dr Piper's message as he discusses 3 strategies to fight the enemy's 3 strategies). Luke 8:13 "Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. KJV They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. NET Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in a time of testing fall away. receive Ps 106:12-14; Isaiah 58:2; Ezekiel 33:32; Matthew 13:20,21; Mark 4:16,17; 6:20; John 5:35; Galatians 3:1,4; 4:15-20 and these Job 19:28; Proverbs 12:3,12; Ephesians 3:17; Colossians 2:7; Jude 1:12 which Lk 22:31,32; Hosea 6:4; John 2:23-25; 8:30-32; 12:42,43; 15:2,6; Acts 8:13-23; 1 Corinthians 13:2; 15:2; Colossians 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 3:5; 1 Timothy 1:19; 2 Timothy 2:18,19; Hebrews 10:39; James 2:26; 2 Peter 2:20,22; 1 John 2:19 Luke 8:4-15 Receptivity to the Gospel, Part 1 - John MacArthur Luke 8:13 Receptivity to the Gospel, Part 2 - John MacArthur Luke 8:4-15 - Steven Cole Luke 8 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passages: Matthew 13:21+ “yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. Mark 4:17+ “and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. PARABLE OF THE SOILS: THE SHALLOW SOIL Those on the rocky soil - for an explanation of the problem with this soil see note on Luke 8:6. It is not soil that is rocky on the surface but which has only a thin layer of soil that hides hard rock (like limestone) beneath the surface. The results are two-fold, rapid growth (a "greenhouse" effect) and rapid withering. This soil typifies the shallow heart, one that is superficial, emotional, easily interested and impressed, but with no depth of conviction. They have feeling but lack faith! (cf the rich young ruler - Lk 18:18-21, second son of Mt 21:30. These are those who may shed tears, but once they are dry, they fall away when tested.
Lucas 8
Stedman says these "are the impulsive hearts. The seed falls upon them and they immediately respond with joy. The seed takes root and grows up quickly. The trouble is, they respond like this to everything -- food fads, new books, political leaders, whatever popular movement happens to be abroad at the time. As a result, their lives are so shallow that the seed of the life-giving Word cannot take deep root and change them. Consequently, the life which apparently is there withers away and dies. Jesus says that this kind of life is shallow; it cannot stand the heat. When persecution and tribulation come, immediately it is withered. They turn away and lose interest, and cannot abide." (Seed Thoughts) Adrian Rogers says of this soil "what you have is a false profession. And it is all emotionalism. Oh, there are these people. You can give an invitation and get people to get emotional and to give their heart to Jesus, but they don’t really mean business with God. There is no root. It is all emotion. Now I’m not against emotion. Praise God for emotion. But, friend, you’re not saved by emotion. Sometimes people think that in order to be saved you have to shout or cry. You may do both, but you don’t have to do either. The Bible doesn’t mention feelings. You’re not saved by feelings. As a matter of fact, as far as I can find, the word feeling is only used twice in the entire New Testament. Over and over again, the Bible speaks of faith, trust, and commitment—of a life that is rooted in Jesus Christ. Now let me tell you something, friend, about these emotional, candy-legged soldiers. They say, “Yes, I’m going for Christ.” They’ll join anything if you give them a badge and a button. But listen. As soon as persecution and affliction comes, they fall away. There are some people who would give up membership in this church before they would give up getting a new car. There are some people, if it gets tough and if it gets tight, they will fall away. They won’t lose their salvation. They never had it. They are about a half-inch deep. Listen. Salvation is the deepest work of God. Your emotions are the shallowest part of your life. God doesn’t do His deepest work in the shallowest part. I’m not against emotions, but you’ve got to be more than just a half-inch deep. Do you mean business with God? (Be Careful How You Hear). The discerning reader needs to be aware of a teaching among some evangelicals that says only the first soil represents lost souls and the other three represent saved souls, a teaching with which I strongly disagree, but present so that you are not caught off guard. I have been shocked at how many people have gotten upset when I taught that the first 3 soils are lost souls. Here is a short critique from Middletown Bible Church regarding the interpretation that only one soil is lost which is what is taught by Zane Hodges (former professor at Dallas Theological Seminary) and Joseph Dillow. They teach that... The carnal, barren believer is represented by the rocky ground and the thorny ground. The rocky ground represents a saved person who believes at first but then falls away from the faith. The thorny ground represents a saved but carnal person who is given over to the things of the world and thus is fruitless. According to this understanding of the parable the only ground which represents the heart of an unsaved person is the hard ground by the way side (Luke 8:12). The other three categories, according to Hodges and Dillow, all refer to saved people. Hodges explains his position on this parable in the book The Hungry Inherit and Dillow explains this parable in The Reign of the Servant Kings on pages 396-400. This interpretation contradicts our Lord’s clear teaching in Matthew 7:16-20 where we are told that "every good tree brings forth good fruit." Since there is no good fruit connected with the rocky soil and the thorny soil, how can there be a good tree? The root is corrupt! It is correct to understand all of the saved as represented by the "good ground." Matthew 13:23 teaches two important principles: 1) All those who are truly saved are fruitful at least to some extent (see Matt. 3:8-10; 7:16-20); 2) Some believers are much more fruitful than others. There is a big difference between 30 baskets of apples and 100 baskets of apples! (The Parable of the Sower) (In a separate note) The Hungry Inherit is the title of one of Zane Hodges’ earlier books. In this book Hodges sets forth the position that in Jesus’ parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:3-9), all of the soils except the first soil represent saved individuals. This view is quite consistent with Hodge’s teaching that a person can have eternal life but not evidence it in any way. (ED: READ THAT LAST SENTENCE AGAIN!) Hodges thus teaches that a saved person can be totally worldly (thorny ground) and a saved person may believe only for a time, have no root, and then fall away (stony ground). In either case, there is no fruit. It is interesting to contrast Hodges’ position with that of the Free Will Baptists. The Free Will Baptist position is that a true believer may depart from the faith and be lost forever. Hodges position is that a true believer may depart from the faith and be saved forever. The teaching of the Word of God is that a true believer’s faith will not fail because of the intercessory ministry of Christ (Luke 22:31-32+; John 17) and the keeping power of God (1 Pet. 1:5+). God’s Word teaches that a true believer may have a very serious lapse of faith (as Peter did) but not a total departure from the Lord, because "we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul" (Heb. 10:39+). (ED: ILLUSTRATION) Every believer is on the ship of faith, as it were. We may fall down on the deck and we may fall very hard, but we will never fall overboard. Our faith will never fail in a final way because we have the blessed intercessory ministry of our Saviour on our behalf, as did Peter (Luke 22:31-32+). The Lord prays for us, as He did for Peter, that our faith will not fail! (The Hungry Inherit) (Addendum - Hodges and Dillow teach that a "Spiritual Believer" will be the "Heir of the Kingdom" (this person's salvation is accompanied by works) and the "Carnal Believer" is a saved person who DOES NOT inherit the Kingdom (this person is said to be saved but his life is devoid of good works. In contrast James 2:17, 26+ says "This 'faith' is called a 'dead faith.'" see The Hungry Inherit) The upshot is Be a Berean (Acts 17:11+) and be very discerning when reading (any) commentary (including the one you are reading). Always check the comments of the commentary with the Scripture under prayerful tutelage by your Teacher, the Holy Spirit! Receive (1209)(dechomai) means to accept with a deliberate and ready reception of what is offered, to receive kindly and so to take to oneself what is presented or brought by another. It means to welcome as a teacher, a friend, or a guest into one's house. The word describes accepting persons with open arms, minds, and hearts, even going beyond normally expected gracious hospitality. The term was often used of welcoming honored guests and meeting their needs with special attention and kindness. Dechomai in the writings of Luke - 16x in 13v in the Gospel and 8x in 8v in Acts (total NTuses of dechomai - 56x in 45v) - Lk. 2:28; Lk. 8:13; Lk. 9:5; Lk. 9:48; Lk. 9:53; Lk. 10:8; Lk. 10:10; Lk. 16:4; Lk. 16:6; Lk. 16:7; Lk. 16:9; Lk. 18:17; Lk. 22:17;Acts 3:21; Acts 7:38; Acts 7:59; Acts 8:14; Acts 11:1; Acts 17:11; Acts 22:5; Acts 28:21 Joy (5479)(chara) is a feeling of great pleasure, of inner gladness, or of delight. Joy is an emotion evoked by a sense of well-being. It is a deep feeling of happiness and contentment. Joy in the NT is virtually always used to signify a feeling of "happiness" that is based on spiritual realities (independent of what "happens"). Joy is a depth of assurance and confidence that ignites a cheerful heart. It is a cheerful heart that leads to cheerful behavior. Root (4491)(rhiza) is used to describe a literal root. Literally this section reads "absolutely not continually having a root." No root signifies no fruit which in turn describes a lost soul. It is sad to see some evangelical commentators try to parse this person into the category of a "fruitless believer" (This is a deceptive, damning oxymoron!) Temptation (3986)(peirasmos from peirazo = to make trial of, try, tempt, prove in either a good or bad sense) describes first the idea of putting to the test and then refers to the tests or pressures that come in order to discover a person’s nature or the quality of some thing. The context of the use determines whether it is simply a trial or as in the present passage clearly a temptation to sin. And remember we cannot always say the "devil made me do it." First, he cannot make a genuine believer do anything ungodly against his will. The true is our fallen flesh is quiet sufficient to tempt us to do evil for "each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust" (see James 1:13-15-note) Fall away (868)(aphistemi from apo = separation of one thing from another + histemi = stand and is the root of our English = apostasy) literally means to stand off from means to withdraw, to stand off, to forsake, to depart from or to remove oneself from. To apostatize or to fall away from. To withdraw from a place, an association or a relationship. Aphistemi is used by Luke 10/14x - Lk. 2:37; Lk. 4:13; Lk. 8:13; Lk. 13:27; Acts 5:37; Acts 5:38; Acts 12:10; Acts 15:38; Acts 19:9; Acts 22:29; 2 Co. 12:8; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 2:19; Heb. 3:12 The sense of aphistemi in Lk 8:13 is similar to that in Paul's description in First Timothy... 1 Timothy 4:1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons The sense is also similar to the warning passage in Hebrews 3... Hebrews 3:12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. Related Resources: All of the resources below are from Gotquestions.org What is a carnal Christian? Gotquestions.org EXCERPT - The key thing to understand is that while a Christian can be, for a time, carnal, a true Christian will not remain carnal for a lifetime. Some have abused the idea of a “carnal Christian” by saying that it is possible for people to come to faith in Christ and then proceed to live the rest of their lives in a completely carnal manner, with no evidence of being born again or a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17+). Such a concept is completely unbiblical. James 2+ makes it abundantly clear that genuine faith will always result in good works. Ephesians 2:8-10+ declares that while we are saved by grace alone through faith alone, that salvation will result in works. Can a Christian, in a time of failure and/or rebellion, appear to be carnal? Yes. Will a true Christian remain carnal? No. What is easy believism? What is free grace? What is Free Grace Theology? How ‘Free Grace’ Theology Diminishes the Gospel What is cheap grace? How can believers be in the world, but not of the world? Are Christians sinners, saints, or both? Do we sin daily? Is it possible to go an entire day without sinning? Can a Christian lose salvation? Does Hebrews 6:4-6 mean we can lose our salvation? Does Matthew 7:21-23 mean that believers can lose salvation? Does Hebrews 10:26 mean that a believer can lose salvation? Spurgeon's devotional - These have no root." - Luke 8:13 - My soul, examine thyself this morning by the light of this text. Thou hast received the word with joy; thy feelings have been stirred and a lively impression has been made; but, remember, that to receive the word in the ear is one thing, and to receive Jesus into thy very soul is quite another; superficial feeling is often joined to inward hardness of heart, and a lively impression of the word is not always a lasting one. In the parable, the seed in one case fell upon ground having a rocky bottom, covered over with a thin layer of earth; when the seed began to take root, its downward growth was hindered by the hard stone and therefore it spent its strength in pushing its green shoot aloft as high as it could, but having no inward moisture derived from root nourishment, it withered away. Is this my case? Have I been making a fair show in the flesh without having a corresponding inner life? Good growth takes place upwards and downwards at the same time. Am I rooted in sincere fidelity and love to Jesus? If my heart remains unsoftened and unfertilized by grace, the good seed may germinate for a season, but it must ultimately wither, for it cannot flourish on a rocky, unbroken, unsanctified heart. Let me dread a godliness as rapid in growth and as wanting in endurance as Jonah's gourd; let me count the cost of being a follower of Jesus, above all let me feel the energy of his Holy Spirit, and then I shall possess an abiding and enduring seed in my soul. If my mind remains as obdurate as it was by nature, the sun of trial will scorch, and my hard heart will help to cast the heat the more terribly upon the ill-covered seed, and my religion will soon die, and my despair will be terrible; therefore, O heavenly Sower, plough me first, and then cast the truth into me, and let me yield thee a bounteous harvest. Luke 8:14 "The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. KJV And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. and are Lk 8:7; 16:13; 17:26-30; 18:24,25; 21:34; Matthew 6:24,25; 13:22; Mark 4:19; 1 Timothy 6:9,10,17; 2 Timothy 4:10; 1 John 2:15-17 and bring Lk 13:6-9; John 15:6 Luke 8:4-15 Receptivity to the Gospel, Part 1 - John MacArthur Luke 8:14-15 Receptivity to the Gospel, Part 3 - John MacArthur Luke 8:4-15 - Steven Cole Luke 8 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passages: Matthew 13:22+ “ yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. Mark 4:18+ “and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. PARABLE OF THE SOILS: THE CROWDED HEART See Jesus' parable in Luke 8:7+. This heart could be called the divided heart or the preoccupied heart. The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard - They heard the seed of the Gospel, but as Jesus goes on to point out they don't heed the Gospel. Darrell Bock - The thorny soil represents those who are choked out of a walk with God by life's distractions. The world's worries, riches and pleasures take any benefit the seed has to offer or any nutrients the soil possesses. They swallow up any opportunity for fruit to come to maturity. Luke often notes how wealth can influence people adversely and become a harmful distraction (Luke 6:24; Luke 12:16-21; Luke 14:12; Luke 16:1, Luke 16:19, Luke 16:21-22; Luke 18:23, Luke 18:25; Luke 19:2; Luke 21:1). Pleasures translates a Greek word from which our term "hedonism" is derived. Clearly, wrong priorities can kill off the seed of the word. (The Parable of the Seed and the Importance of the Word Luke 8:4-21) POSB - This is a person who receives the Word and honestly tries (professes) to live for Christ. Christ and His followers and the church and its activities appeal to him. So he joins right in, even professing Christ as he walks about his daily affairs. But there is one problem: the thorns or worldliness. He is unwilling to cut completely loose from the world: "[to] come out from among them and [to] be separate" (2 Cor. 6:17-18). He lives a double life, trying to live for Christ and yet still live out in the world. He keeps right on growing in the midst of the thorns, giving his mind and attention to the cares and riches and pleasures of this world. Note what happens. He bears fruit. Fruit does appear, but it never ripens; it is never able to be plucked. The thorns choke the life out of it. It never lives to be used. (Borrow Luke Commentary) Matthew's description of this soil says "And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry (merimna) of the world (this "age" - aion) and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word (THE GOSPEL), and it becomes unfruitful (akarpos). (Matthew 13:22) Comment: Deceitfulness (539)(apate from apatao = cheat, delude, deceive, beguile) describes that which gives a false impression, whether by appearance, statement or influence. It is spoken of anything which is seducing (a leading astray by persuasion or false promises), in this case wealth. Apate describes that which causes someone to have misleading or erroneous views concerning the truth. Mark's description of this soil says "but the worries of the world (this "age" - aion), and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (Mark 4:19+) Comment: Desires (1939)(epithumia from epi = at, toward {the preposition "epi-" in the compound is directive conveying the picture of "having one’s passion toward"} + thumos = passion. The root verb epithumeo = set heart upon) is a neutral term denoting the presence of strong desires or impulses, longings or passionate craving (whether it is good or evil is determined by the context) directed toward an object. Brian Bell - The preoccupied heart! Three is a crowd: Cares & Riches & Pleasures.Cares & Riches – Note the following are exact opposites - Cares - poverty & the anxiety/worries it creates. Riches – wealth, with the dissatisfaction it creates.. Lack of weed killer! [They need a good dose of Round Up!] He or she receives the Word, but does not truly repent and remove the weeds out of his or her heart! See, a gardener must not only love flowers & fruit, But hate weeds! Jer.4:3 "Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns.” Biblical Examples: Achan; Gehazi, Judas, Demas. (Luke:8:1 -18 Parable of the Soils) MacArthur describes this soil with thorns as "the worldly heart, the preoccupied heart. The reception looks good. On the surface the ground looks good, it's not hard. It doesn't have rock underneath it. It looks good on the surface. But the truth is crowded out. It's crowded out by the presence of sin. There are just impurities all through this heart.... This is not a stupid fool, hard-hearted (FIRST SOIL). This is not a shallow, emotional person, the rocky soil underneath (SECOND SOIL), this soil appears good . But there are all kinds of impurities in it. There's other life there that's much more advanced, much stronger and natural to that soil, whereas the seed which is the Word of God is unnatural. It is the foreigner to the already established weeds and thorns. The good seed can't survive in this double-minded man. Jesus put it this way. You cannot serve God and riches (Mt 6:24-note). It's the worries and riches and pleasures of this life. That's the key, this life. This person is consumed with the temporal, consumed with the world, sinful pleasures, sinful longings, desires, ambitions, career, money, home, car, prestige, whatever that crowds out the true seed. This is the preoccupied, worldly heart, swept up in the deceitfulness of riches. At the end of his letter to Timothy, his first letter, 1 Timothy 6:9, Paul said, "Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap, or a snare, and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction, for the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many a sorrow,” or a pain or pang. If you never deal with the love of the world, riches, all that the world has to offer, will choke out the truth, the Gospel.....In First John we have been learning that John is very matter of fact, very straightforward, very black and white, very absolute, and here is a perfect illustration of it. 1 John 2:15 (note), "Do not love (present imperative with a negative) the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is (Greek particle = absolutely) not in him." That's pretty clear, isn't it? If you love the world, the love of the Father's not in you.....Very clearly what it means to love the world is to have as your primary hankering, your primary longing, your primary desire, your primary lust, those things that gratify your flesh. The lust of the flesh, simply to pander your physical, fleshly appetites, the things you feel. Lust of the eyes: pandering to the desire of what you see. And the boastful pride of life undergirds everything. Self-fulfillment is everything to you. If you live that way, if what drives you is what your flesh wants and what your eyes see and what your pride longs for, then you don't know God whatever you may claim....As long as the weeds are there, as long as the thorns are there, they're going to grow faster. They've already established themselves. You've just got one little fragile, seed of truth in there, but you've got strong roots of weeds native to that soil, whereas the Word of God is not native to that soil. It's not natural to that soil. The weeds are. That's their home. The... The sinner is at home with his sin and his sin finds a home in him. Very natural, the heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. That is true. And as long as those weeds live, they grow. And as they grow, the thorns tear and lacerate the fragile life of the seed and it can't survive. (Luke 8:14-15 Receptivity to the Gospel, Part 3) Spurgeon on thorny hearers - How many we have of that sort! They do continue somewhat longer than the others, yet they get choked after all. (Exposition on Luke 8) Courson - Cares (Worries) affect those who live in poverty. Riches affect those who live in prosperity. Pleasure affects everyone. When you find yourself no longer studying the Scripture, the reason can be found in one of these three areas. (Ibid) As they go on their way - The "choking" occurs as go about their life which makes sense because that is where they would encounter the worries, riches and pleasures.