Yesterday we talked about the first two groups in the Parable of the Sower. Group One never really accepts after hearing the Good News.
Group two, hears it with joy, but the roots are shallow and anything that comes along causes their faith to die before it really had a chance to get established.
That brings us to Group Three. Group Three appears to have inserted roots at one time into the soil. Unlike Group Two, they have a different problem.
Matthew 13:22 – 22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
Is group three in the Parable saved? It doesn’t say the words falls away like in the second group. My guess is group three is saved, but is unfruitful and unproductive.
It says that the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth are making this group unfruitful.
Do we want to be fruitful? Does God and Jesus want us to be fruitful? I will have many other posts on the this subject so I won’t go into a lot of detail, but in the parable of the talents, Jesus uses phrases in it such as:
Matthew 25:21 – 21“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
On the other hand:
Matthew 25:26-30 – 26“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28” ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
After reading that, my assessment is that we all want to be in Group Four. Those are not the only versus in the Bible that make you want to be in Group Four.
Tomorrow let’s look at Group Four a little closer.