Receiving Faith

Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Matt 13:18-23

As we continue our faith walk, the word of God admonishes us that the just shall live by faith and that without faith it is impossible to please God. We reject faith in one of two ways. We either stubbornly refuse to believe the preached word of God or we speak against the word of God. We cannot continuously refuse and accept at the same time neither can we speak against the word and whole heartedly receive it. So if receiving the word of God is the key to receiving faith from God, then how do we go about receiving it? We can thank God that Jesus gave the answer to that specific question. The synoptic gospel writers present Jesus as the master teacher who carefully utilizes parables as a teaching aid. It should be noted that John’s gospel account does not include any of Jesus’ parabolic teachings. Of the thirty or forty parables recorded in the gospel accounts, a fifth of them can be found in the thirteenth chapter of Matthew. The one that explains how different listeners hear the word of God and respond to it is found here along with Jesus’ interpretation of the parable. In fact, Jesus told his disciples if they could not understand this parable, then how could they understand the others. This is an indication that it is important for Christians to understand this one. The proclamation of the gospel is the seed that is sown. The heart of man is the ground on which the seed falls. What happens after that depends on the ground or the condition of the person’s heart. Many can listen to the same preaching but all will not necessarily receive it and become fruitful as a result of it.

I. Wayside Listeners
A. Hear the Word but don’t Understand It
B. Don’t Know or Appreciate the Value of the Word of God
C. The Devil takes the Word from Them before They discover It’s Value

II. Stony Ground
A. Shallow Christians
B. Religion is a Veneer Covering for Them
C. The Word excites Them but It doesn’t Change Them

III. Thorns
A. Too many Priorities
B. Worldly Concerns
C. The Pursuit of Riches
D. Christianity is a Religion and not a Way of Life

IV. Good Ground
A. Hear and Understand the Word
B. Allow the Word to take full Effect in Their Lives
C. Become fruitful because of the Word

Without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. How we hear determines whether we receive the word and allow it to become fruitful in our lives. The book of Acts records an occasion where a paralyzed man listened as Paul preached the gospel message. Paul perceived that this man had faith to be healed and as a result of that faith, the man was given strength to walk for the first time in his life. Paul was not preaching a message on healing but he was preaching the gospel. Receiving the word of the gospel is so powerful that it can overcome physical circumstances. Before we talk about healing or financial blessings, we should make sure that the message of the gospel is preached so that spiritual healing can occur first. When the message of the gospel falls on good ground, the person’s life will become fruitful and God will be pleased. It is a simple message: Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, he was buried and he rose again the third day according to the scriptures, and he was seen by over five hundred eyewitnesses according to the scriptures. Who has ears to hear, let him hear.


Robert C. Hudson
April 5, 2009