Check Your Receptivity (Matt 13.1-9) - 5-21-23

May 21, 2023Check Your Receptivity. Psalm 119.9-16 and Matthew 13.1-9. In the Parable of the Sower, please note that the only difference is the soil or the ground that the seeds fall on. The seed is the same. It is the Word of God. We are fortunate because it has been codified and organized in this Holy book, the Bible. Jesus used the parable to describe four conditions of receptivity to the Word. I. Receptivity condition 1 – the wayside ground represents a calloused heart. (v4)II. Receptivity condition 2 – the stony ground represents a casual heart. (vv5-6)III. Receptivity condition 3 – the thorny ground represents a crowded heart. (v7)IV. Receptivity condition 4 – the good ground represents a converted & convinced heart. (v8) Conclusion: Check your receptivity to the Word of God. The enemy comes in many forms. The enemy of the Word in the first condition is the devil, represented by birds who snatch away the seed. Their hearts are too calloused.The enemy in the second condition is the flesh that cannot handle the heat of the sun. Their hearts are too casual.The enemy in the third condition is this world and its system-the pleasures, riches, and cares of this life. Their hearts are too crowded.But the person with the converted and convinced heart fills themselves daily with the Word of God to keep the enemy at bay.Amen. Receive Jesus today!