TRUNEWS with Rick Wiles - Morning Manna - Nov 14, 2025 - Matthew 13:18-23 - The Parable of the Sower Explained by Jesus

Episode Date: November 14, 2025

In this Morning Manna, Rick Wiles and Doc Burkhart explore Jesus’ own explanation of the Parable of the Sower. Together we see why some hearers lose the Word to distraction, why shallow roots fail under pressure, how cares, riches, and pleasures choke spiritual growth, and how the humble, prepared heart bears enduring fruit—thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. The call is clear: seek understanding, welcome discipline, expect opposition, and let the Holy Spirit plow the heart so the Word takes root and thrives.Teachers: Rick Wiles and Doc BurkhartYou can partner with us by visiting FaithandValues.com, calling 1-888-519-4935, or by mail at PO Box 399 Vero Beach, FL 32961.MEGA FIRE reveals the ancient recurring cycles of war and economic collapse that have shaped history for 600 years. These patterns predict America is now entering its most dangerous period since World War II. Get your copy today!www.megafire.worldGet high-quality emergency preparedness food today from American Reserves!www.AmericanReserves.comIt’s the Final Day! The day Jesus Christ bursts into our dimension of time, space, and matter. Now available in eBook and audio formats! Order Final Day from Amazon today!www.Amazon.com/Final-DayApple users, you can download the audio version on Apple Books!www.books.apple.com/final-dayPurchase the 4-part DVD set or start streaming Sacrificing Liberty today.www.Sacrificingliberty.com

Good morning. Welcome to Morning Manna. This is your weekday Bible study. A Ministry of Faith and Values Fellowship in Viro Beach, Florida. Your Bible teachers are Doc Berkart and myself, Rick Wiles. We welcome you, especially if this is your very first time to join us in Morning Manner. And you're probably, if this is your first time, you're probably watching us on Rumble, or Getter or X or True News or any other platform, maybe listening on radio. WWCR International Shortwave, we welcome you. We want you to know that we actually meet as a class at 8 a.m. Monday through Friday, Eastern Time, at Faith and Values.com.

And you can become a member of the class and meet people from all over the world. we are studying the gospel according to st. Matthew and we're in the parables we're looking at the parable of the sower and verses 18 through 23 we began yesterday we're going to continue today and I'm going to pray doc's going to read the word we're going to begin our study dear father in heaven father we love you and we thank you for this one wonderful day. We are grateful to be alive and to be saved and be children in your kingdom. We're already winners. There's nothing else that we could possibly ask for. We are grateful, father. And we don't deserve what you've already given us, but you did it because you're a good

father, a good God. And we recognize it. And we thank you. And we thank you. We praise you. Father, this parable that we're studying today is about receiving your word. And so Father, we ask that the Holy Spirit would prepare our hearts and minds to receive your word today. And this we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen.

And as Rick mentioned, we are in Matthew chapter 13. We're going to pick back to verse 18 here. just a moment. I want to welcome 16 countries joining us this morning. And it's usually sometimes between 15 and 20 countries that check in every morning. But what a privilege to be able to join with people all of the world and study the Word of God together. So if you've got your Bibles this morning, let's open to Matthew chapter 13. I'll begin reading verse 18 from the King James. Hear ye therefore the parable of the sore. When anyone heareth the word, 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 wayside. But he that received the seed into stony places the same as he that heareth the word and anon with joy receives it. Yet hath he not root in himself but dureth for a while, for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that receives seed among the thorns is he that hearth the word and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becomeeth unfruitful. But he that receives seed and through the good grant is he that heareth the word and understandeth it. And God beareth fruit and bringeth forth some hundredfold, some 60 and some 30. God bless the reading of his word. Amen. Amen. First 19, when anyone

hearth the word of the kingdom and understand it not then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart this is the seed this is he which was received by the wayside so we we talked about the reception of the word in the heart of the in the life of a person who is sown by the wayside we were talking yesterday primarily about who is the sower and who is sown so now specifically we're going to talk about the various seed no not the seed the people who are sown right as we as we taught yesterday the seed is is two parts it's the word of god which is the embryo

that's encased inside the seed shell you are the seed shell the word of god has been placed in you and jesus is the sower and he sows you into the field the field is the world where you land is your decision not Jesus's so the person that falls by the wayside that is he as Luke describes it that is he he that falls by the wayside yes so it's personal it's personal so the wayside is the path of life that's impacted by heavy traffic The person hears the word of God, so far so good. All these people are people who have heard the word of God. This does not refer to sinners in the world who have never heard the gospel.

Yes, thank you. This refers specifically to people who heard the good news. and responsibility is on them what they do with the good news so in the the seed that falls by the wayside the problem is not that the person refuses to hear the word or rejects it the problem is the person does not understand the word to understand the word to go to church to find a Bible class to read the Bible to pray for understanding the word managed to get into his or her ears but that's about as far as it traveled as we say about people who don't pay attention

and it went in one ear and out the other. That's what we have here. Jesus saying, yeah, well, the word went in one ear and went out the other. It never went into your heart. The word was sewn into the person's life, but it doesn't stay there long enough to develop roots and sprout upwards.

Why? satan immediately snatches the word from the person's heart now you're going to be interested in this the greek new testament verb that's used for snatching away the word is harpazo it means to violently seize obtained by a to catch up to seize by force to suddenly and decisively take away. Not secretly, not covertly. Right out in the open, openly take. Now, Harpazo is used to describe the catching away of the church when Jesus returns.

The rapturous, the John Nelson Darby gang, the rapture crowd they did a word play they replaced the greek word harpazo with the latin word rapier which also means to seize it's but it's where we get the english word rape and then the raptures turn the verb rapier into a noun and called it the rapture. Well, are they going to call it the rape? No, see, Harpazo is a verb. It describes this taking away. The raptures made it an event, not an action, an event.

we're waiting for quote a rapture but again that's a that's another teaching all right on on how where this rapture word came from because rapture's not in the bible right and they'll admit they will admit it's not in the bible anyhow let's get back to this parable regards it not, shows no regard, a lack of attention, a lack of consideration, a lack of seriousness towards the Word of God. So Satan immediately comes and seizes the word from the man or woman who shows little or no interest in understanding it. Satan doesn't waste any time, when Satan notices that a person who heard the word has little interest in it, he makes his move suddenly and decisively to steal away the word before it has time to germinate

and grow in that person's heart. Why? Satan knows that the word is alive. Yes. He knows he has a short window of opportunity to remove that living. seed before it takes hold inside that person. Isn't it ironic that Satan knows how powerful that the Word of God is? And yet some believers don't count it at all.

It's that understandeth it not. It's almost as if they refuse to acknowledge it, refuse to acknowledge the power of the Word of God. Talk, Satan's awareness and understanding, of the power of the word, really sums up everything he does inside the church. His, he's got two different operations. On the outside of the church is to prevent people from hearing the word. From inside the church is to prevent people from believing the word.

Amen. And so in church, he comes up with all the word. he comes up with all kinds of devious ways to persuade people not to believe the word not to act on the word not to apply the word he's stealing away the word yes just like a bird would steal away seed that's what i was going to say it satan comes and snatches the word from the new hearer of the word like a bird of prey seizing a rabbit on the ground or a small rodent it's violent comes down quickly grabs it when does satan appear to aggressively steal away the word when anyone hears the word of the kingdom doesn't understand it and shows little interest in ever

understanding it. Right. And I think what needs to be brought out there and you're touching on it is that it's not a matter of people being ignorant, you know, not having it, but the implication there that understandeth it as if there's an unwillingness to believe it. It's not just a matter of I just, I didn't go to Bible college or I didn't go to seminary, so I don't understand it. No, it's not a matter of knowledge or ignorance or anything along that line, but a matter of willingness to receive the word. So if you look at that same word that you use in other passages in the New Testament, it seems to imply that there is a choice involved on our part in our willingness to receive the word. I've been on a continuous journey since 1978 to decrease my ignorance.

I'm still in that journey. I'm still decreasing my ignorance of the word. But I started out with an awareness that I'm ignorant of the word. Right. And I have to study. I have to learn. And anybody who's in a Bible study class five days a week, you are serious about getting rid of your ignorance.

Praise God. You don't have to worry about that. this parable in your life. If you're in a Bible study five days a week, this parable is not going to sneak up on you and get you. No, you can teach this parable if you're here five days a week. It's the lack of the person's interest in the word that attracts Satan's interest in the person. Right. What's he looking for? A person who heard the word. and shows little interest in understanding it.

We would call that low-hanging fruit. You're going to grab that one first before you spend time on somebody else that you have to invest more time and effort into. Go after that person who heard the word of God, shows no interest, get in there quickly, grab it, steal it, and get it out of their heart quickly. And Rick, whose fault is?

Rick, whose fault is it that the seed is being stolen away? Is it Satan's fault? No, it's the person's fault. His tactics involve diverting the hearer's attention away from the word through thoughts, distractions, temptations, whatever tool he can use. whatever he's got to wave and say hey look over here what do we do with children all right they start crying you get a toy and you wave it and suddenly the child forgets why he's crying and looks at the toy

that's what satan does to adults they start to look they hear the word of god and then immediately he's he's waving something that they like, something that gets their attention. And then they forget about the word of God. So person sown by the wayside is a heart that is hardened and unreceptive to the word. It's a path that's trampled and compacted. Makes it difficult for the seed to penetrate and grow.

People who fit this description are spiritually barren, uncultivated, like a well-traveled pathway. They hear the Word of God, but they make little or no effort to retain it. And Satan obliges them by quickly removing it from them. What Satan is saying is, I notice you've place little value on the word well let me take it from you yes there you go it means nothing to you let me have it and people give it up to satan not even realizing what they did and he he leaves whistling and laughing i got another one they gave up the word of god

they didn't even resist so we go to verse 20 and he that receiveth the seed into stony places the same is he that heareth the word and anon with joy receive it modern english says what was sown on the rocky places this is he who hears the word and immediately with joy receives it so matthew 1320 describes the second type of character in the parable. It depicts the response of individuals who receive the seed of the word into stony places. It's a heart that is shallow, a superficial faith.

It refers to someone who hears the word. all these people have heard the word they each respond to the word differently yes so this type of individual here's the gospel message and initially in the beginning is interested captivated by it but the phrase falling on rocky ground suggest that while they hear the word their hearts lack the depth or endurance to sustain genuine true faith and although they appear on the outside to be genuine believers their faith has no roots right and the and the tests of stoniness is persecution. That's right. That persecution reveals the stoniness underneath the good soil. That's right. So what do we have here? It's a layer of soil on a bed of rock. And like I said yesterday, anybody's been a gardener or you've tried to dig a fence post hole.

and you put the shovel down and it goes down into the dirt and then all of a sudden you hear that clang yes and you know i just hit a rock and you move six inches and you do it again and you get a rock and you move another six inches and you hit rock and you realize we're not going to plan anything here there's soil here but it's only four inches deep we can't get down below it nothing's going to grow here you'd be foolish to plant a garden there it can't grow there's no way for the roots to go down deep it can't get through the rock that's what the stony places represents it's a person who has heard the word there is some soil on their rocky stony heart there's something good there This is not an evil person.

It's a person that has a layer of goodness on their stony heart. Yes. But the stone, the stony heart means that there's hardness, a shallowness in their hearts. And that prevents the word from taking root. So these people are glad to hear about the blessings of salvation. They love to hear sermons about heaven. Oh, they definitely love to hear sermons about prosperity. But their faith does not endure.

The next phrase says, And immediately with joy receives it. Again, we're talking about people who hear the gospel. Immediately, they receive it with joy. It's their joy, not the joy of the Lord. If you're going to have joy, make sure it's the joy of the Lord. It's his joy. So their reception of the gospel is a temporary emotional response

rather than a lasting transformation of the heart. they have initial enthusiasm and joy they're they look excited when they go to church we're looking at them in church saying look at these new believers oh they they just got saved a month ago look at them they're coming to church every week and they're all happy and they're clapping and we're and everybody and you're thinking well this is fantastic but their acceptance of the gospel is shallow there's an absence of roots because the roots can't penetrate the rock bed there's a momentary surge of emotion but there's not genuine conviction this type of person is easily persuaded but the the reception of the word is emotional not spiritual

it's superficial not permanent not deep there's a there's an initial joy overhearing the word of god but it doesn't last long now let me say this there's a there's an initial joy over hearing the word of god but it doesn't last long. Now let me say this, there's nothing wrong with expressing joy. Indeed, all Christians should express the joy of the Lord. But in this example, the shallow person's joy is more emotional than spiritual. Right. And perhaps the joy stems from a temporary alleviation of anxiety and troubles in their lives. But it's not a genuine spiritual transformation because they don't yet understand their depraved and sinful nature, their need for salvation, their significance, the significance of

Jesus Christ, nor do they understand their need for discipleship. There is a distinction between joy, human joy, experienced by emotional individuals compared to God's joy that's in the hearts of seekers of truth. The emotional individuals are superficial. but the seekers of truth understand the necessity of the necessity of staying in the fight for the long haul and that's where we get to the the item that doc mentioned a few minutes ago verse 21 but dureth for a while for when or persecution arises because of the word by and by he is offended modern english version says yet he has no root in himself but endures for a while when opposition when oppression or persecution arises because of the word immediately he stumbles

notice it says Jesus said he has no root in himself yes but he endures for a while he goes on this man or woman goes on for a season after hearing the word of God they're going they're going to church they're watching TV in they're growing you know it kind of looks like something's happening but this tells us that the test the test is when tribulation or persecution arises what I read in here Doc is Jesus is telling us that affliction tribulation affliction and persecution is normal for all believers and we should expect it in our faith journey or it should be normal for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word what brings the tribulation or the persecution

the word in their heart the fact that they've heard the word the word has entered into their life and the word brings tribulation or persecution. It's not that God wants you to be persecuted. It's Satan who says, now this one's going to be tougher. The other guy on the wayside, all I had to do was walk up and say, hey, you want to give me your word? But this one, this one's going to be a little it tougher i'm going to have to apply some tribulations some persecution to get this person to give up the word of god because there's a thin layer of soil on the rock bed and the this the sprout is coming up through that soil yet he has no root in himself but endures for a while Although there is only a thin layer of soil covering the rock bed, the heat trapped in the rock from the sun stimulates the rapid growth in the seed.

Yes. So the seed opens up, the sprout comes up, and it pushes through the dirt, and it reaches for the sun, and it's happy. the plant quickly grows upward but is unable to develop a root system for stability and nourishment because of the rock it went up but it can't go down and that same sun Rick the same son which promoted growth back over in versus it says and when the sun was up they were scorched so the same sun that provides the light for growth is the same sun that scorches the plant with no root. That's right. There's no moisture in the plant. So verses 20 and 21 are about the necessity of having roots

in the kingdom. A strong foundation for your faith. The term root is essential for sustaining and nourishing the life of faith and it can only come by having a deep deep rooted conviction from the Word of God so the person in this parable is a temporary Christian a temporary believer their faith is fleeting it's transient they lack perseverance they lack endurance they're not in they're not in the race for the long hall right it really doesn't matter to them about crossing the finish line and their belief is contingent upon favorable external circumstances i'll be a believer as long as everything is going well in my life if you're watching some religious television preachers

then you if that's the way you came into the kingdom then you're being you're being Discipled into a false belief that becoming a Christian eliminates all the problems of life. And it's just the opposite. It brings on a whole new set of problems. That's the one thing that really troubles me about so many of the popular megachurch pastors. they've they've got a church full of sprouts that have no roots should be called the first church of sprouts that i knew that the church called the sprout church you know just thinking so when tribulation or persecution arises because

of their hearing the word, that's why it comes. These people are offended. They quickly stumble and they fall away. The Greek word Philipsis is translated as tribulation. It means affliction, distress pressure pressure as in constricting or rubbing together right it means to be hemmed in internal pressures that causes someone to feel confined restricted without options feeling there's no way of escape feeling that they're compressed that's what what tribulation means. There's no way of escape. For when? Jesus said, for when? Tribulation and persecution shall arise. It's not if tribulation and persecution arise. For when? To me, it means it will come to all believers, but it will appear in various forms that

degrees and intensity for each believer. The King James says, by and by, he is offended. By and by means immediately. Yes. Their faith quickly withers. It immediately fades when subjected to the heat of trials. It indicates that, the swiftness with which their faith diminishes.

Let me say this again. It indicates the swiftness with which their faith diminishes when faced with challenges. Their offense comes as quickly as their joy came. Right. Why? Both are emotion driven. Their joy was their own personal emotional joy.

It wasn't the joy of the Lord. How do you know when you have the joy of the Lord? When you're joyful, when you've got a lot of trouble. These people respond quickly to the gospel, and they respond quickly to persecution. The speed at which they fall away mirrors the rapidity of their reception of the word. They hear the word quickly, they fall away quickly. The Greek word for offended

is scandal iso. It means to put a snare in the way, to fall into a trap, to cause somebody to stumble. Right. It's where we get the word scandal. you know when in our modern english we don't think of offended as meaning you fell into a trap but that's what it means when you're offended as somebody you just fell into a trap so don't be offended i know people that go through life they wake up in the morning looking for an opportunity to be offended yes somebody's going to offend them that day they have to have something to talk about they have to have a reason to feel sorry for themselves and to tell other people you should feel pity for me look at the way I was offended today

or they look at others and say I'm offended by you yes so so there are people that go through life being offended and it really means they have fallen into a trap the trap is satan has found a way to rob their lives because they're going to waste their lives being in offense right being in his trap and when we uh of course since we're a public facing ministry and everything we get a lot of emails and letters from people one of the things that I guess in my mind that frustrates me is that you'll have individuals that are rightus that'll that'll just write to complain or point out some inane detail of some kind and that's their ministry in their mind please that's their ministry and they're constantly I mean they're they're

attracted to the message that we put out there, whether it's morning manna or whether it's true news or whatever it might be, they're attracted to it. And yet at the same time, they're offended by it. Yes. It creates problems for them. And, you know, for some, it's a persistent situation. And there are times I get frustrated with folks. Why do you keep watching or listening if it constantly offends you but there are those who you know this a you know offense here that it's being talked about in verse 21 they've set their own trap yes they've set their own trap that's what jesus is saying you've said it's not the devil sitting a trap over here you've set your own trap by being offended by these things because you have no root

doc there's one man there's one man i'm thinking of, he has been offended by me for two decades. He watches me every day, and he sends an email every day telling me what a rotten skunk I am for two decades. Obviously, I'm saying something that appeals, that attracts his attention. But he's offended by what I teach. and he tells me he's offended but he never deals with why he's offended so anyhow this term offended

means that they stumble in their faith they trip over a stumbling block they fall into a trap it's not the persecution or affliction that puts them in the trap it's their offense by the persecution that puts them in the trap yes they they stumble and fall into a snare because they lack the inner strength and faith to endure and their lack of faith is exposed when they're confronted with trials and tribulations, which means that their profession of faith was superficial. Now, Luke 8, verse 13, Jesus said it this way. He's talking about the same parable, but there's, there's a phrase in here that doesn't appear Matthew. Luke 813, they on the rock are they?

all right he's telling you these are people those who were sewn 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 so are you saying that we can believe and fall away, Rick? Well, now Jesus said it. He said it. Yes. Jesus said in their time of temptation, they fall away. I'm just a Baptist who believes Jesus. A believing, a Baptist who believes Jesus. A believing, Jesus believing Baptist, he said, and in time of temptation, fall away. So, you know, we can get into theological debate. Were they ever saved? So they believed.

Yes. Which for a while believe. The distinction, between tribulation and persecution. It may not appear to be sharp and distinct, but it is. Tribulation refers to the multitude of hardships and adversities that all believers encounter.

But persecution denotes a more organized attack. Persecution is targeted hostility or mistreatment directed at Christians because of the word because of the word time of temptation in Luke's account corresponds to this period of an organized attack that's the time of temptation that Jesus is referring to in Luke these trials arise unexpectedly they catch believers off guard and the person's faith is shallow it doesn't have the resilience to withstand the challenge and so they are immediately offended they stumble we confront it with adversity and oftentimes it's because there's thinking in their heart

or even saying with their mouth this is not what i'm I signed up for. This is not what my church as pastor said my life would be like. I can't handle this. I got to get out of this. And so they fall away. Their stumbling occurs when faced with the suffering associated with Christ. willing to enter into the sufferings of Christ. Therefore, they look for an alternative path. I looked at a number of scriptures, Doctor, talks about being offended. Matthew, we're going to see this later in this chapter, Matthew 13. We get down to verses 53 through 57. It says, and it came to pass that when Jesus had finished these parables,

he departed, he went into his own country, he taught in the synagogue. They were astonished. The people in the synagogue said, where did this man get this wisdom? And how does he do these mighty works? Is this not Joseph's son? Is this not Mary's son? Don't we know his brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Jews? and his sisters, aren't they here with us right now?

Whence has this man all these things? And then Jesus said in verse 57, and they were offended in him. Yes. The word says, and they were offended in him. The people in the synagogue were offended by Jesus. And he went on to say that a prophet is not without honor. except in his own country, in his own house.

In verse 58, he said he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. So being offended is linked to unbelief. Yes. Then, Matthew 24, verse 10, Jesus is talking about the end of the world, the last days. He says in verse 10, and then shall many be offended. And shall betray one another and shall have. hate one another who are these people who are offended who are the people who betray one another and hate one another these are people in the church yes yes it is these are people on rocky

with whose faith is is planted on a rock bed and when real persecution comes in the last days tribulation they're offended and then they start turning they start turning on other Christians and they betray them and they hate them why because the other ones the real Christians are staying loyal to Jesus Christ and that makes them angry the betrayal of real Christians in the last days will come from the Judasus in the Christian church. Yes. They will be the ones who will go to the government and say,

hey, there's one of these radicals over here. I'll tell you what they're doing, what they believe. Matthew 26, verse 33. Peter answered and said unto Jesus, though all men shall be offended because of the, yet I will never be offended. And yet he was. Yes. Mark 1427, Jesus said under them, all ye shall be offended because of me this night.

Luke 722, Jesus answered and said, go your way and tell John what things you have seen and heard, how the blinds, see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf here, the dead. dead are raised to the poor the gospel is preached. Now listen, verse 23, and blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me. That was one of the sentences Jesus spoke to John the Baptist disciples who said, are you the Messiah? Yes, and you're blessed if you're not offended in me. Then and John 161, Jesus said, these things have I spoken under you that ye shall not be offended. And that's an interesting passage in itself in that the word that we receive fights offense. Yes. But it was hard. Does it leave the word? What was it, Doc, that Jesus said in the preceding chapters that he said i hope you guys aren't going to be offended because of me

i spoke these things to you so that you should not be offended in chapter 15 in verse 18 he said if the world hates you yes you know that it hated me before it hated you in 19 if you were of the world the world would love his own but because you are not of the world But I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. So then we get to verse 16, which is the very next sentence, he speaks. These things have I spoken under you that you should not be offended. He's telling us, because your association with me, you're at risk of being offended. And I want you to know that my love for you is real.

It's eternal. It cannot be shaken. If you stay true to me, I will stay true to you. But there are going to be people among you who are going to be offended. All right, I got 10 minutes. First 22, what was sown among the thorns? this is he who hears the word but the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becomes unfruitful so now we have a different type of person this one

here's the word accepts the word but allows the word to lose its effectiveness in his or her life this person is not a profane sinner this is a person who has a genuine response to the word Luke says listen to this doc Luke says that I'll read Luke 8 verse 14 this is Jesus quoted by Luke talking about this parable and that which fell among thorns are they which and by the way who fell among who fell on the thorns

people not garden seed people they the word of god didn't fall on thorns people fell on thorns Jesus said, and that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, they've heard the word, go forth, they actually start doing things in ministry, in church. They go on mission trips. They teach Sunday school. They go to the nursing home. They go out witnessing. they mow the church lawn they do things they go forth and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life and luke and luke quoted jesus as saying this and bring no fruit to perfection it implies that such people produce in edible fruit there's something hanging on the tree but you can't eat it yes it's unripened it's

unusable it's fruit that's not worth harvesting I've got some trees on my property there like that I go by my I'm not even gonna bother picking that thing I'm not putting that thing in my mouth that's what these people are they jesus said they bring no fruit to perfection that to me indicates they are producing some type of fruit but it's imperfect right there's nothing for jesus to harvest for his kingdom so unlike the rocky ground this soil allows for growth yes so there's nothing wrong with the soil per se no they've heard the word and there's a degree of growth in their heart but there's also weeds thorns their bramble

bushes growing alongside the word so these are people who are divided in their heart double-minded they're attempting to serve God and the world and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches are the thorns that choke the word and that is what prevents it from bringing no fruit to perfection in mark four verses 18 and 19 Jesus tells us three things that will choke out the word of God from being fruitful in our lives. Jesus said, and these are they which are sown among thorns. All right, we're talking about the same parable. And the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Cairs of this world,

deceitfulness of riches, the lust of other things. In Luke 8, Jesus adds another word choker. 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. So he adds the pleasures of this life. so what do we have the cares of the world deceitfulness of riches the lust of other things the pleasures of this life these are the four things jesus said will choke the word out of your life cares of the world includes you know all the anxieties worries preoccupations with worldly matters

just living day to day yeah just living day to day but we studied back in chapter six a long time ago months and months ago jesus in when we were studying the the beatitudes he said therefore i say unto you take no thought for your life what you shall eat what you shall drink nor yet for your body what you will put on it is not the life more than meat and the body more than raiment don't let the cares of this world get inside of you so deceitful riches promise much but deliver little it leads to delusion disillusionment anxiety the richer you become the more you worry about keeping your money

the most worrying people are rich people because they fear losing their wealth right riches can corrupt a person the pleasures of life the pleasures of life can tempt people to indulge in carnal desires and worldly pursuits that distract them from their spiritual path. Pleasures of life include entertainment, amusements, all the sensory gratifications that fill our world today. Our modern digital media-driven world is bombarding us every hour with distractions. Yes.

You know, one of the paradoxes of being in modern ministry is that you get people who are, you know, trained, you know, professionals to help a ministry grow. And they will tell you, you've got to get your social media ramped up. Your social media is lacking. And when I listen to them, I'm like, if I do what they tell me, I'll spend my entire day making little short videos to get hits on TikTok and Twitter and produce what fruit and what fruit is at the end of the day nothing it's a very powerful force in the world right now the destructive love of money leads people away from God it's the love of money not money itself that chokes out the word you can have money and not love it you can also have no money and love it yes it's the love of money that that destroys

people's hearts riches promise happiness but they don't deliver it don't satisfy there's always an insatiable desire for more wealth if i was just a little bit wealthier i might be happy corner running back there, Rick. All right. I need some people to pray. Tell those dogs that shut up right now. They're interfering with my Bible study. Maybe they're telling me we're out of time.

Okay. So, well, listen. But we've got thorns, get out of the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches. These are things that trip people up. and then we get to i'm going to finish up with verse 23 but he that receives seed into the good ground is he that hears the word understands it bears fruit brings forth some a hundredfold

some 60 some 30 so these people symbolize hearts that have been prepared to receive the word of god I mentioned yesterday that farming and gardening. If you're farming, you're going to take the tractor and the plow out into the field and break up the hard ground after the winter. You're going to till it. You're going to make that dirt as soft and luscious as you can make it. Same thing in a garden. You don't want big clunks of dirt. you're going to break it up and so a person with a good heart good ground is somebody who is humble before the lord

and says to the holy spirit please please plow up my heart please make my heart soft please remove the rocks the thorns the weeds get it out of me see that person is consciously preparing their heart to receive the word doc i got some you know i probably should save this i think i am because i get some theological issues i want to talk about and i it's going to take me about 10 minutes to do it. I'm going to save this for tomorrow. Okay. And then we'll move on to the other verses. Well, that's a great reason to come back tomorrow then. Yeah, come back. I've got some things that I'm not sure of the answers myself. I just got the, I have the questions. I don't

know if I have the answers. Okay. But I get good questions. All right. All right. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Well, praise God. We had 17 countries, actually 18 countries that checked in with us today, including Singapore, South Africa, the Congo, and Brazil. And so we welcome you to Morning Manna, and we're just so blessed to have you here. And we invite you back again tomorrow for another edition of Morning Manda, the Wednesday morning edition, 8am on Faith and Values.com,

and then the rebroadcast can be heard on various platforms of Rumble, Gitter, and, of course, WWCR International Shortwave as well. But we invite you to join us live each day every weekday morning, where you can interact with several hundred members of the class and ask questions and get clarification, and we really appreciate having you here. So on behalf of Rick and the entire ministry team here,

we thank you for joining us, and we'll see you on the Wednesday edition of Morning Manum.