_THE SOWER AND THE SEED_ ‘A sower went out to sow his seed.’ Luke 8:5 The principle of moral and spiritual life in you is a seed, and as such it is endowed with a power of independent separate growth; it was intended to grow in you. This mysterious growth in the thing sown implies a mysterious vi... [ Continue Reading ]
_SOWERS FOR THE KINGDOM_ ‘Some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.’ Luke 8:5 What we all need is greater depth of conviction. We need to be co... [ Continue Reading ]
_BENEATH THE SURFACE_ ‘As he sowed.’ Luke 8:5 Ages have passed, and Christ is the Sower still, by whatever instrument He works, for we are God’s husbandry as well as God’s building. And the ‘seed’ is the Word of God; so strangely able to work invisibly below the surface of human life. I. INDIFFE... [ Continue Reading ]
_AN HONEST AND GOOD HEART_ ‘And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold.’ Luke 8:8 The parable comes to tell us that once more Christ the great Sower is sowing the seed of His Word in our hearts, and that if we have not hitherto borne fruit as we ought, we may turn... [ Continue Reading ]
_MYSTERIES MADE KNOWN_ ‘Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.’ Luke 8:10 When Christ spake the parable of the sower, He was not addressing any little cluster of men—‘a gre... [ Continue Reading ]
_THE WORD AS THE SEED_ ‘Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.’ Luke 8:11 All our Lord’s teaching is most truly practical, and it is only when we begin to try to live according to its spirit that its full meaning becomes clear; and even before putting it into practice, our best cha... [ Continue Reading ]
_SATAN’S EVIL WORK_ ‘Then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.’ Luke 8:12 Let us translate the parable a little into modern circumstances. Here is, let us say, a worthy, respectable person—regular in public worship, whatever he may... [ Continue Reading ]
_ROOTS OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE_ ‘These have no root.’ Luke 8:13 The question is, What are ‘roots’? I should define the ‘root’ to be that which, lying secret, far down, gives strength and steadiness to that which is exposed, and at the same time supplies to all the other parts the nourishment which... [ Continue Reading ]
_HALF-HEARTED CHRISTIANS_ ‘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.’ Luke 8:14 Our Lord would have us understand that besides those hearers of the Gospel who... [ Continue Reading ]
_GENEROUS SOIL_ ‘But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.’ Luke 8:15 The heart that receives the Word with gladness and proceeds to live upon it and to test it in life and action, resisting all te... [ Continue Reading ]
_BE PATIENT_ ‘And bring forth fruit with patience.’ Luke 8:15 I want to take to-day the subject of patience, and the reverse, impatience. I. IN ORDINARY BUSINESS AFFAIRS.—Impatience is the cause of probably the greatest number of business disasters. Too great a hurry to get rich entails unwise... [ Continue Reading ]
_TAKE HEED!_ ‘Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.’ Luke 8:18 What is the one great truth which is common to this and similar parables? Beyond question, the importance of usi... [ Continue Reading ]
_CHRIST AND THE ELEMENTS_ ‘Then He arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.’ Luke 8:24 There is much in that expression that ‘Christ rebuked the wind and the waves.’ You will miss a great part of the intention of the incident if you merely lo... [ Continue Reading ]
_FAITH AND ITS EVIDENCES_ ‘Where is your faith?’ Luke 8:25 Faith is not a mere sluggish acceptance, a mere condescending acquiescence, a mere dead passivity; it is not even a mere abstract conviction. Faith, in the Christian sense, in the sense wherein each one of us ought to say ‘I believe,’ is... [ Continue Reading ]
_TESTIMONY AT HOME_ ‘Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee.’ Luke 8:39 The work of man’s testimony should begin at home (cf. the order in Acts 1:8). I. TESTIMONY AT HOME.—There (_a_) they have the greater claim; (_b_) they can better judge of the reality o... [ Continue Reading ]
_THE POWER OF A TOUCH_ ‘Who touched Me?’ Luke 8:45 It was the peculiarity in the touch that called forth the question. The weakest of all actions was that touch only on the edge of Christ’s robe, the remotest part of that which was connected with the Lord; yet, as when we clasp hands with one who... [ Continue Reading ]