Bill Johnson - Stewarding the Seed of God's Word
The ability is in the Word of God; the life is in the Word, not the soil. The soil creates the conditions, the atmosphere, but the energy of God is in what He said. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus says, «If you don’t understand this parable, how will you understand any parable?» He’s identifying that this parable is key to unlocking all the others. In this parable is the illustration of the nature and purpose of the Word of God. I value the voice of God more than anything in life, but my value for the voice of God must be represented in my value for Scripture. If I value the voice above Scripture, then I’m very open to deception. The voice will never contradict the Word. In a day when it’s so easy to have the Bible imprinted in various translations, there is no excuse for biblical illiteracy. So, we give ourselves to the study of Scripture, but it is a voice that causes things to come alive.
The Scripture, excuse me, the Word of God is the seed; the heart is the soil. Tender soil receives the Word deeply, and the life of God then brings about the change that God intended. In Thessalonians, Paul uses this phrase; he says that the Word of God actually carries in it—the Greek word actually represents the energy of God—that the Word of God has the energy of God in it. So, when God speaks to you, it comes in seed form to produce in us through the energy of God functioning in us, bringing about the fruitfulness that He intended. So, the heart is the soil, and the seed is the Word of God. Jesus gives us an illustration, now a parable, if you will, in Mark 4; it’s also in Matthew 13. This parable helps us to understand the process and purpose of the Word of God being deposited in our life. I want you to look at two passages before we go to Mark 4.
So, if you would open your Bibles with me to Hebrews chapter 5, and then we’re also going to read out of James chapter 1. I need to set the stage here for a few minutes, so just be patient with me as we lay the groundwork for this. By the way, I found a quote this week that I love so much. It’s from Martin Luther: «We need to hear the Gospel every day because we forget it every day.» Hearing the Gospel is what recalibrates the compass of the heart, so to speak, as to where its true north is: why we’re alive, what we’re on the earth to do, what is important in God’s eyes, and what is to become important in ours. All of that becomes defined in hearing the simplicity, the purity, and the power of the Gospel every day. Hebrews chapter 5, verse 12. How many of you have your Bibles? Let me see them. Say this with me, «I love my Bible.» Oh, I do love my Bible. All right, verse 12: «For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the Word of righteousness, for he is obeyed.»
All right, this tells us two things: the Word of God comes to us in several forms, or the Word carries several different roles or assignments. One is the milk of the Word; the milk of the Word is that which comforts and encourages. The meat of the Word He identifies here as the Word of righteousness; the meat of the Word is that which provokes and brings about change. It’s the transformational Word of God; it provokes us to recognize what God is saying needs to happen, and it brings us to yield to that which God has purposed. So, there is the milk, that which comforts, and encourages; and then there’s the meat, that which confronts, exhorts, and provokes us to change.
But the third area that is especially important for this morning is the area of promise. There are over 7,700 promises of God in the Scriptures, in the Word of God. What happens is the Lord, with His Word, deposits promise in us to describe our hope-filled future—what is possible for us should we embrace what God has said over our life. We’re going to go over that process in a moment here. So, we have the Word of God coming; it may come in dozens of forms, but there are three that I understand clearly. One is the comfort of the Word, the milk; it’s that which soothes, gives peace, gives comfort, and encourages me. The Word of righteousness exposes what’s in me that needs to change and gives me the motivation to pursue the transformation that is the result of the Word of God. The third is that which gives hope; it’s a promise for a hope-filled future.
All right, three things. Now, I want you to look at James chapter 1. We’ve got one verse to read here, and then we’re going to end up in Mark 4 and read that parable. All right, James chapter 1, verse 21: «Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted Word which is able to save your souls.» Receive with meekness the implanted Word. Okay, it’s a wonderful picture that James is giving us here. The New American Standard puts it this way: «In humility, receive the Word implanted which is able to save your souls.» The ability is in the Word of God; the life is in the Word, not the soil. The soil creates the conditions, the atmosphere, but the energy of God is in what He said. The energy of God takes root in a person to illustrate who God is; it’s always to reveal Him. He says, «In humility,» and that’s a condition of heart; «receive the Word implanted,» and here’s the phrase: «which is able to save your souls.»
You say, «Well, Bill, I was already saved. I was saved 20 years ago at a camp meeting.» That’s awesome; you were saved, but you’re also being saved, and someday you’re going to be saved. There are those three realities all through Scripture: I was saved the moment I received Christ, but Paul exhorts his disciples to work out their salvation daily with fear and trembling. Daily work out your salvation. So, there was yesterday, when I received Christ; there is today, and then there’s the future, when Jesus returns or I die and go to meet the Lord. Then I will be saved; salvation will be complete for me—past, present, future. This word, «In humility receive the Word implanted, which is able to save your souls,» is present tense. It is the transformation that takes place in a person’s life because of our yes to whatever God says. It’s our ability, our willingness, our desire to hear and receive what God says, and His very life and power come into the heart of a person to bring about the transformation they could not bring about for themselves.