
HT for graphic: wwyeshuafiles.wordpress.com
Being a blog author and administrator can oftentimes be quite a blessing, but at other times, it can be difficult.
Over the past few days, I have had quite a huge disagreement with an individual who started posting comments here about a week ago. I checked out his blog before releasing the first comment, and just the fact that he had a “boycott Israel” graphic on his sidebar alerted me to find out more about his ideas and motives. As I read some of the posts there, some of his beliefs were quite bizarre. I copied and posted a few of his comments at this link, however, he became even more enraged at me for not posting all of his writings. I can understand that, so I asked him about what he believes and posted what I believe about God, the Bible, humankind, eternity, Jesus Christ, salvation, the Holy Spirit, Spiritual gifts, and what it means to be born-again in Jesus Christ. He chose NOT to respond to my questions regarding whether or not he agreed and believed in the same doctrine presented. He also chose NOT to tell me whether or not he is a born-again Christian. Therefore, I left a final comment to him in that thread (link above).
This encounter has taught me a lesson. When a newcomer quotes lots of Scripture, yet makes claims against the Jewish people and Israel, I find it difficult to hold a good conversation with such a person. It is very questionable as to whether or not such an individual has proper motives.
In the past, (at my former blog) I have had trouble with bloggers who “didn’t get their way” in the comment section, so they proceeded to spam my comment pending box in revenge for ending their negative commentary. Because of this, I needed to switch back to approving all comments.
Here at Word Press, once a comment is approved the commenter’s future posts are automatically approved and released to the blog (unless there are 2 or more live links in the comment). Also, once a comment is approved, then the link back to the author’s blog appears on this site.
Here at Talk Wisdom, I wanted to avoid linking with leftist bloggers (even those who claim to be “Christian”) precisely because their skewed ideas and tortured “doctrine” could be damaging to those who come to this blog seeking the truth found in God’s Word.
I’m not a perfect person. Never claimed to be. But God’s Word is perfect and His Son, Jesus Christ is perfect. That is why I lean on doctrinal truth provided by the Bible and the words of the Person of Jesus Christ that are recorded in the Bible.
Doctrine is extremely important!
2Ti 3:16
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
2Ti 3:17
that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Jhn 7:16
Jesus [fn] answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.
Even more importantly, what is taught needs to be SOUND doctrine!
2Ti 3:16
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
2Ti 4:3
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
Tit 1:9
holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
Tit 2:6
Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded,
Tit 2:7
in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, [fn]
Tit 2:8
sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. [fn]
We have the warning in Scripture that people will have “itching ears” and thus not adhere to sound doctrine.
2Ti 4:2
Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
2Ti 4:3
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
2Ti 4:4
and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
2Ti 4:5
But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Like it or not – all born-again believers in Christ are evangelists!
Like it or not – we are to be ready “in season and out of season.”
2 Timothy 4:b instructs us to , “Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”
Yet, there is a time to “shake the dust off of your sandals” when a person rejects the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so that you can move on to someone else who is searching for the truth.
Mat 10:14
“And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.
Mar 6:11
“And whoever [fn] will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. [fn] Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”
Luk 9:5
“And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”
Jesus told us that there will be those who will reject the Gospel in the Parable of the Sower
Mat 13:18
“Therefore hear the parable of the sower:
Mat 13:19
“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
Mat 13:20
“But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
Mat 13:21
“yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
Mat 13:22
“Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
Mat 13:23
“But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
As Christian evangelists, we are to “plant the seed” through spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God does the rest! The verses in Matthew reveal the many ways that a person who hears the Gospel either “goes by the wayside,” or, “receives it with joy but only endures for while and then stumbles because of persecution,” or, “allows the word to be choked out because of the cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches.” All of these can cause a person to become unfruitful.
We may inquire further to discover what Jesus meant when he stated (in Matthew 13:23) “But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it.”
David Guzik has a good commentary about that verse:
d. Good ground: As seed falling on good ground brings a good crop of grain (Matthew 13:8), so some respond rightly to the word and bear much fruit.
i. This soil represents those who receive the word, and it bears fruit in their soil – in differing proportions (some hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty), though each has a generous harvest.
e. Therefore, hear the parable of the sower: We benefit from seeing bits of ourselves in all four soils.
– Like the wayside, sometimes we allow the word no room at all in our lives. – Like the stony places, we sometimes have flashes of enthusiasm in receiving the word that quickly burn out. – Like the soil among thorns, the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches are constantly threatening to choke out God’s word and our fruitfulness. – Like the good ground, the word bears fruit in our lives.
i. We notice that the difference in each category was with the soil itself. The same seed was cast by the same sower. You could not blame the differences in results on the sower or on the seed, but only on the soil. “O my dear hearers, you undergo a test today! Peradventure you will be judging the preacher, but a greater than the preacher will be judging you, for the Word itself shall judge you.” (Spurgeon)

HT for graphic: media cache
Guzik goes on to reveal another aspect of this parable, and it has to do with “good soil” and ultimately asking ourselves, “what kind of soil am I?”
ii. The parable was also an encouragement to the disciples. Even though it might seem that few respond, God is in control and the harvest will certainly come. This was especially meaningful in light of the rising opposition to Jesus. “Not all will respond, but there will be some who do, and the harvest will be rich.” (France)
iii. “Who knoweth, O teacher, when thou labourest even among the infants, what the result of thy teaching may be? Good corn may grow in very small fields.” (Spurgeon)
iv. Even more than describing the mixed progress of the gospel message, the parable of the sower compels the listener to ask, “What kind of soil am I?”
Directly following the Parable of the Sower, Jesus tells his listeners the Parable of the Tares and Wheat. This is why I needed to reject “Edom’s Thorn” when he commented here, and why I didn’t want to link to his blog.
B. Parables of corruption among the kingdom community.
1. (24-30) The parable of the wheat and the tares.
Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”‘”
a. His enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat: This parable describes the work of an enemy who tried to destroy the work of the man who sowed good seed in his field. The enemy’s purpose in sowing tares among the wheat was to destroy the wheat. But the wise farmer would not allow the enemy to succeed. Instead, the farmer decided to sort it out at harvest time.
i. We note that this parable clearly describes corruption among the people of God. Just as in the previous parable, the wheat represents the people of God. Some corrupting influence is brought, and an influence that may look genuine even as tares may resemble real wheat.
ii. “The weeds are probably darnel, a poisonous plant related to wheat and virtually indistinguishable from it until the ears form.” (France)
b. Lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them: In the interest in preserving and protecting the wheat, the wise farmer did not separate the tares from the wheat until the time of harvest.
i. The wise farmer recognized that the ultimate answer to tares among the wheat would only come at the final harvest.
ii. Knowing the explanation of this parable as explained in Matthew 13:36-43, we understand why Jesus said it right after explaining the parable of the sower, especially with the seed that grew up among the thorns. “But one might ask whether the Messiah’s people should immediately separate the crop from the weeds; and this next parable answers the question negatively: there will be a delay in separation until the harvest.” (Carson)

HT for graphic: i1.ytimg.com
Hat tip: Blue Letter Bible