Isaiah 55:10-11

Up until the age of tractors and modern mechanical cultivation equipment and planting equipment, seed had been hand-planted in the soil by human workers. On the outset it appeared that these workers who sowed seed were of no great value in the work force, because it took little skill to drop the seeds in the prepared soil; it took little or no training. Therefore, the “seed sowers” were some of the lowest paid workers in agriculture. Because of the low pay scale, they had to be migrating to make a living, traveling from one planting job to another. Also, the little seed, whatever may be its variety – to the unenlightened eye, also seems as insignificant as the one who sows it unto the earth.

However, on the other side on the coin, are two important facts. First, God ordained that the seed be planted and die to bring up a new plant. So the job of sowing the seed is very important if you expect a yield, or a harvest, and reproduction of more seed of its kind. Second, without God having created the first seed, there would be no more seed of its kind. There would be no plants, no blooms, no reproduction, and no harvest.

Therefore in this light, the sower and the seed are very important to all living creatures; whether it be the plant world, the animal world, or the human world. So it is in the Spiritual.

In the text of Matthew 13:3-9, Christ gave the parable of the sower, sowing seed in the earth. (See Matthew 13:18-23; Mark 4:13; Luke 8:11, “The seed is the word of God”; Matthew 13:19, “the word of the kingdom”; Mark 4:14, “The sower soweth the word”; Luke 8:10, the seed is “the mysteries of the kingdom of God,” which in verse 11 is called “the word of God.”)

The sower in the first parable Christ gave is not identified, but later we know Christ and His Apostles preached (or sowed) the Seed (the Word of God; even the Mysteries of the Kingdom).

Not to be confused, Jesus gave a second parable in Matthew 13:24-30; which is explained in Matthew 13:37-43. Here the sower of the good seed is the Son of Man (Christ) and the good seed are the Children of the Kingdom. The devil is the sower of the tares (who are the children of the wicked one).

But keeping in focus with the first parable, the sower is God’s ordained men to spread the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven / of God (used synonymously in Matthew 13 and Luke 8); and the seed is the Word of God, or of the Kingdom of God.

The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:

“… and hath committed unto us (the Apostles, the Pastors; the Church) the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ…” (verses 19- 20)

That is, we are His witnesses. And see Philippians 2:15-16:

“That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;” (verse 15)

“Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” (verse 16)

The Pastor and the members of the Church at Philippi were to be among the wicked and perverse world, “among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life.”

Jesus said also in Matthew 5:

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” (verse 14)

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (verse 16)

Therefore, as a born-again Child of God, a member of His Body, the Church; you are important, because God has ordained the Church and its Pastor to:

“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15)

“…pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” (Ephesians 4:11-12)

“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:” (Ephesians 4:13) (Also read verses 14-16.)

This is done by preaching the Word of God, even the Word of the Kingdom of God, as did Jesus (Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:43); Paul (Acts 19:7-8; 28:31); and Philip (Acts 8:12).

The Word of the Kingdom is very important, for:

1)    The Kingdom is not physical, but spiritual:

“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 14:17)

“For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.” (1 Corinthians 4:20)

2)    You must be born from above to perceive, or “see,” it and to “enter into” it (John 3:3-8).

3)    You must be holy to inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9);

4)    Flesh and blood cannot inherit it (1 Corinthians 15:50);

5)    You must be born from above by the Spirit of God (Colossians 1:13).

6)    You must be “called” to His Kingdom (1 Thessalonians 2:12).

7)    You must be “counted worthy” of His Kingdom (2 Thessalonians 1:5).

Therefore:

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” (2 Timothy 4:2)

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;” (2 Timothy 4:3)

“And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Timothy 4:4)

“But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:5)

Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; 2:1-16; Romans 1:16-17.

“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)

No, the Sower (or the Publisher) does not give life; for the life is in The Seed, Christ. But when the Sower sows the seed in good ground (ground that has been quickened by the Holy Spirit), then the Seed Sower bears witness with the seed in the heart. Then is “the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith”; or literally, “out of faith because of faith.” When this happens in the sinner, he is brought (John 6:44-45, 65) to confess Christ (Romans 10:9-10), who is The Faith (Galatians 2:20) living in him.

Therefore Seed Sowers, lift up your heart. You are important. You are doing God’s ordained work as an Ambassador of Reconciliation (or of the Atonement of Christ). (See Romans 3:24-25; 5:1-2; Ephesians 1:7; etc.)

No, you can’t make the soil into good ground. No, you can’t quicken the sinner. But you can be obedient and sow the Seed (the Word of God). You don’t give life; but you are used to manifest life, as the Word of Faith reveals the Righteousness of God “from faith to faith.”

The prophet Haggai asked in 2:19, “Is the seed yet in the barn?” If it is, get it out of the barn (or store house) and start sowing the Seed of the Kingdom of God. Don’t worry about the results, God will take care of the results. Preacher, Pastor, Evangelist, Missionary, Child of God – start sowing the Seed. That is your calling.

“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)