If the word is not regarded, it will not be remembered.
Posted : 2 Mar, 2012 04:53 PM
If the word is not regarded, it will not be remembered. Many complain they cannot remember. Here is the reason: God punishes their carelessness in hearing with forgetfulness. He suffers Satan to take away from them,� The fowls of the air came and devour their seed� (Matt 13:4)
The devil is not one who refuses to come to church; he attends, but not with any good intent; he takes away the Word from men. How many have been robbed of the sermon and their soul both at once!
It may be the last time that God will ever speak to us in His Word; it may be the last sermon we shall ever hear; may we go from this place of hearing to the place of judging. If people would think thus when they come into the house of God, �Perhaps this will be the last time God will counsel us about our souls, the last time that ever we shall see our minister�s face, �With what devotion would they come! How would their affections be all on fire in hearing! We give great attention of the last speech of a friends. A parent�s dying words are received as oracles. Oh, Let all this provoke us to diligence in hearing! Let us think, �This may be the last time that Aaron�s bell shall sound in our ears, and before another day is past we may be in another world."
If the word is not regarded, it will not be remembered.
Posted : 3 Mar, 2012 01:23 PM
Good word, related to the parable of the sower, which speaks of the condition of the heart in receiving the word.
And some fell upon a rock,.... Which the other evangelists call "stony places", and "stony ground"; by which are meant such hearers whose hearts are, hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, and continue so notwithstanding the preaching of the word unto them.
And as soon as it sprung up; as it did immediately, as the other evangelists say; and that for this reason, which they give, "because it had no depth of earth"; only a small crust, or shell of earth over the rock; and signifies, that these hearers had only a superficial knowledge of the word, and hastily made a profession of it, which soon came to nothing:
it withered away, because it lacked moisture; the other evangelists say, "when the sun was up, it was scorched"; meaning tribulation and persecution, the grace of God being wanting to support under fiery trials: the reason given in Matthew and Mark why it withered, is,
