SABBATH

God's Gift to Us

Sermonette: Amending the Soil

Responding to God
#1237s

Given 25-Oct-14; 18 minutes

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description: Much of the Carolinas consists of dry and hard clay, which a real challenge to cultivate. In the Parable of the Sower, Christ describes (1) hard, impenetrable soil of the wayside, vulnerable to birds, symbolizing the devil and his demons, snatching the seed away; (2) shallow stony soil, offering little or no anchorage for the seed; (3) thorny, choked soil, symbolizing the cares and lures of the world; and (4) good soil, providing a fertile venue for growth. In each case, the quality of the reaction of the soil is highlighted. God freely supplies the rain and the sunshine to all varieties of soil, just as He makes His Word freely available, but the soil, symbolizing us, has to respond to the implantation of the seed, an invitation to have a relationship with God. Whether we are metaphorized as soil or building materials, we have an obligation to respond to God with deep respect and yieldedness, trembling at His Word.