Matt. 13:9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 
	Last time, we began our consideration of the passage before us within the view of the context of its utterance by Our Lord Jesus Christ. We find it located, in scripture, between the parable of the sower and the seed given to the Children of Israel and the explanation given to the disciples. We saw that through the use of parables, Christ was completely fulfilling the prophecies of old. We touched on the fact that we need to take into account each of the soils in the parable of the sower and the seed. 
	It is quite easy to just apply an interpretation to the historical sense of the Children of Israel, because to do so means that we can become complacent in our current understanding of the Word. To think in terms of very simple aspects, means we do not have to allow the Holy Spirit to develop scripture and its truth into any greater detail. It also becomes very easy to see the truth of Christ’s Word in terms of what it means with regard to others around us. We are very adept at seeing the faults of others and too anxious to point them out. But there is so much more involved than simply a statement aimed at others. There is a complete truth that needs to reach deeply into our beings, into our very hearts, to cause us to seek after the Holy Spirit with regard to what these living words of Christ mean today, in us. Whether we wish to consider the Word in ourselves individually or corporately, there is a great depth of reality in every word that proceeds forth from the scripture as it relates to Our Lord Jesus Christ. We can never dismiss it as just for the day in which it was spoken, but must accept it as just for me.
	In line with this, let us continue, this evening, in the vein of what is represented by the soil of the sower’s seed. As we have already considered, the soil along the path is evidence of the nature of the hardness of the heart of mankind toward the things of God. Whether this pertains to those who utterly refuse to hear the Word of God, or whether it is indicative of us when we harden our hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ, for an assortment of reasons related to wanting our way rather than His way, there is no penetration of the seed unto any kind of growth. The soil refuses to admit the seed, which is swiftly carried off by the carrion fowl of this world age least any crack in the hardened soil allow the seed a fertile area of growth. 
	We also saw that the work of the Holy Spirit is very effective in dealing with this rigidified soil. When one is chosen by God, no matter how impenetrable the heart may seem, the Holy Spirit will find the most effective means of breaking that hard heart into soft and pliable soil to finally receive His Word. As an admonition to each of us, never give up on someone whose heart seems so flinty as to refuse the Lord Jesus Christ. We have no real knowledge of what the Holy Spirit will do in order to bring that heart into a state of yielding to the Word of God. And, by the same token, we must never give up on ourselves. Even if we are going through those horribly rebellious times of complete refusal to the ways of the Lord, He is working in us to His utmost desire of bringing forth Glory in our lives. It is much like many a canyon in the southwest, which has been developed because of the constant trickle of a water stream that continuously wears away the earth and rock, creating beauty where once there was only a desert region. Let us never give up on others, and let us never give up on ourselves who are in His hands.
	This brings us to the point in the parable where some of the seed fell among the stony places. This seed, among the stones, actually takes root and grows. It springs forth in rapid vitality, but it is soon discovered that the necessary solidifying root system is lacking. The sun beats upon it and it is scorched and withers away. There is no substance to withstand the fiery trials and tribulations that are cast against it. 
	In an historical sense, there were those who followed Christ because He brought forth an emotional response from their beings. He appealed to their excitable nature. He was someone who was attracting large crowds, so they were attracted. They wanted to be in with the crowd and to not miss the excitement.
	Not only was He becoming popular, but He was performing miracles that were exciting to behold. The people coming to Him were receiving healing of various illnesses and diseases. Demons were fleeing before Him. There was an air of difference in His ways and methods of teaching. He was intriguing and stirred up those feelings of greatness within the crowds who wanted more and more of what He would give them. These were the people who were following Jesus of Nazareth because they wanted something from Him to carry home with them in order to brighten the dreariness of their lives. They were not seeking eternal change, just something different than they had in their lives at the moment. Many of these were willing disciples for the time being. They followed and they listened. They claimed to know Him and His teachings. They gathered together en mass and waited expectantly for the performance of His miracles.
	But something began to happen to those crowds as He continued His preaching. John 6:65+66 gives indication of this. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. When the issue became a matter of what the Father was doing, when the time came that Christ proclaimed Himself as the Given One of God and that it was only by the will of the Father that any could come to know Christ and His Word, then the crowd began to thin. Why? Because this Jesus of Nazareth was now proclaiming something that was foreign to the crowds. He was now bringing forth meat and the crowds were not able to comprehend it. He was teaching in a manner that was offensive to their sensitivities and to their preconceived notions of what should be. He was no longer entertaining, but challenging, and they were not of a heart to receive His words. His teachings were full of heat and discomfort to the norm. They were like a blazing wind whipping across the desert floor, and those emotional hearers could not stand up to it.
	The impulsive responses were replaced with dread and fear of what would happen as the high priests began to look at Christ and his followers in disfavor. Rather than developing a strong root system in the Lord, they feared for their lives and left. They sought a new source of entertainment, even, eventually to the point of crying out for the very crucifixion of this One Whom they had followed for a period. 
	Bringing this forward to our day, that is the course of those who are looking for the validation of learning through an emotionally enthusiastic response. We have had recent movements through the churches that place a complete reliance on the feelings of the moment. There are those who are crying, and wailing, and laughing hysterically as an expression of some great spiritual revival. The participants seem to experience a seemingly uncontrollable fit of emotional release which has become a spectacle in the media. They are being watched, not as a testimony of the Lord, but as an entertainment piece of ridicule.
	Now let’s be very clear on this point. There is very much to be said for the joy of the Lord to well up in us as individuals and as a corporate expression of His Body. There should be a joining into the joy of the Lord as we gather together. King David was full of overwhelming love for the Lord, so full that he was dancing in joy before the Lord and before the people. Our songs should be filled with the delight that the Lord brings forth in the wonder and admiration for the great love with which He loved us. Yes, our gatherings should be expressive of the miracle of the eternal life that is ours in Jesus Christ. But our joy in the Lord should never become a spectacle to be laughed at as entertainment for the masses. Rather, the guidance and the prudence of the Holy Spirit should always be the consideration of our hearts. We should never want to be involved in anything which brings less than glory, full and complete glory to the Holiness of our God. As we worship together, and join together, our hearts unto Him, we should be very cognizant of the One to Whom we are bringing our honor. It is the Lord God Almighty and Holy. He is allowing us entrance into His very presence through the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. As this is the truth of our entrance and of our gatherings, so should our fellowship be marked, not in frivolity and carelessness, as we discussed last time, but in the preparation to bring only our very best to our King of Kings and Lord of Lords. As His heart receives our utmost praise and worship, there will be a corresponding spontaneity of the Holy Spirit within us which will flow forth in the complete joy of the Lord. Tears will fall, tears of joy and of honor. Smiles will burst forth at the pleasure we find near to the heart of God. There will be spontaneous singing as our limited humanity overflows with the beauty of being pleasing to the Lord God Almighty. Yet, through it all, there will be a dignity inherent in the Person of Jesus Christ. He will not allow His Church to be a laughing stock, an entertainment centerpiece to this realm. 
	That is one of the dangers that exists when those who are Christians are led by emotions rather than by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Such a one becomes engrafted not in the Word, but in the moment. Spiritualism is seen as what causes us to feel good. If it meets our impulsive needs, it must be of the Spirit. Any idea that pops into our head is considered to be put there by the Holy Spirit, whether it is scripturally sound or not. Too many of us have put ourselves into situations and circumstances, quoting that the Lord told us to do this or that thing, without realizing that the Lord had absolutely nothing at all to do with it. We start a project for the Lord, and then, when the first difficulty comes along, or we get tired of the work involved, we find something else to do. There is no rhyme or reason, no plan or purpose, just a response to an inner desire for some excitement in our lives.
	When we choose to follow Christ, we will soon find ourselves tested as to the validity of our commitment. It doesn’t matter who we are or what we say, there will come a time of testing as to what is real in our lives and what is not real. We will soon find that, if we are simply a follower for the gushing feeling that we get, there will not be enough gushing feelings in all of creation to keep us in our times of trial and tribulation. The fires will burn hotter and hotter around us. We will be persecuted and in tribulation which will prove the value of our commitment. 
	John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world. Christ never hid the fact from His disciples, nor from us that we will have difficulties, great difficulties on our walk on this earth. Those who are emotionally bound up think that all things are going to go smoothly on the earth. Then, when the fiery trials come, if that relationship with Christ be of words and emotions only, and not of the heart, we will soon be as the man who built his house on the sand. The waves will come and destroy all that we thought was of spiritual substance, leaving us with nothing but a desire to never have mentioned the name of Jesus of Nazareth. The shallowness of our roots will be evident from the first gale that blows upon us, and we will soon be uprooted and seen as the spiritual pretenders that we are.
	If, however, our response to Christ has been deeply received, and deeply rooted, not in emotions, but in Christ Jesus, we will view these tribulations from His perspective as outlined in James, rather than as an attack on our persons. James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations: Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience, But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting in nothing. There is an entirely different viewpoint expressed in scripture concerning that which is truly of Christ. If we are emotionally driven, we look at trials and tribulations as a punishment, taking away our joy of the moment. We start crying the poor, poor, pitiful me mantra, because we have no real focal point from which to regard the work of God as being sound and proper. We start blaming the enemy, or someone else, or even ourselves for our plight, because our view is strictly upon ourselves.
	If, however, our heart’s desire of growth in Christ is firmly set in Him alone, no matter what the cost, no matter what the road we must travel for Him to be glorified, then we begin to join our voices to those who have gone before. This is a brief aside in our consideration, but a very important one at this juncture. Have we ever considered the fiery trials of the early church in regard to the fact that these brothers and sisters in Christ were fully rejoicing in that they were counted worthy to be persecuted for the sake and the name of Jesus Christ? Acts 5:40-43 ...and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. How many of us would react in this same manner? Rejoicing that we were counted so close to the Lord Jesus Christ in our words and deeds, that we would be beaten for His sake. Then, rejoicing in that beating, not because of the pain it caused, but because we were seen as a true witness of Jesus Christ. And then, to continue, even knowing the physical torment that would come to us, even unto death, but never giving in to the pressure to deny our Lord Jesus Christ. 
	No emotional follower could stand this. This was the point at which they rejected Christ in His day. To be put into a position where we will surely die if we speak His name, and to rejoice in that prospect is beyond any human endeavor. It is only of the Holy Spirit that such growth can be established.
	Then consider the testimony of Paul and Silas at Philippi as recounted in Acts 16:22-25 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely: Who, having received such charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. These men were in a terrible situation, by any consideration, except that of the Lord’s vantage point. Were they sullen and forlorn? Hardly! They were praying and singing unto the Lord in praises in spite of their physical torment and plight. They were exactly where God could use them to answer the spiritual need of the jailer and his entire family. One does not know of the result of the praises upon the prison inmates, but they certainly were witness to the power of God in these two men, not because of their strength or good voices, but because of their hearts after Christ.
	And finally, the word of the Apostle Peter in chapter 4 verses 12+13 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s suffering; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. There is certainly a fiery trial in store for those who desire the depth, the utmost that Christ has called us into. We will be the recipients of the blast furnace of God’s perfect work that will burn away all the impurities of our beings. All that will remain is the purity of His life, the life we have in Jesus Christ. In that we should rejoice, rejoice in the fact that God has deemed us worthy to be counted in Him. Rejoice in the truth that He so loves us that He gave His only begotten Son to die for us, that we now have eternal life. And further, rejoice in the fact that because we are so loved, our relationship is not based on fleeting emotions and changeable circumstances, but on the person of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ crucified, Jesus Christ resurrected, Jesus Christ glorified, on Jesus Christ alone.
	Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.