The Seed Is The Word Of The Kingdom
Uranda September 22, 1946
Uranda — read from Mark 4:1-20
“And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
“And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
“The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.”
Uranda — Let’s consider the same incident recorded in Matthew Chapter 13:1-23
“The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
“And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
“For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
“Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
Uranda — As we consider this morning the fact that people all over the world are turning their thoughts to the worship of God to the highest degree of realization and understanding that is in them, we are struck with the fact that if all this turning to God were truly concerted action, truly coordinated, truly harmonious, truly bringing forth fruit, these millions could exert an incalculable influence upon the outworking of events in the world. As we have been studying the things of God in the past weeks and months there has been an increased awareness, a deepening of realization, with respect to the fact that all things worthwhile do truly spring forth from the spiritual foundation, and the more fully we understand that foundation, and the more fully we realize that that which is of the foundation can express through us in daily life, the more certain and fruitful will be the expression of our lives.
This morning I was thinking of the influence that we might properly bring to bear upon those who are turning to God and seeking to worship Him. I mentioned the influence that all these people might bring to bear upon the world if it were truly unified function. The Master said that in order to worship God truly we must worship Him in spirit and in truth. If all those who seek to worship God actually worshiped Him in spirit and in truth the conditions that exist in the world would be impossible. The very fact that conditions are as they are proves that regardless of human concept, regardless of such earnestness as may exist, regardless of what may have been achieved within the scope of that which we call Christianity, the vast majority of those who think to worship God have not yet learned to worship Him in spirit and in truth, and until there is the fact of true worship established on earth there is no means by which we can properly hope to correct or remove the ill conditions which beset mankind. Since we have been granted the sacred privilege of beginning to know something of what it means to worship God in spirit and in truth, our proper function is to let the spirit flow out into the world in such hours as this, that we may influence those who are turning to the worship of God and draw them to a realization of what it means to worship God truly.
The reason for the worship of God has not been understood by mankind. Human beings have seemed to imagine that an arbitrary God arbitrarily required that human beings must worship Him or be damned to eternal hellfire. Therefore the consciousness in man with respect to the purpose of worshiping God has been altogether faulty, contrary to the true facts, and whatever there is of the current or spirit of God that may be released by such worship as there is flows into these faulty concepts and gives them life, and therefore that which God would pour out in blessing becomes the very life force that maintains the ill condition that human beings themselves have established.
This morning, as we consider these things, there should be in us a vivid realization of the true reason for worshiping God, of the true purpose of our gathering together, so that our consciousness, established according to the Pattern of Truth, may be a means by which the radiation of the spirit of His Love through us into the world may begin to correct the erroneous or limited concepts which have prevented the manifestation of God's power on earth in a manner that will be effective in correcting the ill conditions that exist.
As long as human beings think that God simply demands that He shall be worshiped man cannot worship God in love. Such attempts at worship are the result of a sense of duty or a concept of necessity of some sort, or because of fear of hellfire, or in the hope of gaining some reward at some future time, or perchance for the purpose of influencing the others who likewise attend church, to establish a concept of goodness in the community regardless of the facts in relationship to the inner spiritual life.
When we realize that God is not demanding for some such reason that we should worship Him, but that that which is true worship is simply the opening of the means by which that which is of God can pour through us out into the world, and that the only true way in which we can worship God is through love response to Him, we begin to realize that man's basic attitude toward the worshiping of God prevents any really valuable manifestation as a result of what mankind deems to be the worship of God. As we love Him and receive the outpouring of His Love and let it flow out into the world through the Pattern of Truth, regardless of human concept, we find it is not because God would take something unto Himself, but because He would give of His abundance into our expression of life, that He directs us to worship Him, so that all men may know what it is to be set free from the bondage of human concepts and the limitations of human vision.
In this realization I would read once more the words which the Master spoke, first as recorded in the 4th Chapter of Mark, verses 1-20, and then the same incident as recorded by Matthew, in Chapter 13, verses 1-23
To my mind we have here one of the most revealing of the Master's expressions while He walked among men on earth. He gave the key. According to one record, He said, “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God,” and in the other, “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.” The Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God speak of the same thing. In the Lord's Prayer He said, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” He was talking about the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, and pointed out that it was given unto them to know. And even so, as we let it be so, it is given unto us to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. And in His interpretation of the parable He said, “When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.”
“When any one heareth the Word of the Kingdom.” Those who have been following what they conceive to be the teachings of Christianity have undertaken to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ without taking cognizance of what He Himself said that Gospel was. The Gospel that He told His followers to teach and preach was, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” and so the Word of the Kingdom is with respect to the Gospel, the fact that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. And when there is a recognition that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, so that it becomes a true realization, the individual begins to so function that he may learn the truth concerning that Kingdom, that he may in season enter into it and share in the wonder of it—not waiting until some distant future time, but accepting it in the here and the now.
As we have moved along the way toward this day, sharing in ministry with respect to the Word of the Kingdom, we have seen this parable fulfilled so many times—those who have heard the Word and then immediately the self-active human mind has snatched it away, so that it never did bring forth fruit; and then those that received the seed into stony places, the seed of the Word into stony places where there was some good soil, a place where there is a realization of the fundamental fact of the Kingdom. But the stony places are where? They are in the heart, the stony heart of man that refuses to respond and let itself be changed by the power of God, the stony places in the heart that refuse to let the mysteries of the Kingdom be revealed in the life of the individual. We have seen the manifestation of that also, as we have ministered along the way.
And then again, “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.” Let us note the way that same point is covered here in Mark: “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” There comes, in other words, by the deceitfulness of riches, a concept that the things of this world are more important than the things of the Kingdom, that the things of this world are more to be depended upon than the things of the Kingdom. These things will “choke the word of the kingdom” unless we let the Word of the Kingdom be the good seed in us, so that we bring forth from good ground, “some thirty, some sixty, some an hundred.”
The Master clearly indicates that He does not expect all to bring forth an equal degree of the manifestation of the Kingdom. You cannot yet fully realize what the fruit of that seed is. Consider: The seed is the Word of the Kingdom. When the seed is planted it brings forth fruit to varying degrees, according to the individual talents, abilities and capabilities of the responding ones. What would be the fruit of the seed, of the Word of the Kingdom? It would of necessity have to be the manifest expression of the Kingdom itself on earth, that it might cease to be a mystery: “For unto you it is given to know the kingdom of God,” or of heaven. And the Word that is the seed is the Word of the Kingdom. And when there is a recognition of the fact that there is the Kingdom of Heaven at hand, and that is allowed to germinate in the depth of the individual life, it comes forth a new plant, a new thing, a new pattern of expression on earth, and it begins to bring forth fruit, the fruit of the Kingdom itself. What is the fruit of the Kingdom? All of those things which are in evidence in the manifestation of the Presence of God, that which is the expression of the Divine, the manifestation of the nature of Deity.
And so, until the Word that is the seed, the Word of the Kingdom, is in good ground—not by the wayside, to be immediately snatched away by the self-active thoughts of the human mind; not in the stony places wherein the heart refuses to give way before the manifestation of the Word of God; not among the tares where the Word, or seed, is choked out by the “cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in,” which cover up and prevent an understanding of the Word itself, which is the seed, and prevent the manifestation of the fruit of the seed—the true fruit cannot appear. So it is only where the sunshine of God's Love is allowed to shine because there are no thorns, only where there is good soil because there are no stony places in the heart, that the fruit of the Kingdom can begin to appear in that new thing which is brought forth, the fruit of the expression of God, the nature of God, the qualities of God, the power of God, so that heaven is made manifest on earth.
The Word of the Kingdom is the seed that is planted in the heart of those who truly respond, and then the plant of the Kingdom begins to grow and it comes forth, and in its coming it is a true revelation of the Kingdom on earth and it brings forth the fruit of the Kingdom. This is that which is true worship of God, and anything less than this is not true worship. This is truly worshiping Him in spirit and in truth, because the Word of the Kingdom is the truth and the manifestation of the plant of the Kingdom in the individual life must be in harmony with the Pattern of Truth, and it must be the Fire of Love, the sunshine, the warmth of God's Love, that causes that plant to grow, brings that plant into the light where the darkness is dispelled. If the plant is never allowed to sprout, if the seed is never allowed to grow but is covered over by the “deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in,” there is no true manifestation.
Even if there is some manifestation, and there are stony places in the heart, then in the outworking of events the seed, though it has sprouted and begun to manifest, cannot become a true revelation of the Kingdom of God, and those who see the plant that has sprung up in the stony places do not see a true plant, a revelation of the Kingdom, and when the pressures of life appear in the ministry of the Living God, that plant withers and is gone; for there is that seed of the Word of the Kingdom that falls by the wayside and the self-active thoughts of the human mind snatch it away and cast it out so that it has no chance to begin to grow. Here we have a portrayal of Four Classifications. The first three reveal the nature of man's rejection of the things of God, and the fourth reveals the nature of man's acceptance of the things of God. The three ways by which man rejects the things of God: 1. the self-active mind snatching away the seed of the kingdom and never letting it sprout; 2. the stony places in the heart that prevent its true growth and manifestation; 3. the thorns that choke it and prevent its manifestation—these are the three ways by which human beings prevent the manifestation of the Kingdom in their own lives.
But the fourth way is the revelation of the Way for those who worship Him in spirit and in truth, for here the fruit of the seed of the Kingdom begins to appear and there is revelation of the Kingdom itself. The things of God are made manifest through the lives of those in whose hearts the Word of the Kingdom has been truly planted, for in their lives the one thing worthwhile is that seed which, in its growing, brings forth the manifestation of the Kingdom on earth, to the Glory of God and the blessing of all the children of men.
It is for this cause that God admonishes man to worship Him; not that God would take something unto Himself, but that when man truly worships in spirit and in truth the things of God truly come into manifestation in the earth. Wherever the Kingdom of Heaven is, there is peace and joy and the true satisfaction of living, the true realization of being which God intended that we should enjoy.
“It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.” “Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.” “But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.”
© emissaries of divine light
