The Parable of the Sower
The Mystery of The Kingdom of Heaven • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Open your Bible to the gospel of Matthew chapter 13.
This is a crucial chapter of the Bible, which every believer should seek to fully understand.
The Chapter of the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Now, why we call Matthew 13 the Chapter of the mysteries of the kingdom is because Jesus called them mysteries.
Matthew 13:11 “(Jesus)...the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you,”
Friends, Anyone can know facts, memorize the names of the kings of Israel, make a biblical chronology, but only those who have the Holy Spirit within them to illuminate them understand the deep things of God.
God has sacred secrets that He reveals through His Word only to those in the family.
Let me show you a passage … Revelation 1:1
Revelation 1:1 (NIV)
1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
God reveals the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven to His servants, those who prays, who has the illumination of the Holy Spirit and obeys the Word of God.
Those who are not saved, not His servants, those who do not have the illumination of the Holy Spirit, those who do not obey the gospel of the Son of God do not have this revelation. The Bible is a mysterious story to them.
Now, in Matthew 13 we have seven parables.
And seven, being the perfect number, means they have a certain conclusion.
They are comprehensive and tell the story of the gospel of Jesus.
These seven parables begin with the time when Jesus was here on earth and He began to preach the gospel until the end of time and the Final Judgment.
And everything that happens from the time Jesus was here until Jesus returns is included in these seven parables.
So when you understand these seven parables, you know what to expect.
If you know what to expect, you are not disappointed, you are not discouraged; you do not give up.
Ill. If you are remodeling a building…
For this reason, this is a crucial chapter of the Bible that every believer should seek to fully understand.
And when things seem dark or bad, you say, "Hallelujah, this is wonderful. This is exactly how Jesus said it would be."
It is exactly as the Bible prophesied.
You see, sometimes we see the world with its pulsating evil, and the church weak, and we see people refusing the gospel, and we think, "Well, maybe the gospel isn't all that powerful; or maybe our expectations are misplaced."
But then, when we read Matthew chapter 13, we say, "Oh! Everything is exactly, precisely, on the right track, just as Jesus said it would be."
So, over the next few weeks, (Pr.João Marcos, IMB/Brasil… ) here at the church and in the PG, with the permission of the Holy Spirit, we will take a look at all 7 parables that reveal “The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven” -
I. The Reason for the Parables
I. The Reason for the Parables
What was the reason for Jesus to speak in parables?
Verses 1 to 3 tell us that Jesus spoke in parables.
Matthew 13:3 (NIV)
3 Then he told them many things in parables, …
A parable is a story that is placed alongside a great truth.
I think the best definition of a parable is simply this:
“A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning”.
In other words, Jesus told a very common story, but there was more to the story than met the eye, and you had to pay attention.
Matthew chapter 13 is the first time Jesus begins to speak in parables.
Look at verses 10 and 11:
10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
These parables reveal “secrets”.
Now, a mystery/”secret”, in the Bible, is a hidden truth; and it cannot be known by human knowledge or human wisdom, but must come by revelation.
It is a hidden truth that can only be known through revelation.
So here Jesus is speaking in parables. And that's the reason some people don't understand the Bible: They don't have eyes/revelation to see.
Illustration:
a student who was in a classroom and the professor in his college class asked, "How many of you in this class believe that the Bible is the Word of God?" He said this with such mockery on his face that no one raised his hand except a young Christian man from that class. He knew he must be faithful to his Lord and Savior, so he raised his hand and confessed that he believed the Bible was the Word of God and that he loved the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. Then the teacher began to criticize the young man. Immediately, at the beginning of class, he ridiculed the Bible. He ridiculed Christianity. He ridiculed it as superstition, as outdated, and so on. And then he closed by saying, "Young man, I want you to know that the Bible is a collection of errors and a meaningless book. I have read it and it makes no sense to me at all." And the young man, perplexed, said: "Sir, may I say a word to you now?" And the teacher asked: "What is it?" He said, "sir, the Bible is God's love letter to His children. If you read it and it doesn't make sense to you, you are reading someone else's correspondence."
Amen?
Now let me tell you something.
This is a book of mysteries, and these mysteries are revealed to the children of God.
Therefore you see that the method of His teaching was by parables.
Jesus’ teaching: is full of truths that you cannot know except by revelation.
Now I want you to see the reason for Teaching in Parables
Look again at verse 10:
10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
That is, "What is your reason for teaching in parables?"
And Jesus had a twofold reason:
1) his first motive was to reveal; and, surprisingly, 2) His second motive was to hide.
And if you don't understand this, you won't understand the full meaning of the parables.
1. To Reveal
1. To Reveal
Why reveal to some and hide to others?
Note that one of his motives has been revealed. Notice again vs 11:
10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
And so our Lord says, "I will teach you a secrets of the kingdom of heaven. I will show you things that had been hidden from ages past, but I will not show it to others."
And I imagine the disciples thought, "Well, why us? Why are you going to show us things that you're not going to show them?" AND
Jesus responds to this thought in verse 12 and explains why He is revealing things to His disciples and will not reveal them to others.
He goes on to say:
Matthew 13:12 (NIV)
12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.
Now, why did the Lord Jesus reveal His truth to certain people?
Was Jesus just being discriminatory? Was Jesus unfair? Why did Jesus tell these people:
"I'll explain it to you; but the other people here won't know"?
Well, Jesus gives us a clue in verse 12 when he says:
"Whoever has will be given more."
Have you ever heard the saying: "The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer"?
Well, that, dear friend, is not only true in economic terms; It's definitely true in spiritual terms - "Whoever has will be given more."... Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.." (Matthew 13:12)
Jesus chose a variety of people. He chose fishermen, tax collectors, politician, business people...
But Jesus chose certain people and revealed the truth to them, because he saw in them the willingness to obey and the hunger to know.
And when He sees a heart has a hunger to know and a willingness to obey, then that person has something to get him more. ""Whoever has will be given more."."
The Bible says, in Psalm 25 and verse 9, that Psalm 25:9
Psalm 25:9 (NIV)
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
"the humble….he teaches them his way". (Psalm 25:9)
Do you know what the word humble/meek means?
It means "teachable". “A teachable person He will teach His way”
Q: Are You Teachable?
Or as He said, “Whoever has ears, let them hear.”” (Matthew 13:9)
"Do you have ears to hear?"
And so our Lord spoke to those who already had a hunger for the truth, that they might have more truth.
Illustration:
Stock Investments…
See, our Lord will invest. Our Lord will invest His life, invest His truth and invest His Word in those who want to know and obey it.
Here is the second reason he spoke in parables
2. To Hide
2. To Hide
But our Lord not only spoke in parables to reveal, but He also spoke in parables to conceal, to hide.
Notice again in verse 13:
13 This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“ ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.
Now our Lord says, "I am speaking in parables because there are certain people who do not want to understand.
In fact, I will hide the truth from them. And this same story that will reveal the truth to you will hide the truth from them."
Now you need to understand that Jesus was not speaking in parables up until this point. He began to speak in parables.
Why did he start speaking in parables?
He began to speak in parables because, at that moment, their rebellion against Him had reached its climax, and they came to Him with hardness of heart, they came to criticize Him, to accuse Him of being with a devil.
And then He began to speak in parables.
For our Lord Jesus refused to cast His pearls of truth to people who where not interested in knowing the truth. [Matthew 7:6 “6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” ]
And so the truth that is not received is removed - the truth that is not received is removed.
Look again at verse 12:
12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.
Now, friend, you better watch what you do with the truth, because if you don't use it, you will lose it.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 illustrates this truth well. The Bible talks about the Antichrist, a man is about to come to the Earth, the son of perdition, the man of sin, the beast, the Antichrist, who will be the devil incarnate. He will be the devil in human flesh, and he will come with an unbelievable propaganda machine.
and the Bible describes it with these words:
2 Thessalonians 2:9–12 (NIV)
9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
The Bible talks about the Antichrist... He whose coming is according to the working of Satan,... all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing, - now, notice what he says about those who are perishing. And why are they perishing? - "because they rejected the love of truth" -
Ah, my dear friend, there are some people who love the truth and others who have hatred and antipathy towards the truth.
These people have did not love the truth that could save them - "that they might be saved."
And because they did not love the truth, notice what happens in verse
11: "For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie ,..."
- you say: "Wait a minute. I thought it was the Antichrist." Well, the Antichrist is just a tool of God. God allows the Antichrist to do what he does. The Antichrist could not move a finger unless God allowed it - ""For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie,..."
- God will send an irresistible power to make certain people believe the lies of the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation.
Who will be these recipients “Those who - rejected to love the truth that could save them…. all those who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.//
And you see, dear friend, when a person rejects the truth, when a person does not want to know the truth, when a person loves his sin and delights in unrighteousness more than in God's truth, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie .
And Jesus taught with parables, firstly, to reveal, but secondly, to conceal.
"To those who have, Jesus will give more. And from those who do not have, even what they have will be taken away."
You can't put the truth in the freezer. Use it or you lose it!
Now let's look at the some elements of the Parable of the Sower.
I. The Seed
I. The Seed
Now Jesus says in verse 3 that “A farmer went out to sow his seed.” (Matthew 13:3)
3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.
Well, what is sowing?
It is scattering seed.
What kind of seed was this man scattering?
Well, if you want to know what the seed is, let’s let the Lord Jesus Christ Himself explain the parable in verse 19, and He says,
Matthew 13:19 (NIV)
19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
What was sown in his heart? When anyone hears “the message about the kingdom”
The seed is the Word of God—the seed is the Word of God.
And that is our job; that is our privilege: to sow the seed.
The Bible is called many things, bread, sword, water of life, honey, but one of the most beautiful figures and illustrations and metaphors for the Word of God is that the Bible is a seed.
And why is this? Because a seed has life in it.
Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful.” (Hebrews 4:12)
Jesus said in the Gospel of John, “The words … I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)
The Bible, This book is not like any other book. It has life in it.
And so the seed is the Word of God.
And I’ve seen the Word bring forth life so many times.
Only life can beget life.
We are “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God.” (1 Peter 1:23)
And so the thing that encourages me when I preach: I’m not depending upon my powers of persuasion; I’m not depending upon my logic; I’m not depending upon any so-called personality or cunningness that I might have. I must depend upon the Word of God.
My job is to get the Word out, because I know that if you will understand this Word, if you have ears to hear this Word, there’s life in this Word. And it will geminate; it will sprout.
I want to tell all our teachers, SG leaders, pastors, singers, and preachers out there…
It’s not enough to scratch the soil; you’ve got to sow the seed.
You have got to get the Word out.
No matter what else you do, no matter how good the song you sing, no matter how sweet the fellowship, no matter how fine the organization, it is all in vain if you’re not putting seed in the ground.
Why a farmer plow his field?
Why a farmer kill the weeds?
Why a farmer fertilize?
A: to to put the seed in the ground!
Friend, you must—you must, you must, you must—sow the seed.
The seed is alive; and so the seed is the Word.
Now, the second element is…
II. The Farmer
II. The Farmer
Now, what about the sower? Look again, if you will, in chapter 13, verse 3. And he says here,
3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.
“A farmer went out to sow his seed”
Who is the the farmer?
Turn over to verse 37, and you’ll see:
37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.
The man who does the sowing is Jesus Christ himself.
I would like to remind you that the Son of man is a term that Jesus Christ often used to describe Himself, therefore, the One who is sowing in the field is Jesus Christ Himself.
And as you’re going to see in a moment, this sower just scattered the seed on all kinds of soil.
You’re going to find that some of the seed fell along the path, but He scattered the seed along the path. (Matthew 13:4)
You’re going to find that some of the seed fell on rocky places, shallow ground, but He scattered the seed on rocky places. (Matthew 13:5)
You’re going to find out that some of the seed fell among thorns, but He scattered the seed among the thorns. (Matthew 13:7)
And you’re going to find out that some of the seed fell on good, soft, moist and fertile soil, and He scattered the seed there. (Matthew 13:8)
He’s just scattering the seed everywhere.
And, dear friend, as our Master did, so should His servants do.
Jesus is the farmer who sows the seed everywhere!
And Jesus said,John 20:21 “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.””
And Jesus still wants to be scattering the good seed through His new body, which is the Church.
The sower is the Son of man, and we are His Body. And you never know—dear friend, you never know—who’s going to get saved.
Now the third element is
III. The Soil
III. The Soil
I want you to notice the soil. This is primarily a parable of the soil. As we continue to read, let’s notice what happened here.
A. The Stubborn Listener
A. The Stubborn Listener
First of all, I want you to notice in verse 4:
4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
This pictures the stubborn hearer—the hard heart of the stubborn hearer.
Now, what is the path/wayside?
The path/wayside is just a path through the field.
You have to “side walk” through the field, or walk around the field, and it’s the part of the soil that has been trampled down by traffic.
And there are so many people whose hearts are like this.
There are so many people whose hearts have become “side walk” through the field of this world.
They’re worldly people. Their hearts are like concrete. They have been hardened and trampled down, and there’s no softness there.
And so the seed just simply lies on the surface. The birds come—and we’re going to find out that the birds represent demon spirits that steal the Word away.
And I know, as I preach today, there may be some like that who are hearing my voice today, and the seed will just fall on hard, stubborn hearts.
There is the hard heart of the stubborn hearer.
You know, the Bible warns us about a hard heart.
In Hebrews chapter 3, verses 7 and 8, the Bible says,
Hebrews 3:7–8 (NIV)
7 So, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts”,…
It’s a sad thing when a person gets a hard heart.
Sometimes church goers say, "Oh, the preachers don't preach like they used to back in the day - when I was a boy."
Some of them do preach; You just don't hear it like you used to when you were a boy.
There was a time when your heart was warm and soft and fertile, and the seed could enter.
Oh, the tragedy - the tragedy - of a hardened heart!
Just keep your Bible there in Matthew 13, and turn to John 12. Let me show you a sad scripture in John chapter 12,
John 12:37–39 (NIV)
37 Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:
“Lord, who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
39 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:
Verse 37 says, “Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him” , verse 39
says that “For this reason they could not believe,.”
For what reason they could not believe?
Because they would not believe in him!
Did you know that your heart can get so hard that you cannot believe, that the Word of God can never get in, and your heart just becomes hard as a rock and unbreakable?
And some seed falls along the path/wayside; that is, a heart that has been trampled down by the traffic of this world. And so, some seed falls on the hard heart of the stubborn hearer.
B. The Superficial Listener
B. The Superficial Listener
And so, let's continue to look and see. Other seeds fall into the shallow heart of the superficial listener.
See verses 5 and 6:
Matthew 13:5–6 (NIV)
5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
"Some fell on rocky ground, where there was not much soil:" -
Now, the idea is not stones on the ground; that's not the idea. The idea is a rocky terrain that only has about a half inch or a quarter of an inch of top soil/dirty on top of it.
It's a place where there's not much soil; there is no depth -
“It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root." (Matthew 13:5-7)
What does this represent? Well, listen to what our Lord says this represents in verses 20 and 21.
in verse 19 he tells us about the hard heart listener.
Matthew 13:19 “19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.”
Now let's look at the superficial listener
Matthew 13:20–21 (NIV)
20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
In other words, the seed simply sprouts but - last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word,”
The problem is that there simply wasn't any depth and therefore the seed wouldn't go in.
You see, in the first case of the stubborn, hard heart listener, the seed couldn't get in.
But in the case of the rocky heart, the seed entered, but could not descend; It had no depth.
And this really speaks of superficial emotionalism.
They are people who hear the Word of God, the gospel, about Christ and salvation, heaven and hell, and the rest, receive the invitation, you see people who come to the altar, many of them with tears in their eyes, but they are superficial; they never make a heartfelt commitment to Jesus Christ.
The seed enters, but the seed never takes root.
They are shallow people; They are superficial people. They are just feeling emotions.
many people - are looking for an emotional experience.
But, friend, emotionalism never saved anyone.
I agree with - Sidlow Baxter who said: "Salvation is the deepest work of God. Your emotions are the most superficial part of your nature. And God does not do His deepest work in the most superficial part."
C. The Divided Listener
C. The Divided Listener
So, first of all, Jesus said that some seeds will fall on the stubborn heart.
Then Jesus said that, secondly, some seeds will fall into the superficial heart.
But then He goes on to mention the third type of person.
See, in verse 7 -
7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
Here is the third type of person:
What does this represent?
Well, go to verse 22 and let Jesus explain:
22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.
Well, here's a person who receives the seed, it sprouts, but he/she is divided.
There are two crops growing on the same soil.
There is a rival plantation that has not been removed.
This is the person who never truly repented.
And there are many people like that.
Once again, they go to the altar to give their hearts to Jesus Christ, but they never deal with the weeds, they never deal with the thorns.
hey never deal with these things and have a divided heart.
These are the ones who have never repented.
James 1:8 “Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”
And the Bible says in Luke 13:3 “I tell you, unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
And why are some people—members of this church and other church as well—unfruitful?
I'll tell you why. They never let go of this world with both hands and take Jesus Christ with both hands.
Have you already done this? Is He Lord of all?
Some of you are not fruitful, because you were never saved - you were never saved.
The seed entered, but the seed did not take firm hold in your life, and you never said, "Lord Jesus, You are the Lord of all." And, friend, if you haven't made Jesus Lord of all, in my opinion, you are not saved.
He cannot be “half Lord”. You cannot say, "There is room in my heart for the weeds and there is room in my heart for the seed."
No, dear friend, if you have never said, "Jesus Christ, YOU are the Lord of my life, and I mean it, with all my heart, YOU alone are the Lord and no one else! …
Friend, I am afraid, if you have never known the Lord of glory.
There is nothing wrong with the seed, nothing wrong with the sower; the problem is in the soil.
D. The Sincere Listener
D. The Sincere Listener
Now I want you to notice the fourth category of listeners.
Firstly, there is the stubborn heart: it is the heart hardened by the wayside.
Then there is the superficial heart: it is the heart without depth.
And there is, dear friend, the divided heart, where there are weeds and thorns and the cares of this world, and the person is thinking of himself instead of the things of God.
But finally, thank God, there is the sincere listener; there is the open heart of the sincere listener.
See, verse 8 of that same parable. The Lord Jesus continues saying:
8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
Now, friend, your life - your life - is tested by the fruit it bears.
See, Jesus said, "If you abide in me, you will bear fruit." (John 15:5)
You know, in our denomination, Baptists , we count baptisms…
Maybe we should start counting the fruit bearers - fruit bearers. - true disciples
See, there are many people who listen superficially, many people who are stubborn, many people who are selfish. But thank God for those who are sincere listeners. The Word also falls on good soil.
Conclusion
Conclusion
9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
Now, friend, it's up to you to decide what kind of soil the seed will fall into.
There is nothing wrong with the seed, and the problem is not with the sower, if he is a preacher of the gospel; but the heart, dear friend, is your responsibility - your own heart. I am responsible for the Word: I have to preach it the Word.
Testimony:
Early on in my ministry I used to get frustrate. … I prepared, prayed, preached and nothing! …
But them I read
7 But the people of Israel are not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate.
As servant of God …., we don't have the right to be frustrated. I don't have the right to feel sorry for yourself and I don't have the right to feel like I am a failure.
I am not a failure. I am a man of God. I am are anointed. I preach the truth; and the only reason people won't listen to me is because they won't listen to God.
And if they don't listen God, do you think they will listen to me?
And the problem isn't with me; their problem is with God.
They are a stubborn people; They are a rebellious people."
5 And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious people—they will know that a prophet has been among them.
I tell you that I carry this in my heart and I hope it never leaves my heart, never leaves my life: that sometimes people don't listen to me because they don't listen to God.
But whether they listen or not, God says, "I will let them know that 'there was a prophet among them.'"
"Do you know what that says to me, to all preachers? Do you know what that says to all evangelists in the house? Do you know what that says ladies and gentlemen, servants of the living God?
It tells us that it is our job to spread the seed.
Our job is to sow the seed. And whether they hear it or not, God says, "They will know that 'there was a prophet among them.'"
And as you can see, sometimes the seed falls into stubborn ground.
Is your heart stubborn today?
Have you hardened your heart against God?
I pray that God softens your heart.
Sometimes the seed falls into shallow soil. Are you a superficial and emotional listener, and that's all?
Oh, I pray to God that the seed will descend and deepen.
Or, perhaps, sometimes the seed falls into thorny ground. Are you a person who refuses to repent and put sin out of your life?
Are you trying to reap two harvests from the same piece of land—to cling to the Lord with one hand and the world with the other?
This cannot be done.
But sometimes the seed falls on good soil. And that's why Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."