Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion

Do Thorns Bother You?

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2013-02-24

Synopsis: In this sermon, John Weaver examines the thorny ground hearer from the Parable of the Sower, explaining that this hearer represents those who half-heartedly receive God's Word but never deal with the sins in their lives. The thorns—cares of this world, deceitfulness of riches, lust for other things, and pleasures of this life—choke the Word, making it unfruitful. Weaver emphasizes that true salvation requires repentance and turning from sin, not merely a desire to escape hell.

[John Weaver] Mark chapter four. And for those of you who are visiting here for the first time, I have been preaching a series and this is the third part in a four part series. So, Joe, you have to listen to previous messages as well now. So Mark chapter four, this is a four part series on. The parable of the sore, and today we come to the thorny ground here so that title of the message is Do Thorns Bother You? So look at Mark 4 and verse 7. Our Lord said, And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. Now, if you'll skip down to verse 18 and you'll look at, you'll see our Lord's interpretation.

[John Weaver] He said, 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 lust of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful." Now, we've talked previously about the two hearers previously, that is the wayside hearer and the stony-ground hearer. I told you the wayside hearer has another name. He's known as the hard-hearted hearer. And, of course, the stony-ground hearer is known as the shallow-hearted hearer. And we found out that the wayside here is a negligent individual. He could care less about the Word of God. And the Bible says, Satan cometh immediately and stealeth away the Word. So he could care less about it.

[John Weaver] It was easily stolen from him. The stony ground here was the man who had no root in himself. And when trials and tribulations and persecutions arose, immediately he was offended. And of course, he forsook the faith. And today we come to what we consider the thorny ground hearer.

[John Weaver] Now the thorny ground hearer is sometimes referred to as a half-hearted hearer, and you're going to see just a little bit later why he is called a half-hearted hearer as well. Remember I told you that this entire parable is on hearing the Word of God and responses to the Word of God. So it could not only be called the parable of the sword, It could also be called the parable of the soils. So just like in our Lord's day, there are these four types of hearers. So in our day, there's four types of hearers. So every time the Word of God is preached, you will respond in one of these four ways. Everyone responds in one of these four ways. You're either a negligent hearer, like the wayside hearer, or you're a shallow-hearted hearer, the way the stony ground hearer was, or you're half-hearted here, the way the thorny ground here is, or you're a whole-hearted here, as the good ground here is. But before I show you the principles from the thorny ground here, I want to tell you a few things about thorns.

[John Weaver] First of all, according to the Word of God, thorns are distracting. I want you to look in your Bibles. Hold Mark forward. We're coming back there. But look in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, chapter 3. Genesis chapter 3, and you will find that Adam has been cursed for his disobedience, and here is part of the curse laid upon him. Notice Genesis chapter 3, beginning there with verse 17. God says, and unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, Cursed is the ground for thy sake, and sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth of thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return into the ground. For out of it wast thou taken, for dust thou art, and in the dust shalt thou return."

[John Weaver] I want you to note particularly, he says in verse 18, that thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth. So thorns are distracting in a number of ways. First of all, they certainly keep us busy from the work which we need to do. Since the fall of man, thorns have been a nuisance and a distraction. Have you ever noticed, those of you who garden, that your garden does not need special attention or special fertilizers to bring forth thorns and weeds?

[John Weaver] They just simply grow and they simply appear. And the next time you're weeding your garden and pulling out thorns and thistles and weeds and your back begins to ache, blame Adam. Okay? Because it was Adam's original sin and it's that sin that causes these thorns and these thistles. And the next time you're weeding your garden or walking through the woods and you get a thorn in your finger, you've just got to remember it will distract you. It'll distract you to the point that you will stop and pick that thorn out. In fact, this week, Tripp and I were burning off some woods and I was spreading the fire with a rake. And as I went through, two thorns got in my finger from a briar. And I had to just stop and pick those things out. They immediately hurt. So thorns are distractful. They will always stop you, sometimes, which I'll point out later, they will stop you permanently.

[John Weaver] When I was a boy, to show you how distracting thorns really are and can be, I had a good friend and he and I decided we were going to go rabbit hunting. But back at that time, we did not use guns. In fact, we considered guns an unfair advantage to hunt these poor little helpless rabbits. So, what we did, was we would take a log chain about 18 inches long, have a C-link on it, where we could hold it in our hands, and we would run the rabbit down. We would outrun him, and as we went past him, we would hit him with the chain and either kill him or stun him so that we could get him.

[John Weaver] Well, we got tired of doing that, you know. In fact, you know you're running all the time. And so, and by the way, it is possible to outrun a rabbit. I outran plenty of them when I was a boy. Couldn't do it today, I'm sure, but I used to do it. But we got tired of doing that, and we decided we'd need a little help. And so we decided that, since the pasture was kind of level anyhow, a little downhill grade, that we would use the car.

[John Weaver] And we would alternate, and I would drive while Jimmy sat on the fender, and Jimmy would drive while I sat on the fender. And when we'd see a rabbit, we'd kind of go up to him and stop and let the individual just, who's on the fender, run and hit the rabbit. Well, I happened to be on the fender. Jimmy was driving and I happened to see a rabbit out of the corner of my eye and I pointed over that way. And so he very quickly turned the car and pointed toward the rabbit and he sped up a little too much. And he was almost on the rabbit.

[John Weaver] And he realized what he had done. And so he slammed on brakes.

[John Weaver] Now, I don't know if you put two and two together. When I'm sitting on the fender and you're headed downhill and the person slams on brakes, it tends to throw a body into motion. And it tends to throw that body into motion very quickly. Well, when I came off that fender, my feet were already two or three feet in front of my body. I was running as hard and as fast as I could. My body was basically trying to catch up with my feet. I passed that poor rabbit like he was sitting still. I mean. I was running so fast. I could not swing the chain. I couldn't do anything. All I could do was just try to maintain my balance in front of me. was a briar patch.

[John Weaver] I really, genuinely wanted to stop. But I could not stop. I was not in control. I ran through that briar patch and I was only able to stop on the other side. For the next hour, Jimmy and I took a great deal of pains in picking thorns out of my arms and out of my legs. That so distracted me, I no longer wanted to hunt rabbits. In fact, the truth of the matter is, it distracted me so greatly, as far as I remember, I've never been rabbit hunting since. I don't care anything about rabbit hunting, especially having picked those briars out all of that time. So, the truth of the matter is this. Briars can be very distracting. Thorns can be very distracting.

[John Weaver] Secondly, I want you to understand that thorns can also be disturbing. Occasionally, someone will get a thorn in their finger or some other part of the body and somehow they miss it. Namely, it does not hurt right away. But give it a day or two and the next thing you know You're hurting and there's something very sore in your finger and you look down and all of a sudden now it's red, it's swollen and maybe there's a little white patch right around that thorn. And the very first thing that enters your mind is how in the world did this happen? How did I miss something like this? But now the thorn is in there and it's infected and now it still has to be dug out even though it's surrounded by infection. So, thorns are disturbing physically. Let me go on to point out, I'm going to make the application, they're also disturbing economically, familially, and spiritually as well. I want to show you something, how that the Bible shows you about a thorn-filled life.

[John Weaver] Now, hopefully you do not want such a life. I want you to turn very quickly in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs, Chapter 15, Proverbs 15, just to show you thorns are distracting and thorns are disturbing as well. So look in Proverbs, Chapter 15 and verse 19 to begin with, Proverbs 15, verse 19. And notice, if you would, what the scripture says about a thorn filled life. Proverbs chapter 15 and verse 19. The Word of God says the way of the slothful man is as a hedge of thorns. The way of a slothful man is as a hedge of thorns, but the way of the righteous is made plain. So the slothful man is like he's living a life that's hedged up by thorns. Look in Proverbs chapter 22 and verse 5. Proverbs 22 and verse 5. In this particular passage, the Word of God says this. Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward, and he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them. So the froward man has a life that's full of thorns and snares.

[John Weaver] Turn right over, if you would please, to the book of Isaiah, chapter 32 and verse 13. Isaiah 32 and verse 13. Just showing you what the Scripture says concerning thorns. There's a whole lot more, but Isaiah 32 and verse 13, God says, upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briars, yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joy city. So God's going to curse this disobedient people with briars and thorns. If you will turn right over to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 12, And look at verse 13, Jeremiah 12, verse 13. Jeremiah 12, verse 13. God says they have sown wheat, but they shall reap thorns.

[John Weaver] They have put themselves to pain, but they shall not profit and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the Lord. Notice that they have sown wheat, but they're going to reap thorns.

[John Weaver] Now, a life of thorns is certainly not one to be desired, and I have no desire to live a life that is constantly troubled by disturbances and being inundated with the fierce anger of God. So thorns, then, are distracting, they're disturbing, and thirdly, thorns are deadly. Some thorns produce deadly effects, that is for sure. And if someone does not die just from the poison of a thorn, you have to stop and think there is such a thing as blood poisoning as well. Additionally, I want you to understand that when God judges a nation, When God judges a society or a people, He often gives us the picture of that nation or that city or that people being judged by thorns and briars.

[John Weaver] So go back in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah 34 and look if you would please at verse 13. Isaiah 34 and verse 13. Look if you would. Here's how God describes a people or a nation or a city upon which His curse is. Isaiah 34 and verse 13, and thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof, and that shall be a habitation of dragons and a court for owls. In other words, God will thoroughly judge the people and judge the city until it is uninhabited. and thorns and nettles and brambles grow there, as well as it being a habitation of dragons and of owls. Then if you will turn right over to the book of Hosea. Daniel, Hosea, look in Hosea chapter 2 and verse 6, and we're just showing you how in the judgment of God, he uses a picture of thorns and briars. In Hosea chapter 2 and verse 6, God says this.

[John Weaver] Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns and make a wall that she shall not find her paths. I'll hedge up thy way with thorns." Have you ever tried to walk through thorns? It's very distressing. And God said, I'm going to hedge up their way with thorns.

[John Weaver] Now, the book of Hosea is against Israel, because of her sins and because of her wickednesses. And so God said, I'm going to judge her and I'm going to hedge up her ways with thorns. Look at Hosea 9 and verse 6. Hosea 9 and verse 6. He says this, For lo, they are gone because of destruction. Egypt shall gather them up. Memphis shall bury them. the pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them, thorns shall be in their tabernacles." So God said He will send them into captivity and thorns and nettles are going to grow all around them.

[John Weaver] Let me just read this one. In the book of Nahum, chapter 1 and verse 10, God says this, For while they be folded together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry." So while they're folded together as thorns. So it's important to remember that our Lord is teaching us in the parable of the sower in hearing the Word of God. And just like He said, here's the wayside hearer who did not hear scripturally, Here's the stony ground hearer who did not hear scripturally, so likewise here is the thorny ground hearer that did not hear scripturally. Now I want you to go back to Mark 4, having looked at thorns generally, so you can begin to understand what our Lord is teaching. In Mark 4 and verse 7, the Bible says this, And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. Now, the very first thing that you need to understand in this parable in regard to the thorny ground here is this, that the seed fell among thorns.

[John Weaver] Why is that important? Because it's teaching us that the thorns were already there. They were deeply rooted. They already had possession of that part of the soil. The ground had not been prepared. The thorns had not been pulled up or dug up or chopped or eradicated in any way whatsoever. No, they were already there and they had already developed a root system. They were already alive and healthy when the seed fell among the thorn.

[John Weaver] So our Lord then, in this thorny ground here is drawing us a picture of someone who half-heartedly accepts the Word of God, but yet he has never ever really truly dealt with the sins in his life. Here's a man who wants to be saved in his sins and not from his sins. Here's a man who wants salvation because he wants to escape the judgment of God. But on the other hand, he does not want salvation to the point where he's willing to repent and turn from those things that God has condemned.

[John Weaver] Do you remember in Matthew 1 and verse 21, the angel Gabriel said this to Mary when he told her she was going to have a child, he said this, and she shall bring forth a child and she shall call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins. Christ did not come to save us in our sins. He came to save us from our sins.

[John Weaver] And I want you to understand salvation is not just quote unquote from hell. It is not from damnation. It is not from condemnation. Salvation is from sins which ultimately send you to judgment and condemnation and to hell. So our Lord then came to save us from our sins. Being saved from hell or judgment is a byproduct of being saved from your sins. If you're not saved from your sins, you're not saved from damnation. You're not saved from condemnation and the judgment of God. When our Lord was talking to those Pharisees in John chapter 8, here is what He said to them, I said therefore unto you that you shall die in your sins if you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sins. So when our Lord was emphasizing the fact that these people were lost and condemned And under the judgment and curse of God, and on their way to damnation, he did so by saying, you shall die in your sins. So dying in your sins is equivalent then to facing eternal judgment and the fierce anger of a holy, righteous God.

[John Weaver] It is thorns that prevent the word of God from taking root. And the thorns which are already there had never been dealt with. And so those thorns then overpower that seed that was sown. And when they abound on every hand, it's impossible for the seed to take root.

[John Weaver] Now, what I want to do is this. I want to show you this from Matthew, Mark and Luke.

[John Weaver] Now, you remember the parable of the sower occurs in each of these three books. Matthew 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8. So I want to take the time and read these three passages and show you what the thorns are that our Lord is dealing with. So let's go in our Bibles to Matthew chapter 13. Then we'll go to Mark 4 and then we'll go to Luke 8. So in Matthew chapter 13, I want you to look at verse 21, because our Lord is now identifying these thorns.

[John Weaver] He's telling you What will cause you to be a half-hearted hearer? In Matthew 13 and verse 21, he says this. Matthew 13 and verse 22 it is, I'm sorry, verse 22. He also did receive seed among the thorns, as he that heareth the word, And the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and it becometh unfruitful.

[John Weaver] Now look in your Bibles, if you would please, to Mark chapter 4, which we just read in verses 18 and 19. Because again, our Lord is interpreting this parable and he's telling you what the thorns really are. So Mark 4, notice verses 18 and 19. And these are they which are sown among thorns. such as hear the word, now watch what happens, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things entering in choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. Then if you'll turn to Luke chapter 8 and look at verse 14. Luke 8 and verse 14. In Luke 8 and verse 14, our Lord says it like this. And they which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares, and riches, and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection." Now, our Lord lists these thorns. He tells us that the thorns are the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the lust for other things, and the pleasures of this life.

[John Weaver] It is these four thorns that will hinder you from receiving the Word of God in a beneficial manner. So let's take them one at the time. Our Lord gives us the first thorn, and that is the cares of this world. So let me ask you a question. Without answering out loud, think in your mind, what are the cares of this world? Now, Before I begin to tell you some of them, let me explain the word cares. And the word world. The word cares is the Greek word marimba, which literally is translated as care or anxiety. It means literally to be troubled with cares. It means to seek to provoke one's interests and to be anxious. Secondly, the word world.

[John Weaver] There are at least two different words. In the Greek New Testament for world, cosmos is the most frequent one, but ion is pretty frequent as well, but here the word is used ion and it's translated in our Bibles as world or age. So it refers more to a specific age or a period of time. Now, when our Lord is speaking about the cares of this age or the cares of this period of time, He's talking about the period of time in the present. There's not a person in this room that is carefully anxious about the problems and the cares of a thousand years ago. And to be honest, I'm not anxious about the cares of a thousand years in the future. That which bothers us is the cares in this present life.

[John Weaver] In other words, man by nature is concerned with the here and now, or as some would say, the dirty now and now. So let me give you three passages from the Bible that's going to explain to you the cares of this world or the cares of this age. And you're going to find that some of these cares are what you and I would call. Innocent things. Wow, let's begin by looking in our Bibles to Matthew chapter six, Matthew chapter six.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just point out. Then each of these passages. It is the same essential, it is the same Greek word every time, in fact, in Matthew, chapter six, whenever you see the word thought. You place in that word. Anxious cares, because it's exactly the same Greek word. So let's look in Matthew chapter six and let's begin reading there with verse 24. Our Lord says it like this.

[John Weaver] He says, no man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore, I say to you, take no thought for your life. There's the word thought. Take no anxious care for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold, a thousand in the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them, are you not much better than they? Which of you, by taking thought, or by taking anxious care, can add one cubit unto a stature? And why take you thought or anxious care for raiment?

[John Weaver] Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, and they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. Notice, wherefore if God so clothed the grass of the field, which is to-day he is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shine not much more clothed you, O ye of little faith. Therefore take no thought or anxious care Saying, what shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewithal shall we be clothed?

[John Weaver] For all of these things do the Gentiles seek after your heavenly father knoweth that you have need of all of these things. I want you to note. That he talked about. Taking thought. Over food. Over ramen. Over things that you and I need All of the time. And yet you and I must plan and we must prepare to the best of our ability. But on the other hand, he says you're not to be overly anxious about these things. You're not to be overly concerned. You're not to be worked up.

[John Weaver] They're not to be the primary focus of your life. God knows we have to eat. You know you have to eat. I know I have to eat. But what our Lord is saying is very simple. We're not to be overly concerned with eating all of the time. Eating is not to control our lives. What we wear is not to control our lives. God knows that we have needed these things.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles to the book of Luke, chapter 10. I'm just showing you what our Lord is designing here as cares of this life. Luke chapter 10, look at verse 41, Luke 10, verse 41. And he says it like this, Luke 10, verse 41. I love this passage. Everybody knows this story of Mary and Martha. You remember, our Lord is there and let's read verse 41. In fact, let's begin with verse 40. But Martha was covered about with much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?

[John Weaver] Bid her, therefore, that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful, that is, you are anxiously careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Now what was Mary doing? Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus Christ, worshipping Him, listening to Him, learning from Him. And what was Martha doing?

[John Weaver] She was busy cooking and getting everything ready for everybody to eat. And she was overly burdened. She was overly cumbered about with much care. I've got to get this on. I've got to have it here at this particular time. And it's got to be this way. And so Martha said, Lord, make her help me. And what did our Lord say? Now. You're just too concerned about this.

[John Weaver] You know something, folks, I preached on this years and years ago. We need to fellowship with each other. And we need to exercise biblical hospitality. And if you come to our house. And it's not perfect. Guess what? We don't have a perfect house. We live in it. And it gets dirty from time to time. And if you come to visit me and my house is dirty, I'm not going to say to you, I can't have company right now until my wife cleans up the house. No, you come on in, you'll just have to understand that, hey, Henry's been there. Grandkids have been there.

[John Weaver] Doggies have scattered their toys around the yard. Well, that's the way it is. And so our Lord is saying this to Martha. Everything does not have to be perfect, Martha. The one thing is needful. And Mary's chosen that good part and it's not going to be taken away from her. I want you to turn over to the Philippians chapter four. I'm just showing you. Philippians chapter four. If anybody in this room has a perfect house, raise your hand.

[John Weaver] Nobody, I didn't think so. Look in Philippians chapter four and verse six. Look what the Apostle Paul says. Be careful for nothing, that is, do not be anxiously careful for anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. So let me summarize this. Are you listening? Be careful for nothing. Be prayerful in everything and be thankful for anything. That's what he said, be careful for nothing. Be prayerful about everything and be thankful for anything. So he admonishes us here that we're not to be carefully anxious for anything. We are to pray and praise and petition and trust our Lord for anything and everything.

[John Weaver] Now, here's the point concerning the thorn of the cares of this age. The point is our Lord is forbidding us to place an inordinate amount of anxiety and worry over things that really do not matter or really should not trouble us to that degree. The truth of the matter is none of us are going to starve if we don't get what we think is a suitable amount of food for today. We're not.

[John Weaver] In fact, some of us could do without for several days and probably be happy. All I'm simply saying is God says He knows that we must eat. He knows that we must wear clothes. He knows that we have bills. He knows all of this. And there are so many people that are so intent on making a living, they never live. They're just consumed with the cares of this age. There are so many that are so engrossed in business that they believe that their business is the most important thing in the world.

[John Weaver] It requires all of their attention. They don't have time for the Bible. They don't have time for preaching. They don't have time for church. They don't have time for prayer. They don't have time for anything. So the cares of this world engulf them to the point That's all they are about. They are absolutely consumed with it.

[John Weaver] Now, let me give you a good illustration. Look back in your Bibles, Luke chapter 14. We're still talking about the cares of this life. But look back in Luke chapter 14. Here is a good illustration of how these cares can really and truly overcome us. Luke chapter 14. And let's begin reading with verse 16. Luke 14, verse 16, Then said he unto them, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many. The supper is already fixed now.

[John Weaver] And he sent his servant at suppertime to them that were bidden, to say to them that were bidden, Come, for all things are now ready. Watch what happens. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said to him, I bought a piece of ground and must needs to go and see it. I pray thee have me excused. Another said, I bought five yoke of oxen and I go to prove them. I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I married a wife and therefore I cannot come. So the third one only had a legitimate excuse.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. Who's going to buy a piece of ground without looking at it first? Who's going to buy five yoke of oxen without proving them, without knowing whether or not they're trained? Now, if you want to buy some property without ever seeing it, I could sell you some. But when you saw it, you'd want your money back. Nobody's going to do it. Here's the whole thing. I don't have time. I don't have time for Christ. I don't have time for preaching. I don't have time to go to the church. I don't have time to read my Bible. I'm consumed with this property that I've bought. I'm consumed with these oxen. I'm consumed with my marriage and my wife. I don't have time for all of this.

[John Weaver] That's the thorn of the cares of this life. It is an over-anxiousness on things that are lawful. Is it unlawful to buy property? No. Is it unlawful to have oxen? No. Is it unlawful to be married? No. But when those things consume your life to the point that you neglect the things of God, it's a thorn. It's the cares of this life. The second thorn that our Lord mentions is the thorn of the deceitfulness of riches.

[John Weaver] You know, there are plenty of people who think that if they could just simply be rich, everything would be well. But that's certainly not true. Riches bring their own problems. Once you have them, you have to struggle to keep them. And usually the more you have, the more you want. Have you ever noticed that? I told you before about the rich farmer. He said he didn't want to own the world. He just wanted to own all the property that was next to his property. Well, you can figure it out. Pretty soon he would own everything. But many have observed that those who are rich are never satisfied. They always want more.

[John Weaver] Their lives are consumed with making money and increasing their wealth. And nothing comes between them and their wealth, not even salvation. I've had people tell me, some wealthy men, they have told me, my hobby is making money. I love to make money. And that's exactly what they do. Many are like the rich young ruler in the Bible. who preferred his wealth over salvation. There are many who prefer the comforts of this life to the comfort of the next life.

[John Weaver] The Puritans used to have a saying, God oftentimes curses his enemies with riches. And that's true, because they end up trusting in their riches. Instead of Christ, I want you to turn in your Bibles to first Timothy chapter 6. Let me show you what our Lord is talking about. On this thorn of the deceitfulness of riches. And we're going to read verse 9 first. So I want you to understand that being wealthy has its own problems. First Timothy chapter 6 and look in verse 9.

[John Weaver] The Word of God says, But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. Wow. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

[John Weaver] Now, in that light, I want you to go back to verse seven. Look at verse seven. The apostle writes, for we brought nothing into this world. It is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and let us be there with content. Do you realize? Everything we amass. In this life, when we die, we leave it. It's kind of like the rich man who took all his money and hid it in the attic.

[John Weaver] He told his wife the reason why when he died, he was going to take it with him. He's going to get it on the way up. When he died. She went up and the money was still there. She said, I knew he should have hid it in the basement. Well, the truth of the matter is, it doesn't matter where he puts it, it's going to still be there because you take absolutely nothing with you.

[John Weaver] Now, look in First Timothy, chapter six, verses 17 through 19. Look what he says. First Timothy, chapter six, verse 17. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, watch, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy, that they do good, and that they may be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. Notice what God says, charge them that are rich in this life. Now, I know that there are some rich Christians. I understand that. But the Bible tells us that God gives riches for the use and the benefit of his kingdom and his people. He does not give riches for the selfish ends and designs. It has been accurately said that when a Christian gets rich, God either gains a fortune or loses a man.

[John Weaver] And that is the truth, folks. So God warns us not only about the cares of this life, but also about the deceitfulness of riches. I never will forget a fellow I knew a long time ago. His goal back then, and we're talking about In the 60s, his goal was to be a millionaire. And the reason he wanted to be a millionaire was so he could serve the Lord and just go everywhere and do whatever the Lord wanted him to do. And I told him, I said, you need to serve the Lord now. And if he makes you a millionaire, wonderful. If he does it, that's wonderful, too. Just serve him. There are the deceitfulness of riches.

[John Weaver] The third thorn that he mentions is the lust for other things. The lust for other things. The word lust is very informative. It literally means to set your affection or your desire upon something. The Greek word is epithumia. Thumia means a passion or burning desire and epi is a preposition, which means upon. You know what your lust is? It's whatever you set your desire or your heart upon. And when the Bible talks about the lust for other things, it is not necessarily referring to sexual sins. It could include that.

[John Weaver] But it also refers to promotion, to pride, to praise, to recognition, to hobbies, to work. or a host of other things. And when he talks about the lust of other things, let me tell you, I love this word, the Greek word for other things is loipoi. And what it means is this, the rest, residue and remainder. Our Lord talked about the cares of this life. He talked about the deceitful as the riches. And now he talks about the lust for whatever is left. Whatever remains. Whatever the residue is after you deal with the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches.

[John Weaver] I've known people who are consumed by sports. I've known people who are consumed with hunting and fishing, and I love to hunt and I love to fish. But it is not my burning passion. I've often said During hunting season, when I get so many meetings and so many preaching opportunities, God is testing me as to whether or not I want to preach or to hunt. So I'm on the side of preaching, you know. But, you know, your hobby can be the lust of other things. Anything like that. I know some people that are so sports oriented, they can tell you Every baseball player is batting average. They can tell you every football player, the yards he's gained, how many touchdowns he's made and all this kind of stuff.

[John Weaver] And they can't quote a verse of Scripture. Because their life is consumed with that. There's a fourth thorn. And our Lord says it is the pleasures of this life. And the pleasures of this life attract a lot of people. You remember what the Apostle Paul wrote about Demas? He said, Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present evil world. It's the pleasures of this life. Incidentally, the Greek word for pleasures here is the word hedone. It is where we get our English word hedonist or hedonistic. A hedonist is someone who lives for pleasure. It's all he wants. A hedonist is someone who wants the maximum amount of pleasure with the least amount of pain. And if you want to think about a hedonist, think about Hugh Hefner and the Playboy clan.

[John Weaver] They would be classified as hedonists. And so would a lot of other people who just simply live for a good time and live for pleasure. They're mainly concerned about themselves. He's talking about the pleasures of this life. Zola in the Greek talks about the spiritual life, but the word life here is bios, which means our life. We use the Greek word bios in biology, the study of life, in biography, the writing of life. So our Lord is talking about the pleasures of this life.

[John Weaver] Anything that pleases us, that can be gotten out of control, Thorns are distractful. They're deceitful, they're disturbing, and they're deadly. There's not a person in this room who would take a handful of good seed, regardless of what kind it is, and throw it into a briar patch or a bunch of brambles and expect to reap a good harvest. It's impossible. Because those briars and those brambles are going to choke that word. Or choke that seed to the point that it will not produce anything. It's. It's there and it's gone, it's worthless, and so our Lord is talking about someone who hears the word of God. And he's got all these thorns in his life. He's got the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches. And the lust for other things and the pleasures of this life. And when he hears the word, he half-heartedly receives it.

[John Weaver] Because who wants to go to hell? Who wants to face God in judgment? But he never really deals with his sins. There is no sorrowing. There is no repentance. There's no turning. The thorny ground here. Is someone who hopes to make it into heaven? While living a life of sin and rebellion. The thorny ground here is someone who prefers his own kingdom to God's kingdom. The thorny ground here is someone who wants to live life the way he wants to live life and somehow expect God to receive him into his kingdom when he dies.

[John Weaver] I want to show you one other passage before we get to the applications. I want you to go back in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah, chapter four and verse three, and I want you to see what God says. Jeremiah chapter 4 and verse 3. Here is some excellent counsel for thorny ground hearers. Excellent counsel for thorny ground hearers. Jeremiah 4 and verse 3, for thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, break up your fowler ground and sow not among thorns. It doesn't do you one bit of good to sow among thorns. So not among thorns, the thorns have to be dealt with. It's important to note. What our Lord points out and the four types of hearers in Matthew, Mark, Luke.

[John Weaver] Our Lord tells us that the wayside hearer or the hard hearted hearer is lost. Because Satan cometh immediately and stealeth the word, lest he believe. When you get to the stony ground here, our Lord says, and these are they likewise. So the stony ground here is equally lost as the wayside here. And when you get to the thorny ground here, the Bible says he brings forth no fruit. So the thorny ground here is unsaved as well. In fact, the next message you're going to hear is the good ground here, and he is the only one that brought forth fruit. So three out of four are lost. If you come to the Word of God with a hard heart, you'll never be benefited by it. If you come with a shallow heart, You will never be benefited by it. If you come with a half heart, you'll never be benefited by it. The only way that you can ever benefit from the Word of God is with a whole heart.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this. According to the Word of God, sins must be dealt with. Where there is no genuine and honest dealing with sin, there is no salvation. You've got to remember, faith and repentance are the two sides of one coin. He that truly exercises faith at the same time repents. And he that truly repents at the same time exercises faith. You cannot have one without the other. They go together. So without true, genuine repentance, without dealing with these thorns, the thorns will overpower the Word to the point that it will not benefit the one who is hurt.

[John Weaver] The second application is this. It does not necessarily have to be great sins that destroy the soul. You know, when we think about sins, we'll think about drunkards and murderers and whoremongers. Hey, you don't have to be a drunkard or a whoremonger or a murderer. will destroy you just as easily as those atrocious sins. All you have to do is neglect Christ, neglect the Bible, neglect prayer, neglect the preaching of the word. And you'll be destroyed as easily as the drunkard and the whoremonger and the murderer. It is the man who neglects his soul that is condemned. It doesn't matter whether you're moral or immoral, you're still condemned. You remember that passage in the Song of Solomon where the Bible says, little foxes spoil the vines. Doesn't have to be a big fox, just a little fox. And little sins will destroy your soul as easily and as quickly as great sins. One little thorn can do a lot of damage. Many thorns will do the damage more quickly. The third application is this.

[John Weaver] We must actually turn from our sins and not coddle them and pretend that they're not there. I've had people, I've counseled so many people that like to pretend that they did not have any sins or at least one real sin that was controlling them. They pretended it was not there. It was there. It was obvious. But they pretended it was not there. The Apostle Paul tells why God sent him in Acts 26 and verse 18, I want you to listen. Paul wrote to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light. from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith that is in me." Why did God send Paul to turn them from darkness to light? To turn them, he says, from the power of Satan unto God. In other words, we must be turned. If you read those words in 1 Thessalonians, Chapter 1, the Apostle Paul tells those Thessalonians how they turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.

[John Weaver] And then the Apostle Paul also said this, in Acts chapter 26 and verse 20, talking about his message, he said, But showed first to them at Damascus and at Jerusalem and throughout the coast of Judea and to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God and do works meet for repentance. And the word meet literally means do works, evidencing, demonstrating, manifesting repentance. So if a man truly, genuinely repents. There will be evidence of that repentance in his life. There'll be fruit. And where there is no repentance. There is no fruit.

[John Weaver] So we cannot cuddle our sins. We cannot pretend that they're not there. They are. And they must be honestly and genuinely dealt with. You do not want to be a wayside hearer. You do not want to be a stony ground hearer. And you certainly do not want to be a thorny ground hearer. You should want to be a good ground hearer. Because according to the word of God, that's the only one that is genuinely converted. The only one that produces fruit. Let's pray.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for your grace and your mercy and your goodness and your kindness. We ask, Lord, that you would help us to hear the word scripturally and biblically. Help us, Lord, to have our hearts prepared that we may indeed receive the full benefit of thy word and thy truth. And, Lord, may we not be the wayside hearer, the stony ground hearer, the thorny ground hearer. Make us wholehearted hearers, Lord, that we may honor thee and glorify thee and bring forth fruit for thy honor and thy glory. Give us grace to serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we pray, Amen.

[John Weaver] You may contact Dominion Ministry by mail at 7400 Abracorn, that's A-B-E-R-C-O-R-N Street, Suite 705, P-M-B 175, Savannah, Georgia, 31406. Or give us a call at 912-925-0995.

[John Weaver] You can also visit our website at www.dominionministry.com

Do Thorns Bother You?

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	59131450491
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion
Genre	Sermon
Date	2013-02-24
Dictation Name
Book	Book 076: Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion — Chapter 4
Source Timed Segments	77

Formatted Transcript

Introduction to the Thorny Ground Hearer

Weaver introduces the third part of a four-part series on the Parable of the Sower, focusing on the thorny ground hearer, who is also called the half-hearted hearer.

Mark chapter four. And for those of you who are visiting here for the first time, I have been preaching a series and this is the third part in a four-part series. So, Joe, you have to listen to previous messages as well now. So Mark chapter four, this is a four-part series on the parable of the sower, and today we come to the thorny ground hearer. So the title of the message is "Do Thorns Bother You?" So look at Mark 4 and verse 7. Our Lord said,

Scripture Reading — Mark 4:7

"And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit."

Now, if you'll skip down to verse 18 and you'll look at, you'll see our Lord's interpretation. He said, "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 lust of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful." Now, we've talked previously about the two hearers previously, that is the wayside hearer and the stony-ground hearer. I told you the wayside hearer has another name. He's known as the hard-hearted hearer. And, of course, the stony-ground hearer is known as the shallow-hearted hearer. And we found out that the wayside hearer is a negligent individual. He could care less about the Word of God. And the Bible says, Satan cometh immediately and stealeth away the Word. So he could care less about it.

It was easily stolen from him. The stony ground hearer was the man who had no root in himself. And when trials and tribulations and persecutions arose, immediately he was offended. And of course, he forsook the faith. And today we come to what we consider the thorny ground hearer.

Now the thorny ground hearer is sometimes referred to as a half-hearted hearer, and you're going to see just a little bit later why he is called a half-hearted hearer as well. Remember I told you that this entire parable is on hearing the Word of God and responses to the Word of God. So it could not only be called the parable of the sower, it could also be called the parable of the soils. So just like in our Lord's day, there are these four types of hearers. So in our day, there's four types of hearers. So every time the Word of God is preached, you will respond in one of these four ways. Everyone responds in one of these four ways. You're either a negligent hearer, like the wayside hearer, or you're a shallow-hearted hearer, the way the stony ground hearer was, or you're half-hearted hearer, the way the thorny ground hearer is, or you're a whole-hearted hearer, as the good ground hearer is. But before I show you the principles from the thorny ground hearer, I want to tell you a few things about thorns.

The Nature of Thorns: Distracting, Disturbing, and Deadly

Weaver explains that thorns are distracting (keeping us from necessary work), disturbing (causing hidden pain and infection), and deadly (leading to judgment), using personal anecdotes and Scripture.

First of all, according to the Word of God, thorns are distracting. I want you to look in your Bibles. Hold Mark for now. We're coming back there. But look in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, chapter 3. Genesis chapter 3, and you will find that Adam has been cursed for his disobedience, and here is part of the curse laid upon him. Notice Genesis chapter 3, beginning there with verse 17. God says,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 3:17-19

"And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, cursed is the ground for thy sake, and sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return into the ground. For out of it wast thou taken, for dust thou art, and in the dust shalt thou return."

I want you to note particularly, he says in verse 18, that thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth. So thorns are distracting in a number of ways. First of all, they certainly keep us busy from the work which we need to do. Since the fall of man, thorns have been a nuisance and a distraction. Have you ever noticed, those of you who garden, that your garden does not need special attention or special fertilizers to bring forth thorns and weeds? They just simply grow and they simply appear. And the next time you're weeding your garden and pulling out thorns and thistles and weeds and your back begins to ache, blame Adam. Okay? Because it was Adam's original sin and it's that sin that causes these thorns and these thistles. And the next time you're weeding your garden or walking through the woods and you get a thorn in your finger, you've just got to remember it will distract you. It'll distract you to the point that you will stop and pick that thorn out. In fact, this week, Tripp and I were burning off some woods and I was spreading the fire with a rake. And as I went through, two thorns got in my finger from a briar. And I had to just stop and pick those things out. They immediately hurt. So thorns are distractful. They will always stop you, sometimes, which I'll point out later, they will stop you permanently.

When I was a boy, to show you how distracting thorns really are and can be, I had a good friend and he and I decided we were going to go rabbit hunting. But back at that time, we did not use guns. In fact, we considered guns an unfair advantage to hunt these poor little helpless rabbits. So, what we did, was we would take a log chain about 18 inches long, have a C-link on it, where we could hold it in our hands, and we would run the rabbit down. We would outrun him, and as we went past him, we would hit him with the chain and either kill him or stun him so that we could get him. Well, we got tired of doing that, you know. In fact, you know you're running all the time. And so, and by the way, it is possible to outrun a rabbit. I outran plenty of them when I was a boy. Couldn't do it today, I'm sure, but I used to do it. But we got tired of doing that, and we decided we'd need a little help. And so we decided that, since the pasture was kind of level anyhow, a little downhill grade, that we would use the car.

And we would alternate, and I would drive while Jimmy sat on the fender, and Jimmy would drive while I sat on the fender. And when we'd see a rabbit, we'd kind of go up to him and stop and let the individual just, who's on the fender, run and hit the rabbit. Well, I happened to be on the fender. Jimmy was driving and I happened to see a rabbit out of the corner of my eye and I pointed over that way. And so he very quickly turned the car and pointed toward the rabbit and he sped up a little too much. And he was almost on the rabbit. And he realized what he had done. And so he slammed on brakes.

Now, I don't know if you put two and two together. When I'm sitting on the fender and you're headed downhill and the person slams on brakes, it tends to throw a body into motion. And it tends to throw that body into motion very quickly. Well, when I came off that fender, my feet were already two or three feet in front of my body. I was running as hard and as fast as I could. My body was basically trying to catch up with my feet. I passed that poor rabbit like he was sitting still. I mean, I was running so fast. I could not swing the chain. I couldn't do anything. All I could do was just try to maintain my balance. In front of me was a briar patch.

I really, genuinely wanted to stop. But I could not stop. I was not in control. I ran through that briar patch and I was only able to stop on the other side. For the next hour, Jimmy and I took a great deal of pains in picking thorns out of my arms and out of my legs. That so distracted me, I no longer wanted to hunt rabbits. In fact, the truth of the matter is, it distracted me so greatly, as far as I remember, I've never been rabbit hunting since. I don't care anything about rabbit hunting, especially having picked those briars out all of that time. So, the truth of the matter is this. Briars can be very distracting. Thorns can be very distracting.

Secondly, I want you to understand that thorns can also be disturbing. Occasionally, someone will get a thorn in their finger or some other part of the body and somehow they miss it. Namely, it does not hurt right away. But give it a day or two and the next thing you know you're hurting and there's something very sore in your finger and you look down and all of a sudden now it's red, it's swollen and maybe there's a little white patch right around that thorn. And the very first thing that enters your mind is how in the world did this happen? How did I miss something like this? But now the thorn is in there and it's infected and now it still has to be dug out even though it's surrounded by infection. So, thorns are disturbing physically. Let me go on to point out, I'm going to make the application, they're also disturbing economically, familially, and spiritually as well. I want to show you something, how that the Bible shows you about a thorn-filled life.

Now, hopefully you do not want such a life. I want you to turn very quickly in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs, chapter 15, Proverbs 15, just to show you thorns are distracting and thorns are disturbing as well. So look in Proverbs, chapter 15 and verse 19 to begin with, Proverbs 15, verse 19. And notice, if you would, what the scripture says about a thorn-filled life. Proverbs chapter 15 and verse 19. The Word of God says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 15:19

"The way of the slothful man is as a hedge of thorns. The way of a slothful man is as a hedge of thorns, but the way of the righteous is made plain."

So the slothful man is like he's living a life that's hedged up by thorns. Look in Proverbs chapter 22 and verse 5. Proverbs 22 and verse 5. In this particular passage, the Word of God says this.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 15:19

"Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward, and he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them."

So the froward man has a life that's full of thorns and snares.

Turn right over, if you would please, to the book of Isaiah, chapter 32 and verse 13. Isaiah 32 and verse 13. Just showing you what the Scripture says concerning thorns. There's a whole lot more, but Isaiah 32 and verse 13, God says, "Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briars, yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city." So God's going to curse this disobedient people with briars and thorns. If you will turn right over to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 12, and look at verse 13, Jeremiah 12, verse 13. Jeremiah 12, verse 13. God says, "They have sown wheat, but they shall reap thorns.

They have put themselves to pain, but they shall not profit and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the Lord." Notice that they have sown wheat, but they're going to reap thorns. Now, a life of thorns is certainly not one to be desired, and I have no desire to live a life that is constantly troubled by disturbances and being inundated with the fierce anger of God. So thorns, then, are distracting, they're disturbing, and thirdly, thorns are deadly. Some thorns produce deadly effects, that is for sure. And if someone does not die just from the poison of a thorn, you have to stop and think there is such a thing as blood poisoning as well. Additionally, I want you to understand that when God judges a nation, when God judges a society or a people, He often gives us the picture of that nation or that city or that people being judged by thorns and briars.

So go back in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah 34 and look if you would please at verse 13. Isaiah 34 and verse 13. Look if you would. Here's how God describes a people or a nation or a city upon which His curse is. Isaiah 34 and verse 13,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 34:13

"And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof, and it shall be a habitation of dragons and a court for owls."

In other words, God will thoroughly judge the people and judge the city until it is uninhabited, and thorns and nettles and brambles grow there, as well as it being a habitation of dragons and of owls. Then if you will turn right over to the book of Hosea. Daniel, Hosea, look in Hosea chapter 2 and verse 6, and we're just showing you how in the judgment of God, he uses a picture of thorns and briars. In Hosea chapter 2 and verse 6, God says this.

"Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns and make a wall that she shall not find her paths. I'll hedge up thy way with thorns." Have you ever tried to walk through thorns? It's very distressing. And God said, I'm going to hedge up their way with thorns.

Now, the book of Hosea is against Israel, because of her sins and because of her wickednesses. And so God said, I'm going to judge her and I'm going to hedge up her ways with thorns. Look at Hosea 9 and verse 6. Hosea 9 and verse 6. He says this,

Scripture Reading — Hosea 9:6

"For, lo, they are gone because of destruction. Egypt shall gather them up. Memphis shall bury them. The pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them, thorns shall be in their tabernacles."

So God said He will send them into captivity and thorns and nettles are going to grow all around them.

Let me just read this one. In the book of Nahum, chapter 1 and verse 10, God says this,

Scripture Reading — Nahum 1:10

"For while they be folded together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry."

So while they're folded together as thorns. So it's important to remember that our Lord is teaching us in the parable of the sower in hearing the Word of God. And just like He said, here's the wayside hearer who did not hear scripturally, here's the stony ground hearer who did not hear scripturally, so likewise here is the thorny ground hearer that did not hear scripturally. Now I want you to go back to Mark 4, having looked at thorns generally, so you can begin to understand what our Lord is teaching. In Mark 4 and verse 7, the Bible says this, "And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit." Now, the very first thing that you need to understand in this parable in regard to the thorny ground hearer is this, that the seed fell among thorns.

The Seed Fell Among Thorns: Pre-existing Sins

The thorns were already present and deeply rooted, representing sins that were never dealt with. The thorny ground hearer wants salvation without repentance.

Why is that important? Because it's teaching us that the thorns were already there. They were deeply rooted. They already had possession of that part of the soil. The ground had not been prepared. The thorns had not been pulled up or dug up or chopped or eradicated in any way whatsoever. No, they were already there and they had already developed a root system. They were already alive and healthy when the seed fell among the thorns.

So our Lord then, in this thorny ground hearer is drawing us a picture of someone who half-heartedly accepts the Word of God, but yet he has never ever really truly dealt with the sins in his life. Here's a man who wants to be saved in his sins and not from his sins. Here's a man who wants salvation because he wants to escape the judgment of God. But on the other hand, he does not want salvation to the point where he's willing to repent and turn from those things that God has condemned. Do you remember in Matthew 1 and verse 21, the angel Gabriel said this to Mary when he told her she was going to have a child, he said this,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 1:21

"And she shall bring forth a child and she shall call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins."

Christ did not come to save us in our sins. He came to save us from our sins.

And I want you to understand salvation is not just quote unquote from hell. It is not from damnation. It is not from condemnation. Salvation is from sins which ultimately send you to judgment and condemnation and to hell. So our Lord then came to save us from our sins. Being saved from hell or judgment is a byproduct of being saved from your sins. If you're not saved from your sins, you're not saved from damnation. You're not saved from condemnation and the judgment of God. When our Lord was talking to those Pharisees in John chapter 8, here is what He said to them, "I said therefore unto you that you shall die in your sins if you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sins." So when our Lord was emphasizing the fact that these people were lost and condemned and under the judgment and curse of God, and on their way to damnation, he did so by saying, you shall die in your sins. So dying in your sins is equivalent then to facing eternal judgment and the fierce anger of a holy, righteous God.

Identifying the Thorns from Matthew, Mark, and Luke

Weaver reads the parallel accounts to identify the four thorns: cares of this world, deceitfulness of riches, lust for other things, and pleasures of this life.

Now, you remember the parable of the sower occurs in each of these three books. Matthew 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8. So I want to take the time and read these three passages and show you what the thorns are that our Lord is dealing with. So let's go in our Bibles to Matthew chapter 13. Then we'll go to Mark 4 and then we'll go to Luke 8. So in Matthew chapter 13, I want you to look at verse 21, because our Lord is now identifying these thorns. He's telling you what will cause you to be a half-hearted hearer. In Matthew 13 and verse 21 he says this. Matthew 13 and verse 22 it is, I'm sorry, verse 22.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 13:22

"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 it becometh unfruitful."

Now look in your Bibles, if you would please, to Mark chapter 4, which we just read in verses 18 and 19. Because again, our Lord is interpreting this parable and he's telling you what the thorns really are. So Mark 4, notice verses 18 and 19. "And these are they which are sown among thorns, such as hear the word, now watch what happens, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things entering in choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful." Then if you'll turn to Luke chapter 8 and look at verse 14. Luke 8 and verse 14. In Luke 8 and verse 14, our Lord says it like this. "And they which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares, and riches, and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection." Now, our Lord lists these thorns. He tells us that the thorns are the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the lust for other things, and the pleasures of this life.

It is these four thorns that will hinder you from receiving the Word of God in a beneficial manner. So let's take them one at a time. Our Lord gives us the first thorn, and that is the cares of this world. So let me ask you a question. Without answering out loud, think in your mind, what are the cares of this world? Now, before I begin to tell you some of them, let me explain the word cares. And the word world. The word cares is the Greek word merimna, which literally is translated as care or anxiety. It means literally to be troubled with cares. It means to seek to provoke one's interests and to be anxious. Secondly, the word world.

The Thorn of the Cares of This World

The cares of this world refer to inordinate anxiety over daily needs like food and clothing, which can consume a person and distract from God.

There are at least two different words in the Greek New Testament for world. Cosmos is the most frequent one, but aion is pretty frequent as well, but here the word is used aion and it's translated in our Bibles as world or age. So it refers more to a specific age or a period of time. Now, when our Lord is speaking about the cares of this age or the cares of this period of time, He's talking about the period of time in the present. There's not a person in this room that is carefully anxious about the problems and the cares of a thousand years ago. And to be honest, I'm not anxious about the cares of a thousand years in the future. That which bothers us is the cares in this present life.

In other words, man by nature is concerned with the here and now, or as some would say, the dirty now and now. So let me give you three passages from the Bible that's going to explain to you the cares of this world or the cares of this age. And you're going to find that some of these cares are what you and I would call innocent things. Wow, let's begin by looking in our Bibles to Matthew chapter six, Matthew chapter six.

Now, let me just point out. Then each of these passages. It is the same essential, it is the same Greek word every time, in fact, in Matthew, chapter six, whenever you see the word thought, you place in that word anxious cares, because it's exactly the same Greek word. So let's look in Matthew chapter six and let's begin reading there with verse 24. Our Lord says it like this. He says,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 6:24-32

"No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore, I say to you, take no thought for your life."

There's the word thought. Take no anxious care for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them, are you not much better than they? Which of you, by taking thought, or by taking anxious care, can add one cubit unto a stature? And why take you thought or anxious care for raiment?

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, and they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. Notice, wherefore if God so clothed the grass of the field, which is to-day here, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith. Therefore take no thought or anxious care, saying, what shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewithal shall we be clothed?" "For all of these things do the Gentiles seek after your heavenly father knoweth that you have need of all of these things." I want you to note that he talked about taking thought over food, over raiment, over things that you and I need all of the time. And yet you and I must plan and we must prepare to the best of our ability. But on the other hand, he says you're not to be overly anxious about these things. You're not to be overly concerned. You're not to be worked up.

They're not to be the primary focus of your life. God knows we have to eat. You know you have to eat. I know I have to eat. But what our Lord is saying is very simple. We're not to be overly concerned with eating all of the time. Eating is not to control our lives. What we wear is not to control our lives. God knows that we have need of these things.

Look in your Bibles to the book of Luke, chapter 10. I'm just showing you what our Lord is designing here as cares of this life. Luke chapter 10, look at verse 41, Luke 10, verse 41. I love this passage. Everybody knows this story of Mary and Martha. You remember, our Lord is there and let's read verse 41. In fact, let's begin with verse 40. "But Martha was cumbered about with much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?

Bid her, therefore, that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful, that is, you are anxiously careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Now what was Mary doing? Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus Christ, worshipping Him, listening to Him, learning from Him. And what was Martha doing? She was busy cooking and getting everything ready for everybody to eat. And she was overly burdened. She was overly cumbered about with much care. I've got to get this on. I've got to have it here at this particular time. And it's got to be this way. And so Martha said, Lord, make her help me. And what did our Lord say? Now, you're just too concerned about this.

You know something, folks, I preached on this years and years ago. We need to fellowship with each other. And we need to exercise biblical hospitality. And if you come to our house and it's not perfect, guess what? We don't have a perfect house. We live in it. And it gets dirty from time to time. And if you come to visit me and my house is dirty, I'm not going to say to you, I can't have company right now until my wife cleans up the house. No, you come on in, you'll just have to understand that, hey, Henry's been there. Grandkids have been there.

Doggies have scattered their toys around the yard. Well, that's the way it is. And so our Lord is saying this to Martha. Everything does not have to be perfect, Martha. The one thing is needful. And Mary's chosen that good part and it's not going to be taken away from her. I want you to turn over to the Philippians chapter four. I'm just showing you. Philippians chapter four. If anybody in this room has a perfect house, raise your hand.

Nobody, I didn't think so. Look in Philippians chapter four and verse six. Look what the Apostle Paul says.

Scripture Reading — Philippians 4:6

"Be careful for nothing,"

that is, do not be anxiously careful for anything,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 4:6

"but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God."

So let me summarize this. Are you listening? Be careful for nothing. Be prayerful in everything and be thankful for anything. That's what he said, be careful for nothing. Be prayerful about everything and be thankful for anything. So he admonishes us here that we're not to be carefully anxious for anything. We are to pray and praise and petition and trust our Lord for anything and everything.

Now, here's the point concerning the thorn of the cares of this age. The point is our Lord is forbidding us to place an inordinate amount of anxiety and worry over things that really do not matter or really should not trouble us to that degree. The truth of the matter is none of us are going to starve if we don't get what we think is a suitable amount of food for today. We're not. In fact, some of us could do without for several days and probably be happy. All I'm simply saying is God says He knows that we must eat. He knows that we must wear clothes. He knows that we have bills. He knows all of this. And there are so many people that are so intent on making a living, they never live. They're just consumed with the cares of this age. There are so many that are so engrossed in business that they believe that their business is the most important thing in the world.

It requires all of their attention. They don't have time for the Bible. They don't have time for preaching. They don't have time for church. They don't have time for prayer. They don't have time for anything. So the cares of this world engulf them to the point that's all they are about. They are absolutely consumed with it.

Now, let me give you a good illustration. Look back in your Bibles, Luke chapter 14. We're still talking about the cares of this life. But look back in Luke chapter 14. Here is a good illustration of how these cares can really and truly overcome us. Luke chapter 14. And let's begin reading with verse 16. Luke 14, verse 16, "Then said he unto them, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many." The supper is already fixed now.

"And he sent his servant at suppertime to them that were bidden, to say to them that were bidden, Come, for all things are now ready. Watch what happens. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said to him, I bought a piece of ground and must needs go and see it. I pray thee have me excused. Another said, I bought five yoke of oxen and I go to prove them. I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I married a wife and therefore I cannot come." So the third one only had a legitimate excuse.

Now, let me ask you a question. Who's going to buy a piece of ground without looking at it first? Who's going to buy five yoke of oxen without proving them, without knowing whether or not they're trained? Now, if you want to buy some property without ever seeing it, I could sell you some. But when you saw it, you'd want your money back. Nobody's going to do it. Here's the whole thing. I don't have time. I don't have time for Christ. I don't have time for preaching. I don't have time to go to the church. I don't have time to read my Bible. I'm consumed with this property that I've bought. I'm consumed with these oxen. I'm consumed with my marriage and my wife. I don't have time for all of this.

That's the thorn of the cares of this life. It is an over-anxiousness on things that are lawful. Is it unlawful to buy property? No. Is it unlawful to have oxen? No. Is it unlawful to be married? No. But when those things consume your life to the point that you neglect the things of God, it's a thorn. It's the cares of this life. The second thorn that our Lord mentions is the thorn of the deceitfulness of riches.

The Thorn of the Deceitfulness of Riches

Riches deceive people into trusting wealth instead of God, leading to destruction. Wealth should be used for God's kingdom, not selfish ends.

You know, there are plenty of people who think that if they could just simply be rich, everything would be well. But that's certainly not true. Riches bring their own problems. Once you have them, you have to struggle to keep them. And usually the more you have, the more you want. Have you ever noticed that? I told you before about the rich farmer. He said he didn't want to own the world. He just wanted to own all the property that was next to his property. Well, you can figure it out. Pretty soon he would own everything. But many have observed that those who are rich are never satisfied. They always want more.

Their lives are consumed with making money and increasing their wealth. And nothing comes between them and their wealth, not even salvation. I've had people tell me, some wealthy men, they have told me, my hobby is making money. I love to make money. And that's exactly what they do. Many are like the rich young ruler in the Bible, who preferred his wealth over salvation. There are many who prefer the comforts of this life to the comfort of the next life.

The Puritans used to have a saying, God oftentimes curses his enemies with riches. And that's true, because they end up trusting in their riches instead of Christ. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 6. Let me show you what our Lord is talking about on this thorn of the deceitfulness of riches. And we're going to read verse 9 first. So I want you to understand that being wealthy has its own problems. 1 Timothy chapter 6 and look in verse 9.

The Word of God says, "But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition." Wow. "But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition." Now, in that light, I want you to go back to verse seven. Look at verse seven. The apostle writes, "For we brought nothing into this world. It is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content." Do you realize everything we amass in this life, when we die, we leave it. It's kind of like the rich man who took all his money and hid it in the attic.

He told his wife the reason why when he died, he was going to take it with him. He's going to get it on the way up. When he died, she went up and the money was still there. She said, I knew he should have hid it in the basement. Well, the truth of the matter is, it doesn't matter where he puts it, it's going to still be there because you take absolutely nothing with you.

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 6:7-9, 17-19

Now, look in 1 Timothy, chapter six, verses 17 through 19. Look what he says. 1 Timothy, chapter six, verse 17. "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, watch, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy, that they do good, and that they may be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." Notice what God says, charge them that are rich in this life. Now, I know that there are some rich Christians. I understand that. But the Bible tells us that God gives riches for the use and the benefit of his kingdom and his people. He does not give riches for the selfish ends and designs. It has been accurately said that when a Christian gets rich, God either gains a fortune or loses a man.

And that is the truth, folks. So God warns us not only about the cares of this life, but also about the deceitfulness of riches. I never will forget a fellow I knew a long time ago. His goal back then, and we're talking about in the 60s, his goal was to be a millionaire. And the reason he wanted to be a millionaire was so he could serve the Lord and just go everywhere and do whatever the Lord wanted him to do. And I told him, I said, you need to serve the Lord now. And if he makes you a millionaire, wonderful. If he does it, that's wonderful, too. Just serve him. There are the deceitfulness of riches.

The Thorns of Lust for Other Things and Pleasures of This Life

Lust for other things includes any consuming desire besides God, such as hobbies or sports. Pleasures of this life refer to hedonistic living for self-gratification.

The third thorn that he mentions is the lust for other things. The lust for other things. The word lust is very informative. It literally means to set your affection or your desire upon something. The Greek word is epithumia. Thumia means a passion or burning desire and epi is a preposition, which means upon. You know what your lust is? It's whatever you set your desire or your heart upon. And when the Bible talks about the lust for other things, it is not necessarily referring to sexual sins. It could include that.

But it also refers to promotion, to pride, to praise, to recognition, to hobbies, to work, or a host of other things. And when he talks about the lust of other things, let me tell you, I love this word, the Greek word for other things is loipoi. And what it means is this, the rest, residue and remainder. Our Lord talked about the cares of this life. He talked about the deceitfulness of riches. And now he talks about the lust for whatever is left. Whatever remains. Whatever the residue is after you deal with the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches.

I've known people who are consumed by sports. I've known people who are consumed with hunting and fishing, and I love to hunt and I love to fish. But it is not my burning passion. I've often said during hunting season, when I get so many meetings and so many preaching opportunities, God is testing me as to whether or not I want to preach or to hunt. So I'm on the side of preaching, you know. But, you know, your hobby can be the lust of other things. Anything like that. I know some people that are so sports oriented, they can tell you every baseball player's batting average. They can tell you every football player, the yards he's gained, how many touchdowns he's made and all this kind of stuff.

And they can't quote a verse of Scripture. Because their life is consumed with that. There's a fourth thorn. And our Lord says it is the pleasures of this life. And the pleasures of this life attract a lot of people. You remember what the Apostle Paul wrote about Demas? He said, "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present evil world." It's the pleasures of this life. Incidentally, the Greek word for pleasures here is the word hedone. It is where we get our English word hedonist or hedonistic. A hedonist is someone who lives for pleasure. It's all he wants. A hedonist is someone who wants the maximum amount of pleasure with the least amount of pain. And if you want to think about a hedonist, think about Hugh Hefner and the Playboy clan.

They would be classified as hedonists. And so would a lot of other people who just simply live for a good time and live for pleasure. They're mainly concerned about themselves. He's talking about the pleasures of this life. Zoe in the Greek talks about the spiritual life, but the word life here is bios, which means our life. We use the Greek word bios in biology, the study of life, in biography, the writing of life. So our Lord is talking about the pleasures of this life.

Anything that pleases us, that can be gotten out of control. Thorns are distractful. They're deceitful, they're disturbing, and they're deadly. There's not a person in this room who would take a handful of good seed, regardless of what kind it is, and throw it into a briar patch or a bunch of brambles and expect to reap a good harvest. It's impossible. Because those briars and those brambles are going to choke that word, or choke that seed to the point that it will not produce anything. It's there and it's gone, it's worthless, and so our Lord is talking about someone who hears the word of God. And he's got all these thorns in his life. He's got the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches. And the lust for other things and the pleasures of this life. And when he hears the word, he half-heartedly receives it.

The Thorny Ground Hearer is Unsaved

Like the wayside and stony ground hearers, the thorny ground hearer produces no fruit and is lost. Only the good ground hearer is genuinely converted.

Because who wants to go to hell? Who wants to face God in judgment? But he never really deals with his sins. There is no sorrowing. There is no repentance. There's no turning. The thorny ground hearer is someone who hopes to make it into heaven while living a life of sin and rebellion. The thorny ground hearer is someone who prefers his own kingdom to God's kingdom. The thorny ground hearer is someone who wants to live life the way he wants to live life and somehow expect God to receive him into his kingdom when he dies.

I want to show you one other passage before we get to the applications. I want you to go back in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah, chapter four and verse three, and I want you to see what God says. Jeremiah chapter 4 and verse 3. Here is some excellent counsel for thorny ground hearers. Excellent counsel for thorny ground hearers. Jeremiah 4 and verse 3, "For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, break up your fallow ground and sow not among thorns." It doesn't do you one bit of good to sow among thorns. Sow not among thorns, the thorns have to be dealt with. It's important to note what our Lord points out and the four types of hearers in Matthew, Mark, Luke.

Our Lord tells us that the wayside hearer or the hard hearted hearer is lost. Because Satan cometh immediately and stealeth the word, lest he believe. When you get to the stony ground hearer, our Lord says, and these are they likewise. So the stony ground hearer is equally lost as the wayside hearer. And when you get to the thorny ground hearer, the Bible says he brings forth no fruit. So the thorny ground hearer is unsaved as well. In fact, the next message you're going to hear is the good ground hearer, and he is the only one that brought forth fruit. So three out of four are lost. If you come to the Word of God with a hard heart, you'll never be benefited by it. If you come with a shallow heart, you will never be benefited by it. If you come with a half heart, you'll never be benefited by it. The only way that you can ever benefit from the Word of God is with a whole heart.

Applications: Dealing with Sin, Neglect, and Repentance

Weaver applies the message: sins must be dealt with through repentance; neglect can destroy as easily as great sins; and true repentance produces evidence of change.

Now, let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this. According to the Word of God, sins must be dealt with. Where there is no genuine and honest dealing with sin, there is no salvation. You've got to remember, faith and repentance are the two sides of one coin. He that truly exercises faith at the same time repents. And he that truly repents at the same time exercises faith. You cannot have one without the other. They go together. So without true, genuine repentance, without dealing with these thorns, the thorns will overpower the Word to the point that it will not benefit the one who is hurt.

The second application is this. It does not necessarily have to be great sins that destroy the soul. You know, when we think about sins, we'll think about drunkards and murderers and whoremongers. Hey, you don't have to be a drunkard or a whoremonger or a murderer. Neglect will destroy you just as easily as those atrocious sins. All you have to do is neglect Christ, neglect the Bible, neglect prayer, neglect the preaching of the word. And you'll be destroyed as easily as the drunkard and the whoremonger and the murderer. It is the man who neglects his soul that is condemned. It doesn't matter whether you're moral or immoral, you're still condemned. You remember that passage in the Song of Solomon where the Bible says, little foxes spoil the vines. Doesn't have to be a big fox, just a little fox. And little sins will destroy your soul as easily and as quickly as great sins. One little thorn can do a lot of damage. Many thorns will do the damage more quickly. The third application is this.

We must actually turn from our sins and not coddle them and pretend that they're not there. I've had people, I've counseled so many people that like to pretend that they did not have any sins or at least one real sin that was controlling them. They pretended it was not there. It was there. It was obvious. But they pretended it was not there. The Apostle Paul tells why God sent him in Acts 26 and verse 18, I want you to listen. Paul wrote, "To open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith that is in me." Why did God send Paul? To turn them from darkness to light? To turn them, he says, from the power of Satan unto God. In other words, we must be turned. If you read those words in 1 Thessalonians, chapter 1, the Apostle Paul tells those Thessalonians how they turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.

And then the Apostle Paul also said this, in Acts chapter 26 and verse 20, talking about his message, he said, "But showed first to them at Damascus and at Jerusalem and throughout the coast of Judea and to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God and do works meet for repentance." And the word meet literally means do works evidencing, demonstrating, manifesting repentance. So if a man truly, genuinely repents, there will be evidence of that repentance in his life. There'll be fruit. And where there is no repentance, there is no fruit.

So we cannot coddle our sins. We cannot pretend that they're not there. They are. And they must be honestly and genuinely dealt with. You do not want to be a wayside hearer. You do not want to be a stony ground hearer. And you certainly do not want to be a thorny ground hearer. You should want to be a good ground hearer. Because according to the word of God, that's the only one that is genuinely converted. The only one that produces fruit. Let's pray.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Danger of a Half-Hearted Response to God's Word

Summary: The thorny ground hearer receives the Word but never fully commits, allowing worldly concerns to choke spiritual growth, resulting in no fruit.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Our Lord then, in this thorny ground hearer is drawing us a picture of someone who half-heartedly accepts the Word of God, but yet he has never ever really truly dealt with the sins in his life.'

The Necessity of Repentance from Sin for Salvation

Summary: Salvation is not just from hell but from sin itself; one must turn from sin, not merely seek to escape judgment.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Christ did not come to save us in our sins. He came to save us from our sins.'

Worldly Cares and Riches as Spiritual Thorns

Summary: Anxiety over daily needs and the pursuit of wealth can distract and deceive, preventing the Word from bearing fruit.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'The cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things entering in choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.'

The Deceitfulness of Sin and Its Consequences

Summary: Thorns are distracting, disturbing, and deadly, symbolizing how sin can gradually overtake and destroy a person spiritually.

Evidence: Weaver illustrates, 'Thorns are distracting... thorns can also be disturbing... thorns are deadly.'

The Insufficiency of Mere Morality or Neglect

Summary: Neglecting Christ and the Word is as damning as gross sins; even small sins can destroy the soul.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'Neglect will destroy you just as easily as those atrocious sins.'

Key Arguments

Thorns represent pre-existing sins that must be uprooted for the Word to flourish.

Summary: The seed fell among thorns that were already there, indicating that the hearer had not dealt with sin before hearing the Word.

Evidence: Weaver notes, 'The thorns were already there. They were deeply rooted. They already had possession of that part of the soil.'

The thorny ground hearer wants salvation without repentance.

Summary: This hearer desires to escape hell but refuses to turn from sin, making true salvation impossible.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Here's a man who wants to be saved in his sins and not from his sins.'

The cares of this world are an inordinate anxiety over lawful things.

Summary: Jesus forbids excessive worry about food, clothing, and daily needs, which can consume a person and choke the Word.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'Our Lord is forbidding us to place an inordinate amount of anxiety and worry over things that really do not matter.'

Riches are deceitful because they promise security but lead to destruction.

Summary: Wealth can become a snare, causing people to trust in money rather than God, and often leads to spiritual ruin.

Evidence: Weaver quotes 1 Timothy 6:9: 'But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.'

Lust for other things includes any consuming desire that replaces God.

Summary: The Greek word for 'other things' means 'the rest, residue, and remainder,' indicating that any passion not surrendered to God can be a thorn.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Our Lord talked about the cares of this life. He talked about the deceitfulness of riches. And now he talks about the lust for whatever is left.'

The pleasures of this life represent a hedonistic pursuit of self-gratification.

Summary: Living for pleasure, like the hedonist, is a thorn that chokes the Word and leads to unfruitfulness.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'A hedonist is someone who lives for pleasure. It's all he wants.'

The thorny ground hearer is unsaved because he produces no fruit.

Summary: Only the good ground hearer brings forth fruit; the other three hearers, including the thorny ground, are lost.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'The thorny ground hearer is unsaved as well. In fact, the next message you're going to hear is the good ground hearer, and he is the only one that brought forth fruit.'

True repentance involves turning from sin and producing evidence of change.

Summary: Repentance is not merely feeling sorry but turning to God and doing works that demonstrate a changed life.

Evidence: Weaver cites Acts 26:20: 'that they should repent and turn to God and do works meet for repentance.'

Scripture References

Mark 4:7

Context: The seed falling among thorns and being choked, yielding no fruit.

Mark 4:18-19

Context: Jesus' interpretation: the thorny ground hearer is choked by cares, riches, and lusts.

Genesis 3:17-19

Context: The curse on Adam, including thorns and thistles, as a result of sin.

Proverbs 15:19

Context: The way of the slothful is as a hedge of thorns.

Proverbs 22:5

Context: Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward.

Isaiah 32:13

Context: Thorns and briars come upon the land of God's people as judgment.

Jeremiah 12:13

Context: They have sown wheat but shall reap thorns.

Isaiah 34:13

Context: Thorns and nettles in the palaces as a sign of God's curse.

Hosea 2:6

Context: God will hedge up the way with thorns as judgment.

Hosea 9:6

Context: Nettles and thorns shall possess their pleasant places.

Nahum 1:10

Context: While they be folded together as thorns, they shall be devoured.

Matthew 1:21

Context: Jesus shall save his people from their sins.

John 8:24

Context: You shall die in your sins if you believe not that I am He.

Matthew 13:22

Context: The thorny ground hearer is choked by cares and deceitfulness of riches.

Luke 8:14

Context: The thorny ground hearer is choked with cares, riches, and pleasures, bringing no fruit to perfection.

Matthew 6:24-32

Context: Take no anxious thought for your life, what you shall eat or drink or wear.

Luke 10:40-42

Context: Martha is cumbered about with much serving, but Mary chose the good part.

Philippians 4:6

Context: Be careful for nothing; in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known unto God.

Luke 14:16-20

Context: The parable of the great supper: excuses based on property, oxen, and marriage.

1 Timothy 6:7-9, 17-19

Context: We brought nothing into this world; they that will be rich fall into temptation; charge the rich to trust in God.

Historical References

Puritans' saying about riches

Context: Weaver mentions, 'The Puritans used to have a saying, God oftentimes curses his enemies with riches.'

Hugh Hefner and the Playboy clan

Context: Weaver uses Hugh Hefner as an example of a hedonist, someone who lives for pleasure.

Important Quotes

Christ did not come to save us in our sins. He came to save us from our sins.

Significance: Emphasizes that salvation requires deliverance from sin, not just forgiveness while continuing in sin.

The thorns were already there. They were deeply rooted. They already had possession of that part of the soil.

Significance: Illustrates that the thorny ground hearer's sins were pre-existing and unaddressed, preventing the Word from taking root.

Be careful for nothing. Be prayerful in everything and be thankful for anything.

Significance: Summarizes the biblical antidote to the cares of this world: trust God through prayer and thanksgiving.

When a Christian gets rich, God either gains a fortune or loses a man.

Significance: Highlights the spiritual danger of wealth, which can lead a believer away from God if not used for His purposes.

Neglect will destroy you just as easily as those atrocious sins.

Significance: Warns that passive neglect of spiritual things is as damning as active, gross sins.

Little foxes spoil the vines. Doesn't have to be a big fox, just a little fox. And little sins will destroy your soul as easily and as quickly as great sins.

Significance: Uses the Song of Solomon imagery to stress that even small, unaddressed sins can lead to spiritual ruin.

Discussion Questions

What are some examples of 'cares of this world' that can choke the Word in a believer's life today?

Context: Weaver discusses how anxiety over daily needs like food, clothing, and work can become thorns.

How can we discern if our pursuit of wealth has become a deceitful thorn rather than a tool for God's kingdom?

Context: Weaver warns about the deceitfulness of riches and the danger of trusting in wealth.

What 'other things' might be competing with God for our affection and devotion?

Context: Weaver explains that lust for other things includes any consuming desire, such as hobbies or sports.

In what ways do the pleasures of this life distract us from bearing spiritual fruit?

Context: Weaver describes hedonism as living for pleasure and how it chokes the Word.

Why is it insufficient to merely want to escape hell without turning from sin?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that salvation is from sin, not just from judgment.

How can we practically 'break up our fallow ground' and avoid sowing among thorns?

Context: Weaver references Jeremiah 4:3 as counsel for dealing with thorns.

What evidence of repentance should be visible in the life of a genuine believer?

Context: Weaver discusses works meet for repentance as evidence of true conversion.

Applications

Deal with sin honestly and thoroughly

Summary: Sins must be genuinely dealt with through repentance; there is no salvation without turning from sin.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Where there is no genuine and honest dealing with sin, there is no salvation.'

Guard against neglect of spiritual things

Summary: Neglecting Christ, the Bible, prayer, and preaching can destroy the soul as surely as gross sins.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'Neglect will destroy you just as easily as those atrocious sins.'

Do not coddle or ignore sins

Summary: We must not pretend sins are not there; they must be acknowledged and turned from.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We must actually turn from our sins and not coddle them and pretend that they're not there.'

Produce fruit as evidence of repentance

Summary: True repentance will manifest in changed behavior and good works that demonstrate a transformed life.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'If a man truly, genuinely repents, there will be evidence of that repentance in his life.'

Avoid being consumed by worldly cares

Summary: Do not let anxiety over food, clothing, or daily needs become the primary focus of life; trust God to provide.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We're not to be overly concerned with eating all of the time. Eating is not to control our lives.'

Use riches for God's kingdom, not selfish ends

Summary: If God gives wealth, it should be used for good works and to benefit His people, not for personal indulgence.

Evidence: Weaver notes, 'God gives riches for the use and the benefit of his kingdom and his people.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T20:57:01Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T13:11:16Z

Clean Transcript

Do Thorns Bother You?

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Mark chapter four. And for those of you who are visiting here for the first time, I have been preaching a series and this is the third part in a four-part series. So, Joe, you have to listen to previous messages as well now. So Mark chapter four, this is a four-part series on the parable of the sower, and today we come to the thorny ground hearer. So the title of the message is "Do Thorns Bother You?" So look at Mark 4 and verse 7. Our Lord said, "And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit." Now, if you'll skip down to verse 18 and you'll look at, you'll see our Lord's interpretation.
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He said, "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 lust of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful." Now, we've talked previously about the two hearers previously, that is the wayside hearer and the stony-ground hearer. I told you the wayside hearer has another name. He's known as the hard-hearted hearer. And, of course, the stony-ground hearer is known as the shallow-hearted hearer. And we found out that the wayside hearer is a negligent individual. He could care less about the Word of God. And the Bible says, Satan cometh immediately and stealeth away the Word. So he could care less about it.
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It was easily stolen from him. The stony ground hearer was the man who had no root in himself. And when trials and tribulations and persecutions arose, immediately he was offended. And of course, he forsook the faith. And today we come to what we consider the thorny ground hearer.
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Now the thorny ground hearer is sometimes referred to as a half-hearted hearer, and you're going to see just a little bit later why he is called a half-hearted hearer as well. Remember I told you that this entire parable is on hearing the Word of God and responses to the Word of God. So it could not only be called the parable of the sower, it could also be called the parable of the soils. So just like in our Lord's day, there are these four types of hearers. So in our day, there's four types of hearers. So every time the Word of God is preached, you will respond in one of these four ways. Everyone responds in one of these four ways. You're either a negligent hearer, like the wayside hearer, or you're a shallow-hearted hearer, the way the stony ground hearer was, or you're half-hearted hearer, the way the thorny ground hearer is, or you're a whole-hearted hearer, as the good ground hearer is. But before I show you the principles from the thorny ground hearer, I want to tell you a few things about thorns.
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First of all, according to the Word of God, thorns are distracting. I want you to look in your Bibles. Hold Mark for now. We're coming back there. But look in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, chapter 3. Genesis chapter 3, and you will find that Adam has been cursed for his disobedience, and here is part of the curse laid upon him. Notice Genesis chapter 3, beginning there with verse 17. God says, "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, cursed is the ground for thy sake, and sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return into the ground. For out of it wast thou taken, for dust thou art, and in the dust shalt thou return."
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I want you to note particularly, he says in verse 18, that thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth. So thorns are distracting in a number of ways. First of all, they certainly keep us busy from the work which we need to do. Since the fall of man, thorns have been a nuisance and a distraction. Have you ever noticed, those of you who garden, that your garden does not need special attention or special fertilizers to bring forth thorns and weeds?
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They just simply grow and they simply appear. And the next time you're weeding your garden and pulling out thorns and thistles and weeds and your back begins to ache, blame Adam. Okay? Because it was Adam's original sin and it's that sin that causes these thorns and these thistles. And the next time you're weeding your garden or walking through the woods and you get a thorn in your finger, you've just got to remember it will distract you. It'll distract you to the point that you will stop and pick that thorn out. In fact, this week, Tripp and I were burning off some woods and I was spreading the fire with a rake. And as I went through, two thorns got in my finger from a briar. And I had to just stop and pick those things out. They immediately hurt. So thorns are distractful. They will always stop you, sometimes, which I'll point out later, they will stop you permanently.
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When I was a boy, to show you how distracting thorns really are and can be, I had a good friend and he and I decided we were going to go rabbit hunting. But back at that time, we did not use guns. In fact, we considered guns an unfair advantage to hunt these poor little helpless rabbits. So, what we did, was we would take a log chain about 18 inches long, have a C-link on it, where we could hold it in our hands, and we would run the rabbit down. We would outrun him, and as we went past him, we would hit him with the chain and either kill him or stun him so that we could get him.
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Well, we got tired of doing that, you know. In fact, you know you're running all the time. And so, and by the way, it is possible to outrun a rabbit. I outran plenty of them when I was a boy. Couldn't do it today, I'm sure, but I used to do it. But we got tired of doing that, and we decided we'd need a little help. And so we decided that, since the pasture was kind of level anyhow, a little downhill grade, that we would use the car.
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And we would alternate, and I would drive while Jimmy sat on the fender, and Jimmy would drive while I sat on the fender. And when we'd see a rabbit, we'd kind of go up to him and stop and let the individual just, who's on the fender, run and hit the rabbit. Well, I happened to be on the fender. Jimmy was driving and I happened to see a rabbit out of the corner of my eye and I pointed over that way. And so he very quickly turned the car and pointed toward the rabbit and he sped up a little too much. And he was almost on the rabbit.
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And he realized what he had done. And so he slammed on brakes.
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Now, I don't know if you put two and two together. When I'm sitting on the fender and you're headed downhill and the person slams on brakes, it tends to throw a body into motion. And it tends to throw that body into motion very quickly. Well, when I came off that fender, my feet were already two or three feet in front of my body. I was running as hard and as fast as I could. My body was basically trying to catch up with my feet. I passed that poor rabbit like he was sitting still. I mean, I was running so fast. I could not swing the chain. I couldn't do anything. All I could do was just try to maintain my balance. In front of me was a briar patch.
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I really, genuinely wanted to stop. But I could not stop. I was not in control. I ran through that briar patch and I was only able to stop on the other side. For the next hour, Jimmy and I took a great deal of pains in picking thorns out of my arms and out of my legs. That so distracted me, I no longer wanted to hunt rabbits. In fact, the truth of the matter is, it distracted me so greatly, as far as I remember, I've never been rabbit hunting since. I don't care anything about rabbit hunting, especially having picked those briars out all of that time. So, the truth of the matter is this. Briars can be very distracting. Thorns can be very distracting.
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Secondly, I want you to understand that thorns can also be disturbing. Occasionally, someone will get a thorn in their finger or some other part of the body and somehow they miss it. Namely, it does not hurt right away. But give it a day or two and the next thing you know you're hurting and there's something very sore in your finger and you look down and all of a sudden now it's red, it's swollen and maybe there's a little white patch right around that thorn. And the very first thing that enters your mind is how in the world did this happen? How did I miss something like this? But now the thorn is in there and it's infected and now it still has to be dug out even though it's surrounded by infection. So, thorns are disturbing physically. Let me go on to point out, I'm going to make the application, they're also disturbing economically, familially, and spiritually as well. I want to show you something, how that the Bible shows you about a thorn-filled life.
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Now, hopefully you do not want such a life. I want you to turn very quickly in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs, chapter 15, Proverbs 15, just to show you thorns are distracting and thorns are disturbing as well. So look in Proverbs, chapter 15 and verse 19 to begin with, Proverbs 15, verse 19. And notice, if you would, what the scripture says about a thorn-filled life. Proverbs chapter 15 and verse 19. The Word of God says, "The way of the slothful man is as a hedge of thorns. The way of a slothful man is as a hedge of thorns, but the way of the righteous is made plain." So the slothful man is like he's living a life that's hedged up by thorns. Look in Proverbs chapter 22 and verse 5. Proverbs 22 and verse 5. In this particular passage, the Word of God says this. "Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward, and he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them." So the froward man has a life that's full of thorns and snares.
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Turn right over, if you would please, to the book of Isaiah, chapter 32 and verse 13. Isaiah 32 and verse 13. Just showing you what the Scripture says concerning thorns. There's a whole lot more, but Isaiah 32 and verse 13, God says, "Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briars, yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city." So God's going to curse this disobedient people with briars and thorns. If you will turn right over to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 12, and look at verse 13, Jeremiah 12, verse 13. Jeremiah 12, verse 13. God says, "They have sown wheat, but they shall reap thorns.
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They have put themselves to pain, but they shall not profit and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the Lord." Notice that they have sown wheat, but they're going to reap thorns.
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Now, a life of thorns is certainly not one to be desired, and I have no desire to live a life that is constantly troubled by disturbances and being inundated with the fierce anger of God. So thorns, then, are distracting, they're disturbing, and thirdly, thorns are deadly. Some thorns produce deadly effects, that is for sure. And if someone does not die just from the poison of a thorn, you have to stop and think there is such a thing as blood poisoning as well. Additionally, I want you to understand that when God judges a nation, when God judges a society or a people, He often gives us the picture of that nation or that city or that people being judged by thorns and briars.
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So go back in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah 34 and look if you would please at verse 13. Isaiah 34 and verse 13. Look if you would. Here's how God describes a people or a nation or a city upon which His curse is. Isaiah 34 and verse 13, "And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof, and it shall be a habitation of dragons and a court for owls." In other words, God will thoroughly judge the people and judge the city until it is uninhabited, and thorns and nettles and brambles grow there, as well as it being a habitation of dragons and of owls. Then if you will turn right over to the book of Hosea. Daniel, Hosea, look in Hosea chapter 2 and verse 6, and we're just showing you how in the judgment of God, he uses a picture of thorns and briars. In Hosea chapter 2 and verse 6, God says this.
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"Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns and make a wall that she shall not find her paths. I'll hedge up thy way with thorns." Have you ever tried to walk through thorns? It's very distressing. And God said, I'm going to hedge up their way with thorns.
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Now, the book of Hosea is against Israel, because of her sins and because of her wickednesses. And so God said, I'm going to judge her and I'm going to hedge up her ways with thorns. Look at Hosea 9 and verse 6. Hosea 9 and verse 6. He says this, "For, lo, they are gone because of destruction. Egypt shall gather them up. Memphis shall bury them. The pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them, thorns shall be in their tabernacles." So God said He will send them into captivity and thorns and nettles are going to grow all around them.
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Let me just read this one. In the book of Nahum, chapter 1 and verse 10, God says this, "For while they be folded together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry." So while they're folded together as thorns. So it's important to remember that our Lord is teaching us in the parable of the sower in hearing the Word of God. And just like He said, here's the wayside hearer who did not hear scripturally, here's the stony ground hearer who did not hear scripturally, so likewise here is the thorny ground hearer that did not hear scripturally. Now I want you to go back to Mark 4, having looked at thorns generally, so you can begin to understand what our Lord is teaching. In Mark 4 and verse 7, the Bible says this, "And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit." Now, the very first thing that you need to understand in this parable in regard to the thorny ground hearer is this, that the seed fell among thorns.
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Why is that important? Because it's teaching us that the thorns were already there. They were deeply rooted. They already had possession of that part of the soil. The ground had not been prepared. The thorns had not been pulled up or dug up or chopped or eradicated in any way whatsoever. No, they were already there and they had already developed a root system. They were already alive and healthy when the seed fell among the thorns.
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So our Lord then, in this thorny ground hearer is drawing us a picture of someone who half-heartedly accepts the Word of God, but yet he has never ever really truly dealt with the sins in his life. Here's a man who wants to be saved in his sins and not from his sins. Here's a man who wants salvation because he wants to escape the judgment of God. But on the other hand, he does not want salvation to the point where he's willing to repent and turn from those things that God has condemned.
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Do you remember in Matthew 1 and verse 21, the angel Gabriel said this to Mary when he told her she was going to have a child, he said this, "And she shall bring forth a child and she shall call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins." Christ did not come to save us in our sins. He came to save us from our sins.
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And I want you to understand salvation is not just quote unquote from hell. It is not from damnation. It is not from condemnation. Salvation is from sins which ultimately send you to judgment and condemnation and to hell. So our Lord then came to save us from our sins. Being saved from hell or judgment is a byproduct of being saved from your sins. If you're not saved from your sins, you're not saved from damnation. You're not saved from condemnation and the judgment of God. When our Lord was talking to those Pharisees in John chapter 8, here is what He said to them, "I said therefore unto you that you shall die in your sins if you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sins." So when our Lord was emphasizing the fact that these people were lost and condemned and under the judgment and curse of God, and on their way to damnation, he did so by saying, you shall die in your sins. So dying in your sins is equivalent then to facing eternal judgment and the fierce anger of a holy, righteous God.
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It is thorns that prevent the word of God from taking root. And the thorns which are already there had never been dealt with. And so those thorns then overpower that seed that was sown. And when they abound on every hand, it's impossible for the seed to take root.
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Now, what I want to do is this. I want to show you this from Matthew, Mark and Luke.
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Now, you remember the parable of the sower occurs in each of these three books. Matthew 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8. So I want to take the time and read these three passages and show you what the thorns are that our Lord is dealing with. So let's go in our Bibles to Matthew chapter 13. Then we'll go to Mark 4 and then we'll go to Luke 8. So in Matthew chapter 13, I want you to look at verse 21, because our Lord is now identifying these thorns.
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He's telling you what will cause you to be a half-hearted hearer. In Matthew 13 and verse 21 he says this. Matthew 13 and verse 22 it is, I'm sorry, verse 22. "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 it becometh unfruitful."
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Now look in your Bibles, if you would please, to Mark chapter 4, which we just read in verses 18 and 19. Because again, our Lord is interpreting this parable and he's telling you what the thorns really are. So Mark 4, notice verses 18 and 19. "And these are they which are sown among thorns, such as hear the word, now watch what happens, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things entering in choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful." Then if you'll turn to Luke chapter 8 and look at verse 14. Luke 8 and verse 14. In Luke 8 and verse 14, our Lord says it like this. "And they which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares, and riches, and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection." Now, our Lord lists these thorns. He tells us that the thorns are the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the lust for other things, and the pleasures of this life.
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It is these four thorns that will hinder you from receiving the Word of God in a beneficial manner. So let's take them one at a time. Our Lord gives us the first thorn, and that is the cares of this world. So let me ask you a question. Without answering out loud, think in your mind, what are the cares of this world? Now, before I begin to tell you some of them, let me explain the word cares. And the word world. The word cares is the Greek word merimna, which literally is translated as care or anxiety. It means literally to be troubled with cares. It means to seek to provoke one's interests and to be anxious. Secondly, the word world.
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There are at least two different words in the Greek New Testament for world. Cosmos is the most frequent one, but aion is pretty frequent as well, but here the word is used aion and it's translated in our Bibles as world or age. So it refers more to a specific age or a period of time. Now, when our Lord is speaking about the cares of this age or the cares of this period of time, He's talking about the period of time in the present. There's not a person in this room that is carefully anxious about the problems and the cares of a thousand years ago. And to be honest, I'm not anxious about the cares of a thousand years in the future. That which bothers us is the cares in this present life.
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In other words, man by nature is concerned with the here and now, or as some would say, the dirty now and now. So let me give you three passages from the Bible that's going to explain to you the cares of this world or the cares of this age. And you're going to find that some of these cares are what you and I would call innocent things. Wow, let's begin by looking in our Bibles to Matthew chapter six, Matthew chapter six.
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Now, let me just point out. Then each of these passages. It is the same essential, it is the same Greek word every time, in fact, in Matthew, chapter six, whenever you see the word thought, you place in that word anxious cares, because it's exactly the same Greek word. So let's look in Matthew chapter six and let's begin reading there with verse 24. Our Lord says it like this.
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He says, "No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore, I say to you, take no thought for your life." There's the word thought. Take no anxious care for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them, are you not much better than they? Which of you, by taking thought, or by taking anxious care, can add one cubit unto a stature? And why take you thought or anxious care for raiment?
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"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, and they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. Notice, wherefore if God so clothed the grass of the field, which is to-day here, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith. Therefore take no thought or anxious care, saying, what shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewithal shall we be clothed?"
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"For all of these things do the Gentiles seek after your heavenly father knoweth that you have need of all of these things." I want you to note that he talked about taking thought over food, over raiment, over things that you and I need all of the time. And yet you and I must plan and we must prepare to the best of our ability. But on the other hand, he says you're not to be overly anxious about these things. You're not to be overly concerned. You're not to be worked up.
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They're not to be the primary focus of your life. God knows we have to eat. You know you have to eat. I know I have to eat. But what our Lord is saying is very simple. We're not to be overly concerned with eating all of the time. Eating is not to control our lives. What we wear is not to control our lives. God knows that we have need of these things.
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Look in your Bibles to the book of Luke, chapter 10. I'm just showing you what our Lord is designing here as cares of this life. Luke chapter 10, look at verse 41, Luke 10, verse 41. I love this passage. Everybody knows this story of Mary and Martha. You remember, our Lord is there and let's read verse 41. In fact, let's begin with verse 40. "But Martha was cumbered about with much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?
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Bid her, therefore, that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful, that is, you are anxiously careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Now what was Mary doing? Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus Christ, worshipping Him, listening to Him, learning from Him. And what was Martha doing?
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She was busy cooking and getting everything ready for everybody to eat. And she was overly burdened. She was overly cumbered about with much care. I've got to get this on. I've got to have it here at this particular time. And it's got to be this way. And so Martha said, Lord, make her help me. And what did our Lord say? Now, you're just too concerned about this.
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You know something, folks, I preached on this years and years ago. We need to fellowship with each other. And we need to exercise biblical hospitality. And if you come to our house and it's not perfect, guess what? We don't have a perfect house. We live in it. And it gets dirty from time to time. And if you come to visit me and my house is dirty, I'm not going to say to you, I can't have company right now until my wife cleans up the house. No, you come on in, you'll just have to understand that, hey, Henry's been there. Grandkids have been there.
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Doggies have scattered their toys around the yard. Well, that's the way it is. And so our Lord is saying this to Martha. Everything does not have to be perfect, Martha. The one thing is needful. And Mary's chosen that good part and it's not going to be taken away from her. I want you to turn over to the Philippians chapter four. I'm just showing you. Philippians chapter four. If anybody in this room has a perfect house, raise your hand.
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Nobody, I didn't think so. Look in Philippians chapter four and verse six. Look what the Apostle Paul says. "Be careful for nothing," that is, do not be anxiously careful for anything, "but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." So let me summarize this. Are you listening? Be careful for nothing. Be prayerful in everything and be thankful for anything. That's what he said, be careful for nothing. Be prayerful about everything and be thankful for anything. So he admonishes us here that we're not to be carefully anxious for anything. We are to pray and praise and petition and trust our Lord for anything and everything.
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Now, here's the point concerning the thorn of the cares of this age. The point is our Lord is forbidding us to place an inordinate amount of anxiety and worry over things that really do not matter or really should not trouble us to that degree. The truth of the matter is none of us are going to starve if we don't get what we think is a suitable amount of food for today. We're not.
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In fact, some of us could do without for several days and probably be happy. All I'm simply saying is God says He knows that we must eat. He knows that we must wear clothes. He knows that we have bills. He knows all of this. And there are so many people that are so intent on making a living, they never live. They're just consumed with the cares of this age. There are so many that are so engrossed in business that they believe that their business is the most important thing in the world.
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It requires all of their attention. They don't have time for the Bible. They don't have time for preaching. They don't have time for church. They don't have time for prayer. They don't have time for anything. So the cares of this world engulf them to the point that's all they are about. They are absolutely consumed with it.
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Now, let me give you a good illustration. Look back in your Bibles, Luke chapter 14. We're still talking about the cares of this life. But look back in Luke chapter 14. Here is a good illustration of how these cares can really and truly overcome us. Luke chapter 14. And let's begin reading with verse 16. Luke 14, verse 16, "Then said he unto them, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many." The supper is already fixed now.
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"And he sent his servant at suppertime to them that were bidden, to say to them that were bidden, Come, for all things are now ready. Watch what happens. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said to him, I bought a piece of ground and must needs go and see it. I pray thee have me excused. Another said, I bought five yoke of oxen and I go to prove them. I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I married a wife and therefore I cannot come." So the third one only had a legitimate excuse.
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Now, let me ask you a question. Who's going to buy a piece of ground without looking at it first? Who's going to buy five yoke of oxen without proving them, without knowing whether or not they're trained? Now, if you want to buy some property without ever seeing it, I could sell you some. But when you saw it, you'd want your money back. Nobody's going to do it. Here's the whole thing. I don't have time. I don't have time for Christ. I don't have time for preaching. I don't have time to go to the church. I don't have time to read my Bible. I'm consumed with this property that I've bought. I'm consumed with these oxen. I'm consumed with my marriage and my wife. I don't have time for all of this.
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That's the thorn of the cares of this life. It is an over-anxiousness on things that are lawful. Is it unlawful to buy property? No. Is it unlawful to have oxen? No. Is it unlawful to be married? No. But when those things consume your life to the point that you neglect the things of God, it's a thorn. It's the cares of this life. The second thorn that our Lord mentions is the thorn of the deceitfulness of riches.
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You know, there are plenty of people who think that if they could just simply be rich, everything would be well. But that's certainly not true. Riches bring their own problems. Once you have them, you have to struggle to keep them. And usually the more you have, the more you want. Have you ever noticed that? I told you before about the rich farmer. He said he didn't want to own the world. He just wanted to own all the property that was next to his property. Well, you can figure it out. Pretty soon he would own everything. But many have observed that those who are rich are never satisfied. They always want more.
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Their lives are consumed with making money and increasing their wealth. And nothing comes between them and their wealth, not even salvation. I've had people tell me, some wealthy men, they have told me, my hobby is making money. I love to make money. And that's exactly what they do. Many are like the rich young ruler in the Bible, who preferred his wealth over salvation. There are many who prefer the comforts of this life to the comfort of the next life.
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The Puritans used to have a saying, God oftentimes curses his enemies with riches. And that's true, because they end up trusting in their riches instead of Christ. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 6. Let me show you what our Lord is talking about on this thorn of the deceitfulness of riches. And we're going to read verse 9 first. So I want you to understand that being wealthy has its own problems. 1 Timothy chapter 6 and look in verse 9.
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The Word of God says, "But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition." Wow. "But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition."
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Now, in that light, I want you to go back to verse seven. Look at verse seven. The apostle writes, "For we brought nothing into this world. It is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content." Do you realize everything we amass in this life, when we die, we leave it. It's kind of like the rich man who took all his money and hid it in the attic.
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He told his wife the reason why when he died, he was going to take it with him. He's going to get it on the way up. When he died, she went up and the money was still there. She said, I knew he should have hid it in the basement. Well, the truth of the matter is, it doesn't matter where he puts it, it's going to still be there because you take absolutely nothing with you.
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Now, look in 1 Timothy, chapter six, verses 17 through 19. Look what he says. 1 Timothy, chapter six, verse 17. "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, watch, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy, that they do good, and that they may be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." Notice what God says, charge them that are rich in this life. Now, I know that there are some rich Christians. I understand that. But the Bible tells us that God gives riches for the use and the benefit of his kingdom and his people. He does not give riches for the selfish ends and designs. It has been accurately said that when a Christian gets rich, God either gains a fortune or loses a man.
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And that is the truth, folks. So God warns us not only about the cares of this life, but also about the deceitfulness of riches. I never will forget a fellow I knew a long time ago. His goal back then, and we're talking about in the 60s, his goal was to be a millionaire. And the reason he wanted to be a millionaire was so he could serve the Lord and just go everywhere and do whatever the Lord wanted him to do. And I told him, I said, you need to serve the Lord now. And if he makes you a millionaire, wonderful. If he does it, that's wonderful, too. Just serve him. There are the deceitfulness of riches.
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The third thorn that he mentions is the lust for other things. The lust for other things. The word lust is very informative. It literally means to set your affection or your desire upon something. The Greek word is epithumia. Thumia means a passion or burning desire and epi is a preposition, which means upon. You know what your lust is? It's whatever you set your desire or your heart upon. And when the Bible talks about the lust for other things, it is not necessarily referring to sexual sins. It could include that.
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But it also refers to promotion, to pride, to praise, to recognition, to hobbies, to work, or a host of other things. And when he talks about the lust of other things, let me tell you, I love this word, the Greek word for other things is loipoi. And what it means is this, the rest, residue and remainder. Our Lord talked about the cares of this life. He talked about the deceitfulness of riches. And now he talks about the lust for whatever is left. Whatever remains. Whatever the residue is after you deal with the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches.
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I've known people who are consumed by sports. I've known people who are consumed with hunting and fishing, and I love to hunt and I love to fish. But it is not my burning passion. I've often said during hunting season, when I get so many meetings and so many preaching opportunities, God is testing me as to whether or not I want to preach or to hunt. So I'm on the side of preaching, you know. But, you know, your hobby can be the lust of other things. Anything like that. I know some people that are so sports oriented, they can tell you every baseball player's batting average. They can tell you every football player, the yards he's gained, how many touchdowns he's made and all this kind of stuff.
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And they can't quote a verse of Scripture. Because their life is consumed with that. There's a fourth thorn. And our Lord says it is the pleasures of this life. And the pleasures of this life attract a lot of people. You remember what the Apostle Paul wrote about Demas? He said, "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present evil world." It's the pleasures of this life. Incidentally, the Greek word for pleasures here is the word hedone. It is where we get our English word hedonist or hedonistic. A hedonist is someone who lives for pleasure. It's all he wants. A hedonist is someone who wants the maximum amount of pleasure with the least amount of pain. And if you want to think about a hedonist, think about Hugh Hefner and the Playboy clan.
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They would be classified as hedonists. And so would a lot of other people who just simply live for a good time and live for pleasure. They're mainly concerned about themselves. He's talking about the pleasures of this life. Zoe in the Greek talks about the spiritual life, but the word life here is bios, which means our life. We use the Greek word bios in biology, the study of life, in biography, the writing of life. So our Lord is talking about the pleasures of this life.
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Anything that pleases us, that can be gotten out of control. Thorns are distractful. They're deceitful, they're disturbing, and they're deadly. There's not a person in this room who would take a handful of good seed, regardless of what kind it is, and throw it into a briar patch or a bunch of brambles and expect to reap a good harvest. It's impossible. Because those briars and those brambles are going to choke that word, or choke that seed to the point that it will not produce anything. It's there and it's gone, it's worthless, and so our Lord is talking about someone who hears the word of God. And he's got all these thorns in his life. He's got the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches. And the lust for other things and the pleasures of this life. And when he hears the word, he half-heartedly receives it.
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Because who wants to go to hell? Who wants to face God in judgment? But he never really deals with his sins. There is no sorrowing. There is no repentance. There's no turning. The thorny ground hearer is someone who hopes to make it into heaven while living a life of sin and rebellion. The thorny ground hearer is someone who prefers his own kingdom to God's kingdom. The thorny ground hearer is someone who wants to live life the way he wants to live life and somehow expect God to receive him into his kingdom when he dies.
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I want to show you one other passage before we get to the applications. I want you to go back in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah, chapter four and verse three, and I want you to see what God says. Jeremiah chapter 4 and verse 3. Here is some excellent counsel for thorny ground hearers. Excellent counsel for thorny ground hearers. Jeremiah 4 and verse 3, "For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, break up your fallow ground and sow not among thorns." It doesn't do you one bit of good to sow among thorns. Sow not among thorns, the thorns have to be dealt with. It's important to note what our Lord points out and the four types of hearers in Matthew, Mark, Luke.
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Our Lord tells us that the wayside hearer or the hard hearted hearer is lost. Because Satan cometh immediately and stealeth the word, lest he believe. When you get to the stony ground hearer, our Lord says, and these are they likewise. So the stony ground hearer is equally lost as the wayside hearer. And when you get to the thorny ground hearer, the Bible says he brings forth no fruit. So the thorny ground hearer is unsaved as well. In fact, the next message you're going to hear is the good ground hearer, and he is the only one that brought forth fruit. So three out of four are lost. If you come to the Word of God with a hard heart, you'll never be benefited by it. If you come with a shallow heart, you will never be benefited by it. If you come with a half heart, you'll never be benefited by it. The only way that you can ever benefit from the Word of God is with a whole heart.
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Now, let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this. According to the Word of God, sins must be dealt with. Where there is no genuine and honest dealing with sin, there is no salvation. You've got to remember, faith and repentance are the two sides of one coin. He that truly exercises faith at the same time repents. And he that truly repents at the same time exercises faith. You cannot have one without the other. They go together. So without true, genuine repentance, without dealing with these thorns, the thorns will overpower the Word to the point that it will not benefit the one who is hurt.
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The second application is this. It does not necessarily have to be great sins that destroy the soul. You know, when we think about sins, we'll think about drunkards and murderers and whoremongers. Hey, you don't have to be a drunkard or a whoremonger or a murderer. Neglect will destroy you just as easily as those atrocious sins. All you have to do is neglect Christ, neglect the Bible, neglect prayer, neglect the preaching of the word. And you'll be destroyed as easily as the drunkard and the whoremonger and the murderer. It is the man who neglects his soul that is condemned. It doesn't matter whether you're moral or immoral, you're still condemned. You remember that passage in the Song of Solomon where the Bible says, little foxes spoil the vines. Doesn't have to be a big fox, just a little fox. And little sins will destroy your soul as easily and as quickly as great sins. One little thorn can do a lot of damage. Many thorns will do the damage more quickly. The third application is this.
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We must actually turn from our sins and not coddle them and pretend that they're not there. I've had people, I've counseled so many people that like to pretend that they did not have any sins or at least one real sin that was controlling them. They pretended it was not there. It was there. It was obvious. But they pretended it was not there. The Apostle Paul tells why God sent him in Acts 26 and verse 18, I want you to listen. Paul wrote, "To open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith that is in me." Why did God send Paul? To turn them from darkness to light? To turn them, he says, from the power of Satan unto God. In other words, we must be turned. If you read those words in 1 Thessalonians, chapter 1, the Apostle Paul tells those Thessalonians how they turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.
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And then the Apostle Paul also said this, in Acts chapter 26 and verse 20, talking about his message, he said, "But showed first to them at Damascus and at Jerusalem and throughout the coast of Judea and to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God and do works meet for repentance." And the word meet literally means do works evidencing, demonstrating, manifesting repentance. So if a man truly, genuinely repents, there will be evidence of that repentance in his life. There'll be fruit. And where there is no repentance, there is no fruit.
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So we cannot coddle our sins. We cannot pretend that they're not there. They are. And they must be honestly and genuinely dealt with. You do not want to be a wayside hearer. You do not want to be a stony ground hearer. And you certainly do not want to be a thorny ground hearer. You should want to be a good ground hearer. Because according to the word of God, that's the only one that is genuinely converted. The only one that produces fruit. Let's pray.
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Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for your grace and your mercy and your goodness and your kindness. We ask, Lord, that you would help us to hear the word scripturally and biblically. Help us, Lord, to have our hearts prepared that we may indeed receive the full benefit of thy word and thy truth. And, Lord, may we not be the wayside hearer, the stony ground hearer, the thorny ground hearer. Make us wholehearted hearers, Lord, that we may honor thee and glorify thee and bring forth fruit for thy honor and thy glory. Give us grace to serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we pray, Amen.
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You may contact Dominion Ministry by mail at 7400 Abercorn, that's A-B-E-R-C-O-R-N Street, Suite 705, P-M-B 175, Savannah, Georgia, 31406. Or give us a call at 912-925-0995.
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You can also visit our website at www.dominionministry.com
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T20:57:01Z

Do Thorns Bother You?

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this sermon, John Weaver examines the thorny ground hearer from the Parable of the Sower, explaining that this hearer represents those who half-heartedly receive God's Word but never deal with the sins in their lives. The thorns—cares of this world, deceitfulness of riches, lust for other things, and pleasures of this life—choke the Word, making it unfruitful. Weaver emphasizes that true salvation requires repentance and turning from sin, not merely a desire to escape hell.

Introduction to the Thorny Ground Hearer

Weaver introduces the third part of a four-part series on the Parable of the Sower, focusing on the thorny ground hearer, who is also called the half-hearted hearer.

Scripture Reading — Mark 4:7

"And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit."

The Nature of Thorns: Distracting, Disturbing, and Deadly

Weaver explains that thorns are distracting (keeping us from necessary work), disturbing (causing hidden pain and infection), and deadly (leading to judgment), using personal anecdotes and Scripture.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 3:17-19

"And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, cursed is the ground for thy sake, and sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return into the ground. For out of it wast thou taken, for dust thou art, and in the dust shalt thou return."

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 15:19

"The way of the slothful man is as a hedge of thorns. The way of a slothful man is as a hedge of thorns, but the way of the righteous is made plain."

So the slothful man is like he's living a life that's hedged up by thorns. Look in Proverbs chapter 22 and verse 5. Proverbs 22 and verse 5. In this particular passage, the Word of God says this.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 15:19

"Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward, and he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them."

So the froward man has a life that's full of thorns and snares.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 34:13

"And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof, and it shall be a habitation of dragons and a court for owls."

Scripture Reading — Hosea 9:6

"For, lo, they are gone because of destruction. Egypt shall gather them up. Memphis shall bury them. The pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them, thorns shall be in their tabernacles."

So God said He will send them into captivity and thorns and nettles are going to grow all around them.

Let me just read this one. In the book of Nahum, chapter 1 and verse 10, God says this,

Scripture Reading — Nahum 1:10

"For while they be folded together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry."

The Seed Fell Among Thorns: Pre-existing Sins

The thorns were already present and deeply rooted, representing sins that were never dealt with. The thorny ground hearer wants salvation without repentance.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 1:21

"And she shall bring forth a child and she shall call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins."

Christ did not come to save us in our sins. He came to save us from our sins.

Identifying the Thorns from Matthew, Mark, and Luke

Weaver reads the parallel accounts to identify the four thorns: cares of this world, deceitfulness of riches, lust for other things, and pleasures of this life.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 13:22

"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 it becometh unfruitful."

The Thorn of the Cares of This World

The cares of this world refer to inordinate anxiety over daily needs like food and clothing, which can consume a person and distract from God.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 6:24-32

"No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore, I say to you, take no thought for your life."

Nobody, I didn't think so. Look in Philippians chapter four and verse six. Look what the Apostle Paul says.

Scripture Reading — Philippians 4:6

"Be careful for nothing,"

that is, do not be anxiously careful for anything,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 4:6

"but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God."

The Thorn of the Deceitfulness of Riches

Riches deceive people into trusting wealth instead of God, leading to destruction. Wealth should be used for God's kingdom, not selfish ends.

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 6:7-9, 17-19

Now, look in 1 Timothy, chapter six, verses 17 through 19. Look what he says. 1 Timothy, chapter six, verse 17. "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, watch, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy, that they do good, and that they may be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." Notice what God says, charge them that are rich in this life. Now, I know that there are some rich Christians. I understand that. But the Bible tells us that God gives riches for the use and the benefit of his kingdom and his people. He does not give riches for the selfish ends and designs. It has been accurately said that when a Christian gets rich, God either gains a fortune or loses a man.

The Thorns of Lust for Other Things and Pleasures of This Life

Lust for other things includes any consuming desire besides God, such as hobbies or sports. Pleasures of this life refer to hedonistic living for self-gratification.

The Thorny Ground Hearer is Unsaved

Like the wayside and stony ground hearers, the thorny ground hearer produces no fruit and is lost. Only the good ground hearer is genuinely converted.

Applications: Dealing with Sin, Neglect, and Repentance

Weaver applies the message: sins must be dealt with through repentance; neglect can destroy as easily as great sins; and true repentance produces evidence of change.

Do Thorns Bother You?

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	59131450491
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion
Genre	Sermon
Date	2013-02-24
Dictation Name
Book	Book 076: Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion — Chapter 4
Source Timed Segments	77

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction to the Thorny Ground Hearer: Weaver introduces the third part of a four-part series on the Parable of the Sower, focusing on the thorny ground hearer, who is also called the half-hearted hearer.
The Nature of Thorns: Distracting, Disturbing, and Deadly: Weaver explains that thorns are distracting (keeping us from necessary work), disturbing (causing hidden pain and infection), and deadly (leading to judgment), using personal anecdotes and Scripture.
The Seed Fell Among Thorns: Pre-existing Sins: The thorns were already present and deeply rooted, representing sins that were never dealt with. The thorny ground hearer wants salvation without repentance.
Identifying the Thorns from Matthew, Mark, and Luke: Weaver reads the parallel accounts to identify the four thorns: cares of this world, deceitfulness of riches, lust for other things, and pleasures of this life.
The Thorn of the Cares of This World: The cares of this world refer to inordinate anxiety over daily needs like food and clothing, which can consume a person and distract from God.
The Thorn of the Deceitfulness of Riches: Riches deceive people into trusting wealth instead of God, leading to destruction. Wealth should be used for God's kingdom, not selfish ends.
The Thorns of Lust for Other Things and Pleasures of This Life: Lust for other things includes any consuming desire besides God, such as hobbies or sports. Pleasures of this life refer to hedonistic living for self-gratification.
The Thorny Ground Hearer is Unsaved: Like the wayside and stony ground hearers, the thorny ground hearer produces no fruit and is lost. Only the good ground hearer is genuinely converted.
Applications: Dealing with Sin, Neglect, and Repentance: Weaver applies the message: sins must be dealt with through repentance; neglect can destroy as easily as great sins; and true repentance produces evidence of change.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Thorns represent pre-existing sins that must be uprooted for the Word to flourish.

The seed fell among thorns that were already there, indicating that the hearer had not dealt with sin before hearing the Word.

Weaver notes, 'The thorns were already there. They were deeply rooted. They already had possession of that part of the soil.'

The thorny ground hearer wants salvation without repentance.

This hearer desires to escape hell but refuses to turn from sin, making true salvation impossible.

Weaver says, 'Here's a man who wants to be saved in his sins and not from his sins.'

The cares of this world are an inordinate anxiety over lawful things.

Jesus forbids excessive worry about food, clothing, and daily needs, which can consume a person and choke the Word.

Weaver explains, 'Our Lord is forbidding us to place an inordinate amount of anxiety and worry over things that really do not matter.'

Riches are deceitful because they promise security but lead to destruction.

Wealth can become a snare, causing people to trust in money rather than God, and often leads to spiritual ruin.

Weaver quotes 1 Timothy 6:9: 'But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.'

Lust for other things includes any consuming desire that replaces God.

The Greek word for 'other things' means 'the rest, residue, and remainder,' indicating that any passion not surrendered to God can be a thorn.

Weaver states, 'Our Lord talked about the cares of this life. He talked about the deceitfulness of riches. And now he talks about the lust for whatever is left.'

The pleasures of this life represent a hedonistic pursuit of self-gratification.

Living for pleasure, like the hedonist, is a thorn that chokes the Word and leads to unfruitfulness.

Weaver explains, 'A hedonist is someone who lives for pleasure. It's all he wants.'

The thorny ground hearer is unsaved because he produces no fruit.

Only the good ground hearer brings forth fruit; the other three hearers, including the thorny ground, are lost.

Weaver says, 'The thorny ground hearer is unsaved as well. In fact, the next message you're going to hear is the good ground hearer, and he is the only one that brought forth fruit.'

True repentance involves turning from sin and producing evidence of change.

Repentance is not merely feeling sorry but turning to God and doing works that demonstrate a changed life.

Weaver cites Acts 26:20: 'that they should repent and turn to God and do works meet for repentance.'

Scripture References

Mark 4:7: The seed falling among thorns and being choked, yielding no fruit.
Mark 4:18-19: Jesus' interpretation: the thorny ground hearer is choked by cares, riches, and lusts.
Genesis 3:17-19: The curse on Adam, including thorns and thistles, as a result of sin.
Proverbs 15:19: The way of the slothful is as a hedge of thorns.
Proverbs 22:5: Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward.
Isaiah 32:13: Thorns and briars come upon the land of God's people as judgment.
Jeremiah 12:13: They have sown wheat but shall reap thorns.
Isaiah 34:13: Thorns and nettles in the palaces as a sign of God's curse.
Hosea 2:6: God will hedge up the way with thorns as judgment.
Hosea 9:6: Nettles and thorns shall possess their pleasant places.
Nahum 1:10: While they be folded together as thorns, they shall be devoured.
Matthew 1:21: Jesus shall save his people from their sins.
John 8:24: You shall die in your sins if you believe not that I am He.
Matthew 13:22: The thorny ground hearer is choked by cares and deceitfulness of riches.
Luke 8:14: The thorny ground hearer is choked with cares, riches, and pleasures, bringing no fruit to perfection.
Matthew 6:24-32: Take no anxious thought for your life, what you shall eat or drink or wear.
Luke 10:40-42: Martha is cumbered about with much serving, but Mary chose the good part.
Philippians 4:6: Be careful for nothing; in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known unto God.
Luke 14:16-20: The parable of the great supper: excuses based on property, oxen, and marriage.
1 Timothy 6:7-9, 17-19: We brought nothing into this world; they that will be rich fall into temptation; charge the rich to trust in God.

Historical References

Puritans' saying about riches: Weaver mentions, 'The Puritans used to have a saying, God oftentimes curses his enemies with riches.'
Hugh Hefner and the Playboy clan: Weaver uses Hugh Hefner as an example of a hedonist, someone who lives for pleasure.

Important Quotes

Christ did not come to save us in our sins. He came to save us from our sins.

Emphasizes that salvation requires deliverance from sin, not just forgiveness while continuing in sin.

The thorns were already there. They were deeply rooted. They already had possession of that part of the soil.

Illustrates that the thorny ground hearer's sins were pre-existing and unaddressed, preventing the Word from taking root.

Be careful for nothing. Be prayerful in everything and be thankful for anything.

Summarizes the biblical antidote to the cares of this world: trust God through prayer and thanksgiving.

When a Christian gets rich, God either gains a fortune or loses a man.

Highlights the spiritual danger of wealth, which can lead a believer away from God if not used for His purposes.

Neglect will destroy you just as easily as those atrocious sins.

Warns that passive neglect of spiritual things is as damning as active, gross sins.

Little foxes spoil the vines. Doesn't have to be a big fox, just a little fox. And little sins will destroy your soul as easily and as quickly as great sins.

Uses the Song of Solomon imagery to stress that even small, unaddressed sins can lead to spiritual ruin.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What are some examples of 'cares of this world' that can choke the Word in a believer's life today?

[Context]

Weaver discusses how anxiety over daily needs like food, clothing, and work can become thorns.

[Question]

How can we discern if our pursuit of wealth has become a deceitful thorn rather than a tool for God's kingdom?

[Context]

Weaver warns about the deceitfulness of riches and the danger of trusting in wealth.

[Question]

What 'other things' might be competing with God for our affection and devotion?

[Context]

Weaver explains that lust for other things includes any consuming desire, such as hobbies or sports.

[Question]

In what ways do the pleasures of this life distract us from bearing spiritual fruit?

[Context]

Weaver describes hedonism as living for pleasure and how it chokes the Word.

[Question]

Why is it insufficient to merely want to escape hell without turning from sin?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that salvation is from sin, not just from judgment.

[Question]

How can we practically 'break up our fallow ground' and avoid sowing among thorns?

[Context]

Weaver references Jeremiah 4:3 as counsel for dealing with thorns.

[Question]

What evidence of repentance should be visible in the life of a genuine believer?

[Context]

Weaver discusses works meet for repentance as evidence of true conversion.

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Format deepseek deepseek-v4-pro structured study JSON | Source Commentary.net transcript enrichment

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T13:11:16Z