We are one kind or the other, every one of us and God would have us deal with His Word that we might get located. He wants us to be good ground. And we are going to prove by God's Word that all of God's children must bring forth one hundred fold. God won't put up with anything less than that anymore. The false hiding places are not only in denominationalism, but there are a lot of false hiding places around that which calls itself the Church of God. This business of bearing some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred fold is nothing more than a false hiding place that people get in and try to excuse themselves for only bringing forth thirty, and sixty fold. There is no excuse. The Word of God will shake up all the bushes they are hiding behind and put them out In the open.

We dealt with the wayside hearers in the preceding lecture and in the stony places we found that neither one of these Individuals had a solid experience with God. The one in the stony place sprung up, but it had no root and you cannot bear fruit If you have no roots. There is nothing that bears fruit that does not first have roots. Just as soon as the sun came up (and the Sun, we have proved by the Bible, is the Word of God) the plant was scorched, and withered away, and died. And many people get that kind of an experience.

We want to look at that which fell among thorns. In the 13th chapter of Matthew and the 7th verse, we read that: "Some fell among thorns and the thorns sprung up and choked them." Now, turn to the 22nd verse where He gives the explanation of it and we find that: "he also that receiveth the seed among thorns is he that heareth the Word and received the seed among the thorns and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choked God's eternal Word. It is the work of Satan. Jesus' teachings seemed simple, but the parables are as deep as the Revelation and hid in the same shell. The seed took root in this Individual. It had to bear fruit and we will see it 'just ahead.' Some fell among thorns -- though they had not sprung up yet. In other words, there was some 'thorn seed' lying under the earth that had not sprouted yet. The seed of the Word of God, took root and sprung up, then the thorns grew up too and choked the plant out.

Now, the seed did not choke out the thorns, but the thorns choked out the 'seed of the Word.' The Word of God says, that the thorns sprung up and choked them and they became unfruitful. That is an 'awful blow' to the popular eternal security teaching.

It is possible to become unfruitful after you have been fruitful once. We are facing today a multitude of people who are looking back to a day when their experience was a glorious pledge for God, bearing beautiful fruit of an experience of righteousness and true holiness, but today they are unfruitful. The stones spoiled the roots. The root experience of stony ground was, that the root could not 'take hold.'

In the parable of the thorny ground the individual actually was born again and justified before God. He had to be in order to bear fruit. He said: "He that abideth in me and I in Him the same bringeth forth much fruit. And every branch that beareth fruit He purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit. The stony ground kept the root from working and now we see the thorns working on the fruit. We can also see the works of Satan. Some brethren are preaching how the devil works through false religious systems, but I say he works on individuals too. The thing that keeps men from getting a 'root experience with God, will keep them from getting saved in the first place. Even after you get saved, he's not done. He has another tool he uses on you to choke out your fruit after you begin to bear. But I thank God there is an easy way to put him out of business. By the Word of God, you can destroy the very works of the devil. Jesus himself was made manifest that He might destroy the works of the devil. In Eph. 4:8. We read, that He led captivity captive.

There is an experience you can get with God, where you can do as Isaiah said: shout 'glory be to God,' right on a nest of devils. And if he carries on too much God also has the power to let you cast him out. I Peter 5:8 tells us that the devil goes about as a roaring lion. He is not a lion; he is an actor. There is only one lion in the Word of God, and that is the lion of the tribe of Judah. And the devil goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. There was a day, before Jesus came with this great salvation, when it was easier for him. We are told in the book of Job that he was walking up and down in the earth, having a good time, and when the sons of God came to present themselves, the devil came too. Everywhere the 'sons of God' present themselves he comes along too. He cannot stop the Gospel, but he wants to hinder it. When he begins to spread himself, God puts the truth on him. Jesus said he was a liar. In fact, he was a liar from the beginning.

The devil took Jesus up there on the mountain and told Him that he would give Him all the kingdoms of the world -- and Jesus did not pay a bit of attention, because He knew the devil did not have anything to give. Why? God said: That the world and all in it was His. It did not belong to the devil. I would not like to believe, that God did anything for Job that He would not do for me. Remember, He delivered him and rewarded him for resisting evil. Be sure, that when you are tempted and tried, that God sees it is good for you. You need to get shook around and cultivated a little. If You don't get tempted and tried once in a while, you won't know what you have. If we don't go through some persecution, there will be no real shouting or rejoicing. I don't like this 'light business' - of shouting or rejoicing at the 'drop of your hat.' If there is any real shouting or rejoicing in the camp of the saints, there has been a battle won. No battle won - no real 'shout.' Since Jesus Christ came, the devil is the 'prince of this old world,' the 'prince of the power of the air,' as scripture calls him. Now, in any country that still has a king instead of a democracy (as we have), the prince is next in command when the king is not there, But when the king comes riding on a mule, then, the prince has to step down.

I Peter 5:8 says he goes around as a roaring lion. He is not devouring whosoever he will, or whosoever he wants to, for there are some he can't devour. "Seeking whom he may devour". When he 'knocks at the door,' just send Jesus. He'll remember how Jesus won the battle with him and walk away. The devil has no kingdoms to give. Maybe you are saying, How do you know? In the Scripture, there was a man on an island with legions of devils and bound by Satan and when Jesus was here he made a trip across that lake, and the only work He did there was to free that man, and then, got in the boat and went back.

The man came running trembling. He had jumped on people and tore their clothes off, but when he saw the Son of God, he trembled. This devil in this man, who had offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world, is begging Jesus that he might go into the pigs down the mountain. The fact is, that he did not even own a pig, and had to ask permission to get one. He had lied to man, and done a work in them and held them 'under sway,' but Jesus Christ came that we might know the truth about him and the truth will make you free.

God said to the devil, "Have you considered my servant Job?" The devil said yes, but he has a wall or fence about him. Don't you know the devil cannot even tempt you, unless he gets 'a pass' from God? It would be sad to believe that God did something for Job, that He wouldn't do for us. Why, He led captivity captive. Yes, there is grace and victory for those who will be fruitful and stay fruitful for God.

Christ specified It the 2nd verse what He calls thorns: "He also that receiveth the seed among thorns is he that heareth the Word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choked the Word and he became unfruitful.' In I John 2:15, He said: "Love not the world, neither the things that are In the world, if any man love the world the love of the'Father Is not in him.'' In Mark 4:19, He said: The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things enterlng In, choked the Word and It became unfruitful. Christ mentions the care or love of this world and John, In the second chapter tells us what It Is, and the next thing He mentioned was the deceitfulness of riches, We want to get to the root of this thing.

Jesus called them thorns. The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other things are symbolized by Christ as thorns. Why? They are entangling, aggravating, agitating, Irritating. What? The cares of this world. To those still hanging on to cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other things…they are truly thorns in our experience. Luke, 8th chapter, and that which fell among thorns are they, which hear and go forth and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life and bring no fruit to perfection. There is deceitfulness in riches.

I have spoken to more than one individual, before 'this,' when situations came up. There was a chance of working out a business…everything on the level; one brother with oil wells and another brother in another situation said: pray that God will help them to prosper and God knows He will get His share. I said, "Brother, you had better pray to God and ask Him if it's His will for You to have this; for with the money, comes a spirit. I am a firm believer in the fact that if we are wholeheartedly 'sold out to God' and consecrated to Him, He will let us handle all the money we are able. If we get any more, it will 'handle us.' There is deceitfulness in riches. Men get drunk on alcohol. There is a spirit that goes with it, that will capsize you and make you come to the place where you can not make a proper estimate of things, as you once did.

Let me explain. Here's a man, who is working and not making very big wages, and when a need comes up, he will give one hundred dollars of his hard earned wages quicker than the rich man. Why? They are not looking out of the same pair of eyes, and a ten dollar bill looks bigger to the rich man than a hundred dollars does to the poor man, consecrated to God. Someone says, "Bro. Wilson, money talks." Yes, but it never tells the truth. Proverbs 23:5 "Riches certainly make themselves wings, they fly away as an eagle toward Heaven."

I have seen people that did not have a thing when God got hold of them. They were in such a situation that the Church helped them to get a little furniture and keep food on the table. We finally got the truth across to them of God's plan of financing and they began to square up their business with God, and after a time, God, true to His Word, put them on their feet. They finally got everything paid up, fixed up and a little in reserve. What happened then? They got a different spirit. With a little money they had, they made themselves wings. They 'no longer needed the Church as bad as they once did.' They became more and more independent of the 'moving of God.'

This is happening all over our land, because God has blessed our land with prosperity, and men are resting on the prosperity of the land, instead of the blessing of God. They become more and more independent of God and feel that they can 'get along by themselves.' Prosperity is deceitful and can get into our systems like alcohol and craves more and more riches. It can be a dangerous thing to have great possessions.

Cannot God use a man with money? You may say, that He needs the man with money because he has wherewith to do things. No, he does not. Why not? Because God can get all the money He needs without him, and in the end it will all be God's anyhow. Someone may say, Well, He is not going to get any of mine. I will leave it to my children, and they to theirs etc., etc. Well, in the end it is still in the possession of God. Let us seek first, the kingdom of God and He will add these things unto us. It can be dangerous, I repeat, to have great possessions. [ The End ]