Matthew 13:20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
This passage of scripture tells us of the kind of mental soil that is represented by the stony ground hearers. The gospel, which consists both of God's grace to us through Jesus, and the appropriate response of faith and obedience, is presented to all individuals with different mindsets, and those who are described as being stony ground hearers are not totally averse to the gospel call, for as described in the passage, they do respond with joy initially, a response that is good and pleasing in the sight of God. The gospel is described as being the good news of salvation, and a joyous response is in order, because of what Christ has done for the human family on Calvary. Let's read:
Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
But there is more to the good news than just eternal life, for it also entails walking by faith, in obedience to every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. When this aspect of the gospel is adopted and implemented, we find in every instance, sooner or later, that we are put at loggerheads with the systems and principles upon which this world operates, and this unavoidable opposition results in persecution and tribulation in some form or another. For instance, Daniel was thrown into the lion's den, when he refused to follow the demands of the law of the Medes and Persians, which stated that no man should pray to any other god but the king. The apostle John was put into a pot of boiling oil for his steadfast adherence to truth, and Joseph did jail time for refusing to commit adultery.
And then we can go on to the millions and millions of christian martyrs who were slaughtered indiscriminately in cold blood, or burned at the stake for refusing to give up their faith in the Lord Jesus. All these tribulations are just a reflection of what The Lord has said will befall the faithful in all ages, that they which live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But the stony ground hearers are not comfortable with this aspect of the gospel, and they resent the fact that they must suffer on account of their faith in God, and therefore, when persecution arises because of gospel, they become offended and turn their backs on Christ.
Just a few years ago there were Christian conservatives who stood up against the powers that be in defense of marriage, and many of them went on the record as being totally against any interference or amendment to the sacred institution as given us by God in the book of Genesis. But then a new religious world leader came upon the stage of action, and virtually confirmed and countenanced a change in the divine ordinance, and political pressure against conservatives began to mount in places high and low. Then as more and more prominent corporations in the United States began to publicly support the doctrine of alternative lifestyles, those Christian conservatives started to gradually back down and change their positions as they suffered persecution in the polls, and also financial persecution, as support for their offices dropped off precipitously.
As a result we now have a complete turn around in many of those who were once fierce defenders of the marriage institution, and some of them are now to be found singing the praises of those who trample the law of God under their unholy feet. It sort of reminds us of the passage of scripture for today in which The Lord describes those who are to be found buckling under pressure because of the plain truths of God's word, and according to the Bible, we are to expect an escalation of these capitulations as the devil turns up the heat several notches, to try and eradicate the God-fearing Christian from modern society. Let's read:
Matthew 13:21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
In our own experiences we need to be not only careful, but willing to stand in defense of the truths written in God's word, even though as stated before, it may cost us popularity, material wealth, or even our very lives. Whatever we hold dear is not worth living for if it is not worth dying for, and as it pertains to the sacred truths God has given us to live by, our motto should be "Death before dishonor". We therefore end with a passage of scripture which calls upon all true soldiers of the cross to push the battle against error and vice to the very gates of hell, knowing that satanic agencies will not prevail against The Lord Jesus Christ or the truth, in the final conflict between good and evil. Let's read:
Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
May God help us to "Live strong" by standing for the right though the heavens fall. God bless!