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THE CONDITION OF THE HEART — PART 5
Matthew 13:22
Bible Teaching with Pastor Tommy Pope Sr.
Watch the Teaching
Watch Part 5 of The Condition of the Heart as Pastor Tommy Pope Sr. teaches from Matthew 13:22 and examines how the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and competing priorities can choke the Word of God and prevent spiritual fruitfulness..
About This Teaching
In Matthew 13:22, Jesus continues explaining the Parable of the Sower by revealing what happens when the seed falls among the thorns. The Word is heard, but something else is growing in the same heart.
Jesus identifies two powerful competitors: “the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches.” These things do not necessarily remove the Word immediately. Instead, they gradually crowd around it, compete with it, and eventually choke the Word until it becomes unfruitful.
Church, this is a serious warning because Jesus is showing us that we can hear God’s Word and still allow other things to occupy so much of our hearts that the Word no longer produces what God intended.
In Part 5 of The Condition of the Heart, Pastor Tommy Pope Sr. examines the dangers of worry, distraction, competing priorities, and the pursuit of material things—and how believers can guard their hearts so God’s Word continues to grow and produce fruit.
The question is not only, “Did I receive the Word?” The question is, “What am I allowing to grow alongside it?”
Key Scripture
Matthew 13:22
Matthew 13:22 — Passage Overview
“He also that received seed among the thorns…”
Jesus describes a person who hears the Word, but the seed is growing in soil where thorns are also present. The Word has entered the heart, but it is not the only thing competing for space.
“…the care of this world…”
Jesus identifies one of the thorns as the cares of this world. Worry, pressure, responsibilities, fear, and the concerns of everyday life can become so dominant that they begin competing with our attention to God.
“…and the deceitfulness of riches…”
Jesus then warns about the deceitfulness of riches. Money itself is not identified as the problem. The danger comes when possessions, success, security, or the pursuit of more begins promising us what only God can provide.
“…choke the word…”
The Word was not rejected. It was crowded. The thorns grew alongside the seed until they began restricting its growth. This is what makes this condition of the heart so dangerous: spiritual decline can happen gradually while other things quietly take priority.
“…and he becometh unfruitful.”
Jesus reveals the final result. The seed still has power, but the person’s life does not produce the fruit God intended because competing influences have been allowed to dominate the heart.
Central Truth:
The greatest threat to God’s Word is not always something that causes us to reject it. Sometimes it is something we allow to grow beside it until there is no longer room for the Word to produce fruit.
Understanding the Parable of the Sower
The Seed Is Good — The Question Is the Soil
When Jesus begins the Parable of the Sower, He draws His listeners into a scene they would immediately understand. A sower goes out into the field carrying seed, and as he sows, that seed falls on different kinds of ground.
But Jesus is teaching us something much deeper than farming.
The seed represents the Word of God, and the different soils reveal the different ways the human heart can respond when God’s Word is heard. The problem in this parable is never the quality of the seed. The seed is good. The Word is powerful. The question is: What condition is the heart that receives it?
That is why this parable requires personal examination. Before we look at somebody else’s heart, Jesus calls us to examine our own.
Pastor Tommy’s Life Lesson:
The same Word can be preached to everybody, but what happens next depends upon the condition of the heart receiving it.
Something Else Is Growing
Matthew 13:22
“He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word…”
Teaching:
Jesus now describes a heart where the Word has actually been heard. This person is not ignoring the seed. The problem is that the seed is not growing alone.
Something else is growing in the same soil.
Church, that is what makes the thorny ground so dangerous. The thorns do not necessarily stop the seed from entering the ground. They simply begin competing with the seed for the same space, nourishment, and attention.
And spiritually, the same thing can happen to us.
We can love God and still become distracted.
We can hear the Word and still become overwhelmed by other concerns.
We can attend church, read Scripture, and pray—and still allow other things to gradually occupy places in our hearts that should belong to God.
The question is no longer simply, “Did I hear the Word?”
The question becomes:
“What else am I allowing to grow in my heart alongside the Word?”
Not everything competing for your heart will look sinful. Some things may be responsibilities, ambitions, relationships, opportunities, or legitimate concerns. But even good things can become dangerous when they begin taking the place that belongs to God.
Application:
Examine what is receiving your attention, energy, thoughts, and affection.
Ask yourself:
“Is anything growing in my life that is beginning to compete with my relationship with God?”
If God reveals something, don’t wait until it completely overtakes your spiritual life. Deal with it while you can still recognize what is happening.
Pastor Tommy’s Life Lesson:
Be careful what you allow to grow beside the Word. Whatever you continually feed will eventually compete for control of your heart.
When the Cares of This World Take Over
Matthew 13:22
“…and the care of this world…”
Teaching:
Jesus now identifies one of the things that can choke the Word: the care of this world.
Church, Jesus understands that life comes with responsibilities. There are families to care for. Bills to pay. Decisions to make. Jobs to work. Problems to solve. There are situations that demand our attention.
The danger begins when the cares of life become the controlling focus of our hearts.
There is a difference between having concerns and allowing those concerns to have you.
Worry can consume our thoughts until we spend more time thinking about the problem than thinking about the promises of God. Anxiety about tomorrow can become so loud that we can no longer hear what God is saying today.
And notice how Jesus describes it: the cares of this world choke the Word.
Choking is often gradual.
One worry becomes another worry.
One responsibility becomes another responsibility.
One distraction becomes another distraction.
And little by little, prayer gets pushed aside. Time in God’s Word becomes inconsistent. Worship becomes difficult. Our minds become consumed with everything happening around us.
The Word has not lost its power. Our hearts have become overcrowded.
Jesus warned about this same danger in Matthew 6:31–33 when He told us not to be consumed with what we will eat, drink, or wear, but to “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.”
God is not telling us to ignore our responsibilities. He is telling us not to allow our responsibilities to replace our dependence upon Him.
Application:
Take an honest look at what has been occupying your thoughts lately.
Ask yourself:
“Am I carrying something in my mind that God has been asking me to place into His hands?”
When worry begins growing, bring it to God in prayer. Return to His Word. Remind yourself of His promises. Handle the responsibilities God has given you, but refuse to allow those responsibilities to become greater in your heart than the God who is carrying you through them.
Pastor Tommy’s Life Lesson:
You can have responsibilities without allowing your responsibilities to have your heart. Take care of what God has placed in your hands, but keep your heart in His hands.
The Deceitfulness of Riches
Matthew 13:22
“…and the deceitfulness of riches…”
Teaching:
Jesus identifies another thorn that can choke the Word: the deceitfulness of riches.
Notice that Jesus does not simply say riches. He says the deceitfulness of riches.
Church, money itself is not the problem. Scripture does not teach that possessing resources is sinful. The danger comes when money, possessions, success, or financial security begins promising us something that only God can provide.
Riches can deceive us into believing:
“If I just had a little more, I would finally be secure.”
“If I could reach this level of success, I would finally be satisfied.”
“If I had enough money, I wouldn’t have to worry anymore.”
But there is always another level. Another purchase. Another goal. Another opportunity. Another reason to want more.
That is the deception.
What begins as something we possess can eventually become something that possesses us.
Jesus warned in Matthew 6:24:
“Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
The issue is not whether we have money. The issue is whether money has our heart.
God may bless us with resources. He may give us opportunities. He may prosper the work of our hands. But those blessings must never become more important to us than the One who provided them.
When our pursuit of financial security becomes greater than our pursuit of God, the thorns are beginning to grow.
When gaining more becomes more important than becoming more like Christ, the thorns are beginning to grow.
When we compromise God’s Word because we are afraid of losing money, position, possessions, or opportunity, the thorns are beginning to choke the Word.
Application:
Examine your relationship with money, possessions, success, and security.
Ask yourself:
“Am I trusting God as my source, or am I beginning to trust what I possess?”
Thank God for every blessing He provides, but hold those blessings with an open hand. Use what God gives you according to His purposes, and never allow what is temporary to take the place of the One who is eternal.
Pastor Tommy’s Life Lesson:
There is nothing wrong with having something in your hand. The danger begins when what is in your hand takes possession of your heart. Let God be your source, your security, and your greatest treasure.
Movement 4 — “When the Word Becomes Unfruitful.”
Matthew 13:22
“…choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.”
Teaching:
Jesus now shows us the final result of allowing the thorns to remain: they choke the Word, and the person becomes unfruitful.
Church, notice something important. Jesus does not say that the seed lost its power.
The Word is still the Word.
The truth is still the truth.
God’s promises are still God’s promises.
The problem is not the seed. The problem is what has been allowed to grow around it.
That word choke gives us a powerful picture. The thorns gradually surround the healthy plant and compete for what it needs to grow. Eventually, what should have produced fruit is restricted by everything growing around it.
And spiritually, that can happen slowly.
Prayer becomes less important.
Time in the Word becomes less consistent.
Worship gets pushed aside.
Obedience gets delayed.
The things of God are continually moved farther down the list of priorities.
Nothing may appear to change overnight, but eventually there is little spiritual fruit being produced.
Church, busyness is not the same thing as fruitfulness.
You can have a full calendar and an empty spirit.
You can be successful in the eyes of the world and still be spiritually unfruitful.
You can know Scripture, attend church, and hear good teaching, yet allow so many other things to occupy your heart that the Word is no longer changing the way you live.
Jesus said in John 15:5:
“He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit.”
Fruitfulness comes from abiding in Christ.
The answer to the thorns is not simply trying harder. We must continually examine our hearts and remove anything that is competing with our relationship with God.
Sometimes we have to say no to something good so we can continue saying yes to what God has called us to do.
Sometimes we have to remove a distraction.
Sometimes we have to change a priority.
Sometimes we have to surrender something we have been holding too tightly.
Because God did not plant His Word in us merely so that it could survive.
He planted His Word in us so that it could produce fruit.
Application:
Take an honest inventory of your life.
Ask yourself:
“What is receiving so much of my time, attention, energy, or affection that it may be choking what God is trying to produce in me?”
If God reveals a thorn, don’t protect it. Remove it.
Make room for prayer. Make room for God’s Word. Make room for worship. Make room for obedience. Make room for the things that strengthen your relationship with Christ.
And remember: removing the thorns is not about creating an empty life. It is about creating room for a fruitful life.
Pastor Tommy’s Life Lesson:
Don’t allow temporary things to choke eternal things. Guard your heart, protect the Word God has planted in you, and make room for your life to produce the fruit God intended.
How to Keep the Word From Being Choked
Jesus’ warning in Matthew 13:22 is not simply about recognizing the thorns. It is an invitation to examine what we are allowing to grow in our hearts.
The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, distractions, and competing priorities can gradually occupy the space that should belong to God’s Word.
But we do not have to allow the thorns to take over.
We can intentionally guard our hearts, establish godly priorities, surrender our worries to God, and make room for His Word to continue producing fruit.
The question is not simply, “What is growing in my life?” The deeper question is, “Is anything growing that is choking what God is trying to produce in me?”
1. Identify What Is Competing for Your Heart
Scripture: Proverbs 4:23
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
Teaching:
Solomon tells us to guard our hearts carefully because what is allowed into the heart eventually influences the direction of our lives.
Church, thorns do not always announce themselves.
Sometimes they begin as something small. A concern becomes constant worry. A responsibility becomes an obsession. An opportunity becomes a pursuit that consumes all of our attention. Something we enjoy gradually becomes something we cannot seem to live without.
That is why we must regularly examine what is happening in our hearts.
Ask yourself:
What receives most of my attention?
What occupies my thoughts when I wake up?
What am I constantly worried about?
What am I pursuing most passionately?
What has been taking time away from my relationship with God?
Those questions can help us recognize the thorns before they choke the Word.
Not everything competing for your heart will necessarily be sinful. Family, work, finances, goals, responsibilities, and opportunities can all be good things.
But church, a good thing can become a dangerous thing when it begins taking God’s place in your heart.
The purpose of examining our hearts is not condemnation. It is allowing the Holy Spirit to show us where something needs to be reordered, surrendered, or removed.
Application:
Take some quiet time before God and ask:
“Lord, is anything competing with You for my heart?”
Then be willing to listen.
Look honestly at your time, priorities, thoughts, relationships, responsibilities, and pursuits. If something has begun crowding out prayer, Scripture, worship, obedience, or your relationship with Christ, don’t ignore it.
Deal with the thorn while it is still small.
Pastor Tommy’s Life Lesson:
Whatever you refuse to examine can quietly begin controlling you. Guard your heart, identify the thorns early, and don’t allow anything to take the place that belongs to God.
2. Give Your Worries to God
Scripture: 1 Peter 5:7
“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
Teaching:
Jesus warned in Matthew 13:22 about “the care of this world.” Peter gives us the answer for what to do when those cares begin weighing heavily upon our hearts: cast them upon God.
Church, God never intended for you to carry every burden by yourself.
There will be responsibilities you cannot avoid. There will be situations you cannot immediately change. There will be questions you cannot answer and circumstances you cannot control.
But there is a difference between carrying a responsibility and carrying the worry connected to that responsibility.
You may have to deal with the situation, but you do not have to allow the situation to dominate your heart.
Peter says, “Casting all your care upon him.”
Not some of it.
All of it.
Bring God the family concern.
Bring Him the financial pressure.
Bring Him the uncertainty about tomorrow.
Bring Him the situation you cannot fix.
Bring Him the burden that keeps occupying your thoughts.
And notice why Peter tells us we can do this:
“For he careth for you.”
We surrender our cares to God because we know God cares for us.
Prayer does not mean we pretend the problem does not exist. Prayer means we refuse to allow the problem to become greater in our hearts than the God who is helping us through it.
Application:
Identify the worry that has been occupying your thoughts the most.
Then bring that specific concern before God in prayer.
Tell Him what you are afraid of. Tell Him what you cannot control. Ask Him for wisdom concerning whatever action you need to take—and then surrender the outcome to Him.
And when that worry tries to return, give it back to God again.
Don’t keep watering the thorn with worry when you can water your faith with prayer.
Pastor Tommy’s Life Lesson:
You may not be able to control everything happening around you, but you can decide where you place what is happening within you. Put your worries in God’s hands, because His hands are stronger than yours.
3. Put God’s Kingdom First
Scripture: Matthew 6:33
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Teaching:
Jesus gives us one of the clearest answers to the cares and distractions of this world: put God’s Kingdom first.
Notice that Jesus does not say that the other things in life do not matter. We still have families. We still have responsibilities. We still have work to do, decisions to make, bills to pay, and needs to meet.
But Jesus teaches us that there must be an order to our priorities.
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God.”
Church, whatever comes first will influence everything that follows.
When God is first, we begin making decisions differently.
When God is first, we handle our resources differently.
When God is first, we approach our relationships differently.
When God is first, we respond to pressure differently.
When God is first, we measure success differently.
The danger Jesus exposes in Matthew 13:22 is that other things can gradually move into the place that belongs to God.
It may not happen intentionally.
We become busy.
We start pursuing a goal.
We become focused on making more money.
Our schedules become crowded.
And little by little, God receives what is left instead of receiving what is first.
That is how the thorns begin taking over.
Church, God does not want to be another item on our list of priorities. He must be the One who establishes our priorities.
Seeking God’s Kingdom first means asking:
“What does God want?”
before simply asking:
“What do I want?”
It means allowing His Word to guide our decisions, our schedules, our finances, our relationships, and our ambitions.
And Jesus gives us a promise: when we seek His Kingdom and righteousness first, we can trust our Father with everything else we need.
Application:
Look honestly at your priorities.
Ask yourself:
“Does the way I spend my time, energy, attention, and resources demonstrate that God’s Kingdom is first in my life?”
If something has moved ahead of God, don’t make excuses for it. Put it back in its proper place.
Begin your day with God. Make room for His Word. Protect your prayer time. Seek His direction before making important decisions. And before pursuing an opportunity, ask whether it moves you toward God’s purpose or simply adds another thorn to an already crowded life.
Pastor Tommy’s Life Lesson:
When God is first, everything else can find its proper place. Don’t give God what is left after life takes everything else—give Him first place, and let Him order the rest.
4. Protect Your Spiritual Fruitfulness
Scripture: John 15:4–5
“Abide in me, and I in you… he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit.”
Teaching:
Jesus tells us that spiritual fruitfulness comes from one essential relationship: abiding in Him.
Church, fruit does not appear simply because a branch works harder. Fruit develops because the branch remains connected to the source of its life.
Jesus said:
“For without me ye can do nothing.”
That brings us directly back to Matthew 13:22.
The thorny heart heard the Word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches were allowed to grow until they choked the Word and the person became unfruitful.
God does not want us merely hearing His Word.
He wants His Word producing something in us.
He wants it producing faith.
He wants it producing obedience.
He wants it producing love.
He wants it producing patience.
He wants it producing spiritual maturity.
He wants it producing a life that reflects Jesus Christ.
That means we must protect what keeps us connected to Christ.
Protect your time in God’s Word.
Protect your prayer life.
Protect your worship.
Protect your obedience.
Protect the relationships that strengthen your walk with God.
And be willing to remove anything that continually pulls your heart away from Him.
Church, we cannot remove the thorns once and assume they will never return. A garden must continually be tended.
In the same way, we must continually examine our hearts.
When worry begins growing—pull it out.
When material things begin controlling us—pull it out.
When our priorities become disordered—pull it out.
When distractions begin crowding out our relationship with God—pull them out.
Why?
Because there is something God wants to produce through your life.
Application:
Ask yourself:
“Is my relationship with Christ producing visible spiritual fruit in my life?”
Don’t measure fruitfulness only by how busy you are, how much you know, or how many spiritual activities you participate in.
Look for transformation.
Am I becoming more loving?
More faithful?
More obedient?
More patient?
More forgiving?
More like Christ?
Then ask:
“Is there anything in my life that is interfering with that fruitfulness?”
If God shows you a thorn, surrender it. Protect your connection with Christ and continue abiding in Him.
Pastor Tommy’s Life Lesson:
God did not plant His Word in your heart just so you could hear it. He planted His Word so your life could bear fruit. Guard what God is growing in you, stay connected to Christ, and don’t let the thorns steal your harvest.
Guard What God Is Growing in You
Closing Teaching:
Jesus gives us a serious warning in Matthew 13:22. The Word was heard. The seed was planted. Growth was possible. But something else was allowed to grow alongside it.
The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches began competing with the Word until the Word was choked and the person became unfruitful.
Church, this teaches us something important:
Not everything that damages our spiritual lives comes suddenly. Some things happen gradually.
A little more worry.
A little less prayer.
A little more busyness.
A little less time in the Word.
A little more pursuit of things.
A little less pursuit of God.
And before we realize what has happened, things that were never supposed to control our hearts have begun occupying the space that belongs to God.
But the good news is this:
The seed has not lost its power.
God’s Word is still alive.
God’s Word is still powerful.
God’s Word can still transform your life.
God’s Word can still produce fruit.
The question is whether we are willing to remove what is competing with it.
Sometimes God will show us something that needs to be surrendered.
Sometimes He will tell us to change a priority.
Sometimes He will reveal a worry we have been carrying instead of giving it to Him.
Sometimes He will expose something we have been pursuing that has gradually become more important than our relationship with Him.
When God shows you the thorn, don’t protect the thorn. Pull it out.
Guard your heart. Give your worries to God. Put His Kingdom first. Stay connected to Christ.
Because God did not plant His Word in your heart simply so you could hear another message.
He planted His Word because He intends for your life to produce fruit.
Key Takeaway:
The Word cannot produce the fruit God intends when we continually allow other things to compete for our hearts.
Jesus shows us in Matthew 13:22 that the seed was not the problem. The thorns were the problem.
The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, worry, distractions, and misplaced priorities can gradually occupy so much of our hearts that God’s Word no longer has room to produce the fruit it was intended to produce.
Church, we must guard what God is growing in us.
When worry begins growing, give it to God.
When your priorities become crowded, put His Kingdom first.
When material things begin competing for your heart, remember that God is your source.
When distractions begin pulling you away from Christ, return to the One who gives you life.
Don’t keep feeding the thorns and then wonder why the fruit is disappearing.
God’s Word has not lost its power. Make room for it. Protect it. Obey it. Abide in Christ and allow His Word to continue transforming your life.
The thorns may be growing around you, but they do not have to grow within you. Guard your heart and protect your spiritual fruitfulness.
Final Reflection:
Before we finish, take a moment and ask yourself:
What is growing in my heart alongside the Word of God?
Jesus warns us in Matthew 13:22 that the Word can be heard, received, and planted—and yet the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches can gradually choke what God is trying to produce.
Church, sometimes the greatest threat to our spiritual growth is not something obviously wrong.
Sometimes it is simply too many other things competing for first place.
What has been occupying your thoughts?
What have you been worrying about?
What are you pursuing?
Where is most of your time and energy going?
Has anything become so important that your prayer life has suffered, your time in God’s Word has decreased, or your relationship with Christ is no longer receiving your best?
Don’t ignore what the Holy Spirit reveals.
If God shows you a thorn, give Him permission to remove it.
Maybe today you need to surrender a worry.
Maybe you need to rearrange your priorities.
Maybe you need to loosen your grip on something material.
Maybe you simply need to make room for God again.
Make this your prayer:
“Lord, search my heart and show me anything that is competing with Your Word. Help me surrender my worries, put Your Kingdom first, and remove anything that is choking what You are trying to produce in me. Keep my heart focused on You, and let Your Word grow freely in my life so that I may produce the fruit You desire.”
Church, God’s Word has not lost its power.
The seed is still good.
So guard your heart. Pull out the thorns. Stay connected to Christ.
And make room for God’s Word to produce fruit that remains.
CONTINUE THE SERIES
Part 6 — Fruit That Remains
Matthew 13:23
Jesus now brings the Parable of the Sower to its fruitful conclusion. After showing us the hardened heart, the shallow heart, and the crowded heart, He describes the seed that falls upon good ground.
In Matthew 13:23, Jesus reveals what happens when a person hears the Word, understands the Word, and allows the Word to produce fruit in their life.
Some produce a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty—but the evidence of good ground is that fruit is being produced.
In Part 6, we will discover what it means to become good ground, how God’s Word produces lasting spiritual fruit, and why genuine growth is measured not simply by what we hear, but by what our lives produce.
Continue with Part 6 and discover how a heart that receives, understands, and obeys God’s Word can produce fruit that remains.