Sunday, September 20, 2020
SERIES INTRODUCTION:
How many times do we hear these sermons built from and based on His word for our lives - only to find ourselves days or weeks later struggling to live them out and/or barely remembering them? We would venture to say this happens quite a bit and for many various reasons. The purpose of this series is to help you not only be a hearer of His word, but a doer as well, blessing your life beyond measure!
JAMES 1:22-24 NIV
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
One of the reasons we find ourselves hearing and NOT doing is because of something we’re going to call –> WRONG SOIL.
MATTHEW 13:1-9;18-23 NLT
Later that day…Jesus sat beside the lake. 2 A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore. 3 He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4 As he scattered them across his field, SOME seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! 9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” … 18 “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: 19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
Soil is important.
4 Soils Jesus says can represent our lives…
1. Soil on the
2. Soil on the
3. Soil with
4.
Your life’s soil has everything to do with the presence or absence of spiritual growth in your life.
Wrong Soil #1
“The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts.”
Understanding has everything to do with focus.
1 CORINTHIANS 2:12 NIV
What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.
WRONG SOIL #2
“The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. “
Promised passions REQUIRE determination and persistence.
WRONG SOIL #3
The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.
Don’t allow L-I-F-E to take you away from your spiritual commitments.
When life is challenging me, the last person I need to focus on is ME.
THE GOOD SOIL
“The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
In an agrarian context - the above results are not in any way considered normal. But, that’s the powerful results that follows your biblical obedience!
HEBREWS 2:1 NIV
We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
The Goal: Hearing and doing.
The Result: Eternal reward.
Closing thought…
Be encouraged to use today’s message as an invitation to pursue a life that lives out the message you just received! There’s incredible blessing in it and indescribable reward waiting on the other side of it. We sincerely pray today’s talk becomes your experienced reality!
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