Delayed Harvest - Matt 13 / Mark 4/ Luke 8
November 20, 2022
miracles do happen… in general, most happened in 3 periods of biblical history…
Moses and Joshua… Elijah and Elisha… Jesus and apostles… miracles not typical…
Exo 34:10… “I will perform miracles… all people will see the power of the Lord…”
Josh 24:17… “He performed mighty miracles before our eyes…”
1Kings 17… “always be flour and oil in your containers… until God sends rain…”
2Kings 5… “Naaman dipped in Jordan 7 times… healed… skin became like child…”
Matt 21:15… “people saw wonderful miracles… heard children shouting praise…”
Acts 8; 19… “Philip performed great miracles… Paul had power to do miracles…”
must go to the source in order to see a miracle… only source is the Gospel…
Rom 1:16-17… “gospel… THE power for salvation… to everyone who believes…”
dynamis… physical, moral, financial power and ability; power for performing miracles….
Gal 3:5… “God does miracles… because you believe message heard about Christ…”
immediate harvests are possible… but delayed harvests are more common… pray…
Luke 8:11-15… “seed in good ground… these are the ones who, having heard word with honest and good heart… hold on to it… and by enduring, produce a harvest…”
one of our issues is IWWIWWIWI disease… I want what I want when I want it… Amazon is working on IWWIWBIWI… I want what I want before I want it… predict next order and send even before you click submit…
Isa 30:15… “in rest you shall be victorious… trust shall be your strength…”
Exo 14:13… “don’t be afraid… be still and watch the Lord rescue you today…”
Psa 37:7… “be still in the presence of the Lord… wait patiently for Him to act… don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes…”
Psa 46:10… “be still and know I am God… I will be honored by every nation…”
do you know why Jesus used parables… many think it was to help us understand… actually, it was to hide things from people who didn’t have a heart for God…
Mark 4:10-13… “you are permitted to understand… I use parables for everything I say to outsiders… when they hear what I say, they will not understand… then Jesus turned to them… if you can’t understand the meaning of this parable… how will you understand others…”
God doesn’t share secrets with those who have no heart for Him… but doesn’t hide answers from His children who do… must understand this parable for harvest…
Matt 13:3-23… “sower went to sow seeds… some went on road, birds devoured… some on stony places, scorched and withered… some among thorns, were choked… seed on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand… produce harvest 30, 60, 100 times…”
seed is word… I’m sower… your heart is soil… not my responsibility to get seed to grow… not God’s… it’s yours… soil of your heart determines harvest…
Mark 4:26-29… “soil produces crop… as soon as it is ready… harvest comes…”
1Pet 1:23:25… “incorruptible seed… thru word of God… by which gospel was preached…”
On the Path
seed on road stolen by birds… birds represent evil spirits… come when you don’t understand and immediately take seed before it can take root… long before devil steals health, provision, peace… steals word from your heart… gets us distracted, busy, worried… uses people to steal understanding… careful who you hang with…
Matt 13:4… “as he sowed… some seed fell on path… birds came and devoured…”
Matt 13:19… “when anyone hears word and doesn’t understand it… evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart… this is the one sown along path…”
Rom 16:17… “watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine you have been taught (keep a sharp eye out for those who take bits and pieces of the teaching you have learned and use them to make trouble, give these people a wide berth)…”
Titus 3:10-11… “if people are causing division… have nothing to do with them…”
On Rocky Ground
hear word… results don’t come right away… get offended, give up… fight starts moment you believe… devil can’t let word stay… brings trouble so you’ll quit… believe in healing, get sick… believe in provision, get extra bills… wants you to doubt God’s word… hang in there… never see harvest if you walk away…
Matt 13:5-6… “seed on rocky ground… didn’t have much soil… grew quickly… when sun came up, it was scorched… had no root so it withered away…”
Matt 13:20-21… “seed on rocky ground… hears and immediately receives with joy… has no root and is short-lived… when trouble comes because of the word… he falls away…”
Acts 14:22… “continue in faith… go thru many hardships to enter kingdom…”
Eph 6:13… “take up full armor of God… resist in this evil day…”
1Pet 4:12… “when fiery ordeal arises to test you… don’t be surprised…”
Among Thorns
worry, care, stress, wealth, pleasures of world choke harvest… nothing happens… way too busy… what do kids need more of, less… stop habit of missing church…
Matt 13:7… “other seed fell among thorns… thorns came up and choked it…”
Matt 13:22… “hears… worry, deceit of wealth choke… it becomes unfruitful…”
Mark 4… “cares, riches, desires for other things… choke word… become unfruitful…”
Luke 8… “go their way… choked with worries, riches, pleasures… no mature fruit…”
Col 1:10… “bear fruit in every good work… as you grow in knowledge of God…”
Heb 10:25… “don’t give up meeting together… as some are in the habit of doing…”
Watching church on a livestream is like watching a fireplace on a screen. You see it but you don’t feel the warmth. Go to church. —Jonathan Herron
On Good Ground
this heart accepts word… doesn’t reject… keeps hearing… grows in understanding… trusts and believes God… even before we see answers… plant specific seed for specific harvest… not always immediate… don’t pull seed up too early…
Matt 13:8… “seed on good ground… produced fruit 100,60,30 times what sown…”
Matt 13:23… “one who hears and understands… produce fruit 100,60,30 times…”
Mark 4… “hear word and receive it (accept, not reject; acknowledge as one’s own)…”
Jesus follows this important parable with another… don’t worry about when or how seed will grow… soil is your part… perfect seed is God’s part… practice what you’re learning (hear, believe, speak, rest, trust, receive)… harvest will come… pray…
Mark 4:26-27… “kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed… night and day… asleep and awake… the seed sprouts and grows… he doesn’t know how…”
Gal 6:7-9 MSG… “what a person plants, he will harvest… one who plants in response to God… letting the HS do the work… harvests a crop of real life… if we don’t give up or quit…”
Phil 4:9… “do what you learned, received, heard, seen in me… peace be with you..”