We welcome you to the VI Zion Sermon Podcast.
We are a church based out of Chennai, India.
We are thrilled that you tuned in today and hope that you will
be refreshed, revived and energized by what you hear.
Our desire is that you will live life with a renewed sense of
purpose that stems from a vibrant faith in Jesus.
The year 2025 is 1 where we will be positioned by God to possess
our promise. We start a new sermon series
called Rekindled where we look closer at our own lives and ask
the Holy Spirit to revive and restore things that have gone
dormant in the dry seasons of our souls.
We pray that this series will help you dive deeper into
yourself and see where you need more of God.
What a joy it is to be in the. House of God, Amen.
How many of you are? Thrilled to be here, yes?
We all made it against all odds so.
Brace be to Jesus for that. So like we just saw.
Our new series is called Rekindled on the Heels of the
Pentecost Sunday. Where we were filled by the fire
of God. We're now going to be.
Staying. Rekindled.
Because what happens with the? Flame is it tends to die down
and we noticed like when we started preparing for this, we
saw in our own lives. That our faith.
Hope and love had kind of. Started to slow down.
And we felt like God was reminding us that I want to
rekindle it. And so that's we're kind of
dragging you guys along for the. Ride as well.
So today. We're going to be looking.
It's actually a two-part thing. We're doing Part 1 today.
Which is called a fertile faith. We look last, last.
Week from the life of Daniel and his friends.
At what it looks like for. Faith to be tried in a fire,
right? But today we're going to be
looking at what it means to be. To have a fertile.
Faith. And isn't it ironic?
Just below us is a fertility clinic.
So all of us have it up to here what what fertility is.
But I want to look at a different analogy today.
OK, we're going to be looking at.
Last week, Geshum talked about us being like trees.
Planted and justice Recently I was I'm always up on my terrace
every evening. But so I have this.
Envy, a holy envy. You should say of.
My neighbour's garden OK. So we have a dog.
So we cannot have a proper garden.
We converted it fully to stone and so that, you know, she
doesn't get sick rolling around in the mud.
But my neighbor has the mud and the, you know, the whole.
Setup like the way the builders gave it to us.
And she's got an amazing garden. Her plants lean over into my
yard. And I love it, love it.
But there's always this thing of God, what's wrong with me?
Why are my potted plants so lame compared to her three banana
trees and her 10 hibiscus plants and the trumpet flowers and this
and that. So I went to the terrace this
week and I was standing on the terrace and this is the view
that I got. I want you.
Just to play that for us, it's just a short clip I took.
So this is a view from the terrace.
That's Auntie's yard, and this is mine, right?
The noise that you hear. Is the STP.
Running in her yard. So we all have STP.
Connection sewage treatment plants, the water comes the
water has more microbes in it so.
Therefore the water adds to the fertility.
So for like the past. Seven years I have consoled
myself by saying don't worry Tina, they have STP running, you
don't. Because you have a.
Dog, you can't put the STP on, therefore the plants.
Are so good, but. When I watched this from up.
Top What is the? Glaring difference between both
our gardens. What is the glaring?
Difference. There's no.
Mud in mind, there's no soil. How on earth am I fighting with
God for me to have good plans? I don't have soil, I have stone.
Right. And so I.
Realised being the amazing botanist I was, obviously it was
not money well spent for my parents.
That the deal breaker was the soil.
It was not the STP. It was not the sunlight because
we all received the same sunlight.
I have access to the same STP. But the problem was in mine the
soil was contained to potted plants was very limited.
It was very structured because I like.
Things in order. I don't.
Like haphazard stuff. And therefore God was reminding
me the issue. Is the soil.
It is in the water. Thank you for that and.
Last week, we looked. At how all of us sometimes feel
we're in an exile, correct? We feel like we're in between.
Things we haven't. Reached yet?
God, I've been. Praying for these things.
It's not been happening. But God is.
Calling us to this place of revitalizing our.
Soil, which is our faith. King Solomon writes this very
interesting thing in Songs of Solomon verse.
Chapter 4, verses 12 to 14. He says a garden.
Enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a spring shut up, a
fountain seal. Your plants are an orchard of
pomegranates with pleasant fruits, fragrant henna with
spike nuts, spike nuts, saffron, calamus, cinnamon.
With all trees of. Frankincense, mores and aloes.
With all the chief spices the bottom.
Line is this he's talking. About Christ and the Bride.
And each of us constitute the bride, correct?
And our. Lives are like gardens.
Our lives are like gardens and the different.
Aspects of our life the different.
Roles and responsibilities are like.
Trees in that life. Trees in that garden.
And the thing that supports that life is the soil of our faith.
Jeremiah says this to those in. Exile, he says in Jeremiah 17.
He says those who trust in the Lord will be.
Like a well watered tree, he says.
Those who don't? Trust in the Lord.
Will be like a desert shrub pushed.
Here and there by the wind. What is the difference?
One is rooted in soil, 1 is not so my.
Question to you is have. You done a faith check.
Have you done like a? Temperature check of your faith
today. Because this is something we
just take for granted. Oh, I'm born in a Christian
home. I became a Christian.
My faith is OK. I believe in Jesus, what more do
I need? But today I want to.
Challenge you to think deeper on your faith.
Is your faith fertile? Is your faith.
Fertile, you know, and the thing about you might ask me, why
should my faith be? Fertile isn't a basic level.
One faith OK only. A fertile faith will birth.
Supernatural things. An ordinary sterile faith won't
do anything. It'll just.
Keep me at believing in Jesus, but God is moving me into
places. Where I need to be?
Believing for the impossible. How many of you are believing
for restoration in the most awkward?
Places. How many of you are believing
for extension of your? Territory so that you can.
Do more in business. These are impossible things, and
only if we. Have faith only if we have
faith. Will be make it?
Will it be even called? For right?
Now I want to leave. With you this faith soil.
Connection before we start, you might think.
This sounds so new. I don't know whether faith and
soil are connected. You know what?
The apostle Paul in Hebrews. 11/1 says faith is the substance
of things hoped. For.
Substance is basically a ground reality.
It's what holds everything together, and we know that
without faith it is impossible. To please God.
So faith is everything our lives are built on as.
Believers Ephesians 2, verse 8 says for by grace.
You have been saved. Through faith, which means.
Faith is the baseline. Everything I do or don't.
Do will be based on that faith. And you might think.
Well, it still. Doesn't make the connection
between soil and faith. Let's go to what Jesus?
Taught on this Mark, chapter 4, verses 26 to 29.
He's teaching a parable. He says it's the parable of the
growing seed, verse 26. He also.
Said this is what the. Kingdom of God is like a man
scatters seed on the ground, night and day, whether he.
Sleeps or get up the. Seed sprouts and grows, though
he does not know how, all by. Itself, the soil produces grain
first, the stalk. Then the head, then the full
kernel in the head as soon as the grain.
Is ripe. He puts the sickle to it because
the harvest has come. I.
Want you to look at this one line verse 28.
All by itself the soil produces. Grain.
The grain didn't do anything. It was just there.
The soil produces the grain. Now the interesting thing is
grain doesn't start out as grain grain.
Started out as a seed. And what?
Did Jesus teach about seed? It's the word of God.
So when you look at the word. Seed.
It's actually the the the word of God.
That has been planted. But it is only when the soil is
fertile that the seed. Becomes a grain, and when
something is a grain, it's got incredible amount of usage.
You look at the wheat. Fields of the northern northern
parts of India, the northern plains those grains at the right
time, when harvested, are then made into.
Powder, which we use as. Atta Maida, etcetera.
Right if the. Soil is not fertile.
The seed doesn't change into a grain.
It's all in the soil. It's all in the soil.
If the soil is infertile, it can kill.
A seed, but if the soil is fertile.
It will bring so much out of. That seed and so today.
We want to look at Luke. Chapter 8.
Verse 8. Because Jesus continued his
talk. On fertile soil, he said, still
other seed fell. On fertile soil, this seed.
Grew and produced a crop that was 100 times as much as had
been planted. When he had said this, he called
out. Anyone.
With ears to hear should. Listen and understand what is
he? Talking about this is the
parable of the sore He. Says when it fell on good
fertile soil, it changed into grain.
There was a yield. Is it possible that as followers
of Jesus. Who've had the Salvation
experience? That we can have sterile soil?
Absolutely. Very possible.
We're going to go back to what Jesus himself taught from verse
11, OK? This is the meaning of the.
Parable. The seed is God's Word, The
seeds. That fell on the footpath.
Represent. Those who hear the message.
Only to have the devil. Come and take it away from their
hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved.
The seeds on the rocky soil represent.
Those who hear the message and receive it with joy.
But since they don't have deep roots, they believe for a while.
Then they fall away when they face temptation.
The seeds that. Fell among the thorns represent
those who hear the message. But all too.
Quickly, the message is crowded. Out by the cares.
And riches and pleasures. Of this life.
And so they never grow into maturity, and the seeds that
fell on the good soil represent honest.
Good hearted people who hear God's word cling.
To it and patiently produce. A huge harvest, so there is a
possibility. That we can be.
Followers of Jesus and have a faith which is sterile.
It's a very. Possible thing because look at
the 1st. Kind of soil, he talks.
About no soil like my. Garden.
Just rock. So many times we can meet
somebody. Who we have shared the gospel
with, but there. Is no soil.
To receive the word. So nothing really changes.
Don't beat yourself up about it. You did what you needed to, but
there's a second. Problem.
Sometimes our hearts are. So Rocky.
You know when you. Studied in geography we studied.
About a kind of. Soil called loamy soil.
You remember that? Loamy is basically soil which is
loose and has spaces in it, right?
And so therefore a plant. Put in that the seed put in that
will have space to spread its. Roots and grow and many.
Of us, our hearts are so crowded with the rocks of of.
Temptation of the things that the.
World offers that we don't have space for God's Word to take
root I. Believe in what?
My flesh. Desires.
I don't believe in the. Word of God and therefore.
Maybe your heart has become rocky.
And the third kind of. Rock that the soil that Jesus is
talking. About is the thorny 1.
The thorny 1 is basically where the seed has.
Gone in. You've heard the word you're.
Absorbing it, but something else is also coexisting with your
word. With the word of God, it's the
the treasures of your life, the harsh realities of what we go
through. And I think most of us come into
this category. Where with the word of God
there's this weed of stress growing?
There's the weed of anxiety. There's the weed of.
Cares and heaviness. Because we live in such.
A time, right? There's also.
Like Jesus said, the pleasures. Of this world, that's another
weed. And The thing is, I want to ask
you which kind. Of soil are you holding?
In your heart. Today, is it rocky?
Is it tawny? Is it just a plain path where
there's no room? For the world to go in because
God is. Calling us into this place of
saying here I want your. Faith to be so fertile.
That I can do these things you cannot.
Imagine how many of you want supernatural things to happen in
your lifetime. We need a fertile faith.
And today we're going to be. Studying the life of one woman
in the Bible. We often look at her life just.
In the in the context of women who want children.
But I believe her life is so powerful.
Because it is not just for women, it is for.
Every believer of Jesus to. Model how to live with?
Faith we're going to look at the story of.
Hannah Hannah, the mother of Samuel.
Just to give you a bit of background for those of you who.
Don't know about her. She was married to this man
called El Khanna. He had another wife who had
children, but Hannah didn't have kids and it says.
Over there the Lord had. Closed her womb.
And so she was OK. El Khanna loved her.
Loved. Her so much.
Gave her extra portion of. Food, but the rival wife
provoked her to sadness. Right.
And so this, every time they would come to the temple, you
know, they have to come once a year for this.
Festival, they would come there. And she would be so.
Broken because of what? This.
Woman was putting her through and this is where we meet her in
One Samuel chapter 1 verses 10 to 18.
As we read it, I want you to remember this one thing.
Hannah may have been barren. Physically, but her faith.
Was far from barren. It was a very fertile faith.
That's why we're going to look at her verse 10.
Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she.
Prayed to the. Lord, and she made this.
Vow O. Lord of ancient Heavens armies.
If you will look. Upon my sorrow, and answer my
prayer, and give me her son, then I will give him back to
you. He will be yours.
For his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been.
Dedicated to the Lord His. Hair will never be cut.
The first sign of a fertile faith.
First sign. Is that we'll always seek.
God's Kingdom first. It will not be about our will.
It won't be about our expansion. It will be about the.
Kingdom. Look at this, she's asking God
for a child. And she's.
Vowing to give the child. Back for a lifetime.
Those of us who've had kids, it's a very hard prayer to pray.
Lord, I give them off to you. We say that in words.
But heart of hearts, the. Strings are so tight but here
she's saying I'll give him and what is the sign I will not?
Cut his hair basically she was saying he'll.
Be a Nazarene, he'll. Be set apart.
And so she cared more than what she wanted.
Yes. Was there disgrace associated?
With Baroness in those. Days, yes.
But she didn't mind all that she said.
You give him to me, I'll give him back it.
Was like offering the first fruits.
Before the first fruit even arrived.
Isn't that amazing? What are you and I waiting for?
But we're. Waiting because it's our Kingdom
that needs to be expanded, our financial growth, our carrier
growth. Have you said lot but let your.
Kingdom come, let. Your will be done.
Fertile faith seeks first God's. Kingdom.
And you know, I'm amazed at Eli's response.
He's the example. Of a sterile faith.
You know why he and his sons, Eli, had not brought up his sons
well. So his sons were doing all kinds
of nonsense in the courts. They were sleeping with women,
they were holding up the offerings that were coming, and
they were living so unrighteously.
That God was going to. Wipe them out and he would use
Samuel. To replace his priesthood, but.
Here's the thing. This is what Eli right?
Says to him. He says to her, stop.
Your drinking, give up your drink.
Look at how. Distant he must be from the
heart of God to not discern when someone needed help and this.
Is what she replies. As she was praying.
Eli watched her, seeing her lips moving.
But. Hearing no sound, he thought she
had been drinking. Must you come here drunk?
He demanded. Throw away your wine, verse 15.
Oh, no, Sir, she replied. I haven't been drinking wine or
anything stronger but I'm very discouraged and I was pouring
out my heart to the. Lord.
Don't think I'm a wicked woman, for I have been praying out of
great anguish and sorrow. The second thing about a
fertile. Faith is it calls it like it is.
And yet calls on God. Faith is not denial.
Faith is not being in denial. You.
Got a bad medical report? You don't have to throw.
It in the dustbin and say, well I'm just believing nothing's
wrong with me. It's not denying your reality,
but it is immediately taking the reality.
To the foot of the cross. It is immediately taking my.
Reality to God, did you get cheated in that business
dealing? Yes.
You don't have to deny it. But where do you go with?
It calls it like it is. And yet calls on God too many of
us. I have this problem.
As soon as something goes wrong I have.
Two people that I will. Call.
I won't tell you who they. Are, but they're very close to
me. Before I call on God.
I will call these two people. They're in my family and I will
first listen to their input before I listen to anyone
else's. They will know everything that's
going and every up and down they'll be aware of.
But my mistake has been not to immediately turn and pivot to
God. It's been to.
Talk to these two trusted. Confidants and I don't think
it's just me. A lot of us are like that and
God is saying. You call it like it is.
She's. Saying I am in anguish.
Anguish is the worst kind of suffering.
I'm in anguish. God.
I'm discouraged. You know many Christians will
tell you don't say the word. Depressed.
Don't say you're. Depressed.
If you're depressed, what do you call it?
Call it like it is, but. Call on God, don't look to
anyone else. The beauty of this is.
Hannah didn't look to Eli for. Answers.
She looked straight up. She just.
Informed him, hey, I'm talking to him.
I'm talking to the big man upstairs, you don't worry about
me. And the beautiful thing is, Eli
blesses. Her.
His. Sterile fate suddenly turned
around, he said. I pray.
That you will have. Everything you've asked for.
And so I want to ask you, have you been taught to deny your
reality in the name of faith? Today might be the day we
unlearned that. Don't deny it.
You've been the victim of unfaithfulness.
Call it. Like it is, but call out to God.
Don't take the phone and immediately call that one person
who will say the things you want them to say.
Call on God. There are many people.
Who say today we? Fake it till we make it.
That's not the Christian faith. You don't need to fake anything
with him, Hannah called it like. It is.
And she looked to him. Verse 17 in that.
Case, Eli said. Go in.
Peace may the. God of Israel, grant the request
you have asked. Of him.
Oh, thank you, Sir. She exclaimed.
Then she went back and began to eat.
Again. And she was no.
Longer sad how many of your problem when you start to sulk,
you don't know when to stop in our family when we were growing
up. I was the facelifter.
That's what my dad used to call. They correct me.
I will. Lift my face.
I won't know when to stop because I get hungry after
point. Hour.
One hour. How long can you be angry in
your room? But look at the beauty of
Hannah. The the very fact was she laid
the request. Down turns around because she
called on God, not on Eli, not on El Khan.
I look at El Khan. I was just thinking.
He's the. Typical foot and mouth husband.
Am I not worth more to you than sons?
She's probably thinking, no, I want a son.
You're not going to fit. That space.
But the beautiful thing is. She let God be God.
And a sign. Of a fertile faith is.
Knowing that, I've left it with him now.
Let him do what he wants. He can do whatever God.
Your will. Not mine, so a fertile.
Faith allows God to be God for those of us who are CEOs.
Of our own life, master control freaks, we need to come to this.
Place of saying Lord, I'll let you be God.
This is not happening on my timeline, so I will take my
hands off the pedal. I'll take my.
Feet off the gas, I will let you lead the way.
The point is this, we don't pray and let go.
We pray and hold on. Sometimes we let go and then
we're worried. Should I have been holding on?
Title you know, but God is saying you can trust.
Me to be God because the way I see.
It on my limited understanding, this is how I picture when I'm
praying for something. When you're praying for
something, God is ordering things supernaturally in the
heavenly realms. That what is.
Working going to work in your. Favour is going to start.
Working for someone else, it will drive someone else's faith.
That door. Will open for someone.
It's all. Happening together and he's
positioning us. For these perfect keros.
Moments and so if. I just let God be God without
forcing. These miracles without.
Forcing these breakthroughs, can you just see what's going to?
Happen in our lives could be amazing and the beautiful thing
was she went back began to eat she was number longer.
Sad. It's a weird detail to add, but
I think. It's important.
Because a lot of. Times we.
Present our request to God. And then we.
Still are so doubtful whether he'll actually.
Come through and then what happens later on is so.
Beautiful because she has this baby.
It says God. Remembers Hannah and gives.
Her this beautiful. Son, and I'm guessing.
He was about 3 or 4 when she. Weaned him and comes and leaves
him in the temple. And think about the level of
surrender. All the moms in the room.
You'll know this is so. Hard this.
One child has come after so many years.
Now you're going to leave him in the care of a man who didn't
look after his sons? Well, you're trusting him to
Eli. But ultimately, she had looked.
To God she kept her word to God. And then there's this beautiful
chapter of Hannah's song. Of praise, so the. 4th symptom
that you have fertile. Faith is.
That you can release unbroken praise in broken times.
Why was it a broken? Time think.
About it she's waited for. Years.
She's relinquishing this kid she doesn't know she's going to have
five more. Kids OK, it's a.
Moment of just surrender and yet in the midst.
Of that, she's praising fertile faith.
Will release unbroken praise in broken times.
Repeatedly in the Bible we see stories of how people praised.
In the hardest of situations, Paul and Silas prison doors
open, but there are many stories also which we don't hear of in
the real world, where praise is being offered.
There's really no breakthrough insight, and that's when it is
in broken times, if you can still.
Raise. Unbroken praise.
It's a sign that your. Faith will outlive you.
It's a sign that your. Faith is so fertile it will not
just support. Your life, it will support many
others. So I want to ask you a few
things before we go on. How is the faith soil of your
life? Everyone in this room, Most of
you. Are believers in Jesus so you
have a basic. You've been saved by faith, but
my question to you is how is the condition of your soil?
Is it so fertile that? Supernatural things can happen.
Is it nourishing you or is it depleting you?
Because there's really not much growing in it.
Interestingly, you know the hard times of our lives.
Harden the soil correct You get repeatedly cheated by people
that part of. You is like I cannot trust
anyone. You have repeated health issues.
You're like God you. Said you'll heal me, but am I
not worth healing? The hard times harden the faith.
Soil. Sometimes our empty seasons will
empty the nutrients. Out of our faith soil.
I don't have anything filled in me.
What am I? How am I going to help anyone
else and I? Progressively get emptier.
And emptier and emptier. But today, before we go.
Further, I'm going to ask if you need the.
Gift of faith. Did you know that the the.
Gift of faith is actually a spiritual gift.
In the book of Corinthians, it says amidst miracles, signs,
wonders, deliverance, all of that.
The gift of faith. And of late I've been asking God
for that because, you know, we ask for these other things.
We want interpretation of tongues.
We want distinguishing between spirits.
Why am I not asking him for the? Gift of faith, Why?
Am I not saying God help? Me believe against all odds.
We have had friends in our lives as families.
People. Who have, you know, outlived?
As it probably like they've just passed away.
Some of them they. Lived by faith, this family.
They both did ministry in Bangalore.
They lived in a house for 40 years.
They ministered. To all kinds of people, they.
Would not know many times where they had three sons.
One of their sons worked with my dad.
They just lived on faith. And my dad had never.
Heard of this thought of. Living by faith Daddy had never
heard about. But when he was talking.
To his friend one day, he said. Victor, we live by faith.
And he went on to explain what that looks like many times.
Auntie Auntie was an incredible cook, but you won't have any.
Food to cook with. And someone will come and knock
on the door and say just felt led to come and give you rice in
Dal. It's crazy.
And why are we not having it? In today's consumeristic world,
we are. So sure of what?
We need it's in our cart, it's in Amazon.
We know what we need. We can budget, we can be amazing
with. Excel sheets.
We can do all of that, but do I believe?
God for the impossible, the things that are outside of my.
Reach do I believe? That he can make my marriage
amazing. Do I?
Believe that. He can give me those children
I'm longing for. Can he?
Do you believe he will? Bring back everything the enemy
stole. If it's worth, said it.
Why am I not believing it? We need the.
Gift of faith if. You are someone if we can just
all. Close our eyes quickly this.
Is not the end because if you raise your hand, I don't want
you to feel you know that someone else is watching you.
But if you need the gift of faith, I want you to raise your
hand. I want to pray with you, me
included. I need this gift and the Holy
Spirit. Wants to bless his church.
With this gift. Amen.
He's seeing each of you right
now, and he's going to. Give you this impartation to
believe for the impossible to believe.
For the things that are larger than life, the things that you
and I know mind has seen or conceived, He's going to do that
for us. Thank you, Lord, thank you.
Can you just? Believe that you've received
this. Gift.
Amen. Amen.
So in Romans chapter 10. Verse 17, it says, consequently,
faith comes from hearing the message and the message is.
Heard through the word about Christ, so look at.
This connection, the faith along that we have as a.
Soil with the seed of God's Word.
Transforms our lives. It changes.
Everything right? So God's Word is a seed that is.
Falling so you hear the. Word.
Here, then you go home Monday. To Friday or Saturday, God.
Willing you're reading the word. Privately.
That's falling on the. Soil of your heart and.
Then when the. Holy Spirit so beautifully
works. In our lives, it's like a rake,
you know he. Rakes the soil of our hearts, He
allows. Things to happen.
To us, he's working with us. The word begins to take.
Life. I love.
These time lapse videos of seeds.
Underground it looks like seemingly nothing is happening
above ground, but when they put cameras underground you should.
See the way the seed is growing? There's not a microsecond when
it's not growing. So most of our growth is
underground I sometimes. Joke 1st 40 years.
I think is underground, then by 80 I think we have.
Like a sapling. But God is calling us to be
oaks. Of righteousness and the only
way the oak is going to grow well.
Is if we are rooted. In the soil of our.
Faith. And if God's Word is constantly
working on us. The beautiful thing about Jesus.
Teaching on that. Soil was the soil produced.
The grain. When the grain was threshed, it
formed the flour, which became a bread.
Correct, there's a process. Many of you are probably
thinking, well I read the. Word this week.
I claimed it this week. Nothing has changed.
I'm sorry, but it said those who patiently waited harvested a
rich crop. The Word of God takes time, but
it will work. Too many of us are giving up
prematurely. You go through.
Leviticus you're like. I'm done with Bible reading.
I cannot do this anymore. God is saying push through.
Digest the word so that it is. Assimilated into your very being
so that when someone pokes you, all that comes out is.
The word of God so that when you're.
Praying. You're no longer using fancy
jargon, but you're just praying the word of.
God out, it will change your life.
It will change your life because the thing about.
This is when we. Look at a regular plant, you
just look at a garden. The sun and the water are a
given. The Holy Spirit and and Jesus
the Sun of Righteousness. Always with us the soil.
Is in our hands what you and I do.
With us faith. Is in US.
It's not. You cannot blame anyone.
For that, let's stop. Blaming others for depleting our
faith. Let's take responsibility today.
And I want to leave this one thought.
With you before we close up, the proof of a fertile faith is
actually. How much it impacts eternity?
What do I mean by that? So Hannah has this child.
That she prays for. And she delivers Samuel, who's
one of the. Greatest prophets of Israel.
Now it wasn't. It didn't just end with him.
He. Didn't just give prophetic
words. And not was just.
Not done with it. He anointed the two first kings
of. Israel, Right, Saul?
And then David, and David was in the line of.
Jesus, So what? Samuel achieved far outlived
him. He was the one who anointed
these kings. He was the one who.
Gave the word to Israel saying this is what your future is
going to look like. You have given up on God as
king, and you've asked for kings.
Now this is the. Blueprint of your future.
Hannah didn't know. That her faith would be so
fertile that Israel's history will be changed.
And I want to just. Before I show you this quick
video this week, so I sit. At my dining table when the kids
leave and I. Work the whole day there.
And the whole time when I was sitting there, I heard a buzzing
sound. So I first saw something wrong
with my hearing. But then I noticed there were
these small little honey bees hovering over all my potted
plants. And the first thing I think of
when I think of these insects is I thought they were.
Pests. So my, you know, we're all
saddest. You know one part of us.
Is saddest, so I took. The water hose and I filled.
All the pots with it to cover the holes up.
I finished after about two hours I again hear the buzzing.
These guys are so. Important in these bees.
They'd opened up the beehives. Again in the soil.
So I took a picture I. Put it on Google Lens and
checked. What is this they called?
Ground bees. OK, these guys prefer.
Laying their eggs in fertile soil on the ground than going
and putting up hives anywhere and So what these and you won't
believe it these can you just. Put that video up.
Just look at it. It's it's.
Laid its nest inside and it's constantly hovering there.
OK. And that is?
The the bee was adorable to look at.
It had a Stinger but it never stung me.
But they're very protective of their babies inside.
Every one of my. Pots had a.
Bee in it, a couple of bees in it.
And as I was reading up. Turns out these guys are.
Extremely important for our ecosystem.
They're the ones who balance. Out everything because they
eventually the babies they have go.
Out and pollinate all our plants and here I was trying to flood
them and kill them and as I was looking at it, I was just
thinking when her soil. Is fertile.
It doesn't just bless. Me.
It blesses someone else as well. Hannah's faith was fertile.
For herself, but it birthed. A man who was generationally
impactful and today your faith cannot end with you when you
tell someone. What you've walked through.
They might just be starting that part of the journey and what you
tell them. Will change their lives what you
have walked through. Will completely transform their
faith journey. It can't end with us.
Cannot end with us, Jeremiah. Chapter 4 verse 3 as I close.
I want you to highlight if you didn't take any notes, it's
fine, but Jeremiah 4 verse three, I want you to.
Just highlight this. This is what the Lord says to
the people. Of Judah and to Jerusalem.
Break up your uncloud ground and do not sow among thorns.
This was the people. That had been hardened by.
Exile. Hardened by the hard stuff.
Emptied out because their vats. Were empty, nothing.
They were operating out of nothing.
And yet he's saying turn up the fallowed ground, ground that had
not been dug up, that could not sow anything in it.
And I believe God is calling us. To this place today.
Because as we were listening, maybe you thought my faith was
OK up until now. Now Tina has made me have an
existential crisis. But that's not the point of
this, OK? The point is to say, let's not
neglect. Our faith because it is the
basis. On which every.
Other part of our life runs. Because you know the storms.
Of life are real. How many of you saw this week
the Doomsday Fish? Came out of the ocean, did you
guys? See that 25 feet?
Long. Looked totally creepy and they.
Said many of these mythical. People who like all these
stories said. Oh, this is a sign of the end
times. That there's possibly.
A tsunami coming because. These big fish live right at the
base of the oceans, so if it was caught, it came to our coast
here. And as I was watching, I was
thinking. Wow, if if our faith.
Is not rooted in Jesus. These kind of things can really.
Scare us because the. Storms will come.
Oaks are. Built by.
Storms. Did you know that when the storm
hits them, the roots take greater strength and that's how
they keep growing taller and taller if you want to move from.
Seed to grain stage. You will need to be.
Rooted. In strong.
Fertile faith, James One. Chapter verse 21 says.
Therefore, get rid of. All moral filth and the evil.
That is so. Prevalent and humbly accept the.
Word. Planted in you which can.
Save you we're. Living in times you know, it's
so interesting on Instagram you. Have the search.
Option right? You can search for things and I
don't know for what reason, but in my.
Search thing it showed. A bunch of these trans.
Couples it showed lesbian couples.
I think it was ABI who told us get dressed, get ready with.
Me #grwm, these women also do the same thing.
And I was watching it and I was, I got confused for a SEC, what
is going on, what am I looking at?
And then I realised the moral filth and the evil.
That is out there is. So prevalent if my faith is not
in Jesus. If the seed of God's.
Word is not in my. Heart I can get confused.
And the greater burden came about, which was, what are we
going to do? Each of us for our.
Families, are you modelling putting the word into your?
Life are you? Reading it hungrily every day.
You can't just read the. Word when you have.
To prepare for a Bible study, you have to.
Be reading it as your sustenance, because then I can
humbly accept the Word planted in me and know to discern.
This is false. This is truth.
This is counterfeit. This is the real deal if we
don't have the. Word of God in US.
Nothing will grow in our lives and we will be of no use to
anyone else in the world. Let's not kid ourselves.
None of us are. Living such lives where?
There is no weed growing. What weed is crowding out?
The seed that God is. Putting in US.
Every day, every week. What are the weeds?
Is it worry? Is it anxiety?
Is it? Riches.
The pursuit of riches. The accumulation of riches.
Is it pleasures? Is it temptation?
What is it? It could be good.
Things that have turned into weeds If you've been struggling
with a hardened heart, a heart that has been so broken by
people, by family, by. Hardship.
Maybe today's the. Time you need to ask God, Lord
soften my heart again and the way God.
Does it is He uses his people, He uses His word, He uses life
situations to till the soils of our heart.
So if that is your prayer, can you just start praying that out
to Him? We want to look at our own
selves today. We're not going to look at a
spouse. We're not going to look at a
friend and say, oh, you need a revamp of faith.
No, but I need my faith to be rekindled.
I want my soil to be pure and. Fertile for you to work in.
So that it transforms my life and others.
Lives Holy Spirit, we just. Welcome you into this place.
We thank you that no two of us are on a similar.
Journey, but Lord all of us. Are running the race is marked
out for us and I just. Pray through this week that God
you will show us. Where our faith has become
sterile, where there is barrenness.
And that God, you will make it. Fertile again, Holy Spirit, we
welcome you. We welcome you.
For those of us, Lord, whose soil only supports.
Us that Lord today onwards. You will give us start.
Giving us dreams and visions of how we can.
Bless others because of our faith, if that is your.
Desire, can you just raise your hands because I.
Believe God wants to meet us. We can call it like.
It is with him. God, we need you.
We can do nothing apart from you, Father I.
Pray for those who the Word of God was put.
In even as a. Child, but Lord, they haven't.
Seen it grow. Spirit of God, I pray that you
will. Show them, open their.
Eyes to see the growth. That is happening.
Open their. Eyes to show.
Them that Lord, the things that have been planted long ago are.
Going to take shape. They're going to come out.
They're going to. Be harvested.
They're going to see a rich harvest.
I pray for those. Prayers that have gone
unanswered for so long. Lord, we pray that our faith
won't dwindle. Stir it up.
Oh God, stir it up. I pray through this week you
will go ahead of us. Lead us gently.
God fill us with. Strength, fill us with courage,
Fan into flame, the things that we have been asking you for the
gift. Of faith, I pray you.
Fan it into flame. Remove every weed in.
Jesus name and set us. Free to bear fruit for you.
We love you and. We thank you.
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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