1 00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:11,700 Meet Me In The Gospel According to Mark, please in chapter 4 and 2 00:00:11,700 --> 00:00:18,200 let's Draw our attention to one verse verse 8 of Mark, chapter 3 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:28,700 4. And our brother just prayed and 4 00:00:28,700 --> 00:00:32,800 it was a powerful prayer, but if we can just pray, one more time 5 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:35,400 as we come to this, very important verse, very important 6 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:38,600 text, that will be a source of great encouragement to many of 7 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:43,300 you and even perhaps a challenging verse for others. 8 00:00:44,300 --> 00:00:48,600 But we need God's help. And so Lord, we petition and we 9 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:55,700 come before you with a humility recognizing that we have your 10 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,200 voice before. Us today. 11 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:03,500 And Lord we are humbled by the awesome blessing that the 12 00:01:03,500 --> 00:01:06,600 fullness of your Revelation has been provided to us. 13 00:01:07,500 --> 00:01:10,400 But oh God. Mighty God glorious God! 14 00:01:10,900 --> 00:01:14,200 Incomparable! God lord! 15 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:18,000 We need your help for this word to work in US. 16 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:23,200 Truly But we are so capable of being hardened. 17 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:28,200 We're so capable of being forgetful irreverent careless 18 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:31,900 distracted. So apprehend us and have your 19 00:01:31,900 --> 00:01:36,000 way in our hearts so that it would produce miraculous fruit 20 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,800 phenomenal. Growth Lord, we want all that, 21 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:41,800 you have reserved for us. We don't want to miss out on a 22 00:01:41,808 --> 00:01:46,000 drop of your will, in our lives. And so, Lord May today be a 23 00:01:46,300 --> 00:01:49,300 glorious turning point in every life. 24 00:01:49,700 --> 00:01:54,700 For some, a greater growth for others, the beginning, Of a walk 25 00:01:54,700 --> 00:01:58,200 with you, we just want all that you have, Lord May there be a 26 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:01,900 special empowerment of the holy spirit with the delivery of this 27 00:02:01,900 --> 00:02:04,400 word. And with the reception of it, we 28 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:07,100 ask these things in the matchless name of Jesus Christ. 29 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:12,500 Amen. Mark 4 verse 8 reeds. 30 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:21,400 And other seeds fell into good soil, and produced grain growing 31 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:28,600 up and increasing and yielding 30 fold and 60 fold and a 32 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:33,000 hundredfold. And he said, he who has ears to 33 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:38,600 hear, Let Him hear. In the past three weeks. 34 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:41,900 You and I have patiently examined, the parable of the 35 00:02:41,900 --> 00:02:47,400 sower where Jesus our lord gave us wonderful. 36 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:51,400 Insights about the different ways that hearers, like, you 37 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:56,000 this afternoon, here's of God's word Embrace and apply God's 38 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:59,500 word in their lives. There are the hardened hearts 39 00:02:59,500 --> 00:03:03,600 and I pray not one of you are them so hardened and so 40 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:07,700 calloused. Absolutely no interest in divine 41 00:03:07,700 --> 00:03:11,700 revelation. And it immediately rejects the 42 00:03:11,700 --> 00:03:15,600 word upon impact. And then, there are those who 43 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:20,300 have shallow Hearts, who seem to show great interest in the 44 00:03:20,300 --> 00:03:27,200 things of God, and even display erupting emotion upon initial 45 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:31,800 interaction with the truth. But their submission to the 46 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:36,700 gospel, is contingent upon a trial, free life. 47 00:03:37,300 --> 00:03:41,000 And the moment tribulation comes, they abandoned the 48 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:43,100 gospel. They once professed to hold on. 49 00:03:43,100 --> 00:03:48,700 To And there is another type of soil, another type of heart who 50 00:03:48,700 --> 00:03:53,900 also is open to welcoming Christ into their lives, but their 51 00:03:53,900 --> 00:03:58,000 hearts are also preoccupied with the cares of this life, the 52 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:01,300 Ambitions of this life, the goals of this life. 53 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:07,600 And so that seed that was planted is choked. and left 54 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:11,800 fruitless because that heart is already dominated by other 55 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:17,800 Lords, other Masters and so, approves to be unfruitful, And 56 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:20,800 lacking the genuine result that God intended. 57 00:04:21,500 --> 00:04:24,500 But you and I today come to the final words of Jesus in this 58 00:04:24,500 --> 00:04:27,200 wonderful teaching, and he will conclude this. 59 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:32,800 Parable on a hopeful note, He would do so by making mention of 60 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:37,900 a final type of soil that does not share the same tragic end as 61 00:04:37,900 --> 00:04:40,500 the first three. And what they have in common. 62 00:04:40,500 --> 00:04:43,300 No the Lord Jesus. Now informs us that it is 63 00:04:43,300 --> 00:04:46,600 possible. It is possible for hearts to 64 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:52,100 take in the truth and to produce a lasting Harvest from it. 65 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,300 And though this is encouraging, it is also sobering. 66 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:58,000 Can I tell you why? It is sobering? 67 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:02,100 It's sobering because out of all the four categories of, here's 68 00:05:02,100 --> 00:05:05,700 of Truth. There is only one that genuinely 69 00:05:05,700 --> 00:05:11,500 receives the gospel Just like in the days of Jesus ministry, 70 00:05:11,500 --> 00:05:16,200 good-hearted, listeners of the truth are far. 71 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:19,200 Fewer than those who hear the word of God in vain. 72 00:05:20,700 --> 00:05:23,100 And I want you to remember now, when Jesus taught this Parable, 73 00:05:23,100 --> 00:05:28,100 there was a massive crowd before him and here he is pointing out 74 00:05:28,100 --> 00:05:31,300 the different ways that people can receive the truth. 75 00:05:31,700 --> 00:05:34,800 And it makes me wonder what their reaction was. 76 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:40,300 When Jesus is essentially saying, that one quarter of the 77 00:05:40,300 --> 00:05:45,800 audience of those who hear my message will be responsive to my 78 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:48,900 message. I'm sure that would have been 79 00:05:48,900 --> 00:05:50,300 shocking. At least of the ones who are 80 00:05:50,300 --> 00:05:53,200 listening correctly. It is like me today. 81 00:05:53,300 --> 00:05:58,700 Looking to you and saying, around 25% of you in this room, 82 00:05:58,700 --> 00:06:02,900 if that will actually take the word of God, seriously, 75% of 83 00:06:02,900 --> 00:06:06,300 you, you're going to listen here today in vain, and that's 84 00:06:06,300 --> 00:06:09,800 startling. And Jesus here is not giving 85 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:13,300 exact statistic he's giving a principle that is true. 86 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:19,100 Unfortunately, a minority of those who are exposed to the 87 00:06:19,100 --> 00:06:22,800 truth, will actually apply it in a saving way. 88 00:06:23,300 --> 00:06:26,900 The rest are headed for a tragic Grim end. 89 00:06:27,900 --> 00:06:30,100 I think that's supposed to comfort the preacher to some 90 00:06:30,100 --> 00:06:33,400 degree. And I think it's supposed to be 91 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:37,300 a shock and alarm for those who are listening to God's word and 92 00:06:37,300 --> 00:06:39,900 there was other times where Jesus made the same statement in 93 00:06:39,900 --> 00:06:43,300 different ways. Do you remember after dealing 94 00:06:43,300 --> 00:06:47,000 with the Rich Young Ruler? He walks away sorrowful because 95 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,300 there was one thing he would not let go of. 96 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:52,400 And the Lord says out loud. Again, I tell you. 97 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:57,000 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than 98 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:01,400 for the rich to enter into the kingdom of God, Matthew 19. 99 00:07:02,100 --> 00:07:06,100 Or now, if you think that that is some distant commentary. 100 00:07:08,300 --> 00:07:12,300 The average American today is considered rich on the world 101 00:07:12,300 --> 00:07:16,200 while skill. If you make more than two 102 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:19,100 dollars a day and are surviving more than with two dollars a 103 00:07:19,108 --> 00:07:24,000 day, you are considered rich on the global scale and Jesus said 104 00:07:24,300 --> 00:07:28,600 it is much easier for a camel to enter through the eye of a 105 00:07:28,608 --> 00:07:32,900 needle than for a rich person to step foot into eternal life. 106 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:36,400 And his closest followers heard this. 107 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:40,900 And they were startled, and so they respond in Matthew 1925. 108 00:07:42,300 --> 00:07:47,700 Who then can be saved. Who then can be saved and maybe 109 00:07:47,700 --> 00:07:51,900 you have that question after hearing in the past three weeks 110 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:57,400 of false, professors of Christ, those who will confess Christ, 111 00:07:57,400 --> 00:08:00,900 who are actually not born again. Perhaps the question has run 112 00:08:00,900 --> 00:08:06,500 through your mind, who then will be saved. if only a quarter of 113 00:08:06,508 --> 00:08:10,500 the audience here, if only just a small portion of listeners 114 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:15,900 will actually respond to the truth, what do we make of this? 115 00:08:15,900 --> 00:08:17,400 Well, let me tell you. There's there is no doubt that 116 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:22,700 the spectrum of defective faith is diverse with shades of 117 00:08:22,700 --> 00:08:27,000 unbelief. But don't mistakenly think that 118 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:29,900 the narrowness of people who will actually be saved. 119 00:08:29,900 --> 00:08:34,799 It's caused by God's unrealistic standards for salvation. 120 00:08:36,299 --> 00:08:39,400 It is always because of the stubbornness of men's hearts 121 00:08:39,500 --> 00:08:44,700 always God is not to be blamed for anybody not being saved. 122 00:08:45,300 --> 00:08:48,800 And this might sound unnerving but take hold because today, 123 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:51,700 we're going to learn that. Not all hearts are equally 124 00:08:51,700 --> 00:08:55,800 obstinate. But let's not study the subject 125 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:58,600 from afar, let's not just like look at this mechanically. 126 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:04,800 Bring it home. Examine your own heart and ask 127 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:07,900 yourself. Soberly am I the good soil? 128 00:09:09,500 --> 00:09:13,900 Am I the type of heart? That the master of the vineyard 129 00:09:13,900 --> 00:09:17,600 Praises am. I numbered among the minority? 130 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:24,400 Am I walking on the Narrow Path? Am I truly engaging with this 131 00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:26,400 seed? Have, I truly received it in the 132 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:32,700 way that will savingly produce fruit in my life and the way you 133 00:09:32,700 --> 00:09:36,800 and I will discover that and confirm that is by simply. 134 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:42,000 Looking at each gospel, writers version of the good soil and see 135 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:45,900 what kind of insights, they give us, they say, similar things. 136 00:09:45,900 --> 00:09:48,300 But you've learned up to this point that they each carry 137 00:09:48,300 --> 00:09:52,400 certain Details that differ. And so Mark has a commentary of 138 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:55,600 what the good soil looks like. Luke has a commentary of what 139 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:58,600 the good soil looks like. Matthew has his own 140 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:02,100 interpretation inspired by the spirit that is not 141 00:10:02,100 --> 00:10:05,700 contradicting, but also giving a slight different underscore of 142 00:10:05,700 --> 00:10:10,100 what it means to be good soil. And if you can confirm with 143 00:10:10,100 --> 00:10:16,200 Matthew, if you can amen, with Mark, if you can celebrate with 144 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:20,700 Luke, Praise God. And so, let's look at Matthew 145 00:10:20,700 --> 00:10:25,200 first together in Matthew 19. Rather, Matthew 13, scuse me 146 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:31,000 verse 23. I want to speak to you this 147 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:36,500 afternoon about three signs that you are good, soil, three signs 148 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:42,900 that you are good soil. In Matthew 13:23. 149 00:10:42,900 --> 00:10:46,500 Here is Matthew's. Explanation of what good soil 150 00:10:46,500 --> 00:10:49,000 looks like the soil, that receives the gospel that 151 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:51,800 received God's word and the way that God designed it to be 152 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:57,200 received in verse 23, Matthew says, ask for what was sown on 153 00:10:57,200 --> 00:10:59,700 good soil. This is the one who hears the 154 00:10:59,700 --> 00:11:06,000 word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields 155 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:10,800 in one case, a hundredfold, and another 60, and in another 30, 156 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:15,100 who hears the word and understands it sign, number one 157 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:20,500 that you are fertile. Ground, is that you understand 158 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:23,900 the seed? You understand the word? 159 00:11:24,300 --> 00:11:27,900 This is the exact opposite commentary of the Wayside soil 160 00:11:27,900 --> 00:11:31,400 that we touched on week 1. If you scroll up to verse 19 of 161 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:33,400 this chapter, you will quickly remember. 162 00:11:33,700 --> 00:11:37,100 The hardened heart hears the word but what does not 163 00:11:37,100 --> 00:11:42,100 understand it. Jesus is not proposing that 164 00:11:42,100 --> 00:11:44,400 those who are more intellectually Advanced or 165 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:48,200 educated are those who are more likely to be saved. 166 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:52,400 This understanding, doesn't deal with comprehension, it doesn't 167 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:55,700 deal with your IQ. It deals with an attitude. 168 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:59,400 It deals with a heart posture. When Jesus said that the good 169 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:04,100 soil understands the word and he hears it, it means that he is 170 00:12:04,100 --> 00:12:07,500 longing to grasp the meaning of what God has revealed. 171 00:12:07,700 --> 00:12:11,100 He he's exposed to the truth. He takes it to the next level. 172 00:12:11,100 --> 00:12:13,500 He wants to have a grasp on the truth. 173 00:12:13,700 --> 00:12:16,200 He wants to know the implications of the truth. 174 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:20,600 He wants to know the promises the everything involved with the 175 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:23,600 truth is what his heart is yearning for. 176 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:27,300 And I think it's important to say up front that what makes the 177 00:12:27,300 --> 00:12:28,700 good soil. Good. 178 00:12:29,900 --> 00:12:35,700 Is not that he is a less sinful. Or that he has more moral 179 00:12:35,700 --> 00:12:37,800 respectability. That is not what makes the good 180 00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:40,800 soil, good. It's not because he is a 181 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:46,100 upstanding citizen in society. Now, he is good in the sense 182 00:12:46,100 --> 00:12:50,300 that he chooses, not to be careless, but to be frivolous, 183 00:12:50,300 --> 00:12:53,800 not to be senseless. Not to be irreverent about 184 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:58,700 divine revelation, he takes it, seriously, he knows that God's 185 00:12:58,700 --> 00:13:01,200 word is authoritative, he knows that there's a Transcendent 186 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:05,400 being that has Rule and Reign Over creation. 187 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:09,000 And he realizes that the message of god holds personal 188 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:11,300 implications that cannot be ignored. 189 00:13:12,700 --> 00:13:14,900 And so, the good heart is attentive. 190 00:13:15,100 --> 00:13:19,700 The good heart is alert, he is leaning in, he's inquiring, he 191 00:13:19,700 --> 00:13:23,600 is questioning and he is concerned about the condition of 192 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:26,800 his soul and he desires to be in the light. 193 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:30,900 Based on what the Lord is teaching here. 194 00:13:31,700 --> 00:13:36,300 It is possible for some who are outside of Christ who have this 195 00:13:36,300 --> 00:13:39,500 kind of a disposition. It is possible for those who are 196 00:13:39,500 --> 00:13:44,400 outside of Jesus to develop an openness to the truth over time. 197 00:13:46,100 --> 00:13:49,600 Not everybody out. There is hardened to the point 198 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:53,200 where they won't even, listen, that would cause you to go Jesus 199 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:56,600 saying here, there there are people whose hearts are more 200 00:13:56,600 --> 00:13:59,500 open than others, who go even more than that. 201 00:13:59,500 --> 00:14:02,100 Who are hungry for true though? They don't know where to go to 202 00:14:02,100 --> 00:14:06,700 find it just yet and I want to give you a case study of that a 203 00:14:06,700 --> 00:14:08,800 case study. That is so inspiring. 204 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:13,600 The man named Cornelius in Acts chapter 10. 205 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:16,100 Read this with me. Would you in verse 1? 206 00:14:16,500 --> 00:14:24,700 Look at the description of this man who was a gentile Who is 207 00:14:24,700 --> 00:14:29,000 successful? Who its status in society. 208 00:14:29,700 --> 00:14:33,100 But it was a man who said, oh, I really want to know God, I 209 00:14:33,100 --> 00:14:37,700 really want to know God. In Acts 10 one the Holy Spirit 210 00:14:37,700 --> 00:14:41,900 tells us that's just a rear. There is a man named Cornelius. 211 00:14:42,700 --> 00:14:46,100 A centurion of what was known as the Italian cohort. 212 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:49,400 A devout man, who feared God now, pay attention to this 213 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:53,600 description of this man. A devout man who feared God with 214 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:58,900 all his household gave alms generously to the people and 215 00:14:58,900 --> 00:15:04,000 prayed continually to God. Can I read that one more time 216 00:15:04,500 --> 00:15:09,300 verse 2? A devout man, who feared God? 217 00:15:10,500 --> 00:15:12,700 With all his household. He was a good father. 218 00:15:12,900 --> 00:15:17,600 He was a good husband. He gave alms generously to the 219 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:20,800 people. He was charitable and he prayed 220 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:25,000 continually to God to the first time reader this man. 221 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:26,800 Not only sounds like he's a Believer. 222 00:15:26,900 --> 00:15:30,100 He sounds like he is a fervent zealous follower. 223 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:34,400 But if you're not a first-time reader, you know, this about 224 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:37,200 Cornelius. And if you don't know the about 225 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:38,700 this, you perhaps think I'm lying. 226 00:15:39,900 --> 00:15:42,100 Would you believe me if I told you that this man after reading, 227 00:15:42,100 --> 00:15:46,900 this description was not saved. He's not saved. 228 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:50,200 And that's not my personal interpretation of it. 229 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:52,900 That's what the Holy Spirit tells us in the next chapter, 230 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:56,300 you don't believe me. Then go to acts 11 and look at 231 00:15:56,300 --> 00:16:00,200 verse 13. 14 after Peter is standing before his Jewish 232 00:16:01,100 --> 00:16:03,300 Partners in the ministry, who are concerned that he went to a 233 00:16:03,308 --> 00:16:07,600 gentile, to preach the gospel. And he's trying to explain how 234 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:10,200 this happened and an axe 11 verse 13. 235 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:13,900 We read and he told us Peters talking about his experience 236 00:16:13,900 --> 00:16:17,600 with Cornelius and he told us how he had seen the angels. 237 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:21,900 Stand and his house and say, send to Joppa and bring Simon 238 00:16:21,900 --> 00:16:26,800 who is called Peter verse 14. He will declare to you a message 239 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:34,100 by which you will be saved. You and all your household. 240 00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:39,700 So after that description of Cornelius and Angel appears to 241 00:16:39,700 --> 00:16:44,500 him and he tells him to send for a man in Joppa, who is Peter, 242 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:47,100 and that man is going to come to your household and he's going to 243 00:16:47,108 --> 00:16:50,200 preach the gospel and Cornelius. Once you hear the gospel that 244 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:52,000 was save you, then you will be saved. 245 00:16:52,100 --> 00:16:53,700 Well, hold on, he's a devout man. 246 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,500 He gave alms he feared. God, he prayed continually, that 247 00:16:57,500 --> 00:16:59,400 man is not safe. Then he looks more safe than 248 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:03,700 saved people. How does that work? 249 00:17:04,700 --> 00:17:08,900 Well, I put that with Jesus commentary about the good soil. 250 00:17:08,900 --> 00:17:11,900 There are some people who are soft towards truth. 251 00:17:13,099 --> 00:17:18,000 Who are prepared to receive the truth, who hunger for the truth, 252 00:17:18,300 --> 00:17:21,400 though, they don't have saving knowledge, but once they are 253 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:24,000 exposed to it, they are ready to accept it. 254 00:17:25,099 --> 00:17:30,000 You see Cornelius had limited light, he had what we would call 255 00:17:30,300 --> 00:17:35,300 Natural Revelation to work with, in other words, with whatever he 256 00:17:35,300 --> 00:17:38,900 saw, with his eyes with whatever God had put his fingerprint on 257 00:17:39,300 --> 00:17:43,300 in the universe in his world. With that light, was he able to 258 00:17:43,300 --> 00:17:46,800 relate to God? Scripture tells us that the 259 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:49,400 heavens declare the glory of God Psalm 19. 260 00:17:50,300 --> 00:17:54,900 Scripture tells us in Romans to that every man's conscience 261 00:17:54,900 --> 00:17:58,600 Bears witness to him that there is right and wrong. 262 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:02,000 And that the law has been inscribed on each of our hearts. 263 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:05,900 And so with natural Revelation with nature and with it, with 264 00:18:05,900 --> 00:18:10,900 this own, internal alarm system, Cornelius, was able to realize 265 00:18:10,900 --> 00:18:15,800 at least that there is a God and he can be communicated to, and 266 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:19,600 he can intervene in life and he is everywhere, and he is all 267 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:20,800 powerful. And he does see. 268 00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:24,500 And so, I will fear Him and walk in his ways to the best of my 269 00:18:24,500 --> 00:18:27,900 knowledge. And here's what I see from this 270 00:18:28,500 --> 00:18:31,300 because this Gentile honored god, with the light that he had, 271 00:18:31,300 --> 00:18:33,100 God was ready to honor him by granting him. 272 00:18:33,100 --> 00:18:39,400 The light that would save him. You know, I think this text is 273 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:42,800 totally permissible to be used to help the struggling. 274 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:46,400 Soul was wrestled with the thought of those who are out 275 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:50,500 there out in the jungles. Out in the North. 276 00:18:51,700 --> 00:18:56,900 There's very little civilization life who have never heard about 277 00:18:56,900 --> 00:19:00,000 Jesus. And who died without hearing, 278 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:03,600 Jesus Will such people be condemned by God. 279 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:07,900 Will such people be judged by God, though, they have never 280 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:12,600 even heard the name of Jesus in their lifetime throughout the 281 00:19:12,608 --> 00:19:19,900 generations of their tribes. And I look at this and I resist 282 00:19:19,900 --> 00:19:23,600 the philosophical pull of trying to come up with ideas of how God 283 00:19:23,600 --> 00:19:26,400 would relate to such people and stick to the word of God. 284 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:30,300 I look at Cornelius and I see something about God as a case 285 00:19:30,300 --> 00:19:34,800 study men who are capable to responding to Natural 286 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:38,800 revelation. Men who have a heart with a deep 287 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:41,900 sincerity and Purity that aches to know the truth. 288 00:19:41,900 --> 00:19:44,800 Such men God will move Heaven and Earth to make sure they get 289 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:50,600 the gospel. God in his great sovereignty and 290 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:53,300 his Providence will do what he can to make sure that the gospel 291 00:19:53,300 --> 00:19:57,700 comes to their front door. And in the case of Cornelius, we 292 00:19:57,700 --> 00:20:03,000 see the compassion of God, he sends angels, He grants Visions, 293 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:06,500 he raises up missionaries. He performs miracles for the 294 00:20:06,500 --> 00:20:12,500 gospel to get to the one who desires to know it, Who doesn't 295 00:20:12,500 --> 00:20:16,600 know what steps to take? Who doesn't know how his sins 296 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:18,600 can be forgiven but he knows he's a sinner. 297 00:20:19,100 --> 00:20:23,900 Don't doubt that about God. And this raises up. 298 00:20:23,900 --> 00:20:26,800 Another interesting point, doesn't it you read about 299 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:29,800 Cornelius and he's devout and he fears God? 300 00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:33,600 And he gives alms generously and he prays continually and one day 301 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:37,500 an angel comes before him. What a privilege. 302 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:41,600 What an honor. What a miracle and you know 303 00:20:41,600 --> 00:20:43,500 what? I what I wonder. 304 00:20:45,500 --> 00:20:47,900 You're already there. Why don't you just tell them the 305 00:20:47,900 --> 00:20:53,700 gospel? You know what the gospel is? 306 00:20:53,700 --> 00:20:56,500 Don't you? You're in the presence of God 307 00:20:56,500 --> 00:20:58,100 day and night. You look over the balcony of 308 00:20:58,100 --> 00:21:00,900 Heaven. You saw when the Son of God was 309 00:21:00,900 --> 00:21:05,300 crucified, I'm sure you had some knowledge of the Eternal Plan of 310 00:21:05,308 --> 00:21:07,300 Salvation. And here you are now entering 311 00:21:07,300 --> 00:21:08,800 into the world. And you are before. 312 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:10,300 A man who is hungry for the truth? 313 00:21:10,900 --> 00:21:14,400 Unnamed angel. Why don't you just tell them the 314 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:17,000 gospel? And we could have saved some 315 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:20,000 time and we didn't have to get another Vision to Peter and the 316 00:21:20,008 --> 00:21:21,200 Holy Spirit to tell him it's okay. 317 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:24,000 Go with the people who were sent by Cornelius, it's you'll be 318 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:26,100 safe. Why do all of that? 319 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:28,500 When you could have just told him the truth right there. 320 00:21:28,500 --> 00:21:31,500 And then and I'm sure you would have been better at sharing than 321 00:21:31,500 --> 00:21:33,800 Peter. I'm sure you've been a much more 322 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:36,000 articulate much more powerful, much more convincing. 323 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:40,300 Do you know why God sent the angel so that he can send for 324 00:21:40,300 --> 00:21:44,000 Peter because in God's absolute Delight. 325 00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:47,300 He reserved the privilege of the Proclamation of the gospel for 326 00:21:47,300 --> 00:21:52,800 forgiven. Sinners God in his good 327 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:57,900 pleasure. reserve the right for the proclamation of the truth, 328 00:21:57,900 --> 00:22:02,500 to solely belong, to those who have experience, as transforming 329 00:22:02,500 --> 00:22:08,100 power, Maybe that doesn't move you. 330 00:22:08,700 --> 00:22:11,900 That moves me? And that will move you. 331 00:22:11,900 --> 00:22:14,800 I hope. In those days where you are 332 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:17,700 weary or tired, or maybe discourage with your 333 00:22:17,700 --> 00:22:20,700 proclamation of the truth, your testimony of what Christ has 334 00:22:20,700 --> 00:22:24,400 done in your life. But in those moments where you 335 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:28,400 worked all week and you know, that some friends are coming 336 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:31,800 over and they know you're a Christian and they're just 337 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:34,900 curious about why you believe what you believe and your bone 338 00:22:34,900 --> 00:22:38,600 tired and you've done this before with your other friends 339 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:41,600 and they just hear it with interest but move on in their 340 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:44,800 sin in those moments where you think is this really worth to 341 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:48,000 give my 23 hours of my Friday night to our my Saturday night. 342 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:51,100 Would you remember Angels cannot do what you can do? 343 00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:56,200 Would you realize that Heavenly beings? 344 00:22:56,200 --> 00:23:01,400 Heavenly Creatures? Can only send for those who have 345 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:04,200 been set apart to preach the gospel. 346 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:07,800 And would you realize the great honor and privilege it? 347 00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:11,800 Is that the Lord has a reserve that right for you. 348 00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:18,400 As a trophy of his grace. To go into the trenches of a 349 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:22,100 satanic world. And to preach the true that can 350 00:23:22,100 --> 00:23:27,900 save man from eternal hell. Don't take those moments where 351 00:23:27,900 --> 00:23:33,600 you plant a seed for granted. God reserve them for those who 352 00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:36,600 are in him. But before I move on about 353 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:39,800 Cornelius, allow me to say one more thing about him, he's not 354 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:42,700 only an example of what God is willing to do for the hungry 355 00:23:42,700 --> 00:23:44,800 open heart. But he's also a reminder of the 356 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:48,400 universal depravity of man. What do I mean by that? 357 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:53,400 This man is devout, his prayerful, he's respected his 358 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:59,000 charitable and yet he was just as much in need of Salvation, as 359 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:01,500 a Matthew, the tax collector or Mary. 360 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:04,300 Who was possessed with Seven Devils? 361 00:24:06,300 --> 00:24:10,300 he was just as much in need of the Gospel, then the guy in the 362 00:24:10,300 --> 00:24:16,800 trenches, then the woman in the gutter, Cornelius is a wonderful 363 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:20,800 statement after that great description of who he is as a 364 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:24,600 person that has good. As you might see him and look, 365 00:24:25,700 --> 00:24:29,100 You're not good enough. And you will never be good 366 00:24:29,100 --> 00:24:31,600 enough. No one's goodness is good 367 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:33,200 enough. When it is measured by God's 368 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:36,400 goodness, you will always fall short. 369 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:40,000 You always have need for a savior. 370 00:24:40,700 --> 00:24:44,300 You will never be able to live up to such a degree in, which 371 00:24:44,300 --> 00:24:46,900 you find yourself in a different category than the other Sons. 372 00:24:46,900 --> 00:24:50,400 Our daughters of Adam, you are just as wretched, whether you're 373 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:53,300 a Cornelius or the man who was possessed with devils and Mark 374 00:24:53,300 --> 00:24:59,400 chapter 5, chained to a rock. Because of his filthy habits and 375 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:03,900 his perverted mind. If there's any good and 376 00:25:03,900 --> 00:25:08,600 Cornelius like the good soil that Jesus describes, it is in 377 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:10,500 his realization that he needs saving. 378 00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:16,300 The good soil Jesus speaks of does not does not say to 379 00:25:16,300 --> 00:25:18,100 himself. Like what I know people say 380 00:25:18,100 --> 00:25:24,100 about themselves especially the traditionalist, Especially with 381 00:25:24,100 --> 00:25:27,900 those who find great comfort and confidence in ancient. 382 00:25:27,900 --> 00:25:30,100 Religion. Ancient. 383 00:25:31,300 --> 00:25:36,100 History, ancient churches. They hear the gospel and they 384 00:25:36,100 --> 00:25:37,800 say, well, what a wonderful message that guy's really 385 00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:41,300 passionate? And he's very convincing. 386 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:45,500 This is perfect for that. Hopeless neighbor, I have who's 387 00:25:45,500 --> 00:25:49,200 an alcoholic who abuses his wife, his children. 388 00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:52,800 Now this would be this would be life-changing for the the city 389 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:54,600 of Chicago with all the drug dealers and all the gang 390 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:57,100 violence. Surely they are in need of such 391 00:25:57,100 --> 00:25:58,800 a truth. Oh surely. 392 00:25:58,800 --> 00:26:02,000 This is this is good for those who lack purpose or like, 393 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:04,000 guidance in life. Surely this message. 394 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:08,800 That is preached, provide some barriers and some framework Some 395 00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:12,000 men do not run aimlessly while they live. 396 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:15,300 That's not how the good soil. Here's the truth. 397 00:26:16,100 --> 00:26:18,200 When the good soil, here's the truth. 398 00:26:18,500 --> 00:26:23,200 Even though he can point to some moral evidence in his life. 399 00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:29,200 At the same time, he says, I need a savior I'm wretched. 400 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:33,100 Christ didn't just die for those people out there. 401 00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:35,500 Who are not devout. Who are not prayerful. 402 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:39,300 Who don't have some kind of relation with religiosity. 403 00:26:40,300 --> 00:26:45,100 He came to die for me. My goodness isn't good enough. 404 00:26:46,100 --> 00:26:49,600 In light of the Holiness of God filthy rags. 405 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:52,700 I need the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. 406 00:26:53,100 --> 00:26:56,500 I needed to be imputed to me. I need him to take my place. 407 00:26:56,500 --> 00:26:59,900 I need him to look upon me with his favor. 408 00:27:01,700 --> 00:27:05,200 The good soil, understands the truth. 409 00:27:06,100 --> 00:27:09,800 Which transition us perfectly to Marks commentary. 410 00:27:09,900 --> 00:27:12,800 Let's go back to Mark to look at the second sign. 411 00:27:15,300 --> 00:27:22,600 Of good soil. Mark 420 is the explanation you 412 00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:31,900 and I read Mark 48, Mark 420. But those that were sewn on the 413 00:27:31,900 --> 00:27:37,000 good soil, are the ones who hear the word and accept it. 414 00:27:39,300 --> 00:27:43,600 And bear fruit 30 fold and 60 fold and a hundredfold. 415 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:48,800 Matthew tells us that the good soil, he hears the truth, but he 416 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:52,000 understands it because he seeks to understand it. 417 00:27:52,500 --> 00:27:56,900 Mark says, when he hears the truth, he doesn't just hear it. 418 00:27:56,900 --> 00:28:01,400 You're hearing it now. He doesn't just understand it. 419 00:28:02,700 --> 00:28:06,000 He accepts it. He accepts it. 420 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:09,900 Hearing the truth. All the soils do that. 421 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:14,000 You can hear sermons until you go to hell. 422 00:28:16,100 --> 00:28:18,500 The Next Step from that is you want to understand it, but even 423 00:28:18,500 --> 00:28:21,500 then understanding it, or being curious about, it can be 424 00:28:21,500 --> 00:28:24,700 temporal, it could be misunderstood, it could be 425 00:28:24,700 --> 00:28:28,300 interpreted subjectively and applied wrongly. 426 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:33,700 The one with the good soil, the minority of those who accept it. 427 00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:37,600 What does that mean accept it? Well, think about it this way. 428 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:41,000 The rocky soil is willing to hear willing to understand and 429 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:45,700 willing to accept it as long as it is trial free. 430 00:28:46,700 --> 00:28:49,100 The moment things, get tough, the moment you suffer for 431 00:28:49,100 --> 00:28:51,700 Christ. I no longer accept it. 432 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:54,300 Then you have the thorny soil. They hear the truth. 433 00:28:54,300 --> 00:28:57,700 They accept the truth. But as long as it is, 434 00:28:57,700 --> 00:29:02,400 subordinate to its other desires and passions and goals in life. 435 00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:06,800 But this is so important, the fertile ground, when he hears 436 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:08,800 the truth, he understands the truth. 437 00:29:08,900 --> 00:29:12,500 He accepts the truth. He accepts the truth completely 438 00:29:12,500 --> 00:29:16,100 on God's terms. I mix all the difference. 439 00:29:17,700 --> 00:29:20,900 God's terms because when he understands the truth, he 440 00:29:20,900 --> 00:29:25,200 realizes that the good news. The good news of the Gospel is 441 00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:30,900 also a call to Sweet surrender. Total surrender. 442 00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:35,200 And it is a call that is not up for subjective interpretation or 443 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:39,500 negotiation. You hear God's terms and you 444 00:29:39,500 --> 00:29:43,000 accept it and he makes the necessary preparation and his 445 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:47,200 heart so that the seed can abide and Thrive the way God designed 446 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:49,900 that see to live in a human heart. 447 00:29:50,700 --> 00:29:52,900 What do I mean by that? Well, it's very simple. 448 00:29:53,100 --> 00:29:58,300 Do you notice that the good soil is void of rocks? 449 00:29:59,500 --> 00:30:07,100 Is void of thorns, there's no description of the realities of 450 00:30:07,100 --> 00:30:10,300 the soil other than the fact that it was good and part of it 451 00:30:10,300 --> 00:30:13,700 being good, is that it was free of certain things. 452 00:30:16,300 --> 00:30:18,700 This is what you and I called true repentance. 453 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:24,400 True repentance God, help us in America to get back to the 454 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:30,200 message of true repentance. True repentance. 455 00:30:32,100 --> 00:30:34,800 A willingness not be surface level with Christ, like the 456 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:38,800 shallow soil, a willingness to uproot all the cares and all the 457 00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:41,900 competitions in your heart. All the things that will 458 00:30:41,900 --> 00:30:45,700 challenge the supremacy of the lordship of Jesus Christ over 459 00:30:45,700 --> 00:30:49,600 your life. The good soil removes all of 460 00:30:49,608 --> 00:30:51,800 this. He accepts all that Christ 461 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:54,100 commands and he submits and welcomes. 462 00:30:54,100 --> 00:30:59,300 All that, discipleship demands. We tell people about Jesus, 463 00:30:59,300 --> 00:31:01,400 nowadays as overdoing Jesus a favor. 464 00:31:03,300 --> 00:31:05,700 You know, Jesus is lonely and he's in heaven and he want to 465 00:31:05,700 --> 00:31:07,200 populate heaven. And you know what? 466 00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:09,900 He really wants you to be with him and so he dies and would you 467 00:31:09,908 --> 00:31:12,100 just make some room in your life pathetic? 468 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:19,100 Pathetic at the end of the road. My brother, and my sister. 469 00:31:19,600 --> 00:31:22,700 This may shock your version of Jesus, but there will be a 470 00:31:22,700 --> 00:31:28,300 Heavenly Orchestra when men are judged for rejecting Jesus. 471 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:31,500 Because they receive their just do. 472 00:31:34,100 --> 00:31:37,200 I want to show you an example of a man who is willing to accept 473 00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:41,900 what Christ destined for him. An example of a man who was 474 00:31:41,900 --> 00:31:46,300 willing to walk toward anything which the rocky soil refuses to 475 00:31:46,300 --> 00:31:49,700 do, I'm willing to Lord, I wanted to hold your hand until 476 00:31:49,700 --> 00:31:51,000 we get there. It was nice. 477 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:55,300 Knowing you this man I'll walk with you Tommy to walk but not 478 00:31:55,300 --> 00:31:59,700 just that he was also willing to walk away from that which Christ 479 00:31:59,700 --> 00:32:03,100 told him to walk away from which the thorny soil is not willing 480 00:32:03,100 --> 00:32:04,700 to do. Well, I'm going to hold your 481 00:32:04,700 --> 00:32:06,500 hand as long as I can hold these things too. 482 00:32:07,700 --> 00:32:09,400 The rocky ground will not worship. 483 00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:12,600 If he suffers the good soil will, the thorny heart will give 484 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:16,200 priority to money and temporal things and Comforts, but the 485 00:32:16,208 --> 00:32:22,800 good soil cannot fathom it. He accepts it, let me show you a 486 00:32:22,808 --> 00:32:25,000 man. We talked about Cornelius. 487 00:32:25,200 --> 00:32:27,700 Can I point you to the man who preached the Cornelius? 488 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:32,200 And one of one of my favorite chapters in the New Testament? 489 00:32:32,200 --> 00:32:35,400 When it comes to stories and narratives in John 21 when Peter 490 00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:39,400 was restored by Christ. Oh, he's a restoring. 491 00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:42,100 God, he's a compassionate, God, a forgiving God. 492 00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:44,500 And in John 21. I want you to meet me in verse 493 00:32:44,500 --> 00:32:49,000 15. Here's Peter post-resurrection. 494 00:32:51,700 --> 00:32:57,300 And Peter here was impatient because there is some delay with 495 00:32:57,300 --> 00:33:01,800 further instructions from Jesus. But he wasn't just impatient. 496 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:05,100 I believe he was greatly discouraged. 497 00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:12,300 I think he was humiliated. Because when he professed his 498 00:33:12,300 --> 00:33:15,500 Devotion to God, he failed miserably, he embarrassed 499 00:33:15,500 --> 00:33:20,600 himself. And so, here's Peter with his 500 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:23,000 leadership, Magnetic Personality. 501 00:33:23,900 --> 00:33:27,700 And he tells himself, I'm going fishing and the others around 502 00:33:27,700 --> 00:33:30,100 him says, we're going with you now. 503 00:33:30,100 --> 00:33:34,800 Fishing isn't a sin, but it's a problem when Jesus called you 504 00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:36,900 away from fishings to be a fisher of man. 505 00:33:38,500 --> 00:33:41,100 Peter is not just doing something while waiting for 506 00:33:41,100 --> 00:33:45,200 Christ further instructions. Peter is going back to what 507 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:49,100 Christ called him from. That sign. 508 00:33:50,700 --> 00:33:54,600 And so, he gets back into that boat and he fishes all night 509 00:33:54,600 --> 00:33:56,500 with several other of his friends. 510 00:33:57,200 --> 00:34:00,800 And there's Jesus who appears on the shore and all we can spend 511 00:34:00,800 --> 00:34:02,800 the next 30 minutes. Just looking to those wonderful 512 00:34:02,800 --> 00:34:05,100 details. How John was able to perceive 513 00:34:05,100 --> 00:34:06,600 that? It was the Lord and how Peter 514 00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:09,199 jumps into the wall. Those things are just filled 515 00:34:09,199 --> 00:34:11,900 with glorious truths but let's fast forward. 516 00:34:14,300 --> 00:34:20,699 They have this miraculous catch, they pull it onto the shore, 153 517 00:34:20,699 --> 00:34:24,100 fish? Hey, this is massive. 518 00:34:24,100 --> 00:34:29,100 This is a great prophet and Jesus has a barbecue already set 519 00:34:29,100 --> 00:34:31,199 up. And he asked for some of that 520 00:34:31,199 --> 00:34:33,600 fish to come so that they can have breakfast together. 521 00:34:34,199 --> 00:34:39,500 And so they eat And once their bellies were full. 522 00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:45,600 John 21:15, reeds. When they had finished 523 00:34:45,600 --> 00:34:48,699 breakfast, Jesus said to Simon, Peter Simon. 524 00:34:50,300 --> 00:34:54,800 Kind of hurts. That was Peter's name before he 525 00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:59,900 was called by Jesus. And unfortunately Peter the new 526 00:34:59,900 --> 00:35:04,500 name that Christ gave him was acting more like Simon than he 527 00:35:04,500 --> 00:35:07,300 was Peter. Simon. 528 00:35:09,900 --> 00:35:13,000 Son of John. Do you love me more than these? 529 00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:15,000 He said to him? Yes. 530 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:18,700 Lord, you know that I love you, he said to him, feed my Lambs. 531 00:35:19,300 --> 00:35:20,900 We know this is very familiar to us. 532 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:23,000 There is great debate about what Jesus meant when he says. 533 00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:28,200 Do you love me more than these? But I think if you just wanted 534 00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:33,500 the context, it's pretty clear. Peter's going back fishing. 535 00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:36,400 He's going back to his other love. 536 00:35:37,700 --> 00:35:39,100 He's going back to what he's familiar with. 537 00:35:39,100 --> 00:35:41,900 He's going back to his days, BC. Before Christ. 538 00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:47,600 And Christ allows him to make probably one of the greatest 539 00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:50,900 catches apart from the one that he knew in the initial call to 540 00:35:50,900 --> 00:35:58,000 follow him 153 fish, he can make some good money from that. and 541 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:02,100 once they eat from it, I could picture Jesus just looking over 542 00:36:02,100 --> 00:36:05,200 and saying Peter. Knowing that he went back to 543 00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:09,500 what he was not supposed to do a banding, the call of Christ. 544 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:14,500 Peter. Do you love me more than these? 545 00:36:17,900 --> 00:36:20,600 And Peter. Says. 546 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:25,400 You know that I love you. You know that I love you. 547 00:36:27,700 --> 00:36:29,500 Sometimes we read the Bible so fast, man. 548 00:36:29,500 --> 00:36:33,900 We miss so much. Notice Jesus said, Do You Love 549 00:36:33,900 --> 00:36:39,800 Me? Do you love me more than these? 550 00:36:40,300 --> 00:36:41,900 That is the heart of Christianity. 551 00:36:43,300 --> 00:36:48,000 Do you love me? Not, do you love Doctrine? 552 00:36:48,100 --> 00:36:49,700 Not do you love theology? Not. 553 00:36:49,700 --> 00:36:52,300 Do you love Christians? Not do you love Ministry? 554 00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:54,100 Not. Do you love feeding my Lambs? 555 00:36:54,100 --> 00:36:55,900 Not do you love feeding my sheep? 556 00:36:56,000 --> 00:37:03,700 Do you love me? Do you have a personal desire 557 00:37:04,400 --> 00:37:10,800 for me? Not for heaven. 558 00:37:12,200 --> 00:37:15,000 Not for conservative values, not for law. 559 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:22,900 Keeping not for sermons. Do you love Jesus personally, as 560 00:37:22,900 --> 00:37:29,800 a person As a relatable being do you love me how many Christians 561 00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:34,000 can say, yeah, I love him. I think a lot of professing 562 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:38,800 Christians love things about him or around him, but the question 563 00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:44,800 of the Lord is, do you love me? That's the heart of our faith. 564 00:37:46,300 --> 00:37:48,800 And it's also the essence of what we do in the Name of 565 00:37:48,800 --> 00:37:50,600 Christ. I mentioned this on Wednesday, 566 00:37:51,700 --> 00:37:53,600 Jesus could have said and it would have made sense to us. 567 00:37:53,700 --> 00:37:56,400 Do you love my sheep? Notice his sheep. 568 00:37:56,600 --> 00:37:58,900 Not the pastor's sheep, his sheep. 569 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:02,100 You belong to him. We belong to him. 570 00:38:02,600 --> 00:38:04,400 He could have said, do you love my sheep? 571 00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:09,300 Feed my sheep. Do you love my Lambs feed my 572 00:38:09,300 --> 00:38:10,900 Lambs? He doesn't say that he says. 573 00:38:10,900 --> 00:38:12,600 Do you love me? Yes, I love you. 574 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:17,500 Then serve me. The greatest motivation to 575 00:38:17,500 --> 00:38:20,100 serving the Sheep is loving the shepherd. 576 00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:24,200 And we got all twisted. Yeah, there's a level of love 577 00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:27,800 that has to come to her but the greatest motivation, the thing 578 00:38:27,800 --> 00:38:30,800 that should drive us and all other things is love for the 579 00:38:30,800 --> 00:38:36,600 person of Jesus Christ. So many things can be done if we 580 00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:39,200 just come back to the basics of what our faith is all about. 581 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:42,500 Now, this is a familiar story. I can go on about Jesus 582 00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:45,500 returning the question and Peter answering over and over again, 583 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:49,500 but many people stop it here. So, so Jesus asked him. 584 00:38:49,500 --> 00:38:52,000 Do you love me Peter confirms his love for him? 585 00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:54,500 Three times. We know because he denied him 586 00:38:54,500 --> 00:38:56,900 three times, and then he's recommissioned. 587 00:38:56,900 --> 00:38:59,900 Now, to be the apostle that he was called to be, but Jesus 588 00:38:59,900 --> 00:39:03,900 doesn't end there. This is not the final inquiry 589 00:39:03,900 --> 00:39:06,200 Before Peter starts following Jesus. 590 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:09,000 Again, he mentioned something else that is not often referred 591 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:10,500 to. When we talk about the 592 00:39:10,500 --> 00:39:14,600 restoration of Peter back into total and True Discipleship. 593 00:39:14,900 --> 00:39:17,100 Scroll down to verse 18 of the same chapter. 594 00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:23,400 Truly, truly, I say to you when you were young, you used to 595 00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:26,600 dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted. 596 00:39:27,500 --> 00:39:30,500 But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and 597 00:39:30,500 --> 00:39:35,100 another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go. 598 00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:41,800 Verse 19, this he said to show by what kind of death he was to 599 00:39:41,800 --> 00:39:47,500 glorify God and after saying this, he said to him, follow me 600 00:39:47,900 --> 00:39:51,500 after that. What's Jesus doing it? 601 00:39:51,500 --> 00:39:56,000 It's a prophecy Peter before I ask you to follow me. 602 00:39:56,300 --> 00:39:58,800 I have to tell you something one, I'm glad that you love me. 603 00:39:59,500 --> 00:40:01,800 I'm glad you confirmed your love for me but I need to confirm 604 00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:04,600 something to you. There's a Time coming in your 605 00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:11,200 old age where someone will take ahold of you forcefully and will 606 00:40:11,200 --> 00:40:14,600 stretch out your hands, everything about that, imagery 607 00:40:14,600 --> 00:40:18,000 speaks about execution, and a very specific type of execution 608 00:40:18,200 --> 00:40:22,200 crucifixion Your hands will be stretched out at one point. 609 00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:24,200 You can go wherever you want it but there's going to come a 610 00:40:24,207 --> 00:40:26,400 point where you're going to be apprehended. 611 00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:28,500 You're going to be arrested and you're going to go where your 612 00:40:28,500 --> 00:40:33,800 natural man does not want to go. And history says that when Peter 613 00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:36,400 was crucified, he asked to be crucified upside down, because 614 00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:39,000 he felt like he wasn't worthy to be crucified like his master 615 00:40:42,400 --> 00:40:45,800 You're gonna die, you're gonna die in a specific way, in a way 616 00:40:45,800 --> 00:40:48,400 that will be include much suffering. 617 00:40:49,800 --> 00:40:51,800 But in your death, you're going to glorify me. 618 00:40:53,500 --> 00:40:55,600 You're gonna glorify me. That is the essence of 619 00:40:55,600 --> 00:41:00,700 discipleship that you, and I glorify him until death until 620 00:41:00,700 --> 00:41:05,000 death and even in your death. Now, you might not have a 621 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:07,600 prophecy about how you're going to die and how that will glorify 622 00:41:07,700 --> 00:41:11,300 you may not be a martyr. But if you want to know how you 623 00:41:11,308 --> 00:41:14,500 can glorify God in your death, just glorify him in your life. 624 00:41:15,700 --> 00:41:19,000 Just glorify him. Well, I will die for Jesus. 625 00:41:19,100 --> 00:41:20,600 Well, you know, you barely live for him. 626 00:41:23,100 --> 00:41:26,700 Just live for him. Glorify him in your life and you 627 00:41:26,700 --> 00:41:29,500 will glorify him in your death. I had dinner with a friend not 628 00:41:29,500 --> 00:41:31,400 too long ago and he said something to me. 629 00:41:31,400 --> 00:41:34,200 They just like stuck with me ever since he said, you know 630 00:41:34,200 --> 00:41:37,000 what brother? Every Christian has three 631 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:39,800 Crusades in their life. What are you talking about? 632 00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:41,200 Three. Crusades not. 633 00:41:41,200 --> 00:41:43,300 Every Christian is going to have the chance to stand on a great 634 00:41:43,300 --> 00:41:46,100 platform and preach to thousands like some who have been called 635 00:41:46,100 --> 00:41:49,300 throughout history. But every average believer will 636 00:41:49,300 --> 00:41:53,700 have three opportunities to have an above average audience in 637 00:41:53,700 --> 00:41:56,300 which they can testify of the Relationship to Christ. 638 00:41:57,500 --> 00:41:59,700 I'm interested. What is it says number one. 639 00:41:59,700 --> 00:42:04,200 Your baptism, your baptism and that's why I tell people don't 640 00:42:04,200 --> 00:42:06,900 waste your baptism. Don't waste your baptism. 641 00:42:06,900 --> 00:42:10,300 Use that opportunity to stand before people, and to testify of 642 00:42:10,300 --> 00:42:13,100 Christ, that's an obvious one. You want to know the second one, 643 00:42:13,100 --> 00:42:16,400 he said your wedding. Your wedding. 644 00:42:16,900 --> 00:42:21,100 You can have more than the average crowd in that event of 645 00:42:21,107 --> 00:42:23,100 your life. You're gonna have the same crowd 646 00:42:23,100 --> 00:42:26,200 in your living room. You're going to have that kind 647 00:42:26,200 --> 00:42:30,000 of a crowd uniquely as something as special as a wedding. 648 00:42:30,900 --> 00:42:33,900 So at your wedding that is another opportunity where you'll 649 00:42:33,900 --> 00:42:36,800 be able to testify to Christ in a crusade like Manner. 650 00:42:36,900 --> 00:42:41,200 And lastly, your funeral Your funeral. 651 00:42:42,300 --> 00:42:45,200 The first two you're able to testify about it, the last one 652 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:51,000 people will testify about you. And we were just talking about 653 00:42:51,000 --> 00:42:55,500 how Believers are capable of wasting those opportunities. 654 00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:00,000 Peter was not going to, he was going to glorify. 655 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:04,900 God, yes, day by day, but even in his death, And when he said, 656 00:43:04,900 --> 00:43:07,400 follow me, it encompassed something. 657 00:43:07,400 --> 00:43:11,700 This, this is the point that I'm driving at here when Jesus said, 658 00:43:11,700 --> 00:43:17,400 follow me, it included Peter walking away from something his 659 00:43:17,400 --> 00:43:23,100 business, his Prophet, his success and also a Readiness to 660 00:43:23,100 --> 00:43:28,300 walk towards something suffering, Suffering that would 661 00:43:28,300 --> 00:43:31,700 not be in vain but suffering that would glorify his Lord. 662 00:43:32,500 --> 00:43:36,200 And if you think that that standard is anything less for 663 00:43:36,200 --> 00:43:43,000 you than you're not good soil, Because the good soil accepts 664 00:43:43,000 --> 00:43:47,100 the terms of the gospel and that includes walking away from 665 00:43:47,100 --> 00:43:50,200 certain things and being willing to walk towards anything. 666 00:43:50,200 --> 00:43:58,300 If Christ says go The terms for Peter, no less for us today. 667 00:43:59,500 --> 00:44:02,300 Are you good soil? If you're good soil then you 668 00:44:02,300 --> 00:44:05,500 will accept this. If you're not good soil, you 669 00:44:05,500 --> 00:44:08,500 will deceive yourself or you will try to negotiate with God. 670 00:44:08,500 --> 00:44:11,800 When God says, I this is not open for for a deal. 671 00:44:13,800 --> 00:44:16,300 Peter, do you love me more than these? 672 00:44:16,800 --> 00:44:20,300 You know that I love you Peter. You're gonna die. 673 00:44:21,100 --> 00:44:23,600 I've ordained for you to die in a way that will glorify me now 674 00:44:23,600 --> 00:44:25,100 follow me and Peter followed him. 675 00:44:28,100 --> 00:44:30,600 The one who has a good heart, the one who will produce true 676 00:44:30,600 --> 00:44:32,700 fruit, the one who will know, true saving knowledge, 677 00:44:32,800 --> 00:44:36,700 understands the truth. Accepts the truth. 678 00:44:37,600 --> 00:44:42,200 And thirdly, Luke tells us the final sign meet me in Luke 8:15. 679 00:44:54,800 --> 00:44:58,900 Luke 8:15. As for that in the good soil. 680 00:44:59,300 --> 00:45:01,500 They are those who hearing the word? 681 00:45:01,500 --> 00:45:03,500 Well, yes. Okay, we've covered that. 682 00:45:03,700 --> 00:45:07,200 Hold it, fast in an honest, and good heart. 683 00:45:07,400 --> 00:45:11,700 That goes back to understanding it Cornelius, having an honest 684 00:45:11,700 --> 00:45:15,000 and good heart, not good in that he was better than other 685 00:45:15,000 --> 00:45:16,800 Sinners. Good, in that he was looking and 686 00:45:16,800 --> 00:45:20,000 yearning for the truth. And look at this and bear fruit 687 00:45:20,000 --> 00:45:24,000 with patience. Every gospel writer. 688 00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:27,900 When they spoke about the good soil, include the necessity of 689 00:45:27,900 --> 00:45:32,100 genuinely bearing fruit. Not one of them omit, this 690 00:45:32,100 --> 00:45:37,900 detail because it is crucial, it is the core message of the 691 00:45:37,900 --> 00:45:42,200 Fertile ground that when the seed becomes one, with that 692 00:45:42,200 --> 00:45:46,100 heart, there will be observable and there will be a lasting 693 00:45:46,100 --> 00:45:50,400 change, but Luke does add a detail to the concept of bearing 694 00:45:50,400 --> 00:45:52,700 fruit. He tells Us in those final words 695 00:45:52,700 --> 00:45:55,900 they will bear fruit with patience. 696 00:45:57,000 --> 00:45:59,600 That is meant to help the sower and the soil. 697 00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:06,500 Because spiritual New Birth is inevitable for the one who truly 698 00:46:06,500 --> 00:46:10,900 receives the seed. But the growth is gradual, and 699 00:46:10,900 --> 00:46:15,300 the sower needs to know that less, he becomes impatient and 700 00:46:15,300 --> 00:46:17,900 the soil needs to comprehend that less. 701 00:46:17,900 --> 00:46:22,700 He also becomes discouraged and both might be tempted to think 702 00:46:22,700 --> 00:46:27,700 that this Divine transaction was was faulty. 703 00:46:29,400 --> 00:46:34,000 When the seed comes into a heart that is good, we cannot have the 704 00:46:34,000 --> 00:46:36,800 expectation of an immediate Mega Harvest. 705 00:46:38,300 --> 00:46:42,600 There is change, but at the beginning level things will take 706 00:46:42,600 --> 00:46:44,900 time. There is a new, there's a new 707 00:46:44,900 --> 00:46:47,100 trajectory. Now, there's a new Direction now 708 00:46:47,100 --> 00:46:49,500 and and Time Will Reveal as this. 709 00:46:49,800 --> 00:46:53,700 The seed now begins to grow, and we have to understand that, you 710 00:46:53,700 --> 00:46:55,200 know why? Because you have some people who 711 00:46:55,200 --> 00:46:58,500 think they are good soil, and they are not good soil and then 712 00:46:58,500 --> 00:47:00,600 you have people who are genuinely good soil, but they 713 00:47:00,600 --> 00:47:03,400 don't believe that they're good soil because they're not seeing 714 00:47:03,400 --> 00:47:06,200 the growth that they would like at the rate that they desire. 715 00:47:07,000 --> 00:47:09,200 So you get people, you got to kind of people who are tricked 716 00:47:09,200 --> 00:47:12,400 here, you got people who are really have thorns in the hearts 717 00:47:12,400 --> 00:47:15,800 and I think I'm good there deceived and you have people who 718 00:47:15,800 --> 00:47:20,000 are truly truly receiving the seed, who questioned who 719 00:47:20,000 --> 00:47:22,300 question their status in that parable. 720 00:47:23,700 --> 00:47:28,600 Because they are impatient. Good soil does not cancel the 721 00:47:28,600 --> 00:47:32,900 reality. Of unhurried development. 722 00:47:34,400 --> 00:47:36,000 This is what it will mean for you. 723 00:47:36,000 --> 00:47:38,300 As a True Believer, you will undergo learning. 724 00:47:38,800 --> 00:47:42,900 You will know supplementation. You will know pruning, you will 725 00:47:42,900 --> 00:47:45,600 know protecting. You will know, unfortunately, 726 00:47:45,600 --> 00:47:48,900 sometimes failing along the way and that does not negate the 727 00:47:48,900 --> 00:47:53,700 reality that you are good soil. I mean, let's go back to Matthew 728 00:47:53,700 --> 00:48:02,000 13:23 quickly. Jesus says As for what was sown 729 00:48:02,000 --> 00:48:05,000 on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and 730 00:48:05,000 --> 00:48:11,000 understands it, he indeed, Bears fruit and yields. 731 00:48:12,100 --> 00:48:15,400 He indeed. It's going to happen. 732 00:48:16,800 --> 00:48:19,800 It will happen. There is no such thing as a 733 00:48:19,800 --> 00:48:24,800 person who receives the seed and is fruitless impossible. 734 00:48:25,500 --> 00:48:29,600 The very DNA of the seed promises that there will be 735 00:48:29,600 --> 00:48:33,700 something that will change. Life will come a fragments will 736 00:48:33,700 --> 00:48:37,000 erupt? There will be, there will be 737 00:48:37,000 --> 00:48:42,600 results for the person who says, I understand it and I say yes to 738 00:48:42,600 --> 00:48:48,200 it. But notice what else? 739 00:48:48,200 --> 00:48:52,000 Matthew says. In one case. 740 00:48:53,200 --> 00:48:58,300 A hundredfold. And another 60 and in another 741 00:48:58,300 --> 00:49:01,500 30. Now some have made that to be 742 00:49:01,700 --> 00:49:05,500 that, the person who is good soil, who receives the seed, who 743 00:49:05,500 --> 00:49:09,100 is fertile ground will win, certain amount of people to 744 00:49:09,100 --> 00:49:12,600 Christ that the number here of the Harvest speaks about the 745 00:49:12,600 --> 00:49:15,300 Harvest of Souls and some will win this amount. 746 00:49:15,300 --> 00:49:18,100 Someone went down about someone, when that amount, I don't lean 747 00:49:18,100 --> 00:49:21,900 into that interpretation. And some might even say well 748 00:49:21,900 --> 00:49:25,600 this is this is a description of people who yes have received the 749 00:49:25,600 --> 00:49:28,700 seed, but they will bear fruit differently based on their 750 00:49:29,200 --> 00:49:32,300 future obedience and they're yielding to the instructions 751 00:49:32,300 --> 00:49:34,500 that are in the word of God. And I think there's more 752 00:49:34,500 --> 00:49:37,300 legitimacy there, but then again, I don't see. 753 00:49:37,300 --> 00:49:41,300 Jesus leaving any room for criticism with the good soil. 754 00:49:43,600 --> 00:49:47,000 When we see here that there's different levels of harvest, 755 00:49:47,000 --> 00:49:51,200 there's different levels of fruit, it's perhaps, because 756 00:49:51,200 --> 00:49:54,100 Jesus is just saying that for those who receive the soil will 757 00:49:54,100 --> 00:49:58,200 bear fruit differently. It's going to look different 758 00:49:59,100 --> 00:50:02,400 depending on your context and your capacity and your gifting. 759 00:50:04,200 --> 00:50:07,300 The fruit will be there and notice thirtyfold sixtyfold 760 00:50:07,300 --> 00:50:10,100 100-fold. That is not natural growth. 761 00:50:10,400 --> 00:50:14,400 That is, that is phenomenal. That is awesome that will that 762 00:50:14,400 --> 00:50:19,600 will make any farmer happy And so there is no there's no shade 763 00:50:19,600 --> 00:50:21,700 being thrown here. There's nothing like well 764 00:50:21,700 --> 00:50:23,300 there's going to be some Christians who are better than 765 00:50:23,300 --> 00:50:24,500 others. I don't think that's what the 766 00:50:24,500 --> 00:50:27,100 Lord is communicating. I think with the Lord is 767 00:50:27,100 --> 00:50:31,100 essentially trying to say, is every believer will generate 768 00:50:31,100 --> 00:50:33,900 christlikeness and character and service differently. 769 00:50:34,700 --> 00:50:37,900 So here's the college student, who's not married who doesn't 770 00:50:37,900 --> 00:50:41,200 have a job who's studying and they accept Christ. 771 00:50:41,500 --> 00:50:43,300 They're going to bear fruit in a certain way. 772 00:50:43,700 --> 00:50:47,100 And here is the, the husband of one wife. 773 00:50:48,100 --> 00:50:51,600 And has five children, and they came to a meeting and they 774 00:50:51,700 --> 00:50:53,500 understood it. They accepted it. 775 00:50:53,800 --> 00:50:57,900 And they are truly good soil and they're going to bear fruit in 776 00:50:57,900 --> 00:51:01,300 this way. And here's, here's the young 777 00:51:01,300 --> 00:51:02,800 lady. Who hears the gospel. 778 00:51:02,800 --> 00:51:04,700 She says, yes to it. She accepts it. 779 00:51:04,700 --> 00:51:08,000 And in time she is raised up to be a missionary and she goes 780 00:51:08,000 --> 00:51:11,500 overseas and her friend who was also at the same meeting. 781 00:51:11,700 --> 00:51:14,500 Here's that truth, accepts it as she grows up. 782 00:51:14,500 --> 00:51:17,300 She gets married and she stays at home, and she raises Her 783 00:51:17,300 --> 00:51:22,300 three babies and she will bear fruit in that way. here's the 784 00:51:22,300 --> 00:51:27,000 main point and my final verse for you, in 2nd 1st 785 00:51:27,000 --> 00:51:34,400 Thessalonians, 2:13 this will be a good way to end. 1 786 00:51:34,400 --> 00:51:47,500 Thessalonians 2:13. Paul says, and we also thank God 787 00:51:47,500 --> 00:51:52,200 constantly for this. What is Paul going to thank God 788 00:51:52,200 --> 00:51:55,000 for that. When you received the word of 789 00:51:55,000 --> 00:51:59,600 God, which you heard from us, you accept it. 790 00:52:00,400 --> 00:52:03,800 Accept it it right, good soil. Accepts the word of God. 791 00:52:03,900 --> 00:52:09,500 You accepted it, not as the word of men, but as what it really 792 00:52:09,500 --> 00:52:13,800 is, because what, like the first point, he understands it the 793 00:52:13,800 --> 00:52:16,700 word of God. So, what we have there, they 794 00:52:16,700 --> 00:52:19,500 accepted it because they understood it, but look what 795 00:52:19,500 --> 00:52:23,900 happens next, which is at work in you believers. 796 00:52:25,700 --> 00:52:28,700 I can thank God for you. Why? 797 00:52:28,700 --> 00:52:31,700 Because when you heard the word you understood it, not as just 798 00:52:31,700 --> 00:52:35,200 some guy with a history book telling you some moral lessons 799 00:52:35,500 --> 00:52:38,500 you understood it as that's God's word. 800 00:52:38,500 --> 00:52:42,200 That's God's Will and because you understood it in such a way 801 00:52:42,200 --> 00:52:47,000 you accepted it. I want to submit to what God is 802 00:52:47,000 --> 00:52:50,000 saying. And because you truly accepted 803 00:52:50,000 --> 00:52:51,400 it, you know what he tells us church. 804 00:52:52,300 --> 00:52:57,100 It's it's at work in you. It's at work in you believers. 805 00:52:58,400 --> 00:53:01,000 If this seed really gets in your heart, it's going to work. 806 00:53:02,200 --> 00:53:04,100 It's going to, it's going to conform. 807 00:53:04,200 --> 00:53:07,300 It's going to produce. It's going to overtake. 808 00:53:07,300 --> 00:53:10,500 It's going to yield, it's going to create. 809 00:53:10,500 --> 00:53:14,600 Things are going to happen. I refused to believe, I don't 810 00:53:14,600 --> 00:53:18,500 care what's on your Instagram description, and I don't care if 811 00:53:18,500 --> 00:53:24,200 you put a verse with your selfie, if this word is not 812 00:53:24,200 --> 00:53:30,100 working in your life, If with patients, you are not seeing a 813 00:53:30,100 --> 00:53:34,200 development as you add to the initial word with more word, 814 00:53:34,200 --> 00:53:37,400 something's wrong. And it's not because there's 815 00:53:37,400 --> 00:53:39,700 judgment here, it's because the word of God judges. 816 00:53:40,500 --> 00:53:42,800 And so, here's my final question, as we end this series 817 00:53:42,800 --> 00:53:45,200 in the parable of sore and continuing Mark, are you good 818 00:53:45,200 --> 00:53:46,900 soil? Are you. 819 00:53:49,100 --> 00:53:52,100 Look. I try to be like Christ as much 820 00:53:52,100 --> 00:53:54,900 as I can and I want to think like Christ I'm fully aware of 821 00:53:54,900 --> 00:53:57,000 the reality of what happens in these moments. 822 00:53:57,800 --> 00:54:00,900 Jesus said, one out of the four soils will take you seriously. 823 00:54:04,700 --> 00:54:06,600 And so I hope you are in that category. 824 00:54:08,200 --> 00:54:10,300 And you know, just check your heart. 825 00:54:10,700 --> 00:54:15,700 You know you know if you do not answer the call of discipleship 826 00:54:15,700 --> 00:54:17,900 because you're not willing to walk away for some things and 827 00:54:17,900 --> 00:54:20,000 you're not willing to walk towards some things, okay, good. 828 00:54:20,000 --> 00:54:23,600 As long as you're honest, may God grant, you repentance and 829 00:54:23,600 --> 00:54:26,900 you know in this place, if you are waiting for me to stop 830 00:54:27,400 --> 00:54:30,400 because you have more interest in the stock market than the 831 00:54:30,400 --> 00:54:35,900 will of God, you know, And you know, if your heart and soil 832 00:54:35,900 --> 00:54:39,400 because as I've been preaching in these past four weeks, you 833 00:54:39,400 --> 00:54:42,400 could care less of what I am saying. 834 00:54:42,700 --> 00:54:47,500 God, have mercy on you. but if you're a good soil, you're 835 00:54:47,500 --> 00:54:53,000 taking this in like a sponge. You want it all, you want the 836 00:54:53,000 --> 00:54:55,600 blessing, the promises, the rebuking the correction. 837 00:54:55,900 --> 00:54:58,600 You want to go where Jesus tells you to go and you will stay with 838 00:54:58,600 --> 00:55:02,100 Jesus tells you to stay you hear this as the word of God. 839 00:55:02,100 --> 00:55:06,100 You come here knowing that God is going to speak and you will 840 00:55:06,100 --> 00:55:09,000 respond by whatever Grace he grants you to respond. 841 00:55:11,200 --> 00:55:13,800 And you will bear fruit. Be patient with your growth, be 842 00:55:13,800 --> 00:55:18,000 patient with your development. Don't lose heart, don't condemn 843 00:55:18,000 --> 00:55:20,500 yourself. Because Christ is not condemn, 844 00:55:20,500 --> 00:55:23,700 you he celebrates over you. You want to tell you about 845 00:55:23,700 --> 00:55:26,300 something about the Lord, when you go to Genesis 1, this is 846 00:55:26,300 --> 00:55:27,500 something that I love about the Lord. 847 00:55:27,500 --> 00:55:30,400 Right from the beginning of the book, I learned Sing About God 848 00:55:30,700 --> 00:55:33,100 right from the beginning, not just that he created everything. 849 00:55:33,500 --> 00:55:37,100 He creates the world and progression stage by stage, but 850 00:55:37,100 --> 00:55:40,000 with every single stage he says it is good. 851 00:55:41,100 --> 00:55:42,400 The next day. It is good. 852 00:55:42,400 --> 00:55:43,800 The next day. It is good. 853 00:55:43,900 --> 00:55:44,800 Well, it's not done yet. Yeah. 854 00:55:44,800 --> 00:55:47,300 But it's still good. It's still good. 855 00:55:47,900 --> 00:55:52,100 And he says the same as he is, creating, christlikeness in you 856 00:55:52,300 --> 00:55:55,500 day by day, though, you may not see a complete picture. 857 00:55:55,700 --> 00:55:58,300 God says it's good. I'll look at that. 858 00:55:58,300 --> 00:56:01,100 It's good. Another year goes by, it is 859 00:56:01,100 --> 00:56:02,500 good. Look at all the lessons from the 860 00:56:02,500 --> 00:56:05,800 failure from from losing track from coming back. 861 00:56:05,900 --> 00:56:09,400 It's good, it's good, it's good, it's good, it's good. 862 00:56:10,900 --> 00:56:12,400 Pray that your good soil this afternoon. 863 00:56:13,100 --> 00:56:16,000 I pray that you understand it, you accept it and that because 864 00:56:16,000 --> 00:56:18,700 of the power of that word in you your bearing fruit. 865 00:56:20,400 --> 00:56:21,200 Lori. Thank you. 866 00:56:26,000 --> 00:56:28,200 Well, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. 867 00:56:30,200 --> 00:56:35,200 Of how accurate your word is. and Lord, we just we just beg 868 00:56:35,200 --> 00:56:42,100 you that we would have ears to hear not just for the gospel. 869 00:56:42,100 --> 00:56:47,500 But for every time we hear your word, And Lord we thank you that 870 00:56:47,500 --> 00:56:50,500 in this place. We can say what Paul said to the 871 00:56:50,500 --> 00:56:58,700 church in 1st Thessalonians. That people in this house, have 872 00:56:58,900 --> 00:57:01,200 received the word, not as the word of men, but as the word of 873 00:57:01,200 --> 00:57:05,900 God they accepted as such and they are seeing the word work in 874 00:57:05,900 --> 00:57:11,300 them may that only continue Well, we rejoice in you. 875 00:57:13,700 --> 00:57:20,600 We glorify you. And Lord for the person in here, 876 00:57:20,600 --> 00:57:23,100 who is ready to really be good soil. 877 00:57:26,900 --> 00:57:30,100 Midday remove and pull out by your power. 878 00:57:30,500 --> 00:57:33,200 All filthiness all rampid wickedness, all 879 00:57:33,200 --> 00:57:37,200 self-righteousness and with meekness receive the word, which 880 00:57:37,200 --> 00:57:41,300 is able to save their souls. You are a good God. 881 00:57:43,100 --> 00:57:47,600 Thank you for your word. Thank you for showing us and 882 00:57:47,600 --> 00:57:50,200 comforting us, and convicting us. 883 00:57:52,000 --> 00:57:53,800 How we can have the right hearts for you. 884 00:57:55,200 --> 00:57:58,400 We sing to you now with gratitude in Jesus name. 885 00:57:58,900 --> 00:58:01,000 Amen let's stand together and closing.