1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:04,170 Well, why don't you grab a Bible and open up with me to Matthew's 2 00:00:04,180 --> 00:00:07,970 Gospel, which is the first book in the New Testament. 3 00:00:08,020 --> 00:00:10,300 We're in Matthew Chapter 13 this morning. 4 00:00:12,270 --> 00:00:16,059 If you are a golf fan, you would likely know what the Masters 5 00:00:16,070 --> 00:00:19,350 Tournament is in August. Augusta, GA. 6 00:00:19,410 --> 00:00:26,750 So 2011 Rory McIlroy, 21 years old, was going into the final 7 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:29,550 day of the tournament. So this is after playing three 8 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:33,410 already 3 days, 3 rounds of golf into the final day and he's up 9 00:00:33,420 --> 00:00:38,620 by 4 strokes and this young sensation and it was so much 10 00:00:39,790 --> 00:00:43,260 hype about him and what what was future would look like. 11 00:00:43,330 --> 00:00:48,360 And final day, 4th day on the Sunday, his game completely 12 00:00:48,370 --> 00:00:51,940 falls apart and he ties for 15th place. 13 00:00:52,770 --> 00:00:58,920 Absolutely devastating. And over the years, Rory tried 14 00:00:58,930 --> 00:01:02,740 to win that tournament and continued to lose that 15 00:01:02,750 --> 00:01:06,050 tournament kind of breakdown. People would commentators would 16 00:01:06,060 --> 00:01:09,500 say he's choking. You know, the kind of there's 17 00:01:09,510 --> 00:01:13,290 he's jinxed somehow the the tournament is sort of against 18 00:01:13,300 --> 00:01:15,920 him it etcetera. And so it was a very frustrating 19 00:01:15,930 --> 00:01:18,500 experience for Rory. He's won all of the other major 20 00:01:18,510 --> 00:01:24,210 titles, but the Masters alluded him. 21 00:01:24,250 --> 00:01:26,520 Frustrating would be frustrating for him. 22 00:01:26,530 --> 00:01:30,500 Very disappointing. A lot of anxiety around that 23 00:01:30,510 --> 00:01:37,850 tournament as well, but he stayed in the game and 14 years 24 00:01:37,860 --> 00:01:42,330 later of losing that tournament and losing that tournament 2025, 25 00:01:42,340 --> 00:01:44,990 he finally won it and then back-to-back wins. 26 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,570 He won it again this year in 2026. 27 00:01:47,860 --> 00:01:51,080 The importance of sticking with it, staying in the game. 28 00:01:51,090 --> 00:01:53,610 I wanna talk this morning a little bit about staying in the 29 00:01:53,620 --> 00:01:56,490 game on a from a spiritual standpoint. 30 00:01:56,550 --> 00:02:00,510 We're in the middle of a series called Multiply and we are 31 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:04,610 looking at this really the command that God has given to 32 00:02:04,620 --> 00:02:07,820 us. It began way back in Genesis 33 00:02:07,830 --> 00:02:10,660 chapter 1. The very first words that God 34 00:02:10,669 --> 00:02:15,610 spoke to human beings was be fruitful and multiply and fill 35 00:02:15,620 --> 00:02:18,240 the earth. God had created us in His image. 36 00:02:18,250 --> 00:02:21,340 He created all things well, all things beautiful, and He wanted 37 00:02:21,350 --> 00:02:24,860 us to fill the earth with His glory, with those that would 38 00:02:24,870 --> 00:02:28,460 bear His image. Now we know how things went. 39 00:02:28,530 --> 00:02:33,690 Chapter 3 of Genesis Early enough sin enters the world, we 40 00:02:33,700 --> 00:02:36,530 are broken, the image of God is marred in us. 41 00:02:36,620 --> 00:02:40,540 But when he sent his Son Jesus Christ into the world, he came 42 00:02:40,550 --> 00:02:43,850 to bring forgiveness to heal our relationship with him and begin 43 00:02:43,860 --> 00:02:48,750 to restore us that we would follow Jesus and be restored. 44 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:52,450 Image bearers, not far from perfect to be sure, but calling 45 00:02:52,460 --> 00:02:57,010 people into God's Kingdom. And so the last words that Jesus 46 00:02:57,020 --> 00:03:02,130 speaks to his disciples was go and make disciples of all 47 00:03:02,140 --> 00:03:06,980 nations, multiply my ministry around the around the earth and 48 00:03:06,990 --> 00:03:10,340 bring people into my Kingdom. We are meant if you're a 49 00:03:10,350 --> 00:03:15,100 follower of Jesus, we're called to pass on this relationship 50 00:03:15,150 --> 00:03:18,560 with God, this opportunity we have to engage with the king. 51 00:03:18,570 --> 00:03:22,980 We're called to multiply the number of followers on the earth 52 00:03:23,470 --> 00:03:28,450 to bear much fruit. Now, if you're a Christian, you 53 00:03:28,460 --> 00:03:29,740 may look at your life and say, Amen. 54 00:03:29,750 --> 00:03:32,720 I don't know how much fruit I'm bearing, you know, maybe a 55 00:03:32,730 --> 00:03:34,360 little bit of fruit. You know, there's people that 56 00:03:34,370 --> 00:03:36,750 have been praying for, people perhaps I've been sharing my 57 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:39,480 faith with. I feel like I'm having very, 58 00:03:39,490 --> 00:03:43,430 very little impact. Today's message I'm hoping is 59 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:46,690 gonna speak to us because this is what the parables that Jesus 60 00:03:47,140 --> 00:03:51,030 is communicating to to us, it's really all about. 61 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:53,780 He's teaching about what the Kingdom of God is like. 62 00:03:54,830 --> 00:03:57,300 We have expectations of what the Kingdom of God is like, and 63 00:03:57,310 --> 00:04:00,780 Jesus is teaching us specifically about his Kingdom. 64 00:04:00,790 --> 00:04:06,200 It's not a geographical realm like a a dominion. 65 00:04:06,270 --> 00:04:12,230 It is wherever His rule is taking place, and He's referring 66 00:04:12,300 --> 00:04:17,149 to the human heart. We have been. 67 00:04:17,260 --> 00:04:21,390 All those who have bowed the need of Jesus Christ have now 68 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:26,250 changed from status of being an enemy of God to a friend of God 69 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:33,270 all through the work that He has done on the cross and now being 70 00:04:33,280 --> 00:04:37,430 made right with him. We have a we have a a different 71 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:39,810 kind of resource. We have joy, we have peace with 72 00:04:39,820 --> 00:04:44,670 him, and we're called to display that and to pass that on to 73 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:49,440 others. Expand just to expand God's rule 74 00:04:49,490 --> 00:04:53,440 in the world, in a world that's built on pride, the world that's 75 00:04:53,450 --> 00:04:59,080 built on prestige, world that's built on power, God's Kingdom 76 00:04:59,090 --> 00:05:00,450 operates in a very different way. 77 00:05:00,460 --> 00:05:02,840 And this is one of the things that Jesus communicated starts 78 00:05:02,930 --> 00:05:08,310 as a seed, and it's planted in one person at a time. 79 00:05:08,670 --> 00:05:14,450 Slow growth, slow growth, but we're called to sow the seed and 80 00:05:14,460 --> 00:05:19,170 let God do His work, stay in the game and allow God to do His 81 00:05:19,180 --> 00:05:22,330 work because He is at work and He is providing opportunities 82 00:05:22,340 --> 00:05:25,690 for us if we will avail him to be be available for Him. 83 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:28,730 We just need to be faithful in the little things. 84 00:05:29,340 --> 00:05:34,820 Over this past week, I heard a couple of testimonies really 85 00:05:34,830 --> 00:05:37,080 about how God has been at work in our midst. 86 00:05:37,090 --> 00:05:40,980 And I, and I've asked Leah and Mark Corelia, Debora, Mark 87 00:05:40,990 --> 00:05:44,980 Corval, once you guys come up right now and just share briefly 88 00:05:47,990 --> 00:05:49,990 about the experience you shared with me. 89 00:05:50,610 --> 00:05:52,020 Bless the rest of the congregation. 90 00:05:52,110 --> 00:05:56,340 Thanks, Leanne. One OHP there we go. 91 00:05:56,730 --> 00:06:00,340 So if you don't know me, my name is Leah and thanks John for this 92 00:06:00,350 --> 00:06:05,740 opportunity to stretch myself and share with you all I was 93 00:06:05,750 --> 00:06:08,590 sharing with John at our last prayer meeting. 94 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:15,140 And I guess prayer for me has been something that's always 95 00:06:15,150 --> 00:06:19,200 been very important in my life. And I've spent a lot of time in 96 00:06:19,210 --> 00:06:23,480 prayer, but not a lot of time confidently being able to pray 97 00:06:23,490 --> 00:06:27,940 with other people. And not a year ago, but roughly 98 00:06:28,010 --> 00:06:31,740 a year ago, our church started these prayer and intercession 99 00:06:31,750 --> 00:06:36,250 evenings. And I just found that going 100 00:06:36,260 --> 00:06:41,060 consistently and praying with other people and it embodying 101 00:06:41,070 --> 00:06:47,100 that experience and practicing so often has allowed God to grow 102 00:06:47,150 --> 00:06:49,640 a different kind of confidence in me. 103 00:06:49,690 --> 00:06:54,390 So last, I don't know, it was last week or two weeks ago, I 104 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:58,000 had a coworker come into my classroom, I teach at a school, 105 00:06:58,100 --> 00:07:03,740 and she was sharing with me just how difficult certain 106 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:06,350 circumstances in her life have been. 107 00:07:06,500 --> 00:07:10,990 And for the first time, instead of offering to pray or asking if 108 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:14,110 it would be offensive to pray for someone, I just said, hey, 109 00:07:14,170 --> 00:07:18,860 why don't we pray together? And she was open to that Seemed 110 00:07:18,870 --> 00:07:22,010 very. Yeah, just like really. 111 00:07:22,020 --> 00:07:24,770 OK. So I prayed for it didn't seem, 112 00:07:24,780 --> 00:07:28,190 you know, like any big thing, but it was really nice to be 113 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:31,830 able to pray with someone. And I think lots of times we 114 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:37,140 don't see the effects of when we say yes to God right away. 115 00:07:37,150 --> 00:07:40,700 But I had the wonderful experience of hearing from her 116 00:07:40,710 --> 00:07:44,060 the very next day. She just came over again to my 117 00:07:44,070 --> 00:07:46,660 portable and was very excited about her experience. 118 00:07:46,670 --> 00:07:51,000 She said I have prayed before in my life but never like that. 119 00:07:51,110 --> 00:07:55,340 And she just was filled with a sense of peace about how to move 120 00:07:55,350 --> 00:07:59,860 forward in her circumstance. So God just really said yes and 121 00:07:59,910 --> 00:08:02,640 moved in powerful ways in her life. 122 00:08:03,810 --> 00:08:09,470 And I think that was partly through just honoring him in 123 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:14,550 coming faithfully to something like the prayer and intercession 124 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:16,590 meeting where he could build that in me. 125 00:08:16,660 --> 00:08:20,130 And those were times when I was had been praying for her for, I 126 00:08:20,140 --> 00:08:22,930 guess, roughly a year. So yeah, there you go. 127 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,010 Thanks, Leah. Got at work. 128 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:33,500 At work. Hi, my name is Mark and these 129 00:08:33,510 --> 00:08:36,440 children's story this morning is is very accurate you we don't 130 00:08:36,450 --> 00:08:40,799 need a fishing rod to talk about God to talk about Jesus. 131 00:08:41,340 --> 00:08:43,200 And I just want to share a story. 132 00:08:44,300 --> 00:08:47,520 It happened to Susan and I a couple of years ago. 133 00:08:47,830 --> 00:08:51,250 We went into the Meridian, the local Meridian bank here. 134 00:08:51,410 --> 00:08:54,240 We had to meet with a financial advisor and some some things, 135 00:08:54,250 --> 00:08:57,000 I'm going to refer to his name as Charles throughout this, 136 00:08:57,350 --> 00:09:00,630 during our first meeting, I sense that the Holy Spirit was 137 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:04,730 prompting me to speak to Charles about God. 138 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:09,380 And I don't remember the exact exchange that we had. 139 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:11,220 I was two years ago. And then, you know, I don't 140 00:09:11,230 --> 00:09:14,050 remember what I had for breakfast this morning, but I 141 00:09:14,060 --> 00:09:16,470 know somewhere in our conversation we talked about him 142 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:19,980 visiting Forest View and that Susan and I would love to host 143 00:09:19,990 --> 00:09:23,550 them and we'd sit down with them at Forest Hue if they wanted us 144 00:09:23,560 --> 00:09:27,330 to do that. I remember Charles saying 145 00:09:27,340 --> 00:09:32,350 something about him and church just don't get along and it had 146 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:35,010 been many years since he had attended church, but he wanted 147 00:09:35,020 --> 00:09:38,980 to thank. He thanked me for the invite he 148 00:09:38,990 --> 00:09:41,050 had to get back to me with some financial information. 149 00:09:41,060 --> 00:09:44,310 So we exchanged our cell phone numbers, but he gave me his 150 00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:48,030 personal cell phone number and not the Meridian Banks one for 151 00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:50,350 some strange reason. I didn't know why. 152 00:09:51,260 --> 00:09:54,370 It was on that number that I then sent him a link to one of 153 00:09:54,380 --> 00:09:56,910 Force Hughes to Pastor John's sermon. 154 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:59,870 It was dated in March 24th, 2024. 155 00:10:00,580 --> 00:10:05,980 Was this that sermon? And in a in a message he sent 156 00:10:05,990 --> 00:10:07,940 back thanked me for the for the link. 157 00:10:08,670 --> 00:10:12,460 In July, a few months later I came back to the to the bank. 158 00:10:12,470 --> 00:10:14,940 I had to meet with Charles, Charles again on some other 159 00:10:14,950 --> 00:10:19,580 financial item he had to check out first, something else 1st 160 00:10:19,590 --> 00:10:21,080 and said he would get back to me. 161 00:10:22,350 --> 00:10:25,240 And he did by text. And in that text he said, hey, I 162 00:10:25,250 --> 00:10:28,500 really appreciated that. The video clip, the link that 163 00:10:28,510 --> 00:10:33,440 you sent me, it's been many, many years since I've watched or 164 00:10:33,450 --> 00:10:37,680 heard a sermon, and I really like the way your pastor spoke. 165 00:10:40,620 --> 00:10:43,100 That was the end of it for about two years. 166 00:10:45,010 --> 00:10:48,960 July 2024 was our last last contact with Charles until two 167 00:10:48,970 --> 00:10:52,020 weeks ago. He sent me a text and I'm gonna 168 00:10:52,030 --> 00:10:54,460 read you. The text says, Hey brother, this 169 00:10:54,470 --> 00:10:56,660 is Charles. I met you at Meridian when you 170 00:10:56,670 --> 00:10:58,400 invited me to church a few times. 171 00:10:58,930 --> 00:11:01,640 I wanted to reach out to you and see if you had time to meet for 172 00:11:01,650 --> 00:11:04,630 coffee soon. Absolutely nothing to do with 173 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:08,390 banking in any fashion, I replied. 174 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:11,970 Of course I'd love to and we set a date to meet and but I really 175 00:11:11,980 --> 00:11:14,770 didn't know what what this was gonna be all about. 176 00:11:15,570 --> 00:11:20,390 We met for coffee a few days later when Charles and he gave 177 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:23,690 me, he had tears in his eyes and he gave me a big hug when we 178 00:11:23,700 --> 00:11:26,550 met. Thanked me for bringing Jesus up 179 00:11:26,560 --> 00:11:30,630 and talking about church with him two years ago, taking the 180 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:34,970 time and reaching out like Susan and I had cause you see, he and 181 00:11:34,980 --> 00:11:37,330 his wife have come to Christ since then. 182 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:42,030 And he, what he said was that, you know, that little seed that 183 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:46,130 was dropped helped him get back. Now there were other people, the 184 00:11:46,140 --> 00:11:48,770 Holy Spirit got ahold of him and there were other people, 185 00:11:49,300 --> 00:11:52,990 believers that helped him along his path coming back to Christ. 186 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:55,860 But now he goes to a, a faith, he goes to a church in Welland. 187 00:11:55,870 --> 00:11:59,550 They live in Welland and he's on the worship team in Welland. 188 00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:01,550 So thought that was amazing. Yeah, that's awesome. 189 00:12:01,700 --> 00:12:02,960 Praise the Lord. Good. 190 00:12:02,970 --> 00:12:11,140 Thanks you guys. God at work, we need to stay in 191 00:12:11,150 --> 00:12:14,580 the game. Stay in the game this morning. 192 00:12:14,590 --> 00:12:17,360 I want to talk about an important topic with regard to 193 00:12:17,370 --> 00:12:20,040 staying in the game, and that is being aware of the opposition, 194 00:12:20,330 --> 00:12:22,970 being aware of the opposition to the Kingdom of God. 195 00:12:23,570 --> 00:12:26,980 We're in Matthew chapter 13. We're gonna be looking at the 196 00:12:26,990 --> 00:12:31,800 parable of the weeds, and this is talking specifically about 197 00:12:31,870 --> 00:12:34,820 that opposition. And so Lord, we pray that as we 198 00:12:34,870 --> 00:12:39,360 look at your word this morning, that you would open her eyes to 199 00:12:39,370 --> 00:12:41,860 see marvelous things from Your law this morning. 200 00:12:41,950 --> 00:12:45,080 Speak to our hearts exactly what we need to hear this morning in 201 00:12:45,090 --> 00:12:50,480 Jesus name, Amen. Matthew chapter 13. 202 00:12:50,970 --> 00:12:56,510 Starting at verse 24, Jesus told them another parable. 203 00:12:57,020 --> 00:13:01,610 The Kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his 204 00:13:01,620 --> 00:13:05,930 field, but while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and 205 00:13:05,940 --> 00:13:08,980 sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 206 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:12,870 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds 207 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:17,490 also appeared. The owner's servants came to him 208 00:13:17,500 --> 00:13:20,550 and said, Sir, didn't you so good seed in your field? 209 00:13:20,620 --> 00:13:22,290 Where then, did the weeds come from? 210 00:13:23,490 --> 00:13:27,900 An enemy did this, he replied. The servants asked him, Do you 211 00:13:27,910 --> 00:13:32,280 want us to go and pull them up? No, he answered, because while 212 00:13:32,290 --> 00:13:36,040 you were pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 213 00:13:36,470 --> 00:13:38,610 Let both grow together until the harvest. 214 00:13:39,490 --> 00:13:42,630 At that time, I will tell the harvesters first collect the 215 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:45,120 weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned. 216 00:13:45,230 --> 00:13:48,470 Then gather the wheat and bring it into my barns. 217 00:13:51,030 --> 00:13:55,920 I want you to note the placement of this parable in Matthew's 218 00:13:55,930 --> 00:13:58,820 Gospel. So this is this is in the in the 219 00:13:58,830 --> 00:14:01,460 middle of a number of parables, but the first one, which is the 220 00:14:01,470 --> 00:14:03,820 primary ones we looked at a couple of weeks ago is the 221 00:14:03,830 --> 00:14:07,140 parable of the sower. And this is all about the 222 00:14:07,150 --> 00:14:09,640 harvest. This is the seed, which is the 223 00:14:09,650 --> 00:14:13,740 word of God that is being scattered on all different kinds 224 00:14:13,750 --> 00:14:18,080 of soils which represent people's hearts, human hearts. 225 00:14:18,150 --> 00:14:22,560 And it looks like 3/4 of it is just a waste because it produces 226 00:14:22,570 --> 00:14:26,200 no crop. But on 1/4 lands on good soil 227 00:14:26,850 --> 00:14:29,170 and a crop is produced. And not just the little crop, 228 00:14:29,180 --> 00:14:33,990 but 3060 a hundred fold. Talk about multiplication, all 229 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:36,310 about the harvest. And then we have the parable of 230 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:39,540 the weeds. And then after the parable, the 231 00:14:39,550 --> 00:14:43,470 weeds is the parable of the mustard seed and the yeast, how 232 00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:47,270 something very small grows and expands and permeates. 233 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:49,110 This is what the Kingdom of God is like. 234 00:14:49,180 --> 00:14:52,810 And then the disciples asked Jesus to explain the parable of 235 00:14:52,820 --> 00:14:54,330 the weeds. And so we're back to the weeds 236 00:14:54,340 --> 00:14:56,370 again. And then he moves on and he's 237 00:14:56,380 --> 00:14:59,600 talking about the parable of the hidden treasure and the Pearl. 238 00:14:59,610 --> 00:15:03,210 Like the Kingdom of God is so valuable it's worth selling 239 00:15:03,220 --> 00:15:07,250 everything for it. And then the parable of the net, 240 00:15:07,580 --> 00:15:11,530 which is refers to a net little Kingdom gathering, gathering 241 00:15:11,540 --> 00:15:14,760 many people into the fold of God. 242 00:15:17,170 --> 00:15:21,860 The parable of the weeds is integral to these parables, 243 00:15:23,900 --> 00:15:28,010 interrelated, meant to be taken together. 244 00:15:28,050 --> 00:15:30,720 Now what is a parable? Spoke the other the other the 245 00:15:30,730 --> 00:15:34,880 other day about a parable being para means alongside of and so 246 00:15:34,890 --> 00:15:39,180 Jesus is telling us these stories, a very common 247 00:15:39,190 --> 00:15:43,680 experiences in order to help us to understand more complex and 248 00:15:43,690 --> 00:15:46,260 spiritual experiences. I want you to I want to explain 249 00:15:46,270 --> 00:15:48,500 what the Kingdom of God is like. You haven't quite got it. 250 00:15:48,570 --> 00:15:51,640 So I'm gonna tell you a little story about a farmer about a 251 00:15:51,740 --> 00:15:55,540 about about seed, etcetera. And so he's explaining this and 252 00:15:55,670 --> 00:15:59,840 this then this parable is about a very common experience at that 253 00:15:59,850 --> 00:16:03,190 time. So the Greek word for the weed 254 00:16:03,260 --> 00:16:07,560 is Azania, which is a, a type of weed. 255 00:16:07,570 --> 00:16:09,110 Darnell. It's called a Darnell. 256 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:12,100 And we've got a picture up here of it. 257 00:16:12,220 --> 00:16:15,180 And when it grows, it looks exactly like wheat. 258 00:16:15,860 --> 00:16:18,410 You would never, you would never be, never be able to distinguish 259 00:16:18,420 --> 00:16:21,500 between until the heads begin to form and then you see the 260 00:16:21,510 --> 00:16:27,370 difference. And Jesus is explaining that 261 00:16:27,380 --> 00:16:32,010 there's an opposition that we don't always see, we don't 262 00:16:32,020 --> 00:16:38,390 always understand. And like in Ontario, weeds, like 263 00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:39,740 they're growing everywhere, right? 264 00:16:39,750 --> 00:16:42,390 If you own lawn, weeds are coming up all the time. 265 00:16:42,450 --> 00:16:44,700 They don't need any help to grow in Ontario. 266 00:16:45,850 --> 00:16:50,540 Jesus's day, he's referring to an enemy actually throwing 267 00:16:50,550 --> 00:16:53,620 darnel seed into somebody's wheatfield. 268 00:16:53,770 --> 00:16:57,360 And this is what people would do in like someone, someone that 269 00:16:57,370 --> 00:17:00,220 would would be getting under somebody's skin or it was an 270 00:17:00,230 --> 00:17:02,720 enemy. This is how they would, this is 271 00:17:02,730 --> 00:17:06,440 how they get back at people. They would throw weed seed on 272 00:17:06,450 --> 00:17:10,690 somebody's wheat field in order to sabotage their harvest. 273 00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:15,589 It was actually a strategy of, of, of ancient enemies in 274 00:17:15,599 --> 00:17:17,550 warfare. It was, it was actually, it was 275 00:17:17,560 --> 00:17:22,030 actually a Roman law that outlawed throwing sewing Darnell 276 00:17:22,140 --> 00:17:25,660 in, in people's wheat fields. So this was a common everyday 277 00:17:25,670 --> 00:17:27,349 experience. We, we don't, I don't know if 278 00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:31,030 our neighbors are throwing weed seed on our lawns very often, 279 00:17:31,100 --> 00:17:34,190 but this was what Jesus was referring to help us to help us 280 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:37,550 to understand more fully the Kingdom. 281 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:43,370 And so verse 36, he's explaining the parable, the disciples come 282 00:17:43,380 --> 00:17:45,950 to us and then he left the crowd went into the house. 283 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:49,250 His disciples came to him and said, Explain to us the parable 284 00:17:49,300 --> 00:17:52,960 of the weeds in the field. And he answered, The one who 285 00:17:52,970 --> 00:17:55,780 sowed the good seed is the son of man. 286 00:17:56,210 --> 00:18:00,980 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people 287 00:18:00,990 --> 00:18:04,010 of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people of the 288 00:18:04,020 --> 00:18:08,150 evil. 1 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. 289 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:12,550 The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are 290 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:14,730 angels. Let's just pause right there. 291 00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:18,390 So already we see, if you know the parable of the sower, 292 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:20,710 there's a different representation going on in the 293 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:21,850 sewer. The seed. 294 00:18:21,940 --> 00:18:24,510 The seed is the word of God. The parable of the sower. 295 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:31,830 Here the seed is people and there are there's good and bad. 296 00:18:32,120 --> 00:18:36,490 There's wheat seed and weed seed and notice that you know the 297 00:18:36,500 --> 00:18:40,110 soar in the parable of the sower was God himself. 298 00:18:40,420 --> 00:18:43,730 Here it's the Son of man that's Jesus. 299 00:18:43,740 --> 00:18:47,100 He's referring to himself. Interesting connection to note. 300 00:18:47,110 --> 00:18:51,310 He's putting himself really in the place of God there, divinity 301 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:55,150 of Jesus being shown here. And then the harvest, the 302 00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:58,930 harvest in the sower was really the multiplication of believers. 303 00:18:59,740 --> 00:19:04,290 But here the harvest is referred to as the end of the age. 304 00:19:04,360 --> 00:19:07,390 And This is why we have the angels who are doing the 305 00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:12,340 harvesting at the very end. Let's move on verse 40. 306 00:19:12,630 --> 00:19:17,240 As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will 307 00:19:17,250 --> 00:19:20,940 be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his 308 00:19:20,950 --> 00:19:24,160 angels, and they will weed out of his Kingdom everything that 309 00:19:24,170 --> 00:19:28,780 causes sin, and all who do evil. They will throw them into the 310 00:19:28,790 --> 00:19:31,580 blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of 311 00:19:31,590 --> 00:19:34,450 teeth. Then the righteous will shine 312 00:19:34,460 --> 00:19:37,080 like the sun and the Kingdom of the of their Father. 313 00:19:37,330 --> 00:19:40,300 Whoever has the ears, let them hear. 314 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:47,250 And so we have at the end of the age, a separation that's going 315 00:19:47,260 --> 00:19:51,850 on. The wheat and the and the weeds 316 00:19:51,910 --> 00:19:56,070 were allowed to grow up together, but then there's a 317 00:19:56,080 --> 00:19:57,610 time when they will be separated. 318 00:19:57,620 --> 00:20:01,550 In fact, when we read on to the parable of the net, this is what 319 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:04,310 happened as well. The net gathers all kinds of 320 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:08,120 fish and then the fishermen haul it up and then they separate the 321 00:20:08,130 --> 00:20:11,190 good fish from the bad fish. There's a separation going on. 322 00:20:14,220 --> 00:20:16,890 And it said that the weeds are going to be thrown into the 323 00:20:16,900 --> 00:20:21,960 blazing furnace where there be weeping and mashing of teeth. 324 00:20:22,020 --> 00:20:24,910 This, this language, it's, it's kind of metaphorical for the 325 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:28,870 final judgment when people will stand before God and not have a 326 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:32,810 leg to stand on. It's a pretty frightening 327 00:20:33,220 --> 00:20:35,870 picture. Now if you are a follower of 328 00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:38,370 Jesus Christ, there is incredibly good news. 329 00:20:39,290 --> 00:20:41,920 It means that we do not have to fear the judgment. 330 00:20:41,930 --> 00:20:45,320 And this is this is so much a part of the good news that we 331 00:20:45,330 --> 00:20:47,600 have to share with with the world. 332 00:20:47,610 --> 00:20:50,690 There is a day of accountability that everyone is going to 333 00:20:50,700 --> 00:20:54,920 experience and we need to be ready for that day. 334 00:20:56,610 --> 00:21:01,370 And we do not have to have any fear about facing the living 335 00:21:01,380 --> 00:21:03,380 God. Why? 336 00:21:03,610 --> 00:21:07,540 Because for a Christian, for someone who has received Jesus 337 00:21:07,550 --> 00:21:12,080 Christ in his death on the cross, all of our sin is 338 00:21:12,090 --> 00:21:17,450 forgiven sin. It's already judged, it was 339 00:21:17,460 --> 00:21:22,850 judged on the cross, and now we have been declared innocent, and 340 00:21:22,860 --> 00:21:26,100 in fact, not just innocent but righteous as though we had never 341 00:21:26,110 --> 00:21:28,810 seen before. That is the gift that God has 342 00:21:28,820 --> 00:21:31,690 given to us in Jesus Christ. We do not have to fear, but when 343 00:21:31,700 --> 00:21:35,350 we think about the final judgment as Christians, and 344 00:21:35,360 --> 00:21:38,790 particularly those who will face that final judgment without 345 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:42,010 Christ, it should bring tears to our eyes. 346 00:21:42,910 --> 00:21:45,740 It should overwhelm us. There should be no pride in the 347 00:21:45,750 --> 00:21:48,800 human sense at all, no gloating, no whatever. 348 00:21:48,810 --> 00:21:51,160 It should make us weep. And that's what should be 349 00:21:51,170 --> 00:21:56,240 compelling us to share the good news of Jesus Christ to prepare 350 00:21:56,250 --> 00:22:07,210 others for that day. The very last verse 43 says then 351 00:22:07,220 --> 00:22:10,680 the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their 352 00:22:10,690 --> 00:22:15,040 father, shine like the sun. That language is actually lifted 353 00:22:15,050 --> 00:22:19,700 from Daniel chapter 12 that says this, that those who are wise 354 00:22:19,710 --> 00:22:22,740 will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who 355 00:22:22,750 --> 00:22:27,620 lead many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. 356 00:22:27,870 --> 00:22:31,460 You and I were meant to be like stars, but we were meant to be 357 00:22:31,470 --> 00:22:37,130 shining like the sun in The Dark World, announcing the goodness 358 00:22:37,140 --> 00:22:41,850 of God and inviting people in to this experience of His Kingdom, 359 00:22:42,260 --> 00:22:47,080 Each one of us. It's again about multiplication 360 00:22:47,090 --> 00:22:52,480 leading many to righteousness. That is our Commission. 361 00:22:52,550 --> 00:22:57,010 That is our mandate. So what's our take away? 362 00:22:57,240 --> 00:22:58,530 What would we take away from this? 363 00:22:58,540 --> 00:23:00,700 First of all, the, the there's two king. 364 00:23:00,710 --> 00:23:04,370 There's there's, there's two kinds of crops, right, wheat and 365 00:23:04,380 --> 00:23:06,410 the weeds. That means that there's two 366 00:23:06,420 --> 00:23:12,290 kinds of kingdoms, and they're operating and growing alongside 367 00:23:12,300 --> 00:23:16,050 of each other, and it's they're inevitably in contact, in 368 00:23:16,060 --> 00:23:20,960 conflict with one another, which means that we're always gonna be 369 00:23:20,970 --> 00:23:24,860 facing opposition, always going to be facing opposition. 370 00:23:25,620 --> 00:23:27,990 There's going to be disappointments along the way. 371 00:23:28,060 --> 00:23:33,890 Think about it, many of us have children who have lost their 372 00:23:33,900 --> 00:23:36,950 way, maybe have been raised in the church, but are not 373 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:42,290 currently in a relationship with God and it's just heartbreaking 374 00:23:42,300 --> 00:23:44,990 to see. That's part of the reality right 375 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:47,480 now. There are frustrations that we 376 00:23:47,490 --> 00:23:49,430 can have. Maybe we have been sharing the 377 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:53,250 good news with a coworker or with a neighbor and there just 378 00:23:53,260 --> 00:23:55,450 doesn't seem to be any connection there. 379 00:23:55,520 --> 00:24:01,070 It's like there's there's no response can be very, very, very 380 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:02,810 frustrating. Like why don't they get it? 381 00:24:03,300 --> 00:24:06,190 Jesus is telling us that there there's opposition to the 382 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:08,670 Kingdom of God. It's operating in all of our 383 00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:13,050 hearts and some in some regard, but also can be very anxiety 384 00:24:13,060 --> 00:24:15,150 producing. And and this is the other thing 385 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:18,630 is that when we, you know, we, we wanna share the good news, 386 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:20,250 sometimes we're timid about that. 387 00:24:20,340 --> 00:24:24,240 How are they gonna react, You know, Are they gonna think ill 388 00:24:24,250 --> 00:24:26,130 of me? Am I gonna lose a friend? 389 00:24:26,550 --> 00:24:28,580 Is there gonna be some form of persecution? 390 00:24:28,590 --> 00:24:30,330 There's, there's the fear that's there. 391 00:24:30,390 --> 00:24:34,160 So what do we do with all that? This is what this parable is all 392 00:24:34,170 --> 00:24:37,170 about. Jesus is teaching us how to be 393 00:24:37,180 --> 00:24:42,970 better multipliers. So what do we need to do? 394 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:46,450 Three things I'll leave with you #1 we need to shift our 395 00:24:46,460 --> 00:24:52,000 expectations. This parable is all about 396 00:24:52,010 --> 00:24:54,970 waiting. It's all about waiting. 397 00:24:55,890 --> 00:24:59,160 At the time of Jesus coming, when people heard that the 398 00:24:59,170 --> 00:25:03,200 Messiah had arrived, there was a great expectation that was gonna 399 00:25:03,210 --> 00:25:06,330 be a political overthrow and it was gonna be immediate. 400 00:25:06,510 --> 00:25:09,300 And when that didn't happen, there was discouragement. 401 00:25:09,350 --> 00:25:11,630 And Jesus is saying, no, the Kingdom of God is. 402 00:25:12,340 --> 00:25:15,210 It's not like that. It's not like military power 403 00:25:15,220 --> 00:25:17,290 that come in and pounce and use force. 404 00:25:18,260 --> 00:25:22,070 It's happening in people, one person at a time. 405 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:25,510 It's like a seed. You know when you drop a seed in 406 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:28,000 the ground, it's not like bombs away. 407 00:25:28,610 --> 00:25:31,700 No, it's you drop it in the ground and it's like, where did 408 00:25:31,710 --> 00:25:33,240 it go? I can't even see it anymore. 409 00:25:33,250 --> 00:25:37,510 It's like, it's that it starts small like that, but God is at 410 00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:39,190 work. I mean, just think about the 411 00:25:39,270 --> 00:25:43,950 Almighty, potent God and the way that he works. 412 00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:47,610 He's so gentle. He's so kind with us and as 413 00:25:47,620 --> 00:25:51,670 Christians we were meant to reflect that to the world, not 414 00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:57,490 trying to force anything, but sharing the love of God. 415 00:25:58,410 --> 00:26:02,950 The the medium is as important as the message as those who are 416 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:09,260 being changed by it. So the Kingdom of God is, it's 417 00:26:09,270 --> 00:26:13,730 not this political shift. It's far more radical, far more 418 00:26:13,740 --> 00:26:16,650 comprehensive than that. It's working in human hearts and 419 00:26:16,660 --> 00:26:20,130 it does take time. The Kingdom is like farming. 420 00:26:20,180 --> 00:26:23,450 This is what Jesus is saying. It's like farming and farmers 421 00:26:23,460 --> 00:26:25,450 need to plant seed and they wait. 422 00:26:25,660 --> 00:26:31,750 So the seed has been sown and we have to continue to sew it, and 423 00:26:32,630 --> 00:26:34,740 we wait for the crop, and the crop hasn't come yet. 424 00:26:34,750 --> 00:26:39,160 The Kingdom has already come when Jesus Christ came, but it 425 00:26:39,170 --> 00:26:43,040 hasn't been fully realized yet. And so we're in this place of 426 00:26:43,050 --> 00:26:44,280 waiting. We need to have patience. 427 00:26:44,290 --> 00:26:47,290 And there are going to be setbacks, all kinds of setbacks. 428 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:51,050 Feels like our prayers aren't answered. 429 00:26:51,060 --> 00:26:53,790 Feels like people are taking, you know, steps backwards. 430 00:26:53,860 --> 00:26:56,810 All that stuff is gonna happen. Jesus preparing us for it. 431 00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:04,200 Shift your expectations and don't worry because the harvest 432 00:27:04,210 --> 00:27:08,320 will come and he will win in the end. 433 00:27:09,070 --> 00:27:13,520 He will win in the end. Second thing, we need to avoid 434 00:27:13,590 --> 00:27:19,520 premature judgments. This parable also is about 435 00:27:19,530 --> 00:27:23,840 misreading things. We have two very different kinds 436 00:27:23,850 --> 00:27:28,590 of of plants that are growing up and ones a weed and ones a weed. 437 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:32,380 And we can't distinguish which one is which right until the 438 00:27:32,390 --> 00:27:35,560 heads, until you know that it's fully grown, and then then we 439 00:27:35,570 --> 00:27:41,590 can see. But we can learn from this and 440 00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:45,270 that is we don't know where people really are at. 441 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:49,230 And so we don't want to write anybody off somebody that might 442 00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:52,570 look like a weed, like don't judge that way. 443 00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:57,370 The the Parable of the Prodigal Son. 444 00:27:58,090 --> 00:28:02,610 Are you aware of that parable? We often think that that parable 445 00:28:02,620 --> 00:28:05,190 is about the prodigal son, but it's actually not about the 446 00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:08,040 prodigal son. It's about our attitude toward 447 00:28:08,050 --> 00:28:11,190 the prodigal son, our attitudes toward the prodigals. 448 00:28:11,780 --> 00:28:17,530 Jesus in Luke chapter 15, this is this is how it how it reads. 449 00:28:17,540 --> 00:28:20,760 It says now the the the tax collectors and sinners were all 450 00:28:20,770 --> 00:28:24,540 gathered around to hear Jesus. Tax collectors, sinners, the 451 00:28:24,550 --> 00:28:26,830 riffraff is society, all love Jesus. 452 00:28:28,540 --> 00:28:31,040 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, 453 00:28:31,050 --> 00:28:33,540 This man welcomes sinners and eats with them. 454 00:28:35,060 --> 00:28:37,490 Then Jesus told them this parable. 455 00:28:37,500 --> 00:28:40,170 He was telling the parable to the Pharisees, to the upright 456 00:28:40,180 --> 00:28:43,930 religious people, and he's dealing with their attitude, and 457 00:28:43,940 --> 00:28:46,420 he's gonna tell the parable of the lost coin, the lost sheep, 458 00:28:46,430 --> 00:28:51,970 the lost coin and the lost sun in order to confront them about 459 00:28:51,980 --> 00:28:54,830 the way that they saw people who have lost their way. 460 00:28:57,390 --> 00:28:59,690 So we don't want to write anybody off. 461 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:03,990 But on the other flip side, we don't want to assume that if 462 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:07,550 someone's morally upright or coming to church that they're in 463 00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:09,410 the Kingdom. We don't ever want to make that 464 00:29:09,420 --> 00:29:13,640 assumption. You know, you might be thinking, 465 00:29:13,650 --> 00:29:16,040 OK, well, is the person next to me a weed? 466 00:29:16,050 --> 00:29:20,840 Like, you know, that's the exact opposite attitude that Jesus is 467 00:29:20,850 --> 00:29:22,680 teaching. He's saying, no, you don't worry 468 00:29:22,690 --> 00:29:25,690 about that kind of stuff, just continue to preach the gospel. 469 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:29,110 Preaching the gospel is not something we just do with 470 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:31,930 unbelievers. We need, I need to hear the 471 00:29:31,940 --> 00:29:35,090 gospel every day, multiple times a day. 472 00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:37,580 I need to hear about the love that God has for me because 473 00:29:37,590 --> 00:29:40,430 sometimes I forget, sometimes I lose my way. 474 00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:44,980 I I need to hear that God has shown me, not just told me that 475 00:29:44,990 --> 00:29:47,730 he loves me that he's shown me by sending his one and only son 476 00:29:48,020 --> 00:29:50,230 to live that life that I couldn't live and to die that 477 00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:51,570 death. I deserve to die. 478 00:29:51,660 --> 00:29:54,030 And then he has made his enemy his friend. 479 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:56,590 I I need to hear that. And through my repentance, my 480 00:29:56,600 --> 00:30:00,180 turning away from my sin and trusting in Him and His work, 481 00:30:00,250 --> 00:30:02,420 that's how transformation happens in my life. 482 00:30:03,070 --> 00:30:06,500 And it's something that's meant to be happening on a daily 483 00:30:06,510 --> 00:30:09,600 basis, on an ongoing basis. I need to hear that gospel. 484 00:30:09,670 --> 00:30:12,190 You need to hear that gospel. We need to be preaching the 485 00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:17,300 Gospel to one another in love so that we will be built up in this 486 00:30:17,310 --> 00:30:24,590 most holy faith. So make no assumptions about our 487 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:29,660 children, You know, just continue to bring the gospel. 488 00:30:30,150 --> 00:30:33,100 Don't assume that because our children are in Sunday school 489 00:30:33,150 --> 00:30:35,280 that they're now all of a sudden Christians. 490 00:30:35,590 --> 00:30:39,340 We need to continue to bring the gospel, bring the gospel, bring 491 00:30:39,410 --> 00:30:47,590 the gospel to them. Jesus saying, you know, if we, 492 00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:52,310 if we, if we start yanking what we think are weeds too early, we 493 00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:54,890 can, we can do some major damage with the wheat. 494 00:30:55,220 --> 00:30:58,750 And so just realize that there's going to be a mixture, there's a 495 00:30:58,760 --> 00:31:04,970 mixture of weeds and wheat in society, and it's the reality in 496 00:31:04,980 --> 00:31:06,680 the church as well. So we need to keep preaching 497 00:31:06,690 --> 00:31:09,120 that gospel, but we also need to know the difference between a 498 00:31:09,130 --> 00:31:12,310 wheat and weed. We need to know the difference 499 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:15,790 what is a wheat? A wheat is the good is is from 500 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:17,650 the good seed. It's coming from it. 501 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:25,060 The wheat is going to grow up into the likeness of the one who 502 00:31:25,070 --> 00:31:27,060 sowed it, and that's Jesus Christ. 503 00:31:27,070 --> 00:31:30,220 We're gonna be coming closer to Him and becoming more and more 504 00:31:30,230 --> 00:31:33,330 like Him. There's gonna be a growing 505 00:31:33,340 --> 00:31:36,350 humility in us. We're gonna see because we're 506 00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:40,930 close to Jesus more and more of our faults and at the same time 507 00:31:40,940 --> 00:31:45,580 we're gonna see just how much He loves us and that His grace is 508 00:31:45,590 --> 00:31:49,710 greater than all of our sin. And we're gonna lose our swagger 509 00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:53,230 and our pride and we're gonna grow in humility and sensitivity 510 00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:57,060 to people as we're that's a sign that we're wheat is when we're 511 00:31:57,070 --> 00:31:59,590 growing in the likeness of Jesus Christ. 512 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:03,630 We need like structure doesn't do that isn't moving that way. 513 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:08,480 It might have a religious covering or shell, but on the 514 00:32:08,490 --> 00:32:12,810 inside nothing is happening. And if you're wondering 515 00:32:12,820 --> 00:32:15,950 personally right now, if you're a bit unsure, am I wheat or am I 516 00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:17,850 weed? You know, weed. 517 00:32:17,860 --> 00:32:20,690 I'm talking about a my weed or weed actually. 518 00:32:20,700 --> 00:32:22,650 Sorry, I shouldn't even be light at that moment. 519 00:32:24,860 --> 00:32:32,630 You can be sure like you can know that you're weed and it 520 00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:35,810 comes by just a simple confession saying Lord Jesus, I 521 00:32:35,820 --> 00:32:39,160 need you to save me. I need your saving grace in my 522 00:32:39,170 --> 00:32:42,690 life like I cannot be acceptable on my own. 523 00:32:42,820 --> 00:32:47,830 I need your life and your death on my behalf. 524 00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:52,200 Be my savior. If that's an honest prayer, 525 00:32:52,840 --> 00:32:54,880 that's potency. And the other side of it is, is 526 00:32:54,930 --> 00:32:57,960 I need you to be my Lord. I need you to be my king. 527 00:32:57,970 --> 00:33:00,220 I, I am no longer the king of my life. 528 00:33:00,230 --> 00:33:03,670 I'm not ruling my life. You're gonna call the shots and 529 00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:07,490 if you have him as your savior and Lord you, you are wheat, my 530 00:33:07,500 --> 00:33:10,140 friend. You can have that assurance and 531 00:33:10,150 --> 00:33:11,550 he doesn't want us to doubt that. 532 00:33:12,420 --> 00:33:14,970 He wants us to know. He wants us to know and we enter 533 00:33:14,980 --> 00:33:17,070 into a relationship like that. Third thing, I gotta keep 534 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:19,350 moving. Last thing and that is that we 535 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:24,310 need to keep sowing seed. Keep sowing seed. 536 00:33:25,020 --> 00:33:29,110 This is all about shining, shining like the sun. 537 00:33:29,180 --> 00:33:33,050 Jesus says. We talked last week about ways 538 00:33:33,060 --> 00:33:37,490 that we can be sowing seed. And you know, one of those ways 539 00:33:37,500 --> 00:33:40,560 would be to hate sharing my story. 540 00:33:40,630 --> 00:33:44,170 And after the service, right after the service, we're serving 541 00:33:44,180 --> 00:33:46,260 lunch, but we're also talking about how do we get better at 542 00:33:46,270 --> 00:33:49,080 sharing our story. If you're, if you're lacking 543 00:33:49,090 --> 00:33:52,470 confidence in or don't know what your story is to share the hope 544 00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:56,410 that you have in Jesus Christ. This is the, the, the classes 545 00:33:56,420 --> 00:33:58,520 that we're that we're doing 3 sessions. 546 00:33:58,570 --> 00:34:00,590 It's, you know, if you want to be baptized, if you want to 547 00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:02,600 profess your faith for sure. But if you just want to learn 548 00:34:02,610 --> 00:34:06,640 how to Share your story, join us for that would be very, very 549 00:34:06,650 --> 00:34:09,040 helpful. But so we've talked about the 550 00:34:09,050 --> 00:34:12,699 the ways that we can sow, but really the motivation behind it 551 00:34:12,790 --> 00:34:15,840 all kind of comes. We can know all the ways, but if 552 00:34:15,850 --> 00:34:20,489 we're not joyfully obedient to God's command to multiply, 553 00:34:20,820 --> 00:34:22,610 knowing all the ways isn't gonna help us. 554 00:34:23,020 --> 00:34:27,170 And so it has to start with that sense of obedience that we've 555 00:34:27,179 --> 00:34:31,050 been adopted into this family. We have been given new birth, 556 00:34:31,219 --> 00:34:36,030 not just so that we can feel peace in our heart or have warm 557 00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:39,020 fuzzies or have these groovy vibes of Christian community, 558 00:34:39,030 --> 00:34:45,150 which are all awesome, but knowing that man, he, he, you 559 00:34:45,159 --> 00:34:51,210 died for me, Jesus, and now I've got heaven guaranteed for me. 560 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:56,790 Whatever you want, I want, whatever you say I'm gonna do. 561 00:34:56,800 --> 00:35:01,210 I don't care how impractical it might sound or or what how much 562 00:35:01,220 --> 00:35:03,550 I may want it or not want it, I'm going to obey you. 563 00:35:03,560 --> 00:35:05,650 It always comes down to obedience and it's through that 564 00:35:05,660 --> 00:35:08,550 simple obedience where multiplication takes place. 565 00:35:09,300 --> 00:35:12,330 Remember the the feeding of the 5000? 566 00:35:12,400 --> 00:35:15,170 If you remember that story where Jesus takes this, you know, 567 00:35:15,180 --> 00:35:19,210 couple of buns and a few fish and from, from a little kid and, 568 00:35:19,220 --> 00:35:21,610 and he's gonna feed 5000 people with it. 569 00:35:21,740 --> 00:35:24,990 When does the miracle take place in that story? 570 00:35:25,670 --> 00:35:30,150 It's as the disciples take these meager portions and start 571 00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:33,430 distributing them, distributing them to the people, and all of a 572 00:35:33,440 --> 00:35:35,870 sudden they keep going and going and going, and the food is 573 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:37,850 multiplied and all the people are fed. 574 00:35:38,220 --> 00:35:40,250 It's in that simple act of obedience. 575 00:35:40,260 --> 00:35:43,190 And sometimes that obedience seems really wild, really 576 00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:47,380 strange, making no sense. But the Lord leads us into that 577 00:35:48,020 --> 00:35:52,030 kind of stuff. This is not a human activity. 578 00:35:52,780 --> 00:35:54,810 Multiplication is not a human endeavor. 579 00:35:54,820 --> 00:35:57,330 We don't do it. We just obey what God has told 580 00:35:57,340 --> 00:36:02,590 us to do and sowing that seed, and let Him do the rest of the 581 00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:06,620 work. Acts 1 verse 8. 582 00:36:08,260 --> 00:36:10,870 This is kind of summarizes, but you will receive power when the 583 00:36:10,880 --> 00:36:14,410 Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in 584 00:36:14,420 --> 00:36:16,870 Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the 585 00:36:16,880 --> 00:36:18,720 earth. You'll receive power when need 586 00:36:18,730 --> 00:36:20,770 that power. So when we wake up in the 587 00:36:20,780 --> 00:36:23,990 morning, friends, we need to realize that we're entering into 588 00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:28,090 an adventure with the Holy Spirit, that I'm not just going 589 00:36:28,100 --> 00:36:31,010 to work. I'm not just looking after kids, 590 00:36:31,020 --> 00:36:33,690 I'm not just volunteering in my community. 591 00:36:34,100 --> 00:36:37,830 I am entering into the work of God, this incredible venture of 592 00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:41,570 God to bring His love, spread His love into the world and 593 00:36:41,580 --> 00:36:43,930 multiply disciples. God's at work. 594 00:36:44,850 --> 00:36:49,340 We need to stay in the game. The Kingdom cannot be stopped. 595 00:36:49,630 --> 00:36:52,180 The weeds will not overtake the wheat. 596 00:36:52,590 --> 00:36:56,920 Expect opposition, to be sure, but shift our expectations, 597 00:36:57,340 --> 00:37:01,670 avoid premature judgments, and keep sowing the seed. 598 00:37:02,340 --> 00:37:05,180 Lord help us to do so. Amen.