1 00:00:00,840 --> 00:00:03,200 The holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:07,480 According to Mark again he began to teach beside the sea, and a 3 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:11,480 very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat 4 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:15,080 and sat in it on the sea. And the whole crowd was beside 5 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:18,120 the sea on the land. And he was teaching them many 6 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:21,120 things in parables. And in his teaching he said to 7 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:25,520 them, Listen, A sower went out to sow, and as he sowed, some 8 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:29,160 seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 9 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:33,360 Other seed fell on rocky ground where did not have much soil, 10 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:36,760 and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 11 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:40,400 And when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no 12 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:44,360 root it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, 13 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,960 and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no 14 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:52,320 grain. And other seeds fell into good 15 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:55,680 soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding 16 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:58,440 30 fold and 60 fold and 100 fold. 17 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:02,440 And he said, he who has ears to hear, let him hear. 18 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:06,720 And when he was alone, those around him with the 12 asked him 19 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:09,920 about the parables. And then he said to them, To you 20 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:12,640 has been given the secret of the Kingdom of God. 21 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:16,120 But for those outside, everything is in parables, so 22 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:20,200 that they may indeed see, but not perceive, and may indeed 23 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:23,600 hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be 24 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:27,080 forgiven. And he said to them, Do you not 25 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:30,480 understand this parable? How then will you understand all 26 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,800 the parables, the so or so's the Word. 27 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:38,200 And these are the ones along the path where the Word is sown. 28 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:42,200 When they hear it, Satan immediately comes and takes away 29 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:46,160 the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on 30 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:49,920 rocky ground, the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately 31 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:53,160 receive it with joy. And they have no root in 32 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:56,000 themselves, but endure for a while. 33 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:59,600 Then when tribulation or persecution arises on account of 34 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,240 the word, immediately they fall away. 35 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,720 And others are the ones sown among thorns. 36 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:08,120 They are those who hear the word. 37 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:11,760 But the cares of the world's, and the deceitfulness of riches, 38 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:16,760 and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and 39 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:20,240 approves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the 40 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:25,080 good soil are the ones who hear the word, and accept it, and 41 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:29,160 bear fruit thirtyfold and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. 42 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:34,720 The Gospel of the Lord. Please pray with me. 43 00:02:35,640 --> 00:02:38,640 We thank you Lord, for the beauty of stories. 44 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,280 They are good to hear. We enjoy them. 45 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:47,160 But also you have chosen to speak to us through those 46 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:53,080 stories so that we may know you. Invite you now to use this story 47 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:58,120 of the soils to speak to us in the name of Jesus Christ our 48 00:02:58,120 --> 00:02:59,760 Lord. Amen. 49 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,600 Yeah. We have been reading the Gospel 50 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:09,800 according to Mark and now we are here at Mark chapter 4. 51 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:14,320 Imagine a house with a hidden room. 52 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:20,400 These spaces are often concealed by things like bookshelves. 53 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:26,080 Sometimes they're false walls, and to most people who come into 54 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:32,040 such a house, these concealments such as bookshelves and walls, 55 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:35,160 they just look at them and they see a mere bookshelf. 56 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:40,120 But to those people who know what happens beyond that 57 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:44,080 concealment, the owners of the house, they know that there is 58 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:47,200 an entrance behind that concealment. 59 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:52,040 So when these are stitches in parables, it is as if similar to 60 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:55,480 a bookshelf that has an interest behind it. 61 00:03:56,160 --> 00:04:00,480 The crowds hear stories of farming and fishing, ordinary 62 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:04,440 things like seeds and the sun and soils. 63 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:09,760 But beyond these common images and familiar language, there is 64 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:14,040 a meaning that Jesus wants the people to get out of these 65 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:16,760 stories. They are not just nice stories 66 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:21,160 for the people to hear, but for those people who are intimate 67 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:25,600 with Jesus, His followers who come back to him and tell him. 68 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:30,480 Lord explained this to us. The bookshelf moves and there is 69 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:34,320 an entrance. There is a door where people can 70 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:37,320 see the truth of the Kingdom of God. 71 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:43,000 In verse 11 and 12, Jesus says to a few people who remained 72 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:47,880 around him, He told them to you has been given the secret of the 73 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:50,760 Kingdom of God. But for those outside, 74 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:55,600 everything is in parables, so that they may indeed see, but 75 00:04:55,600 --> 00:05:01,000 not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest 76 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:03,480 they should turn and be forgiven. 77 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:10,200 The difference between confusion and revelation is beyond what 78 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:14,240 people can just not hear. But if they are in the proximity 79 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:17,600 of Jesus, they get further revelation. 80 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:22,200 The truth is concealed for only the hearers who are not in 81 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:26,600 proximity to Jesus. Those who are keen and come back 82 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:30,520 to hear Him, they get to hear the truth. 83 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:33,440 So the truth is for the family of Christ. 84 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:37,560 Those who gather around him understand the parables. 85 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:42,160 So the parables are invitations, the invitations to those who are 86 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:47,160 hungry that if they reveal their hunger to Christ, then the truth 87 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:51,720 will be unfolded before them and the bookshelf will be opened and 88 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:55,760 they will be able to see the entrance into the Kingdom of 89 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:58,320 God. And in this particular parable 90 00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:01,880 that has been commonly referred to as the parable of the sower, 91 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:06,400 these are specifically teaches us how we can be able to 92 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:11,040 identify the door of the Kingdom of God and how we can be able to 93 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:14,880 enter into that door and we become residents of that 94 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:18,040 Kingdom. When we encounter the word of 95 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:22,320 God, the word of the Kingdom of God, it reveals the postures of 96 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:26,760 our hearts. Some hearts are closed, some 97 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:30,840 hearts are impulsive, other hearts are divided, and some are 98 00:06:30,840 --> 00:06:35,560 receptive and enduring. Let us look at how this is 99 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:37,600 unfolded. In this parable. 100 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:42,480 Giza speaks about seeds that fall along the path. 101 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:45,360 This is the ground that has been walked upon. 102 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:49,760 It is the ground that has been pressed down, and it has been 103 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:52,160 hardened because of this constant traffic. 104 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:57,120 And when the seeds fall onto that ground, they don't grow. 105 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:01,880 They simply lie exposed on the ground, and before long the 106 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:04,960 birds come and they eat away the seeds. 107 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:08,800 This is what happens with the heart that has been hardened. 108 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:13,680 This is a heart that has had externally, but it has not taken 109 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:17,800 on the gospel in the soul it has received. 110 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:23,240 It has had exposure, but it has not received what it has been 111 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:26,560 exposed to. There is a sound of the gospel, 112 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:29,360 but there is no surrender to the gospel. 113 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:31,920 It is like noise that has passed out. 114 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:35,800 It has heard the noise, but it has not rather thought about 115 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:38,840 that message. And because the message has not 116 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:42,720 entered into that heart, Jesus tells that that certain, 117 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:46,840 certainly certain immediately comes and takes away the Word 118 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:52,480 that is sown in them. There is an urgency here because 119 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:55,280 the gospel is just on the outside. 120 00:07:55,520 --> 00:08:00,040 There is spiritual safety, and the spiritual theft is because 121 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:04,040 this person has made himself vulnerable to Satan. 122 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:09,240 So Satan comes and distills away the message because it has not 123 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:13,560 been treasured in the heart. Then Satan can easily take away 124 00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:18,880 the message and steal it away. Jesus is warning us that our 125 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:21,760 hearts can easily become compacted. 126 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:25,560 These are some of the things that can compact our hearts. 127 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:29,360 And the gospel does not flourish in our hearts. 128 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:32,159 For instance, we can't be disappointed. 129 00:08:32,799 --> 00:08:36,640 And when we be disappointed, we don't only lose trust in people 130 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:40,360 and systems, but also we lose trust in the promises of God, 131 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:42,320 that is, that are found in His Word. 132 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:46,680 And even when we encounter those promises, we have lost trust in 133 00:08:46,680 --> 00:08:49,200 the people, but also in the promises of God. 134 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:54,000 Sometimes it can be because of pride, it can harden our heart. 135 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:57,280 And we look at the Word of God as mere opinions. 136 00:08:57,560 --> 00:08:59,840 It doesn't have authority above us. 137 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:04,840 And then we just leave the Word of God as just an opinion which 138 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:08,840 has no authority in our hearts. Sometimes it can be because of 139 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:12,960 habitual sins, the patterns of life that are contrary to the 140 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:15,400 will of God that have become beer to us. 141 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:19,560 And when we hear God is called to holiness, we don't yield to 142 00:09:19,560 --> 00:09:24,160 that call and our hearts are compacted and the hard. 143 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:30,640 So a compacted heart is realized or is seen by how it responds to 144 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:35,080 the convictions of God is Word. Because the Word of God convicts 145 00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:39,280 us in several ways. It reveals our personal sins and 146 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:42,000 our wrongdoings. The Word of God compels us to 147 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:46,920 turn away from sin and towards God, and it instructs us into 148 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:50,880 the right way of living and the right way of thinking. 149 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:55,120 But when our heart is hardened, it dismisses all such 150 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:58,040 convictions. It doesn't respond to such 151 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:03,360 convictions of the Word of God. It is not because the Word of 152 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:06,920 God is weak. The Word of God is varied and 153 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:12,120 efficient for us in all seasons. But the problem would be with 154 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:16,280 our hearts when they are very hardened, they don't receive 155 00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:21,160 that word that has power. It dismisses all that word. 156 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:25,320 But I would love to bring good news that there is mercy even 157 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:29,160 for the closed heart, the hardened heart, the heart that 158 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:30,960 has not perceived the word of God. 159 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:35,200 There is mercy for that heart because Jesus says in verse 3, 160 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:41,120 listen, He is not just calling us to auditory hearing, He's 161 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:45,800 calling us to receptive hearing. In this command, Jesus is 162 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:50,560 inviting the hardened heart to pause and reflect on what Jesus 163 00:10:50,560 --> 00:10:54,440 is saying. This is the kind of listening 164 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:58,400 that we receive when we obediently read Scripture in 165 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:02,200 private, in humidity, and respond to what we have read. 166 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:05,000 It can happen corporately. When we gather with other 167 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:09,320 believers and we discuss the Word of God, we'll wrestle with 168 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:12,360 some of those things that are difficult in the Word of God. 169 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:16,240 And as we sharpen one another, our hearts are quickened to 170 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:20,720 listen to the Word of God. So listening is not passive. 171 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:23,080 It is engaging with the Word of God. 172 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:26,760 It is an invitation to engage with the Word of God. 173 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:31,600 It calls us to understand but also to trust the word of God 174 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:33,480 and to leave out the word of God. 175 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:38,160 It moves from just being someone who agrees with the word but 176 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:41,400 obey the word of God. When scripture calls us to 177 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:44,480 forgive, if we have listened to it, then we forgive. 178 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:47,920 If it calls us to love one another, then we love one 179 00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:53,000 another. So listen is like God is opening 180 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:58,120 for us the door to the Kingdom, and He wants us to step into 181 00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:00,800 that, though He invites us to listen. 182 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:06,040 So if the first soil warns us about a heart that never opens 183 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:09,720 at all, the second soil confronts us with something that 184 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:15,080 is so deceptive. Jesus says in verse five and six 185 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:20,840 other seed fell on rocky ground where it did not have much soil 186 00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:25,760 and immediately it sprung up since it had no depth of soil. 187 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:30,440 And when the sun rose it was coached and since it had no root 188 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:34,400 it withered away. So now give us speaks about this 189 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:38,680 seed that does not enter into the soil and unlike this the 190 00:12:38,680 --> 00:12:43,920 hardened heart we have looked upon previously, this seed it 191 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:47,040 has, it gives it, it brings up some life. 192 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:50,120 It starts by growing. There is some green life 193 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:53,000 happening. It is as if it's promising. 194 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:56,920 There is growth that happens. On the surface it appears 195 00:12:56,920 --> 00:12:59,160 vibrant and responsive and alive. 196 00:12:59,760 --> 00:13:03,600 But beneath there is a problem. There is a rock. 197 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:07,360 There is not much soil for the seed to grow. 198 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:10,480 It is just enough for germination, but it's not enough 199 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:16,920 for depth and for growth. And when the sun rises, what had 200 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:22,040 grown Withers away very soon. Jesus explains this and says in 201 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:26,400 verse 16 and 17. And these are the ones sown on 202 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:30,280 the rocky ground. The ones when they hear the 203 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:33,400 word, immediately receive it with joy. 204 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:38,400 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a 205 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:41,560 while. Then when tribulation and 206 00:13:41,560 --> 00:13:46,520 persecution arise on account of the word, immediately they fall 207 00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:50,320 away. So there is response quickly to 208 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:55,360 the faith, quick response, but the response is not deep enough. 209 00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:59,160 Someone can be tired by a wonderful summon, a wonderful 210 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:03,000 preaching, but after that there is no practice that follows 211 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:05,200 along. So this is some form of 212 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:08,040 eagerness and excitement about the word of God. 213 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:12,800 But there is no transformation that happens after hearing the 214 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:15,840 word of God. And the parable tells us that 215 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:21,040 the sun rises and the heat exposes what has been happening 216 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:26,240 to this heart, the impulsive heart that has no depth, the Son 217 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:27,760 Jesus. I showed us these are the 218 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:31,000 tribulations and the persecutions of the world. 219 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:36,480 Friends, the Word of God will always encounter us in forms 220 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:40,520 where it will charade some of the situations around us. 221 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:44,520 And because we live in the world around us, it will turn out 222 00:14:44,520 --> 00:14:48,000 sometimes to be hostile to the Word of God that is in our 223 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:52,720 heart, that is in our lives. It will bring some difficulties 224 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:56,280 and opposition. Faith sometimes will be costly. 225 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:02,040 And when that pressure comes, the impulsive heart, the 226 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:07,480 impulsive faith collapses. Friends, we shall always be 227 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:11,000 checked. Our faith will always be put on 228 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:13,880 test. And when the impulsive heart is 229 00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:17,640 put on test, then there is quick departure. 230 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:23,720 As soon as he came to faith that is the same agency that person 231 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:28,560 will lose the faith. So the impulsive heart is 232 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:31,480 characterized by just near quick response. 233 00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:36,280 Faith can sometimes be responded too quickly, but not in just a 234 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:40,480 mere emotional way without valid reasons as to why you are 235 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:43,720 responding to faith. So the impulsive heart, it's 236 00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:49,000 just sometimes quick response to the faith, but that has no valid 237 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:52,920 reasons. Sometimes this is faith that is 238 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:56,120 only prevailing in favorable conditions. 239 00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:59,880 Sometimes you might be in a favorable place where our faith, 240 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:03,480 our faith can flourish. But when we go to places that 241 00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:09,160 are not favorable, then the slow heart will lose out the faith. 242 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:18,360 So this soil is still rather difficult because when the 243 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:23,680 demands of the Kingdom of God come and they demand, they 244 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:27,880 demand you to stand upon them in difficult times, then the 245 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:32,640 shallow heart which was excited by faith will lose it all. 246 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:36,000 When there is a call to sacrifice, then the shallow 247 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:40,240 heart will lose it all. Sometimes people would want a 248 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:44,640 faith that thinks about the glorious Christian life, but not 249 00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:47,680 the cost that comes with such a life. 250 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:51,880 We follow a Christ who was crucified and died, and he calls 251 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:53,440 us to walk in the same suffering. 252 00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:58,560 Sometimes we shall encounter that suffering, but the shallow 253 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:00,920 heart. When the cross is before him, 254 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:04,440 then he will say that is no longer the faith I want to 255 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:07,480 identify with. That is why there is a lot of 256 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:10,119 prosperity teaching. Some people are drawn to that 257 00:17:10,119 --> 00:17:12,880 prosperity teaching because they want a faith that appeals to 258 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:14,720 them. That is going to be well with 259 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:18,280 you. And when they see it's not well 260 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:20,760 with them, then they lose out the faith. 261 00:17:21,599 --> 00:17:25,720 So the call to the impulsive heart is to be rooted in the 262 00:17:25,720 --> 00:17:29,080 faith. Christian growth does not happen 263 00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:33,920 accidentally, and sometimes does it happen in an instant. 264 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:38,600 It is something that we have to work upon slowly and steadily 265 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:42,320 formed over time. Faith strengthened through 266 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:46,200 things like prayer where we learn how to commune with God. 267 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:50,520 Our faith is strengthened by obedience when we learn how to 268 00:17:50,520 --> 00:17:55,040 walk according to the will of God as we expose ourselves to 269 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:58,360 Scripture and we come to understand what is the weed of 270 00:17:58,360 --> 00:18:01,840 God for our lives in all seasons. 271 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:07,160 So to the impulsive heart, the question would be not that did 272 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:11,120 you respond to the gospel, but are you rooted now? 273 00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:16,280 Some people have those glorious stories of how I answered a call 274 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:20,040 at a revival meeting when they called people to come and step 275 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:22,200 up, but after that, what happened? 276 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:27,160 Are you rooted now? Because the sun will rise and 277 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:31,600 the faith would be tested, and if it's not rooted, then it will 278 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:39,880 collapse and it will die. So if the rocky soil reveals 279 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:45,000 faith that cannot withstand the pressure, then the funny soil 280 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:49,600 exposes faith that stands, that cannot stand. 281 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:54,160 Without destruction there is faith that cannot stand against 282 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:57,960 pressure, but there is also faith that cannot stand when 283 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:02,040 they are distractions. This is what we read in verse 7. 284 00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:05,760 Because Jesus speaks about the seeds that fell among the 285 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:11,000 thorns, He says, And the thorns grew and choked it, and it 286 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:15,920 yielded no grain. So this seed takes root, it 287 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:19,920 grows, There is life which is present, but something else is 288 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:24,480 growing in the same soil where this seed is growing, because 289 00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:30,320 alongside it, quietly and slowly, almost unnoticeably, but 290 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:36,320 the Thrones are growing in the same plantation and they soon 291 00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:39,760 suffocate. The seed that is growing, the 292 00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:43,760 one remains present, but it's no longer alone in the field. 293 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:47,480 It is not flourishing alone in the field. 294 00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:53,360 So faith is mixed up with a lot of a lot of rivalries and a lot 295 00:19:53,360 --> 00:19:57,080 of Arrhenius is that are pulling this person away from the faith. 296 00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:00,800 The word was hard. The word was not rejected. 297 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:05,040 The word was not stolen, but now the word is simply crowded 298 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:11,160 amidst many other demands and precious Jesus names the thorns 299 00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:15,040 with clarity. He says in verse 19 the cares of 300 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:21,080 the world and the deceitfulness of the riches and the desires 301 00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:24,040 for other things. One thing we should notice is 302 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:27,320 that these things are not are not immoral things. 303 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:30,640 They are things that we need for our ordinary lives. 304 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:35,080 Their responsibilities, for instance, caring for our elderly 305 00:20:35,080 --> 00:20:39,320 parents and raising children. And these things are things we 306 00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:42,080 need, their responsive responsibilities we need to take 307 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:45,360 care of. Some of them are opportunities 308 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:49,960 like advancement in career, like taking on a certification 309 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:53,040 program, an advanced program of study. 310 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:56,840 These are things that we need. The opportunities in life, some 311 00:20:56,840 --> 00:21:00,600 of them might be possessions that are near to us, homes and 312 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:04,360 boats and whatever things that we possess in life. 313 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:08,080 Others might be things like ambitions, the things that we 314 00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:11,800 pursue, financial independence. It is something good to pursue 315 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:15,520 it. However, if they grow unchecked 316 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:20,600 in our lives, they may compete with our faith and whatever 317 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:25,320 competes with Christ eventually constricts our devotion to 318 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:31,840 Christ. The thorns choke the seed, but 319 00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:36,440 they don't do it overnight. They continue on choking the 320 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:41,440 seed slowly by slowly till when the divided heart is choked. 321 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:45,680 And the divided heart can continue on pursuing the faith, 322 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:49,840 but at some time, at some time it will continue on withering 323 00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:56,680 and renounce the faith. So the divided heart is anxious 324 00:21:56,680 --> 00:22:00,200 with things like success and accumulation of things at the 325 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:04,680 expense of the Kingdom of God, and then the soul becomes 326 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:07,920 crowded. So this posture does not deny 327 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:11,080 Christ. However, it does not prioritize 328 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:13,680 Christ. Christ is no longer the priority 329 00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:18,080 in the life of this person. And this is the tragedy where 330 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:20,760 Christ shares a throne with anything. 331 00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:23,520 There will not be fruit in that life. 332 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:28,320 Christ wants to be the king on the throne in our lives, His 333 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:30,840 dream. So if there is anything that is 334 00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:35,240 competing with Him for the throne, then our priorities will 335 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:38,800 slowly by slowly take us away from the cross. 336 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:44,360 So the invitation for this heart that is divided is to pull out 337 00:22:44,360 --> 00:22:50,560 the Thrones, pull out the things that we are prioritizing above 338 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:53,680 Christ. What does this look like? 339 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:58,040 If these anxieties, let us surrender these anxieties to the 340 00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:01,640 Lord in prayer, speak to God to Christ in prayer. 341 00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:05,200 Since CIA and you admit something that you are anxious 342 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:07,520 about. Maybe God is calling me to 343 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:11,520 dethrone some of the things that are riches in my life that I 344 00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:13,920 have that are happening on my heart. 345 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:19,120 Christ might call me to put down those riches, to put them down 346 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:22,680 under his feet. Some of them might be desires. 347 00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:27,800 And God is calling me to reorder my life to have time for Him 348 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:31,400 reorder my life. If you are giving time for your 349 00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:36,040 ambitious pursuits, maybe you can call Christ is calling me to 350 00:23:36,040 --> 00:23:40,480 step down, that I should also give Christ some time of my life 351 00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:45,160 instead of using my time to pursue the things I love dearly. 352 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:51,600 So if we don't prioritize Christ, then there will be no 353 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:56,440 fruit in our lives. So at last let us look at this 354 00:23:56,440 --> 00:24:00,360 soil where the seeds grow and they do what they are meant to 355 00:24:00,360 --> 00:24:04,440 do. In verse 8, Jesus says and other 356 00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:09,600 seeds fell into good soil and produced grain growing up and 357 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:15,080 increasing and yielding 30 fold and 60 fold and 100 fold. 358 00:24:16,120 --> 00:24:21,320 So this is a soil or this is faith that is responsive and 359 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:25,240 resilient and fruitful. It does not only merely hear the 360 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:29,200 word, but it receives the word to the heart. 361 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:34,440 It welcomes the word not just as a suggestion, but as a word that 362 00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:39,960 has authority over our lives. And the Word is accepted and the 363 00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:45,160 Word is submitted to. We live as servants in that 364 00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:47,800 Kingdom where we submit to the Word of God. 365 00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:51,320 So the good so does not argue with the Word of God. 366 00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:55,680 The Word of God is welcomed with eagerness and there is nothing 367 00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:59,480 like competition. The Word is reigning sovereign 368 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:04,040 in the life of this person. So the faith that is like that 369 00:25:04,120 --> 00:25:06,360 is characterized by things like this. 370 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:10,360 There is humidity and reception of the Word. 371 00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:14,440 This is the heart that says Master, speak, your servant is 372 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:18,080 hearing. There is a faith that is rooted 373 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:24,120 in Christ, and there is Christ who is above reigning sovereign. 374 00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:27,800 There is nothing that is enthralled on the heart of this 375 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:33,200 person, and this faith produces fruits that are visible. 376 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:38,160 Our faith, when we are obedient to Christ, our faith becomes 377 00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:41,720 visible in many ways. It is never something that we 378 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:44,720 keep to ourselves. It leads to transformation. 379 00:25:45,120 --> 00:25:48,640 It is not something that we keep and we have emotions and we have 380 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:51,560 a lot of intellect and wisdom about our faith. 381 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:54,200 Our faith leads to transformation. 382 00:25:54,680 --> 00:26:00,240 A heart that has been good soil to the gospel is a heart that 383 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:03,880 produces transformation in the life of the bear. 384 00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:08,760 So Jesus even says that there will be abundance of fruit. 385 00:26:09,120 --> 00:26:13,680 He lists fruit in several ways. He says 3060 and 100 fold. 386 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:19,080 You know, I am an agriculturist. I have a farm. 387 00:26:19,720 --> 00:26:23,240 I know you can speculate the kind of harvest you are going to 388 00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:25,600 get. And there are sometimes when you 389 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:32,440 harvest and you say this is beyond what I expected, barely 390 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:36,520 can you go 100 fold in your expectations? 391 00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:41,880 You cannot go 100 * 100. You times 100. 392 00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:48,120 If I were to harvest, maybe I grow coffee, 4 bags of coffee 393 00:26:49,560 --> 00:26:52,160 very Can you go beyond and you say times 100. 394 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:58,560 But Jesus is here giving us something that is to the 395 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:02,160 audience that listened to him, that we are Greek agrarians like 396 00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:04,960 like me, they said this kind of carpet. 397 00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:09,640 But Jesus is saying something. When our faith produces fruits, 398 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:12,400 they surpass us. They can surpass you. 399 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:16,440 You can't do something which can contribute to generations. 400 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:20,400 Some of the heroes of our faith. Then we are just merely walking 401 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:23,400 faithfully with Christ. But even up to now we are still 402 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:26,640 praising them. Many years from now they have 403 00:27:26,640 --> 00:27:29,320 faith has produced abundance of fruit. 404 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:34,720 This is what God is telling us. He's not quantifying our the 405 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:37,920 result of our faith, but He's telling us if we continue 406 00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:42,240 obeying Him faithfully, abundant things will happen in our lives 407 00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:46,920 and people would be amazed. How can this weak boy in this 408 00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:52,200 near small school do something like this and the other students 409 00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:54,720 will be amazed. How can you resist this kind of 410 00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:57,840 temptation? How can he love to the in such a 411 00:27:57,840 --> 00:28:01,320 way? So when we yield ourselves to 412 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:04,760 Christ and we allow Him to transform us, there will be 413 00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:09,640 abundance. Our love can can extend to 414 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:13,680 places where people don't think the love can go, but our love 415 00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:16,720 will go there. Our giving can go to places 416 00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:20,600 where people say we have never seen this because there will be 417 00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:24,320 abundance of our faith. So it is not a call for us to 418 00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:27,360 say how can I continue on quantifying my faith? 419 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:30,960 It is a call for me to continue working faithfully with Christ. 420 00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:35,160 And as I do that, it is Christ who is going to write my story 421 00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:39,560 and people will be amazed. How can this person in VC City 422 00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:44,200 Chicago follow Christ to such fruitfulness? 423 00:28:46,040 --> 00:28:49,200 So the call throughout the parable is still the same call 424 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:50,760 to us. Listen. 425 00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:58,640 Christ is calling us to listen. True hearing results in 426 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:01,600 transformed lives. And when we speak about 427 00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:05,680 transformed lives, it's not about being flawless, it's not 428 00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:09,480 about having no scene in our lives, but it's about being 429 00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:14,000 responsive. It is about responding to the 430 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:18,520 call that we hear in the word. When it corrects us, we will do 431 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:21,720 the correction. When we are tested, we and you 432 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:24,200 are. And when we we realize the 433 00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:27,920 blessing of the word of the word of God in our lives, we multiply 434 00:29:27,920 --> 00:29:30,800 those blessings in other people's lives. 435 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:40,200 So in verse 9, Jesus says he who has ears to ear, let him hear. 436 00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:45,200 So the Kingdom of God is like a wide door. 437 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:52,520 So the word is spoken, spoken openly, preached openly for all 438 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:56,040 people to hear. Some people choose to respond to 439 00:29:56,040 --> 00:30:00,640 it, others don't choose to respond to it, but still the 440 00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:03,360 invitation continues going out to the people. 441 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:08,680 Some other people choose to only look at the door and walk past 442 00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:11,600 the door. Other people step into that door 443 00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:17,320 briefly and then they step out. Others only stand in the 444 00:30:17,320 --> 00:30:19,400 doorway. They don't want to fully enter 445 00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:22,480 into the door. But Christ has called us to 446 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:27,720 fully accept to go into the door and remain as residents into 447 00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:32,440 that Kingdom by faith when receive the gospel and when we 448 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:36,120 continue walking according to the demands of the word of the 449 00:30:36,360 --> 00:30:39,880 of the, of the word of the Lord. So the invitation is even open 450 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:45,880 today to anyone who would consider stepping into the Word, 451 00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:49,760 stepping into the door to the Kingdom of God by faith, and 452 00:30:49,760 --> 00:30:56,480 also continuing on to walk into the Kingdom by faith in the name 453 00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:58,920 of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 454 00:30:59,400 --> 00:30:59,760 Amen.