EVENT: SERMON BY JAIME (Heart & Soil - 7/14/13)
Message given by Jaime on July 14th, 2013 at the Lebanon Reformed Church.
Father, we thank You for bringing us here today. We know that each one of us is here for a good reason. You want to bring us closer to You and to help us understand how much You really love us. Holy Spirit, please help us to open our hearts and to embrace the meaning of your word so that we can apply it to our lives. Help us to break free and to let go of those things that prevent us from entering your kingdom.
“The grass withers and the flowers fade but the Word of Our God will last forever.”
“The Parable of the Sower and the Seed”
Did you know that Jesus gave us approximately 50 parables in the New Testament?
Let’s start with a Definition of a Parable
A parable is an earthly story with a spiritual meaning.
When we say spiritual, please understand that if you believe in God, then you are living in a spiritual world.
In today’s reading of The Sower and the Seed.
The SOWER or farmer is GOD or anyone who spreads the Word of God.
The SEED is the Word of God informing us about the Kingdom of Heaven.
The SOIL and the four conditions of the soil which have been illustrated,
represent the various states of our Heart.
“Where is your Heart when it comes to understanding the Word of God and trusting God?”
1. MATTHEW 13: VERSES 1-9
1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.
2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.
3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.
4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
2. SUMMARY of VERSES 10-17
The apostles asked Jesus why He spoke in parables
Christ said the SECRETS of the KINGDOM of HEAVEN are given to many but unfortunately, Jesus quotes ISAIAH, and says that
"there are many people who have closed their eyes and their ears, they will hear but not understand and they will see but not perceive."
Christ also said:
“… the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you … blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear …”
WHAT ARE the SECRETS of THE KINGDOM of HEAVEN?
The Kingdom of heaven is a very important part of Jesus’ ministry.
Jesus mentions the Kingdom of Heaven 30X in the gospel of Matthew.
As a matter of fact, Christ commanded His disciples to go and tell everyone that the Kingdom of Heaven is here with us NOW.
This is the GOOD NEWS. We do not have to wait until we die to step into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Let’s think back … the last time the Kingdom of Heaven was here on earth was in the Garden of Eden.
THERE WAS ONLY LOVE. GOD took care of everything for mankind. There were no financial problems, no hunger, no hatred, no revenge, no jealousy, no illnesses, etc. …
Earth was separated from the Kingdom of Heaven when Adam made the choice to separate from GOD.
The GOOD NEWS is that when Christ died and resurrected, the Earth and the Kingdom of Heaven were reunited. We can now step from the darkness into the light.
3. SUMMARY OF VERSES 18-23
“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:
(#1) When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
(#2) The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
(#3) The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.
(#4) But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
SEED COMES TO LIFE
(real true-to-life story)
I have a childhood friend whose name is “Little Joe”. I’ve known him since I was 12 years old. He is 68 years old now but we still call him “Little Joe”. Joe and I speak about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit very often. Not too long ago, he told me that his son’s ex-girlfriend, had called to say hello. She was now living in Washington D.C. She said that she had converted to Christianity, was very close to God and was heavily involved with her church. She went on to say that what led her to become a Christian was something about Jesus she overheard me say to Little Joe five years before. She had been in the kitchen while Little Joe and I were talking in the Living Room. We had NO IDEA. Talk about a small seed that the Holy Spirit nourished into a beautiful tree.
Here is an assumption of what may have happened:
· At first, although she heard our discussions many times, the seed or the word would not find any soil in her heart to grow.
· Then one time, she thought about the message and started to digest and understand the meaning. There was too much rocky ground and so it was very hard for the roots to grow.
· She started praying on a regular basis, reading books on the Word of God, listening to Christian music, started to attend Sunday service and made friends with others who knew about the word, etc. The roots started to grow but due to problems in life, new house, new job, new responsibilities, new relationships, she put her spiritual life to the side.
· Eventually, the seed started to develop stronger roots, she prayed more often and asked for God’s guidance and she was able to resolve problems caused by the thorn bushes in her life.
· Her tree grew and started to produce a lot of fruit. At first 30% of the tree was full, then 60% … then 100%.
· Eventually, the fruit provided more seeds to be spread wherever she shared the Word of God and the Good News.
STEPPING INTO the KINGDOM of HEAVEN
(another personal example)
22 years ago, I know this for sure because it was just before my daughter was born. (I am so happy to say that my son, Jaime and my daughter, Kara are here today.)
Well, 22 years ago, I had a consulting job and I had recently been promoted to VP of the East Coast. As an Executive Officer of the company, I was asked to go to the World Trade Center to sign a consulting contract with a very prestigious firm. In order to complete the transaction, I would have to agree to pay some funds to the lawyers involved. I did not feel it was ethical, so I refused. I was told by everyone that this was a common practice in the industry. It wasn’t very long before I left the consulting business.
I had decided to stay in the Kingdom of Heaven by being loyal to God and then trusting Him to provide me with a new and better job. In prayer, God asked me to make a list of what I would want in my new job, I finished the list, but God told me to “GO CRAZY” with the list. I wasn’t sure what He meant, so I added things like: very close to home, local cafeteria, workout center and, since I really enjoyed playing basketball, that they play basketball once a week. Within two weeks, I accepted a new job offer. When I was hired, I met with Human Resources to go over the highlights of my new job and they ended up reading my ‘go crazy’ list, including playing basketball on Thursday nights. I was in shock. I ended up with a better job, less travel requirements, better benefits, closer to home, more fun, etc.
“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God,
then all these things will be given to you”
Let us pray . . .
Father, thank you for opening our hearts so we can hear your Word and understand the secrets of your Kingdom. Help us to confront and resolve all of our problems and to develop in a fertile soil with strong roots so that your seed will grow to be a healthy tree that produces many fruits and spreads seeds to many parts of your kingdom. We look forward to “stepping into your Kingdom” and handing over our problems to you and trusting you fully to resolve them for us. Help us to be obedient and to listen to your direction and guidance.
“Your word is a lamp unto my feet.”
Prayer for Blessing
Leader: Almighty God, grant that the words we have heard this day may, through your grace, be so grafted within our hearts that they may bring forth in us the fruit of the Spirit, to the honor and praise of your name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
"We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37)
Depart and serve the Lord in joy and peace.
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