DEVOTIONS 3 / CHILDRENS MEETING

THE HARVEST - REWARD

GOOD EVENING BOYS AND GIRLS

LETS BEGIN WITH SOME SINGING-

JESUS LOVES ME THIS I KNOW

THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE

THIS SONG IS AN INTRODUCTION TO OUR LESSON - IF WE ARE A LIGHT FOR JESUS THEN WE NEED TO LET IT SHINE EVERYWHERE WE GO - NOT HIDE IT OR BLOW IT OUT…

I HAVE AN OBJECT LESSON HERE - THIS BAG IS TO REPRESENT US AS A PERSON - THIS SILHOUETTE CAN BE ANY ONE OF US - YOU CAN THINK OF YOUR PICTURE ON THE BAG - BUT FOR THIS EVENING WE WILL CALL HIM JOHNNY

THIS EVENING WE GOING TO BE THINKING OF THE LAST PART OF THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER IN MATTHEW 13 : 23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

THE FIRST NIGHT WE LOOKED AT HOW THE SEED WAS SOWN AND THEN THIS MORNING WE LOOKED AT THE SOIL THE SEED FELL INTO - NOW THIS EVENING WE WANT TO SEE HOW GOD REWARDS US FOR OBEYING HIM.

IN VERSE 9 WE HAVE THE TEACHING OF JESUS TO LISTEN TO WHAT IS BEING SAID . MATTHEW 13:9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. - WHO HAS EARS? LET ME LOOK YOU ALL HAVE TWO EARS - SO WE DON'T HAVE THAT AS AN EXCUSE NOT TO HEAR. EVEN JOHNNY HERE HAS TWO EARS.

HAVE YOUR PARENTS EVER SAID - NOW LISTEN TO ME - OR NOW I WANT YOU TO PAY ATTENTION. OR LOOK AT ME SO I KNOW YOU ARE LISTENING.

WHY - THEY WANT YOU TO LISTEN AND OBEY AND DO WHAT THEY SAY -

BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T LISTEN - THEN WHAT - THEN THERE IS TROUBLE!

IF YOU DON'T LISTEN OR DON'T WANT LISTEN WHEN YOUR MOTHER SAYS “JOHNNY PICK UP THE TOYS” - BUT JOHNNY DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT SO HE KEEPS ON PLAYING - PRETENDING POSSIBLY TO HAVE NOT HEARD - SOMETIME BIG PEOPLE CALL THAT “ SELECTIVE HEARING OR JUST HEARING WHAT WE WANT TO HEAR. BIG PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME ISSUE - WE COME TO CHURCH - WE HEAR THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE BIBLE BUT MAY NOT OBEY.

BUT BACK TO OUR STORY.

BUT LETS SAY THAT MOTHER HAD SAID - JOHNNY - THERE IS A COOKIE IN THE KITCHEN -THEN JOHNNY PROBABLY WOULD HAVE HEARD THAT. THEN HE WOULD PAY ATTENTION THEN I AM SURE!

BUT NO SHE SAID - JOHNNY PICK UP THE TOYS - AND HE KEEPS PLAYING LEGOS - OR FARM OR LOOKING AT A BOOK - HE DON'T WANT TO DO WHAT SHE ASKED.

IS THIS WHAT JESUS WANTS - JESUS SAID - WHO HAS EARS - AND WE CHECKED THAT - WE ALL HAVE EARS - SAYS LET THEM HEAR!

JAMES 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

LETS ALL SAY THAT TOGETHER.

IS JOHNNY DECEIVING ANYONE NO - BUT TO BE SURE HIS MOTHER SAYS IT LOUD ENOUGH SO JOHNNY CAN HEAR - NOW WHAT IS JOHNNY GOING TO DO?

JOHNNY JUST PLAYS HARDER AND IS NOT AN OBEDIENT BOY - THEN HE IS NOT A HELP TO HIS MOTHER AND IS NOT DOING WHAT JESUS WANTS

WE ARE TO BE DOERS OF THE WORD - NOT HEARERS ONLY.

BUT LETS SAY THAT JOHNNY GETS UP AND STARTS TO PICK UP THE TOYS - SO JOHNNY IS AN OBEDIENT BOY BUT HE IS DOING IT BECAUSE HE HAS TO - HE KNOWS IF HE DOESN'T DO IT THEN HE WILL LIKELY BE PUNISHED.

AS WE THINK OF THE STORY OF THE SOWER AND THE DIFFERENT CONDITIONS OF OUR HEART - LETS THINK OF WHO JOHNNY SHOULD RESPOND - THE WAY JESUS WANTS US TO DO -

Lu 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

IF JOHNNY THE FIRST TIME HE HEARD HIS MOTHER AND POSSIBLY DID NOT HEAR FOR SURE - HE WOULD HAVE ASKED - WHAT DID YOU SAY? AND THEN CHEERFULLY PICKED UP THE TOYS AS HE HAD BEEN ASKED -

JESUS SAYS IF WE DO THIS THEN WE WILL BE REWARDED - SOME 30 TIMES -SOME 60 TIMES AND SOME 100 TIMES -

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN - AN EXAMPLE IS THAT THEN IF WE DO ONE THING CORRECTLY THEN AFTERWARDS THEN JOHNNY MAY HEAR THE WORDS AND BY DOING THE ONE THING HIS MOTHER ASKED THEN HE GETS ONE COOKIE

BUT GOD WANTS TO GIVE US MORE THAN WHAT WE STARTED WITH HE WANTS TO BLESS US.

ONE STORY I CAN TELL YOU IS WE HAD ONE DOG AT OUR PLACE FOR WHILE - HER NAME IS CANDY AND ONE DAY OUR DOG HAD PUPPIES AND THEN WE HAD 11 MORE PUPPIES SO WE COULD SAY WE WERE BLESSED 11 FOLD OR 11 TIMES.

SO WHEN WE DO ONE THING FOR GOD - LIKE BEING OBEDIENT TO OUR PARENTS THEN WE WILL RECEIVE A LOT MORE BLESSINGS WHEN WE LEARN TO DO WHAT WE ARE ASKED.

SO FOR AN ILLUSTRATION OF HOW MUCH GOD CAN BLESS I WANT TO SHOW HOW GOD CAN DO THINGS WITH OUR LIVES IF WE HEARING AND DOING WHAT IS ASKED BECAUSE WE WANT TO - AND NOT BECAUSE WE HAVE TO

THEN THE HARVEST WILL SO MUCH WE POSSIBLE WILL NOT UNDERSTAND HOW IT IS POSSIBLE - BUT BY BEING OBEDIENT TO YOUR PARENT THEY WILL TRUST YOU TO DO OTHER THINGS AND SOON YOU WILL BE BE DOING GREATER THINGS TO HELP OUT AND WILL GROW LIKE JOHNNY HERE INTO SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL LIKE THIS SNOWFLAKE