Sowing

The Secret of Sowing

Announcements:

Megan Matthews, was on staff here for several years Worship night, Feb 15th, 6pm, childcare (infant to 5).

Testimony Sunday & Baptisms Feb 15th.

Thursday night, people from neighborhood put faith in Jesus!

HOMEWORK:

Read Psalms 9, Psalms 139, and Psalms 81, daily for the next few weeks.

Cement these scriptures into your mind and your heart.

Meditate on them.

Ask the Lord questions about these scriptures.

Create a list of all the benefits given to the person who dwells in The Secret Place.

Talk about these scriptures and the sermons with your small group. Small Group Plug!!!!

THE SECRETS OF THE SECRET PLACE BOOK:

In this series we are going through the book “The Secrets of The Secret Place”

To make things easier, at any time I share a quote from Bob Sorge, know that it comes from this book.

PRAY:

We will be challenged as we draw close to You Father.

That we will be willing to say Yes to the challenges.

We will be confronted with some ideas that we may not agree with> Bring us to scripture and Holy Spirit speak to our hearts about what you are doing.

Spirit if something causes our hearts to struggle I pray that rather than simply being disagreeable help us to search you for wisdom. Help us to have the courage to ask You if You are trying to grow us.

In this series we will be confronted by the enemy. I pray that the doubt, fear, or lies of the enemy brings to our thoughts will be trampled in The Secret Place under the shadow of the Almighty.

STAND FOR THE READING OF THE WORD:

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:7–9

Pastor: This is the word of the Lord.

Congregation Response: Thanks be to God!

Before you are seated, fistbump your neighbor and say, “Sow to the Spirit”

ONE OF THE SECRETS OF THE SECRET PLACE IS THE SECRET OF SOWING:

We have just gotten through the first month of the year.

Many, many, many New Year resolutions are on the verge of failing.

Encouragement is needed to keep them going.

With that same line of thinking it feels like we are at a moment in this series in which we need to encourage one another to keep going!

Today’s message is all about encouraging you.

Encouraging you to keep “SOWING” into The Secret Place!

Keep sowing no matter what happens!

Nate, why do we need the encouragement to keep “Sowing” into The Secret Place? That is an incredible question and I am so glad you asked!

When you go to The Secret Place the enemy doesn’t like it!

When you do spiritual work in The Secret Place you are taking ground from the enemy and yielding it to the Father!

The enemy doesn’t like it!

He does everything in his power to bring discouragement and conflict your way with one goal in mind……….to get you to “quit sowing”!

Today I want to highlight two tactics of the enemy, discouragement and conflict.

DISCOURAGEMENT

Usually discouragement comes from two sources.

Your Own Thoughts

Slow Progress.

DISCOURAGEMENT - (1) YOUR OWN THOUGHTS

The battle field of thoughts is incredibly silent……but extremely deadly!! (REPEAT)

Usually these discouraging thoughts stay in the dark and never get spoken.

These thoughts stay isolated because we have to keep up the facade, “We can’t let people know we have these thoughts”.

Many, many, many times these discouraging thoughts quickly kill new sprouts of life.

These thoughts often sound like:

I’m just spinning my wheels and nothing is changing.

I’m investing time in praying and meditating and accomplishing nothing.

Father isn’t speaking or showing himself.

My mind is running and running and running and I just can’t get quiet to hear.

Then the question that is intended to kill, steal, and destroy appears as a thought; “Why am I even doing this?” (PAUSE BEFORE MOVING).

Then you make the decision to end The Secret Place time short and go do something else. Per Bob Sorge “you just move on to something else with a shrug that says, well, maybe it will be better next time.”

DISCOURAGEMENT - (2) SLOW PROGRESS

Our culture makes it incredibly difficult to sow things of the Spirit.

And it seems to be getting harder.

For 50 years the trend line of Christian spiritual engagement has been in a steep dive. (Yes we have a slight up tick, but we need more time to see if it is an actual transition).

Why are we seeing this downward dive?

Here are a few thoughts:

Our culture is fast.

We have instant results……….everywhere.

We can ask ChatGPT any question and get an answer in 3 seconds. (It might not be right, but who cares. I got what I wanted…….an answer).

Our lives have been reduced to quick hits, quick facts, quick experiences. (You can even take in more YouTube content because you can speed through the sermon, or other video, quickly by having it play at double speed).

If we don’t get what we want right now, we move on until we get what we want.

When we sow to the flesh……..we get what we want……and we typically get it NOW!

Our culture programs us to receive what we want when we want it ……….and that result is having an impact with on spiritual expectations.

17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other……… Galatians 5:17

The bible teaches us that the flesh and the Spirit are in opposition to one another.

Our culture shows us that the things of the flesh are……..”immediate”.

That means the things of the Spirit are “slow to come by”!

Everything around us appears to be moving faster than our spiritual progress.

Here is some encouragement for you.

The truth is you don’t actually see everything that is going on around you.

There is a spiritual realm that you can’t fully see into that is closer than you realize.

You have prayed, and you feel like the answer isn’t coming……………but what if……………what if………………what if there are angels, dispatched by God, fighting on your behalf, against the spiritual authorities, to get you the answer to your prayer.

There are things going on behind the scenes you can’t see!

TESTIMONY AGAINST - SLOW PROGRESS:

I had lunch with Pastor JR Cano this past week.

He told me of a story in which he and his son, Ethan, were doing door to door ministry in 2017.

In 2024 a new family came to his church.

That family had not been going to church and decided it was time to get plugged into a church. They told him they came to his church because they remembered back in 2017 the name of the church that came and knocked on the door inviting them to come to church.

The knock on the door in 2017 was a seed that was planted. (JR didn’t remember the family). The slow progress of that seed has resulted into a family that is currently on fire in his church!

There are things going on behind the scenes you can’t see!

Don’t give into the idea that nothing is happening! (This is a lie from the enemy!)

CONFLICT

On top of all of the bombardments of discouragement from internal thoughts and the “perception” of slow progress; comes the bombardment of conflicts. Many times these conflicts come from our closest relationships.

For many of us the closest relationship is our spouse, partner, best friend, parent.

I have heard numerous stories about people making significant progress spiritually to only have an immediate conflict with a very close relationship.

Why does this happen? Let’s look at a biblical example.

Let me share a biblical example with you:

31 He (Jesus) then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this.

Many times the disciples were frustrated with Jesus because He would speak in parables.

A number of times they asked Jesus to speak plainly to them so they could understand.

In this scripture Jesus spoke plainly, it even states that fact.

In this scripture Jesus discloses an incredible spiritual breakthrough.

A breakthrough that will change the world forever that will have massive spiritual impacts.

Jesus shared with them Secrets of His Secret Place time with Father.

He shared with them the spiritual game plan!

What happens next?

………and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Mark 8:31–33

Wow!

One of Jesus' inner three.

A deeply close relationship to Jesus.

One of His closest disciples rebuked Him at the exact moment an incredible spiritual breakthrough was being communicated.

This wasn’t the only conflict:

Peter said “Wash all of me” when Jesus was trying to wash the disciples' feet.

James & John argued about who would sit at Jesus’s right & left.

Peter, James, & John, on the mountain of transfiguration decided it was a good idea to worship Moses & Elijah.

If this can happen to Jesus, it can happen to us!

If Satan can get Peter, the rock of the church, to be focused on “merely human concerns” he can influence you and anyone close to you (typically a spouse or a very close friend).

You have to expect the reality that when you are doing work, sowing spiritually, attacks will often come through those closest to you.

Now hear me on this point! If you have checked out check back in on this!

I don’t want to start doing a bunch of marriage counseling because a number of you say to your spouse, “Pastor Nate said if we have conflict I am supposed to say “Get behind me Satan.” I never said that!!!

My point is you have to be aware that attacks will come, especially from those closest to you.

We regularly need encouragement to keep sowing!

Church………….we need to be reminded of the truth in Ephesians 6:12:

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:12

Be aware that there is a spiritual battle going on around you and do your best to choose to not take the bait of Satan when the attack comes.

It isn’t the bait of the person standing in front of you.

It isn’t the bait of your spouse or your closest relationship.

It is the bait of the spiritual world.

Here is a secret.

If you spend significant time in The Secret Place you have to know the enemy will attack you.

Why? Because He wants you to stop SOWING!

12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:1–2

Bob Sorge encourages us that going to The Secret Place is worth the investment. He encourages us that despite the dull moments, despite the quiet moments, despite the attacks that come; it is worth the investment to sow into The Secret Place.

THERE IS A SECRET TO THOSE WHO SOW!

If you’ll sow to the Spirit, you will eventually reap to the Spirit.

It’s impossible to keep sowing into the secret place, every day at the feet of Jesus, every day, taking in his word, without you eventually reaping spiritual life.

We must be stubbornly willing to live by the law of sowing!

We must know it is slow and it takes time.

SOWING & REAPING ILLUSTRATION:

1. Planting – The Moment of Obedience

A seed is placed in the ground and is covered by dirt, it immediately disappears.

Nothing looks different on the surface.

What is happening spiritually?

Pray when you don’t feel like it

Forgive when it hurts

Give when it costs

Potential Discouragement: You are in a dark place and you believe life has buried you.

The truth: You haven’t been buried, you have been planted! Dead things get buried. Things intended to come alive get planted!

2. Burial – When It Looks Like Nothing Is Happening

Light is gone.

Air is limited. Pressure increases.

What is happening spiritually?

This is the stage that confuses people:

You obeyed God, but life got harder

You prayed, but nothing changed

You feel the death of self but nothing else occurs

Potential Discouragement: In this stage people typically believe they are being punished. The lie of the enemy says, “the cost isn’t worth it”.

The Truth: The seed isn’t being punished—it’s being positioned.

3. Germination – Hidden Growth

Under the soil, something begins to happen.

The seed cracks open. Roots grow downward before anything grows upward.

What is happening spiritually?

Character is being formed

Faith is being strengthened

Discipline is taking root

This is where God is doing private work in The Secret Place, when the door is shut).

Potential Discouragement: The necessary time commitment to do the work in The Secret Place gets choked out by other priorities.

The Truth: Growth that lasts starts where no one sees it.

4. Sprout – Early Signs of Life

A small green shoot breaks the surface

It’s fragile and vulnerable It’s not the harvest yet (but many mistake this growth for “fruit”. It is growth ……. just not fruit).

What is happening spiritually?

Small answered prayers

Early change in habits

First signs of breakthrough

Potential Discouragement: The sprout doesn’t yet match the promise. The growth isn’t happening fast enough. Still a long way to the fulfilled promises.

The Truth: Don’t despise small beginnings, celebrate them!

5. Growth Season – Consistency Required

Now the plant needs:

Water

Sunlight

Time

Neglect at this stage can kill what was planted

What is happening spiritually?

Faithfulness matters more than emotion.

This is the daily commitment to sowing into The Secret Place. This is the season of pushing through!

Routine obedience sustains progress

Community and accountability protect growth (small groups)

“Let us not grow weary in doing good…” (Galatians 6:9)

Potential Discouragement: “The belief of “I’m good” or "Settling" for current achievement.

The Truth: What you don’t maintain, you can lose.

6. Maturity & Multiplication – One Seed Becomes Many

Finally, the plant reaches maturity.

Fruit appears. Seeds multiply. The harvest comes.

What is happening spiritually?

Promises fulfilled

Character proven

Influence expanded

A testimony can be shared that plants other seeds and spurs them to die and produce.

“…in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

Potential Discouragement: I have done my time. Time for someone else to do the work.

The Truth: The seed can’t rush the season. God decides the timing.

Bob Sorge wrote, “There is a law of reaping. There’s always a delay between sowing and reaping. We sow today for a harvest tomorrow.”

CLOSING - (WORSHIP TEAM COMES UP)

Church discouragement will come.

We have been reading and meditating on Psalms 91. Let’s look at something really quick:

1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty………. 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence…………. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

Ps 91:1, 3, 5, 6

You will be attacked ………………. even when you are under the shadow of the Almighty!!!!!

Know it and be resolved.

Don’t quit.

Keep sowing!!!!

If you keep sowing you will receive a harvest. It is coming!!!

HOMEWORK:

Read Psalms 9, Psalms 139, and Psalms 81, (last week suggested 2 Timothy 2) daily for the next few weeks.

Cement these scriptures into your mind and your heart.

Meditate on them.

Ask the Lord questions about these scriptures.

Create a list of all the benefits given to the person who dwells in The Secret Place.

Talk about these scriptures and the sermons with your small group. Small Group Plug!!!!