Keep On Sowing

May our hearts and Minds be ready to hear what you have to say to us today.

Thank you, Joe. Awesome. I am Caleb made it and I'll be chatting with you all here and part of the team here at Hope City and I'm very excited to be speaking with you all this morning. And like we said we have been going through this book. It's Luke's gospel. I was his fancy way of saying this guy Luke wrote a biography about Jesus and we've been breaking that down from the Bible bit by bit, week after week. We're going to be back into that today after taking a short break it looking over at the Christmas story. The last few weeks are going to be in Luke chapter 8 that's on page 1036 and your Bibles and this can be a little bit more instruction on that in a minute. But before we read one to tell you a story about a bridge bridge right behind me. The bridge it's kind of lame right pretty pedestrian. Nothing really remarkable about it. But when we look at it may be familiar to some of you here in Britain. Maybe you've seen it stretching out Across the River Thames.

No, that's that's actually Lake Havasu in my home state of Arizona. But that is the London Bridge. That's the one that was built in 1830 is dismantled Brick by Brick and moved across the ocean across the country to a small rather obscure populated town in, Arizona.

We see the fridge and we sink. What kind of on to something really special about it? But in reality there's something more going on if we drive just a little bit beneath the surface we see that there's something special happening and we see what's really going on in the same way. We're going to be a story about Jesus and a parable that he tells on the surface. We think it looks like we get it but we have to dive a little bit deeper to really see what Jesus a show me get Luke up here and he's going to read from Luke chapter 8 if that's not confusing enough and it's going to be the big big 8 on your page and the little one as we're going to start.

Okie, dokie a 2015 after this Jesus traveled a baby from one timing and Village to another proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God the 12 for with them and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases Mary called Magdalene from whom 72 demons and come out the way. I'm going to see the manager of paradise old and she's on a and many others these women were helping to support them with their own means Qalo large codes Wisconsin hanging people were coming to Jesus from time after time. He told this part of bone. A farmer went out to sow seeds Wisconsin in the seed some fell along the path. It was trampled on and the birds eat up some fell on Rocky ground and when it came up the plants were the Punch Brothers because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among Thorns which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil it came up and you'll need a crop a hundred times more than was soon. When you said this he called out Whoever has ears to hear Let Them hear. His disciples asked them. What does potable mean? He said the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you but others I speak in Parables so that though seeing they may not see the hearing the meaning of understand. This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God those along the path are the ones who hear. And then and then the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts so that they may not believe and be saved. Lewis on the rocky trains are the ones who received the word with joy when the heat it. But they have no read the belief for a while but in the time of testing Leaf all the way. The seed that fell among Thorns stands for those teeth loose from here. Fast Eagle One in their way, they are choked by lights. What is Richie's and Pleasures? I need to know mature. But the seeds on the good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart to hear the word retain it and by persevering produce a good crop. Thank you Luke.

So there is a lot going on in that passage. And if I could I would sit here for hours and tell you all about it. But I'm sure you guys don't want to sit here for hours and lets me go on and on but I want to start out really by getting clear on what this passage is. Not saying what is not happening in this passage. So first things is this Parable is not meant to discern who is saved or unsaved look you could argue with the first soil that the first oil is someone who's clearly unsaved the devil took the word of God away from them. But since oil for it's clearly saved their extremely fruitful. They have the word of God in their heart. They're definitely saved but if you are trying to just see if fruitfulness is that you could try and see if from this maybe it's the measure but in reality we see that in the two that are in the middle they get really vague is very vague in that they still have the word of God in their hearts. They just unfruitful. So this isn't very helpful in that gray area to decide whether you're in or out that's not what this is trying to say. Secondly this Parable is not directed specifically to the soil to what the soil pictures in order to try and change that so I'll learn how to sew a response response. What I mean is this Parable isn't directed to all the people who are hearing God's words. It's not intend to challenge and respond in a different way. At least not primarily that's not the main focus at Jesus's getting at here. We see that this is actually more aimed at this hour. Rather than the soil because of the parable isn't given to all the crowds and all the soil is actually given to his disciples who are going to go on to be sores. Certainly. This is not a story about how to sew better is not about what happened. This is rather about what happens when the seed is sown what happens when you spread the seed even though not every seed bears fruit. The Scrabble gives an explanation of why this is not a receipt bears fruit. But we also see how sometimes the seed X and has a huge impact.

Look at mine went to see this song what we really see happening. It's a lot of obstacles in the way on the way to fruitfulness. You see that she can come in and you can hear it and then the devil can come and take it away, or maybe you have it and then when things get really hard you decide it's just going to fall away. It doesn't really take hold in you. Or maybe he really hear it and it grows up with you but you get distracted you get more concerned about what's going on with your new job a better car a bigger house. Be more concerned about what's going on with the material things that you can hold in your hands instead of what's going on with the word of God. We don't necessarily allow the seed to grow too much earnest. What's happening in the hearts of those who hear the word of God that in fact it is not simple. You hear the word of God and everyone is fruitful. You see that there's a lot to overcome because all these people have the word of God in their hearts. They heard it. I have it. but not everyone becomes fruitful and Jesus is explaining why that is now I said this phrase several times already in the talk word of God, and I want to try and be clear on exactly what that means. And what Jesus is meaning when he says that? Because it's a risk that I'm not that we're not all on the same definition here. And simply looks to break it down in a very few words the word of God means. The message about who Jesus is and what is done? And it's something we can all share about not just with our words, but also in our actions. Does this mean we need to explain every single aspect of Jesus's message? Do we need to start with the very beginning of the world and how the world came into being to be able to sow the seed? No, not at all in the Bible itself. We see that in messages at the gospel delivers that it is not so it does not contain every single aspect of Jesus's message even Jesus here as he's explaining this message in explaining it to the crowns and he's not giving console message. He's not saying the full thing.

We can bear testimony to who Jesus is by speaking about what he has done in our lives and how he has changed who we are communicating that with our words. But we can also share or the word of God, by the way, we act by the way, we live our lives and what we do is a reflection of what Jesus has done in US. I was just have to be anything super crazy. This doesn't have to be something that's so wild as quitting your job and starting a new church. It doesn't have to be that but if you want to do that, I'm all for it. I know it can be as simple as going to your friends for dinner and helping them do the dishes can be buying them A coffee to be offering to watch to their kids. There's loads of ways. We can live our lives then showing what Jesus is down in US.

But it's not simple. It's not about doing that. It's not how we do it. It's simply that we do it. We have to live our lives out showing the way that Jesus changed us. Look now that I've explained in a very elaborate ways what the word of God means. I'm sure there will be no questions later on that feel free to ask as many questions if you want on that. So back to it. So we so the word of God and at some point there's supposed to be a harvest right the whole point right you plant the seed you grow a plant Harvest right? That's what you do. That's that's the whole purpose of it yet. What is Jesus really mean? When he says that will produce a crop of a hundredfold? It doesn't really make sense an evening when he explains it in verse 15. It just says the noble-hearted hear the word and retain it then through perseverance produce a good crop really State. What a crop is. Set a try and break that down a little bit more. Jesus is really referring to here as to what he calls. It is called disciple-making. And a disciple is someone who is a follower of Jesus Christ. He's not that's what he's talking about when he says the Harvest. Is that someone when they have the word of God in their hearts it takes hold of them and that person will go out sowing the seed sharing the message of Jesus and the picture here is of them reproducing a hundred times a hundred more disciples. The fold is the hundred fold is referring to how much one single grain will reproduce it will produce a hundred more. That's what is 1 We'll make a hundred more.

And I was at a conference last month and I heard this quote that really stuck with me from an author named Alan Hirsch. And he said this and every seed is potential for a tree and then every tree the potential for a forest that every disciple with the word of God in them has the potential to make a hundred more disciples and those disciples they go on to make disciples themselves. One seed one sharing of the message of Jesus has the potential in it for a whole new church. Jesus parable is really all about sowing the seed and what happens when the seed is sown. We should see here that sometimes a seed is sown and it doesn't produce any fruit. And we see here. So we see sometimes sometimes no Harvest and sometimes the speed of sound in produces a harvest of 100 full. You see this is true. Even when we consider Jesus teaching Jesus himself when he goes to his hometown Nazareth back and Luke chapter 4 which we covered a while ago. I can't remember when we look at it in Jesus goes back to his hometown where he grew up Nazareth. It shows up and everybody knows who he is. They watched him grow up. It's a small town. Everyone knows he was an Ordinary Boy growing up and he company brings the message and he brings the word of God. Nope.

does no Harvest Jesus again in chapter 6 of Luke egos nice houses group called the Pharisees these like religious leaders Elite people the very very high standing very reputable people. Insurance the message with that his shares the word of God. He's so is the seed and they respond with Fury and anger. No crop. No Harvest, but this is Jesus, right? She's supposed to always have the Harvest Right. But we see that isn't the case. Let me explain it for you in a little bit humbler terms for you here. So I was a young lad and secondary school and I thought myself rather good-looking even though I wasn't and I said and I would say ask ladies that say hello lady. Would you like to go out with me a lot and a lot of times the girl said no.

And I in a sentence you can say I was a bit unfruitful, but that did not deter me. I was not discouraged. I kept sowing the seed. Until one girl said yes. Here she is. You can say I've had all I can have a harvest of a hundredfold cuz she's not my wife. We've been together a long time. You see this this is about sowing seed if you this isn't a lecture though on sewing technique. This isn't about how to be better at it. Jesus didn't leave Nazareth saying I just said it this way at this point than like Harvest it would have been perfect. He's not leaving their thinking he should have said something better. He said the best thing he could have said, Does Jesus's knows exactly what he's doing Jesus as a matter of fact, it's the only sober alive right now. He's the only guy who's talking to these crowds sharing the word of God. He's not giving himself a self-critique on how to sew better. Because he's the perfect store. And even Jesus doesn't always see that hundredfold Harvest. When you share the word of God, but he is saying that when it works and when it takes hold that we see a harvest of hundred. Thing amazing happens. But some of you may be wondering what how do I become a better store? How can I share the word of God better? Parable is not designed to help you out here. Doesn't say avoid the past it doesn't say watch out for weeds doesn't say any of that. Now the only help this Parable gives us towards being more fruitful is teaching us. Sometimes the seed will multiply.

I mean if you want to be more fruitful, you have to keep sowing the word of God. Do you want to get stronger? You have to go to the gym lift the weights. Do you want to be a better driver get in the car and drive got to do it? So, when do you want to be a better seller you got to be bold and you have to share the word of God? sow the seed and don't worry about getting all the aspects, right? Don't be concerned about saying everything correctly in the right Cadence in the right pace and the right things because Jesus Christ is in you and Jesus Christ is the perfect store. So just do it. As our friends at Nike would like to tell us. I hope this is an encouragement for us when we hear that for us when we share the word of God, and we don't really get a response that nothing really happens. Not in our control. We know that not even Jesus all the Harvest that even the perfect so or didn't always get the hundred fold. But it's not a matter of if the word of God will work. If the word of God will produce a harvest. That's not the question. The question is when will it produce the Harvest? Because in every seed is the potential for a forest. We simply have to keep snowing. Not to strive to be a better Soldier than the person next to us.

But just to do it. And we just ended the Christmas season. We've had a lot of opportunities to share the word sow the seed and maybe you have some people over and you shared it with them and nothing really happened and maybe you shared it and something extraordinary happened. But once again, this is not the point. The point is that you did it is that you sewed the seat. That's the same. Because this is a parable about the sower. And the thing to take away from the Sun are the parable of the sower is that we need to sell. And don't be discouraged. When we don't always get the response we're looking for. Keeps showing no matter the outcome.

But there is one way you can guarantee that the word of God won't produce a harvest one way and that's simply to not sow the seed if you don't want to sell the seed then you won't see the Harvest that's the way to guarantee nothing will happen. And if as a matter of fact if you don't sow the seed you'll never know what kind of soil is happening around you. You'll never know. We like to think a lot about the kind of response. We will get when we Ship by sharing the word of God. We like to look at situations. We like to say that's not good. So I'll know this isn't the right place. The perfect time the moon's only half full. I was really hoping for the full and then I was going to share it but God didn't want me to cuz I only have full moon. No, that's not it.

And we have to share the word of God. And we'll never know. We'll never know unless we share it.

look anyone here know who dr. Mordecai ham is I thought his doctor from 1934. I'll be very surprised if anyone here knew, dr. Mordecai ham was but he's a guy who likes to sow the seed. He's so the scene he shared the word of God. He told people about who Jesus is and he found amongst the soil around him a guy named Billy Graham. I'm sure y'all have you know, who Billy Graham is. He's the most influential evangelist of the 20th century, but I don't have to tell you that.

Easy one seed one sharing of the message of Jesus has a potential in it for a whole new church. You have no idea what will happen when you share the word of God. No idea which have to keep sewing we have to keep persevering. We have to keep pushing through because even Jesus tells us at the end of this Parable how a crop is produced in verse 15. He says it is through perseverance. pushing through keep sharing don't stop no matter what?

Because Jesus didn't always see fruit when he sewed, but Jesus always sewed. So should we?

Look, maybe you're all here today and some of you are here sitting and saying I've never heard of this Jesus guy. I've no idea about who Jesus is and all that. Jesus is done. And how it affects our lives today. But today right now you had a chance to hear more about who Jesus is. I want to challenge you to respond cecum or ask more. Find out for yourself who Jesus really is. What is his message? Exactly and then decide for yourself. Whether you believe who Jesus is who he says he is. or not How would you respond to the word of God today? Let's pray.