Discipleship of Good Soil

Introduction

Lori Loughlin and 32 other parents paid millions of dollars to “college counselors” to help them cheat on the ACT and SAT, fake their transcript and school history to get into elite colleges and universities.

It brings up a great question of authenticity?

Are we being true to who we are?

Are we taking responsibility for our lives or are we relying on others?

Transition

We are going to begin a new series on Sunday mornings looking at the spiritual disciplines: Prayer, Studying the Bible, Fellowship, Evangelism and others.

And the reason why I want us to examine these things is because they are the means God has given for us to grow in authentic, fruitful, Christian lives. It is how we grow in our relationship with Jesus. However, if we neglect our relationship with Jesus, neglect His Word then we will not grow and our lives will not look like Jesus’.

"you are either in the Word and the Word is conforming you  to the image of Jesus Christ, or you are in the world and the world is squeezing you into its mold." - Living by the Book, Howard Hendricks

But all of this is dependent on how do we receive and respond to the GOSPEL. A Christian Life cannot come out of a life that is not accepting and dependent on the gospel.

Men's Prayer - August 28, 2012

"Discipleship of Good Soil" -

I.  Listen!   a) Why would Jesus command them to listen if they all where there to see him? Perhaps, the reason is that people were more interested in witnessing a man healing the lame and raising the dead.  Perhaps they were not interested in the truth that Christ was proclaiming.   b) How are we approaching Christ?  Are we on bended knees or do we have stubborn backs that will not bow before the Lord?  Jesus is telling us to Listen!  Are we listening to what he is saying. "A dog says, 'You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, you must be God.'  A cat says, 'You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, I must be God.'" - Cat & Dog Theology, Bob Sjogren & Gerald Robison This is what he is saying - Examine yourself II.  Examine yourself!   a) Are you of "good soil" are you a "true Christian?"                 - Explain the 4 soils: Path = Hostile to Gospel, Rocky = False joy, Thorns = No regeneration, Good soil = Born again ()                   "A true Christian [is] a man who can afford to keep a conscience, and does not mind suffering for it; a man who, whatever he finds to be in that old Book, believes it, and acts upon it, and is zealous for it...If God's Word be true, every atom of it, then we should act upon it; and whatsoever the Lord commandeth, we should diligently keep and obey, remembering that our Master tells us if we break one of the least of His commandments, and teach men so, we shall be least in His kingdom. We ought to be very jealous, very precise, very anxious, that even in the minutiae of our Saviour's laws, we may obey, having our eyes up to Him as the eyes of servants are to their mistresses....If you will hold your tongue, if you will leave sinners to perish, if you will never endeavour to propagate your faith, if you will silence all witnessing for truth, if, in fact, you will renounce all the attributes of a Christian, if you will cease to be what a Christian must be, then the world will say, "Ah! that is right; that is the religion we like." - Charles Spurgeon, Gospel Extracts.                  -Spurgeon's remark of the world corresponds directly to the third soil.  The worries of the world choke the word, so there is no fruit. This call to examine one's life leads directly to the Application - Be fruitful/ Proclaim and Produce III.  Produce Disciple Makers! (Application)      -This parable is so important to Christ and the authors of the Gospels that Christ even fully explains the meaning of this parable.      - Christ is declaring that the mark of a true believer is the fruit that he produces, are we producing fruit and further more does our fruit match the gospel, an apple tree cannot produce oranges.                         - "Second Hand Lions"  two uncles are sold seeds that turn out to be all corn.      -If we declare ourselves to be men of Christ, then let us be men of Christ and "stand firm in the faith, acting like men, being strong!"  Are we seeking to lift up a new generation of laborers.  Is our desire to glorify Christ with our fruit?

     -This parable is so important to Christ and the authors of the Gospels that Christ even fully explains the meaning of this parable.      - Christ is declaring that the mark of a true believer is the fruit that he produces, are we producing fruit and further more does our fruit match the gospel, an apple tree cannot produce oranges.                         - "Second Hand Lions"  two uncles are sold seeds that turn out to be all corn.      -If we declare ourselves to be men of Christ, then let us be men of Christ and "stand firm in the faith, acting like men, being strong!"  Are we seeking to lift up a new generation of laborers.  Is our desire to glorify Christ with our fruit?

  a) Are you of "good soil" are you a "true Christian?"                 - Explain the 4 soils: Path = Hostile to Gospel, Rocky = False joy, Thorns = No regeneration, Good soil = Born again ()                   "A true Christian [is] a man who can afford to keep a conscience, and does not mind suffering for it; a man who, whatever he finds to be in that old Book, believes it, and acts upon it, and is zealous for it...If God's Word be true, every atom of it, then we should act upon it; and whatsoever the Lord commandeth, we should diligently keep and obey, remembering that our Master tells us if we break one of the least of His commandments, and teach men so, we shall be least in His kingdom. We ought to be very jealous, very precise, very anxious, that even in the minutiae of our Saviour's laws, we may obey, having our eyes up to Him as the eyes of servants are to their mistresses....If you will hold your tongue, if you will leave sinners to perish, if you will never endeavour to propagate your faith, if you will silence all witnessing for truth, if, in fact, you will renounce all the attributes of a Christian, if you will cease to be what a Christian must be, then the world will say, "Ah! that is right; that is the religion we like." - Charles Spurgeon, Gospel Extracts.                  -Spurgeon's remark of the world corresponds directly to the third soil.  The worries of the world choke the word, so there is no fruit. This call to examine one's life leads directly to the Application - Be fruitful/ Proclaim and Produce III.  Produce Disciple Makers! (Application)      -This parable is so important to Christ and the authors of the Gospels that Christ even fully explains the meaning of this parable.      - Christ is declaring that the mark of a true believer is the fruit that he produces, are we producing fruit and further more does our fruit match the gospel, an apple tree cannot produce oranges.                         - "Second Hand Lions"  two uncles are sold seeds that turn out to be all corn.      -If we declare ourselves to be men of Christ, then let us be men of Christ and "stand firm in the faith, acting like men, being strong!"  Are we seeking to lift up a new generation of laborers.  Is our desire to glorify Christ with our fruit?

Questions

On a scale of 1-5 (poor - great) how would you rate yourself on learning God’s Word? How could you grow in learning the Bible?

What competes for your attention? What