G.R.O.W.T.H: Growing
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Intro:
3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Today, I want to begin a series entitle, [G.R.O.W.T.H]. Each week we will look at an aspect of our growth in God. The subject of today’s message is, [Growing].
We live in an interconnected society. This week I received a newsletter from missionaries in Panama. I talked to friends from other parts of our country. The world is close to home because of technology.
Gone are the days where communication is limited. Gone are the days of writing letters to talk talk to a friend or family member. Gone are the days of waiting until after 9:00 pm to make a long distance call.
Now everything is at our fingertips. While we have gained a lot with through technology, we have gained it at the sake of privacy. It seems that privacy is non-existant.
We have lost our privacy, and it has come in two phases, involuntary and voluntary.
The internet has changed everything in regards to privacy. People have to accept privacy forms before using some websites. Phone calls really aren’t private as the government can tap into conversations if they deem something is a threat.
I read an article about how they can track people’s movements who went to the Lake of the Ozarks on Memorial Day. They tracked everyone who was in the vicinity of the individual who tested positive for COVID-19. Companies watched their movements from the lake as far as STL, KC, and Omaha, Nebraska.
We’ve lost privacy voluntarily, but many have relinquished their privacy willingly. Especially with social media. Trust me, if you are on Facebook, NOTHING IS PRIVATE. People voluntary give their opinion on most everything!
However I have noticed one distinction, the world keeps very few things private. Nevertheless, society often insists the church and Christians keep their walk with God private.
Prayer is accepted as long as people do it in the privacy of their hopes.
People can become Christians, as long as they do not get to radical.
And sadly, many followers of Christ have fit the mold of seeking a private relationship with the Lord. But God NEVER intended for His people to stay private or quiet about in their walk with Him.
Instead, our relationship with Christ begins in private, but is then displayed in public.
6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
There is a place for us to pray privately, to worship privately, to sing privately, or to study the word privately, BUT, God designed it so that what we do in PRIVATE, will get noticed in PUBLIC.
Therefore, if those in public cannot tell we have grown in God, it is because of a lack of devotion in private. For when we really grow in God, people will notice and God will make changes!
And as we see the public demonstrations, the public disagreements on COVID-19, the public problems our world faces, we must view all of this through the eyes of the Spirit.
We know what politicians and media outlets say, but God also has an opinion. And through this time of national unrest, God is calling the church to GROW closer to Him.
Now is not the time where we shrink back and stay private about our walk with God. No, now, is the time to grow in the Lord.
How do we grow in God?
Jesus told a story called the “Parable of the Sower.” In it, He discusses the how we can grow in God. Before we look at the parable, we need to notice the context of when Jesus spoke this to His followers.
It came immediately after Jesus healed many people, but they did not repent:
20 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:
Then the religious leaders compared His works to that of Satan:
24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”
So on the same day, Jesus taught the multitudes of people through parables. Through this parable, we will see how we can grow in our walk with the Lord.
The parables has three main characters: The Sower, the Seed, and the Soil.
The Sower is God. He is the one who plants seeds in the lives of His people.
The Seed is the Word of God. Everything we need to know about the Father is in this book!
The Soil are the various people who heard the Word spoken by God.
Because God and His Word are perfect and do not change, the Soil is the only part that changes in this story. The soil describes four types of people and their hearts toward the Lord.
Our hearts determine how and if we will grow in God. Let’s look at these four types of people and their hearts, [A Calloused Heart], [A Casual Heart], [A Crowded Heart], and [A Converted Heart].
Let’s begin
1. A Calloused Heart
1. A Calloused Heart
18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
Callousness is defined, intense or cruel disregard for others.
Calloused people are those who can see suffering, hurt, heartache, or difficulties, and not feel any compassion or concern.
We need to understand the way they sowed seed in Jesus’ day. They didn’t do it like we plant our green beans, one seed in each hole.
Instead, they would take the seed and throw it, and it would land in different places. Some of the seed would fall on the wayside, which was a footpath in the middle of two roads where people would walk. It would be like us throwing it on a sidewalk.
Jesus explained there are some who will hear the word of God, and the seeds sown will fall by the wayside. Because people walked on the wayside, it would become so hardened, seeds could not pierce the ground.
Many have heard the Word of God, seeds of truth are sown in their hearts, but because of their callousness, they go nowhere. This is more than mere ignoring God. It is a result of deep spiritual indifference, caused by the enemy.
12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
God, the Sower, is the same, His word, the Seed, is the same, so the difference is the Soil, and people will calloused hearts do not grow in God.
2. A Casual Heart
2. A Casual Heart
20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
Imagine a farmer sowing seed and some of the seeds falling on stony soil, we could call that Iron County Topsoil. Well not quite, this does not describe soil with a lot of rocks,
Rather, it describes a thin layer of soil over limestone or bedrock. The seed would take root and germinate, but it would not grow for its roots could not get deep into the earth.
At first, it would feel exciting to watch the seeds grow into seemingly strong plants. However, soon the plant would die. Jesus explained if there is a lack of depth, people will wither in their walk with God.
People like this feel great excitement when they hear about God. They will let everyone know about their new way of living. However, when life gets difficult, their excitement turns into casual concern for God.
I have said it many times, but I will say it again, being saved is wonderful, but it is not always easy! If we thought life would get easier when we accepted Christ, we were in for a surprise.
There is great joy in having a relationship with Jesus, but we also become a threat to the enemy. Therefore, he will do all he can stop us in our pursuit of God.
The moment we begin to feel casual toward God, our spiritual growth will begin to slow.
13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.
God, the Sower, is the same, His word, the Seed, is the same, so the difference is the Soil, and people will casual hearts, without spiritual depth, will serve God in times of ease, but stop when life gets difficult. Jesus explained they will not grow in God.
3. A Crowded Heart
3. A Crowded Heart
22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
Let’s think of the thorny soil. When the stay-at-home order started, Bekah and I would walk around the church property. I would go first because I have learned about the thorns and thistles. I have also ruined a few pair of jeans because of those thorns.
Flowers or crops cannot continue to grow if thorny bushes or weeds surround them. They will choke any life and future growth for the plant.
Jesus describes some who hear the word of God, accept the message, joyfully follow Him, but get distracted because their lives are crowded out by the things of this world.
If we are not careful, the busyness of life and all that the world has to offer can crowd our schedule so full, we no longer make time for God.
What are the cares of this life?
The deceitfulness of riches, or as the NLT says, the lure of wealth. The American Dream is all about getting ahead and doing all we can to attain all we want.
While God is not opposed to wealth, when it becomes the driving force of every decision, it can crowd out our devotion to the Lord.
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Our goal is not to keep up with what everyone else is doing. We cannot live in the Church and in the world. We cannot pursue God and pursue the lust of the flesh.
14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
We have to keep God as NUMBER ONE!. And when we do, He will take care of our needs and give us the desires of our hearts. When we turn our eyes upon Jesus, the things of this earth will grow strangely dim!
God, the Sower, is the same, His word, the Seed, is the same, so the difference is the Soil, and people will crowded hearts, constantly focusing on the world will not grow in God.
4. The Converted Heart
4. The Converted Heart
23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
So far, we have heard what type of person does not grow in Christ. Is there good new? Absolutely. When we hear the word of God and receive what it says to us, we will grow in the Lord.
When we forsake this life to gain that life, we will grow in the Lord.
When we make God our NUMBER ONE priority, we will grow in the Lord.
It is God’s desire that we grow in Him. At this point some might think, how can I grow in God?
When we come to faith in Christ, He gives EVERYTHING at our disposal to grow in Him. It is not as though He looks at Bekah and says, you can grow in God, but says Daniel, I do not know about you.
No, we have everything we need.
If we have a bad past, filled with shame and regret, He gives us a new start.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
If we have doubt, He give faith!
3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
If we feel powerless, He will baptize us in the Holy Spirit!
5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
If we are sick, He will heal us!
18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
If we are tempted and sin, He will advocate for us and forgive us!
1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
This is just a foretaste of what we have available through a ongoing relationship with Jesus! Therefore, we must never give into the lies of the Satan when He tells us we cannot really grow in God.
Instead, we pray, fast, seek the Lord, pray in the Spirit, and go deeper in God than we ever have before!
And our resolve to grow in God will determine how God blesses us, be it thirty, sixty, or hundred fold.
God, the Sower, is the same, His word, the Seed, is the same, so the difference is the Soil, and people will converted hearts, trust God and grow in the Lord.
Close:
Have we noticed the consistency of this parable: The Sower and the Seed. God never fails and His word never changes. What then changes? People.
However, if we will truly surrender to God, He will convert us and make us like Him! Therefore, we have to decide, do we want to grow in God?
If we think we are good where we are, We’ve stopped growing.
If we’re comfortable in our walk, We’ve stopped growing.
If we’ve grown complacent in seeking Him, We’ve stopped growing.
BUT, if we know there is so much more to God and we want all He has for us, we’re position for Spiritual growth.
If we can say, God I know you want me to go deeper in you, help me as I draw closer to you, we’re positioned for Spiritual growth.
If we can say, God there is more you have for me, but I do not comprehend it all, I just know I want you, we’re positioned for Spiritual growth.
If we can say, God I want you to baptize me in the Holy Spirit, I may not understand tongues or all that goes with it, but I want your power, we’re positioned for Spiritual growth.
If we can say, God I need a refilling and a refreshing of the Holy Spirit, we’re positioned for Spiritual growth.
If we can say, God I know living for you might not always be easy, I realize I will face trials and tribulations, but I choose to trust you with all my heart, we’re positioned for Spiritual growth.
If we can say, God, I am DONE staying private about my relationship with you! I will go deeper in prayer and your word in private, but I am ready for you to use me publicly, then let me say, we’re positioned for Spiritual growth.
Because God NEVER intended our walk with Him to STAY private. He wants to give us power and boldness to pray for people, witness to people, and encourage people.
The days are over where we shrink back. No, God is calling out to us, the whole world is SHOUTING their opinions, will My church rise up and choose to grow in me.
He is the same, His word is the same, we are the ones who need His help.
Private devotions will result in public demonstration.
And a lack of private devotions will result in a lack of public demonstration.
Basically, the world can tell whether or not we are growing in God. So let us never become calloused, causal, or crowded, but let us realize, HE converted us to use us, and He has given us everything we need!