Process of Planting

Intro

Planting Week 3.

Position of planting (where it’s planted)

Power of planting (what is planted)

Planting has one purpose.

To Produce.

That the result would be the beauty of that rose, or fruit of that vine, shade of that tree etc.

The Word planting assumes intention.

Things can grow naturally.

But a planting is an intentional action taken for something to grow and produce.

I take and make something bloom that naturally wouldn’t have occured.

You are planted.

Your life on this earth.

You are here with intention. and with purpose. Planted to Produce.

I was helping one of my kids with a paper the other day.

I thought oh this will be easy, just a school paper… it’s been years.

But there was all of this stuff that had to be in the paper that I couldn’t remember what it was.

Adverbs that end in y.

Prepositional phrases, specific key words (that I also had to look up) and a certain syntax and structure.

One of the things the paper was about was Henry Ford and the automobile.

One thing about him it mentions is that he didn’t invent the car, some people think, he created a process to make production faster, quicker and easier.

Just got me thinking, everything has a process.

Paper writing has a process, car production has a process.

getting ready in the morning, is a process. (you’re process is longer than mine)

Making dinner… You get the idea.

Planting. - Has a process.

There isn’t just fruit, that seed undergoes a process to produce.

1 Cor 3:6-7

“I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.”

It’s up to God to grow us, and create in us all that he has planned.

But, God is not responsible for the potential in our lives.

We are part of the process.

James 2:26

“Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.”

James 1:22

“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”

Only God can grow, but we have to be a part of the process.

What am I doing with what i’ve been given?

THE PROCESS MATTERS.

The Process of planting is CULTIVATION.

Jesus explains to us how this works.

Mark 4:1-9

“Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore. He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.””

Jesus actually goes on the explain his story further down.

The seed planted is the WORD of God.

Both Written and Rhema. (Rhema is God’s spoken word over you and to you)

The soil represented here is the heart of the person hearing.

The words of God are trying to take root in your heart for you to produce life in and through you, but too often our hearts aren't ready to produce what he planting.

We need to submit to the system of Planting, Cultivation.

Jesus explains 4 different types of soil.

Some keys to cultivation we have to put into action.

In the ancient world, and still today, before they could just start planting, they had to prepare the area for the planting.

Cultivating is creating conditions in the right conditions in the soil so the seed can grow and produce as it is intended.

The condition of the soil, determines the yield of the harvest.

dead.. or 30, 60, 100 fold.

What is the condition of the soil of your heart?

We give too much attention in life to what someone is producing. what it looks like on the outside.

What they had accomplished, done etc.

Life is much more about becoming.

God is responsible for the growth, we have to create the conditions he can use.

The right cultivation the right fruit will grow.

Mark 4:13-15

“Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables? The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away.”

Footpath is hard ground.

Seed had no chance to penetrate the soil.

Some of you, your hearts are just hard.

HARD GROUND NEEDS TO BE BROKEN UP

Jer 4:3-4

“This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: “Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! Do not waste your good seed among thorns. O people of Judah and Jerusalem, surrender your pride and power. Change your hearts before the Lord, or my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins.”

In Matthews account of this Parable Jesus says this.

Matt 13:15

“For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’”

The word of God never penetrates so the enemy comes and snatches it away.

Even right now, your hearing that there is life for you, you’re planting on purpose and it doesn’t really mean anything.

The enemy is just saying in your ear, that’s all fluff, i’ll take that.

Tilling and breaking up hard ground is work, not gardening I enjoy.

Start by asking, why is my heart so hard...

expose.

Sometimes things have to be broken before they can be built on.

The bone that set wrong.

Dig by asking what do I believe in. Trust

Could it be wrong patterns of thought, Disappointments, Past.

have all packed the ground of your heart

To farm a field they didn't just have to plow the ground, but they had to remove all the rocks that were in the way.

Mark 4:16-17

“The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.”

Hear the things of God and are excited!! but then life happens.

Emotions are gone. Difficulties hit.

ROCKS NEED TO BE REMOVED

But its not a seed or word problem, its a rock problem.

Often we like to ignore the boulders in our lives.

I’ll just tend my garden around them.

But these rocks prevent you from ever really growing real roots.

so any little thing kills what God is trying to do in you.

Sometimes you have to remove a rock again and again...

The rocks in our hearts can be all kinds of things...

Regrets, Resentment, shame, Disobedience

We can wonder why nothing seems to be growing and why i’m so easily defeated.

Are there rocks preventing roots?

Are you tending to the garden of your heart?

Only you can do it.

Sometimes you may need help with a rock.

Get others, find a counselor.

But don’t just leave them there.

that rock could be bitterness, offense, unforgiveness.

Don’t wait for someone else to do what’s right. You tend your garden.

The scripture says that when problem arise from believing God’s word.

When did we start believing that God’s word over your life meant it wasn’t gonna be tough.

We can wrongly think that we things get hard we must've missed god...

If we aren't paying attention, these rocks come in and mess up the soil and hinder the harvest.

Mark 4:18-19

“The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.”

This is the thorny soil.

The cares, lure of wealth and desire for other things.

REMOVE THE THORNS

A farmer would till the ground, clear the rocks and gather and burn all of the thorns.

The cares and the things of the world around us crowd and choke out the word of God in us.

The word cares here means divided mind.

A double minded man is unstable in all his way.

There have been a lot of cares of this world lately.

Too much is getting too much of our attention, concern, worry.

We can’t live with the lie that the answer is somewhere out there.

So we strive, and we look for, and we worry about.

Still wanting to trust in God, but honestly trusting in a lot of other things.

Everything God does is rooting in hope, is what your life is entangled in rooted in hope??

Your hope if choked.

the enemy operates and thrives in fear, darkness and distrust.

God operates in Hope.

You can find freedom.

The wrong mindset, thinking and attitudes will keep you from hearing clearly.

(example - that’s not what I said)

Are we more concerned and consumed about the things of God or cares of the world??

We can’t be consumed with God and the cares.

What are you giving attention and focus to??

I’m not saying don’t care.

But I don’t keep the cares and carry them, I cast them!

1 Peter 5:7

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”

sometimes that just look like, “God help me!”

Being concerned with all of the cares of the world around us will rob all the the nutrients from the soil of our hearts.

You can’t carry everything around you but you can cultivate what’s inside of you.

Your life is a word from God.

Don’t believe a lie that you’re not as good as someone else, or worthy, or good enough.

But we are each responsible for tending the garden of our own hearts.

God is responsible for the growth and production, I am responsible for the cultivating.

Proverbs 4:23

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

Mark 4:20

“And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!””

In good soil, God will do exponential more through you than you could imagine.

What if it’s all just about being a healthy garden to bear fruit in every way.

Creating the conditions where God is can grow in me.

it’s just becoming.

It’s the process.

Life has a way of revealing the condition of the soil of my heart.

I don’t give in or give up, because I’m rooted.

God if you said it, I will believe it!

My soil is so ready that when that difficulty came, when that temptation came i’m too rooted to fall!

The word of God doesn not come back empty or void.

He will do what he says he will do.

But is the ground of your heart cultivated for him to grow.

I think the real fruit he wants to produce is the heart of heaven here on earth.

HEALTHY SOIL PRODUCES A GREAT HARVEST.

CONCLUSION

It’s almost spring.

Coming out of a long winter.

A long winter of the soul, but we prepare our hearts to receives all he is saying over me.

All of the promises over my life, all of purpose for my life.

The word of the lord is cast over your life, you have to respond to how you receive it.

Your garden is going to grow!!