He Said What? - Lesson 7: "Hear...accept...produce"

Thank you for joining us for this broadcast from The Ninth Avenue Church of Christ in Haleyville, Alabama. We hope that you will subscribe and we'll share our broadcast with others. Now. We take you to the pulpit of the Ninth Avenue Church of Christ back to just talking about some sermon full sermon planning and looking ahead to the year and just thinking about what what in the world do we do, we talk about, you know, what? What do we what do we spend time on, in this, In This Moment, In This Moment that would bring about Unity, that would bring about growth that would bring about understanding. That would maybe bring about peace, that would bring about even moments of challenge it. In a way of teaching, you know, there are so many, I mean, from from start to finish, there are so many different themes that we could look at and that we could study and that we could do, and Work through in scripture together, there those books of the Bible, there's topics. There's just there's all kinds of things, but in our conversation together, both of us, kind of felt like continuing, just with Jesus was a very important thing, just continuing with Jesus and even know where can we kind of been in this? He said, why those kind of our idea as we began the year, but the more that we both have been studying Jesus, and talking about Jesus and then teaching and preaching Jesus in Sunday morning. We just, I just felt compelled to just for a. Of time this year for the front end of the first half of the year, which is really hard to believe. Almost halfway over anyway, is to just continue to spend time with Jesus and that's not just a Matthew. I did. That's not just a Jonathan idea how I look at it. And to me the idea originated with Paul. What does Paul say, he says, I preach what Christ and him. What? Crucified. And I think we can get off on a lot of different things in a lot of different directions and there's a lot of hand and they're still going to be a lot of time to meeting times together that we have time to talk about different things. But I just don't think that there's anything more important than Jesus. And so we're going to stay with that four times together for, for several more months, which which, which means we're going to come across a lot of different things. But today we find ourself in Mark chapter 4, Mark chapter 4 and we're starting read this first section together on the parable of the sower. It said again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in or sat in it. I don't know, they were set. Sat in it out on the lake. While all the people were along the shore at the water's edge of the things that I think. It's so amazing that every time Jesus spoke. What happened? Crowd gathered. And that's another reason that I want to just spend time with Jesus because I want people to come in here. Not Matthew, not Jonathan. The elders, not the different Bible School teachers. I just want them to hear. You know, who Jesus. That's what we're trying to do. He taught them many things by Parables and in his teaching. He said, listen to Farmer went out to sow his seed as he was scattering. The seed, some fell on the pass in the birds came up and ate it. Some fell on Rocky places where it did not have much. So let's bring up quickly because the soil was shallow, but when the sun came up the plants scorched, the plants were scored. And they withered because they had no rude other seed fell among Thorns which grew up and choked the plants so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed, fell on good soil. It came up and grew and produced a crop sum multiplying 30, some 60, some a Hundred times, then Jesus said, whoever whoever has ears to hear, Let Him hear, Let Them hear. So Jesus starts this, this he gets up in a boat in Jesus. Does this Jesus? Is it as much as we talk about? How great the teachings of Jesus Works. What we have written with us here. In this particular, passage is the explanation. We're going to get to that in a second destination about he was talking about, but Jesus does these type of things. Jesus is walking along the road and people follow him and they, they come from miles and miles and miles to hear him. And he turned around, he just goes

But you had your father and mother. You can't have anything to do with me. You starting to walks off.

What if you had walked 3 Days To Hear Jesus? And you finally get there and he stands up in the boat and you're at youth, heard all these great things about Jesus. You've heard all these great things about all these wonderful things that this new rabbis teaching and all these things and he gets up and he starts talking about planting a garden. He starts talking about planting a garden. How many of you? Just enjoy Garden, talk. Just enjoy Garden, talk. How many feet like so I've had this bright idea that I want to plant a garden this year and we've had guard, we had Gardens growing up. I never had anything to do with the gardens accept eat out of them. Okay, my favorite part of the garden, just eat out of them. But, you know, I just kind of, you know, I'm just, I want to do something different this summer. I want to have a little bit of fun. I want to, you know, and I may get into it. You may look at me go. Matthew Garden is not any fun. Some people think it is. I don't know. I'm just trying to figure out something new to do, you know? Because I've got so much time so much time, and I've got kids, and they need something to do. You know, it sounds like a good idea. Sounds like something that I'm going to let die. This Summer's, let's go to sound like But so, I've been watching YouTube videos about gardening and I have yet to find one YouTube video about gardening. That is exciting. That is exciting, but just gets my blood pumping about planting a garden. Okay. So far, the most exciting thing is, I get to use a tiller, could use a power tool and that's it. That's, that's, that's the most exciting thing so far, you know, but I'm still at Campbell to do this, but imagine you walked all this way to hear Jesus and Jesus spins, 45 seconds. Talkin about what planning a Garden, and I'm pretty sure some of these people walked away and they go, he said, what I've, I've waited all this time to the hear this and Jesus does that. But then Then, the good stuff happens. Okay, then the life-altering moments conversation, happened to things. That make us think the things that make us search our soul, and then, as we get ready to read the second part of this, as we get ready to read the second part of this, I want you to just take first off. Do this with me. Take a deep breath. A deep breath. And I want you to open your heart to what he's about to say. Okay, because we're fixing talk about all these good types of soul. And what we tend to do is Christian's, is we tend to read this next part and many of you are familiar with this next part. And we automatically say this, I'm good Soul. I'm good. I'm a Christian. I'm good soul. But I would venture to say and challenge you with this idea that we may not all be as good as good of soil as we want to think that we are. And so passages like this, maybe help us re-evaluate and and refocus in a spiritual way back where we need to be. So let's keep going. When he was alone, the 12 and the others around him ask about this Parable. He told them the secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but those on the outside. But to those, on the outside, everything is said in the parable so that they may they may be ever seeing but never perceiving and ever hearing but never understanding otherwise, they might turn and be forgiven. Then he said to them. Don't you understand this, Parable? How then, will you understand any Parable? The farmer. So's the word. Some people are like to see it along the path where the word is, Sony soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes it away. The word that was sewn, text with the word. It was sewn in them. Others like seeds, sown on Rocky, places, hear the word and at once, receive it with joy, but since they have no rude, they last only a short time when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly Fall Away, still, others, like seed, sown among the Thorns, hear the word, but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth. And the desires for other things, come in and choke the word. Making it unfruitful others, like seeds, sown in good soil, hear the word accepted and produced a crop sometimes, 30, some 60, and other and some hundred times. What was Saint? Okay. So let's talk about some of this stuff from this past. I want to do is, is it just kind of talked about the soul situation here for just a second? Because I love you have heard this over and over and when you hear something over and over so many times, we can get kind of used to it. Can we get kind of used to it? And it kind of loses, its significance, that loses power but still just as powerful so I was. So let's start the beginning. Don't you understand? This pair of scissors towards the farmer throws the word? Okay, Richard Petty. Some people are like sealed, along the path with the word is sown. And as soon as they hear, it's Satan comes and takes away the word that was sewn in them. And I read that in and I think about, you know, there are there are so many people that just hear the word and it never takes root. They're so mean to just hear the word and it never takes root. and,

I thought about this week. and, Maybe I'm right here. Maybe I'm wrong. Okay. Maybe I'm right here. Maybe I'm wrong. This is what I thought.

Is it possible that the reason that? Is it possible that the reason the birds could get to the seed in the first place is because the ground is just so hard. It's just so hard that the seat can't even penetrate it. It's just so hard. The seed. Can't even the word of God, can't even penetrate the soul. That is sewn on Satan has mm. And I thought about that all week. I've thought about this illustration and of of just taking a handful of seeds and just throwing it down this aisle right here, strolling it down. This is what's going to happen to those seeds. Nothing. Nothing's going to happen to him. Cuz what's under this Green carpet? Concrete. Is that seed ever going to penetrate that hard concrete? No, it's not and you know, what's going to happen to that seed. My daughter your daughter. Somebody's kids going to walk through. What are they going to do with that say? They're going to pick it up and put it in their mouth? Because that's what kids do, right. And so there's a modern-day illustration there for you, but is it

The birds is because the ground is all the hearts is too hard for the word to even penetrate. And is it possible that you can be in this building every day? Every Sunday, every Wednesday, but yet you show up with a heart that is so hard. But the word of God doesn't penetrate it anymore. I think it is. Next, scary to think about that is possible. If you could be in this room this morning and and you could be. So hard-hearted, that the words of God, this morning are not even going to touch yourself and touch your spirit. And so I asked myself. How do I know if I'm getting Hard Hearted? How do I know if I'm getting hard-hearted? Well, maybe you ask yourself this question. Do people look at me and see? Love or aggravation, do people look at me and see peace or do they see frustration. Do people look at me and see calmness or do they see someone that's going to stir the pot and keep things? Do people say someone is focused on God's willing God's way or my opinion in my feelings.

Because they were not all good soul. We're not all good soul. Is it possible this morning that you've let Satan? What do you realize it or not turned your heart hard. Think about that, think about that, let that sit. Because the story says that some of us very well could be that sore that the seed doesn't even penetrate that Satan has Us in that type of relationship. They hold that one for a second grader. Put that over here. Number one, number two. Others like seeing. So when these next two or things that I think probably Define most Christians probably the find most Christian situation here. Some people are like a such thing of the past 16 others like seats on a rocky place to hear the word and it once they receive it with joy. They have no root. They last only a short time then troubles persecutions, because of the word and they quickly Fall Away. Some of you this morning. Maybe in this situation. We're right here. Right now in the maybe the infancy of your Christianity, the newness of your walk. You're excited about God, you're excited about Jesus. You're excited about salvation. You're excited about church, like you're excited about church. Family about Fellowship mail is Right Lads to leaders about Topgolf about the zoo trip. You're excited about adopt-a-school. You're excited about all these things that we're doing. You're excited about class. You're just excited. and you start to, I think of this. I think of this when you're walking down, we're really, and when you're walking down the sidewalk. And you see flowers popping up in between the the the two pieces of concrete. You know, is it is that going to turn into a big blossoming? Bloomin Garden know why? Because how shallow are those roots? Very shallow. He says the Sun comes in the wind comes and it scorches those things and it blows those things away. And so I'm excited with joy, and then I face that first challenge.

This was supposed to be fine. This was supposed to be about trips to the zoo. This is supposed to be about going to the Opryland hotel for a weekend at a lot cheaper rate than I could ever take my 515 thousand kids. So, the last two l, i I get to go to Opry Mills. And they're going to have a hospitality room and I don't have to pay for food. And you understand some of you understand how much it cost to take my family out to eat.

Supposed to be great and exciting but then that challenged comes. Can you go? I don't want that. If this challenge at this persecution, at this losing friends, if, if my family not have anything to do with me, if, if if difficulties are part of this. I'm sorry, God, I'm not doing it.

Thing that happened over and over and over in Ministry. As long as everything's going the way I wanted to go. Somebody called it a narcissistic the narcissistic gospel doll about me about what I want. What makes me happy, what works for me and when it when it's not about me. When it's about challenges. I'm out. I'm done. You know people like that you maybe someone like that. That's the Second. Sole, the Third. It'll still others like seeds, sown among Thorns, hear the word, but the worries of life, and I think this describes, a lot of people, my age. This is just my opinion here. Okay, but I think this describes, a lot of people in, in, in my generation who are raising kids right now, who have all these things going on. They're sitting here trying to listen to the preaching. Their kids are climbing out of the Pew, you know, and somebody just, you know, just made a beeline and he was gone, my kids done it. Randy see my rabbit or squirrel run around and take off and you know, so this is what he said. She said she know you got it going. You hear the words. I've lost my spot. Okay? Okay, so your socks is sown among Thorns, verse 18 to hear the word but Worries of this life. The deceitfulness of wealth. And the desire for good things come in and choke the word. Making it unfruitful.

I love our house. And when Chris showed us our house, you showed us our house. When everything in our yard was In Bloom, it was so beautiful, so beautiful, but she didn't tell me was a gardener didn't come with the house. I got to take care of all this stuff by myself. So right at the very front of The driveway is this. Big thorny Bush that keep growing on me to just dig it out, but it had grown up. And I got out there last there. Give me last spring, and start cutting it back and cut it out. end up underwater the What are the big bushes that have like the big blue balls on them? Big blue flower, boss, do white hydrangea. Under all of that? Thorn was little bee hydrangea bush. All the other hydrangeas in my yard were fixing to Blooming. Like, you can tell they're fixing blue. This one, you could tell it was still alive. But it wasn't getting ready to bloom. And I thought about that, as I was reading this pastor this weekend. I thought you don't have many of us, like, we're here. We're here. But we're just kind of the shell of a Christian. Because the worries. AB life. Monday. On Mondays Vance has baseball practice band, has baseball practice at 5:30 Collins has gymnastics at 6:30. So I take him to ball practice, take her to gymnastics, come back and watch, 30 minutes of ball practice, go back and get her, and then come back and finish ball practice and take them home and then, you know, Blair's doing things at the house look. So so Monday is her just kind of a crazy evening for us trying to figure out where to get everybody. And these are just the oldest to the third one is fixing to be in kindergarten and, you know, I mean, it's just it's just all different directions. Every single moment of the day, then I've got Patty called Blair yesterday and she's like, hey, she's like, we need to go to Florence and do this and do this and do this. And she goes, Matthew. Can you keep the kids? And I said, well, I mean, I've got some things to do. She goes or what do you have to do? I said work. I have a job and

You know, it's it's just crowds everything out. Doesn't it? You got your own things, that crowd things out chasing after the wrong things. And it's not that the plant here didn't grow. What is the state became unfruitful? It just shows up to church.

And then walks out and doesn't live in. And listen. Let me let me back up and say this, if you're needing if you're coming and engine and you're not been coming very long. I'm so glad you're here. And I'm not saying that this is you. I'm glad you're here. You're here and you're learning for the first time and then I'm talking. I'm talking to you. People have been here. Ok, google. Okay, you know. What are you letting crowd out to Jesus in your life to where he's growing? But there's no fruit coming out and then there's the last one. The last one.

Because others, like seed, sown on good soil, hear the word accept it and produce crops. How do I know if I'm good store? How do I know if I'm good? So if you hear it, you hear it? You accept it and what? Produced you hear it. You accept it. You producing my good Soul. What are you producing? What do you produce more talkative class this morning, about discipleship versus Christianity? And that we're all, we've been teaching become a Christian become, a Christian become, a Christian, become a Christian. But why did Jesus say Jesus says, go out and make what disciples, and then we're having this conversation that we whether we really well. We just admitted it in class that being a Christians kind of down here in people's mind. We'll just takes more effort. We can be a Christian and not be a disciple. Jesus says, no, you can't. No, you can't. You lie. Didn't Jesus. Never calls us to be a Christian. Never not one time. And I'm not saying that we should not wear that name with pride. We should not strive to be a Christian but above all. We got to get this awful. And disciples here, they accept and they produce disciples produce Christian should produce. There should be a difference in the two. Should be the same. They're one of the same where the same thing, your followers of Jesus. Are you producing this morning? What producers do is they go out and they produce other wife, disciples. And so, are we a church of producers? Are you a producing Christian? Are you letting your light shine? Are you being fruitful? Where are you? Or are you one of these other types of soil. Here's what I want to talk about with you for the next few moments. And I want you to understand, you may have to do some soul-searching this morning and realize I'm not good Soul. You might be sitting there this morning. Do you know what Matthews run?

I'm hard-hearted. I have got. I have got a heart as hard as the concrete under this floor. May I ask you something? Could I clear out these pews right here. Clear out these pews right here. And grow a garden right here. Could wait a second. I could cut my Caleb. What I'm going to have to do. You have to dig up all this concrete and we have to put a lot up here somewhere. That's not going to make the elders. Happy. Take the roof off. I'm going to have to dig up all this concrete, all this hardness. I'm going to put some work in, but I could take this spot right here and there with the right tools. With the right help. I could draw a beautiful garden starts out as hard. Can turn into a garden. I could be a Christian. That is challenged by challenges and challenges and persecutions. They got all I wanted to be about me, but I could put in the work and I can make it about. I could be a Christian that's being smothered by the demands of the world and I can put in hard work and efforts and I can cut those Thorns back and I can push those worries away from from an unhealthy place. I can take the desires of the world and replace them with desires of Jesus and I can make my soul good just because you're not good. So all this morning doesn't mean you can't be good soil tomorrow. Amen. And we're not all good soul. But we can be. You can be you can be a disciple that hears and accepts it and produces. You can be a disciple that goes out. Make other disciples. You can be good song. That's My challenge to this morning is make up your mind today, but you want to be good soul, and not just make up your mind that you want to be, but that you're going to be good soul. Cuz you see we don't grow as a church until we start growing as individuals. You believe that we don't start growing as a church until we start growing. As individuals are still. We start cultivating our lives and getting rid of the things that we don't need to have. And all this week. We've got to make her mind up to be good soul and then start making that changes and put forth the effort to create than cultivate that in our life. Now, once you become good Soul, then you got to start producing and there's while he and I were having this conversation this week as we were talking about this passage and he said you don't want anything. That's interesting about this particular texts. It just is that this guy just didn't sow the seed on good soil. Did he? He didn't just do the seat on good Soul. If I'm going to start a garden, I'm going to go out and I'm going to make that spot in my yard the best possible piece of ground that I can do except the seeds. You don't see that in this story though. Do you? What do you see this guy doing? He's just walking around going to plan here, going to play in here, going to play in here, going to play here. Go to plant here. You know what that tells me?

Everyone is worthy to hear the gospel. Everyone's worthy to hear the gospel.

Sometimes, we don't feel that way though, Dewey. And I say that, and you go why I don't know Matthew. I want to put it this way. Man, Jake's a great guy. He never go to church with me.

What you're saying? Text not worthy to hear the gospel. He never go to church with me. So I'm not going to put forth the effort. I'm not going to try. I'm not going to invite. I'm not going to go that Direction ever been guilty of thinking that about some snow never show up. Don't never come so don't even try. And I'll look at them and I decide they're not worthy of the Gospel, but this story tells me that when I am a producer. I look at everybody. And I go there, worthy of hearing the word of God. What did I say last week? You remember what we talked about last week? Not my favorite thing that we kind of talked about was this? You have a story figure out what your story is, figure out who will listen to your story and then tell everybody who will listen. And even if they won't, listen, tell him. This, this Parable teaches us the same thing. You got a story. You got a message. Guess what? Go, share it with people doesn't matter who they are. They're worthy to hear the gospel. They're worthy to hear the gospel. So Jesus challenges, that's what they're really good. A really good Parable. A parable that for some for some people there going to be people on the day of eternity. Best steel are going to think that this story was about a farmer and a garden. You know, what about something different? You know, there's a personal contacts to it. You know that. It can touch your life and change your life.

I want you to fast forward. The first 26.

Fast forward two verse 26, we're not going to talk about this, but this is what happens when you cultivate.

He also said, This is what the kingdom of God is like a man scattered seized on the ground, not a day, whether he sleeps or gets up the seed sprouts and grows. So he does not know how all by itself, the store called producers grain. First. The Stock's been the head, then the full colonel in the head. As soon as the Green is right. He puts the sequel to it because the Harvest is, I read that. I think that's when you decide what you're going to be good soul. And you start living as a good Soul Christian. The holy spirit's going to come into your life and he's going to help you grow and you're not going to understand how it's happening. You're not going to understand what's happening. Sometimes with the holy spirit's going to feel your soul. He's going to help you become more than you ever thought you could be in the kingdom of God. So produced a place in your heart for the Holy Spirit, the plant himself. For the Holy Spirit, the plant himself and help you grow. You may ask this morning. How do I receive the Holy Spirit? That's an important question one that we have to know the answer to and, and Peter gives us the answer that question a chapter to chapter 2, he's having this conversation with all these Jewish people who would crucify Jesus and he can fix their hearts and one man stands up and says, what must I do to be forgiven of these things and he says, was he say repent? And what? be baptized for the Forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of Maui spear, why is that important fast forward to the book of Ephesians Ephesian chapter 1. Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit has given to us for a couple of different reasons, but he's all seems given to us to ensure our Salvation to ensure our Salvation. So when you become a Christian, when you have your sins washed away in the waters of baptism and you receive the holy spirit from God in that moment, he looks at you. Mrs. Gary. I've got you. I've marked you, I've sealed. You don't get that forgiveness. You don't get the Holy Spirit outside of these Waters. So this morning, if you're not received your forgiveness, if you do not receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, then make sure that you do that today. That's the first step for me of you to creating that good soul in your life is to become a child of God this morning. By following the words of Peter Fonda worth of. Paul most important about following the words of Jesus. Secondly.

Maybe you got some Garden to do. You may not be good soil today, but you can be, and that's my challenge to you.

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