Bro Gary Sunday Morning 1/22/12

Bro Gary Sunday Morning 1/22/12

Mat 13:1  The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.

Mat 13:2  And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

Mat 13:3  And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

Mat 13:23  But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Mar 4:3  Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:

Mar 4:20  And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

Luk 8:5  A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed,

Luk 8:15  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke each recorded the parable of the sower.   This morning we’re going to focus just on the good ground.  The sower went forth to sow his seed. 

We have experienced often times the sower sowing the good seed of the Word of God in our hearts.  We are blessed to have our own bibles this morning.  We have been blessed to have those before us to encourage us to read and to study.  We have heard Sunday school teachers, pastors, evangelists, and helpers bring forth the word of God and challenge us to study. 

The seed that you plant in the literal has life in it.  The seed of the Word of God is life giving.  We thank God for that.

The good ground hears the Word of God.  We are not strangers to each other in this audience.  It is important that we each accept the responsibility to hear the Word of God.  I cannot hear it for you.  I cannot be saved for you; I cannot be sanctified for you.  Hear the Word of God.

There was a little boy named Samuel and he was an answer to the prayer of his mother.  He did not know the voice of God when he went to Eli.  Through the events Eli knew that God was speaking to Samuel.  God loves to speak to little children at all times.  It is vital that precious little children hear the word of God. 

The good ground understands… 

When you and I are presented with modern technology, especially for me, it is easy to shut it down and not try to work with it again.  Some say, just play around with it as if that will make things turn out right.  It does for those that know about technology, but not for me.

It is vital that you don’t do this with the Word of God.  We need to understand. 

It is a natural thing for good men and women to want others to have a good life.  Our burden goes past others having a good life.  It is important to have a home, an automobile and friends, but it is of utmost importance to have the Word of God.   When time ceases the Word of God will still be in effect. 

This world will be burned up by fire but you and I will be alive.  We will either be enjoying life in the portals of heaven or we will be lost for eternity. 

My burden is that we be men and women that understand our times.  You may wish that you had lived 100 years ago, but you don’t.  We need to understand our time. 

The serpent in the days of Adam and Eve was a great deceiver.  That spirit is alive this morning.  He’ll deceive the very elect if that is possible.  We need to be good ground, be good keepers of the gate and of the soil.  We need to be good keepers of the torch that we pass on to the next generation that it would be well trimmed and burning.

Jer 9:23  Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:

Jer 9:24  But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

We need to understand for our own soul’s sake and for the children that are going to face the next generation.

Luke almost dealt with the thought in the past tense.  The sower sowed the seed and God had brought the good ground to a position of being honest.  The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.  It takes the word of God dealing with us and us coming face to face with the word of God and saying, “Dear Lord make my heart honest.”

Help me be honest, to realize how much I need God and how much we need each other and the sharpening of the iron that comes from us encouraging and sharpening each other.

The word works in our heart so that we say, “God I want you to purge out anything that would be in my heart or mind that would be defiling.”  The Word of God is designed that by the washing of the water by the word He’d present a glorious church without spot or wrinkle.

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

It is marvelous when God speaks to us.  God spoke to you and me last week, and that is wonderful.  God speaks to us because we need the Word of God. 

When God sends His word, He wants you to hear and keep that word.  I’m not dealing with the thought of the things that come to choke the word or of the enemy snatching it away.  I’m dealing with you and I being good ground.

Moral fiber:  When we tell someone that we will do something we keep our word.  We swear to our own hurt and change not.  Many times your schedule changes.  Something may develop that might look more attractive than what you’d committed to do yet we keep our word.  We want to be that same way with what God speaks to us about.  We need to keep the Word that He speaks to us.

They bring forth fruit:  Good ground is designed to bring forth fruit.  You might be struggling with something this morning.  It is not unusual for gardeners to struggle.  Gardeners come by and look at other’s gardens and they may say, “How do you get tomatoes to grow like that?” 

When it seems like you cannot find any answer to why the leaves are curling, you go to the extension service with a sample and they look at it and say, “Probably your soil needs to be tested.” 

There are times when we need to say, “God test my soil. I want to bear fruit, I’m happy to be saved and know my name is written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life, but I want to bear fruit for you.”

God has a way of testing our soil.  He says, “My child.  I know you.”  when an honest and a good heart says, “Test my soil and send the results to me.” 

You send off a soil sample to another state and hope they don’t get the results messed up.  God will not mess up the results. 

God shows you, “You begin adding humility and fasting and praying, start reading the bible more than just in the morning or a devotional at night.”  God knows how to test our soil.

They bring forth fruit with patience, cheerful endurance.  It takes endurance to bring forth a garden.

The word of God declares that all have sinned.  This seed is sown; all have sinned.  All men need a savior; Jesus Christ is the savior that they need.

1Ti 2:1  I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

This epistle was written by the Apostle Paul to young Timothy:  Pray for all men.  All men and women and children of all nationalities need a savior.  It is God’s will that all men be saved. 

Whoever you look at, whatever age that they are, it is the design of God that they be saved and their lives be beautiful because of the Word of God being planted in their soul.

There is a lot of ‘ministry’ in the world today.  Jesus began His earthly ministry with preaching, “Repent.”  There is no salvation without repentance. 

You may say, “You are straining at a gnat people today are just using a different term.”  Why would we use a different term when the seed of the Word of God says “Repent.” 

Repent means to confess that you are wrong.  It is humbling for some to ever admit that they are wrong.  Unless one dies as an infant, all have sinned. 

It isn’t just that you trespassed against your parents or neighbor; it is not just that you lied; sin is a trespass against God.  We are accountable before God. 

I’m not dealing with a man for a judge.  God is a fair and just judge. 

Repent also means to have the attitude to turn away from sin.  Let him that stole steal no more, let him that lied lie no more, let any sin cease to be.  This is what repentance does. 

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, 

and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Jesus knew the importance of repentance and baptism. 

Luk 24:46  And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

Luk 24:47  And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Luk 24:48  And ye are witnesses of these things.

Luk 24:49  And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Jesus left the instruction to take this marvelous message to the whole world, repentance and remission of sin.   

Repentance is the only way to be saved.

This is the will of God even your sanctification.

After we get saved the natural response to a new creature experience is to present our self a living sacrifice to God.  We were designed by God to be saved and sanctified.

To be sanctified means to be cleansed from the nature to sin and set apart for God.

Man was created to worship God.  There are a lot of examples throughout the scripture.  My mind went to Solomon.  He started out so right.  Many years of his life he did what was right and served God.

I want you to pray for me that I will follow the example of Solomon in continuing to worship.  Solomon prospered.  He really started out right.  After he became king he took the congregation and went to Gibeon to the tabernacle that David had placed there.  He offered many burnt offerings and worshipped God there. 

The offering that God is looking for from every one of us is a living sacrifice, our life.

I thought of you and I thought of me.  Everyone in this audience is handed a whole page of responsibilities every day.  Responsibilities are good.  Every day we have obligations and challenges.  Almost daily you are called upon with decisions to make. 

Every morning we need to take our book and page and put a fresh page above everything else.  As I’m ministering and worshipping before God, I need to ask “What would God have me to do today?”

The parents and grandparents of this audience have one of the greatest responsibilities.  Those that are burdened for soul’s nave a great responsibility.  You are very important to God. 

Solomon offered a thousand offerings.  He went and worshipped God.  God was very pleased with that worship. 

There is something in the identity of each of us that hungers for approval.  Some so desire the approval of man that they don’t even have a sound mind.  Others don’t care about anyone or anything so don’t have a sound mind.  God help us to have a balance.

Solomon wanted to please God.  He went to worship and God met with him in a dream in a marvelous way.  God asked Solomon what he desired.  Solomon didn’t ask for the neck of his enemies he asked for wisdom from God. 

May God challenge this audience this morning that as you worship before God in your daily worship that you have the attitude, “It is your approval, God, that I want.” 

I have a list.  I have a list of things to do for others.  Don’t feel like you’re targeted when others call and ask if you can take care of this or that.  Pray first so that you’ll know what God would have you do.

The Samaritan lady had had a full life.  God allowed her to meet with Jesus.  There are a lot of things that she could have talked about, but there was a question that she wanted to ask, “Where shall we worship?”  Jesus took a lot of time to deal with that lady that was probably in an embarrassing situation.

Deep down inside there is a hunger to worship the true God.  She asked “Where shall we worship?”  Jesus said, “The true worshippers will not just worship in this mountain or in Jerusalem but they will worship God in spirit and truth.”

We appreciate the Bible teaching to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together.  This worship is important, but God wants you to worship Him in spirit and in truth every day.  God designed that there would be the little sanctuary in the Old Testament.

There is nothing so important as you taking time to be holy.  It requires time alone with God to be of value to your family and associates.  The true worshippers worship God, who is the Father, in Spirit.

I could have been the first to say, “Who am I?”  I didn’t come from the upper-class.  My education is poor.  I would be deemed as one having a learning disability.  Yet into my personal life I have the marvelous privilege of worshipping God in spirit and truth. 

God comes down and I feel so rich to have my very own Bible.  I feel rich that someone taught me to pray.  I was given a Bible before I could ever read.  I’ve learned some songs. 

The song, “Jesus never fails” was written because there was a daddy miles away from His son that got a telegram that His son was sick.  I don’t know how long it would have taken to get from where he was to where his son was in that day, but he began to pray and open his heart to God and worship. 

I challenge us this morning to not just worship when our needs are seven stories high.  Let’s know how to worship and as the song says, “Take Time to Be Holy, Speak Oft with The Lord.”

God came looking for me.  John chapter 4, verses 23,24.  God is looking for men and women that will worship Him.  To think that He came looking for me!

This daddy prayed his heart out and these words came, “Jesus never fails.”  He sat down at an organ and pretty soon the song came out.  “Jesus never fails, heaven and earth may pass away, but Jesus never fails.”

The father seeks such to worship Him.  We would not intentionally disappoint someone.  Don’t disappoint the father.  Worship Him. 

The true worshippers worship Him in spirit.  We must have the Spirit of God.  I don‘t know and I’m not going to ask God to reveal to me, because I don’t think that I would sleep nights if the father revealed to me all the evil spirits that are in the world today.  Worshipping cleanses us; the truth cleanses us and frees us.

Paul wrote to Timothy and told him to watch.  He said that there would be affliction and difficulty.  This last year was a year of weeping.  Some have started this year already with heartache and weeping.  Paul said to Timothy, “Endure the difficulties.” 

May God help us to have the attitude, “I want to do all I can to work for God.”  Live a testimony.  Leave a testimony for those that will follow.  Live a testimony first that you love God and worship Him and that you love his son and love the body of Christ. 

Live the testimony that you’re going to be good ground and bear fruit.  Bear fruit with patience.  If the events of life have discouraged you, go back to the Father and let Him instill within you to keep holding on.  Bear fruit with patience and live a testimony.