Being Fruitful
Notes
Transcript
What do I believe God wants them to know? To till the soil of your heart to bear fruit
Why? We cannot be fruitful if our soil is hard, full of weeds, or friends with the enemy
What do I believe God wants them to do? Till the soil
Why? So they can be fruitful
ME/WE
THIS YEAR I have started on a new project of mine…One that I have tried to wanted to accomplish for several years....anybody want to guess what it is? Grow a garden
What is the hope I have with the GARDEN? That it produces FRUIT…I really hope after 60 days, 70 days, 90 days that there is a FRUIT from my labor
Anybody agree with me
Nothing worse will there be if after 60 days or 100 days and nothing comes up
I will have been on a fruitless endeavor
In a similar manner
One of the things I know about you and about me and about everybody is that we all want to be FRUITFUL…that what we put our hand to, our work to actually makes a difference, it produces fruit.
There is not a single person who says that I hope the WORK that I DO fails, or doesn’t last.
This is a little bit hightened for us because we have been journeying through the fruit of the SPIRIT.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
I have not met a person who does not want PEACE in there life…a person who does not want self control....JOY
The problem does not resolve around the desire to get it…there needs to be a desire
To be FRUITFUL is to have the right conditions for the FRUIT to grow....you can desire all you want…but if the conditions are not fertile it does not matter how much you will something to grow it will not grow if the conditions are not right.
Many of us know this growing a garden…you cannot grow tomatoes outside in winter…the conditions are not right…you cannot grow corn in a bed or rocks…the CONDITIONS ARE NOT FAVORABLE TO THE OUTCOME
THIS IS WHAT JESUS IS GOING TO SHARE WITH US WITH OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE AND FRUITFULNESS
I am going to show you how to be FRUITFUL, not just DESIRE FRUIT…INOR CAN YOU SOW SEED WILLY NILLY am going to show you how to have the right conditions to be FRUITFUL
JESUS IS GOING TO SHOW US IN THE PARABLE
IN A PARABLE CALLED THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER, SEED, SOIL.
In reality is mostly a parable about the SOIL this is what Jesus spends the bulk of his time on, the condition of the SOIL
WHO or WHAT IS THE SOIL?
SEED: WORD of GOD
SOWER:
The SOWER is the PERSON who SOWS THE SEED
THE SEED IS THE WORD OF GOD
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
I love what Pastor Alistar Begg says: What so amazing in this passage as we will see is little time is shared about the SOWER and who the SOWER…are they an amazing SOWER, world class…not because the POWER is not in the SOWER but in the seed.....Alistar continues to state sometimes we get lost in this and think we need good SOWERS, PROFESSIONAL SEED SOWERS....and when we do this we make the SOWER the most POWERFUL…it is not the SOWER BUT THE SEED that has power....that also gives hope to us SEED sowers of the GOSPEL that the POWER that you do does not rest on you.
The SOIL represents 4 different people, more specifically peoples heart, THE CONDIITION OF OUR HEARTS
I LOVE WHAT JESUS DOES AND ALISTAR BEGG POINTS THIS OUT…JESUS DOESN’T REALLY TALK ABOUT THE SOWER,
SEED: WORD OF GOD
SOWER: ANYONE WHO SOWS THE WORD OF GOD
SOIL: THE CONDITION OF OUR HEARTS
Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.
SHOW PICTURE
And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them:
“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.
LISTEN: the GREEK means listen and obey
Anybody ever say to your child or spouse or friend. Listen to me and you don’t just mean listen you mean listen and obey....OR SAY they just listen to me…I told my kids to clean their room but they just don’t listen to me....I asked my spouse to not be late, but they were late again…they didn’t listen.
“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil.
And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.
Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.
Some at this point are wondering why would the sower sow seeds in these areas???
Some are on accident
we are not perfectly going to throw
BUT ALSO to show us who the GOOD WORD of the GOSEPL is for
Jesus came to seek and save the lost
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
JESUS CONTINUES
And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.
And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables,
so that “ ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’ ”
And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
The sower sows the word.
And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.
And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.
And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.
And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word,
but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
WHAT’s going on here?
Jesus is saying there is a SOWER who SOWS the WORD into 4 types of soil and the condition of the SOIL determines the growth of the SEED
Jesus says first
First SOIL is
And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.
These are seeds sow in SOIL
This SOIL has no CHANCE.
BIRDS CAME and ATE IT UP
I have this with planting grass at times
THE GRASS WASN’T HAPPENING BECAUSE THE BIRDS THOUGHT I WAS FEEDING THEM
IN A SIMILAR MANNER THE FRUIT IS NOT HAPPENING IN YOUR LIFE BECAUSE THE ENEMY IS STEALING THE SEED
WHAT MUST WE DO TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING WHEN WE SOW?
HOW DO WE PROTECT OUR SOIL FROM THE BIRDS??? CHASE THE BIRDS AWAY OR PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE BIRDS
WE HAVE AN ENEMY THAT WANTS US NOT TO HAVE THE SEED BEAR FRUIT IN OUR LIVES
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
ARMOR
A.C.T.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
Just because you are Christian doesn’t mean the enemy doesn’t want to mess with the SOIL of your heart.
But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.
PRAYER and BINDING ARE APART OF THE MAKING THE CONDITION RIGHT FOR THE SEED
BILLY GRAMHAM knew this....Billy Gramhams ministry was not just a preaching ministry but it was a PRAYER…they prayed day and night for weeks before Billy came to preach.
ARMOR UP:
2. SOIL: Rocky SOIL
Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil.
And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.
And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.
And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.
This soil is the soil of those who have a God high from a worship service, camp, conference.....it is me and God!
Anybody been here?
I go to camp and love Jesus…go to church love Jesus…go to youth group love Jesus.
The God high disapates and you fall away....
But one we come to realize is that you cannot have FRUITFUL SOIL if you only take care of the SOIL one day a week, or one day a month, seratically…sometimes people say Jesus doesn’t work for you…and teh reason Jesus doesn’t work for you is because you spend two days a month with Him.
Imagine if we gardened one day a week or one day a month
What would happen? Would we be fruitful? NO
ONE CHURCH STATES ON THEIR WALL 7 WITH JESUS IS GREATER THAN 1
7>1
THOSE who only cultivate their soil once a week do not have DEEP roots
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
PLANTED BY STEAMS OF WATER…constantly being feed the living water not ROOTED one DAY and gone 6 days
CULTIVATE THE SOIL BY DAILY
ARMOR UP
CULTIVATE THE SOIL, BY CULTIVATING A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
3. SOIL: thorns or weeds
Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.
And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word,
but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
These are seeds that get lured away by the shiney things of the world....we get lured away by lustful things
You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
TAKE ACTION TO KILL SIN: BE KILLING SIN OR SIN WILL BE KILLING YOU: JOHN OWEN
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
BUT here’s the human problem
WE NEED TO KILL SIN BUT WE ALSO NEED HELP IN SEEING SIN
1. NOT ALL THORNS CAN WE SEE
2. NOT ALL THORNS CAN WE DEFEAT
YOU HAVE PRAYED YOU HAVE REPENTED AND IT DID NOT WORK FOR
CULTIVATE OUR SOIL BY CUTLIVATING A RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
There are some throns in your life that you don’t see that you need others to help you see those thorns.
I love and hate this
my pride hates it
Because I think I am better than I am
Some thorns you do see that
some of your thrones you cannot defeat yourself.
Anybody ever struggle with a certain sin that you could not defeat???
Why couldn’t you do it? Because you need the power of God and the church to defeat that sin
But in order to get help you need to ask for help
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Jesus says to us to have good SOIL cultivate a relationship with others
Jesus has show us so far that to have good SOIL we need to
AROMOR UP
CULTIVATE THE SOIL BY CULTIVATING A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
CULTIVATE THE SOIL BY CULTIVATING A RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER BELIEVERS
TAKE ACTOIN
4. GOOD SOIL
ARMOR UP
CULTIVATE A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
CULTIVATE A RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER BELIEVERS
TAKE ACTION
And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
HEAR THE THE WORD AND ACCEPT IT: TAKE ACTION
ALL OF IT
I LIKE THAT PART OF THE WORD
YOU FORGIVE ME, BUT NOT I FORGIVE YOU
I LIKE HOW YOU will provide for me, but I think your guidelines in intamcy in marriage are dumb
I
THIS IS NOT EASY ALL THE TIME, RIGHT BECAUSE WE LIKE TO DO OUR OWN THING
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
Armor Up
Cultivate a relationship with God
Cultivate a relationship with others
Take Action
COMMUION
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.