Sermon Tone Analysis

“Teachings of Christ”

Matthew 13:18-23/ ;Mark 4:13-20 ; Luke 8:11-15/

041709

*Purpose: The condition of our hearts reflect how we receive and apply God’s word in our lives.

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* Exegesis: Christ tells the parable of the sower demonstrating how the seed of His word is allowed to take root and grow in different types of soil, different conditions of the heart.

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*We are to til the soil so that God can sow His word into the heart and the Holy Spirit can water it yielding freshness  and growth.

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*INTRODUCTION*

 

1) We have just come through Easter and all have had our hearts reminded of when we first believed…we have had the question asked…what will you do with that belief?

Now we will look at a quote by Oswald chambers on surrender…I recall facing this challenge over the last few years and although I can wholeheartedly say I had no hidden places or areas kept from Christ, I was so battle weary that I was not in a state of complete surrender…I held back a reservation of self because of the battle I had come through.

I realized this and as soon as I felt the relaxed surrender….surrender

relaxes you because finally you trust God again with your situation what ever it may be…you relax and amazingly God can now begin to move on your behalf…I saw this immediately.

As long as you hold back, and many of us for many reasons feel battle weary, as long as we hold back, not completely trusting God for the answers and our lives…we are in fact holding God back in acting on our behalf.

2) All or Nothing?

from Oswald Chambers " My Utmost for His Highest" April 17:

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment . . .

and plunged into the sea —John 21:7

Have you ever had a crisis in your life in which you deliberately, earnestly, and recklessly abandoned everything?

It is a crisis of the will.

You may come to that point many times externally, but it will amount to nothing.

The true deep crisis of abandonment, or total surrender, is reached internally, not externally.

The giving up of only external things may actually be an indication of your being in total bondage.

Have you deliberately committed your will to Jesus Christ?

It is a transaction of the will, not of emotion; any positive emotion that results is simply a superficial blessing arising out of the transaction.

If you focus your attention on the emotion, you will never make the transaction.

Do not ask God what the transaction is to be, but make the determination to surrender your will regarding whatever you see, whether it is in the shallow or the deep, profound places internally.

If you have heard Jesus Christ’s voice on the waves of the sea, you can let your convictions and your consistency take care of themselves by concentrating on maintaining your intimate relationship to Him.

                                     

3)   Sometimes hidden areas, sin, religion, being in a trail for an extended period…all work on the soil of our hearts and the receptivity of God’s word.

*            /Transition/*

* *

*EXPLANATION*

*Matthew 13*

*The Parable of the Sower Explained*

18 "Hear then the parable of the sower.

\\ 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path.

\\ 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; \\ 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.

\\ 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing.

\\ 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

Mark 4

13 And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?

Then how will you understand all the parables?

\\ 14 The sower sows the word.

\\ 15 These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.

\\ 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy.

\\ 17 But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.

\\ 18 And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, \\ 19 but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing.

\\ 20 And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold."

Luke 8

11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

\\ 12 The ones on the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

\\ 13 The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy.

But these have no root; they believe only for a while and in a time of testing fall away.

\\ 14 As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

\\ 15 But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.

* *

 

*I.

Sometimes we the ministers of the gospel message are responsible for plodding through the ground until the ground is broken up and ready to accept seed  *

* *

*II.

Christ is after those who will answer the call and demonstrate the call through His word by their lives.*

* *

*III**.

Sometimes in religion we close and harden our hearts to truth becoming rocky ground, or we have hidden areas we have not released to the light, love and ministry of Christ having thorns that crop up out of nowhere in a heart that once was loving and pliable.

*

* *

*Matthew*

18 "Hear then the parable of the sower.

\\ 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart* *

Mark

            */Transition/*

* *

*MAIN** POINTS*

* *

*            I.

Sometimes we the ministers of the gospel message are responsible for plodding through the ground until the ground is broken up and ready to accept seed, sometimes Christ and the Holy Spirit breaks ground and gives a place for the seed to grow.

The word and the Holy Spirit also water that ground allowing a further loosening of debris that has held us back..Sometimes God has been breaking ground in a heart before the word is ever heard.

*

*We have to allow ourselves to sit under the influence of God’s word despite how we may feel and the conflict within us that occurs so that God’s word falls into our hearts and not on our hearts.

We have to allow God to break ground in us and remove the hidden things, the rocks the thorns and the stubble from trampled paths no longer worthy of growth.

Open ears are open hearts.

*

* Matthew*

18 "Hear then the parable of the sower.

\\ 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart* *

* *

Mark 4

13 And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?

Then how will you understand all the parables?

\\ 14 The sower sows the word.

\\ 15 These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.

\\ 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy.

\\ 17 But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.

\\ 18 And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, \\ 19 but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing.

\\ 20 And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold."

*                        *  

* *

*                        /Transition/*

* *

*            II.

Christ is after those who will answer the call and demonstrate the call through His word by their lives.*

A contrite heart hears Gods word and in hearing Gods word has an open and receptive heart towards Gods word understanding Gods word and making his life an outward expression of God’s word, being attentive to what this will require in their lives.

*Matthew*

23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears

*Mark*

20 And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold."

*Luke*

15 But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.

*                        /Transition/*

* *

*            III.

Sometimes in religion we close and harden our hearts to truth becoming rocky ground, or we have hidden areas we have not released to the light, love and ministry of Christ having thorns that crop up out of nowhere in a heart that once was loving and pliable.

Sometimes we let the cares of this word pound us down and creating hard ground so that the seed cannot spring up freely and take root.

*

* *

Sometimes in religion we close our hearts to God becoming rocking hard, trampled and thorny becoming unworthy vessels to have new growth in God’s word.

We have to let go of religion and grasp the ministry of Christ in the love and light of Christ.

We need God to make a heart of flesh, to love, trust and fear God.

It is a discipleship process.

This is a consistent teaching of Christ