Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / The Four Soils

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The Four Soils · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh
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  Speaker 1: greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches, so
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  Speaker 1: that the fowls of the air may lodge under the
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  Speaker 1: shadow of it. Mark 4.32 Those who have ears to hear, hear.
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  Speaker 1: These words are the staples in which I'm listening to
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  Speaker 1: today's reading. Lord, I thank you that you've given me
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  Speaker 1: the Bible to help lead and guide me in the
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  Speaker 1: way that I should live my life. Jesus, thank you
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  Speaker 1: for being the personification of the living Word here on earth.
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  Speaker 1: As I meditate on today's truth found in Matthew 13
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  Speaker 1: and Mark 4, 1-32, I realize that your Word is
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  Speaker 1: the seed in which all my purpose and destiny will
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  Speaker 1: blossom and come forth. Therefore, my heart will not be
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  Speaker 1: like the soil that allowed your seed to lay unprotected,
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  Speaker 1: so that other people around me can steal what you've
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  Speaker 1: deposited in me. My heart will not be like the
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  Speaker 1: shallow soil that could not allow the root of your
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  Speaker 1: word to take hold, so that when the trials of
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  Speaker 1: life come, it withers under the heat of pressure. I
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  Speaker 1: also declare that I will not let your word fall
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  Speaker 1: on the thorns of life and become so focused on
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  Speaker 1: my trials that they choke your promises out of my
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  Speaker 1: thoughts and speech. I declare that my heart and my
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  Speaker 1: life is good soil. I declare that I'm healthy and
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  Speaker 1: ready to have your word produce a crop of abundance, thirty, sixty,
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  Speaker 1: a hundredfold. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
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  Speaker 1: with God by listening to today's Bible story, brought to
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  Speaker 1: you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 3: The Four Soils In our last story, Jesus accepted a
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  Speaker 3: sinful and broken woman who had been scorned by the world.
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  Speaker 3: He rebuked the Pharisees for their judgment and Now Jesus
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  Speaker 3: reveals more about the kingdom of God through the story
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  Speaker 3: of the four soils, inspired by the Gospels.
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  Speaker 2: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
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  Speaker 2: in a Year podcast. But before we begin, I want
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  Speaker 2: to let you know about a unique e-book that's yours
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: And my prayer is that it will help you conquer
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  Speaker 2: the daily tasks and pressures and burdens that bring stress
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  Speaker 2: in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free
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  Speaker 2: from Stress today by visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org
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  Speaker 2: slash stress. In yesterday's episode... Jesus was shown extravagant love
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  Speaker 2: and honor by a sinful woman who entered a home
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  Speaker 2: and wiped the Lord's feet with her tears and hair
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  Speaker 2: before bathing them in expensive perfume. Jesus used this occasion
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  Speaker 2: to teach those gathered with him, many of them religious
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  Speaker 2: leaders who felt that they were righteous and justified by
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  Speaker 2: their good deeds, a lesson about forgiveness and the proper
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  Speaker 2: response of those who have received that grace. Today, We'll
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  Speaker 2: hear Jesus teaching about different ways in which God's word
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  Speaker 2: is received and what happens to the seeds planted in
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  Speaker 2: different kinds of soil. It's one of the most famous
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  Speaker 2: stories Jesus ever gave. So let's hear it now from
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  Speaker 2: the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 3: The seagulls flew gracefully across the face of the calm ocean.
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  Speaker 3: The gentle breeze rocked the anchored boats slightly as Jesus
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  Speaker 3: sat at the front of a ship. Thousands of people
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  Speaker 3: sat on the shore, Listening to his words and wisdom,
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  Speaker 3: they were enraptured by him. Jesus smiled and began to
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  Speaker 3: speak of a farmer and his seed. There once was
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  Speaker 3: a farmer, and he went out to sow his seed
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  Speaker 3: among his land. Some of the seeds fell along the roadside.
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  Speaker 3: They were vulnerable and easily swept up by the birds.
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  Speaker 3: Other seeds fell on rocky soil. They sprung up quick
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  Speaker 3: with water and sun, but they died just as quickly
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  Speaker 3: because their roots could not go deep enough. Some of
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  Speaker 3: the seed fell among thorny soil. Once they grew, the
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  Speaker 3: weeds choked the life out of the plants. Jesus paused
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  Speaker 3: for a moment and looked around the crowd. He stood
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  Speaker 3: to his feet and lifted his finger, saying, But there
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  Speaker 3: were some seeds that fell on good soil. It was soft, pleasant,
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  Speaker 3: and yielded great fruit. Some of the crops increased thirtyfold
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  Speaker 3: and sixtyfold, some even a hundredfold. Whoever has an ear
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  Speaker 3: to truly hear Here. Then the people left back to
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  Speaker 3: their homes, and Jesus was by the campfire with his disciples.
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  Speaker 3: Silence fell among the disciples as they gazed at the stars.
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  Speaker 3: The flames flew up to the skies. The sound of
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  Speaker 3: popping wood and crashing waves filled the silence. Do you
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  Speaker 3: understand the story I told them today? Jesus asked his disciples.
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  Speaker 3: They looked up at him. If they were being honest,
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  Speaker 3: none of them truly knew what he was saying. Jesus laughed.
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  Speaker 3: How will you understand if you don't ask, he said
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  Speaker 3: in jest. He picked up a stick and poked the fire.
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  Speaker 3: The soil represents the word of God, Jesus said. The
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  Speaker 3: seeds that fell on the road represent those that hear,
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  Speaker 3: but Satan swoops up the truth like the birds. The
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  Speaker 3: rocky soil represents those that receive the word with joy
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  Speaker 3: at first, but when hard times fall, their root is
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  Speaker 3: shallow and they fall away. The disciples began to nod.
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  Speaker 3: They were understanding Jesus as he explained. The thorny soil
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  Speaker 3: represents the cares and worries of the Word. Some are
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  Speaker 3: so anxious that they are unable to truly receive truth.
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  Speaker 3: They are choked by the worries and cares of the world.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus grinned from cheek to cheek. Then there's the good soil.
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  Speaker 3: For those that hear the Word and accept it, they
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  Speaker 3: do not toil or worry. They simply receive with gladness.
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  Speaker 3: These are those that will bear much fruit for the
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  Speaker 3: kingdom of God.
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  Speaker 2: Our reading today is an illustration of the kinds of
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  Speaker 2: hearts that receive God's truth and how the seeds of
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  Speaker 2: truth grow or wither in each kind of soil. Jesus
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  Speaker 2: is speaking to his followers, a larger crowd at first,
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  Speaker 2: and he's using an agricultural image. This is something his
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  Speaker 2: audience would have understood well. He spoke to the crowd,
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  Speaker 2: telling them of a farmer who went out to spread seed.
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  Speaker 2: Farming was much different in those days. No high-tech farming equipment,
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  Speaker 2: of course. Precise planting of seeds in neat little rows.
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  Speaker 2: This farmer was just walking across his plot of land
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  Speaker 2: scattering seeds. It almost seemed haphazard. I picture a man
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  Speaker 2: with a bag of seeds in one hand, dipping his
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  Speaker 2: other hand into the bag and pulling out a handful
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  Speaker 2: of seed that he tosses here and there, letting them
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  Speaker 2: land where they may. So, as he walks along, the
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  Speaker 2: seed falls on four different kinds of soil. Some doesn't
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  Speaker 2: even make it to the ground. It hits the path
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  Speaker 2: and birds quickly eat it up. Some falls among rocky ground,
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  Speaker 2: and though they sprouted, the seeds lacked nutrients and water,
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  Speaker 2: so the plants withered. A third bunch fell among the thorns.
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  Speaker 2: The soil was good enough for the plants to grow,
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  Speaker 2: but the environment around them was hazardous and toxic, and
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  Speaker 2: the thorns choked out the crops. but some of the
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  Speaker 2: seed fell in a good soil. It grew strong and
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  Speaker 2: healthy and produced a great crop, yielding a hundredfold. That's
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  Speaker 2: the good stuff. Jesus then said to the crowd, whoever
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  Speaker 2: has ears to hear, let him hear. The disciples asked
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  Speaker 2: why he spoke in parables, and he responded that the
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  Speaker 2: secrets of the kingdom of heaven had not been given
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  Speaker 2: to them but to the disciples. In other words, Jesus
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  Speaker 2: was going to give these men special insight into the
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  Speaker 2: things of God, into the kingdom of God, to prepare
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  Speaker 2: them for what is to come. Jesus also said he
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  Speaker 2: spoke in parables to reveal truth to those who would
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  Speaker 2: respond to it and receive it. He said in Matthew 13, 16,
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  Speaker 2: and 17, Blessed are your eyes because they see and
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  Speaker 2: your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you,
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  Speaker 2: many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see,
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  Speaker 2: but did not see it, and to hear what you hear,
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  Speaker 2: but did not hear it. The disciples were hungry for understanding,
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  Speaker 2: so Jesus explained this parable to them. The seeds represented
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  Speaker 2: the word of God, and the soil represented human hearts.
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  Speaker 2: Some hear God's word, but the enemy comes and snatches
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  Speaker 2: away the word. It never takes root in the heart,
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  Speaker 2: so it never grows. The rocky ground represents the hearts
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  Speaker 2: that accept the word quickly, but without any depth. The
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  Speaker 2: root of truth doesn't establish itself, and so when troubles arise,
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  Speaker 2: those people fall away from the word. Still others, represented
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  Speaker 2: by the thorny ground, receive the word and it sprouts
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  Speaker 2: in their heart, but worldly worries choke them out and
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  Speaker 2: they never produce any fruit. The good soil represents the
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  Speaker 2: heart that receives the word and bears much fruit. This
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  Speaker 2: is the heart of the believer who understands God's word.
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  Speaker 2: The truth of the gospel grows in their heart and
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  Speaker 2: they yield fruit for the kingdom because they believe what
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  Speaker 2: God has said. That's an important word for us here.
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  Speaker 2: As believers today, we are to be sowers of seeds.
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  Speaker 2: We are to give the gospel to the world and
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  Speaker 2: spread it to the hearts of men. The yield does
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  Speaker 2: not depend on us, and we are not to pick
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  Speaker 2: and choose where we sow the seed. We are to
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  Speaker 2: share it. all the gospel with all men until the
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  Speaker 2: whole world hears. Some will receive the truth and yield fruit,
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  Speaker 2: but others, for various reasons, will either never receive the
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  Speaker 2: word or will never bear fruit. Nevertheless, it is the
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  Speaker 2: calling of every one of us who name the name
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  Speaker 2: of Christ, who are followers of Jesus, to be witnesses
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  Speaker 2: of the gospel, to sow the seeds of truth, and
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  Speaker 2: to trust God for the harvest. God, we thank you
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  Speaker 2: that your word is always effective, that it always accomplishes
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  Speaker 2: your purposes. May we boldly proclaim your truth. Thank you
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  Speaker 2: that we have been called to participate in the ministry
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  Speaker 2: of the gospel by sowing seeds among men and women,
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  Speaker 2: that as many as will receive Christ can be saved
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  Speaker 2: by your grace and your love because of your cross
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  Speaker 2: and resurrection. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 2: Before we go, I want to let you know about
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: a unique e-book that's yours to download absolutely free today.
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: It's called Breaking Free from Stress. And my prayer is
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: that it will help you conquer the daily task and
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: pressures and burdens that bring stress into your life. Download
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: your free copy of Breaking Free from Stress today by
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org. dot org slash stress