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How The Devil Steals The Word | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  We're in a new chapter today in Mark, so meet me in the gospel
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  of Mark in chapter 4. Mark chapter 4.
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  But this past Friday and Sunday has been filled with exuberance
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  singing. So I'm so blessed to be under
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  your voices this afternoon. I hope you feel that same
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  blessing, Mark chapter 4, please, and we're starting
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  together in verse 1. I'm going to read these verses.
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  And then together, we're just going to Bow our heads again,
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  our hearts before God, and ask him to help us understand these
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  verses. Mark 41.
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  Again, he began to teach beside the sea and a very large crowd
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  gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on
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  the sea. And the whole crowd was beside
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  the Sea on the land, and he was teaching them, many things in
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  Parables. And in his teaching he said to
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  them. Listen behold A sower went out
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  to sow and as he sowed some seed fell among the path and the
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  birds came and devoured. It Other seed fell on Rocky
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  ground where it did not have much soil and immediately it
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  sprang up since it had no depth of soil.
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  And when the sun rose it was scorched and since it had no
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  root it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns and
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  the Thorns grew up and choked it and it yielded no grain and
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  other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain growing up
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  and increasing and yielding 30 fold.
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  And V and a hundredfold. And he said, he who has ears to
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  hear, Let Him hear. Father, give us ears to hear
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  help us. Listen we just ask, oh, God,
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  that these next few messages and the next few weeks would be
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  life-altering. It would be the pivotal point of
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  many. Who would desire to be good soil
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  for your seat to have its fullest effect in our lives.
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  Lord, have your way in the service.
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  Oh Lord move in great power. O Lord, be magnified as this
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  word is delivered and more importantly received with
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  eagerness and obedience, this is our desire in Jesus name we
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  pray, amen. The parable thesaurus. some
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  would say, the parable of the soils, Is one of the most
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  notable and remembered Parables, not just in the ministry of
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  Jesus Christ, been all of scripture, it is recorded in
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  three of the four gospel accounts.
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  And it is one of the few parabolic lessons that Jesus
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  interprets himself many of The Parables.
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  Jesus does not go out of his way to expose it like we see here.
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  For those who are unfamiliar with this Parable, all you have
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  to do is read on and the rest of the chapter to see Jesus has
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  undeniably clear explanation of what he's trying to convey with
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  these words. But the summary is very easy,
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  it's as follows, there is a sower who scatters seed that
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  seed is the word of God. And there are four different
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  types of soils which speaks of the different conditions of the
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  heart of man who Unto the word of God differently.
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  And then there is the soar himself.
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  Who is anybody? Who is a faithful witness to the
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  Gospel of Jesus Christ, and seeks to scatter that truth into
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  the hearts of men. That seems like a very
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  straightforward message, but the purpose behind the message is
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  much more profound. Why is it that the Lord Jesus at
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  this particular moment while he sits on a boat by the shore,
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  facing a sea of people? Why is it that?
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  Now he is intentionally using this teaching Style with this
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  specific, Parable? You and I will expound on that.
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  In the coming weeks, there are many reasons why Jesus is using
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  what we know as Parables. He has more than one objective
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  in mind and you and I will Stand that in the coming days, but at
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  this particular moment, Jesus Christ is teaching about this.
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  This lesson in order to prepare his disciples and advance.
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  About how the majority of the Jewish people will reject him.
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  Already the religious and the spiritual and the political
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  rather establishments have have made their public rejection of
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  Jesus known. They were on a campaign to
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  discredit his name and that was just the beginning of the
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  growing number of Jewish Brethren who will join in their
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  outright denial of the son of God.
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  And so in part, the Lord presents this truth
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  strategically right after the Pharisees are saying he's
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  possessed with the Devil. So that he can help his very
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  likely struggling disciples who can't seem to grasp the mixed
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  reviews from the nation of Israel.
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  With the arrival of the Messiah who came with undeniable
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  Authority, undeniable power undeniable Miracles and it will
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  not just help the disciples understand it will help the
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  modern sower of the seed of the Gospel.
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  Also Have you ever wondered? How is it that anyone can reject
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  something as good as free as wonderful as our gospel?
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  Have you ever thought or have you ever struggled with?
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  Seeing somebody who with great enthusiasm embrace.
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  The gospel only for a few weeks to go by or months or even years
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  to shrink back and return to their old ways as though they
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  have never met Christ. This Parable is for you, these
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  teachings are for any serious disciple of Jesus, who longs to
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  make more Disciples of Jesus Christ.
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  But when you look at this, you have to understand that this
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  Parable is also meant to Target a ton decisive.
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  Out one who is standing in the Gap.
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  Not just followers of Jesus Christ because look at Jesus
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  words, in verse 3, the first one listen, Listen, this is how he
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  begins his Parable, pay attention.
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  It's almost as though while he's sitting on that boat.
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  There's a crowd of people and some are may be distracted.
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  Some are maybe looking at their sandal summer, wondering what
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  they're going to do after the service.
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  So Jesus observing his audience as hey, pay attention.
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  And then he ends his teaching by saying the very famous phrase.
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  He who has ears to hear, Let Him hear.
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  Why? Because it would be a mistake to
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  believe that the parable of the sower is some kind of commentary
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  that is an unchangeable decree of the state of men.
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  It's not like Jesus using this Parable to say, you know, here
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  you got some men who are like this, some men who are like
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  that. Some men are like this and
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  that's just the way it is. So just you gonna have to deal
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  with it. I'm just kind of giving you an
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  Insight, how people respond to the preaching of God's word,
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  know what Jesus is doing, is using this Parable to provoke
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  personal reflection He wants his listeners, he wants his audience
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  to understand that this description of the, the hearts
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  of men is to stir them to, to make an individual assessment of
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  which soil they are. And if they're not in the one
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  that supposed to bear fruit, that they themselves would make
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  that change as an Act of Faith. So again this is not this is not
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  just some decree that this is how men are and if you're if
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  you're there you're there were sorry.
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  No he wants the listeners to lean in so that they can they
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  can examine themselves and say well which one am I what you and
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  I and therefore in the same way Jesus challenges immediate on,
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  its I challenge you and this afternoon I Look to You and I
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  say, listen, Pay attention. Because in the next four weeks,
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  we are going to explore each of these soils on their separate
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  days. We're not going to have a
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  general overview of this message.
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  Every single week, we are going to hear about these different
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  class of people. And you are, if you are serious
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  about the condition of your soul, will examine yourself and
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  say, well, which one am I? Which one do I identify with the
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  most? And that you would make the
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  appropriate changes by the grace of God, to make sure that you
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  are in the will of God. You and I will not rush over
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  this, you know why? As much as we might be familiar
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  with this Parable, I'm sure most of us in here.
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  Can rehearse it by heart and even explain it in great detail.
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  But I don't want us to run through this and I'll tell you
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  why go to verse 13 of Mark chapter 4 and look at the words
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  of Jesus and he said to them. Do you not understand this
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  parable? How then will you understand all
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  the parables? It's obvious here that the Lord
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  is saying it in order to have access to further Revelation,
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  namely Parables. You have to comprehend this one.
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  This is foundational. This is not this is not optional
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  here, this is not just a random. This is absolutely fundamental
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  to receiving subsequent revelation of who Jesus is and
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  what his kingdom is all about. If you and I can't master this
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  one, there is no hope for us to understand what Jesus has to say
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  after it because everything else that he will teach will be built
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  upon these truths. And why is that the case?
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  Because this Parable deals with the essential truths of the
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  Gospel of Salvation, in the can't get any more basic than
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  that. And so, why run the risk of
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  having a shallow understanding of this Parable?
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  When this is the key to knowing more parables, You know what
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  else is more interesting? You find this teaching in
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  Matthew and in Luke, not in John.
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  John is very unique in comparison to the other gospel
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  writers, but you find it in Matthew, you find it in Luke.
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  But what you won't find is the same statement that we just read
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  and the other accounts, this declaration of the importance of
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  this Parable. And I thought to myself, why is
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  that the case? And I think here is one reason
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  why because marks goal, as you know, is depicting Jesus as the
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  great sir. Of God, the perfect servant of
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  God, but not only that, not only to Portrait us for us.
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  Jesus being the Fulfillment of the law, him obeying, all that
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  God had said for him to do. But he's also our model for
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  service. We look to him as our example of
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  how we ought to serve the Lord. And so it's fitting for this
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  statement of how important this Parable is for us, who are
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  Servants of God. Because these truths about the
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  the seed and how people respond to it, will Aid us to not grow
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  weary. They will encourage us and
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  motivate us to remain faithful regardless of how men respond to
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  the gospel. They will also Shield us from
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  unnecessary self-criticism. And they will even keep us from
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  being tempted from tampering with the seed in order for us to
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  create more observable results. This is important for us
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  practically. In fact, that is one of the main
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  points of this parable. The reason people reject the
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  gospel not is not because there is something wrong with this see
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  that the master has placed in our hands but because of the
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  quality of the soil of men's hearts, So let us Begin by
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  looking at the first type of soil that Jesus speaks of and
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  draw as much as we can from. So let me say it again.
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  Listen. Listen, pay attention.
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  This one might be about you. It could be about you wouldn't
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  you want to know if Jesus is speaking about you this
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  afternoon? Verse 3 and 4, let's revisit it.
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  Listen. Behold A sower went out to sow
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  and as he sowed some seeds fell along the path and the birds
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  came and devoured. It, thankfully, you and I don't
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  have to spend too much time trying to decode what Jesus
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  meant by this first description, about this first, class of hers,
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  because he will illuminate it in the coming versus.
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  But just from a first reading we already can can have an idea of
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  what Jesus is alluding to with this.
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  Illustration. He says here that the sower
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  sowed along the path, some of the seed, fell along the path
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  you can, you can identify this group of people as the Wayside
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  soil. Now, it doesn't help when we
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  think of it in modern ideas, because back in Jesus day Fields
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  were wide open to public access. There would be paths and Roads,
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  very, very near and sometimes even through these fields, which
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  would invite foot traffic. And when invite travelers to
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  come by, remember when Jesus and his disciples, they walk through
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  the fields and they were picking the grain.
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  That was normal in this time there wasn't fences and there
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  weren't electric wires to protect the field.
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  No, it was, it was much more accessible and this day.
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  And so what would happen while these paths these dirt roads
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  would be would be stepped on and then compounded over time until
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  they became like pavement. And Jesus has this in mind when
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  he speaks about this particular soil.
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  He's saying there are people who will respond to the seed and the
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  same way that the paths that, you know, of that become almost
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  like cement over time. And you and I can just imagine
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  what happens to the seed when it does come into contact with with
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  such soil, it bounces right off and it lies on the surface and
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  it just rests there it's unable to penetrate.
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  It does not make its way into it doesn't enter it just visits.
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  and in like manner, there are many who have hearts who react
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  to the gospel with similar hardness Listen.
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  Yeah, there you are. Such people have no room for a
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  reception. No room for meditation.
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  No room for consideration for divine truth.
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  No matter who or no matter how the gospel is delivered to them.
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  They are quick to shut the truth out and refused to give a moment
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  further of inquiry. Such people can come in and out
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  of meetings like this one and be totally unmoved.
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  Totally unstirred. When they hear these glories,
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  about who Jesus is and what he's done and regardless of The
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  Passion of the preacher, regardless of the power of the
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  spirit, that can be felt such people.
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  Remain the same and just like the birds of the air.
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  They are ready. To move on as though nothing had
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  happened. Even to begin with.
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  They can hear the truth and walk away as though nothing was said
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  to them. And here's where it gets more,
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  interesting. Here's where it gets really,
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  really interesting. When Jesus goes on to expound on
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  this soil, he includes a detail that is not emphasized in any
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  other type of soil and so come down to verse 15.
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  And these are the ones. So now Jesus in the latter
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  portion is interpreting what these soils mean.
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  And now he's on the first one and he says here and these are
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  the ones along the path where the word is sown.
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  When they hear Satan immediately comes and takes away the word
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  that is sewn in them. Aha.
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  That is Paramount that is massive in our understanding of
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  this Jesus reveals how Satan is so directly involved with the
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  transaction of Truth and receiving truth.
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  As much as God is at work in these moments even now.
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  So is the devil And the fact that Mark uses the word,
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  immediate means that he is near. He is not far, he's very close,
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  his work is quick because he is in a sense.
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  In our midst. Satan immediately comes and
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  takes away the word that is shown in them.
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  Jesus reveals something that we know as spiritual warfare and
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  Paul says it in his own way. Obviously, by the spirit and
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  second Corinthians 4:4 in their case, the God of this world has
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  blinded the minds of unbelievers.
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  The god little G. There is no God like Jehovah,
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  not capital G, he's not in. Equal to God.
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  But there is a ruler in this world and he is invisible and he
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  is powerful. And their case, the God of this
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  world has blinded the minds of unbelievers that they may not
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  see the light of the glory of the gospel of Christ.
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  Who is the image of God? Satan has one ambition in this
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  life, one ambition. And that is to strategically
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  derail Souls from even getting a glimpse of the glory of Jesus
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  Christ. Namely in his saving work on the
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  cross, and he will do everything that he can.
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  To make sure that you would not even have an opportunity to be
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  exposed to such wonderful light. And so he has many ways of doing
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  this. That is not to say that Sinners
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  are mere victims of Satan's strategies.
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  What it means though, is that the wicked one constantly aims
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  to drive Sinners into deeper Darkness, our hearts already
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  dark but the enemy wants to make sure to bury you to bury you and
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  such a depth of clouded vision and distraction.
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  So that as much as he can, if even it would happen that the
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  light would come by, your way, it would have little effect on
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  your callous. Soul.
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  And so he seeks to Blind and he does this by either trying to
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  prematurely invite you into sin and maybe you'll kill yourself
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  in the process and if you can't do that then then he is
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  satisfied with just distracting. You long enough with seemingly
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  innocent toys. And ambitions.
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  So that you would not even give a thought to life after death.
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  And this is why I partly believe, why all men are capable
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  of responding to the gospel or else.
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  Why would Satan make any effort? Why would the scripture record
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  any type of effort on Satan's part to try to keep men from
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  being influenced by the gospel? This is why the enemy absolutely
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  hates the proclamation of the truth, because it is through the
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  proclamation of the truth. That those who have been caked
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  in their vision from seeing such wonders of Grace, It's through
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  what Jesus told, Paul and acts 26:18.
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  He commission's him to preach and you know what?
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  He says, Paul, I'm raising you up.
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  I've chosen you, I have selected.
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  You and acts 26:18 to open their eyes.
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  To open their eyes so that they may turn from Darkness to light.
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  And from the power of Satan to God, what is the means by which
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  somebody who is blinded comes to receive miraculous vision?
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  Ambassadors of Jesus Christ Faithfully.
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  Proclaiming that gospel. That is how it's done.
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  It's very simple. We don't have to complicate this
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  whole thing that they may receive forgiveness of sins and
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  a place among those who are Sanctified by faith in me.
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  So, you have Satan roaming. Strategizing planning creating
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  inventing ways to do one thing and that's to keep men from
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  seeing the glory of Jesus Christ.
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  The very same eyes that I've been blinded by him can be
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  opened by the truth declared through us.
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  Now, if that is the case, then how do we reconcile Jesus
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  teaching, how Satan is able to take that seed.
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  And this truth that when people are in the presence of the
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  Gospel, their eyes can be open. Is it because is it because
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  Satan is very powerful. Is it?
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  Because he is, he is able to obstruct, is he's able to
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  hijack? Well, yes or no.
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  Remember one of the goals of this, Parable is not just to
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  explain why it is certain people reject the truth.
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  Jesus gives this Parable to also expose to expose and to unveil
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  why some people won't believe and they are responsible for it.
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  They are responsible for it. Because Satan will not overcome,
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  your will. He can just influence it?
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  And in a giving this Parable, he is letting his audience know.
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  Hey, there is, there is a vicious foe who would love to
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  drag you to hell with him? Do you realize that that's what
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  Jesus is saying? In part?
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  There is a there is a Satan who really wants to make sure you
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  don't even get to hear what I have to say to you and hopefully
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  people really listen. They would seek to escape from
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  that Dreadful place. Is.
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  Listen. You know, I looked at this and I
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  thought to myself, okay, well, it's clear, there are men's
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  whose hearts are hard. You know why your heart is hard
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  because you've allowed the world to beat you down with its lies,
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  and it's hurts and it's pains and it's ugly ways.
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  And you come into a place like this and I'm preaching to, you
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  know, what's happening? That's what's happening.
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  And you're the easiest Target for the devil.
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  The easiest he just comes by and goes look at this.
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  And he puts it away to ensure that you would never think about
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  the truth. That you just heard that Sunday
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  afternoon. But how does he do it?
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  How does Satan? How does he pluck?
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  That seed from people's hearts? Well, I'll tell you how he
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  doesn't do it in this way. Some would say he does it by
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  making men fearful through the threat of persecution.
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  That is true, but remember Jesus uses that for the second type of
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  soil. It's the rocky soil that
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  received the truth excitingly at first, but they wither away
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  because persecution comes well, maybe it's through the lies of
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  possessions and and pleasure. And Tease.
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  Maybe that's how he snatches the seat away and I would say, yeah.
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  But I don't think that's what Jesus has in mind because that's
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  how he uses. That's what he uses to describe
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  the third type of soil, the thorny soil, that that chokes
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  chokes. Some of you are choking even
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  though you're breathing. We'll get to that in a few
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  weeks. You're breathing physically by
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  your spirit is dying. So, so it can't mean that it's
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  through the threat of persecution because he mentions
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  that in the next type of soil. It can't mean through pleasure,
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  priority, or anything else in terms of the material world
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  because he mentions that in the third type of soil.
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  So then, what does the Lord have in mind?
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  When he says that Satan has a way of snatching that seed from
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  your heart? I believe it's to reveal a
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  different kind of strategy that you and I don't think of often.
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  And the only way you and I actually going to get the
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  answers is when we compare this version of the parable of the
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  sower with the two other ones. So meet me in Luke chapter 8, if
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  you want to know how Satan does this.
• 26:11
  And Luke chapter 8. Let's read in verse 4.
• 26:24
  Luke 84. And when a great crowd was
• 26:26
  gathering and people from town, after town came to him, he said
• 26:31
  in a parable. Listen, that's not there, I'm
• 26:34
  just telling you to listen. Listen, yeah.
• 26:37
  Listen verse 5. A sower went out to sow his seed
• 26:44
  and as he sowed some fell along the path and was Trampled Under
• 26:50
  Foot. and the birds of the air devoured, it The holy spirit in
• 26:57
  Luke's version adds how men before the the birds.
• 27:01
  The Demonic Agents come to take away the seed.
• 27:05
  Men will trample underfoot the seed that was scattered along
• 27:12
  their path. What is it mean?
• 27:15
  For men to trample underfoot the seed that was scattered along
• 27:22
  their path was very simple. Right?
• 27:24
  If I put something of value here in this space, And Men walk on
• 27:32
  it. What does that reveal about the
• 27:34
  man? They're inattentive at best,
• 27:41
  they're careless. Disrespectful.
• 27:46
  And indifferent. I believe this is what Jesus has
• 27:52
  in mind. That in essence, Satan is most
• 27:57
  effective with those who have an irreverence for the word of God.
• 28:02
  Who treated as worthless, who don't see its value and who can
• 28:07
  just walk over it as though, it was nothing. and when Satan sees
• 28:15
  a man or a woman with such an attitude, this is this is a
• 28:20
  piece of cake, he takes that truth and steals it from that
• 28:25
  person. If you doubt that, this is what
• 28:29
  Jesus has in mind. Sometimes it helps to go into
• 28:32
  the word to see what it means. The phrase Trampled Under Foot
• 28:35
  is one work, in one word in the Greek.
• 28:38
  It's one word in the Greek and its capital.
• 28:41
  You don't need to memorize that just memorize.
• 28:42
  What I'm about to say, cut the potatoes only mentioned 5 times
• 28:46
  in the New Testament, once in the sermon of the mount.
• 28:49
  When Jesus says that if men lose their saltiness, the only thing
• 28:53
  that's left is for them to be trampled upon by other men.
• 28:57
  And what Jesus meant there is that if a Christian loses, his
• 28:59
  testimony because of sin because of hypocrisy all that a watching
• 29:05
  world will do is just walk all over them.
• 29:06
  That's why when you hear of a I do love a big-time preacher.
• 29:10
  We see our news and our tabloids eat it up and they're doing
• 29:13
  exactly what Jesus said would do you lose your saltiness, your
• 29:16
  trampled upon by men? Two other times in the sermon
• 29:20
  and the parable of the sower, one other time.
• 29:23
  In Luke chapter 12 when men were physically trampling on one
• 29:27
  another, when they were attending one of Jesus meetings
• 29:30
  and there is a final one. We already mentioned for there
• 29:33
  is a last one where this word capitao trampled upon is
• 29:37
  mentioned turn their Hebrews 10:29.
• 29:49
  How does Satan snatch the seed of the word from people?
• 29:52
  So that it doesn't even enter into their hearts?
• 29:55
  You know how number one he inspires and in reverence for
• 29:59
  the word of God and Hebrews 10:29, how much worse punishment
• 30:05
  do you think? Will be deserved by the one who
• 30:07
  has trampled underfoot? The Son of God and as profaned
• 30:14
  the blood of the Covenant by which he was Sanctified and has
• 30:17
  outraged the spirit of Grace, that's the same word trampled
• 30:22
  underfoot. What is he trying to say?
• 30:25
  The Hebrew author is writing to Hebrew Christians, who have left
• 30:29
  Judaism for the true gospel. But because of persecution now,
• 30:32
  they want to shrink back and go back to the levitical law, a
• 30:35
  Salvation by works. And the spirit of God through
• 30:38
  this man is saying, listen, if you Turn on Christ, if you go
• 30:43
  back to animal sacrifices, if you go back to Works based
• 30:47
  salvation, you are essentially stepping all over the Son of God
• 30:52
  himself. And you see this picture
• 30:55
  throughout the Bible? You remember on the first
• 30:58
  Passover? Do you not?
• 31:01
  Then when the Lord told the nation of Israel who were
• 31:03
  enslaved in Egypt, I'm going to get you out, but I'm going to
• 31:06
  send a destroy to do it. He's gonna kill all the
• 31:08
  firstborns. So, take the blood of the lamb
• 31:12
  and smear on the lintel, and on the doorpost and hide underneath
• 31:17
  that blood. Interestingly, he never gave
• 31:19
  instruction to put it on the ground.
• 31:24
  Cover everything above you but don't you dare put it on the
• 31:26
  ground as a prophetic picture that you should have this utmost
• 31:31
  reverence for the blood of Christ as it has authority over.
• 31:34
  You never under you. And so, in some sense, the
• 31:39
  author here is using that same imagery.
• 31:42
  You are essentially, you're just stepping all over Jesus.
• 31:47
  When you say, I don't want this gospel after the Great Lengths
• 31:50
  of Mercy that he is implemented to save your soul.
• 31:56
  And so when Jesus says in Luke 8 that some seed fell along a path
• 32:01
  and it was trampled underfoot, this is an Essence.
• 32:03
  What he is communicating it means that they were
• 32:08
  disrespectful to the word of God and attentive under estimating
• 32:12
  the life-giving power that it has and such people.
• 32:18
  I like sitting ducks to the devil.
• 32:22
  Is that you? Is that you today?
• 32:26
  What's this preaching doing to you right now?
• 32:30
  What are these words doing to you?
• 32:32
  Hmm. It could be you and you're
• 32:35
  unaware it because your attention is diverted even as I
• 32:38
  speak. Let me briefly, share how Satan,
• 32:43
  inspires irreverence for the word of God.
• 32:46
  Preparing People to give up the seed of truth that can save them
• 32:52
  apart from our culture creating This normalization, and more
• 32:58
  than that, a Blasphemous approach and attitude towards
• 33:03
  Jesus, by using his name, as a cuss word and creating movies
• 33:06
  and plays that degrade Christ and making the Lord's Day,
• 33:10
  increasingly more and more, just like any other day.
• 33:14
  I've seen that over the years, I remember I don't remember, I was
• 33:17
  maybe I do, but there was a day when no stores were open on
• 33:20
  Sunday. Remember that day?
• 33:22
  No stores were open on Sunday and then stores open till 5:00.
• 33:26
  And I remember in college when they announced because I used to
• 33:28
  work at the mall that now store hours are going to go till 9:00
• 33:32
  till closing like any other weekday.
• 33:34
  Why do you think that is? Do we need more money?
• 33:39
  or is the Lord's Day increasingly becoming ordinary.
• 33:46
  one about besides that one of the favorite weapons of Satan
• 33:51
  distracting people so that they cannot receive The truth.
• 34:00
  Is by distracting them. And he's very clever.
• 34:06
  Because it's much more difficult to walk and pay attention to
• 34:09
  what's ahead of you when your senses are not on alert.
• 34:16
  Remember the demon eyes man in Mark chapter 1, while Jesus was
• 34:18
  preaching in a people were stirred ready to praise
• 34:21
  manifestation of a devil from a man.
• 34:23
  Why do you think that was? You know why?
• 34:25
  Because there's there's power and distraction or we think of
• 34:29
  Ellie mass in Acts 13 when Paul and Barnabas are preaching to
• 34:32
  the proconsul. And here's this man in the
• 34:34
  presence of these missionaries. Trying to persuade the
• 34:38
  proconsul. Not to believe what is being
• 34:40
  said. Satan, as we heard in Mark, can
• 34:45
  immediately snatch the seed which?
• 34:47
  Which tells me that he's at work here?
• 34:53
  and every time that we gather, And I've seen it from the
• 35:00
  pulpit. I've seen it.
• 35:04
  I've seen people being intentionally distracting or
• 35:07
  distracted. I've seen people lean in to
• 35:11
  other people and whispering in their ears.
• 35:14
  Not saying, don't believe what that preacher saying is true,
• 35:16
  although, that can happen. But you know, vain conversations
• 35:23
  jokes. Texting each other and sending
• 35:28
  memes to each other. While the word is being
• 35:29
  preached. Because distraction is much more
• 35:36
  prevalent than it was in Jesus day, with these things that we
• 35:39
  call devices, right? Facebook and Instagram,
• 35:44
  Snapchat, these colorful, and engaging things.
• 35:49
  Have been the means to steal a lot of seed.
• 35:50
  Over the years, I can tell you that I don't know how it's
• 35:55
  possible but it's possible. You have people who can scroll
• 35:58
  through social media while the Holy unadulterated life-saving
• 36:04
  Soul preserving truth is being heralded.
• 36:09
  Innocent right. Just like little birds are cute
• 36:12
  and innocent to stealing the seed.
• 36:18
  Stealing the seed. And if you can't do it during
• 36:21
  the service, he is more than willing to do it the night
• 36:23
  before. Right the night before.
• 36:30
  I know there's some here who work all night Saturday and
• 36:33
  sometimes into the morning and they arrived here and they fight
• 36:37
  all that, they can to make sure that they are engaging.
• 36:40
  And to you, I say may the Lord bless you.
• 36:43
  May the Lord bless you. I'm not here to hammer anybody
• 36:45
  who does that. I'm speaking about those who
• 36:46
  have a choice of what they do on Saturday night before they come
• 36:50
  to the house of God on Sunday morning, he'll convince you
• 36:53
  ahead of time that what is happening here is not worth you
• 36:57
  being rested or prepared. He loves sloppy churchgoers.
• 37:05
  On Sunday, afternoon or Sunday morning.
• 37:07
  He loves it. Remember, I told you there was a
• 37:10
  day when stores weren't open on Sundays, you know, there was a
• 37:13
  day when families would get their outfits ready on Saturday
• 37:16
  night for Sunday morning. Maybe some of you grew up that
• 37:19
  way there was a day. Where you would eat breakfast.
• 37:26
  And have something to fill your stomach before coming to the
• 37:30
  house of God. So that while a spiritual Feast
• 37:32
  is being provided. You're not thinking about which
• 37:34
  restaurant you want to go to after the service during the
• 37:36
  whole time. There was a day.
• 37:41
  And so the enemy knows how to create a sense of irreverence by
• 37:48
  making us. Inattentive careless sloppy and
• 37:52
  I know what you may be thinking. I thought this was about souls
• 37:55
  being saved, brother, I'm saved. I'm already among the redeemed
• 37:59
  now that is true. But do you really think that the
• 38:02
  enemy will allow you? To grow in the word of God and
• 38:07
  mature in the word of got. You think, you think the birds
• 38:09
  are just reserved for those who have never been saved?
• 38:11
  You don't think that there is a plan even after that to make
• 38:15
  sure that the word doesn't get in you in a deeper way.
• 38:20
  I've seen this in evangelism. I've seen this in evangelism
• 38:24
  when we should do Street evangelism week.
• 38:25
  After week I've seen it in so many ways.
• 38:27
  I'll never forget the time when a group of us went to go in the
• 38:31
  streets of downtown Toronto, there was a Street Preacher
• 38:32
  there and as he was preaching, the corner a crowd was
• 38:36
  gathering. People would, I was shocked to
• 38:38
  see the amount of people was like, Wow.
• 38:41
  And in the middle of the Proclamation, all you heard is a
• 38:44
  scuffle and two men out of nowhere.
• 38:47
  I don't know where they came from, and I don't know where
• 38:49
  they went after that. They start hitting each other in
• 38:52
  the face, and they start fighting.
• 38:54
  And the entire crowd turned away from the preacher and went to go
• 38:57
  watch the fight. And those two men just ran off.
• 39:02
  It was so strange. I've seen people witnessing to
• 39:05
  others on the street one-on-one and in the middle of that,
• 39:09
  transaction of Truth, a homeless man will step in the middle and
• 39:12
  scream at the top of his lungs. Seen it.
• 39:19
  I've seen it out there unfortunately at times, I see it
• 39:22
  even in here. The enemy knows how to create an
• 39:27
  irreverence which I which I take to mean that as a church, we
• 39:32
  have a responsibility to cultivate an atmosphere of
• 39:35
  reverence for God. You know I'm saying?
• 39:39
  There should be a reverence in this place and that's that's
• 39:42
  that's in great part. The leaderships role to ensure
• 39:46
  that the people of God are stepping into a place where this
• 39:48
  is sacred. This is Holy.
• 39:53
  And that's increasingly, not the case.
• 39:55
  Where there is a growing trend of irreverence of casual
• 39:59
  approach in the Lord's supper, and the preaching of God's word
• 40:03
  and worship. I've seen strange things during
• 40:05
  worship. I've seen couples kissing during
• 40:07
  worship. I've seen people distracted in
• 40:09
  so many ways during worship, but I could not believe what I was
• 40:11
  seeing some places. And so there is a great
• 40:16
  responsibility for us to protect this place as much as it depends
• 40:20
  on us to ensure that there is nothing that Satan can use to
• 40:25
  strengthen his efforts. To rob that seed.
• 40:31
  I remember I was invited to speak somewhere.
• 40:35
  So, young preacher, still am. I guess early 20s never been to
• 40:38
  this church and I was downstairs and they called me up to come up
• 40:42
  before a certain time. And so I grabbed my stuff I was
• 40:45
  in my room by myself and I was heading upstairs.
• 40:49
  And somebody was praying, I was coming in from outside.
• 40:51
  There was a door, but there was a deacon, I guess at the door.
• 40:54
  And while the person was praying, I heard the person
• 40:56
  praying and I thought well he's you know, I walk in and I'll
• 40:58
  just so I was making my way into the service and the Deacon
• 41:01
  stopped me. He says we're praying.
• 41:04
  Sweet. Instant conviction.
• 41:07
  Here's the preacher preaching. Hoping to convince people I'm
• 41:10
  convicted by the deacon at the door.
• 41:13
  So yeah, you're right. We are praying, I guess, and
• 41:16
  there was a sense of reverence that visited me in that moment
• 41:19
  we're speaking to almighty God. We're turning our attention to
• 41:24
  him. One of the ways by which Satan
• 41:29
  steals the word. According to Luke chapter 8
• 41:31
  verse 5 is he finds men who can easily trampled on the seed.
• 41:38
  But there's a second way and it's found in gospel.
• 41:40
  The gospel of Matthew Chapter 13.
• 41:41
  Let's turn it together. Matthew 13:18.
• 42:00
  Matthew 13, 18 reads in the same parable.
• 42:05
  Here then the parable, the swallower, when anyone hears the
• 42:09
  word of the kingdom and does not understand it.
• 42:15
  The evil one comes and snatches away.
• 42:18
  What has been sown in his heart? This is what was sown along the
• 42:22
  path. Luke touches on how the enemy is
• 42:26
  able to rob people of the truth by inspiring and irreverence and
• 42:31
  inattentiveness that is caused. By various means, Matthew has
• 42:35
  something very similar to say but it is slightly different.
• 42:38
  He adds a danger and He suggests that those who hear it.
• 42:45
  And Understand, it are equally in trouble, but what does that
• 42:49
  mean to not understand it? I don't think it means that
• 42:53
  somebody is hearing it, but because of a deficiency in the
• 42:56
  message, they can't make the connection and their minds.
• 42:59
  Therefore, they walk away and the enemy's able to play with
• 43:03
  their minds. I don't believe that's what's
• 43:04
  happening here to not. Understand means to hear it too.
• 43:09
  Yes, not understand it, but further to have it disinterest
• 43:14
  in grasping, the implications of that truth.
• 43:17
  Leaving somebody vulnerable to satanic influence.
• 43:22
  It's more about this laziness or this, this failure to realize
• 43:29
  the urgency of what is being said, that puts that person in
• 43:33
  jeopardy. It's not again.
• 43:36
  That the gospel is not understood logically
• 43:38
  irrationally. It's that though it may seem to
• 43:41
  be a mystery. That person's response is a
• 43:45
  failure to act upon that truth to inquire of that truth.
• 43:49
  Placing them. Add Satan's disposal.
• 43:56
  So, I believe that what Matthew is touching on is not so much
• 44:02
  distraction as much as procrastination.
• 44:06
  There is a delay here, there is a stagnation.
• 44:10
  There is this refusal to move quickly?
• 44:14
  Because of a, because of a heart posture.
• 44:18
  That doesn't see how serious this messages, or this seed is
• 44:21
  when Providence passes our way and throws a seed along our
• 44:25
  path. The devil is right there hoping
• 44:28
  that we will not move and take a hold of what was made known to
• 44:31
  us so that he can get his slimy hands on it.
• 44:37
  That we would never examine that truth for ourselves.
• 44:40
  So if you brush off the necessity, you brush off, the
• 44:43
  urgency of knowing the interpretation and the
• 44:46
  implication of what is being said.
• 44:49
  You're in trouble, all hearers are responsible for what they
• 44:54
  hear and God will hold us all responsible for what truth has
• 44:57
  been made to know to us. Too dangerous game to play.
• 45:03
  And so there are those who don't understand it because they don't
• 45:05
  care to understand it, they don't care to listen, they don't
• 45:09
  care to have ears to hear. And they may be delayed.
• 45:16
  Why would the enemy try to come in immediately unless he
• 45:18
  believes that if that thing sits on the surface of their hearts,
• 45:21
  long enough, maybe maybe they will actually look at it and
• 45:25
  start examining it and doing something with it.
• 45:30
  So even in this moment, there has to be an understanding of
• 45:34
  how serious this is. And to be in that place is a
• 45:38
  really safe place to not be in that place is extremely
• 45:42
  dangerous according to the words of Jesus.
• 45:44
  Now here's how I want to end. I want to show you an example of
• 45:47
  somebody who does the opposite of what this soil represents.
• 45:50
  It's only found in the gospel of Mark.
• 45:53
  And Jesus statement to this man is only found in the gospel of
• 45:57
  Mark and it's an encouraging word as much as it is.
• 46:00
  A word of warning. Here's our final text.
• 46:02
  Mark chapter 12, let's go there together.
• 46:06
  Mark 12. This man who is a scribe?
• 46:21
  Verse 28 of Mark 12 and one of the scribes came up and heard
• 46:25
  them disputing with one another and seeing that he answered
• 46:28
  them. Well asked him.
• 46:30
  So now you have a man approaching Jesus and he asks a
• 46:33
  question, which commandment is the most important of all?
• 46:37
  Jesus answered? You know this answer, right?
• 46:40
  The most important is hear o Israel.
• 46:42
  The Lord Our God. The Lord is one and you shall
• 46:44
  love the Lord, your God with all your heart and with all your
• 46:46
  soul, with all your mind. And with all your strength, the
• 46:49
  second is this you shall love your neighbor as Yourself.
• 46:52
  There is no other commandment greater than these and the
• 46:55
  scribes set them and notice the response Of The Scribe you are
• 46:58
  right? Teacher you have truly said that
• 47:03
  he is one and there is no other besides him and to love him with
• 47:08
  all the heart. And with all the understanding,
• 47:10
  and with all the strength and to love ones neighbor, as oneself,
• 47:13
  his much more than that, all burnt offerings, whole burnt
• 47:16
  offerings and sacrifices Do you see this man?
• 47:20
  I want you to pay attention to what's happening.
• 47:22
  He's in the presence of a sower. There's Solar Capital s.
• 47:27
  A truth was made known. Yes, he inquired and you're
• 47:32
  almost in question, right? Is he doing this out of just
• 47:34
  spite, is he doing this to trap Jesus?
• 47:37
  So he asks a question. Jesus responds with accuracy as
• 47:40
  he always does. And then the man's response to
• 47:43
  the truth. That was planted, Reveals the
• 47:47
  sincerity of his soul and he goes.
• 47:50
  Yeah, you're right. That is that is the greatest
• 47:55
  commandment and the second one is close to it and you can tell
• 47:58
  that he's locked in. That is not how somebody who has
• 48:04
  the first type of soil response to truth.
• 48:08
  They get right up and they walk right out as though, divine
• 48:13
  revelation was not just exposed. And then they can go on exactly
• 48:19
  how they came in without any contemplation of where they
• 48:23
  stand before. God This man is showing the
• 48:27
  opposite attitude and notice how Jesus answers that's the proof.
• 48:34
  Verse 34. And when Jesus saw that he
• 48:37
  answered wisely, he said to him, you are not far from the kingdom
• 48:41
  of God. I love that answer.
• 48:47
  Jesus looks at this man, he hears the the Deep interest, the
• 48:51
  engagement, the Longing, To Know, truth the softness of the
• 48:55
  heart, and Jesus confidently said to him, you're very close.
• 49:01
  You're very close. You're not there yet.
• 49:03
  You're at the doorstep though. And I bring that truth of the
• 49:10
  perilous or and I shine light up on this with it to say that this
• 49:14
  man if Satan is right there immediately take it, this man
• 49:18
  gave little room for Satan to work with him.
• 49:22
  Because that's truth was revealed.
• 49:24
  He's inquiring he's seeking he's, he's meditating.
• 49:27
  He's engaging, he's died. Logging would truth, he want.
• 49:31
  He wants to know the truth and say there's my mirror.
• 49:33
  I can't do. I can't do much here.
• 49:38
  And Jesus says you're very close.
• 49:40
  You're very close. I wonder if this man will be in
• 49:43
  heaven. We don't know.
• 49:47
  But as much as this is a compliment, it's also a word of
• 49:50
  warning because clothes is not close enough.
• 49:53
  Need to be in, you need to be secure and you need to be
• 49:57
  sealed. You need to have your name
• 49:59
  signed up so to speak and so I wonder if you're in this place
• 50:04
  today and you can identify with the first type of soil is that
• 50:08
  you a lot of seed has been sown this afternoon what's happening
• 50:12
  to it? Only, you know.
• 50:20
  Only you know, which I am somewhat relieved.
• 50:24
  Because the sower went out to sow, it's not my job necessary
• 50:28
  to know what kind of heart you have just like this, or I
• 50:32
  scatter the seed just like you Faithful disciple of Jesus.
• 50:35
  You scatter the seed, that's your job and men have the
• 50:41
  responsibility to do what they would want with that seed and
• 50:46
  God will hold them accountable for it.
• 50:48
  You know, Jesus share this shares his truth again.
• 50:51
  Not because there are some who have this sealed fate.
• 50:58
  Of a heart that cannot be changed or moved by the truth.
• 51:02
  It's to have you listen And here and say is that me?
• 51:09
  Is that me? God, I don't want it to be me.
• 51:14
  Oh god, Till the soil. Plow through this heart.
• 51:20
  Whatever you need to do for it to be fluffy, whatever you need
• 51:24
  it to do for it to be soft. So that, that seed can can
• 51:27
  germinate and bring forth the life that you've ordained for
• 51:30
  me. Old God, do it.
• 51:33
  If that is you, if that's how you're responding to what I'm
• 51:36
  saying today because you don't know, Jesus Christ.
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  I can Echo the words of Jesus and say you're not too far from
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  the kingdom of God. But I wonder how much of the
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  city this afternoon. Will be walked on.
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  May not be so. Lord, we thank you for this
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  word. You know who in this place knows
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  you, you know, who in this place doesn't know you.
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  And we just ask, oh, God. That the gospel fall on good
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  soil today. And we just pray O Lord that our
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  hearts would be encouraged at the same time to know. but if we
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  want that heart, To embrace the seed, we can have it.
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  And we just pray. Oh God.
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  That this would be the Cry of this congregation today of those
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  who are in attendance today, Lord.
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  Bear fruit in me, thirtyfold sixtyfold 100-fold.
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  Whatever you can do in me. Do it.
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  Lord made that be the prayer of every person in this house.
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  Louis worship you because of the depth of your word, the inside
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  of your word, May the Sowers of this house be built up to know
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  that the problem is not with the seed.
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  But with the soil, the issue is not in the power of the truth.
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  but in those who refuse to embrace that power, Lord, we
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  give you glory in this place. Even with a message as heavy in
• 53:31
  a series. As we give you maximum praise
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  for you are worthy of it and Jesus name, we pray.
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  Amen. And amen.
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  Let's stand and Worship the Lord together.
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  It's a great. You came to church this
• 59:30
  afternoon, but have you come to Christ?
• 59:37
  Have you come to Christ? It's a great to know that he is
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  still available, he still welcoming, he still wants you to
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  come to him. Even today he is ready to
• 59:51
  forgive his ready to wash your sins.
• 59:55
  He's ready to make you a child of God.
• 1:00:02
  Maybe the message today resonated to you and you thought
• 1:00:05
  of yourself, yes I am that ground and that grounded rejects
• 1:00:10
  the word and the ground that trembled Under Foot the word of
• 1:00:14
  God. But, you know, Christ, even
• 1:00:16
  today can tell this ground can make it soft can make it
• 1:00:21
  through. Ready to receive him.
• 1:00:29
  Are you ready? Are you ready?
• 1:00:32
  Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your
• 1:00:40
  message. We thank you for your word.
• 1:00:45
  The still changes people, loyal preyed on none Among Us.
• 1:00:49
  This afternoon would be that ground that rejects the word,
• 1:00:54
  but it will be a land, a ground that is ready.
• 1:00:58
  Fertile? That we are much fruit.
• 1:01:01
  God will pray that people even this afternoon will come to you
• 1:01:05
  in Repentance and in faith. In faith in you alone, the one
• 1:01:10
  who can save the one who can change the one, who can give
• 1:01:13
  them eternal life. And eternal Joy will pray that
• 1:01:18
  today will be a day of salvation for many in Jesus name.
• 1:01:22
  Amen. Some of you probably have known
• 1:01:27
  already. If not all of you that Pastor
• 1:01:30
  Daniel did something last week. He got engaged to beautiful
• 1:01:38
  Jewel. So, so immediately after the
• 1:02:17
  service, right away will be going downstairs, to celebrate
• 1:02:22
  their engagement and to congratulate them.
• 1:02:25
  So please, meet us downstairs as we congratulate them and
• 1:02:30
  celebrate and pray for them. God bless you, we'll see you
• 1:02:32
  downstairs.