Participants: Pastor Stephen Bohr
Series Code: CGC
Program Code: CGC000031
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01:14 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
01:16 Father in heaven, what a wonderful privilege it is 01:20 to come into Your presence. 01:22 We thank You for Your Holy Word, which is a sure compass 01:28 in a world of confusion and rebellion. 01:32 And as we study today about sowing a character, 01:38 and reaping a destiny, we ask that Your Holy Spirit 01:42 will be here to teach us. 01:44 We thank You for hearing our prayer, 01:46 for we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen. 01:51 During the course of this seminar we have been studying 01:56 primarily the meaning of Genesis 3:15. 02:02 And I would like to refresh our memory about that verse, 02:06 which is foundational to all of scripture. 02:10 In that verse, God is speaking to the serpent, 02:14 and Adam and Eve are standing there and listening. 02:17 And God says to the serpent, I will put enmity between you 02:24 and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. 02:29 He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. 02:36 One thing is very, very clear in this verse, and that is that 02:42 there are only two groups that exist in this world 02:46 from the beginning till the end of time. 02:50 Only two seeds: the seed of the righteous, 02:54 and the seed of the wicked. 02:56 Now in our study today we're going to notice that 03:01 in the group, which is classified as the wicked, 03:04 there are three different kinds of people, 03:09 whereas on God's side there is only one type of person. 03:15 So in the category of Satan's seed are three types of people, 03:21 whereas on the side of God's seed there is only one type. 03:28 Now we're going to study today the famous parable of Jesus 03:32 of the sower who sowed the seed. 03:35 And as we begin, I would like to say that this parable is 03:40 found in all three of the synoptic gospels. 03:44 What I mean by the synoptic gospels is Matthew, Mark, 03:48 and Luke. This parable is found in all three of these gospels, 03:53 which means that we're not going to remain only in one gospel 03:58 as we study this parable. 03:59 We're going to go to Matthew, Mark, and Luke in order to 04:05 glean details from every single one of these gospels. 04:13 And as I'm speaking now, I would like to ask the deacons 04:18 to please distribute the list of texts. 04:20 That almost skipped my mind. 04:22 We have lists of texts, and we would like the deacons, 04:25 at this point, to please quickly distribute these lists of texts. 04:29 We want to begin by looking at Matthew 13:37, Matthew 13:37. 04:42 We want to determine, first of all, 04:45 who the sower of the seed is. 04:49 It says there in Matthew 13:37 the following: 05:06 So in the parable of the sower the person who sows the good 05:12 seed is none less than Jesus. 05:15 Now we also want to determine what the seed represents. 05:20 Go with me to the gospel of Luke 8:11, Luke 8:11. It says here: 05:44 So notice that we have one sower, Jesus. 05:48 We have only one seed, which is the Word of God. 05:52 Now I want you to notice that that seed, that word of God, 05:57 is very, very powerful. 06:00 Go with me to Isaiah 55:10, 11, Isaiah 55:10, 11. 06:11 Here we find the prophet speaking the following words. 06:15 Isaiah 55:10, 11. 06:21 For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, 06:26 and do not return there, but water the earth 06:31 and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to 06:36 the sower and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that 06:43 goes forth from my mouth: it shall not return to me void, 06:48 but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper 06:54 in the thing for which I send it. 06:57 Here God promises that when He sows His seed, 07:01 His seed will bear fruit. 07:05 His Seed is powerful. 07:07 His word is powerful. 07:09 So what do we have so far? 07:11 We have a sower, who is Jesus. 07:14 We have a seed, which is the word of God, 07:18 and that seed is powerful to produce the results for which 07:24 God sent it. But in this parable, we also have four 07:29 different soils, four different grounds, so to speak. 07:34 Now the question is, what do these four soils represent? 07:38 Go with me to the gospel of Mark 4:15, Mark 4:15. 07:48 Here we have an explanation of what is meant by the soils. 07:53 It says here the following: 07:56 And this is speaking about the seed that fell by the wayside. 08:01 But it will give us the principle for all of the soils. 08:05 It says in verse 15: 08:27 So the seed is sown in the ground, or in the soil, 08:31 but the soil represents what? 08:34 The soil represents the heart. 08:37 And so in this parable of the sower, you have four 08:41 different kinds of hearts. 08:44 Three of these hearts are not desirable. 08:47 Only one of them is desirable. 08:50 In fact, three of these hearts end up being 08:54 in the camp of Satan. 08:55 And only one of these ends up being on the side of God. 09:01 And so summarizing what we've studied, we have in this parable 09:05 one sower, who is Jesus. 09:08 We have one seed, which is the Word of God. 09:11 The Word of God is powerful to accomplish the purpose 09:16 for which it is sent. 09:17 And finally, the soils represent four different kinds of hearts 09:23 upon which the seed of the truth of God's word follows. 09:28 Now lets examine all four of these soils and see what they 09:33 have to teach us today. 09:35 Let's go, first of all, to the seed that fell by the wayside, 09:40 or on the path. Go with me to Luke 8:12, Luke 8:12. 09:50 The seed by the wayside. It says here: 10:00 By the way, everyone in this parable hears. 10:05 Those seeds that are planted by the wayside, the hearts hear. 10:12 Those in stony places, the people hear. 10:15 Those among thorns, the people hear. 10:19 Those on good ground, the people hear. 10:23 In other words, there is no way of saying, I didn't know this. 10:27 In other words, everyone is responsible, because everyone 10:31 of these soils hears the Word of God. 10:34 Now notice once again, it says in verse 12: 10:55 The seed that falls on the wayside, or on the path, 10:58 does not even begin to germinate. 11:01 The moment the seed falls on the heart, the devil comes 11:05 and takes away the seed. 11:07 These are individuals who hear the Word of God, and immediately 11:12 they reject the word, or they postpone, they refuse to accept 11:17 what God is teaching them. 11:19 We have Biblical examples of this type of person. 11:23 You remember, for example, when the apostle Paul appeared before 11:27 Felix. The story is found in Acts 24:25. 11:34 The apostle Paul preached this tremendous, powerful sermon, 11:39 and after he preached the sermon, he was hoping that 11:42 Felix would accept the message. 11:45 But I want you to notice what happened with Felix. 11:49 It says here in the book of Acts 24:25, the following: 12:06 Notice Paul's sermon. 12:07 He's preaching the word of God about these things. 12:20 Do you know the opportunity never came, 12:23 because that was his moment of opportunity. 12:28 When he said, it's convenient I will call you, 12:32 no convenient time ever came. 12:36 We have also the apostle Paul standing before king Agrippa. 12:41 Notice Acts 26:27, 28, Acts 26:27, 28. 12:50 Once again the apostle Paul has preached a powerful sermon 12:54 about receiving Jesus Christ, and preparing for the judgment. 12:58 And I want you to notice what happens when he finishes 13:01 his sermon. It says there, in Acts 26:27, 28: 13:26 Sad, tragic words. 13:29 So Paul preached these powerful sermons before Felix, 13:33 before Agrippa. Felix says I will call you 13:38 at a convenient season. 13:39 He puts it off. Agrippa says, you know, what you're saying 13:43 is very persuasive and powerful. 13:45 You almost persuade me to become a Christian, but not quite. 13:49 The seed fell on the path. 13:52 The seed fell by the wayside. 13:55 It did not even begin to germinate in the heart. 13:58 These types of hearers are also illustrated by those who stoned 14:05 Stephen, the first Christian martyr. 14:08 Go with me to the book of Acts 7, Acts 7. 14:13 By the way, this whole chapter, almost, is a sermon presented by 14:20 Stephen to the Jewish Sanhedrin, to the Jewish council. 14:24 And I want you to notice what happens after the sermon 14:29 is preached. Chapter 7 and starting with verse 54. It says: 14:45 They were really angry, weren't they? 15:23 Gnashing their teeth! 15:25 Their hearts raging within them, rejecting this wonderful sermon 15:30 that Stephen had preached, beginning way back in the 15:33 Old Testament. It's showing how prophecy was fulfilled, 15:37 and eventually the Messiah came. 15:39 They opening rejected the message that God presented 15:43 through Stephen. By the way, in the end time there are going 15:47 to be people like this also. 15:49 In fact, all of those who receive the message of the 15:53 anti-Christ will eventually be people of this type. 15:56 Notice 2 Thessalonians 2, 2 Thessalonians 2, and I would 16:03 like to read a few verses that we find there beginning with 16:07 verse 8. It says there: 16:13 That's the anti-Christ, by the way. 16:36 And now notice why they perish. 16:46 And, by the way, what is truth? 16:48 Jesus said in John 17:17, sanctify them through your 16:54 truth. Your word is truth. 16:57 So what is rejected if they did not receive 17:00 the love of the truth? 17:01 They rejected truth, which is found where? 17:04 In the Holy Bible. 17:05 And notice what we find at verse 11: 17:26 It is a serious thing to have the word of God preached 17:31 and presented to you. 17:32 And the first type of soil represents those who hear 17:37 the word, but immediately when it comes, they shut out 17:41 the word. The word does not even begin to germinate. 17:44 And as a result, Satan takes the truth from the heart. 17:49 And those who have this kind of soil are lost. 17:53 But we have a second kind of soil. 17:56 It's the soil on stony ground. 18:00 Go with me to the gospel of Luke 8:6, the gospel of Luke 8:6. 18:10 Here we have a description of this kind of soil. 18:14 It says there the following: Some fell on rock; 18:22 and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away, 18:28 because it lacked what? moisture. 18:32 Now I want you to visualize that what's happening here. 18:35 There is rock but there's also some good soil, 18:38 because the seed germinates and it begins to grow. 18:42 Isn't that right? 18:43 You notice that this soil is different from the first soil, 18:48 because the first soil, even before the seed germinates, 18:51 the devil comes and he takes it from the heart. 18:53 But here, at least, the seed begins its process of growth. 18:57 There is some soil there, but we noticed in Luke 8 that the 19:03 soil lacks what? It lacks moisture. 19:07 And, by the way, it's stony, it's rocky. 19:11 It is not pure soil. 19:13 There's also stone with the soil. 19:16 By the way, as we read this in Matthew 13 it gives us 19:20 an additional detail. 19:21 Notice Matthew 13:5, 6, Matthew 13:5, 6. 19:29 It says here: some fell on stony places where they did not have 19:36 much what? much earth. 19:39 And they immediately sprang up because they had no depth 19:45 of earth, but notice, but when the sun was up they were 19:50 scorched, and because they had no root, they what? 19:55 they withered away. 19:57 Now notice the combination that we have here. 19:59 We have soil, which is not only soil, but you have rock 20:03 in the soil. You have soil that does not have moisture. 20:10 And you have the sun that beats down upon the soil and scorches 20:16 the seed, scorches the newborn plant. 20:20 Now you imagine, some of you living here in the valley, 20:23 I imagine have gardens. 20:25 What would happen if you plant the seed, 20:27 and it has just a little good soil, 20:30 and it has stone underneath that, 20:33 and so you plant the seed superficially. 20:36 There's no moisture hardly in the earth, 20:40 and the sun, that Fresno sun, 110 degrees in July, 20:44 you know about that, is beaming down upon the seed. 20:47 How much of an opportunity does that seed have to germinate 20:51 and grow, and eventually produce fruit? 20:53 Very, very little. 20:56 Now what does the seed planted on stony ground represent? 21:02 Well, it represents those individuals who, when the gospel 21:08 is preached to them, they are filled with excitement, 21:11 and with emotion. 21:13 The seed is planted in the heart and they say, 21:16 this is wonderful! 21:17 I've never heard anything like it in my life! 21:20 And they get all enthused. 21:22 But then trials and tribulations come. 21:25 You see, one of the problems that people have is that they 21:28 think that when they accept the gospel, it's going to cure 21:31 all of their problems. 21:32 They're not going to have temptations, or difficulties, 21:35 or tribulations anymore. 21:37 The fact is, folks, that our greatest tribulations come 21:40 after our baptism. 21:42 The greatest tests of the devil come after we've decided to 21:46 give our hearts to Jesus Christ. 21:48 I see many of you nodding, and saying, yes, 21:50 that's absolutely true. because the devil has lost a child, 21:52 Because the devil has lost a child, and he's going to make 21:56 it as difficult as possible, to try and gain that child back. 21:59 But there are people that when the gospel is preached, 22:01 when we have a series of meetings like this, 22:03 they're all pumped up, and they're really excited. 22:06 And then they have problems with their families. 22:09 They have problems with their relatives. 22:11 They have problems at work. 22:13 They have all sorts of difficulties. 22:15 Perhaps they continue having problems with some of the 22:17 habits that they had, and they get discouraged, 22:21 and as a result they fall by the wayside. 22:24 By the way, this soil represents those who want to serve 22:31 Jesus and themselves. 22:32 You see, the stone represents a stone heart. 22:35 There's a little bit of good soil, which means that they 22:38 want to serve the Lord, but they also want 22:40 to keep some of self. 22:42 These are the ones that Jesus spoke about when He said, 22:44 No man can serve two masters. 22:48 You cannot serve the Lord with a divided heart, in other words. 22:51 It is either everything or nothing. 22:54 Now I want you to notice a couple of passages in scripture 22:59 that speak about what happens when we receive 23:02 the gospel of Jesus. 23:03 Go with me to Mark 10:28-31, Mark 10:28-31. 23:12 Jesus has just talked about how difficult it is for a rich man 23:17 to enter the kingdom of heaven. 23:18 And I want you to notice what Jesus continues saying to the 23:23 disciples, because they say, we've left it all. 23:25 What's in it for us? 23:26 See, they were kind of mercenaries. 23:28 And so Jesus says in Mark 10, beginning at verse 28, 23:33 the following: Mark 10:28: 24:11 Now notice the next expression: 24:22 Did you notice that you receive many blessings, 24:24 because you have a new family, a new church family? 24:26 And so you have everything you need within the church family. 24:30 But we find Jesus saying that this will be with what? 24:34 with persecutions. 24:37 Notice Matthew 10, and beginning with verse 34, 24:42 the same idea coming through. 24:44 Matthew 10:34. By the way, it's become very popular today 24:48 to see on television, television preachers who tell you that when 24:52 you receive Jesus you're going to prosper. 24:54 You're going to get rich, and things are going to go well. 24:58 That goes totally against the grain of scripture, 25:02 and particularly this parable. 25:05 Notice what we find in Matthew 10, and beginning with verse 34. 25:11 Jesus says this: 25:20 That sounds strange coming from the lips of Jesus. 25:22 Isn't He the Prince of Peace? Notice verse 35: 25:44 Verse 37: 25:55 You see, folks, the second soil represents those individuals 26:01 who hear the word. 26:02 They get excited. 26:04 They think everything is going to be good. 26:06 Everything is going to be prosperity. 26:08 They have a divided heart. 26:10 They haven't totally given up on self. 26:12 They have very little moisture of the Holy Spirit 26:15 in their lives. They have a stony heart. 26:18 And then the sun of tribulations shines upon them, and they fall 26:23 by the wayside, and ultimately are lost. 26:28 You know, several years ago, while I was teaching in our 26:32 University in Columbia, there was this young lady that came 26:38 our theological schools. 26:39 She came to study as a Bible Instructor. 26:41 Her name was Josephina Mendez. 26:43 She was involved in an accident and she died a few years ago. 26:46 But she came to our school. 26:48 And, you know, I tried to get close to the students, 26:51 and find out about their background. 26:52 And so one day I was sitting under the trees there 26:55 on a bench, and, you know, she came and sat down. 26:58 And we started talking, and she told me her story. 27:01 She said, Pastor, I lived in this town in Columbia. 27:04 I don't remember the name of the town. 27:05 But I lived in this town in Columbia, and I received a 27:09 handbill in the mail that they were going to have 27:11 this series of meetings. 27:12 And so I decided that I would go to that series of meetings, 27:17 even though I didn't know anything about the church 27:21 where they were being held. 27:22 I didn't know anything about the speaker, but opening night 27:25 I went to the meetings. 27:26 And it was an evangelistic series, you can guess. 27:29 And so she went through the whole evangelistic series, 27:32 and at the end of the series she decided 27:34 that she wanted to be baptized. 27:35 And so she went home and she told her parents, 27:39 I've been going to these meetings, and I believe that 27:42 the truth is being proclaimed there. 27:43 And they asked her what church is it? 27:45 Is it the Catholic Church? 27:46 She said, No, it's the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 27:49 And immediately the parents scowled and frowned. 27:52 They said, You've been going to the Seventh-day Adventist 27:54 Church? She said, Yes, and I've been hearing these wonderful 27:58 messages, and I believe that it's the truth, 28:00 and I've made my decision to be baptized. 28:02 Her father looked at her and he said, Josephina, if you 28:08 get baptized, you don't have a father or mother. 28:12 We will disown you. 28:17 And Josephina looked at her father and she said, Father, 28:19 I love you, but the Bible says that we're supposed to honor our 28:22 father and our mother, but I owe my allegiance first to my 28:26 heavenly Father, and therefore, I'm going to go 28:30 through with this. 28:31 I'm going to be baptized on such and such a date. 28:33 And her father said, If you're baptized on that day, 28:37 you're not our daughter. 28:39 You can't live here anymore. 28:40 She went to the church. 28:42 She got baptized. 28:44 Her parents knew about it, because they were checking 28:46 it out. When Josephina came home all of her few belongings 28:51 were on the front doorstep of the house. 28:53 And her Dad met her at the door and he said, Josephina, 28:56 don't you ever come back here again. 29:00 And she said, I'm sorry, father. 29:04 I love you very much, but I must obey God rather than man, 29:09 and that includes my own parents. 29:11 And she came to the school. 29:13 She didn't have any place to go. 29:14 And that's why she came and decided to study at the school. 29:18 She became a Bible worker. 29:19 She married a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. 29:22 And, by the way, her parents never accepted the message, 29:26 as far as I know. 29:27 She was disowned for the rest of her life. 29:30 She did not receive the word like the stony ground hearers. 29:36 I mean when tribulation came, and the family rose against her, 29:40 she says, my allegiance is with God. 29:44 But a person who had a superficial religion, 29:47 with very little Holy Spirit, very little moisture, 29:50 because the moisture represents the Holy Spirit, 29:52 would have easily fallen by the wayside and have said, 29:56 Oh, what's the use? 29:58 I can't have my family against me. 30:00 I can't have my fellow workers against me. 30:03 I can't have my friends against me, 30:05 and then fall by the wayside. 30:07 By the way, did you know that Judas Iscariot 30:10 fits in this category? 30:11 I'm not going to read the passage, but in Matthew 8:18-22 30:16 there's a certain scribe that comes to Jesus and he says 30:20 to him, I'll follow you wherever you go. That was Judas! 30:26 And Jesus, trying to discourage him, because He knew his heart, 30:32 says, birds have nests, and foxes have holes, 30:37 but the Son of man doesn't have any place to lay His head. 30:41 What Jesus was saying to him is look, if you're going to follow 30:46 Me for the loaves and the fishes, know that you're going 30:51 down the wrong road. 30:52 Because I don't have any prosperity. 30:55 I don't have money. 30:56 I don't have anything to offer you in terms 30:59 of material prosperity. 31:00 If you're following Me for that reason, forget it. 31:03 Do you know, if you look at the context of that passage, 31:06 you're going to find that Judas offered to follow Jesus 31:10 when Jesus was popular. 31:13 Multitudes were following Jesus. 31:16 I mean, people were excited because Jesus was healing 31:20 diseases, and He was feeding thousands of people. 31:23 They said, wow, this is the guy that we want to be with. 31:26 But then when Jesus started preaching the word, 31:28 according to John 6, only the disciples were left. 31:33 And Jesus says, are you going to leave, too? 31:36 And Peter says, Lord, if we leave, where can we go? 31:41 You have miracles. 31:43 Is that what Peter said? No! 31:46 You have what? You have words of life. 31:51 See Peter, he said many things without thinking, 31:54 but this was one good thing that he said. 31:56 He didn't say, you have miracles, and signs, 31:59 and wonders. He says, You have the words of life. 32:03 Everybody else left because there were no longer 32:05 any miracles, but Peter had it straight. 32:09 And so we have two kinds of soil: those by the wayside who 32:13 don't respond at all when the word is preached. 32:15 They show no religious interest. 32:17 Second, those on the stony ground. 32:21 They have a superficial acceptance of the truth: 32:24 part rock, part their own self, 32:28 and part good soil, part Jesus. 32:30 Trying to serve two masters. 32:31 Accepting Jesus in a time of emotion and feeling. 32:34 Tribulations come; they fall by the wayside. 32:38 But there's a third type of soil, and that is the seed 32:43 that fell among the thorns. 32:46 You see, there was good soil, but there were thorns. 32:50 Notice Luke 8:14, Luke 8:14 describes this kind of soil. 32:59 It says there in Luke 8:14 the following: 33:31 By the way, if you go to the gospel of Mark 4:19, 33:38 it adds an expression. It says: 33:42 It adds that: by the cares of this world. 33:45 Do you know what the cares of this world are? 33:47 Wanting to accumulate houses, and cars, and money, and stocks 33:54 and bonds, and wanting to work two jobs. 33:58 Things that are not bad in themselves, but which absorb 34:02 our time and effort. 34:06 That's part of the thorns: the cares of this life. 34:10 Notice, once again, Luke 8:14. It says: 34:24 ...of this world, if you compare Mark. What else? 34:28 Actually, Mark says with the deceitfulness of riches. 34:32 See that's why you have to compare all three gospels, 34:37 because each one expresses it a little differently. 34:40 It's not riches. It is the deceitfulness of riches, 34:44 and then something else. And what? 34:47 And the pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 34:55 The thorns, by the way, what do thorns represent in scripture? 35:00 Do you remember in Genesis 3:18 what came in consequence of sin? 35:07 God said: 35:17 And then what does He say? 35:24 So thorns and thistles represent sin. 35:29 Sin comes in. The pleasures of this world, 35:34 the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches 35:40 come in and they choke the plant which has begun to grow. 35:46 Now we have Biblical examples of this. 35:49 We have a rich young ruler that came to Jesus. 35:52 Do you know, the Bible says that Jesus loved this young man. 35:55 He's seen Jesus blessing the children, and he says, 36:00 I love that man. Look at how the children are drawn to Him. 36:04 And so he comes to Jesus and he says, what do I need to do 36:08 to have eternal life? 36:09 Jesus says, well, keep the commandments. 36:10 He says, which? 36:12 So then Jesus quotes the last table of the law. 36:15 And the young man says, I've done all these things 36:18 since I was a young boy. 36:19 What more do I lack? 36:22 Jesus looks at him and He says... 36:39 And the Bible says that this young man left sad.. 36:53 Did he allow the deceitfulness of riches to choke 36:58 the seed in his heart? 36:59 You know, folks, as Seventh-day Adventist Christians, many times 37:04 you say, Oh no, I'm not a slave to money. 37:07 I have no problems with money. 37:08 I can handle it. 37:10 And yet what are we doing? 37:13 We're accumulating things that we're not, 37:16 that we don't really need. 37:17 Isn't that right? 37:19 Do we need four houses to live in? 37:23 Do we actually need four automobiles? 37:28 Do we actually need tens of thousands of dollars 37:34 in the bank while the work of God is languishing? 37:37 Do you know the time is coming when people are 37:40 going to cry out, why didn't I use my money? 37:42 Why didn't I invest my money in the kingdom of God 37:45 to further the gospel? 37:46 Why did I accumulate it for myself, when we won't be 37:50 able to buy and sell? 37:51 People are going to say that, but it's going to be too late. 37:54 The deceitfulness of riches has been the ruin of their souls. 38:01 By the way, the apostle Paul had something very interesting 38:04 to say in 1 Timothy 6:9, 10, 1 Timothy 6:9, 10. 38:10 The apostle Paul had something very interesting 38:13 to say about money. 38:15 And I want you to read it carefully with me, 38:18 because some people misread it. 38:20 They get the impression that riches are bad. 38:22 Riches are not bad. 38:23 Notice what the apostle Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:9. 38:31 Notice, he's not even saying the rich, 38:33 but those who want to be rich. 38:52 Because the more money you have, the more toys you want, 38:55 and the more entertainment you want, 38:57 and the more fun you want. 38:58 Now notice verse 10. 39:00 For money is the root of all kinds of evil. 39:05 Ah, thank you, thank you. 39:13 Or as the King James says, is the root of all evil. 39:16 Now notice this: 39:25 Do you know, I have seen many rich people that are 39:31 absolutely miserable, because they're always afraid 39:36 they're going to lose their riches. 39:37 And they're always thinking about making more, 39:41 and investing more. 39:42 Do you know that Jesus gave a parable which describes 39:46 this type of person? 39:47 Notice Luke 12, Luke 12:15, Luke 12:15. 39:56 Folks, is it not time for us to invest our treasures 39:59 in the heavenly bank? 40:00 Do you know how you can send your money to heaven now? 40:03 You don't send it, you don't go to NASA, 40:06 and have NASA send it in a rocket up to heaven. 40:09 What you do is you invest in His cause, 40:11 in the salvation of souls. 40:13 And when the souls end up there, your investment is there. 40:17 Now notice what we find in Luke, once again, chapter 12, 40:20 and beginning at verse 15, 12:15. 40:25 This is another parable of Jesus. 40:42 Life does not consist in the abundance of what? 40:45 Of things which we possess. 40:47 And now he's going to illustrate. 41:32 Are you catching the connection with the parable of the soul? 41:36 Verse 20: 41:58 We find John saying, love not the world, nor the things 42:04 that are in the world. 42:05 And I know we pay lip service to this folks. 42:08 Do you believe that we're living in the last 42:10 moments of human history? 42:11 Listen, as we look at what's happening in the world, 42:13 I can't help but marvel in the last couple of weeks 42:16 what we've been seeing. 42:17 How the United States is fulfilling the prophecy of 42:21 Revelation 13, the initial stages at least, and how all the 42:26 Christians are coming together with a common agenda. 42:30 We see it! It's so clear. 42:32 It's patently clear. 42:33 The question is, what are we doing with the resources 42:36 that God has given us? 42:37 Are we investing these in the cause of God? 42:41 You say, well, Pastor Bohr, you just want to be paid. 42:43 Well, let me tell you the tithe that comes here to this church 42:48 you know, none of it comes into my pocket. 42:51 It all goes to a central location, and then they pay all 42:54 of the pastors on an equitable basis. 42:57 I don't receive any of the offerings 42:59 that come into the church. 43:01 The offerings go for the running of this church: 43:03 for the preaching of the gospel, for evangelistic meetings, 43:06 for health seminars, for all of these things which have the 43:09 intent of reaching people with the gospel. 43:11 And I pray to God that we will lay everything we have 43:15 on the altar of sacrifice, because soon 43:17 it might be too late. 43:19 We need to wake up from our slumber. 43:22 We've been in a coma too long. 43:24 We've been lukewarm too long. 43:27 It's time to get up and make a sacrifice for God. 43:30 As I mentioned in one of the previous lectures, 43:33 the little old widow, she comes and she throws her two mites in. 43:37 Jesus says, she gave more than all of those 43:39 who gave great sums. 43:41 And then He explained why. 43:42 He says, because they gave out of their abundance. 43:45 In other words, they gave what they had left over. 43:47 What they really didn't need. 43:48 But she gave all that she had. 43:52 Her only sustenance. 43:54 And so we have, Jesus said, by the way, 43:57 in Luke 21:34, He says, Make sure that... 44:10 In Ezekiel 7:19 we're told that in the day when the wrath of God 44:16 is poured out upon this world, people will take their gold 44:20 and their silver and they will throw their gold and silver 44:23 in the streets, and they will say, what good is this? 44:26 We're lost! We're eternally lost! 44:29 What good is it to have all of these things? 44:31 Silver and gold will be absolutely worthless. 44:35 And so we have three different kinds of people, so far, 44:39 that we've studied. 44:40 1. They hear the word. They reject it. 44:44 It doesn't even begin to germinate. 44:46 2. Those individuals who hear the word, and in a moment 44:51 of emotion they accept it. 44:52 They say, this is wonderful! 44:54 And then tribulations come, and the sun comes out and 44:59 beats on the plant and it dies. 45:02 Then you have those that are on thorny soil, 45:05 for whom the deceitfulness of riches, the cares of this life 45:10 strangle the seed that has been planted, the plant that has 45:15 begun to grow. But I thank God that there's one 45:19 other kind of soil, and that is the good soil. 45:22 Notice what we find in the gospel of Luke 8:15, Luke 8:15. 45:33 We find there the following words: 46:01 Notice that the good soil represents those who 46:05 hear the word of God and what? and keep it. 46:09 With what? patience. 46:12 And eventually it bears what? fruit. 46:15 Does the first type of soil bear fruit? No. 46:20 Does the second type of soil bear fruit? No. 46:24 Does the third type of soil bear fruit? 46:27 No, the plant begins to grow, but no fruit. 46:29 What is God interested in? 46:32 God is interested in planting the seed of His word in our 46:36 hearts, and that we might receive that seed 46:40 with fallow soil, with plenty of the moisture of the Holy Spirit. 46:46 And that that seed germinate and produce a plant, 46:50 which eventually will bear what? 46:53 Will bear fruit for God's honor, and God's glory. 46:57 Revelation 1:3 we find John speaking about this book 47:01 which deals with end time events. He says: 47:22 Notice: read, hear, that means pay attention, and what? 47:28 and keep. Notice John 14:23, John 14:23. 47:38 By the way, Jesus abiding in our hearts has a condition. 47:42 He will not abide in any heart. 47:45 Notice what we find in John 14: 23. 47:51 Here Jesus says this: 48:15 Isn't that beautiful? 48:16 If anyone hears my word, and what? and keeps my word, 48:21 both I and the Father will come and We will make our home, 48:26 our abode, with them. 48:28 James tells us that it's not the hearers of the word, 48:33 which will be justified, but whom? the doers of the word. 48:37 By the way, do you know that in the end time there are going to 48:41 be many Christians who hear the word, but don't do it? 48:45 Notice the gospel of Matthew chapter 7, Matthew 7:21, 48:53 Matthew 7:21. This is a very solemn passage. 48:58 I'm going to read several verses. Jesus says: 49:06 Did you catch that? 49:17 Notice it's not only hearing but what? doing. 49:20 It's not only saying but doing. Verse 22. 49:37 By the way, were these Christians? 49:38 Why would they be doing it in the name of Jesus 49:42 if they weren't Christians? 49:43 Obviously, they're Christians. 49:45 So what is Jesus going to say? 49:56 And then Jesus gives an example: the parable of the man who built 50:01 his house upon the rock, and the man who built 50:03 his house upon the sand. 50:04 We even sing about this in Sabbath School. 50:06 Do you still sing this in Sabbath School? 50:08 The wise man built his house upon the rock. 50:11 I remember, I used to love to sing that song. 50:13 Still do! Still I'm a child at heart. 50:16 But, anyway, Jesus gives a parable of the two builders. 50:20 Now who is the one who builds on the rock, and who is the one 50:24 who builds on the sand? 50:25 Listen up! Verse 24: Therefore whoever hears these sayings 50:31 of mine and does them. 50:35 Hello, anybody out there today? 50:38 Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, 50:44 I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the what? 50:50 on the rock. And the rain descended, the floods came, 50:54 and the winds blew, and beat on that house. 50:57 And it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 51:01 What does that mean to be founded on the rock? 51:03 It means that you hear the words of Jesus, and what? and do them. 51:09 Now notice, what about the man who built on the sand? 51:13 Verse 26: But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, 51:18 and does not do them, will be like a foolish man 51:22 who built his house on the sand. 51:24 And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew, 51:28 and beat on that house, and it fell. 51:31 And great was its fall. 51:34 By the way, these verses are speaking about the tribulation 51:38 that is coming upon the world. 51:39 Four angels are holding the four winds of strife. 51:43 When they're released you have the storm; the coming storm. 51:47 And only those who hear the words of Jesus, and do them, 51:52 will be safe in that great day. 51:55 Now I'd like to take the last few moments that we have 51:59 to talk about the process of God planting the seed 52:04 in the soil of our hearts. 52:06 How does God do it? 52:09 Well, listen to what I'm going to say. 52:12 The seed is the word of God. 52:15 We've already studied that. 52:17 The word of God is preached. 52:20 And what that means is that God is taking the seed, 52:23 and He's putting it where? 52:25 He's planting the seed in the heart. 52:27 By the way, faith comes by hearing and hearing by what? 52:31 By the word of God. 52:33 What happens with people who are not into the word of God, 52:37 who are not studying? 52:38 Can God plant His seed in our hearts if we're not studying 52:42 the word? Absolutely not! 52:44 Because God speaks to our hearts through the word. 52:48 The more we study the word, the more God plants His will 52:53 and His seed in our hearts. 52:55 And then He moistens the ground with what? 52:59 With the dew of His Holy Spirit. 53:01 And the more time that I spend in the word, 53:05 the more the plant grows. 53:08 And if I continue in this process, eventually what's 53:12 going to happen is that plant is going to grow into a tree, 53:16 and the tree eventually is going to bear what? 53:19 Is going to bear fruit. 53:21 And, by the way, what is the fruit? 53:23 Go with me to Galatians 5, Galatians 5, and I would like 53:29 to begin reading at verse 19. 53:31 Well, actually, let's begin reading at verse 21, 53:35 Ending about the works of the flesh: 53:48 Then he speaks about the fruit of the Spirit, verse 22: 54:02 Do you know what the fruit of the Spirit is? 54:06 It's the character of Jesus. 54:08 Is this a description of the character of Jesus? 54:12 Let's read it again. 54:13 It says: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, 54:17 goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. 54:22 That's the fruit. 54:23 How does the fruit come? 54:25 Do you have to plant before you harvest fruit? 54:30 Of course you do. 54:31 So what does God do? 54:32 He takes the seed of the truth. 54:34 He plants it in our heart. 54:35 The more that we're in the word, studying the word, 54:37 assimilating the word, God speaks to us. 54:39 He plants the word in our hearts through the influence 54:42 of the Holy Spirit. 54:43 That plant begins to what? to grow, and eventually 54:47 it produces in our lives the fruit of the Spirit. 54:50 In other words it produces in our lives 54:52 the character of Jesus. 54:54 Do you know we take the mold of the character of that which we 54:58 dedicate our time to? 55:00 You know this, right? 55:02 If we dedicate most of our time to music, and worldly endeavors, 55:08 and television, and videos, and all these things, 55:11 what type of character are we going to have? 55:13 We're going to reflect that character. 55:16 But the more that we allow the word of God to enter through our 55:19 eyes, by Bible study, by listening to sermons, 55:22 by watching 3ABN, by watching spiritual things, God plants His 55:27 seed in our hearts. 55:29 The seed grows into a plant, then grows into a tree, 55:32 and then our lives change. 55:33 Because we have as a result the fruit of the Spirit 55:37 appearing in our lives, which is Christ likeness, 55:42 the hope of glory, incidentally. 55:44 So we have four soils. 55:47 Three of them will eventually be lost. 55:50 One of them only will be saved in the kingdom. 55:54 What is the soil of your heart? 55:58 Are you a wayside hearer? 56:04 Are you a stony ground hearer? 56:08 Are you a thorny ground hearer? 56:13 Or are you a good soil hearer? 56:18 Our decision will determine our eternal destiny. 56:23 And, folks, let me finish with a positive note. 56:28 Do you know that we're not stuck with the heart that we have? 56:31 God can change the heart. 56:34 Just look at Saul of Tarsus. 56:36 He had a heart of stone. 56:39 He was right there stoning Stephen, not actively, 56:42 but he was encouraging the people to stone Stephen. 56:47 And yet the Lord changed his heart from stony soil, 56:52 from wayside soil, to a soft tender heart. 56:58 The good news is that God can change the soil of our hearts. 57:03 And I pray to God that we will be like the good soil, 57:08 where the seed of truth is planted unto eternal life. |
Revised 2014-12-17