Well, hello,
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and welcome to Pillars of Faith,
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coming to you from
the 3ABN worship center,
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right here in Southern Illinois.
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It's a joy to
have our 3ABN family
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from all around the world,
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as well as from right
here in Southern Illinois.
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Coming to us and
receiving this beautiful message
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that's coming
forth this evening,
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we have a beautiful
sermon title tonight.
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It's coming from the series
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that our pastor
John Lomacang is doing.
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The series title is
the Anatomy of the Crisis.
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And tonight sermon is
The Crisis in the Heart,
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as Pastor Lomacang
shares the wonderful words
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that God that has
imparted into his heart,
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that are to go forth and
to touch everyone of you.
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You know, this
is the fourth sermon
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in his five part series.
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Let me give you the
titles of the other sermons.
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It was The Crisis in Heaven,
The Crisis in the Garden,
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The Crisis in the Family,
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and tonight, The
Crisis in the Heart.
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And the word declares
that faith cometh by hearing,
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and hearing by the word.
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So we want to
encourage you to get the CDs,
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get the DVDs, listen
to them over and over,
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for what it will do
for you is give you faith
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and overcoming victorious
hope through God's word.
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Before we pray,
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let me give you
the scripture reading
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for this evening.
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The scripture
reading is Psalms 26:2,
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and the word declares,
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"Examine me, O
Lord, and prove me,
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try my mind and heart."
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And you know, the
word declares in Psalms 139
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that we ask the lord
just search us, O' God
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and know our hearts,
try us, know our thoughts.
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See if there be
any evil way in us
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and lead us in that
path that is everlasting.
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Tonight, we're looking at
the way to search our hearts
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for us to stand before God
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with clean hands
and a pure heart.
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Let's pray.
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Holy father, we come
before you in the name of Jesus
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and we ask, O God,
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that as your word
goes forth tonight,
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it will touch
everyone of our hearts.
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Father, that our hearts
will be purified and perfected
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by the power of your
word as it goes forth.
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And Lord, we will be
conform not to this world
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but we will be conformed
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to your image and your likeness,
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so the powerful word that goes
forth through Pastor Lomacang.
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And I praise you
and I thank you for it,
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in Jesus name.
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Now our pastor, Pastor
John Lomacang is coming,
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he is my pastor,
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the pastor of the Thompsonville
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Seventh-day Adventist church
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that meets right here
in the 3ABN worship center.
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So I want to
welcome him as he comes.
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Thank you, Pastor Lomacang.
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Thank you, Mollie. I
appreciate it very well.
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Thank you very much.
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Well, welcome again, friends.
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Thank you so much for
joining us in this program
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as we continue our trek through
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the Anatomy of the Crisis.
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You know, what's
wonderful about the series is
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it is reminding me
again of how important it is
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to have our lives
in the hand of Lord.
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And thank you so much, Mollie,
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for such a
wonderful introduction.
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But as you know, we have
so many hats here at 3ABN,
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we just give the Lord the
glory for whatever he can do
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and in through our lives.
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Now, she did pray for us
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and so I'm gonna
allow that to be sufficient.
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And I want to revisit that
the scripture one more time.
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I like the
translation that Mollie used,
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but I want to
repeat that one more time
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from the Book of Psalms 139:23.
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The Book of Psalms,
but this is a Psalm 139:23.
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Look at what the word
of God says to us today.
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"Search me, O
God, and know my heart,
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try me, and know my anxieties."
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We want the
Lord to search inside
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and to show us
what we may be missing.
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We want the Lord to try
us and know our anxieties.
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You know, the Bible
uses different phrases
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depending on the
translation that you use.
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But I think of the heart today,
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and the crisis
in the heart is a,
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is one of
insurmountable proportions.
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We often don't
consider the power
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that takes place in the heart,
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the transactions that happen
in the heart and in the mind,
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both used into changeably,
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until something of
great proportion happens
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and we are completely
unaware or out of control.
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The heart is the
seed of great affections.
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The heart is the
place where we hold
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our feelings most dearly.
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Now, many of you might say,
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well, Pastor John, the
heart only pumps blood.
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But one of the reasons why
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polygraphing is so
important today is because
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we know that
whatever affects the mind,
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its registered in the heart.
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Whatever is
taking place in the mind,
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the heart either speeds up
or slows down to a normal pace.
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But if you're sad sometimes,
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the heart can
just drag along thump,
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thump, thump, thump.
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The heart is
the place that works
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in harmony with the mind
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to really
prescribe, or I should say,
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to allow us to know
what our condition is.
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So when a person is
excited, the heart speeds up.
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When the person is depressed,
or sad, or down-hearted,
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the heart just tends to just
chug along at a constant pace.
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And praise the Lord,
because this is the place
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that we're going
to discover today
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that the heart
has many conditions.
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There is a parable in the bible,
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we'll talk about it in a moment,
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that outlines the
conditions of the human heart.
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But on the phase of 'search me,'
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I remember
searching, and some times
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we can search,
and search, search.
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But some times
we search for things
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in places that
we've never put them.
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Sometimes things
are right before us
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but we cannot see them
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because we search with eyes
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that have
pre-conceived destinations.
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I remember searching
one day for my wallet,
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and I was just so pushed back
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that I could not find my wallet.
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I put it, I thought I
knew where I put my wallet,
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and so I searched.
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And you know,
sometimes we get to the point
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where we begin to search almost
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without any
sense connected to it.
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I thought I'd placed my
wallet on the dresser by my bed,
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and I thought to myself,
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now what if it
fell off of my bed,
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off of the dresser onto me bed.
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And I began to
tear the sheets apart.
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I said, what is it
fell on the foot of the bed,
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I began to
remove the little seat
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that's in front of the bed,
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and I just began
tearing the place up.
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And all the time my
wallet was just sitting there,
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saying, here I am.
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But it could not respond to me,
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it couldn't call me out,
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it couldn't draw
attention to itself.
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And that's a kind of
how our lives are sometimes.
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We search for things
that we think of one place
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when in fact they
are at other places.
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Our emotions are that way,
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we're continually searching
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and try to find
meaning and the emotions
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that we have in our
hearts and our lives.
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The other thing we also
discover about the heart,
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the Bible says in Mathew 6:21,
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and this is a powerful
verse, a tremendous verse.
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"For where your
treasure is," the Bible says,
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"there your heart will also be"
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or "there will
your heart be also."
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I was raised on
the King James version
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and I'm reading the
New King James version.
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So sometimes I combine
the two with the King James
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and the New King James version,
but the point is the same.
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Wherever you find the things
that are most important to you,
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your treasures are there,
your affections are there.
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And I've
discovered that the things
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that we spend
our time on the most
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are the things that come
out of our mouths the most.
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The things that take
up most of our attention,
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if you like computers,
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you read
magazines about computers,
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well, you talk about computers.
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If you are a
mechanic, you talk about cars,
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you might like motorcycles,
you talk about that.
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Or you might like shoes,
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as a women, you talk about that.
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Now guys, some guys have
a fixation for shoes also,
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so I'm not gonna make that
a gender exclusive category.
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But there are those who may
love crocheting and knitting,
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and quilting, and they
talk about those things.
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Wherever your treasure is,
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that's where your
heart is going to also be.
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Today, we want to
focus in a very specific way
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as to what the
condition of your heart is,
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because the
difference between where we are
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and where we can be really is
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all about the
condition of our hearts.
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The place we find our
self is often the place
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where our heart longs for.
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We have an affection in
our hearts and in our minds
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that often drive
our daily agendas.
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It drives the first
thing we do in the morning.
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If our heart is
for the word of God,
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we find ourselves
reading the word of God.
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If our hearts are thinking
about our iPads and our phones,
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we find ourselves,
first thing in the morning,
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looking at our
phones, opening our iPads,
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and our iPods, and our tablets,
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whatever the device may be.
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Wherever your treasure
is, there is your heart also.
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The other thing is,
wherever your heart is,
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that's where you
spend your money.
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One person once says,
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if you want to know
what a person's God is,
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just look at their checkbook
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and you will
discover that the very item
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that they worship the most.
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But if this
texture is very clear,
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it is saying in
a specific sense,
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it speaks about
money, in the general sense,
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it speaks about the
place of our affections.
00:10:07.57\00:10:09.94
The things that are dear
to us are close to our hearts.
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I spoke to a group of
young people a few days ago
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and I said,
00:10:17.18\00:10:18.51
whenever you are saying
to somebody, I love you,
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you don't draw a
picture of your brain,
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you don't say, I brain you,
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you say, I heart you,
to see to our affections.
00:10:23.79\00:10:26.76
Whenever we see a heart,
we call it the heartland,
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we are in the mid west,
we call that the heartland,
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we don't call
that the brainland.
00:10:31.36\00:10:33.43
Because this is the
place of the affection
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of many of those that live
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in the south central
locations of the United States.
00:10:37.40\00:10:41.14
The heart and the mind, however,
00:10:41.17\00:10:43.64
are used
interchangeably in scripture.
00:10:43.67\00:10:46.74
Matter fact, go to Hebrews 8:10,
00:10:46.78\00:10:48.64
and notice how this is used
in a very interchangeable way.
00:10:48.68\00:10:52.81
Hebrews 8:10.
00:10:52.85\00:10:55.28
I will turn to my Bible,
00:10:55.32\00:10:56.75
and I wanna give you
more of the text than
00:10:56.79\00:10:59.79
I actually have
here in my notes.
00:10:59.82\00:11:01.86
So I'm gonna look
at the text with you.
00:11:01.89\00:11:03.53
Hebrews 8:10,
00:11:03.56\00:11:05.73
notice the word of the Lord.
00:11:05.76\00:11:07.80
The Lord says, "For
this is the covenant
00:11:07.83\00:11:10.90
that I will make
with the house of Israel
00:11:10.93\00:11:13.90
after those days" says the Lord,
00:11:13.94\00:11:16.60
"I will put my
laws in their mind
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and write them on their hearts.
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I will be their God and
they shall be my people."
00:11:22.91\00:11:26.85
Notice, he will put
his laws in our mind
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and he will write
them on our hearts.
00:11:31.09\00:11:33.89
As David in the Psalm says,
00:11:33.92\00:11:35.29
write them on the
tablets of our hearts.
00:11:35.32\00:11:37.86
You'll also notice that
00:11:37.89\00:11:39.23
when a person is
going through a struggle
00:11:39.26\00:11:41.20
as Paul the apostle
talked about in Romans 7.
00:11:41.23\00:11:44.37
He said, what I want
to do is not what I do,
00:11:44.40\00:11:49.20
and I what I don't
wanna do is exactly what I do.
00:11:49.24\00:11:52.57
He says, I see, I
know about the law of God
00:11:52.61\00:11:55.24
but there's
another law in my members
00:11:55.28\00:11:58.61
warring against
the law of my mind
00:11:58.65\00:12:01.28
and bringing me into captivity
to the law of sin and death.
00:12:01.32\00:12:06.52
And sometimes people read
about the law of sin and death
00:12:06.55\00:12:08.79
and they thinks
that's the commandment.
00:12:08.82\00:12:10.16
No, that's not the
commandments of God.
00:12:10.19\00:12:12.03
The law of sin and death
is that property in nature,
00:12:12.06\00:12:15.40
kind of like the law of gravity,
00:12:15.43\00:12:17.13
the law of physics.
00:12:17.17\00:12:18.50
You know somebody once said,
00:12:18.53\00:12:20.07
you can defy the law of physics
00:12:20.10\00:12:22.00
if you fall, if you jump off
of a hundred stores building,
00:12:22.04\00:12:24.77
you can defy the law
of physics for 99 stories,
00:12:24.81\00:12:28.51
but on the very last
one you will discover
00:12:28.54\00:12:30.31
that the law of
physics cannot be denied.
00:12:30.35\00:12:32.85
Gravity is always in force,
00:12:32.88\00:12:35.45
the law of physics work the way
00:12:35.48\00:12:37.22
that God
intended for them to work.
00:12:37.25\00:12:39.09
So God's law also has
the same affect on us.
00:12:39.12\00:12:42.42
It cannot leave us
to our own devices.
00:12:42.46\00:12:45.69
And so in this passage,
00:12:45.73\00:12:47.43
speaking about the
crisis in the heart,
00:12:47.46\00:12:49.30
the Lord is saying,
00:12:49.33\00:12:50.67
the reason why
some of us are battling,
00:12:50.70\00:12:52.83
the reason why some
of us are in struggles
00:12:52.87\00:12:54.94
in our daily lives is
because his law is in our minds,
00:12:54.97\00:12:58.77
reminding us of the things
we should and should not do,
00:12:58.81\00:13:01.94
and then they have made
their way to our hearts,
00:13:01.98\00:13:03.91
bringing
convictions of the places
00:13:03.95\00:13:06.01
we should and should not go.
00:13:06.05\00:13:07.95
But the law
that's in our members
00:13:07.98\00:13:09.38
that war against God's law
00:13:09.42\00:13:11.05
is that law of the
nature of humanity.
00:13:11.09\00:13:14.29
That law that says
that we're slaves to sin,
00:13:14.32\00:13:18.09
that law that was
passed on to us from Adam,
00:13:18.13\00:13:21.26
as in Adam all die,
00:13:21.30\00:13:22.63
even so in Christ
all shall me made alive.
00:13:22.66\00:13:24.90
That law that makes us
pre-dispose to bad habits,
00:13:24.93\00:13:29.17
bad choices, bad
deeds, awful sayings,
00:13:29.20\00:13:32.77
bad decisions, corrupt ideas,
00:13:32.81\00:13:35.54
that's the law that wars
00:13:35.58\00:13:36.91
constantly
against the law of God.
00:13:36.95\00:13:40.38
It's in our hearts
and it's in our minds.
00:13:40.42\00:13:43.32
Isaac Watson once
said or Isaac Walton,
00:13:43.35\00:13:46.29
who lived during the 1600 said,
00:13:46.32\00:13:49.22
God has two dwelling places,
00:13:49.26\00:13:52.56
one in heaven and the other
in a meek and thankful heart.
00:13:52.59\00:13:58.07
God has two dwelling
places, one in heaven
00:13:58.10\00:14:00.50
and the other in
meek thankful heart.
00:14:00.54\00:14:04.47
You know, there's a need
for more people to thank God.
00:14:04.51\00:14:07.31
We often look at God
as the grocery store.
00:14:07.34\00:14:09.38
"Lord, I need, Lord,
I need, Lord, I need."
00:14:09.41\00:14:11.91
Whenever we have a
difficulty in our families,
00:14:11.95\00:14:13.78
we call on God.
00:14:13.82\00:14:15.15
But sometimes we have
to pause and thank God
00:14:15.18\00:14:17.45
in our times of prosperity,
00:14:17.49\00:14:19.59
not just call on God
in our times of adversity.
00:14:19.62\00:14:22.12
When we have a need
that has been met by God,
00:14:22.16\00:14:25.76
it does as well to sometimes
pause and say, thank you Lord,
00:14:25.79\00:14:29.43
so that we can have
a heart of gratitude
00:14:29.46\00:14:32.37
and a heart of thankfulness.
00:14:32.40\00:14:34.27
Another saying goes this way,
00:14:34.30\00:14:36.57
our trouble
today is that we have
00:14:36.60\00:14:39.57
our heads filled with knowledge
00:14:39.61\00:14:42.31
but our hearts and
our minds empty of God.
00:14:42.34\00:14:45.75
The trouble today is
that we have our heads
00:14:45.78\00:14:47.52
filled with knowledge
00:14:47.55\00:14:48.88
but our hearts and
minds are empty of God.
00:14:48.92\00:14:52.15
We've been
fighting for world peace,
00:14:52.19\00:14:54.26
when the only peace
that we can really have
00:14:54.29\00:14:57.66
is the peace
found in our hearts,
00:14:57.69\00:15:00.10
the peace that Jesus gives.
00:15:00.13\00:15:01.53
And as a matter
of fact, he says,
00:15:01.56\00:15:02.93
the peace that
passes all understanding.
00:15:02.96\00:15:06.10
Matthew 22:37
00:15:06.13\00:15:09.27
shows us
another important factor
00:15:09.30\00:15:10.97
about the heart
and the mind together.
00:15:11.01\00:15:13.04
Jesus said, "You shall
love the Lord, your God with..."
00:15:13.07\00:15:17.25
how much?
00:15:17.28\00:15:18.61
"All your heart, and
with also all your soul
00:15:18.65\00:15:21.78
and with all your mind."
00:15:21.82\00:15:25.05
You know when the heart
and the mind are divided,
00:15:25.09\00:15:28.39
when we say to God,
00:15:28.42\00:15:29.76
I'm gonna give you this
portion of mind and heart,
00:15:29.79\00:15:32.09
and I'm gonna give
my studies this portion,
00:15:32.13\00:15:34.43
and my
entertainment this portion.
00:15:34.46\00:15:37.63
Our hearts are
divided, our minds are divided,
00:15:37.67\00:15:40.47
but God's desire is that we
give him our all of our heart,
00:15:40.50\00:15:45.24
all of our mind,
00:15:45.27\00:15:46.61
like the young man
that's falling head over heels
00:15:46.64\00:15:49.14
in love with the
young lady he met.
00:15:49.18\00:15:51.18
Or like the bay that
takes the piece of candy
00:15:51.21\00:15:52.85
for the first time
and just falls in love
00:15:52.88\00:15:55.32
with the sugary taste of
that peppermint piece of candy
00:15:55.35\00:15:58.35
that they just had.
00:15:58.39\00:15:59.72
When we fall in love with God,
00:15:59.75\00:16:01.22
we discover that
we make room for him.
00:16:01.26\00:16:03.46
Anything that we
love, any one that we love,
00:16:03.49\00:16:05.29
we make room for them.
00:16:05.33\00:16:06.96
The Lord is saying,
give me your whole heart,
00:16:07.00\00:16:09.40
give me your whole mind.
00:16:09.43\00:16:12.10
It is when the
heart is not fixed on God
00:16:12.13\00:16:13.94
that the
affections are in jeopardy.
00:16:13.97\00:16:16.30
And until we make up our minds
00:16:16.34\00:16:18.27
our hearts can
constantly be in trouble.
00:16:18.31\00:16:21.61
But when hearts
are trusted to God,
00:16:21.64\00:16:25.61
every area of our life
is affected positively.
00:16:25.65\00:16:30.22
Think about that.
00:16:30.25\00:16:31.59
The reason why
that's important is because
00:16:31.62\00:16:33.32
we live under the constant drama
00:16:33.36\00:16:34.92
of the Great Controversy.
00:16:34.96\00:16:36.29
There's never a time that God
is not calling on our hearts.
00:16:36.32\00:16:40.70
There's never a time that
God is not appealing to us.
00:16:40.73\00:16:44.30
And on the other side of
that, there's never a time
00:16:44.33\00:16:46.80
that the devil is not
seeking to interrupt the work
00:16:46.84\00:16:49.34
that God is trying to do in
our hearts and in our lives.
00:16:49.37\00:16:53.48
And so if we stop for a moment
00:16:53.51\00:16:56.51
and consider what
Satan has done to us,
00:16:56.54\00:16:59.21
only then do we realize
00:16:59.25\00:17:01.75
how much we are
in constant need,
00:17:01.78\00:17:05.45
I'll say it again, in
constant need of Jesus.
00:17:05.49\00:17:09.66
Not temporary
need, not once a week.
00:17:09.69\00:17:12.23
That's why lives
surrender to Jesus
00:17:12.26\00:17:15.70
will experience trouble
but will always be delivered.
00:17:15.73\00:17:20.30
The Bible says, "Many are
the afflictions of the righteous
00:17:20.34\00:17:23.10
but the Lord
delivers him out of them all."
00:17:23.14\00:17:26.71
So let's pause for a moment
00:17:26.74\00:17:28.18
and consider why
the heart and the mind
00:17:28.21\00:17:31.01
and are always
under constant challenge.
00:17:31.05\00:17:33.15
Let's consider
00:17:33.18\00:17:34.98
four areas in the
Bible that talks about
00:17:35.02\00:17:37.25
how important the heart is.
00:17:37.29\00:17:38.89
Four areas that God
speaks to the decisions
00:17:38.92\00:17:42.72
of the heart and mind,
four areas in the Bible.
00:17:42.76\00:17:45.29
Four conditions, I would say
00:17:45.33\00:17:47.26
that outline the
condition of every man,
00:17:47.30\00:17:51.63
woman, boy, and
girl on the planet.
00:17:51.67\00:17:54.37
Every corporate
executive, every pastor,
00:17:54.40\00:17:57.27
every lay
person, every preacher,
00:17:57.31\00:17:59.71
everyone making a
decision has these four areas
00:17:59.74\00:18:02.68
that are in constant challenge
with his heart and his mind.
00:18:02.71\00:18:06.51
Let's go to the
Parable of the Sower
00:18:06.55\00:18:08.52
in Mathew 13.
00:18:08.55\00:18:10.19
Parable of the
Sower in Mathew 13.
00:18:10.22\00:18:14.12
If you have your
Bibles, turn here with me.
00:18:14.16\00:18:16.22
The Parable of the Sower.
00:18:16.26\00:18:18.59
Beginning in verse one and two,
00:18:18.63\00:18:20.43
notice this
parabola, a beautiful parabola.
00:18:20.46\00:18:23.06
It brings towards,
you know, this parabola,
00:18:23.10\00:18:25.13
if I could give
it a different title,
00:18:25.17\00:18:26.53
this parabola is like a
check, it's like a check.
00:18:26.57\00:18:28.97
It's like the
dip-stick in our oil.
00:18:29.00\00:18:33.04
We see if we are low,
or if we need new oil,
00:18:33.07\00:18:36.54
or if the oil is
dirty, or if it's clean.
00:18:36.58\00:18:39.45
It's like
checking our break-pads
00:18:39.48\00:18:41.22
to see in the next emergency
00:18:41.25\00:18:42.98
whether not we
are prepared to stop
00:18:43.02\00:18:45.95
just before the tragedy.
00:18:45.99\00:18:47.72
It is like checking the kind
of fuel we put it in our tanks,
00:18:47.76\00:18:51.13
is it low grade, is
it the proper grade.
00:18:51.16\00:18:54.60
It's a check on
the human condition
00:18:54.63\00:18:57.17
of the human life
and the human heart.
00:18:57.20\00:18:59.63
Notice Mathew 13,
beginning in verse 1 and 2.
00:18:59.67\00:19:04.14
"On the same day,"
00:19:04.17\00:19:05.97
that the same day of
the ministry of Jesus
00:19:06.01\00:19:08.24
with the great multitudes,
00:19:08.28\00:19:10.35
"Jesus went out of the
house and sat by the sea.
00:19:10.38\00:19:15.12
" And verse 2, "
00:19:15.15\00:19:16.75
And great multitudes
were gathered together to him,
00:19:16.79\00:19:19.82
so that he got
into a boat, and sat,
00:19:19.85\00:19:23.29
and the whole
multitude stood on the shore."
00:19:23.32\00:19:28.33
Now when Jesus sat,
00:19:28.36\00:19:30.67
you'll discover
this in the Bible,
00:19:30.70\00:19:32.17
this is very
interesting comparison.
00:19:32.20\00:19:34.80
Whenever Jesus sat, HE taught,
00:19:34.84\00:19:38.04
when he stood up, he preached.
00:19:38.07\00:19:41.01
Often times he would stand
up and preach in the synagogue.
00:19:41.04\00:19:44.45
But whenever he was in a
more relaxed environment,
00:19:44.48\00:19:48.32
he would sit down and
speak to the multitudes.
00:19:48.35\00:19:51.15
And then the
other thing he did was
00:19:51.19\00:19:52.85
he would use his surroundings
00:19:52.89\00:19:54.76
as an
object-lesson to the multitudes.
00:19:54.79\00:19:57.13
In other words, if
there was a storm brewing,
00:19:57.16\00:20:00.60
Jesus would talk
about the vehement power
00:20:00.63\00:20:02.80
of the waves and the wind
00:20:02.83\00:20:04.40
that will beat on the
foundation of our houses.
00:20:04.43\00:20:06.94
In the approaching clouds
00:20:06.97\00:20:09.14
people will never
forget the message of Jesus
00:20:09.17\00:20:12.07
when he talked about the storm.
00:20:12.11\00:20:13.84
If it was a family
dispute, he'll say,
00:20:13.88\00:20:15.81
I have come not to
bring peace but a sword
00:20:15.84\00:20:18.28
to set mother against
daughter and father against son.
00:20:18.31\00:20:21.05
And they would never forget
00:20:21.08\00:20:22.42
as long as they are
in the family circle.
00:20:22.45\00:20:23.82
But in this particular sense,
00:20:23.85\00:20:25.55
Jesus talked about the four
conditions of the human heart.
00:20:25.59\00:20:29.79
Let's start with the first one,
00:20:29.82\00:20:31.53
Mathew chapter 13:3-4,
00:20:31.56\00:20:34.66
"Then he spoke many
things to them in parables."
00:20:34.70\00:20:39.23
Now, parables are
not obvious messages,
00:20:39.27\00:20:41.70
they are messages
locked up in symbols,
00:20:41.74\00:20:43.84
and signs, and codes.
00:20:43.87\00:20:46.88
"Saying, 'Behold, a
sower went out to sow.
00:20:46.91\00:20:52.31
And as he sowed, some
seed fell by the wayside,
00:20:52.35\00:20:56.72
and the birds
came and devoured them.
00:20:56.75\00:20:59.39
Some seed fell by the wayside,
00:20:59.42\00:21:02.39
and the birds came
and devoured them."
00:21:02.42\00:21:05.79
Now when you
look at Mathew 13:3-4,
00:21:05.83\00:21:09.96
you go on further to understand
the definition of this parable.
00:21:10.00\00:21:15.54
Let's just take a
little time to break that down
00:21:15.57\00:21:18.31
before we get to the
definition of what that meant
00:21:18.34\00:21:22.14
by seeds falling by the wayside
00:21:22.18\00:21:25.88
and birds coming
and devoured them.
00:21:25.91\00:21:27.92
I call this the
wayside hero, the wayside hero.
00:21:27.95\00:21:33.29
Let me make a few points.
00:21:33.32\00:21:34.66
The time that we need
to be most cautious is
00:21:34.69\00:21:36.79
when we perceive
that God is speaking to us
00:21:36.83\00:21:39.66
through his word.
00:21:39.69\00:21:41.96
At no time, does it bring
greater concern to the enemy
00:21:42.00\00:21:46.20
than when God is
trying to draw us to himself.
00:21:46.23\00:21:49.20
The wayside here is
the person listening
00:21:49.24\00:21:51.34
to the word of God.
00:21:51.37\00:21:52.71
But that person,
whether a male or female,
00:21:52.74\00:21:54.91
whether young man or young lady,
00:21:54.94\00:21:57.08
whether educated
or undereducated,
00:21:57.11\00:21:59.81
whatever the case maybe,
00:21:59.85\00:22:01.18
that person listens to
the sermon going forth.
00:22:01.22\00:22:04.22
But because they
don't allow the seeds
00:22:04.25\00:22:07.19
to penetrate their
hearts, think about that.
00:22:07.22\00:22:10.13
They don't allow the word of God
00:22:10.16\00:22:11.69
to find a the place to
begin to put down roots,
00:22:11.73\00:22:15.00
to begin to grow.
00:22:15.03\00:22:17.63
And so they stay on the surface,
00:22:17.67\00:22:20.74
they stay on the surface,
they never find any root.
00:22:20.77\00:22:23.51
And so the birds,
00:22:23.54\00:22:25.07
whose natural tendency is eat up
00:22:25.11\00:22:26.98
whatever is on the ground,
00:22:27.01\00:22:28.34
they come by and snatch away
00:22:28.38\00:22:30.75
the words that
could've been sown,
00:22:30.78\00:22:33.42
and so they don't find any root.
00:22:33.45\00:22:35.68
Listen to the
definition for that,
00:22:35.72\00:22:37.89
Mathew 13:18, it talks
about, its gives the definition.
00:22:37.92\00:22:41.12
It explains the parable,
00:22:41.16\00:22:43.12
it explains the what
happened in that person's life.
00:22:43.16\00:22:47.13
Verse 18,
00:22:47.16\00:22:49.66
"When any one hears
the word of the kingdom,
00:22:49.70\00:22:52.87
and doesn't understand it,
00:22:52.90\00:22:55.44
then the wicked one
comes, and snatches away
00:22:55.47\00:22:58.71
what was sown in the heart.
00:22:58.74\00:23:02.34
This is he who
received seed by the wayside."
00:23:02.38\00:23:04.91
Now, you might
think, that seems unfair,
00:23:04.95\00:23:07.88
but this person is victimized
00:23:07.92\00:23:09.42
because they dint understand it.
00:23:09.45\00:23:10.79
Well, there's a
deeper context to this.
00:23:10.82\00:23:13.32
it's not that they
didn't understand it,
00:23:13.36\00:23:15.32
it's that they hinder themselves
00:23:15.36\00:23:19.23
from understanding.
00:23:19.26\00:23:20.80
Let me give you an example.
00:23:20.83\00:23:22.16
When Jesus had a
conversation with Nicodemus,
00:23:22.20\00:23:24.53
and Jesus said to Nicodemus,
00:23:24.57\00:23:26.13
"Nicodemus, you
must be born again."
00:23:26.17\00:23:28.44
Nicodemus, very well
educated, a Pharisee,
00:23:28.47\00:23:32.11
highly educated in the
ways of the Jewish economy
00:23:32.14\00:23:36.01
as well as in the
educational system.
00:23:36.04\00:23:37.55
Then he said to
Christ something ridiculous.
00:23:37.58\00:23:39.81
"How can a man
enter his mother's womb
00:23:39.85\00:23:42.82
when he's old?"
00:23:42.85\00:23:45.82
And you know, you think about,
he almost wanna pause and say,
00:23:45.85\00:23:48.86
Nicodemus, I
mean, give me a break.
00:23:48.89\00:23:50.79
You know that's
not what Jesus meant.
00:23:50.83\00:23:52.59
He doesn't say, you
have to go back and start
00:23:52.63\00:23:54.83
all over in this
physical cycle of birth.
00:23:54.86\00:23:57.57
And Jesus said to him,
00:23:57.60\00:23:58.93
"Don't be
surprise that I say to you,
00:23:58.97\00:24:01.70
you must be born again."
00:24:01.74\00:24:04.71
You know, there are things
that we hear on the word of God
00:24:04.74\00:24:06.71
that we resist so much
00:24:06.74\00:24:10.41
that if we won't resist them,
00:24:10.45\00:24:12.21
if we don't resist these things,
00:24:12.25\00:24:14.85
then they would be able
to take root in our lives
00:24:14.88\00:24:17.19
and begin to make a difference.
00:24:17.22\00:24:19.12
If we don't submit
to them, we resist them,
00:24:19.15\00:24:21.99
we don't draw here to God,
00:24:22.02\00:24:23.53
we draw near to
the opposite side
00:24:23.56\00:24:25.76
of what God is
trying to say to us,
00:24:25.79\00:24:27.13
and so therefore,
00:24:27.16\00:24:28.50
the reason why they
don't understand that is
00:24:28.53\00:24:30.57
because they don't
want to understand it.
00:24:30.60\00:24:33.77
I had a Bibles
study ones with a,
00:24:33.80\00:24:36.14
I won't tell you
what denomination he was,
00:24:36.17\00:24:37.61
a young man.
00:24:37.64\00:24:38.97
And when I go to
this very critical topic,
00:24:39.01\00:24:41.71
he said, "I don't wanna hear it
00:24:41.74\00:24:43.51
because if I wanna hear it,
I'll be responsible for it."
00:24:43.55\00:24:46.41
And I thought to
myself, that's ridiculous.
00:24:46.45\00:24:49.18
You can close
your to the red light
00:24:49.22\00:24:50.79
and keep on driving,
00:24:50.82\00:24:52.15
you don't have to see
it, but drive through it
00:24:52.19\00:24:53.82
and you will be responsible,
00:24:53.86\00:24:55.19
may be for your
life and somebody else's.
00:24:55.22\00:24:57.26
There's this misconception
that if I don't hear it
00:24:57.29\00:25:00.63
I'm not responsible for it.
00:25:00.66\00:25:02.26
Nothing could be
further from the truth.
00:25:02.30\00:25:04.00
When you don't want to hear it
00:25:04.03\00:25:06.94
then you won't understand it,
00:25:06.97\00:25:08.64
but you will be
accountable for the outcome,
00:25:08.67\00:25:11.27
you will pay the Piper's price.
00:25:11.31\00:25:14.54
You will be the
victim of your own
00:25:14.58\00:25:17.81
orchestrated ignorance.
00:25:17.85\00:25:19.81
You cannot say, you didn't know
00:25:19.85\00:25:22.02
when God was clearly
saying to you, "Listen."
00:25:22.05\00:25:25.29
That's why in Revelation,
you find seven times at least.
00:25:25.32\00:25:27.96
The Bible says, "He
who has ears to hear,
00:25:27.99\00:25:31.53
let them hear what the spirit
is saying to the churches."
00:25:31.56\00:25:34.90
They're some people
that don't want to hear it.
00:25:34.93\00:25:36.87
So what happens?
00:25:36.90\00:25:38.23
As the Bible
says the 2 Timothy 3,
00:25:38.27\00:25:40.84
in the last days,
one of the conditions.
00:25:40.87\00:25:42.84
There are people that
they turn away from the truth
00:25:42.87\00:25:45.91
and they turn to fables
because they find teachers,
00:25:45.94\00:25:48.14
because they have ears
that are that are itching.
00:25:48.18\00:25:50.05
You know, you're saying that,
00:25:50.08\00:25:51.41
"Remember the
Sabbath to keep it holy."
00:25:51.45\00:25:52.78
What?
00:25:52.81\00:25:54.15
What?
00:25:54.18\00:25:55.52
They keep on acting
like they didn't hear.
00:25:55.55\00:25:57.49
So what they do is they
look for preachers and teachers
00:25:57.52\00:26:00.16
that say to them
exactly what they want to hear.
00:26:00.19\00:26:03.26
They look for the people that,
so to speak, as we would say,
00:26:03.29\00:26:05.99
tickle their fancy.
00:26:06.03\00:26:07.60
They look for
people that say exactly
00:26:07.63\00:26:10.07
what they want to understand.
00:26:10.10\00:26:11.97
And then they say, wow
00:26:12.00\00:26:14.87
that's your interpretation,
that's another one.
00:26:14.90\00:26:16.74
That's your interpretation.
00:26:16.77\00:26:18.87
Well, how many
ways can you interpret,
00:26:18.91\00:26:20.98
"If you love me,
keep make a moments?"
00:26:21.01\00:26:23.31
Well, that's
your interpretation,
00:26:23.35\00:26:25.08
those are your commitments.
00:26:25.11\00:26:27.35
I remember having a conversation
00:26:27.38\00:26:29.25
with a pastor
once and he said to me,
00:26:29.28\00:26:31.92
I have my scriptures
to back up my beliefs
00:26:31.95\00:26:34.92
and you have your scripture
to backup your beliefs.
00:26:34.96\00:26:38.63
And I said let me stop
you right there, pastor,
00:26:38.66\00:26:40.93
I don't have any
scriptures and neither do you.
00:26:40.96\00:26:42.96
This is the word of
God and the word of God
00:26:43.00\00:26:44.77
never supports to
controversial views.
00:26:44.80\00:26:48.77
God's word never
support two views
00:26:48.80\00:26:51.77
that are in conflict and
fighting with each other.
00:26:51.81\00:26:55.98
And so the best thing
to do is not to hesitate
00:26:56.01\00:26:59.21
when eternal issues are at hand,
00:26:59.25\00:27:01.22
not to drag your
feet when God is bringing
00:27:01.25\00:27:03.89
conviction to your heart.
00:27:03.92\00:27:05.39
Don't assume that there
will be a more favorable time.
00:27:05.42\00:27:09.82
James 4:7-8,
00:27:09.86\00:27:11.93
notice how James encourages us.
00:27:11.96\00:27:14.40
Notice what he says,
00:27:14.43\00:27:17.07
verse 7 of Chapter 4, James.
00:27:17.10\00:27:19.17
He said,
"Therefore, submit to God."
00:27:19.20\00:27:22.90
What's that word
again? Submit to God.
00:27:22.94\00:27:25.01
What's that word
again? Submit to God.
00:27:25.04\00:27:26.88
Then he goes on to submit to God
00:27:26.91\00:27:28.98
you have to do
the very next thing,
00:27:29.01\00:27:30.35
"Resist the devil."
00:27:30.38\00:27:32.48
Now, why should
you resist the devil?
00:27:32.51\00:27:34.98
Get this in mind,
00:27:35.02\00:27:36.35
when the word
of God is preached,
00:27:36.38\00:27:37.72
its just like in
the garden of Eden,
00:27:37.75\00:27:39.19
when God spoke to Adam and Eve,
00:27:39.22\00:27:41.36
Satan came to
twist what God had said,
00:27:41.39\00:27:43.32
and he said, "Hast God said,"
00:27:43.36\00:27:44.79
And the very same way
00:27:44.83\00:27:46.16
when God is
communicating a message
00:27:46.19\00:27:48.06
from his word, people will say,
00:27:48.10\00:27:50.07
I know what God's word
says, but my pastors says,
00:27:50.10\00:27:52.97
but my denomination says,
but this what I always start,
00:27:53.00\00:27:56.50
but this is what
my parents tell me,
00:27:56.54\00:27:58.64
but this is how I was raised.
00:27:58.67\00:28:01.88
That's how you can
tell the difference
00:28:01.91\00:28:03.24
between a sheep and a goat.
00:28:03.28\00:28:06.35
A sheep would
follow the shepherded
00:28:06.38\00:28:07.72
but a goat will
always have a but.
00:28:07.75\00:28:09.08
I know what the Bible says, but.
00:28:09.12\00:28:11.39
I know what
God's word says, but.
00:28:11.42\00:28:13.96
They're always
seeking to conflict
00:28:13.99\00:28:16.46
and to fight against
00:28:16.49\00:28:17.83
what the God is trying
to communicate to them.
00:28:17.86\00:28:19.23
That's why the
Bible says, submit to God.
00:28:19.26\00:28:21.50
Then you have to
resist the devil,
00:28:21.53\00:28:23.67
and here's the promise,
00:28:23.70\00:28:25.47
and He will flee from you.
00:28:25.50\00:28:27.44
Verse 8,
00:28:27.47\00:28:28.80
"Draw near to God and
He will draw near to you."
00:28:28.84\00:28:35.08
You got to make a
decision where you gonna stand.
00:28:35.11\00:28:37.31
You know, and I'm gonna
finish the text in a moment,
00:28:37.35\00:28:39.81
but you know
there is no center line
00:28:39.85\00:28:43.12
in the Great Controversy.
00:28:43.15\00:28:44.49
There is no yellow highway
line in this Great Controversy
00:28:44.52\00:28:48.92
between light and
darkness, God and evil.
00:28:48.96\00:28:52.49
There is no rest area,
00:28:52.53\00:28:54.53
you're either with God
or you are against to God.
00:28:54.56\00:28:59.17
You are either making your
decision to follow the light
00:28:59.20\00:29:02.64
or you are making the
decision to follow the darkness.
00:29:02.67\00:29:05.01
There is no middle ground.
00:29:05.04\00:29:06.88
That's why the apostle
says with such passion,
00:29:06.91\00:29:10.01
submit to God, the
right, resist the devil,
00:29:10.05\00:29:13.21
to the left, and
He will free from you.
00:29:13.25\00:29:14.98
Draw near to God, the right,
and God will draw near to you.
00:29:15.02\00:29:18.52
But how you have to do
it is the following words,
00:29:18.55\00:29:21.42
"Cleanse your
hands, you sinners,
00:29:21.46\00:29:23.22
and purify your
hearts, you double-minded."
00:29:23.26\00:29:28.60
In the river, on the bank,
00:29:28.63\00:29:30.63
in the river, on the
bank, purify your hearts.
00:29:30.67\00:29:34.14
When there's controversy,
00:29:34.17\00:29:35.50
only God can purify your hearts,
00:29:35.54\00:29:38.47
because there was
a man in the Bible,
00:29:38.51\00:29:40.04
a governor by the name of Felix.
00:29:40.08\00:29:43.11
Very interesting
story and Book of Acts 24.
00:29:43.14\00:29:47.65
Under, during the
trial of the apostle,
00:29:47.68\00:29:51.65
the Governor Felix
listen to the impassion words
00:29:51.69\00:29:53.86
of the apostle as
he preach his hart out.
00:29:53.89\00:29:56.62
And you find
these in Acts 24:25.
00:29:56.66\00:29:59.19
And at the point where
conviction was coming in,
00:29:59.23\00:30:03.47
listen to the words
of Felix, the governor.
00:30:03.50\00:30:09.07
It says in verse 25 of Acts 24,
00:30:09.10\00:30:11.97
'Now, as he
reasoned about righteousness,
00:30:12.01\00:30:16.75
self control and
the judgment to come."
00:30:16.78\00:30:21.45
Felix was afraid and answered,
00:30:21.48\00:30:25.09
and then he
said, "Go away for now.
00:30:25.12\00:30:29.29
When I have a convenient
time I will call for you."
00:30:29.32\00:30:34.26
At the moment of conviction,
00:30:34.30\00:30:36.90
at the moment when Felix
could have made a decision
00:30:36.93\00:30:40.94
to turn his life over
to the control of God,
00:30:40.97\00:30:43.94
the conviction was
there, fear came into his heart.
00:30:43.97\00:30:46.98
Because he knew
00:30:47.01\00:30:48.34
where he was standing
was not of God had approved.
00:30:48.38\00:30:51.85
And, instead of saying,
00:30:51.88\00:30:53.21
ok, Lord, I yield, I
yield cannot hold out.
00:30:53.25\00:30:56.75
What must I do to be saved?
00:30:56.79\00:30:58.35
He said, "Okay,
okay, enough for now,
00:30:58.39\00:31:00.86
get out of
here, go away for now.
00:31:00.89\00:31:03.12
When I have a convenient
time I will call for you.
00:31:03.16\00:31:07.20
Reminds me of Agrippa.
00:31:07.23\00:31:09.10
Agrippa said to Paul,
00:31:09.13\00:31:11.77
"You almost persuade
me to become a Christian,
00:31:11.80\00:31:14.60
you almost persuade me to
get my life to through out you,
00:31:14.64\00:31:17.84
you almost
persuade me to give in
00:31:17.87\00:31:21.28
to those things that are right,
00:31:21.31\00:31:22.64
you almost persuade me."
00:31:22.68\00:31:24.21
You know, friends,
00:31:24.25\00:31:25.58
to be almost safe
is to be entirely lost.
00:31:25.61\00:31:28.52
To be almost convinced of right
00:31:28.55\00:31:30.55
is to be
completely convinced of wrong.
00:31:30.59\00:31:33.46
To stand on the fence
when there's devastation
00:31:33.49\00:31:37.03
and destruction all around you,
00:31:37.06\00:31:38.39
and not to give
your life to Christ
00:31:38.43\00:31:39.89
is to assure that
when destruction comes
00:31:39.93\00:31:42.36
you will be a
personally responsible victim.
00:31:42.40\00:31:45.80
Don't make the
mistake like Felix did,
00:31:45.83\00:31:48.60
looking for a convenient time.
00:31:48.64\00:31:50.14
There is no more convenient time
00:31:50.17\00:31:52.44
than the right time,
than the present time,
00:31:52.47\00:31:55.31
as the Bible says today
is the day of salvation,
00:31:55.34\00:31:58.45
today is the acceptable time.
00:31:58.48\00:32:00.52
You may not
live to see tomorrow.
00:32:00.55\00:32:02.58
So make your decision to
live for the right today.
00:32:02.62\00:32:06.05
There's another kind
of hero in the Bible.
00:32:06.09\00:32:08.26
There's another kind of hero
in the Bible, the stony hero.
00:32:08.29\00:32:12.69
Mathew 13:5-6, look at this one.
00:32:12.73\00:32:16.26
Mathew 13:5-6,
00:32:16.30\00:32:19.93
speaking about the
seeds that Jesus sowed.
00:32:19.97\00:32:22.47
And by the way, this was during
00:32:22.50\00:32:23.91
the sowing season of the year.
00:32:23.94\00:32:26.07
In the
background of the multitudes
00:32:26.11\00:32:28.34
there were farmers just,
00:32:28.38\00:32:30.28
would putting their
hands in their pouches
00:32:30.31\00:32:32.51
and just
scattering seeds everywhere,
00:32:32.55\00:32:34.45
sowing these seeds.
00:32:34.48\00:32:36.58
The Bible says,
"Some fell on stony places,
00:32:36.62\00:32:41.36
where they did
not have much earth.
00:32:41.39\00:32:44.33
And they immediately sprang up
00:32:44.36\00:32:46.93
because they had
no depth of earth.
00:32:46.96\00:32:49.56
But when the sun was
up they were scorched,
00:32:49.60\00:32:53.90
and because they had no
root they withered away."
00:32:53.94\00:32:59.41
They withered
because they had no root.
00:32:59.44\00:33:01.34
Now this is a
very amazing category,
00:33:01.38\00:33:04.41
it says that when the
seeds fell on stony places
00:33:04.45\00:33:09.92
they immediately sprang up.
00:33:09.95\00:33:12.12
You know, when I
read this passage
00:33:12.15\00:33:13.49
I thought about people
that you meet for the first time
00:33:13.52\00:33:15.99
and they're enthusiastic,
00:33:16.02\00:33:17.63
they're excited about the world.
00:33:17.66\00:33:19.53
But one of the
reasons I give people time
00:33:19.56\00:33:21.23
to settle into the fellowship
00:33:21.26\00:33:23.13
is because when
people are excited,
00:33:23.16\00:33:25.70
some times it's the most
dangerous time in their walk,
00:33:25.73\00:33:29.60
even if it's the
beginning of their walk
00:33:29.64\00:33:31.17
because excitement is
not the right thermometer.
00:33:31.21\00:33:35.54
Excitement is not the test
00:33:35.58\00:33:37.51
of whether or not a person
is going to commit himself
00:33:37.55\00:33:39.85
or herself to the Lord.
00:33:39.88\00:33:41.22
They get excited for the moment.
00:33:41.25\00:33:42.72
And the world
that shown immediately,
00:33:42.75\00:33:45.89
it looks as though
00:33:45.92\00:33:47.26
it's producing
results right away.
00:33:47.29\00:33:49.66
And you see, it springs up.
00:33:49.69\00:33:51.53
There's some evidences that
what you said is taking roots,
00:33:51.56\00:33:54.23
and you get
excited, and you say,
00:33:54.26\00:33:55.80
"Wow, I preach one sermon,
00:33:55.83\00:33:57.20
that person gave
his life to the Lord,
00:33:57.23\00:33:58.73
that person asked for baptism,
00:33:58.77\00:34:00.10
that person wants
to join our church."
00:34:00.14\00:34:02.14
I have learned as
I've continued in pastoring
00:34:02.17\00:34:06.31
to give people time
to see whether or not
00:34:06.34\00:34:09.31
there are any roots
in their relationship.
00:34:09.34\00:34:13.72
Because something
happens to test whether or not,
00:34:13.75\00:34:17.95
the word of God
has found any roots.
00:34:17.99\00:34:20.86
Don't settle for surface
relationship, this tell us.
00:34:20.89\00:34:23.79
Don't neglect Bible study
00:34:23.83\00:34:25.16
and deep
searching of God's word.
00:34:25.19\00:34:27.26
Don't allow
difficulty to dictate
00:34:27.30\00:34:29.73
your dedication to God.
00:34:29.76\00:34:31.27
Don't look for
the sun to come up
00:34:31.30\00:34:33.10
as it shine from God
that He is always with you.
00:34:33.13\00:34:36.27
Don't await for
the trial to pass
00:34:36.30\00:34:39.31
before you commits
yourself to Christ,
00:34:39.34\00:34:41.14
because I tell you what,
00:34:41.18\00:34:44.55
a faith that is not
tried is not a reliable faith.
00:34:44.58\00:34:49.72
I think about that for a moment.
00:34:49.75\00:34:51.09
If you've not faced the trial,
00:34:51.12\00:34:52.79
if you've not
gone through difficulty
00:34:52.82\00:34:54.56
and be sustained...
00:34:54.59\00:34:56.59
As one person once said,
00:34:56.62\00:34:57.96
"When you get some
scars, come back and tell me
00:34:57.99\00:34:59.86
what and what not to do."
00:34:59.89\00:35:02.33
Some young preachers try
to dictate to the conferences,
00:35:02.36\00:35:05.03
into the church
into the leadership
00:35:05.07\00:35:06.40
what they ought to do,
00:35:06.43\00:35:07.77
one preacher of 45-years said,
00:35:07.80\00:35:09.27
"When you get some scars,
00:35:09.30\00:35:10.87
when you get some beatings
from your church members,
00:35:10.91\00:35:13.48
when you find difficulty
00:35:13.51\00:35:14.94
in administration in your church
00:35:14.98\00:35:16.71
then you come back and tell
me how to run the conference,
00:35:16.75\00:35:19.11
then you come back and tell
me how to guide this church."
00:35:19.15\00:35:22.05
There're some
people that are too quick
00:35:22.08\00:35:23.45
in their shallow relationships
to give direction to God.
00:35:23.49\00:35:26.65
But be very careful,
00:35:26.69\00:35:28.12
because the interpretation
of this passage is very clear.
00:35:28.16\00:35:30.83
Look at verse 20
and 21 in Mathew 13.
00:35:30.86\00:35:34.06
Its talking about the Christians
00:35:34.10\00:35:35.43
that does not endure
when difficulty comes.
00:35:35.46\00:35:39.63
Verse 20 of Mathew 13,
00:35:39.67\00:35:41.24
"But he who received
the seed on stony places,
00:35:41.27\00:35:46.64
this is he who hears the word
00:35:46.68\00:35:50.85
and immediately
receives it with joy."
00:35:50.88\00:35:54.88
That's the kind of
people that pastors like,
00:35:54.92\00:35:57.12
they get excited,
"Good sermon, Preacher."
00:35:57.15\00:36:00.36
But that all of
sudden, you can find them
00:36:00.39\00:36:02.32
and here's the
reason why, verse 21,
00:36:02.36\00:36:04.83
"Yet he has no root in himself,
00:36:04.86\00:36:06.66
yet he has no root in himself
00:36:06.70\00:36:09.36
but endures only for a while".
00:36:09.40\00:36:13.47
You'll see him...
00:36:13.50\00:36:14.84
Whatever happen
to Brother so and so?
00:36:14.87\00:36:16.20
Whatever happen to that family?
00:36:16.24\00:36:17.57
Whatever happen to that
individuals that came last week
00:36:17.61\00:36:20.11
that was all excited
about this new fellowship?
00:36:20.14\00:36:22.88
He endures only for a
while and here's the reason why?
00:36:22.91\00:36:27.18
"For when tribulation
and persecution arises,"
00:36:27.22\00:36:32.45
wow, watch this
00:36:32.49\00:36:35.12
"because of the word,
immediately he stumbles."
00:36:35.16\00:36:39.63
Some of the translations says,
00:36:39.66\00:36:41.13
"immediately he is
offended, he stumbles."
00:36:41.16\00:36:43.93
You know why?
00:36:43.97\00:36:45.30
Because when preach and all...
00:36:45.33\00:36:47.90
When you preach a message
00:36:47.94\00:36:49.27
that is only
saying, Jesus loves me,
00:36:49.30\00:36:51.51
this I know for
the Bible tells me so,
00:36:51.54\00:36:53.68
that's a beautiful,
that's an enduring message.
00:36:53.71\00:36:55.84
But the Lord didn't
say stop there, he said,
00:36:55.88\00:36:58.95
preach or teach, baptize,
00:36:58.98\00:37:01.62
and continue to
teach them to observe
00:37:01.65\00:37:03.72
all things that I
had commanded you.
00:37:03.75\00:37:05.89
There are some
people that accept
00:37:05.92\00:37:07.39
the elementary
message of Christianity,
00:37:07.42\00:37:09.86
the milk of the word.
00:37:09.89\00:37:11.96
But when it comes
down to meat of the word,
00:37:11.99\00:37:14.93
all of sudden they
don't want to digest that.
00:37:14.96\00:37:17.23
It's too
difficult, its too hard.
00:37:17.27\00:37:19.60
So we find preachers nowadays
00:37:19.63\00:37:21.14
that preach prosperity messages.
00:37:21.17\00:37:23.41
You can get yours,
you can have a financial,
00:37:23.44\00:37:25.47
strong financial future,
you can have a big house,
00:37:25.51\00:37:28.11
God can give you
what have you asked for.
00:37:28.14\00:37:29.81
And then, some time they say,
00:37:29.84\00:37:31.18
you don't have
what you asked for
00:37:31.21\00:37:32.55
because you don't
have enough faith.
00:37:32.58\00:37:33.92
That's shallows Christianity.
00:37:33.95\00:37:36.85
The Christianity
that endures persecution,
00:37:36.89\00:37:39.39
the Christianity that keeps
you strong through temptation
00:37:39.42\00:37:42.72
is not a shallow Christianity.
00:37:42.76\00:37:45.79
It has roots
that are way down deep
00:37:45.83\00:37:48.20
in the soul of God's word
and in the trust of God's word.
00:37:48.23\00:37:52.00
So what is our need?
00:37:52.03\00:37:53.54
We need roots in the words.
00:37:53.57\00:37:55.44
Amen to that.
00:37:55.47\00:37:56.81
We need roots in the word.
00:37:56.84\00:37:58.61
If we are
shallow we are in crises.
00:37:58.64\00:38:01.84
Some can't hang
on amidst the stuff
00:38:01.88\00:38:04.48
that Christian
development is made of.
00:38:04.51\00:38:07.15
I said to somebody
just a few days ago,
00:38:07.18\00:38:10.22
and I've been to many weddings,
00:38:10.25\00:38:12.85
I've officiated in weddings,
00:38:12.89\00:38:14.22
I've been to wedding receptions.
00:38:14.26\00:38:16.76
We celebrated
our 25th anniversary
00:38:16.79\00:38:18.29
a number of years ago
00:38:18.33\00:38:19.83
and I've walked into
some of the reception halls
00:38:19.86\00:38:22.23
and I see this
beautiful ice sculpture.
00:38:22.26\00:38:25.13
And sometimes it's a
swan or a dove or something,
00:38:25.17\00:38:28.47
some symbol of a
love, and ceremony,
00:38:28.50\00:38:31.31
and some symbol
of the great passion,
00:38:31.34\00:38:33.61
the wonderful
celebration of the event.
00:38:33.64\00:38:36.85
And people say, wow,
how beautiful that is.
00:38:36.88\00:38:40.12
Who did that?
00:38:40.15\00:38:41.48
It's so smooth and sculpted.
00:38:41.52\00:38:43.69
And then they try to
keep it on the bed of ice
00:38:43.72\00:38:46.15
so it doesn't
melt away too quickly.
00:38:46.19\00:38:49.22
But I often say to people,
you like the way that looks?
00:38:49.26\00:38:52.66
You should have seen it
when it was just a block of ice.
00:38:52.69\00:38:55.23
Hear me carefully,
00:38:55.26\00:38:56.60
you should have seen it
00:38:56.63\00:38:57.97
when it was just a block of ice,
00:38:58.00\00:38:59.33
you would not have envisioned
00:38:59.37\00:39:00.70
that something so beautiful
can come out of a block of ice.
00:39:00.74\00:39:04.01
Well, friends, here's the point,
00:39:04.04\00:39:05.94
when Jesus finds us,
00:39:05.97\00:39:07.31
when we are first
introduced to the word of God,
00:39:07.34\00:39:09.54
we are nothing
but a block of ice.
00:39:09.58\00:39:11.91
A big old square,
heavy, tongs on the side,
00:39:11.95\00:39:15.22
carried around,
dropped on the ground,
00:39:15.25\00:39:16.82
block of ice,
that's what we are.
00:39:16.85\00:39:19.35
But God begins the
process of chiseling,
00:39:19.39\00:39:22.82
of filing, of cutting
away, of hammering away
00:39:22.86\00:39:27.50
all the things that
do not resemble him.
00:39:27.53\00:39:32.53
And when the tribulation
comes through trials,
00:39:32.57\00:39:34.77
when the chiseling
comes through trials,
00:39:34.80\00:39:37.01
when the chiseling
comes through illness,
00:39:37.04\00:39:38.97
or loss of job, or
family falling apart.
00:39:39.01\00:39:42.14
Lot of people say
that, you know what,
00:39:42.18\00:39:44.45
if God can't keep me
through difficult time,
00:39:44.48\00:39:46.88
I don't want that kind of God.
00:39:46.92\00:39:48.25
You know, brothers and
sisters, the Lord said,
00:39:48.28\00:39:50.52
in the world you
will have tribulation.
00:39:50.55\00:39:52.75
As a matter of fact,
Jesus went through tribulation
00:39:52.79\00:39:55.42
and he came out victorious
00:39:55.46\00:39:57.63
because He had the purpose,
00:39:57.66\00:39:59.03
He had the connection
with his heavenly father.
00:39:59.06\00:40:01.06
The way that we can
survive the tribulation
00:40:01.10\00:40:03.20
and the
persecution of this life,
00:40:03.23\00:40:05.03
and come out on the
other side as a beautiful swan
00:40:05.07\00:40:07.67
through the trials, not
in the absence of trials.
00:40:07.70\00:40:11.57
In the furnace,
impurities are taken away,
00:40:11.61\00:40:15.18
in the lion's den our
faith is strengthened.
00:40:15.21\00:40:18.28
Not in the sunny days,
00:40:18.31\00:40:20.28
not in the warm beaches of life,
00:40:20.32\00:40:22.38
not in the
smooth white sand places
00:40:22.42\00:40:25.59
of the path of Christianity
00:40:25.62\00:40:27.52
but on the rugged
side of the mountain.
00:40:27.56\00:40:29.56
In the vehement rain
that'll beat your faith,
00:40:29.59\00:40:31.99
don't be a shallow
hearer of God's word.
00:40:32.03\00:40:37.07
If God were sending us,
00:40:37.10\00:40:39.87
he's only doing it to
get rid of the rough places.
00:40:39.90\00:40:42.94
You know, I thought about
the white shirt I have on,
00:40:42.97\00:40:45.94
and most of us
wear a white shirt.
00:40:45.97\00:40:47.48
But if a white
shirt can complain,
00:40:47.51\00:40:49.88
if the white
shirt can tell a story,
00:40:49.91\00:40:51.91
just imagine if the shirt
had feelings and experiences.
00:40:51.95\00:40:55.12
We would take this shirt off
00:40:55.15\00:40:56.48
after wearing
it and after soiled
00:40:56.52\00:40:58.02
and throw it in a washer
with hot water and detergent,
00:40:58.05\00:41:01.62
and the shirt would
say, what have I done
00:41:01.66\00:41:04.99
to be thrown
into such hot water,
00:41:05.03\00:41:07.40
and not only that,
they put stuff in here
00:41:07.43\00:41:09.06
and my eyes are burning me.
00:41:09.10\00:41:11.40
And then it's their
being agitated going through
00:41:11.43\00:41:14.74
the difficulty of its journey,
00:41:14.77\00:41:16.24
not even knowing for a moment
00:41:16.27\00:41:18.21
that that's the
process of purification,
00:41:18.24\00:41:20.08
that's the process of cleansing.
00:41:20.11\00:41:22.04
Then all of a
sudden the machine stops,
00:41:22.08\00:41:24.15
and then it
begins another cycle,
00:41:24.18\00:41:26.15
the rinse cycle,
00:41:26.18\00:41:27.98
and then some more added
into the washing machine,
00:41:28.02\00:41:30.15
then it gets into
the spinning cycle.
00:41:30.19\00:41:32.05
It's pinned to the
size of the washing machine
00:41:32.09\00:41:35.59
as the washer
machine attempts to bring out
00:41:35.62\00:41:39.09
every drop of impure
water contained in that shirt.
00:41:39.13\00:41:44.33
That's how the
Christian life is,
00:41:44.37\00:41:45.70
sometimes we're
pinned against the wall
00:41:45.73\00:41:47.27
and we're going through
cycles that we cannot control.
00:41:47.30\00:41:49.70
But when it's
done, I guarantee you,
00:41:49.74\00:41:51.81
if you hold onto
the Lord when it's done,
00:41:51.84\00:41:53.91
every impurity of
that present trial
00:41:53.94\00:41:56.75
will be removed from your life.
00:41:56.78\00:41:58.48
And then the shirt is
taken from the washing machine
00:41:58.51\00:42:00.28
and then it says, I am so glad
00:42:00.32\00:42:03.85
that I'm out of there,
00:42:03.89\00:42:05.22
only to be
thrown into the dryer.
00:42:05.25\00:42:07.59
The fire of
trials and temptations,
00:42:07.62\00:42:10.19
the fires that separate
us, the fires that try us.
00:42:10.23\00:42:14.30
And then finally, in
the heat of the battle
00:42:14.33\00:42:16.33
he is taken out only to say,
00:42:16.36\00:42:18.43
wow, I thought I'd
never survive that,
00:42:18.47\00:42:20.20
only to be pressed,
00:42:20.24\00:42:23.00
to be pressed on
the ironing board.
00:42:23.04\00:42:25.87
You know friends,
00:42:25.91\00:42:27.24
that's just like
the Christian life.
00:42:27.28\00:42:28.61
Because, when
the Lord comes back,
00:42:28.64\00:42:29.98
he's coming back for not
just to a purified church
00:42:30.01\00:42:32.61
but a church without spot
or wrinkle or any such thing.
00:42:32.65\00:42:36.92
Amen, somebody.
00:42:36.95\00:42:38.29
That's the kind of God,
that's the kind of condition
00:42:38.32\00:42:40.76
that we must be in
when the Lord comes back.
00:42:40.79\00:42:42.82
So, endure the trials, hang on,
00:42:42.86\00:42:46.03
Jesus is working
a work in your life.
00:42:46.06\00:42:49.06
Proverbs 30:5 says,
00:42:49.10\00:42:51.87
"Every word of God is pure;
00:42:51.90\00:42:53.80
he is a shield to those
who put their trust in him."
00:42:53.84\00:42:57.91
Just trust God,
it's gonna be tough,
00:42:57.94\00:43:00.38
but just trust God.
00:43:00.41\00:43:01.94
And that's why if
there is something
00:43:01.98\00:43:03.31
in the Bible that offends you,
00:43:03.35\00:43:05.51
what do you do? Do
you slam the Bible shut?
00:43:05.55\00:43:08.18
No, you don't do that.
00:43:08.22\00:43:09.55
You got to pray and ask the Lord
00:43:09.58\00:43:11.25
to soften your heart
that you can receive the word,
00:43:11.29\00:43:14.46
to soften your heart
because if it's stony,
00:43:14.49\00:43:17.53
it is nothing
wrong with the word,
00:43:17.56\00:43:19.19
there's nothing
wrong with the God's word,
00:43:19.23\00:43:20.63
it's the condition
of the human heart.
00:43:20.66\00:43:22.83
If there's some
teaching that you know is true
00:43:22.86\00:43:25.20
but you are having a
difficult time accepting it,
00:43:25.23\00:43:27.54
ask for the softening, presence,
00:43:27.57\00:43:30.81
and power of God's Holy Spirit.
00:43:30.84\00:43:34.28
Lot of people have
to give up old things
00:43:34.31\00:43:36.08
to accept new things,
00:43:36.11\00:43:37.45
lot of people have
to give up traditions
00:43:37.48\00:43:39.25
to accept the word of
God as their authority.
00:43:39.28\00:43:41.62
A lot of people are called out
of darkness of 20, 30, 40 years
00:43:41.65\00:43:46.09
into God's marvelous light
00:43:46.12\00:43:47.69
that they may only
live in for five years
00:43:47.72\00:43:49.66
before they're laid to rest.
00:43:49.69\00:43:51.03
Do it, because you're salvation
00:43:51.06\00:43:53.53
is dependent on
the decisions you make.
00:43:53.56\00:43:55.93
But you can't
make those decisions,
00:43:55.96\00:43:57.67
except, you ask for the
Lord to soften your heart.
00:43:57.70\00:44:01.10
If you are waiting
for hard times to pass
00:44:01.14\00:44:03.81
before giving
your life to the Lord,
00:44:03.84\00:44:05.24
I wanna tell you, friends,
00:44:05.27\00:44:06.61
don't wait for
the hard times to pass
00:44:06.64\00:44:08.04
because the devil
will make sure that
00:44:08.08\00:44:09.54
you never have a break.
00:44:09.58\00:44:11.81
There's some
people that say, Pastor,
00:44:11.85\00:44:13.82
I went through
difficulty this week,
00:44:13.85\00:44:15.38
I prayed, and that left,
00:44:15.42\00:44:16.75
and all of a sudden
my kids began to act up,
00:44:16.79\00:44:18.92
my car broke down,
my husband left me,
00:44:18.95\00:44:22.02
I got fired, I
got bitten by a dog,
00:44:22.06\00:44:24.89
my roof fell in, my
television stopped working,
00:44:24.93\00:44:27.13
my check bounced.
00:44:27.16\00:44:28.93
If the devil knows that you're
waiting for difficulty to pass
00:44:28.96\00:44:32.07
before you serve
God, it's not gonna pass.
00:44:32.10\00:44:34.54
Serve God in the storm,
00:44:34.57\00:44:36.84
only then can you
discover he can calm the waves,
00:44:36.87\00:44:40.14
he can cause the sea to hush,
and there'll be a great calm.
00:44:40.18\00:44:43.45
Trust God in your stony times.
00:44:43.48\00:44:46.31
Then there's a third
condition, the thorny hero.
00:44:46.35\00:44:49.98
Mathew 13:7, the Bible says,
00:44:50.02\00:44:53.92
"And some fell among thorns,
00:44:53.96\00:44:57.96
and the thorns
sprang up and choked them."
00:44:57.99\00:45:03.33
Thorns, what are thorns?
00:45:03.37\00:45:05.40
What on earth do
thorns represent,
00:45:05.43\00:45:09.27
now let me use the
rose as an example.
00:45:09.30\00:45:11.64
Some people say, I
have roses with thorns,
00:45:11.67\00:45:14.01
some people say, I
have thorns with roses.
00:45:14.04\00:45:16.21
You're interpretation
determines what you look at.
00:45:16.24\00:45:18.85
You can receive roses
from somebody and say,
00:45:18.88\00:45:21.58
you can receive roses
from somebody and say,
00:45:21.62\00:45:24.52
why did you give me thorns?
00:45:24.55\00:45:27.62
That's the focus of the mind.
00:45:27.66\00:45:29.79
Or you can
receive the roses and say,
00:45:29.82\00:45:31.83
I wish these beautiful roses
didn't have so many thorns.
00:45:31.86\00:45:36.00
What is that saying?
00:45:36.03\00:45:37.60
In the midst of
the successes of life,
00:45:37.63\00:45:39.40
they are going to be thorns.
00:45:39.43\00:45:40.90
In the midst of
the thorns of life,
00:45:40.94\00:45:42.64
they're gonna
be beautiful things
00:45:42.67\00:45:44.01
that you can focus on.
00:45:44.04\00:45:45.37
But it is all about your focus.
00:45:45.41\00:45:47.14
Sometimes, in the
difficult places of our lives,
00:45:47.18\00:45:50.28
the challenges of our
lives try us at our utmost
00:45:50.31\00:45:54.25
but what does
the thorns represent?
00:45:54.28\00:45:56.75
What do they represent?
00:45:56.79\00:45:58.25
Mathew 13:22, look at this,
00:45:58.29\00:46:00.76
Mathew 13:22,
00:46:00.79\00:46:04.73
"Now he who received
seed among the thorns
00:46:04.76\00:46:08.33
is he who hears the word,"
00:46:08.36\00:46:11.43
he heard it but
look what happens,
00:46:11.47\00:46:15.44
"and the cares of this world
00:46:15.47\00:46:18.51
and the deceitfulness
of riches choke the word,
00:46:18.54\00:46:23.58
and he becomes unfruitful."
00:46:23.61\00:46:26.68
The cares of this world,
00:46:26.72\00:46:29.35
the deceitfulness of
riches choke the word.
00:46:29.38\00:46:33.39
The cares of this
world, let me tell you,
00:46:33.42\00:46:35.16
let's talk about the
cares of the world very quickly,
00:46:35.19\00:46:37.13
the cares of this world.
00:46:37.16\00:46:41.26
In the armor of God,
the whole armor of God,
00:46:41.30\00:46:43.53
the helmet of salvation,
00:46:43.57\00:46:44.90
the breastplate
of righteousness,
00:46:44.93\00:46:46.27
the feet shod with
the gospel of peace.
00:46:46.30\00:46:48.50
All the elements
of the armor of God,
00:46:48.54\00:46:50.94
the Christian armor
are of our defensive.
00:46:50.97\00:46:54.04
The only one that's
offensive is the word of God,
00:46:54.08\00:46:56.11
the only one that
we can trust to be
00:46:56.14\00:46:57.85
our point of
defense in the battle
00:46:57.88\00:46:59.21
is the word of God.
00:46:59.25\00:47:00.58
It's the two-edged sword.
00:47:00.62\00:47:02.05
The devil knows that you
can have on the entire armor
00:47:02.08\00:47:05.75
but you don't
submit, or study, or live by,
00:47:05.79\00:47:09.96
or imbibe, or digest, or
spend time in God's word,
00:47:09.99\00:47:14.13
he knows that you
are no match for him,
00:47:14.16\00:47:17.07
when the cares of this world
00:47:17.10\00:47:19.67
begin to knock on your door.
00:47:19.70\00:47:22.70
Somebody once said,
I think my good pastor,
00:47:22.74\00:47:24.71
Pastor CA said, if you've
never been through trials,
00:47:24.74\00:47:27.68
just wait, they're coming.
00:47:27.71\00:47:29.71
They'll never say,
I don't have trials.
00:47:29.74\00:47:31.31
Matter of fact,
another preacher said,
00:47:31.35\00:47:33.62
I'm always
concerned about Christians
00:47:33.65\00:47:35.48
that say they don't have trials.
00:47:35.52\00:47:36.85
It may be that they're
not with the kind of life
00:47:36.89\00:47:39.09
that is even a
threat to the enemy,
00:47:39.12\00:47:41.32
because the Bible does say,
00:47:41.36\00:47:43.06
all that will live
godly in Christ Jesus,
00:47:43.09\00:47:45.39
together with me
shall suffer persecution.
00:47:45.43\00:47:49.16
But the reason why some
people are not persecuted
00:47:49.20\00:47:50.93
is because there's no,
they're no threat to the enemy.
00:47:50.97\00:47:54.04
The enemy is not afraid of
them because they have nothing
00:47:54.07\00:47:57.91
to bring fear to his kingdom.
00:47:57.94\00:48:00.21
That's why you don't,
00:48:00.24\00:48:02.08
don't waste your time
looking at successful people.
00:48:02.11\00:48:05.71
There's a young
man in the Bible,
00:48:05.75\00:48:08.08
they had a difficult time
at the success of the wicked,
00:48:08.12\00:48:10.95
he said, there is
no pain in their death,
00:48:10.99\00:48:13.32
their eyes
bulged with abundance.
00:48:13.36\00:48:15.96
Even in their
sorrow, there is joy.
00:48:15.99\00:48:20.93
Young man's name was Esa.
00:48:20.96\00:48:23.23
He said, Lord, when
I tried to comprehend
00:48:23.26\00:48:26.94
what they go through, I
just could not understand it.
00:48:26.97\00:48:31.47
Why does it seem as
though the wicked prosper
00:48:31.51\00:48:34.54
and the righteous struggle?
00:48:34.58\00:48:36.58
Well, that's not true.
00:48:36.61\00:48:37.95
The Bible says, David said,
00:48:37.98\00:48:40.58
I was young and now I am old.
00:48:40.62\00:48:43.92
I've never seen
the righteous forsaken
00:48:43.95\00:48:46.35
nor his seed begging for bread.
00:48:46.39\00:48:48.16
So don't believe that idea
that the righteous struggle, no.
00:48:48.19\00:48:51.19
we may not have
a 35-acre property
00:48:51.23\00:48:55.53
or a house with
nine rooms in it,
00:48:55.56\00:48:57.77
but we don't
struggle, we won't struggle.
00:48:57.80\00:49:00.40
The Lord says, I will
never allow my children
00:49:00.44\00:49:03.64
to go without provision.
00:49:03.67\00:49:05.34
That's why the Bible says,
00:49:05.37\00:49:06.71
if we ask for a fish,
will the Lord give us a stone?
00:49:06.74\00:49:10.45
So if we being evil give
good gifts to our children,
00:49:10.48\00:49:13.42
how much more will our
heavenly father give to us,
00:49:13.45\00:49:16.92
the Holy Spirit, if we ask?
00:49:16.95\00:49:18.85
But there will be come
thorny times in your life,
00:49:18.89\00:49:21.59
those thorny times will come.
00:49:21.62\00:49:23.63
That's why,
friends, listen to my advice.
00:49:23.66\00:49:27.16
Don't serve God for what
you think he'll give to you.
00:49:27.20\00:49:31.60
That's a
supermarket relationship.
00:49:31.63\00:49:34.74
Don't serve God
as your promoter,
00:49:34.77\00:49:38.07
you are his promoter.
00:49:38.11\00:49:40.11
God will not exalt
you, you exalt him.
00:49:40.14\00:49:43.35
If you're
humble, he'll exalt you
00:49:43.38\00:49:45.05
but not for your
glory but for his.
00:49:45.08\00:49:47.32
Don't think of Christianity
as a road to riches,
00:49:47.35\00:49:50.72
Christianity is a
road to eternal life.
00:49:50.75\00:49:53.66
And the Bible says,
00:49:53.69\00:49:55.02
there's a broad road
and there's a narrow road.
00:49:55.06\00:49:57.93
Some Christians get on
the road of Christianity
00:49:57.96\00:50:01.43
but they're looking for
a different destination.
00:50:01.46\00:50:03.93
And so they come to church
to see what God can give them,
00:50:03.97\00:50:06.67
what the church can give them,
00:50:06.70\00:50:08.04
what kind of
success they can have,
00:50:08.07\00:50:10.84
what kind of
position they can have,
00:50:10.87\00:50:12.47
what kind of
recognition they can have.
00:50:12.51\00:50:14.14
Don't serve God
for personal gain.
00:50:14.18\00:50:17.61
And one more thing, though,
00:50:17.65\00:50:19.35
don't give the devil more
press than he already has.
00:50:19.38\00:50:23.79
Somewhere along the way
00:50:23.82\00:50:25.15
in our difficult
journeys of life,
00:50:25.19\00:50:27.32
the shallow ground,
00:50:27.36\00:50:28.82
the stony ground,
the thorny ground,
00:50:28.86\00:50:30.86
somewhere along the way
we've got to blame the devil
00:50:30.89\00:50:33.96
for what he really
is responsible for.
00:50:34.00\00:50:36.43
Don't call God,
the one blesses us
00:50:36.46\00:50:39.43
and don't turn on God
and begin to curse Him
00:50:39.47\00:50:42.34
when things begin to turn.
00:50:42.37\00:50:44.41
He'll allow it
just to test your faith
00:50:44.44\00:50:46.37
but God does not use evil
to reveal his righteousness.
00:50:46.41\00:50:50.81
But there's one last
condition, the good ground.
00:50:50.85\00:50:54.55
Mathew 13:8, the good ground,
00:50:54.58\00:50:58.52
"But others fell on good ground,
00:50:58.55\00:51:01.09
and yielded a crop,
00:51:01.12\00:51:02.92
some a hundred fold,
some sixty, and some thirty."
00:51:02.96\00:51:07.60
Oh, I like this part.
00:51:07.63\00:51:08.96
You know, the beauty
about this is amazing.
00:51:09.00\00:51:11.70
The beauty about this is,
00:51:11.73\00:51:13.64
when you let the word
of God work in your life,
00:51:13.67\00:51:17.21
and I want to just
say this, I'm a living,
00:51:17.24\00:51:19.47
breathing
example of this passage.
00:51:19.51\00:51:21.61
When you allow the word of
God to sink in to your heart,
00:51:21.64\00:51:25.75
you will never
even begin to fathom
00:51:25.78\00:51:28.48
the things that God will
bring forth in your life.
00:51:28.52\00:51:32.09
When I was back
in New York city,
00:51:32.12\00:51:33.46
back in the '70s and '80s,
disc jockeying, and partying,
00:51:33.49\00:51:36.86
I had no clue
that God would bless me
00:51:36.89\00:51:39.73
in the way he did.
00:51:39.76\00:51:41.10
That God would give
me this kind of platform,
00:51:41.13\00:51:43.43
praise his name for the
glory that belongs to Him alone.
00:51:43.47\00:51:46.80
That God will say,
John, I'm going to allow you
00:51:46.84\00:51:49.54
not to be locked
into some dark room
00:51:49.57\00:51:51.34
somewhere in
Broadway in New York city,
00:51:51.37\00:51:53.44
but I want you to stand
on the stages of the world,
00:51:53.48\00:51:55.94
but I'll only put you
there to exalt Jesus Christ,
00:51:55.98\00:51:59.48
thirty fold, sixty
fold, a hundred fold.
00:51:59.51\00:52:02.08
And you know what, friends,
00:52:02.12\00:52:03.45
when you give
your life to the Lord,
00:52:03.49\00:52:04.82
you will never know the
impact of your ministry.
00:52:04.85\00:52:07.46
You'll never know how
many people are blessed
00:52:07.49\00:52:09.79
until you make it
to the kingdom on day,
00:52:09.82\00:52:11.56
sixty fold, thirty
fold, a hundred fold.
00:52:11.59\00:52:14.53
You'll never
know how many people
00:52:14.56\00:52:16.97
have found hope,
and found courage,
00:52:17.00\00:52:18.93
and found grace.
00:52:18.97\00:52:20.84
That's why when you serve God,
00:52:20.87\00:52:23.20
don't make the mistake to
wait for God to serve you.
00:52:23.24\00:52:26.51
Seek to give to the Lord,
not just to take from the Lord.
00:52:26.54\00:52:30.45
Don't just seek to
be added to the kingdom
00:52:30.48\00:52:33.48
but seek to add to the kingdom.
00:52:33.52\00:52:36.18
Understand that the seed
that is planted is the seed
00:52:36.22\00:52:39.52
that will produce a harvest.
00:52:39.55\00:52:41.72
If you do what God
has called you to do,
00:52:41.76\00:52:44.23
you won't be stony,
you won't be shallow,
00:52:44.26\00:52:46.73
you won't be thorny,
but you'll be good ground.
00:52:46.76\00:52:49.26
And what made the difference?
00:52:49.30\00:52:50.73
What made the difference?
00:52:50.77\00:52:53.03
The person that received
the seed on good ground,
00:52:53.07\00:52:57.17
there was no
difference in the seed.
00:52:57.21\00:52:59.31
You know, if you
read the Bible today,
00:52:59.34\00:53:00.68
it's gonna say the
same thing tomorrow.
00:53:00.71\00:53:02.28
If you put the
Bible down for five years,
00:53:02.31\00:53:03.98
it's gonna say the same thing
00:53:04.01\00:53:05.58
when you pick it
up five years later.
00:53:05.61\00:53:07.35
If you put the Bible on
the shelf to collect dust,
00:53:07.38\00:53:09.68
when you take it
off and dust it off,
00:53:09.72\00:53:11.12
it's gonna say the same thing.
00:53:11.15\00:53:12.82
What made the difference?
00:53:12.85\00:53:14.32
The condition of the heart,
00:53:14.36\00:53:16.36
the crisis is not in God's word,
00:53:16.39\00:53:18.56
the crisis is not in
what God has written,
00:53:18.59\00:53:20.73
the crisis is not in the
interpretation of the Bible,
00:53:20.76\00:53:23.93
the crisis is in the
condition of the human heart.
00:53:23.97\00:53:27.17
You don't want to be stony,
00:53:27.20\00:53:28.64
you don't want to be shallow,
00:53:28.67\00:53:30.07
you don't want
to have the thorns
00:53:30.11\00:53:31.44
because of the
focus of your life,
00:53:31.47\00:53:32.87
riches, and materialism,
and fame, and fortune.
00:53:32.91\00:53:35.68
You don't want
those things to choke out
00:53:35.71\00:53:37.41
the life that God is
trying to place within you.
00:53:37.45\00:53:40.02
You want to be good ground.
00:53:40.05\00:53:41.38
And good ground,
don't miss this part,
00:53:41.42\00:53:44.29
good ground takes
time to cultivate.
00:53:44.32\00:53:47.19
Good ground takes
time to cultivate.
00:53:47.22\00:53:50.26
There's a season of planting,
00:53:50.29\00:53:51.86
then there's a
season of harvest,
00:53:51.89\00:53:53.90
there's the rainy
season, there's the dry season.
00:53:53.93\00:53:57.20
You'll never know
how good the ground is
00:53:57.23\00:53:59.93
unless you allow the
Lord to dig out all the thorns
00:53:59.97\00:54:03.04
that can prevent you
from being a mature Christian,
00:54:03.07\00:54:06.41
to dig out all the circumstances
00:54:06.44\00:54:07.98
that can choke off the word,
00:54:08.01\00:54:09.34
to spare you from
the desire for riches,
00:54:09.38\00:54:11.85
and wealth, and
fame, and fortune.
00:54:11.88\00:54:13.58
If that's your focus,
00:54:13.62\00:54:14.95
you're going
down the wrong road.
00:54:14.98\00:54:16.69
If that's your desire
then the seed is not producing
00:54:16.72\00:54:20.69
what God knows it could,
not because the seed is changed
00:54:20.72\00:54:23.83
but because your
heart is not right.
00:54:23.86\00:54:25.86
You wanna be a good ground hero,
00:54:25.89\00:54:27.93
you wanna
produce some good crop.
00:54:27.96\00:54:30.03
And the good crop is because
the Lord is in there, working.
00:54:30.07\00:54:34.37
He's in there tilling the soil,
00:54:34.40\00:54:36.17
he's cutting away
anything from your life
00:54:36.20\00:54:38.61
that may hinder your growth.
00:54:38.64\00:54:39.97
And sometimes you know that,
sometimes you experience that,
00:54:40.01\00:54:43.38
sometimes you wonder,
00:54:43.41\00:54:44.85
why is it that the
desire that I used have,
00:54:44.88\00:54:47.25
I no longer have.
00:54:47.28\00:54:48.62
You know why, friends,
00:54:48.65\00:54:49.98
because God took away the desire
00:54:50.02\00:54:51.35
because it hinders
the growth of his word.
00:54:51.39\00:54:54.16
That's why Mathew
13:23 gives us a further
00:54:54.19\00:54:57.66
understanding of this beautiful,
00:54:57.69\00:54:59.69
final condition
of the human heart,
00:54:59.73\00:55:02.50
"But he who received
seed on the good ground
00:55:02.53\00:55:05.30
is he who hears the
word and understands it,
00:55:05.33\00:55:10.41
who indeed bears
fruit and produces,
00:55:10.44\00:55:14.81
some a hundredfold,
some thirty, some sixty. "
00:55:14.84\00:55:19.98
Some a hundredfold,
some sixty, and some thirty.
00:55:20.02\00:55:23.45
Here's the other point
00:55:23.49\00:55:24.82
I want to bring
out very carefully,
00:55:24.85\00:55:26.19
is don't be concerned
00:55:26.22\00:55:27.56
if somebody's
producing more than you,
00:55:27.59\00:55:30.56
because God will
bring forth from your life
00:55:30.59\00:55:32.76
exactly what he knows
00:55:32.79\00:55:34.36
you are capable of
yielding, the harvest.
00:55:34.40\00:55:37.20
You may have a humble position,
00:55:37.23\00:55:38.83
that's what God has placed you.
00:55:38.87\00:55:40.84
Grow there, produce fruit there,
00:55:40.87\00:55:43.14
allow your light to shine there.
00:55:43.17\00:55:45.81
Don't contend with those
that may have more ground,
00:55:45.84\00:55:49.61
and more fertile
soil, and more abilities.
00:55:49.64\00:55:52.15
God chooses what seed to sow,
00:55:52.18\00:55:54.88
God also determines
the outcome of the harvest.
00:55:54.92\00:55:58.25
You may only be able
to handle a thirty fold,
00:55:58.29\00:56:01.16
praise the Lord
for the thirty fold.
00:56:01.19\00:56:03.22
So you to pray the prayer.
00:56:03.26\00:56:04.76
What's the prayer?
00:56:04.79\00:56:06.13
To make sure that your
heart is in the right place.
00:56:06.16\00:56:07.56
What's the prayer?
00:56:07.60\00:56:08.93
To make sure that
God has done for you
00:56:08.96\00:56:10.70
what he intend to do for you.
00:56:10.73\00:56:12.83
Pray the prayer of
David, the Psalmist.
00:56:12.87\00:56:14.70
Psalm 51:10, to be good ground,
00:56:14.74\00:56:17.37
you got to pray the
prayer and you gotta mean it,
00:56:17.41\00:56:19.17
"Create in me a
clean heart, O God,
00:56:19.21\00:56:21.34
and renew a right
spirit within me."
00:56:21.38\00:56:24.45
Pray that
prayer, pray that prayer,
00:56:24.48\00:56:27.25
make sure that
you are giving God
00:56:27.28\00:56:29.38
all that God desires.
00:56:29.42\00:56:31.75
I remember a story
written by Robert C Shanon,
00:56:31.79\00:56:34.26
in a book entitled
A Thousand Windows.
00:56:34.29\00:56:36.12
He said this,
00:56:36.16\00:56:37.49
"A French soldier who had
served the Napoleon's army,
00:56:37.53\00:56:39.86
lay dying on the
ground, wounded in the battle.
00:56:39.89\00:56:43.77
As they probed
his shattered ribs
00:56:43.80\00:56:45.67
to find the fatal bullet,
00:56:45.70\00:56:47.20
he said, he
said," this is powerful,
00:56:47.24\00:56:49.87
"'If you dig deeper,
you'll find the emperor.'
00:56:49.90\00:56:54.84
" Friends, here's the
point, if we dig deep enough,
00:56:54.88\00:56:57.88
would we find
Christ in your heart?
00:56:57.91\00:56:59.98
That's the question
I leave with you today.
00:57:00.02\00:57:03.12
If somebody digged into
the depth of your heart,
00:57:03.15\00:57:05.95
would they find the
emperor, the king, Christ Jesus?
00:57:05.99\00:57:09.56
Make that your
desire, make that your aim.
00:57:09.59\00:57:12.79
Lord, I give you my entire life,
00:57:12.83\00:57:15.23
remove from it
anything that hinders my growth
00:57:15.26\00:57:17.73
because my only desire
is that Jesus Christ is seen
00:57:17.77\00:57:22.00
and the harvest you
desire for me would be produced.
00:57:22.04\00:57:25.01
God will bless you
00:57:25.04\00:57:26.37
if you yield
your life to the Lord.
00:57:26.41\00:57:27.91