Fruitful

When you look at the story of the parable is exactly have become hardhearted good that you actually saved, if you can look at this and say I've allowed the trials of Mark of life to choke out the gospel.

Well, allow the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches to take over the fruits from a life that is not you again see yourself there and you sit back and say well you know my life has been taught often but your God knows my heart I feel for you. What needs to happen this morning is no worry about where you can eat and and what's gonna happen next for the day you need to get say the greatest thing you can do it. I begged you this morning. Do not walk out of this place because this may be the only chance you will have to hear the gospel, you lost, you are lost and you are deluded and so grandma somewhere or some preacher has told you it's all right God get you in. No matter what. And tonight, in this morning what needs to happen is for you to realize God I'm not in the story, nowhere there.

There is no conviction of the Holy Spirit. There's nothing happening in my heart it's empty cry out with a simple prayer God you just heard a portion of coming titled fruitful Pastor Albert on show, your church is in North Carolina at Clearview. Our focus is on making Christ visible worship, serve to the way we love one another. Come check us out at 3485 Oxford Rd. in Henderson or visit us online@clearviewbc.org join us for the rest of this week's message. I believe God were to come into this world and pick up an occupation probably be Jesus use that as an analogy he used it to describe how he goes about and he preaches the gospel and he used the analogy of a sore going out to so and really is a farmer going out to so and the seed of course is the gospel in the soil is the heart and the nature of the soil, the nature of the heart decides whether or not that seed will take root in time, bear fruit in this morning. Our message is called fruitful that word is actually in that parable talking about bearing fruit in the seed that was planted in a good soil so if you have your Bibles with you, turn to Matthew chapter 13 starting in verse three and let's all stand once again as we read this parable together. Then he, meaning Jesus spoke many things to them in parables, saying, behold, a sore or a farmer went out to so and as he sold some seed fell by the wayside and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth. If you go to Israel me if you have gone with me and you will see the landscape littered with stones is just just the way maybe it was a volcano. Centuries and millennia ago and so maybe is dust.

Maybe it's the movement of people, but dirt gets kicked on these stones and it looks like is green grass. What is really not if you go 1 inch deep.

Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth and immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.

But when the sun was up, they were scorched because they had no root and it withered away verse seven. Some fell among thorns and the thorns sprang up and choked them, but others fell on good ground and yielded a crop.

Some a hundredfold, some 60s some 30 and wants to read verse nine.

Together, he who has years to hear that them here question before we pray is what kind of a soil is your heart is your life bearing fruit.

I'm is there visible fruit. I can be a fruit inspector in your life but would you classify yourself as a Christian. If you had to judge your own self is your life bearing fruit worthy of the gospel. Do you have ears to hear, which means the understand the message what it means to have a ground, a heart that is actually fruitful for the kingdom of God. Do you have ears to hear, but as you can get it if you don't seem to.

If that seed is not taking root than what needs to happen is that soil has to be tailed has to be plowed so that the gospel can come to you for the very first time. I believe sitting here this morning there people, good people, churchgoing people, people been baptized. People have been part church all their lives they have a lineage. They have a genealogy work parents and grandparents were active in church, but you yourself are lost and God brought you here God brought you here to save you the ~soil the place to begin is to invite Jesus Christ to come into your life, you need to know all the theology and doctrine, but the place to begin is to say Jesus I need you to come into my life.

I need you to forgive me of my sins, and most importantly, I need you take over if you never prayed that prayer do it right now. I know it becomes a cliché that I see it every time. But listen, the Holy Spirit is telling me to do that which me there someone here who still lost the before we dive in and start exploring the parable of the sore. We need to once again clarify the reason why Jesus preached in parables again. If you remember last weekend's message.

We tend to think that parables are stories that Jesus gave to make his message clearer.

Just like I do sometimes as I'm preaching Ozzie for example, and I'll tell you a story that's not true. Altogether, parables were much more than stories given to make a point.

Parables were used by the prophets to confirm the people of God, and to expose the true condition of their hearts. Parables are like a mirror. I'm in what you would do with a mirror this morning when he woke up. I'm sure you went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror while you do that to see how much work you have ahead of you right you look at your shoes on taking this much time whatever whatever. Nobody ever got up in the morning and said will look at that look at this mirror. What how much problem. This mirror has you know, I wonder what this mirror has been up to all day. Is that what you do when you see a mirror know you get busy looking at yourself. You look in the mirror and say I wonder. I wonder what Ronnie looks like in this mirror know of course not. Your busy looking at your own self. What do I look like in that mirror. So when you come to parables. The question is not what does it really mean or even I wonder who this is for. It's about you. You have to see the condition of your own hearts. When we come to the parables. The question should be, wonder, listen, I wonder which character I am playing in the story. If you do that you will see yourself even more.

If you don't you will see yourself at all. So with that in mind, let's look at the parable of the sore to start with its known as a foundational problem. The parable someone said is the parable about parables. In other words, the parable of the sore is the guide to all the parables that Jesus gave on the surface is very simple. I mean how simpler can you get there is one sore one farmer there is one seed or seeds for different kinds of soil of only one bears fruit. So I got it as very simple.

When you're sitting there listening to Pastor Shaw preach what kind of a soil are you are you the hardhearted are you that horny are you the stony ground are you the good ground is all comes down to you know how is your heart and wait wait get a backup and look at a little bit more carefully what you realize is that is deeper than you think. Celeste look at it, let's look at each element in this story, starting with the sore who is the sore God himself right.

Jesus. Jesus is the sore but let me also add this or any of us who is out there sharing the gospel of Jesus. We are the sole.

What is the seat the cedars the word of God or the word of the kingdom, i.e., which is the gospel of the kingdom. So the farmer the sore is Jesus or anybody who's going in his authority to share the gospel. The seed is the gospel where the different kinds of soil. You have four different kinds. You have the wayside you have the stony ground, you have the pony ground and then the good ground. There is no problem identifying the first and the last soil. What is the first one. The wayside no problem identifying the wayside. I mean, that's pretty much a done deal.

We know those are the Sadducees, the Pharisees and scribes who is the good ground. The last soil over here. Those are the disciples, the ones who actually receive the gospel, by the way, did you notice and ask the other services to that's in green that's in black joke anybody else appreciate that as growth, nothing happens gold and get it outgunned me to it out more things like that make me very happy.

So the first soil is the wayside.

Listen to verse 19 when anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not what's the word understand the word is Cindy Amy in Greek, which is much more than just comprehend it's about reception and actually define like to have an intelligent grasp of something that challenges one's thinking or practice is not just that I get it. It's about I'm going to act on it is the wayside. What happens this of this with anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it been the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. The wayside is is still you can see around the farms around here anywhere in the world for that matter, that that the plot of ground ground where people have walked for years and years and tractors have gone on it in the dirt has been packed down. Okay, the dirt has impact on it is a hard ground. Nothing grows on it debating a little grass in the weeds here and there but overall nothing happens. It represents the hearts of the religious leaders, the Pharisees, when we talked about them describes the Sadducees, their hearts had become hardened because of tradition, centuries of traditions going back and forth and wagons of rituals going back and forth that hard, had become hardened. The gospel just lay on it, but it did not penetrate and what happened while the gospel lay on it. Satan was pursed up nearby and he was waiting for the opportune time to swoop in and he snatched away the gospel. That's the hard hearted ground are they going to heaven are the saved are they lost their lost. This is the lost ground. They're not saved.

The gospel never got in the heart was too hard and I believe there might be people sitting here this morning. I'm not talking to the atheists.

I'm not talking to the Muslims or Hindus on talking to people who have been in charge, but the heart has become part down by rituals and traditions. There is no need for Christ.

There is no gospel were tragic's surprise, on the other side to know that you are so close, so close to the farm so close to the field and yet so lost is the hardhearted ground and only the Holy Spirit can open that ground unless you open your heart to Christ is gonna stay where it is so close and yet so far.

But what is the force soil.

This is the good ground listen to verse 23, it says, but he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and what's the next word and machines they act upon it. These are people who are disciples of Jesus are the lost. What are they there say, of course, there say that these are saved people what to say about them. They bear fruit. Some hundred, some 60, in some 30 means means the quantity may vary, but they are really there will be fruit. I want to make a statement.

I hope I really connect with some of you the statement as this. I am not a fruit inspector.

But if you truly know Jesus Christ as your Savior. If the gospel has really penetrated your heart. There will be fruit. It may not even be 30, but there will be fruit, no fruit, no salvation, we are getting this if there is no fruit there is no salvation, stop fooling yourself and everyone challenge people stopped signing off on someone else's spiritual destiny.

Stop sending nearby to heaven, be very careful about that. You have to answer for that. On the other side be very very careful so here you have lost Bill you have saved no problem, we get how can the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the scribes get to heaven. They rejected God. The gospel never penetrated lost we get it about those people saved different levels of fruits but say no problem except for the second and the third kind of soil whose a second one, the stony ground the stony ground who is in the stony ground well for that.

Let's see what Jesus explains in in Matthew chapter 13 in verse 20 it says but he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy and yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while bourbon tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he was the word stumbles limited that the that stony ground because the there is a little layer of dirt that does seed goes, it penetrates and begins to take hold. But persecution tribulation comes in its over who was the third ground. Let's talk about that before we come back to this one. This is the thorny ground that heard kind of soil will Jesus tells us exactly who this person is in Matthew 13 in verse 21. I'm sorry. Verse 22 now he who received seed among the poems is he who hears the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. Now some people have tried to identify these two soils, which I'm talking about the second and the third kind as the immature Christians. The carnal Christians the baby Christians you know that they'll come to me is is him that I that ration out.

None of us are perfect. Now you know I mean I try to walk with the Lord your you know how much you your Europe era town here, and so on.

So I know I know they did their way way down over their body.

What you can judge you can judge nobody never know what's going on the hard do you okay okay and so the date the what they want to do is some they want to send them often to heaven.

So, in a deal say things like, you know, we need to be like the force soil. I get it, but sometimes of the world gets the best of us, the world, you know tribulation trials in life, you have no idea how how would that person's been through so this all right here. There been some tough times and but I know God understands over the term ground it will say something like you know it is the flesh sometimes the flesh gets in the way that's all is the flesh and so based on this thinking. Now we have four kinds of people when it comes to the gospel. Of course you have the lost.

We know they're not going anywhere right there.

Everybody agreed on that gospel never got in bed not going anywhere. This right here.

We know that there on the way to heaven there saved about these two middle categories well there more like sort lost that preacher that there's a sort lost, this one right here. They are sorta saved.

This right here is where Hitler, bin Laden, all the terrorist all the bad folks to do ugly things to women and children. They all go in this group right here so this is better.

This right here is where Billy Graham and all those people sit here hear what we gonna do is big enough send him all into heaven, but they can be that bad. I mean of course we need to get here but it's not that bad after all, God grades on a curve.

Does any yellowing talk about curve it in school or in college, you know, everybody makes below 70 so the professor or the teacher says you know what to do. I'm an attack on 20 points to the to the highest students of that with a 70 becomes 90 and the 50 become 70 and the 40 becomes a 60 everybody pass only problem is if we brothers the smart Alec kids you know make 98 messes up for anybody else is only at two points. The 40 is still stuck at 42 that messes everything up but you know God sorta grades on a bell curve where in the end God is get on and everybody not you group your jaw have the hardhearted ground you not going anywhere. This Google hears all good I were laughing about this post, but this is how people think. I wish that were true. I actually wish it would work this way. Would you like to know who says it doesn't Jesus listen to what Jesus said in the same parable listen very carefully. Matthew 13 in verse 10 of the disciples came to him and said to him, why do you speak to them in parables, listen to what he answered. It's on the screen. He answered and said to them, because it has been given to you. Who is the you the disciples and has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given are I get it I get it. So if you are really a disciple you go to get more used to grow supernaturally spiritually is to grow by leaps and bounds. Well, wait one second verse 12 for whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance, but whoever does not have your with me, even what he has will be taken away from him. God is not great on a curve. God does not say all you got a little bit. I just give a little extra. Go on in.

Do you know if any farmer who who who get seven the morning harvest time and says man there's no crops but guess what. On the way Asaf saw a few weeds over there that's graded last for about two minutes and it was gone and then overhear the pause I saw some crops, but it was choked out many was a great year. Great year. Now you was a horrible year right Dale was a horrible year I wanted crops underpay males folks. How in the world to be think this group and this group is also included.

Somehow God's going to get them all in Jesus himself says that he who does not have that do not have, even what they have is taken away from them. So how do we solve this problem when exactly did Jesus mean we have four groups of people are only two I believe only to those lost in the saved but in the church. We have made for different groups where here is the answer. Go back to the mirror analogy, remember the mirror. How do you know whether or not you belong as a disciple if you can see, listen carefully. If you can see that it's you and you are willing to change that.

It's not you. If you can see that it's you and you are willing to change that is not you.

If you cannot see that it's you that it's you and I can see for you and you can see for me when you look at the story of the parentless exactly. I have become hardhearted good that you actually saved, if you can look at this and say I've allowed the trials of Mark of life to choke out the gospel Rob allow the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches to take over the fruits for my life and it's not you, but if you can see yourself there and you sit back and say well you know my life has been taught often but your God knows my heart, I fear for you. What needs to happen this morning is no worry about where you go to Eaton and what's gonna happen next for the day you need to get saved.

The greatest thing you can do it. I begged you this morning. Do not walk out of this place because this may be the only chance you will have to hear the gospel your lost you are lost and you are deluded and some grandma somewhere some preacher has told you it's all right God get you in. No matter what. Enter night and this morning what needs to happen is for you to realize God I'm not in the story come nowhere there. There is no conviction of the Holy Spirit. There's nothing happening in my heart it's empty when he cried out with a simple prayer God will save you has your heart become hard to worsen things of God. I'm talking the saved are you willing to let Christ's often with his grace and with his mercy has a set of trials and tribulation been beating down on you. You see how shallow you are in the gospel. How shallow is good that people come to me sometimes that you know him the more I hear the more realize how much I don't know post and I lost they're not the stony ground because they won't have any conviction is the fact that they see themselves as stony tells us that they are not there. Hear the good soil didn't want to be like this and I tell them of the year. Look, everybody has to grow. It is great that you recognize that people come to me and say you suggest the Bible can you help me out.

I want to grow more. I want to hear more. I want to learn more as I feel like I am such a baby that Scott had people come to me and say you know a business right here. This is me.

I been so wrapped up in making money have been so wrapped up with the cares of life of the cares of my business that I have lost sight of Christ. Christ is down here and I don't know how that happened. I put my children, my business, my life, my hobbies appear. How did that happen pastor and until his leg as it happens, but the fact that you know it has happened tells me that you are saved is the ones who sit back and say you know family comes first. That's what I want to do. That's what God wants from you. That was the ones not even on the board.

If anything, you're here, you're the wayside.

Are you bearing fruit. Don't be embarrassed of this morning you look at this morning say I know that's not me and I know this is not me I been through some tough times but I've given them over to the Lord and God has brought good things and not this is not me because God can take everything away from me and I know will be okay. I'm here I'm here embarrassed of that is great. You don't have to have false humility and say no on your your no you he is great. Are you satisfied with only bearing 30%, but you want to move to 60 and on are you willing to let God prune. That's what needs to happen is to prune you using to remove all the filth is in a fertilize you and sometimes a process is painful but that's what he wants you to go through and if you truly are on the board and you see yourself as a good ground but you're not bearing the fruit that you need to bear what you want to bear this great God, the Lord your if you let him work in your life. Thank you so much for joining us for this message. You see yourself in this parable which one of the soils best represents your heart is not enough to just take an exam where we are. We should be content that result, we should be moving closer to God allowing him to develop in us a life that is fruitful. For more information visit us online@clearviewbc.org and for this sermon's notes checkup exercise block@allbutonshock.com