One at a Time - In Then Through, Part 2

If you find yourself frustrated in your life right now with the relationship is not working or maybe something in your own life that you thought you would improve far more than you have by now.

Here's the deal. You never read in the same season that you so and today my friend Kyle Ottoman has a story to tell you that will help get back on track. That's today stay with me.

Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge year with living only a dozen international discipleship history focused on helping Christians like Christians as most of you know chips are regular Bible teacher programs for the series he's passed the mic to his good friend Kyle Lee, pastor at Southeast Christian Church the popular author and speaker, just a minute Kyle will continue his series time by unpacking for us God's principle of working in us, for he can work through us. If you're wanting to apply this truth your life.

Stick around after this message to your some practical advice from ship that here again is our guest teacher Kyle with the second half of his message.

I had a gift was given to me a few years ago by leading the church she gave me a couple of packets of seeds I remember right he receives from pumpkins and watermelons is fun, but I am not a farmer and if I want a watermelon go to the store and buy one and I want a pumpkin pick one up and pumpkin season like I I love the idea of planting a seed in cultivating and growing its but it just takes so much time and effort and work and so I stuck those packets of seeds in the junk drawer in my kitchen everything goes to die. I left America I forgot I forgot about it didn't really think much about it but occasionally occasionally there would be a time where I would think it sounds good right now is a watermelon and I balancing, but that didn't do me any good at the time as I needed to be planted.

I don't even know how long ago because I never actually read the back packet. This is the end and through challenge. I think most of us here.

You certainly experienced where you needed something within you spiritually or emotionally at a certain moment when you realize in that moment you don't have it and if you're going to have it needed to start a long time ago trying to get it right, or maybe in marriage perceive you reach this place in your marriage where you recognize are so certain why God wants you to respond and that's what you want to respond to respond that way, you needed to start a long time ago. Learning to respond that way and this is the end and Thruway of the seed that today's the day that she gets planted and cultivated and begins to grow.

Today's the day in and for some of you. God is wanting to do some work in you later. And if you wait until later.

You will have it in you, today's the day we planted today is a day we cultivate, we let the seed to go into the dirt and it doesn't feel like anything is happening in the dirt. But something is happening, the seed of the word of God is not buried its plant. There's a difference between something being buried implanted is not buried its planted and is gonna bear a harvest if you do not give up if you keep being intentional to water it. Keep praying and keep studying Scripture you keep guarding your heart and mind from the weeds that would want to choke it out, you pull the weeds in your life by repenting, confessing, having accountability you cultivate that seed and something will begin to break through. It takes time for some of you what God wants to do in you, and eventually through you is gonna come out of something that happened to you and what you've tried to do. Up until this point is you've tried to forget about what happened to you. Try to move on effective close that page altogether. But here's the thing. There's some things that I want to do in you because of what happened to you that eventually will lead to the great work. He wants to do through you. So I don't want to just be done with it. I we want God's grace we wanted to redeem those things do his work in us so that he can accomplish his work through us takes time. I think of Joseph age 17 is a stream about how God might use them. But it wasn't gonna be instance you dreamed of having great influence but was an instant influence the time.

So for the next 20 years sold into slavery put in prison. But there's things that are happening in him during that season, and God would do great things through him. I think of Moses. Moses wanted God to work through him in a powerful way to free his people from this, the Egyptians one day when euros. It Moses as a young man he in applied and impulsive moment. CT kills this Egyptian soldier who is abusing one of his Jewish brothers and has to flee for his life. He goes to the backside of the desert work first father-in-law for 40 years. I'm guessing he had long since given up on this dream that God would do something powerful through him that for those 40 years, God was at work in him and then one day there's a bush burning and God says something's gonna break through. Now is the time some of you have given up on the dream, but God never gave up on it in your life like you knew as a young person that God wanted to work through you in some way like you had these ideas of how you could make a difference and you've given up on them.

God hasn't given up on it.

There's some things that needed to happen in you and maybe are still happening in you, but he's going to do his work through you in the something is happening in the dirt. Something is happening in the soil and so Jesus unpacks this parable for the disciples that comes him and say hey what's all this means verse 14 Jesus as the farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path where the word is sown as they hear it. Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. So there's some emotion to it.

But since they have no roots and only last a short time and when trouble or persecution comes because of the word link quickly fall away.

Still others are like seed sown among thorns, they hear the word but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. And finally, others are like seed sown on good soil, hear the word except that they receive it. They produce a good crop Matthews accounts of this parable he makes clear that the farmer in the parable is Jesus. Jesus is the one who sows the word strikes me that last week we talked about the shepherd and a lot she severed goes and he rescues the lost sheep and were listening to that parable more like I'm the shepherd know you're the sheet this week. The farmer her sows the seed but I'm the farmer know you're the dirt like in this parable. Our role is to be soil where the seed the word of God can take root in and can grow. But Jesus mentions four different kinds of soil does not want to see where you're at on these four different spiritual soils because in large part, the condition of the soil is going to determine the work of God in you and for you so the first kind soil. He talks about is the path which is another thing the road and on the road. It's hard the season would have a chance to get into the soil because the surface is so hard. Matthew 13 Jesus speaks of those who have closed their ears have shut their eyes and harden their hearts.

This is where some of you are like you do not want to be here.

You're here because you feel like you have to be for one reason or another, because are trying to keep the peace trying to meet some kind of expectations, but spiritually you have become hard and cold and cynical and difference you don't like being here. You don't like me, you're ready to get out of here and go do something different. I know it. Some of you like I can see you like I can see it like sometimes I think you forget that you can see me but I can see you too and you know there's this Outlook near arms are crossed over men jumped across her analysis of some of you listen but you got that look in your eyes you're not open you don't care, and if that's where you're at the near and a really dangerous place spiritually. There's seeds that are being sown in your life and just landing on this hard surface when you reach that place spiritually is hard to know you're there or something about a hard hard to make so hard to know your heart is hard so maybe just a few symptoms of a heart heart that I hope will kind of breakthrough a little bit of that soil one.

Things are just going through the motions he was going through the motions like you're doing some things that is more muscle memory that your heart's not in it can't check in a list that's not real. Number two is spiritual apathy. You have no spiritual energy right now. The idea of taking time to pray. It all seems heavy you have time for, like spiritually just don't have a passion for energy are number three there's the stubborn resistance where God has for some time convicted you of sin that you know needs to be repented of and confess you know it's and you keep putting it off, and the longer you put off. Here's what happens. Harden your heart has become. Now that conviction is just barely there anymore is strong for a while but the more you put got off the harder your heart becomes, until you just suddenly one day no longer care, and then at some point, almost celebrate the rebellion or maybe another indicator would be this bitter resentment you're angry with God because you blame him for something you're going through that you saw your life would be different. Right now that it is and you feel like that's his fault that he owes you something you have this sense of entitlement spiritually and and so some things have gone wrong in your life, not how you thought they would go in and maybe you know your parents split up for the doctor gave you diagnosis or you were let go from your job or your spouse broke your heart's or any number of things are combination of things in your heart has just become hard towards God. Number five, you're always thinking about what God wants to do and some one else's life but never really think taking the time to think about your own. This is this religious hard heartedness. It's a self-righteous hard heartedness is like the religious leaders. They knew God's word really well they had in their mind, but they didn't have it in their heart and so is this idea that you're listening to a message spent the whole time you listen to the message you're thinking of people who need to hear it other than yourself and your leg I'll be here sis all she's paying attention this weekend and that's an indication of hard heartedness where it's always somebody else in your life that needs the message but there's not a lot of humility or self reflection in your own life, and even now even now you're listening to this thinking of someone who's like that. Oh, I know someone is like that.

There always thinking of someone else who needs to hear it. I hope there listening to this message about what they need to hear so they won't think about what other people need to hear you're the person right like that you second soil is rocky places, this is a seed that is sown immediately received with joy.

But there's there's no route to it so they receive it with some emotion, but they don't cultivate it and so it comes up quickly, but then it doesn't last because the roots are indeed, I think spiritually that this is been true for many of us at different times we had some moments where we experience something spiritually like God moved, Esther spoke to us since tiredness or convicted us and challenged us in Tennessee got planted in the soil, but we didn't really do anything with it.

In fact, you leave church relieve that moment whenever was in and he quickly get your mind on other things.

And now you look back on it you think while I was I was spiritually manipulated. That was is all a motion that wasn't real and probably was real but landed among a lot of rocks and even do anything to clear the rocks didn't keep cultivating the soil and so no roots took place for some of you this needs to be the year of of roots in your faith where you are intentional to spiritually mature, and not just live on the emotion of moments third type of soil Jesus mentions is among thorns, or we could translate that as among weeds. The ideas that the seeds are planted, but there planted among all kinds of weeds and so the moment they start to the surface something comes through the ground. The weeds choke out into three different kinds of weeds the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the pleasures of life, and then so I think what happens for a lot of us, and maybe even in this moment right. If you have some conviction about something God wants to do in you. A seed is planted in the soil, but then even today. You're good to go plant some waves among the seeds and then wonder why nothing gropes a healing. Even today, you know you can go fill your heart and your mind with these things worries of the slice deceitfulness of wealth, the pleasures of this life and fill your garden with those weeds and the seed is getting plaintive right now go get choked out and so it's not just that a seed gets planted is that weeds get pulled in specially that we weeds don't get planted in is that in then through way of the kingdom of God is wanting to do something in you see it as being planted right now in the way God has designed it is that the seed is hardwired for harvest.

That's the power of his word is the promise of his word that if the word of God is planted as a seed in the soil of your heart and you cultivate it and take care of it harvest will calm that will come is the way of nature.

If you plant a seed in the grounds and you can take care of it. The soils good there's harvest is hardwired in the seed to multiply many times over the seat and and so what does God want to do in you to accomplish his work through you. One of the things that I love about watching God's work in a person as I know, even if they don't, that there some things this can happen through that person.

So when I see someone making a decision. I'm thankful for what God is doing in them, but I know God's going to do some things through them and others when someone makes a decision. I recognize because I've seen it enough that is not just that person is can be impacted.

It's all these people around them because when God does something in you, he will do something through you and the lives of other people's every person you see baptized God's doing something in them but God's going to do something through them. I don't know who all those people are but I promise you he's not just to do something in that person. He's going to do something through that person. So when you make a decision when you spiritually allow the hard heartedness of your heart to be broken up like God does something in you but there's other people attached to do some things through you. I think about my own life. I think about that and then through wave God that in 1956, 1956 my grandparents were far from God, and know him. My grandpa had challenges with drinking lots of conflict in their home. Lots of brokenness I didn't know Jesus didn't have a church family just getting by.

Then one day someone came knocked on their door and invited them to church told him about Jesus and God began to do his work in my grandparents and really changed everything about them.

Everything, and what God did in them. In 1956 continues to bear harvest all these years later, you don't know how decision you make now will affect the people around you and the generations to come after you. So what is it that God is wanting to do you so that he can accomplish his work.

Listening to Living on the Edge with your finger up Kyle idol is been our guest teacher for this program in then through, which is from his series, one at a time.

She will join us in just a minute to share his application for this message. Have you ever consider the remarkable impact Jesus has had on the history will think about it. He lived over 2000 years ago and only had a small group of followers yet. Fast forward to today.

Christianity is the leading world religion. So what was Jesus secret in the series Kyle idol Ben reveals the unexpected simple practice. Jesus used to change our world. Don't miss how you and I can continue the work he started one interaction, one conversation, one life at a time to learn more about the series, Kyle's best-selling book go to LivingontheEdge.org the Chip Ingram up or call us at AAA to 333-6003 will chips join me here in studio now and shipped today. Kyle wrapped up his message by talking about the commitment it takes to plant and grow a seed we are Living on the Edge.

We have a core group of people want to see this ministry flourish. So they invest in us on a monthly basis and then regular support really has a tremendous impact is absolutely Dave monthly partners make a huge difference in the life of the ministry. Not only does it tell us that you're with us. Your heart is with this because your money is is being given and helping us each and every day, but it tells us that you're really a part of the family that you are one of those people that and whether it's a big amount small amount. Really that's immaterial but it's about saying, rather than just now and then it lets us know. Here is a group of people there on mission with us to help Christians live like Christians and like any organization. The predictability of knowing that people are behind you that you can count on what ever it is each month.

It makes a huge difference. So if you been listening in, and I'm sure you've many of you've already given once here or there or maybe you have listened and just never thought about wow that's right. These people have to pay for all of this, would you consider just prayerfully God would you like me to partner with Living on the Edge it can meet what ever amount. God shows you but it would mean the world to us and I think you would find your heart resonating as you partner with the ministry kids is not just a financial provision it's becoming a part of the ministry that helps other people. So here's my request.

Pray specifically and then do just whatever God chose you back strip will as you prayerfully consider your role with this ministry I will remind you that every gift is significant when you partner with Living on the Edge you multiply our efforts and resources in ways that only God can do to set up a recurring donation to LivingontheEdge.org or visit the Chip Ingram map. You can also text the word donate to 741 41 that's donate to 741 41. We appreciate your support will Chip Kyle's message today focused on the idea that God has to first work in us before he can work through us general. Oftentimes we don't want to work that way. So before we wrap up today.

Could you give us a little pastoral coaching to help us better respond to God's direction will day, but I think that's all of us and I appreciate Kyle sharing that I can't control the things that happen to me. None of us can I have some very, very close friends whose mates have walked out on them.

I have some close friends. One in particular who died in his sleep and his daughter and wife are still coming what happened.

He was healthy he was great. He went to bed play golf the day before and then he's gone.

I've sat with mom's whose sons were killed by drunk driver and you respond to life the best you can and it's okay to grieve and to be stuck in, and to be angry and go through all the process that we need to, but at some point in time, you either have to allow the world to shape you and become a victim and find yourself absolutely in the ditch and often for years or decades or you pause and say there is a God who is good, it doesn't feel good right now, he's absolutely sovereign and in control. He didn't cause this to happen, but in a fallen corrupt world. He allows sin and evil to play its course for a limited amount of time and what he's promised if I will lean in that he can do something good in me and through the even worst of times, and whether that's the Bible story about Joseph where everything that happened to him and God used to prepare him to accomplish something great or whether it's in lives like yours day than mine and those listening to us, where they find themselves coming through COBIT or losing a job or finding that in no relationships have been broken or you know a health issue just won't go away. Whether we like it or not, it's when we lean in and we respond to the question. Kyle ended with what does God want to do in you right now and I would just pause now and say to each one of our listeners what is that God wants to do and you what you want to do in your heart does he want you to forgive someone, does he want you to address a habit or an addiction does he want you to stop complaining and whining or or blaming, and began to say okay God I can't change things.

I will be a part of the solution. I don't know what it is but what I know is this god must work in us deeply before he works through us significantly and so father that's my prayer. That's what I asked. That's your will for each person listen to my voice right now would you do that in Christ name, amen, amen.

Thanks, Chip will before we go. Let me take just a second to tell you about a resource we've created to help you deepen your relationship with God in a very practical way. It's called daily discipleship with Chip through this free video course.

You learn to study God's word alongside ship one on one for each series, you'll spend no more than 10 minutes with Chip in a particular passage of Scripture that will challenge you to spend 10 more minutes on your own. It's that easy. You'll be blown away by how much you learn about God and his word so sign up for any of our daily discipleship series today. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org app listeners tap discipleship well from all of us here, this is Dave Drewry thanking you for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge