The Sower and the Soil

All right. Well, folks, let's go ahead and take the Word of God and turn to the Gospel of Matthew.

We are picking up a series that we started quite some time ago. I believe it was three or four weeks ago when we started this series.

And then we had Texas Baptist Sunday with Julio Guarneri, the executive director, our special speaker.

We had our Lord's Supper Sunday where we kind of devote the whole service to that.

And then, of course, we had Easter last week.

And so we are just now diving back into this brand new preaching series called Stories of the Kingdom, going through some of the parables of Jesus.

So let's go to Matthew chapter 13. Matthew chapter 13.

Matthew 13 · chapter mention Matthew 13 · chapter mention

This is the same chapter that we were in last time. We talked about the weeds and the wheat or the tares and the wheat.

And that began there in Matthew 13, verse 24.

Matthew 13:24

So we are going to back up and go to the beginning of Matthew 13 and look at verses 1 down through 23.

So today we're talking about the sower and the soil.

For some reason, Carson, I don't have my remote.

Mike gave it to me this morning.

And somehow, some way between then and now, it sprouted legs and wandered off.

So if you'll just kind of watch my slides and click through, thank you.

I know normally I have control over that, but I have to give up control today.

So there you go.

All right, so we are talking about the sower and the soil.

And let's begin reading in verse 1 of Matthew 13.

Matthew 13 and verse 1.

On the day Jesus went out of the house, he was sitting by the sea.

Such large crowds gathered around him.

He got into a boat.

He sat down while the whole crowd stood on the shore.

He did this a few times that we have a record of in the scriptures.

Hey, look at you.

Thanks, man.

You're on top of it.

Carson, you're off duty.

You can take a nap like you usually do.

I'm just kidding.

He doesn't.

He pays attention, y'all.

I'm messing around.

All right.

So, Jesus is in the boat.

He's teaching the crowd.

They're all on the shore listening to him.

And by the way, just a little side note.

It has nothing to do with the sermon, but I always thought that was fascinating.

Jesus, of course, the creator of heavens and earth, would know that sound travels so well across the water.

And so the people couldn't press up against him.

Of course, they didn't have microphones like we have today.

And so he would get out in the boat and he would teach.

And the sound would travel across the water.

And they could all hear him.

Just a neat little addition that I thought to mention.

Verse 3, he told them many things in parables.

We can just think of them as stories or illustrations that he was using to make a greater point.

Saying, consider the sower.

Or, if you're reading in the New Living Translation, listen.

A farmer went out to plant some seeds.

As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath.

The birds came in and ate them.

Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock.

The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.

But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun.

And since they didn't have deep roots, they died.

Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants.

Still other seeds fell on fertile soil.

And they produced a crop that was 30, 60, even 100 times as much as had been planted.

Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.

Verse 10, his disciples came and asked him,

Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?

He replied, you're permitted to understand the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.

That's why we call this series Stories of the Kingdom.

Because these were all about the kingdom of heaven.

But others, he said, are not permitted to understand.

To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given.

And they will have an abundance of knowledge.

But for those who are not listening,

even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.

So it's important to listen, isn't it?

Did everybody hear that?

Thank you.

You got it.

It is important to listen.

Especially when it's coming from Jesus.

That is why I use these parables.

Verse 13.

For they look, but they don't really see.

They hear, but they don't really listen or understand.

Verse 14.

This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,

When you hear what I say, you will not understand.

When you see what I do, you will not comprehend.

For the hearts of these people are hardened.

Their ears can't hear.

They have closed their eyes so their eyes cannot see.

Their ears cannot hear.

And their hearts cannot understand.

And they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.

But blessed are your eyes.

Because they see.

And your ears, because they hear.

I tell you the truth.

Many prophets and righteous people long to see what you see.

But they didn't see it.

They long to hear what you hear.

But they didn't hear it.

Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds.

Hey, we get this parable explained this time.

Verse 19.

The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the kingdom.

And don't understand it.

Then the evil one comes.

Snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts.

The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message.

And immediately receive it with joy.

But since they don't have deep roots.

They don't last long.

They fall away.

As soon as they have problems.

Or are persecuted for believing God's word.

The seed that fell among the thorns.

Represents those who hear God's word.

But all too quickly the message is crowded out.

By the worries of this life.

And the lure of wealth.

So no fruit is produced.

The seed that fell on good soil.

Represents those who truly hear.

And understand God's word.

And produce a harvest.

And produce a harvest.

Of 30, 60, or even 100 times.

As much as had been planted.

Would you pray with me?

God I pray that right now your word would take root in our hearts.

That we would not be like those who hear.

And don't understand.

Who see.

But cannot comprehend it.

Reveal to us your truth.

Let it take root in us.

And bear fruit in your name.

And we'll give you the glory for it.

In Jesus name.

Amen.

By the way.

Thank you to the choir.

To June.

For providing such beautiful music.

For us this morning.

As well as your lovely voices.

Y'all sounded great.

Singing out there.

Really enjoyed the music.

Last Sunday on Easter.

And again this morning.

Let's dive into this passage here.

In Matthew chapter 13.

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

Number one.

The path and the birds.

Right?

The path and the birds.

That's what we see.

So let's back up.

To verse 4.

Back up to verse 4.

As he sowed.

The sower went out to sow.

The farmer went out to plant seed.

You might say.

And as he planted his seed.

As he sowed his seed.

Some of it fell along the path.

Apparently.

This was whatever crop.

That Jesus is hypothetically using.

This illustration.

As an example in his parable.

Whatever crop this sower is going out.

He's not carefully digging.

And planting it in intentional spots.

In good earth.

He's just casting it.

And seeing where it falls.

In this story.

So some of it fell along the walking path.

And what happens?

Did it take deep roots.

And grow up big fruit?

No.

Thank you.

Appreciate that.

You're right.

It did not.

The rest of y'all were like.

Does he really want us to answer right now?

Just making sure you're with me here.

That's right.

He didn't.

The seed did not take root.

What happened?

It just lay there.

Doing no good.

And what happened?

The birds came.

And ate it.

Didn't they?

The kids like this story.

I like this story.

Who are we kidding?

All right.

Verse 19.

Jesus then gives us an explanation of what he's talking about.

So skip down to verse 19.

Listen to the parable of the sower.

When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn't understand it,

the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.

This is the one sown along the path.

So, well, there's the bird.

There's the culprit.

The evil flying beast that ate up the good seed that was sown, right?

He doesn't look all that bad.

But listen.

This happens, all right?

When God's word is preached,

sometimes it falls on ears that will never understand it,

never believe it.

And what happens?

The deceiver comes along.

Satan comes along.

The forces of Satan in this world come along,

and they snatch away the truth that was told.

They might distort it.

They might try to change it.

They might try to use it to fit their agenda.

Whatever it was,

it's no longer the truth that was sown.

That truth is now gone.

And I hate to see that happen.

But I've been on missions trips all around this world,

and I've seen that happen.

Where you go to a place that's in spiritual darkness,

been to deep, remote villages in India,

where they've never heard the truth of Jesus Christ ever.

And you go and you sow the seed of the gospel,

the good news of Jesus,

and the people listen,

and you can see some of that seed is falling on good ground,

and ears are hearing,

and they're understanding,

and God is giving them that understanding,

and they're responding to it.

And then others, you see,

it's just not making sense.

And sometimes you even go back later,

and you see that the devil has been at work.

And he's snatched up the truth that was planted,

attempted to be planted in some of those hearts.

And he's distorted.

He's changed it.

He's rerouted them back to the land,

to the traditions of their land,

to their false gods,

to things that will never bring them hope,

joy, and peace like Jesus can.

So that is a reality.

That sometimes, even in your attempts,

you know, we're doing this,

who's your one campaign.

And sometimes in your attempts,

to share the gospel with the people in your life,

you might feel like it's just landing on the path,

and the devil is coming,

and snatching the seeds away.

So that's the path,

and the birds.

We're not responsible for that.

We can't help that.

We can mourn it.

We can grieve it.

We can be sorry,

and wish that somehow,

the light of the gospel would cut through the darkness.

And we never know,

if at some point,

God is going to allow that to happen.

But there is a very real reality,

and Paul warns about it in his second letter,

to the church at Corinth.

He says,

in their case,

the God of this world,

has blinded the minds of the unbelievers,

to keep them,

from seeing the light of the gospel,

the glory of Christ,

who is the image of God.

That is reality.

This world is surrounded by darkness.

That's not too hard to see, right?

But the light doesn't always cut through,

some of the darkness.

Thank God it shined in your heart.

Thank God it shined in mine.

It's nothing that we did.

That was all according to God's grace,

and his mercy.

So,

some of the seed,

will fall along the path,

and the birds will eat it up,

and it will never bear fruit.

But he doesn't stop there.

He goes on to the rocky ground.

The rocky ground,

verse five,

let's look at it.

Other seed fell on rocky ground,

where it didn't have much soil,

and it grew up quickly,

since the soil wasn't deep.

Y'all,

now we're getting a little bit closer to home here.

It's easy to look along the path,

and say,

yeah,

some of those people,

they might hear about Jesus.

Maybe they'll visit church on Easter,

but we'll never see him again.

Some of those people,

they just live like heathen all the time,

and you know there's nothing about God in their life.

But what about the ones,

where it falls on rocky ground,

and all of a sudden,

you see this shoot up,

and it looks like,

wow,

something really happens there.

Boy,

that person just found Jesus,

didn't they?

What an amazing change we see.

All of a sudden,

from rocky,

barren ground,

we see this little plant pop up.

Amazing.

And we celebrate,

and we get excited,

and what happened?

The sun came up.

The hot sun shined on it.

You know what plants need to grow?

Anybody?

Sunshine,

don't they?

They need water too.

But sunshine is one of the key ingredients,

that plants need to grow.

But in this case,

the sun came up,

and the plant was scorched,

and it had no root,

and it withered away.

I can promise you,

that this happens time,

and time,

and time again,

with people who hear,

the good news of Jesus,

and they're drawn to it.

They think,

I want that.

That promises me something better,

than what I have.

That's something bigger,

that I could believe in.

That sounds really good.

I got me a free ticket to heaven.

How great is this?

And they latch on,

but no root,

takes place.

They're never rooted,

in the gospel.

They never have,

a real understanding,

believing,

that they are a child of God,

only by His grace.

They think maybe,

they had something to do with it.

I think maybe that,

because they made a good decision,

to come to church that day,

and God changed their life,

and now He's going to give,

untold blessings to them,

turn their life around,

and everything's going to be okay now.

But then the sun comes,

the troubles come,

the storms of life come,

and what happens?

There's no root there.

They were never taught,

and seemingly never drawn,

by the Holy Spirit,

to learn more about the Lord.

Maybe they never even truly,

made a commitment to follow Jesus.

Maybe it was in their head,

but it never made it,

to their heart.

Anybody know the difference?

How many inches,

between the head and the heart?

What's that?

18,

is it 18?

I think that's right.

18,

I had 16 in my head,

but you might be right.

Split the difference,

17 inches.

Look,

there is a difference,

between knowing,

knowing that God is,

and even believing,

that He is good.

There's a difference,

between that,

and placing your faith,

in God,

and God alone.

It doesn't mean,

you have to know,

all the theology.

It doesn't mean,

you have to be able,

to answer all the quiz questions,

about God and the Bible.

But there is a difference,

when it's real,

and when it's shallow.

And I'm afraid,

that many of us,

might be rocky ground,

followers of Jesus.

And our soil is very shallow.

And that's why sometimes,

the storms of life,

will veer us off course.

Sometimes we'll,

quit coming to church,

for a while.

Because we got,

upset at somebody.

Because the storm came,

the sun,

shined hot,

and scorched us.

And we couldn't take it,

because the roots,

were not,

deep.

I promise you,

if your roots,

are deep,

nothing can shake you.

You might feel shaken,

at times.

But nothing,

can shake those roots.

Nothing,

can dig those roots up.

nothing can make,

your plant die,

because Jesus,

is the root of it.

And he will continue,

to feed you.

He will continue,

to cause you,

to thrive.

To cause you,

to recover.

To cause you,

to come back.

So I promise you,

rocky ground Christians,

are not,

genuine followers,

of Jesus.

And someday,

they'll stand,

before the father,

and he will say,

depart from me,

I never knew you.

Don't let that be you.

Don't be a,

rocky ground Christian,

because a,

rocky ground Christian,

is not a Christian,

at all.

They've just jumped in,

with a nice group of people.

They've done,

what society expected.

They've done,

what felt right,

at the time.

They had a moment,

where maybe they felt,

close to God.

They had a moment,

where something,

felt good,

and felt right.

And so they said,

yeah,

I'm in.

I want to jump in,

with that group.

But we see it,

time and time again.

The sun comes up,

and they can't survive it.

That's how you know,

their roots were never planted,

in Christ.

Now I pray,

that at some point,

God takes those,

rocky ground Christians,

and that seed,

gets planted,

in good soil.

That's up to God,

and their response.

But so many times,

that seed,

falls on rocky ground,

and the sun,

scorches it.

What are you?

I'm asking you,

to examine your heart,

this morning.

Is your heart,

the hard footpath,

where the birds come,

and eat the seed,

before it ever has a chance?

Is your heart,

the rocky ground,

with the shallow bit of dirt,

that can pop up,

the little plant there?

Or,

is your heart,

one of these others?

Let's move on.

So we've got,

the rocky ground,

we've got the,

path and the birds,

and then we've got,

the thorns.

The thorns.

Jesus picks it up,

in verse 20,

he said,

the one sown on rocky ground,

this is the one,

who hears the word,

and immediately,

receives it with joy,

but he has no root,

it's short lived,

when distress,

or persecution,

comes because of the word,

immediately,

he falls away,

and then he moves on,

to the thorns.

The one sown among the thorns,

this is the one,

who hears the word,

but the worries of this age,

and the deceitfulness,

of wealth,

choke the word,

and it becomes,

unfruitful.

Now folks,

seemingly,

these are the ones,

who genuinely,

did become followers,

of Jesus.

They had a real,

conversion experience,

they truly placed,

their faith in him,

but at some point,

along the way,

something keeps them,

from bearing fruit.

You know what it is?

It's the thorns.

The thorns,

choke,

what God's trying to do,

in their life,

in their heart.

And do you notice,

what he said,

the specific thorns were?

He said,

the worries of this age,

age,

and the deceitfulness,

of wealth.

The worries of this age,

the deceitfulness,

of wealth.

Isn't that fascinating?

Those are the two things,

that he seemed to indicate,

were the primary thorns,

that could choke this out.

Back in,

what is that,

verse 22,

in the New Living Translation,

that we read at first,

it said,

the seed that fell among the thorns,

represents those,

who hear God's word,

all too quickly,

the message is crowded out,

by the worries of this life,

and the lure of wealth.

Have you ever been deceived,

or lured by wealth,

or the pursuit of it?

I had to add that last part,

because you're looking at me like,

no,

wealth has never really,

wrapped its arms around me,

and you know,

carried me away.

It's stayed pretty far away,

from me in my life.

But how about the pursuit of it?

The pursuit of wealth,

the obsession with wealth.

Has that ever deceived you?

Has that ever lured you?

All of our bank accounts,

look different,

don't they?

All of our retirements,

look different.

All of our savings,

look different.

Some of it,

we're happy with.

Some of it,

we wish,

was a whole lot better,

better than it is.

But I can promise you,

that it's not money,

that's the root of all evil.

How many of you knew that?

Money is not the root of all evil.

Some of you are looking at me like,

isn't that in the Bible?

What is it?

What is the root of all evil?

The love, right.

The love of money.

Why?

Because then you've been deceived.

Money is an inanimate object.

It's a means to an end.

But if you love it,

then you've been lured by it.

You've been deceived by it.

And your love is misplaced.

Money will never make you happy.

God can make you happy.

And God can provide resources

along the way

that will help you fulfill

what he has you to do in your life.

But the love

or being deceived by

or lured by money,

that will absolutely become a thorn

that chokes out

whatever God's trying to do in your life.

Because your agenda

will never be God's agenda.

Do we realize that?

Our hearts will on their own

never pursue

what God's heart has for us.

They will always lead us

towards something

that we can't ultimately ever achieve.

They will always lead us

down a path

that ends in destruction.

That's where our hearts

will lead us.

But if God has a different plan for you

and a different path

for you to walk,

be careful of the thorns.

Because those thorns

can come up

and even without you realizing it,

they can choke out the fruit

that God's trying to bear

in your life.

Young people,

be careful

of the lure

of money.

Be careful of the lure

of the pursuit,

the love

of wealth.

It can absolutely

be seductive.

It can absolutely

lead you to concentrate

on that

and all of a sudden

you're making decisions

not based on

what is good

for my soul.

What does God want

with me

in my life?

Instead,

you're making decisions

based on

what makes the most sense

financially for me.

Sometimes,

those things

might coincide.

Sometimes,

God might have you

make the soundest

financial decision.

But sometimes,

your financial advisor

might say,

you tithe money

to the church

every month.

Do you realize

what you could do

with that?

Do you realize

the investments

you could make

with that?

You give extra money

to this church

and what does that do

for you?

How does that

improve your bottom line?

How does that

ensure your financial security?

Doesn't make sense

on the balance sheet.

And so,

you choose

not to follow

God's command

in giving back

a portion of what

he's given to you.

And the thorn

has come up

and it's choked out

the blessings

that God wanted

for you.

Because when you invest

in the kingdom of God,

God returns that to you

more than you could

ever,

ever imagine.

And I'm not talking about

you give $10

and God's gonna turn it

into a thousand

in your bank account.

That's not what

I'm talking about.

I'm talking about

God reaps

great rewards

in your life.

In the areas

that only he can know.

Whether it's relationships

being put back together.

Whether it's you

being used

to bring other people

to the saving knowledge

of Jesus

brought from darkness

to light.

You don't know

what God's gonna do

in your life

transform you

and those you love

in ways that you

can't imagine.

But when you invest

in God's kingdom

you see it happen.

That's your time.

That's your energy.

And yes,

that's also your finances.

So the lure

of wealth

can be a thorn

that chokes

what God's trying to do.

Also the worries

of this life.

The cares of this life.

Say man,

I'd love to come help

with the teens,

you know.

They're doing

Wednesday night

activities.

They're going out

and going to youth camp.

They're doing

all kinds of things.

I'd love to help

in the children's department.

I know they need

more teachers.

They need more volunteers.

I know there are places

that God has

for me to serve.

But you see,

I can't right now

because the cares

of this life

are thorns

that are choking me.

So what you're saying is,

and I'm not picking

on anybody in this room,

but what you're saying is

these thorns

are bigger than God.

These thorns,

I can't handle

and if I can't handle them,

God can't handle them.

So I can't do

what I was placed

on this earth to do,

which is let God use me

to impact others.

I can't do that

because the cares

of this world

are choking me.

Y'all, I promise you,

we serve a God

who understands

what you're going through.

He's been there.

He's been rejected

by everyone.

He's had those

he loved

and loved him

turn on him.

He's been tempted

in every way

that you could possibly

be tempted.

He's been tired.

He's been hungry.

He's been poor.

He's been without.

He's been through it all

and he says,

I am enough for you.

I will sustain you.

I will see you through.

Don't cut out

the healthiest part

of your life

when you're going through

difficult times.

Maybe you've got

to cut back certain areas.

Maybe you've got

to cut back certain things

you're involved in,

certain obligations you have,

but don't cut out

serving Jesus.

That's where your lifeline is.

That's where your strength

comes from.

Maybe God places you

in a situation

where you can't

physically do something.

Or maybe you're in a season

where you're exhausted.

And you understand

that I've got to step back

from teaching,

but I'm going to find

another way to serve.

I'm going to jump

on the prayer team.

I'm going to do

whatever I can do

to be a part

of God's kingdom

because that's where

I get my strength from.

That's where I get

my lifeline from.

What are our priorities?

And what thorns

are choking out

what God wants to do

in our lives?

The path

had seeds on it.

The birds came

and ate it.

The rocky ground

had seeds,

but the sun scorched them

because they had no roots.

The thorns

grew up.

The roots went down,

but it choked out.

What God wanted to do

with the cares

of this world

and the lure

of wealth.

But then you get

to the good ground.

You get to the good ground.

Let's look at verse 23.

The seeds that were sown

on the good ground,

this is the one

who hears

and understands the word,

who does produce fruit

and yields.

Sometimes a hundred,

sometimes sixty,

sometimes thirty times

what was sown.

The good ground

is what God desires

all of us to be.

All of us

can be good ground.

Say, man,

if you think I can be good ground,

you don't know me very well.

I'm more like that rocky ground.

I've got a pretty rough exterior.

I'm more like that thorns,

you know,

I'm kind of thorny.

So I'm not

this good ground,

this soft,

fertile soil.

God can make you

good ground

if you'll let him.

If you will open up

your heart

to the Lord,

God can change you.

He can soften you.

He can make you

into good ground

that bears fruit

for his kingdom.

There are four types

of soil here.

A sower went out

to sow.

You've got your pathway.

It was trampled on.

The birds ate it up.

And what happened?

The seeds were destroyed.

You've got your rocky ground.

There were no roots.

The sun scorched it

and the plant

withered away.

You've got your thorny ground.

The thorns

choked it out.

It suffocated

and it died.

God might bring you

home to heaven

if you're not going

to bear fruit

for his kingdom.

He warns about that

time and time again.

He's warned entire churches

about that.

In Revelation,

he says,

I'll shut you down,

church,

if you don't bear fruit

for me.

The way he put it,

he said,

I will remove

your

lamp stick.

I will remove

your lamp stand.

I don't want to see

that happen to you.

I don't want to see

that happen to me

and my family.

I don't want to see

that happen to this church.

So what can we do

to be good ground,

good soil?

Because what happened there?

It grew up.

It increased.

It yielded

many times

what was originally planted.

Would you go one more

place with me

and we'll be done.

Colossians chapter 2.

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

Colossians chapter 2

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

in verse 6.

Paul is writing this letter

to the church at Colossae

and he says,

so then,

just as you have received

Christ Jesus as Lord,

Colossians 2.6,

continue to walk

in him.

Just as you have received

Christ Jesus as Lord,

continue to walk in him,

being rooted

and built up

in him.

This is how you know

if you are good soil.

Are you being rooted

and built up

in Christ Jesus?

established in the faith

just as you were taught

and overflowing

with gratitude.

Verse 8.

Be careful

that no one

takes you captive

through philosophy

and empty deceit

based on human

tradition.

Based on the elements

of this world

rather than Christ.

Do you see

what he's saying here?

This is how you know

if you're good ground.

This is how you know

if you're good soil

if you're being rooted

and built up

in Christ.

You see that?

Being rooted

and built up.

Trying to give you

a visual here.

Being rooted

and built up.

That is how we know

we're good ground.

Are you being rooted

and built up

in Christ?

I love how the

New Living Translation

puts this.

It says,

let your roots

grow down

into him.

And then the Christian

standard,

which is what I've got

right here,

says being built

up in him.

So you put that

together,

what do you have?

Let your roots

grow down into him.

Being built up

in him.

Let's say this

together.

Ready?

If we can get to it.

Here we go.

Here we go.

Ready?

As my roots

grow down,

I'm built up.

One more time.

Ready?

As my roots

grow down,

I'm built up.

That is how we

avoid being rocky

ground,

being the path

that the birds

eat from,

and being thorny

ground.

When my roots

grow down,

I'm built up.

Grow down into what?

Rooted,

built up,

established

in Christ Jesus.

There are a lot

of voices

calling for your

attention,

but one voice

you must hear.

One voice

you must listen.

The words

are in red

in some of your

Bibles.

How many of you

have seen a red

letter Bible

that has all the

words of Jesus

in red?

Isn't that neat?

Crowder wrote

a song about it.

A Christian singer

wrote a song about it.

It said,

then I read

the red letters

and the ground

began to shake.

Prison walls

started falling.

I became a free man

that day.

Why?

What changed him?

What changed his life?

The words of Jesus.

When he said,

I came to seek

and to save

those who were lost.

He said,

I,

if I am lifted up,

I will draw

all men unto me.

He said,

I am the way,

the truth,

and the life.

No man can come

to the Father

except through me.

He is the one.

He's the source

of strength.

He's got all

the nutrients.

He's got the power

and the grace

and the love

to save you

from sin

and to change you

into who he wants

you to be.

The only enemies

are the rocky ground,

are the thorns,

the things that can

derail that.

So where are you?

This is a check your heart

moment right now.

Where are you

in your life?

Maybe you've been

saved for six months.

Maybe you've been

saved for two weeks.

Maybe you can save

for 50 years.

Maybe you've been

a follower of Jesus

as long as you can remember.

Maybe you've been

part of this church

as long as you can remember.

I'm not asking about that.

I'm asking what kind

of soil your heart

is right now.

What is Jesus

working with?

As my roots grow down,

I'm built up.

Man,

you wonder why

God hasn't changed

you that much.

Maybe you're rocky ground.

Maybe your soil

is very shallow.

Maybe the sun scorched you

at some point

along the way.

Maybe the thorns

have choked out

the fruit that God's

trying to bear

in your life.

As my roots grow down,

I'm built up.

Here's our takeaway

this morning.

is God's truth

taking root

and changing

you.

How much have you

changed

since last year?

How much have you

changed

in the last 10 years?

how much of that

was God?

How much of that

was Him?

Your roots

going down

into Him

and Him

building you up.

If not,

it's not too late.

It's not too late

to change.

Number one,

it's never too late

to turn to Jesus.

We might have

one of our young people,

we might have

one of our older folks,

we might have

somebody in between

who says,

you know what,

I've been holding out

but today is the day

I'm going to turn

to Jesus

and say,

okay God,

I hear,

I'm going to listen

and the Holy Spirit

is going to help me

understand what you're

talking about.

I know I'm a sinner,

I know Jesus died

for my sin,

I know God raised

Him from the dead

and I'm choosing

to place all my faith

in Him

to forgive me

of my sin.

I'm not good enough,

I never will be

but Jesus

wants to save me

so I'm going to say yes.

Save me from hell,

the punishment of my sin

and I can become

God's child.

If that's you,

if you want to make

that decision today,

would you bow your heads

with me together

all across this room?

Would you bow your heads

and let's be in prayer

right now.

If you know in your heart

that you are a child of God,

you are signed,

sealed and going to be

delivered someday,

then would you do me

a favor and pray

for those in this room

right now

who are still struggling

with that.

There are people

in this room

who think they're

not quite good enough,

they wonder

if somewhere along the way

they didn't measure up.

would you in your heart

pray that the Holy Spirit

would reveal

God's love to them

that it's nothing

that they can do

that can earn

forgiveness of sins.

It's only

what Jesus did

on the cross.

Would you pray

for them right now?

I'm going to address

those of you

who I just mentioned

a moment ago,

maybe you're not sure.

Maybe you don't know

if you're completely forgiven.

Maybe you don't know

if your imperfections

have cost you

heaven,

cost you

the chance

to be God's child.

But today

you want to get that settled.

Would you slip your hand up?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Anybody else?

Thank you.

Thank you.

In a moment

the music's going to play.

Those who raised their hand,

would you just slip out of the aisle?

Everybody's going to stand.

We'll try not to draw

any attention to you,

but would you slip out of the aisle

and just come meet me

at the front pew down here?

We'll sit and talk about it.

Let me address

the rest of the room

before we dismiss here.

Those of you

who have full assurance

that you are God's child

and He's forgiven you

and you know

you're standing

before God.

Let me ask

what kind of soil

you are.

Have your roots

gone down into Him?

Have you been

built up

into Him?

Thank you.