A Unique and Precious People
Luke 8:15 AMPC
“But as for that [seed] in the good soil, these are [the people] who, hearing the Word, hold it fast in a just noble, virtuous) and worthy heart, and steadily bring forth fruit with patience.”
The Seed of the Word of God is incorruptible, enduring and lasts forever. Within this Seed is the power to change a person into a whole new creation and change the destiny of their eternity.
In the natural, a seed must be planted in order for the power within the seed to grow and become what it is designed to be. No matter how much power that seed contains, it will only produce a harvest if it is planted in good soil that will provide the right environment for it to flourish.
That is true with the Seed of the Word of God and the condition of our hearts.
The condition of our hearts will determine whether the Word of God can produce fruit in our lives. Thankfully, we have the authority to decide what kind of soil we are.
At Redeemer Coast, we are the good soil! We hear the Word of God, understand it, and act on what we know to be true.
Jesus said those "who hear the Word should hold fast in an honest and good heart will produce thirty, sixty, or hundredfold harvest."
As we discussed yesterday, an honest and good heart is a heart that is:
Humble- believes what the Word of God says about who they are in Christ and what God’s Word says about their situation. It is pride to exalt our own opinions or feelings over what God has said.
Keeps a clear conscience- they do what they know to do and act upon the light they have from God’s Word.
Is quick to repent and quick to forgive- they keep their heart clear of strife and offence because they know that they have been greatly forgiven by God, so they can greatly forgive.
We are of those whose hearts are honest and good! You can declare that over yourself today, “I have a heart that is honest and good, and I am good soil that bears fruit!”
Mark 4:14-17
The sower sows the Word…These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the Word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the Word’s sake, immediately they stumble.
The Word of God is the seed; our hearts are the soil.
It is our choice what kind of soil we are. Our willingness to hear, understand and act on what we have heard will determine what kind of soil we are.
The stony ground soil represents the life that is excited about the Word of God and what He has promised. However, they only endure for a short time because they didn’t allow the Word of God to take root in their hearts. This kind of soil can be deceiving from the outside because they look and sound like the kind of person who believes the Word of God, but actually, they haven’t given the Word of God the proper place in their life.
But that’s not us! We’re the kind of soil that chooses to hear, understand, meditate, speak and act on the promises of God. We’re the soil that understands the value of the Word of God and gives His Word first place in our lives. We’re the kind of soil that holds fast to the Word; we refuse to let it go no matter what life throughs at us because we understand that the only way to experience true victory and freedom is through the Word of God, planted in our hearts, and acted upon in our lives.
Mark 4:13-15
"And He *said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the Word. These are the ones who are beside the road where the Word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the Word which has been sown in them."
In science class, when researching the impact or effect of an object, two different things were considered when determining the outcome.
The Variable and the Constant.
In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus talks about the seed, which is the Word of God, and the soil, which is our heart.
The seed is the constant, and the soil is the variable. In order for the seed to produce results, the soil had to be in good condition.
It is our choice what kind of soil we want to be.
The first type of soil that Jesus mentions in this parable is the seed sown on the path. This represents a heart that is hard, a heart that refuses to hear and allow the Word of God into their lives to change the way they think. It is a heart that is "set in their ways" and is convinced that there is nothing more that they can learn or understand. A hardened heart is the kind of heart where satan can come and immediately steal the Word.
It is our responsibility to guard our hearts from becoming hard, prideful and closed off to the light of God's Word.
Two things that we can do to ensure we don't become the hardened type of soil,
Walk in the light that we have; in other words, be a doer of the Word of God.
Remain humble. Understand that we don't know everything about the Word of God and be open to hearing and seeing things from God's Word. Sometimes, that means letting go of our preconceived ideas and opinions.
The words of an open and humble heart can be found in Psalms 119:18, "Open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things from Your Law."
As a church family, this is the cry and desire of our hearts that we will see and continue to see wonderful things from the Word of God so that we can live our lives according to what God has said.
For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory. 2 Corinthians 1:20
When we face problems and troubles in life, rather than letting those things dictate our beliefs, we choose to believe in the promises of God; that is what brings God glory!
The promises of God are seeds that we can sow when we face circumstances contrary to the life that Jesus bought for us.
When we face trouble in our finances, the promises of God’s provision in His Word are seeds that we can sow.
When we face physical challenges, God’s promise for our healing are seeds we can sow in our lives to receive a harvest of healing.
When we face emotional challenges and hurts, God’s promises of peace and joy are seeds that we can sow to walk in victory over fear, anxiety and depression.
Whatever need we have, there is a promise in God’s Word for the harvest of victory in that situation.
Sowing the seed of God’s Word requires us to meditate on His promises and declare them over our lives. When we focus on God’s promise, not the need, we focus on the answer.
When a farmer sows seed, he’s in expectation of a harvest of that seed. Likewise, when the believer sows seeds of God’s promise, they are in expectation of the harvest of the promises.
I encourage you today, if there is a need in your life, rather than focusing on the need, talking about the need and emphasising the need, focus on reaping the harvest of God’s promises, boldly speak them out and choose to be the one to agree with God when He says, “all the promises of God are YES and in Him amen!
Strong faith is effective faith. It is faith that affects our circumstances causing it to change according to the Word of God. When we sow the Word of God in specific areas of our life, we will reap a harvest of that seed we sowed. There is a promise of God for every situation that we would face in this life. When we meditate and sow those promises into our hearts, we will reap a harvest of those promises coming to pass in our lives.
When we meditate on the promises of healing, we will reap a harvest of healing.
When we meditate on promises of God’s provision, we will reap a harvest of provision.
When we meditate on the God’s promise for peace, we will reap a harvest of peace.
I encourage you to watch the sermon from yesterday, it will greatly encourage you to sow the promises of God in your life in every area.
The Word of God is alive and active and ready to produce results for anyone who chooses to believe and act on it!
As we learned yesterday, the Word of God is forever settled in heaven, God’s Word never fails, fades or flails, and God’s Word is alive and active.
The Word of God is a sure thing, no matter what comes our way in life, the Word of God is still the same and His promises are still true. We are a church that chooses to believe and act on God’s Word and we see His promises manifest in our lives!