[0:00] Well, good evening. It's lovely to be with you this evening as we gather together in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It's lovely to see you all again. It's always nice to come to Tolstah and see our friends here and gather with you to worship.
[0:15] One question I have before I start. Do I have to use this? No, I don't use this. I always panic when I see microphones lying around in case I have to put them on. There's an intimation just to highlight to you. It's for the WFM ladies, Women for Mission.
[0:30] Any ladies wishing for a lift to the WFM dinner on Friday the 2nd of June are to contact Katrina on 890369.
[0:41] 890369. We're also looking for baking for the usual sale of work. Ladies wishing to contribute, please contact Anne-Marie for the details. So just to highlight that to you, that's the WFM dinner, God willing, this Friday.
[0:57] So I hope you have a lovely evening if you're going, that you enjoy the dinner and you enjoy the speaker. The speaker is Neil McMillan's wife, Louise. She'll be sharing about God's word there.
[1:09] So let us resume the worship of God this evening. We're going to sing to God's praise in Psalm 95. Psalm 95, it's in the Scottish Psalter. If you're using the Blue Psalm book, it's on page 357.
[1:24] Psalm 95. And we're singing from the beginning down to the verse marked 6. Words, I'm sure, that are familiar to us.
[1:36] Words, but words that we should never lose sight of. Because they're words that give to us a wonderful invitation. And it's not Tolstah Free Church that's inviting us.
[1:46] It's not the elders here that are inviting us. It's not even me that's inviting you. But God himself is inviting you to come into his presence. And he's saying, oh come, let us sing to the Lord.
[1:58] Come, let us everyone. A joyful noise make to the rock of our salvation. Let us before his presence come with praise and thankful voice. Let us sing psalms to him with grace and make a joyful noise.
[2:14] And down to the verse marked 6 where the psalmist says again, oh come and let us worship him. Let us bow down with all and on our knees before the Lord, our maker, let us fall.
[2:25] So we'll sing these verses of Psalm 95 to God's praise. Amen. Amen. O come, let us sing to the Lord.
[2:43] Come, let us everyone. A joyful noise Be to the rock Of our salvation Let us before His presence Come with grace And thankful voice Let us sing psalms To Him with grace And make a joyful noise Our God's a great God
[3:48] And great King Above all gods He is Tips of the earth Are in His hand The strength of hell Is His To Him the spacious He belongs For He the same did make The dry land Also from His hand His form at first it take
[4:49] O come and let us worship Him Let us bow down With all And on our knees Before the Lord The Maker Let us fall Let us come before the Lord in prayer Let's pray together Gracious God and loving Heavenly Father Help us this evening as we draw near to Thee To be still
[5:50] To be still and to know That our God A God who is infinite Eternal And unchangeable In His being Wisdom Power Holiness Justice Goodness And truth That there is none likened unto Thee among the gods For all As the psalmist says All the other gods They are but idols Dumb Which blinded nations fear But our God is the Lord by whom The heavens created were Thou art the God who has made all things that man's eye can see And even all things that man's eye cannot see Thou art the God of the invisible The God who does in us and for us exceedingly abundantly above all More than we could ask or even think And it is a wonder to us this evening And that we pray that we would see the wonder of it That Thou our great God The God of heaven and earth The one who inhabits eternity The God who has no beginning and no end
[6:51] Who is the Alpha and the Omega The first and the last The beginning and the end And yet we as creatures of time Creatures of dust Creatures of Who are sinners by nature And sinners by practice And yet we are invited to come into Thy presence We are commanded to draw near to God For that is Thy promise That when we draw nigh unto God Thou art one who shall draw nigh unto us And we thank Thee Lord for that wonderful invitation Of which we were singing For how the psalmist could say O come Let us sing to the Lord Come let us everyone A joyful noise make to the rock of our salvation And we thank Thee that Thou art a great God And a great King That above all gods He is The depths of the earth are in His hand The strength of hills are His And yet we are invited to come And to worship Him To bow down with all
[7:51] And on our knees before the Lord Our Maker let us fall We thank Thee O Lord For that great gospel invitation To come And that invitation has been extended Throughout many generations That even the people of Isaiah's day That the Lord wanted to call them And said to them Come now Let us reason together Though your sins be as scarlet They shall be as white as snow Though they be red like crimson They shall be made as wool We thank Thee O Lord For even the call that Isaiah gave To his own people Where he said Ho everyone who thirsts Come Come ye to the waters Yea come buy wine and milk Without money And without price That we are commanded To seek the Lord While He is to be found And to call upon Him While He is near Because Jesus says to us So compassionately Compassionately in the gospel Come unto me All ye that labour And are heavy laden And I will give you rest
[8:52] Take my yoke upon you Learn from me For I am meek And lowly in heart And you shall find rest For your souls For my yoke is easy And my burden is light Help us then We pray this evening To come To come to the footstool Of Jesus To come with all our burdens And all our baggage And even all our brokenness And to come and cast All our cares upon thee Being assured that thou art the one Who cares for us We thank thee Lord that we have a throne Of grace to come to That it is a throne Of grace in which We are encouraged And enabled to come Knowing that we Not only receive mercy But we also receive grace To help In our time of need And that whatever Our need is this evening Whatever cares Or concerns We have in our heart Whatever worries Or anxieties We bear We give thanks That thou art one Who knows them All too well For thou art the one Who has searched us And known us The God who knows
[9:53] Our rising up And our sitting down Yea even all our thoughts Are known to thee That our lives are before thee As an open book That we are known to thee And known to thee Even before the foundation Of the world That thou art one Who saw us Even being formed In our mother's womb And thou art one Who knows us this evening And all that we're going through Remember us then We pray Remember us we ask In our different circumstances And different situations The different struggles And stresses And sorrows And strains of life We thank thee oh Lord That thou art one Who knows us And understands us And one in whom We can trust One in whom We can bring every prayer And every petition Knowing that thou art the God Who hears And who answers our prayers That we could say With the psalmist That I love the Lord And I love him Because he hears my voice And he hears my prayers And it is a wonder to us That the God of heaven Would listen And be attentive
[10:53] To the voice And even our cries But Lord Blessed be the name Of the Lord Who hears us And who answers us In accordance with his will Bless us Lord We pray Remember us this evening As we gather As a congregation Of thy people That thou wouldest Encourage thy people here Bless them in the week That lies before them That whatever this week Has for them Whether at home Or at work Or wherever they are Or whatever they're doing Help them to know That the Lord is with them The Lord who promises Never to leave And never to forsake The one who assures His people That he will be with them Every step of the way That his goodness And his mercy Will surely follow them All the days of their life And that in God's house Forevermore Their dwelling place Shall be Oh Lord remember us Then we pray Remember our homes Remember our families Remember husbands That are still out of Christ We pray for them That they would come
[11:53] To a saving knowledge Of the truth We pray for wives That are still strangers To grace and to God We ask Lord That thou wouldest Draw them From darkness Unto thine own Marvelous light We pray for children That are on the broad road Our covenant children These promises That have been sealed To them And Lord our longing Is that these promises Would come to fruition That our children And even our children's children And the generation That is yet unborn That they too Would praise And magnify the Lord Oh that we would Hold thee to To these covenant promises For thou art a covenant Making and a covenant Keeping God A God who promised To Abraham long ago That through his seed All the nations Of the earth Would be blessed And Lord That we would see That that covenant promise Is still alive It is still It is still active And Lord We pray thee then That these promises That are to us And to our children That they would be realized
[12:54] In our experience Lord remember us Then we pray Remember Different struggles That people face Where there is Brokenness Where there is heartache Where there is sorrow That thou wouldst Bind up the broken hearted And heal their wounds That thou wouldst Remember even The pastor of the congregation Here We thank thee for him And we pray for Donald We thank thee for him And we ask that thou wouldst Continue to uphold him To support him To strengthen him Remember the elders Lord as well Be near to them And uphold them In their duties And their passion For this people And this congregation And Lord we pray For Donald's wife Emma We thank thee for her Bless her Lord And uphold her And support her We ask And Lord what we pray For this congregation We think of other congregations Especially those Without a pastor That we think of North U.S. this evening We continue to remember them We continue to remember them During their time of vacancy And we pray that thou wouldst
[13:54] Provide for them And as we pray for them We pray for Dingwall We remember places like Livingston And Fort William Places Lord That need a pastor We pray also for For church plants Even as we heard This past week At the General Assembly For all these church plants That are taking place Lord we ask For growth We ask oh Lord That as thy word says That Paul may plant And Apollos may water But God gives thee increase Thy promise is That thy word Shall not return empty But it shall accomplish In the thing Whereto thou descended And Lord our prayer is Then that in our nation That thou wouldst send Thy light forth And thy truth That they would be guides To us To lead us ever To the rock That is higher than us Oh Lord be gracious To us we pray Bless and pity us Shine thy face upon us That the earth Thy way And nations all Would know Thy saving grace Remember Lord Our governments We pray for them
[14:54] In Westminster And Holyrood We pray oh Lord For our Prime Minister We pray for Rishi Sunak We ask that thou wouldst Give to him The fear of the Lord Which is the beginning Of wisdom We remember also Our First Minister We pray that thou wouldst Grant him to see And to know That there is But one only The living and true God Oh Lord we ask thee In the dark day That we live in That we as thy people Would not despise The day of small things But see that thou art The God who is still living Who is still active Who is still able To do great things Lord remember us We pray Remember our King We pray for him And our Queen And the Royal Family How we are exhorted And encouraged in Scripture To pray for kings And those Who are in authority Over us That we would live A quiet and peaceable life That we would live lives That imitate and emulate Jesus Who was the Prince of Peace Who was that man of sorrows
[15:55] Who was acquainted with grief And yet Lord We pray that as thy people We would remember those Who are persecuted For righteousness sake For as Jesus described them That they are blessed Blessed are they Who are persecuted For righteousness sake For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Remember Lord Thy people in Ukraine tonight We would not forget them Remember those in Russia Lord We pray for peace We pray also for places like Yemen We pray for the Sudan We pray oh Lord For China For Nigeria We remember India Lord As well For even the churches That have been Devastated there In recent weeks And Lord We pray for peace Oh Lord We look at the world That we are part of A world that is so vast A world that is so different In so many ways And yet this is the world That God so loved That he gave his only begotten Son That whosoever would believe in him Would not perish But have eternal life
[16:56] And Lord Our prayer is then On this Lord's day A day that has been set aside To worship thee That from the rising of the sun To where it sets That thy name would be praised That the name of Jesus Would be lifted up That God would be glorified That thy people would be blessed And that in everything That Christ would have the preeminence Or that he would have all the glory Lord that thou wouldst go before us And we pray Bless thy word to us this evening That thy word would be a lamp unto our feet And a light unto our path That thy word oh Lord Would be seed for the sower And bread to the eater That thou wouldst fill our mouths And fill our hearts Fill us Lord with thy truth That we might taste and see That thou art good And trust in thee and be blessed O Lord hear us then we pray Go before us we plead Lead us by thy spirit That in everything He would take the things of thy word And apply them to our hearts That we might live lives For thy glory
[17:56] And the furtherance of thy kingdom Take away our iniquity Receive us graciously For Jesus' sake Amen We're now going to read The word of God As we find it in the gospel According to Luke The gospel according to Luke And chapter 8 Luke chapter 8 If you're using the pew bible It's on page 812 812 The gospel according to Luke And chapter 8 And we'll pick up a reading At verse 4 Let us hear The word of God And when a great crowd Was gathering And people from town After town Came to him That is Jesus
[18:56] He said in a parable A sower went out To sow his seed And as he sowed Some fell along the path And was trampled underfoot And the birds of the air Devoured it And some fell on the rock And as it grew up It withered away Because it had no moisture And some fell among thorns And the thorns grew up With it And choked it And some fell into good soil And grew and yielded A hundredfold As Jesus said these things He called out He who has ears to hear Let him hear When his disciples asked him What this parable meant He said To you it has been given To know the secrets Of the kingdom of God But for others They are in parables So that seeing They may not see And hearing They may not understand Now the parable is this The seed is the word of God The ones along the path Are those who have heard Then the devil comes
[19:57] And takes away the word From their hearts So that they may not believe And be saved And the ones on the rock Are those who When they hear the word Receive it with joy But these have no root They believe for a while And in time of testing Fall away And as for what fell Among the thorns They are those who hear But as they go on their way They are choked By the cares And riches And pleasures Of life And their fruit Does not mature As for that In the good soil They are those Who hearing the word Hold it fast In an honest And good heart And bear fruit With patience And so on May the Lord bless That reading Of his own Holy word Well before we consider That parable The parable Of the sower We are going to sing again This time in Psalm 126 You could probably call this
[20:59] The psalm of the sower Psalm 126 Is the psalm of the sower A well known psalm Page 419 In the Scottish Psalter Psalm 126 It begins with the words When Zion's bondage God turned back As men that dreamed Were we Then filled with laughter Was our mouth Our tongue With melody And then in verse 4 We read As streams of water In the south Our bondage Lord recall Who sow in tears A reaping time Of joy And joy They shall That man Who bearing Precious seed In going forth Doth mourn He doubtless He doubtless Bringing back His sheaves Rejoicing Shall return So we're singing The whole of Psalm 126 To God's praise When Zion's bondage
[22:02] Chepard, he glorified Or some Have not With melody Among the heathens said the Lord, great things for them hath wrought.
[22:45] The Lord hath done great things for us, whence joy to assist us.
[23:01] As things are watered in the cell, our bondage, Lord, recall.
[23:17] His soul and tears are reaping time, of joy and joy they shall.
[23:34] That man who filled in precious seed and going forth doth mourn.
[23:52] He, Godless bringing back his sheaves, rejoicing shall return.
[24:09] Amen. And when a great crowd was gathering, and people from town after town came to him, Jesus said in a parable, A sower went out to sow his seed.
[24:51] And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot. And the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock. And as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.
[25:03] And some fell among thorns. And the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil. And grew and yielded a hundredfold.
[25:14] As he said these things, Jesus called out, He who has ears to hear, let him hear. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
[25:34] I want to begin this evening by asking you a simple question. How's your heart? How's your heart? That's one of the first questions my now father-in-law asked me when I first met him.
[25:47] He asked the question, how's your heart, Murdo? And he asked the question not because he's a cardiologist. Kenny's a plumber. But the reason he asked the question was because he wanted to know how I was spiritually.
[25:59] And it's quite startling when the first question your father-in-law asks you is, how's your heart? And you know, since then I've found myself asking other people the same question.
[26:10] The same question I'm asking you this evening. How's your heart? Because that's the question Jesus is asking here in this parable. The parable of the sower.
[26:21] He's asking the question, how's your heart? And as my good friend J.C. Ryle would often say, the heart of the problem is the problem of the heart.
[26:32] The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart. So how's your heart? How's your heart? As you know, Jesus, he told many parables.
[26:43] But the parables, they weren't just sermon illustrations to grab our attention or to keep us awake while Jesus was speaking to the crowds. No, the parables were to test our hearing.
[26:55] The parables were to make sure that we were actually listening to the message of the gospel. That's why Jesus said there in verse 8, he said, He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
[27:08] Because how you hear affects your heart. How you hear affects your heart. And Jesus is asking us the question, well, how's your heart?
[27:22] And you know, I was reminded of this question that Jesus poses in this parable very recently. I'm always brought back to the parable of the sower. Every year when I'm in the glebe at Barvis, beside the manse, we have a glebe that goes around the manse.
[27:36] And I was spreading fertilizer to help the grass to grow. But I wasn't using the conventional method that I used to use at my parents' house of the little Massey Ferguson and the spreader at the back, spreading all the fertilizer.
[27:51] It was an easy job then. But at the manse, I was just using the old-fashioned way of walking up and down the field with a bucket in hand and fertilizer being thrown out into the field.
[28:03] And it reminded me of this parable. And it reminded me of what Spurgeon said about this parable. That every preacher should preach upon the parable of the sower at least once a year.
[28:16] So today is the day I'm preaching upon the parable of the sower. Because the parable of the sower, it isn't actually about the sower. It's not even about the seed.
[28:27] The parable is about the soil. And on to what type of soil the seed lands on. And from the parable, you can see that Jesus depicts and describes four types of soil.
[28:42] And each soil reflects and represents a type of heart that sits in church. Each soil represents a type of heart that sits in church.
[28:58] So how's your heart? How's your heart? And Jesus is asking you this evening, Is it a hardened heart? Is it a hollow heart?
[29:11] Is it a hungry heart? Or is it a healthy heart? How's your heart? How's your heart? First of all, he says, is it a hardened heart?
[29:23] Is it a hardened heart? Jesus says in verse 11, He says, the parable is this. The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard.
[29:34] Then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts. So that they may not believe. And be saved. Now when listening to Jesus telling the parable of the sower.
[29:46] You can almost imagine this sower. This farmer. This crofter. You imagine him walking out into his field at the beginning of his working day. And he puts his hand into his pouch that's full of seed.
[29:59] And he just takes his hand out of his pouch. And he begins to sow. And he begins to scatter the seed as best as he can. And the sower, he sows and he scatters the seed as far and as wide as he possibly can.
[30:13] So that all the soil that he can see within his field will be covered with the seed of the sower. But of course when the sower finishes sowing and scattering the seed onto the soil.
[30:26] When he finishes at the end of his working day. The soil will look no different to when he had started. Because as all good gardeners know. I'm sure you're all good gardeners here in Tolstown.
[30:38] As all good gardeners know. Awaiting is part of the process. A good harvest always comes with patience. And what's interesting is that Jesus.
[30:50] He didn't often explain his parables. He often just said a parable and just left it with him to chew over. But when the disciples asked Jesus what he meant by the parable of the sower.
[31:02] He gave an explanation. And as Jesus explained in this parable. He says the seed. The seed in the hand of the sower. And the seed that's precious to the sower.
[31:12] That is the word of God. The seed is the word of God. And so what we need to realize from the outset. Is that there's nothing wrong with the sower. There's nothing wrong with the seed.
[31:23] There's nothing wrong with the method in sowing the seed. And scattering the seed. No. All the efforts of the sower. Depend upon what type of soil. The seed lands on.
[31:35] And the first area. That this precious seed of the sower lands on. We're told is along the path. It's along the path that went around the perimeter of the field.
[31:48] And it was an area in the field. Much like a peat road. You're familiar with peat roads. Or even croft roads. Where the soil had been compressed. And compacted over time.
[31:59] It had been pressed down to be flat. And this firm surface. Where there would be no possibility. Of the scattered and sown seed. Taking root.
[32:11] What's more is that when the seed fell onto this hardened path. Jesus says it just lay there. It didn't go any deeper than the surface. It just became easy bird. Easy food.
[32:22] For the birds to eat. And as Jesus emphasizes and explains. This is the type of person. Who hears the gospel. But they don't respond.
[32:36] That's the type of person who hears the gospel. But they don't respond. And they don't respond. Because they have a hardened heart. They don't respond because they have a hardened heart.
[32:46] Their heart is so hard. Like the hardened path. That the seed of God's word. Doesn't penetrate any deeper. Than the surface. Now we might well ask.
[32:59] Well how does a heart become hard? How does your heart harden? My friend. Your heart hardens.
[33:10] When you come here. Every week. To church. And you hear the same gospel message. And you hear the same plea.
[33:21] To come to Christ for salvation. And you hear it. Week in. Week out. Month by month. Year by year. For some of you probably decade.
[33:33] After decade. You hear it again. And again. And again. And again. And you don't respond. You don't respond.
[33:45] That's how the heart. Hardens. Because every time you sit in church. God is at work. You might not realize this. But you never leave church.
[33:56] The same way that you came in. God is always at work. When you come to church. You never leave church. The same way. You came in. You won't leave here tonight. The same way that you came in.
[34:08] Before six o'clock. Because your heart is either softening. Or hardening. Under the message of the gospel. As the saying goes. It's the same sun that melts the wax.
[34:19] That hardens the clay. And Jesus is saying here. It's the same seed. The seed of God's word. It's the same seed. That either softens. Or hardens.
[34:30] Your heart. So how's your heart? Is it a hardened heart? Because a hardened heart. Comes to church. Out of form.
[34:41] And fashion. A hardened heart. Is a heart. That just follows. The Sunday routine. But they refuse. To respond. To the message. Of the gospel.
[34:52] But why do they not respond? Well Jesus tells us why. He says in verse 12. He says. The devil comes. And takes away. The word from off their hearts. So that they may not believe.
[35:03] And be saved. Jesus says. Just like a bird. That's. That's ready to get its dinner. The devil is there. The devil is there. Watching the sower. To see. Where the sower.
[35:13] Scatters the seed. And to see. Where the seed falls. And as soon as the seed. Hits the soil. The devil snatches it away. The devil snatches. The sown seed.
[35:24] From off your heart. And you know. This is something. I don't think we think of. Enough. Or often enough. The devil is the enemy. Of your soul. The devil is the enemy.
[35:37] Of your soul. He hates the fact. That you're in church tonight. He never misses church. You might miss church. But he never misses church. He's always here.
[35:48] And he's always trying. To snatch. And steal. This precious seed. From off your heart. Because the last thing. The devil wants. Is for this precious seed.
[35:59] To penetrate. And to permeate. Your soul. The last thing. The devil wants. Is for you to receive. And to respond. To the gospel. The last thing. The devil wants.
[36:10] Is for you. To come to Christ. Confessing your sin. And committing your life. To him. As your savior. My friend. The devil is the enemy.
[36:21] Of your soul. And Jesus is asking you tonight. How's your heart? How's your heart? Is it a hardened heart?
[36:34] Or is it a hollow heart? Is it a hollow heart? Look at verse 13. Jesus says. The ones on the rock. Are those who. When they hear the word.
[36:45] Receive it with joy. But these have no root. They believe. For a while. And in time of testing. Fall away. I don't know about you.
[36:58] But I'm looking forward. To the summer. Especially to my summer holidays. Like some. I'm going to a free church. Youth camp. And I'm also going to the Keswick Convention. Somewhere I always go every summer.
[37:10] But the reason I'm looking forward. To the summer. Is like most people. Is because of warmer weather. Maybe not as hot as last year. Because if you remember last year. The UK had encountered.
[37:21] And in some places. Endured. An extreme heat wave. Where many gardeners. They had this hose pipe ban. And many farmers. They had their crops destroyed. And that was because.
[37:33] The hot sun. It not only damaged. The sown seed. But it also dried out. The soil. Hindering. A harvest. And you know. That's the image. Jesus is using here.
[37:44] When explaining. A hollow heart. He says. That when this. Scattered. And sown seed. When it falls. Onto the dry. Rocky ground. The thing is.
[37:55] He says. It doesn't actually look dry. And rocky ground. On the surface. Because at first. First glance. You can see. That there are signs of life. When the seed lands on it. There are signs of growth.
[38:07] But under the surface. Says Jesus. Under the surface. There are problems. And these problems. Are hampering. And hindering. The seed. From germinating. And growing.
[38:18] As it should. Because the seed. Says Jesus. It doesn't have depth. And it springs up. Because it doesn't have a root. And it withers quickly.
[38:29] Because there's no moisture. In the earth. My friend. There's no depth. No root. And no earth. It's a hollow heart. The seed looks so promising.
[38:42] But what was going. On under the soil. Was unknown. To the sower. Because as this little stem. Breaks through the surface. Of the soil. Towards the light.
[38:53] Of the sun. The closer the seed. Comes to the surface. The more the sun. Reveals the true condition. Of the soil. And it soon becomes apparent.
[39:04] That the soil. Is going to be unfruitful. Because the seed. Begins to bake. The seed begins to burn. Under the hot sun. And as Jesus explains.
[39:15] This is the type of person. Who when they hear the gospel. They joyfully respond to it. And they receive the gospel. And at the beginning.
[39:26] There's enthusiasm. There's excitement. There's enjoyment. There's this desire. To come to God's house. And hear God's word. And be amongst God's people. And it all looks good.
[39:36] On the surface. It all looks like it's going well. On the surface. But Jesus says. It's only a phase. It's only a fad.
[39:47] It's only a front. It's only a facade. Because underneath the surface. There's a hollowness. There's a hollowness underneath.
[39:59] And Jesus says. A hollow heart. Will endure. For a while. But in time of testing. They fall away. Because when the hot sun.
[40:12] Of trial. And temptation. The hot sun. Of testing. And tribulation. When the hot sun. Scorches. The scattered. And sown seed. All that grew upwards.
[40:23] Withers. Because it didn't grow downwards. Everything that grew upwards. Withers. Under the heat of the sun. Because it didn't grow. Downwards.
[40:36] And you know. That's why Paul. Paul. You know. Paul. He wrote many. Of the New Testament letters. He wrote to many churches. And he wrote to young. The young Christians. In Colossae. And he said.
[40:48] To these young Christians. Who were just starting out. On their journey. He said. As you received. Christ Jesus. The Lord. So walk in him. And how are you to walk in him.
[41:00] Says Paul. Rooted. Rooted. And built up. In him. So that you will be established. In the faith. You need to put down.
[41:12] Roots. But the thing is. The hollow heart withers. It falls away. Because it realizes. That following Jesus. Requires. Roots.
[41:24] It requires commitment. It requires counting the cost. It requires denying self. Taking up your cross. And following Jesus. And the. The hollow heart. Begins to feel the heat.
[41:36] When there's pressure. When there's the thought. I need to make a commitment. There's this outward love for Jesus. That's there. But inwardly. Inwardly.
[41:48] They still love the world. And that's what leaves them. With a hollow heart. God. And for them. Being a committed Christian. Is a real challenge. Because they want to hold on.
[41:58] To the world. They want the best of both worlds. They want the best of both worlds. But. When the heat of the scorching sun. Reaches its heat. The hollow heart says. Too much. Too much for me.
[42:10] It's too much of a commitment. Too much of a cost. It's too much for me. But they wouldn't say that. If they were rooted. In God's word. They wouldn't say that.
[42:22] If they were being discipled. In the depths of Christian doctrine. They wouldn't say that. If they were watering their heart. With prayer. And the preaching of God's word. They wouldn't say that. If they were being nourished.
[42:32] And nurtured. In Christian fellowship. And Bible study. My friend. You know. There's a danger. In having a hollow heart. Because as you know. Christianity requires. Wholehearted.
[42:43] Commitment. There's a danger. In having a hollow heart. Because Christianity requires. Whole. Hearted.
[42:54] Commitment. Now I know that some of you probably worry. Amaya. Do I have a hollow heart? But you know my friend.
[43:06] I want to say to you. Christianity requires your whole heart. And what holds some of you back. Some of you I know. What holds some of you back.
[43:18] Is this whole. Hearted. Commitment. You need whole. Hearted. Commitment. So how's your heart?
[43:30] Is it a hardened heart? Is it a hollow heart? Or is it thirdly. A hungry heart? Is it a hungry heart? Jesus says in verse 14. And as for what fell among the thorns.
[43:42] They are those who hear. But as they go on their way. They are choked. By the cares. And riches. And pleasures. Of life. And their fruit. Does not.
[43:54] Mature. The next seed to germinate. And grow. Had fallen among thorns. And this soil. It was different to the previous two. Because it wasn't hard.
[44:04] Like the path. Around the perimeter. It wasn't dry. Like the rocky ground. That had no depth. No root. And no earth. And said this soil. It was soft soil. It was full of moisture.
[44:17] It had lots of earth. It had lots of depth. The scattered and sown seed. Was able to put down good roots. You know. It seems that this soil. It had everything that the seed.
[44:27] Needed to grow. But it also had too much. Because as soon as the seed. Put down roots. We're told that these. Roots. The thorns were there.
[44:39] And they started wrapping. Around the roots. And they began. To choke it. And Jesus says. The thorns which choke. The precious word of God.
[44:50] They are. The cares. And the riches. And the pleasures. Of this life. The cares of this life. The deceitfulness of riches.
[45:01] And the pleasures. Of other things. Jesus says. That the hungry heart. Is someone who has. Cares. That crowd in. They have riches.
[45:13] That crowd in. They have pleasures. That crowd. Into their heart. But it's all at the expense. Of crowding out. The word of God. In other words.
[45:24] A hungry heart. Is not secure. Or satisfied. With Jesus. A hungry heart. Is not secure. Or satisfied.
[45:36] With Jesus. They always want. More. They always want. Something else. They're not satisfied. With Jesus. Jesus. Is not enough. And because Jesus.
[45:46] Is not enough. For them. They crowd. All these other things. Into their life. In order to try. And find that satisfaction. That security. They crowd in.
[45:57] All the F's. Of life. As Rico Tice. That reminded me. Of what the F's. Of life are. Fun. Food. Family. Friendship.
[46:08] Fellowship. Falling in love. Fitness. Football. And finance. They're the F's. Of life. Nothing wrong. With any of these. F's. Of life. In their rightful place. But Jesus.
[46:18] Says. Someone who crowds. All of these. F's. Of life. Into their heart. In an. In this attempt. To find satisfaction. And security.
[46:30] In doing so. They crowd. Out. The word of God. They crowd. Out. Jesus. Where they're not. Finding satisfaction.
[46:41] And security. In Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ. Alone. Alone. And when there's no. Satisfaction. And security. In Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ.
[46:51] Alone. There's no. Commitment. To Jesus. There's no time. For Jesus. Do you know the amount.
[47:02] Of people. That say to me. Murdo. Not now. Not today. Maybe another day. As I said earlier on.
[47:13] I find myself. Asking everybody. The question. How's your heart? And yet. They're always saying to me. Maybe at another. Time in my life. Maybe at a more convenient time. When I'm older. Murdo.
[47:24] When I settle down. Murdo. When life isn't as busy. With work. Or with children. Murdo. When I have time. Murdo. When I retire. Murdo. When I'm on my deathbed. I'll call you then. My friend.
[47:34] Don't wait until your deathbed. My friend. How's your heart? Is it a hungry heart? Because the issue. Of a hungry heart.
[47:45] Is where do you find. Satisfaction? Where do you find. Security? Where do you find. Safety? Well the only place.
[47:56] To find it. Is in Christ. You know. John Rockefeller. He was the first. American. Billionaire. In the 19th century. But when he became.
[48:07] The richest man. In the world. John Rockefeller. Was asked. By a reporter. How much money. Is enough money? How much money.
[48:18] Is enough money? To which. Rockefeller replied. Just a little bit more. Just a little bit more. And that's the thing.
[48:29] About a hungry heart. It's never secure. It's never satisfied. It's never safe. It always wants. More.
[48:39] It always wants. It always wants. It always wants. It always wants. It always wants. It always wants. It always wants. It always wants. It always wants. A little bit more. The hungry heart. Looks and longs. For satisfaction. And security. And safety. In all the F's of life.
[48:52] Fun. Food. Family. Friendship. Fellowship. Falling in love. Fitness. Football. And finance. Where are you finding. Where are you finding. This hungry heart.
[49:02] My friend. Where are you finding. Security. Where are you finding. Your safety. Maybe. You're. This hungry heart.
[49:14] Crowding. Everything else in. Just so you don't need to think. About Jesus. Just so you can put it off. Until another day.
[49:25] Maybe you're crowding. All these things. Into your life. Just so you can. Crowd Jesus. Out. Not today. Jesus. My friend.
[49:36] How's. Your. Heart. How's your heart. Is it a hardened heart. Is it a hollow heart. Is it a hungry heart.
[49:49] Or is it as Jesus. Describes lastly. Is it a healthy heart. Is it a healthy heart. How's your heart. Is it a healthy heart.
[49:59] He says in verse 15. As for that. In the good soil. They are those. Who hearing the word. Hold it fast. In an honest. And good heart. And bear fruit.
[50:11] With patience. You know. In comparison. To the hardened heart. And the hollow heart. And the hungry heart. Jesus says. That a healthy heart. Hears the word.
[50:22] And holds on to it. A healthy heart. Hears the gospel. And holds it fast. And that phrase. That Jesus uses. Holds it fast.
[50:33] It's a phrase. That gives to us. The image. And the illustration. Of the anchor. Of a ship. Where the anchor. Of a ship. Has been dropped. Into the sea. And the anchor. Finds lodgment.
[50:44] Against a rock. To hold the ship. Fast. To hold the ship. From drifting. And being dragged. Away. By the current. And Jesus says. A healthy heart.
[50:55] Is someone who hears the word. There's someone. Who holds the word of God. Tightly. In their grasp. And they do so. Honestly. Before God.
[51:06] And with good intention. Before God. They want. To be saved. In other words. The healthy heart. Has this firm foundation. The healthy heart.
[51:17] Can say. Without children's hymn. My hope is built. On nothing less. Than Jesus' blood. And righteousness. I dare not trust. The sweetest frame. But wholly lean.
[51:29] On Jesus name. On Christ. The solid rock. I stand. All other ground. Is sinking sand. Do you know. A healthy heart. Has Jesus. As the rock.
[51:40] Of their salvation. A healthy heart. Says that Jesus. Is the anchor. Of my soul. A healthy heart. Responds. To the gospel. Very simply. In faith.
[51:52] And obedience. Faith. And repentance. Faith. And coming. To Christ. Saying. Nothing in my hands. I bring. But simply. To thy cross. I cling.
[52:04] My friend. A healthy heart. Just comes to Jesus. And clings to Jesus. And claims Jesus. As Lord. And confesses Jesus. As Savior. A healthy heart.
[52:16] Loves Jesus. And looks to Jesus. And listens to Jesus. And leans upon Jesus. And lives for Jesus. A healthy heart. My friend.
[52:26] Says Jesus. Hears the word. Holds it fast. In an honest. And good heart. A healthy heart. Has the testimony.
[52:37] That we're going to sing. In a moment. That Jesus Christ. Is upon the throne. Of their heart. And that they can say. Wholeheartedly. Honestly.
[52:47] Before God. That. He only. My salvation is. And my strong rock. Is he. He only. Is my sure defense.
[52:58] I shall not. Moved be. Can you say that. My friend. Can you say that. I know that. For many of you.
[53:08] You probably could say it. You probably would say it. You probably wouldn't say it. To anybody. But you would say it. At home. You would say it. In the privacy.
[53:19] Of your own home. But my friend. The gospel reminds us. That we must believe. In our heart. And confess. With our mouth. That Jesus Christ.
[53:30] Is Lord. And we will be saved. And you know. This is why Jesus. Concludes. His parable. With that call. To commitment.
[53:41] That call. To confess. That call. To claim Jesus. As savior. He says. He. Who has ears. To hear. Let him hear.
[53:54] He who has ears. To hear. Let him hear. Let him hear. You have all heard. What Jesus has said. In the parable. Of the sower. You have all had ears. To hear.
[54:05] But how have you heard it. Because as Jesus teaches. In this parable. How you hear. Affects your heart. How you hear. Affects your heart.
[54:17] How's your heart. How's your heart. How's your heart. Is it a hardened heart. Is it a hollow heart. Is it a hungry heart.
[54:29] Or is it a healthy heart. A healthy heart. That's clinging. And claiming Jesus. As Lord. How's your heart. How's your heart.
[54:40] Do you know. When my good friend. J.C. Ryle. When he concluded. His sermon. On the parable. Of the sower. Now this is what he said.
[54:52] He said. Let us leave this parable. With a deep sense. Of the danger. And response. And responsibility. Of all the hearers. Of the gospel. There are four ways.
[55:02] In which we may hear. And of these four. Only one. Is right. There are three kinds. Of hearers. Who are. Found in every congregation.
[55:15] But there is only one hearer. Which is right. In the sight of God. He who has ears. To hear. Let him hear.
[55:28] My friend. How you hear. Affects your heart. So how's your heart. How's your heart. Is it a hardened heart.
[55:40] I hope not. Is it a hollow heart. I hope not. Is it a hungry heart. I hope not. Is it a healthy heart.
[55:54] I hope so. How's your heart. May the Lord bless these thoughts to us. Let us pray. O Lord our gracious God.
[56:08] May give thanks to thee. For thy word. That the seed is the word of God. And we pray that. As the seed has gone forth this evening. That it would do as thou hast promised.
[56:21] That it would not return empty. But it would accomplish in the thing. Whereto thou descended. And Lord our prayer is. That the seed of God's word. Would have found lodgment. In the hearts.
[56:33] Of the people here this evening. That we would all leave this place. Different to the way we came in. Realizing that the call of the gospel is clear. It is compassionate.
[56:44] It is one that comes to us. From the lips of Jesus. O Lord that we would be hearers of thy word. And doers also. That we would respond in faith.
[56:55] And obedience to thy truth. Bless us Lord we pray. Bless us in the week that lies ahead. A week that is unknown to any of us. But Lord we give thanks. That we are able to begin our week.
[57:07] In the Lord's house. On the Lord's day. Worshipping the Lord of the Sabbath. Knowing that thou art the God who has given us the Sabbath. To rest. And to respond to thy truth.
[57:19] Go before us and we pray. Take away our iniquity. Receive us graciously. For Jesus sake. Amen. We are going to bring our service to a conclusion.
[57:32] This evening we are going to sing. In the words of Psalm 62. Psalm 62. Psalm 62. It's on page 294. In the Scottish Psalter.
[57:45] Psalm 62. We are singing from verse 5. Down to the verse 8. Psalm 62.
[57:58] As you know. Many of the Psalms. They have testimonies in them. Psalm 40 is a testimony. And Psalm 62. It's also a testimony. It's a testimony of David. And where David is describing his conversion.
[58:10] He's describing himself as someone. Who has a healthy heart. He says there in verse 6. He says. He only my salvation is. And my strong rock is he.
[58:21] He only is my sure defense. I shall not moved be. He's holding fast. To the word of God. But as David tells his testimony. He comes to verse 8.
[58:32] And he points the finger at all of us. And he says. Well how's your heart now? How's your heart? And he says. You people. Place your confidence. In him continually.
[58:44] Before him. Pour ye out your heart. God is. Our refuge high. So we'll sing Psalm 62. From verse 5. Down to the verse marked 8. To God's praise.
[58:54] God used. Himasted.
[59:07] So we'll sing. dependeth of my hope and expectation.
[59:28] He only my salvation is, and my strong walk is He.
[59:45] He only is my sure defense, I shall not move and be.
[60:01] In God my glory places, and my salvation sure.
[60:17] In God the rock is of my strength, my refuge most secure.
[60:33] Ye people, place your confidence in Him continually.
[60:51] Before Him pour ye out your heart, God is our refuge high.
[61:10] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, now and forevermore. Amen.