If you have your Bible with you, please open it to Matthew chapter 13.
Matthew chapter 13.
It's seeding time here in Davidson.
Well, it's really almost over.
My latest intelligence report tells me that it's 85% done.
Thanks, Rob, for that information.
Most are done.
There's still a few that are out there finishing up.
And you've got to know that the question that's probably on all of these farmers' minds
is how will the seeds that I've planted in the ground do this year?
What kind of crop will they produce?
And, of course, there's all kinds of factors that affect that.
There's the moisture in the soil.
There's just the weather in general.
For those who have been having conversations with my neighbor,
do I get hail insurance for my crop or do I not?
Do I risk it this year?
There's all kinds of factors that affect the yield of the harvest.
And this morning as we dig into some of the teachings of Jesus,
one of the things I love about Jesus is that he takes from the ordinary stuff of life,
like farming, to teach extraordinary truths about God and about us
and about the kingdom of God.
For the next four Sundays, we're going to be talking about some of the parables that Jesus told.
All of them are here in Matthew chapter 13.
And this series of titled Parables of the Kingdom.
Because all of them have to do with the kingdom of God,
revealing something about the kingdom of God.
Well, this morning, the parable that we're going to look at,
Jesus addresses the question of what is not the only factor,
but one of the big factors that affects the yield of the harvest.
Let's read together, starting in verse 1.
Scattering the seed, some fell along the path,
and the birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky places where it did not have much soil.
It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow,
but when the sun came up, the plants were scorched,
and they withered because they had no root.
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop,
a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.
Whoever has ears, let him hear.
Now imagine that you're there standing on the shore,
and you're listening to Jesus' voice cascading across the water to you,
and you hear him speak this parable.
What are you thinking?
I imagine that some in the crowd there were thinking,
I came all the way out here to hear this?
Like, tell me something I don't know, Jesus.
This is common sense.
The seed falls in different places,
and depending on where it falls, it produces a crop.
What's so special about that?
What do you mean, whoever has ears, let him hear?
That's common sense.
Well, apparently Jesus' closest followers, the disciples,
they also didn't get it.
So in case we were wondering if Matthew forgot to include some context here
that would make this all make sense,
no, they didn't get it either.
In verse 10, they say this,
the disciples came to him and asked,
why do you speak to the people in parables?
Luke tells us that they asked at the same time specifically,
what's the meaning of this parable?
Mark tells us that this conversation with the disciples
happened while they were alone later.
Why do you speak to the people in parables?
What does this mean?
Why not just tell them directly
what the meaning of the parable is?
You want to be understood, don't you?
Make it clear.
Make it easy.
Jesus goes on and answers their question in verse 11.
He replied,
The reason I speak in parables
is because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven
has been given to you,
but not to them.
Whoever has will be given more
and they will have an abundance.
Whoever does not have,
even what they have will be taken from them.
This is why I speak to them in parables.
Though seeing, they do not see.
Though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah.
You will be ever hearing,
but never understanding.
You will be ever seeing,
but never perceiving.
For this people's heart has become calloused.
They hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn, and I would heal them.
But blessed are your eyes,
he says to his disciples,
because they see,
and your ears because they hear.
For truly, I tell you,
many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear,
but did not hear it.
This is Jesus' answer to the question,
why do you speak in parables?
It's interesting.
There's a lot in there.
One of the first things that I notice is
he talks a lot about hearing and seeing.
That's how the parable ended, remember?
He who has ears to hear,
let him hear.
Why do you speak to the crowds in parables?
Why not just tell them directly?
He says a lot about hearing and seeing.
Jesus makes a distinction.
There are people who hear,
and there are people who hear,
who really hear,
who understand.
There are people who see,
and there are people who see,
who really see,
who perceive what's really going on.
So why parables?
Why parables?
Why not just tell them
the meaning of these parables?
Jesus' answer is somewhat surprising.
Verse 11, he says,
because the knowledge of the secrets
of the kingdom of heaven
has been given to you,
but not to them.
What?
That doesn't sound fair.
Why?
I mean,
we are pretty awesome,
but why?
I mean,
we don't know what the disciples
were thinking here.
We know later on,
they were arguing about
which of them was the greatest
and who would have the most prominence
in this coming kingdom.
At the very least, though,
it doesn't seem that the disciples
are showing any signs
of being humble and thankful.
Wow,
it's been given to us,
but not to them.
This is strange.
Why not to everyone?
Why not?
I don't want to spend too much time
on this question of why parables.
It's a big question.
But a few things that we notice
from what Jesus says.
When it comes to these parables,
I speak in parables,
and it seems that there's
a couple different things
going on here.
There's a couple different reasons.
One of those reasons
seems to be to,
at least a little bit,
to veil the truth
of the kingdom.
So that people need to press in
to understand
they need to humble themselves.
They need to,
like the disciples did,
come to Jesus
and ask,
well,
what does this mean?
There's a little bit
of a sense here,
perhaps,
in verse 15,
the reason why
it's veiled like this
is
because
some people
have a heart
that's calloused,
that's hard.
they have hardened
their hearts
towards God.
It says,
they have closed
their eyes,
Jesus says.
Perhaps
a little bit of
just punishment
here.
They have closed
their eyes,
they don't want to see,
they don't want to hear,
and so
I'm going to veil
the truth
so that
those
who will
understand it
will be those
who truly
press in
and seek
to understand
and humble
themselves before me
and come to me.
That seems to be
one purpose here.
And of course,
the other purpose
is
a blessing
to some.
God wants
to give
the knowledge
of the secrets
of the kingdom
of heaven
to some.
Blessed
are your eyes
because they see
and your ears
because they hear.
Well,
why us?
Because we're
awesome?
Well,
no,
not really.
Because we were
somehow
more sensitive
to God
before?
I'm not sure
about that.
Jesus says,
God is going
to give
this knowledge
to you.
And so I'm
going to explain
to you
afterwards
what all these
parables mean.
I'm just going
to tell you.
There's a bit
of a
dual purpose
behind the
parables,
it seems.
In a nutshell,
Jesus speaks
in parables
to veil
the truth
of the
kingdom,
the good
news of
the kingdom
so that
those
who hear
will be
accountable
for what
they have
heard.
They'll be
on the
hook
for what
they have
heard,
but they
will also
be
responsible
to press
in
and seek
and understand
and respond
to what
they have
heard.
And then
there's a
sense of
he's saying
these parables
to reveal
the truth
of God
about the
kingdom.
It's a
parable,
it all
comes back
to this
issue of
hearing
and seeing
and this
kind of
strikes to
the heart
of what
this parable
is all
about.
If
anyone
has ears,
let him
hear,
is what
Jesus said
at the end
of the
parable.
And then
Jesus
goes on
to give
an
explanation
to his
disciples
about
what the
parable
means,
and that's
really what
we want
to look
at with
most of
our time
this morning.
So let's
look at
what Jesus
says in
verse 18.
He says,
listen then
to what the
parable of
the sower
means.
When
anyone
hears the
message about
the kingdom
and does
not understand
it,
the evil
one comes
and snatches
away what
was sown
in their
heart.
This is
the seed
sown along
the path.
The seed
falling on
the rocky
ground refers
to someone
who hears
the word
and at once
receives it
with joy.
But since
they have
no root,
they last
only a short
time.
When
trouble
or persecution
comes because
of the
word,
they quickly
fall away.
The seed
falling among
the thorns
refers to
someone who
hears the
word,
but the
worries of
this life
and the
deceitfulness
of wealth
choke the
word,
making it
unfruitful.
But the
seed falling
on good
soil refers
to someone
who hears
the word
and understands
it.
This is
the one
who produces
a crop
yielding
a hundred,
sixty,
or thirty
times
what was
sown.
The first
thing to notice
in this
explanation,
Jesus calls
this the
parable of
the sower.
That's his
own words.
But he
doesn't really
tell us what
the sower
refers to.
Who is the
sower?
What he
does tell
us,
though,
is what
the seed
represents.
In verse
19,
he says,
when anyone
hears the
message about
the kingdom
or the
word of
the kingdom
and does
not understand
it,
the evil
one comes
and snatches
away what
was sown.
What was
sown?
The seed.
What's the
seed?
The word
of the
kingdom.
The message
of the
kingdom.
Matthew is
the only
one who
records
Jesus
saying this
very specific
thing of
what the
seed is,
that it's
the word
of the
kingdom.
Mark and
Luke both
kind of are
more general.
The seed
refers to
the word
or the
word of
God.
I got
thinking about
this.
Why so
specific?
The word
of the
kingdom,
the message
about the
kingdom.
What's
so significant
about that?
Many people
as they've
read this
parable are
very quick
to kind of
draw the
line and
say,
well,
the seed
represents
the gospel,
the good
news.
Is the
seed the
gospel?
Yes,
it is.
God
but what
I find
really
interesting
is what
Mark says
about the
gospel,
about the
good news
of Jesus.
As Jesus
first begins
to preach,
Mark says
this,
Jesus went
into Galilee
proclaiming the
good news
of God.
And what
was it in
a nutshell?
Mark says
this is what
it was.
The time
has come,
Jesus said.
The kingdom
of God
has come
near.
Repent
and believe
the good
news.
Now,
if I was
to ask
you,
what's our
main message?
I hope
you would
say,
the gospel,
the good
news of
Jesus.
What's
the gospel?
I think
most of us
would say,
I would
say,
that Jesus
died on
the cross
so that we
could be
forgiven of
our sins.
And that
is,
there's a
little bit
of that
here.
He says,
repent
and believe.
Well,
the implication
is that if
we repent
to God
of our
sins,
he will
forgive us
of our
sins.
And the
cross is
the way
that that
happens.
But what
just really
struck a
chord in
me this
week is,
what's the
first thing
that Jesus
says is
the good
news,
the message
of the good
news?
the kingdom
of God
has come
near.
In fact,
in Mark,
back in
Matthew,
sorry,
chapter 4,
he says that
Jesus went
into Galilee
preaching the
good news
of the
kingdom.
It got me
thinking.
I wonder
if we
have tried
to define
or distill
the gospel
too narrowly.
Jesus,
of course,
is the
substitute
that took
our place
for our
sins to be
forgiven.
heaven.
He is
the ransom
that was
paid for
us.
But part
of the
good news,
at least
from what
I'm catching
here from
Matthew and
from Mark,
from Jesus,
is that he
is those
things,
but he
is also
the king.
He is the
king of
this kingdom
of heaven
that God
is bringing,
who has
come to
rule,
has come
to reign.
When's
the last
time you
shared the
gospel,
the good
news,
with someone
and said,
the good
news is
this,
Jesus is
the king
who is
coming,
who has
come and
who is
coming again
to rule
and to
reign and
to establish
the kingdom
of God.
And yet,
that seems
to be the
leading edge,
the leading
emphasis that
Jesus has
as he
declares the
good news.
It's the
good news
of the
kingdom.
And so,
what is our
main message?
This should
be at the
core of
who we
are as
Christians,
at the
core of
our church,
at the
core of
the gospel
that we
preach.
Not just
that we
have a
sacrifice
for our
sins,
but that
we have
a king
who is
bringing
the
kingdom
of God.
He is
Jesus
Christ.
And
Christ
is not
just
his last
name.
As my
daughter
said when
I asked
her,
what's
Jesus'
last name?
It's
Christ.
Christ is
not his
last name.
It's a
title.
It comes
from the
original
Greek word
which means
anointed
one,
which means
more,
but not
less,
than
king.
He is
Jesus'
king.
Jesus
the
king
who brings
the
kingdom
of God
and
establishes
his
rule
and
reign
here on
earth.
And that's
the good
news.
That's part
of it.
I wonder if we've
separated that
too much
though.
The kingdom
of God,
that's a
future thing.
And
salvation,
that's the
present thing.
That's the
thing that
we're most
focused on.
That's what
Matthew
describes as
what Jesus
said is the
seed.
It's the
word of the
kingdom,
the message
about the
kingdom.
And what's
interesting is
that as the
seed is
sown,
it falls on
four different
places.
And there's
four different
outcomes.
But in
every case,
the same
seed fell
on each
of those
places.
In every
case,
Jesus says
this.
In the
first case,
on the
path,
when anyone
hears the
message about
the kingdom,
they heard the
message.
And the
rocky
seed,
the rocky
ground,
the seed
falling on
the rocky
ground,
verse 20,
refers to
someone who
hears the
word.
Verse 22,
the seed
falling among
the thorns
refers to
someone who
hears the
word.
Verse 23,
the seed
falling on
the good
soil refers
to someone
who hears
the word.
In every
case,
it refers to
people who
hear the
word,
who heard
the message
about the
kingdom,
the good
news of
Jesus
Christ.
But even
though they
all hear
it,
not
everyone
hears it
and understands
it.
What makes
the difference?
What makes
the difference?
Let's consider
for a moment
the outcomes.
Four different
outcomes.
the first,
the seed
lands on
the path.
It sits
there until
a bird
comes and
snatches it
away.
I would
say that's
zero yield.
Didn't even
go into
the ground.
In the
second instance,
the seed
goes into
the ground,
but not
too much
later,
after it's
sprouted up,
the sun
scorches
the plant,
and the
plant withers
and dies.
That's
zero yield.
In the
third case,
the seed
goes into
the ground,
the weeds
grow up
around it
and choke
it out
such that
it's
essentially
zero yield.
maybe it
ekes out
its existence
after that
as a
poor,
skimpy little
thing,
but it's
unfruitful,
Jesus says.
Only in
the case
of the
good soil
is there
any
yield.
This
is the
one,
Jesus
says,
who
produces
a crop,
and there's
a variety
of yields,
160
or 30
times
what was
sown.
So there's
essentially
two outcomes.
There's
zero yield
and there's
some yield.
What makes
the difference?
What makes
the difference
between
those who
hear the
word of
the kingdom
and there's
something that
comes out of
that?
There's a
harvest
and those
who hear
it and
it's
nothing.
It does
nothing for
them.
The simple
answer is
the soil
is the
difference.
That's
the big
factor
that changes
the yield
in all of
these cases.
The soil
is the
difference.
What does
the soil
represent?
Jesus
actually
tells us
in the way
that he
explains
the parable.
The soil
represents
the heart
of the
people
who are
listening,
who are
hearing.
Do you
see that
in verse
19?
He says,
when anyone
hears the
message about
the kingdom
and does
not understand
it,
the evil
one comes
and snatches
away what
was sown
where?
in their
heart.
In each
of these
cases,
the difference
between
hearing
and really
hearing and
understanding
is the
condition of
the soil.
It's the
condition
of the
heart.
There are
some
who have
a hard
heart.
Jesus
talks about
the seed
falling on
the path.
The seed
sits on
top.
The path
is packed
hard.
It doesn't
even go
in.
It doesn't
penetrate.
The barrier
is up.
I'm telling
you about
the God
of the
Bible,
Jesus,
the King.
And I
don't know
if I hear
what you're
saying,
but I'm
not hearing
what you're
saying.
The
firewall is
up.
My heart
is hard
towards
that.
It might
go into
my head.
It might
even sit
there in
my short
term memory
for a
while.
But just
like a
bird comes
and snatches
that seed
off the
path for
breakfast,
the devil
comes and
takes away
what was
sown.
Zero
yield.
There are
some whose
hearts are
hard.
heart.
And that's
why they
don't hear.
Why they
don't
understand and
perceive.
There are
some, and I'm
going to call
this by a
little bit of a
different name,
there are some
whose heart is a
fair weather
heart.
I don't know if
you've had one of
those friends,
fair weather
friend, person
who's happy to be
with you and
spend time with
you when things
are good, but as
soon as you're in
a jam or in a
bind or things
aren't going
well, it's, oh,
he's not doing so
good.
That's negative
energy there.
I don't want to be
around that.
I like to call
that a fair
weather friend.
Well, there are
some who have a
fair weather
heart.
The word of the
kingdom, the word
of Jesus, the
king, they hear
that.
That sounds good.
I like that.
What Jesus is
promising, what
Jesus is offering,
I want that.
That kingdom
sounds good.
I want to be a
part of that.
until the
going gets
tough.
Maintaining
loyalty to this
king draws some
fire from some
people, some
opposition, and in
some cases, fierce
opposition, and
then, well, I
don't know if it's
for me.
I don't know if I
want to have
anything to do
with Jesus
anymore.
Jesus says,
the sun comes
and scorches
the plant, and
that refers to
trouble or
persecution.
Trouble.
Even just the
difficulty of
following Christ,
of having him as
our king, of
submitting our
lives to him.
Sounds like a
lot of trouble.
Sounds difficult.
And they fall
away.
They don't
persevere.
The reason why,
Jesus says, is
because the soil
is shallow.
The seed, it
goes in, but
beneath the
shallow soil is
rocky.
Rocks.
It's rocky
soil.
The roots can't
get down into
there.
There's something
there that they're
not allowing
those roots to
go deep.
Some people
have a fair
weather heart
when they hear
the word of
God.
Some people
have a
distracted heart
as they listen
to the word
of God.
The third
place that the
seed falls is
among thorns
or weeds.
Jesus describes
how the weeds,
they grow up
around it,
and they
choke out
the plant.
They steal
from the
plant all
of the
water and
the nutrients
that it
needs to
live and
to thrive,
and the
plant,
it loses
the battle.
What are the
weeds?
Jesus names
two here
in Matthew's
telling of the
story.
the first
is the
worries of
this life.
The general
cares and
concerns of
this life
can be like
weeds.
We get so
preoccupied and
focused on
the things of
life, the
concerns of
life.
We get anxious
about it.
Our time and
our attention
is monopolized
by all
of the
stuff that
we have
going on
in life,
all of the
things we
need to
do to
make sure
this is,
make sure
that is,
and there's
no time
and attention
left to
listen and
hear what
God has
said,
the word
of the
kingdom,
to be a
participant
in the
kingdom,
choked
out by
the worries
of this
life.
And this
kind of
goes back
to what
Jesus said
in the
Sermon on
the Mount.
That's why
he said to
his disciples,
do not worry
about your
life.
Do not be
anxious about
your life,
what you will
eat or
drink or
what you
will wear.
Is not
life more
than food
and the
body more
than clothes?
What should
you do?
Seek
first
his
kingdom.
And all
these things
will be given
to you as
well.
Don't let
the cares
of this
life,
the concerns
of life,
steal
your time
and attention
so much
that you
fail to
respond
and to
hear what
God has
said.
The second
weed that
Jesus mentions
is the
deceitfulness
of wealth.
It's another
of those
weeds that
chokes the
word out.
The deceitfulness
of wealth.
If I can
just get
fill in the
blank,
then I
will be
fill in the
blank.
we strive
for,
we chase
after,
and we
put our
time and
attention
into
researching
that
upgraded
version of
that thing
that we
have.
Not because
there's anything
wrong with
this,
but maybe
one day
this thing
will break
and then I'm
going to need
to know
which one
I'm going
to buy.
We spend
all of our
time and
attention
chasing
after these
things.
And Jesus
just calls it
what it is
right off
the bat.
It's the
deceitfulness
of wealth.
It's a
lie.
It can't
fulfill you.
It can't
make you
happy.
It's a
mirage.
So what if
you get the
next new
thing?
Oh, if I
could just
get that
number in
my retirement
account, if I
could just
get into
this fund,
if I
could just
know that
I'll be
secure, that
things will
be going
well for
me?
It's a
lie.
That's just
a weed.
It's something
that just
sucks your
time and
your energy
and your
attention and
distracts you
from really
hearing the
word of the
kingdom, the
word of God,
from really
participating and
being involved
in the
kingdom.
there's the
hard heart,
there's the
fair weather
heart, there's
the distracted
heart, and
then there's the
good soil, says
Jesus.
The seed falling
on the good
soil refers to
someone who
hears the
word like
everyone else
and understands
it.
They get it.
They listen to
it, which
implies that
they respond.
They take it
seriously.
They obey
it.
They prioritize
the word of
the kingdom
above the
concerns of
life, the
wealth and
getting that.
They remain
loyal to
the king and
to the
kingdom.
Even when it
gets tough,
they persevere.
their hearts,
I guess a
way to
describe this
would be the
soft heart,
the heart
that is soft
towards God
and towards
what he has
said.
Not the
good heart.
The Bible
is clear,
Jesus is
clear.
We don't
have good
hearts,
that's why
we need
him.
Our hearts
are evil.
But the
soft heart,
the heart
that humbly
comes to
God and
says,
I value
what you
have said
and I
don't
understand it.
Help me
understand it.
That's the
good soil.
The word
gets into
there and
it produces
a crop.
And there
are varying
yields.
Sometimes it's
an amazing
yield.
A hundred
times what
was sown.
Sometimes it's
a really,
really good
yield.
Sixty
times what
was sown.
And sometimes
it's just a
good yield.
Thirty
times what
was sown.
And I
think some
of the
implication
there is
the better
the soil,
the better
the yield.
The softer
your heart
before God,
the more
humbly you
come to
him and
listen and
seek and
cry out for
understanding.
As Solomon
said in
Proverbs,
he will
speak to
you.
He will
reveal to
you.
He will
help you
to understand.
You will
get it.
He will
make you
wise.
He will
make you
wise.
So where
do we go
with this?
I think
there's a
warning here.
You've got
three different
soils and
all of them
zero yield
and only
one where
a harvest
comes,
where there
is some
yield.
There's a bit
of a warning
there.
In the past,
we've been
quick to take
this parable
and say,
well,
this is all
about evangelism.
this is all
about how
can we expect
people to
respond to
the message
when we
share it
with them
and absolutely
it is.
I think
that's part
of why
Jesus gave
it to us,
to his
disciples.
But I
think that
the first
place that
Jesus wants
us to go
with this
parable is
to ask
the question,
which soil
am I?
what kind
of soil
is my
heart
today?
Is there
some hardness
there
towards God?
Is there
some rocks
beneath the
surface?
weeds?
Are there
some weeds?
Some things
that are
distracting me
and I
know it,
but I
haven't done
anything about
it yet.
What kind
of soil
is your
heart
today?
What kind
of harvest
do you want
to have
from your
life?
as you
think of
your life,
you standing
before God
when the
king returns
to bring
his kingdom,
what kind
of yield
do you
want to
have?
It all
comes down
to here,
to your
heart.
You could
be somebody
who comes
to church
every Sunday
without fail
and hears
somebody
preaching
from the
Bible.
but whether
you hear
and understand
or whether
you just
hear and
it doesn't
make a
dent,
that comes
down to
your heart.
You could
be someone
who opens
your Bible
every day
and reads
a little
bit,
but whether
or not
this has
an impact
on you
comes down
to your
heart.
is it
soft?
Is it
humble
before the
Lord
to hear
what he
has said?
The Pharisees,
they had the
whole Old Testament
memorized and
Jesus says,
you know the
scriptures,
but you've
missed the
whole thing.
you've missed
it completely.
There is
that danger.
There is a
warning,
but I think
there's also
an invitation.
I think Jesus
intends for us
as we hear
this parable
of the
soils
to do
a soil
test,
to open
our hearts
to him
and say,
where am I
at?
And to take
that,
to admit
and acknowledge,
Lord,
this is where
I'm at.
I don't
think Jesus
gave this
parable to
just tell us
that,
well,
there's four
different kinds
of people.
Some of them
are doomed
and some of
them are good
soil.
And those
will be the
ones that
will,
I think
what he
wants is
for us
to respond,
to look
at our
lives,
our hearts,
in light
of this
parable.
Which
soil am I?
And we're
all going
to realize,
myself included,
that there's
weeds,
that there's
hardness,
that there's
rocky rocks
beneath the
surface,
preventing the
roots from
growing deep.
And once we
come to own
that and
admit that
to God,
the good
news is
this,
God can
change the
human heart.
this whole
book is
full of
examples of
God changing
people's hearts.
We read about
one of them
this morning.
I love
what God
says through
Ezekiel,
the prophet.
I will
give you,
this is to
his people,
I will
give you
a new
heart and
put a new
spirit in
you.
I will
remove from
you your
heart of
stone,
and give
you a
heart of
flesh.
So don't
be afraid to
admit to
the Lord
where you're
truly at
today and
call out to
him and ask
him to
change,
to break
up the
rocks that
are beneath
the surface,
to bring
the herbicide
of heaven to
bear on those
weeds and
knock them
out.
because at
the end of
the day,
we're
powerless to
change
ourselves,
our own
hearts.
Some of
those weeds
have very
deep roots,
but the
Lord can
take care of
all of that
and make
us good
soil.
He who
has ears,
let him
hear.
Let's
pray.
Father in
heaven,
thank you
for these
words.
Don't let
us hear
them this
morning and
do nothing
with them and
let them just
sit on the
surface until
the devil comes
and snatches
them away.
Don't let
that be the
case for us
today,
Lord.
Convict us
by your
spirit and
bring us to
that place
where we
respond,
where we
truly hear.
We ask
this in
Christ's
name.
Amen.