WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.260 Morning Church. 00:00:04.099 --> 00:00:09.660 Okay, the reading is taken from Mark chapter 4, verses 1 to 20. 00:00:10.779 --> 00:00:14.759 You can find that on pages 1005 in your church Bible. 00:00:18.539 --> 00:00:22.839 You can also follow on the screen behind me. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:33.780 Again, Jesus began to teach by the lake. 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:42.140 The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, 00:00:42.859 --> 00:00:46.960 while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. 00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:54.539 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teachings said, 00:00:54.539 --> 00:00:59.179 Listen, a farmer went out to sow his seed. 00:01:00.420 --> 00:01:07.980 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 00:01:09.420 --> 00:01:14.079 Some fell on rocky places where it did not have much soil. 00:01:15.219 --> 00:01:18.319 It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:27.559 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered, because they had no root. 00:01:29.459 --> 00:01:34.179 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, 00:01:34.859 --> 00:01:40.399 so that they did not bear grain. 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:47.000 Still other seed fell on good soil. 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:51.680 It came up, grew, and produced a crop. 00:01:52.719 --> 00:01:59.120 Some multiplying 30, some 60, some 100 times. 00:02:01.060 --> 00:02:02.579 Then Jesus said, 00:02:02.920 --> 00:02:06.019 Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear. 00:02:08.060 --> 00:02:15.159 When he was alone, the 12 and the others around him asked him about the parables. 00:02:15.159 --> 00:02:17.479 He told them, 00:02:17.479 --> 00:02:22.039 The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you, 00:02:22.879 --> 00:02:27.879 but to those on the outside, everything is said in parables, 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:34.379 so that they may be ever seen, but never perceiving, 00:02:35.379 --> 00:02:38.159 and ever hearing, but never understanding. 00:02:38.159 --> 00:02:43.539 Otherwise, they might turn and be forgiven. 00:02:45.879 --> 00:02:47.199 Then Jesus said to them, 00:02:48.039 --> 00:02:49.879 Don't you understand this parable? 00:02:50.960 --> 00:02:53.719 How then will you understand any parable? 00:02:55.159 --> 00:02:57.300 The farmer sows the word. 00:02:57.300 --> 00:03:06.400 Some people are like seed along the path where the word is sown. 00:03:07.400 --> 00:03:11.200 As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes it away, 00:03:11.880 --> 00:03:15.480 and the word that was sown in them. 00:03:16.439 --> 00:03:19.740 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, 00:03:20.460 --> 00:03:23.640 hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 00:03:23.639 --> 00:03:29.299 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. 00:03:30.639 --> 00:03:33.739 When trouble or persecution comes, 00:03:34.079 --> 00:03:37.119 because of the word, they quickly fall away. 00:03:38.500 --> 00:03:42.359 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, 00:03:43.099 --> 00:03:43.879 hear the word. 00:03:44.779 --> 00:03:46.560 But the worries of this life, 00:03:46.819 --> 00:03:48.899 the deceitfulness of wealth, 00:03:48.900 --> 00:03:51.340 and the desires for other things, 00:03:51.800 --> 00:03:53.379 come in and choke the word, 00:03:53.879 --> 00:03:55.420 making it unfruitful. 00:03:57.020 --> 00:03:59.460 Others, like seed sown on ground, 00:03:59.939 --> 00:04:00.740 on good soil, 00:04:01.420 --> 00:04:02.200 hear the word, 00:04:03.060 --> 00:04:03.819 accept it, 00:04:04.159 --> 00:04:05.340 and produce a crop. 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:07.060 Some 30, 00:04:07.659 --> 00:04:08.580 some 60, 00:04:09.259 --> 00:04:10.620 some 100 times 00:04:10.620 --> 00:04:11.860 that was sown. 00:04:11.860 --> 00:04:14.600 This is the word of the Lord. 00:04:17.520 --> 00:04:18.639 Great, thank you, Yvonne. 00:04:18.759 --> 00:04:21.020 Do keep that passage open in front of you. 00:04:21.120 --> 00:04:23.000 We're going to be working our way through it. 00:04:23.180 --> 00:04:23.819 Let's pray 00:04:23.819 --> 00:04:27.840 and ask for the Lord's help as we come to his word. 00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:28.240 Let's pray. 00:04:29.819 --> 00:04:33.280 Father, we do thank you for your word to us. 00:04:34.680 --> 00:04:37.860 We pray now that you might help us to listen carefully 00:04:38.400 --> 00:04:39.980 to what you're saying to us. 00:04:39.980 --> 00:04:41.840 Help me, I pray, 00:04:41.960 --> 00:04:43.060 to speak clearly. 00:04:43.319 --> 00:04:45.640 Help all of us to have tender, 00:04:45.860 --> 00:04:47.280 good soil hearts 00:04:47.280 --> 00:04:50.259 that listen and accept what you're saying to us. 00:04:50.780 --> 00:04:51.900 In Jesus' name. 00:04:52.700 --> 00:04:53.000 Amen. 00:04:55.960 --> 00:04:57.920 Now, let me tell you something 00:04:57.920 --> 00:05:00.240 which you're probably sure of anyway. 00:05:00.480 --> 00:05:01.980 That is that self-awareness 00:05:02.620 --> 00:05:05.660 is a rare thing, right? 00:05:06.879 --> 00:05:09.000 We are pretty good, I think, 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:10.480 when it comes to seeing 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:12.899 the mistakes of others 00:05:12.899 --> 00:05:16.060 and less good at seeing the contribution 00:05:16.060 --> 00:05:18.480 that perhaps we've made to situations. 00:05:19.660 --> 00:05:20.860 Let me give you some examples 00:05:20.860 --> 00:05:21.759 to show you what I mean. 00:05:22.519 --> 00:05:24.079 Maybe you're at school, right? 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:27.199 Maybe you've had a really bad week 00:05:27.199 --> 00:05:28.579 at school this week. 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:30.839 And you know why you've had a bad week 00:05:30.839 --> 00:05:31.620 at school this week. 00:05:31.699 --> 00:05:33.300 It's because the teachers hate you. 00:05:34.040 --> 00:05:35.300 They mark your work harder 00:05:35.300 --> 00:05:36.399 than anybody else's. 00:05:36.399 --> 00:05:37.620 They have it in for you. 00:05:37.699 --> 00:05:38.560 They see you coming. 00:05:38.779 --> 00:05:40.139 They're unkind to you, right? 00:05:40.919 --> 00:05:42.699 You're really sure of all that. 00:05:43.219 --> 00:05:44.459 What you're less aware of 00:05:44.459 --> 00:05:46.120 is that the fact that you don't do any work 00:05:46.120 --> 00:05:47.879 might also contribute to the fact 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:50.459 that you've had a bad week at school, perhaps. 00:05:51.739 --> 00:05:53.679 It's the same dynamic at work, isn't it? 00:05:53.919 --> 00:05:55.779 When a project goes wrong 00:05:55.779 --> 00:05:57.859 or when a contract falls over 00:05:57.859 --> 00:06:00.839 or when that bid for new work doesn't come off, 00:06:00.839 --> 00:06:03.279 we are pretty clear on all the mistakes 00:06:03.279 --> 00:06:05.719 that other members of the team have made 00:06:05.719 --> 00:06:08.979 and are less clear about our own contribution to it. 00:06:09.060 --> 00:06:09.979 We're blind to that. 00:06:10.939 --> 00:06:12.739 It's the same in family arguments. 00:06:12.939 --> 00:06:14.179 Maybe you don't have family arguments, 00:06:14.439 --> 00:06:17.279 but if you do, it's the same in those, isn't it? 00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:19.679 Where the unreasonableness of everybody else 00:06:19.679 --> 00:06:21.839 in your family is really obvious to you. 00:06:22.379 --> 00:06:23.739 Well, they're so selfish. 00:06:24.539 --> 00:06:26.339 They are always like that. 00:06:26.339 --> 00:06:29.519 They are always putting themselves first. 00:06:30.500 --> 00:06:31.699 And you can see it really clearly, 00:06:31.879 --> 00:06:33.579 but your own contribution to it, 00:06:33.659 --> 00:06:35.519 well, you're blind to that. 00:06:36.579 --> 00:06:38.979 Now, obviously, that sort of lack of self-awareness 00:06:38.979 --> 00:06:41.000 is different in different characters. 00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:42.859 Some of us are inclined to self-pity. 00:06:43.279 --> 00:06:44.899 Some of us are inclined to arrogance. 00:06:45.500 --> 00:06:47.759 But the fact is that not knowing ourselves 00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:50.519 and not knowing our own contribution in any situation 00:06:50.519 --> 00:06:53.699 is really a problem, isn't it, in our lives? 00:06:54.719 --> 00:06:55.959 Maybe you're still unpersuaded. 00:06:55.959 --> 00:06:57.699 Let me suggest to you something that you could do 00:06:57.699 --> 00:07:00.239 if you're unpersuaded that a lack of self-awareness 00:07:00.239 --> 00:07:00.759 is a problem. 00:07:01.560 --> 00:07:05.099 Why not, after church, speak to a good friend 00:07:05.099 --> 00:07:06.939 and say to them something like this, 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:09.959 please, can you tell me everything 00:07:09.959 --> 00:07:12.699 that you think I am unaware of 00:07:12.699 --> 00:07:15.919 that contributes to the problems that I have, right? 00:07:16.279 --> 00:07:17.659 And then just brace yourself 00:07:17.659 --> 00:07:19.719 for whatever it is that comes next. 00:07:20.740 --> 00:07:24.060 Now, in a sense, that is the dynamic of Mark chapter four. 00:07:24.060 --> 00:07:27.560 In Mark chapter four, Jesus is that good friend. 00:07:28.300 --> 00:07:29.579 And he's saying to you, listen, 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:33.339 there is a spiritual version of a lack of self-awareness. 00:07:34.139 --> 00:07:36.220 And I want to, like a good friend 00:07:36.220 --> 00:07:37.199 with my hand on your shoulder, 00:07:37.280 --> 00:07:40.019 I want to show you the contribution 00:07:40.019 --> 00:07:41.860 that your heart is making 00:07:41.860 --> 00:07:44.079 to your acceptance of the gospel. 00:07:45.840 --> 00:07:47.639 You see, we say things like this, don't we, 00:07:47.660 --> 00:07:49.519 in a sort of lack of spiritual self-awareness. 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:50.639 We say things like, do you know what? 00:07:50.979 --> 00:07:52.419 I would be a better Christian 00:07:52.419 --> 00:07:54.979 if I went to a better church. 00:07:55.819 --> 00:07:57.120 Church is kind of boring, really. 00:07:57.199 --> 00:07:58.339 It's a pain to get to. 00:07:59.079 --> 00:08:01.279 Or, do you know, life is so busy, 00:08:01.379 --> 00:08:02.799 I would be a better Christian 00:08:02.799 --> 00:08:04.459 if my life wasn't so busy. 00:08:04.979 --> 00:08:07.079 I would read my Bible and pray more 00:08:07.079 --> 00:08:09.120 if it wasn't for the kids getting up so early. 00:08:09.620 --> 00:08:11.620 You know, Jesus would be more present to me 00:08:11.620 --> 00:08:12.740 in my day-to-day life 00:08:12.740 --> 00:08:14.839 if I didn't just have so much to do. 00:08:14.839 --> 00:08:18.099 Or perhaps you think, do you know what? 00:08:18.599 --> 00:08:21.479 Honestly, I've got better things to be doing, 00:08:21.679 --> 00:08:23.279 other priorities you wouldn't understand. 00:08:23.519 --> 00:08:26.060 You don't know where I'm coming from. 00:08:26.819 --> 00:08:29.060 None of this Jesus stuff resonates with me anymore. 00:08:30.719 --> 00:08:33.220 And into that kind of lack of self-awareness, 00:08:33.379 --> 00:08:34.980 spiritual self-awareness, 00:08:35.139 --> 00:08:38.259 Jesus tells the parable of the sower in Mark 4. 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:41.220 It's probably more accurate to call it 00:08:41.220 --> 00:08:42.720 the parable of the soils 00:08:42.720 --> 00:08:44.779 because it's the soil that's in view 00:08:44.779 --> 00:08:46.199 rather than the sower. 00:08:47.039 --> 00:08:50.319 In the picture, the farmer is liberally scattering the seed 00:08:50.319 --> 00:08:50.980 and in the image, 00:08:51.379 --> 00:08:53.579 Jesus is the one scattering the seed. 00:08:53.679 --> 00:08:55.100 And the seed, as we saw with the kids, 00:08:55.299 --> 00:08:56.299 is the word of God, 00:08:56.379 --> 00:08:57.399 the message of the gospel, 00:08:57.879 --> 00:08:59.000 the good news of the kingdom. 00:08:59.620 --> 00:09:01.079 This message that he has been telling 00:09:01.079 --> 00:09:02.480 since the beginning of Mark's gospel 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:05.100 of repentance and faith in him for forgiveness. 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:09.799 And this seed lands on four different types of soil. 00:09:09.799 --> 00:09:11.379 The path, 00:09:12.519 --> 00:09:13.179 the rocks, 00:09:13.379 --> 00:09:13.959 the weeds, 00:09:14.339 --> 00:09:15.279 and the good soil. 00:09:15.779 --> 00:09:17.199 And those soils, we find, 00:09:17.259 --> 00:09:18.240 are human hearts, 00:09:18.479 --> 00:09:21.539 the different responses to the same message, 00:09:21.620 --> 00:09:22.599 the same gospel message. 00:09:22.939 --> 00:09:24.000 And the parable, in effect, 00:09:24.059 --> 00:09:26.819 says that our spiritual condition 00:09:26.820 --> 00:09:30.040 is a reflection of what's going on in our hearts. 00:09:30.580 --> 00:09:31.440 You know, in the parable, 00:09:31.520 --> 00:09:32.920 all the other conditions are the same, right? 00:09:32.940 --> 00:09:33.820 It's the same seed, 00:09:33.900 --> 00:09:34.700 it's the same farmer, 00:09:35.020 --> 00:09:36.040 it's the same weather, 00:09:36.940 --> 00:09:38.720 but the responses are different 00:09:38.720 --> 00:09:40.420 as a reflection of the heart. 00:09:41.480 --> 00:09:43.100 So let's just start by walking through 00:09:43.100 --> 00:09:44.620 these different types of soil. 00:09:44.760 --> 00:09:45.900 The first is the path. 00:09:45.899 --> 00:09:47.879 I think first, 00:09:47.939 --> 00:09:48.720 when I read this as a kid, 00:09:48.779 --> 00:09:50.019 I imagined that this was sort of, 00:09:50.120 --> 00:09:51.199 you know, like concrete slabs. 00:09:51.459 --> 00:09:52.419 I don't think it's really like that. 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:53.439 What really is going on here 00:09:53.439 --> 00:09:55.179 is like compacted soil. 00:09:55.340 --> 00:09:57.720 It has been squashed down by foot traffic. 00:09:58.459 --> 00:10:00.759 And the seed landing here stays on top, 00:10:00.819 --> 00:10:02.539 it is snatched away by the birds. 00:10:03.319 --> 00:10:06.539 And Jesus explains the picture in verse 15. 00:10:06.659 --> 00:10:07.539 Look at verse 15. 00:10:08.379 --> 00:10:09.639 Some people, he says, 00:10:09.699 --> 00:10:11.500 are like seed along the path 00:10:11.500 --> 00:10:13.360 where the word is sown. 00:10:13.860 --> 00:10:14.879 As soon as they hear it, 00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:17.419 Satan comes and takes away the word 00:10:17.419 --> 00:10:18.740 that was sown in them. 00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:21.200 It's a tragic image. 00:10:21.879 --> 00:10:23.279 This is the image I was trying to conjure up 00:10:23.279 --> 00:10:24.639 with throwing the seeds around 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:26.059 the church building here, 00:10:26.159 --> 00:10:27.539 that it would just go to waste. 00:10:27.620 --> 00:10:29.879 There's nothing for it to take root in. 00:10:30.620 --> 00:10:32.320 Perfectly good seed goes to waste, 00:10:32.500 --> 00:10:33.419 snatched away, we're told, 00:10:33.500 --> 00:10:34.480 by the devil himself, 00:10:34.679 --> 00:10:36.460 because the hardness of the heart 00:10:36.460 --> 00:10:38.259 has prevented it from penetrating 00:10:38.259 --> 00:10:39.860 even in a small way. 00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:43.639 By its very definition, 00:10:43.720 --> 00:10:44.539 this is hard, isn't it, 00:10:44.539 --> 00:10:46.500 to address in a gathering like this? 00:10:47.319 --> 00:10:50.759 If your heart is like the path this morning, 00:10:51.079 --> 00:10:53.159 then you're probably not listening to me. 00:10:53.899 --> 00:10:54.879 Probably on your phone, 00:10:55.399 --> 00:10:57.019 doing the word search on the notice sheet 00:10:57.019 --> 00:10:58.539 or counting the chairs 00:10:58.539 --> 00:10:59.339 or something like that. 00:11:00.339 --> 00:11:01.539 But let me just try and wake you up 00:11:01.539 --> 00:11:02.099 for a moment. 00:11:03.379 --> 00:11:06.099 Because Jesus here wants to wake us up 00:11:06.099 --> 00:11:07.240 to the possibility that 00:11:07.240 --> 00:11:09.399 the reason that we're not a Christian 00:11:09.399 --> 00:11:10.039 this morning, 00:11:10.039 --> 00:11:12.399 the reason that we find all of this 00:11:12.399 --> 00:11:14.079 a bit dull and a bit impenetrable 00:11:14.079 --> 00:11:15.740 is not because the seed is bad. 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:18.659 It's not because the farmer is poor 00:11:18.659 --> 00:11:20.439 or the weather is no good. 00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:23.860 No, it's because our hearts are hard 00:11:23.860 --> 00:11:25.179 to the message of the gospel, 00:11:26.120 --> 00:11:29.139 trodden down from years of refusing to listen 00:11:29.139 --> 00:11:31.259 and the seed just kind of bounces off. 00:11:32.120 --> 00:11:34.399 The very idea that you are owned 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:35.919 by a God who has made you, 00:11:36.580 --> 00:11:37.659 that you are given a life 00:11:37.659 --> 00:11:38.819 to live for his glory, 00:11:39.559 --> 00:11:41.000 and that your failure, 00:11:41.139 --> 00:11:43.100 our failure to live life for him 00:11:43.100 --> 00:11:43.779 and for his glory, 00:11:44.059 --> 00:11:45.419 that failure has left us 00:11:45.419 --> 00:11:46.980 in a moral peril 00:11:46.980 --> 00:11:48.799 before a holy God. 00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:51.340 A moral peril that only Jesus 00:11:51.340 --> 00:11:52.460 can save us from. 00:11:53.000 --> 00:11:54.059 Those ideas, 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:55.539 you never really thought about them properly. 00:11:55.539 --> 00:11:58.719 That's because you won't think about them. 00:12:00.319 --> 00:12:02.339 So let me ask you this morning 00:12:02.339 --> 00:12:03.879 whether that might be you. 00:12:04.480 --> 00:12:07.059 Might you be like the path this morning? 00:12:08.259 --> 00:12:09.719 Honestly, it's lots of people 00:12:09.719 --> 00:12:10.799 in our world, isn't it? 00:12:11.240 --> 00:12:12.139 The people around whom 00:12:12.139 --> 00:12:13.360 we spend much of our time. 00:12:14.500 --> 00:12:15.699 Perhaps you're a parent this morning 00:12:15.699 --> 00:12:16.819 and you find that your children 00:12:16.819 --> 00:12:17.620 are like this. 00:12:18.519 --> 00:12:19.819 Or maybe your nieces 00:12:19.819 --> 00:12:20.639 or your nephews 00:12:20.639 --> 00:12:21.559 or your grandchildren 00:12:21.559 --> 00:12:23.919 or your mum or your dad. 00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:26.379 They're just not interested 00:12:26.379 --> 00:12:28.059 in any encounter 00:12:28.059 --> 00:12:29.139 with the gospel message. 00:12:29.319 --> 00:12:30.979 And every time you try and share it, 00:12:31.019 --> 00:12:32.939 it's like it just bounces right off. 00:12:33.039 --> 00:12:33.719 They ignore it. 00:12:33.779 --> 00:12:35.000 The devil snatches it away. 00:12:35.199 --> 00:12:36.899 And it's desperately sad 00:12:36.899 --> 00:12:39.099 because the seed is good. 00:12:39.639 --> 00:12:41.240 The farmer is kind. 00:12:41.939 --> 00:12:43.779 The weather is the same for everyone. 00:12:44.339 --> 00:12:45.779 But it takes no root. 00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:49.639 The second soil is the rocky soil. 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:52.079 Here the image seems to be shallow soil 00:12:52.079 --> 00:12:53.399 over some kind of bedrock. 00:12:53.919 --> 00:12:55.399 So it's not just that the soil itself 00:12:55.399 --> 00:12:56.479 is littered with stones, 00:12:56.479 --> 00:12:57.659 but more that the soil 00:12:57.659 --> 00:12:59.439 is just a shallow layer 00:12:59.439 --> 00:13:01.299 over a bedrock underneath it. 00:13:01.679 --> 00:13:03.959 The soil warms up quickly in the sun. 00:13:04.399 --> 00:13:06.539 So the seed sort of germinates quicker 00:13:06.539 --> 00:13:07.559 than any of the others 00:13:07.559 --> 00:13:08.679 springing up ahead. 00:13:09.740 --> 00:13:10.419 Eventually, though, 00:13:10.459 --> 00:13:12.179 that layer of rock becomes a problem 00:13:12.179 --> 00:13:13.819 because the roots can't go down. 00:13:13.939 --> 00:13:15.699 So the plant doesn't last. 00:13:16.360 --> 00:13:18.519 The sun gets hotter into the summer 00:13:18.519 --> 00:13:19.620 and the plant is ruined. 00:13:20.419 --> 00:13:21.599 Look down at verse 16 00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:23.180 and you'll see Jesus' explanation. 00:13:24.019 --> 00:13:24.920 Others, he says, 00:13:25.259 --> 00:13:27.120 like seed sown on rocky places, 00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:28.000 hear the word 00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:29.840 and at once receive it with joy. 00:13:30.800 --> 00:13:31.980 But since they have no root, 00:13:32.080 --> 00:13:33.560 they last only a short time. 00:13:34.019 --> 00:13:35.440 When trouble or persecution 00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:37.379 comes because of the word, 00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:39.259 they quickly fall away. 00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:42.899 This rocky soil 00:13:42.899 --> 00:13:44.420 and the weedy soil afterwards 00:13:44.420 --> 00:13:45.100 that we'll find 00:13:45.100 --> 00:13:46.220 point to this reality 00:13:46.220 --> 00:13:47.920 that false faith 00:13:47.920 --> 00:13:49.100 and true faith 00:13:49.100 --> 00:13:50.800 look, at least for a time, 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:52.320 identical to one another. 00:13:53.580 --> 00:13:54.379 You know, at the start, 00:13:54.460 --> 00:13:55.340 there's no difference 00:13:55.340 --> 00:13:57.220 between the shallow soil plant 00:13:57.220 --> 00:13:58.779 and the good soil plant. 00:13:59.160 --> 00:14:00.320 In fact, if anything, 00:14:00.460 --> 00:14:01.500 the shallow soil plant 00:14:01.500 --> 00:14:02.440 is growing ahead 00:14:02.440 --> 00:14:03.580 of the good soil plant. 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:05.379 But then things start 00:14:05.379 --> 00:14:06.320 to get more difficult 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:07.480 and more difficult 00:14:07.480 --> 00:14:08.680 in a very specific way. 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:09.740 Look down and notice 00:14:09.740 --> 00:14:10.300 what he says. 00:14:10.820 --> 00:14:11.160 It's here, 00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:11.840 it's about trouble 00:14:11.840 --> 00:14:12.779 and persecution coming 00:14:12.779 --> 00:14:14.699 because of the word. 00:14:15.819 --> 00:14:16.519 So here is it, 00:14:16.620 --> 00:14:17.679 as we discover, 00:14:17.839 --> 00:14:19.159 having listened to the gospel 00:14:19.159 --> 00:14:20.639 and in a certain sense 00:14:20.639 --> 00:14:21.659 accepted it, 00:14:21.860 --> 00:14:22.959 we discover that 00:14:22.959 --> 00:14:23.519 that actually makes 00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:24.579 our lives more difficult 00:14:24.579 --> 00:14:25.539 and not easier. 00:14:27.259 --> 00:14:27.939 Perhaps we thought 00:14:27.939 --> 00:14:28.939 that trusting Jesus 00:14:28.939 --> 00:14:29.860 might just be a kind of 00:14:29.860 --> 00:14:31.620 nice bolt-on to our life. 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:32.759 You know, 00:14:32.779 --> 00:14:34.899 kind of a cultural insurance policy 00:14:34.899 --> 00:14:35.779 for when we die. 00:14:36.980 --> 00:14:38.039 But then being a Christian 00:14:38.039 --> 00:14:39.059 turns out to make 00:14:39.059 --> 00:14:39.899 really tough demands 00:14:39.899 --> 00:14:40.899 of our life choices. 00:14:41.500 --> 00:14:42.419 Doesn't prove to be 00:14:42.419 --> 00:14:43.000 very popular 00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:43.779 with our friends 00:14:43.779 --> 00:14:44.479 or our family. 00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:46.599 And so we give up. 00:14:47.459 --> 00:14:47.679 You know, 00:14:47.699 --> 00:14:48.639 the seed was good, 00:14:49.019 --> 00:14:50.039 the farmer was kind, 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:50.879 the weather was the same 00:14:50.879 --> 00:14:51.459 for everybody, 00:14:52.099 --> 00:14:53.719 but the soil was shallow. 00:14:54.679 --> 00:14:55.740 And so the plant 00:14:55.740 --> 00:14:57.279 only lasted for a short time. 00:14:59.479 --> 00:15:00.459 I think as a sort of 00:15:00.459 --> 00:15:01.399 bit of an aside here, 00:15:01.539 --> 00:15:03.279 it's worth just noticing 00:15:03.279 --> 00:15:04.699 Jesus' wisdom here 00:15:04.699 --> 00:15:05.639 for how we take 00:15:05.639 --> 00:15:07.120 professions of faith. 00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:08.439 He says here, 00:15:08.539 --> 00:15:08.839 doesn't he, 00:15:08.879 --> 00:15:09.679 that effectively 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:10.339 we should take 00:15:10.339 --> 00:15:11.099 professions of faith 00:15:11.099 --> 00:15:12.079 seriously, 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:12.800 but we should also 00:15:12.800 --> 00:15:14.120 take them patiently. 00:15:15.480 --> 00:15:16.100 I wonder whether 00:15:16.100 --> 00:15:16.800 this is perhaps 00:15:16.800 --> 00:15:17.759 particularly important 00:15:17.759 --> 00:15:18.820 for Christian parents 00:15:18.820 --> 00:15:19.879 and youth leaders 00:15:19.879 --> 00:15:20.280 to hear. 00:15:21.259 --> 00:15:21.560 You know, 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:22.480 how do you know 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:23.700 if that profession of faith 00:15:23.700 --> 00:15:24.580 that your eight-year-old 00:15:24.580 --> 00:15:25.740 is making is genuine? 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:27.240 Well, 00:15:27.300 --> 00:15:28.060 Jesus says, 00:15:28.120 --> 00:15:28.460 doesn't he, 00:15:29.020 --> 00:15:30.180 just like with anybody's 00:15:30.180 --> 00:15:30.840 profession of faith, 00:15:30.900 --> 00:15:31.660 you cannot tell 00:15:31.660 --> 00:15:32.400 whether it's genuine 00:15:32.400 --> 00:15:33.820 just by the earnestness 00:15:33.820 --> 00:15:34.360 of it. 00:15:35.160 --> 00:15:35.759 In fact, 00:15:35.940 --> 00:15:36.500 earnestness 00:15:36.500 --> 00:15:37.600 is the speciality 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:38.759 of the shallow soil. 00:15:39.960 --> 00:15:41.060 You can only see 00:15:41.060 --> 00:15:42.019 the genuineness 00:15:42.019 --> 00:15:42.580 of a profession 00:15:42.580 --> 00:15:43.639 when it is tested 00:15:43.639 --> 00:15:44.460 by trouble 00:15:44.460 --> 00:15:45.240 and persecution 00:15:45.240 --> 00:15:46.379 and whether it 00:15:46.379 --> 00:15:47.240 perseveres. 00:15:48.460 --> 00:15:49.279 So maybe when 00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:49.879 the eight-year-old 00:15:49.879 --> 00:15:51.420 turns 16 or 17 00:15:51.420 --> 00:15:52.360 and their school friends 00:15:52.360 --> 00:15:53.620 are mocking them 00:15:53.620 --> 00:15:54.600 for attending church 00:15:54.600 --> 00:15:56.279 or when they leave home 00:15:56.279 --> 00:15:57.139 and living for Jesus 00:15:57.139 --> 00:15:58.120 is way more difficult, 00:15:58.580 --> 00:15:58.820 well, 00:15:58.879 --> 00:15:59.460 then you'll know 00:15:59.460 --> 00:16:00.080 whether their faith 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:00.580 is genuine. 00:16:01.720 --> 00:16:01.899 Now, 00:16:01.920 --> 00:16:02.480 the point is not 00:16:02.480 --> 00:16:03.460 that we discourage 00:16:03.460 --> 00:16:04.040 an eight-year-old 00:16:04.040 --> 00:16:04.879 from professing faith 00:16:04.879 --> 00:16:05.519 in Jesus Christ. 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:06.439 Of course not. 00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:07.539 The point is 00:16:07.539 --> 00:16:08.279 that we don't give up 00:16:08.279 --> 00:16:09.220 praying for them 00:16:09.220 --> 00:16:10.519 or assume 00:16:10.519 --> 00:16:11.500 that it's all right 00:16:11.500 --> 00:16:13.240 because we need 00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:14.100 to see perseverance. 00:16:15.539 --> 00:16:16.220 And that's not just 00:16:16.220 --> 00:16:16.639 for children, 00:16:16.740 --> 00:16:17.000 is it? 00:16:17.059 --> 00:16:18.019 Maybe this is for us 00:16:18.019 --> 00:16:18.480 this morning. 00:16:19.539 --> 00:16:20.820 Maybe there was a time 00:16:20.820 --> 00:16:21.340 when you would have 00:16:21.340 --> 00:16:22.360 called yourself a Christian. 00:16:22.700 --> 00:16:23.700 You were going for it. 00:16:23.779 --> 00:16:24.700 You were earnest. 00:16:24.840 --> 00:16:25.620 You were enthusiastic. 00:16:26.500 --> 00:16:27.259 You couldn't wait 00:16:27.259 --> 00:16:28.039 to pick up a Bible 00:16:28.039 --> 00:16:28.519 in the morning. 00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:29.240 You couldn't wait 00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:29.960 to come to church 00:16:29.960 --> 00:16:31.039 and sing praises to God. 00:16:31.320 --> 00:16:32.620 But then it just 00:16:32.620 --> 00:16:33.279 got too difficult. 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:35.139 You realized 00:16:35.139 --> 00:16:36.759 that following Christ 00:16:36.759 --> 00:16:37.720 came at a cost 00:16:37.720 --> 00:16:38.480 to yourself. 00:16:39.500 --> 00:16:40.199 That following Jesus 00:16:40.199 --> 00:16:41.459 would mean saying goodbye 00:16:41.459 --> 00:16:42.639 to friends and family 00:16:42.639 --> 00:16:43.539 to serve the gospel 00:16:43.539 --> 00:16:44.319 somewhere else. 00:16:44.639 --> 00:16:45.679 Or that being a Christian 00:16:45.679 --> 00:16:46.980 would make you suspicious 00:16:46.980 --> 00:16:48.939 to the HR team at work. 00:16:49.519 --> 00:16:50.100 Being a Christian 00:16:50.100 --> 00:16:51.299 might narrow your chances 00:16:51.299 --> 00:16:52.019 of getting married 00:16:52.019 --> 00:16:53.679 and so you gave up. 00:16:54.539 --> 00:16:55.939 You gave up on the message. 00:16:57.860 --> 00:16:59.179 The third soil 00:16:59.179 --> 00:17:00.279 is similar in a way. 00:17:00.379 --> 00:17:01.139 It's the weeds. 00:17:01.480 --> 00:17:02.399 Here the plant grows 00:17:02.399 --> 00:17:03.179 and looks healthy 00:17:03.179 --> 00:17:03.720 and genuine 00:17:03.720 --> 00:17:04.680 just like before. 00:17:05.879 --> 00:17:06.279 Indistinguishable 00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:07.339 from a genuine plant. 00:17:07.819 --> 00:17:08.759 But the problem here 00:17:08.759 --> 00:17:09.299 is that the soil 00:17:09.299 --> 00:17:10.240 is full of weeds. 00:17:11.180 --> 00:17:11.819 If you've ever done 00:17:11.819 --> 00:17:12.859 any gardening at all 00:17:12.859 --> 00:17:13.720 you will know 00:17:13.720 --> 00:17:14.700 that by definition 00:17:14.700 --> 00:17:15.859 weeds grow faster 00:17:15.859 --> 00:17:16.619 than plants. 00:17:18.039 --> 00:17:18.599 When Vanessa 00:17:18.599 --> 00:17:19.339 and I lived in Liverpool 00:17:19.339 --> 00:17:20.660 we had an allotment. 00:17:22.059 --> 00:17:23.059 It was the trial 00:17:23.059 --> 00:17:23.599 of my life 00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:24.319 going to the allotment. 00:17:24.420 --> 00:17:25.019 I hated it. 00:17:25.099 --> 00:17:25.940 Vanessa loved it. 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:27.220 But the only thing 00:17:27.220 --> 00:17:27.900 we were successful 00:17:27.900 --> 00:17:28.680 at growing in the allotment 00:17:28.680 --> 00:17:29.660 were weeds. 00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:30.960 You didn't have to do anything. 00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:31.980 They grew fast. 00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:32.700 They grew tall. 00:17:32.799 --> 00:17:33.740 They took over everywhere. 00:17:34.360 --> 00:17:35.579 And that's what's going on here 00:17:35.579 --> 00:17:36.100 isn't it? 00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:37.500 Look at verse 18 00:17:37.500 --> 00:17:38.799 and see what Jesus says. 00:17:39.420 --> 00:17:39.980 Still others 00:17:39.980 --> 00:17:40.840 like seed 00:17:40.840 --> 00:17:42.059 sown among thorns 00:17:42.059 --> 00:17:43.160 hear the word. 00:17:43.799 --> 00:17:44.420 But the worries 00:17:44.420 --> 00:17:45.240 of this life 00:17:45.240 --> 00:17:46.539 the deceitfulness 00:17:46.539 --> 00:17:47.279 of wealth 00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:48.420 and the desire 00:17:48.420 --> 00:17:49.259 for other things 00:17:49.259 --> 00:17:50.039 come in 00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:51.299 and choke the word 00:17:51.299 --> 00:17:53.579 making it unfruitful. 00:17:54.420 --> 00:17:55.640 It's a tragic image 00:17:55.640 --> 00:17:56.120 isn't it? 00:17:56.819 --> 00:17:57.680 Interestingly here 00:17:57.680 --> 00:17:58.360 it's not so much 00:17:58.359 --> 00:17:59.039 that the challenge 00:17:59.039 --> 00:17:59.559 of the weeds 00:17:59.559 --> 00:18:00.639 is connected 00:18:00.639 --> 00:18:01.219 to the word. 00:18:01.319 --> 00:18:02.379 It's not persecution 00:18:02.379 --> 00:18:03.199 here is it? 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:04.679 Rather this is just 00:18:04.679 --> 00:18:05.619 life. 00:18:06.139 --> 00:18:06.740 It's the troubles 00:18:06.740 --> 00:18:07.579 of this world. 00:18:08.019 --> 00:18:09.240 The worries of life. 00:18:10.039 --> 00:18:10.159 You know 00:18:10.159 --> 00:18:10.959 will I have enough 00:18:10.959 --> 00:18:11.779 to make ends meet? 00:18:11.879 --> 00:18:12.619 Will I be alone? 00:18:12.759 --> 00:18:13.959 Will my children be safe? 00:18:14.299 --> 00:18:15.539 Will my parents be okay? 00:18:16.299 --> 00:18:17.500 And it's not just worries 00:18:17.500 --> 00:18:17.759 is it? 00:18:17.799 --> 00:18:19.419 It seems it's also successes. 00:18:19.919 --> 00:18:20.359 It's the deceitfulness 00:18:20.959 --> 00:18:21.599 of wealth 00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:22.479 as he puts it. 00:18:23.259 --> 00:18:23.479 You know 00:18:23.479 --> 00:18:24.740 this trick 00:18:24.740 --> 00:18:25.659 that money plays 00:18:25.660 --> 00:18:25.940 on you 00:18:25.940 --> 00:18:26.640 that it makes you 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:27.540 deceived 00:18:27.540 --> 00:18:28.279 into this idea 00:18:28.279 --> 00:18:28.720 that you've got 00:18:28.720 --> 00:18:30.080 everything that you need. 00:18:31.460 --> 00:18:32.300 Those lies 00:18:32.300 --> 00:18:33.060 come and choke 00:18:33.060 --> 00:18:33.480 the plant 00:18:33.480 --> 00:18:34.200 and kill it. 00:18:35.840 --> 00:18:36.279 Again 00:18:36.279 --> 00:18:36.640 you probably 00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:37.259 don't have to think 00:18:37.259 --> 00:18:38.279 hard to think 00:18:38.279 --> 00:18:38.820 about how this 00:18:38.820 --> 00:18:39.480 might work 00:18:39.480 --> 00:18:40.660 or even to come 00:18:40.660 --> 00:18:41.380 up with examples. 00:18:42.700 --> 00:18:43.320 You can think 00:18:43.320 --> 00:18:44.019 of lots of 00:18:44.019 --> 00:18:44.779 people I was 00:18:44.779 --> 00:18:45.860 at university with 00:18:45.860 --> 00:18:47.840 friends who were 00:18:47.840 --> 00:18:48.980 passionate for the gospel 00:18:48.980 --> 00:18:50.160 people who considered 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:51.279 going into 00:18:51.279 --> 00:18:52.019 full-time Christian 00:18:52.019 --> 00:18:52.360 ministry 00:18:52.360 --> 00:18:52.880 even did it 00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:53.480 for a time 00:18:53.480 --> 00:18:54.060 but now 00:18:54.059 --> 00:18:55.379 in midlife 00:18:55.379 --> 00:18:56.559 and often 00:18:56.559 --> 00:18:57.720 in successful jobs 00:18:57.720 --> 00:18:58.399 are now 00:18:58.399 --> 00:18:59.059 nowhere 00:18:59.059 --> 00:18:59.619 spiritually. 00:19:01.039 --> 00:19:01.460 Their Christian 00:19:01.460 --> 00:19:02.079 lives have been 00:19:02.079 --> 00:19:02.940 choked by 00:19:02.940 --> 00:19:04.000 materialism 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:04.980 consumerism 00:19:04.980 --> 00:19:06.319 holidays 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:07.679 experiences 00:19:07.679 --> 00:19:09.319 and again 00:19:09.319 --> 00:19:09.980 this is a call 00:19:09.980 --> 00:19:10.919 for self-awareness 00:19:10.919 --> 00:19:11.279 isn't it 00:19:11.279 --> 00:19:12.220 to see 00:19:12.220 --> 00:19:13.440 that thing 00:19:13.440 --> 00:19:13.899 that you 00:19:13.899 --> 00:19:15.000 really desire 00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:15.519 that you 00:19:15.519 --> 00:19:16.460 really long 00:19:16.460 --> 00:19:16.980 for 00:19:16.980 --> 00:19:18.159 might it just 00:19:18.159 --> 00:19:19.019 choke the life 00:19:19.019 --> 00:19:19.740 out of you 00:19:19.740 --> 00:19:20.200 spiritually? 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:22.500 The desire 00:19:22.500 --> 00:19:23.140 for money 00:19:23.140 --> 00:19:24.440 or possessions 00:19:24.440 --> 00:19:25.000 or even 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:25.599 skills 00:19:25.599 --> 00:19:26.359 or adventure 00:19:26.359 --> 00:19:27.059 or travel 00:19:27.059 --> 00:19:27.880 even just 00:19:27.880 --> 00:19:28.460 that love 00:19:28.460 --> 00:19:29.200 fueled worry 00:19:29.200 --> 00:19:29.519 that you 00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:30.000 have for your 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:30.500 grandchildren 00:19:30.500 --> 00:19:31.779 it can become 00:19:31.779 --> 00:19:32.460 the weeds 00:19:32.460 --> 00:19:33.220 and the thorns 00:19:33.220 --> 00:19:34.319 that sucks 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:34.759 the life 00:19:34.759 --> 00:19:35.200 out of your 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:35.480 soul 00:19:35.480 --> 00:19:35.980 leaving you 00:19:35.980 --> 00:19:36.480 dead at the 00:19:36.480 --> 00:19:37.019 harvest 00:19:37.019 --> 00:19:39.720 and Jesus 00:19:39.720 --> 00:19:40.079 you know 00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:40.440 like that 00:19:40.440 --> 00:19:41.099 friend with 00:19:41.099 --> 00:19:42.059 his arm 00:19:42.059 --> 00:19:42.319 on your 00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:42.680 shoulder 00:19:42.680 --> 00:19:43.259 is saying 00:19:43.259 --> 00:19:43.920 listen 00:19:43.920 --> 00:19:44.339 have you 00:19:44.339 --> 00:19:44.940 thought that 00:19:44.940 --> 00:19:45.180 that might 00:19:45.180 --> 00:19:45.539 be you? 00:19:46.460 --> 00:19:46.759 Have you 00:19:46.759 --> 00:19:47.460 considered that? 00:19:48.819 --> 00:19:49.400 You see 00:19:49.400 --> 00:19:49.819 the seed 00:19:49.819 --> 00:19:50.339 is good 00:19:50.339 --> 00:19:51.960 the farmer 00:19:51.960 --> 00:19:52.619 is kind 00:19:52.619 --> 00:19:53.819 the weather 00:19:53.819 --> 00:19:54.259 is the same 00:19:54.259 --> 00:19:54.879 for everybody 00:19:54.879 --> 00:19:56.419 it's our 00:19:56.419 --> 00:19:56.839 hearts 00:19:56.839 --> 00:19:57.159 that are the 00:19:57.159 --> 00:19:57.480 trouble 00:19:57.480 --> 00:20:00.039 the final 00:20:00.039 --> 00:20:00.460 soil 00:20:00.460 --> 00:20:00.779 is the 00:20:00.779 --> 00:20:01.319 good soil 00:20:01.319 --> 00:20:02.679 really 00:20:02.679 --> 00:20:03.539 it's a mistake 00:20:03.539 --> 00:20:03.899 I think 00:20:03.899 --> 00:20:04.559 to take the 00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:04.819 parable 00:20:04.819 --> 00:20:05.759 mostly negatively 00:20:05.759 --> 00:20:06.740 because in 00:20:06.740 --> 00:20:07.200 many ways 00:20:07.200 --> 00:20:07.639 the big 00:20:07.639 --> 00:20:08.240 surprise of 00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:08.639 the passage 00:20:08.639 --> 00:20:09.240 is not so 00:20:09.240 --> 00:20:09.579 much the 00:20:09.579 --> 00:20:10.039 path 00:20:10.039 --> 00:20:10.799 the rocks 00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:11.079 or the 00:20:11.079 --> 00:20:11.399 weeds 00:20:11.399 --> 00:20:11.779 the big 00:20:11.779 --> 00:20:12.279 surprise of 00:20:12.279 --> 00:20:12.679 the passage 00:20:12.679 --> 00:20:13.079 is the 00:20:13.079 --> 00:20:13.500 size of 00:20:13.500 --> 00:20:14.059 the harvest 00:20:14.059 --> 00:20:14.700 at the 00:20:14.700 --> 00:20:15.000 end of 00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:15.220 it 00:20:15.220 --> 00:20:15.939 in fact 00:20:15.939 --> 00:20:16.299 it gets 00:20:16.299 --> 00:20:16.700 repeated 00:20:16.700 --> 00:20:17.220 in verse 00:20:17.220 --> 00:20:17.679 8 and 00:20:17.679 --> 00:20:17.980 in verse 00:20:17.980 --> 00:20:18.559 20 00:20:18.559 --> 00:20:19.220 verse 8 00:20:19.220 --> 00:20:19.860 still other 00:20:19.860 --> 00:20:20.360 seed fell 00:20:20.360 --> 00:20:20.700 on good 00:20:20.700 --> 00:20:21.019 soil 00:20:21.019 --> 00:20:21.759 it came 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:22.059 up and 00:20:22.059 --> 00:20:22.620 produced 00:20:22.620 --> 00:20:23.079 a crop 00:20:23.079 --> 00:20:23.420 some 00:20:23.420 --> 00:20:24.279 multiplying 00:20:24.279 --> 00:20:24.819 30 00:20:24.819 --> 00:20:25.079 some 00:20:25.079 --> 00:20:25.660 60 00:20:25.660 --> 00:20:25.940 some 00:20:25.940 --> 00:20:26.519 100 00:20:26.519 --> 00:20:27.059 times 00:20:27.059 --> 00:20:27.500 he says 00:20:27.500 --> 00:20:28.059 same 00:20:28.059 --> 00:20:28.579 verse 20 00:20:28.579 --> 00:20:29.400 others like 00:20:29.400 --> 00:20:29.900 seed sown 00:20:29.900 --> 00:20:30.200 on good 00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:30.420 soil 00:20:30.420 --> 00:20:30.779 hear the 00:20:30.779 --> 00:20:30.980 word 00:20:30.980 --> 00:20:31.519 accept it 00:20:31.519 --> 00:20:31.920 and produce 00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:32.299 a crop 00:20:32.299 --> 00:20:33.420 some 30 00:20:33.420 --> 00:20:34.620 some 60 00:20:34.620 --> 00:20:35.799 some 100 00:20:35.799 --> 00:20:36.420 times what 00:20:36.420 --> 00:20:36.920 we're sown 00:20:36.920 --> 00:20:38.640 here then is 00:20:38.640 --> 00:20:39.440 the hope 00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:40.039 of the story 00:20:40.039 --> 00:20:40.819 that there is 00:20:40.819 --> 00:20:41.360 such a thing 00:20:41.360 --> 00:20:41.819 as good 00:20:41.819 --> 00:20:42.299 soil that 00:20:42.299 --> 00:20:42.680 produces 00:20:42.680 --> 00:20:43.920 a miraculous 00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:44.640 crop 00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:45.660 that although 00:20:45.660 --> 00:20:46.299 the stony 00:20:46.299 --> 00:20:46.759 soil and 00:20:46.759 --> 00:20:47.079 the weedy 00:20:47.079 --> 00:20:47.579 soil might 00:20:47.579 --> 00:20:48.000 be able to 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:48.799 fake initial 00:20:48.799 --> 00:20:49.120 growth 00:20:49.119 --> 00:20:50.059 still only 00:20:50.059 --> 00:20:50.519 the good 00:20:50.519 --> 00:20:51.000 soil that 00:20:51.000 --> 00:20:51.979 bears harvest 00:20:51.979 --> 00:20:52.799 fruits for 00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:53.319 the farmer 00:20:53.319 --> 00:20:55.139 here I 00:20:55.139 --> 00:20:55.899 assume that 00:20:55.899 --> 00:20:56.439 Jesus means 00:20:56.439 --> 00:20:56.919 that you can 00:20:56.919 --> 00:20:57.659 tell genuine 00:20:57.659 --> 00:20:58.719 faith not 00:20:58.719 --> 00:20:59.399 only by its 00:20:59.399 --> 00:21:00.719 perseverance over 00:21:00.719 --> 00:21:02.159 time but also 00:21:02.159 --> 00:21:02.659 by its 00:21:02.659 --> 00:21:03.819 fruitfulness over 00:21:03.819 --> 00:21:05.359 time that's 00:21:05.359 --> 00:21:05.679 what this 00:21:05.679 --> 00:21:06.519 30 60 00:21:06.519 --> 00:21:07.359 100 times 00:21:07.359 --> 00:21:09.019 means and 00:21:09.019 --> 00:21:09.659 for sure it's 00:21:09.659 --> 00:21:10.879 it's spiritual 00:21:10.879 --> 00:21:11.659 fruit isn't it 00:21:11.659 --> 00:21:12.379 in honoring God 00:21:12.379 --> 00:21:13.239 in godly character 00:21:13.239 --> 00:21:14.319 and behavior but 00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:14.759 it's more than 00:21:14.759 --> 00:21:15.439 just that here I 00:21:15.439 --> 00:21:16.119 think the fruit is 00:21:16.119 --> 00:21:17.799 is implied in 00:21:17.799 --> 00:21:18.500 in more 00:21:18.500 --> 00:21:19.779 harvest more 00:21:19.779 --> 00:21:20.879 seeds sown 00:21:20.879 --> 00:21:22.019 more crops 00:21:22.019 --> 00:21:23.379 coming the 00:21:23.379 --> 00:21:24.379 word multiplying 00:21:24.379 --> 00:21:24.959 and spreading 00:21:24.959 --> 00:21:25.659 from the plant 00:21:25.659 --> 00:21:26.519 that stands the 00:21:26.519 --> 00:21:27.239 test of time 00:21:27.239 --> 00:21:29.459 and just as we 00:21:29.459 --> 00:21:30.000 can think of the 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:30.739 negative examples 00:21:30.739 --> 00:21:31.399 we can think of 00:21:31.399 --> 00:21:32.039 this can't we 00:21:32.039 --> 00:21:34.379 you talk to the 00:21:34.379 --> 00:21:34.879 people in this 00:21:34.879 --> 00:21:35.339 room you will 00:21:35.339 --> 00:21:36.339 hear stories of 00:21:36.339 --> 00:21:37.059 perseverance 00:21:37.059 --> 00:21:38.259 through storms 00:21:38.259 --> 00:21:39.279 and trials 00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:41.079 you will hear 00:21:41.079 --> 00:21:42.799 conversion stories 00:21:42.799 --> 00:21:43.700 in extraordinary 00:21:43.700 --> 00:21:44.460 circumstances 00:21:44.460 --> 00:21:46.299 you will hear 00:21:46.299 --> 00:21:47.220 stories of good 00:21:47.220 --> 00:21:48.259 soil hearts who 00:21:48.259 --> 00:21:49.980 faced grief and 00:21:49.980 --> 00:21:50.660 loss and 00:21:50.660 --> 00:21:52.559 persevered racism 00:21:52.559 --> 00:21:54.139 and abuse and 00:21:54.139 --> 00:21:57.000 persevered love 00:21:57.000 --> 00:21:57.879 for Christ that's 00:21:57.879 --> 00:21:58.759 kept going and 00:21:58.759 --> 00:21:59.399 kept living for 00:21:59.399 --> 00:22:00.960 him you'll hear 00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:01.519 stories of 00:22:01.519 --> 00:22:02.200 families who've 00:22:02.200 --> 00:22:02.759 come to faith 00:22:02.759 --> 00:22:03.039 through the 00:22:03.039 --> 00:22:03.460 witness of 00:22:03.460 --> 00:22:05.099 children stories 00:22:05.099 --> 00:22:05.859 of missionaries 00:22:05.859 --> 00:22:06.460 sent to other 00:22:06.460 --> 00:22:07.119 places of 00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:08.039 churches started 00:22:08.039 --> 00:22:08.920 of communities 00:22:08.920 --> 00:22:09.700 transformed by 00:22:09.700 --> 00:22:10.200 the witness of 00:22:10.200 --> 00:22:10.779 the church 00:22:10.779 --> 00:22:12.539 and this kind 00:22:12.539 --> 00:22:14.100 of persevering 00:22:14.100 --> 00:22:15.220 fruitfulness is 00:22:15.220 --> 00:22:15.940 what we long 00:22:15.940 --> 00:22:16.519 for for a 00:22:16.519 --> 00:22:17.300 church isn't it 00:22:17.300 --> 00:22:19.080 that this merging 00:22:19.080 --> 00:22:19.759 of our churches 00:22:19.759 --> 00:22:20.539 together is not 00:22:20.539 --> 00:22:21.779 just a blip of 00:22:21.779 --> 00:22:22.660 shallow soil 00:22:22.660 --> 00:22:23.600 growth but of 00:22:23.600 --> 00:22:25.560 lasting fruitful 00:22:25.560 --> 00:22:26.779 Christ honoring 00:22:26.779 --> 00:22:27.440 growth 00:22:27.440 --> 00:22:31.600 now there's a 00:22:31.600 --> 00:22:32.440 way to tell if 00:22:32.440 --> 00:22:32.940 you've understood 00:22:32.940 --> 00:22:33.700 the parable so 00:22:33.700 --> 00:22:35.320 far if you've 00:22:35.320 --> 00:22:35.940 understood what's 00:22:35.940 --> 00:22:36.740 going on there 00:22:36.740 --> 00:22:37.400 should be a 00:22:37.400 --> 00:22:38.400 longing in your 00:22:38.400 --> 00:22:38.900 heart that 00:22:38.900 --> 00:22:39.360 says something 00:22:39.360 --> 00:22:40.400 like this I 00:22:40.400 --> 00:22:41.840 want to be 00:22:41.840 --> 00:22:43.380 good soil I 00:22:43.380 --> 00:22:44.320 long to be good 00:22:44.320 --> 00:22:45.800 soil please Lord I 00:22:45.800 --> 00:22:46.540 want to be good 00:22:46.540 --> 00:22:48.100 soil I want to 00:22:48.100 --> 00:22:49.060 stand the test of 00:22:49.060 --> 00:22:50.280 time I want to 00:22:50.280 --> 00:22:51.019 hear this message 00:22:51.019 --> 00:22:51.519 of the kingdom 00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:52.259 this message of 00:22:52.259 --> 00:22:53.259 freedom and 00:22:53.259 --> 00:22:53.840 forgiveness through 00:22:53.840 --> 00:22:54.320 the Lord Jesus 00:22:54.320 --> 00:22:56.519 Christ I want to 00:22:56.519 --> 00:22:59.180 to bear fruit I 00:22:59.180 --> 00:23:00.000 want to grow in 00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:00.680 understanding of 00:23:00.680 --> 00:23:01.460 the gospel I want 00:23:01.460 --> 00:23:02.259 to grow in love 00:23:02.259 --> 00:23:02.920 for others I don't 00:23:02.920 --> 00:23:03.740 want to give up I 00:23:03.740 --> 00:23:04.380 don't want to burn 00:23:04.380 --> 00:23:04.880 out I don't want to 00:23:04.880 --> 00:23:05.900 be choked out by 00:23:05.900 --> 00:23:07.280 other things Lord I 00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:08.240 want to be good 00:23:08.240 --> 00:23:08.980 soil that's what 00:23:08.980 --> 00:23:09.299 you should be 00:23:09.299 --> 00:23:11.799 saying now if 00:23:11.799 --> 00:23:12.259 that's you this 00:23:12.259 --> 00:23:12.660 morning and I 00:23:12.660 --> 00:23:13.279 hope that's all of 00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:14.720 us then you need 00:23:14.720 --> 00:23:15.379 to hear the second 00:23:15.379 --> 00:23:16.299 part of the parable 00:23:16.299 --> 00:23:17.339 because mark 4 is 00:23:17.339 --> 00:23:17.799 not only a 00:23:17.799 --> 00:23:18.759 description of the 00:23:18.759 --> 00:23:20.180 good soil it also 00:23:20.180 --> 00:23:21.319 tells you where good 00:23:21.319 --> 00:23:22.619 soil comes from 00:23:22.619 --> 00:23:24.480 because it points out 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:26.299 to us that only God 00:23:26.299 --> 00:23:27.200 can make good soil 00:23:27.200 --> 00:23:28.539 so essentially it's 00:23:28.539 --> 00:23:29.579 not only I want to 00:23:29.579 --> 00:23:30.519 be good soil it's 00:23:30.519 --> 00:23:31.519 it's calling out to 00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:33.220 God God make me 00:23:33.220 --> 00:23:35.200 good soil please Lord 00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:37.819 make me good soil this 00:23:37.819 --> 00:23:38.559 is a little bit 00:23:38.559 --> 00:23:39.640 complicated so stay 00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:40.700 stay with me if you 00:23:40.700 --> 00:23:42.299 can and notice first 00:23:42.299 --> 00:23:43.180 that mark has done 00:23:43.180 --> 00:23:44.080 this trick that we've 00:23:44.080 --> 00:23:44.940 seen him do a number 00:23:44.940 --> 00:23:45.740 of occasions on our 00:23:45.740 --> 00:23:46.340 way through the book 00:23:46.340 --> 00:23:47.740 so far that he has 00:23:47.740 --> 00:23:49.480 swapped in material 00:23:49.480 --> 00:23:50.400 that is a different 00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:51.660 chronological time and 00:23:51.660 --> 00:23:52.819 put it in our story 00:23:52.819 --> 00:23:54.539 so in verse 1 you'll 00:23:54.539 --> 00:23:55.660 notice that Jesus is in 00:23:55.660 --> 00:23:56.680 a boat right it's a 00:23:56.680 --> 00:23:58.259 floating pulpit that 00:23:58.259 --> 00:23:59.160 he has pushed out to 00:23:59.160 --> 00:24:00.279 sea so that the 00:24:00.279 --> 00:24:01.319 crowds can't press in 00:24:01.319 --> 00:24:03.200 on him but then in 00:24:03.200 --> 00:24:04.360 verse 10 you'll notice 00:24:04.359 --> 00:24:05.519 that he is alone with 00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:07.159 his disciples explaining 00:24:07.159 --> 00:24:08.240 the parable and telling 00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:09.539 them why it is that he 00:24:09.539 --> 00:24:10.479 is speaking in parables 00:24:10.479 --> 00:24:12.240 but then if you scan 00:24:12.240 --> 00:24:13.719 over to verse 35 you'll 00:24:13.719 --> 00:24:14.839 find that Jesus is back 00:24:14.839 --> 00:24:15.779 in the boat again of 00:24:15.779 --> 00:24:18.819 verse 1 now all that 00:24:18.819 --> 00:24:19.699 means that this story 00:24:19.699 --> 00:24:21.479 about the soils is more 00:24:21.479 --> 00:24:22.419 than just a story about 00:24:22.419 --> 00:24:24.479 the soil so yes this 00:24:24.479 --> 00:24:25.599 story is about self 00:24:25.599 --> 00:24:26.679 awareness about the 00:24:26.679 --> 00:24:27.619 state of our hearts but 00:24:27.619 --> 00:24:29.079 it's it's more than that 00:24:29.079 --> 00:24:30.639 he is he is giving us a 00:24:30.639 --> 00:24:32.439 prototype of a type of 00:24:32.439 --> 00:24:33.399 story that he's telling 00:24:33.400 --> 00:24:35.580 of parables and wants 00:24:35.580 --> 00:24:36.740 to tell you the special 00:24:36.740 --> 00:24:38.040 function that parables 00:24:38.040 --> 00:24:41.320 have in his ministry so 00:24:41.320 --> 00:24:42.460 the parables says Jesus 00:24:42.460 --> 00:24:43.740 work because they are 00:24:43.740 --> 00:24:45.160 clear explanations of 00:24:45.160 --> 00:24:47.560 gospel truth truth like 00:24:47.560 --> 00:24:48.940 the state of human hearts 00:24:48.940 --> 00:24:49.680 like we've been finding 00:24:49.680 --> 00:24:51.600 in Mark 4 and those 00:24:51.600 --> 00:24:53.280 clear explanations so 00:24:53.280 --> 00:24:56.160 simple stories expose the 00:24:56.160 --> 00:24:57.280 difference between an 00:24:57.280 --> 00:24:59.420 outsider and an insider to 00:24:59.420 --> 00:25:01.400 Jesus that's the language 00:25:01.400 --> 00:25:02.680 that he uses in verses 10 00:25:02.680 --> 00:25:03.640 and 11 look down at 00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:05.900 verses 10 and 11 when he 00:25:05.900 --> 00:25:07.700 was alone the 12 and the 00:25:07.700 --> 00:25:09.080 others around him asked 00:25:09.080 --> 00:25:10.300 him about the parables he 00:25:10.300 --> 00:25:12.259 told them the secret of 00:25:12.259 --> 00:25:13.180 the kingdom of God has 00:25:13.180 --> 00:25:14.420 been given to you but to 00:25:14.420 --> 00:25:16.080 those on the outside 00:25:16.080 --> 00:25:17.480 everything is said in 00:25:17.480 --> 00:25:18.700 parables so that they may 00:25:18.700 --> 00:25:20.380 be ever seeing but never 00:25:20.380 --> 00:25:22.440 perceiving ever hearing but 00:25:22.440 --> 00:25:23.900 never understanding otherwise 00:25:23.900 --> 00:25:25.580 they may turn and be 00:25:25.580 --> 00:25:29.180 forgiven now it's tricky but 00:25:29.180 --> 00:25:30.799 the point is that for some 00:25:30.799 --> 00:25:33.140 for those outside the 00:25:33.140 --> 00:25:35.480 kingdom the ongoing effect 00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:37.019 of encountering the clear 00:25:37.019 --> 00:25:38.620 explanations of the gospel 00:25:38.620 --> 00:25:39.799 in the parables is a 00:25:39.799 --> 00:25:42.080 hardening of their hearts 00:25:42.080 --> 00:25:43.720 a hardening which is 00:25:43.720 --> 00:25:45.000 transparently the fault of 00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:46.180 the individual because they 00:25:46.180 --> 00:25:47.600 can no longer claim that 00:25:47.600 --> 00:25:48.259 they haven't heard the 00:25:48.259 --> 00:25:51.759 gospel they've rejected it 00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:55.560 so Jesus point is not that 00:25:55.560 --> 00:25:57.060 the simile of the soils that 00:25:57.059 --> 00:25:58.220 we've been talking about is 00:25:58.220 --> 00:25:59.480 just too complex for an 00:25:59.480 --> 00:26:00.799 outsider of course that's 00:26:00.799 --> 00:26:01.919 not the case is it a child 00:26:01.919 --> 00:26:03.119 can understand the story 00:26:03.119 --> 00:26:04.980 rather the point is that the 00:26:04.980 --> 00:26:06.539 gospel truth behind the 00:26:06.539 --> 00:26:08.159 story is not something you 00:26:08.159 --> 00:26:10.579 work out intellectually with 00:26:10.579 --> 00:26:13.039 your brain the gospel truth 00:26:13.039 --> 00:26:15.279 behind the story needs to be 00:26:15.279 --> 00:26:17.480 revealed to you so that 00:26:17.480 --> 00:26:19.059 listening to parables makes 00:26:19.059 --> 00:26:21.099 paths more pathy rocks more 00:26:21.099 --> 00:26:22.859 rocky and weeds more weedy if 00:26:22.859 --> 00:26:24.639 that's possible and that's not 00:26:24.639 --> 00:26:26.379 unintentional from Jesus that 00:26:26.380 --> 00:26:28.200 is his intention in the 00:26:28.200 --> 00:26:30.060 parables the hearing of the 00:26:30.060 --> 00:26:31.400 gospel is a sense a kind of 00:26:31.400 --> 00:26:34.480 judgment on unbelief even as 00:26:34.480 --> 00:26:35.540 it brings salvation to 00:26:35.540 --> 00:26:38.840 believers let me try and 00:26:38.840 --> 00:26:39.920 illustrate it for you if I 00:26:39.920 --> 00:26:41.020 can imagine it like this it's 00:26:41.020 --> 00:26:42.180 not a perfect analogy but it 00:26:42.180 --> 00:26:43.640 will help a little bit 00:26:43.640 --> 00:26:45.220 imagine that I came to you 00:26:45.220 --> 00:26:46.280 and said listen I'd love to 00:26:46.280 --> 00:26:47.220 catch up with you I want to 00:26:47.220 --> 00:26:48.640 see can we go and get coffee 00:26:48.640 --> 00:26:51.020 at some point you said to 00:26:51.020 --> 00:26:52.400 me yeah sure that's great I'd 00:26:52.400 --> 00:26:53.280 love to spend some time with 00:26:53.280 --> 00:26:54.380 you Steve let's let's go and 00:26:54.380 --> 00:26:56.160 chat it'd be great can you 00:26:56.160 --> 00:26:57.180 what about tomorrow morning 00:26:57.180 --> 00:26:58.800 you say and I tend to you 00:26:58.800 --> 00:26:59.720 and say oh no I'm really so I 00:26:59.720 --> 00:27:00.580 can't do tomorrow morning I'm 00:27:00.580 --> 00:27:02.520 busy okay you say well what 00:27:02.520 --> 00:27:04.460 about tomorrow afternoon I 00:27:04.460 --> 00:27:05.600 can't do tomorrow afternoon I'm 00:27:05.600 --> 00:27:06.780 busy tomorrow afternoon okay 00:27:06.780 --> 00:27:08.580 well what about Tuesday I'm 00:27:08.580 --> 00:27:10.220 free to all day Tuesday I'm 00:27:10.220 --> 00:27:11.180 free all day Oh no I'm really 00:27:11.180 --> 00:27:12.000 sorry I can't do Tuesday 00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:13.080 anytime of the day I'm busy 00:27:13.080 --> 00:27:14.660 all day Tuesday okay no 00:27:14.660 --> 00:27:16.280 problem you say what about 00:27:16.280 --> 00:27:18.520 Wednesday Wednesday I could 00:27:18.520 --> 00:27:19.400 do Wednesday afternoon what 00:27:19.400 --> 00:27:20.660 about you Oh no I can't do 00:27:20.660 --> 00:27:21.420 Wednesday afternoon I'm busy 00:27:21.420 --> 00:27:27.720 Wednesday afternoon. I'm washing my hair on Wednesday afternoon. You begin to think, don't you, 00:27:28.440 --> 00:27:35.420 that I don't want to see you, even though I've said I do. And that, in a sense, is how the parables 00:27:35.420 --> 00:27:42.259 work in the life of an unbeliever. You hear the gospel again. It's a simple and clear explanation 00:27:42.259 --> 00:27:48.740 of the gospel. Not interested. I don't want to know. And you are affirmed and confirmed in your 00:27:48.740 --> 00:27:52.859 unbelief. It's a judgment on you because it exposes your heart that actually the problem is not the 00:27:52.859 --> 00:27:58.539 seed, because the seed is good. The farmer is kind. The weather's the same for everybody. 00:27:59.680 --> 00:28:05.660 But you're rejecting the message and hardening your heart to Jesus. And the parables expose that. 00:28:07.039 --> 00:28:11.500 This reality comes through again in the way that Jesus talks to the disciples about their faith. 00:28:11.859 --> 00:28:17.880 Notice what Jesus says here. He doesn't say to the disciples, oh, you've worked it out. You deserve to 00:28:17.880 --> 00:28:25.120 be insiders. You're bright guys. No, he says in verse 11 that the secret of the kingdom was 00:28:25.120 --> 00:28:33.460 given to them. It was given by God. It was a free gift. It's the same idea in the bumper crop in verses 00:28:33.460 --> 00:28:39.760 eight and verse 20. You know, the idea is a farmer who received such a bumper crop, what would they say 00:28:39.760 --> 00:28:45.340 as they were harvesting it? They would say, wow, God's been good to me this year. Look what God has done. 00:28:45.339 --> 00:28:49.500 Look at this crop. It's amazing. It's incredible. I can't believe it. Look what God has done. 00:28:50.500 --> 00:28:57.259 Because God gives us the growth. God alone makes good soil. So we're responsible, aren't we, for the 00:28:57.259 --> 00:29:00.639 hardness of our hearts, for the distraction of wealth, for the shallowness of our response. 00:29:01.099 --> 00:29:08.179 But the only one with the power to change us is the farmer. He's the one who can dig through the path. 00:29:08.180 --> 00:29:16.120 He's the one who can clear the stones, remove the weeds. So much so that if you understand the parable, 00:29:16.220 --> 00:29:22.960 you're not only saying, I want to be good soil and going away and trying harder. You know, I'm going to 00:29:22.960 --> 00:29:29.039 love better. I'm going to think harder. I'm going to do more. That won't help you. The soil can't weed 00:29:29.039 --> 00:29:35.840 itself. If you understand the parable, you'll be on your knees saying, Lord, make me good soil. 00:29:35.839 --> 00:29:44.119 Please, Lord, make me good soil. Lord, will you pull out these weeds in my heart? I've seen them. 00:29:44.819 --> 00:29:50.839 Get rid of them. Will you dig through this bedrock and make me deep rooted in Christ? 00:29:51.679 --> 00:29:55.319 Will you turn over this path? Because he alone can do it. 00:29:55.319 --> 00:30:04.159 Let me just try and land this for us as we close this morning. Perhaps you've been convicted this 00:30:04.159 --> 00:30:11.179 morning that spiritually you're not quite where you should be or where you pretend to be, where you'd 00:30:11.179 --> 00:30:17.179 like to be. You can see the weeds. They've been graciously pointed out to you this morning by the 00:30:17.180 --> 00:30:23.060 Lord Jesus. Perhaps you've seen that your desires are not what they should be, that your efforts are 00:30:23.060 --> 00:30:32.340 misdirected. Maybe you've lost sight of what's really important. Maybe there's a relationship or a career or a 00:30:32.340 --> 00:30:40.500 struggle in your life which is consuming you, throttling your spiritual growth. And it's easy, isn't it, in a 00:30:40.500 --> 00:30:46.819 moment like this to see that and to notice it, but not to do the right thing with it. What's the right 00:30:46.819 --> 00:30:53.559 thing to do? Well, it's to be sure that you can't fix it on your own. The right thing to do is to pray 00:30:53.559 --> 00:30:59.819 now in your heart that God by his spirit would do some gardening in you, that he would pull out that 00:30:59.819 --> 00:31:05.640 weedy desire for self-glory. He would break through that rock of worry that makes you depend on yourself, 00:31:05.640 --> 00:31:15.900 that he would defeat that anxious belief that relies on its own efforts and not his. Lord, make me good 00:31:15.900 --> 00:31:22.700 soil. And as we pray that for ourselves, let's pray like that for others in the church too, that our 00:31:22.700 --> 00:31:28.860 young people sat in this room and making noise behind me that you might be able to hear, let's pray that 00:31:28.860 --> 00:31:35.300 God would make them good soil. That in a world that tells them that preaching is dull, that churches are 00:31:35.299 --> 00:31:41.700 relevant, that the gospel's nothing to do with them. May the gospel find good soil in their hearts 00:31:41.700 --> 00:31:46.480 that bears much fruit. Let's pray for others in the church who are going through trouble, that they 00:31:46.480 --> 00:31:50.419 wouldn't be scorched by the sun, but it would have deep roots that keep them watered through the 00:31:50.419 --> 00:31:57.339 difficulties. And let's pray that God, through Christ, would throw the seed far and wide in our 00:31:57.339 --> 00:32:05.139 neighbourhood, not being too excited by a fast response, but looking for a persevering, fruitful response. 00:32:05.299 --> 00:32:11.859 Well, let me close in prayer. We'll just have a moment of quiet for us to pray in our own hearts 00:32:11.859 --> 00:32:14.099 and then I'll pray and then we'll sing together. 00:32:25.299 --> 00:32:33.299 Heavenly Father, we pray, please, make us good soil. We long, Lord, to persevere and to bear fruit. 00:32:33.299 --> 00:32:41.539 Please help us, we ask. We know that so often our spiritual lives are choked out by the worries of 00:32:41.539 --> 00:32:48.639 this life. Please, we pray, pull out those weeds that we might live lives for your praise and your glory. 00:32:48.640 --> 00:32:52.000 In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.