Sermon 2-4-07 The Sower Mt 13:3b-8,18-23
A farmer went out to sow
God is the sower He sows, expecting for something to grow
But he leaves it there……no pressure. It is up to you……….
I love the stories that Jesus told
And how he told them.
Simple, clear, and he just let them lay out there
Do you have a heart that is predisposed to growth? What is growth?
George Bernard Shaw
This is the true joy in life,
the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one;
the being thoroughtly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap…
and being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod
of ailments and grievance,
complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
What is growth…………moving from selfishness to Christ centered living
Path The first seeds cast out by Jesus' sower landed 'on the path.' The way was smooth, but the ground was hard, compacted by back-and-forth traffic. All the seed could do was lie on top of the soil, exposed and barren. Not surprisingly, these seeds were swiftly scooped up by hungry birds.
Too many ideas. Cant understand, or wont believe…the faith cant make its way into the persons heart……..too busy with other gods
End result is pretend faith……….come to church, believes, but no inward change
Rocky soil
no roots set down, shallow
loud, noisy excited faith
Trouble, persecution comes, fall away
Common question asked of me from these folks is…..why? why?
We can't always choose what is going to happen to us in life, but we can always choose how we're going to respond to what has happened in life.
We love Psalm 23 “yea tho I walk the the valley of the shadow of death……..”
Lets not look at God as someone who is responsible for this pain, but as someone who wants to walk thru the valley with us………..
Thorny ground –
The third batch of seeds described in Jesus' parable had a short life because of the company they kept. There was nothing wrong with the soil these seeds fell upon--it was deep enough, soft enough and rich enough to sustain them. But this soil also supported a fine crop of thorns or thistles. These prickly neighbors were stronger and more vigorous than the seeds of our parable. In the race for survival, the thorns won--choking out their neighboring plants.Are you good for those around you? Are those who you are running with good for you?
Your friends should challenge your direction if you are off course…..
Are you running with people that make you better, or drag you down.?
Good soil
Some people are like good soil…….
They are enjoying life because they are on a quest for excellence
Pat Riley…..Excellence is the gradual result of constantly striving to do better
We learn and move on……Laura Schlessinger, the loved and hated radio host, what the caller usually wants to know this: 'Now that I've done all these things I shouldn't have done, how can I avoid the consequences I knew, but denied, and just hoped would not happen?'
Growth demands change
It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: It would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad. -C.S. Lewis,
If you want to be a bird, then you must be willing to let go of being an egg
ConclusionSpirituality is that which changes us
If you have thoughts from your childhood that are not making you more gracious…let them go…no matter how Methodist, how Baptist, how catholic
Spirituality is that which changes us
Jesus said we can gain the whole world, but lose our soul
Just as the fish dies if it sits out on dry land,
We will die if we stay stuck in the matters of the world. Pride, prejudice, stuff
We must be in tune with the business of our hearts
I am not talking about entertaining some mystical fantasy.
I am talking about coming home
Focusing on that which will change you and give your life meaning and joy
whoever would lose his life would find it……
This is your life- right now
Don’t wait to be that growing person
This is the life, the heart that we would strive for:
Mother teresa story
Dear Mr. -------,
Thank you very much for your letter and good wishes. Thank God for God. For using our nothingness to show his love. He calls me- he calls you- each of us to be his sign of love to each other. This is a great privilege that he shares with us.
I shall pray that you may learn to love him much and share this love with those around you. Your loved ones first, your neighbors and every person you meet.
God bless you
Mother M. Teresa, M.C.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"In times like these, it helps to recall that there have always been times like these” Paul Harvey
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." - John Wayne
A farmer went out to sow
God is the sower He sows, expecting for something to grow
But he leaves it there……no pressure. It is up to you……….
I love the stories that Jesus told
And how he told them.
Simple, clear, and he just let them lay out there
Do you have a heart that is predisposed to growth? What is growth?
George Bernard Shaw
This is the true joy in life,
the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one;
the being thoroughtly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap…
and being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod
of ailments and grievance,
complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
What is growth…………moving from selfishness to Christ centered living
Path The first seeds cast out by Jesus' sower landed 'on the path.' The way was smooth, but the ground was hard, compacted by back-and-forth traffic. All the seed could do was lie on top of the soil, exposed and barren. Not surprisingly, these seeds were swiftly scooped up by hungry birds.
Too many ideas. Cant understand, or wont believe…the faith cant make its way into the persons heart……..too busy with other gods
End result is pretend faith……….come to church, believes, but no inward change
Rocky soil
no roots set down, shallow
loud, noisy excited faith
Trouble, persecution comes, fall away
Common question asked of me from these folks is…..why? why?
We can't always choose what is going to happen to us in life, but we can always choose how we're going to respond to what has happened in life.
We love Psalm 23 “yea tho I walk the the valley of the shadow of death……..”
Lets not look at God as someone who is responsible for this pain, but as someone who wants to walk thru the valley with us………..
Thorny ground –
The third batch of seeds described in Jesus' parable had a short life because of the company they kept. There was nothing wrong with the soil these seeds fell upon--it was deep enough, soft enough and rich enough to sustain them. But this soil also supported a fine crop of thorns or thistles. These prickly neighbors were stronger and more vigorous than the seeds of our parable. In the race for survival, the thorns won--choking out their neighboring plants.Are you good for those around you? Are those who you are running with good for you?
Your friends should challenge your direction if you are off course…..
Are you running with people that make you better, or drag you down.?
Good soil
Some people are like good soil…….
They are enjoying life because they are on a quest for excellence
Pat Riley…..Excellence is the gradual result of constantly striving to do better
We learn and move on……Laura Schlessinger, the loved and hated radio host, what the caller usually wants to know this: 'Now that I've done all these things I shouldn't have done, how can I avoid the consequences I knew, but denied, and just hoped would not happen?'
Growth demands change
It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: It would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad. -C.S. Lewis,
If you want to be a bird, then you must be willing to let go of being an egg
ConclusionSpirituality is that which changes us
If you have thoughts from your childhood that are not making you more gracious…let them go…no matter how Methodist, how Baptist, how catholic
Spirituality is that which changes us
Jesus said we can gain the whole world, but lose our soul
Just as the fish dies if it sits out on dry land,
We will die if we stay stuck in the matters of the world. Pride, prejudice, stuff
We must be in tune with the business of our hearts
I am not talking about entertaining some mystical fantasy.
I am talking about coming home
Focusing on that which will change you and give your life meaning and joy
whoever would lose his life would find it……
This is your life- right now
Don’t wait to be that growing person
This is the life, the heart that we would strive for:
Mother teresa story
Dear Mr. -------,
Thank you very much for your letter and good wishes. Thank God for God. For using our nothingness to show his love. He calls me- he calls you- each of us to be his sign of love to each other. This is a great privilege that he shares with us.
I shall pray that you may learn to love him much and share this love with those around you. Your loved ones first, your neighbors and every person you meet.
God bless you
Mother M. Teresa, M.C.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"In times like these, it helps to recall that there have always been times like these” Paul Harvey
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." - John Wayne
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