06/16/2024 Church service

周日礼拜

视频

   The Seed and the Soil  种子与土壤

 

Mark 4:13-20: Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive 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. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
馬 可 福 音 4:13-20: 耶稣对门徒说∶“你们理解这个寓言吗？如果不能，那么你们又怎么能够理解任何一个寓言呢？ 农夫播种的是福音。 有些人就如播在路边的种子，他们听到后，撒旦立刻来把播在他们心中的福音夺走了。 有些人就像那些播在石头地上的种子。他们听到福音后，立即欣然接受了。 但是却没有在他们心中扎根，因此也只持续片刻。一旦福音给他招来麻烦或迫害，他们便立刻放弃了信仰。 另外一些人就像撒在荆棘丛中的种子，他们听到了福音， 但却让现世的烦恼、财富的诱惑和其它的欲望膨胀，窒息了福音，而无结果。 其他人则像撒在肥沃土壤里的种子， 他们听到了福音，便接受了，而且还结出硕果—有时增加三十倍、或六十倍，或者百倍的果实。”(pg 1623)

Gen 8:22: While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.
创世记 8:22: 只要大地尚存，播种收割、夏热冬寒、白昼黑夜必永不停息。 (page 12)
Hosea 10:12: Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
出埃及 3:11: 你们要为自己种植公义，就能收获慈爱。
现在是寻求耶和华的时候，你们要犁开刚硬的心田，
等祂来使公义如雨浇灌你们。 (page 1472)

 

 

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视频脚本 Script

The Seed & the Soil
Mark 4:1-13
Parable of the Sower: (Jesus)said to them, “The privilege of intimately knowing the mystery of God’s kingdom realm has been granted to you, but not to the others, where everything is revealed in parables. For even when they see what I do, they will not understand, and when they hear what I say, they will learn nothing, otherwise they would repent and be forgiven.”

(KEY) Then he said to them, “If you don’t understand this parable, how will you understand any parable?
Let me explain: The farmer sows the message of the kingdom. What falls on the beaten path represents those who hear the message, but immediately Satan appears and snatches it from their hearts. And what is sown on gravel represents those who hear the message and receive it joyfully, but because their hearts fail to sink a deep root, they don’t endure for long. For when trouble or persecution comes on account of the message, they immediately wilt and fall away.
And what is sown among thorns represents those who hear the message, but they allow the cares of this life and the seduction of wealth and the desires for other things to crowd out and choke the message so that it produces nothing.
“But what is sown on good soil represents those who open their hearts to receive the message and their lives bear good fruit—some yield a harvest of thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold!”
Jesus: “If you don’t understand this parable, how will you understand any parable?
The Kingdom of God is expressed here as seedtime and harvest
Gen 8:22: While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.
The Good News is that I can change what I want to plant and harvest (seed packets)
In Mark 4, Jesus shares how the same seed has a different result depending on ONE thing
What is the variable? The SOIL.
Phil 4:8: Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always.
Those thoughts are a seed. But if I plant a good seed on top of concrete, how much of a harvest can I expect?
The seed can be good – the seed can be wonderful, empowering and life-changing – but what is the seed landing on?
Mark 4:14: The sower sows the Word.
Jesus said: “the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
How can we prepare the soil of our hearts to properly receive the Word of God?
Mark 4:13: Then he (Jesus) said to them, “If you don’t understand this parable,
how will you understand any parable?
How can we prepare the soil of our hearts to properly receive the Word of God?
Hosea 10:12: Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
? What does ”break up your fallow ground” really mean?
clear your hearts of weeds, in order that they may be prepared for the seed of righteousness.
GNT: ‘Plow new ground for yourselves, plant righteousness, and reap the blessings that your devotion to me will produce. It is time for you to turn to me, your LORD, and I will come and pour out blessings upon you.’
John Wesley would open up all small group meetings with the question “How is it with your soul?”
He may have just as well asked, “How is it with your SOIL?”
Emerson: “Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.”
“Goodness comes from your desire to honor God with your life.”
My purpose here today is for us to consider the state of our soul – our soil.
Hosea 10:12 NLT: 'Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’
The Psalmist wrote: “Create in me a Clean Heart”
A Clean Heart is a Clean Slate - a clean Canvas for God to paint a new image on
How much is that worth to you?
To live from this place is to accept the scripture that “all things are possible” to the person who believes.
Let it become more than just words right now.
“How is it with your SOIL?”
Proverbs 11:18: …one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.
When our hearts are hard – when our soil has become rocky and thorny, the seed cannot penetrate and produce the change – the righteous transformation

“When I let go of who I am, I can become who I might be.”

Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD

The hard ground of your heart contains that person you can one day say you once were, but are no longer.

For the seed to take root and grow into the person you can become, you’ve got to allow that to happen. (surrender)

Joel 2:13 (Ash Wednesday) “Rend your hearts, not your garments”

NLT: Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

The change starts on the inside – not the outside

can you let go of your unforgiveness, your bitterness, your religiosity, your unjust judgments of yourself and others?

Throughout the history of God’s people, time and again they had wandered away from God’s commandments and fallen into sin and wickedness.

But God’s heart—His love and compassion for them desired to see them come back to Him- hence he told them through the prophets: Break up your fallow ground – a metaphor spoken by the prophet to the people of God to prepare/till their hearts for a good sowing to be done.

Jesus explained through the parable of the sower that the field represents the heart of man—this needs ploughing before planting! It must be able to properly receive the seed.

Ploughing makes the soil (the heart) become ready for sowing!

Mark 4:20 speaks of those who hear the Word and accept it – that’s a good heart!

We need to capture the essence of God’s Word! “Break up your fallow ground” meant the ground was “plough-able”—the reason it was not productive was that it wasn’t ploughed!
Jeremiah 4:3: God says: “Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! Do not waste your good seed among thorns.”

We supposed to be bringing Kingdom change to this world. Making things better.
…but people (with hard thorny hearts) resist change – especially if it is being suggested by someone else.
People even resist our changes. “You’ve changed.”
If we look around with open eyes, we see a lot that needs to change.
? What if we look with an open heart and see where WE need to change
“I want to change. I need to change.”
How about WHY
“WHY do I want to change? Why do I need to change?”
Sometimes change seems nearly impossible…
Eph 3:21 - Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Do we ask God to do this work within us? Do we expect and believe it will happen?
1 Thess 5:4-6: But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober
Your life is a gift – and what we do with that gift should be our love offering to God
Your gift is unique – it’s your job to steward the seed you have
Your life is a seed. Your gift will only grow as you commit to diligently tending to it.
“How is it with your soul?”
“How is it with your SOIL?”
Hosea 10:12 NLT: 'Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’

Hillside United Methodist Church
3739 US 80
Phenix City  AL  36870
United States
Pastor: Mike J Koger

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