First Baptist Church, Vidalia

-That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea.
And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach. And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.
He who has ears, let him hear. -Matt. 13: 1-9
-Hear then the parable of the sower.
When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil {one} comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no {firm} root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. -Matt. 13: 18-23

-Based on this passage there are 4 types of listeners:
1. The Hard-Hearted Listener vs. 4 & 19
2. The Shallow-Hearted Listener vs. 5-6 & 20-21
3. The Clutter-Hearted Listener vs. 7 & 22
4. The Good-Hearted Listener vs. 4&23

-Which type are you?

-Ps. 50: 15, Prov. 3: 5-6, Ps. 18: 1-2, Ps. 31: 1-2
-Life is difficult.
-Where is God in everything?
-Can you really trust God?

-2 parts to this question:
1. Is He dependable in times of adversity.
2. Do you have such a relationship with God and such a confidence in Him that you believe He is with you in your adversity even though you do not see any evidence of His presence and His power.

-It is just as important to trust God as it is to obey God.
-When we disobey God we defy His authority and despise His holiness.
-When we fail to trust God we doubt His sovereignty and question His goodness.
-God views our distrust the same way He views disobedience.

-Scripture teaches 3 truths we must believe if we are ever going to trust God:
1. God is completely sovereign.
2. God is infinite in wisdom.
3. God is perfect in His love.

-Someone said, “God in His love always wills what is best, and in His sovereignty He has the power to bring it about.”

- Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, Unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That both good and ill go forth? Lam. 3: 37-38
-And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. Ps. 9: 10

-We must learn to apply these truths daily in our lives.

-The story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The guests responded with phrases like, “Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir.” It was not until the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. Nonplussed, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, “I’m sure she had it coming.”

-A worker asked for a pay raise and got this note back from his supervisor: “Because of the fluctuation predisposition of your position’s productive capacity as juxtaposed to standard norms, it would be momentarily injudicious to advocate your requested increment.” The puzzled worker went to the supervisor and said, “If this is about my pay raise, I don’t get it.” “That’s right,” said the supervisor.

-A wife was coming down the stairs and asked her husband who was lying on the sofa what he has been doing.
He replied, “Killing flies”.
She said, “How many have you killed so far?”
He said, “Five, three males and two females.”
She said, “How did you figure that out?”
He replied, “Three were sitting on the remote and two were sitting on the phone.”

-Did you know that last year Americans gave: $2.9 billion dollars to overseas missions? Sounds pretty good until you hear the rest of the story. Americans also gave $8.4 billion to see movies, $13 billion to buy chocolate, $23 billion to buy toys, $23 billion to buy stuff for their pets, $24 billion for jewelry, $58 billion for soft drinks, $85 billion for lawn and garden care, and $354 billion to eat out at restaurants!

-I heard a preacher say one time, “Let me look at your checkbook. I’ll tell you what you believe in!”

-A lady of high society was looking at a picture she had never seen before in the city’s art museum. “My dear fellow,” she said to the Curator, “I have never seen this painting before. I find the image shallow and rather crude in appearance. What do you call this?” The curator answered without giving the slightest expression, “That madam, is a mirror.”

-James 1:23-25 “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking after himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it he will be blessed in what he does.”

-God loves to decorate. God has to decorate. Let him live long enough in a heart, and that heart will begin to change. Portraits of hurt will be replaced by landscapes of grace. Walls of anger will be demolished and shaky foundations restored. God can no more leave a life unchanged than a mother can leave her child’s tear untouched. It’s not enough for him to own you; he wants to change you. Where you and I might be satisfied with a recliner and refrigerator, he refuses to settle for any dwelling short of a palace. After all, this is his house. No expense is spared. No corners are cut. “Oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him” (Eph. 1:19, The Message). This might explain some discomfort in your life. Remodeling the heart is not always pleasant. We don’t object when the Carpenter adds a few shelves, but he’s been known to gut the entire west wing. He has such high aspirations for you. God envisions a complete restoration. He won’t stop until he is finished. And he won’t be finished until we have been shaped “along the…lines…of his Son” (Rom. 8:29, The Message).

At first, I saw God as my observer,
my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong,
so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die.

He was out there sort of like a president.
I recognized His picture when I saw it,
but I really didn’t know Him.

But later on when I met Christ,
it seemed as though life was rather like a bike ride,
but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Christ
was in the back helping me pedal.

I don’t know just when it was
that He suggested we change places,
but life has not been the same since.

When I had control,
I knew the way.
It was rather boring, but predictable . . .
It was the shortest distance between two points.

But when He took the lead,
He knew delightful long cuts,
up mountains, and through rocky places
at breakneck speeds,
it was all I could do to hang on!
Even though it looked like madness,
He said, “Pedal!”

I worried and was anxious
and asked, “Where are you taking me?”
He laughed and didn’t answer,
and I started to learn to trust.

I forgot my boring life
and entered into the adventure.
And when I’d say, “I’m scared,”
He’d lean back and touch my hand.

He took me to people with gifts that I needed,
gifts of healing, acceptance and joy.
They gave me gifts to take on my journey,
my Lord’s and mine.

And we were off again.
He said, “Give the gifts away;
they’re extra baggage, too much weight.”
So I did, to the people we met,
and I found that in giving I received,
and still our burden was light.

I did not trust Him, at first,
in control of my life.
I thought He’d wreck it;
but He knows bike secrets,
knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners,
knows how to jump to clear high rocks,
knows how to fly to shorten scary passages.

And I am learning to shut up
and pedal in the strangest places,
and I’m beginning to enjoy the view
and the cool breeze on my face
with my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ.

And when I’m sure I just can’t do anymore,
He just smiles and says . . . “Pedal.”

— author unknown

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” -Matt. 28: 19-20

-Pentecost, Paul, Constantine 313 AD, John Wycliffe 1380 NT, Guttenberg all paved the way for the gospel to be spread everywhere.
-Today nearly everyone has access to the Bible.
-We are called to GO…
-With this privilege there is a great responsibility.
-We must surrender to this great Dare.

The Assignment is Ours.
-It give us a purpose.
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden…”
-Matt. 5: 13-14

The Assignment Requires Complete Surrender.
-this should be our 1st priority
“For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ “Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand {men} to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? “Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.” -Luke 14: 28-32
-They left everything no if, but, or unless.

The Assignment Requires Service.
-we must be obedient
-we need a right view of the cross not as a sickness but rather a casket
“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” -Luke 14: 27
-we need no attachments
“So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.” -Luke 14: 33

Bottom Line
Disciples can not make concessions to the world.
Compromise and crucifixion are on totally opposite ends of the spectrum.
Do you desire to be the Lord’s disciple?
The Bible reveal a very clear path: Be willing to follow your divine assignment; detach yourself from your worldly preoccupations, and join your brothers and sisters in the Great Commission.

So what are you waiting for?

GO!!!!!

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish. -Ps. 1

-The largest living organism is the General Sherman Sequoia in Sequoia National Park.
-27 stories tall
-first branch 13 stories off ground
-as wide as a 3-lane highway
-highly developed root system
- roots spread out 200 ft. in all directions

-It is important for a Christian to also have a great root system to survive life’s’ storms.
-Ps. 1 we see 2 types of people: 1. Shallow 2. Deep

THE ROOT TEST

1. Shallow Life
a. Influenced by people.
b. Does not know the Bible.
c. Is unstable

2. Deep Life
a. Depth is obvious.
-We bear fruit.
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” -John 15:5
b. Depth gets us through tough times.
c. Depth brings prosperity.
-not health and wealth but peace in a fallen world

-Leaders grow; they are not made.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD.
For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit. -Jer. 17: 7-8

How are your roots?

-So many times we attend a service for the wrong reasons.
-We attend a lot of times to be entertained.
-We should attend to hear from God.
-Be ready to hear.

GOD WILL SPEAK
“It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well, and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God was, that the LORD called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.” Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, lie down again.” So he went and lay down. The LORD called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he answered, “I did not call, my son, lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor had the word of the LORD yet been revealed to him. So the LORD called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli discerned that the LORD was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Then the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” The LORD said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.” – 1 Sam. 3: 2-11

EXPECT GOD TO SPEAK
‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ -Jer. 33: 3

BE QUIET AND LISTEN
“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” -Ps. 46: 1

As we finish this series remember…
The Best is Yet To Come because…

1. It is a Promise

But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. -2 Peter 3: 13

2. It is a Place

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.” -John 14: 1-4

3. It is a Passion
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ -Matt. 25:21

Read Psalm 24
And let God open wide the heavenly gates!
‘Cause the best is yet to come!

The follow passage is what we all live for.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. – Rev. 21:1-7

Wow! The best is yet to come! I can’t wait! GLORY!