The Parable of Spiritual Growth

Notes: The Parable of Spiritual Growth

Luke 8

Pastor Greg Laurie

MUSICAL GUEST:

Marty Goetz

WORSHIP TEAM:

Harvest Worship Band

Thursday, September 10, 2015 — 7:00 p.m.

Series: What Every Growing Christian Needs to Know

As Christians, we will always need the essentials to continue to grow. Life will begin to unravel if we believe we can outgrow the essentials.

If you want to continue on spiritually then you will, if you don't want to continue, then you won't.

When someone makes a profession of faith at the Harvest Crusade there is follow up done by churches that participate. The people are encouraged in their walk, but not pushed. It's up to the individual to follow Jesus.

Everyone is either progressing or regressing in their spiritual life.

Deuteronomy 30:19 NKJV

[19] I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

God gives us a test and the answer. Choose life.

Philippians 2:12 NKJV

[12] Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

Philippians 2:13 NKJV

[13] for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

God will work through you, but you have to carry it to the goal.

2 Peter 1:3 NKJV

[3] as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

Luke 8:4-15 NKJV

[4] And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: [5] "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. [6] Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. [7] And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. [8] But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold." When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" [9] Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?" [10] And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.' [11] "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. [12] Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. [13] But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. [14] Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. [15] But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

You have four kinds of people, soil is the comparison.

Evangelism is like sowing seeds in the past, we proclaim the Gospel wherever we can. We don't know where the soil will let it grow.

1 Corinthians 3:6-8 NKJV

[6] I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. [7] So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. [8] Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

We all have our role, but to God goes the glory.

Can someone lose their salvation? No, they never had it.

Only the test of time will confirm.

1 John 2:19 NKJV

[19] They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

You can be a prodigal, but a prodigal will always return home.

1. Highway hearers.

The seed hit the ground, but it never touched soil. Just like hitting the highway.

Satan gets that person back immediately.

2 Corinthians 4:4 NKJV

[4] whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

The word of God, runs off like water off a ducks back.

Someone who doesn't want to hear it.

2. Rocky-road Hearers.

Luke 8:13 NKJV

[13] But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.

These are the people that do come, they are excited! It appears to be an amazing conversion. Couple weeks later, they never come back to church.

They are the ones that say they "tried Christianity"

They are impulsive by nature.

Matthew 13:21 NKJV

[21] yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

These people will run at the smallest sign of persecution.

Jesus said we should rejoice if we are persecuted for Him.

A true believers faith will be strengthened in trial.

Only build your faith on Christ.

3. Thorny Hearers.

Luke 8:14 NKJV

[14] Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

These people are slowly choked out.

The second best, is often the worst enemy of the best.

God eventually gets crowded out by all the things of this world.

Philemon 1:23-24 NKJV

[23] Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, [24] as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow laborers.

2 Timothy 4:10 NKJV

[10] for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica-Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia.

Demas fell away over time.

Put God first and all these things will be added to you.

4. Fruitful Hearers

Luke 8:15 NKJV

[15] But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

You need to get as much of Gods word in you as possible.

You can't just hear, you have to listen.

The success or failure of the Christian life depends on how we hear it.  

Healthy people are hungry people. Are you hungry for God's word?

Be bold, be brave and be strong for Christ!

Weights or Wings

Notes: Weights or Wings

Hebrews 12:1–2

SPEAKER:

Tony Clark

WORSHIP TEAM:

Harvest Worship Band

Sunday, September 6, 2015 — 8:00 a.m.

There are things in our lives that are either weight or wings. We have to learn if things are holding us back or helping us soar.

The Hebrews that Paul wrote to were going back to their Jewish ways.

Many people today are contemplating going back to their sinful ways.

Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV

[1] Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, [2] looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

To know what a verse means, you have to know what it doesn't mean.

This verse doesn't mean that our family members in Heaven are  looking down on us hoping we make it through today.

When we face giants, we can look back to heroes of our faith to draw strength from.

What ever we face today, God will deliver us from.

He can deliver us out of or through a situation. We don't know which one God will be doing for us.

It's better to be in the fire with Jesus Christ then out of it alone.

"Lay aside" in this verse is used also to describe discarding dirty clothes at the end of the day.

We are to lay aside our sin and the things that interfere with our faith.

What is weighing you down today? It is not necessarily a sin, it could just be a burden.

Mark 4:19 NKJV

[19] and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

Riches don't make us happy, we all know that. The desire of other things can weigh us down too. Anything interfering with us running the Christian life race is a weight.

Sin is the obvious, what are the other things? If it is making us miss the mark, then it could be sin. To sin means to miss the mark.

The world likes to call the sins of the world a disease. We need to call it what God calls it, a sin!

Ensnaring us means to trap us in every direction. Sin easily traps us.

Endurance requires patience.

Life is a marathon, it requires endurance for the long haul.

The motivation is to be "looking upon Jesus".

Jesus came here in the flesh to show us how to run this race.

1 Corinthians 11:7 NKJV

[7] For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.

This is saying, your wife reflects you. If you think she stinks, then look at yourself.

We need to fix our eyes upon Jesus.

What you do to gain, you have to do to maintain.

What happens when we take our eyes off of Jesus? Peter sank when he saw how boisterous the waves were. You can't keep your eyes on Jesus when you are looking at what the problems are around you. Peter then prayed by crying out, "Lord save me!"

When we are sinking we need to look to Jesus.

Philippians 1:6 NKJV

[6] being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

We are going to make it, because God is the author and finisher of His work.

Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV

[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

The fruit of the Spirit is love. All

of the other fruits are a result of love.

Happiness is based on outward circumstances. Joy is a fruit that is within you.

Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame that was within it. After He endured the cross, He sat down and rested.

Your joy will come.

Stepping into Your Purpose

Notes: Stepping into Your Purpose

Nehemiah 1

Pastor Pedro Garcia

Sunday, August 30, 2015 — 8:00 a.m.

One of the things that is true of all of us is that God created us with a specific purpose in mind.

Psalm 139:13-15 NKJV

[13] For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. [14] I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. [15] My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Ephesians 2:10 NKJV

[10] For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The reason God saved us is not only to get us to Heaven. We are to find our calling.

2 Timothy 1:8-9 NKJV

[8] Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, [9] who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

Nehemiah learned his purpose while he was working and being faithful to God.

We are to be faithful with what is in our hands now, not just what we think is down the road.

Nehemiah 1:1-4 NKJV

[1] The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, [2] that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. [3] And they said to me, "The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire." [4] So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

This is the backdrop of the book of Nehemiah. He finds out that Jerusalem is devastated.

Nehemiah did not just sit around and cry about it. He did something about that. He let his purpose impact his life.

1. Nehemiah had clarity and identity.

We need to know who we are and Who's we are.

Colossians 1:16 NKJV

[16] For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

We were created by God for the glory of God.

We are not defined by what we do for ourselves, we are to be defined by who we serve.

Nehemiah lived to glorify God.

Just because he was the cup bearer for the king did not define him.

Nehemiah 2:1-3 NKJV

[1] And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. [2] Therefore the king said to me, "Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart." So I became dreadfully afraid, [3] and said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?"

Nehemiah did not let his vocation stop him from serving God.

Daniel also stood his ground instead of bowing down to the culture around him. Are you someone that stands your ground?

A person that stands for nothing will fall for anything.

Don't let people label you or let them dictate your identity.

Don't let anything in your past define who you are.

Galatians 2:20 NKJV

[20] I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Be clear in your identity.

Live in the grace of Christ Jesus.

2. Boldness in our faith.

It wasn't just enough for Nehemiah to pray and fast. He also took action.

Don't let things pass by as you are sitting and praying about it. You need to pray and take the action in boldness.

Nehemiah prayed and then rises up.

Nehemiah 2:4-6 NKJV

[4] Then the king said to me, "What do you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. [5] And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it." [6] Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), "How long will your journey be? And when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

The king gave Nehemiah his request and then Nehemiah boldly asked for more.

Nehemiah 2:7-8 NKJV

[7] Furthermore I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, [8] and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy." And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.

Nehemiah got to Jerusalem and saw the opposition waiting for him.

As we all know, where God sends us, the enemy is trying to oppose us.

Nehemiah 2:19-20 NKJV

[19] But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, "What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?" [20] So I answered them, and said to them, "The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem."

3. Determination through distraction.

This is critical, distraction is thrown at us to keep us from the plans and purpose of God.

Nehemiah was not distracted:

Nehemiah 2:20 NKJV

[20] So I answered them, and said to them, "The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem."

He heard what the opposition had to say and then got back to work.

But the opposition always continues:

Nehemiah 6:1-2 NKJV

[1] Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), [2] that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, "Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono." But they thought to do me harm.

These guys were trying to hurt Nehemiah. They wanted to destroy him. These are the challenges that all leaders will face.

You don't have to be a famous leader, if you are being obedient to the call of God as a leader, then you will face opposition.

Don't be surprised by opposition, expect it.

Nehemiah 6:3-7 NKJV

[3] So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?"

[4] But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner. [5] Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before, the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand. [6] In it was written: It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall, that you may be their king. [7] And you have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, "There is a king in Judah!" Now these matters will be reported to the king. So come, therefore, and let us consult together.

Nehemiah responded:

Nehemiah 6:8-9 NKJV

[8] Then I sent to him, saying, "No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart." [9] For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, "Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done." Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

Nehemiah showed determination through this distraction.

Some things are just for God to do for us. Do not take on all the battles that come your way while you are doing God's work.

Never seek to live for approval of man.

Don't listen to the voices of the crowd. They will keep you from all that God has for you.

God wants to do even greater things than we can ever imagine.

Pray that God will give you the strength to live for His purpose.

Have you entered into the purpose God has for you?