Introduction:
IYKYK
Heart Hearing Evaluation (Luke 8:4–15)
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Does Your Heart Hear BUT DISBELIEVE? (Luke 8:12)
2 Corinthians 4:4 – In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
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Does Your Heart Hear BUT STALL OUT? (Luke 8:13)
Matthew 7:13–14 – Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
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Does Your Heart Hear BUT GET DISTRACTED? (Luke 8:14)
1 Timothy 6:10 – For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
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Does Your Heart Hear AND PRODUCE A CHANGED LIFE? (Luke 8:15)
Revelation 2:4–5 – But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!
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00:41-00:44
We all love quick fixes, don't we?
00:45-00:50
If we have a problem, we want to solve it in the quickest and simplest way possible.
00:51-00:55
And our bent towards quick fixes pops up almost every single day.
00:55-00:57
The router is acting up, so what do you do?
01:00-01:02
All right, try to be a bit louder so I can hear you.
01:02-01:04
What do you do when the router's acting up?
01:05-01:07
You unplug it, then you plug it back in, right?
01:08-01:09
You have a pounding headache.
01:09-01:11
What's your go-to when you have a flare-up?
01:12-01:16
Just pop a few ibuprofen or Tylenol to take the edge off.
01:16-01:19
And when the edge doesn't grow duller, you get so annoyed.
01:19-01:26
When that router issue isn't fixed, by the unplug and plug back in, you get so frustrated.
01:28-01:36
The ultimate example of an easy fix from my life is the N64, the Nintendo 64, whoever owned one growing up.
01:38-01:46
For those of you who weren't born sometime in the 1900s, let me make it clear, these games were not played on discs.
01:46-01:48
You couldn't download them digitally.
01:48-01:51
You had to play them on cartridges.
01:52-01:59
And for you '80s and '90s kids in the room, what was the quick fix to the problem of the game glitching or freezing?
02:01-02:02
The harmonica method, right?
02:03-02:03
[HARMONICA PLAYING]
02:06-02:10
We thought there was dust in the cartridge and you had to blow it out.
02:11-02:16
According to my internet research, people are divided over the effectiveness of the Harmonica method.
02:17-02:23
Some people say that it was the placebo that made you feel better, but didn't actually do anything.
02:23-02:31
While others say, yeah, it was a short-term fix, it worked for a bit, but it caused long-term damage.
02:32-02:38
According to these gamers online, the moisture from your breath corroded inside of the cartridge or something, I don't know.
02:39-02:44
But all these nerds online agree about one simple fact.
02:45-02:51
This was a quick fix, not a long-term solution.
02:53-03:01
It either did nothing to help the problem, or it made the problem even worse.
03:03-03:11
as you saw in the promo video a few moments ago, we have been hyper-focused on one major theme from Scripture over the past nine months.
03:11-03:14
God wants your heart.
03:14-03:20
He doesn't just want your external rule following, he wants your internal love and devotion.
03:22-03:29
But maybe you've heard this theme of God wants your heart preached about Sunday after Sunday, but you still aren't there.
03:31-03:35
Maybe you know what God wants from you, but for some reason you don't want to give it to him.
03:36-03:38
Your heart is distant from the Lord.
03:39-03:42
Your heart is cold towards his word.
03:42-03:45
There is something off inside of you.
03:48-03:51
You need to get to a better place, but you don't know how to get there.
03:52-03:59
And for weeks, months, or even years, you've been trying all the quick fixes, but nothing is working.
04:00-04:04
The problem just keeps getting worse and worse and worse.
04:04-04:09
You have a serious heart problem that you cannot solve on your own.
04:11-04:18
If that's you, I have a two-part question to ask that you don't have to answer out loud, but you do need to answer in your heart.
04:19-04:26
Are you ready to put away the quick fixes and stop doing things your way?
04:27-04:33
Are you ready to grab ahold of God's long-term and start doing things his way.
04:34-04:38
If the answer is yes, I have to warn you, it's gonna hurt.
04:40-04:49
It's gonna take God's painful scalp cuts, scalpel cuts, to truly lead you to the change that you need.
04:50-04:54
True change requires an open heart procedure.
04:55-05:08
Over the next month, we're gonna undergo four surgical solutions to our heart problems, evaluating our hearts, confessing from our hearts, giving thanks with our hearts, and guarding our hearts.
05:10-05:15
As you may have noticed, all these surgical solutions require your cooperation and participation.
05:17-05:27
None of these solutions will be easy, but they are guaranteed success if you submit to your divine doctor and let him do his work in your heart.
05:29-05:33
So before we continue, let's go to the Lord and ask for his help.
05:33-05:36
Please pray for me and I will pray for you.
05:41-05:44
Father, we thank you for this most important appointment of the week.
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This isn't just a throwaway time where we come if we have a break in the schedule.
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This is a time where we come together as your people to worship you and to come under the teaching of your word.
05:57-05:59
May you do a work that only you can.
05:59-06:02
May you work in human hearts.
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May you bring conviction.
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May you challenge.
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May you build up.
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May you bring life where there is none.
06:11-06:13
Lord, I can do none of those things, only you can.
06:14-06:18
Preach a much better message in people's hearts than I ever could with my mouth.
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We ask all these things in Jesus' name, amen.
06:23-06:29
So the first surgical solution to your heart problem found in Luke chapter eight, verses four through 15.
06:30-06:31
Please turn there with me.
06:31-06:35
Luke chapter eight, verses four through 15.
06:38-06:48
At this point in his ministry, Jesus is being followed around by crowds who want to experience his miracles and hear him preach messages that are unlike anyone else's.
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In our passage for this morning, Jesus teaches the crowd a parable.
06:53-06:59
And as a refresher, a parable is an everyday story with a spiritual meaning.
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It is a work of fiction that points to the reality of God's kingdom and the salvation that Jesus offers.
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Let's read one of the greatest parables in Luke chapter eight, verses four through eight.
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And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town to town came to him, Jesus said in a parable, a sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it, and some fell on the rock, and as it grew up it withered away because it had no moisture.
07:36-07:40
And some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.
07:42-07:45
And some fell into good soil, and grew and healed a hundredfold.
07:46-07:52
As Jesus said these things, he called out, he who has ears to hear, let him hear.
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So a sower is in his field, scattering seed anywhere and everywhere that he goes.
08:00-08:07
And some of this seed lands on good soil, but most of it lands on bad soil.
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Some of the seed falls along the path where people stomp on it, and it is quickly picked up by birds.
08:15-08:21
Some falls on soil where it looks good, but there is a bedrock underneath the soil that you cannot see.
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So the seed has no moisture.
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It can't develop a root system so it withers away and dies.
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Some of the seed falls on thorns where it is choked out.
08:33-08:41
But some of the seed falls on good soil where it steadily but surely grows over time and leads to an abundant harvest.
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That's the story.
08:45-08:52
And Jesus closes out by saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Why does he say that?
08:52-08:53
What's the point of saying that?
08:54-08:57
Well, the modern day equivalent is on the screen behind me.
08:58-09:00
Can any of you young people decipher this for us?
09:01-09:01
What is it?
09:03-09:03
Thank you, Sierra.
09:03-09:05
If you know, you know.
09:07-09:11
Jesus is saying you're either gonna understand what I'm saying or you won't.
09:12-09:24
Well, the disciples themselves are left confused, not really understanding the story, so they work up the courage to go up to Jesus and say, hey, Jesus, great story, But what in the world was that about?
09:25-09:28
And check out Jesus' response in verses nine through 10.
09:29-09:51
And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, "To you it has been given to know "the secrets of the kingdom of God, "but for others they are in parables, "so that seeing they may not see, "and hearing they may not understand." Now you may be thinking, hold on a minute, it seems like Jesus is saying that he taught in parables to confuse some people.
09:52-09:55
Yeah, you get a gold star for observation.
09:55-09:57
That is exactly what he is saying.
09:58-10:07
This may be a hard pill to swallow, but Jesus taught these parables both to reveal and to conceal the truth.
10:09-10:15
He taught these parables to reveal the truth to those whose hearts are soft and ready to receive it.
10:16-10:25
But he also told these parables to conceal the truth from those whose hearts are hardened and resolved to reject it.
10:27-10:30
The good news is if you truly wanna understand the parables, you will.
10:32-10:37
But if you don't really care about understanding the parables, you won't.
10:38-10:40
It's that simple and clear cut.
10:40-10:44
But thankfully, Jesus does something that he rarely does.
10:45-10:47
He explains the meaning of the parable.
10:48-10:52
Praise the Lord, isn't that so convenient for every single one of us in this room?
10:52-10:58
Jesus is like that teacher who tells you what's on the final exam and lets you go to the back of the book to find the answers.
10:59-11:05
So let's go to the back of the book and see Jesus' answer for what this parable means in verses 11 through 15.
11:06-11:11
Now the parable is this, the seed is the word of God.
11:11-11:14
The ones along the path are those who have heard it.
11:14-11:19
then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts so that they may not believe and be saved.
11:20-11:26
And the ones on the rock are those when they hear the word, receive it with joy, but these have no root.
11:26-11:30
They believe for a while and in time of testing fall away.
11:31-11:41
And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life and their fruit does not mature.
11:42-11:51
As for that in the good soil, they are those who hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart and bear fruit with patience.
11:52-11:55
Jesus clearly spells out everything for us.
11:56-12:06
The seed is the word of God that is scattered by the sower, by anyone who faithfully shares the word.
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The seed of the word is scattered every single Sunday as someone stands before you to proclaim God has to say.
12:14-12:20
The seed of the word is scattered whenever you teach the lesson back in Harvest Academy or do family devotions with your kids.
12:21-12:28
The seed of the word is scattered whenever you share the gospel with that unsafe family member, friend, coworker, or neighbor.
12:29-12:40
And according to Jesus, the scattered seed of the word lands on four different types of soils, which represents four different types of human hearts.
12:41-12:45
And Jesus is not talking about the organ that's bumping in your chest right now.
12:46-12:49
He's talking about who you really are on the inside.
12:51-12:56
Your heart is the source of all your emotions, your affections, and your motivations.
12:58-13:03
Your heart is constantly taking in everything you see, hear, and experiencing, and evaluating it.
13:04-13:12
And according to God's word, you don't just have physical ears on the sides of your head, you also have spiritual ears on your heart.
13:14-13:23
And these spiritual ears can either hear the truth and reject it, or can hear the truth and accept it.
13:24-13:33
Three of these soils, three of these heart hearers in this parable reject the word, which leads to eternal destruction.
13:34-13:41
Only one soil, only one heart here accepts the word and is saved and has eternal life.
13:43-13:48
Do you remember those hearing evaluations you had to take back in elementary school?
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Where you shuffled to the school library or some random room, you put on the headphones, where they play different noises at different frequencies and decibels, and what would you do if you could hear the noise?
14:04-14:05
Show me what you would do.
14:05-14:06
You'd raise your hand, right?
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or you kept it down if you couldn't hear it.
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And depending on how the evaluation went, you could either go about the rest of your day as normal, or you'd be sent to an ear doctor.
14:19-14:22
Well, this parable is a heart-hearing evaluation.
14:23-14:29
It gauges how your heart hears and responds to the word of God.
14:30-14:38
It reveals if you are currently rejecting Jesus Christ his gospel or if you've actually accepted him or not.
14:39-14:45
It reveals how serious of a heart problem you have and how serious of a heart surgery you need.
14:47-14:57
So after one of the longest introductions in the history of this church, it's time to put on the spiritual headphones and take your heart hearing evaluation.
14:58-15:04
First question of the heart hearing evaluation, Does your heart hear but disbelief?
15:05-15:09
Does your heart hear but disbelief?
15:11-15:17
Let's start with the pathway soil where the seed is crushed and eaten by birds.
15:17-15:20
Listen again to Jesus' explanation in verse 12.
15:21-15:31
The ones along the path are those who have heard, then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts so that they may not believe and be saved.
15:32-15:44
The birds stand in for Satan himself, who has a mission to accomplish, to keep unbelievers from truly hearing the gospel message and accepting it.
15:45-15:50
The apostle Paul speaks to this ministry of Satan in 2 Corinthians 4.4.
15:50-16:03
He says, "The God of this world," that's Satan, "has blinded the minds of the unbelievers "to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.
16:05-16:09
Do you know that Satan and his demons are faithful church attenders?
16:11-16:14
I guarantee they have a better track record of attendance than anyone in this room.
16:15-16:17
They never miss a Sunday.
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But they don't show up to worship God, they show up to deceive and to divert attention.
16:24-16:30
Satan wants you to daydream during the message and think about what's for lunch afterwards.
16:30-16:31
Like that even matters at all.
16:32-16:39
Satan wants you to have sleepy eyes and a head that bobs up and down, up and down.
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He wants you to be restless and fidgety in your seat.
16:43-16:48
He wants you to absentmindedly doodle on your outline rather than take diligent notes.
16:48-16:53
He wants you to be doubtful regarding the things of God.
16:54-17:27
He wants you to suffer from this condition believing that God could never love or forgive someone like you. He wants you to hear the word but disbelieve the word. Is that where you are this morning? Is your heart problem that you're disinterested in and maybe even disgusted by what is preached behind the pulpit here or shared with you by faithful Christian and relatives and friends.
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Maybe you're here to make your family happy, but you're not buying into all this Jesus stuff.
17:34-17:39
Maybe the teachings of the Bible seem outdated, harsh, and even harmful to you.
17:39-17:43
Maybe when you look at this book, it just doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
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If I've described you at all, I want to share with you that I am so glad that you're here.
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And I have been praying for you all week.
17:55-18:00
I've been praying that Satan would not steal the seed of the word from your heart once again.
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I've been praying that you would hear the word with fresh ears and a willing heart.
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I've been praying that you would see yourself as a sinner and Jesus Christ as the only savior.
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Turn from your disbelief.
18:17-18:26
Turn to Jesus Christ and believe in what he accomplished through his perfect life, his sacrificial death, and his resurrection from the grave.
18:27-18:30
If you do, he will wipe away all of your sins.
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He will give you his perfect righteousness.
18:34-18:39
He will give you a new heart that has new life and a new love.
18:40-18:43
That is what faith in Christ will get you.
18:45-18:49
Let me ask, what has disbelief in Christ ever gotten you?
18:51-18:54
Nothing but an anxious and dissatisfied heart.
18:55-19:02
If you continue with that disbelief, you will experience spiritual death that lasts forever.
19:05-19:10
Second question of the hard hearing evaluation, does your heart hear but stall out?
19:11-19:15
Does your heart hear but stall out?
19:18-19:19
Next up is the rocky soil.
19:20-19:21
Let's read verse 13.
19:21-19:28
And the ones on the rock are those, when they hear the word, receive it with joy, but they have no root.
19:28-19:31
They believe for a while, and in time of testing, fall away.
19:33-19:37
This kind of heart hears the word and seems to accept it.
19:37-19:40
There is an immediate willingness to follow Jesus.
19:40-19:41
There is quick growth.
19:42-19:45
Bad habits are put away, and new habits are formed.
19:47-19:48
This person feels happy.
19:48-19:50
Boy, oh boy, it's fun to be a Christian.
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Life is the best.
19:54-19:56
But then times get tough.
19:59-20:00
They experience hardship.
20:01-20:03
And life isn't so great anymore.
20:04-20:07
It isn't so fun to be a Christian anymore.
20:08-20:14
The view ahead used to be filled with hope and with light, but now it is full of darkness and uncertainty.
20:16-20:26
Back in high school, my friends and I were driving in two separate cars to a concert when the car I was in stalled and came to a halt on the side of the road.
20:27-20:39
And the other car full of guys parked right behind us and my friend Robert, who was driving the car I was in, got out, he popped the hood, which was basically an empty gesture because none of us had jumper cables or knew how a car worked.
20:40-20:41
I wish Ben Mahl was there that day.
20:41-20:42
That would have been fantastic.
20:42-20:43
He could have helped us.
20:44-20:50
And so Robert pretended like he knew what he was doing, looking under the hood, and then he called his stepdad to come and help.
20:51-20:56
But the problem was, the other car full of guys was getting antsy 'cause they still wanted to go to the concert.
20:56-21:02
And the driver of that car said, "Hey guys, we got one less spot, "we got one more spot left in this car.
21:02-21:06
"Two of you are gonna have to stay here "because we're not waiting." And that made me so mad.
21:06-21:07
I was like, seriously?
21:08-21:11
I'm not gonna go have fun at a concert while we leave people stranded here.
21:12-21:14
Well, my friend Ryan didn't feel the same way.
21:14-21:19
He said, "I'll go with you," and he jumped in the car, They sped off while we were coughing up dust from their speedy getaway.
21:20-21:24
And we waited for Robert's stepdad for what felt like hours.
21:24-21:27
And it was the dead of summer, so it was hot.
21:28-21:30
It was hot like this auditorium often is, right?
21:34-21:41
And we got so desperate, we drank the emergency water in the trunk, which must have been there for years 'cause it tasted like warm motor oil.
21:43-21:48
And eventually Robert's dad, his stepdad, showed up and he said, "Hey, I called a tow truck.
21:48-21:55
"It's gonna come soon, and I can still take you "to the concert if you want to." How do you think we felt about that?
21:56-21:58
We were like, "No, we're totally over that.
21:58-22:02
"Just take us back home." We were so done with that concert.
22:05-22:06
The day had started out so well.
22:07-22:08
It was a ton of fun.
22:09-22:12
Then the car stalled out and we were thrown for a loop.
22:14-22:19
The concert was no longer exciting and appealing to us like it used to be.
22:20-22:25
That happens to so many people who profess faith in Jesus Christ.
22:26-22:34
They seem to be doing just fine as they drive along on the Christian journey, but then they hit an unexpected bump in the road and totally stall out.
22:35-22:38
Family members stop talking to them because of their new beliefs.
22:39-22:42
Friends make fun of them for their new ridiculous standards.
22:43-22:47
Coworkers belittle them for missing happy hour to go to small group.
22:47-22:53
Romantic interests threaten to break up the relationship if you don't cut it out with this religious nonsense.
22:55-23:01
Instead of persevering through these tough times and moving forward, they give up on Jesus.
23:02-23:04
They retreat and go back to their old lives.
23:05-23:11
Following Jesus was convenient for a season, but then there was too high of a price to pay.
23:14-23:15
Have you already given up?
23:17-23:19
Are you tempted to give up right now?
23:21-23:25
You have to understand that Jesus never promises an easy life if you follow him.
23:26-23:27
That's not listed in the brochure.
23:28-23:32
True Christians are not exempt from suffering and persecution.
23:32-23:37
Actually, true Christians are targets for suffering and persecution.
23:39-23:43
Listen to Matthew chapter seven verses 13 through 14.
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For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction and those who enter by it are many.
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For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life and those who find it are few.
23:59-24:01
Let me ask you, what is the smarter play?
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Easy for several decades in this life and horribly hard in hell forever, or hard for a little bit in this life and easy for all of eternity in heaven?
24:17-24:19
Which is the better option?
24:21-24:24
Anyone can start out well, but very few finish well.
24:25-24:30
A quick start out the gate doesn't mean much if you don't cross the finish line.
24:31-24:37
Only those who hear the word and persevere in the word possess a transformed heart.
24:37-24:39
So please do not give up.
24:40-24:41
Do not pick up your ball and go home.
24:42-24:45
If you already have, it's not too late to get back in the game.
24:45-24:50
It's not too late to jump back on that racetrack and keep going until the end.
24:53-24:55
Third question of the heart hearing evaluation.
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Does your heart hear but get distracted?
25:00-25:03
Does your heart hear but get distracted?
25:05-25:09
In verse 14, Jesus talks about the thorny soil.
25:09-25:19
And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.
25:20-25:24
This kind of heart here is not at all hostile to Jesus.
25:24-25:42
This person may even claim to be a Christian, know a lot about the Bible, and even sit in church on Sunday, but the knowledge in his or her brain affect his or her heart because any growth, any transformation is pushed down by an obsession with the world.
25:42-25:43
It is choked out.
25:45-25:57
Climbing the ladder of achievement, having a stacked financial portfolio, planning for a carefree retirement, and raising impressive kids who do impressive things is always at the front of this person's thinking.
25:58-26:04
They have no interest in hearing what God has to say about how they should live because they already have a plan for their life.
26:06-26:12
To be clear, I'm not saying it's bad to have a lot of money, invest in the stock market, or plan for retirement.
26:12-26:17
It's not bad if you own things, but it is bad when things own you.
26:19-26:25
People often misquote the apostle Paul and say, "Money is the root of evil." Is that what the Bible says?
26:26-26:31
Paul says it this way, "For the love of money "is a root of all kinds of evil.
26:32-26:38
through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
26:39-26:46
The greedy longing for more and more and more stuff and success will spiritually bankrupt you.
26:49-26:54
Please be honest with yourself. Are you distracted by the things of this world right now?
26:56-27:04
Are you more excited to receive your direct deposit from work more than you are excited to receive and read God's word?
27:06-27:12
Does remodeling your house or buying a new car thrill your heart more than worshiping God?
27:15-27:24
You know, my son is almost six years old and my daughter is three and a half and they are totally oblivious to the basics of finances and they have next to no interest in money.
27:26-27:32
If I were to come home and tell them, hey, do you want to spend an entire day with me?
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Or do you want all the money in my various accounts?
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What do you think they would say?
27:39-27:40
They want to spend time with their dad.
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They would want me more than stuff from me.
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And please listen to me, this is so important.
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It is a serious heart problem to want stuff from God more than God himself.
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This is a symptom of a heart that is thorny and distracted.
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According to Jesus, this kind of heart does not truly know him.
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If that's you, please don't push aside this concern and say, I'll deal with it later.
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No, deal with it right now.
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Ask God to take his scalpel and clear the thorns from your heart that are keeping you from him.
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Let go of the garbage of this world so you can grab ahold of the treasures of heaven.
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Final question of the heart hearing evaluation.
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Does your heart hear and produce a changed life?
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Does your heart hear and produce a changed life?
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Let's see what Jesus has to say about the good soil in verse 15.
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As for that in the good soil, "For there are those who, hearing the word, "hold it fast in an honest and good heart "and bear fruit with patience." This heart here receives the word and perseveres in the word.
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It doesn't experience quick growth.
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It actually grows in a sustainable pattern for the long run.
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This person has a good and godly heart that produces good and godly fruit.
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And this good and godly fruit is a changed life.
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This good and godly fruit includes ongoing repentance of sin, loving the church, refusing to throw in the towel, sharing their faith, making disciples.
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The true test of saving faith isn't that you prayed a prayer as a kid, walked an aisle at a revival service, raised your hand or signed a card.
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There are so many people who grew up in the church and say that they accepted Christ, but there is nothing different about them now.
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A past action means nothing if there is no present evidence of God at work in your life.
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What you did back then doesn't really matter if you're not trusting in Jesus now, loving Jesus now, following Jesus now.
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The true test of saving faith is a changed life.
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And it brings my heart so much joy to know that many of you in this room are the good soil.
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You have received the word of God and it is growing up and taking over your life.
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It changes how you think, it changes how you speak, it changes how you react.
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Your heart is good soil.
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But that doesn't mean that your heart is exempt from heart problems.
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The temptation to stay still or to backslide will always be there.
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You will go through seasons of apathy and depression.
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There will be times you read the words in these pages and they mean nothing to you in your heart.
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You will know what you should do, but you still decide to do what you shouldn't.
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The question isn't will you experience heart problems?
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The question is what will you do when you experience heart problems?
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And we're gonna spend the rest of this series answering that question, but I don't wanna leave you hanging until next Sunday, so I'm gonna provide you with Jesus' own answer to this question.
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In Revelation 2, verses four through five, where the church in Ephesus gets a personal message from Jesus himself, he says this, "But I have this against you, "that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
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"Remember therefore from where you have fallen, "repent and do the works you did at first." Brothers and sisters, have you abandoned your first love?
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Have you lost the passion that you used to have for Christ when you were first saved?
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Remember how you used to feel about him.
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Remind yourself how you couldn't get enough of the Bible and impactful sermons.
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Remind yourself of how you couldn't wait to grab ahold of people to tell them all that you were learning, to tell them about Jesus.
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You miss how things used to be.
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Don't you want your heart to be on fire for Christ again?
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You can get back to that point and move so far beyond it if you repent of your dispassion and do what you did before.
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Don't wait to make the right choice until you feel like it.
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Make the right choice you will feel the right way once again.
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Now I know what some of you are thinking as we come to a close with this message.
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Man, this is a super heavy sermon series for the summer.
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Don't you realize it's July?
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Mentally, I'm just checked out and on a beach somewhere wearing flip flops.
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This is the month of rest and relaxation.
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Not in this church, it's not.
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We're gonna get after it for the next month.
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We are going to walk out of this building as different people with different heart attitudes at the end of July.
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We are going to be done with the quick fixes and instead we're gonna pursue after God's solution to our heart problems.
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Is anyone else with me?
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The first step in receiving God's solution to your heart problem is to evaluate the health of your heart.
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So how is your heart doing?
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Is it stomped on and disbelieving?
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Is it rocky and stalled out?
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Is it thorny and distracted?
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Or is it good and ready to go?
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Only one of those hearts will truly hear God's word over the course of this series and be changed.
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The other three will be denied access into heaven one day and cast into hell.
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I don't want that fate for any of you.
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I want to spend eternity with every single person in this room.
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As much as I may want to, I can't change your heart.
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But thankfully I know the one who can.
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I hope and pray that the Holy Spirit is cultivating the soil of your heart preparing you to receive the word in an honest and good heart that perseveres in patience He who has ears to hear let him hear let's pray Father this is a very weighty passage And Lord, it's obvious that there are serious consequences for rejecting you and rejecting your word.
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Well, let that every single person in this room, if there's anybody here who does not know you, does not have a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, may today be the day of salvation.
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May today be the day where the seed lands on the soil of the heart, grows up, takes over, and continues.
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But Lord, only you can do this.
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So I pray that you'd push away the distractions, you'd push away the worries about what's after service or what's happening tomorrow.
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I pray that we would fix our minds on Jesus Christ and what he accomplished and what he offers to every single one of us.
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And for those of us who do know and love you, or we admit that we are all experiencing heart problems of some kind right now, and we need your assistance, We need your healing.
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Lord, we do pray at the end of this month, we would look way different than we do this Sunday.
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We ask all these things in Jesus' name, amen.
Small Group Discussion
Read Luke 8:4-15
What was your big take-away from this passage / message?
What is your biggest heart problem right now? Why can’t it be ignored and how should you address it?
Re-read the Parable of the Sower and break down what the characters and elements represent. What is the major message of this parable?
According to Jesus, what is the true test of saving faith?
Breakout
Pray for one another.
