6/26/19

"THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PETER" Precious Gifts From God (1:1-4)


"THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PETER"

Precious Gifts From God (1:1-4)

INTRODUCTION

1. The Second Epistle of Peter is a short but significant part of the
   New Testament...
   a. It was written by Peter, who identifies himself as "a servant and
      apostle of Jesus Christ" - 2Pe 1:1
   b. It was written to those who received his first epistle 
      - cf. 2 Pe 3:1; cf. 1Pe 1:1
   c. It was written shortly before his death - 2Pe 1:12-15

2. The "theme" of the epistle can be stated as "Beware, But Grow"
   - 2Pe 3:17-18
   a. "Beware" lest you fall, being led away with error - 17
   b. "But Grow" in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior - 18
   -- Virtually every verse of this epistle falls into one of these two areas

3. In this lesson, the first in a series of expository outlines based 
   upon 2nd Peter, we shall consider Peter's salutation - 2Pe 1:1-4 (read)

4. In his greeting, Peter refers to several blessings or "gifts" that 
   we have received from God and Jesus Christ

5. In describing them, I am going to use a word that was a favorite of 
   Peter:  "precious"
   a. It is found twice in this passage:  "precious faith" (1:1) and 
      "precious promises" (1:4)
   b. Peter used it six times in his earlier epistle as well 
      - 1Pe 1:7,19; 2:4,6,7; 3:4
   c. The Greek word is timios {tim'-ee-os}, and it means:
      1) As of great price, precious
      2) Held in honor, esteemed, especially dear

[This word is most befitting the four "gifts" referred to in our text, 
the first of which Peter actually uses "precious" to describe...]

I. A LIKE PRECIOUS FAITH (1)

   A. A FAITH THAT IS "LIKE"...
      1. Like what?  Like the faith that Peter himself has!
      2. While the "objective" sense of faith (i.e., the gospel - cf. 
         Jude 3) may be in view here, I suspect that Peter has in 
         reference the "subjective" sense of faith (the faith one has 
         in the gospel)

   B. NOTICE THAT THIS GIFT IS "OBTAINED" (GIVEN, KJV)...
      1. The word is doreomai {do-reh'-om-ahee}, and is in the middle 
         voice, suggesting that "faith" is both given and received
      2. That faith is "given" is evident from:
         a. Ro 10:17; Jn 20:30-31 - faith comes from the Word of God;
            if God had not given His Word, saving faith would not be possible!
         b. 1Pe 1:20-21 - it is through Christ we believe in God; if
            God had not sent Christ, many of us would still be idol worshippers!
         c. 2Pe 1:1 - it is "by the righteousness of our God and 
            Savior Jesus Christ" that we have faith; because of Jesus' 
            Divine sacrifice, saving faith is possible!
      3. But faith "given" is not truly "obtained" unless it is also 
         faith "received"
         a. One must be willing to accept the Word with faith - cf. He 4:2
         b. We must therefore be willing to receive the gift which God 
            gives (in this case, the gift of faith made possible 
            through His Word)

   C. WHY IS THIS FAITH "PRECIOUS"?
      1. Most certainly because of the "object" of our faith:  Jesus 
         Christ, the Son of God!
      2. But also because the "faith itself" (trust, conviction) is of 
         great value to God; consider how God viewed Abraham's faith - 
         cf. Ro 4:3; He 11:1-2
      3. And one might add, because of all the blessings enjoyed by 
         those with such faith!

[This leads us to the next "gift" described by Peter...]

II. GRACE AND PEACE "MULTIPLIED" (2)

   A. "GRACE" AND "PEACE" WERE COMMON FORMS OF GREETING...
      1. Grace - the greeting which requests God's unmerited favor upon
         the person addressed
      2. Peace - the greeting requesting the natural result of God's favor

   B. THESE TWO BLESSINGS ARE "MULTIPLIED" IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND
      OF JESUS CHRIST...
      1. All men experience God's favor and its result to some degree 
         - cf. Mt 5:45
      2. But only in Christ can one enjoy the "fullness" of God's favor
         and peace
         a. Only in Christ can one have "every spiritual blessing" - 
            Ep 1:3
         b. Only in Christ can have "the peace of God which surpasses 
            all understanding" - Php 4:6-7
      3. Such fullness comes "in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ"
         a. This "knowledge" will be a recurring theme in this epistle 
            - 2Pe 1:3, 5-6, 8; 2:20; 3:18
         b. What this "knowledge" entails will be the focus of our next lesson
         c. But notice for the time being that "growing in grace" must 
            go hand-in-hand with "growing in knowledge" - cf. 2Pe 3:18

[To the "multiplicity" of grace and peace, and to obtaining of "like 
precious faith", we can add a third "precious gift from God"...]

III. ALL THINGS THAT PERTAIN TO LIFE AND GODLINESS (3)

   A. DEFINING LIFE AND GODLINESS...
      1. "Life" in this context refers to our spiritual life and 
         well-being
      2. "Godliness" refers to the pious conduct which comes out of 
         devotion to God
      3. Thus, everything we need for spiritual life and serving God 
         acceptably has been given to us!

   B. "AS HIS DIVINE POWER HAS GIVEN TO US"
      1. It is by the power of God that we have new life! - cf. Col 2:
         12-13; Tit 3:4-5
      2. It is by the power of God that we can live godly lives! - cf. 
         Php 2:12-13; 4:13

   C. "THROUGH THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM..."
      1. Experiencing true "life" and "godliness" can only come through
         the "knowledge" of Him who has called us by glory and virtue 
         - i.e., the knowledge of Jesus Christ
      2. As will be seen in our next lesson, this "knowledge" is much 
         more than an academic, intellectual knowledge, it is a 
         knowledge borne of developing and experiencing life in Jesus

[Finally, consider one more "precious gift from God"...]

IV. EXCEEDINGLY GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES (4)

   A. THEY ARE "EXCEEDINGLY GREAT AND PRECIOUS" BECAUSE...
      1. Through them, we may be "partakers of the divine nature"
         a. We may share in things related to the nature of God!
         b. One of these has already been mentioned in our text:  His 
            divine power! - 1:3
      2. Through them, we have "escaped the corruption that is in the 
         world through lust"
         a. We cannot escape such "corruption" on our own
         b. But through these "great and precious" promises, we have 
            done so!

   B. A SAMPLING OF THESE "PRECIOUS PROMISES"...
      1. Promises already received:
         a. The forgiveness of sins
            1) Promised by the prophets - Ac 10:43
            2) Received upon obedience to the gospel - Ac 2:38; 22:16
         b. The gift of the Holy Spirit
            1) Promised by Jesus - Jn 7:37-39
            2) Received upon obedience to the gospel - Ac 2:38; 5:32; 
               Ep 1:13-14; Ga 4:6
         c. The assurance of God's care and strength
            1) Promised by God Himself - Isa 41:10
            2) Enjoyed by those in Christ - 1Co 10:13; He 13:5-6
      2. Promises yet to be received:
         a. The redemption of our body, at the Resurrection 
            - Ro 8:23; 1Co 15:50-53
         b. The inheritance that is reserved in heaven - 1Pe 1:3-4
         c. The new heavens and new earth - 2Pe 3:13

CONCLUSION

1. All these promises are "exceedingly great and precious," yet Peter 
   seems to have in mind those promises already received...
   a. Such as the forgiveness of sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit
   b. For through such promises we have already...
      1) Become "partakers of the divine nature" - e.g., Ro 5:1-2
      2) "Escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" - 
         e.g., Ro 8:1-2

2. But having received these promises does not ensure that we will 
   receive those that pertain to the future...
   a. There is the real danger of apostasy - cf. 2Pe 2:20-22
   b. Thus the need for the warning at the close of this epistle 
      - cf. 2Pe 3:17

3. To remain faithful to the Lord, then, let us never forget these
   "Precious Gifts From God"...
   a. A precious faith like Peter's
   b. Grace and peace multiplied
   c. All things that pertain to life and godliness
   d. Exceedingly great and precious promises

Have you received those precious promises proclaimed on the Day of
Pentecost? - cf. Ac 2:36-39


Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2016

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The Fool by Dave Miller, Ph.D.


http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=930

The Fool

by Dave Miller, Ph.D.


Perhaps many Americans are unaware of the extent to which atheism and agnosticism have blanketed the country. Virtually every department in our state universities has been infiltrated by godless, humanistic presuppositions. Study and research are conducted from an evolutionary, relativistic framework that either jettisons the notion of God altogether, or dilutes it sufficiently to effectively nullify the biblical representation of deity. The psalmist anticipated all such behavior centuries ago when he wrote: “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’ ” (Psalm 14:1; 53:1).
Because of their inability to discern spiritual things (1 Corinthians 2:14), the Soviet cosmonauts looked out of their spacecraft in the 1960s and, in ridicule, asked, “Where is God?,” echoing again the words of the psalmist: “Why should the nations say, ‘Where now is their God?’ But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases” (Psalm 115:2-3). Pride is a deadly pitfall that blinds one to the truth: “The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; all his thoughts are, ‘There is no God’ ” (Psalm 10:4).
But the Universe “declares” the plain work of the Creator (Psalm 19:1). Would we not consider a person a “fool” were he to pick up a watch and proclaim, “There is no watchmaker”? Though he had never empirically encountered the creator and designer of the watch, the mere existence of the watch proves the existence of a watchmaker. It takes very little investigation to see that a watch is a crude, simplistic instrument compared to the glorious, complex chronometers of the Universe. Those who see “the things that are made” and deny the very One Who made it all are “without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
Recognition of the existence of the Creator should lead a person to pursue His will. One may express verbal belief in the existence of God while being a practical atheist. Such a person professes, “There is no God” by his or her actions. By failing to be devoted to God, even while considering oneself to be a Christian, he or she is denying the Lord (1 Timothy 5:8; 2 Timothy 3:5; Titus 1:16). One can deny His great act of love, mercy, and grace (Titus 2:11-12; Hebrews 2:3). One can forget and ignore the great dissolution to come (2 Peter 3:10-12).
Who desires to be a fool? Who really wants to live a foolish existence? The wise, insightful, noble person is the one who examines the evidence and draws the warranted conclusion (Acts 17:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:21). Only a fool would affirm: “There is no God.”

The Fallacy of Preaching Pascal by AP Staff


http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=922

The Fallacy of Preaching Pascal

by AP Staff


Preachers and authors in the religious community sometimes commit inadvertent fallacies in what they teach and write. These can stem from a lack of understanding of vital fields, such as biblical languages, church and secular history, psychology, and philosophy. While some of these fallacies are harmless, others can do more damage to a person’s soul through their inaccuracies than if nothing had been said at all. One such fallacy is that of mistakenly “preaching Pascal.”
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) was a French scientist, mathematician, and philosopher. He was a brilliant young man whose father educated him, and who published his first work, an essay on geometry, at the tender age of sixteen. He continued to publish works in the fields of science and mathematics, but he died before publishing his most important philosophical works: Pensées and De l’Esprit Géométrique. Theologically, Pascal was a Jansenist—i.e., a member of a group within the Catholic Church that followed the views of Cornelius Jansen—and spent much of his time refuting the Jesuits. Pensées [Thoughts] is the title posthumously given to a series of notes that Pascal originally intended to publish under the title Apologie de la religion chrétienne [Apology for the Christian Religion] (Popkin, 1967, 6:51-52). It was in these notes that Pascal’s now-famous “wager” was constructed. The wager, simply put, goes something like this:
  • If it is impossible for a person to believe with certainty that God exists, then that person should believe in God anyway—“just in case” He does exist.
  • If it turns out that God does exist, the believer “wins” the wager by receiving an eternal reward.
  • If it turns out that God does not exist, the person who believes has lost nothing (except perhaps some temporal pleasures, the loss of which is outweighed by freedom from the angst of unbelief).
  • If God does not exist, and a person does not believe, then he may gain some temporal pleasures.
  • If God exists, and a person does not believe, then that person is punished eternally for his unbelief.
Who never “loses” the wager? The believer. Why so? If God does exist, the believer “wins” by going to heaven. If God does not exist—the believer lives and dies, end of story—again, he has lost nothing (except a few finite pleasures). In both cases, the believer wins because he chose the “safe” thing to do.
But who loses 50% of the time? The unbeliever. If God exists, he “loses” by not believing, and therefore goes to hell. If God does not exist—the unbeliever lives and dies, end of story—he (like the believer) has lost nothing.
One of the two “gamblers” never loses; one loses half the time. Thus, Pascal concluded, it is safer to believe in God that not to believe. [Pascal continued in his reasoning by suggesting that if someone does not know how to believe, then he should follow the customs and rites of those who do believe—as if he himself were a believer. Eventually, then, according to Pascal, the person will become a believer (Pascal, 1995, pp. 121-125).]
PASCAL’S WAGER
One believesOne does not believe
God existsEternal rewardEternal punishment
God does not existFreedom from angstTemporal pleasures
Some ministers of the Gospel preach Pascal’s Wager in an effort to convert people, suggesting that belief in God makes more sense than non-belief because of the 50% risk that is involved if God does exist.
What does this show, and why is it wrong to use Pascal’s line of reasoning in the conversion of non-believers? First, preaching this seems to show a lack of faith on the part of the minister himself. If a preacher’s argument for the existence of God is based on a gamble—even if it is not his only argument for God—then he should re-examine his own beliefs and see if he has truly built his faith on the solid rock of the moral, cosmological, and teleological proofs for God, or if he has built his faith upon the sands of guesswork (Matthew 7:24-27). This is damaging to the congregation for which such a man preaches, because a solid congregation needs a solid man to preach solid truths, and believing in God just because it is “prudent” to do so, shows a lack of solidarity.
Moreover, what of the man who believes in God because of preaching Pascal’s Wager? Since “faith is the substance of things hoped for” and “the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1), a pseudo-belief in God based on statistical risk and/or wager produce a pseudo-Christian. Faith is based on knowledge and certainty, not on probabilities, and someone who believes based on a wager is someone who cannot possess true faith in God and His existence. Paul said that we will be “above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard” (Colossians 1:22b-23a). Pascal’s Wager does not produce a faith “grounded and steadfast,” because it does not build faith. However, faith in God is easy to build through other means, “because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:19-20).
As Christians who are called to handle the Bible correctly (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17), let us not give in to philosophies that are not in keeping with God’s Word (Colossians 2:8). In our preaching, let us be honest with people and teach them to “hold fast” to faith and truth (1 Corinthians 15:1-2), and not let them be led into believing in God just because it makes the “best sense in a gamble.”

REFERENCES

Pascal, Blaise (1995), Pensées, trans. A.J. Krailsheimer (New York: Penguin).
Popkin, Richard H. (1967), “Pascal, Blaise,” The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ed. Paul Edwards (New York: MacMillan).

The Euthyphro Dilemma by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=4102


The Euthyphro Dilemma

by Dave Miller, Ph.D.


Q:

 What do atheists mean when they speak of the “Euthyphro Dilemma” as a means to discredit theism?

A:

The so-called Euthyphro Dilemma has its genesis in Plato’s dialogue Euthyphro in which Socrates and Euthyphro discuss the nature of piety: “Is the pious  loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?” (2008). Over time, philosophers have sharpened the salient point of the dilemma by presenting it in a modified form. The world-renowned late atheist philosopher Antony G.N. Flew worded the argument this way: “Are the things which are good good because God approves of those things, or is it the case that God approves of those things which are good because they are good?” (Warren and Flew, 1977, p. 26). By this thorny contention, the atheist hopes to dismiss the notion of God by placing the theist in an untenable dilemma.
On the one hand, if an action is right simply because God approves it, then morality would be the product of the arbitrary will of God, which He could just as easily alter. Instead of saying that lying and murder are wrong, He could just as well have said they are right—and that divine intention would make them so. On the other hand, if God approves of an action because it is inherently good, then an objective standard exists outside of God that He merely acknowledges. Such a law would therefore be above and higher than God. By the Euthyphro Dilemma, atheists think they have demonstrated that good is either above or beneath God and thereby proof that God is not God (see Figure 1).
Figure 1:
The Euthyphro Dilemma
Figure 2: Reality
But this dilemma is impotent in that it fails to take into account the nature, being, and character of the perfect God of the Bible who is eternal and infinite in all of His attributes. Goodness, like all God’s other attributes, flows from His very being as the Ultimate Good (see Figure 2). Good is neither above nor below God (cf. Mark 10:18; 1 John 4:8; Psalm 33:5). God’s attributes and God’s will are inseparable. The alternatives posed by the atheist do not pose a proper dilemma.

REFERENCES

Plato (2008), Euthyphro, trans. Benjamin Jowett, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1642/1642-h/1642-h.htm.
Warren, Thomas and Antony G.N. Flew (1977), The Warren-Flew Debate on the Existence of God(Ramer, TN: National Christian Press), info@nationalchristianpress.net.

Teachings of Jesus (Part 11) Casting Seed by Ben Fronczek

http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?p=1792

Teachings of Jesus (Part 11) Casting Seed


As we go thru the Gospel of Luke and look at the teachings of Jesus, I would like to look at two Parables that He told that were meant to teach an important lesson to those who were already His followers, which includes us as well.
Now these parables are some of His best known parables. And even though most of us have read them over and over and probably heard someone preach on them, I did not want to side step them because Jesus told these parables for a very, very important reason.
Read Luke 8:4-18 “ While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
His disciples asked him what this parable meant.                                  
10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,                                              
“‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.”
11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.     12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. 18 Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”
These are familiar stories but teach many powerful lessons. But today I would just like to focus on the primary lesson that Jesus was trying to communicate.  And that is, as a disciple of Christ we each have a responsibility to go forth and do our best to spread some seed or what He describes as the Word of God.
As a disciple of Jesus we are to be like that farmer spreading seed any and everywhere we go. I read this story which I would like to read to you
A Georgia farmer, ragged and barefooted, was standing on the steps of his tumbledown shack. A stranger stopped for a drink of water and just to pass the time of day he asked: “How is your cotton coming along?” he asked.
“Ain’t got none,” replied the farmer.
“Did you plant any?” asked the stranger.
“Nope,” was the reply, “afraid of bollweevils.”
“Well,” continued the stranger, “how is your corn?”
“Didn’t plant none,” came the answer, “’fraid there weren’t going to be no rain.”
The visitor persevered: “Well, how are your potatoes?”
“Ain’t got none. Scairt – of potato bugs.”
“Really, what did you plant?” pressed the stranger.
“Nothin’,” was the calm reply, “I jest played safe.”
Why didn’t that farmer plant his crops? He was afraid. He was afraid of failure. He was afraid of the unknown. And maybe he was even afraid that the work of planting would be too hard for him. SO, he just didn’t plant anything. There are many Christians who won’t talk to anyone else about their faith or God’s Word (the seed), because they are just as unsure or afraid as this guy. They’re afraid of failure & rejection. They’re afraid of the unknown. And maybe some are afraid it will be too hard for them to do. They’re unsure and afraid… AND SO they just don’t say anything and wind up living a poorer life spiritually. HOWEVER, from what Jesus tells us here in Luke 8, Christians really don’t need to be unsure and afraid. The task of casting the seed of the Gospel really isn’t that difficult.
Think about it. Unlike Georgia farmer in our illustration, the farmer in Jesus’ parable was not in the least bit troubled. Was Jesus’ farmer concerned about where his seeds landed? Noooo – he’s out there throwing the seed anywhere and everywhere he could. This farmer threw the seed on the weeds, on the foot-path beside his field, on shallow ground, and on the rich land. The seed landed everywhere. He wasn’t particular where the seed landed because farmland was expensive and the seed was cheap. The way farmers of that day figured – you put lot of good seed out you’d eventually get a good crop somewhere. ALSO this farmer knew that the power in farming lay in that tiny little seed – not in him.
A farmer didn’t have to be particularly skilled to throw seed on the dirt. A three old could do it. But SOMEBODY had to throw the seed out there so that some of it could take root in the soil. Paul wrote:  “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”  (Romans 10:13-15)
What is Paul saying? He’s saying somebody has to throw the seed of the gospel out there in order for people to hear, believe, thus and be saved. If we don’t throw the seed out there, nobody will be saved. NOW remember – success in achieving a crop lays in the seed that we cast that is: in our witness, or what we tell people about Jesus, and His Word.
It does not necessarily depend in us nor on our abilities. Let me give you an ILLUS:
‘A man who was nonbeliever and a skeptic told the story of how he became a Christian. He said that the church he’d been occasionally attending had begun to stress the importance of witnessing to people about Christ. One particularly slow young man in the congregation took the idea to heart. When this boy approached him, the boy asked him if wanted to become a Christian. Almost rudely, he responded: “NO!”
The slow witted boy looked at him for a moment and then responded: “Well, then you can go to hell,” and he turned away and left. Because that “unskilled,” slow witted boy was willing to throw out the seed, the man eventually became a Christian.
The Hebrew writer wrote in 4:12, 12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
The power is in the message, and not so much in the person casting it out. But it still needs to be put out there. Something else that this parable tells us is: success in farming NOT ONLY depended on the seed… it has a lot to do with the soil it lands on.
Most farms have different kinds of soil on them. The farm I grew up on had areas that were very sandy and dry, and some areas that were mostly clay and very wet. But the best part of it consisted of nice sandy loam which produce the best crops. But my dad still planted all of it.
In Jesus’ parable He talked about the farmer casting seed on the hard path, in rocky terrain, in weedy patches and then on the good soil. Each produced different results for different reasons. I think people are a little different in that, even though they may look like a good candidate, and may initially seem like someone who would accept God’s Word and produce good fruit someday, you really can’t tell until you spread the seed and see what happens.
When I first saw the Wilson’s farm with all the rocks and clumps of clay I thought the ground looked terrible and could not imagine it producing very much. It wasn’t until I saw Guy spread the seed and watched it grow that I was surprised to see just how good and fruitful that ground actually was.
People are kind a like that. Those you don’t expect much from may take God’s Word and cherish it and produce all kinds of good fruit as a result of hearing it. We just need to be spreading it all over the place like the farmer in Jesus’ parable.
Really what it comes down to is… You don’t have to be good at throwing seed to get a crop. But if we go about and act like farmer in Georgia who didn’t even bother because he was afraid of this and that and the other thing then we should not expect any fruit, or more people coming to the Lord. Now will you have the joy of seeing someone grow and come to the Lord.
As a disciple of Jesus, all you have to do is throw the seed out there. The seed and the soil do the rest. I believe that’s what Jesus is saying here. AND when that seed finally hits pay dirt (the good ground or someone that ready for it) you will see some real fruit produced.
In Matthew 28:18-19 Jesus told His closest disciples““All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
I believe we all have our own field to sow and influence and I believe that Jesus would like to see us doing our best to spread the Good News about Him today.
In the second parable I read He said, 16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.”
In Matthew 5 He says something similar but concludes by saying, 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
What we say and do should be like this light that can give hope and sight to a lost world. But if all the of disciple of Jesus were to hide or withhold this light and this seed which we are meant to spread, how sad and hopeless this world would become. This is a powerful message for us.
I want to CLOSE by sharing this with you:
In the 13th Century, Nicolo Polo (father of Marco Polo) was visiting the court of the grandson of Ghengis Khan – Kublai Khan.
Kublai Khan was the Emperor of China and he had never met Europeans before. He was delighted to meet this visitor from Venice AND he was strongly impressed by the religious faith of this man; therefore, he sent a letter to Europe urging that some educated men should be dispatched to China to instruct his people in the teachings of Christ and Christianity.
But, because of the political upheaval and infighting that was taking place in Europe, there was a long delay in anybody coming. In the end, only 2 representatives of Christianity were sent. But because of fear they lost heart and soon and turned home.
Because of the failure of the church of that day, Kublai Khan turned instead to Buddhism and that has been the predominant religion in the area from that day to this.
Jesus said Go. In the last lesson we read where He said, Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not d go what I say?
My encouragement this day is: Don’t be afraid to share what you know and love about Jesus with everyone. We’ll never know who it will take root in. The power is in the seed, the word that goes forth from you and me. We just need to get it out and trust in its power.
Parts of this sermon are based on and from a sermon by Jeff Strite
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