298-The Parable of the Sower 1 - Falling by the Wayside#
298-The Parable of the Sower 1 - Falling by the Wayside
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
Luke 8:4-5,
4 When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to Jesus, he told this parable: 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it.
Luke 8:11-12,
11 “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 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.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! As we begin a new week, we once again draw strength from Your words. You speak to each brother and sister through Your words, renewing our thoughts and minds. May we come to know You more through the words of Jesus Christ, and grant us wisdom to use Your words in our lives, experiencing Your presence and power. You help every brother and sister, thank You! We commit the time ahead to the Holy Spirit, praying in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen!
The topic of sharing is: The Parable of the Sower - Falling by the Wayside
What we just read is when a great crowd gathered and people came to see Jesus from various towns.
What was their purpose in seeing Jesus? It was not because Jesus was very handsome, nor because He looked different from others, but to hear the word of God. The truth that Jesus provided for them. Although some people say, “Some seek Jesus for miracles, to eat bread and be filled.” But are these miraculous powers not produced from the words that Jesus spoke? If you pursue God’s words, your life will change, and the miracles mentioned in the Bible will come upon you, and transformation will happen in your life.
Jesus told us a parable saying, a sower went out to sow seeds. This is Jesus using the parable of sowing to teach them about the truth. We might wonder: Why did Jesus use parables to speak to them when He clearly knew they were unwilling to listen and see? Because before this, Jesus had already spoken enough words, shared many truths, and performed many miracles, but some people were indeed unwilling to listen. How a person’s heart obeys God’s words is their own choice. First, you must determine that God’s truth is good. Jesus teaches us the truth not for Himself, but for us. God gave us the Bible so that we may have life and benefit.
The parable of the sower is a very important truth that Jesus shared with everyone. Each person has a different attitude and reception towards God’s words, resulting in different outcomes. In ancient Palestine, there were two ways to sow seeds. One was at the edge of the field, holding a bag of seeds in hand, grabbing a handful and throwing it out.
We have seen this more often in the past; when the wind blows, the seeds are blown to different places. This is a very convenient way and was the most common method of sowing at that time. The other method was to put the seeds in a bag, place it on a donkey, and then make a small opening in the bag. As the donkey walked on the ground, the seeds would be sown. This was a slightly more advanced method where animals replaced humans, allowing seeds to fall in different places.
Jesus described four different places where the seeds fell. The first type is the seeds that fell by the wayside, which we are discussing today. The wayside at that time was not today’s asphalt road or highway. When we go to the countryside, we might find that there are narrow paths between fields, which are very narrow roads for people to pass. Because the road is narrow, it becomes very hard and solid from many people walking on it. Sometimes seeds are sown on such roads and cannot penetrate the soil. These seeds, under the scorching sun, will be taken away by birds. Jesus used this situation to explain matters concerning the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus said that in the kingdom of heaven, it is like a man who sows seeds, and these seeds will fall on four different types of ground. We just read that the seed is the word of God, which can be understood as truth. Our Lord sows His truth to all people, and when these truths are sown, our Lord hopes that everyone will accept His truth in their hearts, allowing each person's life to change. This is the Father’s will; the purpose of God sending Jesus is for us to be saved through Him. So how do we get saved? We must believe in Him in our hearts, which is the way to salvation.
When the word is sown, there are four different states of heart that appear. Today we share the first type, which is like a heart that is very hard like a road. The soil on this road has been trampled down hard, and when seeds fall on it, they cannot penetrate the surface, so the seeds cannot sprout. But the seeds still have vitality. We must believe that God’s word is certainly alive and powerful. Just like the Bible says, God’s word is like a double-edged sword, it is living and powerful. In this case, if your heart is like that hard soil, the seeds cannot penetrate, and there is no way for them to take root, sprout, or bear fruit. The seeds will not change, but life and power still exist in that small seed.
The first point of sharing: The wayside soil refers to those who deliberately do not believe.
The first type of soil mentioned is where the seeds fall by the wayside. The soil refers to each person's heart. Not everyone accepts God’s words when faced with them. When you share the gospel with someone, some accept it, and some do not; this is a normal reaction. Why do people not accept it? Is it because God’s word is not good? Some say, “I don’t believe in God.”
Romans 1:28-29,
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done; 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness; they are gossips,
If people do not know God, are they not living in such a situation? Looking around, those who do not know the truth of Jesus Christ are actually living here; some express it, while others hide it, which is what is referred to as being deep in their hearts. These people deliberately do not acknowledge God. What does God do? The strictest discipline in this world is what we just read: “gave them up,” meaning you can do as you please. When a person says to you, “Do as you please,” you should be careful; that means they truly do not want to deal with you anymore.
Does God not want these people to be saved? When Jesus spoke these words, did He not hope that those listening would accept and receive them, and that their lives would be transformed? But why are they unwilling to know God? It says deliberately do not know God, not that Jesus’ words were not good or clear, but that people’s hearts are closed.
Brothers and sisters, when a person is unwilling to accept God and rejects Him, our God will never force them. Some people emphasize God’s sovereignty, saying, “God is sovereign and powerful; if He wants to change you, isn’t that easy? If God wants you to do something, you must do it.” Many emphasize God’s sovereignty, but this simultaneously denies a fact: People have the right to choose freely.
If God forced us to accept Him, obey Him, and submit to Him, He would not need to send Jesus. For God, it would be too simple; just scare us a little, and we would all believe in Him; scare us a little, and we would all bow down and worship Him. God sent Jesus today because He hopes we recognize Him as a loving God, a just God, a gracious God, allowing us to willingly accept Him. That is why Jesus used so many methods and parables to explain the truth to us.
Matthew 13:13-15 provides an explanation,
13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case, the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: ‘You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.’ 15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’
Many people in the past did not understand this passage of scripture. Isn’t this God’s doing? God is afraid they will hear and understand, so He makes the eyes of these people blind and the ears deaf, lest they turn and God would have to heal them. Is this God’s intention? It should be thought of the other way around; God especially hopes that these people’s ears can hear, their eyes can see, and they can understand these truths. Once they are willing to understand, God will heal them. Anytime you are willing to turn, our Lord Jesus will not reject you.
He does not care what you have done in the past or how high your education is. The key is whether you are willing to believe in Him and receive His words. Our Lord Jesus will transform you. Would you want to be friends with someone like Peter? If placed in that era, Peter was at most a fisherman, drifting on the sea every day. Who changed his life? Jesus changed him. Jesus sought out such people to change them and give them truth and life.
The twelve disciples Jesus chose were not impressive, but God used them to transform their lives, and their lives became different. Today, do not care about your current state; believe: If I receive God’s word in my heart, everything will change. I can do things I could not do before because God works with me; He will help me. When we turn back, He will heal us.
Matthew 13:16-19,
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” 18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 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 what was sown along the path.
This is an explanation of today’s text. First, I also tell you: Your eyes are blessed because they see. Who do they see? They see Jesus. So you come today not to see a certain pastor or to see what the brothers and sisters look like; you come to see Jesus. When Jesus preached to them at that time, did they see Jesus? Yes, they did, so their eyes are blessed, and their ears are blessed. Your ears are also blessed; although now you can only see Jesus spiritually, your ears can hear Jesus’ teachings, which is also a blessing.
Verse 17 says, “For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it; and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
Do you know how blessed you are? In the Old Testament, so many prophets and righteous people did not receive Jesus’ teachings or hear His truths. They did not know that Jesus had already cleansed their sins on the cross, while today you see all this because these things have already been accomplished. They only hoped: a Messiah would surely come in the future, and God would accept them through the blood of these lambs. It was all hope-based, but today you have received it, so you are more blessed than they are.
Verses 18-19 say, “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it,”
This refers to those unwilling to understand. Earlier we mentioned that this people’s hearts have grown dull, their ears heavy, and their eyes closed, lest they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and then God could heal them. The condition for healing is that you are willing to be healed by Jesus; believe in Him, and He can heal you.
If someone hears the word of the kingdom and is unwilling to understand, when you tell them that the kingdom of heaven truly exists, they will find countless reasons to prove it does not exist, telling you it is impossible. What is the reason? Their hearts are not open and unwilling to understand. When a person is unwilling to understand, even if you sow this seed and share your testimony, when they hear it, they might think, “This could be a coincidence, a chance occurrence.”
If they have such an unwilling heart to understand, then the evil one comes, referring to Satan, and takes away what has been sown in their hearts. This means that when you share with them, they might think, “There seems to be some truth to this,” but as soon as they turn away, they forget everything you said and immediately use their reasoning to deny everything you shared.
If you encounter such people while sharing the gospel, please do not lose heart. It is not that your wisdom is insufficient or your eloquence is poor; it is that the soil is still hard, and it is not yet the time. No matter how many seeds you sow now, it will not bear fruit; even if you put all your grain on it, there will be no results. So Matthew 13:19 tells us that it has been sown by the wayside; no matter how much you tell them now, they cannot hear it. Those who hear the word of the kingdom and do not understand it are unwilling to understand. Their hearts are like the trampled ground, where the seeds cannot penetrate the hard surface. I mentioned earlier that this ground refers to people’s hearts, and the hard ground refers to hearts filled with reasoning and various human teachings, making it impossible to accept spiritual matters.
I have previously shared with some people; they said, “I believe in science, not in God.” In fact, science precisely proves that Jesus is real because the two are not contradictory at all! No matter which science in the world, when researched to the end, it must be connected to our Lord. This world itself was created by our Lord. However, in people’s hearts, due to ancestral traditions and various sect teachings, they cannot accept these spiritual matters and are unwilling to understand God’s words. As long as a person is willing to understand, the Holy Spirit will surely help them understand.
For those who have already accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, it is also extremely important to understand God’s words. Many people say, “I just don’t want to understand so many words of the Bible; I just want Jesus to heal me when I am sick, and I just want to enter the kingdom of heaven in the future; I don’t want to know anything else.”
If you do not want to understand, even if others explain it to you many times, you will not gain anything. Therefore, you must understand God’s words. The word “understand” appears many times in the Bible. Why do we spend so much time talking about Jesus? It is simple: Believe in Jesus and be saved; listen to Jesus’ words and act according to His words, and you will be blessed. Isn’t everything Jesus spoke included in these two sentences? Then why preach so much?
I tell you that believing is being saved. Now that you are saved, I tell you that in the future, listening to Jesus’ words and acting according to the Bible will bring blessings, and there will be rewards later. However, we must talk about Jesus every week and every meeting because we want everyone to understand, hoping you believe clearly. How can you believe clearly? First, you must have a heart willing to understand. As long as you are willing to understand, God can open you up. The word “understand” means “to meditate.” It is not just “I know,” but to think repeatedly, allowing God’s words to take root and sprout in your heart. Many people only hear God’s words, but that does not mean they understand.
Hebrews chapters four and ten mention that some people have heard God’s words and experienced God’s grace, but that does not mean they believe, just like the ground by the wayside. The seeds have already been sown; it cannot be said that it has not experienced the seeds, but it cannot bear fruit because it has not believed!
The text we read today, “Lest they should believe and be saved,” is because they have not believed. If a person is willing to understand, God will let them understand that this is not just a phrase but will be filled with power. For example, if I tell others, “By the stripes that Jesus suffered, we are healed,” is this a very simple sentence? Can this sentence produce healing results? Yes, how do you receive it? You need to meditate on it, not just once, but repeatedly meditate on “The stripes Jesus suffered have brought me healing.” As you meditate on this repeatedly, allowing this sentence to take root and sprout in your heart, it will bear fruit, and that is the fruit of healing. Isn’t that simple?
So one sermon a week is enough; spend the remaining time meditating on these scriptures daily. How does meditation come about? Is it like a cow after eating its fill? Its belly is full, and it does not eat anymore; it finds a very comfortable place to lie down and starts to regurgitate what is in its stomach, chewing it again, swallowing it, bringing it back up, and swallowing it again. This is called repeated chewing, which is what we mean by meditation.
Do not say, “I have already eaten.” Eating and then bringing it back up does not mean you should spit it out and eat it again. I am talking about God’s words. You think about this verse today, and think about it again tomorrow; it may not be the same because it is powerful. This is God’s word. I hope everyone can repeatedly meditate on God’s words. For many people, God’s words are just a promise; they want to know more promises, more teachings, and more truths. This pursuit is good, but perhaps it is better to repeatedly meditate on what you currently understand and use it. Amen!
Just like I shared last time about Abraham’s life, how many words did God say to him? In Noah’s life, how many words did God say to him? But those few words from God were enough for their lives. The few words God said to Noah were meditated on for one hundred and twenty years, resulting in Noah entering the ark and witnessing a tremendous miracle. Without those promises, he would not have been able to persevere to the end. From the world’s perspective, everyone attacked, criticized, and questioned him, but he believed that God’s promise would surely be fulfilled.
Do not say, “Why hasn’t it been fulfilled yet?” Why haven’t I seen results yet? You need to meditate repeatedly, believing that this seed has already entered your heart; it will sprout and bear fruit. So do not think about pursuing more; do not pursue more strange teachings.
This year, I may talk about eschatology; many people urge me to talk about this. They want to know what the end of the world will be like, what the great tribulation will be like, and what disasters there will be. People are eager to understand these things. Why do you expect that when you are at peace today? Today, you should think about how God wants to lead you to walk in truth and experience His power. Even if trouble comes tomorrow, you can walk in truth relying on God’s power. If you do not know how to rely on God’s words in times of peace, when trouble truly comes, you may give up and say, “Forget it, I won’t believe anymore; Lord, just take me away.”
Until the time comes, we should not care about that, as it currently has nothing to do with us. If that day really comes, rest assured! I will definitely preach that truth to you every day. I do not hope that day will come. Brothers and sisters, for us, now you need to understand the truth of Jesus Christ and then put it into practice, allowing your life to change.
If this person has not yet believed in Jesus and their heart is rejecting the Lord, even if they hear God’s truth, what will happen if they do not open their hearts? That is when Satan takes advantage and steals the words from them. If they manage to get one word in, the devil will quickly steal it away, leading them to some wrong guidance, making them doubt God’s words, just like the devil tempted Adam and Eve. The word of God entered, and now there is doubt; the devil gives them a wrong heart, making them feel that there is a problem, that it is wrong.
To give a simple example, if we say, “You believe and you will be saved,” many people will say, “Is it that easy? Do you think entering the kingdom of heaven is that easy? People like you can enter the kingdom of heaven? You say believe and you will be saved; how is that possible? If that were the case, wouldn’t the kingdom of heaven be full of people?” People always have countless reasons to refute these truths. At that time, you must either hold on to God’s truth or believe theirs. Once you believe their words, it is equivalent to your faith being stolen by the devil.
The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. Do you know what the devil steals before killing and destroying you? We always imagine the devil as a fierce creature that kills people instantly. If he truly had that ability, there would be no people left in the world. The devil does not have that ability; how does he do it? The devil steals the faith within people, and that person will want to die themselves.
Just like the news I saw yesterday, a 23-year-old anchor went for plastic surgery, but it failed, and then she ran to jump off a building. The rescue personnel were alerted and saved her. The next day, she ran to the rooftop and jumped off. If a person truly wants to die, can you save her? If we doubt God’s words, God cannot help us. So first, let your heart have assurance; do not let the devil steal your faith. Once he steals your faith, a person will fall into despair and hopelessness. At that time, the devil does not need to kill you; you will not want to live anymore.
People with depression often want to die in the end. They feel that there is no meaning to living in this world, no hope, and that dying would be better. That is because their faith has been stolen, and hope has been stolen. In Jesus Christ, do we not have eternal hope? That is because God’s words have taken root in your heart, so you will never lose hope.
1 Corinthians 2:13-14
13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Brothers and sisters, does the kingdom of heaven truly exist? This is a spiritual matter. Currently, it is indeed a spiritual matter, but do you believe it? If you think, “That is just a human ideal,” is it really just an ideal? Even if you do not accept it, it still exists; that is the truth. The truth is that you may not believe there is a God, but God still exists. Our Lord will not jump out in front of you to show off and prove He is God just because you do not believe. God is still God; even if you do not believe in Him, He knows He is God, so He does not say much to prove He is God.
Why do others jump high when someone says something unpleasant? It is because they have no assurance. When someone says something negative, you start to doubt whether it is true; when someone says something unpleasant, you start to think of a way to defend yourself: “I am not like that.” If you truly believe you are not like that, why would you need to defend yourself? No matter what they say, you are still you, and you will not be moved to doubt.
Using the example of Adam and Eve, when the serpent said to her, “Eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; after you eat it, you will be able to discern good and evil like God.” If Eve had known at that time, “I do not need to eat this fruit; I do not need to discern evil; I already have the image of God,” if she had been certain that God had already given this to her, she would not have eaten it.
Why do people feel the need to discern evil? The many verses we read earlier mention that people are filled with unrighteousness, greed, malice; do you need to discern these things? How many types of evil, greed, malice, and jealousy are there? Your jealousy is level one, and theirs is level two… Is it necessary to discern these?
At first, God did not allow them to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because they only needed to discern good. What you need to know now is that this is good, that is better, and the next is better than this; that is enough. Why must you know what is good and what is not good? When you know what is not good, does your heart feel better? In the future, in the kingdom of heaven, there will be no evil; you only need to know that today is good, tomorrow is better… Knowing this is enough. Every time you look back, it is good; every time you have hope, it is better; that is the kingdom of heaven we are going to. Amen!
So your eyes are blessed; you must first see these things spiritually. If you see evil and corruption in the world, do not lose heart; you should believe: This is a world that has been polluted and fallen, and it is normal to have these things. But the place I am going to in the future has none of these. What you need to do now is to let God’s words fill your heart. Hallelujah!
Some people are unwilling to understand; their hearts are like the trampled ground, so they do not comprehend these spiritual matters. However, you must look at the Bible from a spiritual perspective and believe: If you believe, you will be saved.
If you want to receive revelations from God’s words, want to become strong, and want to correctly understand and recognize more spiritual matters, the Holy Spirit must help you. Therefore, prayer becomes especially important. Brothers and sisters, God has already given us these winning treasures. If you are willing to pursue, God can open wider doors for you.
You must believe that God’s words will bear fruit, produce miracles, and bring prosperity, allowing people to bear fruit abundantly. What should you do? Leave a place in your heart for the seeds of God’s words to take root and sprout.
As we just read, the natural person cannot comprehend the things of the Spirit. In fact, this is a battle, a battle between Satan and God’s words. The meaning of “Satan” is the adversary, opposing God’s words, making you reject and not believe in God’s words. When God’s words come, do you deny or believe?
This is a very important point: Satan does not directly attack you; what he wants to take away is your faith. If he steals your faith, you will fail. Once this seed is planted in your heart, as long as the soil is not too hard, once the seed enters, it will change. What makes the seed sprout is not ourselves, but God’s power.
What you need to do is let God’s words enter your heart and then meditate repeatedly. The seeds of God’s words will begin to unleash tremendous energy. Hallelujah! No matter what kind of seed it is in the world, once it is planted in the soil, it begins to sprout. God’s words are also seeds; let them enter your heart and meditate repeatedly. Never let anyone uproot them, and do not let your heart remain hard, preventing the seeds from entering, or you will not see the results.
The second point of sharing: Stubborn thinking is like hard soil.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5,
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
This passage speaks of spiritual warfare. Our weapons of warfare are not of the flesh, meaning when a person persecutes you, attacks you, or insults you, do not think that this person wants to do something to you. In fact, the evil force within them has activated; they also have a seed inside them, and this seed has now produced malice, curses, and evil, starting to attack you. You must believe and understand that “we are two different trees; these two trees have borne fruit.” You cannot bear the same fruit as them. This is what Jesus said: “A good tree bears good fruit, and a bad tree bears bad fruit.” When they curse you, you cannot curse them back; you must see that this is a spiritual battle behind it.
Our weapons of warfare are not of the flesh, meaning you cannot curse back at them. If you curse back, the result will be mutual destruction, and the devil will be the happiest. So what should you do? Here it says that we have the power before God to destroy these strongholds.
Brothers and sisters, let me ask you a question: If this piece of land is hard, what should we do? This is clearly a stronghold. Some say to dig hard, but this method is too laborious. The simplest way is: God’s grace rains down continuously, and when the Lord’s power nourishes it, this land will one day become one with God. Amen! Thank the Lord!
This is the truth of the kingdom of heaven that Jesus spoke of, and it is also the truth of the cross. Pray for him, let the Holy Spirit work behind the scenes, and let God’s grace come upon him, rather than cursing him. The more you curse him, the more evil fruit will be produced. Therefore, you must bless him; you must pray for him. In this case, you will have a good testimony. Every time this person sees God’s truths, they will soften a little… Until one day, all the pride in this person’s heart will be taken away by Jesus, and they will change.
I often used to testify to some people, saying, “If I can believe in Jesus, then it is really not difficult for others.” I debated with others for two whole years. I read the Bible, not to believe in Him, but to debate. At that time, I said, “Use your spear to hurt your shield; let’s see what consequences you have.” I used the words of the Bible to deal with those who believed in Jesus, which was just to find faults. So during those two years, God’s words did not enter my heart, and I produced countless debates and questions inside. Today, when I encounter those who doubt the words of the Bible, it feels like I see my own shadow from back then. I know that this person’s soil has not been completely turned over; they need more of God’s grace.
How did I change? It was because I almost died twice, in a car accident, and God saved me. In that moment, I realized how foolish I was. That was the first time in my life, although I still did not acknowledge Him as Lord, I said, “I know You exist, and I want to know You.” Do you know how powerful this sentence is? The moment I was willing to know Him and finished saying this to Him, many miracles began to appear in my life. Why did I not encounter any during those first two years? Was it because God had a problem? No, it was because my heart had not been watered by God’s grace, so the seeds could not enter. Since then, many miracles have continuously appeared in my life, even until today.
So when our hearts are willing to receive God’s words, your land will begin to change. If this person still rejects and resists, what should you do? Continue to pray for them. The Israelites did not just sow seeds once; they sowed seeds every year at the sowing time. Every year, there were seeds that fell on hard ground, but that is okay. One day, this hard ground will be soaked by water, and that road may no longer exist, allowing the seeds to enter.
You do not know when this person’s heart will open. What you need to do is sow seeds at the sowing time; do not be afraid of wasting seeds. Therefore, you must bless the one in your family who has not yet believed in the Lord, not be influenced by them, but influence them, continuously passing God’s blessings to them. God will not abandon these people; He will use His servants, including you, to sow seeds time and again, giving them opportunities to repent.
So how do we influence the world and the one in your family who has not yet believed? It is by being a good example through our good behavior, allowing them to see the likeness of Jesus in us. In Jesus’ time, although many people rejected Him, they could not find fault with what Jesus did. Even the Pharisees said, “Yes! The words He speaks are ones we have never heard before, and they are quite attractive.” But then they thought, “No, we cannot accept Him; if we accept Him, we will become His disciples!” This is the pride within people, but they admit that what Jesus said is correct. If you can do this now, that is enough. If you live out God’s truth, even if the one in your family currently resists you, they will admire you in their hearts. As God’s grace continuously rains down… One day, this heart will be completely transformed. Amen!
When you share the gospel and live out God’s words, the devil will definitely try to stop you. In addition to praying for others, we also need to have a patient heart so that we do not fall. The way to not fall is to continually listen to God’s words, using God’s words to strengthen our hearts, and then patiently wait for the fruitful heart, hoping for the change in that person you expect and the results to come. Amen!
When we serve, there will be some obstacles and problems, and at this time, we are particularly prone to lose heart and feel disappointed. Or when others treat us unfairly, it is especially easy to lose heart. What should we do? I will give you the simplest way today. If God’s words have entered your heart, when you are doing things, just ask yourself two questions.
The first question: Is doing these things for yourself or for the glory of Jesus?
For example, when others insult you, you can also insult back. If you insult back for the glory of the Lord, if it is for the Lord Jesus, then go ahead and insult back.
The second question: If it were the Lord Jesus, what would He do?
Keep these two questions in your heart. Every time you do something or do not know how to act, remember these two questions, and the Holy Spirit will give you the answer. Our service in the church and interactions with others actually revolve around these.
If you associate with profit, once the profit is gone, you will scatter; if you associate with power, once the power is gone, you will fall; if you associate with authority, once the authority is lost, you will be abandoned; if you associate with emotion, once the emotion is broken, you will be hurt; only by associating with the heart, with a calm mind, will friends not be lost.
This means that if you help others for money, if you cannot get money from this person, you will not care about them anymore. Our service is the same. If you share the gospel with someone because they have money, and one day they become poor, you might say, “Forget it.” Your purpose is very important.
If you associate with power, once the power is gone, you will fall. If you think this person has power and can help you, you share the gospel with them; isn’t this person thinking the same? If you associate with emotion, we have a good relationship; you come to this gathering because of my face. I go to gatherings with you because of face. If we really cannot maintain face anymore, and you have invited me many times, when our relationship is not good one day, you will not come anymore. If it relies on emotion, once there is a crack in the middle, you will immediately stop caring about each other. I hope that we gather because of Jesus and for the glory of the Lord, serving one another. This kind of emotion is permanent. Hallelujah!
We must put down the worldly ways. When some things come, and you feel uncomfortable and want to give up, or when you see some people you do not like and others treat you unfairly, you should ask yourself those two questions. The Holy Spirit will surely give you the answer in your heart. Christ attracts us with His love, while Satan wants to divert our attention, making us focus on our gains and losses, inciting us to criticize and sow doubt and disbelief in others.
Brothers and sisters, if you are listening to the sermon and want to find faults in my preaching, can you find them? You can definitely find them because the person standing in front of you preaching is imperfect, and what he says will certainly have some flaws. If you start to criticize after hearing one or two flaws, “What did he say today? He even quoted classical studies in the sermon…” Isn’t there something to say? If I say something else, you might not be able to take in a single word.
Many times, because of the problems of one or two people, people say, “I cannot go to this church anymore,” because of this person’s shortcomings, their bad habits, they cannot associate with this person anymore. The reason is us, not because of the Lord. When Jesus saved us, it was not because we were good; it was precisely because He loved us that He came to save us.
Many people listen to the sermon just to collect criticism materials, and then criticize broadly after going home. In fact, they should fully utilize this time. Even if you hear one sentence in an hour that you can grasp, rely on this truth and live out this truth; that will be beneficial to you. Amen!
It is because people have fallen for the devil’s tricks that the devil always gives people this sarcastic, judgmental stuff, placing this word in people’s hearts. As a result, people continuously judge and criticize the behaviors of brothers and sisters in the church, mocking them, judging them, and treating others with harsh judgments, spreading rumors to those who do not believe in the Lord.
In fact, all of this has been used by the devil and is of no benefit to oneself. If we treat our children this way, they will learn what they are taught, so what you teach will reflect in how they live. Brothers and sisters, if you hear one word from God enter your heart, after going home, meditate on it repeatedly. Amen! With God’s word inside, we will not lose hope. What we have is a biblical hope, which means your hope will never be in vain and will never be ashamed. Amen!
John 5:38-39
38 And you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. 39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.
This mentions two types of people. The first type is if God has given you His Bible and the truth, and you do not believe, you will not gain anything. If you are willing to search the Scriptures, you will find that there is eternal life in them, and you can see many testimonies. So when your heart is open to God, you will find that many of God’s servants are around you, and the answers you seek are right beside you.
This year, I hope everyone lives from a different perspective. First, let our hearts be opened. No matter how hard your heart is, that does not matter; our Lord can turn everything around. As long as you say, “Lord! I am willing to open my heart and receive Your words,” God can turn everything around for you. Hallelujah! Even if your heart is hard, God will change everything with His abundant grace.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! We thank and praise You! Thank You for letting us know through this passage that we need to understand Your words. When we understand, we receive, allowing this word to enter our hearts. Our hearts will be filled with God’s seeds, and these seeds are powerful. I believe this word will have a wonderful effect in my heart, healing my body and bringing prosperity to my life. When I understand, I also become a good witness to others because, Lord, Your word is not only within me, You will also bear fruit to influence those around me.
As we begin a new week, I believe this is a blessed week. I will not be influenced by those around me; I will live out the way of Christ and become a beautiful witness for You. Please give me strength; I am willing to pass on Your blessings, praying in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen!