WEBVTT 00:00:17.829 --> 00:00:20.949 Hey there, welcome back to the Semi -Seminarian 00:00:20.949 --> 00:00:24.269 Podcast. Pull up a chair, friend. Today we step 00:00:24.269 --> 00:00:26.890 down to the shoreline where Jesus sat in a boat, 00:00:26.949 --> 00:00:29.429 voice carrying over the water and told a story. 00:00:30.170 --> 00:00:33.390 The still rattles the bones of grace, the parable 00:00:33.390 --> 00:00:37.450 of the sower. This isn't just about dirt and 00:00:37.450 --> 00:00:41.090 seeds. It's about the scandal of a God who flings 00:00:41.090 --> 00:00:43.909 mercy with reckless abandon, even when it looks 00:00:43.909 --> 00:00:47.429 like it's being wasted. And maybe, just maybe, 00:00:47.630 --> 00:00:52.170 that's good news for us. So lean in, let the 00:00:52.170 --> 00:00:54.509 dust cling to your sandals, and see what kind 00:00:54.509 --> 00:00:58.520 of soil your heart feels like today. While you're 00:00:58.520 --> 00:01:00.359 here, I'd be grateful if you'd like, subscribe, 00:01:00.619 --> 00:01:02.960 comment, rate, share, whatever, because this 00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:06.280 porch we're building isn't just for saints. It's 00:01:06.280 --> 00:01:08.260 for the wanderers who might be walking in dim 00:01:08.260 --> 00:01:11.040 light, looking for a porch light in the night. 00:01:11.739 --> 00:01:14.599 You might be the one who helps them find it. 00:01:15.060 --> 00:01:24.060 I'll see you on the other side. Wayne says it's 00:01:24.060 --> 00:01:26.340 time for me to start. We're going to listen. 00:01:26.700 --> 00:01:33.099 I'm going to listen to Wayne. So, part two, if 00:01:33.099 --> 00:01:35.739 you remember from last week, we've decided, well, 00:01:35.799 --> 00:01:38.120 I decided, and you guys decided to show back 00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:41.099 up, that we're just going to go through all the 00:01:41.099 --> 00:01:43.319 parables that we find in Scripture. Some of them, 00:01:43.340 --> 00:01:46.560 most of them, will be long enough and significant 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:49.239 enough that they'll take up a whole time. But 00:01:49.239 --> 00:01:52.340 some of them, we might scrunch two or three parables 00:01:52.340 --> 00:01:54.540 in it because they are thematic. They go together. 00:01:55.389 --> 00:01:58.989 This is one that will take the whole thing. And 00:01:58.989 --> 00:02:01.829 real quick, I want each one of these to stand 00:02:01.829 --> 00:02:05.109 on their own, but at the same time, I want them 00:02:05.109 --> 00:02:07.150 to build on each other from kind of what we had 00:02:07.150 --> 00:02:09.830 learned from previous weeks. So let me just recap 00:02:09.830 --> 00:02:11.849 a couple of things that we learned about parables 00:02:11.849 --> 00:02:14.389 last week so we understand what exactly we're 00:02:14.389 --> 00:02:17.389 talking about. Parable is different than a story. 00:02:18.090 --> 00:02:23.030 All parables are stories. Not all stories are 00:02:23.030 --> 00:02:26.400 parables. The difference is that the moral or 00:02:26.400 --> 00:02:29.759 the meaning or the message of a story is often 00:02:29.759 --> 00:02:33.740 written specifically to point you to that moral 00:02:33.740 --> 00:02:37.979 meaning message at the end. Parables don't work 00:02:37.979 --> 00:02:41.979 that way. In fact, what happens is we listen 00:02:41.979 --> 00:02:45.439 to the parable and it starts to not make sense 00:02:45.439 --> 00:02:49.240 to us because the person we think should be the 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:55.110 hero of the parable ain't. and the one we think 00:02:55.110 --> 00:02:58.250 the villain might be the hero. We've got to listen 00:02:58.250 --> 00:03:01.909 really closely because Jesus doesn't want us 00:03:01.909 --> 00:03:06.289 to just interpret the information in our heads, 00:03:06.330 --> 00:03:10.349 but actually let his truth transform our hearts, 00:03:10.449 --> 00:03:16.150 okay? Now, we talked about, it seems like a clumsy 00:03:16.150 --> 00:03:18.590 way perhaps to get your message across because 00:03:18.590 --> 00:03:23.129 parables, not everybody gets a parable. Not everybody 00:03:23.129 --> 00:03:25.289 understands the point of a parable. And also 00:03:25.289 --> 00:03:28.229 remember, there's only one point to each parable. 00:03:28.270 --> 00:03:30.189 And I hope tonight you'll be able to pick that 00:03:30.189 --> 00:03:33.229 out. So that's not an effective way to communicate, 00:03:33.509 --> 00:03:37.389 to trick people into figuring out what I'm talking 00:03:37.389 --> 00:03:40.849 about, right? That wouldn't work for me. But 00:03:40.849 --> 00:03:44.349 again, Jesus wants us to feel it, not just understand 00:03:44.349 --> 00:03:48.560 it. So why parables? Why does he use parables? 00:03:48.599 --> 00:03:51.060 In tonight's parable, Jesus is going to answer 00:03:51.060 --> 00:03:54.340 that question for us. So as I begin, I just want 00:03:54.340 --> 00:03:58.060 to again point out that the story in the Bible, 00:03:58.180 --> 00:04:01.000 often this passage, sometimes it's difficult 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:03.939 for us to make sense of it unless we have the 00:04:03.939 --> 00:04:07.879 story behind it. Without the scripture, the story 00:04:07.879 --> 00:04:10.919 behind it doesn't make any sense. So if we're 00:04:10.919 --> 00:04:12.539 going to try to figure these things out together, 00:04:12.620 --> 00:04:13.960 we're going to have to put the two together. 00:04:14.060 --> 00:04:18.069 So as we... do our Bible story will always begin 00:04:18.069 --> 00:04:22.170 with the full passage reading. So I don't assume 00:04:22.170 --> 00:04:25.670 that you know the passage of the Bible I'm talking 00:04:25.670 --> 00:04:28.069 about. We're all going to listen to it together. 00:04:28.629 --> 00:04:30.970 Tonight's passage comes to us from Matthew chapter 00:04:30.970 --> 00:04:36.649 13, and it is verses 1 through 23. That same 00:04:36.649 --> 00:04:39.350 day, Jesus went out of the house and sat beside 00:04:39.350 --> 00:04:43.180 the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him 00:04:43.180 --> 00:04:46.160 that he got into a boat and he sat there while 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:50.079 the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told 00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:53.759 them many things and parables, saying, Listen, 00:04:53.980 --> 00:04:58.439 a sower went out to sow, and as he sowed, some 00:04:58.439 --> 00:05:02.100 seeds fell on the path. The birds came and ate 00:05:02.100 --> 00:05:05.980 them right up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground. 00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:09.939 where they did not have much soil. And they sprang 00:05:09.939 --> 00:05:14.759 up quickly, but since they had no depths of soil, 00:05:14.959 --> 00:05:18.899 and when the sun rose, they were scorched. Since 00:05:18.899 --> 00:05:23.620 they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds 00:05:23.620 --> 00:05:26.399 fell among the thorns. The thorns grew up and 00:05:26.399 --> 00:05:31.279 choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and 00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:35.930 brought forth grain, some a hundredfold. Some 00:05:35.930 --> 00:05:43.310 60, some 30. Let anyone with ears listen. Then 00:05:43.310 --> 00:05:45.430 the disciples came and asked him, why do you 00:05:45.430 --> 00:05:49.730 speak to them in parables? He answered, to you 00:05:49.730 --> 00:05:51.509 it has been given to know the secrets of the 00:05:51.509 --> 00:05:54.310 kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been 00:05:54.310 --> 00:05:58.730 given. For to those who have, more will be given. 00:05:59.189 --> 00:06:02.449 They will have an abundance. But for those who 00:06:02.449 --> 00:06:04.689 have nothing, even what they have will be taken 00:06:04.689 --> 00:06:07.870 away. The reason I speak to them in parables 00:06:07.870 --> 00:06:10.589 is that seeing that they do not perceive and 00:06:10.589 --> 00:06:14.250 hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand. 00:06:14.290 --> 00:06:20.089 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and 00:06:20.089 --> 00:06:25.149 your ears, for they hear. Truly, I tell you, 00:06:25.170 --> 00:06:27.750 many prophets and righteous people long to see 00:06:27.750 --> 00:06:31.930 what you see, but did not see. and to hear what 00:06:31.930 --> 00:06:38.029 you hear, but did not hear it. Beloved, thus 00:06:38.029 --> 00:06:40.389 ends the reading of the word of the Lord, spoken 00:06:40.389 --> 00:06:47.269 then, still speaking now. Friends, lean in. The 00:06:47.269 --> 00:06:51.550 sun is low and the air is already warming. Dust 00:06:51.550 --> 00:06:55.670 cling to your sandals as you stand there. You're 00:06:55.670 --> 00:06:57.790 shoulder to shoulder with the crowd on the beach, 00:06:57.790 --> 00:07:01.339 craning to sea, out on the water. Jesus sits 00:07:01.339 --> 00:07:06.860 in a small boat, his voice carrying clear across 00:07:06.860 --> 00:07:12.120 the waves. And he begins, not with a creed, not 00:07:12.120 --> 00:07:16.579 with a law, but with a story. A story about a 00:07:16.579 --> 00:07:23.579 farmer. And he starts this way. Listen. Not a 00:07:23.579 --> 00:07:26.480 polite introduction, not a soft start, a command. 00:07:26.899 --> 00:07:31.209 Listen. And then comes the story of the sower. 00:07:31.410 --> 00:07:35.189 So ordinary, yet so confounding. Ordinary because 00:07:35.189 --> 00:07:39.430 everyone there listening knew fields and seed 00:07:39.430 --> 00:07:43.430 and harvest. Confounding because this farmer 00:07:43.430 --> 00:07:49.689 isn't careful at all. He doesn't conserve. He 00:07:49.689 --> 00:07:53.050 scatters on the path the rocks, the weeds, and 00:07:53.050 --> 00:07:57.949 the good ground alike. Suddenly, you can see 00:07:57.949 --> 00:08:02.410 it. The farmer in front of you pouts across his 00:08:02.410 --> 00:08:06.069 chest, roughing hands, flinging seed in wide 00:08:06.069 --> 00:08:10.689 arcs. The grain flashes in the sunlight as it 00:08:10.689 --> 00:08:15.350 scatters. And every first century ear around 00:08:15.350 --> 00:08:21.649 you perks up. You know this scene because this 00:08:21.649 --> 00:08:26.350 is your life, your survival, your children's 00:08:26.350 --> 00:08:32.110 bread. You know farming not as an idea, but as 00:08:32.110 --> 00:08:37.450 a daily aid. You don't buy bread at the store. 00:08:38.389 --> 00:08:44.070 You sweat for it. Your children eat or go hungry, 00:08:44.149 --> 00:08:50.570 depending on what the ground gives. Seed is precious. 00:08:51.909 --> 00:08:56.409 You don't toss it around casually. You measure 00:08:56.409 --> 00:09:00.039 it. You save it. You guard it. You pray over 00:09:00.039 --> 00:09:05.740 it. So, when Jesus says a sower went out to sow, 00:09:05.879 --> 00:09:10.620 and as he scattered the seed, you, listening 00:09:10.620 --> 00:09:14.659 on the shore, furrow your brow. Wait a minute. 00:09:15.899 --> 00:09:19.840 What's this fool scattering seed on a path, on 00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:23.519 the rocks, in the weeds? Doesn't he know any 00:09:23.519 --> 00:09:28.110 better? To your ears and to the ears of everyone 00:09:28.110 --> 00:09:33.490 around you, this sounds absurd. No farmer worth 00:09:33.490 --> 00:09:38.710 his salt wastes seed like that. You don't scatter 00:09:38.710 --> 00:09:42.909 it where you know it won't grow. You keep it 00:09:42.909 --> 00:09:47.610 close. You ration it. You protect it. But here's 00:09:47.610 --> 00:09:51.169 Jesus telling a story about a sower who seems 00:09:51.169 --> 00:09:55.940 reckless, wasteful even. Who flings seed around 00:09:55.940 --> 00:09:59.500 like it's no tomorrow, like the supply is endless? 00:10:01.059 --> 00:10:04.279 And as you stand in the crowd, you shake your 00:10:04.279 --> 00:10:09.860 head. This man, the sower, looks more fool than 00:10:09.860 --> 00:10:14.399 hero. You mutter under your breath that no real 00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:18.120 farmer would risk his family's future like that. 00:10:19.000 --> 00:10:24.399 Yet something in you wonders. What kind of story 00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:28.340 is this? What sort of kingdom makes a fool look 00:10:28.340 --> 00:10:32.919 like the wise one? And that, my friends, is where 00:10:32.919 --> 00:10:37.840 the scandal of this parable begins. Some seed, 00:10:38.200 --> 00:10:43.759 Jesus said, fell on the path. If you've ever 00:10:43.759 --> 00:10:47.000 walked down a worn dirt road that's been trampled 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:50.350 by feet and wheels and hooves, You know what 00:10:50.350 --> 00:10:53.990 that ground is like. It's packed down. It's hard 00:10:53.990 --> 00:10:58.429 as stone. Seed doesn't sink into it. It just 00:10:58.429 --> 00:11:02.090 sits there on top until the birds swoop in and 00:11:02.090 --> 00:11:07.529 snatch it. And Jesus says, that's some of us. 00:11:08.269 --> 00:11:12.330 The word of God lands, but our hearts are so 00:11:12.330 --> 00:11:16.470 hardened by bitterness, by pride, by cynicism. 00:11:17.000 --> 00:11:20.899 that it never had a chance to take root. You 00:11:20.899 --> 00:11:23.460 know the type because you're standing right there 00:11:23.460 --> 00:11:26.919 with them in the crowd. You see the Pharisees 00:11:26.919 --> 00:11:30.139 over there with their arms crossed, scrutinizing 00:11:30.139 --> 00:11:34.200 Jesus's every word. You glance at neighbors who've 00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:38.080 already given hope. You feel it in your own chest 00:11:38.080 --> 00:11:44.039 too. The sting of grief, the memory of when your 00:11:44.039 --> 00:11:48.629 heart was hardened against God. And maybe sometimes 00:11:48.629 --> 00:11:55.190 we do that too. Other seed fell on rocky ground, 00:11:55.470 --> 00:11:59.570 thin soil scattered over layers of limestone. 00:12:00.450 --> 00:12:04.289 When rain comes, the seed sprouts fast. Green 00:12:04.289 --> 00:12:10.070 shoots pop right up real quick. But then the 00:12:10.070 --> 00:12:16.389 sun rises and the wind blows. And without depth, 00:12:16.679 --> 00:12:22.259 Without roots, the plant withers. The farmers 00:12:22.259 --> 00:12:24.320 listening would have nodded. They've seen that 00:12:24.320 --> 00:12:28.480 happen. They've cursed those patches in their 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:33.259 own fields. And Jesus says, this is the shallow 00:12:33.259 --> 00:12:38.000 life. The one who hears the word receives it 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:43.080 with joy, but has no depth, no roots. And when 00:12:43.080 --> 00:12:48.129 trouble comes along, And it will. Their faith 00:12:48.129 --> 00:12:52.809 burns up and withers in the sun. It's the person 00:12:52.809 --> 00:12:57.149 who's all in when things are good but gone the 00:12:57.149 --> 00:13:01.669 minute hardship arrives. And you in that crowd, 00:13:01.789 --> 00:13:05.129 you know that story too. You've watched zealots 00:13:05.129 --> 00:13:08.529 shout for revolution only to fizzle out. You've 00:13:08.529 --> 00:13:12.730 seen neighbors rush after John the Baptist only 00:13:12.730 --> 00:13:17.200 to drift away. You murmur with the others on 00:13:17.200 --> 00:13:21.080 the beach recognizing this pattern as Jesus speaks. 00:13:21.299 --> 00:13:26.720 And if we're honest, we've all felt it in ourselves. 00:13:27.700 --> 00:13:31.360 Moments when faith sprouts fast but lacked the 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:37.220 depth to endure that heat and that wind. Then 00:13:37.220 --> 00:13:41.259 some seed fell amongst some thorns. It grew, 00:13:41.500 --> 00:13:47.419 but so did the weeds. And the weeds won. Every 00:13:47.419 --> 00:13:52.820 farmer on that shore had spent countless days 00:13:52.820 --> 00:13:56.559 bent over in their fields, yanking weeds out 00:13:56.559 --> 00:14:00.000 by hand, sweating in the sun, muttering under 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:04.980 their breath about thorns. And Jesus says that's 00:14:04.980 --> 00:14:08.419 the life choked by cares and riches and pleasures 00:14:08.419 --> 00:14:14.100 of this world. The word grows. But so does the 00:14:14.100 --> 00:14:19.480 worry, the bills, the ambition, the distractions. 00:14:21.700 --> 00:14:25.480 And if we're honest, this is where many of us 00:14:25.480 --> 00:14:29.779 live. Not hardened, not shallow, just crowded. 00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:34.799 Too many voices, too many priorities, too many 00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:39.039 weeds stealing the light. People on the shore 00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:43.320 would have nodded grimly. They knew what it meant 00:14:43.320 --> 00:14:47.340 to fight weeds every single day. And they knew 00:14:47.340 --> 00:14:53.919 how easily good seed can get strangled. But then, 00:14:53.940 --> 00:14:59.440 some seed fell on good soil. And it produced 00:14:59.440 --> 00:15:07.379 a harvest 30, 60, 100 -fold. Now, what does that 00:15:07.379 --> 00:15:11.840 mean, right? 30 times, 60 times, 100 times? It 00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:14.980 might just sound like numbers, but to them in 00:15:14.980 --> 00:15:19.159 the crowd, to a crowd that scraped by on modest 00:15:19.159 --> 00:15:24.139 yields, hearing a hundredfold was like someone 00:15:24.139 --> 00:15:27.259 promising an ocean in the middle of a desert. 00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:32.899 Thirtyfold was already abundance. Sixtyfold was 00:15:32.899 --> 00:15:39.299 miraculous. A hundredfold? That's divine. The 00:15:39.299 --> 00:15:44.720 crowd would have gasped. Could it be? Could the 00:15:44.720 --> 00:15:48.559 kingdom of God really yield that kind of harvest? 00:15:50.580 --> 00:15:53.340 And here's the twist. Here's the scandal I was 00:15:53.340 --> 00:15:59.639 talking about. The sower isn't careful. He doesn't 00:15:59.639 --> 00:16:03.960 hoard the seed just for the safe places. Throws 00:16:03.960 --> 00:16:09.580 it everywhere. On paths, on rocks. on weeds and 00:16:09.580 --> 00:16:16.899 good soil alike. And that is not how you farm, 00:16:17.080 --> 00:16:25.600 but it is how God loves. The sower wastes grace 00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:30.919 on places we'd never even bother planting. He 00:16:30.919 --> 00:16:35.179 flings mercy into hard hearts and shallow souls 00:16:35.179 --> 00:16:39.500 and thorn -choked lives. He doesn't wait until 00:16:39.500 --> 00:16:43.980 the soil looks promising. He just scatters, reckless 00:16:43.980 --> 00:16:48.879 and free. And the folks listening on the beach 00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:54.659 who lived on the edge of survival would have 00:16:54.659 --> 00:17:00.519 known how shocking those words were. Seed wasn't 00:17:00.519 --> 00:17:05.500 cheap. It wasn't endless. And like I'd said, 00:17:05.640 --> 00:17:09.960 you guarded it. And you used it very, very carefully. 00:17:10.859 --> 00:17:16.000 But Jesus says, God is not stingy with his word. 00:17:16.680 --> 00:17:21.500 The kingdom doesn't play by scarcity rules. Grace 00:17:21.500 --> 00:17:27.440 is not and never will be rationed. And for us, 00:17:27.519 --> 00:17:32.460 that should be the good news. And I'll be honest, 00:17:32.700 --> 00:17:37.619 I think back on my own story. Seasons where I 00:17:37.619 --> 00:17:43.619 was path, hardened and closed off. Seasons when 00:17:43.619 --> 00:17:48.019 I was rocky, burning bright, burning out. Seasons 00:17:48.019 --> 00:17:52.359 when I was thorn, choked, tangled in fear, ambition, 00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:58.420 and distraction. But the sower kept sowing seed. 00:17:59.119 --> 00:18:04.390 Grace didn't give up. The seed kept landing even 00:18:04.390 --> 00:18:09.630 when my soil wasn't ready. And somehow, by mercy, 00:18:09.809 --> 00:18:14.730 it took root. And maybe you've got that story 00:18:14.730 --> 00:18:22.410 too. But here's the question. Not which soil 00:18:22.410 --> 00:18:27.009 are you once and for all, but which soil are 00:18:27.009 --> 00:18:32.670 you in this very moment of your life? As you 00:18:32.670 --> 00:18:36.130 stand in the crowd with that dust still clinging 00:18:36.130 --> 00:18:42.410 to your feet, which soil are you in this moment, 00:18:42.470 --> 00:18:45.430 this season of your life? And you can almost 00:18:45.430 --> 00:18:51.089 see Jesus' eyes sweep to you. His words pressing 00:18:51.089 --> 00:18:54.529 against the walls you've built to protect yourself. 00:18:55.190 --> 00:18:58.289 Are you the hardened path too trampled to let 00:18:58.289 --> 00:19:03.339 anything in? Are you... The rocky ground springing 00:19:03.339 --> 00:19:07.140 up fast but withering when the heat rises. Are 00:19:07.140 --> 00:19:09.759 you thorn -choked, so tangled in worry and desire 00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:15.880 that you can barely breathe? Or are you, by grace 00:19:15.880 --> 00:19:20.779 and grace alone, good soil, ready to receive 00:19:20.779 --> 00:19:26.099 and bear fruit? This isn't some ancient, distant 00:19:26.099 --> 00:19:32.069 riddle. It's an urgent reckoning for us. Which 00:19:32.069 --> 00:19:38.730 soil are you today? Because soils can change. 00:19:39.630 --> 00:19:44.049 Hard ground can be broken. Rocks can be cleared 00:19:44.049 --> 00:19:48.130 away. Weeds can be pulled. Even good soil needs 00:19:48.130 --> 00:19:52.569 tending. The very question hanging in the air 00:19:52.569 --> 00:19:56.839 is not condemnation, but invitation. Jesus is 00:19:56.839 --> 00:20:00.420 not mocking the path or shaming the rocks or 00:20:00.420 --> 00:20:03.960 despising the thrones. He's calling you and he's 00:20:03.960 --> 00:20:07.420 calling me to turn, to let the ground of your 00:20:07.420 --> 00:20:13.759 soil become new. So today, right now, are you 00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:17.019 letting the word sink deep or is it bouncing 00:20:17.019 --> 00:20:23.250 off, burning off, getting strangled? As you stand 00:20:23.250 --> 00:20:25.809 there with the crowd, ask yourself, what kind 00:20:25.809 --> 00:20:29.970 of soil am I willing to be when his voice falls 00:20:29.970 --> 00:20:37.130 like seed on me? And do you trust the sower enough 00:20:37.130 --> 00:20:40.829 to believe he's still scattering seed into your 00:20:40.829 --> 00:20:45.130 life? Reckless, abundant, unafraid of waste. 00:20:46.269 --> 00:20:49.470 The scandal of his story is that he does not 00:20:49.470 --> 00:20:53.940 stop sowing. even in the places that to us seem 00:20:53.940 --> 00:20:59.220 barren. And that promise is for you and for me. 00:21:01.500 --> 00:21:06.059 Beloved, here at Plain, the sower is not careful. 00:21:06.160 --> 00:21:09.220 He's not efficient. He's not stingy. And he does 00:21:09.220 --> 00:21:13.359 not give up on you. He is reckless with his grace. 00:21:14.460 --> 00:21:18.309 And the word is going out to you, to me. to the 00:21:18.309 --> 00:21:22.150 ones who thought God forgot their address. It's 00:21:22.150 --> 00:21:26.490 falling on your life right now. And the sower 00:21:26.490 --> 00:21:30.170 is patient enough to wait until it takes root. 00:21:31.109 --> 00:21:34.029 He will not walk away from the field of your 00:21:34.029 --> 00:21:37.990 soul. He will not decide you are just too barren, 00:21:37.990 --> 00:21:41.450 too rocky, or too choked with weeds. He keeps... 00:21:41.829 --> 00:21:46.069 coming back, handful after handful, scattering 00:21:46.069 --> 00:21:52.529 again and again. That is his way, lavish, persistent, 00:21:52.630 --> 00:21:57.710 and unstoppable. You may think that you have 00:21:57.710 --> 00:22:00.529 wasted seasons, but he does not see it that way. 00:22:01.569 --> 00:22:05.950 He sees places where seed is still waiting to 00:22:05.950 --> 00:22:09.410 sprout. You may believe you're too far gone, 00:22:09.569 --> 00:22:12.769 but he knows that even the hardest path can be 00:22:12.769 --> 00:22:15.789 broken up and even the most tangled of thorns 00:22:15.789 --> 00:22:20.390 can be cleared. The very place you call hopeless 00:22:20.390 --> 00:22:25.650 are the places he's chosen to throw seed again. 00:22:26.990 --> 00:22:31.930 And when it does, the harvest will be more than 00:22:31.930 --> 00:22:36.950 we can even count and more than we can ever count. 00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:41.099 ever dare to hope. So I leave you tonight with 00:22:41.099 --> 00:22:46.900 Jesus' own words. Whoever has ears, let them 00:22:46.900 --> 00:23:00.779 hear. Amen? Amen. Thanks, guys. Beloved, hear 00:23:00.779 --> 00:23:04.299 it again. Sower does not stop scattering seed. 00:23:04.420 --> 00:23:08.049 He is reckless with grace. Even in the hardened, 00:23:08.190 --> 00:23:10.609 the shallow, and the thorn -choked places of 00:23:10.609 --> 00:23:14.009 your life, He still keeps flinging mercy, handful 00:23:14.009 --> 00:23:17.490 after handful, because He refuses to give up 00:23:17.490 --> 00:23:22.809 on you. That is both scandalous and saving. So 00:23:22.809 --> 00:23:25.190 here's the reckoning. What soil are you willing 00:23:25.190 --> 00:23:29.410 to be today? Not condemnation. It's an invitation. 00:23:29.910 --> 00:23:33.349 Hard ground can be broken. Weeds can be cleared. 00:23:33.430 --> 00:23:38.230 Soil can change. And when grace takes root, the 00:23:38.230 --> 00:23:42.130 harvest will be more than you can count. If this 00:23:42.130 --> 00:23:44.549 word tonight stirred something in you, I'd ask 00:23:44.549 --> 00:23:46.950 you again to like, subscribe, rate, share, drop 00:23:46.950 --> 00:23:51.450 a comment. Not for me, but because someone wandering 00:23:51.450 --> 00:23:53.549 in the half -light might stumble on this little 00:23:53.549 --> 00:23:59.490 porch light and find their way home. I'll see 00:23:59.490 --> 00:24:15.240 you next time. chapter 6. Therefore, reading 00:24:15.240 --> 00:24:18.019 the first both of the doctrines of Christ, let 00:24:18.019 --> 00:24:18.599 us go on.