WEBVTT 00:00:01.139 --> 00:00:04.679 Howdy. And just a quick reminder to all of our 00:00:04.679 --> 00:00:06.440 confirmation students, if you haven't finished 00:00:06.440 --> 00:00:08.300 your sermons, go ahead and do a sermon write 00:00:08.300 --> 00:00:12.800 -up for today. So, good enough. Now, there is 00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:15.910 a movie. that has become one of the more well 00:00:15.910 --> 00:00:20.109 -known films in recent history. One of the stars 00:00:20.109 --> 00:00:23.510 of that movie is Tim Robbins. Now, as I say that, 00:00:23.629 --> 00:00:26.050 you may or may not necessarily realize which 00:00:26.050 --> 00:00:28.350 movie that it is, but when I also tell you that 00:00:28.350 --> 00:00:30.329 it's starring Morgan Freeman, you're much more 00:00:30.329 --> 00:00:32.990 likely to know which movie that it is. It seems 00:00:32.990 --> 00:00:35.250 like it doesn't matter who the star is, it's 00:00:35.250 --> 00:00:37.990 a Morgan Freeman film. But the movie I'm thinking 00:00:37.990 --> 00:00:41.149 about is Shawshank Redemption, and the story 00:00:41.149 --> 00:00:44.289 is about a man named Andy Dufresne. a man who 00:00:44.289 --> 00:00:46.590 is wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife 00:00:46.590 --> 00:00:49.829 and sentenced to life in prison. And what makes 00:00:49.829 --> 00:00:53.090 the movie so powerful is not just the fact that 00:00:53.090 --> 00:00:56.009 he's wrongfully in prison or suffering for no 00:00:56.009 --> 00:00:58.869 fault of his own. It is a question that follows 00:00:58.869 --> 00:01:03.570 him throughout the movie. How does someone survive 00:01:03.570 --> 00:01:06.530 when everything tells them nothing's ever going 00:01:06.530 --> 00:01:09.810 to change? Andy knows he does not belong there. 00:01:09.950 --> 00:01:12.250 He knows that he did not commit the crime. He 00:01:12.250 --> 00:01:15.709 knows that this prison sentence, this is not 00:01:15.709 --> 00:01:18.469 something he deserves. But over and over again, 00:01:18.629 --> 00:01:21.890 the circumstances around him seem to say the 00:01:21.890 --> 00:01:26.030 same thing. This is your life now. This is where 00:01:26.030 --> 00:01:28.829 you belong, and this is where you will stay. 00:01:30.069 --> 00:01:32.590 Throughout the movie, you see these moments where 00:01:32.590 --> 00:01:36.540 it seems like maybe something will change. And 00:01:36.540 --> 00:01:39.780 maybe a guard will help him out. Maybe a warden 00:01:39.780 --> 00:01:42.659 will listen to his words. Maybe somebody will 00:01:42.659 --> 00:01:45.900 discover the truth. But time and time again in 00:01:45.900 --> 00:01:48.159 this movie, those moments of hope and optimism, 00:01:48.180 --> 00:01:52.219 they just seem to disappear. And even when someone 00:01:52.219 --> 00:01:55.019 comes forward with information that could prove 00:01:55.019 --> 00:01:57.920 Andy's innocence, and you as the audience begin 00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:01.000 to think, maybe this is it. This is how he will 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:04.459 be free. Those who have power over him do not 00:02:04.459 --> 00:02:07.599 use that truth to set him free. Instead, they 00:02:07.599 --> 00:02:10.599 protect themselves and their own interests. They 00:02:10.599 --> 00:02:13.539 hide the truth and they get rid of the person 00:02:13.539 --> 00:02:17.360 who could have helped him. Andy is left in the 00:02:17.360 --> 00:02:23.860 same place. Trapped. Stuck. Waiting. And maybe 00:02:23.860 --> 00:02:27.379 you felt that way before. Maybe not in a prison 00:02:27.379 --> 00:02:31.259 cell, but maybe in your own life. Maybe physically. 00:02:31.919 --> 00:02:35.860 Maybe mentally, spiritually, maybe emotionally. 00:02:37.360 --> 00:02:40.460 And yes, we do hear the words from Isaiah. For 00:02:40.460 --> 00:02:42.939 as the rain and the snow come down from heaven 00:02:42.939 --> 00:02:45.879 and do not return there, but water the earth, 00:02:46.460 --> 00:02:49.939 making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed 00:02:49.939 --> 00:02:52.960 to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall 00:02:52.960 --> 00:02:55.599 my word be that comes out from my mouth. It shall 00:02:55.599 --> 00:02:58.580 not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish 00:02:58.580 --> 00:03:01.599 that which I purpose. and shall succeed in the 00:03:01.599 --> 00:03:06.000 thing for which I sent it." Yes, ultimately we 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:09.919 believe that. Sure, we trust that. But frankly, 00:03:10.860 --> 00:03:14.639 sometimes we struggle with it. Because if God's 00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:18.180 Word truly accomplishes His purposes, why does 00:03:18.180 --> 00:03:20.360 it sometimes feel like nothing is happening? 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:24.500 Like nothing ever changes? Why does it feel like 00:03:24.500 --> 00:03:27.719 we continue to proclaim God's Word, continue 00:03:27.719 --> 00:03:30.849 to teach what is good? continue to pray to our 00:03:30.849 --> 00:03:33.669 loving God, continue to serve God and the people 00:03:33.669 --> 00:03:37.150 in our lives, and yet people still seem unchanged. 00:03:38.550 --> 00:03:42.210 When will people finally hear and know Christ? 00:03:43.169 --> 00:03:46.710 When will those who claim His name actually change 00:03:46.710 --> 00:03:50.810 their hearts and their lives? Why does it seem 00:03:50.810 --> 00:03:53.849 like the Word keeps falling on deaf ears? And 00:03:53.849 --> 00:03:55.870 for those of you who are parents, maybe you know 00:03:55.870 --> 00:03:59.229 this feeling where you teach your children, you 00:03:59.229 --> 00:04:01.789 tell them what is right, you show them what is 00:04:01.789 --> 00:04:05.110 good, you pray with them night after night, and 00:04:05.110 --> 00:04:07.750 then they grow up and make the very mistakes 00:04:07.750 --> 00:04:11.289 that you warned them about. And maybe we wonder, 00:04:11.469 --> 00:04:16.170 did any of it matter? Was all of it wasted? And 00:04:16.170 --> 00:04:21.899 Isaiah's answer is no. The Word of God is never 00:04:21.899 --> 00:04:26.160 wasted. The words are never wasted. They are 00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:29.560 still there for a reason. And Jesus gives us 00:04:29.560 --> 00:04:34.220 a picture in this parable of the sower. At first, 00:04:34.759 --> 00:04:38.839 it is a very strange picture of a very strange 00:04:38.839 --> 00:04:42.259 farmer. Because look at where he puts the seed. 00:04:43.079 --> 00:04:46.860 The seed falls on a road. And of course, birds 00:04:46.860 --> 00:04:51.149 come and devour it. How often Are there people 00:04:51.149 --> 00:04:54.490 whose hearts are not even open to the Gospel? 00:04:54.870 --> 00:04:57.850 Could you imagine going down to Memorial Drive 00:04:57.850 --> 00:05:01.250 in Kirkwood and scattering seed onto the road 00:05:01.250 --> 00:05:03.889 in the middle of that intersection, hoping that 00:05:03.889 --> 00:05:07.509 something would grow? You would think the farmer 00:05:07.509 --> 00:05:11.129 had lost his mind, and so do all the people driving 00:05:11.129 --> 00:05:15.230 through that intersection. Why would God sow 00:05:15.230 --> 00:05:18.829 the seed on a road where seed won't do anything? 00:05:19.879 --> 00:05:24.620 But then the seed falls on rocky ground and at 00:05:24.620 --> 00:05:27.120 first you're a little bit more hopeful Because 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:30.459 it grows quickly But it does so because it can 00:05:30.459 --> 00:05:34.800 only grow upward But because it has no depth 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:40.800 for roots it withers when the Sun comes How often 00:05:40.800 --> 00:05:44.740 has there been someone who was very excited about 00:05:44.740 --> 00:05:48.240 the gospel, right? Someone who actually seems 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:51.680 to be responding to following Christ, who wants 00:05:51.680 --> 00:05:54.279 to read their Bible, who wants to be here week 00:05:54.279 --> 00:05:56.720 in and week out, who wants to volunteer for every 00:05:56.720 --> 00:06:00.300 single thing. And then they're gone within a 00:06:00.300 --> 00:06:06.740 year. For what reason? How often because faith 00:06:06.740 --> 00:06:10.439 for them was about the emotion they experienced 00:06:10.439 --> 00:06:13.660 without truly knowing the Christ who gave Himself. 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:18.120 and then the seed falls among thorns. And it 00:06:18.120 --> 00:06:21.819 grows, but the thorns around it keep it from 00:06:21.819 --> 00:06:26.639 having a chance to bear any real fruit. All the 00:06:26.639 --> 00:06:31.060 things we care about this world, hobbies, TV 00:06:31.060 --> 00:06:35.139 shows, people's opinions, some episode of Love 00:06:35.139 --> 00:06:38.579 Island, trying to attain wealth and security, 00:06:39.819 --> 00:06:43.060 they take away our focus. our desire to give 00:06:43.060 --> 00:06:46.279 time and energy to God, to spend time in His 00:06:46.279 --> 00:06:50.839 Word, to help others in His name. We may be able, 00:06:50.920 --> 00:06:54.060 yes, we're able to do some nice things for people 00:06:54.060 --> 00:06:58.500 from time to time, but how often is it just because 00:06:58.500 --> 00:07:01.360 we get something out of it? Or it just gives 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:03.500 us another excuse to go hang out with our friends. 00:07:04.639 --> 00:07:09.699 And Jesus says the sower goes out and scatters 00:07:09.699 --> 00:07:13.790 seed everywhere. on the road, on the rocks, among 00:07:13.790 --> 00:07:16.730 the thorns. And yes, some of it does get onto 00:07:16.730 --> 00:07:21.709 some good soil, sure. But we look at this and 00:07:21.709 --> 00:07:27.269 we think, why would a farmer do this? Sure, he 00:07:27.269 --> 00:07:30.589 got some seed on good ground and produced something, 00:07:30.970 --> 00:07:35.089 but why waste so much? Why not just focus on 00:07:35.089 --> 00:07:39.750 the good soil? Why? And no, it's not just because 00:07:39.750 --> 00:07:44.069 he must have been an Aggie. This is not just 00:07:44.069 --> 00:07:47.990 a picture of a careless farmer. This is a picture 00:07:47.990 --> 00:07:51.810 of a generous God. The sower does not stop sowing 00:07:51.810 --> 00:07:54.170 because some seed does not immediately grow. 00:07:54.850 --> 00:07:58.050 The sower keeps sowing. The word keeps going 00:07:58.050 --> 00:08:01.269 forth and the rain keeps falling. And that is 00:08:01.269 --> 00:08:05.670 why we are not meant to look at someone and say 00:08:05.670 --> 00:08:09.449 that person is a lost cause. That person will 00:08:09.449 --> 00:08:13.029 never know Christ. That person's heart is too 00:08:13.029 --> 00:08:17.949 hard because we never know what God is doing 00:08:17.949 --> 00:08:22.029 beneath the surface. But then the disciples, 00:08:22.290 --> 00:08:25.949 they ask Jesus a question. Why do you speak to 00:08:25.949 --> 00:08:29.310 them in parables? And frankly, isn't that the 00:08:29.310 --> 00:08:32.629 question we keep asking all the time? Jesus, 00:08:33.029 --> 00:08:36.549 why do you have to make these things so complicated? 00:08:37.129 --> 00:08:40.809 Why not make it obvious? Why not make the Gospel 00:08:40.809 --> 00:08:44.509 completely straightforward? Hey everybody, I'm 00:08:44.509 --> 00:08:47.970 here to save you. That's great. Why does Jesus 00:08:47.970 --> 00:08:50.529 have to speak in all these images and stories? 00:08:51.789 --> 00:08:55.230 And Jesus responds by quoting Isaiah. You will 00:08:55.230 --> 00:08:59.750 indeed hear, but never understand. And you will 00:08:59.750 --> 00:09:03.129 indeed see, but never perceive. For this people's 00:09:03.129 --> 00:09:06.690 heart has grown dull. And there's almost a part 00:09:06.690 --> 00:09:11.279 of us that may become upset. A little piece of 00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:15.340 us that wants to say, God, what are you doing? 00:09:16.600 --> 00:09:20.059 Have you given up on some people? How could you 00:09:20.059 --> 00:09:25.120 leave them in the hardness of their hearts? But 00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:28.519 you know, humanity, it has created its own problems. 00:09:29.460 --> 00:09:32.200 We know that we deserve far less than what we 00:09:32.200 --> 00:09:35.980 have received. As much as we have spent the past 00:09:35.980 --> 00:09:39.460 week celebrating who we are as a nation and giving 00:09:39.460 --> 00:09:42.440 thanks for the freedoms we enjoy, we also have 00:09:42.440 --> 00:09:47.059 to face the fact that humanity, even our own 00:09:47.059 --> 00:09:50.299 part of it, is every bit as broken and twisted 00:09:50.299 --> 00:09:54.960 as God has always said we are. Sin is not simply 00:09:54.960 --> 00:10:00.450 over there. It is in here. But when Jesus speaks 00:10:00.450 --> 00:10:02.870 about people who do not understand and do not 00:10:02.870 --> 00:10:06.830 perceive, we naturally ask, does that mean that 00:10:06.830 --> 00:10:10.190 God has finally given up on them? And this is 00:10:10.190 --> 00:10:13.129 where we may become tempted to believe that God 00:10:13.129 --> 00:10:16.330 simply gives up on some people. And we think 00:10:16.330 --> 00:10:20.210 those people are too far gone. Those people will 00:10:20.210 --> 00:10:23.740 never listen. Those people are a lost cause and 00:10:23.740 --> 00:10:25.799 we need to make sure they stop ruining it for 00:10:25.799 --> 00:10:28.879 the rest of us. And the danger is that we begin 00:10:28.879 --> 00:10:32.700 to think that this only applies to those other 00:10:32.700 --> 00:10:37.000 people. We must be talking about the atheists, 00:10:37.559 --> 00:10:41.700 the agnostics, the Hindus, the Muslims, the secularists, 00:10:42.120 --> 00:10:44.320 the people who reject the Christian religion. 00:10:44.659 --> 00:10:47.799 Clearly, those are the ones who have the issue. 00:10:48.679 --> 00:10:52.360 But look who Jesus is speaking to. It's all of 00:10:52.360 --> 00:10:55.519 us. Because all of us have moments where we hear 00:10:55.519 --> 00:10:58.379 God's Word and we push it out because we want 00:10:58.379 --> 00:11:02.639 to reshape it into something easier. We hear 00:11:02.639 --> 00:11:05.799 what God says and we think, surely He didn't 00:11:05.799 --> 00:11:11.340 mean that. Surely, with my modern knowledge, 00:11:11.379 --> 00:11:14.960 I can adjust this. Surely my way of looking at 00:11:14.960 --> 00:11:18.299 it would make a whole lot more sense. You see, 00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:21.860 Jesus is not saying that God does not desire 00:11:21.860 --> 00:11:25.539 people to know Him. Jesus is not saying that 00:11:25.539 --> 00:11:29.419 God delights in people being lost. The problem 00:11:29.419 --> 00:11:31.759 is not that God has stopped speaking, but rather 00:11:31.759 --> 00:11:35.539 our hearts are unwilling to hear. And rather 00:11:35.539 --> 00:11:40.600 than allowing people to pretend that we have 00:11:40.600 --> 00:11:43.879 this whole faith thing figured out, By having 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:47.820 a really easy message that we can just say really 00:11:47.820 --> 00:11:52.059 quickly to everybody, God presses us to see who 00:11:52.059 --> 00:11:56.419 wants the real thing. Who really wants Jesus? 00:11:57.440 --> 00:12:01.779 Not just a quick slogan. See, the problem is 00:12:01.779 --> 00:12:04.600 not that God's Word is unclear. The problem is 00:12:04.600 --> 00:12:09.820 that our hearts know exactly what Jesus means. 00:12:10.560 --> 00:12:14.460 We know what he means about mercy about humility 00:12:14.460 --> 00:12:18.480 about conviction about grace and about sacrifice 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:20.860 We know exactly what he's saying, but we don't 00:12:20.860 --> 00:12:23.159 really want it to be that straightforward because 00:12:23.159 --> 00:12:28.659 then we'd have to do it period We want to fight 00:12:28.659 --> 00:12:31.360 and we want to wrestle and we want to struggle 00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:34.960 with it That is why the answer is not simply 00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:37.440 getting more information because then we would 00:12:37.440 --> 00:12:40.360 just tell ourselves that we know exactly where 00:12:40.360 --> 00:12:43.279 to go in life, and what to support, and which 00:12:43.279 --> 00:12:45.500 bumper stickers to use, and which comforting 00:12:45.500 --> 00:12:48.320 slogan to embroider, and which copy of Chicken 00:12:48.320 --> 00:12:50.779 Soup for the Soul will inspire people for 30 00:12:50.779 --> 00:12:54.000 seconds before going back to life exactly as 00:12:54.000 --> 00:13:00.039 it was on our own terms without changing at all. 00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:04.720 But Jesus was asking something deeper. Do you 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:08.399 actually want the Kingdom of God? More than that. 00:13:09.419 --> 00:13:13.879 Do you want the actual King? Because the Kingdom 00:13:13.879 --> 00:13:18.279 cannot be separated from Christ. You cannot perceive 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:21.679 the Kingdom apart from Him. You cannot understand 00:13:21.679 --> 00:13:25.279 God's purposes if you keep walking away from 00:13:25.279 --> 00:13:29.220 the very One who reveals them. It always comes 00:13:29.220 --> 00:13:33.200 back to Christ. You cannot hear one sermon, learn 00:13:33.200 --> 00:13:36.779 one lesson, read one Bible scripture, and think, 00:13:36.779 --> 00:13:41.480 I've got it, now I can move on. James says it's 00:13:41.480 --> 00:13:43.799 like someone who looks at his face in the mirror, 00:13:44.220 --> 00:13:46.120 and then immediately walks away and forgets what 00:13:46.120 --> 00:13:49.899 he just saw. The Christian life is not mastering 00:13:49.899 --> 00:13:53.740 one lesson and then graduating. It is returning. 00:13:54.879 --> 00:13:58.360 Time and time again. Returning to Christ. Returning 00:13:58.360 --> 00:14:03.039 to His Word. to his promises, returning to his 00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:07.620 forgiveness that we need every day, returning 00:14:07.620 --> 00:14:11.159 to the place where the sower continues to sow 00:14:11.159 --> 00:14:16.379 his seed. Let me explain it from another perspective. 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:20.480 Let's go back to that movie we mentioned. The 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:23.179 issue was not whether or not there was truth 00:14:23.179 --> 00:14:26.980 to be had. Finding the actual guilty person, 00:14:27.019 --> 00:14:30.220 they knew the truth. and it would have rescued 00:14:30.220 --> 00:14:33.059 an innocent man. The problem was that it did 00:14:33.059 --> 00:14:36.840 not fit the narrative they had. The plans, the 00:14:36.840 --> 00:14:40.559 goals of the warden. Even when something is straightforward 00:14:40.559 --> 00:14:45.139 and clear, that's often when people twist it 00:14:45.139 --> 00:14:50.559 the most for their own gain. The clearer it is, 00:14:50.840 --> 00:14:53.679 the easier it is for many people to twist it 00:14:53.679 --> 00:14:56.860 around. And sadly, we do that with the Gospel 00:14:56.860 --> 00:15:01.909 too. using it to make ourselves into good people, 00:15:02.309 --> 00:15:05.649 good Christians, without worrying enough whether 00:15:05.649 --> 00:15:08.590 we're pursuing Christ and His righteousness at 00:15:08.590 --> 00:15:12.669 all. But let's stick with that character Andy 00:15:12.669 --> 00:15:16.110 for just a little bit longer. Because the best 00:15:16.110 --> 00:15:19.350 part of that movie is the part you don't see 00:15:19.350 --> 00:15:25.210 coming. Spoiler alert, Andy does escape. Sorry 00:15:25.210 --> 00:15:30.720 Dino. But how? Because every day, he had this 00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:35.159 tiny little rock hammer. And every day, he carries 00:15:35.159 --> 00:15:37.960 away a little bit of dust into the courtyard. 00:15:38.940 --> 00:15:41.659 And nobody understands what is happening, or 00:15:41.659 --> 00:15:45.639 at least I didn't, until the very end. When Andy 00:15:45.639 --> 00:15:48.840 disappears and no one can find him, until the 00:15:48.840 --> 00:15:52.379 warden in his anger throws a rock at the poster 00:15:52.379 --> 00:15:55.649 on the wall hanging in his cell, and discovers 00:15:55.649 --> 00:15:59.950 a hole behind that poster. A hole that was not 00:15:59.950 --> 00:16:04.710 created in a day. Not in a week. Not in a month. 00:16:05.750 --> 00:16:10.429 But in 19 years. Years of work that nobody saw. 00:16:10.730 --> 00:16:13.049 Years of effort that nobody understood until 00:16:13.049 --> 00:16:16.769 finally, the wall that looked impossible to overcome 00:16:16.769 --> 00:16:21.590 was no longer standing in his way. And isn't 00:16:21.590 --> 00:16:27.789 that how God's Word works. We want immediate 00:16:27.789 --> 00:16:31.289 results. We want the quick response. We want 00:16:31.289 --> 00:16:33.909 someone to say, right then, yes, you're right. 00:16:34.149 --> 00:16:38.610 I will change. The struggles are over. But Jesus 00:16:38.610 --> 00:16:42.389 shows us something different. The road looks 00:16:42.389 --> 00:16:45.330 firm and established, but nothing grows there. 00:16:46.429 --> 00:16:50.149 The rocky soil produces excitement, but nothing 00:16:50.149 --> 00:16:54.860 grows with no roots. The thorny soil has growth, 00:16:55.500 --> 00:16:59.100 but there's no fruit. God is not looking for 00:16:59.100 --> 00:17:04.440 quick results. God is growing roots. God is producing 00:17:04.440 --> 00:17:08.920 fruit. God is doing a work that lasts. So sometimes, 00:17:09.220 --> 00:17:12.579 the person that you're praying for has not ultimately 00:17:12.579 --> 00:17:15.380 and for all the rest of time rejected God's Word, 00:17:15.559 --> 00:17:18.200 because sometimes the seed that you've been planting 00:17:18.200 --> 00:17:23.019 is waiting to grow at the right time. Sometimes 00:17:23.019 --> 00:17:27.119 the soil is still being prepared by God and changing 00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:32.359 from rock into flesh. Words are not wasted. Soil 00:17:32.359 --> 00:17:36.119 is changing, and the farmer has plenty of seed 00:17:36.119 --> 00:17:40.619 left to sow. But the greatest evidence that God 00:17:40.619 --> 00:17:44.599 does not give up is not found in the field, it's 00:17:44.599 --> 00:17:47.400 found at the cross. Because there may be any 00:17:47.400 --> 00:17:50.380 number of people saying, Pastor, that's just 00:17:50.380 --> 00:17:53.869 the way you're looking at it. I see it more black 00:17:53.869 --> 00:17:56.369 and white. I have a much clearer understanding 00:17:56.369 --> 00:18:00.009 of what this passage is saying. But you see, 00:18:00.069 --> 00:18:04.430 Jesus Himself walked that road. The road that 00:18:04.430 --> 00:18:08.130 led to Calvary. And you see, the cross was planted 00:18:08.130 --> 00:18:12.049 in rocky ground. Not because something needed 00:18:12.049 --> 00:18:15.150 to grow there, but because someone was going 00:18:15.150 --> 00:18:18.869 to die there. And the thorns that choke out life 00:18:18.869 --> 00:18:22.000 in the parable? became the crown twisted upon 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:25.980 His head. The thorns that represented sin and 00:18:25.980 --> 00:18:28.599 suffering placed upon the brow of our Savior. 00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:35.299 As His blood was shed, the life was given a hundredfold, 00:18:35.960 --> 00:18:40.279 sixtyfold, thirtyfold. Forgiveness was given. 00:18:41.079 --> 00:18:44.319 Hope was given. Eternal life was given. The place 00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:48.779 where humanity expected to see defeat? became 00:18:48.779 --> 00:18:54.359 the place where God accomplished salvation. The 00:18:54.359 --> 00:18:57.819 cross looked like the end, but God was already 00:18:57.819 --> 00:19:03.140 bringing forth life. And that's why we know that 00:19:03.140 --> 00:19:07.660 no story, even that road and those rocks and 00:19:07.660 --> 00:19:11.400 those thorns, they are never beyond God's reach 00:19:11.400 --> 00:19:14.059 because God has already entered into the darkest 00:19:14.059 --> 00:19:17.480 place. He has already gone into death itself, 00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:22.039 and then he brought life out of it. So what does 00:19:22.039 --> 00:19:25.960 it mean for us? It means that when we baptize 00:19:25.960 --> 00:19:29.759 someone, whatever their age may be, we know that 00:19:29.759 --> 00:19:32.759 baptism is not a magical moment where every struggle 00:19:32.759 --> 00:19:36.660 now disappears. People who are baptized still 00:19:36.660 --> 00:19:39.539 struggle. People who are baptized still wander. 00:19:39.700 --> 00:19:42.980 People who are baptized still need to be brought 00:19:42.980 --> 00:19:46.490 back to God's grace. but the seed has been planted. 00:19:47.230 --> 00:19:51.089 And God continues His work. When we gather around 00:19:51.089 --> 00:19:53.990 this table for communion, we receive Christ's 00:19:53.990 --> 00:19:56.390 body and blood for the forgiveness of sins, yet 00:19:56.390 --> 00:20:00.109 we know we still struggle with sin. We still 00:20:00.109 --> 00:20:04.009 need to confess. We still need forgiveness. God's 00:20:04.009 --> 00:20:07.069 Word does not simply just give you a little flash 00:20:07.069 --> 00:20:10.589 or an idea of faith, and then we've got it figured 00:20:10.589 --> 00:20:14.680 out and He can leave us alone. God's Word continues 00:20:14.680 --> 00:20:18.240 to speak in our hearts. The Spirit continues 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:21.539 to work in our lives. The sower continues to 00:20:21.539 --> 00:20:26.960 sow. So maybe, maybe today you feel like the 00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:31.059 road. Maybe your heart feels a little hard. You 00:20:31.059 --> 00:20:35.759 know why. You know what's hurt you. Or maybe 00:20:35.759 --> 00:20:40.140 you feel like the rocky soil and life just dries 00:20:40.140 --> 00:20:44.589 you out. You don't know where to spread. Or maybe 00:20:44.589 --> 00:20:47.369 you're just surrounded by thorns and everything 00:20:47.369 --> 00:20:50.349 that worries you just consumes your time and 00:20:50.349 --> 00:20:55.890 your energy. But hear this. God's Word has not 00:20:55.890 --> 00:21:00.029 given up on you. The sower is still sowing. The 00:21:00.029 --> 00:21:02.789 rain is still falling. And the Spirit is still 00:21:02.789 --> 00:21:05.869 working. And the God who promises that His Word 00:21:05.869 --> 00:21:10.269 will not return empty is still accomplishing 00:21:10.430 --> 00:21:18.250 His purpose is with you and with them. His purpose 00:21:18.250 --> 00:21:20.789 is not merely that we call ourselves Christians 00:21:20.789 --> 00:21:24.470 and be done with it. His purpose is that we become 00:21:24.470 --> 00:21:29.650 people who bear fruit. Fruit of the Spirit. Love. 00:21:30.390 --> 00:21:37.970 Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. 00:21:38.849 --> 00:21:43.579 Gentleness. self -control. A harvest of people 00:21:43.579 --> 00:21:46.980 transformed by God's grace. A harvest of people 00:21:46.980 --> 00:21:49.059 who know that the prisoner has been set free. 00:21:49.599 --> 00:21:53.380 A harvest of people who go forth in joy and proclaim 00:21:53.380 --> 00:21:57.619 the goodness of God. Because the sower has not 00:21:57.619 --> 00:22:01.859 stopped sowing, and he will not stop until his 00:22:01.859 --> 00:22:05.900 harvest is complete. Thanks be to God.