Thorny Ground

Proverbs 3:5-6  (ESV)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

    and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

    and he will make straight your paths.

Luke 8:4-8 (ESV)

4 And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a 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. 

6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 

8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.”

 

As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Luke 8:9-11 (ESV)

9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant,

 

10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’

 

11 Now the parable is this: 

The seed is the word of God.

1 Thessalonians 2:13  (ESV)

... you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God...

Luke 8:18  (ESV)

18 Take care then how you hear...

Words are thought containers.   

Speaking is taking my thoughts and emptying them into you.  

God's word is God's thought containers to you. 

The more you think upon words.  

They'll get in you.  

Good words or bad words.

Luke 8:12-14  (ESV)

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.

13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. 

But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 

14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

Each ground got progressively closer to harvest; however, none of them had any. 

The thorny ground had depth.  They stood up to Satan's pressure.  Their results were choked out by worries.

People think that they can't help, but worry.  We've made worry into an act of love, but we must be careful not to do it. 

Matthew 6:25 (ESV)

“Therefore I (Jesus) tell you, do not be anxious about your life...

What do you worry about the most?  That will have most harvest.  

Either God's word or worry will have the most ground and water.  The one that gets the most will win out.  

I can't meditate on my worries and have a healing harvest.  I can either be full of God's word or worries.  We need faith buddies not fear buddies.  

More of God's word can wash your mind from worry. 

Ephesians 5:26 (ESV)

26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word...

1 Timothy 6:10 (ESV)

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils...

Thinking about money is deceitful.  Thinking about money can strangle the word.  

The love of money is the issue that undermines faith.  Money can fix everything.  

If you get an expensive car, it'll still get dirty like the cheap one.  You still have scratches in the paint and things will get broken.   

A idol is a replacement for God.  Things should have a place, and they should be low priority.  

Things are a good servant, but a lousy god.  

You can think night and day about saving a dollar.  Isn't that thinking about money, too!  

You can go to a part of town to save a dime on a gallon of gas, and put your life in danger.

If you make decisions based upon price and cost, you're being lead by price and dollar, and not by the Holy Spirit.  

The least expensive one may be the most expensive if you have to fix it 3 or 4 times.  

Pleasures can choke the word out of your life.  

1 John 2 (ESV)

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. 

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

 

The love of the world pushes out our love for our Father. I changed my vocabulary.  I don't say that I love things.  I do say that I love God, and I love people.

16 For all that  is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.

17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Everything in this world is passing away. Things down here have a expiration date.  

Matthew 6:19-20 (ESV)

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 

20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

People save their good china for 40 years, and when they die their heirs don't want it.  We must not act like we're going to live down here forever.  

We must give and share our stuff.  Something happens to our heart when we release the things that are precious to us.  Don't let the word be choked in you. 

2 Timothy 4:10  (ESV)

10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me (Paul) and gone to Thessalonica...

Judas, too, sold Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 27:3). 

We have things to do, but we must not be absorbed by them. 

Colossians 3:2 (ESV)

2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

1 Corinthians 7:31  (AMPC)

31 And those who deal with this world [overusing the enjoyments of this life] as though they were not absorbed by it and as if they had no dealings with it. For the outward form of this world (the present world order) is passing away.

Keith Moore, Faith Life Church

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