It’s My Wonderful Life

I heard an awesome sermon on Sunday by Tracy Reed.  I have had the opportunity to hear him speak twice and both times I have been challenge when I left the church.  The title of his sermon was “Are You Good Ground?”

The sermon was taken from the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:1-20. Most of us have heard this message a dozen times and we know we must be fruitful.   It is amazing how the same section of the Bible can be taught by someone different and you get something totally different out of it.  It wasn’t even boring.  God works in mysterious ways.

Basically Tracy’s sermon was about the four kinds of grounds or hearts (in human cases).   The four kinds of hearts are hard, shallow, crowded, and fruitful.  He took each heart one by one and explained in full detail the characteristics of each.

The first heart was the hard heart.  This heart is mentioned in Mark 4:13-15.

Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? (14) The farmer sows the word. (15) Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

This type of heart goes to church every Sunday, but that is about it.   The Word of God makes no impression on them and they have no guilt of sin.   This results in these types of people feeling they have no need for forgiveness.   Satan loves this type of person.   In fact, he wants all churches to be filled with them because they ignore God’s attempt to work with them.

The second heart was the shallow heart.  This heart is mentioned in Mark 4:16-17

(16) Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. (17) But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away..

A shallow heart person receives the word with gladness, yet they stumble with every tribulation.  The word they receive did not have long roots.   Basically this person hears the word, receives the word, but fails to commit on the word.   They do not move past the profession of faith.     During tough times, they are blown away.  They are very unprepared and they will die.

The third heart was the crowded heart.  This heart is mentioned in Mark 4:18-19.

(18) Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; (19) but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.

The crowded heart accepts the Word and grows but soon the world takes over.  They lust for things and want to walk the broad way instead of the narrow way.  Basically, the want the easy way out.  They straddle the fence because they have no room for Jesus to be fully in their life.

The fourth heart was the fruitful heart.  This heart is mentioned in Mark 4:20.

(20) Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”

A fruitful person in on good ground.  They want to become what God wants them to be.   Living in the word and keeping it is the utmost importance to them.    They are true disciple that allow God to make a difference in their life.  The apply God’s word and spread it.

Which kind of heart are you?   What type of heart should you be?

God has a purpose.  That purpose is to share God’s word to the lost world.  Be a fruitful heart.  Reap what has been sown.   Make sure you bear fruit in your life as well as others.

3 Steps to Being Fruitful

1. Hear the word.
2. Accept the word.
3. Live the word.

Tracy ended his sermon with a very powerful thought.

You can’t live the word unless you plant the Word.  You can’t plant the word unless you put your hands in the Word.

If you get your hands dirty, you be fruitful.