The Voice Purpose

Free Smartphones! Free Unlimited!

- Never open it

- Never open it - Great joy! Until…

- Never open it - Great joy! Until… - Use, get distracted & forget

- Never open it - Great joy! Until… - Use, get distracted & forget - Use, enjoy, praise God for!

God wants more for you Than you want For yourself

All sin springs from An unwillingness Or inability To believe this

Reactions to Jesus…

- Withered hand- "Destroy him" - Demons shout, "Son of God!"

- Family- "He's lost it!" - Scribes- "He's possessed!"

…he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.

And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow…

The point of sowing seed…?

And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil.

And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.

Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.

And other seeds fell into good soil

And other seeds fell into good soil - Depth for roots - Space to grow

And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Beginning: Listen! End: Hear!

Disciples: "So…we need to be careful When we plant seeds?"

Confuseddisciplesayswhat?

And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

The sower sows the word.

The sower sows the word. Spoken by Jesus…

"Listen!" "Ears to hear…" Spoken by Jesus…

OT- quoted by Jesus As Authoritative "Red-letter" Christians Miss the Point

Sower in Christ's Day…? He's looking for…?

God wants more for you Than you want For yourself

Fruit- Changed life

Fruit- Changed life Characterized by: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control - Gal. 5

This is to my Father's glory That you bear much fruit Proving yourselves to be My disciples - Jesus, John 15

God's people Bring him glory And demonstrate discipleship When their lives are changed By Jesus

The seed is sown With the hopes of Producing fruit Which is in our best interest

God wants more for you Than you want For yourself

And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.

- The Enemy is particularly active In stealing the Word

- The Enemy is particularly active In stealing the Word Because of it's power

- The Enemy is particularly active In stealing the Word Because of it's power - If it doesn't penetrate the heart It won't last

Hearing and Receiving Are two different things…

And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.

And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.

"God just keeps making My life better!"

"God just keeps making My life better!" - Root is not in God, but in circumstances - Won't last

Jesus is not a means To an end Jesus is the goal

Circumstances May not get better Jesus will be enough And will give you more

God wants more for you Than you want For yourself

Am I committed to myself And I follow Jesus For what he can give me? Or am I committed to Jesus?

And others are the ones sown among thorns.

They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

"Jesus is a great part of my life" - Self-willed, distracted life - Jesus is a hobby, not my life - Will never be satisfied

Jesus is never Part of your life He becomes your life Or you've missed Jesus

If Jesus is enough There's nothing else you need If Jesus isn't enough Nothing else will satisfy

"Casting all our cares on him" "Those who desire to get rich fall into a snare and a trap…" "Every good and pefect gift…"

But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it Accept= delight in

But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

Hearing is taking it in Accepting is changing because of it

God is in the business Of multiplication The result of his Word Is many times more Than the original seed

And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given…" - Mark 4

What causes the growth?

What causes the growth? The Ancient Scripture

What causes the growth? The Ancient Scripture Who gets to decide Whether or not it works?

What causes the growth? The Ancient Scripture Who gets to decide Whether or not it works? You and I

3 Things: Depth- Rooted in Jesus Room to Breathe- Single-minded Acceptance- bend to the Word

Listen! Hear!

Listen! Hear! PLUS: Read!

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you… - Jesus, John 15

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two- edged sword…

…piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart - Heb. 4:12

It is impossible To read the Ancient Scriptures With an open heart And not be changed

…you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you - Jesus, John 15

Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word - Eph. 5:25-26

Don't try to stop sinning! Repent and get immersed in the Ancient Scriptures

God wants more for you Than you want For yourself

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence - 2 Peter 1:3

We don't worship the scriptures We worship Jesus But we love the scriptures Because they tell us about Jesus

They are God's Voice to us We are changed To the degree we - Listen - Give the Word good soil

Greatest and most Tragic Time In all of history Versions, teachings Languages, apps

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge - Hosea 4:6

Greatest, deepest Most fruitful growth: Regular intake of God's Word

God wants more for us Than we want For ourselves

No guilt But…opportunity! (And an enemy)

This week: Chapter a day…? (Coupled with some prayer For application)

As a church We will preach the Word So that People will become whole and Christ will be glorified