How the Gospel is Received, Part 2

Amen. Thank you, David. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you that we can gather together today, that nobody is here today by accident. Everybody is here by divine appointment. That, Lord, you brought everybody to church this morning, and you want them here specifically to know what your word says, that they might grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Lord. And so we pray that, Father, you would open our hearts and our minds, that we would see in your word the glorious truths that will transform our lives into your image.

We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Turn with me in your Bible to Luke chapter 8. We are looking at the parable of the sower and the soils. It's really, truly the parable about only the soils, because it deals with the heart condition of man. We are helping you understand how to become expert cardiologists. That is, how to understand the condition of man's heart. We are talking about the receptivity of the gospel, how it is people receive the gospel during the church age, or why is it people don't receive the gospel during the church age.

It's important for us to understand this. This becomes a very critical passage of scripture for those of us who share Christ with other people, because we truly have to ask ourselves, when we share Christ with someone, why is it they don't give their life to Christ? Why is it they don't want to experience eternal life? Why is it they don't want to receive freedom from the bondage of sin? Why is it they don't want to experience the forgiveness of God? Why is it they don't want to experience the joy and contentment that only Jesus Christ can give with the removal of the burden of guilt and sin?

Why is it people don't eagerly respond to that? Why is it they don't grab a hold of that? Why is it when we present the gospel, people aren't knocking down the doors to get in here and say, I need to have my sins forgiven. I need to be right with God. I need to experience His righteousness. Why is it they don't do that? Is it because we're bad preachers? Is it because we can't say it right? Is it because we don't have a good methodical outline to go through that will convince people that they need a savior?

Is it because I'm not a very good apologist, that I can't defend the scriptures well enough? Is it because the way the the word of God is presented that people don't really buy into it? Is that the reason? The answer? No. That's not the answer. Because the parable is not about the sower. And the parable is not about the seed. The parable is about the soil. And the soil is the condition of the heart. Whether or not someone gives their life to Christ depends on where their heart truly is. And so the parable of the soils helps us understand what's going to happen in the kingdom age when the gospel of Jesus Christ is presented.

Jesus wants to help His disciples to understand this. Because I'm sure that after about two years of ministry and a lot of people around Jesus, but very few people committed to Jesus, the disciples had some questions as to how it is people truly aren't really deeply committed to our Savior. In fact in Luke 13, when on their journeys to Jerusalem, a question is asked by one of Christ's followers, are only a few being saved? Why, why would they ask that question? Because there wasn't very many people being saved.

That's why. Is there only a few being saved? And Christ would answer that question because we need to understand it. We read the parable of the soils and we realize that of the four soils only one is saved. So does that mean that one out of every four people are going to get saved? No. It doesn't mean that. I mean you can't say that that's the way it's going to be. That 25 percent of the world's population is going to be saved and 75 percent of the world's population is not going to be saved. It might be more than 25 percent.

It might be less than 25 percent. We don't know. But it's just an analogy. It's, it's, it's, it's, it's the point that Christ is making that the majority of people that you present the gospel to are not going to receive it. Only a few are truly going to be saved. And that's why the question would come up. Are there only a few being saved? Because you need to understand truly what the Bible says.

This parable helps us analyze what's going to happen during the kingdom age when the gospel is presented. Because you need to understand the condition of the heart. The Bible says in Proverbs 4 23, guard your heart for out of it flow all the issues of life.

All the issues of life stem from inside of man, the heart of man. That's why the Bible says in Proverbs 23 7, as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

It's because the heart is the center and the seat of man's true nature. And so the Bible speaks a lot about the heart of man. Truly the, the world has a severe heart condition. Now if you had a heart problem, you do what? You go to the doctor. Why? Because you don't want to have a heart attack and die. You don't want to have a stroke. So you go to the doctor. Doctor, my heart hurts. My heart's, my heart's in pain and I need you to examine my heart and tell me what's wrong with my heart. Well, the Bible says a lot about the heart of man and its depravity.

In fact, if you go through the Bible, you realize the Bible says this about man's heart and its depraved nature.

It's a wicked heart, a perverse heart, evil heart. It's a mad heart. It's an unwashed heart, deceitful, disloyal. It's strays. It's blind. It's unbelieving. It's deceived. It's hard, impenitent, dark, proud, covetous, foolish, rebellious, idolatrous, stubborn, and dull. Now if that's the case, you need to get to the doctor. You need to get to the chief physician to figure out how to remedy that heart's problem. And that's where the scriptures come in. And that's what Jesus Christ is doing. See, what we ask the question, why do people do evil things?

Why do people lie? Why do people steal? Why do people commit adultery? Why do people murder? When there was that great scandal in the Catholic church about priests molesting little children, why do they do that? When mothers drown their babies in bathtubs, what makes them do that? Is it because there's some clinical issue going on in the mind and body? Why is it people do those kinds of things? The Bible says it's a heart condition.

In fact, Christ said these words in Mark chapter 7 verse number 21. For from within, out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man. Now that list doesn't include everything, but that list is broad enough to help you understand that what happens in man's life as to why it is he does the wicked things he does is because his heart is evil.

In fact, if you go back and you read Genesis chapter 6, you realize that before the Lord destroyed the world with a flood, the Bible says that every thought of every man was evil continually.

It was wicked, it was evil, and God destroyed the world with a flood. Oh, by the way, he promised he would never do that again, right? If you believe that, raise your hands. He said he would never destroy the world again with water. Is that right? If you believe that, raise your hand. Keep it up. Keep it up. Now, I don't want to get sidetracked here, but you know the whole global warming thing? In the melting of all the polar ice caps in the It ain't gonna happen. It's not. You can put your hand down, by the way.

It's not gonna happen because God made a promise he would never destroy the world again with water. So the whole global warming thing is still out the window. It's not gonna happen, folks. You can think what you want to think, but don't get me started on the whole green earth thing. I don't want to go there today, but I want to throw that out just because I was in Genesis and the Lord destroyed the world with a flood, but that's the condition of man's heart. Oh, by the way, he is going to destroy it again, but it's going to be with fire and with a fervent heat, and that's in 2 Peter chapter 3 if you want to read about that.

So he will destroy it again, but it's not going to be with water. It's going to be with fire, but the point is that man's heart is evil, and it's evil continually, and so this parable, and the parable is a simple story thrown alongside a spiritual truth to help that truth be realized in the hearts and lives of people. Christ begins to speak in parables. He begins in Luke chapter 8, and all through his ministry from here on out, he will not preach a sermon like he's done before. It won't be like in Luke chapter 4 when he goes to Nazareth, and he stands up, and he opens the Bible, and he preaches from the from the text in Isaiah to show that he is the fulfillment of prophecy.

He's not going to do that anymore. Why? Because he's passed judgment on Israel. He's only going to speak to them in parables, and for those who don't understand the parables, those who don't seek to understand the parable, that parable just becomes another meaningless story. It becomes a riddle to the unbeliever, but to the believer, it becomes a profound spiritual truth, and so this story about the parable of the soils, as rich as it is, filled with unforgettable insight, very few people will understand it.

Only a few will, because that's what Jesus said. The multitudes, as you will note, didn't ask the meaning of the parable. Only the disciples did, because the world doesn't care what the Bible means. They don't care what the truth is. It's just another nice story. David and Bathsheba is just another story. Jonah and the whales, just another story. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, it's just another story. It's a nice story, but for the believer, it's more than just a story. It's filled with profound spiritual truth, and there is a contrast between the multitudes, because the verse 4 says, and when a great multitude were coming together, and we told you last week that that great multitude happened because Christ was in a house, and he was doing many marvelous deeds, and he went out of the house and went down to the Sea of Galilee, and multitudes began to follow him, and he launched out into a boat so that he could have some room to breathe and to preach, and as he was preaching, he said this parable to them, but the multitudes didn't ask, what does this mean?

And they didn't ask that, because they don't care what it means. It's like those who go to church, and they hear the sermon. They don't care what it means, if they're an unbeliever. They could care less what it means. In fact, they're probably bored with the sermon, right? Because boredom on a sermon is a commentary on you, not the preacher. See? It's a commentary on the heart's condition, not the guy who's preaching the sermon. I'm not trying to make an excuse for the boring sermons I preach. Please believe me, I'm not trying to do that.

I'm just trying to let you understand that the Word of God is powerful, and those who are believers, like these disciples were, they wanted to know, Lord, what is the meaning of this? We want to know the truth. What does this mean? And the true believer, how do you know you passed the test? In 2 Corinthians 13, 5, because you go to church, you say, what does that mean? What does that mean for me today? What did God mean when He said this? How does that apply to my life today? That's how you know you passed the test, because you want to know.

You want to know the truth, because you love the truth. You long for the truth. And yet this was a sad moment for Israel. A sad moment. The disciples come, they ask a question after he talks about the soils in verses 4 to 8. And the disciples began questioning him in verse number 9 as to what the parable might be. And he said to them, to you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, in order that seeing they may not see, and hearing they might not understand.

Because they would not believe, they will never believe. They will be unable to believe. Because they would not see, Christ confirms them in their blindness. It's a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy in Isaiah chapter 6, verses, excuse me, verses 10 to 13. So Christ is comparing Israel of his day with Israel of Isaiah's day, when they would hear, but they would not listen.

They would see, but they'd be unable to perceive spiritual truth. This is when there is a willful rejection of Christ. There then becomes a judicial rejection by Christ. When you willfully reject Christ time and time and time again, in the face of overwhelming evidence, when it's all around you, and Christ was there doing miracle after miracle after miracle. He was there preaching sermon after sermon after sermon, and they rejected him as their messiah. When you willfully reject Christ, there comes a time when there's a judicial rejection by Christ.

That is, He confirms you in your unbelief. He confirms you in your lack of sight. He confirms you in your lack of wanting to know, so that you never will know, you never will see, you never will hear, because of your hard heart. That's a message that doesn't go over well today, but that's the truth. I mean, that would be so bad for me not to tell you the truth. I mean, how can you be a preacher and not tell the truth, right? A lot of preachers today, a lot of guys dressing up impersonating preachers today, not telling the truth, and so people don't hear the truth, and they think they're saved, and they think they're going to heaven.

See, you can't think you're going to heaven. You got to know. You can't hope you're going to heaven. You got to know, and the Bible tells you how you can know, and so we want to understand what the Bible truly says, and so Jesus explains the parable. He tells us that the seed is the Word of God. That's pretty clear, isn't it? We know that because 1st Peter 1.23 says that it is the living and abiding Word of God. We are born again not with perishable seed but with imperishable seed. Well, what is that?

That's the Word of God. Romans 10.17 Faith cometh by hearing, hearing by the Word of God. James 1 verse number 18 tells us that we have been brought forth by the Word of Truth, and Jesus says that the seed is the Word of God.

Verse number 11. Now the parable is this. The seed is the Word of God. That's pretty simple, isn't it? It doesn't tell us who the sower is because the parable is not about the sower. The parable is about the soil. The sower is anyone who throws a seed, and everybody in those days, it was an agricultural land. They know all about how to sow seeds, and they would understand that that's what sowers do, but a sower is anyone who throws a seed. It's just not just the Son of Man because we know in the parable of the wheat and the tares, the sower is the Son of Man, and we know that it's Jesus Christ who causes a man to come to Him, that no one comes into the Father unless he's drawn by Him, and so we know that Christ is the one who works in the heart of people, and yet He works in and through those of us, 2 Corinthians 5.20, we are the ministers of reconciliation, and we spread the seed.

We preach the truth so people will hear, and Jesus says as you throw the seed, it falls on certain soil.

Some of it falls on roadside soil. Some of it falls on rocky soil. Some of it falls on thorny soil, and some of it falls on good soil, and what is the soil? Well, the Bible tells us, verse 12, and those beside the road are those who have heard. Then the devil comes and takes away the word from their, what? Heart. The soil is the heart, down in verse number 15, and the seed is the good soil. These are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart. So we know the soil is the heart. It's a parable about the condition of man's heart, and the condition of man's heart is the determining factor as to why and how that word is received or that word is rejected.

If it falls on the roadside soil, and we talked about that last week, that hard, crusty heart, it's calloused, it's cold, that seed doesn't penetrate the roadside soil because it's been trampled underfoot by man, and the Bible says that Satan comes and snatches the seed away.

Now how does, how does he do that? You know, we talked about that last week, and so I don't want to review the whole sermon of last week, and sometimes it takes a lot for me not to do that, but I, I realize that, that Satan, what he does is show you that there's something more valuable to you than the Word of God. There's something more valuable to you than your eternal destiny. There's something more valuable to you than the truth, and so you cling to that which is of value to you, and 2 Corinthians 4, 3 and 4 says that Satan blinds the, the heart and the mind of the unbeliever, so they do not believe in the glorious gospel of Christ.

They don't see it as absolute value to them. They don't see it as the only remedy for their, their heart's condition, and something else is more valuable, and Satan is a master deceiver. He's great at doing that, and he comes and he snatches the seed away because Christ confirms you in your unbelief. That's a sad place to be, but a lot of people, you throw the seed, never penetrates the heart because it's cold, it's calloused, it's hard, and therefore the Word never gets in. The heart is hard because it's pounded by iniquity.

Iniquity tends to cause the heart to become calloused, unresponsive to the truth, and how do you know that that heart is you? It's, it's very simple. You're you don't care about this. You don't care. It doesn't make any difference to you. It means nothing to you. That's a calloused heart. That's a cold heart, see, and that was the multitudes. Now remember, I didn't share this in the first service last week.

I did share it in the second service. These are not pagan people in the way that we would look at pagans, and atheists, and agnostics.

These are religious people. These are the religious, they're the most religious of all religious people. These are Jews. These are religious leaders. These are people who truly believe they're going to heaven. In fact, because they're sons of Abraham, they know they're going to heaven. They're the chosen people of God. They truly believe they're going to heaven no matter what. That's why they hated Christ so much, because he said, no, you're of your father the devil, and that didn't go over too well with, with religious people.

If you're religious, and you think you're going to heaven, and Christ comes and says, no, you're of your father the devil, you're Satan's child, they take great offense to that, and these were religious people, and so the seed is falling on the hearts of religious people, whose hearts are hardened, and calloused, and impenetrable, because of their religious system that they have built up, and erected in their minds, that they believe is so true, and the seed comes, the truth comes, to bear witness on the truth, and they don't want to hear it.

See, that's very important to understand, right? That's the roadside soil. To hear more about that, you can always receive the tape. It's like Matthew chapter 15. These are the people who honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Religious people like to honor the Lord with their lips. Say a lot of good things about Jesus, but their hearts are nowhere close to Him. That's the roadside soil. Next comes the rocky soil. Christ says in verse number 13, and those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, and these have no firm root.

They believe for a while, and in a time of temptation, fall away. This is the rocky soil. This is not lots of rocks mixed in with the soil. This is a soil that looks on the outside very lush and plush, but because of the limestone rock bed that runs underneath the surface there in Israel, then the plow doesn't get down deep enough to plow up and to break up that rock so that that seed can grow deep into the ground. Instead, the seed grows up quickly. It sprouts up very quickly. Why? Because it can't go down, so it goes up, and every farmer knows that when it springs up quickly, it's not going to last because there is no firm root, Christ says, and because there's no firm root, it falls away.

Matthew's account says that when the sun comes out, it scorches the seed, and it burns up and dries up, and thus doesn't last. This is the rocky soil, and this becomes a very important text for us to come to grips with, because you'll note that Jesus says that those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy.

Listen, always be leery of the person who receives the Lord with smiles and joyousness. Always be leery of that. Joy is never the indication that you're born again. Oh, by the way, lack of joy is not a guarantee that you're born again either. You can't just believe in an emotion that happens. Jesus says that these people on the rocky soil, they hear the word, and they immediately receive it with joy, yet there is no firm root.

Oh, they hear the word of God, and they're excited. They're interested. They are the kind of people who get emotionally thrilled about the word. They receive it with joy, but they only believe for, Jesus says, a while.

That's the key. Only for a while. You see, these are the ones who run down the aisle quickly, and they receive the word with joy, but there is no root. They look saved because they're excited about what it is that took place supposedly in their life, but they truly are not born again because there is no root. You need to understand that Christianity is proven in perseverance always. Jesus said in John 8, if you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, then you are truly, genuinely my disciple.

Over in the book of Colossians, the first chapter, it was the apostle Paul who said these words in Colossians chapter 1, verse number 22.

He has now reconciled you in his fleshly body through death in order to present you before him holy and blameless and beyond reproach, if indeed you continue in the faith, firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard. If you continue in my word, then you prove that you truly are saved. Continuing in God's word doesn't save you. But because you're saved, you are able to continue in God's word because he empowers you to persevere. Hebrews chapter 10 says it this way, verse number 39.

But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the persevering of the soul. You see, true believers persevere through the end. Why? Because they have root. They have root. And the unbeliever has no root. The key here is that these people believe only for a while. Oh, they love the message. They love what they heard. They were really excited about it. They're like the people way back in the book of Ezekiel when the Lord God said in verse number 30, but as for you son of man, your fellow citizens who talk about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses speak to one another, each to his brother saying, come now and hear what the message is which comes forth from the Lord.

God says to Ezekiel, boy I tell you they're talking about you in the marketplace. They heard a couple of sermons on the radio and they got a couple of cds in the mail and they're really excited about what they're hearing. So much so they're talking about you down by the wall. Boy you ought to hear Ezekiel man. He can say it like nobody else can say it. Verse 31. And they come to you as people come and sit before you as my people and hear your words, but they do not do them. For they do the lustful desires expressed by their mouth and their heart goes after their gain.

And behold you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument. For they hear your words but they do not practice them. Oh they love to hear the way you say it Ezekiel because there ain't nobody who can say it like Zeke can say it. He's the man. Let's go hear Ezekiel. And they love the way your voice is soothing. Your voice is strong. Your voice is convicting. They hear the words but they don't do the words. They don't practice the words. The rocky soil is the one who hears and they run down the aisle and with joy they believe for a while.

What causes them to now disbelieve? What causes them to fall away? Well Luke says they believe for a while and in time of temptation they fall away. Matthew says these words and the one in whom seed was sown on the rocky places this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy yet he has no firm root in himself. But it's only temporary and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word immediately he falls away. When it comes to the word and standing on the word and being strong in the word when persecution and affliction come because of that word they no longer stand they they fall away.

It's because of of the word you see. You see we forget that there are a lot of people who come to Christ because you know they've just gone through a divorce and things are falling apart in their family and they know that if they go to church you invite them to come to church well you know Jesus can fix my family and so they hear a good sermon about the family and they say that's what I want I'm going to go down there because Jesus can fix my family or they they lose a a loved one to death and they come to church and they hear a good sermon and they say this makes me feel good and so I want to go down and and I want to I want to receive Christ and they might even be filled with tears and and all kinds of emotional upheaval in their lives and and they they they they they just they immediately receive the word because they they've gone through this turmoil in their lives and they're looking for some kind of answer.

They're tired of being left out. They're the only ones. They're lonely and and and all of a sudden they go to a church and people are friendly to them and and they're no longer lonely but they they're a part of a group and and now they're groupies and they're they're liking the groupie thing and they're wow man I'm gonna I'm gonna walk the aisle and I'm gonna pray a prayer and I'm gonna I'm gonna follow Jesus this is great. A lot of people like that. Lots of people like that. Somehow Jesus will fix everything and and if I come to Jesus there'll be deep joy and happiness and he's gonna he's gonna handle my financial situation.

After all financially I'm in the tank and if I if I give my life to Christ what maybe he'll turn everything around. Maybe if I give my paycheck this week to to Christ maybe he'll multiply that and maybe that's what I do and and and that's what I wanted to do for me. So he'll fix my financial situation. He'll fix my marital situation. He'll fix my emotional turmoil. You don't come to Jesus for those reasons. If you do you receive the word quickly and immediately with joy but when it comes time to stand on the truth and affliction and persecution come because of the word you fall away.

See a lot of promises given to people about if you give your life to Jesus he's going to do this he's going to do that he's going to fix this he's going to fix that and so we give our life to Christ and all of a sudden those things aren't fixed. Come to Jesus and you know what all your problems will be will be answered and all they'll be handled for you. Let me tell you something you come to Jesus and you're going to have more problems than you can imagine.

That's the truth but who wants to do that? Why would I want to go to Jesus and have more problems than I can handle when I've already got too many problems isn't it? I don't want that but you come to Jesus and you live for righteousness sake and now you'll be persecuted for righteousness sake and all men will hate you because of me and I will send a sword and divide your family. Well that's just not very good. Who wants that? See so we what we do is we we cut off the first half of the gospel and just give the second half.

We don't talk about the bad part. Let's talk about the good part and so all these people come down because they hear the good part but they forget about the bad part. They forget about their their depravity that they've they've turned their back against their God and they they live vile wretched sinful unholy lives and they are they are rebellious against the king of the universe because their heart is depraved and dark and blinded by Satan and they need to forsake their sin and give their life to Christ and fall upon Him and take up their cross and follow Him daily and deny themselves.

We don't preach that part because if we do we're not going to stay around to hear the good part. So we just preach the good part. All the while you're producing half converts and half converts are not Christians at all. See that? See we have just we have missed the boat in modern day evangelicalism and we've been missing the boat for about a hundred years. It's just not recently. It's about been about a hundred years since the time of Charles Spurgeon and the the day that he went to his grave because of the downgrade of the gospel and people not preaching the truth anymore and Charles Spurgeon went to his grave defending the truth of the gospel when everybody else was going another direction.

It's been getting worse ever since. So where are the preachers who tell the truth? Where are they at? They're few and far between unfortunately but Jesus always told the truth. Always told the truth. He says there are some who when the seed falls let's pretend it's daylight savings time and let's move the clocks back just for one hour and it's 9 15 instead of 10 15. Let's just pretend that for about an hour okay. Yeah so you're saying let's get out of here. But but so so Jesus comes and he says look here here's the truth they believe for a while.

Remember remember back in John chapter 6 there was a John 6 verse number 2 says that Christ is doing lots of miracles and people are following him because of the miracles and so he goes on and he sees he has got great great compassion for man and he sees all these people who are hungry 5,000 men which equals somewhere between 20 and 25,000 people. A lot of people. It's the greatest numerical miracle that Christ ever performed while in his ministry. He fed all these people by multiplying the fishes and the loaves okay and so he he wants them to understand who he is at the same time he's got great compassion for the people.

So on the very next day when he crosses the sea and goes to the other side the people show up. Why? It's time for breakfast and and having been fed dinner now they're hungry again and now they're expecting breakfast and listen to what Jesus says to them.

This is so insightful. The Lord is just Lord has got such great insight because he sees the heart of man. He says this in verse 26 truly truly I say to you you seek me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. You don't seek me because you truly want to know the truth. You're seeking me because of the signs. You're seeking me because you're hungry. You're really hungry. You were fed yesterday when you were hungry and you think if you come back again today I'm gonna just gonna keep on feeding you again.

So then he opens his mouth and begins to preach a sermon. See if Jesus would have never opened his mouth things probably would have been pretty good for Jesus. But once he opened his mouth and began to preach oh man it wasn't good at all. He kept talking about this time look I am the bread that's come down out of heaven unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no part with me. And boy they were like oh man get out of here. We don't want any part of that. And so he talked to him about the price they would have to pay if they truly wanted to follow him.

And what's it say in John 6 verse number 66? Well let me read it to you. Just so you know I'm not making it up. And as a result of this many of his disciples withdrew and were not walking with him anymore. That's it. We're done. We're done. They loved the miracles. They hated the message. They loved the signs. They hated the sermons. Why? Because they had to pay a price. And so they heard the price that they withdrew. They turned away and they they were the rocky soil. They believed for a while because Jesus was going to do for them.

Whenever you present Jesus as doing something for you, you'll get people on the bandwagon. You will. But as soon as he stops doing for them, listen, what they want and what they expect him to do they immediately get off the bandwagon. That's not what they want anymore. And so Christ turns to his men and says to the twelve, you do not want to go away also do you? Simon Peter answered him, Lord to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life and we have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.

Lord we know who you are. We believe in your words. We know exactly that you are the Holy One of God. We know your identity and we believe in you. We're not going anywhere no matter what. We're staying with you. See a lot of people follow Jesus for the wrong reasons. And they get on the Jesus bandwagon for a while because they receive the word of joy. They were excited about it. Be beware of conversions with no conviction and no contrition and no repentance. Beware of conversions that are filled with smiles and joy and excitement.

Beware of those. Beware of those. Jesus would say in John chapter 15 very clearly these words, I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away. In every branch that bears fruit he proves it that it may bear more fruit. Verse 16, you do not choose me but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain. Sometimes they say well you can be a Christian and not bear fruit. He just lifts you up.

Verse number two, the word take away, iro means to lift up. Yes it does mean to lift up but it means to lift up and discard. The same word used in John 1 29 where this where behold the land of God who comes to take away, iro same word used, the sins of the world. He didn't just come to lift up your sins and put them back down again. He came to lift up your sins and discard your sins because Christ would go on in John 15 and talk about how he burns up those branches that don't bear fruit. See bearing fruit is important.

See they don't come to Christ, please bear with me just give me a couple more minutes here. They don't come to Christ because of what he'll what he's done for them by saving them for their sin. They come to Christ because of what they expect him to do for them. See and and you know there's a lot of people who present the gospel in in a wrong kind of way because they so desperately want someone in their family to give their life to Christ. So they won't say it with all the hard sayings. They'll say it with all the nice sayings thinking well well yeah I'll pray that prayer.

Sure if Jesus is going to do that for me I'll give my life to him. Sure and just just desperately waiting for a conversion and and hoping that they'll say a prayer, walk an aisle, shed a tear and they'll be saved. But the proof of one's salvation does not ride in a prayer. It rides in the fact that you persevere to the end. That's the true believer. If they fall away they were never true believers to begin with. You see what's the believer do when persecution when the sun comes out and the seed is scorched in the heart that's a good soil.

What does the ground into the word of God? He gets stronger not weaker. Stronger and how do we know that? Well several verses. James tells us in James chapter 1 these words. James 1 verse number 2. He says consider it all joy my brother when you encounter various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces what? Endurance. In the believer's heart the testing of your faith produces an enduring spirit. In the false believer it doesn't produce endurance. It produces nothing and it quits and falls away.

And James goes on to say these words and let endurance have its perfect result that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing. Peter says it this way in 1 Peter 5 verse number 10. He says and after you have suffered for a little while the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. When you have suffered for a little while this is what Christ will do in the life of his children. He will perfect them. He will confirm them.

He will stabilize them. He will strengthen them. Why? Because they will learn to trust him all the more and they will dig their roots down deeper in him and they will wrap their arms around the truth of God and God will confirm them in their faith and strengthen them in their walk so that they will persevere to the end. They will not quit and fall away. They will not. They won't. Hebrews 12 says the exact same thing. 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 6 to 8. Peter talks about the necessity of trials and the necessity of of going through what you're going through.

But you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory Peter says. Why? Because you know the result of what that test is going to produce in your life. That trial, that tribulation, that persecution that comes your way and you dig your roots down deep and you trust your God because you believe in him. The unbeliever has no place to go. So they fall by the wayside. They go back to their old way of life. They go back to doing things the way they always used to do them. Why? Because that's all they know.

It's all they know. Because they don't know Christ. They don't know him at all. How sad. But Jesus wants you to know that that this is the way it's going to be when you present the gospel. Remember the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12. He prayed three times that the Lord would remove his thorn in the flesh and the Lord said no. No. So what did he do? I quit. If you're not going to do for me Jesus, I'm not doing for you. Is that what he did? No. He didn't quit. No. He understood that in his weakness that the Lord would be made strong in his life.

See that's the difference between the believer and the unbeliever. The believer will pray for the affliction to subside, for the persecution to go away and if it doesn't go away what do they do? They know that their strength is perfected in weakness and that God will do a great and mighty work in their lives and they wrap their trust around God even all the more and believe in him like Job way back in the book of Job. He didn't say well forget about this. Having lost my family, having lost my livelihood, having lost my farm and my livestock, you think I'm going to continue to be a righteous man and follow God?

Not on your life. I'm going to think of another way to live. No. Not on your life. Job was committed to his God because the believer during trials and persecution and affliction and temptation will trust their God all the more. See that's why when you present the gospel you've got to present it in its entirety so people know that when trials of persecution comes they're not taken by surprise. They know it's going to come. For those who live godly in Christ Jesus they will suffer persecution. The bible is very clear about that.

So you help them understand that if you're going to take up your cross, if you preach the gospel, deny yourself daily, take up your cross daily and follow him. If you preach the gospel right when trials of persecution comes the believer is not taken off guard. They know it's going to come. They understand that because from the very get-go they heard it right and they stand strong on the faith. So when Jesus preached what did he do? Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are those who have nothing to give to God.

Blessed are those who realize they have nothing before God. Blessed are those who realize that they are so poor in spirit they have absolutely no standing before God. There's nothing they can do to get to God. That's all about God and his righteousness and what he gives to them. And for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn because they will be comforted. What do they mourn about? They mourn for the fact that they are sinners and they are separated from God and they are in desperate need of a savior and they cry out for for God to have mercy upon them and they call out to him and they mourn over the sins and they are the ones who are comforted because they are relieved of their sin and the guilt that that sin comes and they hunger and they thirst for righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven and they are the ones who are truly satisfied because they want God's kingdom and they want God's righteousness more than anything else.

That my friend is a true presentation of the gospel. That my friend is what Christianity is all about. And I'm sorry if you were sold a bill of goods at some other church or some radio program or some tv preacher sold you a bill of path. Because the truth of the matter is there's only one way to Christ. Only one way. There's only one way to heaven and it's not easy. If somebody told you it was, they're a false prophet. It's not easy. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence for all those who seek to enter.

Luke chapter 16 speaks of that, right? Man enters the kingdom of heaven with violence because satan is against him. His sin is wrestling inside of him and everything is against his family's against him. Everything's against him except the Lord God of the universe. And that's why the bible says to this man will I look to him who is broken and of a contrite heart and who trembles at my word.

If you don't have a broken and contrite heart and you don't shake uncontrollably under the authority of God's holy word, God does not look upon you. He does not. Simple as that. But those who do, not only does but he loves, he saves, he restores, and he redeems them from all of their sin. See, salvation is about being saved from your sin. And that's what Christ wants to do. And that's why the bible says is not my word like a fire.

Is not my word like a hammer that shatters the rock. See, when you hear the word of God, it should be like a hammer on your heart. Just pound it away. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Why? Because our hearts need to be broken up. Be broken up. The word of God should be so hot. It's like a fire. Just burns and purifies all the iniquity that's there. It burns it away because it's ablaze with the glory of God. That's why you got to preach the word. Sometimes that seed that's preached falls on roadside soil that's hard and calloused.

Sometimes it falls on rocky soil. People who believe it quickly. But because it has no firm root, it falls away during times of temptation. Sometimes it falls on thorny soil. That too the word is received quickly. Real quick. But the cares of the world choke out the seed because there's something in the world that appeals to you more than the word appeals to you. And those people fall away as well. And sometimes that seed falls on good soil. And when it does, it produces great fruit. Some 30 fold, some 60 fold, some 100 fold.

What soil are you? Where are you with the word Jesus Christ? Have you passed the exam today? Do you know you stand with Christ? Is Jesus Christ in you? Have you passed the test or have you failed the test? Knowing the heart's condition based on what God has said in Luke chapter 8. My prayer for all those who come to Christ Community Church. They pass the test. They know for certain that their heart is good soil and fruit is being produced. They love the Lord. They love the appearing of the Lord. They love his word.

They want to be obedient to his word. And when trials and temptations come, they just dig those roots down deep and trust their God all the more. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for today. Thank you for your word. I know we've gone long today, Lord. It's so important that we understand this. You made it so clear, so clear. And I pray that, Lord, no one would leave this room today without the ironclad assurance that Jesus Christ truly is in them and that they love the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said, if any man does not love the Lord, let him be accursed.

I pray, Father, that we would love you. And thus we would serve you with all of our hearts. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.