Be 100 Times More Fruitful Series

Thorns

Lots of scripture - good soil - The point is life, growth and making a difference!

The parable of the sower is found in Mt.13, Mk.4, Lk.8. Mt.13:1-8 reads like this, “That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop - a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Good soil exists to produce good fruit - You are here to produce fruit!

Visualize a fruitless life!

Mt.3:8 & Lk.3:8 tell us “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” Phil.2:13

Lk.6:44 says a tree is recognized by its fruit.

Mt.7:17-18 continues, “Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.”

Col.1:10 challenges us to - Live a life worthy of the Lord pleasing Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God...”

Just a note: Outside that context nothing makes sense!

Outside that context this world makes no sense.

Outside that context eternity makes no sense.

There are 2 different kinds of fruit He produces as we allow:

1st, He produces fruit in you:

Gal.5:19-23 contrasts the fruit of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit saying: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control...”

2nd, He produces fruit in the world through you: Col.1:6 tells us the gospel is bearing fruit and growing all over the world.

This is a reference to the Great Commission He has called each of us to: Mt.28:18-20 - Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

If you aren’t seeing both of those types of fruit in increasing measure in your life, the parable of the sower will clear this up.

The sower lays out three scenarios:

Some seed fell on the road and it never came to life.

Other seed fell in rocky soil and it didn’t grow.

Other seed fell in soil that was full of thorns...that seed did come to life, it did grow but it never produced fruit.

Remember, the point is life, growth and making a difference!

Mt.13:7-8 and v.22 describes the seed that fell in the thorny soil this way - “Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop - a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown...The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.”

Did you hear that?

Mt.13, Mk.4, Lk.8 say The worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, riches and pleasures and the desires for other things choke you and keep you from maturing and bearing fruit.

Apopneego - to choke, suffocate or drown!

Comes from the root Pneego meaning to strangle or wring one’s neck.

How serious is choking? Physically why was everyone worried last night?

Do we have that same response to spiritual choking?

Imagine the horror of being choked, strangled or drowned - spiritual sense.

Video

We are living in a prison we have created. We are being strangled by our own hands, choking on our own desires and drowning in our own selfishness.