Sermon Central
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Hear Again, Retain, Persevere (H A R P God’s Word) Series
Contributed by Paul Clemente on Feb 6, 2012 (message contributor)
Summary: God is looking for "good soil", noble and good hearts which hears, retains, and persevere in God’s Word.
We have been studying the Gospel of Luke and we have been learning from the parable of the Sower and the Seeds. Today, we will look at the ultimate type of people God is looking for, the ultimate type of Christian!
What type of Christian are you?
Please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 8. Let us first look at v8-10….
Let us pray……
Read along with me now Luke 8:4-15…….
Seeds are scattered for the purpose of growing a plant which will produce a beneficial crop for harvest! God tells us that the parable of the Sower and Seeds is about God sharing His truths and what type of people will grow and produce a crop.
Jesus talks about 4 types of people who hear the Word of God:
1. Allow the devil to steal truths from them and so they are eternally judged.
2. Believe for a while, but when questioned they give up.
3. Allow life’s worries, riches and pleasures “choke” their spiritual lives.
4. Retain and persevere with the Word of God.
Why does God scatter His Word to people? God is looking for good soil, noble and good hearts, so that there will be spiritual growth and yielding of much fruit! This is God’s desire for you and me! Will God find noble and good hearts amongst us today?
We had noted a few weeks ago that Jesus emphasized the importance of faith. Luke chapter 7 is all about faith. We have learned that,
Faith:
• is believing in what God says!
• is taking action in what you believe!
• in Jesus Christ saves one from eternal judgment.
If we say we have faith in Jesus Christ, then we are saying we believe in Him and His Words and we will commit to doing what He says! From Luke 8:14, Jesus tells us 4 words we are to know and do: noble, good, retain, and persevere. What do they mean and how do we apply them?
1.We are to have noble hearts!
The original Greek word for noble here is kalos which simply means beautiful, good, worthy!
How beautiful, good, and worthy are our hearts?
If we are honest, many of us do not have beautiful, good, and worthy hearts. How can we have noble hearts?
Who is the only one who is beautiful, good, and worthy??
If we have Jesus Christ in our hearts, we will have noble hearts! Jesus says to Christians in Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door (of your heart) and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
Does your heart looks like this picture?
God is looking for noble hearts to plant His Word so it will grow and produce fruit! Open your heart to Jesus and allow Him to sit on the throne of your life and you will have a noble heart.
2. We are to have a good heart!
How can we have a good heart? A good heart is a cleansed heart, no unconfessed sins!
We must always check our hearts and check if Jesus is in control; if not, we are to confess our sins. 1John 1:9 states, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Confess your sins and claim the forgiveness of sins through the cross of Jesus Christ and you will have a good heart.
3. We are to retain what we hear from God!
The original Greek word for retain here is katecho which means to hold fast or to take possession of.
Colossians 3:16 tells us, Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
How often do we really think about what Jesus has said? Yes, ask often WWJD, but remember it is better to ask daily WWJWMTD!
4. We are to persevere in the Word of Christ!
I think the appropriate Scripture to remember for this is Hebrews 12:1-2a, Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
What will happen with God’s Word to you today?
What type of “soil” will you be for your Creator God?
Before Communion, take a moment to quietly pray to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Read again the following Scriptures and Commit to remembering and doing them:
