How To Sustain Spiritual Momentum

For a CD of over 100 of sermons by Darrell Stetler II (most complete with handouts), please e-mail darrellstetler2@sbcglobal.net.

Mark 4:3 "Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.

4 "And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the path; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.

5 "Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.

6 "But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.

7 "And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

8 "But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirty times as much, some sixty, and some a hundred."

9 And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.

14 "The sower sows the word.

15 "Some people are like seed along the path. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.

16 "Some are like the seed sown on rocky places, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;

17 "Because they have no root, they last only a short time. Afterward, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

18 "Some people are like the seed sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word,

19 "and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

20 "But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirty times as much, some sixty, and some a hundred."

How to Sustain Spiritual Momentum

A lady called American Airlines and asked the reservation clerk, "How long does it take to get from Dallas-Fort Worth to Frankfort, Germany?" The clerk had to wait a moment for the information to come up on her computer screen, so she said, "Just a minute." The caller responded, "Thanks very much," and hung up!

Too many people think that too grow as a Christian takes, “Just a minute.”

Three common mistakes New Christians make: momentum busters.

Football team was in the locker room at halftime, down by two touchdowns. The coach was firing them up: “And now, I want you to go out there and KILL ‘EM!”

The team began to chant, “Kill ‘em, kill ‘em, kill ‘em kill ‘em, kill ‘em, kill ‘em, KILL ‘EM KILL ‘EM!!!!!” They leaped to their feet, and ran for the door, still shouting. But when they hit the door, it didn’t give. It had locked behind them, and they had to pound on the door, until someone came to unlock it.

Needless to say, the momentum of the moment was gone.

1. Forgetting what you heard.

"When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.”

Last week, God’s Spirit spoke to your heart. This week, don’t let Satan snatch that away from you. You’ve got to remember!

2. Failing to actively grow.

16 "These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

17 "and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.

They have no root = they have no system to ____________ themselves.

“We don’t grow automatically – we _________ automatically.” - John Maxwell

3. Getting too busy for God.

"Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (Mark 4:18-19)

“We are too busy making money, paying our bills, trying to scramble to the top of the heap, and facing life’s challenges in general… Our attention is fastened almost solely upon this world, and we give scarcely a thought to the next.”

Too busy to sharpen the axe.

What’s your priority? Is it your relationship with God, or is it making another dollar? If you’re too busy, and put other things in first place, it will hinder your progress, and will eventually kill your relationship with God.

Often, being BUSY is the enemy of being HOLY.

HOW TO SUSTAIN SPIRITUAL MOMENTUM

"But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirty times as much, some sixty, and some a hundred." (Mark 4:8)