We will continue to address the topic of spiritual growth, we will look more in depth on the conditions required to enhance growth.
We are going to unlock some powerful keys in scripture to equip you for growth, as well as addressing those things that prevent, or stunt growth.
A lot of these keys we will find in the parable of the sewer and the seed.
It is mentioned in all the synoptic, but we will take our text from,
Luke 8:1-15
I mentioned before that you have to read the whole chapter and even sometimes the preceding chapter to understand the text.
In verse four it mentions that at this particular teaching and healing service, many came from various towns and villages.
There is mixed multitude, there are some that are rich, some are middle class, some are from the clergy, some working class, some of them are beggars, and even ex prostitutes were present.
Hence the parable; and remember many of the parables that Jesus mentioned were situational, they had to do with the situation he was addressing at that time, and some were said in response.
The Parable then is about the situation he was addressing; it was about the people he was preaching to at that time.
So you will fit into one of these categories….I hope it is the last one
"Behold a sewer went to sow..
Jesus did not sermonise, he preached to the people, and addressed them and there issues, in light of the kingdom of God
A point which I think is major, and want I want to leave you with is that in the parable, all 4 areas receive the same seed, the real issue is where the seed lands.
Genesis 1: 11And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
The seed reproduces itself.
The seeds are not thrown one by one but collectively, it is just thrown out with the hope, and expectation that some of It will land on good soil.
"Some fell by the wayside, it was not targeted, or designated there, but it was the outcome.
It is exactly what Jesus was doing throwing out the seed of Gods word to the multitude there, amongst which the 4 categories existed.
It is then a church setting he is talking about because sinners never truly hear the word (seed), so it has to be people who are in earshot o the word being preached, a church setting, crusade or one to one.

God's word is a seed, Peter states that we are borne of incorruptible seed, of God's word.
The Wayside is hard ground, it has been trodden upon many times, so after a wile it begins to harden……It is a public pathway everything passes over it.

Explain
The seed word lands on the surface the persons heart but it never penetrates because of envy, malice strife, unbelief, scepticism, this is a killer for miracles, hardness of heart, we explained a few months ago what that was…to hear the word and not believe, or accept; to see a miracle and then it just does not register, as with the loaves and the fishes.
The word does not even penetrate so here comes the fowl, the birds that are already hovering; they swoon down and get the seed.
This person never gets past first base.
They attend crusades, others are healed, others are blessed, but they get nothing. They can sit through a whole service while the power of God is flowing untouched, unmoved, unconverted.
It is all about how we receive the word, peter says we must receive the engrafted word with meekness, not with intellect, we are not to analyse it but receive it by faith.
Remember the writer of Hebrews condemned the children of Israel as having a hard heart so the word did not profit, not being mixed with faith.
Remember it is the same seed
When the anointed man of God preaches he is scattering seed.
The gospel is like a dragnet, it goes out for everything then you pick out the good fish.
Some fell on a rocky ground, this kind of ground is more familiar to the Middle East stony ground, with some earth that has collected over the years but it is always shallow.
This one is not so noticeable, the only measuring stick with this one is time, time will tell.
The word was received with joy, there is even apparent growth, they may even take on a role in church, they may come to all the meetings for a time…..because someone told them that Jesus will make there life better, someone told them that they would be rich, good-looking, expand in business, they would be blessed and highly favoured, there families would love them ect , they would have two children a girl called Jordan, and one called Beckman, and they would have a big house in the country like the Walton's,
Jesus does not just come and enhance your life, Jesus comes and takes it over.

It is not a franchise, it is a take over. So for a while they experience what I call a grace period, Then in reality life is not so in fact sometimes your family and friends will not understand tour decision for Christ…when we study namely Luke's exposé on the life of Jesus, he grows in stature was baptized then the Spirit led him into the wilderness, this person mentioned in the parable goes into the wilderness there life is like a spiritual bulldozer just went through.
Paul is instructing the young man Timothy and tells him that they that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Jesus said if any man will come after me let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.
Paul talks about the offence of the cross
He is now offended, Christian living is not so easy, yet it is more than possible to live it in victory in fact Paul said we are more than conquers.
In The Holy Bible
Romans 8:34 (NKJV)
Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written:
"For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Contrary to common belief we actually triumph through these things.
But this man in the parables fades away because the ground was to shallow, so it failed to produce good fruit, the elements sun heat, cold withered the plant away...this addresses church hoppers, they never stay long enough in a ministry to develop roots, a little bit of trouble and they are off.
I have in twenty three years of ministry never seen a strong balanced church hopper, they always have a lot of baggage, skeptical, cynical, unruly, and they break the first commandment, thou shalt have no other Gods before me.
They have created there own God, there own view of God, a God that does not have authority or work through authority.
A God in there image, how they are is how they view God.
But the bible is clear and says that we should be made into Gods image.
We are not the ones to do the molding.
This walk is a walk of Patience
But this individual does not have enough roots, so when the hot middle eastern sun, beats down there isn't any moisture, so it eventually withers and dies.
Then the seed fell on good ground but the location was not that good because, it was amonst thorne and other prickley thorns and weeds.
Some Fell Among Thorns
There are three words that are significant here in verse 14..Cares…Riches….and Pleasures of this world.
So in this category the earth, or soil is good, but it is what is growing with it, that is the problem.
This seed does grow, it can even cope with the sun because it has good roots. The problem is that while it is growing, and at first the thorns are and weeds not noticeable, but as they grow, they start to entwine the plant, they never quite kill it, but the plant will never produce good fruit, because they moisture of the rain, and energy of the sun is absorbed by the weed, and the weed begins to choke the plant.
Cares
The cares worries and concerns about this meager life, james calls it a vapour. Some Christians are so wrapped up in there own lives, I dare not ask them to get involved in a ministry. They worry about money education, there position in life.
Let me tell you my position in life might not be so great but I have a position in Heaven, seated in heavenly places, Hallelujah!
Riches
A person that is constantly pursuing wealth, at any cost, they have to keep up with the Jones's they must have the biggest house, the best car, they seem in content, with there status.
They are Christians that are covetous
Even pastors get caught up in it, they must have the biggest church, the biggest ministry, best car, a yacht, and even some have a Jet.
All because John gave a greeting to the church " I would that thou mayest prosper"
We have created a doctrine out of it.
Be rich in God, be rich in prayer, give to him, and not just to get back.
Pleasure
How much time is taken up in personal amusement
This Is a pleasure seeking generation, let us delight in the things of God
Let us adjust our tate bud to the things of god.

Some fell on Good ground
This person is receptive to the word, he or she has faith in Christ, they build there lives in and around Christ.
They do not only hear the word, but they do it.

It was all worth it for these people. Forget the other categories, this is really what the husbandman was waiting for.
This person is not only one that attends church, he is the church, they do not only receive ministry but they also give, they influence and direct many to the kingdom
These are faithful church members, faithful servants of God, there values are different.
Christ is all.

It is all worth it
The devil could not choke it, dry it out by the sun, this fruit cannot wither

Read Psalms 1