Message Notes

I wrote earlier this week that I felt like this week was a week when I was able to get out of the way and let Christ write the message. I did get out of the way and He did have his way with the message. Each week I ask my wife how I did. This week she gave me a 10. She usually doesn't do that. I usually get an 8 or so. She's an honest gauge.

I'm talking about Shifting our faith from a me-centered faith to a He-centered faith. The illustration I gave was that of dinner. If I eat at a resturant I sit back to have someone wait on me. At the end of my meal I may tip if I like what was given to me. If I go to a friend's home for dinner I offer to help (prepare or clean up). I asked our people how do they treat their faith. Is our faith one where we simply sit back and treat our experience as a business exchange or one where we are honored to be in the home of someone we love?

I'll leave you with the text from Matthew 13 along with the 4 types of people we talked about:

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

¹That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ²Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed.

⁴As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.

⁵Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.

⁸Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹He who has ears, let him hear."

Continued…

¹⁸"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:

Those who are in Spiritual Poverty:

¹⁹When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

Those who are Spiritually Perishing:

²⁰The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.

Those who are in Spiritual Panic:

²²The 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.

Those who are in Spiritual Production:

²³But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.