10/16/2016
How To Become Fruitful For God
John 15:8 Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.
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Luke 8:1-4 Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, He told this parable:
Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, & the birds came & 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, & they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up & choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew & produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times. Luke 8:5-8
Listen To The Teaching of The Lord’s Word
Luke 8:8-10 When He said this, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you…
Do Not Just Hear The Word—DO IT!
…but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ Matthew 13:11-15
A Disciple Is Devoted To The Lord’s Word
Matthew 13:16-17 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it!
Teaching Is Seminal Instruction
Luke 8:11-12 This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the Word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
Prepare for God’s Teaching To be Tested In You
Luke 8:13 Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.
Do Not Allow Distraction From God’s Word
Luke 8:14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.
Hear It, Retain It, Persist In It!
Luke 8:15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.