Good Soil and the Appointed Hour
August 7, 2024 · 1:41:38 · Watch on YouTube ↗
Summary
The service opened with a steadying word: the trouble we dread may never come, or may arrive far gentler than we fear, and if it does strike in full force, the Lord gives strength to bear it, for He never lays on us more than we can carry. The first message then opened Matthew 13 and its parables of the Kingdom - the sower, the wheat and tares, the mustard seed, and the leaven.
The preacher pressed one truth home: God's word is living seed that always bears fruit when it lands on good soil, so the real question is the condition of our own heart. A buzzing phone, business worries, and restless thoughts harden us into the trodden path from which the enemy snatches the word away. We should not settle for a thirty-fold harvest but gird ourselves and ask God for a hundredfold, remembering that we too are sowers and must seek His wisdom to correct others gently, without uprooting the wheat.
A guest reminded the church from Matthew 7 that not everyone who says 'Lord, Lord' will enter, only those who do the Father's will. A visiting brother from a church in Kentucky then preached from Jeremiah 46:17 on Pharaoh who missed his appointed time, and on Jesus weeping over a Jerusalem that failed to know its hour of visitation. With testimony of healing and prophetic warnings of coming upheaval and war, he urged believers to keep oil in their lamps, watch over their children, and be ready for the Lord's soon return.
Key Points
- God's word is living seed that bears certain fruit when it falls on a prepared heart
- We are responsible for our own soil - clearing the noise, worry, and distraction that let the enemy steal the word
- Do not settle for a thirty-fold harvest; ask God to make your life fruitful a hundredfold
- We are sowers too, scattering seed by our words and presence, so correct others with gentleness and God's wisdom
- Saying 'Lord, Lord' is not enough - only doing the Father's will leads into the Kingdom
- Like Pharaoh and Jerusalem, we can miss the appointed time; recognize the hour of God's visitation
- Keep oil in your lamp, watch over your family, and stay ready for the Lord's return
Devotional
Today God's word fell again on the soil of your heart, so what condition did it find there? Quiet the noise that scatters your attention, set aside the worries that crowd out the seed, and let the word take deep root. Do not be content with a small harvest when the Lord is offering a full one. The appointed hour is a gift that will not wait forever, so receive His word now, keep oil in your lamp, and let nothing slip past while there is still time.
“God's word is living seed - it never returns empty when it lands in a heart ready to receive it.”
“Do not settle for a thirty-fold harvest; ask the Lord to make your life fruitful a hundredfold.”
“Pharaoh missed his appointed time; do not let the hour of God's visitation slip past you.”
