THE SOWER, THE SEED AND THE HEART OF MEN.

Part III THE GOOD AND HONEST HEART

LUKE 8:4-15

THE POINT

WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE HEART FOR THE LAST THREE WEEKS. TODAY WE WANT TO CLOSE THIS SERIE WITH THE GOOD HEART. WHAT IS A GOOD AND HONEST HEART. IT IS SIMPLY A HEART THAT IS NOT A WAY SIDE, NEITHE A STONY NOR A THORNY HEART. IF OUR HEART IS NEITHER OFT THESE THREE KIND OF HEARTS, THAT JESUS HIMSELF DEFINED, THEN OUR HEART IS A GOOD AND HONEST HEART. THEREFORE WE MUST WATCH OVER OUR HEARTS AND PREVENT IT FROM BECOMING A WAY SIDE HEART, STONY AND THORNY. HOW DO WE DO THAT IS WHAT THE LORD WANTS TO TEACH US THIS MORNING.

LUKE 8:4-94 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6 Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." 9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant.

LUKE 8:10-1310 He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, " 'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.' 11 "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 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. 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.

LUKE 8:14-1514 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. 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.

THE FOUR KINDS OF HEARTS

THE WAY SIDE HEARTTHE STONY HEARTTHE THORNY HEARTTHE GOOD HEART

THE KINDS OF HEART

THE PROBABILITY OF HAVING A GOOD HEART IS JUST 25%.75% OF PEOPLE MAY HAVE ONE OF THE BAD HEARTS.

GOD GIVES A GOOD HEART

Ezekiel 36:26“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you, your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

GOD GIVES A GOOD HEART

James 1:17“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

KEEPING THE GOOD HEART

THE GOOD HEART IS KEPT THROUGH REJECTION OF ALL THE OTHER KIND OF

HEARTS.THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MAN

REJECTING THE WAY SIDE HEART

IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MAN TO REJECT THE WAY SIDE KIND OF HEART.

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was

trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. “12 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.

REJECTING THE STONY HEART

IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MAN TO REJECT THE STONY OF HEART.

“6 Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.”

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.

REJECTING THE THORNY HEART

IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MAN TO REJECT THE THORNY OF HEART.

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

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.

KEEPING THE GOOD HEART

THE GOOD HEART IS KEPT THROUGH ACCEPTATION OF THE WORD OF GOD.

YOU MUST ACCEPT THAT WHAT GOD SAYS AND COOPERATE WITH GOD TO PRODUCE WHAT HE SAYS.

Mark 4:20“Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the

word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

KEEPING THE GOOD HEART

THE GOOD HEART RECEIVED FROM GOD MUST BE KEPT IN TOTAL HONESTY BEFORE GOD.THIS IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MAN.

JUDAS AND SATAN

John 1321 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me." 22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him which one he means." 25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?" 26 Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

JUDAS AND SATAN

JUDAS DID NOT ACCEPT THE WORD OF JESUS. HE REJECTED THE TRUTH OF THE WORD OF

JESUS AND SATAN ENTERED INTO HIM.John 13

21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me." 25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?" 26 Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

THE GOOD HEART MUST BE HONEST

HONESTY IS KEY IN KEEPING THE GOOD HEART THAT GOD

HAS GIVING TO US.

PETER AND SATAN

THE NATURAL LOVE OF PETER OPENED HE DOOR FOR SATAN TO INFLUENCE AND SPEAK THROUGH HIM

MATTHEW 1621 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

YIELDING TO THE WILL OF GOD

PETER DID NOT WANT TO YIELD TO THE WILL OF GOD AND THEREFORE

HE GAVE WAY TO SATAN TO INFLUENCE HIM

KEEPING THE GOOD HEART

THE PURIFYING POWER OF THE WORD OF GODNumbers 19:9

“A man who is clean will gather up the ashes of the young cow. He must put them in a place that is clean. The place must be outside the camp. The ashes will be kept by the community of Israel. They will be added to the special water. The water will be used to make people pure from their sin.”

BE BLESSED

BEWARE OF THE THORNY HEART