All right, well, it's great to be here.
Thank you so much, Pastor Shelley,
for allowing me to preach,
and thank all of you for being so hospitable
and taking us in as we moved here.
It's been great being here the last couple months,
and happy to be a part of this church.
Definitely happy to be a part of Pastor Shelley's vision
as well.
Let's look at Matthew 13, verse number 18.
The Bible reads, "Hear ye, therefore,
"the parable of the sower.
"When anyone heareth the word of the kingdom
"and understandeth it not,
"then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away
"that which was sown in his heart.
"This is he which received seed by the wayside.
"But he that received the seed into stony places,
"the same as he that heareth the word,
"and anon with joy receiveth it.
"Yet hath he no root in himself, but durth for a while,
"for when tribulation or persecution ariseth
"because of the word, by and by he is offended.
"Also, he also that received seed among the thorns
"is he that heareth the word,
"and the care of this world and the deceitfulness
"of riches choke the word and he becomeeth unfruitful.
"But he that received seed into the good ground
"is he that heareth the word and understandeth it,
"which also beareth fruit and bringeth forth
"some in hundredfold, some 60, some 30."
And the title of my sermon this morning
is Lessons in Longevity.
Lessons in Longevity.
Let's have a word of prayer real quick.
Lord, thank you so much for this day
and thank you for the opportunity to preach.
Pray that you fill me with the Holy Spirit.
Pray that you bless Pastor Shelley
as he's preaching in Washington today.
Pray that you'd bless Sure Foundation Baptist Church
as they deal with all of their protesters.
Pray that you'd strengthen them.
And I pray that the people would be ready
to receive your word today.
In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
Lessons in Longevity.
You know, this is a very famous parable.
This is a very famous chapter in the Bible.
There's so many different sermons
you could preach off of this.
But what I wanna focus on this morning
is what is the difference between people
that quit serving God and people that bear fruit?
What is the difference between these four type of people?
Why is it that some of them do not serve God?
And why is it that that good ground brings forth fruit?
That's what I wanna know because here's the thing.
I don't wanna just be serving God in the year 2020.
I don't wanna just be serving God in my 20s.
I wanna be serving God for the rest of my life.
And every single person in here should have that same desire
to continue serving God.
What good is it if you serve God this year
and then you live the rest of your life
and it's just vanity.
The rest of your life doesn't matter.
We want our lives to matter.
We want to be the type that brings forth fruit.
I'll read Psalms 23 verse six.
The Bible says, "Surely goodness and mercy
"shall follow me all the days of my life
"and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
That's the attitude King David had.
That's the attitude I think every single person
in this church wants to have,
to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
So keep your finger there in Matthew 13
and go to Mark chapter four.
Keep your finger there throughout the sermon.
Mark chapter four.
Let's define some terms here first before we get into it.
Look at verse number 14, Mark chapter four.
"The sower soweth the word."
So in this parable, when it's talking about the seed,
it's obviously talking about the word of God.
That's what's being sown in people.
And when it's talking about the sower,
that's obviously any type of preacher.
I'll read for you Romans 10, 18.
The Bible says, "But I say, have they not heard?
Yes, verily, their sound went into all the earth,
and their words unto the ends of the world."
Every single person in this world today
has the opportunity to get saved if they want it.
Every single person in this world today
has the opportunity to hear the word of God
if they're seeking for it.
There is not these pygmies in Africa
that have no chance of salvation.
The Bible says that the words of God
went into all the world, into all the earth.
And today, if you're a person that wants to know the truth,
you will find the truth.
I'll read to you Matthew 7, 7.
The Bible says, ask, and it shall be given to you.
Seek and ye shall find.
Knock and it shall be opened unto you.
For everyone that asketh, receiveth,
and he that seeketh, findeth.
And to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.
So all groups of people, all of the type of ground
pictured in this parable,
they all have the word of God sown to them.
And that is indicative of the fact
that every single person in this world has the word of God
available to them if they seek it.
Even if you are in a country that's completely godless,
the Bible says that if you seek truth, you will find it.
And if you are heading down the road of truth,
that road will always end at the cross of Jesus Christ.
And if you want to know God, you will find the truth.
So that is what we have to understand first of all.
Let's look at the first group.
Go back to Matthew 13, the first group of people.
We're not gonna spend a lot of time on this group
because this is the unsaved.
I wanna focus on what's the difference
between the people that are saved that serve God and don't.
Matthew chapter 13, verse 19.
When anyone heareth the word of this kingdom
and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one
and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart.
This is he which received seed by the wayside.
Now notice this person obviously is not saved
because they say that the Bible says
that they do not understand the word.
If you don't understand the word of God,
if you don't understand the gospel, how can you be saved?
Obviously you're not gonna be saved
if you don't understand the gospel.
But notice it says that they did hear the word.
So the unsaved have heard the word today.
It's not that they don't have the chance to be saved.
It's just that they don't understand it
because the devil has taken away
that which they heard in their heart.
They grow up in a false religion
and the devil deceives them
into believing something different.
But let's go to the second group of people, verse 20.
But he that received the seed into stony places,
the same as he that heareth the word
and anon with joy receiveth it.
So I believe this person is saved.
They hear the word and they receive it.
Verse 21, yet hath he not root in himself,
but dearth for a while,
for when tribulation or persecution ariseeth
because of the word, by and by he is offended.
So the seed that's sown into stony places,
they're saved, they receive the word,
they endure for a while,
but why do they quit, the Bible says,
because they get offended.
And so number one, we have to realize,
why is it so many Christians stop serving God today?
It's because they get offended.
Why did they get offended?
Because of the tribulations and persecutions.
Why does tribulations and persecutions offend people?
Because they don't have the root.
Because they don't have the root in themselves.
And the reason why so many people today quit serving God
is because they get offended.
Because the slightest tribulation comes in their life,
the slightest persecution comes in their life,
and because they don't have that root
sewn down in their hearts,
because they're not founded on the word of God,
they get offended.
I'll read for you, turn to Matthew 26,
and I'll read for you.
First Corinthians 10, verse 12,
the Bible says, "Wherefore,
let him that thinketh he standeth,
take heed lest he fall."
And I bet you, in a church like this,
when we love hard preaching,
we love the preaching against the sodomites,
we love to hear all the things that the world
thinks is offensive today,
there's a tendency in churches like this
to think that we could never be offended.
The Bible says, "Take heed lest ye fall."
If you think that you can stand,
take heed lest ye fall,
because there is greater men than us
who have been offended before.
How about the Apostle Peter?
One of the closest disciples to the Lord Jesus Christ,
he got offended.
Look at Matthew 26.
Matthew 26, verse 31.
"Then saith Jesus unto them,
"All ye shall be offended because of me this night.
"For it is written, I will smite the shepherd,
"and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
"But after I am risen again,
"I will go before you into Galilee.
"Peter answered and said unto him,
"Though all men shall be offended with thee,
"or shall be offended because of thee,
"yet will I never be offended."
Jesus said unto him, "Verily I say unto thee,
"that this night before the cock crow,
"thou shalt deny me thrice."
Peter said unto him, "Though I should die with thee,
"yet will I not deny thee."
Likewise also said all the disciples.
And you know, it wouldn't be that crazy
if the disciples were saying stuff like this,
if also today in churches like this,
we might get puffed up with pride and say,
"I'll never be offended."
I can handle the preaching against the sodomites,
I can handle the preaching against the sins of this world,
and I'll never get offended by anything the pastor says.
Well, you know what?
Let him that think if he stands, he heed lest he fall.
Because even the men that spent their lives,
that spent every day with the word of God in the flesh,
still got offended.
Why is that?
Hey, because they obviously didn't have a strong enough root.
'Cause they obviously did not have
a strong enough foundation.
And anytime we get offended,
it's because that our foundation and our root
was not strong enough.
Because if our foundation and if our root
is strong in the word of God,
hey, we're never gonna get offended.
And the Bible actually says that,
I'll get to that in a minute.
Well, let's keep reading this story.
Let's look at verse 67, let's see what happens.
He promises, he promises that he's not gonna get offended,
he's not gonna deny him.
Look at verse 67, "Then did they spit in his face
"and buffeted him," talking about Jesus,
"and others smote him with the palms of their hands,
"saying, 'Prophesy unto us, thou Christ,
"who is he that smote thee?'
"Now Peter sat without in the palace,
"and a damsel came unto him, saying,
"'Thou also was with Jesus of Galilee.'
"But he denied before them all, saying,
"'I know not what thou sayest.'
"When he was gone out into the porch,
"another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there,
"'This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.'
"And again he denied with an oath, 'I do not know the man.'
"And after a while came unto him they that stood by,
"and said to Peter, 'Surely thou also art one of them,
"'for thy speech bereth thee.'
"Then began he to curse and to swear,
"saying, 'I know not the man.'
"And immediately the cock crew.
"And Peter remembered the word of Jesus,
"which said unto him, 'Before the cock crow,
"'thou shalt deny me thrice.'
"And he went out and wept bitterly."
So while the Lord Jesus Christ
is getting tortured in front of Peter's eyes,
right after he had promised that,
"Hey, even to death, I'm not gonna be offended in you.
"Even to death, I'm not gonna deny you."
What did it take for Peter to get offended?
It took a damsel coming to him,
asking him if he knows Jesus.
So hey, "Let him that thinketh he standeth,
"take heed, lest he fall."
He thought that he was real,
he was talking real big, he was talking real tough.
When he's standing next to the word of God every day,
saying, "I'll never be offended in you,"
what did it take?
A damsel to ask him a question,
a maid to ask him a question,
and that's all it took for him to be offended
to the point where he began to curse them and to swear,
right?
And what does that teach us?
Hey, you know, we're not that tough.
We're not tougher than Peter.
We're not more spiritual than the apostles
that walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.
We gotta realize that we can be offended as well.
And people today get offended for way less
than what Peter was going through.
'Cause before we get too hard on Peter,
at least he theoretically could have maybe been fearful
for his life because he saw what was about
to happen to Jesus.
You know, people get offended for way less than that today.
People get offended when you talk about moving
the church building, and they wanna quit church
because you talk about moving the church building.
You know, is your life in danger?
You know, are you watching Jesus getting beat and tortured?
No, you just get offended
for the littlest, tiniest things.
People today get offended and wanna quit serving God
because they disagree with their pastor on masks,
or disagree with their pastor on the coronavirus.
You know, it's like, oh, I don't like that
you went to live stream for a few weeks,
so I'm quitting church.
It's like, oh, I think we should be in church,
so I'm quitting church.
What sense does that make?
Makes no sense whatsoever.
You know, people today get offended so easily.
And if it's not our crowd, hey, our crowd sometimes
gets offended pretty easily.
How about the new evangelicals?
How about if you were to read them the Bible
and show them the stories where Jesus was whipping people
who were making God's house a house of merchandise?
That would offend them.
How about if you show them the verses in the Bible
that talks about God hates all the workers of iniquity?
That would offend them.
They would be offended by reading the book of Revelation.
So many Christians today would be offended
just by reading the words of God.
So before we get too hard on Peter,
we ought to look down in our own hearts
and see what we can handle.
Go to John chapter six, John chapter six.
We see an example in John chapter six
of Jesus' preaching offending people.
And preaching does offend people today.
John chapter six, verse 54, he's preaching a sermon here.
He says, "Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood
"hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
"For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
"He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood
"dwelleth in me and I in him.
"As the living Father hath sent me,
"and I live by the Father, so he that eateth me,
"even he shall live by me.
"This is that bread which came down from heaven,
"not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead.
"He that eateth of this bread shall live forever.
"These things said he in the synagogue,
"as he taught in Capernaum.
"Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this,
"said, this is an hard saying.
"Who can hear it?
"When Jesus knew in himself
"that his disciples murmured at it,
"he said unto them, doth this offend you?"
Now, why would this be offensive?
Well, he's in the synagogue.
He's preaching to the Pharisees and to the Jews
who are extremely carnal.
They don't understand spiritual things.
These people aren't saved.
And he's like, "Hey, let me give you
a real carnal application here
to expound a spiritual truth.
My flesh and my blood, eat it and drink it."
Now, is he saying that literally?
Is that literally what he's saying?
No, he's talking obviously about a spiritual salvation.
But can you see how that would be offensive
to someone who's really carnally minded, right?
To someone who's not saved?
So much so that even his disciples were offended at it.
Verse 62, "What if you shall see the Son of Man
ascend up where he was before?
It is the Spirit that quickeneth.
The flesh profiteth nothing.
The words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit,
they are life."
He's explaining.
I'm preaching a spiritual thing right now.
Verse 64, "But there are some of you that believe not.
For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that
believed not, and who should betray him.
And he said, 'Therefore said I unto you that no man can come
unto me, except it were given unto him of my father.'
From that time, many of his disciples
went back and walked no more with him.
Then said Jesus unto the 12, 'Will ye go away also?'
Then Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go?
Thou hast the words of eternal life.'"
What happened?
Jesus preaches a hard truth and many of his disciples
no longer walk with him.
Why?
Because, hey, when people get offended today,
they stop serving God.
Why do people get offended today?
Because of tribulation or persecution.
They're troubled at the word of God.
They're offended by the word of God.
Why is that?
Because they have no root.
They have no root.
And what was it?
At this time, Peter actually did the right thing.
What was it that caused him not to get offended
and to stay with Jesus?
He recognized that Jesus had the words of eternal life.
That is what's gonna help you from getting offended.
Loving God's word.
Peter didn't lean on his own understanding.
He trusted in God with all of his heart.
And when he saw that other people were getting offended,
he said, "Hey, Jesus, I know you have the words
"of eternal life.
"Where am I gonna go?
"You have the words of eternal life."
And that is how you prevent yourself from getting offended.
Loving God's word.
I'll read for you Psalm 119 verse 165.
"Great peace have they which love thy law
"and nothing shall offend them."
The stronger your foundation in the word of God is today,
the less likely you will be to get offended.
And when you see people getting offended today,
it tells you that they don't love God's law.
And hey, there's levels of love.
Some people love God's law way more than others.
Some people love it just a little bit.
But here's the thing, the more you're offended,
the more I can tell that you don't love God's word.
The less that you're offended,
the more I can tell that you do love God's word.
People today get offended when we preach hard
against the false prophets, right?
People today get offended
when we preach against John MacArthur
and say that John MacArthur is a reprobate.
You know, I'll read for you Romans 5.9.
The Bible says,
"Much more than being now justified by his blood,
we shall be saved from wrath through him."
Hey, maybe today if Christians loved Romans 5.9,
they wouldn't get so upset and so offended
when you say that John MacArthur is a false prophet.
Maybe when you love God's law and you say,
hey, John MacArthur that denies the blood of Jesus Christ
is going to hell and that he's a false prophet.
Maybe you wouldn't be offended by that.
Oh, you know, I don't think we should be happy
for false prophets that get their churches fined
and stuff like that.
Really?
When Asa in 2 Chronicles 14 took down the idols,
he burned all the false gods and the Bible says
that he did that which is right in the eyes of the Lord.
Hey, if you love God's law,
you're not gonna be offended by hard preaching.
You're not gonna be offended when you point out
that John MacArthur is a reprobate.
Why would you be offended by that?
Hey, it's because you obviously don't love God's law enough
'cause you're obviously wanting to lean
on your understanding more than you are God's word.
You're obviously wanting to just keep your opinions
and elevate your opinions above what the Bible says.
That's never right and that's a recipe
for yourself quitting on God someday
'cause you can't just handle getting offended forever.
Could you imagine just sitting in a church
where you're offended service after service after service?
You're not gonna last, but people who love God's word
are not offended at what I'm saying right now.
They love it because they love God's word.
This is the answer today to avoid getting offended.
And hey, our tribulations and our trials
are pretty small compared to the things
that the people went through in the Bible.
Hey, our tribulations and trials are pretty small
even for what Peter went through when he denied the Lord.
Obviously, that was wrong.
Obviously, even with the threat of physical death
on his life, he should have never
denied the Lord Jesus Christ.
But hey, our tribulations are, our family doesn't like us.
Our tribulation is, we get a door slammed in our face
every once in a while.
Our tribulation is that we have to drive an extra 15 minutes
to church, right?
Our tribulation, you know, like look at Sure Foundation
Baptist Church this morning.
They're getting protested again by the sodomites.
Hey, you know, that's not that big of a tribulation
and persecution compared to what people went through
in the Bible, right?
But even, no matter how big or small your tribulation is,
if you don't love God's word, you'll get offended
and you will quit.
If you don't love what the Bible says,
if you don't love what God teaches about the sodomites
and what God teaches about the reprobates,
hey, you're not gonna wanna keep going to the church
where they're congregating outside,
protesting you week after week after week.
Eventually, you'll get offended and you will quit.
That is the people in this first part of the parable.
I'll read, or go to Romans chapter five, please.
Romans chapter five, verse three.
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also,
knowing that tribulation worked with patience
and patience experience and experience hope
and hope makeeth not ashamed,
because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts
by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us.
What is the difference between Paul the apostle here,
who's saying, "Hey, I glory in tribulations,"
and between the Christian that gets offended
at the tribulations?
It's their root.
It's their foundation.
The apostle Paul had a deep root founded on the word of God
to the point where tribulations came, he gloried in that.
He rejoiced in his tribulations.
He was unwavering.
He was steadfast, unmovable.
Why is that?
Because he had a deep root in the word of God.
Because he loved the word of God.
Go to John chapter 21.
John chapter 21.
And we'll talk about Peter again,
because just because you get offended and quit,
that doesn't mean you're done for your whole Christian life.
You can come back.
If you're this person that gets offended and you quit,
it's not over for you for your whole Christian life.
You can come back.
John 21 verse 15.
So when they had dined, this is after Jesus' resurrection,
after Peter had denied the Lord,
Jesus sayeth to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas,
lovest thou me more than needs.
He sayeth unto him,
Yea Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.
He sayeth unto him, feed my lambs.
He sayeth unto him the second time,
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?
He sayeth unto him,
Yea Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.
He sayeth unto him, feed my sheep.
He sayeth unto him the third time,
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?
Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time,
lovest thou me?
And he said unto him,
Lord, thou knowest all things,
thou knowest that I love thee.
Jesus saith unto him, feed my sheep.
Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
when thou wast young, thou girdest thyself,
and walkest whither thou wouldest.
But when thou shalt be old,
thou shalt stretch forth thy hands,
and another shall gird thee,
and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
This make he, signifying by what death he should glorify God,
that when he had spoken this,
he saith unto him, follow me.
And that is the message today that Jesus has
for people that got offended, that quit serving him.
Hey, follow him.
Get back on the horse.
It doesn't matter if you got offended in times past,
you need to work on building that root now.
If you fell away, hey, build your foundation again.
Build your root again in the word of God.
Love his word and get back on the horse.
Don't quit just because you got offended.
Hey, people do quit because they get offended,
but that doesn't mean they have to stop serving God
for the rest of their life.
Sadly, that's the reality.
The reality is some people get offended
and they just quit forever,
but that does not have to be the case.
Jesus wants you to continue to follow.
Go back to Matthew 13.
Matthew 13.
So we saw the seed sown into stony places.
There are those that get offended.
Why? Because of tribulation and persecution.
Why does that offend them?
They have no root in the word of God.
The second group here, look at verse 22,
or the third group, sorry.
He also that received seed among the thorns
is he that heareth the word and the care of this world
and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word
and he becometh unfruitful.
What is another reason that people quit serving God today?
It's because of the deceitfulness of riches.
People quit serving God, number one,
because they get offended.
Number two, people quit serving God
because of the deceitfulness of riches.
Go to Matthew chapter six, flip back a few pages,
Matthew six, look at verse 24.
No man can serve two masters,
for either he will hate the one and love the other,
or else he will hold to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.
See, Jesus teaches us that you cannot serve two masters.
If you're gonna be serving God,
he has to be the number one priority in your life.
He has to take precedence over all things.
But if you're wanting to serve money,
if your main goal in life is to get rich,
to advance your career, to get riches on this earth,
you cannot serve God.
You're gonna either hold to the one and despise the other,
despise the other and hold to the one, right?
So here's the thing,
why is it the deceitfulness of riches?
Because riches deceive you
into thinking that you can do both.
Christians today are deceived into thinking,
oh, I could just build all this wealth
and focus solely on my career
and also serve God at the same time.
If you've been in church for a long time,
how many times have you heard,
well, you know, if I got rich,
I would just be able to do so many more missions trips,
and if I got rich,
I would just donate all this money to the church, right?
It never happens though.
Why does it never happen?
Because Jesus said you cannot serve two masters.
Now, there's nothing wrong with being rich.
There's nothing wrong with God blessing you,
but what is wrong is when you're laboring to be rich.
I'll read for you Proverbs 23 verse four.
The Bible says, "Labor not to be rich.
"Cease from thine own wisdom.
"Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?
"For riches certainly make themselves wings.
"They fly away as an eagle towards heaven."
So, you know, they think that they're gonna be able
to serve God and mammon,
but the Bible says, "Cease from your own wisdom.
"Don't labor to be rich."
If God blesses you with that, hey, that's one thing,
but if your goal in life is to be rich,
you will fail as a Christian.
You will stop serving God.
If your main focus in life
is all that you can amass on this earth,
you're not gonna make it for the long haul.
You're not gonna stay in the Christian life.
Another thing that riches deceive us about,
they deceive us into thinking that we can serve God, right?
Another thing that people get deceived about
is they think that riches will satisfy them.
That's why they chase after it,
is because they're deceived into thinking
that those riches will satisfy their life.
Go to Ecclesiastes chapter five.
Ecclesiastes chapter number five.
Verse 10, the Bible says,
"He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver,
"nor he that loveth abundance would increase."
This is also vanity.
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them.
And what good is there to the owners thereof?
Saving the beholding of them with their eyes.
The sleep of a laboring man is sweet,
whether he eat little or much,
but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
So it's a paradox because in the flesh,
we just think that all these riches
are gonna satisfy our desires, satisfy our needs.
People today, they're always trying to get
the biggest house they can,
the nicest truck they can get,
all these toys in their house.
But you know what, when they have that abundance,
the Bible says that it suffers them not to sleep.
Does it end up satisfying them?
No, it doesn't.
I wouldn't be satisfied if I couldn't sleep at night, okay?
The Bible says that the sleep of the laboring man is sweet.
What does that mean?
It means he's satisfied.
Hey, you're gonna be a satisfied man
if you work hard by the sweat of your face,
if you put in a lot of hours, if you work hard,
you're gonna be satisfied in life.
You're gonna be happy in life.
You know what brings happiness to your life?
Working hard, serving God.
Working hard, building something with your life,
working hard to provide for your family,
working hard, raising your children,
laboring in the word, studying the word of God,
those things will help you to have sweet, sweet sleep.
But when you are deceived by riches
and you think that those things are gonna satisfy you,
when you love silver, the Bible says,
you will never, ever, ever be satisfied with silver.
So here's the thing, if we know the Bible tells us
those things will never satisfy us, why do we love it?
Why do we incline our heart to the love of riches?
Why do we allow ourselves to put God aside to chase money
with our lives?
It's a recipe for disaster.
It's a recipe for you getting out of the will of God.
It's a recipe for you quitting church,
and it's a recipe for you to have a miserable life.
It's a recipe for you to not even be able to sleep at night
because of the abundance of your riches.
We gotta just avoid this.
Another thing that money can do is it could trick you,
it could deceive you into making bad decisions.
Go to Genesis 13, Genesis 13.
While you're turning here, I'll read for you 1 Timothy 6, 10.
"For the love of money is the root of all evil,
which while some coveted after,
they have pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
They were deceived.
They love money and they ended up getting pierced through
with many sorrows.
That's not what they sought out for.
Genesis 13, verse one.
"And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife,
and all that he had in lot with him, into the south.
And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold."
Notice, Abraham was very rich.
Verse three.
"And he went on his journeys from the south,
even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been
at the beginning, between Bethel and Haei,
unto the place of the altar which
he made there at the first.
And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord.
And Lot also, which went with Abram,
had flocks and herds and tents.
And the land was not able to bear them,
that they might dwell together, for their substance was great,
so that they could not dwell together.
And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle
and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle.
And the Canaanite and the Perizzite
dwelled in the land.
And Abram said unto Lot, let there be no strife,
I pray thee between me and thee,
and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen,
for we be brethren.
Is not the whole land before thee?
Separate, I pray thee, from me.
If thou wilt take the left hand,
then I will go to the right.
Or if thou depart to the right hand,
then I will go to the left.
So what happens here?
Abraham and Lot both have great substance.
They both have lots of cattle.
They both have just abundance of wealth.
And so much so that they're actually starting to fight
because the land that they're in
is not big enough for them.
They need to separate, right?
But notice, Abraham, although he had lots of money,
he did not let money base his decisions, did he?
Because you know what?
He said to Lot, hey, you choose wherever you wanna go.
You get to choose what land you want.
He's not sitting there thinking, well,
what's gonna be the best for my profit margin?
Which land is gonna be the absolute best
for me to make the most money?
You know, he said, hey, I don't want strife
between us brethren.
You go ahead and choose.
Now look at verse 10.
And Lot lifted up his eyes
and beheld all the plain of Jordan,
that it was well watered everywhere
before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah,
even as the garden of the Lord,
like the land of Egypt is thou comest unto Zohar.
Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan
and Lot journeyed east
and they separated themselves the one from the other.
Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan
and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain
and pitched his tent toward Portland, I mean Sodom.
So what happens here?
Lot, he does make his decisions based off money.
He looks, he says, what is the well watered ground?
What is gonna be the best for my bottom line?
What's gonna be the best that's gonna make me the most money?
And he looked towards the well watered plains
and he pitched his tent towards Sodom.
He let money make a decision for him
that ended up making him pitch his tent
and eventually live in the most wicked place
in the entire world.
How does that happen?
Because of the deceitfulness of riches.
The love of riches deceived Lot into ruining his whole life.
Do you think that Lot planned on his wife
being turned into a pillar of salt?
Do you think that Lot planned on having children
with his own daughters after they got him drunk?
Being a grandfather to his own daughters?
Do you think that's what Lot chose?
No, but you know what?
The love of money is the root of all evil.
And when you allow the deceitfulness of riches
to deceive your heart,
it's gonna take you places you never thought you would go.
That's why people get into way deeper and darker sin
than they ever intended to go into
because of the deceitfulness of riches.
So why is it today that people quit serving God?
Obviously because people get offended.
That's a huge reason.
But another reason, possibly even a bigger reason,
is because of the deceitfulness of riches.
Especially here in the United States
where there's such an abundance.
Where this is the easiest country in the world
to become rich if you want to.
If you want to, this is the easiest place to do it.
You have never-ending opportunity.
Hey, if you're a smart person and your goal
is to get rich in the United States of America
and that's what you want to do,
you can do it if that's what you want.
But not if you want to serve God.
You want to allow the deceitfulness of riches
to come into your life.
Hey, you could end up in a life like lot here,
ending up pitching his tent toward Sodom,
his life destroyed, why?
Because of the love of money.
And that is a huge reason
why people quit serving God today.
Go to Joshua chapter six, Joshua chapter six,
let's look at another example
of how the love of money can ruin people.
Verse 16, "Right as they're about to destroy Jericho,
"and it came to pass at the seventh time
"when the priest blew with the trumpets,
"Joshua said unto the people,
"'Shout, for the Lord hath given you the city,
"'and the city shall be accursed,
"'even it and all and that are therein.'
"To the Lord, only Rahab the harlot shall live,
"she and all that are with her in the house,
"because she hid the messengers that we sent.
"And ye in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing,
"lest ye make yourselves accursed
"when ye care when you take of the accursed thing,
"and make the camp of Israel accursed and trouble it."
Verse 19, "But all the silver and gold
"and vessels of brass and iron are consecrated unto the Lord,
"they shall come into the treasury of the Lord."
So what happens, they're about to destroy Jericho
and Joshua says, "Everything in this city
"besides Rahab and her harlot, or I'm sorry,
"and their family, Rahab the harlot and their family,
"they're gonna be accursed.
"If you take any of this stuff, all of the silver,
"all of these things, hey, they're dedicated to the Lord.
"And if you take this stuff, you yourself would be accursed."
What happens, go to Joshua seven, verse one,
"But the children of Israel committed a trespass
"in the accursed thing, for Achan, the son of Carmite,
"the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah,
"took of the accursed things, and the anger of the Lord
"was kindled against the children of Israel."
What would cause someone, after hearing the preaching
of God's word, after hearing that if you do this,
you will be accursed, what would cause someone
to disregard that and go ahead and just do it anyway?
Because they're deceived by riches.
The nature of the love of money is a very deceitful thing.
So much so that even though Achan heard the truth,
even though he knew what was gonna happen to him,
when he decided to covet after the riches
that were in that city, he thought in his mind
that it would be worth it, to take it.
And the wrath of God was kindled against him
in all the camp, and look what happens in verse number 20,
verse 20, "And Achan answered Joshua and said,
"Indeed, I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel,
"and thus and thus have I done.
"When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonian garment
"and 200 shekels of silver and a wedge of gold,
"50 shekels weight, then I coveted them and took them,
"and behold, they are hid in the earth,
"in the midst of my tent and the silver under it."
So Joshua sent messengers and they ran under the tent,
and behold, it was hid in this tent and the silver under it.
And they took them out of the midst of the tent
and brought them unto Joshua and unto all the children of Israel
and laid them out before the Lord.
And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah
and the silver and the garment and the wedge of gold
and his sons and his daughters and his oxen and his asses
and his sheep and his tent and all that he had.
And they brought them unto the valley of Acre.
Joshua said, "Why hast thou troubled us?
"The Lord shall trouble thee this day."
And all Israel stoned him with stones
and burned them with fire
after they had stoned them with stones.
What happened?
Because of his covetousness,
because he allowed the deceitfulness of riches
to enter his heart,
he ended up getting killed for it.
It's kinda hard to serve God when you're dead, okay?
Now here's the thing.
Why do people quit serving God?
Because of the deceitfulness of riches.
And because of that,
sometimes people can allow the love of money
to root so deeply in their heart
that they go down a road to where their chastisement
could literally be God killing them
because of the love of money.
And the funny thing is, what happened?
Joshua took all that stuff that he wanted
and he burned it anyways.
And us as Christians, the world may be able to get away
with living a life serving money
and have a happy life or whatever,
but then they're just gonna go to hell right after.
You though, if you're gonna trade serving God
and go after money, you know what?
Joshua was just gonna take all that stuff that you mass
and just burn it anyways.
Then you're gonna go to heaven with nothing.
No eternal rewards because all of the things
you spent your time on were just the wood, hay and stubble.
It's a waste of time.
I'll read for you Matthew 6, go back to Matthew 13.
Matthew 6, 33 says, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God
"and his righteousness and all these things
"shall be added unto you."
Contentment is the cure for avoiding this pitfall
of quitting on God because of the deceitfulness of riches.
Be content, seek God first, and he'll add everything
that you need to be happy in life.
Let's look at the last group here mentioned,
Matthew chapter 13, verse 23.
"But he that received seed into the good ground
"is he that heareth the word and understandeth it,"
this person's also saved, "which also beareth fruit
"and bringeth forth some in hundredfold,
"some sixty and some thirty."
What is the difference today?
We've seen a couple reasons so far
why people quit serving God.
Number one, because they get offended.
They get offended at the tribulations,
at the persecutions.
Why does that offend them?
They don't have the root.
Number two, we see that people get offended
because of the deceitfulness of riches, right?
But what is the difference between the people
that are saved, that quit,
and the people that bring forth fruit,
that are profitable to God,
that keep going in the Christian life?
It's their mindset.
People that bring forth fruit are focused on the mission.
Bringing forth fruit does not happen by accident.
It is something that you have to purpose in your mind
to train to do, to learn how to give the gospel,
to learn how to bring forth fruit.
It does not happen accidentally.
How is it that people bring forth fruit,
they purpose in their heart to do that?
They had their mindset set on that.
What is our mission today?
Mark 16, go to John 15.
Mark 16, 15 says, and he said unto them,
go ye therefore into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature.
That is our mission today.
And these people that bring forth fruit,
what is it talking about?
It's talking about soul winning.
Bringing forth fruit, some 30, some 60, some 100.
I'll read for you in Proverbs 11, 30, the Bible says,
the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and he that wineth souls is wise.
What is our fruit that we bring forth?
It's souls.
It's winning people to Christ.
You have to have the mentality to do that.
Now, the sad thing is,
lots of Christians don't even believe in soul winning.
In fact, yesterday, when I was writing this sermon,
I was at a barbecue place over by the new church,
Soul Man's Barbecue.
This message is brought to you in part
by Soul Man's Barbecue, okay?
I was writing my sermon there,
and I was just sitting down to eat.
I hadn't written it yet, but I had my laptop,
and I had my Bible.
And there was like eight or 10 people there talking,
and I could hear that they were probably Christians.
You know, I heard some buzzwords.
You know, Jesus, spirituality, discipleship.
And I was like, okay, they're new evangelicals.
You know, they're having their little Bible study.
And so they come over to me and they see my Bible,
and they're like, hey, we just want to invite you
to this Bible study.
You know, I was being really nice to them.
I was like, oh, thank you very much.
You know, I'm not gonna be able to make it.
I'm actually writing a sermon right now,
you know, for tomorrow's service.
And they're like, oh, great.
You know, what are you writing your sermon on?
I told them I was gonna talk about the difference
between those that quit on God and those that keep going.
And they're like, tell us.
And I was like, well, a lot of people get offended.
A lot of people are deceived by the deceitfulness of riches.
But those that bring forth fruit
are those that are focused on soul winning.
And they're like, oh, yeah, yeah.
You know, a lot of people do get discouraged
and quit on God because they don't see any fruit.
You know, because we really can't bring forth any fruit.
It's only God that can do that.
All we can do is just abide in Christ, you know,
and try to live our lives the best way we can.
And then God will bring forth the fruit.
Hey, what is that?
They don't believe in soul winning.
Now, here's the thing.
They say that we cannot bring forth fruit.
Is that true, is my question.
Go to John 15.
And here's what's funny.
He's like, make sure you go to John 15
because it talks about abiding in Christ.
I'm like, I will go to John 15.
Except in his mind, he thinks that abiding in Christ
is just like this mystical thing,
like I'm a Christian, look at me.
You're gonna get saved now.
It's like, so stupid, this lifestyle evangelism.
But verse number one, I am the true vine
and my father is the husbandman.
So he's using an example of husbandry,
of planting and gardening.
He says, Jesus Christ is the vine.
God is, though God the Father is the husbandman.
Verse two, every branch in me that beareth not fruit,
he taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit,
he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
So Jesus already told us, he is the vine.
Now, whoever these branches are,
Jesus says that God the Father purges them
so that they can bring forth more fruit.
So we're gonna keep reading,
find out who these branches are.
Verse three, now ye are clean through the word,
which I have spoken unto you.
Obviously, this is talking to saved people.
Verse four, abide in me and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine,
no more can ye except ye abide in me.
And notice he says abide in me and I in you.
How do we abide in Christ?
How does Christ abide in us?
I'll read for you Romans eight, nine.
The Bible says, but ye are not in the flesh,
but in the spirit.
If so be that the spirit of God dwell in you.
Now, if any man have not the spirit of Christ,
he is none of his.
This is just talking about salvation, right?
If we're saved, we're abiding in Christ,
Christ is abiding in us.
Now notice, does this say that only the vine
brings forth fruit?
No, he says, hey, the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
but does that imply that the branches
are bringing forth fruit?
Yes, they're just not doing it by themselves.
And see, I would agree with these people
that without Jesus Christ, we can never get anyone saved,
but let's keep reading and see what he says.
Verse five, I am the vine.
Ye are the branches.
So here's my question for these new evangelicals
that don't believe in soul winning.
Why is it that the Bible says the branches
bring forth fruit and we are the branches
and you're gonna tell me that soul winning doesn't work
and that we cannot bring forth fruit?
It's ridiculous.
You know what it is?
You don't bring forth fruit because you're lazy,
because you'd rather sit at a barbecue place
and have a stupid discipleship program
instead of going out and preaching someone the Bible
and preaching someone the gospel of Jesus Christ
and bringing forth fruit.
You see, you want to talk to me
and invite me to your little discipleship.
I'd like to invite you to go soul winning
so that you're not discouraged
and you could actually see us bear forth fruit.
How do we do it by abiding in the vine?
Yeah, of course we can't do it by ourselves.
Of course we're not going to get people saved
with our testimony.
Of course we're not going to get people saved
with our lifestyle.
Hey, that is doing it by yourself.
You're saying, oh, can't do anything without Christ.
Really?
Is that why you're saying you can get people saved
by your lifestyle?
It's ridiculous.
That is the exact opposite of what this verse is saying.
Verse six, if a man abide not in me,
he is cast forth as a branch and is withered
and men gather them and cast them into the fire
and they are burned.
If ye abide in me and my words abide in you,
ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.
What does this mean?
Hey, of course we can't do it without Christ.
How does, what does this actually mean though?
How do we in practicality say
we can't get anyone saved without Christ?
It's by his words.
Unless his words abide in us, we cannot get anyone saved.
We cannot get anyone saved by our testimony.
You cannot get anyone saved by a tract.
You must have the words of God.
That is how you abide in the vine.
That is how Christ abides in us.
That's how both together bear much fruit.
The difference today with those that quit on serving God
and those that bring forth fruit
is those that bring forth fruit realize this
and have a mindset focused on that mission today.
When you're focused on that mission,
when you understand this doctrine,
it's gonna make you wanna go out and bear much fruit.
Why is that?
Verse eight, herein is my Father glorified.
Why?
Because God is glorified when we bear forth fruit,
that ye bear much fruit.
So shall ye be my disciples.
Hey, have your little discipleship program by soul winning.
Because Jesus says, you wanna be my disciples,
it's gonna be by glorifying God
through bearing forth much fruit.
That's what soul winning is.
That's being a disciple of Christ.
That is abiding in the vine.
This stupid doctrine of lifestyle evangelism,
I don't believe in it, this church doesn't believe in it,
and Paul the apostle didn't believe it either.
Go to Romans chapter one, Romans chapter one,
Romans chapter one, verse 15.
So as much as in me is,
I am ready to preach how amazing my life is.
I'm sorry, it's not what he said.
So as much as in me is, I'm ready to preach the gospel
to you that are at Rome also.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
For it is the power of God unto salvation.
To everyone that believe it, to the Jew first,
and also to the Greek.
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed
from faith to faith.
As it is written, the just shall live by faith.
What is the power of God unto salvation?
Is it your lifestyle?
Is it how great your marriage is?
Is it how great your children are?
Is it how great of a career you have?
It's the gospel of Jesus Christ.
How is that revealed? From faith to faith.
From saved, Christian, spirit-filled, soul-winner
to the lost, they receive that faith
by the word of God, by the gospel.
That is how the power of God unto salvation is revealed.
Go to Romans chapter 10.
Romans chapter 10.
Romans 10, 13.
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved.
How then shall they call on him
in whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe in him
of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher?"
What does it take to get saved today?
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved.
The Bible says, how does a person believe
if they have not heard?
You must hear the gospel to believe in Jesus Christ.
How are you gonna hear the gospel?
The Bible says it happens by a preacher.
It does not happen by a track.
It does not happen by your stupid discipleship clubs
showing what a great life you have
and how shall they preach except they be sent.
You need to be sent, not to soul man's barbecue,
to have a little meeting,
talking about how great and spiritual you are.
You need to be sent out into the world
to preach the gospel to Jesus Christ.
That is how people are gonna be saved.
And how, as it is written,
how beautiful are the feet of them
that preach the gospel of peace
and bring glad tidings of good things,
but they have not all obeyed the gospel.
For as I say, Lord, who hath believed or report,
so then faith cometh by hearing
and hearing by the word of God.
Go to 1 Corinthians 1.
I just want to beat this doctrine in here.
1 Corinthians 1.
1 Corinthians 1 verse 18,
"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish,
"foolishness, but unto us which are saved,
"it is the power of God."
Romans 1 already told us that.
"For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
"and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
"Where is the wise?
"Where is the scribe?
"Where is the disputer of this world?
"Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
"For after that, in the wisdom of God,
"the world by wisdom knew not God,
"and it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching
"to save them that believe."
You say, "Oh, that's so stupid, this easy believism,
"you know, just showing up on people's doors,
"explaining them the Bible and expecting them to get saved."
Hey, the Bible says God chose the foolishness
of preaching to save them which believe.
Why are we gonna, why do we care so much
about man's opinions, about what all these scholars say,
about what all these pastors in their churches
with the smoke and lights wanna say?
Why don't we just listen to what Paul said
in 1 Corinthians 1?
It's by preaching the gospel.
It's not by your lifestyle.
Go to 1 Corinthians or 2 Corinthians chapter four.
I'll read for you, 1 Corinthians 3, nine.
The Bible says, "For we are laborers together with God.
"Ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building."
What an honor it is to be co-laborers together with God,
with Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ the vine, us the branches.
What an honor that is to abide in him
and for him to abide in us and for us together
to bring forth much fruit.
Hey, I want that program.
I don't want the discipleship program.
I want to do what John 15 says.
So I think it's funny he wanted me to go to John 15
when John 15 destroys his stupid lifestyle evangelism
doctrine.
Why do people quit today?
Number one, they quit because they get offended.
Because tribulation, persecution comes,
they're not rooted in the word of God and they quit.
Why do people quit today?
Because of the deceitfulness of riches.
What is the difference today between the person that quits
and the person that brings forth fruit?
It's because you're focused on the mission.
It does not happen by accident.
You will not accidentally get someone saved in your life.
You will not accidentally live this perfect life
and people will get saved.
The only way for you to get someone saved
is for you to purpose your mind to accomplish that mission.
You're there in 2 Corinthians 4, verse one.
"Therefore, seeing we have received this ministry
as we have received mercy,"
I'm sorry, "Therefore, seeing we have this ministry
as we have received mercy, we faint not."
Why don't you faint, Paul?
Why don't you quit, Paul?
Because of the ministry that we have received.
Because the apostle Paul had a mind
that was focused on the mission that Jesus left for us.
That's why Paul was able to bring forth fruit.
That's why he was not fainting,
because of the ministry that he received.
Verse two, "But have renounced the hidden things
of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness,
nor handling the word of God deceitfully,
but by manifestation of the truth,
commending ourselves to every man's conscience
in the sight of God."
Notice how it says he has denounced,
he has renounced the hidden things of dishonesty.
Was he focused on the deceitfulness of riches?
Was he focused on the cares of this world?
No, he didn't quit.
He didn't quit because of those things.
He wasn't deceived by those things.
He was focused on the mission, verse three.
But if our gospel be hid,
it is hid to them that are lost.
And that's the thing, Paul understood this,
that if we don't preach the gospel to people,
people will not get saved.
Hey, I'm so glad that not every Christian has the mentality
of these barbecue Baptists that they had.
I'm glad that not everyone has that stupid mentality
because if they did, no one would get saved today.
Not a single person.
The whole world would go to hell
if everyone had their stupid mentality
of lifestyle evangelism.
If our gospels hid, it's hid to them that are lost.
You must have your mind focused on the mission
to avoid quitting serving God.
Verse five, "For we preach not ourselves,
"but Jesus Christ the Lord and ourselves your servants
"for Jesus' sake."
Verse six, "For God who commanded the light
"to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts
"to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God
"in the face of Jesus Christ.
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels
"that the excellency of the power may be of God
"and not of us.
"We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed.
"We are perplexed, but not in despair,
"persecuted, but not forsaken, cast down, but not destroyed."
Why is it, Paul, that not only did you renounce
the hidden things of dishonesty,
why is it, Paul, that you also had trouble
and persecution and tribulation on every side
and didn't quit?
Because he was founded in the word of God.
He had that strong foundation.
He had that strong root.
He wasn't deceived by the deceitfulness of riches.
He wasn't focused on the cares of this world.
He was focused on one thing, preaching the gospel.
He was focused on one thing, the mission,
the great commission that Jesus Christ left for us.
That's the difference between the people that fall away,
between the people that quit on God,
and to the people like Paul
that continue bringing forth fruit.
Go to 2 Corinthians, or you're there still
in 2 Corinthians 4, verse 16.
For which cause we faint not,
but though our outward man perish,
yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment,
worketh for us a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory.
For we look not on the things which are seen,
at the things which are not seen.
For the things which are seen are temporal,
but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Paul lived a life that was focused
on the things that are eternal.
He was focused on the things that are spiritual.
So which one are you today?
We should take an examination of our hearts.
Hey, do we get offended easily?
Do we need to build that foundation a little more?
Every single person needs to continue
to build that foundation of the word of God
and continue to love God's word
more and more and more every day.
That's gonna strengthen your foundation.
That's what's gonna keep you
from getting offended and from quitting.
Are you focused on the things that are temporal?
Or are you deceived by the deceitfulness of riches today?
We need to learn to be content with what we have.
And most importantly, we must focus on the mission
that Jesus Christ gave us.
If you have a double mind,
if you're wanting to serve God and mammon,
you will fail eventually.
You will not be in this thing for the long haul.
And hey, none of us are above that.
We looked at Peter.
We have to take our lives seriously.
We have to realize that we're not gonna
just automatically bring forth fruit.
We're not gonna automatically continue to serve God
for the rest of our lives.
It's something that we have to take heed to
very carefully and something that we need
to look deep in our hearts and figure out
is our minds focused on the mission of Christ?
I'll read for you, turn to 1 Corinthians 15.
This will be the last place I have you turn.
I'll read for you Proverbs 16, three.
Commit thy works unto the Lord,
and thy thoughts shall be established.
You know, whenever I feel like maybe I'm lacking
a little bit of zeal in my life,
or I feel like I'm not as fired up as I am sometimes
for the things of God, this verse helps me.
Commit thy works unto the Lord,
and thy thoughts shall be established.
If you just continue to do the works,
if you continue to bring forth fruit,
God will eventually fix your heart
and get you to have that zeal
to where you wanna keep going,
you wanna keep focusing on the mission.
1 Corinthians 15, verse 58,
therefore, my beloved brethren,
be steadfast, unmovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord,
for as much as you know that your labor
is not in vain in the Lord.
If you wanna be that good, ground Christian,
you must, must focus on the work of God.
Let's pray, Lord, thank you so much for this day.
Thank you for this great parable, Lord,
so much we can learn from it.
Just pray that every single person in here
would have a steadfast heart.
Every single person in here would have a mind
that's focused, like Paul, on the mission,
on the ministry that we have received, Lord,
and thank you so much for the opportunity to serve you.
I pray that you bless the remainder of this day.
Jesus' name we pray, amen.