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Matthew chapter 13 look at verse 22 reason number one why do people people hate going to church reason number one because they're distracted they're distracted look what the Bible says in Matthew 13 and verse 22 he also that receives seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becometh unfruitful mark chapter 4 you don't have to turn there verse number 19 says and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other things entering in choke the word and it becometh unfruitful the Bible says so reason number one why people can begin despising the house of God is because they're simply distracted okay now I believe that this seed that lands among thorns still gets saved he still gets saved despite what Ray Comfort says Ray Comfort just doesn't believe anybody saved but himself or something you know I believe that this person is saved it's just that he falls among thorns he receives the Word of God he gets saved but he's among thorns and these thorns are kind of choking him out and it's basically impeding him from growing and becoming fruitful winning people to Christ living a life that's pleasing unto God okay and look folks wouldn't you agree that the Word of God is just powerful can it transform anyone's life you know the Bible says that the Word of God is quick and powerful sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing of center of soul and spirit joins in the marrow and as a discern of the thoughts of the intense of the heart you know the Bible the Word of God has power but hold on a second sometimes even though it has power it can fall upon a heart that's among thorns and at that point it's becomes powerless not because of the Word of God but because of the type of ground that it's falling upon the kind of heart that it's speaking to the distracted heart now what are some of the things that are distracting people today well it says there in Matthew 13 verse 22 the cares of this world now when I say distracted I'm not saying like you're sitting here tonight you're like man what is this gonna be over because I'm hungry you know what am I gonna eat tonight you know I'm kind of distracted oh yeah that was a good point that's that's the kind of that's not the distraction that I'm referring to because you know I preach and I still think of those things while I'm preaching okay and I'm still focused right I'm still focused I'm talking about things that you play within your mind in your heart that are weighing you down throughout the week you know difficulties that you're going through trials and tribulations that you're experiencing the cares of this life that the mortgage hasn't been paid the rent hasn't been paid my uncle is sick he's near death these are the cares of this life can often choke the word distract you choke you to the point where you can't focus on the most important things of this life which is the Word of God load the Lord working for God okay now the cares of this world again can be various things you know we had our church bombed a couple months ago and you know that's that that gives us a lot of care you know we're we were filled with care okay you say well what did you do it was the Word of God choked in your life no but I'll say this I wish I could choke some people for doing and I'm just kidding I wish the Word of God would choke someone else was the Word of God choked no but but here's the thing one of the reasons why is because the Bible tells us to cast our care upon him for he cares for us he cared for you and one of the things that I learned from different pastor friends that I've had is don't worry about the things that you cannot change and a lot of times people become distracted in the Christian life to the point where they can't focus on the things of God because of the fact that they're trying to change something that they have no authority to change they have no power to modify they have nothing they can't do anything to change that and they're cumbered about much care okay I mean think about this like on on Saturday night we got our van stolen okay it was by a sodomite to sodomite slower van sodomites have been doxing me for quite some time and just giving people my address and the kind of car that I have and everything and you say well how do you know it's a reprobate because my neighbor has security cameras and then I was just wondering like it's gonna be a sodomite so you look and it's just this huge butch dyke getting out you know they roll up in the van they come out they're laughing and they're getting in the vehicle and then they steal it okay now here's the thing is you know that's a care of this life but here's the thing if I set my affections on the things of this earth I can't focus on what I'm preaching on right now if I set my thing if I set my affections on the things of this earth on my on that vehicle the you what's gonna happen I'm gonna have a hard time pastoring my church I'm gonna have a hard time caring for the cares of other people the Word of God is gonna be choked out of my life he said so what did you do this is what I did when I heard the van was stolen I said see ya thanks for serving us as long as you did thanks for taking us to church hey kids say goodbye to the van we're never gonna see it again okay you say man did you it was it that easy well yeah because it barely had any gas I did not check the oil I never checked the oil actually until it starts smoking I'm like this thing needs something and then you just buy that big thing just dump it in there it was not clean so it's like jokes on them you just inherited they're probably gonna return the van actually it's such a bad condition they're probably like this is we should like pay him or something like leave it with a couple of bucks for something Philip is gas tank but you know what I've learned sometimes you just got to kiss things goodbye and don't let it distract you from the most important things of this of today which is the Bible your family your wife your children your spouse your church the preaching you know if you're not careful you know the cares of this life can choke you from a very important truth that you're gonna receive one day during the service because you're so busy thinking about that care that problem you're gonna miss that one truth that God is trying to get to you to help you in a specific area you can choke the word can asphyxiate the word in your life and you don't profit from it go with me if you would to go to Proverbs chapter 27 Proverbs chapter 27 to choke means to suffocate or to obstruct the breathing and if you think about it the Bible is often compared to breath right you know the Bible says in 2nd Timothy 3 16 all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and it's profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction and righteousness that the man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished until all good works the Bible says that the Word of God has the power to make you complete and perfect it can inspire that in you it can create that in you if you would allow it to but hold on a second the cares of this life the deceitfulness of riches the lust of other things entering in can actually choke that and you don't become complete you don't become perfect you don't become the man of God thoroughly furnished into all good works what are some of the things that can distract in this world well the cares of this life how about this the deceitfulness of riches when people become covetous when they begin to have the love of money and you wonder why you know you think of 1st Corinthians 5 and the reasons why people God you know commands for people to be excommunicated from the church if they're guilty of these specific sins one of them is covetous this and we don't think about that very often but you know sometimes people can become so covetous in a church where all they think about and all they talk about is money all they talk about is making riches all they talk about is their pyramid schemes or whatever it may be and they begin to influence others and you know what that does that chokes the word out of their heart and out of the hearts of those are speaking to for the love of money is the root of all evil which while some coveted after have erred from the faith the Bible says piercing themselves through with many sorrows what happened they choked the the the deceitfulness of riches choked the word out of their person's life the lust of other things entering in the Bible says in Proverbs 27 now wouldn't you like if we were to compare the Word of God to something it's like honey I mean multiple times in the Word of God it compares itself to honey why cuz it's sweet you know it become bitter in your belly if you know if you consume a lot of it and you can't digest it very well it could be very painful for you to digest but here's the thing is they look at Proverbs 27 verse 7 says the full soul loatheth and honeycomb but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet think about this if you come to church on an empty spiritual stomach the preaching is gonna taste delicious it's gonna be delicious but if your soul is filled with the cares of this life if your soul is filled with the deceitfulness of riches if your soul is filled with the lust of other things entering in you're gonna loathe the honeycomb you're gonna loathe the preaching it's gonna be boring to you yeah when is this gonna be over why does he got to preach for so long they were really got to talk about this again you begin to loathe that which afford time would have been sweet to you why because you're full full of what the cares of this life full of what the deceitfulness of riches full of what the lust of other things entering in the Bible says in 2nd Timothy 2 for no man that warth and tangled himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier Psalm 119 verse 70 says their heart is as fat as Greece but I delight in thy law why do people hate going to church sometimes I'll tell you why because they're distracted why can't they delight in the preaching of God's Word because they probably filled with the cares of this life because they're probably become covetous because there's other lot there's other lust that are entering into their hearts and it's choking the Word of God out of their hearts choking the Word of God and they're becoming un-fruitful