mm hmm. The fall represents a new season for many of us, you know, New school Year brings with it celebration for his parents on that first day, but also new grades, new schools as the kids are adjusting to maybe a different school or maybe school for the first time. And, and educators go back. We pray for for those families and, and for those involved in that process because with the new school year brings a new set of challenges and sometimes things tend to break down. So like hypothetically speaking, if the light system at a church service that happened to meet at a comedy club completely went out in the middle of the first service and you have to adjust accordingly. Hypothetically speaking, you make you make those moves and so no, I actually weirdly get excited when tech issues happen because usually that means satan's trying to come in and stop something from happening. And so usually when things start to break, uh, doors start to open and God starts to move and so that's kind of my heartbeat and prayer this morning as we jump into this message together. And so whether you're watching online or you're here in the room, my prayer for you is that as we approach the fall season that we approach it with a fresh start for our faith, You see our series is called revived because the word revive literally means to restore to life or to activate. And for some people here in the room are watching online, their faith is not quite what it once was, and last year was filled with difficulties and distractions and division and you want to get back to the faith maybe of your youth or of a time prior. And so I hope and pray that these next few weeks is an opportunity for you to be restored to the faith that you have. But then secondly, there are some of you who maybe are newer to church or know about charges have been involved for a while, but you're looking for something more. Mm If that is you, my prayer is that here in this series that your faith, your spiritual growth, your journey will be activated and that you will be able to take that next step that God has called you and what he's called you to do and who has called you to be. And so let us study God's Word together. Go back to the basics if you will in hopes that we get a fresh start in this new season of life for our faith. You see the name Mission Grove comes from this idea that no single tree makes a grove, but a grove can start from just one tree and that here at the church, we want to be a church that plants churches, that plants churches and we want to be disciples that make disciples that make disciples and that we want to exponentially multiply the blessing of God in our life to be the hands and feet of jesus and to love others, like he has loved us. You see the vision here at the church from the very beginning is that we exist to help every man, woman and child experience jesus, that people don't need another program. They don't need a set of ideas. What they need is the person of jesus, that some of you in this room maybe have some experience with religion, but I want to ask you, do you have experience with the relationship with God, who he is, the way the truth and the life and so as our organization, how we accomplish that mission is through three organizational steps and that is, we plant the gospel, we then grow in community and then we multiply through service. And so we we sing, we worship with our lives and in song and inward to try to plant the gospel into our lives. We provide opportunities that are launching again this fall, to grow in community because you were not meant to do life alone, and then we multiply through service and that's why you always hear us say that we are for the community, because when you give to others the word of God then multiplies within our community. And so if you could simplify who we are as a church, you can simplify it down to these three words. Plant grow multiply. Go ahead into your neighbour right now go ahead and say those three words say plant grow multiply. Okay, now you don't have to be angry when you share that. Some of you are like plant growing, okay, we have coffee in the back for those that need it. I need to wake up this morning, but let's just try one more time. Maybe a little happier tone for those in the room. Let's go ahead and share these three words with your neighbor. Plant grow multiply when you think of the image of a tree, you think of this picture of growth and that's what we want to do for your spiritual life and in your spiritual journey and that we want to plant the gospel into your life and let it take root, let it take the seed there to be planted into your life then to grow in community and ultimately to multiply while serving others. And so over these next couple of weeks we're going to take a look at these three concepts to plant, to grow and multiply and to see what God's word has for us. Now, this weekend I was spending time at a luxury ritzy retailer in downtown Paradise Valley. You might have heard of it walmart and uh, I'm sorry, sorry to flex on you financially like that, but you can't hide money. And uh, and so no, I really do love walmart and I love, I love that they roll back prices, but I have one frustration that thinks probably why they can roll back prices and that is you fill up your car, you get all the stuff you need, it's the cheapest anywhere, right? And they have everything, It's awesome. You fill up your car, you grab all your stuff, you go up and they have 40 checkout counters. But how many of them are open? Like 32, sometimes one. Right. And so my question is, why have all the checkout counters if you're only ever gonna open up like two or three of them? Right? And so you go and there's always a line and then you have to play this game of which line do you choose? And if you're at all competitive, like I am that you you really carefully look at what line you look at the cart, you look at the person, you look at the bagger, right? Or you're the cashier, you're like, oh, let me see. And then you get in line and it's pretty much like a street race at that point, like you look, you pick somebody to left or right, that gets in the line at the same time as you and you start to rev the engine of your car and you think yourself all right. If I get out before that person I win, does anyone else do that? Is it just me? Okay? Maybe that's just me. Okay Anyway and so I do that, I picked the line and here's the thing though, I always pick the wrong line, I always pick the wrong line. But this weekend, oh no this was gonna be it massive lines, it's back to school weekend so everything's packed right And so I had to choose wisely and so because this is important, it's really not but in my my heart felt like it right and so you gotta win. And so I picked my line, I don't we're cruising person, person, person, I'm pulling ahead of the person to my left on my all I'm gonna win this and I got one person left and sadly I accidentally stood behind coupon lady, have you ever done this? You're in there? I had one person to go, I was like way ahead of the line next to me and I get behind coupon lady like she the coupon lady is the lady that you get to the check out and pulls out a wad of like this much and look if that's you, I want you to know two things. One, jesus loves you, emphasize that one first and two. The rest of us struggle in that moment, right? So as she's doing the coupon and then they're arguing about the coupon. I see these people moving through and I like wave at the person that I was with and gives me the nod and I bow down in defeat. I'm just like I'm never gonna get out of here, but now I'm committed because there's a line behind me and I have nowhere else to go and then I commit the number one social sin of today's age. I sneezed if you have you sneezed in public in today's age, like it's not good, right? Like I about started a kerfuffle right there and walmart like if I was gonna break out, like I just sneezed cute and like people scattered like they started hiding their Children like no joke. The lady who was next to me, pushed her car into mine and went on the other side and goes like this. And I was like, I had nowhere to go. It was just a struggle. And so here's the thing is that I love the shopping process. Like you get all the stuff you need this, you need that you put in your cart, but you don't get to take it home until you complete the checkout process. Now, eventually everything was fine and got through and I got over my ego that every other line completed before I did and then we loaded up our car and went home. The reason I share this is I wonder how many people when it comes to faith you've gone through the shopping process, you've put in your cart what you're interested in, but you've never completed the checkout process, there's been something that kept you stuck in the checkout line. That's what I want to do today. Is that as we read through this story, if you have your bibles open up to luke chapter eight, we're gonna take a look at one of the most famous parables or stories that jesus ever told. And as we go through this story, here's what I want you to do. You're gonna notice four different types of soil and as we read through these different types of soil, I want you to grab those words, grab those concepts, put it into your theological cart, put that, take note of these four different types of soil. And then I'm gonna go back through the story, We're gonna walk through the checkout process and actually share with you what these different types actually mean for you and for me today. So Jesus, they're starting verse four Luke chapter eight and when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, Jesus said in a parable or a story, a sower went to sow his seed, that something might be thing. Okay well whoa what's sewing like? Is he like needle thread and sewing like farmer throwing seed out there? Okay, so sore went out to sow his seed and as he sowed some fell along the path, there's your first one, Put that first word path into your cart and was trampled underfoot and the birds of the air devoured it, and then some fell on the rock. That's the second type of soil wants you to put that in your cart for right now. And some fell in the rock and as it grew up it withered away because they had no moisture. And then some fell among the thorns, that's the third type of soil. Once you put that in your cart and the thorns grew up with it and choked it And some fell into good soil. This is the 4th type that I want you to put in your cart here, and this is the seed fell in good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold multiply and jesus, as you said these things, he called out, he who has ears, let him hear, let him hear. And when the disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said no, I want positive for a second, because if you heard that story, you might be thinking why why is jesus sharing about a farmer and Soils and seeds? Well you're in good company, because the disciples wondered the same thing, so 2000 years ago, these are people that are walking with Jesus Day in day out, ordinary guys that were doubting, messing up and questioning things and so they had the same question, so if you question the story, so did the disciples, but what I love about this story and the reason we're sharing this one, jesus spoke a lot of times in parables, but I love this one because jesus is about to tell us what it means, so we get the best possible commentary on the story. If you read the bible a lot of times, um I'm not sure what this means, and you go to a commentary or bible, scholars who give you insight into words and meanings and phrases and context. Well in this case we get to go to the best source Jesus himself. So jesus tells the story, they don't understand it, and jesus is about to tell us what it means, it says to you, it has been given to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God, but for others, they are in parables so that seeing that they may not see and hearing, they may not understand. And now the parable is this, so you're saying some people don't understand spiritual things. So I'm going to speak in story to help you understand, He says the seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, So they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word receive it with joy. But these have no root. They believe for a while and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns. They are those who here but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and the riches and pleasures of life and their fruit does not mature. And as for that that is in good soil. They are those who hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart and bear fruit with patients. So here you have the different types of soil. And I want you to notice that it's not the seed that is good or bad. It's the soil. In other words that it's not the seed that makes it grow, it's the soil turn to your neighbor and say it's not the seed, it's the soil. Why is that important? Because here's the reality, jesus is God, whether or not you believe in him, God is not any less God, because you or I question his decision making that the word of God stands today, peter in one of his letters to the churches who were experiencing persecution, he said that the cares of the world, that everything of the world is like the flowers in the field or how the grass grass withers away. But what stands for all eternity is the word of God and that the word of God lasts forever. So the seed is good, and so if the seat is good, the question becomes, What type of soil are you? Okay, So here's what we're gonna go through the checkout process. We went through the four types, and jesus shared the four types, but what actually causes the four types of soil? The first type. The seed was thrown on the path that is caused by passivity, passivity. There's it's aimless, it's apathetic, it's no direction, there's no intention. In fact, satan himself is able to distract and to take people away, paul writes in Ephesians Ephesians for that. It refers to people of this nature, of those who have had their hearts hardened or live in ignorance. And so there are people who, when they hear the word of God, it makes no sense to them, it just goes right over. They don't care, they don't think about it, they're passive, there's no intentionality behind it. There might be some people in this room right now who they could care less when it came to things of God. They don't really think about the things of eternity. You know, if you're a farmer and you're gonna plant, you're not gonna throw seed on to say a sidewalk and if the seat is on the sidewalk, well it's not the seeds fall, it's the location. And so, you know, is your heart passive in the sense that have you ever paused to actually reflect on what God might be saying to you? So the first one, they have the path that's caused by passivity. The second one was when the seed was thrown on the rock and this is caused by persecution. Many of us are currently walking through difficult circumstances or maybe have just come out of one or have a loved one or friend walking through a very difficult time. And the reality is this is tot if you've ever found yourself saying this question, God, how could you let blank happened? How could a good God allow, like why God would this happen? And and we find ourselves struggling to believe because of the difficulties in our lives, then I empathize with that. But if you're honest with yourself, the reason you get frustrated and anger and doubt is because you know in the center of your being and your soul that you were meant for something more. The reason we struggle with death and abuse and loss and cancer and sickness and Brokenness and betrayal is because we know that there is a better way and we long for it. So if you're walking through a difficult circumstance, I want to encourage you to actually lean into that circumstance and the reason you're struggling, it's because you want something more. And jesus actually offers us the solution. Those who have the soil of the rocks are those who hear the word and they receive it with joy. But they just get beat up by life. And it's hard to believe I want you to lean into that because that is why Jesus came, Jesus came to remove the suffering amongst the world. It just hasn't happened fully yet that we have what we need in our card that that Jesus himself suffered on your behalf and mind. So that one day there will be no more death, no more mourning, no more cancer, no more betrayal, no more job loss, no more struggle, but peace, hope, love, purpose, joy, grace, forgiveness. And we have access to some of that now through the person of jesus Amen. So if you're struggling to believe because the circumstances in your life right beyond that rocky soil and it's tough. But you have to understand this. That if you don't let the words take root into your heart, it's not gonna grow, it's not gonna make it notice the first path. Both people hear the word so hearing is not enough. In fact the third type of soil also hears the word and this third the thorns is kind of the opposite of persecution. It's being choked out by the pursuit of prosperity. That's where you believe. But you get distracted and going after the wrong things, jesus said those who are really choked by the pursuit of and cares for the pleasures and riches of this world. How many of us know someone who started out strong in their faith and then exchanged their God for an idol. Here's how you know if you're in category number three, if you offer this formula, jesus plus blank in your life, I believe in you, jesus, but I need money, I believe in you, jesus, but I need popularity but I need help. If we try to add anything to jesus, we don't get Christianity. We have actually accidentally created a cult because you can't add anything to the Gospel in the same way, you can't take jesus minus something, you can't say I like this page, but I don't like that page, I like this verse, but I don't like that verse. If you try to play religion math, it doesn't add up because the reality is is that if jesus is not lord of all, then he's not lord at all. And either you have the bible under under which you sit under his authority and his guidance and his wisdom and his strength. Or you try to use it and pick out averse to justify your own sinful behavior. If you're struggling with that the thorns of this world are going to come in and more than ever before in an age where we compare ourselves to everyone and everything at all times. So the first three paths all hear the word, but the first one doesn't grow because they're passive and satan actually takes it away. The second one doesn't grow because it doesn't take root and is and is broken up and destroyed by persecution and suffering. The third is choked out by thorns in the pursuit of the pleasures of this world. But thankfully there is 1/4 kind of soil, the good soil, and this is caused by perseverance. This is caused by those who complete the checkout process, because in that verse, jesus said, those who hear the word and hold on to it. And so if you're taking notes, I want you to write this down, that it's not enough to hear the word, You must hold on to it. You must let it take root into your heart and into your life. Well, how do you hold it? Let me let me share with you two things. two truths that we can apply from God's work. The first is that if you've heard the Gospel, if you've heard of this person of jesus, you have to hold it for harvest, in other words, do you believe it long enough to where you start seeing fruit and multiplication in your life? Do you hang onto it long enough to where it actually grows 100 fold over, and you see the fruit and you see life transformation and you see lives being changed and the people around you? Yeah. Now, I'm willing to have discussions, because there are different theological camps where people say, well, can't, the question is, can you lose your salvation? I'm willing to have an open dialogue with people on that. But for me personally, I do not believe you can lose your salvation. The reason for that is that if you did nothing to earn your way into heaven, then how can you send your way out of heaven? Does that make sense? Also, no matter how much you struggle with addiction or sin or evil or doubt wherever you struggle, I promise you God's love and forgiveness, and sacrifice is deeper than you. Another way to think of it is that jesus sacrifice is bigger than your sins. And so the question is not, can you lose your salvation? The question is, did you ever take hold of it in the first place? In other words? Did you ever complete the checkout process? But here's the beauty of it. Like you're going through your life and you pull your pulling out what you long for, right? You have purpose and love and forgiveness and joy and grace, and you've got this in your cart and you go to the checkout line and the checkout counter and the reality is there is no way in heaven, Earth or hell that you can pay for that. But guess who does Jesus does, Jesus actually completes the checkout process for you. Jesus pays for it on the cross. And here's what this means. This means that it's not about holding God's word perfectly, it is about holding God's word. Honestly, this is so free because that means there is room for your doubt. That means there is room for your issues and your pride and your struggle and you don't have to have it all together. I love this because Jesus came to save those who were lost, to heal those who were sick to make alive those who were dead, you don't have to be perfect but you do have to be honest you have to be willing to admit that you can't make it on your own. What is the Jesus? What is the gospel that we believe in? Let me walk you quickly through it in Romans 323 it says for we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. This means that while we couldn't reach up to God, God reached down to us that the reason he came, the reason we celebrate christmas, the reason we celebrate easter is that God, the son of God fully God, fully man came down lived a perfect life and died on the cross to make the payment at the check out to make the payment for you and for me and it says romans 6 23 for the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life in christ jesus. Our Lord. It's free. It's a gift. We have to receive that gift. We have to believe that gift. We have to choose to make God Lord in our life Because it's here in Romans 5 8. It says that God shows his love for us and that while we were still sinners, in other words he didn't wait for us to make ourselves perfect. It's not like salvation on layaway. It's not a credit card with a huge interest. It's making the payment right now that is good for all time. And then we get to walk out with the receipt it says paid in full. It says that while we were still sinners christ died for us and then you see him here. Then in romans 10 9 it says that if you confess with your mouth that jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. And then you follow a checklist of all these rules and regulations and you do a b c d e n F and you and you tuck in your search and you are respectful and you stop cussing and you do this and you live perfectly. Maybe possibly one day you will get saved. Does it say that? No. He says if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that jesus is both God, he is Lord and he is savior, you will be saved. A couple verses later in Romans 1013 it says for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. This means that you have the ability to be good soil, but it's not enough to hear the word. You have to hold it. You have to hold it in your heart, you have to hold it in your life, you have to believe it, but you don't have to believe it perfectly. You don't have to know everything about the bible, You don't have to, like you can hear stories in the old testament to be like, oh that's kind of weird, you know, I believe that all those stories because Jesus believed all the stories and taught all of them. But if you have all those questions and doubts, you're in good company because the disciples lived each and every day with jesus when jesus died on the cross, they had no idea what to do. And so the fact that they messed up and they had questions and they had issues actually brings us comfort because that means there was room for you, there's room at the table, and it starts, if you're being honest. But let me ask you this though, if you've received it, if you already hold it in your hand and you're growing, let me give you a second application. And that is just so God's seed, in other words, plant the gospel everywhere. You know, if you're a farmer, it doesn't seem like that's a great strategy just to chuck seed everywhere, right? You would think, look for the soil and then 100% right there, but actually just just chuck it, just throw it out, should keep you. And jesus, even in the story, says he who has ears, let him hear, they're all gonna let them all here. And you would think one out of four is not a great percentage, but that is gospel Math, you know why? Because out of that one out of four comes 100 folds and 100 folds. And so here's the reality our job is to share, and God's job is to save. And that's so freeing. You are not responsible for your neighbors, soil. Isn't that refreshing? It's terrifying because you don't know what the soil is out there. You don't know the conversations that are out there, but you don't have to. Your job is to sow the seed. Why? Because the seed is good, and it always has been good and always will be good, and it leads to life, and for those that take root, for those that hold on, it will change their life, their family's life and produce growth hundredfold exponential growth that will radically change and shape the destiny of generations to come for all eternity. Amen. You see, Paul that same book in Romans Romans 10, a couple verses later says this in 14 and 15, he says, how then, well, they call on him who have not believed and how are they to believe in him? Who they've never heard? And how are they to here without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? And as it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news? This means that if it's taken root in our life, if we're hanging on to this in our life, we can freely share with anyone and everyone in our lives. No, I'm not saying you have to be weird, right? Like you have to be in the drive through window. I'll take a number two. All right. Um Large. Yes, please. Chick fil a sauce here And you go and uh also do you know? Well, okay, let's be honest, everyone had chick fil a's probably saved. So, okay, you pick another restaurant, right? And you go in and like you drive through your like, I'll take a number one. Also, do you know where you're going to go when you die? Like you don't have to be weird about it. Okay? But you do have to be honest, right? We share about what we love, we share about who we love. And if you love jesus, if you love the Gospel, if you've experienced forgiveness, if you experienced blessing, then it becomes easy for us to share with those around us. And you don't have to worry about the soil of other people. Your job is to share and allow the soil to work according to the power of the Holy Spirit and let it take root. So here's what I want to do as the band comes up on stage and we're wrapping up, I want to give you a chance to respond because again, the four types of soil here, The four types, they all heard the word. So the question is not, do you hold you hear it? But will you hold it where you let it take root into your life? My brother being a good, good big brother a couple years ago, uh bought me a gift card for birthday. It's one of my favorite restaurants fogo de chao. It's a Texas, Brazilian Texas Steakhouse. If you've ever been to one of those, it's awesome. All you can eat meat, 15 different cuts of steak and if you are vegetarian one, I'll pray for you. And to there's an unlimited salad bar to okay, so if you if you're all about that, okay, unlimited veggies, go for it. But for me, man, you show up and it's just like I like, here's the reality though. Like, so I I received this card, but just business of life, kids schedules on things. I just didn't go. Yeah. And so this invitation to a feast just became a card in my wallet And it sat in my wallet for well over a year, almost two until one day. I was like, I found like, oh man, I forgot. And then last month I went with my wife and I enjoy the feast. You see, you can't enjoy the feast until you use the card. Yeah. In the same way some of you have received the card, you've heard the word, but you've never taken that step. You've never checked out. You've never gone. You've never committed to actually believe in jesus. I want to give you that chance right now. Mhm. With heads bowed and eyes closed for just a moment. If you want to, not just talk about religion, but if you want to actually take that step, if you want to experience the feast, if you want to complete the checkout and you and you're sitting here like I want to revive my faith, I want to start my faith journey and I want to believe in jesus. I want you to pray with me right now. Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner, I know that I can't make it on my own. Oh my God! I believe that you are lord and I believe that you died on the cross to pay for my sins. That when you rose again, you gave us life, forgive me father, I commit my life to you. I'm not going to be perfect and still have questions, but I want to plan the gospel seat in my life today. I believe in you, jesus, Thank you for saving me. Thank you for loving me and jesus name brand. Now here's what I want to do. If you're here in the room, I want every single person to grab a card. Every person in the room here. If you're online, I encourage you to fill out what's called your next step card. There's a link right in the description of the video and here's what I want to do. If you prayed that prayer with me just now, I want you to fill out that card and I want you to mark that step that you're taking and it takes courage to do that. But if God's work in your life, I want you to let us know because then we're going to come alongside you and help you grow in your faith. You're committing your life to jesus. Let us know if you have questions, you want to talk to somebody, let us know if you're interested in a group or serving or getting baptized, whatever that faith step is, I want you to take that step and commit your life today. And the reason why I had everybody take a card right now is that if you've already taken that step, here's what I want you to do the other section or the prayer section. I want you to write the name of somebody that you could share your story with. Now, I'm not gonna be posting the names online, I'm not gonna do anything public, but what I wanna do is I want to pray for you and I want to pray for that person and I want you to think about it and to write down the name of a person that you can begin praying for, that you might be able to share your faith with because again, our job is to share God's job is to save and so we can freely share with those and trust God to save him. And so whether you're marking a decision or you're writing down a name of someone that we can pray for you with and for I want everyone to respond on that card and then we're gonna sing a song and if you want to stay seated and reflect on who that might be your welcome to. If you want to stand and sing, you're welcome to. But on your way out we have two boxes on the two corners here on the way out the door. Or again we have that online form for those watching digitally. Uh I don't want you to drop in that card so that we can follow up with you and that we can pray with you and we can pray for that friend, that co worker, that family member that they too could have a heart of good soil and take hold of the truth of who jesus is and what jesus has done, that we may be saved. We respond together now, mm.