Thoughts on Christmas Eve.

Oh there won't be any sleep tonight. You'd think after 18 years of celebrating this holiday, it would be possible to actually sleep on Christmas Eve night? I predict that I won't be able to.

Your Heart and The Gospel

(This was a sermon that I had preached on August 26, 2009 on a Wednesday evening to my Junior Highers. This turned out to be one of my favorite sermons to write and preach. The passage I am going over is Mark 4:1-20)

Has anyone been farming? Even if you haven’t, you can imagine what goes into it. Like digging. Planting. Plowing. Even if you haven’t been real farming, you’ve done Farmville? Raise your hand if you’ve done Farmville. You can plant lots of crops, like peppers, bell peppers, watermelon, pineapples, and cotton. You sow seeds and all that stuff. So, Imagine if james was a farmer. With a shovel. Overalls. Sweet beard. Down to his belly button. Tan. And he has own little plants. He has a tree. An apple tree. He loves it so much. But now, he wants to expand his variety of crops. He wants to plant some peppers. So he goes to B&B in his sweet new Element car, that he bought with Brent’s tax money. And he gets 4 packs of pepper seeds and he goes to his little plowed area. And starts throwing them and tossing them throughout the soil. And so he waits and waits and waits.

This is farming. Essentially. You are growing up crops and expecting to see fruit. James wants to see lots and lots and lots of peppers to be grown and to sell them at a high price. Or maybe he has a burrito that needs to be spiced up. Nevertheless, he wants to see fruit. And lots of it. And here we are going to dive into Mark 4:1-20

1He began to teach again by the sea And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land.
2And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,
3"Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow;
4as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
5"Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.
6"And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7"Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
8"Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."
9And He was saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
10As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables.
11And He was saying to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables,
12so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN."
Explanation
13And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?
14"The sower sows the woiord.
15"These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
16"In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;
17and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.
18"And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,
19but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20"And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

I. The Hardened Heart

Jesus describes the seed fallen on the ground and on the rock as taking no root. The rocky ground refers to solid rock that is below the surface of soil. They are too shallow to allow a plant to reach water and to develop a root system. They cannot receive any nourishment and cannot begin to grow as a result. This is the unbeliever. Jesus later explains that these seeds are the ones who have heard the truth of the Gospel. The Gospel of Matthew records Jesus as saying they do not “understand it”. They are so in love with their sin and deceive themselves that this life is so much better. They cannot imagine why they need the Gospel or Jesus. And so, because they are in love with the world, full of many distractions that Satan has set up they reject the truth.


Paul states in 1 Corinthians 1:18, that “the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing…” It is foolishness. For those who are living in their sin and in defiance toward God, they think the Gospel is stupid! Makes sense though, doesn’t it? Their lives have not yet been changed by God and they don’t want to be changed by God. Their hearts are hard and they themselves do not understand why they need the Gospel and so when the seed of the Word of God is sowed, it is unable to take root in the lives of the unbeliever and it is shrugged off like it was never there.

II. The Shallow Heart

The second Heart I want to address consists of two seeds that the sower sows. “Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprange up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.” This is the seed that immediately sprung up. It received the nourishment of the soil, despite there being hardly any. They grew quickly and it looked to be a true plant, one to be fruitful. However, it says that they are scorched. They have been burned. This is the person who proclaims to be a Christian. They have heard the truth and became emotional and made an outward change. They were filled with a happiness and a resolve to change their life…Yet once the trials of God came, they fell away. There was not root in their life. They were not really a Christian. There was no faith. Spurgeon says this regarding this seed,

“These hearers had no hard struggles to get at the Savior, no sense of sin to hold them back, no horrors of conscience to make them afraid, no alarms lest they should not be the Lord’s own people. They had no tests and sifting to see whether they possessed real repentance and acceptable faith. They sprang into religion as a man may leap into a bath, head over heels!”

Are you this seed? Is this your heart? If you confess to be a Christian, remember back to the day, afternoon, or night of your conversion. Now think carefully and hard. Was your repentance genuine? Was it heartfelt and rooted in Biblical doctrine and truth? Or were you just caught up in the emotions of a passionate sermon, convicted that you needed to change your life outwardly, but not inwardly?

I remember when I was in Catalina about two years ago. It was a trip for our biology class so lots of people went. One night we gathered at this outside auditorium. And in the front was this fire pit. And so this was a dark, cold night and we had lit this massive fire. And the person was leading a sort of campfire teaching session. Was talking about how we were all strong Christians. We were all a good group of kids and we were going to change the world. So they had us come down and say what was on our hearts and what we had learned. We heard stories about how they were going to change for the better, and how much of a stronger Christian they were or how much they needed to change. All 50+ campers. So by the end of it, the counselers said that if anyone needed someone to talk to or pray with, they would be right there. And suddenly a swarm just bolted toward the front, crying their eyes out. Why were they crying? I really couldn’t tell you. Were they broken over any sin? Did they see how far off they were from God? Did they desire to repent and turn toward the Father? No. Because as far as I know, that night that was full of emotion and story telling and resolution meant nothing to the students. Looking back two years, nothing has changed.

My friends were moved along by emotion, not rooted in truth. They had felt a rushing of blood in them and they wanted to express it. Yet, since it was not legitmate and resolved and a genuine heartfelt conviction that took root in their hearts, it was quickly brushed off and is useless. Is this your life? Is this the story of your conversion? Emotions and feelings? When you became saved, was it legit? Did you understand and did you repent and did you confess your sins to God? Or were you like the girls at the campfire, saying that you’ll change your life and saying that you will do it and it will fade away, and everything you had resolved is meaningless. When trials and persecution come, like Jesus said it would, do you have a faith rooted in truth that will last and be perfected later?


III. The Worldly Heart

Or perhaps you are like the second seed described. “Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it and it yielded no crop.” This is a plant that took root. It has grown up, yet thorns have caused it from bearing any fruit. Jesus explains that the thorns is the worries of the world. The riches of the world has captivated the man. He has become distracted. Is this you? This heart still clings to the old life of wickedness. There is something that he continues to hold onto. He would have it both ways; to be blessed by the Father and yet to not change his life. A commentator says about the thorns,

“…worldly cares, with the delusive hopes and promises of riches, cause the man to abandon the great concerns of his soul, and seek, in their place, what he shall eat, drink, and wherewithal he shall be clothed. Dreadful stupidity of man, thus to barter spiritual for temporal good-a heavenly inheritance for an earthly portion! The seed of the kingdom can never produce much fruit in any heart, till the thorns and thistles of vicious affections and impure desires be plucked up by the roots and burned.”

He is in love with the world. He has not given Christ all of his heart. He has not given everything to Him. He has found God to be second. He has desired the material, the now, the instant gratification. He’s taken the infinite treasure of knowing Christ and being in a relationship with Him and traded it with the treasures and the not so eternal stuff of today. This is someone who claims to be a believer. He is someone that perhaps has grown up in the church. He has heard the amazing Gospel truths. And yet he is still in love with his old self. These old sins and desires. JC Ryle states this,

“To go so far and yet go no further – to see so much and yet not see all – to approve so much and yet not give Christ the heart, this is indeed most deploarable! And there is but one verdict that can be given about such people. Without a decided change they will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

James 4:4 says, “Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” An enemy of God. Students, listen to this point carefully. If you have called yourself a Christian, and yet you still hold on to the World and you still fervently want to partake in the lusts and sins of the world and over numerous times you have been convicted to repent and turn away from that sin, and you still will not turn your life to Christ, you have made yourself an enemy of God. And I hope and I pray that this is not your heart. I hope that you guys aren’t faking the Christian walk. To call yourself a Christian, to pretend you have a relationship with the Father, and yet to still be living in sin to be living in the world. You have divided yourself and your heart. And you cannot choose two.

IV. The Believing Heart

This is the last group. After hearing of the various unfruitful, useless, and dead plants, we come to a true plant. We come to a plant that is fruitful, that is fruitful. This is a successful sowing, this is the reason why the sower passed out seeds.

“And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

He has heard the truth of the Gospel. His heart has responded to the seed of the Word, and it has taken residence deep into his heart. This is the person who has seen their sin, whatever extent of it, and is broken for it. He has realized that this sin, this past life that he has so enjoyed cannot satisfy him any longer. He has seen that he cannot earn his way to heaven or favor with God. And so he has repented for his sin.

Perhaps, and hopefully this is you. You, student, have understood the truth of the Gospel. You have seen your sin. This disgusting evil which we always sweep under the carpet is in full display before you. And you understand, to an extent, how much it separates you from the Father. So He has breathed His Holy Spirit into you. Before you lived for yourself and were dead. You now have a heart of flesh, beating and alive. This is a heart of flesh.

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

You could do no righteous act. But now you live for Christ, you live because He died for the sins which kept you from the Father. You live not out of obligation, but out of greatfulness. You live now out of love. You live for Him because you want to, because you are able to now. You are just so in love with your God and are just so grateful at the grace and the gift that He has given you, how could you not live a life that glorifies Him? How could you not bear thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold fruit? As a Christian, your life should be filled with much fruit with much good work. I’m not saying that works turn to salvation, but salvation creates work.

James 2:17-20, “even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, ‘you have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’ You believe that God is one you do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?”

You show others that you have a faith, a genuine saving faith by the fruit of your good deeds and work. They cannot be separated. Fruit will be produced.

Conclusion:

Remember James being a farmer? Well he had a couple of crops grow up to fruition but those crops grew lots and lots of peppers. Those crops grew lots and lots of fruit and he was excited and joyful and had a grand harvest.

Are you hardened toward the truth of the Gospel and would reject it at the very word of it? Are you the emotional and rootless, where you have a made resolution that was quickly forgotten and you have returned to your old life? Or are you the worldly man, who is in love with himself and his possessions and would never dare to be parted with it? Or have you been convicted and the seed has taken root within your heart and God has done a miraculous work within you? Has the Gospel seriously changed your life and has God given you a heart of flesh, so that you now may have faith?

What soil are you?

A Rebuke.

Oh you. Here you are again, crawling on the floor and eating the scum of the floor.

Here you are, bowing before the broken idols of the earth, emptying yourself for deaf ears.

Oh you. Loving and chasing after the pretty wonders of the world.

What folly! Who are you?

Have you forgotten your first Love? Have you become complacent to the Sacrifice?

Who are you, man of the dust?

Here you are again, only to embrace a broken heart once more.

Oh You. How could You be forgotten?

Seize The Day (originally written February 10, 2009)

Ever heard of “Carpe Diem”? It’s a phrase, in Latin, that means “Seize the day.” It’s also a view that many people hold to live their lives. Although the theme of living out each day with purpose, thankfulness, and with joy is an ideal belief, culture has perverted it. They want to “live for the moment.” For those who live by that ideal, this is the best life possible. Life is short, so wouldn’t it be appropriate to indulge in a little irresponsible fun? Culture is presenting this view as truth to youth. If culture is right, this is our only life; this is our best life.

If this is our best life, then what should stop us from indulging as much sex as we want? Recent movies and television shows have a very irresponsible attitude toward sex. The recent Oscar nominee “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” describes his various adventures, which also include his numerous one night stands. He certainly does not care (or think about) any consequences his actions might bring him. He’s only thinking about what makes him happy and what feels good. ABC Family’s newest t.v. series, “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” also holds a very similar view. It claims that teenagers are always thinking about sex, and although there are serious repercussions from the lack of self control, it certainly doesn’t preach abstinence. Instead, the show seems to say that if you’re going to indulge in it, don’t get caught. It is this attitude of living for each moment that allows these characters to endulge in carnal passions. None of these mention diseases that come from promiscuity. They are swept under the rug, as if they were insignificant trash and dust that does not need to be noticed by people. If this pleasure seeking ideal is true, youth is being led down a road of pain, heartbreak, and crippled lives.

Culture certainly makes light of becoming high. If one believes that you should live for happiness and pleasure and seizing the day, then why not get high? Party hardy, right? There are songs that talk about getting high, such as Afroman’s “Because I Got High” and Ben Harper’s “Burn One Down.” Of course, films about pot have also been made. These movies have come out in the last decade or so, but the most recent and probably well known by youth today is “Pineapple Express.” It’s a comedy involving two stoners while being chased by a drug lord. The movie is clearly pro-marijuana; it talks about smoking, buying weed, and selling weed. It even has a scene where teenagers are purchasing pot from these two characters. Audiences eat up every minute of it. They enjoy it whole heartedly. If media can cause youth to think less on condemning themes, and start accepting it, they’ve won new fans over. Although, in both Afroman’s song and “Pineapple”, the effects of drug use are devastating to the user’s life, the more obvious theme is this: that smoking pot is fun. It’s promoting a message of live it up and pursue the moments that make you happy, despite the dangers. As stated already, the effects of drug use are devastating. When someone takes a hit of any drug, they become addicted to it. They are unable to think clearly about things but only on what they want now. They will do whatever they can to get the next high. Families, relationships, and people have been torn apart just because they want to feel good and to “seize the day.” How pleasurable and happy!

Certainly people that live for the moment, who live for every self indulging passion cannot be possibly satisfied. They live an empty life, a destructive path, filled with debauchery and sin. There is more to life than sleeping around and trying to get a temporary high. Hearts yearn for much more. Popular artist John Mayer could not say it any clearer in his song, “Something’s Missing”: “Friends (check), money (check), well slept (check), opposite sex (check), guitar (check), microphone (check), messages waiting for me when I come home (check)…How come everything I need, always comes with batteries? What do you think it means?” This yearning and search of purpose can only be satisfied in the Author of true joy. It cannot be found through endless sex, highs, and comfort. This eternal thirst can only be quenched by living for a Creator, the very same Creator who formed you. This is not our best life: there is eternality, our souls know it.

The current youth is being bombarded with messages of seizing moments that make you happy, that brings in a sense of joy and pleasure. However, it is apparent that it is not possible to be satisfied in filling up your days and pursuing the next hot girl or the next high. The entertainment and fun that the culture is presenting to the youth is empty. Seize God, instead of the day. That, my friends, is not a wasted life.

An excerpt from Indescribable.

"Incomparable, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart and
You love me the same
You are amazing God
You are amazing God"

These are lyrics from Chris Tomlin's Indescribable. These are probably some of my favorite lyrics in any worship song. Why? It's content. "You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same." We are sinners. We all fall short. We all screw up every day. And we don't know how totally and utterly sinful we are. We don't know how much evil and pride resides in us. And this is the beauty of the words. God looks at our hearts, sees the very innards of them, even if we don't and still loves us and calls us sons. That should compell us to run after Him even more! That should render us in tears when we do sin against our Father. And give us a spirit of thankfulness and joy. This is the same God is powerful and full of righteous wrath who will discipline us. And He is the same God that saved us from the sin from which we all enjoyed before.

You are amazing God.

Like a lifesaver in a stormy sea.

God works in mysterious ways, in ways that shatter the human pride, in ways that confuse and frustrate our minds, in ways that we cannot understand.

I am in the thick of a trial, a very painful and messy trial. My family is not doing well and my parents' lack of God is making it all the more painful. My grandma is in the thick of her own pain.

I have been brought to stormy waters and I can not tread water. I can not rely on my own strength to save myself and hope to survive. And like a life saver in this wild and painful time, I cling to the grace of God and His gospel, that Jesus Christ was sent from God to die for the sins of men like you and I who did not deserve it, so that we may no longer die in our sins and be separated from God but live with Him forever.

Though I prepare for what I think will be one of the defining moments of mine and my family's lives, and I see there is possibly more pain ahead, I will forever trust in Him. Though the path that God has lead me through feels all the more painful, He will forever be the lamp unto my feet.

I need prayer.

A temporary quit of Internet.

Well the time's finally come for me to do a fasting of internet. I realize that I spend too much time on the internet when I could have done other profitable things, such as read good books, eat bananas, and exercise. Currently I was reading out of "Worldliness" by C.J. Mahaney and many other authors, and the second chapter is called "God, my heart, and media." I was hit with these two questions. How much time have I spent surfing the Internet? How much time have I spent blogging or maintaining an online presence through social network sites?

I realize too much time is lost.

So consider this my goodbye for a week. Pray that the time spent not on the Internet is time spent doing profitable things.

So long.