Pastor Mac Hammond  |  August 29, 2021

Recap:
After the Word of God is planted in hearts that are not hard or stony, the Word has the opportunity to grow and produce fruit. However, the cultivating of soil doesn’t stop there. In order to reach the harvest of God-ideas that the Word can produce, we must be aware of weed seeds. Weed seeds are worldly ideas that are counter to the Word of God. Weed seeds will choke out the truth of God’s Word. It is important to identify and get rid of weed seeds so they aren’t a part of your life.

Dive Deeper:
Take a moment and consider everything that the world is worried about. It is consistently based in tomorrow. God has a different way for us to live: He wants us to seek first God’s kingdom today. When we seed God’s kingdom first, we focus on what needs to happen today and trust God with the future. We become less concerned about what the world thinks and more concerned about the direction of God’s Word in our lives.

Living life this way keeps the weed seeds from having a chokehold on the good seed of God’s Word. You see, one of the ways the enemy can ruin a harvest after the Word has been planted is by providing ideas other than God’s Word in our lives. These “weed seeds” are competing ideas about the world. They include the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things.

Cares and anxiety are based in fear—and fear is a distraction that will choke out faith in God’s Word. When you seek first God’s kingdom, your concern becomes sowing God’s Word into other people’s lives through your lifestyle, your words, and your money.

Remember, if you start experiencing the peace and joy that comes from following God’s Word, and then it stops, it’s very likely there’s a weed seed in your life attempting to choke out your harvest. Don’t let it! Refocus in on God and His Word. Let the truth of His promises come alive in your heart.

Read More:
Mark 4:11 KJV
“And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:”

Mark 4:13-20 KJV
“And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.”

Matthew 6:25 KJV
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Matthew 6:31-34 KJV
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Discussion Questions:
1. Have you noticed weed seeds in your life?
2. What can you do to place a priority on God’s Word over worldly ideas?
3. What are various sources of weed seeds in your life? What are sources of God’s Word?
4. How can you help bring God’s Word to other people today?

Rewatch or catch up on the full sermon with the link below!

Recent Sermon Notes

Grace Unveiled: Everyone Is Guilty (Rom. 2:1–9)  | Jim Hammond

Pastor Jim gave the fifth installment of his series entitled, “Grace Unveiled.” The first three chapters of Romans can be summed up by saying people who rely on their own righteousness, their own ability, their own self-effort will not escape the judgment of God. It is only through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ can any man escape His judgment. In the book of Romans, the apostle Paul defines New Testament righteousness as the ability to stand before God without a sense of guilt or inferiority.

2024 Prayer and Presence Conference | Heidi Baker, Joseph Harris, and Leif Hetland

Demonstrations of the presence of God were manifested at The Prayer and Presence Conference this past weekend. Guest speakers Heidi Baker, Joseph Harris, and Leif Hetland shared what was on their hearts, and a definite theme came forth—we are at the threshold of a great awakening to God. The flames for world evangelism were ignited by three different videos: 1) an update on Living Word’s church planting mission, 2) a video of how Iris Global Ministries is in the midst of violence and persecution, yet they bravely continue their work, and 3) a video of a great outpouring of God’s Spirit in Asia!

Grace Unveiled: How to Get a Reprobate Mind #4 | Jim Hammond

Pastor Jim gave his fourth installment in his series entitled, “Grace Unveiled,” with the subtitle being “How to Get a Reprobate Mind.” This is a series on the book of Romans, a book considered to be the greatest writing of Christian doctrine in all the Bible. Pastor Jim says it has multiple themes on redemption. It touches on our inability to work for the favor of God, the guilt that we have to deal with on a daily basis, and the fact that salvation is only to be received by believing. Romans 1: 24–32 is the subject of this message.

FOCUS FOR EFFECT: Love | Mac Hammond

Pastor Mac taught the third installment of his series entitled, “Focus on Effect,” based upon 2nd Corinthians 4:17, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” The apostle Paul said the hardships in our lives can be light and momentary. It all depends on what we place our focus upon. Paul says we are to focus our attention on what is eternal, rather than what is temporal. There are three things that are eternal: faith, hope, and love. We are to focus on that.

FOCUS FOR EFFECT: Hope | Mac Hammond

This series is all about focus, meaning where do you give your attention. This is important because whatever you give your attention to will determine how hard or difficult your life will be. And conversely, it will determine how easy and carefree it will be. Teaching on 1st Corinthians 13:13, Pastor Mac says you can gain the clarity you need to succeed in your life by focusing on matters of faith, hope, and love.