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!

These sermon notes are from the opening minutes of this weekend’s message. If you would like to hear the entire message, click on the link above.

Recent Sermon Notes

Finding Your Voice in Prayer | Ken Olson

Pastor Ken Olson shared with us a message on “Finding Your Voice in Prayer.” Noting that our nation’s Declaration of Independence declares that we, as citizens, have the right to pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. He further added, “There’s nothing more empowering, more enabling to pursue life, liberty, and happiness and so many other things that God has planned for our lives than a pursuit of a lifelong relationship through prayer with our Heavenly Father.” Heaven isn’t just a place. Heaven is a divine flow!

Dr. James Tan | Power and Fire, Part 3

Dr. James Tan was our special guest speaker. He spoke about the supernatural power people receive when they experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Entitled, “Power and Fire,” Dr. James taught all three weekend services on the basic fundamental truths concerning a believer’s encounter with Holy Ghost power! He stressed how important it is for all believers to have their own personal encounters with God the Holy Ghost for themselves. “You can’t live off someone else’s testimony,” he said. “You have to get your own experiences about encountering the power of the Holy Spirit for yourself.”

GRACE UNVEILED, #37: Tongues: The Fire Is Still Burning | Jim Hammond

Have you ever been in a place in your life where you don’t know how to pray or what to pray… where you don’t have the words to express to God what you need from Him? It’s a place in which all born again believers have found themselves. This is the subject matter Pastor Jim taught us in his 37th installment of his ongoing series on the book of Romans—“Grace Unveiled.” It is the Holy Spirit that makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered in articulate language. About tongues, Pastor Jim said, “I do this for myself. You should pray in tongues for yourself. It’s a mistake not to!”

When Grace Sprinted | Jim Hammond

When Jesus walked the earth, one of His missions was to reveal the Father God’s love for us. And one of the ways He did that was through the telling of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. When teaching on this parable, most preachers focus all their attention on the Prodigal Son, and how he repented. However, the whole point of this parable is to reveal the Father’s love. Pastor Jim said, “This may be one of the most-preached messages in history. And I know you think you know what this parable is all about… Well, we shall see.”

GRACE UNVEILED | Creation on the Edge of Its Seat (Leaning Forward) | Jim Hammond

Pastor Jim taught the 36th installment of his ongoing series on the book of Romans, entitled “Grace Unveiled.” Due to the rich treasures that are contained in Romans chapter 8, Pastor Jim is determined to reveal every one of its gems, leaving no truth uncovered! Did you know, there are three “groans” in this chapter? In this message, we looked at the groan that all creation gives right before the end of the dispensation of grace. Folks, that’s right now!