We're gonna talk about the parable of the seed, the sower, and the soil. You're probably like, what? That's not what it's called. That's what I call it. The seed, the sower, and the soil. Most people call it the parable of the sower, but I think the other details are very, very important when we talk about this parable. Certain people interpret this parable different ways. Some people think that it's a parable specifically detailing salvation and the issues about how to go to heaven and that they list that there's four different types of people and we know how they're saved by the examples given in the parable. Some people interpret this as purely the opposite, that it has absolutely nothing to do with salvation, that it's strictly to do with discipleship and therein, and so even the wayside person is a saved individual just doing extremely poor, But I'm going to kind of show you how I believe the correct interpretation of this passage is in Matthew 13. Also, we're going to look at Luke 8, and we're also going to look at Mark chapter 4, because those three passages detail this parable. John does not make mention. John kind of takes a different route. But Matthew 13 is where we first see it in the scripture. And I'll have a few slides tonight that you'll be able to look at on the screen. We're first going to read all three accounts. They're short. They're about 10 or so verses each. It won't take long, and it's very repetitive. But I want you to pay close attention as we read these accounts and notice the subtle differences in the accounts. Now, mental note, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, particularly Matthew, Mark, and Luke, synoptic gospels. John obviously tailors off a little differently. But Matthew, Mark, and Luke, synoptic in that they talk about a lot of the same things, but they give different details. This is actually more proof to the the strength of the scriptures. It's not like there's discrepancies happening. You have different viewpoints coming from Matthew, from Mark, from Luke, and you have John. And so it actually strengthens the validity of the scriptures. But as we read, you'll notice these differences and you can see how it helps us to also understand what is happening in this parable. So let's read in Matthew 13, beginning in verse 1. It says, The same day went Jesus out of the house and sat by the seaside, and great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship and sat, and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Notice he's speaking to the multitude. And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow, and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up. If you were taking notes tonight, I want you to notice the four different groups. There are four different groups, and so you could put number one by wayside. Verse five, And when the sun was up, they were scorched because they had no root. They withered away. That's number two. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprung up and choked them. That's number three. But other fell into good ground and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who have ears to hear, let him hear. And the disciples came and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? Now in Matthew we have the longest account regarding the explanation of the parables, which is not so much the concern of the study tonight, but we'll read it anyway. Verse 11. He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance. But whosoever hath not from him shall be taken away, even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables, because they seeing see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. "'But blessed are your eyes, for they see, "'and your ears, for they hear. "'For verily I say unto you that many prophets "'and righteous men have desire to see those things "'which you see and have not seen them, "'and to hear those things which you hear "'and have not heard them.'" Basically, he distinguishes his disciples from the crowd, which is partial key to understanding this parable as well, particularly with the first group and then the other three groups. Carrying on, verse 18. Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. He's going to give the explanation. When anyone heareth the word of the kingdom and understandeth it not, then cometh that wicked one and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the wayside. Number one. But he that receiveth the seed in a stony place is the same as he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it. Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while. For when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. That's number two. He also that receives seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word, and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful, number three. But he that receives seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word and understandeth it, which also beareth fruit and bringeth forth some and hundredfold, some 60, some 30. And that's number four. And so he gives the explanation, which we're gonna dive into. We're gonna explain this. But skip, skip, go to Mark chapter four. And you should cross-reference these if you have a Schofield he does it for you, but mark chapter 4 and We'll just read the explanation because that's pretty key in the understanding in the description of the parable to the multitude and when he's talking to everyone they're about the same but the Explanation is really really interesting as you see the differences. Okay, so mark chapter 4 is Looking in verse six, sorry, 15. And these are they by the wayside 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 for a time. Afterward, when affliction or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among the 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." Now skip, skip to Luke. And I promise you, after we read this one, I'll do some explaining. Luke chapter 8. probably already there. Go and look with me at verse 12 of Luke chapter 8. It says, those by the wayside, number one, are they that hear I'm going to slow down for Luke 8. They that hear, then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. That's a new detail. They on the rock are they, which when they hear, receive the word with joy. And these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they which when they have heard go forth and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life and bring no fruit to perfection. New detail. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience. New detail. So Luke is quite a little bit different than Matthew and Mark. Now with that in mind, I know that was read really quickly. I'm gonna have some slides on the screen. So I hope you can see these. It's actually quite nice contrast. I had a little fun. You like my bird? I hope so. This is the wayside group. I'm going to give you quotes, direct scriptural quotes, so we can compare these, okay? And the wayside believers are described in these ways in the scriptures, then we'll explain. Devoured up by the fowls, they understand it not, the word. The wicked one is mentioned, the devil is mentioned as taking it out. Taking the word that was sown in their hearts, he takes it out. Luke gives us the detail, lest they should believe, as we see down there, and be saved. He catcheth away, he taketh away, and he does it immediately. These details, this is a compilation of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Not all these details are mentioned, but if you compare the scriptures you can see and it creates a beautiful little picture for us. So the devil takes away out of their hearts lest they should believe and be saved. All direct quotes. The wayside believer My notes here, this group chooses not to believe. The word is thrown. The sower sows the word. The word is cast out and they could receive the word, but they're not on the right ground. They choose not to receive the word. This group chose to hear and they reject it. When someone rejects the gospel, it's Satan. The word is thrown at Satan. He's pulling it out of their hearts. It reminds me of 2 Corinthians chapter 4. He's like a... escapes my mind. But if our gospel be hidden, it is hidden to them that are lost, lest the light of the glorious gospel should shine unto them. And so Satan, he's there, he pulls it right away. This is the wayside believer. This group heard the word, but they did not receive the word. This is the group that Isaiah describes. They're hearing. It's less they should hear. Their ears are stopped. Less they should see. They're blinded. They don't want to hear it. That was the problem in Isaiah's day. They didn't want to hear the message. These people decide not to hear the message. They do not receive the word. There's no root. No growth and therefore no fruit is possible. I believe it is clear that we can conclude from the scriptures that the wayside group is a clear depiction of an unsaved group. Okay? Now, the parable itself is not particularly concerned with necessarily, okay, entirely, who is saved and who is not saved. You'll notice that the culture, the pastoral culture, if I could say, is often going to this parable and using it as a way to show who is saved and who is not saved. I don't believe that is Jesus' point. We can conclude that this group is not saved because they ultimately do not accept the truth. They do not accept the word. Luke even says, less they should believe and be saved. All right, that's as clear as it gets. But the ultimate point that Jesus is going to get across in the parable is not concerned with, okay, all we know now is this person is saved, unsaved, saved, unsaved, saved. That's not the point of the parable. It's kind of like when I talked about on Sunday in James chapter 2. James is not concerned with talking about how to go to heaven. Okay, James was concerned with believers who know they're going to heaven that they need to have works thereafter. This parable is not just a parable telling people this is who is saved, this is who is unsaved. It's not the point. Although we can conclude those details. Yeah, so the stony, here's some quotes, sprung up, but they had no depth. It says they were scorched and they had no root. So if you think of a plant, for the wayside believer, those seeds were thrown out, but they never even went into the ground. Like the bird came off and ate the seeds, right? Birds love seeds. The bird came, Satan snatched those seeds and he's gone. Those seeds didn't even have a chance to go in the ground. The stony ones, they're thrown out, they go into the ground. little bit. They plant down into the ground, but they even spring up, but there's no depth. There's no strong hold root. A plant to grow needs good soil in which the root can plant down deep, and it can spring up, and it needs water. It needs sunlight, but not too much. And this is the example. It was scorched. It had no root. It lacked the proper moisture. My wife has a garden right now. We have a raised bed garden out back. We're growing cucumbers, zucchinis, pumpkins, corn. We have peanuts. We just pulled up the peanuts. You flip them over. My wife told me those have to sit another four months before I can eat them. Anyway. But she has a garden, and I can see these things happening. We've had plants, you put the seed, nothing happens. I guess a bird came by, took that seed. And then you have some plants, they come up, but then they get choked out by something. That'll be the thorny. Then you have some, and they get scorched by the sun. And then you have some that produce a lot of fruit. We'll get to that. So they lack moisture. But notice the detail. They received the word with joy. There is a point in which this group of individuals receive the word. They take the word. The seed goes into the ground. It does spring up. Something produces. It springs up out of the ground. That has happened. They receive the word with joy. It even says with gladness. I believe that's in Mark or Luke. But here's the problem of the stony person. In time of temptation, they fall away. They endure for a time, but because of affliction and persecution, that word is, they're offended, okay? And these are details, those are quotes. This group received the word even with joy. This group had some service toward God. They had a little depth of earth, but not for long. This group stumbled at the struggles of life, the persecutions and afflictions. There is no indication of any fruit in this person's life. Now stay with me, I'm gonna explain this. This group is saved nonetheless. So you'll notice the ones who receive the word, they go into the ground. The wayside ones, they didn't even go into the ground. We can conclude that these people are unsaved. They're not even believers. They rejected the word. Satan came and snatched it away. They decided not to believe it. But then from here on out, The stony, the thorn, and the good ground, we see that all three groups receive the word. That phrase is very, very, very important. They receive it. Like we like to say, they believed it. I think of John 1 12, but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. So this group did receive the word. They even received it with joy and with gladness, but there was a point where this group fell away into temptation, into, they stumbled at the struggles of this life, the afflictions of this life, and so they decided to stop. It's like a plant coming up out of the ground so subtly. It's a tiny little plant. It has a little bit of root, but then the sun scorches it, or the sower who sowed it forgets to water it. Something happened. This plant, it doesn't, spring up enough and it's scorched, falls away, eventually dies off. It doesn't produce any fruit. Now, remember what I said, though. The parable is not concerned necessarily with pointing out who is saved or who is not saved. It does. We can conclude who is saved and who is not saved, but the key of the parable and the point that Jesus is ultimately trying to get across is to believers to produce fruit. That's the point of a lot of these parables. It's for believers, disciples, who have already believed they're now able to be a disciple of Christ that they need to continue to serve and produce fruit. But one of the details you need to know is that As a lot of pastors like to say is like these people are determined if they're saved or not by how much fruit they produce. That's incorrect. That is incorrect. Okay. And so just because you have the wayside believer, he doesn't have any fruit. The stony God doesn't have any fruit. But then the thorn has a little bit of fruit. The good ground has a lot of their fruit. That is not the determining factor of whether or not they're saved. We can conclude whether or not the person is saved or not if they've received the word, if they've believed it, i.e. believed in what Jesus did on the cross for us. So the stony group is a saved group of individuals, but the saved group of individuals fallen away in a temptation and really When you read about the stony and the thorn group, it's a bit of a smack in the face for us believers. We need to be careful that we don't become like these groups because we very well can. That's Jesus's point. It's like a warning and an encouragement in a parable using an illustration to teach his disciples because when he did the parable, he was speaking to the whole multitude. And when he gave the interpretation, it was when the disciples pulled him aside and he explained it to them thereafter. Because the whole multitude wouldn't understand it. Not everybody would understand. That's why Jesus said, he that hath an ear, let him hear. And so the disciples eventually understood it. They had believed in Christ already. And so he goes on, the stony group. Now we have the thorns group. Here's the quotes. They sprang up And a thorn sprang up and choked the plant. So this plant had evidently come up and it was choked up. The thorn sprang up with it, but quote, it yielded, that's not correct, yielded no fruit. It yielded little fruit is what I meant to put there. World deceitfulness of riches and lusts, becometh unfruitful, bring no fruit to perfection. So the thorny group, it was a plant, a seed that went into the ground. The word was received, okay? and it even sprang up had a little bit of root it even had a little bit of fruit but it's clear it didn't bring any fruit to perfection okay so this is a different group he's illustrating it's a little different than the stony ground in that something else got in the way for them let's see This group evidently hears and receives the word because they had potential for fruit. Okay, I like to think of Hebrews 11, six, but it's impossible to please God unless you have faith in him, right? Without faith, it's impossible to please him. So they have to receive the word in order to produce the fruit. Okay, so the wayside believer, he didn't ever receive the word. He can't produce the fruit. The stone, he received the word, he believed, but he didn't have any fruit. The thorny ground, they heard, they received the word, and they had potential for fruit. This group is caught up in the lusts and sinful desires of this life. The stone group is a warning for the believer to not get offended, to not let something get in the way that some sort of affliction or hardship or something, maybe someone to offend you or something someone says to offend you. That's the warning of the believer who could become like the stony ground. I think that's Jesus's ultimate point. Okay, for the stony ground, they get offended, something gets in the way. It's not necessarily a sinful lust. The thorny ground is a sinful lust. It's a temptation. Not necessarily just sexual, but it says the riches of this life, the lusts of this life, the cares of this world. That's the thorns illustration. And that choked the word, this believer, it choked them and it became unfruitful. It didn't bear any fruit to perfection. I kind of picture like my watermelon plant, we grew some watermelons last season when it was time for them to grow, I guess earlier this year, and we had some watermelons that grew nice and big and we had some good watermelons, but there were some that came up and I didn't get thorns wrapped around it, okay, but it grew in a little bad spot and it kind of just didn't grow anymore, okay, it just kind of stayed small and then it rotted away. And so that's this idea of the thorns. It's choked and it doesn't become fruitful. I can't eat this little watermelon. It hasn't fully developed. That's the idea. So this is like a believer. They've been choked up by the cares of this world. This group is saved nonetheless. Most pastors and teachers and preachers will tell you that the stony group and the thorn group are unsaved because they don't bear any or they bear very little fruit. And that's what they'll tell you. But remember, The indication that they're saved is not based upon how much fruit they bear. We can see it's clear that that aspect is done when they receive the word, they believe the word. And this is the good ground, quote, brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. I thought this was very interesting because you have a lot of pastors say, you know, you have to maintain some sort of standard to be saved, but it's very interesting that if fruit bearing is what I need to do to be saved, well, how much is it? Do I gotta be thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold? You know what I'm saying? It doesn't make any sense. Because there's even three of the good ground. So apparently there's believers that do pretty well and then some do extremely well in their service toward the Lord. Again, this is not determined if they're saved or not. You receive the word, you're saved. The stony ground received the word, the thorn ground received the word, the good ground received the word. So they heard the word and received it. Luke says in an honest and good heart, they keep it and bring forth fruit with patience. Notes on the good ground. This group understands the word and receives the word. This group does not let other things get in the way of its fruit bearing. This group brings forth varying amounts of fruit. This group is also saved. So here's the thing about these four groups before I continue. The wayside, he's the example of those who ultimately just reject the whole thing. They hear it, but they don't receive it. And that's the ones that Isaiah mentions. We're not going to dive into those scriptures. Isaiah mentions it. They just, they're dull of hearing. They don't even, they completely reject it. That's the wayside. The stony ground, they believe it, but then they don't bring forth anything. They're saved. It's like a saved person, but they bring forth nothing. They get offended. I've seen this happen in my life with believers who, you know, they've trusted in Christ as Savior. They're on fire, like, real early on. I think of, like, a two-week camp Christian, right? They trusted Christ at camp, They're on fire for two weeks, but then something gets in the way. That's what I think of with the stony ground. Something offends them, something just gets in the way. It's the same thing for the thorn ground, right? They're on fire, might even produce a little bit of fruit, but then a temptation, a lust, sinful desire gets in the way. It chokes the word and becomes unfruitful. See, this is very important because As a believer in Christ, if you're a believer in Christ, which I think everyone in the audience is, if you're a believer in Christ, the key thing that we are supposed to be doing, just as a plant, is to bear fruit. The whole point of a Christian is to bear more fruit. Turn really quickly, before we go on, go to Proverbs chapter 11 with me. Because we're going to talk about what does it mean to bear fruit? Proverbs chapter 11, just look at this verse really quick. Verse 30. This is one of the first memory scriptures I ever learned. says in verse 30, the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life and he that winneth souls is wise. That's a great great verse and so our goal is to bear more fruit and I believe ultimately Jesus's point here and what he's trying to get across to his disciples is not just bearing fruit necessarily by, you know, just doing what it says and being a good person, but ultimately bearing fruit is taking the Word, receiving the Word, and doing more with it, so much so that we bear fruit and the fruit would be more people to receive the Word and trust in Christ as Savior. Bearing fruit is reaching people with the gospel, ultimately. That is Jesus' whole goal. He wants people to be saved. He wants to produce disciples that trust in Christ the Savior, but he also wants them to live in a way that reaches more people with the gospel. And the good ground is the perfect example of that, and that's the one we need to strive for. You see what I'm saying when I say that Jesus' point is not that we look at this parable just to determine who is saved. We can see that the wayside person is not a believer in Christ and the other three are saved. We can see that, the detail is there, but the ultimate point of the passage is for the disciple to not be like the stone ground and the thorn ground, but be like the good ground, right? Get there, produce more fruit. Just a note, what determines the saving? Those that receive the word Let's see. With potential to bear fruit are individuals who are saved. The wayside believers, or not believers, the wayside people, they didn't believe. They don't even have potential to bear fruit. They weren't saved. Okay. The wayside soil never received the word, i.e. he never believed it from the get-go. The other three did. The saved ones, the stony, thorny good, are not saved based upon their fruit amounts. Notice, the good ground even has varying fruit amounts. I like to ask Calvinists and Catholics and various different denominations of various kinds, you know, like, what is the standard that you're trying to place upon me to be saved? You say I have to, you know, not live in sin. A lot of them like to say that. Don't live in sin, you know. James chapter 2, faith without works is dead. So what is really the standard? If you're saying I have to live a certain way, what's the standard, you know? How much of fruit do I have to bear? What do I actually have to do to be saved, right? You say it's faith, but then it's faith plus works, but then it's faith that's not faith. All these different confusing phrases, right? Then they throw in a works-based gospel, but really how much do I have to do? How much sin do I actually have to stop? It doesn't work. We can't save ourselves. That's why I have to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior. And so, carrying on, notice the good ground even has varying fruit amounts. They are saved if they initially receive the word. Those three groups did. A lost man who never receives the word is never saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already. Why? He doth not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God. He didn't believe it, didn't receive it. The last three soils. Stony and thorns received the word, but other things got in the way. And this is a warning through this parable to believers. Don't become like these two. They bore no fruit because the plant no longer continued to grow. Now, The example does not extrapolate to say that, you know, the stone and the thorn ground, you know, they got choked up. He got scorched and he got choked up. They're not bearing any more fruit, so they're no longer saved. That's not what he's saying. That's not what he's saying. They no longer bore any fruit, so they're no longer bearing any fruit. Sure, the plant might die off. A believer could live in such a way to where he could die, God could take him home early, right? We don't want to be like these two plants. That's the warning. These are examples of believers who started off in growth, but they did not continue to grow to the point of bearing much fruit. They didn't grow and bear much fruit like the good ground soil did. The good ground is an example of a believer who is conducting his life as a disciple of Christ. He receives the word and continues to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord. This plant, the good ground believer, he's already believed and now he's discipling his life. The belief comes before the discipleship. This plant bears fruit, bears a lot of fruit. John chapter 15 says that he wants us to abide in him that we bear fruit and then as you go later it says that you might bear much fruit. The goal is always about bearing fruit, reaching souls, conducting your life as a believer in such a way that you reach more people of the gospel. Jesus, just a couple notes, Jesus would not contradict his words about salvation in the book of John by proclaiming the stony soil and the thorny soil are not saved. So that's not his point, but I believe the stony soil and the thorn soil were saved, okay? So he's not going on and contradicting other parts in scripture where he says it's faith alone and Christ alone, it's believe in me, you have everlasting life. But then he goes over here in this parable and he says, you know, if you don't produce enough fruit, you're not saved. That's not what he's saying. That's not what the parable's about. But even if the parable was about that, they are saved, the stone ground and the thorn ground. It's completely unsubstantiated when we look at clear gospel scriptures like John 3, 15 through 18, so on and so forth. Ephesians 2, 8 and 9, one of my favorites. So, the amount of fruit you bear is not the determining factor of if you're saved. Did you receive the word? Yes, you're saved. Now, are you bearing fruit as a disciple of Christ? More notes. We are the sowers. I believe the ultimate point of the parable is not to see who is necessarily saved or unsaved. That's not his point, even though you can see that. But it is to encourage those who hear and understand to sow seeds and bear more fruit. Jesus is ultimately giving his disciples the understanding of the parable. The intent of the parable is for the disciple to not get offended or choked up by the cares of this world. Instead, the disciple of Christ should bear fruit by continuing to keep the word and reach souls. Sorry about that. And so there's my notes. But the point of this parable is to encourage the believer to not get choked up by the cares of this world, to not get offended, something get in the way of your service, all right, and stop you from bearing fruit because it can so easily happen. I've seen it happen. I've seen it happen to Believers who have been in the good ground, right? They've bore fruit. They've witnessed to a lot of people. They know their scripture. They've done the things necessary to be a faithful believer. They've set their eyes on the things above and not on things on the earth. But there's a danger. The believer can become like the stony and the thorn ground. You can become like that. You can let things get in the way. And that's the danger. That's the warning. We should not be like those soils. We should strive to be on the good ground, to grow up, have strong, deep roots, as Colossians says, rooted and grounded in the truth, and let the plant grow up, and we as believers being like a tree of life bearing a lot of fruit, that we can win more souls. And I believe that's the ultimate point that Jesus is getting across to his disciples through this parable. His point is not to use this parable as a way for us to see who is saved and who is not saved. That's not the point. Even though you can see those details there, because Jesus, he was pretty smart when he said things, right? Even though you can see that his point is to tell us as believers to bear fruit and not just a little bit, to bear a lot of it. I want to be part of the hundredfold. I don't know about you, but I want to be a part of that. Look up here really quick. Bearing fruit doesn't save a person. I believe everyone in here is trusted Christ as Savior. But if you're over the live stream, bearing fruit doesn't save a person. There's one thing that saves a person is Jesus Christ. And I want to illustrate that to you right now. Letting this hand represent me and you and the whole world and this block of sin. This is our sin. We all have it. God loves us. He doesn't like our sin because our sin separates us from a holy God. It's a barrier between us. We can't get to him and he can't get to us. No matter how hard we try, we can't get to Him. It doesn't matter how good we think we are and, you know, if we think we're bearing a lot of fruit or if we're trying to be, you know, a good person or go to church a lot and all these things, you still have sin. We all have it. He still loves us though. But the problem is the payment for our sin is death in hell, separation from God for all eternity. But God loves us so much, He wants us to go to heaven. But to go to heaven, like I said, it's not by bearing fruit. You've got to be perfect, as righteous as God. And none of us are. We all have sin on us. That's the whole problem. And so many people miss that. You have to have His perfect righteousness. It's not being, you know, halfway good, you've still got a little bit of sin. You have to have His righteousness, just as righteous as God. That's the problem. And so, so many people think they can get rid of this sin, and they look at passages like we looked at tonight, they think they can, quote, bear fruit and be good and go to church or preach their gospel, right? They can do all these things and their sin will disappear. by doing all those things, but it doesn't. The penalty is death and hell forever. You've got to die to pay for that sin. That's exactly what Jesus Christ did. He came down from heaven. He had no sin. He is righteous, and Jesus Christ took that death penalty for us when He died on the cross, when He was buried and He rose from the dead. The penalty got paid. The sin is removed as far as the east is from the west. And anyone who believes in him should not perish, as John 3.16 says. If you believe in him, you have everlasting life. It's a free gift. If you believe it, if you receive the word, you have everlasting life. Will you believe it if never before? mainly use you over the live stream, trust in Christ. Do it right now. Would you believe in Him? If you would do that, He gives you eternal life, and He'll never let go of you. You can't get out. He's not kicking you out. You're stuck with Him. Trust in Christ as your Savior. And now for those who have believed, before we pray, strive to be like the good ground believer. bear much fruit, win souls. Don't let something get in the way of your service toward the Lord. Don't get offended. Don't get sidetracked. Don't let something choke you out with temptation to sin. Don't be like those, but strive to be like the good ground. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for this ministry. I thank you for your word. I thank you for the opportunity that we have to bear fruit. I pray if there's anyone over the live stream who has not trusted Christ as Savior, I pray that they would right now. That they would know that they have eternal life by believing in Jesus Christ. And I pray that we as believers in Christ would therefore Keep the word, as Luke says, and have patience and bring forth fruit like the good ground. Help us to do that, Lord, this week, today, tonight, and tomorrow. In Jesus' name, amen.