Heart on SermonAudio

God's covenants, or promises, are a lens through which to see the whole Bible. God makes promises to reveal His faithfulness, commitment, and love! All of them point ultimately towards Jesus Christ and the Gospel.

1. Receive Us (vv. 2-4) 2. Rejoicing News (vv. 5-7) 3. Repentance Assured (vv. 8-12) 4. Refreshing Testimony (vv. 13-16)

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we rejoice in the salvation and forgiveness of sins we have received. While we once stood guilty before a holy God, His grace has redeemed us through the perfect atonement of His Son, Jesus. Please listen as Brother Mike expounds on "The Atonement of Christ." May this message bless and strengthen your heart...

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus reveals that people respond differently to the word of His kingdom. Some hearts are hardened, some respond with joy but have no roots to endure, and others allow the cares and riches of the world to choke out the word. But the good soil hears, understands, and bears lasting fruit. Jesus calls us to examine the condition of our own hearts. Genuine faith is rooted in Christ, endures through suffering, resists making worldly things ultimate, and increasingly bears fruit as we abide in Jesus, embrace His grace, and faithfully follow Him together as His Church.

A refusal to come to Christ leads to a list of negative activities such as hindering other, twisting God's priorities, masking your heart, and resisting His Messengers.

The believer can take comfort in knowing that the God of grace who forgives sin, also delivers us from the power of the evil one.

I. Loving the Truth II. Hating the Lie III. Abiding in God's Tabernacle

Jesus is making a change of focus that results from a judicial act of judgment against Israel. They have refused to listen and respond to His calls for and invitations to salvation. Now, He is acting on God's warnings that though they see, they would not see truly, and though they hear, they would not understand. The understanding of the parables is limited to those who believe...at this point, the disciples. The point of this parable revolves around the seed (gospel message) and the hearer's hearts (soil). The sower is not Jesus, in this case. Rather, it is anyone who is sowing (preaching) the gospel message. The quality of the preaching is not at issue here. Rather, it is the condition of the hearts of those who hear.