Matthew 13:4 and Alcohol?

0:02 Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is the Theology Central podcast, making Theology Central. Heavy metal with bagpipes? Wait? What heavy metal with bagpipes? Are we? Are we talking about a real genre of music? What do we I know you may be asking, why are you talking about that? Well, that's a good question because in our last live broadcast, we really were left what we were left were with. We were left with the question, which was what metal bands use bagpipes? That's what we were left with that after all of we did in the last live broadcast, we were left with the question what metal bands have buy bagpipes in their music. Yeah, I'm doing really well talking this afternoon, but that's what we were left with. I'm hoping, I'm hoping in this broadcast, I'm hoping, I'm hoping, I'm hoping and hoping we won't be looking for which metal bands have bagpipes. I'm hoping we'll we'll find ourselves looking for something. I know that's probably not a completely fair thing to say about the last live broadcast, but in some ways that was kind of the joke. So we're going to move forward and hopefully this will be a little bit more successful. I don't know how do we measure that. Hopefully it'll be more beneficial. But with all of that said, good afternoon everyone.

1:30 It is Saturday, September seventh, twenty twenty four. It is currently three twenty five pm Central Time, and I am coming to you live from the Theology Central Studio located right here in Abilene, Texas. Now, just to get everyone caught up, it started with a very simple idea, which is what always happens here on this podcast. I come up with what I think will be a simple idea, and then it just tur There's twists and turns, and we never know where we're going to end up, but we always end up in some very interesting places, and hopefully by the time the journey ends, we've found something to be somewhat beneficial and hopefully spiritually, you know, helpful to your Christian life. That's always the goal. But the idea was simple, Hey, here's a study Bible. I haven't done much with this study Bible. I don't like to have any books anywhere near me that I haven't done something with. I haven't taken extensive notes on, I haven't read multiple times, I haven't used it for a sermon or or for a podcast. I've got to get the most out of every book. So I've got this study Bible sitting here. Let me open it up, all right, flip the page, flip the fing ooh, look at this.

2:45 Here's an article about how to read and study the Bible. Well that's an easy podcast mini series, ladies and gentlemen. We're going to be discussing how to read and study the Bible for the next few episodes. It should be beneficial. I will offer my critique and analysis and compare it to all the Bible study methods which I have taught. Let's go simple idea, right, and then the next thing we know, we get to a part in the basically the introduction to the article that says, Okay, if you want to be an effective Bible student, if you want that Bible study to be really effectual in your life, to really accomplish something, then you must start not with knowledge about hermoneutics and biblical principles of interpretation. No no, no, no, no no no. You need to start with getting your heart right, because it's the condition of your heart that will determine if you can be an effective Bible student, and it will determine if studying the Bible, listening discermons, or going to church will even be beneficial and do anything for you. You've got to get your heart right.

3:50 And of course I'm not good at just reading something and just teaching it. I read and ask a million questions, I challenge. I try to create my own hypotheses and then test it, and then that's all what always happens. So of course, immediately I was like, I'm the student in the back of the room raising my hand, going wait a minute, wait a minute. If I have to get my heart right before I study the Bible, well, then how do I get my heart right? Because I thought it was the Bible that helps me get my heart right. So is it the study of the Bible that helps my heart or do I already have to have my heart right before I study the Bible? And it was very confusing and very almost contradictory in a way.

4:34 You're kind of going in a circle. Well, you got to get your heart right, but the Bible is what helps you get your heart right. But the Bible won't do any good until you get your heart right. But if I already have my heart right, then I don't need the Bible to get my heart right, because it's already right before I even started studying. So the whole thing was just confusing and confounding. So we started questioning it, and we started challenging this whole concept, and they were utilizing the parable and March after four typically referenced as the parable of the sewer, or you could refer to it as I tend to like the idea the parable of the soils because it's referring to different ground, but it is actually in the Bible called the parable of the sewer. So we started looking at the parable itself.

5:19 We started challenging this view that this parable is telling you how to be an effectual Bible student. You have to get your heart right. How do you get your heart right? Well, it seems the best answer we can come up with after not only looking at the article, looking at a book that the author wrote listening to sermons is basically you just say, God, make my heart right, and then your heart is right. And I guess then it's always right because you get a new heart. But then there were also the implication, then you get a brand new heart when you get saved. Well, if I get a brand new heart. When I get saved, well, then I shouldn't have any heart problems because I just got a brand new heart. But at the same time, even though it was implied that we get a brand new heart in salvation, and it was also implied that sometimes our heart gets hard or cold, or our heart gets distracted by the cares of this world. And it's like seemingly to describe the different grounds that's described in the parable, But then at the same time we said, no, no, no, the only people that are saved in that parable are the people with the good ground. So the people with the good ground, that the people have a good heart, and the only way you get a good heart is at salvation, so then you shouldn't have any of those problems.

6:26 But at the same time, the sermons seems, the sermons that we've reviewed, seem to imply that we can have those problems. So we've been left with just absolute no answers. It's been confusing, it's been confounding, it's been contradictory, it's been problematic, it's been irritating, and dare I say, it's been frustrating. So we've offered some things. Now a lot of people the reason they say, well, Mark four, when it talks about that one ground, the good ground, the tilled ground, it produces fruit. Well, we know they're the only people saved because in the Gospel of Mark it says by your fruits, or in the Gospel of Matthew it says by their fruits you will know them. So then they say, well, see that proves that fruit is the way you prove salvation. The only problem is when you go to that passage in Matthew, the fruit there is not about salvation. It's about determining if someone is a true or false teacher. It's not really about determining someone's salvation because clearly even Christians can well do well, I mean, have all kinds of problems. So we looked at that and kind of challenge that, but we've not really been given any good answers. It's something like, hey, you got to get your heart right to study the Bible.

7:36 But you need the Bible to get your heart right. However, you got to you have your heart right before you study the Bible, and then the way you get a good heart is just, I guess you just ask God. Sometimes they make it sound like you ask God after salvation, But then others make it sound like, well, you get it in salvation. But if everyone gets a new heart in salvation, then we shouldn't have any heart problems. Meaning well, and it's the heart. The same thing as to say nature, or do we separate those two? Do we have a new heart but an old nature? And there's the new heart and the old nature, and then fight each other, and so then we don't have any How does that which one is stronger, the new heart or the old nature? And so now are we somewhat conflicted? And well, sometimes they make it sound like that the new heart is stronger than the old nature. But then they will tell you can't get to perfection. Well, why can't I get to perfection? Well, because I have the old nature. That would mean the old nature is stronger than the new heart.

8:31 So then it's all it's all confusing. And we've talked about this so many times, but this is highlighting many of the issues we've had. So we've been working on it and working on it and working on it, and I will be working on it more tomorrow at Victory Baptist Church. My intention was to go to church tomorrow and do other things but we're gonna do some work on this tomorrow. I don't know how far we will get. But in the meantime, I was like, well, do I broadcast today? Do I not broadcast? I was really conflict. I was really conflicted, And so I opened up the sermons two point oh app and you're not going to believe this. I opened up the sermons two point oh app.

9:12 I tapped on the feed tab and the very first sermon listed is entitled the Wrong Seed by Bible Believers Baptist Church. The Wrong Seed Bible Believers, Baptist Church. Now, first, the first thing I saw was just the word seed, and I'm like, oh, you gotta be kase this is going to be another sermon on Mark chapter four. Well, we know that obviously the same parable is told in Matthew thirteen. And just the other day I found a random sermon in my sermon's two point oh feed on Matthew chapter thirteen. So but I saw seed, I'm like, oh is this Mark four? And I clicked on. I'm like, oh wait, it's Matthew thirteen. But wait a minute, it's Matthew thirteen, okay, which is the same parables and Mark four the parable of the So why is it called the wrong seed? So then I was like, hmm, So I clicked on. I'm like, well, let me and I hit play for just a second, and I realized that this is kind of an ongoing series. So I went and found what I thought was the first message. But then I'm like, well, do I want to go with the first message? I'm really curious because I don't know anything in this parable that talks about the wrong seed.

10:24 I don't know anything in the parable that talks about the wrong seed. Nothing in Mark four, nothing in Matthew thirteen. So we have to listen to this. So we're gonna review this, and this will go on with our ongoing discussion about the parable of the Sewer, Mark four, the Parable of the Sower, Matthew thirteen. We have, you know, those two main passages are the ones we're looking at. I've given you some assignments to work on and reading Mark four and then checking Mark three, because that's kind of a hypothesis that I'm working on, trying to find a new way to interpret it. I've also challenged our interpretation of Mark this parable to look at it from more of a possible kind of a more you know, dispensational perspective, and you know, maybe that will work, maybe that it's not, And I don't care if it's dispensational non dispensational. The key is trying to understand the passage, because again, the interpretations are all are all over the place, and it's just been confusing. Some people want to turn it illness into a test of salvation. I don't think that's what the parable was ever designed to be. Others just want to make it pretty simple, like all it's doing is just showing that when the word whatever, however we define the word there, whether it's a message about the kick coming kingdom or whether it's the Gospel itself.

11:41 It would be hard to say it's the entire Bible, but if you even if you want to go there, I think it's just simply trying to say there's going to be different responses, and the different responses will as being visualized as soil or ground. And I don't know if it's really supposed to go beyond that, because typically the pair of have one basic meaning, but we love to just expound on them and expand them and expand them, and I think sometimes we then lead ourselves into some really difficult areas theologically and harmoneutically that I think goes beyond the actual meaning of the parable. And then even if it goes to well, the soil represents the heart. Okay, even if you go with that theory. Now you can read these parables and both places Matthew thirteen and Mark four, and you can see if that actually works. Is the ground representing the heart? Because okay, but if it represents the heart, well, then what changes the heart? If you say it's just God, Well, then you can't tell people they have to get their heart right in order to be able to an effectual Bible student. Because they can't get their heart right. God has to get their heart right.

12:47 And if God is the one who gets everyone's heart right, then everyone should have a perfect heart. And if everyone has a perfect heart, you would think, because where does Jesus say sin comes from? Doesn't say it comes from our heart? Well, then if we have no sin in our heart, should not be the expectation then be there's no internal anything right we should be We should not have any internal sin inside of us. We should have no evil desires, we should have everything should just be perfect, right, So it's just all of these questions has been have been swirling around then, of course, and the last broadcast it ended up about heavy metal music and bagpipes because the person was telling he told some stories, and he told stories about being at a convenience store putting gas in his car and there was this large man listening to heavy metal with bagpipes, and I was like, what is going on? Okay, but you can go back and listen to that, So we're gonna least listen to this.

13:50 There's no way we're going to finish this review in one particular episode because the audio is fifty three minutes. We know a twenty minute audio I can review for. I can have a twenty minute audio and do two hours of review. But what we're gonna do is just try to get I just want to know the wrong seed. Where do you find the wrong seed in this? Parable? Is it this? I'm I don't like that title. Boom job, well done. Your title is just like slap me in the face, and like I got to hear this because I gotta find there, because if I've been sitting there trying to figure out Mark four and Matthew thirteen, we've been trying to figure out this parable Do we have a new problem? Is there wrong seed?

14:39 A right? Well? Are we adding this into the let's find out. We're gonna find out now. That in chapter thirteen. Try to pick up where we're left off this morning, am bad throw Matthew chapter thirteen. Give you just a couple of principles, and we will close out. I think we'll close out tonight this thing about the ground. And for those of us that are dirt bags and realize that, at least for me, it simplifies things to know that there's not a multiplicity of things that can be wrong. What I like about what I'm going to try to show you here is is that.

15:42 The problem's not the seed. The problem is what we do with our ground and what we allow to grow in God's ground. And okay, well, so the title accomplished its purpose the wrong seed. And I'm like, ooh, and he just said the problem isn't the seed. Okay, Well I feel better because I thought, what is he adding here? But he said there's another problem. I'm going to back this up just a little bit. I'm gonna back it all the way up. I know it starts off with a period of silence. But we'll get we'll get there, right, So, so at least we know it's not the wrong seed. Okay, that I guess In some ways I kind of wanted to know. I wanted to know what what is this theory of the wrong seed? So he calls it the wrong seed, but he's now telling me there the problem isn't the seed. So I don't know why he's called the wrong seed. All right, let let's see where this is going. But listen to what the problem is. Listen to what the problem is. Okay, so according to him, Mark four, Matthew thirteen, same parable.

16:44 All right. Now he didn't say that, but we know it is all right now, we know that in some of it. And again I don't have time to go back and review everything, so I'm just you know, if you if you're behind, go read them. But the seed is is broadcasted out. Well, we learned that the phrase broadcast seeding seeding. You're throwing the seed out. You're just tossing it anywhere. All right. It's not planted the way we would typically think of it, right, it's just being tossed anywhere, right, Okay, So the seed is thrown out and we know that in that the there's different things that happen depending on the ground in which it falls, right, but only one produces fruit that seems to last. That's the one with the tilled ground, with the good ground. Okay, now he's saying, all right, so the problem isn't the seed. The problem, then, I would say, is the ground. But I don't think he did he say it's the ground or did he say it's something else. Let's let's see how he described it.

17:52 Admits bad thrown Matthew chapter thirteen. Give you just a couple of principles, and we will close out. I think we'll close out tonight this thing about the ground. And for those of us that are dirt bags and realize that, at least for me, it simplifies things to know that there's not a multiplicity of things that can be wrong. What I like about what I'm going to try to show you here is is that the problem's not the seed.

18:32 The problem is what we do with our ground and what we allow to grow in God's ground. So the problem is what we do with the ground and what we allow to grow in the ground. So the problem is what we do with the ground and what we allow to grow in the ground. So the problem is us. Now what is the solution to that problem? Is it God or is it us? And if the problem is us, it's what we do with the ground and what we allow to grow in the ground, then are you saying this is a problem that happens to Christians?

19:16 Right? And therefore if this problem represents an issue with if the ground represents our heart, then clearly we didn't get a new heart in salvation. So immediately, see, do we see this possible? This has the possibility of being very different than all the other messages we've already reviewed, and that like, how many different approaches can there be to this passage? And remember this parable? I'm going to go back to Mark chapter four, verse thirteen. Mark chapter four, verse thirteen, and he said to them, do you not understand this? Turned the page? This parable? How then will you understand all the parables? If we don't understand this parable, Jesus seems to imply we can't understand any of them.

20:04 So far, and all of the listening the messages, we have not yet found one agreed upon interpretation. We've not seem to even agree on how to even approach the text there seems to be. I mean, if this parable is the key, and if we don't get this one right, we don't understand all of them, then you would think christiandom would be like, there's only one way to understand this parable. This is the way it is, because if we don't get this right, we don't understand any of the parables. Well, how can we know if we're getting it right? If no one can agree on what the right interpretation is? All right, but just remember, according to him, the problem is that the seed. Okay, amen, I think we can agree there. The problem is what we what you and I do with the ground, and what you and I allow to grow in that ground? Now, oh man, and just think about it. If it's the heart, if we're referencing the heart, what do you mean what we allow to grow in the heart? The heart is depraved, right, so we don't have to let anything grow in it.

21:10 It's already there, correct, Right. I'm interested to see how this all plays. Out, and oftentimes those things wind up getting conflicted and creates issues for you. And it's just real practical stuff to try to help you in your Christian life, to try to not have to struggle so much to not talk so much about having a good Christian life, but to actually have a good Christian life, what does it require? Awful sanctification, separation a good way to put it, to be able to keep the ground clear of clutter and to keep the pathway clear. Too much getting packed down, getting set up, getting concreted, getting where the ground gets hard and it gets where the word can't get in there, or it's too overgrown with thorns and thistles. Oftentimes, on your plow, thorns and thistles will be there. And what you may not recognize is is when you get ready to make a pass with that plow, even if it's a trouble hook plow, when you can pass through there.

22:09 If you're not careful, all that dirt will do is is fall over on the thorns and thistles, and you think, because they're covered up, they're not there. And then you get ready sometimes to get you a broom handle, and you put a hole in there and drop three seeds in there if you're planting corn, and the next thing you know, that thing gets twisted up and you reach down there and you grab it, and then you have little splinters and all from the thorns that are covered up by the dirt. God doesn't intend for you to do that. He wants you to moult that stuff up and destroy that stuff from the roots up. But oftentimes, as you'll find out with a story about the Parable of the tears coming in there, once your ground becomes valuable, make no mistake about it, it's not always you. The devil's interested in your ground.

22:57 Okay, So immediately we know we're off to a for an approach. Discipplo. Everyone in this parable, every one of the I'm just gonna read it. I'm gonna, I'm gonna I'm gonna go to Matthew thirteenth, since that's where he is. I'm gonna go ahead and just read Matthew thirteen. I apologize. I know we're twenty three minutes into this and I just keep referencing it instead of reading it. I probably should have just read it right from the start. I apologize, all right, but all right, because I figure a lot of times if I read it and then I start the sermon and immediately they read it, all right, So it's better just to let them read it. But he's not start, He's just starting the same way, just like everyone already understands where we are after all the hours we've already spent on this. I'm assuming everyone is. But let's just get everyone on the same page. Matthew, Chapter thirteen, verse three. And now soon as I read this, he's going to read it. But that's okay, all right. Then he spoke to me. He spoke many things and parables, saying, behold, a sewer went out to sew, and I see. So some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places where they did not have much earth, and they immediately spring up because they had no death of earth. But when the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground. So you have to seed, and you have all these different grounds, and the grounds represent well.

24:14 He calls it our ground, right, and I'm assuming he means our heart. But he applies this too. He applies each one of these types of ground to all Christians. He's saying, hey, is a Christian. You can't let it get too packed down. Right, you can't let it become like the wayside. So he's saying that this is applicable to all of us. Others say, look, no, no, no, no, these other grounds, those aren't Christians. The only Christian in this parable is the one with good ground. The others don't represent Christian life or Christians. It represents lost people. He's saying, no, no. And then we had one sermon that applied two of the grounds to lost people and then two to save people. So we have some who say only one is saved. We had another one that says two for two, and now this one and says all of them are applicable to Christians. Now, remember this is the parable that if we don't get right, we can't understand any of the other parables. And we've now listened, I think, to three sermons, and already we have three completely radical different approaches. Only one per Only one ground here represents save people. No, two grounds represent save people.

25:21 He's saying, all of them represent Christians. So what we have to do is constantly be checking our ground to ensure that it's not well, it's not like one of these. Wow. Then I'm glad we've brought great clarification to this, and we now all understand. Let's see how we see his approach. Now, let's see where he takes it. I'm not saying he's wrong. I'm not saying the others wrong. I don't think anyone really knows. You say why, Because he wants to plant his own crop there, you've become valuable. Thorns and thistles don't mean anything to him. But once you clear that stuff out, once you get it fixed up where God can do something with it, all of a sudden you become valuable to him. And he may not have messed with you before, but now that it's ready for planting, he wants to put his slew foot right there, put that cloven hoof right there, and he'll take that ground and use it for what he wants instead of what God wants.

26:17 Okay, now that preach is good, here's my question, are you ready? First, based on Matthew thirteen and based on Matthew four, does it have any does it indicate in any way, shape or form that Satan will come along and plant seed in the good ground? Is there any indication in these parables that Satan will come along and plant Now you may say well, it's inferred, it's implied, or come on, that's a logical that's a logical conclusion. I'm just asking, based off these parables, do we have any warning? Does Jesus say, hey, hey, guys, guys, guys, even those of you who have the tilled ground and you're producing fruit, you got to be on the lookout because Satan will come and he'll plant in your good ground.

27:10 So this is the idea. If the good ground represents a good heart, then even if you have a good heart, Satan can come along and now plant in your good heart. So you not only want you even if you get a good heart, you're now going to be on the lookout that Satan will come and not plant in your good heart. How does Satan come plant in your good heart? I'm assuming then it's gonna be. So I guess this is the idea that you're I don't I don't even understand. So you're you get a brand new heart? Boom? So is that the eradication of the old nature? I don't know. Do you have a heart? We already went back and forth on that. So you get a new heart, but now Satan can come and plant in the new heart. So even if you get a new heart, your problems aren't really over because Satan can now come plant in your heart. So if he plants in your heart, is it now a new heart. If Satan can plant something in your heart, the a minity plants in your heart, it's no longer a new heart, right, it's now a corrupted heart.

28:07 Look again at the path the parable here and pick it up in verse number eighteen. This is the Lord now talking to the boys here, and he's going to give him it Matthew thirteen, verse eighteen. He's going to give them what it means. When anyone hereth the word of the Kingdom understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one and catcheth the way that which is sown in his heart. We talked about that. Understand it that not? What does it mean? I don't understand what God's trying to say to me. Understanding is is how what God's saying applies to me. Into my life. And then he says that we receive the seed by the wayside, trample down with your own way of thinking, your. Own way of doing in those things. And he received the seed in the sony place the same as he that hearth the Word and Anon with joy, And he that hath not rooted himself, but dureth for a while, for when tribulation and persecution arrives because of the Word, not because of foolishness, by that he is offended.

28:59 He also receiveth the seed among the thorns. Is he that heareth the Word, and the care of this world. Care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful Verse twenty three, hoping to get here tonight. But he that receiveth the seed into the good ground, is he that heareth the Word and understandeth it, and beareth fruit, bringing forth some hundredfold, some sixty and some thirty. A brother, Sam, you pray, would you and ask the Lord to help. Us thanks chance to. Bring sure as you preach us to us. And Jesus Us Okay, so pray that God will help us now again. I'm always I'm always confounded and confused by Christianity, sometimes right, because constantly we get these prayers before sermons. God only let me say that which is true. Well, if God is keeping every pastor from only saying that which is true, we should all have the same doctrine, right, Okay, God help us understand. Well, if God is the one helping us understand, we should have all the same understanding. Right.

30:13 So now he's like God prepare our hearts, like prepare our ground. So now is God the one who prepares the ground. So if God is the one who prepares the ground, then it's not us having to It's not about us what we deal with the ground. God's the one's going to till the ground. So is it us? Is it God? Can anyone explain any of this to me? It's so I cannot keep like, I think one of the reasons sometimes when I began these messages especially, I think this has been very true when I begin these messages so far in this after we kind of left the study Bible and we've got into Mark four in Matthew thirteen, I think reason some of my introductions haven't flown very well, that don't seem to flow very well to me, right, flown haven't flowed very well to me is because I'm I'm just so I'm so confused by it all, Like I'm just like, okay, so if I even try to review it, how much like do I just constantly go through all the different interpretations. It's turning into that. It's going to be like for the next hour, I'm going to list all the different interpretations to this parable, and just remember everyone, if we don't get this parable right, we can't understand any of them by by what we're discovering is I don't know if we any of us can understand it. But okay, so they prayed. All right, let's see where this goes. Right, Let's see it appears to me he's every one of these different soils, these different grounds, all of them were applicable to Christians. So

31:43 this all so we could be any We can be the Christian. On the wayside, we could be the Christian. And amongst the thorns we can we can be the Christians without any route. We could be the Christians with good we could be any of them. Now, okay, then what makes the difference, What makes the difference? See now, what happens here is is that the soil, once it gets cleared out, once you get the thorns and thistles, you understand that when when the Lord lays down the ground and you get that stuff cleared out, that all of a sudden that vacant field becomes something of great interest to the devil. So it sounds like, at least he seems to infer that we're the ones who clean it out. So we're the ones. So we're the ones who break up the wayside ground, We're the ones who get rid of all the stuff. We're the So I guess it's not now he may say, it's maybe he may. I'm assuming he's going to say it's a synergistic work, right. Obviously he's not going with a moneergistic idea, So synergistic meaning it's the work of two. So it's us in God, we're working together to get the ground right. So I guess he's definitely not implying then that we just get a new heart, all right, So he doesn't seem to be going with the idea you get a new heart, unless so we become saved and now we've got this old, messed up heart that we have to now work on

33:14 to clear it out, to get it ready. That seems to be the implication here. I mean, the seed may. Be good because it's easily plucked off, it's easily come by there, it doesn't have straw or anything on it, and the seed that's laying there by the wayside, the devil's easy to grab that because you've already made up your mind. It doesn't make a difference. What God says, don't confuse me with the facts. Is the way the old statement goes. And that ground has become so packed and so hardened that when the seed comes in lit and can I say this to you, there's absolutely no lack of seed. There's plenty of seed. The Lord says in the last days. It's not that there's a lack of preaching. He says, in the last days there's a famine, a land of hearers. The ground's not good. I've already made up my mind. And so the seed gets thrown.

34:02 There's plenty of seed to go out, and there's plenty of seed to raise a crop. The problem is never the seed or the abundance of seed. The problem is the ground for the seed to fall on. And in the day and time in which you live, people have already made up their mind. They've traveled that ground back and forth and back and forth. In the South we used to say this, I've said it to you many times. We don't do it like at around here. Well, what does the Bible say? We don't care what the Bible says. All we gonna do is what we always do around here. We don't do it like at around here. But what does the Bible say? The Bible teaches you that by your traditions you make the word of God of no effect. You say, what is that that's well traveled ground by the wayside. I've already decided how I feel about it, what I'm going to do, and that just settles it.

34:43 For instance, you might even bring up something that I bring up regularly around here is I'm not sure none of you. Folks have any problem with it whatsoever. But when it comes to say something like drinking, I could preach on drinking and the majority of you be like snoozefest. But that's a regular thing. And I'm not talking about Nike will at night. I'm talking about you're two months away now from coming up on Thanksgiving. Well, Thanksgiving as good as time as any other. Well, that's just your conviction. No, See, that's where you're wrong. Your ground's hard. That seed just fell on the wayside. You say, why you done made up your mind what you're gonna do, and you don't care what the Bible says, or what the preacher says, or what a good. Christian says to you. You've decided it's not a problem for you. The problem is is that you have hard ground and you won't let.

35:28 God have his way with you. And you'd think something that's that's silly, like a bottle, like somebody having liquor. You'd think something that's stupid that you wouldn't say, Well, I wouldn't want to risk my fellowship with the Lord over a glass of liquor. A can of beer. Who would want to do that? Well, I just don't see a problem with it, preacher. Okay, Well, we'll find out who's right at. The judgment seat. If you're saved. Whoa so hard ground? One of the proofs of hard ground is if you have a disagreement with a pastor over whether a Christian should totally abstain from liquor or whether a Christian can drink moderately. So hard ground now is if you say, hey, as long as I don't get drunk, I am not violating any scripture. He says, that's hard ground, and you're gonna find out. We're gonna find out who's right at the judgment seat. So wait, we're gonna find out at the judgment seat that if someone moderately drinks, are gonna find out that they're wrong even if it was complete sin. Aren't all their sins forgiven in Christ Jesus? Or is God now gonna sit there and go through all the sins you've ever committed? Well, if God, when I get to heaven, if He's gonna start outlining every sin I've ever committed, I'm telling you I don't drink at all, but I'm in trouble. Man, you don't want to be anywhere near me because God's gonna list out a whole law on the list. Man,

37:02 you may want to bring a chair because you're gonna be waiting a long time. You're like, man alive. I've been here for three days and he's still on that theology. Central guy. Can you can we move this along? I would like to get in now. I'm being obviously somewhat sarcastic and a little bit of hyperbolic, but it just seems that that hard ground now is well, you should not drink. Well. I believe the Bible says as long as I drink within moderation and I do not get drunk. There's nothing wrong. You've got hard ground. You're gonna find out at the judgment seat. Wow, that's now. Look, I don't think Christians should drink, not be, and I don't even do it from a biblical perspective. I just think any any substance that could produce an addiction, I'm a little bit concerned with.

37:49 So I just think for our lives are difficult enough. We've got enough problems, We've got enough sin. The last thing I need is to put anything in my body that that could impact my ability to judge things into discerned things and bring I just think from a practical perspective, it's just safer because the last thing you ever want to do is become addicted to alcohol or drugs, And the best way to avoid addiction is to never do so that's the best advice. That's just advice. But I wouldn't look at you and go you hard hearted ways side Christian, the seed of God, the seed of God's word just falls on you and bounces off because you're so hardened by your tradition and by you just doing what you want to do. Because you don't agree with me about alcohol, that's a weird place to get here. See, you see what happens to the parables. See this is why the preaching and the teaching the parables always drives me to the point of insanity, because traditionally, hermoneutically we say the parables have one basic meaning or not to break down. Every part represents this. So now the hard soil can represent a Christian who simply disagrees on the subject of full abstaining from alcohol or moderately drinking. He's not even drawing the difference between abstaining and getting drunk.

39:19 He's drawing the distinction between moderately drinking and abstaining. That seems like a you draw your own conclusions. I mean, I'll have the day to be able to watch the Lord up there say well, I know you didn't think it was a big deal, but I did. That's why I put it in the Bible. But you see, you're not going to hear anything else. I've already said already. I can guarantee you this. We're not building over there. It's been a lot of years ago, and the guy happened to walk in, and I happened to be on a tear about drinking and I went through seventy something versus about drinking and the problems with alcohol, and I gave a bunch of illustrations and back. In my day, long before heroin and. Cocaine, and he's in blues and all the other pills and all that other stuff and pill pain clinics and that kind of a deal. I mean, there was nothing like liquor to destroy a family, and nothing like liquor to wind up with people jacked up and cracked up in the hospital or in the jailhouse. And liquor was just destroying people's lives right and left, and that kind of a thing. And I went through that, and this guy walked in and he sat there and he said he Furst. And he said when he got ready to go, every time I go to a blank church, all they want to do is talk about drunks and drinking.

40:31 Well, I didn't even know you were coming. I don't even know you from Adam's Housecat, I don't know you have a problem with liquor. And you walk in the door and I happen to be preaching on liquor. Is that God? Or is that you? You want to go find a church that doesn't preach on liquor. They're all over the place. As a matter of fact, they even drink it in the Lord's suffer. You know what you are, You're just a jack leg. And you're not a Christian. You're a saved individual with no scruples and no character enough to say no, sir, it's not pleasing to the Lord. I ain't doing it. But you don't care who you affect. You don't care who you hurt. You're a you're a smart alec. You're kind of a you know, I'll do what I want to do. It's my life, it is your life. Really, are you saved?

41:17 Wow? Is he implying that anybody who thinks moderate drinking is okay is not saved? Why? Oh boy, We're never going to find out the actual meaning to these parables because all these sermons just go crazy. They just I don't understand. We've yet to find a sermon that will just actually work with the actual text here, Like what what? I am so confused. I'm so confused, and I don't I could back it up. It made it sound like where you're not saved, but then you could be saved. So so maybe he's saying you could be saved. You may not be safe. But at this way, he's questioning the man spiritual, whether they're saved or not saved.

42:07 He's questioning everything about their spirituality based I guess on the attitude about drinking. Now, maybe because the man supposedly cursed and then was upset, maybe he's mixing the two. Well, they cursed and they have an issue with me preaching against alcohol, so therefore I'm gonna call into question their salvation. Maybe instead of just talking to the man that way, maybe you just say, well, let's talk about this. So what's your thoughts here? Like, why are you so bothered at people preach against alcohol? What is it about sermons against alcohol that bothers you so much? Wouldn't that be the approach instead of just like he sounded like he was almost provoking. Why would you He sounded like he was ready to fight. Why why don't we you just calmly say, hey, calm down, calm down, calm down. All right, Well I'll let everyone leave and we'll talk about it in private and tell me, okay, So what is it about sermons against alcohol that make you so angry? Talk to me? Wouldn't that be the way wouldn't that be the way to go?

43:05 Right? So I'm gonna back this up just a little, gonna back this up just a little. Here we go, been cracked up in the hospital or in the jailhouse, and liquor was just destroying people's lives right and left and that kind of a thing. And I went through that. And this guy walked in and he sat there and he said he first, and he said when he got ready to go, every time I go to a blank church, all they want to do is talk about drunks and drinking. Well, I didn't even know you were coming. I don't even know you from Adam's housecat, I don't know you have a problem with liquor. And you walk in the door and I happen to be preaching on liquor. Is that God? Or is that you? You want to go find a church that doesn't preach on liquor.

43:45 They're all over the place. As a matter of fact, they even drink it in the Lord's suffer. You know what you are, You're just a jack leg and. You're not a Christian. You're a saved individual with no scruples and no character enough to say no, sir, it's not pleasing to the Lord. I ain't doing it. That's a little confusion. Confusing because he says, you're not a Christian, you're a saved individual with no scruples. Well, if you're not a crew. So I think he's just getting fired up retelling the story. I think he's just getting fired up and probably kind of stumble over over his words. And that's okay. I stumble over words all the time, A right, so so that's okay. But it's just he just seems really aggravated over this, and it just seems like, if the if the man's a complete stranger, why would you come at him so hard? Why wouldn't you just be like, hey, let's take it down and not Why Why wouldn't you diffuse the situation. De Escalate is the word of the day. Let's deescalate this, let's talk.

44:42 You seem really bothered about churches that preach against alcohol. Please tell me why wouldn't wouldn't that be better than to be antagonistic? You're just this, You're just this. Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa? Why are you fighting with the guy. He's a stranger who walked into your church. Like the whole story just seems like that's not quite the way I would approach it. But that's okay. At this point, I don't care how you approach it. Can we just figure out the bearable? Can we? Please? Maybe? Maybe? But you don't care who you affect. You don't care who you hurt. You're a you're a smart alec. You're kind of a you know, I'll do what I want to do. It's my life, it is your life. Really are you saying.

45:28 He really is? He's he? I guess he just started calling the man. You're a smart elec, you're this, you're this sure, you just met the man and you're already making all of these dramatic judgments about the man. Well, why would you come at him? So why wouldn't you? I don't, I don't. I don't understand why you would approach a stranger this way. Yeah, the stranger may have ticked you off. But are we not supposed to be gentle and peaceable and long suffering, right? Aren't we aren't? Do we have a a mandate? Is a Christian turned to the other cheek love our enemy? If the man is that bothered, maybe because that's conviction. Gy, wouldn't it be possibly from a spiritual perspective, go that man seems to be very convicted. Hey, hey, hey, I'm sorry, let's talk about this. Why wouldn't you approach it that way?

46:18 Like you're this and you just do You're just gonna do whatever you want. And you're a smart alec and you may not even be a Christian. Whoa man you just laid into? The guy you just met him saved. Listen. I'm not stupid. I know kids. You listen to your country music and you sit around in god Mutton and you sit around on the back of the truck and you and you listen to all the stuff that goes on, and you listen to your rock and roll, and you listen to your rap and all that and always couple with that stuff is nowadays you're gonna be vaping and drinking. Used to be smoking and now it ain't smoking. Now you're sophisticated. You vape. You put little special things that have foo food juice in them and stuff like that. You choked the death if you choke the old days. In my days, they smoke unfiltered pell mells.

47:08 H sir, I love music. I've listened to every kind of music on the face of the earth, and uh, I never drank alcohol ever. Ever. I don't know how you're attaching music to certain alcohol or drugs. I understand sometimes the two show up, but I don't know you're you're drawing a cause and effect. If I listen to this, I'm going to drink this. If I listen to this, I'm going to do this. That's just not the case. I don't cause cause and effect. We could get into that never ending argument. I don't know if we're gonna get I don't know if we're gonna get here. I don't know if we're gonna get to the parable ladies and gentlemen. I don't know if we're gonna get to the parable. I only reason I wanted to listen to this was because we're dealing with this parable and we're trying just give up.

47:59 They had fingers that were yellow from holding them down. You think you're something when you smoke a joint, You ain't nothing. Man. Then then people you smoke that one cigarette, you'd think you were high as a kite. Are you antagonizing the kids? You smoke a joint, you ain't nothing? So what do you need the kid to do show up at the church with a crack pipe, then he'll show you that you're something. Do you need the church to show up? You need to invite you up and show you his meth lab Are you just going to you ain't nothing? Man, You ain't nothing because in my day we smoked unfiltered cigarettes. Man, like, is this are we now going to antagonize the youth? You're not really cool? So logically, then the inferences you got to do more than just a joint? Do you need to do math? What do you need fitting all? What do you what do you want them to do? What do you want crack cocaine? Heroine? What do you want them to do so that they can prove that there's something because they ain't nothing of They're just smoking a joint.

49:03 You ain't nothing? What is this? It sounds like something? You hearing it? Junior high play you smoke that. You ain't nothing? Man, look at this. I got a little of this. Okay, come on, get the veins ready, we're gonna shoot it right in? Is that like what? I don't even know what is happening? So I've been told I never messed with that stuff. I mean, I learned pretty quick. Somebody's like that, you guys, y'all are y'all. Are tender feet man? And those days, those people held those things until it burned their fingers. They'd have callouses on them. You've got to get you a roach clip to hold yours. You sophisticated.

49:46 That they were using roach clips in the seventies, I think maybe even in the sixties. I know they were using them in the eighties. So what day are you going back to? Were you gonna go back to the day that you burned your fingers? And that's when we were men, That's when we were tough. I mean, I didn't do it, but I'm going to antagonize you that you're not doing it the right way because you're what what what? Uh? I don't know what to say. I don't know what to say. You gotta why some of you look you look like you got hemorrhoids or something. Tonight we looked like you lost your best friend.

50:27 Walk out, we'll talk about you. You say, what are we talking about? I'm talking about seed on the wave ground on the wayside. Why are you? Why are you insulting and antagonizing? I don't understand. I don't understand the antagonizing and then just telling them to walk out and then you'll talk about them. That's is this the way it's supposed to be done from the pulpit. No, you're not, sir. You're not talking about the seed. You're not talking about the parable. You've been on a full blown rant and now you're just antagonizing young people that they need to step up and do the hard stuff where they'll burn their fingers. And I like, your challenge is actually for them to go do harder drugs, more dangerous drugs, so that they will suffer.

51:28 That seems to be your challenge. Your challenge is not for them to turn to Christ. Your challenge is for them, don't be a whimp, do the hard stuff and suffer. I'm talking about when these boys get up here to preach to you, they do their best to put something in it. They do their best to give you the word of God. You've already made up your mind about how you feel about it, and you've become sophisticated about that, and as a result of that, you've already decided you're gonna listen to your music, You're gonna do what you want to do with your social media, Gonna drink when you want a drink. And that's just how it is, because I am who I am. Hey, there's a judgment day coming, sonny. Boy, and one day the Lord's gonna put some on you ajax one, and they're gonna be too late for you to say, Oh.

52:12 I'm really sorry, I'm really sorry. I didn't realize that you don't have any character. You know what character has the ability to do no, thank you, I ain't doing it. Well. If they're lost, they don't need character. They need salvation, right, I mean, if they're lost, the issue isn't that they listen to rap music or rock music, or they smoke a joint or they listen to country music and drink of beer. If they're lost, they don't need character. They need the imputed righteousness of Christ. They don't need a pastor antagonizing and mocking and making fun and calling them out in front of everyone.

53:17 Character does mean you have to say no sometimes, and as a parent, sometimes you know what you have to say. You have to say no to your kids. I know you love them, I know you care about them, and I know you don't want to be Cattiwampus. One of the worst parents in the world is a parent that won't correct as kids. That's a selfish imbecile. I don't know how you correct them. I don't care how you correct them. The fact that you take the time to correct them means you love them whom the Lord loveth he chasing it and scourgeth every son whom we receive it. If God's a good father, then you're a good father or a good mother. If you correct your kids. That's gone the way of the American Indian nowadays, God forbid. I said that HGW be in here. Somebody will call the welfare department or down there at hrs say that preacher's up there preaching about corporal punishment.

54:02 I didn't say a word about corporal punishment. I said a word about punishment. And the thing that you don't realize is is when that ground becomes hard, it don't matter how much you could take a bag of seed and pour it in there, and none of it's gonna take roof You say why persecution for the words sake? Your friends make fun of you. You say why you're running with the wrong friends. Yes, you're running with the wrong people. I don't understand. I don't understand. I well, I kind of missed the sermon about heavy metal and bagpipes. I'm kind of missing that. Do we want to go back to that. Let's go back to the sermon about heavy metal and bagpipes. Oh, I did have someone send me a list of metal bands that have bagpipes. So we do have a list. We have to do a list.

54:56 I think it's our listener from Georgia. He sent me the list. All right, he may his his his job to find a list of heavy metal bands with bagpipes. I kind of missed that sermon. I I I. Don't know what to say. I can assure you this, and I know you think I'm a stick in the mud. I'm very much aware of that. Thank you for that. I appreciate that. I'd just soon be known that way. That what you're known for, you're known for running with anybody you want to run with. We had a name for you. I wouldn't say that in now, but they walked eighth in main Street. You prostitute yourself and give yourself up for whoever's the.

55:47 Flavor of the month right now? You man, who in the who in the world is he going after in the congregation, basically just refer to them as a prostitute as I mean, there's a there's a more, you know, there's a there's a more colorful, colorful expression. Look, who's he going after? It sounds like he's going after the young people in the church. That sounds like a and and all that. Amen? Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen? What do you amening? You're not learning anything. You're not learning anything about the text. You don't know. You're gonna leave this. You're not gonna know anything about Matthew thirteen, nothing about Mark chapter four. You're not gonna know any of the answers to any of the problems hermeneutically that these parables present. You're not gonna get it.

56:35 You don't understand it. You're just someone ranting and almost like antagonizing. It's like it's like someone just punching people in the face. Just come on, come on, come on, dare you get mad at me? Come on, come on, get come on, get mad at me? Come on? What do you got? What do you got? Called them friends? They ain't your friends. They're there to use you. And guess what they do when they're done with you. After they've gotten all the pleasure and protection, they'll kick you to the curb and write you off. You say, what you're dancing to their tune? The wayside's hard, the ground's hard. I go to an independent Bible, believe in Baptist Church. King James only Hallelujah, Glory to God.

57:20 I'm saved Washington the blood of Jesus Christ. That doesn't tell me anything. What tells me whether or not God's working in you is whether or not when God puts the plow down, do you let him tear up the ground so the seed. Will do you any good? And if that's the case, why are you already upset about me talking about. Something as stupid as drinking. So God does the plowing. I'm trying to ignore all the rest. God does the plowing, but we can stop the plowing. So I'm trying to understand. So if you if you have the hard ground because you stop the plow, or God's plow didn't work, or God's plow hasn't gotten to you. If God's doing the plowing and he's the you know, omniscient, omnipotent, you know, eternal God, why wouldn't his plow just look right through you and then you You've got good ground. But I guess I can say, stop the plow in the name of me. In the name of Me is greater than the name of or God's just like who who wha whoa whoa whoa what everyone stopped? Or stop the plowing? He doesn't want to be plowed, and and he's in charge. I don't understand this.

58:46 Then bring up your television set or your social media, none of that other. Stuff I just said drinking. But you know what you are. You're a maverick. The seed does you no good at all. I hear brother Jerry a minin. You think he's another dinosaur. Thank God for dinosaurs. You say, what that'll rick your life? I can handle it. I can handle it. I can help. Let me tell you something, sonny boy, you got no idea what you can handle. You have no. Idea once you stake that thing, and once you start down that road you think you can handle it. I got news for you. I know people that could eat you. For breakfast that they weren't able to handle it better men and women than you.

59:26 Why are you so tearing them down. Now? I don't know how this I don't know how this will work. I don't know how that kind of message would work with a teenage girl. I don't know. I can't I can't speak from the female perspective, But as a teenage boy, I'd be like, dude, you want to come and me. I would stand up right there in the middle of the car. Let's let's go. You want to sit there and antagonize me. You want to talk trash, let's throw down right here. Now. You could say, well, that's because you're ungodly, but why the antagonism like that? Nobody deserves to be spoken to that way. Now. Look, I've been guilty of probably preaching similar ways in my past, So I'm not sitting here saying I'm better. But I'm just like man alive. I just this is just provoking. This is the thing that will take This will is the thing that's just like you're just slapping the sinful nature provoking it. Come on, bite me, bite me, Come on. Look, I don't like what I don't get it.

1:00:31 If God warns about it, why are you messing with it? I'm preacher. Why you gotta get on that? Oh it's for the people on the internet. It's not for you people. I know you people. Never mess with that stuff. I get warm out with that stuff, hiding it? And why are you hiding it? The Bible said, whatever you do in word, indeed, do all of the glory of God. Isn't that what he says? All right? If it's right, have at it. Put it on the table. Man. Why are you about to do this clandestine stuff? Put in a paper cup or suff put it out there. I mean, you call yourself a Christian. Set the beer down there. I'm a Christian. I'm a drinking Christian. Well good for you. Why you trying to hide it? A chameleon? You just just you're you're a Judas. You're just like, well, you know, that's my brand of Christianity. Ensure ain't God's brand of Christianity?

1:01:20 Man, So if you drink a beer, you're now Judas? Whoa what? Goodness? Gracious man. I just wanted. I just wanted. I just wanted. I just wanted to work on Matthew thirteen and Mark four. It really just to help with sermon prep. That's all I wanted. That's all I wanted. Yeah, that's all I just wanted. I just wanted to hear because At first, I tell you're they tell me about the wrong seed. Then when you told me that, hey, there's no wrong seed, then okay. Then you start talking about the conditions of the soil and that basically it's what we do with it and how we keep it clean or how what we let grow in it. And then you gave me the idea that Satan can plant something in it, but you didn't expound exactly how that works.

1:02:17 And now you told me that God is the one who does the plowing. But it seems I can stop the plowing, but you're not giving me anything other than just you yelling and antagonizing people. And I don't understand it, and. Hard ground made up my mind. I ain't changing. I don't care what the Bible says. It's not my tone of voice that bothers you. It's the fact that I can give you seventy verses on the dangers of alcohol and not to have anything to. Do with it. And you know what you've already done. You turned me off ten minutes ago when I first started. You decided ten minutes ago, I ain't listened to this what I come here for that I already knew that that's just his opinion. It ain't my opinion, it's the Bible.

1:03:07 Man. He is ticked off as someone in the church. Maybe there's some teenagers there that got busted for drinking. I don't know what's going on, but he is ticked off, and I understand. I mean, there's been times I've been ticked out like that. One of the worst things to do is walk into the pulpit when you're angry. It is Look. Look, pastors are human beings, right, So I've stood in the pulpit angry, mad, and it's come out. You've heard me yell, You've heard me scream, you've heard me slam. I if you've listened to my preaching for the length of time, you've heard. You've heard when I'm calm, You've heard when I'm well. I'm always kind of dramatic and loud, all right, I never do anything really quiet, but that's just my normal personality. But you've heard times when I'm very angry, and I should not be behind the pulpit when I'm angry. No pastor should be. I think there's time where there can be righteous anger, but it's very hard to maintain that with a sinful nature.

1:04:05 So I can understand. I can understand, but it just this reminds me when I sat in the congregation at the Independent Baptist Church, Heartland Baptist Church in Bellevue, Nebraska, the pastors out of town, the associate pastor stands to preach, and the associate pastor's anger just comes pouring out. He's mad, he's met at people in the congregation, he's mad at things that's happened. He's mad, and he just starts unloading. And there was everything inside of me wanted to just get up, even though I wasn't, you know, a part of the ministerial staff. I wanted to just walk up, put my arms around him, like, man, just stop, just stop, just stop. But I didn't, And to this day I regret that. Because that sermon ended, they called contacted the pastor.

1:04:55 He was given a cassette copy of the sermon, and that the associate pastor was fired that night and Monday he was cleaning out his office and I felt horrible. Well, I don't think this man's in danger of being fired, but it just want me just somebody things like said amen and going, hey, past come come down. Well, all we're gonna do is antagonize. Whoever's drinking in the church, We're putting them on the spot. We're just embarrassing them. You're were humiliating them, like because obviously there's there's a drinking issue going on in the church. But I don't think it's a drunkenness issue. It seems just the drinking is the issue.

1:05:39 That seed's doing you no good at all. You know, the seed that saved you, the seed that bought you, the seed that paid for you. That seed. You know what that seed did. He just came by and dumped the seed out there, and he said, we the ain't no me eve need to worry about that. They ain't got the courage to bust the ground up, to let it take root. You just will go ahead and feed it to the burger, Just throw it up like you're throwing it into the seagulls out there. You say, why you done decided? Hatnya? Hatnya? Made your mind up? Hatnya. I'm gonna do what I want to do. I don't care what the Bible says to do. You do? Well, now he's like you, Now he makes this something that we have to bust up the ground, and he's making it sound like that they're saved. So they're saved.

1:06:22 I don't know if God is doing that plowing, if I'm doing the plowing, I don't know who's doing what anymore. In this parable life, I don't even know. I don't have any clue. So what happens that. Light rejected becomes lightning, And before long you'll get callous on that ground to be so hard you can't even receive the simple things that are. In the Bible. And the Lord will speak to you and try to give you the meaning of a parable, but you don't shut him off. Wait, God gives us the meaning of the parables. Oh, I am so confused. All right, So God is the one who gives us the meaning. Well, if God is the one who gives us the meaning, then we should all agree on the meaning of the parable. And I would be hard pressed to say that God's meaning of the parable of the sower is a rant about alcohol where we insult and antagonize people. Now God gives us the meaning. So the way you do hermeneuticts is just let God give you the meaning. I am so confused.

1:07:24 You don't care anything at all about what he has to say. We have a lot of statistics here. I'm ashamed to say, we have a lot of people here that have had preacher. What happened? Where did so and so go? What happened? The ground got hard, the seed no longer did any good. It couldn't get in the ground and germany and root and. Then produce some fruit. You say, what happened? The ground got hard, the seed did. Them no good, and they're out. I know you're gonna be the exception. One of these days. You gonna think you're gonna plow. I don't know if you've ever lived to plow, or to pull a plow or to push. Sir, he said, God does the plowing. Now we're doing the plowing. I don't know who's doing what.

1:08:06 It's a plow. I should probably bring that plow that's up in my attic up here. But you take that old plow with that old metal wheel on the front end of that thing, and that harrow, and I don't care how sharp you get it. If that ground is out there and it got wet and then it got baked down real real good. After that, that's like breaking concrete. And you put that thing down and you can't get that thing to crack that ground, and before long you're running across the top and all you got is just a little trail of dust up there, and that thing's like running on concrete. You say, what are you doing? You keep on, keep on until eventually you got to get a pick and finds you a hole. Knock a hole in it to be able to break that crust off of it. And that's where some of you are. You've trodden on that. I'm going to do it my way ground so long you got to crust on. You about that thick and God can't get through there, and it doesn't make any difference. And he keeps taking you to the same classroom and you keep failing, and you wonder why.

1:08:59 I'll tell you why. That's by the wayside. You've traveled it so many. God can't get through it. I know you're upset about alcohol, but maybe you should be upset about the hermit, like I don't know someono how God. God is not omnipotent. If God can't get through it, then God is not omnipotent. I think I would be more concerned with your view of God than someone drinking a beer and listening to country music. Sitting on the back of their pickup truck. I think I'm more concerned about I don't understand what in the world you're doing with this parable that I am someone drinking or listening to country music. Now, maybe I would go for something a little different than country music.

1:09:42 But okay, I mean, I mean, maybe we could have a discussion about, you know, which genre of music is the best? I never I'm joking. Now, okay, all right, let's I'm gonna just wrap this up because obviously we're not gonna get anywhere. Anytimes that the grounds packed down and is too hard for the seed to do any good. You say, is that possible? Yeah, you can read the Bible and get nothing out of it at all, So I'm sure I get something out of it. Really, where's the fruit? Amen? There it is. I mean, if you're getting something out of the Bible, where's the change, where's the willingness to change? When's the last time you had a ground inspection?

1:10:23 Ladies and gentlemen. You see where we just ended. Back up, You see where we ended. So you can't get anything out of the Bible unless the ground is right. So you've got to get the ground right before the Bible will do any good. So then is it the Bible that changes you? Because it sounds like you have to change yourself in order for the Bible to do any good. We're right back to the convoluted circular reasoning. Hey, the Bible will do you no good until the ground is right. You've got to get the ground right. God can't get through the ground. You've got to get through the ground, it sounds like. And until the ground is right, the Bible will be of no value. Well, then does the Bible Is the Bible the thing that changes us? Because it makes it sounds like I've got to change myself before the Bible then can change me. But I've got to change myself without the Bible, because the Bible will do no good until the ground is made right. I am so getting fed up with the messages on these parables.

1:11:25 It's oh man, okay, Well, I'm just gonna let it play to where I feel it's a good stopping point and that we'll just stop. I guarantee you Jake Johnson to walk around there and say no sense and trying to plant nothing here. What's the matter, Paupaul? That ground right there is too hard man, you have to get you. A pick and get you a mall and bust that. Ground up before you even think about plowing it. You say, wow, that ground's way too hard, man. It didn't have any nutrients in it, It hadn't been turned over. There isn't any air in it. That ground just about as dead as it could possibly be. That ground's good for one thing. Weeds. And I don't mean weeds. You ever gone out here in the parking lot. Dale's out here in the parking lot and getting things cleaned up and fixed up and on, or getting ready to put multen stuff down.

1:12:11 You it's the strangest thing you'll find. There'll be just the tiniest little crack in that black top out there, or in that concrete, and you'll you know what you'll find in there. You don't find corn and tomatoes and peas and turnip greens and lettuce and all. You know what you find? You find weeds. You know what the weed usually is. It usually has thorns on it. You know what some of you are barren weeds. I'm gonna do what I want to do. You ain't gonna make no hay with God. I'm just telling you and I know that's not good English, but you can understand it. You ain't gonna make no hay with God having that attitude, that attitude, that's a hard heart. David said in Psalm fifty one that we went over on Wednesday night. David said, a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

1:12:58 Notice the second thing that you see show up there. Okay, I'm going to stop. I have no idea what just happened. There was no point even having a Bible. The name of the message is the wrong Seed. You can go finish it. I do challenge you to finish it, just because there may be something of great value that we just missed. I just don't get it. It's called the wrong seed from Bible believers Baptist Church. I literally, I just I mean I follow them. I follow them. I mean, I mean I follow so many different broadcasters on the sermon's two point oh app and literally my intention was, oh, this will get a different perspective, we'll get a different hypothesis and how to approach this parable and then we'll compare it. But we fell right back into the circular reasoning that we've been talking about. I don't get it. We've got to get our heart right before even reading or studying the Bible. That's why the article started with the concept that it starts with the heart.

1:14:00 You've got to get the heart right, or Bible study is useless. So listening to sermons is useless. Going to church is useless. It will do nothing, it will have no value. It's a waste of time. You've got to get your heart right. But then almost inevitably, people say, the thing that gets our heart right or doesn't work on our heart is God's word. But God's word can't do it work on my heart. I've got to get the heart right before God's word can do anything. Well, if I got to get my heart right, how do I get my heart right apart from God's word. So some of the sermons seem to imply it's God it gets my heart right. Well, then if God it gets my heart right, then we should all have a perfect heart. If we all have a perfect heart, then we shouldn't have any problems. But then it sounds like no, we can still have problems even with a perfect heart. Well, then that means the heart's not perfect. So I don't understand, and I don't get how Christians don't how what bothers me is why am I the one who will go wait a minute, this is the most circular reasoning confused thing I've ever seen in my life. And Christians will be like, hey man, it's so great, it's so good, it's so good. It's so good. Remember, even when I brought this problem to AI, even artificial intelligence was like, uh, this is circular reasoning, and it tried to offer some different ways that throughout Church history they've tried to reconcileve this, but even that nothing was of work. Even aid he couldn't even come up with even a way to work around it. So I've got to get my heart right before the Bible does any good. But I need the Bible in order to get my heart right. But the

1:15:32 Bible can't help me get my heart right because unless my heart right, the Bible doesn't do anything. Oh boy, And is it God that gives me the heart? It sounds like I've got to be the one to make my heart right because I'm doing the plowy. But he says then that the ground can get so hard that even God can't get through it. So now God is not omnipotent. God does the plowing, but then in the same summon, we heard that we do the plowy. So is it God or is it us who's doing the stinking plowing? And I've got to plow apart from God's word. So plowing has nothing to do with God's word, because God's word won't do any good until I do the plowing.

1:16:15 I don't understand. I don't understand. Okay, I'm gonna go find some heavy metal with bagpipes. I don't drink, but I'm really considering a trip to the liquor store right now. I'm joking. I'm joking. I'm joking. Hey, if young people, if you go to a church where people are just antagonizing you and calling you basically names, just don't don't don't give into the the bullying, don't give into basically your being like it's like a troll on on social media.

1:16:56 Just don't fall for it. Just don't let them antagonize you. You you pursue God, you get into his word, and don't allow the adults who just want to bully you and antagonize you. Don't let them do it. Don't let them, don't give into it. Don't give into it. Be better than that, be better than that. Don't don't let their antagonism make you make bad choices. All right, Let their antagonism, Let that antagonism and they're bullying, Let that speak more about them, and you just ignore it. Don't let it lead you to go, well, then I'm going to go out and get so wasted to prove a point. Don't do that.

1:17:38 Don't. That's how I would have reacted. I would have. I would have I would have I would have taken a difference. I would have taken an ungodly approach. Don't take my ungodly approach. Just ignore the antagonism, ignore the bullying, ignore the being trolled, Just ignore the troll Just ignore it and just say, Okay, do I believe in God? Do I believe the Bible is his word? Let me pursue the study of God's word, pursue him, and then you just try to figure out your Christian life and don't allow that to give you an impression of Christianity or his word. Please don't let that happen. Please don't let that happen. All I can say is, and I hate to say this, every review we've done so far on messages in Relationship to Mark four or Matthew thirteen. I hate to say this have been vanity of vanities, all is vanity. I truly feel like they've been meaningless. God bless