The Danger of Decisionism: Why ‘Sowing’ Cannot Save

• The Law of Sowing and Reaping 00:27:09 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor defines the biblical principle that all life outcomes are results of what one has sown, citing Galatians 6:7.
• The Primacy of Loving God 00:29:08 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor identifies loving God with all one's heart, soul, and mind as the most important seed to plant, referencing Matthew 22:37.
• Guarding the Heart 00:30:12 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses Proverbs 4:23 to explain that the heart is the wellspring of life and must be guarded to ensure the right seeds are sown.
• Losing First Love 00:32:13 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor warns against losing one's first love for Jesus, citing Revelation 2:4, and describes how Christians can become 'cold' in their faith.
• Spiritual Warfare and Worldliness 00:35:01 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that Satan steals love for God by replacing it with love for the world, citing 1 John 2:15 and James 4:4.
• Separation from the World 00:37:03 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor calls for spiritual separation from unbelievers and 'filthy things' of the world, citing 2 Corinthians 6:17.
• Spiritual Separation 00:37:03 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that 'coming out from among unbelievers' refers to spiritual separation from the 'things of the world' rather than physical isolation, emphasizing that believers are temples of the living God.
• Last Days Apostasy 00:38:23 ▶️ 📄
  > Citing 2 Timothy 3, the pastor describes the characteristics of the last days, noting that these traits (lovers of self, money, pleasure) describe Christians who have forsaken their first love for God, not just unbelievers.
• Sowing and Reaping Love for God 00:39:45 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor connects the concept of sowing and reaping to developing a heart for God, explaining that seeds are planted by parents/grandparents and by the individual's daily actions.
• Six Seeds for a Heart for God 00:42:33 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor lists six specific actions to sow in one's life to reap a heart for God: humility, daily prayer, daily Bible reading, daily worship, regular fellowship, and regular financial giving.
• Humility as the First Seed 00:42:51 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor identifies humility as the first and most critical seed, defining it as acknowledging need for God and bowing before Him, contrasting it with pride.
• Daily Prayer and Bible Reading 00:44:33 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor identifies daily prayer and daily Bible reading as essential seeds, noting the Word of God is sharp and powerful for changing the heart.
• Daily Worship 00:45:00 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor defines daily worship as thanking God for salvation and provision, warning against being 'too spiritual' to express gratitude.
• Fellowship and Giving 00:46:00 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor highlights regular fellowship with other believers and regular financial giving as key seeds, citing Matthew 6:21 to link treasure with heart location.
• Assurance of Salvation 00:50:39 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor invites those unsure of their salvation to lift their hands and pray for assurance, emphasizing that one can know for sure they are ready to stand before God.
• Surrender and Stewardship 01:02:09 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor leads a prayer of surrender, asking God to consider all aspects of life (friendships, finances, homes) as belonging to Him, and encourages sowing back into God.
• Holy Communion 00:53:35 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor introduces the Lord's Supper, explaining its significance as a celebration of God's love and Jesus' sacrifice, and leads a prayer over the elements.

• Sermon Illustration 00:28:16 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a 'mind dial' to explain how one must intentionally set their thoughts on heavenly things, noting that the dial is spring-loaded and tends to revert to earthly things.
• Sermon Illustration 00:31:17 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about seeing a bumper sticker on a car in a McDonald's drive-thru that read 'I heart Jesus,' using it to illustrate the simplicity and power of loving Jesus.
• Sermon Illustration 00:41:06 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about seeing a young couple in the lobby praying and singing over their baby, using this as an example of planting seeds of love for God in a child's heart.
• Sermon Illustration 00:41:41 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts his own upbringing, describing how his parents prayed over him before his birth and taught him Matthew 6:33, planting the seed of love for God in his heart.
• Sermon Illustration 00:47:17 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a testimony from a couple in the lobby who felt God move in their hearts and connect with the church specifically when they gave a large offering during the 'Make Room' time.

• Pastoral Charge 00:31:00 ▶️ 📄
  > The congregation is commanded to actively protect their inner life and affections from worldly distractions to ensure their love for God remains the primary source of their existence.
• Pastoral Charge 00:49:20 ▶️ 📄
  > Lift hand to indicate commitment to put Jesus back in first place
• Pastoral Charge 00:50:14 ▶️ 📄
  > Prepare to receive prayer for salvation assurance
• Pastoral Charge 00:52:44 ▶️ 📄
  > Go to the lobby to receive a 'goodie bag' with literature and a Bible.

[00:00:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]:
How's everybody doing this morning?
[00:01:22] Whoo!
[00:01:22] Come on, let's bring it together.
[00:01:23] This is the day we'll make So I'll rejoice and be glad Rejoice and be glad

[00:04:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Enjoy the Lord this morning!
[00:06:15] Let's keep those hands going, son.
[00:06:25] Sing to the Lord if the cross won your freedom Sing to the Lord if you know that he saves Tell all the earth that his arms are wide open Salvation is in his name
[00:06:46] Let the lost be found Let the blind eye see Let the music play Let the people sing
[00:07:51] Jesus your Lord
[00:08:23] Jesus all the praise belongs to you Jesus all the praise belongs to you Jesus all the praise belongs to you
[00:09:09] Let the blind eye see
[00:09:58] Come on, shout it out this morning.
[00:10:08] If you're seated this morning, turn around, high-five your neighbor, and welcome to Lake City Church.

[00:10:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Good morning and welcome to Lake City Church.
[00:10:35] If it's your first time here this morning, go ahead and pull out your worship guide.
[00:10:39] On the inside flap is a guest card.
[00:10:41] You can fill it out and take it to the Welcome Center, and we have a special gift just for you.

[00:10:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Hey, church family.
[00:10:46] If you're new to Lake City or maybe you've been coming for a while,
[00:10:49] and you'd like a chance to meet the lead team, meet our pastors, hear a little bit more about our core beliefs and values, we wanna invite you to Next Steps.
[00:10:57] It's gonna be Sunday, January 25th, one o'clock right here at the church.
[00:11:01] You need to go to the church app and get registered and we can't wait to see you there.

[00:11:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
The collective is going to be January 30th at 6 30 p.m it's for young adults ages 18 to 28 bring a friend and come experience the power of god revival youth conference 2026 is just a month away and we are so excited to see god move in a powerful way last year was incredible so many lives changed testimonies that came from that conference and he's going to do it again if your student needs a sponsorship

[00:11:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
or you're interested in serving you can email me daniel at lakecitychurch.org will you be a part of the movement thanks again for joining us this morning make sure to check us out on our socials or our website at lakecitychurch.org and remember we love you god loves you make it a great day

[00:11:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
Come on church, give God praise this morning.
[00:11:54] Are you all excited to be in the house this morning?
[00:11:57] Let's go.
[00:11:57] Hey, is there any young adults in the room today?
[00:12:00] Come on, you're all young.
[00:12:02] Let's go on guys.
[00:12:05] Hey, look at your neighbor real quick.
[00:12:07] Look at your neighbor and tell him, you look good this morning.
[00:12:10] We're glad you are here.
[00:12:11] Welcome to everybody online, to all of our Hispanic friends in the overflow room.
[00:12:17] We are glad you're here this morning.
[00:12:18] Welcome.
[00:12:20] We're going to transition into the time we call giving back to God.
[00:12:23] As they throw the four ways to give on the screen, we say thank you for your generosity.
[00:12:27] Is God not moving at Lake City Church?
[00:12:30] God is moving in this house and in this place and in these people.
[00:12:34] Who is at the three-day fast?
[00:12:35] Anyone at the three-day fast?
[00:12:36] Yeah, yeah.
[00:12:37] Awesome, did God change your life in a radical way?
[00:12:40] He's moving in this place.
[00:12:42] Hey, we're actually starting another fast today, starting at lunchtime, so whatever your, maybe you had breakfast this morning, kudos to you, but cancel those lunch plans, all right?
[00:12:52] We're starting again, let's go.
[00:12:53] Hey, we're glad.
[00:12:55] Man, the fast was so good.
[00:12:56] Doesn't the fastest teach you spiritual disciplines that you so desperately need?
[00:13:02] I know that I need them in my life.
[00:13:04] Something I was praying, though, and the Lord was speaking to me is, what do you need to give up on a daily basis, right?
[00:13:10] We talk about the three-day fast.
[00:13:11] We fast food.
[00:13:12] It teaches you discipline.
[00:13:14] But on the daily, we are a busy society, a busy generation.
[00:13:18] We go from work to the sports practices to all the things, right?
[00:13:22] What is it that you need to sacrifice on the daily to be closer to God?
[00:13:28] Something my youth pastor told me growing up is, being a Christian is not, what can I have in my life and still be called a Christian, but what can I be rid of and be closer to you, Lord?
[00:13:37] And so, I ask you and I challenge you this morning, what is it, time-wise, treasure-wise, what is it close to your heart that you need to give up to have priority with Jesus, amen?
[00:13:49] if we could stand on our feet this morning we're going to continue into worship and as we do i would just challenge you this morning pray ask the lord say what is what is it that i need to give up in my life lord to be closer to you what is it that i need to do you prioritize career over god do you prioritize money over god do you prioritize eating over god and the lord knows that i need to work on that but what is it lord that i need to sacrifice daily to be closer to you amen let's close our eyes
[00:14:19] Holy Spirit, you are worthy this morning.
[00:14:26] We ask that everything in this life, that we would be rid of it to be closer to you.
[00:14:33] Jesus, that you would be the first and foremost important thing in our life, Jesus.
[00:14:39] So as we worship you today, we pray that you would be the center of it all.
[00:14:44] In your name we pray.
[00:14:46] Amen.
[00:14:46] Let's worship Him today, church.

[00:15:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Maybe we have made this complicated More than it was ever meant to be Hasn't it always been about the same thing?
[00:15:48] Lord, bring us back to simple things
[00:15:54] You be the center of my heart My heart belongs to You My Savior all I long You're the one I hold on to For the beauty of Your name My soul will live to sing Jesus I love You
[00:16:25] And teach us to discern the moment When to serve and when to sit here at your feet Keep us awake to what's important And just like men, I chose the better thing
[00:16:53] Are the saints of earth alone?

[00:17:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
You are the center of it all My heart belongs to You My Savior of all You're the one I hold on to For the beauty of Your name My soul will live to say Jesus I live
[00:17:58] Jesus I love You Jesus I love You I love You Jesus I love You

[00:18:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
And if my days tell a story, let it be

[00:19:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Jesus, I love you Oh how I love you I love you, I love you, yeah Oh how I love you Jesus, yeah My whole life for your glory My whole world for your glory
[00:20:23] Let's sing it out!
[00:21:22] Jesus I love you Oh how I love you Oh how I love you Jesus I love you You are the center of my life

[00:21:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Jesus, I love you, my soul will choose to sing
[00:22:14] Jesus, I love you, my soul will live to sing.
[00:22:21] Jesus, I love you.

[00:22:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Jesus, just let that be our heart this morning.
[00:22:32] Let that be our prayer and our cry, God, that we love you, we thank you, we magnify your name.
[00:22:39] In Jesus' name, you guys can be seated.

[00:22:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Every choice we make, every word we speak, every step we take, is a seed placed in the ground.
[00:22:56] Some seeds are sown in faith, trusting God with what we cannot see yet.
[00:23:03] Some are sown in fear, holding back, protecting ourselves, choosing comfort.
[00:23:11] And most days, we don't notice the ground changing.
[00:23:15] But over time, something always begins to grow.
[00:23:20] Galatians 6 reminds us, a man reaps what he sows.
[00:23:25] What we reap is never accidental.
[00:23:29] It reflects what has been planted, nurtured, and allowed to take root.
[00:23:36] Because the future we hope for starts with what we sow right now.

[00:23:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Good morning, everybody.
[00:23:46] One, two, three, four.
[00:23:47] There I am.
[00:23:48] Hey, how are you guys doing?
[00:23:51] Great.
[00:23:51] You guys make it in through the snow.
[00:23:54] Oh, there's no snow.
[00:23:56] Sorry about that.
[00:23:57] Have you learned that when you're in Mooresville and they say it's going to snow, don't worry about it.
[00:24:04] If they say it's not going to snow, well, maybe there's a chance.
[00:24:09] I'm so glad you guys made it today.
[00:24:11] Those watching online in the overflow areas, thank you for being with us.
[00:24:14] I do want to say that, I just want to say thank you for everybody who participated in Three Day Fast on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
[00:24:25] It wasn't amazing.
[00:24:26] It was just incredible.
[00:24:29] One lady and her family talked to me after the first service, I think it was, and she said that on Wednesday night of the fast, they had been fasting, they were up here at the altar, and they had this encounter with God that really changed.
[00:24:44] She said, the lady said, it changed my life.
[00:24:48] And I believe so much in the power of prayer and fasting.
[00:24:53] The thing I always remind people is that the greatest results of fasting come after the fast, not usually during the fast.
[00:25:01] Although that lady had, they had a breakthrough right on day three of the fast.
[00:25:05] But oftentimes, and most of the time, the greatest fruit is sometime after the fast.
[00:25:11] So if you were involved in sowing during the fast, guess what?
[00:25:14] You're in for some...
[00:25:15] Amen.
[00:25:16] Amen.
[00:25:21] Amen.
[00:25:40] I do want to also draw your attention you saw it on the screen earlier but this coming Sunday at 1 o'clock we have our next steps lunch and if you are new or newer to Lake City Church I want to personally invite you to come hear a little bit more about the vision and values of Lake City Church and how you can be involved I'd love to meet you and just have an opportunity to spend some time together but you need to register go online and register because
[00:26:09] We need to know how many T-bone steaks to throw on the grill.
[00:26:13] Or whatever it is.
[00:26:14] So anyway, are you guys ready to dive into the Word?
[00:26:19] Come on, let's go.
[00:26:20] Father, we just thank you for your Word.
[00:26:23] We open our hearts, we open our minds.
[00:26:25] Speak to us, we pray.
[00:26:26] Lord, may you do a deep work inside of us today.
[00:26:29] Speak to each one of us where we are with the Word that we need to hear.
[00:26:33] We love you and we thank you and we pray all this in the mighty and the powerful name of Jesus and everybody said amen, hallelujah.
[00:26:41] Thank you for those yo's.
[00:26:43] We're in week number three of the series, we call it Sowing and Reaping, and our theme verse comes out of Galatians 6-7 where it says, "'Don't be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a person sows, he will also reap.'"
[00:27:00] The biblical principle of this series is that everything in your life is grown from the things that you have sown.
[00:27:09] I'm going to say that again.
[00:27:12] Everything in your life is grown from the seeds and the things that you have sown.
[00:27:19] That means the good things as well as the not-so-good things.
[00:27:23] Galatians 6-7 in the Message Version says what a person plants...
[00:27:29] He will harvest.
[00:27:31] It's known as the law of sowing and reaping.
[00:27:36] It's really an immutable law of God, a divine law.
[00:27:39] Whatever you sow, you're going to reap.
[00:27:42] The not-so-secret secret to reaping good things in your life is to sow good things, or in other words, good seeds.
[00:27:50] And remember, seeds are made up of thoughts, they're made up of attitudes, they're made up of actions, but it always begins with a thought.
[00:27:58] And that's why scripture says a man as a man thinks, so is he.
[00:28:04] So it's like a warning.
[00:28:06] Be careful what you think.
[00:28:08] Paul warns us with these words in Colossians 3 verse number 2.
[00:28:13] He said, "...set your minds on things above."
[00:28:16] I used to always teach about this thing in my brain called a mind dial and it's just an image I have of a dial and it's like a dial set on your mind and you set that dial to things above.
[00:28:31] The only problem with the mind dial is that it's spring-loaded and it keeps, after a period of time, kind of...
[00:28:38] The scripture says set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
[00:28:46] When we talk about growing good things in our lives, we're not just referring to good things here on earth, we're referring to good things in heaven, we're referring to eternal things, things that money can't buy, things that can't rust and decay.
[00:28:59] So the question is, what is the most important seed you should plant in your life?
[00:29:08] And Jesus gives us that answer in Matthew 22, 37 by saying, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind.
[00:29:18] I love the song that Haley just sang, that He is the center of it all.
[00:29:23] That's what Jesus said.
[00:29:25] If you want to know what the most important seed to sow in your life is, it's the seed of love for God, to love Him, to make Him the center of your life.
[00:29:36] The most important thing you should sow is a deep love for God.
[00:29:42] A love for God that captures your heart, it captures your soul, it captures your mind.
[00:29:48] And most of us would know that as having a heart after God.
[00:29:53] So I want to ask you a very personal question.
[00:29:55] Just think about it.
[00:29:57] Do you have a heart for God?
[00:30:01] See, we live in this secular culture where many people's hearts are captured by a lot of other things other than a deep love for God.
[00:30:12] No wonder Proverbs 4.23 says, Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring, this version says, the wellspring of life.
[00:30:25] The wellspring is the source of everything in your life.
[00:30:31] Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy
[00:30:49] And so what God's Word is telling us is that everything in your life will flow down from the wellspring of the deepest love in your heart.
[00:30:58] That's why you need to guard your heart.
[00:31:00] That's why you need to be very intentional about sowing the seed of love for God in your heart.
[00:31:07] It's incredibly important.
[00:31:10] A while back I saw a bumper sticker on a car in front of me in the McDonald's drive-thru lane.
[00:31:17] Does anybody else go to McDonald's?
[00:31:19] Am I and President Trump the only ones that go to McDonald's?
[00:31:24] I was... President Trump goes to, what is it, the chicken place too.
[00:31:29] But at any rate, I was in a line at the McDonald's and I saw a bumper sticker on the car in front of me and it simply said, I heart Jesus.
[00:31:40] And it was very simple, but to me it was very powerful.
[00:31:44] And so let me just ask the question, do you heart Jesus?
[00:31:48] Is your love for Jesus the wellspring of your life?
[00:31:52] Does everything in your life center around your love for Jesus?
[00:31:58] See, the dangerous truth is that some Christians have allowed themselves to love other things more than they love Jesus.
[00:32:09] For some, they have lost their first love for Him.
[00:32:13] It reminds us of the passage in Revelation chapter 2 where God speaks to some church people and He says, I know your deeds, your hard work, and your perseverance.
[00:32:25] In other words, He said, I know all about your good works.
[00:32:28] You're doing a lot of good stuff.
[00:32:30] But He goes on in verse 4, He says, Yet I hold this against you.
[00:32:34] You have forsaken your first love.
[00:32:36] Your first love.
[00:32:38] The sad truth is that Jesus was no longer the first love of their lives.
[00:32:43] He ceased to be the first love that drove their passions, that drove their purpose in life.
[00:32:49] And folks, what I'm saying is don't let that happen to you.
[00:32:52] Don't let that happen to you.
[00:32:57] In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus gives a talk about the signs of the end of the age.
[00:33:04] And he says there will be wars and rumors of wars.
[00:33:08] Nation will rise against nation.
[00:33:10] Kingdom against kingdom.
[00:33:11] It sounds like a lot of what's going on around right now, doesn't it?
[00:33:15] Has anybody watched the news?
[00:33:17] He says that there will be famine and earthquakes.
[00:33:21] You'll be persecuted and put to death.
[00:33:23] You'll be hated by all nations because of me.
[00:33:27] And then he says in Matthew 24 verse 12, he says, Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.
[00:33:37] Most.
[00:33:38] That sounds like a majority, doesn't it?
[00:33:40] That sounds like almost everybody will grow cold in their love for Jesus.
[00:33:46] I don't know about you, but I don't want to be a part of that majority.
[00:33:50] I refuse to be a part of that majority.
[00:33:53] What Jesus is saying to every one of us is that the times in which we live, the culture in which we live can have a chilling effect on your love for God.
[00:34:04] Now you probably know some believers who have lost their first love for God and they've grown cold.
[00:34:11] So cold that they hardly read God's Word outside of church.
[00:34:15] So cold that they hardly pray and commune with God.
[00:34:18] So cold that they don't even believe the Bible is God's Word to them.
[00:34:21] So cold that they are more committed to soccer, football, hunting, and lake life than to the body of Christ.
[00:34:27] So cold that they sacrifice for a beautiful
[00:34:30] A car and a beautiful home, but it hurts them to honor God with just 10% of their income.
[00:34:36] It's so cold that they have a form of religion, but they have denied the power thereof to change their life.
[00:34:44] See, there are so many other things that they love.
[00:34:49] And in doing so, they have forsaken Him as their first love.
[00:34:54] Brothers and sisters, again, don't let that happen to you.
[00:35:01] Do you know, and you probably do, do you know that Satan himself is working overtime to try to steal your love for God?
[00:35:12] He is.
[00:35:13] And he does that by replacing it with other things.
[00:35:17] Things like love for money and the things that money can buy.
[00:35:21] Things like love for men or love for women or love for success, love for hobbies and a thousand other things.
[00:35:29] In other words, the enemy of your soul will try to steal your love for God by replacing it with another love.
[00:35:37] See, it really doesn't matter to him who or what you love as long as it diverts your time and your talent and your treasure away from your love for God.
[00:35:49] 1 John 2 verse number 15 is addressing this very thing when it says, Do not love the world or anything in the world.
[00:35:58] If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in them.
[00:36:02] Wow, this verse sounds like an ultimatum, doesn't it?
[00:36:07] Love God or love the world.
[00:36:09] And by the way, I didn't write this, okay?
[00:36:11] Y'all still love me?
[00:36:12] I didn't write this.
[00:36:14] This is God's Word.
[00:36:16] James 4 verse 4 states this truth in even bolder terms.
[00:36:21] It says, Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?
[00:36:25] That word enmity means friction.
[00:36:28] Friction with God.
[00:36:30] Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
[00:36:37] Whoa, strong words.
[00:36:40] But the truth is, we should be terrified by the thought of making ourselves enemies of God, being separated from God because of this friction.
[00:36:49] Yes, God is loving, gracious, and merciful, but He's also very serious about His people being separated unto Himself.
[00:36:59] Listen to what God says in 2 Corinthians 6.17.
[00:37:03] He commands us to, quote, "...come out from among unbelievers and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord."
[00:37:12] By the way, He's not talking about physically coming out.
[00:37:14] He's talking about spiritually.
[00:37:16] Separating yourself.
[00:37:17] He goes on to say, don't touch their filthy things.
[00:37:20] And I will welcome you.
[00:37:22] See, there's a difference between the things of the world and the things of God.
[00:37:25] And what this verse says is don't touch, God actually says, don't touch the things of the world.
[00:37:31] I think we have to identify what
[00:37:34] Things of the world really are.
[00:37:36] God show us.
[00:37:37] Holy Spirit give us insight to know what the things of the world are so that we don't touch those things.
[00:37:42] We want to touch the things of God, not the things of the world, don't we?
[00:37:48] He says, don't touch their filthy things and I will welcome you.
[00:37:55] It's not that we're better than anyone else.
[00:37:58] We're not.
[00:37:59] It's because we have been washed.
[00:38:01] We have been cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus and we have been made temples of the living God.
[00:38:07] And He says, be ye holy as I am holy.
[00:38:11] Remember that your love for God is being attacked every single day, especially in these last days.
[00:38:23] Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3 verse number 1, he says there will be terrible times in the last days.
[00:38:31] Watch this.
[00:38:32] Verse 2, he says, People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, lovers of pleasure.
[00:38:39] Do we have any of that going on?
[00:38:41] Hmm.
[00:38:43] Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.
[00:38:46] Having a form, an appearance of godliness, but denying its power.
[00:38:52] See, the sad thing is that he's not just describing unbelievers.
[00:38:55] He's describing some Christians in the church.
[00:38:59] Of course, not this church.
[00:39:02] Well, maybe.
[00:39:05] He's describing Christians who have fallen in love with other things and they have forsaken their first love for God.
[00:39:12] Yes, in this church.
[00:39:13] It could be any one of us here today if there are other things that take His place in our hearts.
[00:39:23] We don't want to fall in love with other things when Jesus requires that He be our first love.
[00:39:30] Jesus said the first and the most important thing in life is to love God with all your heart.
[00:39:35] To have a heart for God.
[00:39:38] Now you may be wondering, how does sowing and reaping apply to me having a heart for God?
[00:39:45] The answer is in two ways.
[00:39:47] First, your parents, and in some cases your grandparents or others, sow the seeds of love for God in your heart or not.
[00:39:58] I am so blessed that I was born into a godly family.
[00:40:04] And from my earliest recognition, my parents poured into me the seed of love for God.
[00:40:11] From the time I was old enough to understand the English language, my parents taught me Matthew 6, 33, which says,
[00:40:19] The Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, then all these other things will be added unto you.
[00:40:24] And you know what?
[00:40:24] They lived that in front of me.
[00:40:26] They literally taught me to have a heart for God, to love God with all of my heart.
[00:40:32] The question is, who or what are you teaching your children to love?
[00:40:39] What or who are you teaching your grandchildren and others that God would bring in your life to love?
[00:40:45] And by the way, I think all of us, no matter how young or old we are, we can plant seeds of love for God in people's hearts.
[00:40:55] Who or what are we planting seed, are we planting seed for love for God in their heart?
[00:41:01] I'm so thankful that I had parents
[00:41:04] who plant the seed of love for God.
[00:41:06] There was a young couple I saw in the lobby earlier after one of the services the husband was carrying a little carrier and they had the little baby about this big and the little carrier and they had had the child was already they're singing over the child, praying over the child and I said, I'm so proud of you.
[00:41:26] You're planting the seed of love for God in that child's heart and that child's life.
[00:41:31] Truth be told, many of us, I for one, which I'm so thankful, even before I made my debut in life, my parents were praying over me.
[00:41:41] They were singing songs of worship over me.
[00:41:44] They were presenting me to God even when I was in the womb.
[00:41:48] What were they doing?
[00:41:49] They were planting seeds of love for God in my heart.
[00:41:51] I will tell you this, I don't know where I would be, but I probably wouldn't be here today if they hadn't planted those seeds in my heart.
[00:42:00] That's so important.
[00:42:02] Number two, you sow seeds in your own garden every day.
[00:42:05] They're either seeds of love for God or they're seeds of love for something else.
[00:42:11] But you're sowing seeds every single day in your garden.
[00:42:16] Now, I don't really have time to get into detail on this next part, but I'm going to give you a little bit of machine gun, just some points.
[00:42:25] Are you guys up to it?
[00:42:25] Buckle up.
[00:42:26] and we'll have you out in time for lunch or dinner or whatever in just a little bit.
[00:42:33] But there are six seeds that you can sow in your life in order to reap a heart for God.
[00:42:38] Really there are more but I'll come back another time.
[00:42:42] This morning I just want to iterate six seeds that you can plant in your own life in order to reap a heart for God and the first one might surprise you.
[00:42:51] The first seed is the seed of humility.
[00:42:54] Humility before God.
[00:42:56] Coming to a place where you bow your knee before God and you say, God, I need you.
[00:43:01] I need you in my life.
[00:43:04] On Wednesday of the fast, Pastor Daniel talked about being desperate for God and there's so much truth in that where we come to the place where we say, God, I am desperate for you.
[00:43:14] I need you in my life.
[00:43:16] I need you more than anything else.
[00:43:18] Years ago I wrote a little song called I Need You and it was in a time and a place when out of my prayer time I just needed God so much.
[00:43:27] I need you in my life and there's something about it when we humble ourselves and cry out to God.
[00:43:33] Scripture tells us that God resists the proud but He exalts the humble.
[00:43:39] That's really the starting place.
[00:43:41] A lot of people don't know God because they're too proud.
[00:43:45] Walking around like they've got it all together.
[00:43:48] You don't have it all together.
[00:43:51] We all know that's just a facade.
[00:43:53] We need God in our life.
[00:43:55] When you come to the place that you say, God, I need you more than anything else in my life.
[00:44:00] That's when you begin to know God.
[00:44:01] That's when your heart changes and you get a heart for God.
[00:44:06] Humility.
[00:44:07] Bow your knee to God and say, God, that's why so many times in my study at home or many times when I'm just by myself, I'll get down and just kneel at a chair and I'll say, God, I need you, I need you.
[00:44:20] Every single time before I come out here, I say, God, I need you.
[00:44:23] You know, if you don't show up, we're all in trouble.
[00:44:26] God, I need you.
[00:44:27] Humility is the number one seed to sow humility.
[00:44:31] in order to reap a heart for God.
[00:44:33] Number two, the second seed is daily prayer, talking to God, listening to God, being open to God.
[00:44:40] So important.
[00:44:41] Number three is daily Bible reading.
[00:44:43] The Word of God is quick and powerful.
[00:44:48] It's sharper than a double-edged sword.
[00:44:50] It will change you from the inside out.
[00:44:52] The Word of God will give you a heart after God.
[00:44:55] It's a seed that's planted in your life when you read the Scriptures.
[00:45:00] Number four is daily worship.
[00:45:03] Just worshiping God.
[00:45:04] I wake up every morning when my feet hit the floor.
[00:45:07] I say, God, thank you for this day.
[00:45:08] God, I love you.
[00:45:09] God, thank you for all that you've done for me.
[00:45:12] And I tell you, there's not one single day that ever goes by that I don't say, God, thank you for your son, Jesus.
[00:45:17] Thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross for my sins.
[00:45:22] Can I tell you, if you ever get so spiritual that you don't thank God for salvation, you're just too daggum spiritual.
[00:45:32] We all need to say, God, I thank you, and we just worship.
[00:45:35] That's worship.
[00:45:37] God, I love you.
[00:45:38] God, I thank you.
[00:45:39] Thank you for all of the provision, but thank you, Lord, for your presence.
[00:45:43] Thank you for your peace.
[00:45:44] There are so many things that we have that we can give thanks and praise to.
[00:45:48] That's worship.
[00:45:49] Turn on some worship music.
[00:45:51] Put a playlist on in your car or in your home and just enjoy the worship and let that worship just fill you.
[00:45:57] That's planting seed.
[00:45:58] You're sowing seed for a heart after God.
[00:46:00] Number five seed is regular fellowship with other believers.
[00:46:05] We're doing that right here.
[00:46:06] We're planting seed right now in your heart by being with other believers.
[00:46:10] Every Sunday morning, every Wednesday night, 6.30 to 7.30, the most powerful hour of the week when you come.
[00:46:17] You want some seeds planted for a heart for God, come on Wednesday night.
[00:46:21] Be a part of a life group.
[00:46:23] Just being with other believers.
[00:46:25] We're planting seed for a heart after God.
[00:46:29] Number six, the sixth seed.
[00:46:31] And this one's going to catch you off guard.
[00:46:34] And I don't have time to really elaborate.
[00:46:36] But the sixth seed is regular giving of your finances to God.
[00:46:42] Believe it or not, this is one of the most powerful seeds you can sow in order to reap a heart for God.
[00:46:50] You know why?
[00:46:51] Because Jesus says so.
[00:46:54] He said in Matthew 6, 21, "...where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
[00:47:01] And it's true.
[00:47:01] I have seen so many times where people, once they start to tithe, that's when their heart comes along.
[00:47:11] Somebody told me in the lobby, I had a lot of people talk to me between services today.
[00:47:17] One guy reminded me, he said, the first time that we really felt that God moved in our hearts and lives and connected us with this church was when we gave an offering.
[00:47:28] and they gave a big offering it was about the time we were doing make room and they were so moved in their heart they stepped out and they gave a big offering and they said our heart was changed I'm telling you this is powerful Jesus said where your treasure is there your heart will be also so if you want your heart to be with God give him your treasure
[00:47:48] and finally God says in Jeremiah 29 13 he says you'll seek me and you'll find me when you seek me with all of your heart and so my prayer is that every one of us all of us as we enter into this new year of 2026 my prayer is that every one of us will sow
[00:48:13] and we'll reap a heart for God.
[00:48:17] Amen.
[00:48:18] Amen.
[00:48:19] Let's pray.
[00:48:19] Father, thank you for your word.
[00:48:21] Oh God, help us to wrap our mind and our soul around your truth and I thank you for it in Jesus' name.
[00:48:29] Would you go ahead and stand together with me?
[00:48:34] With our heads bowed and our eyes closed, I want to pray two quick prayers.
[00:48:43] The first prayer I want to pray is for believers who say, I am a Christ follower, but I realize that there's some things that have tried to take their place of first love in my life.
[00:48:59] And I just want to put Jesus back in that place of being the first love in my life, the center of it all.
[00:49:07] So while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed, if the Holy Spirit is dealing with you and you say, I want to today, I want to make a commitment to put Jesus back in first place in my life, would you just lift up your hand?
[00:49:20] Just lift it up.
[00:49:21] I want to pray for you all over.
[00:49:23] Father, you see...
[00:49:25] God, you see more than that.
[00:49:27] You see our hearts.
[00:49:28] And I pray for those who would say, I need to put Jesus back in first place to be my first love.
[00:49:37] Oh God, I pray that you would give each one of us the resolve to do just that.
[00:49:42] But Lord, I know you're looking at our hearts.
[00:49:44] God, you'll respond to that.
[00:49:45] So God, we say we need you.
[00:49:48] Lord, we humbly, we need you.
[00:49:50] And we want you to be first place in our lives.
[00:49:52] And we give you first place.
[00:49:55] In our lives.
[00:49:56] Transform us, God, by your power.
[00:49:58] Holy Spirit, do your work in us, I pray.
[00:50:01] In Jesus' name.
[00:50:02] In Jesus' name.
[00:50:06] You can go ahead and take your hand down.
[00:50:08] And while our heads are still bowed and our eyes are closed,
[00:50:12] I want to pray one more prayer.
[00:50:14] I want to pray for those who may be here this morning and maybe you're not really sure about your relationship with God.
[00:50:21] The question I always ask is this.
[00:50:24] If you were to die today, do you know beyond any shadow of a doubt
[00:50:30] that you're ready to stand before God.
[00:50:32] If you're not sure, in just a moment, I want to pray a prayer for you and for others because you can know for sure.
[00:50:39] You can have the assurance of your salvation.
[00:50:42] So while heads are bowed, Christians are praying really hard.
[00:50:45] If you say, I'm not sure, but I want to be sure of my salvation and I want to be included in that prayer, we just lift up your hand right now.
[00:50:52] Lift it up and allow me to pray for you.
[00:50:55] Just go ahead and lift it up.
[00:50:56] Thank you.
[00:50:57] God bless you.
[00:50:57] Others, God bless you.
[00:51:01] Anybody else?
[00:51:03] In the back, thank you.
[00:51:05] Yes.
[00:51:10] Anybody else?
[00:51:11] Thank you.
[00:51:16] Just another second.
[00:51:18] Anybody else?
[00:51:23] Thank you.
[00:51:24] Glad we waited that extra second.
[00:51:25] Father, you've seen these hands.
[00:51:27] You know their hearts.
[00:51:29] God, now I pray that you would give them the assurance of their salvation.
[00:51:35] In just a moment, I'm going to pray a simple prayer.
[00:51:37] I'm going to ask everyone in the room to please repeat this prayer after me.
[00:51:42] If you raised your hand, you just pray this prayer along with the rest of us.
[00:51:46] Pray it from your heart, and God's going to hear you, and God's going to minister to you.
[00:51:50] Maybe you didn't raise your hand, but you felt a tugging on the inside.
[00:51:55] Let me invite you to pray this prayer along with the rest of us.
[00:51:59] And let's say this together.
[00:52:00] Say, God, I know that you love me.
[00:52:04] Because you sent your son Jesus.
[00:52:08] He died on the cross for my sins.
[00:52:12] Today I repent of my sins.
[00:52:15] I ask Jesus to be my Savior, my Lord.
[00:52:18] And from today on, I'm going to live for you.
[00:52:25] In Jesus' name.
[00:52:27] Amen.
[00:52:28] Amen.
[00:52:28] Come on, y'all.
[00:52:29] Let's give God praise.
[00:52:31] Lord, we give you honor.
[00:52:32] We give you glory.
[00:52:34] Thank you, Lord Jesus.
[00:52:37] If you prayed that prayer, I'm so proud of you.
[00:52:40] And I want to ask you to do one more thing when this service is over in just a couple minutes.
[00:52:44] I want to ask you to go out in the lobby.
[00:52:47] Right in front of the living room, we have a big stand-up sign that says, I said yes to Jesus.
[00:52:53] Some of our team members will be back there.
[00:52:56] They have a bag.
[00:52:58] I call it a goodie bag because it's filled with a lot of goodies.
[00:53:02] Some literature and also a Bible, a special Bible that I want you to have because it will help you to understand what God is saying to you.
[00:53:09] So after this service is over, go back there and get your goodie bag and just know that I'm going to be praying for you.
[00:53:17] The Bible says old things are passed away, all things have become new.
[00:53:21] And you've got some new things, some exciting new things ahead of you.
[00:53:24] And we're so proud of you.
[00:53:27] God bless you.
[00:53:28] Maybe you're a guest with us today.
[00:53:31] If so, welcome.
[00:53:32] So glad you're here.
[00:53:33] Hope you'll come back.
[00:53:35] One of the things that we do every Sunday morning is we share together in the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion.
[00:53:43] In doing so, we're celebrating the fact that God loved us so much that he sent his son Jesus, his one and only son.
[00:53:50] And Jesus loved us so much that he gave his body and he gave his blood as a sacrifice for our sins.
[00:53:59] And so, Father, as we prepare our hearts in just a moment to receive these emblems, we pray over that little cracker that reminds us of the body of Jesus that was bruised and broken for us.
[00:54:12] God, how thankful we are of that.
[00:54:14] As we prepare to receive that little cup of juice, it reminds us of the blood of Jesus that was shed when Jesus was on the cross.
[00:54:24] We're reminded of the scripture that says without the shedding of his blood there could be no forgiveness of our sins.
[00:54:32] So God we're just thankful today for your love and for the sacrifice of Jesus.
[00:54:38] Remind us of how much you love us, how much you have given for us and now we surrender our lives to you totally and completely to you and we thank you in Jesus name.
[00:54:52] Amen.
[00:54:53] Amen.

[00:54:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Something isn't that enough This wild exchange you offer us
[00:55:23] It seems hard to believe You're telling me you chose the cross You're telling me I'm worth that much If that's the measure of your love How else would I sing?
[00:55:46] But completely, deeply, slow down, sincerely bend
[00:55:53] I'm completely, freely, hands to the ceiling ever In my one life endeavor to match your surrender To mirror not my will but yours I'm completely, deeply, don't care who sees me abandoned
[00:56:43] What kind of self-control is this?
[00:56:51] Even angels set you free to tears
[00:57:24] I'm completely, freely, hands to the ceiling ever My one life endeavor tonight you'll surrender To me right now I'm all you but yours I'm completely, deeply, don't care you cease me event
[00:58:16] The failures I have, the victories I have, the battles I'll fight, each ground that I hold,
[00:59:26] As you see me remember I'm not one like heaven to match your strength To me you're not my will but yours I'm completely, deeply, don't care if cities leave me
[01:00:10] I surrender I surrender I surrender I surrender I surrender
[01:00:42] I'm completely, freely, hands to the ceiling and I And my one life endeavor to match your surrender To mirror not my will but yours I'm completely, deeply, don't care who sees me abandon me Oh I'll surrender

[01:01:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
God, we surrender all today.
[01:01:37] You can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in the room today.
[01:01:40] It's really strong right now, really strong in the third service right now.
[01:01:45] And just take a deep breath right where you are.
[01:01:48] Just breathe it in for a second.
[01:01:53] Thank you, God.
[01:01:58] It's impossible to be anxious and thankful at the same time.
[01:02:05] All you can do is be thankful to the Lord.
[01:02:09] And so, God, we take every part of our life, everything that we have, everything that we own, God, just like the song says, and consider it Yours.
[01:02:20] Our friendships, our finances, our homes, the places that we go, the people that we know, the things that we do, God, the things in our heart, consider it Yours.
[01:02:33] God, I pray that we would each follow the word from our pastor this morning and that we would sow back into you, God.
[01:02:42] Sow back the things that we owe to you, God.
[01:02:44] Everything that we have belongs to you anyway, God.
[01:02:47] So we give it back.
[01:02:49] We give it back.
[01:02:50] We give it back.
[01:02:54] God, I pray that each person in the room and watching online
[01:03:00] Pray that they would hear that message today and that they would say yes.
[01:03:05] Yes, God, I have to have you and nothing else.
[01:03:09] I have to give what I have back to you, God, and only you.
[01:03:14] So God, we say yes and we thank you this morning.
[01:03:17] We thank you for the challenge of your word and the gift of your presence.
[01:03:22] In Jesus' name, in Jesus' name, and everybody said amen.
[01:03:27] Amen.
[01:03:28] Amen.
[01:03:29] Amen.
[01:03:29] Well, yeah, give God some praise.

[01:03:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Listen, it's cloudy out there, but you're going to make it a great day.
[01:03:40] Amen?
[01:03:40] All right.
[01:03:41] Well, we love you.
[01:03:41] God loves you.
[01:03:42] Make it a great, great day.

[01:05:02] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
and more.