that we have once been there.
All right, I'm going to go ahead and open up with a word of prayer.
Dear Lord, again, thank you for the opportunity to be in your house
and for the preaching of your word.
Thank you to these folks that have come out today.
We can just bless the service, bless the preaching,
and help us to glorify you in all that we say and do today.
We ask in Christ's name, amen.
Amen.
All right, we'll go to song number 209, Sunshine in the Soul.
That's song number 209.
Song 209.
Oh, let sunshine bless the sunshine
Where the leaves fall that we know is gone
When Jesus shows his smile beneath his door
Let sunshine in the storm
Hear us closing in our soul today
Of their own to appear
May Jesus listen and hear
The songs that cannot seem
Oh, let sunshine bless the sunshine
When the leaves fall that we know is gone
When Jesus shows his smile beneath his door
Let sunshine in the storm
Hear us closing in our soul today
Oh, let sunshine in the storm
Look above all things that are gone
Oh, let sunshine bless the sunshine
When the leaves fall that we know is gone
When Jesus shows his smile beneath his door
Let sunshine in the storm
Hear us closing in our soul today
And all the things that are gone
Oh, let sunshine bless the sunshine
When the leaves fall that we know is gone
Oh, let sunshine bless the sunshine
When the leaves fall that we know is gone
Let Jesus show his smile beneath his door
Let sunshine in the storm
Alright, good singing everybody. At this time, we're going to go ahead and look at our announcements.
If you need a bulletin, go ahead and lift up your hand or Adam will bring you one.
As always, we have our service time listed there at the top.
Sundays at 10-30 a.m., again at 5-30 p.m.
Thursdays at 7 p.m., we'll be in the first page, chapter 15, to come on out for that.
We've got the church-wide soul-winning list below that, as well as the salvation and baptism for both the month and year.
A couple of notes regarding the church, if you need them.
Also, a reminder to please silence your cell phone at this time if you have already done so.
Happy birthday to those that are celebrating their birthdays and the month of May.
That's what the donuts are for this morning.
You've got a list there to make sure you go ahead and wish those that are on it a happy birthday.
If your anniversary is not included in the monthly birthday anniversary list and you want it to be there,
you can email the church that information.
That way it can get you in there.
Below that, don't forget our annual mother-daughter tea party in honor of Mother's Day is scheduled for Saturday, May 14th.
That's coming up pretty quick.
You've got the times there. There's a sign-up sheet on the back bolted board by the water cooler.
If you're planning on attending that, ladies, please go ahead and just sign that.
If you're going to be bringing children, you know, your daughter with you, just maybe do their name next to yours or party of or just some kind of number so you get an idea.
But please do sign up for that. That's coming up soon.
Also, don't forget to join us for FWBC Tucson.
So this is our small town soloing trip. This isn't something that Tempe is putting on. This is what we're doing here.
It's going to be our first one that we do out to Sierra Vista.
I guess you got it right. We thought we were going to go to California last time, but no, we're actually staying in the state.
So just about an hour away from here, not too far, but it's a community just east of us if you don't know.
But we're going to go out Saturday, May 21st for a day of soloing.
So basically the way that works, I'll have a more detailed itinerary soon.
We'll meet up here in the morning. We'll have, you know, probably coffee and some breakfast to fuel you up.
And then we'll go out and drive out there and go soloing for about two, two and a half hours somewhere in there.
And then we'll stop for lunch. We'll take care of your lunch.
Do another couple hours of soloing in the afternoon.
And try to get some kind of recreation on the way back into the evening.
There's a lot actually you'll see out there in Sierra Vista.
There's the pool, old forts and things like that. So maybe we'll make a stop there.
And then we'll catch dinner on the way home as well.
So it's a day of fellowship. It's a day of food. It's a day of preaching the gospel.
So we'll see how receptive Sierra Vista is.
I'm not sure if it's going to be the most receptive place. But you never know. You could be wrong.
So hopefully we go out there and find these pockets of receptivity.
But we want to go ahead and knock those doors anyway.
On the back we have our weekly Bible and seminary passage. Of course we didn't have it just last week.
So we're catching up here in a little bit. Proverbs chapter 3 verses, I should say 17 and 18 there.
Which is what's below that. So we have Proverbs 17 and 18.
Memorize kids, young people. If you do that, there's still some fruit bars in that box.
I know you're wanting to give me the chocolate and we've got to give you the fruit bars.
So keep working on those. Appreciate you bearing that burden and shouldering across of denying self.
Saying no to the chocolate and doing as I would have you to do.
So at least you can tell yourself it's healthy I guess.
Don't forget also below that there's a reservation, a soloing trip to the Hopi Rest.
That's going to be coming up Friday, May 6th. So that's this Friday.
This is something that's being put on by Tempe.
But if you would like to attend, you're welcome to.
Just please speak to me and I can give you the details and work out all of that.
So please speak to me if you'd like to go.
Also there's the Mexico Monday. Typically that's the first Monday of every month.
So typically it would be tomorrow. But Brother Segura is going to be traveling.
So he needs to move that date back to May 16th. So that's May 16th.
And he'll meet you right here at the building at 9. He'll meet you back here right around 9.
That's always a good trip. A lot of great soloing and of course a lot of good Papas.
If that's not reason enough to go, I don't know what is.
Don't forget we've got the other upcoming events below that.
And that's Preaching Night as well as the Tucson FWC Camp.
That's right around the corner. I'll have more details about that as well.
But that's going to be it for announcements. We'll go ahead and sing one more song before we begin preaching this morning.
Let's go over to song number 13. Song number 13.
Must Jesus bear the cross alone? Song number 13.
Must Jesus bear the cross alone?
Proverbs chapter 18.
Amen. So there in Proverbs 18, I just want to begin by looking at just the first verse where it says, through desire, a man having separated himself, sinketh and intermetalleth with all wisdom.
So it's telling us there that those that would desire to be wise, they're going to have to do two things.
They're going to have to, one, separate themselves and then they're going to have to intermetalleth with all wisdom.
Meaning, they're going to have to get into it. They're going to have to get their hands dirty, so to speak, if they're going to become a wise person.
And, of course, the other part of that equation is having to separate yourself.
Having to make time in order to intermetalleth with wisdom. You might have to give up some other things.
But really, before you'll do any of that, what you really must have in order to be a wise person, in order to seek and to intermetalleth with all wisdom, is that you must have desire.
I think that's what the verse here is really driving in, is that through desire, a man having separated himself, seeketh and intermetalleth with all wisdom.
See, desire is what's going to make you a wise person. You're not going to become a wise person if you don't first desire it.
And then you'll go and do the work. Because if it's just doing the work that's going to make you wise, you'll get into that and find out, wow, this is work.
Separating myself, having to give up certain things, having to intermetal and get my hands dirty, this is work. This is difficult. This is an uphill battle.
And if you don't have desire, you'll quit. You'll fall out. You'll say, never mind.
And then the real tragedy is that you then live your life as an unwise person.
And what I want to preach about this morning is the desire of discipleship.
Desire, discipleship. Discipleship is something that you have to desire as a Christian. It's not automatic.
You don't get saved and then just automatically start reading your Bible, automatically start attending church, automatically memorizing scripture, fulfilling your biblical roles, automatically being a soul winner.
You don't just automatically do all these things that are part of being a disciple. This is something that must be desired.
And just like Proverbs 18, 1 tells us, it's also work. Which is why so many people don't do it.
Which is why so many people get saved, they're on their way to heaven, but then they leave the whole rest of their life just open to anything but discipleship.
They don't want to be a disciple of Christ. They're glad they're saved. They're glad that they've got the fire escape, so to speak.
They're glad that they've got their ticket punched and they're on their way to heaven, but they don't want to do any of the work.
They don't want to take on the discipleship because it's something that must be desired. Because it is something that takes work.
You see, discipleship is something, and if you would, you can leave Proverbs 18 and go over to 2 Timothy chapter number 2.
2 Timothy chapter number 2. Discipleship is something that comes at a price.
The reason why it has to be desired is because it's going to cost you something.
You have to be willing, you have to desire to pay the price of discipleship if you're going to be a disciple. It's not automatic.
Not only is it not automatic, but it's something that's going to come at a price. Discipleship following Christ will cost you something.
Just like if you want to be a wise person, you're going to have to separate yourself and seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.
There's a price to wisdom. There's a price to discipleship. There's a price that has to be paid.
You'll only be willing to pay that price if you actually desire discipleship. If you actually want to serve God and be considered a disciple of Christ.
Because again, it's not automatic.
Jesus said in Luke 14, I'll read to you from 2 Timothy 2,
So likewise whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
And of course I believe that's really a very literal statement that Jesus is making there.
When he's saying you have to forsake everything if you're going to be my disciple.
At that time it required that because he was only there for three years.
And he was here to do the work that was given him to do and he was going to get it done.
And he didn't have time to wait on people to do everything else and get around to serving him and following him.
He said look, if you want to be part of my ministry at this time on this earth, you need to be willing to forsake everything.
Now we have the luxury today of not having to forsake everything, literally.
I mean you think about when the disciples were called. You think about Simon Peter.
You think about Andrew and James and John, these fishermen that had to, what, forsake all.
They had to leave the nets. They had to leave the boat. They had to leave the business behind in order to go follow Christ.
You know, we had the luxury today we could still be a disciple of Christ and keep our job.
We could still be a disciple of Christ and still do other things in this world.
It's not that high of a price. Now we should be willing to forsake all by all means.
If it comes to that, if it was required of us in this day and age to forsake everything, then we should be willing to do that.
But look, if you can't forsake even the smallest things now in this life, you will never do it when it costs you everything.
People often say things like, oh, I'm willing to die for Christ.
Well, what I'm more interested in is are you willing to live for Christ?
Because if you're not willing to live for Him, there's no way you're going to be willing to die for Him.
Discipleship comes at a price. That is why it's something that must be desired.
He said, if you continue in my word, then ye shall be my disciples indeed.
It's an if-then, right?
If you continue in my word, if you do the things that are written in my word, if you keep all my commandments,
if you live by the Bible, if you continue in my word, then you're my disciple.
Well, I'm saved. I thought that automatically just made me disciple. It doesn't.
To save people, they cannot continue in His word, can't they?
They can forsake the things of God. They can put off the things of God.
They can not desire the things of God and still go to heaven.
But here's the thing, if they want to be a disciple indeed, they must continue in His word.
And it's going to come at a price.
Look, when you start to read the Bible and get into it and you start to hear the preaching of the word of God
and find out what the Bible actually says, you start to realize real quick, discipleship comes at a price.
That's why it has to be desired.
Look at 2 Timothy 2. Verse 19, it says,
Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal.
The Lord knoweth them that are His, and that everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
There's that idea of separating ourselves, departing from iniquity.
If we're going to want to actually be a disciple of Christ, we're going to have to get rid of the sin of our life.
We're going to have to get rid of the covetousness and the idolatry and all the other things that want to creep in
and take the place of Christ in our lives.
You're going to have to depart from iniquity. It's going to come at a price.
To me, I read that and I say, well, that's a price worth paying.
Because iniquity and sin, it might please the flesh, there might be pleasure and sin for a season,
but the way of the transgressor is hard. The wages of sin is death.
When lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth death.
So he's saying, look, there's a price to pay that you have to depart from iniquity.
Instead of verse 20, but in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver,
but also of wood and of earth, some to honor and some to dishonor.
This is a picture of when God looks down on His children, His house, His spiritual house,
those living stones that are built up, a spiritual house.
He says, you know, I got some vessels in the house, some of them are wood.
Some of them are wood, some of them are earth, you know, they're just clay.
And you can use them for this and that.
But then there's some that are used for gold and are silver.
There's some that are made of gold and are of silver.
Look, I don't know about you, but if I had a wood vessel, if I had a clay vessel,
and I had a gold vessel or a silver vessel, a precious metal,
which one do you think I'm going to use as a spittoon?
And I'm trying to not be too crass up here.
Which one do you think I'm going to use for just some base use,
like they might have had to use it for back then?
I'm not going to reach for the gold. I'm not going to reach for the silver.
I'm going to save that for the more precious things.
I'm going to save that to go get the water. I'm going to save that to, you know, put some potted plant.
I'm going to use that as some kind of ornament.
You know, give special attention to the gold and to the silver, if that's in my house.
And, you know, if this wood one gets broken, if this wood one gets beat up a little bit,
well, that's okay because, you know what, it's just wood.
It's just made of earth.
When I say I want to be the gold, I want to be the silver.
I don't want to be that wood vessel. I don't want to be that earthen vessel.
Well, I'm glad.
But, you know, that's not automatic. That's something, again, that's going to come at a price.
Look at verse 21.
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor.
Purge himself from the iniquity, departing from iniquity, separating himself, paying the price,
then he shall be a vessel unto honor.
You see, discipleship has to be desired because it comes at a price.
He will be a vessel that is what? Sanctified.
Sanctification, you know, that's something that you have to want.
That's something that you have to be willing to go through and say,
look, I'll get rid of this sin. I'll confess and forsake this sin.
I'll confess and forsake this sin.
I'll get sanctified and then I'll be meat for the master's use.
And then I'll be prepared unto every good work.
You see, the discipleship doesn't just stop there.
Well, I've separated myself. I'm willing to pay the price.
You know, then it's on to what? Every good work.
That is what it means to be a disciple.
You know, discipleship and discipline are very closely rated words, aren't they?
Because to be a disciple you have to have discipline.
You have to say there's some things I'm not going to do
and there's some things that I am going to make a point of doing
in order to be considered a disciple.
I'm going to desire that because it comes at a price.
You know, I don't think this is taking anybody by surprise this morning.
Most people understand this.
This isn't something that's really deep you have to have explained to you.
I don't think people fail to understand the idea that discipleship comes at a price.
I just think the problem is that they'd rather not pay.
They sit down and they say, yeah, discipleship, being a disciple of Christ,
it's going to cost me something. I'm going to have to give up these things.
I'm going to have to start doing these things.
You know what? I'd just rather not do that.
And that's an option, isn't it?
We can just sit there and say, well, I'm just not going to be a disciple then.
As a result, what happens?
Bibles go unread.
The Scripture goes unmemorized.
Souls go un-won.
Services go unattended.
Families, people's lives, go un-blessed.
So before you decide that the cost of discipleship isn't something you're willing to pay,
you better ask yourself, am I willing to pay the price of not being a disciple?
Because that isn't free either.
And that's going to cost you some things that you might really regret one day.
I don't think that any of the disciples of Christ got to the end of their life and said,
well, that was a waste of time.
I could have been fishing.
None of them got to the end of their life and said, boy, I wish I'd done something else.
You know what? I'm sure there were plenty of other people that had an opportunity to follow Christ,
to be a disciple, to do great things, to see great things,
and decided not to do it and got to the end of their life and regretted having not done it.
It's the same way today.
There's going to be plenty of people who get to the end of their life
who say, I don't got time to go to that church. I don't got time to read that book.
I don't got time to win those souls. I don't have time to do this or that.
They're going to get to the end of their life and say, I wish I would have done that.
Because the price I'm paying now is far higher than the price of discipleship, the regret.
You know, the good news about this is that discipleship is possible.
Yeah, it comes at a price, but that means it's possible that we can be disciples of Christ.
You would go over to John, chapter number 4.
Actually, you know what? Skip John 4. Just go to 1 John 2.
Jesus said in John 14, with the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name.
He didn't say He might send them, that we might have the promise of the Holy Ghost.
Look, that's a promise that we have, the Holy Ghost.
Look, I know we're all sealed by the Holy Ghost under the day of our redemption at salvation,
but you know, the filling of the Holy Ghost is something that's completely on you.
It's available. It's there. You can have it if you want it.
It's going to come at a price. You're going to have to be sanctified.
You're going to have to purge yourself. You're going to have to separate.
You're going to have to depart from iniquity. You can't quench the Holy Spirit.
You can't sit at the Lord's table and drink from the cup of devils.
You're going to have to pay that price, but you know what? You can't have it.
You can't have the filling of the Holy Ghost.
And what a shame it would be as God's child to live my whole life and never know the filling of the Holy Ghost.
When it's been available to us every moment since we've been saved, we've had this promise of the Comforter from God.
He said, the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name,
He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you.
You know, we have this anointing, the Bible says there in 1 John 2, verse 27,
but the anointing which you have received of Him. You have received it.
You've been sealed. You have that anointing of the Holy Ghost.
This anointing that you have received of Him abideth in you. It's still there. It's not going anywhere.
And you need not let any man teach you. I mean, that's the anointing that we have as God's children.
That we don't need anyone to teach us anything. We can get it in this book any time we want,
crack it open, read it, study it, pray and ask God to help us to behold wondrous things out of His law,
and we will, because we have that anointing.
Now the preaching is going to help, and that's just going to accelerate your growth.
Why not let somebody else teach you? Why not let somebody else get you ahead further?
Yeah, there's nothing that I can get up and teach you that you can't learn on your own.
And a lot of things I'm teaching are things that somebody else taught me.
But why not take advantage of that? No, you certainly don't need it.
You have, and the point is this, is that you have that anointing. That discipleship is possible.
That filling of the Holy Ghost is there for every one of us, if you're willing to pay the price.
It teaches you of all things that is truth and is no lie. Isn't it a wonderful thing to know the truth?
Not believe lies? Isn't it a great thing to know that you know the truth?
You don't have to sit here and worry and be in fear of death.
You don't have to sit here and worry about what's going to happen when you die.
You don't have to worry what's going to happen in this world. You know the truth.
If you know the truth, it shall set you free. It is no lie. That's what we have. That's the anointing that we have.
Look, discipleship is possible if you're willing to pay the price.
It's possible if you're willing to pay the price. Go over to John chapter 15, John 15.
I like the story in Mark 10 where James and John, they come unto Jesus and they ask Him if they would do Him a favor.
And He said, What would you that I should do for you?
And they said unto Him, Grant unto us that we may sit one on Thy right hand and the other on Thy left.
I mean, a lot of people could take that a lot of different ways and some people might say,
Oh, what an arrogant thing to say. Who do you think you are? But I like their attitude.
They understand that, hey, this is possible. It just might be that the Lord says you got it because you asked,
because you wanted it, because you had the desire. You can have that seat on my right and left hand.
Look, I don't know where I'm going to be sitting in glory, where my seat's going to be.
But I'm sure going to have a hard time not being an enemy to whoever it is that's sitting that close to the Lord.
Good thing there's no sin in heaven because I probably would covet and be jealous and all those other things.
He said, Hey, grant unto us that we can sit on your right hand and you're on your left.
He said, You know not what you ask. And He's not rebuking them for their attitude.
He's just saying, I don't think you understand what it is you're asking me.
You want this glory. You want something that might be available to you. I don't think you know what you're asking.
And then He says this, Can you drink of the cup that I drink of?
Are you willing to pay the price that I'm going to pay to have the glory that I'm going to have with My Father?
And you want glory with Me in heaven? Well, can you drink of the cup that I drink of?
Can you pay that price and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
And I love their answer. No, on second thought, you're right, Jesus. What were we thinking?
How stupid of us. I didn't realize that's what it was going to take.
You know, I would take you up on that offer, Jesus, but that's kind of a steep price.
I don't think I'm willing to pay that. You know, their answer came back, We can.
We can drink of that cup. We can be baptized with that baptism. I'll take it.
That's a great attitude. A lot of people today just need to realize,
you can be a disciple if you want to.
If you're willing to pay the price, if you're willing to go through what it takes to be a disciple,
you can do it, but it's going to take desire. You're going to have to desire discipleship.
And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of,
and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with all you shall be baptized.
But to sit on my right hand on my left hand is not mine to give, but it shall be given of whom it is prepared.
Say, look, I can't give you what you want, but I appreciate the fact that you want it.
And you can go ahead and be my disciple, but it's going to come at a price.
You're going to have to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with.
You're going to have to drink of the cup that I drink of if you're going to be my disciple.
See, discipleship is something that's possible if you're willing to pay the price.
And some people will understand what the price is, and most people do, and they'll say, no thanks.
I'll pass on that. I'm good. I'm saved. I'm on my way to heaven.
You know what? Church is not my thing. I've got better things to do than read the Bible, let alone memorize it.
Spending my days out there knocking on doors talking to strangers about Jesus just really isn't my thing.
I don't want to pay that price.
The problem is they don't see the privilege of being a disciple, the privilege of being a disciple.
It's a very privileged thing to be God's disciple, isn't it?
Did I have you go to John 15? Look at verse 14.
He said, ye are my friends. That's Jesus speaking to his disciples and saying, ye are my friends.
He didn't go around saying that to everybody.
It was a very small group of people he saw, and it's just the 12, minus Judas.
But he said, hey, ye are my friends.
I mean, what an amazing thing to be called of God a friend.
I mean, I'm grateful for the friends that I have. I'm glad that I have some friends, as few as they may be.
And we all want friends. At least we should.
But did you know that you could be God's friend?
That God wants to be your friend?
That that's something that's possible?
But who is that open to? Who is he speaking to?
Disciples.
He's not just speaking to everybody out there that got saved.
He's not speaking to the thousands that he fed.
He's not speaking even to those that he raised from the dead or healed in whatever way.
He's not speaking to them. He's speaking to a very specific group of people, the disciples.
They're the ones that have the opportunity, the privilege of being called of God a friend.
So before you write off discipleship, because the price is too high, you better think about what it is that you're giving up.
The privilege of being called a friend of God.
Because that door is only open to those that are his disciples.
He said, ye are my friends, but notice how, oh, we like that part. Oh, yeah, I'll take that. Friends, great.
He goes on, if you do so whatsoever I've commanded you.
Man, I was really looking forward to being God's friend, but then I found out I had to do all these things that he commands me.
And I just say, it's not worth it. I'm a friend of God doing whatsoever is commanded of me. I don't know.
And that sounds crazy to think that people would think like that, but I'm telling you, that's how people think.
They know all this. They know discipleships available. They know they could be the friend of God.
They know that they could have the filling of the Holy Ghost. They could know God's presence.
They could feel that they're just one breath away from standing in front of God.
That they can almost touch heaven. They could be that close.
But that means I have to do things that are commanded of God. And I don't want that.
It sounds crazy. And it is. But you know what? That's probably where most Christians are at.
I mean, why aren't the church houses just full?
Because, you know, is this everybody that's saved in the world this morning?
This is it down here in Tucson? This is everybody that's saved?
Or do you think that maybe there's quite a few saved people that are out, you know, in the back nine or whatever,
working on their golf swing on a Sunday morning?
That's where most of God's people are. Out doing something else. Why?
Because they don't want to pay the price of discipleship.
Because they don't understand the privilege of being called God's friend.
I mean, I hear that. I say, I can be God's friend. What do you want?
What is it, Lord? What do you command? I'll do it.
Go to Matthew chapter number 10. Matthew chapter number 10.
See, discipleship, you'll pay that price. You'll desire it if you begin to understand what a privilege it really is to be his disciple.
Not everybody got to be Christ's disciple, and not everyone today is Christ's disciple.
It's rare air to be a disciple of Christ. To have the sealing, the anointing of the Holy Ghost.
He said in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.
Look, they're not even available to him. Do you realize what a privilege we have to understand the things of God?
I mean, I picked this book up before I got saved. My middle name is John.
And I said, well, I'm going to try reading the book of John just to see what it says.
And I don't mean to sound disrespectful towards the word of God.
I don't mean to sound, you know, put it down. Don't take this the wrong way.
But when I read John, all I really understood is there was a guy named John girding camel's hair who was out in the desert eating bugs and honey.
That's about as far as I got. I said, well, what a silly story.
Why? Because that was a natural man picking up a supernatural book who was completely cut off from even understanding it.
I said, what do you mean you can't understand it? It's English. Don't you speak English?
Well, yeah. Don't you know how to read? Yeah.
But look, the things that are in here are spiritually discerned.
Natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him.
John the Baptist wearing a camel's hair. Who believes that kind of stuff?
We run into all the time. We run into all the time. I believe in science.
That's a book full of contradictions. Name one.
He says they are foolish than him. Neither can he know them. He can't even know them.
Even if he wanted to. If he sat down, the natural man without the Spirit of God unsaved sat down.
I want to know what this book says. Can't know him. It's cut off.
Why? Because they're spiritually discerned. By the Holy Spirit. By the anointing. By the filling of the Holy Ghost.
You have to get saved to understand it. Look, if you're saved this morning, you have such a privilege to know and read and understand the Word of God that the vast majority of this world can't even do if they wanted to.
I mean, forget about not going to hell. Forget about the fact that you're eternally secure in Christ and Heaven's your home, that you couldn't go to hell if you wanted to.
On top of that, you have the Word of God at your fingertips, open to you.
And the Holy Spirit dwelling within you, willing and able to fill you and give you wisdom and knowledge and discernment and cause you to behold wondrous things out of God's law.
It's a privilege to be a disciple, to understand God's Word. Look at Matthew 13 and verse 10, it says, and of course this is the parable of the sower.
He gets done giving the parable to the multitudes, and it says in Matthew chapter 13 and verse 10,
And the disciples came and said unto him, Why speakest to them in parables?
He answered and said unto them, Because it is given to you to know the mystery of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
I mean, think about that. The disciples came and said unto him, Why are you using parables? Why don't you just speak plainly so everyone can understand you?
And Jesus said, Oh, they don't understand what I'm saying? Oh man, I guess I need to rethink my delivery.
He said, I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why I'm being cryptic. I'll tell you why I'm speaking in dark sayings.
I'll tell you why I'm doing that. I'm glad you asked, the disciples, because it's given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
I mean, if I was a disciple, I'd say, well, I guess we're pretty special then, aren't we?
I guess we're pretty special to get to know what all these parables mean, to have all this inner teaching.
Isn't that what everybody wants today? They want to have that inside track on something.
You know, you get into these conspiracy things, and look, I'm not disregarding conspiracies. I believe quite a few of them.
But isn't that kind of the allure of conspiracy theories? You know something that most people don't know.
I know why that third tower, WTC7, came down at free fall speeds. Look it up.
I know why all this stuff happened. I know the truth about the banking. People are allured by that. They want that insider information.
Well, here's some insider information. Here's some things that Jesus teaches right here in his word.
He says, look, it's given to you to know this, but to them it's not given, because they're the natural man.
They can't receive it. You can. That's the privilege of being a disciple.
He said, jump down to verse 16, but blessed are your eyes, for they see.
Well, I don't feel like reading my Bible. You know, there's some people, if they wanted to read the Bible, they wouldn't even get it.
But your eyes are blessed, because when you pick up the word of God, you see those words. You hear what it says.
Your eyes are blessed, for they see, and your ears are blessed. Why? For they hear.
You can pick up the word of God and read it and understand what it says and have the Holy Spirit speak to your heart and move you.
Fill you with joy. Fill you with peace. That's the privilege of being a disciple.
Now, with that in mind, now let's think about the price. That price that just seemed to be asking so much of us, in light of the privilege, seems to get quite a bit smaller, doesn't it?
You start to say, well, he's not asking too much. Whatsoever commanded you, that's not too much to ask, I guess.
I mean, after all, my eyes are blessed, because they see. My ears are blessed, because they hear.
It's given unto me to know the things of the kingdom of God. To everybody else, it's not given. I've got that insider information.
I'll go ahead and pay that price.
Verse 17, for verily I say unto you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see the things which ye see.
Think about what he's saying. I mean, in the New Testament, a lot of the things that are darker in the Old Testament, the more things that are seen through a glass darkly,
the more things that are not as easily understood in the Old Testament are illuminated by the New Testament.
There was a lot of things that those prophets were prophesying and preaching and teaching, and they didn't fully understand it.
Daniel was told, seal it up unto the time of the end. He wanted an explanation, you don't get one.
And you know what, those were men that were willing to pay a price, and went ahead and paid it.
And you know what, they didn't even get to understand everything, and they desired to see those things.
They understood the coming of Christ, they understood the Son of God coming, they understood the Messiah, they said, boy, I wish I could see that.
Boy, I wish I could have been there for that. But they didn't see them.
He said, there's many righteous men, many prophets that have desired to see the things which ye see, and have not seen them.
And to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Now who is it that's getting to see and hear these things?
Who is it that's getting to have these parables explained explicitly by the Lord himself?
It's the disciples. The masses can figure it out on their own.
But the disciple who's willing to forsake all and follow Christ has this privilege of understanding the Word of God.
We'll just stick with the parable here.
This is a very familiar passage, it's something I've preached before, but let's just go ahead and look at it here.
I mean, why wouldn't some people be willing to pay that price?
To make the sacrifices necessary to serve God the way they know they ought to serve Him.
It explains it. He said, look, a lot of people would love to know what you could know.
Look at verse 18, hear ye therefore. Look, because you have that privilege, because you have that opportunity, hear ye therefore, the parable of the sower.
When anyone heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which is sown in heart.
This is he which received seed by the wayside. We understand this is talking about unsafe people.
This is talking about people who the seed doesn't even get into the earth. It's the wayside, you know, the seed that's cast out in the field.
It lands by that wayside, that hard-packed earth where people would walk around the fields in order to not go through somebody's crops.
And then the birds are right there in the trees where they just swoop down and take it away.
And that happens a lot. We go out soloing, we preach people the gospel, it goes one ear out the other, and then it's gone forever.
Unless somebody else comes along and sows it again. I want to focus on verse 20.
But he that received the seed into stony places. Now we're going to start talking about saved people.
He received the seed into stony places, the same as he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it.
He embraces it and says, yes, I believe this. Yet hath he not rooted himself, but doereth for a while.
He lasts a little while. He says, oh, I'm saved. Let me try this discipleship thing for a little bit and see how this goes.
He doereth for a while, but when it starts to cost something, when there's a price that has to be paid, when the bill comes due,
when tribulation or persecution arises because of the world, by and by he's offended.
As soon as he realizes, oh, this is going to cost me something, no thanks. I mean, come on.
You expect me to pay that price, you jerk? He's offended. I mean, why should I have to pay a price?
Why should it cost me something? Why do I have to go through tribulation and persecution?
Why can't I just have all the filling of the Holy Spirit and the closeness of God?
Why can't I just be called a friend of God without being a disciple?
And that's people's attitudes. They're offended.
What's his problem, this guy? Verse 20, because he receives seed into stony places.
You know, you could still get saved and have a hard heart. You could still get saved and be made of stone.
You could still get saved and have a thick head, have a rock for a skull, have a hardened heart,
have a cold, hard heart and still be saved. You know you can do that? That's what this guy does.
So here's the solution. Pay the price. Get the rocks out. Well, I don't want to be that guy.
Well, then you're going to have to pay the price of being brutally honest with yourself, if that's you,
and start working on softening that heart, breaking up that follow ground, going through and getting the rocks out of that ground.
Because the problem's not the soil, folks. The problem's the rocks that are in the soil.
Good soil's there, like we'll see in the next guy. It's just so filled with rocks that it can't grow.
Pay the price. Get the rocks out. Deal with your hard hardness. Look at verse 22.
He also that receives seed among thorns is he that heareth the word, and the care of this world,
and the deceitfulness of riches, choked the word, and it becometh unfruitful. He becometh unfruitful.
So you've got this other guy. His problem, again, is not the soil. I mean, it's supporting life, isn't it?
You know, this is the guy that has received among thorns, meaning there's no rocks there.
It's not that he's hard-hearted or stiff-necked or thick-headed or whatever you want to call it.
It's just that there's other things in the place of that seed that's taking up space.
There's too many thorns with their barbs that just reach out and grab hold.
I mean, we know something about thorns around here, don't we?
I should know my cactuses better. I need to spend some more time in botany class or something.
Because the park across from my house, the whole back side of it is just filled with cholla. Is that it?
The ones that you just touch them and boom, they're on you. Is that right?
And they got like little, and then you just don't go poop. You don't just pull them right out.
Man, you got to get the magnifying glass, the tweezers, you got to fish that thing out of there.
That's the kind of thorns that we're dealing with. That's how thorns act, aren't they?
That's how the thorns, these things that are in our life, the care of this world, the riches, the deceitfulness of riches,
the lust of other things entering in, that's how they are in our life.
They dig their hooks into us. And we just can't get free. They just hold us down.
So if you want, if this is you, what you need to do is pay the price and remove the weeds.
You got to get the gardening gloves on, you got to roll up the sleeves, get the tube socks, pull them all the way up.
Get that stupid foam pad, right? Go out there, get down on your hands and knees with that little rake,
maybe a pair of shears or whatever, and get to work. And start tearing those thorns out.
Get the deceitfulness of the riches out. Look, I know we've got duties, I know we've got bills to pay,
but our lives should not revolve around money, the cares of this world.
I mean, that's just so, that's a broad term, the care of this world.
And we're living in such an age of distraction like never before, when there's just so many things, so many hobbies,
so many this, so many that, that can just bide for your time and you can just spend hours and hours and hours
and hours and hours just wasting your time on the cares of this world.
And they'll just keep digging their thorns in deeper and deeper and deeper,
unless you're willing to pay the price and pull the weeds up and get them out.
Verse 23, but he that received seed into the good ground, is he that heareth the word and understandeth it,
which also beareth fruit and bringeth forth some in hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.
I mean, that's what I want to be. And look, we probably all resemble these grounds in different ways, to some degree.
We could probably all examine our lives and say, yeah, I've got some thorns here,
yeah, I've got some stones over here, but there's this patch of good ground over here.
Well, let's start there, that patch, and start working on all the rest of it and pay that price, because it's worth it.
You think the guy on the good ground got to the end and said, man, I've got all this fruit, but I don't have any riches.
I didn't get to do everything that the cares of this, you know, I didn't get to indulge in the cares of this world like that other guy did.
No way. He's sitting there with sixty-eightfold saying, I could have had a hundred. Could have had a hundred.
Matthew 25. Matthew 25. I'm almost done.
Another parable. We'll go through it quickly. I want you to just pay attention to one word here that I'm going to try and emphasize.
It says, for the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country who called his own servants and delivered unto them his goods.
And one under the one he gave five talents, another two under the other one, to every man according to his several ability, and straightway took his journey.
Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with him and made other five talents, and likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
But he that had received one, who had the least bit of work to do, who had the least bit of responsibility of these three,
was accountable for the smallest amount dicked in the earth and hid his Lord's money.
And remember, this is a servant. This isn't a volunteer. He didn't go find three random strangers and say, if you want to do something with my money, go ahead.
This is a servant. This is somebody that's in his employ. He's accountable to this guy. And he's giving this responsibility.
And he's saying, well, I've got one, and I know these other guys got a whole lot more work to do than I, but that's because they're so much more capable, I'm just going to go and hide this.
But he that received one went and digged in the earth and hid his Lord's money. After a long time, the Lord of those servants came, cometh and reckoned with them.
And so he that received the five talents came and brought forth other five talents, saying, Lord, thou hast delivered unto me five talents. Behold, I have gained them five talents more.
And his Lord said unto him, well done, thou good and faithful servant. Servant.
You know, another word that we could use for servant is what? Disciple. And that's what a disciple is. Someone who's serving Christ. Someone who's doing whatsoever things he has commanded us.
Someone who is separating himself. Someone who is departing from iniquity. Somebody who is purging himself from these things. Someone who is taking the time to deal with their hard-heartedness.
Someone who's taking the time to get the cares of this life out. Someone who's determined to be that good ground. That's somebody who's a servant. That's somebody who's a disciple.
We know the story here. He comes to the next one. He says to him in verse 23, his Lord said unto him, well done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things.
You know, God gives us some responsibilities in this life. And I think if we're not careful, we get the wrong attitude and just say, oh, it's just so much to do.
You know, Jesus said, my yoke is easy and my burden is light. I mean, I haven't been asked to lay down my life for anybody.
I haven't had to suffer shame and reproach and be nailed to a cross and humiliated. I haven't had to spend any time in hell. Jesus is the one that did all that.
He's just saying, hey, here's a few things I'd like for you to do. Here's a few talents. Can you take responsibility in these things? And you know what? When I come and find you again, if you've been faithful, I'll reward you even more.
You've been faithful in a few things. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Be thou over ten cities. Be thou over five cities. Rule and reign with Christ, but Lord, all I did was go to church, read my Bible, raise my family, and win some souls.
Yeah, that's all I was asking. Yeah, that's all. Just these few talents. This is all I need you to do. Just obey me whatsoever things I've commanded. It's not a lot.
Lord, all I did was get those sins out of my life that were just destroying me anyway. Yeah, I know, but I'll go ahead and reward you anyway because you've been faithful over a few things.
But who's he going to say that to? The guy who's a servant. The one who desires to be a disciple. Not the one who just wants to coast through his Christian life and see how little he can do when it comes to serving God.
A wicked, it says there in verse 26, a wicked and slothful servant. You know, that's unfortunately what a lot of people are going to hear when they get to heaven, isn't it?
I mean, it's a pretty stupid thing to think that I'm just not going to do anything for Christ. That I'm going to take the talent, the few things that he's asked of me, and hide them in the earth.
And then when he comes back, I'll say, okay, where's my reward? What do I get, Lord? I see all these other guys. All these other folks are getting mansions and they're shining as the stars in the firmament.
They're over in all these cities. They're ruling and reigning. They've got all these crowns. They're getting to do all this. What do I get? Nothing. You wicked and slothful servant. That's what you get. Nothing.
Because you've done nothing with what I gave you. That's what a lot of people are going to hear. Look, I don't want to be in that lot. I don't need the ten cities. I don't need the five cities. I'll take whatever the Lord gives me.
I just don't want to hear that. I just don't want to get to heaven and hear, thou wicked and slothful servant. Go ahead. Yeah, go ahead. Get into heaven. Get out of my sight.
And you take a mansion in the corner. And you stay as far away from me as I can. Is that Jesus over there? Who is that sitting next to him? I can't even see from this far.
Because I spent my whole life being choked out by the cares of this world. Being hard-hearted. And not being willing to pay the price to be a disciple. Because I didn't think it was worth it.
That'd be a sad story. But it's going to be the story of some.
You know, here's the thing. I'll wrap up. Go to Romans 12. You know, discipleship is something that you have to desire. Desire discipleship this morning. Yes, it comes at a price. But you know what? It's possible to pay that price.
And let me tell you something. It's a privilege to be a disciple of Christ. You know, we don't deserve anything that heaven's going to hold for us. None of it.
Everything that we get in heaven is just icing on the cake. It's gravy. You say, well then I don't want it. You'll change your tune when you get there. With your dry biscuit.
You know, a brother so-and-so, a sister who's just sitting there like, oh man, look at all this gravy I got. Well, how'd you get that? Well, I paid the price.
I did whatsoever things that were commanded of me. I took those few talents and did something. What did you do? Well, I was at the lake. I didn't think soul winning was that important. I figured we had other people to do that.
I had other things to do other than read the Bible. Well, all right. Well, enjoy your biscuit.
You know, servants who are going to bargain with their Lord. There's no bargaining going on here in this parable, is there?
And that's what that last guy, that wicked and slothful servant did at the end, didn't he? It's like, well, you know, I hid it. You still got what he gave me.
You know, servants who want to sit there and bargain with God, they fail.
Look at Romans chapter 12 verse 1. It says, I beseech you. You know, beseech, that's not a word we use a lot, right?
He's saying, I'm begging you. He's begging you. I mean, if we could see Paul, I mean, he's just down on his knees.
I beseech you, by the mercies of God, present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
He's beseeching them. He's begging. He's pleading with these people to just do what God asks, to pay the price, to present their bodies a living sacrifice.
And don't say, I'll do it, but if I have to, if that's what it takes, look, it's your reasonable service.
Why should I have to present my body a living sacrifice? Why should I have to pay that price?
Why should I have to give up my sin and all the things I want to do and just serve God and concern myself with the things of God?
Why should I have to do that with my life, my body?
I don't know, but, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't there somebody else who presented their body a living sacrifice? Isn't there somebody else that we all know who did exactly that for us?
Oh yeah, his name's Jesus. You know, he presented his body a living sacrifice. He endured the cross and despised the shames.
He goes on and says in verse 2, and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Look, that's another privilege of discipleship, isn't it? That your mind can be renewed. It can be transformed.
You can be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
You don't have to think like the world thinks. You don't have to live like the world lives. You don't have to have their philosophies and their approaches. You don't have to have any of that. You can be renewed in your mind.
So that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. I want to prove it. I want that renewing. I want to be able to prove what is that good and perfect and acceptable will of God. That's what I want for my life. Great.
Pay the price. And go ahead and present your body a living sacrifice, because that's what it takes. But it's worth it. It's worth it.
I'm not saying it's easy. I'm not saying it's cheap. I'm saying it's worth it. Desire discipleship. Desire it.
Don't think that discipleship is just something, oh I've just got to drag myself through the Christian life. I'm just going to white-knuckle it all the way to the end.
You can have the love, the joy, the peace, the gentleness, the goodness, the faith, the meekness, the temperance, the long-suffering. You can have all that through the Holy Ghost. You can have all those fruits.
You can have the renewing of your mind. You can have the filling of the Holy Ghost. You can be taught all things. You can be called of God a friend if you're willing to be a disciple.
So desire it. Not because it's your duty. Not because it's something, well the preacher says I should do it. But because it's your privilege. Because being a disciple is a privilege.
Look, when you understand the privilege of discipleship, you'll pay the price. You'll be more than willing. You'll say whatever it takes. When you understand the privilege that it is, you'll desire to be a disciple.
Let's go ahead and pray. Dear Lord, again, thank you for salvation. And Lord, thank you also for the opportunity that we all have to follow you, to know you, to be spoken to by you through your word.
Thank you for the Bible. Thank you for the fellowship that we have in Christ. Lord, I pray that you'd help us to examine our hearts. And Lord, every one of us, that we would look out those stones, those thorns that no doubt we all have.
And that we would do our due diligence and remove them, Lord, so that we can be more fruitful, that we have a closer walk with you, so we can be transformed to renewing of our mind.
Lord, help us to be willing to pay the price of discipleship. Help us to desire it, we ask in Christ's name, Amen.
Alright, we'll go ahead and sing one more song before we go this morning.
Lord, help us to be willing to do our due diligence and remove them. And Lord, every one of us, that we all have to follow you through your word.
And Lord, every one of us, that we all have to follow you through your word.
Great singing, everybody. Thanks for coming.
Thank you.