The Grounds of Productivity! - Pastor Tolan Morgan

the plant could be bigger but the pots do small so in order for me to get the best out of this go get bigger I'm trying to talk I want to summon your senses and invite your intellect to the book of Mark the gospel that is recorded by Mark I want to lift up this teaching today out of the Gospel of Mark chapter number four we will we will do some extensive reading today and typically we try to limit what we read for the sake of time but most of you all don't read the Bible anyway you you need some time to read the scripture a man you can get you offended face off your face a man if there's ever place we ought to read the Word of God is in church a man and so we want to make sure we have this context in our background and in our our base of the word of the Lord today mark chapter four I want to begin reading at verse number one verse one says and he began again to teach by the seaside and there was gathered unto him a great multitude so that he entered into a ship and sat in the sea and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land and he taught them many things by parables and he said unto them in his doctrine hearken behold there went out a sower to soul and it came to pass as he sold some fell by the way side and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up and some fell on stony ground where it had not much earth and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth but when the Sun was up it was scorched and because it had no root it withered away and some fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it and it yielded no fruit and other fell on good ground and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased and brought forth some 30 some 60 and some a hundred and he said unto them he that has an ear has ears to hear let him hear and when he was alone they that were about him with the 12 axed of him the parable and he said unto them unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom but unto them that are outside all these things are done by parables that seeing they may see and not perceive and hearing they may hear and not understand lest at any time they should be converted and their sins should be forgiven them and he said unto them do you not know this parable and how then will you know all parables the sower souls the word and these are they by the wayside where the word is sown but when they have heard Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts and these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground who when they have heard the word immediately receive it with gladness and have no root in themselves and so endure but for a time afterward when affliction or persecution arises for the words sake immediately they are offended and these are they which are sown among thorns such as hear the word and the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things entering choked the word and becomes unfruitful and these are they which are sown on good ground such as hear the word receive it and bring forth fruit some thirtyfold some sixty and some a hundred would you fast-forward to verse number 26 and he said so is the kingdom of God as if a man should cast seed into the ground and should sleep and rise night and day and the seed should spring and grow up he does not know how for the earth brings forth fruit of herself first the blade then the ear after that the full corn in the ear but when the fruit is brought forth immediately he puts in the sickle because the harvest is come I won't tag this text the grounds for productivity you may be seated in the Lord's Church ladies and gentlemen Jesus Christ showed us on various occasions how to reach people who were not necessarily on his level he did not talk to them as though they were idiots as though they were imbeciles but he strategically addressed people on the level where they were not on the level where he was he was very clear to us that if humanity was ever going to live in the light of Jesus Christ he could not wait for humanity to go up he had to let God come down and thus ladies and gentlemen the strategy and the mastery of our Lord's messages has everything to do with practicality with relatability often issued in the context of what you and i know to be parables para meaning beside the word means a story alongside a story that comes alongside of a major message parable ladies and gentlemen is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning and oftentimes Jesus spoke heavens messages through Earth's content so that you and I could understand and relate to what he wanted us to see in a context that is connected to our own sense of reality here in mark chapter 4 he not only pitched the parable but he provided an explanation and an exposition on his own parable what you and I just read is Jesus taking a text and preaching his own text he took the text from agriculture and turned around and provided his exegesis and exposition on his own sermon so ladies and gentlemen Jesus did something for us today that I don't have to do he took a text and preached his own sermon I don't have to preach this which is why I read it in its entirety so that you could hear Jesus preach I don't I don't have to provide any kind of revelation and insight on this pericope because Jesus who was the word preached the word and provided his own sermon on his own text there is no preacher that can preach better than Jesus and there is no sermon that can be provided other than the one Jesus has already provided so what you and I need to do is review the notes from Jesus earn that we might be able to extract how we might live our lives because mark left Jesus notes on Jesus sermon if you if you don't mind let's review Jesus as notes he tells this story about a sore he pulls from the context of Agriculture a farmer in the contemporary language the sword is a farmer the sword goes to so he puts he puts his thesis on it already a sore went to Seoul a farmer went to go scatter seed and he tells us that there are four different types of grounds upon which the seed was sown would you look with me at the first part of Christ notes here on that first ground is in verse number four and it is called wayside ground did you see that in verse four wayside church was the road or the paths that people traveled and the problem with scattering seed on that ground is because the traffic that was accumulating on that made the ground hard people walked those paths and therefore it made the ground hard and therefore there was no penetration of seed in that type of ground so those seeds fell by the wayside and the problem with that is when they fell by the wayside the birds would come and eat the sea so on the wayside the sea just end up being bird food so if you will attach verse four to verse 15 jesus explains what's going on in verse 4 in verse 15 the birds represent satan who immediately snatched away the word from them and they were devoured by him here's the problem with the wayside you can't produce on wayside ground because the sea just gets on but never in and ladies and gentlemen it's it's it's it's the picture of coming to church and hearing the Word of God every week and the word gets on you but it never gets in you and by the time you look up Satan has come to snatch away the seed because Satan has more sense to consume the word than some of us do and he wants to rob us of the potential of that seed ever getting in us and so therefore you cannot be productive if you're just religious you cannot produce for God if the sea just gets on you and not in you you cannot be productive for God if you have the mentality that the Holy Ghost fell on you and never operates in you that's wayside ground second ground there is in verses five and six it is called stony ground look with me at stony ground church stony ground the seed broke through the surface but landed shortly thereafter own rock stony ground isn't just that ground that has rock on the top of it it's got rock underground and because the rock is underground the seed watch this it's spraying back up but it had a short-lived success it had a short-lived success because it never got deep enough in its roots you i'ma try it again it's it's stony ground the problem with stony ground is that it gets in but it doesn't get down the problem with stony ground is that it doesn't take root deep enough so it springs up but it has a short life span because it's not rooted in anything let me try it again you you're not feeling me and Jesus explains stony ground in verses 16 and 17 ladies and gentlemen I'm just sharing which all Jesus notes on his sermon right he says the stony ground had a short-lived success and withered away because it had no roots verse 17 says that life was short-lived because its roots were not deep enough watch this and it sprung up but it didn't last because when affliction and persecution hit it bit and broke under the pressure lord have mercy and it withered away so stony ground people are people who have an initial excitement about being saved but the first time hell break loose in their lives they ready to leave church because they had no root no depth and when you have no root you have no stability you have no staying power a stony ground Christians are folk who have this one-sided view about God that God don't do everything God's gonna bless me with everything I'm gonna have the good of life and the minute mess break loose in your life now you want to abandon Christianity now you want to go pursue some other conviction because you think Christianity voids persecution and affliction and so the first time miss breaks loose in your life after getting saved you only stay safe for two months [Applause] because you have no depth ladies and gentlemen people who've been saved a long time will tell you that being saved is not absent of life's realities it is your ability to endure when hell breaks loose in your life you or any real Christian will tell you it's not about how high your eyes it's about how deep you can expand under the midst of a storm in the midst of pressure in the midst of affliction Zoe slay me yet will I trust and I shall be like a tree the rivers of waters and when all mess comes up I will still be standing I'm just sharing Jesus knows I'm just sharing his notes be seated I'm just sharing his notice don't get nervous he's saying they only stayed saved as long as there was good weather and they had no root and therefore they were snatched away that's stony ground his third ground there is what's called thorny ground look look look with me Church this we're just looking at Jesus notes you were just just looking at his notes he he he says here in verse 7 this throne II ground was ground watch this lord have mercy that had weeds in it I didn't say had weed [Applause] I just want to be clear you know I use the Bible for anything [Music] [Applause] yeah it's plural [Music] you know it's weed in the Bible stop line this is thorny ground briars weeds wild grass had briars growing out of and those weeds and/or briars watch this were distractions that consumed the seed he explains it in verse 18 and 19 look at what he says in verse 18 and 19 it was distractions the lusts of things the deceitfulness of riches the cares of the world these were distractions these who didn't grow because they were distracted by worldliness and carnality and consequently they were unfruitful because while they were planted they did not remain focused and the cares of life the cares of the world the deceitfulness of riches the the lusts of things distracted them now for all you deep people it's not a sin to be rich and you do not have to perpetuate poverty in order to stay safe [Applause] I want to be well-off and save have I got any help in here I want all my needs to be met and be holy I want to live good and represent Jesus tap somebody telling me you don't have to stay broke to stay sane and don't you let other broke people convince you that you got the state vote to stay safe if they don't want to do no better that's not your problem it's not the riches that's the issue it's the deceitfulness that y'all read the text it's not having the money it's getting it through ungodly devices he says listen their destruction led to their destruction you got to be careful in this season ladies and gentlemen because you can be successful if you just manage to stay focused this just stay focus don't be distracted and these were unfruitful so watch this pattern y'all the first one is what wayside ground it was on but not in stony ground was in but not down thorny ground was down but never came back up good ground goes in down come back up come look at this good ground when you look at good ground notice Jesus does something different here listen to his notes he does not give an exposition on good ground look at verse 8 he talks about it and then he just references again in verse 20 he does not explain good ground he uses a whole nother parable to talk about good grass verses 26 through 29 is a whole nother parable about good ground he doesn't he doesn't give an exposition on good ground he uses a parable to explain a parable because what he's really trying to do with the one parable is get us to the second because what he's trying to suggest ladies and gentlemen the question is if this solar had any sense why would he throw seed on waste side in the first place why would he throw seed on thorny ground in the first place why would he scatter seed on stony ground period he is not trying to point to the questionable senses of the sower he is trying to suggest Church that your productivity is based on your receptivity there is nothing wrong with the seed is something wrong with the ground it goes in if it's not good grind translated you don't have the excuse today to keep blaming other people for why you are not productive your productivity is based on your receptivity and the clown represents the hearts so if your heart is thorny your heart is stone is your heart is by the wayside you cannot produce if you're not giving God good ground upon which to work if you're gonna do well into an attorney you gonna have to make a decision today that I'm gonna stop blaming everybody else for what is not going right in my life and start being accountable for my own level of receptivity so I won't live I want to spend the remainder of our time in verses 26 through 29 there there are some principles we want to live there's some principles they're gonna be on the screen I want to lift some principles I can't preach this because Jesus done already preached so I just want to lift some principles from his notes that you might want a document for this season of your life here's what we want to see principle number one it's already up what do we need to extract from this parable what do we need to extract from Jesus notes number one the Word of God is seed and the seed is the word of God and it has the power to shift us from potentiality the productivity contingent for how we receive and process it in our hearts that's real clear that's sort of the overarching piece to this whole story you can come here every Sunday if you want I want to see you every Sunday but if your heart is not properly conditioned to receive the word and actualize it in your life you will not see results and catch a church your inability to produce is not the source fault the power is in the seed it is the source job to spread it abroad how you receive it and process it will determine the productivity in your life see the whole point of this is that the source pressed the seed all over the place so that he cannot be held accountable for your lack of receptivity the sower spreads the seed so that he cannot be blamed for prejudice in his sowing I can't get no healthier he has to spread it to every kind so that everybody will have an opportunity to receive the word but now how you process it and how you receive it is contingent upon the type of soil your heart holds [Applause] you know I go to church Brown getting there not at church that ain't my fault [Applause] Church was boring today I know cuz you didn't move it's about how you receive and process the Word of God what is seed seed is anything you got to give in order to get more of your money is seed your heart is seed how you generally take care of other people is seed and the law of reciprocity kicks in that whatever I so I'm going to reap if you sow love you gonna get love if you sow resources you're going to get resources see is anything you got to give in order to get more of it as a matter of fact the antithesis is as true if you don't give you can't receive I don't care what y'all say I don't care what y'all say givers don't have to be because the law of reciprocity kicks in that when I give it shall be given unto me rest shaken together running over shall men give unto my bosom I don't know whose word this is for but if you are a giver givers have to set limits cuz takers don't and in this season you got the guard not just your sword but the harvest that comes in because leeches always find their way to givers as one shares notes come in we add verse 26 I mean Jesus can preach game when you give more of the word more of your heart more of your resources that's how you get back the source old the word in order to expand the kingdom of God look at verse 26 so is the kingdom of God as if a man casts heed watch where he cast it what is verse 26 say into good ground into good ground the grounds for productivity church is good ground and that leads us to our second principle before we go there I want you to understand something don't you understand something look here verse 26 he said he cast him a good ground verse 26 verse 27 and should sleep night and day and the seed should spring up and grow but he don't know how he's doing I didn't make that up it's right in the text right all right pick your face in here Church pick your face in here ladies and gentlemen listen to what Jesus is saying Lord hold your boy right here he said when you cast seed into good ground you can put that second principle up when you can't see it into good ground what is in the seed will only come out relative to what the seed is in whatever is in that seed will only come out if it's in the right environment see is only potential unless it comes into covenant with the right environment that will bring out what's in it so ladies and gentlemen you can only produce if you're in the right environment that is conducive for your blossoming so here's the question the question is not what's in you the question is what are you in does your home block your productivity does your is your job a place that can cultivate what's on the inside of you is your church a place that can cultivate what's on the inside of you is your relationship making you grow or is it stifle in your growth because what you possess the potential to produce is contingent upon the environment that you're in now watch how powerful this is y'all listen to what he says he says when the soar puts seed in the right soil he can go to sleep he can get some rest because the reason why he can rest is because when seed is put in the right soil he says the earth is a female who knows how to cultivate see and produce seed in and of herself which means when you put seed in the right soil it can produce because it is coming into covenant with the pre establish order of God translated when you in the right place some stuff happens naturally you ain't gotta study you ain't got to stand over it you don't have to watch it some things happen naturally when you get where God want you to be okay y'all missed it y'all missed it y'all missed it Genesis chapter 1 and 2 was a whole story about cultivation it was a whole story about cultivation it means that God was in heaven who saw nothing but saw good ground just didn't have seed in it so what God did was spoke a word and put word in see y'all miss what I said God's sea was his world it was called let there be he took let there be and put it in the good ground and what came forth his fish and birds and animals and plants and all of that and by the time he got to us he put another word on us he said likeness from the ground so by the time they live what they gonna live all I got to do is put them in the good place my order has already been established and they will cultivate out of it when you are not growing not only are you not producing but you can't get no rest won't let you sleep at night cuz you know the potentials but it's not coming out because you might be in the wrong environment who am I talking to in here who is in an unproductive relationship [Applause] unproductive business deal unproductive ministry it's not what's in you the question is what are you in [Applause] cuz when seed soil and sunshine come into covenant it works on its own I can't get no help over here oh you got to do is have the right partnership and the right ground and it will produce on its own what's key is not what's in you but what are you in your environment is significant and and and and and integral to your growth now some of the brothers can identify with me on this and the sisters can to my wife often challenges me to take on her challenge it ain't really my problem but it's her problem but because we in covenant her problem is my problem my wife Church endeavors to some level of success to maintain plants in our house and she has a certain degree of success with it I could care less about playtime can I be on your planet but she often calls on my help to help her with the challenge of maintaining the planet I remember one day in particular and I think she told me this because she didn't want to get her hands dirty she wanted me to get my hands dirty she said babe I need you to take this base off this plant cuz this plant can't grow until we repot it slowly on that section the plant could be bigger but the pots do small so in order for me to get the best out of this I got to get bigger I'm trying to talk to somebody and figure out are you in a small size [Applause] [Applause] maybe you small because you don't have a bigger pot and you got to repot yourself so you can reach your maximum attention it's not what's in you is what you in that's the question today is what are you in principle number three ain't got but two more we done principle number three if you're going to grow ladies and gentlemen you got to understand that growth is invisible it's unexplainable but it's also gradual look at the text he said he said when we get the right covenant between seeds soil sunshine and showers we are able now to let processes happen on their own so he goes to sleep and stuff grows but watch this it's growing in a place he can't see y'all don't know how to get happen when plants and or vegetables or things planted grow they're only growing up because they're growing down and what you see on the top is just a revelation of what's happening in a place you can't see growth is invisible it is happening underground and if it's happening underground Foreman it means I'm growing through dirt I'm not growing in dirt I'm growing through dirt I need to upset somebody and tell you God keep throwing some dirt in your life that's how you go [Applause] and oftentimes the dirt doesn't smell good it stinks it's waste but it has the potential to grow you and grow you up that's why you got to say in all things it's gonna work together for your good because God knows how to use the bad stinky dirty stuff to grow you up [Applause] it's growing in a place you can't see it the mystery of growth John Jackson is that it shows but it can't be shown it shows but you can't see it it is growing invisibly can I tell you all something here's the beauty of growth no human being can grow anything only God can grow anything and the Lord added to the church [Applause] Paul planted Apollo's watered but God gave the increase Willie Reed planted Solon Morgan is just here to water it but neither will it read note 2 nor tolling Morgan can get the credit God has grown the house and God gets the glory by anything that grows because growth is invisible scientists can create a synthetic see but it'll never grow only God can make it grow you and your old lady got together to procreate some another human being but only God I can't get no help in here only God can make it grow growth is invisible but also growth is unexplainable he said man is growing and I don't really know how is growing all I did was put seed in good ground thought I can't get no help here and when I put seed in the right ground and it came into covenant with each other there was an already natural process there that caused it to grow I can tell you I'm grown but I really can't explain to you how I'm growing all I know is I'm not where I was I'm a little bit better I'm a little bit stronger I'm a little bit smarter I'm a little bit more spiritual I'm a little bit more patient because of growth he says I don't know how it happens and anything that happens but we don't know how it happens we have to account it to the power of God he says but it's also gradually I'm about there it's also graduated look at the verse he said listen the first sign of growth is the blade and then the ear and then the full corn in the air listen y'all connect boos y'all y'all want to you country people understand [Applause] I know you living in a nice little house driving nice little car but this how we all started life I can't get no help in here the issue with the blade y'all is that the blade is at a stage of development where it's not clear exactly what it's going to be it's growing but it's not definitive because blade can look like a multiplicity of things even if it's not defined it's still developing Lord I wish I had some help in here today is it anybody who can testify I don't know what I'm gonna end up to be but at least I'm under certain level of development where I'm starting to look like something then it's the ear that ear helps to cocoon and put a casing of protection around it while it's developing I'm at that stage when I get to the ear Oy that I'm vulnerable while I'm under development but God please something around me while I'm in the process cuz I can't Lord hold your boy I can't grow a fight at the same I need some defense system that while I'm on the development I got the focus old-growth wild stuff is happening around me and I need some defense system thank God that why you're growing he's got a good head wrapped around you to protect you while you're in the process [Applause] over time I developed to be the fool in the either-or y'all miss that I like God right here doc Jackson cause even though I'm ready he won't release me I'm fully developed but I can't go yet because he didn't develop me for me to go immediately he developed me so he could spend some time getting some glory out of me but just me and him some time God just want to come to the to the ground rapping planet and you that is working sir it's good and very good sometimes God is not developing you for you to leave immediately he just want to get some glory out of you Wow you still just here you in him so real growth y'all is gradual it's not quick Mike Holmes we got to know the difference between growing and swelling [Applause] swellin happens quick because it's an infection [Applause] but growth doesn't happen quick growth happens over time because real healthiness is not an immediate growth it's a gradual growth if it grows quick is an infection somewhere [Applause] ladies and gentlemen Jesus watch this I'm just pulling from Jesus knows Jesus says that the kingdom of God is agricultural and not technological you can't push a button and church happens you can't push a button and ministry happens you can't push a button and your church just blows up overnight you've got to spend time tilling the soil cultivating souls the kingdom of God grows over time God deliver us from people who want everything quick [Applause] unfortunately ladies and gentlemen the church does not work like the world you can't just push a button and ministry just happens God delivers some people who got patience for everything but the church [Music] [Applause] because when it really is worth having you'll stick with it for the long term [Applause] the race is not given to the Swift nor to the strong but to the one I wish y'all to help me preach it right along there that endures to the end it is invisible it's unexplainable but it's graduated I'm done here's the last one I'm done that's it just said I appreciate y'all patience today this is principle number four that is this is the whole point of the real this is the whole point of story range this is this is the the most relevant interpretation of this parable here's what he's trying to say despite the diversity of grounds the harvest is still sure to come y'all missed it and it will serve the purposes of the sower y'all mister y'all missed it hey y'all according to the math of this parable only one-fourth of the seed sown is going to be productive and despite the low response on the higher scattering of the sea there was more seed that didn't grow then it was that deal but despite the diversity of hearts despite people rejecting the Word of God their high frequency of rejection is not go canceled the harvest there will be a harvest whether you receive God or not that will be people who are going to work with God whether you do it or not the kingdom will not suffer because you rejected the kingdom will be successful despite the high level of rejection can I tell you why because my word will not return unto me void but it shall accomplish in the faith wearing - I sent it the grass withers the flowers faith but the word of the love shall stand forever man shall not live by bread alone that proceeds out of the mouth of God decide you better stick with something as sure you better stick with something that's guaranteed you better stay with God because his word is guaranteed in will produce despite the high level of rejection y'all don't believe me they tried to kill the word they tried to lynch the word Oh cowboy regime they tried it but they forgot something that when you bury the word you're not bearing it you're planning it in order to get more out of it you gotta put it in good soil the grave for Jesus was good soil that when he was resurrected he's getting ready to get more children more in the kingdom that's all Calvary was it was planting a seed and the harvest is gonna come now I don't need y'all who deep and religious on this point I need about three of y'all who will flow in the spirit and go find three people and tell them neighbor despite everything you've been through your harvest is to come I need you to do that go find three people and tell them if you're standing on the word your harvest is going to come [Music] [Applause] Charlie can plays him now plus your harness is going to come [Applause] [Applause] same attracted couldn't steal it and choked it but your harvest is GoPro the cares of the world drag to distraction but your harness is going to come now praise it like it's on the way [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] poor in a car whare to God [Applause] [Music] I don't know whose word this is for but God planted some stuff in you and that's the reason why you're not dead yet cuz whatever God planted in you has to come to pass in this life he's got purpose in you in this life and it will come to pass [Music] [Applause] grab somebody by the hand grab somebody by the hand father in the name of Jesus the hand I hold has had to fight through some distractions the hand I hold is being bothered by the cares of this world hand I hold may be wrestling with sin and struggle but God you got something not on them but you got something in him you got something down on the inside of them that will keep them stable that will give them the power to endure and that will give them the power to produce so father I pray in the name of Jesus whatever dirt you got to grow them through God growing through it whatever healing you got to do in their lives God heal them through it whatever grace you got to put on their lives God put it on them until they grow up and down in the name of the Lord Jesus and father by the way we realize we can't take no credit for what's generated grow out of us so now father we give you the glory because you cause all things to grow close our family to growth across our faith to grow to grow and do it for your glory in Jesus name Amen [Music] now everybody that's getting ready to move to a bigger [Music] everybody's getting ready to do small for Jesus open your mouth and give him all the glory [Music] [Applause] [Music] you [Music]

Channel: SHIP TV

Views: 11,225

Rating: 4.8490567 out of 5

Keywords: Tolan Morgan, Pastor Tolan Morgan, Rev. Tolan Morgan, Dr. Tolan Morgan, Fellowship, Fellowship Chicago, Reginald Sharpe, The Ship, Rev. Clay Evans, Productivity, Farming, Sowing, Weeds, Landscaping, Farmer, Time Management, Gospel, Holy Bible, Jesus Christ, Black Preachers, Black Pastors, Warner Robins, Georgia

Id: 34DYXXZSyNs

Length: 65min 41sec (3941 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 19 2020