Fix your Eyes on Jesus | Judith Anniss

[MUSIC PLAYING](...) So I'm going to read from Matthew chapter 13. (...) So if you want to turn to the Bible, you can do. (...) It's also on here as well, so you can follow it by looking at that. (...) This is the parable of the sower. (...) That same day, Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such crowds gathered around him, and he got into a boat and sat in it while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying, a farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.(...) Some fell on rocky places where it did not have much soil. (...) It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and they withered because they had no roots. (...) Other seed fell among thorns which grew up and choked the plants. (...) Still, other seeds fell on good soil where it produced a crop 160 or 30 times what was sown.(...) Whoever has ears, let them hear. (...) The disciples came to him and asked, why do you speak to the people in parables? And he replied, because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance.(...) And whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And this is why I speak to them in parables. (...) Those seeing, they do not see. Though hearing, they do not hear or understand. (...) In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah. (...) You will be ever hearing, but never understanding. You will be ever seeing, but never perceiving.(...) For this, people's hearts have become calloused.(...) They're hardly here with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. (...) But bless your eyes, because they see. And your ears, because they're here. For truly, I tell you, many prophets and righteous people long to see what you see, but did not see it. And to hear what you hear, but did not hear it. Listen then to what the parable of the sower means. (...) When anyone hears the message about the kingdom, (...) and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. (...) This is a seed that was sown along the path. (...) The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word of the kingdom, (...) and at once receives it with joy, but sins that have no root, they last only a short time. (...) When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. (...) The seed falling on the thorns refers to someone who hears the word of the kingdom, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. (...) But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word of the kingdom and understands it. (...) This is the one who produces a crop, yielding 160 or 30 times what was sown. (...) And we had an amazing morning this morning. (...) We've been hearing about the kingdom, we've been singing about the kingdom, about prophetic words about the kingdom, we've been really encouraged about pursuing the kingdom, about fixing our eyes on Jesus and going after that.(...) Last week, Richard introduced us to this word of think again. Think again, he said. He quoted Matthew chapter three verse two, where it says, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven "has come near." (...) So before we proceed with our themes, (...) because we've been doing, before Christmas, we were doing about the themes of the signs and sayings of Jesus that pointed to who Jesus is. And we are gonna continue with that next week, but I just wanted to follow on from what Richard's talked about last week. (...) Richard provoked us to think about whether we are heading in the right direction.(...) Are we living in the purposes of God? Have we given up on ever thinking that the purposes of God are possible?(...) Are we giving up on the promises of God? (...) Have we decided to accept the way that things are, are we settling for less than that that God has got for us? (...) Do we actually believe that the kingdom of God is here,(...) and that we have been filled with the Holy Spirit,(...) or we can be filled with the power of God, so that we can play our part in advancing that kingdom? (...) Do we need to think again, because the kingdom of God is at hand? (...) Are you heading in the right direction? (...) So Richard told us this story, he was telling us about the time when he was on his sabbatical and he spent this time going on this really long walk, which took quite a few days to do this walk. And he talked about how he was going down this path and he got to a point where he had this incline in and he was thinking, am I on the right path? And it got to a point where he thought, actually I don't think I am on the right path.(...) And so he decided at that point, I'm gonna have to turn around, I'm gonna have to go back. Despite all the pain and agony to get to this point, to this place where I am at now, I'm not going in the right direction. And if I carry on in this direction, I'm gonna end up in completely the wrong place.(...) So Richard says in his story how he decided to turn around. He had to go up this hill and it was in a lot of pain and with his body, it was just aching and it's carrying his massive big rucksack with all his clothes and everything that needed for that week. And he was carrying it back up that hill to get back to the point where he took the wrong turn. (...) It's a valid question for us today to ask ourselves, is this the right path that I'm on today? (...) Should I go back to the place where I took the wrong turn? (...) Now maybe to get to this point, there was a bit of sacrifice, pain, (...) maybe it was a struggle, it was hard, maybe we've got, I'm gonna loosen this stuff or I'm gonna look like a failure. I'm gonna, all these different things that can go on in our head about going back. (...) But the valid question is,(...) do you need to go back to the place from where you took the wrong turn? (...) So this morning I want to encourage you to honestly, to evaluate that and to think about that, to think about where you're at today. (...) Have you excused yourself from pursuing the kingdom of God because you have gone too far down the wrong path? Maybe it's not for me, maybe I was passionate before,(...) but do you know what, I don't think it is for me. I'm not seeing the things I thought I would see, I'm not seeing all the things that people said to me would happen if I entered into the kingdom of God. So maybe, maybe it's not for me, maybe I've just gone too far down this path to see the things of God. (...) Jesus in the passage of Matthew 13 where he told the parable of the sower, saying that anyone who hears the message of the kingdom of God, different things can happen to them. (...) Receiving the message of the kingdom of God is like seeds being thrown into our lives, seeds of the message of the kingdom of God being thrown into our lives. And the fruitfulness of that seed, the fruitfulness of the message of the kingdom of God in our lives depends on how we receive the message. (...) We have a choice today, how do we receive the message?(...) Does it land on soft fertile hearts that allows a person to see and understand? Or does it land on hearts that Isaiah prophesied are calloused and hard?(...) Jesus slapped bang in the middle of that story where he told the parable of the seeds being sown on the different types of ground to explain in what the parable meant. Slap bang in the middle of that, he quoted Isaiah.(...) Isaiah from verse 14 it says, (...) and Isaiah in Matthew 13 verse 14, this is quoting Isaiah. You will be ever hearing but never understanding. You will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's hearts have become calloused. They hardly hear with their ears and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn(...) and I will heal them. (...) This reminds me of like, you know when,(...) I don't know if this ever happened to you or you've done this to somebody else or your children have done this, but you know when like someone's trying to tell you something and you know what they want to tell you but you don't want to listen and you put your fingers in your ear and you go la la la la la la la la la la la la. And they're like talking to you and they're telling you things and you go la la la la la la la. I don't want to hear, I don't want to know. I know what you're saying, I'm not interested. I want to do what I want to do. Don't tell me, don't talk to me. Have you ever had that? (...) You might have seen that, you might have done it. I don't know. (...) But that's what I, when I read that passage that when it talks about Isaiah's talking about, about hearts being called, tell us because they don't want to hear. Because they're hears and not hearing the things of God and they're like, no, I don't want to hear this because it means that my life has to change. If I listen to the kingdom of God and I listen to this message and if I allow the seed to take root in my heart, it means I have to change. It means I have to make other choices, other decisions. It means I have to reevaluate where am I on this path? (...) Changing my life is just too difficult. (...) I'm not listening, stop talking. (...) So how much we understand and how much we see (...) will open our hearts up to whether we will be healed, restored or not. The promise of the kingdom is if we turn to him, we hear his voice and we turn to him and we see him, he heals us, he restores us. (...) Jesus starts explaining this parable by saying that the way the kingdom of God takes root in someone's life (...) and whether it produces fruit in that person's life is revealed by the way they're listening with their ears and understand with our hearts. What kind of heart have you got this morning? (...) The first person Jesus describes is the person who does not listen and does not understand. (...) It's like the seed that is thrown along the path. The message of the kingdom comes but he can't take root because it's on this path.(...) And then the birds come and steal it. It's the enemy coming and stealing this word that we've heard in our hearts. Now we can be those people this morning where the message of the kingdom comes and we're just not really listening. We don't really wanna understand and we go away and the amazing message of the kingdom of God is just stolen away from us. It doesn't take root. (...) Then there are those who receive the message of the kingdom of God with joy (...) but does nothing with it. (...) That's the seed that fell on rocky ground and it did not take root. You know some of the messages we hear here in this place (...) can give us a real boost. Our times of worship can give us a real boost of joy. Now we've been singing some amazing songs. I've been so encouraged this morning with the time of worship, just hearing and listening and worshiping the Lord. The things that we've been saying just reminded me and inspired me and provoked me to wanna stay on the right path. (...) When we take time spending, take time asking God what does this mean for me, for my life? How do you want me to respond to this word? (...) The message of joy can start to take root in our lives when we say to God, God what do you want me to do with this? (...) What does this mean for the way that I lived my life?(...) If I don't take time to understand, if I don't take time to say to God what does this mean for me? It is like the seed falling on the rocks. It doesn't take root. (...) Jesus says that even though the message brought joy to the person, unless their hearts are soft enough for it to take root in their lives, then when troubles come their way, their hearts will become hardened. (...) Maybe they blame God.(...) Maybe they question the message of hope and wonder what the kingdom of God message is all about when things are too difficult, things are too hard. Can it really be true? Instead of understanding the kingdom of heaven, they harden their hearts and lose the source of joy, (...) their focus on the source of joy. (...) Then Jesus talks about those who have other priorities. This is the next person. (...) And this time, this person's priorities are less about pursuing the things of God and pursuing the kingdom of God. Maybe it's wealth, maybe it's materialism, (...) maybe it's personal happiness, success, individualism.(...) This passage describes this person as being a worrier and believing the lie that pursuing the things of this world is better as if it were more fulfilling. (...) We are believing a lie. If we think pursuing anything other than the kingdom of God is more important, we become like that person who receives the seeds as if it was being thrown on rocky ground. (...) We were chosen before the foundations of the earth was made to be children of God, to be part of His kingdom rule.(...) This life and anything outside of the kingdom of God is not eternal. It will perish. It will fade away. (...) The Matthew 13 passage describes any fruitful that come from understanding the kingdom of God will be choked by the deceitfulness of wealth. (...) The message of the kingdom will struggle to be fruitful in our lives. When we prefer living the way the world tells us the way we should be living. (...) There was this powerful moment last week when Richard said, "Do you know the things "that we watch on TV? "It's just a lie. "They're lying to us. "Everything that this world might say to you "that contradicts anything that says in the word of God "is a lie, you're being lied to." (...) I realize first,(...) Yutunde mentioned this first in that prayer time this morning. I just wanted to read it. I just was really encouraged by it. (...) It's in Psalm 49 verse 20. It says, "People who have wealth but lack understanding "are like the beasts that perish."(...) Wow, that's like a (coughs) Isn't it? (...) (audience laughs) "People who have wealth but lack understanding "are like the beasts that perish." Understanding,(...) what's that mean? Understanding, what is it that the Bible's talking about, lacking understanding? (...) It's knowing a message of the kingdom of God. (...) Understanding is saying, "Yes, the kingdom of God is real. "The kingdom of God is here. "The kingdom of God is now." And I, as a child of God, can be part of that. (...) That's understanding. (...) And without that, we perished like beasts. (...) Wow. (...) Finally, Jesus says that those who hear the message and understand the message will be fruitful. (...) Oh God, help us. (...) We wanna understand the message. We wanna live fruitful lives, don't we?(...) They will produce a crop yield in 160 or 30 times what was so. (...) They're those who allow the message of the kingdom to shake their lives. They will find fulfillment in righteousness,(...) peace and joy. They will speak with spiritual authority and demonstrate the love and power of God. (...) People that come into contact with them will experience Jesus. They will experience this kingdom that we're living in and that we're expanding by the way we believe it and understand it and take it with us because it's changing our hearts. It's changing who we are and where we go. We are like Jesus.(...) Jesus that brings love and peace and power and comfort and strength. (...) And maybe,(...) and maybe, oh God, yes, we want this more and more and maybe we will see more healings and deliverances. We'll see people's lives healed and restored.(...) And I believe that that is the truth of God. That's the truth of the kingdom of God. (...) That when we turn and fix our eyes on Jesus, we will be healed. And that is a declaration that we can take into all the world. Fix your eyes on Jesus and be healed. Turn and face who God is and be healed. That's the message of the kingdom of God. Do you understand it? Do you want to understand it? Do you wanna be fruitful? Do you wanna see an abundance in your life that's 160,(...) 30 times? (...) I certainly do.(...) I know which one of those people I wanna be. (...) Who do you wanna be? Who do you wanna be? (...) If you wanna be the person who is fruitful (...) and the message of Jesus and understand it and turn towards him and pursue it, get on the right path. (...) It will change the direction of our lives. (...) We understand the kingdom of God. We understand what this means for us as children of God. (...) It will mean that we will have to get on the right path and we will be on the right path.(...) You know if you fix our eyes on Jesus,(...) you can't help but go in that direction. You're on the right path if you're fixing your eyes on Jesus. You know you're going in the right direction. It's only when we turn. We end up on the wrong path and surprise, surprise, hardship and troubles come when we struggle. Things get us down. We get depressed and it's too difficult to handle. But when we fix our eyes on Jesus, we know that no matter what our circumstances are, he is with us. And we can find that strengthening. We can find that comfort. We can find and experience the power of God in those situations. (...) Do you feel close to Jesus right now?(...) Or do you feel far from Jesus? Because that will help you to determine, am I on the right path right now? (audience member speaks faintly) If you have never said to Jesus, Jesus, (...) I'm sorry for living my life my own way. (...) Today I wanna start seeking your kingdom and your righteousness. (...) I want to live my life with you being the Lord of my life. If you've never said that, you can say that this morning. (...) I could turn towards Jesus. I wanna read this passage from Proverbs three. (...) I'm gonna read verse seven. (...) And then I'm gonna go on to verse four.(...) Verse 13, to Proverbs three, verse seven says, do not be wise in your own eyes. (...) Fear the Lord and shun evil. (...) In Proverbs three, 13,(...) blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding,(...) for she, wisdom, is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. (...) She is more precious than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her hand and in her left hand are riches and honor. (...) Her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are peace. (...) She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her and those who hold her fast will be blessed. (...) Intimacy with Jesus is the beginning of understanding. (...) It's the beginning of wisdom. (...) I'd like to encourage you this morning if when maybe you get an opportunity later on just to read the rest of Proverbs three. I've only read certain sections but read all of Proverbs three. Prayerfully ask the Lord, Lord,(...) what are you saying to me through this? What do you want me to do with this? What does this mean for my life? (...) Understanding wisdom. (...) This is amazing for us. Changes our life, gets us on the right path. (...) Notice that crazy chaotic world is crying out for the sons of God, (...) sons and daughters of God to be revealed.(...) This chaotic doubt world is crying out for you to bring light and wisdom and healing into this dark place. (...) And that's you advancing the kingdom of God when you do that. When you go into those places and you tell someone about who Jesus is and they don't need to be afraid anymore. You know, you're advancing the kingdom of God. Now when you tell somebody that, do you know what, this sickness that you've got right now, I can pray for you and we can ask the Lord to heal you and we can pray for them and if they get healed and they will experience the goodness and grace of God. (...) My experience is that when I pray for people to get healed, the virus got healed and if they've not got healed, they've experienced something internally of God and they say, do you know what, I experienced God just then. There's something really powerful and pray for people and pray for the sick. (...) We advance the kingdom of God when we do that. When we bring righteousness and justice into situations, we're advancing the kingdom of God into those situations. (...) You are an agent of the kingdom of God and the world is longing and crying out for you. (...) And Clanny, can you come up? In the band, is that right? (...) This morning, we're just gonna, (...) it's just an opportunity this morning just to realign our thinking of like, are we on the right path?(...) Is this the path that I set out on when I received Jesus as the Lord of my life? Did I kind of skew off somewhere by accident and found myself in a difficult place and didn't know really what to do? You know, maybe this morning (...) is an opportunity for all of us, whether we've ever asked Jesus to be the Lord of our lives or we asked Jesus to be the Lord of our lives many, many years ago. This is an opportunity to just come to the table and say, Jesus, I wanna turn my face towards you. (...) I wanna know that healing once again in my life at restoration. (...) Maybe you don't feel like, well, maybe I've kept, I do feel like I've kept on the right path. Well, maybe coming to the table this morning, the Lord wants to stir something up in you. Wanna speak to you once again, revive something once again.(...) You know, there is healing in the presence of God this morning. We'll be singing about it, we'll be prophesying about it. I love the prophetic word that Kev brought about the healing balm. You know, this morning there is a healing balm for every single one of us. (...) He wants to bring healing and restoration to you. (...) Maybe, you know, the question for us this morning is how much, where in my life do I need to repent and know that the kingdom of God is here?(...) I wanna find that understanding. I wanna seek first the kingdom of God. (...) So please just come and take the bread,(...) take the wine and be administered to you by the Holy Spirit.