The following sermon was recorded at Calvary Tabernacle on October 13, 2024. This sermon is presented by pastor Kenny Robertson. See below for the full transcript of this sermon.
Episode Transcript
This transcript was created using an automated transcription service, so some text may be inaccurate.
In Matthew chapter 13, we’re going to begin reading in verse 3. If you got it, say amen. And he
spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow. And when
he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up.
Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth. And forthwith they sprung up,
because they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up, they were scorched.
And because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the
thorns sprung up and choked them. But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit,
some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
Go down with me to verse 18. Hear ye, therefore, the parable of the sower. When any one
heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and
catcheth away that which was sown in his heart.
This is he which received the seed by the wayside. He that received the seed into stony places,
the same is he that heareth the word, and anon, or soon, with joy receiveth it. Yet hath he not
root in himself, that dureth for a while? For when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of
the word, by and by he is offended.
He also that receiveth seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word, and the care of this
world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and becometh fruitful. The he that
receiveth seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it, which
also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. Verse 3,
Jesus said, Behold, a sower, or a farmer, went forth to sow.
And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them
up. As we know, the seed that the Lord was referring to is indeed the word of God. And as I
listen to different conversations, and I have different interactions with people, I see in the
church world today, a lot of our people are struggling, a lot of our people are having a hard
time living a victorious Christian life.
I believe that a lot of the reason that our people are not walking in the victory that God wants
us to walk in today, is because we have not presented good ground for the seed, or the word of
God, to fall into. As I look into this passage of scripture this morning, as I was reading it over
and over, first thing that stood out to me, I found in verse 4, this is where he is discussing the
wayside seeds. The wayside seeds were sown in the heart or in the mind, but because of lack of
understanding, we read of how the fowls came and devoured them up.
When it talks about the wayside there, it’s basically talking about a footpath. That farmer that
day went forth and he was sowing seeds, no doubt he was sowing some where they needed to
go, but there was some that fell along a footpath. And as they fell upon the footpath, we read
of how the fowls of the air came and devoured them up.
I have to believe that those fowls or those birds were lying in wait, watching those seeds,
waiting on those seeds to fall, because they had every intention of seizing them up, of catching
them away before they could bring forth a good crop. It made me think about over in Genesis
chapter 15, if you would flip over there with me, Genesis chapter 15, we know the story, it’s
when God was giving the covenant to Abram, God was speaking to him in a vision, was telling
him that his seed was going to be blessed, he was going to have more seed than the stars in
the sky. We read about how Abram and God had this conversation, and I want you to pay close
attention here.
Genesis 15, verse 6, and he believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness,
and he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees to give thee
this land to inherit it. And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? And he
said unto him, take me a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram
of three years old, and a turtle dove, and a young pigeon. Stop right there, I want you to pay
attention.
Look at me real quick. Did God give him a word right there? God gave him a word right there.
That was the word that came from God.
Do we all agree? That sacrifice that God commanded came directly from God to Abram, or
Abram at that point in time. Verse 10, and he took unto him all of these, he took what the word
of God had prescribed. Correct? Amen.
He took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against
another, but the birds divided he not. Stay with me. Now there’s a reason that he did all this,
these sacrifices like this.
We’re not going to get into that today, but I want you to look at verse 11. And when the fowls
came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away. Now we agree that the sacrifices or
the carcasses was the word prescribed by Almighty God.
Amen? Amen. We also read that when Abram obeyed the command of God, and did what the
command of God commanded, what happened? The fowls came down on the very word of
God. But I also read where Abram drove the fowls away.
Sister Carol, it made me think about what Jesus said about how the seed fell upon the stony
path, and the birds came down and devoured the seeds. I’m telling you, I know now where the
Lord has taken me. You better be careful when you start slicing and dicing the word of God.
You’ve got to be careful when you start reasoning in your mind that this don’t have to be a sin
in 2024. We don’t have to do it like this in 2024. If we’ve ever had a need for the children of God
to drive the fowls off the carcasses, we’ve got to get the fowls or the birds off the word of God
in 2024.
Can you say amen? I see a lot of people make their way. They make a good start. They make a
real good start.
But somewhere along the line, it’s like they begin to fizzle out, Nathan. They begin to fade away.
It’s like they can’t seem to get themselves grounded and rooted in the word of God.
I’m here to tell you sometimes the word of God will find you and it will slice you right where
you’re at. Sister Peggy, it’s not always a comfortable thing. We know that the word of God is
sharp and powerful like a two-edged sword.
It cuts going in and it cuts going out. Here, let me tell you this. You can’t have the blessings of
God and live like the devil.
You can’t have the favor of God and slice and dice the word of God. There’s still some things
that’s required of you. You’ve got to drive the fowls off your sacrifice.
You’ve got to drive the fowls off the word of God and move up to the word of God. Can you say
amen? Amen. People wonder why they’re not walking, Brianna, in the favor of God.
It’s because you want the blessings of God but you don’t want to do what the word prescribes.
But I’m here to tell you when you do what the word prescribes, there is joy unspeakable and full
of glory. Can you say amen? Then I go on.
I read in verse 5, back in Matthew 13, some fell upon stony places where they had not much
earth. They had some earth. They had some earth.
But they didn’t have enough earth. And therefore, they sprung up. They sprung up quick.
But they didn’t have no deepness of earth. Keep reading. And when the sun was up, they were
scorched.
That makes me think, Sister Stacey, they brought forth some kind of a fruit in that moment.
They brought forth a fruit. Why? Because a seed can’t be scorched.
A seed cannot be scorched. But a leaf or a fruit can be scorched by the summer sun. Can you
say amen? The word goes on.
It says, but because they had no root, they withered away. I want to keep going. I want you to
look in verse 7. And then there was some that fell among the thorns.
And the thorns sprung up and choked them. What stood out to me, John, and what scared me
in that passage right there, that verse right there, Sister Megan, is that the thorns sprung up
and grew quicker than the seed did. And what happened? It choked.
It choked it. Now, I want you to think about this. Choking is a slow, painful process.
It doesn’t happen like that. When you choke something or when something chokes you, it’s a
gradual thing. It’s a long process, little by little, little by little, little by little.
Let me tell you, we have got to get a hold of what the word of God says for us to do. We have
got to get back a hold of what the word says for us to do. If the word says we need to be in the
house of God, we need to be in the house of God.
I’m fixing to say something and you may not like it, but I’m not doing you any favors if I don’t
say it. If the word says you need to pay your tithes and offering, you need to pay your tithes and
offering. If the word says you need to pray for the sick, you need to pray for the sick.
If the word says you need to cast out devils, you need to cast out devils. We’ve lived in a spirit of
compromise way too long. It’s time we move into the blessings that God has for us.
Oh, Brother Kenny, Brother Kenny, I come to church. I come to church. But why am I living in
such defeat? Listen to me.
There is a walk to be walked. There are some promises to be claimed. There are some truths
you’ve got to move up to.
I promise you it might be hard at times, but when you walk the way this Bible says you ought to
walk, there’s a blessing waiting for you that you can’t contain. But other fell into good ground
and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Now let’s break it
down.
Jesus explained it perfectly for us down in verse 19. What did he say? When anyone hears the
word of the kingdom and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one and catches the
way that was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the wayside.
Let me tell you something. If we ever need to know the word of God, we’ve got to know it now.
We’ve got to know the word.
We’ve got to stand on the word. We better not add to the word of God. We better not take away
from the word of God.
I’m here to tell you you can reason it out in your mind. You can play with it in your mind all you
want to, but at the end of the day, if God declares it as a sin, it’s a sin. I don’t care how you slice
it and dice it.
He goes on and he said, but he that received, verse 20, but he that received the seed into stony
places, the same as he that heareth the word and quickly with joy receives it, yet he don’t have
no root in himself, but endureth for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arise because
of the word, by and by he is offended. People like to get mad.
People come to you for counsel. You tell them what the word says. They like to get mad.
They like to shut you down because they’ve already made up in their mind that they’re not
going to do what the word of God says, but as the pastor or the preacher or the teacher or the
elder, they want us to pet it and say, you’re all right, honey. You’re all right. Do what you feel
like you need to do.
Be true to your own heart. That’s a lie launched from the very caverns of hell. Nowhere in the
word of God does it say be true to that own heart.
The word of God actually says if any man come after himself, let him deny himself and take up
his cross. It also says there’s a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the ways of
death and destruction. Let me tell you something.
If you’re explaining and you’re reasoning and your logic goes against the word of God, I call it
out as false doctrine. I won’t pet you. I love you enough to tell you you can’t dabble in sin and
make it into a holy heaven.
Can you say amen? So don’t let your seed fall upon a stony path. Guard your surroundings.
Guard your surroundings.
Let me tell you something. We got to be careful. We got to be careful where we go and who we
associate with.
Can you say amen? If you go on and read down there, in verse 20 and 21, we just read it, talks
about how they get offended because of the word of God. I believe we got to be a light to this
lost and dying world. I believe, Sister Whitney, we’ve got to shine the light of the gospel.
We’ve got to show them love, but you’ve got to be careful in doing that because if you’re not
careful, the thorns will grow up and they’ll choke you. We’ve got to be careful, folks. This is
serious business.
This is serious business. There is a power in the Holy Ghost that we should be operating in.
There is a victory in the Holy Ghost we should be walking in.
There is a liberty and a life-changing freedom in God’s great Holy Ghost we should be operating
in. But if we don’t do it by the way the Word prescribes it, we’re not going to be operating in the
ways of the Lord. Can you say amen? Verse 22, He also that receives seed among the thorns is
he that heareth the word and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches.
Choke the word and you become unfruitful. Listen to me. Third thing I want to tell you, I told
you to guard your surroundings, guard your associations, guard your schedule.
Guard your schedule. It’s a very serious thing. It’s a very serious thing when you don’t make
time for the Lord, when you don’t make time every day to get in this Word and to spend some
time talking with Him.
I’m here to tell you the writer of that song, Sweet Hour of Prayer, Sweet Hour of Prayer, that
draws me from this world of care. He knew what he was talking about when he wrote those
words. Let me tell you, I know that life gets busy.
I know life gets crazy, Sister Tiffany. I know we have our hands in all kinds of stuff. We have
families we got to provide for.
We got things we have to do. But let me counsel you on this. You find some time every day to
spend time with God Almighty.
Get away from the spouse. Get away from the children. I know some people who lock
themselves in the bathroom and pray.
I know some that go to the garden and pray. I know some that climb up in the tree and pray. I
ain’t going to tell you how to do it.
I ain’t going to tell you how long to do it. I’ll tell you this, you find time with Him and you talk
with Him and commune with Him. Take your Bible.
Let Him commune with you. Let Him speak to you so you can walk in your power. Blessed Lord,
we’re not careful.
The cares of this world will crowd it out. Choke it out. Things will get you so busy.
You’ll be running, running, running from sunup to sundown. But let me encourage you. Find
time to get along with the Lord.
That is your victory. Your victory ain’t coming to church. You come to church with the victory.
That way you can help spread the victory. You come to church with a shout. That way you can
help spread the shout.
Let me tell you, you need to be praying down victory, praying down the shout six days a week.
Seventh day, let’s come in here and have church. Can you say amen? We get so burdened and it
becomes so mechanical.
Alarm clock goes off. Hit it. Get up.
Go to work. Work, work, work. Sometimes we work overtime.
Do what we gotta do. Get home at whatever time. Eat a bite.
Might have an hour or two before you go to bed. Fall into bed. Next morning that alarm clock
goes off.
Turn it off. Get up. Do the same thing.
Do the mechanical thing, the robot thing. Going through our daily routine. Let me tell you,
there is a fuel and there is a joy in the presence of God if you can learn how to carve out time to
spend with Him.
There is sweet fellowship that’ll call you from this world of care, Bradley. I’m here to tell you one
of the greatest blessings is when you are assaulted on every side, every which way you look.
Nathan, it seems like this is coming against you and it’s coming against you that way and then
it’s coming against you this way.
Then it’s coming against you that way. But oh, there is a place that you can go in your prayer
closet where you leave earth behind. Can you say amen? You leave earth behind.
You leave those cares behind and you move into a heavenly realm where all things are possible.
In this earthly plane, sometimes it seems like things look impossible but in that heavenly plane,
in that heavenly realm, when we go before the throne room of God, go before the very throne
of God, anything is possible. In His presence is fullness of joy.
Sure, those situations might be waiting on you when you come out but you don’t know that
your attitude about it might have got shifted while in the presence of the King. Can you say
amen? Being rooted, built up in Him, established in the faith, Thy Word have I hid in my heart
that I might not sin against Him. Don’t be just a hearer of the Word of God.
I can preach to you till I’m blue in the face. Be a doer. When you become a doer, it makes the
Word more alive.
When you move up to what the Word of God says, it makes it more alive. That helps your faith
to grow. That helps your walk with God to deepen.
When you do what the Word of God tells you to do, can you say amen? Where’s the seed falling
in your life? I would that we would all be like verse 23. For he that receiveth seed into the good
ground is he that heareth the Word and understandeth it, which also beareth fruit and bringeth
forth some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. And if I, I know the Lord, I felt the Holy
Ghost just speak to me and tell me to tell you this.
If you don’t fully understand it, ask him to reveal it to you because he’s the one that wrote it.
And he can give you perfect understanding. He can show you what he’s trying to tell you in the
Word of God.
I would discourage you from going around to all kinds of different preachers and different
Facebook things. The Holy Ghost is well able to tell you what this Word means. He authored it.
He authored it. He can give you the understanding. Can you say amen? I feel like telling you
this.
You read a verse, you can’t understand it. I have an aunt. She is a warrior in the Lord.
She probably knows her Bible better than anybody I know. And she told me many years ago
that when she don’t understand a verse, she got her a notebook and she’ll write that verse. And
she said it’s like if I didn’t understand it the first time I wrote it, I would write it again.
And she said for whatever reason, that helped me understand it. If you have trouble
understanding a particular verse, try writing it out. This is not Bible backing on this.
This is just something that I felt like I should share with you. I don’t know who this is for, but I
know it’s for somebody. I have no doubt about it.
Get in the Word of God. Do what the Word of God says do. Quit trying to do it your way.
And do it the way the Word of God says to do it. I’m here to tell you, sometimes, and I don’t
know why I’m saying this, sometimes it can be hard to do it by the Word of God. Mom,
sometimes it can be hard to move up to the Word of God.
But if the Word of God says to do it, do it. You will not regret it. Can you say amen