<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 4;14-17<div><br></div><div><b>14. &nbsp;The sower sows the Word.</b></div><div><b>15. &nbsp;And these are the ones along the path, where the Word is sown; when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them.</b></div><div><br></div><div>Many people today are hardened&nbsp;against having Christ Jesus as their&nbsp;Lord. &nbsp;The idea of surrendering themselves and control of their lives to the Lord Jesus frightens them, it repels them. &nbsp;They are convinced no one cares about them as much as they care about themselves. &nbsp;They are certain they are right so they&nbsp;remain their own little&nbsp;lords. &nbsp;They are deceived. This is Satan’s work. &nbsp;Hardness of heart means unwillingness<span>&nbsp;to be changed. &nbsp;The truth is God loves them&nbsp;more than they&nbsp;love themselves.&nbsp;&nbsp;He knows better than they,&nbsp;exactly what they&nbsp;need. &nbsp;This is the sin against the Holy Spirit. It ascribes evil intent and wickedness to God. &nbsp;They actually&nbsp;see repentance as an&nbsp;evil. &nbsp;They are lost forever. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><b>16. &nbsp;And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the Word, immediately receive it with joy;</b></span></div><div><span><b>17. &nbsp;and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the Word, immediately they fall away.&nbsp;</b></span></div><div><br></div><div>Many people upon hearing the Gospel of the free gift of forgiveness and eternal life through repentance and faith in Christ, joyfully believe. &nbsp;They are like the Hebrew slaves who follow Moses into the wilderness expecting to arrive at the promised land of milk and honey in a day or two. &nbsp;Instead they discover following Moses means facing deadly&nbsp;fearful things and enduring real sufferings. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>To ‘tribulate’ is anguish of soul, inner suffering. &nbsp;It is to&nbsp;be forced to chose between the will of God and your own ‘good’ will. &nbsp;Jesus endured tribulation in the Garden of Gethsemane. &nbsp;He did not desire to be separated from His Father, yet he had to endure Hell for us, eternal damnation pressed upon Him while on the cross, the Father&nbsp;forsaking His own Son.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;Our soul desires good things too, a caring spouse, respectful and obedient children, rewards for hard labor, and&nbsp; justice. &nbsp;Instead, God gives us spouses who are at times distant and uncaring, rebellious stubborn children, loss of job security, and a world gone insane no longer able to call evil, ‘evil’.</div><div><br></div><div>Persecutions for being a Christian in this nation are on the increase. &nbsp;To speak out against the current woke culture is to make yourself a target. &nbsp;You lose societal approval and will&nbsp;be discriminated against.</div><div>You will be called many evil names,&nbsp;&nbsp;‘hater,’&nbsp;<span>fascist’, ‘racist’, and ‘oppressor’. &nbsp;To oppose evil may well cost you your job.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>To stand for the truth as revealed in God’s Word, is to share in the sufferings of Christ. This is really good for our souls, but hard on our flesh. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Without a depth of root, a strong devotional, prayer, worship life, with a rich flow of grace through the Word,&nbsp;rocky soil people cave in&nbsp;under the pressures</span><span>. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>We will continue this tomorrow.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;O most merciful Heavenly Father, deliver us from self-lordship and rootlessness.&nbsp;We pray in </span><span>Jesus, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</span></div><div><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>%&nbsp;<br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Mark 4;14-17
14.  The sower sows the Word.15.  And these are the ones along the path, where the Word is sown; when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them.
Many people today are hardened against having Christ Jesus as their Lord.  The idea of surrendering themselves and control of their lives to the Lord Jesus frightens them, it repels them.  They are convinced no one cares about them as much as they care about themselves.  They are certain they are right so they remain their own little lords.  They are deceived. This is Satan’s work.  Hardness of heart means unwillingness to be changed.  The truth is God loves them more than they love themselves.  He knows better than they, exactly what they need.  This is the sin against the Holy Spirit. It ascribes evil intent and wickedness to God.  They actually see repentance as an evil.  They are lost forever.  
16.  And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the Word, immediately receive it with joy;17.  and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the Word, immediately they fall away. 
Many people upon hearing the Gospel of the free gift of forgiveness and eternal life through repentance and faith in Christ, joyfully believe.  They are like the Hebrew slaves who follow Moses into the wilderness expecting to arrive at the promised land of milk and honey in a day or two.  Instead they discover following Moses means facing deadly fearful things and enduring real sufferings.  
To ‘tribulate’ is anguish of soul, inner suffering.  It is to be forced to chose between the will of God and your own ‘good’ will.  Jesus endured tribulation in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He did not desire to be separated from His Father, yet he had to endure Hell for us, eternal damnation pressed upon Him while on the cross, the Father forsaking His own Son.  Our soul desires good things too, a caring spouse, respectful and obedient children, rewards for hard labor, and  justice.  Instead, God gives us spouses who are at times distant and uncaring, rebellious stubborn children, loss of job security, and a world gone insane no longer able to call evil, ‘evil’.
Persecutions for being a Christian in this nation are on the increase.  To speak out against the current woke culture is to make yourself a target.  You lose societal approval and will be discriminated against.You will be called many evil names,  ‘hater,’ fascist’, ‘racist’, and ‘oppressor’.  To oppose evil may well cost you your job.
To stand for the truth as revealed in God’s Word, is to share in the sufferings of Christ. This is really good for our souls, but hard on our flesh.  
Without a depth of root, a strong devotional, prayer, worship life, with a rich flow of grace through the Word, rocky soil people cave in under the pressures.  
We will continue this tomorrow.
Prayer:  O most merciful Heavenly Father, deliver us from self-lordship and rootlessness. We pray in Jesus, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”
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