The Life of Christ

• Because strongholds are blind spots, it often takes another person, or the Holy Spirit to point out the strongholds that need to come down.

• One reason they don’t give up easy is because the birds go after the seed before it can plant itself.

• And, as long as our hearts are hard, the word cannot penetrate to break up the stronghold.

• This is why the same mental strongholds have a way of continuing for years.

Mt. 13:5-6 “And others fell upon the rocky places where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root they withered away.”

“Rocky places” refers to shallow soil on top of rocks or clay.

• Any moisture that fell on that shallow ground soon evaporates, removing the ability of the seed to properly germinate.

• This type of soil refers to those who hear the word and readily respond but soon leave the faith when challenged by affliction, decisions of consecration, or persecution (Mt. 13:20-21).

• “And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away” (Mt. 13:20-21).

• The problem is that they did not have the depth of soil, or the proper condition of the heart, to firmly embrace the responsibilities accompanying their newfound faith.

Many people come to the Lord unprepared for the life He is about to call them to.

• They came to Christ because it looked so easy and the benefits were amazing — “My sins forgiven, God promises to bless me, I get to go to heaven.”

• But then as time goes on, they bump up against “the cost ,” like being rejected because of their faith, or having to die so frequently to self.

The reason people have shallow soil is because they still have too many rocks in their heart.

• Some people sincerely want God to remove their rocks, but there are many who don’t.

• The ones who don’t wish to have their rocks removed are the ones mentioned in this verse.

• They usually fall away as soon as they feel some heat.

This points out the responsibility of the church to make the presentation of the Gospel more realistic and demanding than what we often present just to get people in.

• When we come to Christ, we must realize that the Holy Spirit will now begin to change us which can be painful; however, this is what we signed up for.

• If we’re not open to being changed, it’s better not to become a Christian because in time it’s likely that we could fall away from the faith.

• It would be better at the time of judgment to have never known the Lord, than to know Him and then fall away (Mt. 26:24).

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