But this morning I want to continue our study in the parable of the sower and the seed. And we're in the 14th session of this study. Very interesting study it is as we take a look at grace in relation to the preaching of God's Holy Word and how important it is. Let me read to you a couple sets of verses here. The first from Matthew 13, when Jesus is giving the explanation of the parable, he says, In Matthew 13, 22 and 23, now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becomes unfruitful. but he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." We're thinking together about why the differences in fruit bearing, why it is that some Christians bear thirtyfold, Some Christians bear it sixty-fold and some a hundred-fold. We looked at that last Sunday in two points that I won't go over again. But today I want to talk to you about your gift and fruit-bearing. The use of your gift and fruit-bearing. Now I hope and trust that you understand that each one of us who believes in Jesus Christ has received a gift. It's certainly possible that a person might think that they know the Lord and exercise a gift like Balaam did or like Judas Iscariot did, but that's not what we're talking about here this morning. What we're talking about here this morning is a true Christian and why the differences in fruit bearing. And I'm saying that one of the reasons is how you use your gift or don't use it. to the glory of God. Let me give you another couple verses here to think about. Mark chapter 4 and verses 24 and 25. It says here, then he said to them, take heed what you hear. And by the way, this is immediately following After he spoke this parable in Mark chapter 4, take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you. And to you who hear, more will be given. For whoever has, to him more will be given. but whoever does not have even what he has will be taken away from him, it says here. So, we need to understand certain things from this. You're going to bear fruit based upon how you use your gift, I'm saying to you, but what Jesus is adding here is something that's very important that I want to introduce this topic with here this morning and that is what you hear or how you hear. It said over there in Matthew or in Luke that I mentioned to you last Sunday. It's so important that in the hearing of the Word, the listening to God's Word, that you hear with understanding, that you hear because the Holy Spirit is working in your heart while you're listening to the Word of God. Now let me just simply ask you whether you pray that way when you come to church. It's a very simple thing. for me to ask, but let me ask if you do it. When you hear the preaching of the word, are you praying that the Lord will give you understanding? Because, you know, I could stand up here and preach all day, which I will do three times today. This is the first. But unless you are praying to receive the good things of the word, praying that the Holy Spirit will take these things, and make them known to you in a powerful and real and applicatory way to your heart, then you won't benefit from it. And that's a very sad thing because, Jesus says here, every time you hear the Word of God, you're being given an opportunity, he says, then take heed what you hear. And then he says this very interesting thing, with the same measure you use, it will be measured to you. And to you who hear, more will be given. Isn't that, wow, I mean, that is really a lot to think about. And I've asked this question, oh, I didn't hand this out yet. I meant to hand this out and my helper is not here. Maybe Ed you can hand these out. In the handouts I have questions here that I like to ask and interact with you over. And the first question that I have for you is how does the way that we measure things affect how much fruit we will bear in relation to God and other people around us. How does the way that we measure things affect how much fruit we will bear in relation to God and people around us? It says here, with the same measure you use, it will be measured to you. What does that mean? I know there's a lot of ways we could Think about that, but when it comes to your mind and heart, what does it mean to you? What strikes you right off the bat when you hear that? The measure that you use. What does that mean? Yeah. A lot of things, I guess. I'm not sure particularly what you have here, but I'm reminded of, you know, if you wish to be shown mercy, show mercy. Very good. If you do not forgive, you will not be forgiven. Judge not less than you'd be here to go. In other words, by the same standard of judgment that you use, don't be a hypocrite. If you can't deter it yourself, don't apply it to others. Don't apply it to others is exactly right. Don't be a hypocrite. That's very good. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The golden rule. So when you're listening to the Word of God, listen with a view to receiving whatever God would have for you. Even if the man is not the most powerful preacher in the world and is not impressing you with what he's saying, or even if the applications seem to come close to you in your heart and mind, and maybe the Lord has good reason for that. So that you might take heed. as Jesus is saying, such you might grow. I have two little comments here from commentators that I read concerning this. The first is Albert Barnes. He says, you shall be treated according to the use you make of the opportunities, your opportunities of learning. If you consider it well and make a good improvement of what you hear, you shall be rewarded. If not, your reward shall be small. He says, and I would further add, your fruit bearing will be less. Also C.H. Spurgeon, he says, here is a proverb with what measure and etc. In proportion as you give yourself to hearing, you shall gain by hearing. Those who have no interest in the Word find it uninteresting. Those who desire to find fault find fault enough. Those who seek solid truth learn it from any faithful ministry. Those who hunger find food. Those who bring faith receive assurance. Those who come joyfully are made glad. But no man finds blessing by hearing error. nor by careless, forgetful cavilling, that is, arguing against the hearing of the truth. Spurgeon also says, here is a promise unto you that hear, you that hear shall have more desire to hear, more understanding of what you hear, more convincement of its truth, more personal possession of the blessings which you hear, more delight in hearing, more practical benefit from it. So my first point here is that differences, there are differences in fruit bearing because of how you use your gift. And I want you to turn with me over to 1 Peter chapter 4. 1 Peter chapter 4 and we want to read verses 7 to 11. Who will read that for me? 1 Peter 4 verses 7 to 11. And we'll interact with each other a little bit more here. All right, Matt, go right ahead. The end of all things is near. Therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. be hospitable to one another without complaint, as each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks is to do so. whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. All right thanks for reading that Matt. I noticed that before Peter speaks about using your gift that he gives you commands to observe, which will go before this. That is the use of your gift. And so my question is, question two, what are the things which Peter commands us to do before he speaks to us about how we should use our gift? What are the things which he commands us to do before he speaks to us about how we should use our gift? What are the things that he says here? You be watchful in prayer. That's very good. In fact, that's what I was just talking about a minute ago. But it applies to the use of your gift. as well, you go about to use the gift that you have been given, you know, whether it is giving or serving or mercy or helps or teaching or exhortation or anything related to those gifts, that you would pray about it. He says here in verse 7, the end of all things is at hand, therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. Now, I think it's very interesting the way that he words it. The end of all things is at hand. Well, the end of all things wasn't at hand immediately for them individually necessarily, but I think he was speaking of in terms of what would be coming and the end of our life, the end of their era in that day, that is the destruction of Jerusalem, the judgment coming upon Jerusalem in 70 AD. All of those things are applicatory. to what is talked about here, but he says, he says, the end of all things is at hand, therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And brethren, we just don't know from day to day how long our life is going to be, do we? And we saw an illustration of that this week in the tragic accident that we prayed about here just a few minutes ago. But I'm saying that, and Peter is saying here, that when you use your gift, therefore you need to be serious and you need to be watchful in your prayers. That's something that should go before it. In other words, you don't just look around you to see how you might minister to other people without praying about how you might build them up. And that's very important. Pray about how you could instruct them in the right way. Pray about how you could help them. What kind of needs that they have? The brethren around you. As we go on here, we see he says, what? Another thing, have fervent love for one another. For love will cover a multitude of sins. Do you think that we as brethren have to cover sins that are committed by each other against ourselves in this church? Well, yes we do. Love covers a multitude of sins. Love doesn't get piqued when someone does something or says something that goes against you and goes against your thoughts and your mind and disturbs you and troubles you and then you leave the church over it. That's not what you're being called to do when you come to a church of the Lord's brethren. When things don't go well for you in interpersonal relationships, you don't leave the church. You go to that person and you tell them what it is that's offended you. You work it through with them if you can. You go through it in a biblical way with them. And that's love to them, brethren. But I'm saying to be able to use your gift with people in the church, you have to be willing to cover a multitude of sins at times. At times it's going to happen where you're offended by someone and you just say, I just can't deal with them. And you want to pull back from them and you don't really want to spend time with them. And you don't want to do things with them. And whatever friendship you thought that you had with them, you thought maybe now you've lost with them. Well, no. Not necessarily. Because if you go to them and talk with them, and you love them, and you show them that love, then they will hopefully then understand their fault. and ask for forgiveness and your relationship with them will be restored and you can use your gift in a mighty way with them. It's very important that we understand these things that we're talking about here today. How does Peter say that we ought to minister our gift then in verses 10 and 11? Well, he says that we ought to minister that gift by the grace which God supplies. By the way, there's other commandments there too. Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. And then as each one has received a gift in verse 10, minister it to one another as good stewards of the grace of God. What is a steward? Can you tell me? What is a steward in the old days? In the old days, stewards were much more in use than they are today. Yes, David. That's good. Yeah, the chief servant. I like that. Second in command. Yes, that's exactly right. Wow, that's good. That's exactly right. So the steward had charge of the master's goods or oversaw and had responsibility in relation to his property and his goods and his business or whatever he was assigned as a steward. You and I have a master, our Lord Jesus Christ, and we need to be good stewards, it says here, of the grace of God. Wow, that's really good. You have received grace, and he's speaking this in the context of your gift. And since you have received this grace, you need to be a good steward of that gift that you've been given, the grace along with it that you have received, to be able to use that gift in the right way, to be able to build up the brethren. Wow, that is such good stuff. And then, you can go about to do these good things that he's He's telling you that you should do. You're going to have an ability to minister with the gift of helps. Let's say you have that gift and you look around you and you see who needs that help. You pray about it and you think about it. And you think, well, this is what I'm going to do. And then you ask the Lord to bless you in what you're doing. You look around in the church, you see that you might be gifted in doing a certain thing. You want to do it? You go ahead and begin to see what you can do to help those brethren in the church. If you need to ask the pastor for permission to do it, you go ahead and do it. But that's not going to stop you from exercising your gift or the grace that you've been given because a man's gift makes room for him and it brings him before great men. And by the way, if you have that desire to use your gift and to use it righteously and to use it lovingly, God will bless you in it. Then let's turn over to Romans 12 verses 3 to 8. Romans 12 verses 3 to 8. And I'll read this for the sake of time. For I say through the grace given to me to everyone who is among you, and not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we being many are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another." And then he goes on to talk about how those gifts that are given ought to be used. He says, having then gifts giving, differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them. If prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith. He's talking about teaching in our context, or preaching, or ministry, let us use it in our ministering. He who teaches in his teaching. He who exhorts in exhortation. He who gives with liberality. He who leads with diligence. He who shows mercy with cheerfulness, he says here. So he's giving us direction on how we ought to be able to do all these things. And I'm saying that there are differences that take place here in fruit-bearing because of the use of your gift if you do not understand these things that we're talking about well enough to go about to observe them, to do them. You need to see that. Some people might not even know what their gift is. You need to pray and ask the Lord to show you what it is that you can do in the church or with the brethren, how you can help them, build them up. in their faith. Look at the list of these gifts, these revelatory gifts are in First Corinthians chapter 12, but these are the ones who are the gifts that go on through the whole church age here in Romans chapter 12. Take a look at it and see what it is that you think that you can do, that you could do especially yourself. That you have the strength to do and you have the desire to do for people in the church. as you look around you and then you'll find as you begin to exercise that gift that the Lord will confirm that to you well that is my gift this is what I really I love to do for the Lord this is what I ask the Lord to bless me in doing in relation to the church because gifts are not meant to be just simply a selfish Well, you know, I'm a teacher, so, you know, it's a pretty cool thing to be a teacher. Well, no, it's a very dangerous thing to be a preacher or teacher if you know the responsibility that you're under before God to give an account for yourself as well as for those who you preach to. So these are really good verses for us to think about here together and I've written here if I've got my questions right. Differences in fruit bearing will become will come to be evident according to these verses. For what reasons would you say in the verses that I just read to you? Why will there be differences in fruit bearing? Well, we've got to close, so I'll give you the answer. There will be differences because some people won't think as soberly as they ought to think, even though they have been dealt a measure of faith. There will be differences because although a person can be and is a member of the body, they don't really see their responsibility as clearly as they should to attempt to go about to build other people up in their faith in the church that they're a part of. They don't use their gifts in proportion to their faith, or are diligent as they should be, or are liberal, or diligent, or cheerful, or these things that are mentioned here. In other words, it's the way that you use your gift that makes all the difference. in terms of glorifying God and you're bearing fruit to Him. Oh it's so so wonderful to think about these things together because I hope it'll be an encouragement for you to use your gift to be more diligent in the use of your particular gift and that you'll see these things. I'll continue on looking at these things next Sunday, Lord willing, but let's bow together for prayer. Father, thank you for these passages of Scripture that I'm bringing to the attention of your people. I pray that we would learn from them, that we would see our own gift clearly, and that we would use it even as you've given us a measure of faith, and you've given us good commandments surrounding the use of our gift. Help us to be those who are diligent and who are able to forgive people who offend us if we can love covering it with a multitude of sins. Oh, we pray that we would be those who understand these matters and the church here would be united in our use of our gifts in such a way that we would be most effective in your service and that the church would be built in coming days to your glory. For we pray and ask it in your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.