We continue to read portions of God's Word, all of which we'll refer back to at some point during the sermon, beginning with John chapter four, New Testament readings, beginning with the Gospel of John, the fourth chapter, verses thirty-one to thirty-eight. Meanwhile, the disciples were urging him, saying, Rabbi, eat. But he said to them, I have food to eat that you do not know about. So the disciples said to one another, Has anyone brought him something to eat? Jesus said to them, my food is to do the will of him who sent me to accomplish his work. Do you not say there are yet four months, then comes the harvest? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, one sows and another reaps. I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor." Turn also with me to 1 Corinthians, chapter 3. We read Paul's words, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in chapter 3, verses 1 through 9. But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it, and even now you are not ready. You are still of the flesh, for while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, I follow Paul, and another, I follow Apollos, are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believe, does the Lord assign to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the So, neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers, you are God's field, God's building. I'll ask you to turn with me to James chapter 5. We read the words of James in chapter 5 verses 7-11. reminding us again of reaping and sowing. Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also be patient. Establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged. Behold, the judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remain steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job. You have seen the purpose of the Lord. The Lord is compassionate and merciful. the kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and he rises night and day. The seed sprouts and grows, he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe at once, he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." Let's pray together. Father, as we enter into the time of considering your word this morning, we fully recognize that the spirit who wrote these words must teach us or all will be lost. So grant us, we pray, your spirit to understand this growing seed, your kingdom, in Jesus' name. Amen. Please be seated. The story is told of an old Calvinist preacher who had a citizen of his town come into the pastor's study at one point and turn to the man and said to the pastor, Pastor, what is it that a sinner must do in order to be saved? And the Calvinistic preacher, fully believing in the total depravity of man, said the following. For thirty minutes, he said absolutely nothing. So important did he think it was to emphasize to this man that he, in and of himself, could do nothing to save himself. And yet we all recognize, I hope, that a failure to believe in divine sovereignty alongside of human responsibility is a great failing. Many of us recognize those two verses side-by-side in Philippians 2, verses 12-13. My beloved, as you have always obeyed, so not only in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. There it is, human responsibility very clearly. But immediately Paul says, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. And so we have that connection. We cannot see one without the other. We cannot be as the pastor in his study who would not turn to the man and answer in the same way that Paul and Silas when asked that same question, I'm sure many of you realize that, said to the Philippian jailer, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. The reason I bring that up this morning is because some have pointed out, and I think rightly, that in the parables of the sower in Mark chapter 4 verses 1-9 and in the parable of the growing seed in verses 26-29 that we just read about, we have these two central truths of the Bible side-by-side just as we did in Philippians 2. We see very clearly that it is man's responsibility to turn in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. The parable of the sower, sometimes of course we call it the parable of the soils, is a reminder to us of the emphasis that we need to place on the human responsibility. Each one of us recognizes that none of us can respond as those who are depicted in the soil as being deceived by Satan and who never even believed the gospel when it was We cannot be like those in the rocky soil who receive it with joy but then give up when tribulation comes, nor are we to be like those who receive the gospel among thorns who fall away because the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches cause them to be unfaithful. We are all responsible to be those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit. And yet today's parable reminds us, the parable of the seed, emphasizes divine sovereignty every bit as much as the parable of the sower emphasized human responsibility. And the two must go together. We need them both as individuals as we are reminded of our need to remain faithful, to repent, and to believe in the gospel. And indeed, Matthew 13, 19 identifies the seed as the word of the kingdom. Mark 1 reminds us that Jesus went about in Mark 1 saying the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the Gospels. We are responsible as God's people to remain those who trust in him, those who continually repent of our sins. And we are to continue to call sinners to hear the Word and accept it as well, even as we wait for the Holy Spirit to open up their hearts so that they will be the good soil that receives the Word implanted and produces the good fruit that our Lord mentions in the parable of the soil. So the parable of the sower, the parable of the seed, emphasizing human responsibility, divine sovereignty must go together. But I'm convinced that primarily our Lord's purpose in telling the parable is not just for individual hearts. The individual hearts were dealt with in that first parable, the parable of the sower and the soil. This parable, the parable of the seed, is telling us primarily that there is a guaranteed certain success of the kingdom of God. The seed will produce, and it will produce in great form. Interestingly enough, As we read through the Gospel of Mark, we very rarely find Mark telling us anything that hasn't been said in Matthew or Luke as far as the teachings of our Lord. Mark, we've already seen, is a book of action. How many times have we read straightaway, immediately, Jesus does this, Jesus does this, Jesus does this. So we would do well to pay a special heed this morning because Mark of course, empowered by the Holy Spirit, inspired by the Holy Spirit, only gospel writer, to include the parable of the growing seed that we have before us this morning. And again, a guaranteed success of that kingdom, of that seed as a whole. So let's then consider that parable of the growing seed, beginning with verses 26 and 27. He said, the kingdom of God, as if a man should scatter seed on the ground He sleeps, he rises night and day, the seed sprouts and grows, but he knows not how. The first thing we ought to note about the guaranteed success of this kingdom is it does grow in a mysterious way. I find it very amusing to me that I am proclaiming to you anything about gardens or farming. Until I was married, I'm not sure I ever, and I say this to my shame, frankly, I'm not sure I ever pulled a weed in my life. And since being married, I don't really pull nearly as many as the other members of my household. So it is somewhat ironic that I am here before you this morning telling you about weeds and soils and all of these things. But I do know this, even the greatest scientists have yet to figure out how it is that once you put that seed in the ground, it miraculously, mysteriously, grows into the great plant that it does. I don't think any of us here who are more inclined with farming understanding or scientific understanding can fully explain to us this great mystery of how a seed turns into a beautiful plant. And we see very clearly that our Lord is emphasizing that when he says, the man plants the seed in the ground, then what does he do? He sleeps. He rises night and day. He goes about the rest of his business. He's done what he can. That's not to say that our Lord is condoning laziness or indolence. And that's just amazing to me how liberal scholars can twist passages beyond recognition. And so they would say, well, this can't be what Jesus said because our Lord would not condone laziness. Parables don't have to fit in every little detail. I don't believe that Jesus is telling us, you know, do some work and then go ahead and be lazy for a while. But what he is telling us is, just as it's mysterious that a seed can turn into a great plant, so too it's true in his kingdom that The kingdom mysteriously does grow a little bit of a mixed metaphor, but we all know what Jesus says to John. That's an academia. John chapter three, verse eight. The wind blows where it wishes you hear it sound. You don't know where it comes from, where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the spirit individually. But I would submit to you collectively as the kingdom grows, as the sea becomes greater and greater. It is mysterious how God works. in the hearts and minds of individuals to bring about this great kingdom work, starting with just a seed. So it grows, and it grows mysteriously. But I would also tell you it grows spontaneously. Notice the next phrase that we have here in verse 28. The earth produces by itself. Very interesting Greek word, automaton. Now some of you are going to think right away, perhaps, of the Disney creations And even Abraham Lincoln, right? They talk about him being able to do these things. And if you've ever been to a link of the Disneyland deal and seen Lincoln, it really does look like once they open that curtain, he spontaneously, all on his own, starts talking, right? But I think we all know better than to think that if we were just to build something like the Lincoln statue and expect it to work all on its own, that's not going to happen. We recognize that behind that spontaneous speaking of the Lincoln guy there, that there were Disney programmers who spent hours and hours and hours programming Lincoln so that he would do that thing. And so, too, we recognize that it is not a fatalistic comment here. It doesn't just, on its own, people come in faith to Christ. or the kingdom doesn't grow with our Lord laying his hands off. This is not deism that's being proclaimed. But what we are sharing this morning is that we oftentimes seek to see the kingdom grow, and it doesn't happen. And we wonder what's going on. And then overnight, as it were, on its own, it seems to sprout. And so, too, we recognize that that's because of the work of God, the Holy Spirit working mysteriously in the hearts of men, so that there is a certain success guaranteed of the kingdom of the seed. And it grows mysteriously, and it grows spontaneously. But I would also submit to you this morning that as we read through the passage, we recognize that it grows maturely. We have all three phases of a plant being demonstrated in verse 28. First, the blade, that is the grass, for the grass-like sprout, comes up. Then the ear, the head upon the crop, and then the full grain, that is the corn or the ripe kernels. There's nothing more disappointing, even in my limited gardening skills, of growing things and not having them come to full fruition. How many of you have gardened and been horribly disappointed when you might get a blade and boy, it's looking like it's going to grow big time. And some of us might even get to the point where we're getting the head upon the crop and boy, it's looking really great. But that ripe kernel, the full corn, the full whatever you have, growing doesn't come forth. I've got to tell you, this year we have a great example of that. If any of you come by our house at some point in the near future, you can look to the right in the front of our house. You'll see what looks like a huge amount of Brussels sprouts about to come forth. Well, you know what? All we've gotten is that grass-like sprout. Nothing else has come. I also have a confession for you. As one who does not delight in Brussels sprouts, I was not horribly disappointed in that development. Others in my family were disappointed that we didn't get the mature crop. But you know what? We can rejoice that when our Lord Jesus says, I am the great sower, I have planted a seed, it is not going to stop until it reaches full maturity. And that's true for each of us as individuals who are in Christ. But again, I think the main teaching of our parable is corporately we need to recognize that God's kingdom grows mysteriously. It grows spontaneously. and it does, indeed, grow to maturity. Let's consider, if we might, just for a little while, the history of the church, and I mean ever so briefly this morning, to be reminded that what we have here in this parable is, indeed, true for us. Christ came, and he spent three and a half years sharing with how many men? Just twelve, right? One of whom betrays Those of you at family camp know that George Scipione, and George would say this, I'm not sure I would publicly say this, but since George has been saying it all week, whenever he talked about the disciples, he called them the twelve numskulls. And that may seem a little derisive, and yet God is using even those twelve numskulls to bring about the beginning growth of his kingdom, because those men are transformed by the resurrection of Christ. And, indeed, we read in 1 Corinthians 15 that it's not just twelve, but there are five hundred brothers to whom our Lord appears at one time. 120 waiting for the Holy Spirit to come once our Lord has ascended into heaven. Not a great number, right? A small blade, a grass-like sprout. But what happens 300 years later, by the time Constantine comes along and Charlemagne comes along, the growth of the kingdom is growing and growing and growing. We have that head upon the crop. And even during the time of the Middle Ages, we sometimes call it the Dark Ages, the time of corrupt Church doctrine and political intrigue, we know that both in the Eastern Orthodox Church and even in that corrupt Catholic Church, God has his people, does he not? And the Church continues to grow, and the seed continues to mysteriously and spontaneously mature. How we rejoice in the Reformation and the Great Awakening. And now, as we look around the world, and it's always interesting. There's probably about seven billion people in the world. How many would, in some way, shape, or form, profess the name of Christ? Anywhere between two to three billion, I've heard. It's a seed, then, that has grown. It's not a whole grain. The corn isn't ripe. The kernels have not completely come. But it is maturing. That seed is maturing. We can be confident of that. was told by our Savior, by our Lord, that that would be true. I'll give you a minute, if you'd like to turn with me, to Ezekiel 36, where we have farming terminology used for the people of Israel, but I'm convinced the ultimate prophecy was not for when the Jews returned to the land, but ultimately fulfilled as Christ's Church continues to grow during this time. In Ezekiel 36, we read these words, You, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people Israel, they will soon come home. For behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled, and you will be sown." There's a guarantee that that seed will grow. And listen to the poetic and beautiful imagery that we have as the Lord continues to speak through Ezekiel. I will multiply people on you, the whole house of Israel, all the city shall be inhabited, the waste places rebuilt, and I will multiply on you man and beast, and they shall multiply and will be fruitful. I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than ever before, and then you will know that I am the Lord." We read 1 Corinthians 13 earlier this morning, that passage ended with verse 9 where we read where Paul said, we are God's workers, but you are God's And so, with confidence, we rest in the sovereignty of God, recognizing that that seed planted in the ground grows mysteriously, grows spontaneously, grows to maturity. The kingdom continues to advance. But note also with me, the success of the kingdom is guaranteed because it is harvested appropriately. When the grain is ripe, at once he puts it in the siffle. because the harvest has come. Verse 29, the grain is ripe, immediately the harvest takes place. Not too early, not too late, and again, nothing more disappointing is there than having spent all your time toiling, laboring to bring forth a good crop and then to wait either too long or to pick it too quickly. Two years ago, last year, first time we grew watermelon, You know, there was no manual about when to know when it was ripe. So we did the banging like you do in the store and say, hello watermelon, are you ready? We tried every which way to harvest it at the right time. Weren't successful in a couple of times. A couple of cases we definitely harvested it too early. When Ruth was two, three, and her strawberry plants were first growing, Ruth didn't care about making sure that these strawberries were ripe. She knew that there were strawberries out there. She knew she liked strawberries. So green, dirt, bug-infested, it didn't matter to Ruth. Those were strawberries. She put them in her mouth. And we couldn't figure out where all our strawberries were going. We went for a while. We were very curious. And the problem was, those strawberries were not being harvested appropriately. Thanks be to God. that our great sower harvests in his sovereignty just at the right time. And that's true for each of us as saints, right? Individually, we'll be called home to heaven when it is the right time. We will not turn to Matthew 13. I think most of us are familiar with that parable, the parable of the wheat and the tares. Mark does not record it for us, and yet we recognize that at the end of the age, when the great harvest time comes, God will separate the wheat and the tares, but he waits until then, because he wants to harvest appropriately. He wants to be sure that none of the true crops, those who are his people, are hurt or destroyed or devastated. And so he makes sure that the seed is safe, and then he harvests appropriately. And certainly we have an image here of the time of great judgment, which is coming. on Judgment Day when that great harvest takes place. And so we focus this morning so far on the success of the kingdom, the success of the seed. Appropriately so, that is the focus of the parable. But I think there's another focus of the parable, and that is the sower of the seed. And we note that the sovereign sower, the one who plants and then sits, eats, waits for the plant to grow, is also the sovereign reaper. Verse 29 tells us, when the grain is ripe, at once he, that is the same farmer, planted the seed, comes in, puts in the sickle, because the harvest is come. And that image of our Savior being the one who will reap all of mankind in the end is shown throughout scripture. But Jesus even reminds us, and again, a passage we already read this morning, before he went into heaven, as he's talking to his disciples in John chapter 4, that the time for harvest and reaping ultimately is Judgment Day, but it still continues. throughout the age of the church. And in John 4, we've read these words already this morning. My food is to do the will of him who sent me to accomplish his work. Do you not say there are yet four months, then comes the harvest? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes. Sealed the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages, gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper may rejoice together. Oftentimes, when we think of reaping, we think, of course, of the grim reaper, devastation, the sickle being placed in, and the tares being destroyed. But I would encourage us to be reminded that, come that Judgment Day, come the time for the Great Harvest, there will be an abundance of wheat, not just tares. There are two passages that use that same image of sowing and reaping the Great Harvest, and I would encourage you to turn to them. Turn with me, first of all, to Joel, Chapter 3. And while we certainly will see in Joel chapter 3, and as we turn to Revelation after that, an indication that there are those who will be destroyed and there are those who will face eternal destruction. My point this morning is that along with those will be many who turn in faith to Christ, many who will be harvested into heaven. We rejoice this morning in knowing that it is true because our sovereign sower is the sovereign reaper. Starting with verse 12 of Joel chapter 3. Let the nations stir themselves up. Let them come to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go and shred, for the winepress is full, the vats overflow, for their evil is great." So far again this morning it sounds pretty desperate and gruesome on Judgment Day. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision. for the day of the Lord is near, and the valley of decision, the sun and the moon are darkened, the stars withdraw their shining, but verse 16, thank God that it's there, the Lord roars from Zion, and he utters his voice from Jerusalem, the heavens and the earth quake, but the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel. Note verse 20, Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to all generations. So yes, Come Judgment Day, the divine reaper will indeed cast the tares into hell. But thanks be to God that the harvest will be great for those who rejoice in our Savior, for those who have been sovereignly called to him. The same image we find in Revelation 14, and let's turn there to Revelation 14, and we'll read together verses 14 through 16. And then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a man with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come. The harvest of the earth is fully ripe." See, harvest only when appropriate, when the time is right. So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the whole earth was reaped. And what happened as a result of that reaping? Listen to these glorious words a few chapters before in chapter 7, verses 9 through 10. After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes, and peoples, and languages, standing before the Lamb clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands, crying out with a loud voice, salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the land. And so the sovereign sower is indeed the sovereign reaper who will bring us, who are his people, into that great harvest home even as he separates us from those apart from Christ. But I would remind us as well that although the Lord is the great sower in this parable, It certainly is appropriate for us to be reminded that we have been called to be sowers as well. Our Lord Jesus is now ascended into heaven, and he anticipates and expects that we who are his people will be those who plant that seed and see the kingdom grow, even until he returns. Romans 10-14 reminds us, how are they to hear without someone preaching? It is an encouragement for all of us this morning to know that as we sow the seed, it will grow. One of the greatest books on evangelism that's ever written, and I'm sure most of you in this room have at least heard of it and perhaps read it, and that is Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. by J.I. Packer. Packer basically says those who don't believe in the sovereignty of God really do have a helpless evangelism, right? We know, as God's people, that God will call his elect in. We know that we will reap the full harvest of the crop. And so it is with that in mind that we read Psalm 126 this morning. Zion will be restored and it will be a cause for great rejoicing. And there's that general principle that those who sow in tears Those who mourn for sinners, those who seek them and bring them in, will come back rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them. We read in John chapter 4 that although the Lord indeed is the great reaper of the harvest, he has called us as his people to be those who look at those white harvest fields. One who sows, another reaps. I sent you to reap for that which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor. Very familiar words to us, of course, in 1 Corinthians 3. Again, we've read them already this morning, but let me remind you. Paul says, I planted, of Paul is watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one. Each will receive his wages according to And so, as God's people, we recognize it's a great responsibility, it's a great joy to be those who share in proclaiming the good news of the gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, knowing confidently that it will indeed grow, and that the Kingdom will come to full maturity until our Lord Jesus comes to harvest his own In James chapter 5, these are words that are perhaps not as familiar to us as those others that we read this morning regarding the harvest field in Psalm 126 or John 4 and 1 Corinthians 3. So if you'd like to turn back with me to James, I want to remind you of what James tells us. Because, let's be honest, sometimes it seems painfully slow, doesn't it, the growth of God's kingdom? Some of us, you know, more analytical than others have wondered, why is it that we haven't, as a congregation, been blessed to see growth more so than we have? We thank God for Bam, we thank God for Michaela, look forward to their professions of faith, and we are rejoicing in that seed being planted. Sometimes we get discouraged when we share the Gospel, and share the Gospel, and share the Gospel. May I remind you that Vicki reach causes all to rejoice one more day when she came in and told us that her uncle week link a nine-year-old for whom her husband hit for whom his wife had prayed many times in the extended family as well waited until he was ninety to make a profession. So James were need to be true for us. Be patient, brothers, till the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it until it receives the early and the late rains. We can't make it rain. We can plant and we can trust that the Lord will bring the increase. You also be a patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged. Behold, the judge is standing at the door." And so I would encourage all of us not to grow weary in well-doing. not to take matters into our own hands, if you will, but to proclaim the gospel and to trust that the Lord of the harvest will, in his good time, bring forth that mature seed at the coming of our Lord Jesus. There are many theologians that I could turn to at this point to illustrate, in closing, the great truths that we've read, but I've chosen that great theologian Toad, along with his good friend Frog, because Frog and Toad very clearly. It's a children's favorite, I recognize. We love it in our house. But see if this doesn't ring true, based on what we've just read. "'I wish I had a garden,' said Toad. "'Well, here are some flower seeds. Plant them in the ground,' said Frog. "'And soon you will have a garden.' "'How soon?' asked Toad. "'Quite soon,' said Frog." Toad ran home. He planted those flower seeds. "'Now, seeds!' said Toad. Start growing!" Toad walked up and down a few times. The seeds did not start to grow. Toad put his head close to the ground and he said, "'Leave the seeds, start growing!" Toad looked at the ground again. The seeds did not start to grow. I know, this is kind of funny stuff, but aren't we the same way? We share the gospel with others. We get frustrated because they're not listening to us. Why don't you wake up? Toad put his head very close to the ground and he shouted, SEEDS START GROWING! Frog came running up the path. What is all this noise, he asked. My seeds will not grow, said Toad. You're shouting too much, said Frog. These poor seeds, they're afraid to grow. My seeds are afraid to grow, I said. Well, of course, leave them alone. Doesn't this sound familiar? Leave them alone. Let the sun shine on them. Let the rain fall on them. Soon your seeds will start to grow. The mystery of the kingdom. Clamp the seed. Let the Lord take it from there. Well, that night Toad looked out of his window. Drat! My seeds have not started to grow. They must be afraid of the dark. So Toad went out to his garden with some candles. I know. I will read the seeds a story. Then they won't be afraid. Well, Toad read a long story to his seeds. And all the next day, Toad sang songs to his seeds. And all the next day, Toad read poems to his seeds. And all the next day, Toad played music for his seeds. And I know this is just a children's story, but I can't help but think there's an analogy there of so many times our evangelism turns into entertainment time, right? In an attempt to make those seeds grow. Toad looked at the ground. The seeds still did not start to grow. What shall I do? These must be the most frightening seeds in the whole world. Toad felt very tired, and he fell asleep. Mark 427. Plant a seed. Sleep. Go about the rest of your work. Toad! Toad! Wake up, said Frog. Look at your garden. Toad looked at his garden. Little green plants were coming out of the ground. At last, shouted Toad. My seeds stopped being afraid to grow. And now you too will have a nice garden, said the frog. God will have a nice garden, a beautiful garden, a glorious garden. And we are like Toad. We must plant and we must wait. But unlike Toad, we know that our sovereign God has guaranteed the success of his seed, his church. It will grow in a mysterious way. It will grow seemingly spontaneously, but only because of the sovereign work of our holy God. And it will grow to full maturity. All the elect will be brought in. And then our Savior, our sower, will be the great reaper, and he'll safely bring us into his harvest home. But until then, let us all, each and every one of us, faithfully sow the seed of the gospel and watch together as the blade, the ear, and then the full grain appears. And as we patiently await the return of the Lord of the harvest, may we be those who constantly cry out to a lost and dying world when they ask us, What must I do to be saved? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Let's pray together. Father, we claim Properly so, that we believe that you are a sovereign God in control of those who will come to you. And yet, Father, we fret and we worry. We act a lot like toads. We wonder where you are, why your kingdom isn't growing the way we would desire in our midst or even in our hearts. And yet, Father, we thank you that because you are the sovereign Lord of all, your kingdom is guaranteed and the success of it will happen. Sometimes for us too mysteriously, sometimes to us not fast enough, sometimes it doesn't appear that it's growing to maturity, and yet ultimately, Father, we recognize that you will indeed bring your people, your harvest in. And until that day, would you grant us your spirit so that we would follow your command to be those who share the gospel of the Lord Jesus with others, so that they can join us in proclaiming that our Lord is indeed the one who causes us to grow as His people. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.