# The Bible and Transgender

Key Passage: Genesis 1:27
Date: June 7, 2024

Glad you’re here. Praise the Lord for that. It was a blessing. It’s always a blessing to see the little ones kind of graduate, typically on a Sunday night, you know, from the nursery to big church. And it’s good to have Elaine in big church with us tonight. She’s got her King James coloring book. I mean, she’s ready to go. That’s great. That’s great. It is exciting to see the little ones coming in.

In big church, we’re glad to have Elaine. Good to have everybody here tonight. That’s—that’s just a blessing to have you here. We are making these videos and really just felt like the Lord led us to do it, just to kind of promote the truth on the internet and maybe draw some attention to our church, not for us per se, but to get more truth out.

So we’re going to have one come out every Monday for the next five weeks. It made six. We couldn’t find one. I don’t know if we just didn’t record it right or what. And then maybe we’ll try to do six or seven more, just on the issues. “The Bible and the Issues” is what we’re calling it. And I’m asking you, would you share it with everyone you can just to get the truth out?

And the person you share it with, they may say, “I know all that,” and they may know all that, but they may share it with someone that doesn’t know all that. Years ago, whatever Deacon Brother Chad preached, the Lord just convicted me that we need to flood the internet with truth. So we’re just trying a tool to get the truth out on these issues. It is amazing. My wife did research for me as far as how to put it together. She’s the one that made it look good and all that. She said when it came to the homosexual issue, she said, “I did watch some videos on that one.” She says, “I was amazed at how many Christians were talking about the issue, and their basically their whole point was how we need to be kind to them.” And I agree with that, for sure. But she said nobody really just told the truth on those matters, specifically that issue.

So that’s what we’re trying to do, in a loving, kind way, but just talk about the issues that’s prevalent in our day and time. Would you help us? We’re going to show that video now. Would you help us just share it? It should come out on YouTube, Facebook tomorrow morning, 8 o’clock. Would you just share it everywhere you can? Would you do that, please? We’re going to show it tonight and maybe just kind of help us remember to share it tomorrow. We’ll show it at this time.

Hello, my friends. We are going to talk about the Bible and transgender today. Hope you’ll stay with me.

My friends, the Bible says in Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Did you notice God’s the one that chooses whether they’re male or female?

He created him. That’s God’s choice. By the way, God always knows best. Friend, God does not make mistakes. God chose to make you a male or a female, whether you be an adult or a child. God knew what he was doing. In fact, according to Jeremiah 1:5 and other passages,

in the Bible, God had a mission—we’ll call them goodwill missions—that he made you to do. He had made Jeremiah, and he was to be a preacher, a prophet to the nation of Israel, and he said, “Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nation.”

God made you specifically designed to do goodwill missions for him and for people. God didn’t make a mistake when he made you male or female. He’s omniscient God. He knows the end from the beginning. He knew what’s best. Friend, let me say this: It doesn’t really matter what I think about myself. I am what I am. Let me illustrate.

I used to preach in a nursing home years ago for about two years. There was a lady in the nursing home that thought she was Elizabeth Taylor. I would go in on Sundays and say, “Hey, how you doing?” And she said, “I’m doing great. I’m filming such and such movies.” She knew all her movies. Even the workers at the nursing home called her Elizabeth Taylor. We all knew she thought she was Elizabeth Taylor. But friend,

she was not Elizabeth Taylor. So the young lady thinks she’s a boy, or a boy thinks she’s a lady—it does not change who and what they are. Friend, they may need some loving encouragement to be what God made them to be. It doesn’t change what they are, what they think about themselves. They’re still a male or a female. God made them that way.

Friend, for a born-again Christian, someone that is saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, they’re not going to hell; they’re going to heaven because of Jesus Christ. They’re saved. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you… and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Years ago, we had a little girl ride one of our buses to church. She was a sweet little girl. I messed up royally one of the first times she came. I was so embarrassed. I felt so bad. But I called her a boy. Now, I’ll be honest, she dressed like a boy. She sounded a little bit like a boy. It was my mistake. I apologized to that little girl, sweet little girl, I don’t know how many times I said it.

She came from a sad background—some just health problems and other issues, a sad situation. She came to our church, and praise the Lord for our teachers who tried to love that little girl. In fact, I remember one of our teachers so lovingly took that girl out one time

and bought her a beautiful little dress and some girl clothes. I remember that girl coming to church one of the next couple Sundays wearing a beautiful dress. I’d never seen that little girl in a dress. All of our workers did such a wonderful job, and I tried to just brag on how pretty. She looked like just a beautiful little girl when she had that dress on, and she was just beaming—I’m talking about glowing.

It was a wonderful thing to see; she was beginning to kind of bloom and blossom into what God had created her to be. Sadly to say, society and some people kind of pulled her, influenced her back into being a boy. I haven’t seen that girl in years. I want to illustrate to you: she just needed some adults that loved her

and encouraged her to be. Joy and peace—I’d say peace comes when you accept what God made you to do and be those goodwill missions he made you to do. All that girl needed was some encouragement from a loving adult, lovingly encouraging her to be the beautiful young lady God made her to be.

God bless you, my friend.

We did one on climate change, we did one on the mandates—that’s the one that got lost somewhere in everything, and I can’t remember. We covered six different issues and we were seeking to cover more in the future. Let’s just share it everywhere we can, try to get the truth out. I didn’t put it in the video, but the sad thing is that girl was in a home. One of her parents, I think, was in prison and one had passed.

She’s living in just an awkward situation, we’ll just say it this way. They began to let her and encourage her to be a boy. We said, “Look, if she comes to our church, we’re going to handle her like she was born—she’s a girl. We’re going to call her [as a girl]. She’ll be in girl classes and whatnot.” They pulled her out. We won’t let her come back to church anymore. Sad thing.

But these are prevalent issues in our day and time, and we want to just lovingly try to present the truth on these matters. Would you help just share it everywhere you can and try to get the truth out about those? We would appreciate that. Friday night, our ladies are going to have the spring paintings.

Amen. Thank you so much for singing out. All those involved in music ministry—what a great ministry it is. Turn your Bibles to Matthew chapter number 13, please. Matthew chapter number 13 in God’s word tonight. Praise the Lord, we have God’s word. What a blessing it is. Matthew chapter number 13. “It’s Exciting to Sow”—that’s the title for tonight. It’s exciting to sow.

To sow. Now, I’m not talking about sewing with needles, okay? I don’t think it’d be too exciting for some of us. I don’t think I’d do good at that. But sewing seed, amen. It’s exciting to sow the seed. I will say it’s exciting when you get your pockets repaired and quilts made and all that. So praise the Lord for those that do those things, amen. We need help in that area for sure. Matthew chapter 13.

We’re going to start reading in verse number three, if you would please. Matthew 13 and verse number three. Would you please stand, if you’re able, as we read God’s word together, Matthew 13 and verse number three of God’s word. If you’re there, would you say amen? Good deal. Verse number three. The Bible says, “And he spake many things unto them in parables.”

Parables are earthly stories with a heavenly meaning, saying, “Behold, a sower went forth to sow; and when he had sown, 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.”

“Because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprung up and choked them. But others fell into good ground, brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.” Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Would you jump down to verse number 18, please? Verse number 18.

“Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.” He’s explaining now, the parable. “When anyone heareth the word of the kingdom and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which is sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the wayside.”

“But he that received seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon [immediately] with joy receiveth it. Yet hath he no root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.” He also that received 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 he becometh unfruitful." But he that received 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 60, some 30.

And would you pray with me that God would just encourage us, just kind of give us a vision and excitement of us personally—all of us personally—being a sower, being a sower of the word to see? Would you do that and ask God to do that? Father, thank you for the parable here. Lord, help us to rightly divide it. Help us, Lord, not to try to twist it to my viewpoint, but Lord, help us to rightly divide it from Your viewpoint.

And Lord, would You use it to encourage us? Lord, give us an excitement about this matter of sowing seeds and where we go. Lord, give us each a personal vision of how we can do that, just in that area.

Father, we’ll thank You and praise You for what You do. Father, we ask for this in the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated. Years ago, my wife got into this saying. We had gardens for years, but she said, “I won’t have a sunflower garden, just sunflowers.” The thing I liked about it very much so was

Sunflowers typically you really don’t have to plow up real good. A regular garden, you don’t need to till it up and get all the grass and weeds out of that. Maybe we just touched that, but not much at all. But sunflower seeds—we just tossed seeds out all over on the east side of our house. Ms. Tammy had gotten all kind of seeds, sunflower seeds, and we just tossed them all over.

Our bedroom window faces that way. We just tossed those seeds all out—a whole lot of seeds. I liked it; it was easy to do. Somebody say amen to that right there. It’s a good thing there. We just tossed it out, and it was amazing. We watched those things just pop up, and then they began to grow. I’m talking about these sunflowers. Not all the seeds we tossed—I don’t know how many, probably hundreds of seeds out there.

I’m not sure. Maybe we ended up with 40, 50. I thought it was great for the work we put into it. Sunflowers, and they shot up way over our heads. I mean, these big, tall sunflowers, and they got the big head on there, the flower, if you will, and they began to tilt over, of course, towards the sun and whatnot. Eventually, we got the seeds out of that.

My wife followed it through and baked them and sawed them and all that. We had our own sunflower seeds for a while we could eat on, you know. It’s just exciting just to toss the seeds out there. Not all of them came up, but sure enough, a good amount of them did. I was pretty pleased with that garden there. The Bible here is talking about us as Christians.

Everywhere we go, we’re tossing seeds out. Somebody said, “Have a leaking seed basket.” Just everywhere you go, you’re leaking seeds out. Now, the Bible lists four different types of ground: the wayside ground, the stony ground, the thorny ground, and then the good ground.

All right, let’s just look at those very briefly, if you would, please. The wayside ground. Would you look at verse number 13 here in Matthew chapter 13? And would you look at verse number 19? Verse number 19 here, please. Verse number 19: “When anyone heareth the word of the kingdom…”

“…and understandeth it not.” That’s a sad statement. They understandeth it not. Let me go, whether it be out on Saturdays or a family reunion or the workplace or whatever, and you try to witness to someone—our goal is for them to understand. That’s our goal. That matters not just in the head, but in their heart. We’ll see that just a minute here.

Friend, our job—you realize over there, Matthew, when he gives us the Great Commission, he says, “Teach.” My job is never to lead someone to the Lord Jesus Christ; He does that. My job is to tell them.

My job was to be the best I can so they understand the gospel. It’s the power of God unto salvation. I’m just to go try to get the seed out while they understand it. Because if they don’t understand, look at the rest of this verse: “They heareth the word of the kingdom and understandeth it not. Then cometh the wicked one.”

Of course, parallel scriptures teach us very clearly that’s Satan, that’s the devil. He’s always watching for that. Then comes the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. It’s not just a matter of head knowledge; it’s a matter of heart knowledge.

That seed is sown in the heart. It’s very important. It’s a matter of heart knowledge. That which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the wayside. I think in many countries where the gospel has been twisted into works-based teaching…

Many Muslim countries, many countries that are predominantly Catholic. Many areas of our nation, up north in different places, very predominantly Catholic. It’s just ingrained in them—works out of it. That’s our nature, by the way, also. But then these religions have just…

and it’s very hard for them to comprehend it. It’s very sad in our area to find it more and more people that go to church often where the gospel’s not very clear. “If you died today, do you know for sure you go to heaven?” “I’m working on it.”

“I’m trying to get there. Well, I’ve stopped this, I’ve stopped that, I’m trying to do this”—good things—but they don’t understand it. Sometimes it’s very hard for them to comprehend in their heart. It’s not a matter of what you do; it’s a matter of what Jesus did.

That’s His job. Some of these countries are wayside territory, if you will, and Satan has just stolen this seed away. It’s a very dark area, very sad areas, and a small minority of people, I’m talking about, are saved in those areas, and it’s wayside territory.

It’s interesting. Sometimes you find that in neighborhoods over the years—we go to some neighborhoods, and it just seems like there’s a darkness over that neighborhood. Sometimes we go back and pray over that, and God kind of changes those neighborhoods, but you find that sometimes in neighborhoods. This saying of wayside ground is very clear if we’re applying this parable to salvation. I think it can be applied to other things also, but if you apply it to salvation,

very clear: this first ground, the guy’s not saved, he didn’t get saved. The enemy came along and stole the seed away. He didn’t say, “Let’s go on to the next ground,” if you would please. The stony ground. Look in verse number 20. Verse number 20 here: “But he that received this seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon [immediately]…”

That’s at once or immediately—straightway, sometimes other gospels use that word straightway—and anon with joy receiveth it. This guy, he not only heard it, but he received it with joy. Praise the Lord! He took it. It grew. It popped up out of the ground. It had some fruit.

Verse number 21: “Yet hath he no root in himself.” Maybe, maybe you could say just no character, just not a lot of drive, if you will. No root in himself, but dureth for a while. Notice that: “For when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word.” So it’s associated with the word somewhat here because this persecution and tribulation comes because of the word.

And he becomes—notice it—unfruitful. So it was fruitful, but then becomes unfruitful. Now, I want to rightly divide this, but friend, if I understand this right, he heard it and received it.

It popped up; I mean, it produced a plant. When the sun came, it was dried up, but it quit when tribulation and persecution came because of the word. So it was associated with it. If I’m applying this to salvation, I would think this guy heard it, he received it, he got saved, popped up, and he got associated with the word. The problems come.

Persecution comes, tribulation comes. I was talking to someone this morning, one of my sons—they’re standing against alcohol, praise the Lord—and they said they make fun of him over that. That’s kind of teasing. I said, “Praise the Lord, you’re doing something right.” All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

That persecution comes when you’re associated with the word. They don’t want that. They get offended. “Offended” in the Bible has to do with it causing you to stop or stumble. I’m not going to go there. The thing I want to point out about this ground: if we’re applying it to salvation, it’s pretty clear to me, it became fruitful. It was fruitful. Now, if I believe in eternal security, you understand where I’m going from.

He heard it, he received it. It produced a plant, but it withered away when the sun came in. So this fellow, if I’m rightly interpreting the Word of God, he got saved. Unfortunately, when persecuted—maybe got in church—I remember someone there getting in church and starting to get faithful, and someone was giving them a hard time. They said, “Man, you’re friends—they’re friends, by the way, quote-unquote, friends.”

“You love that church more than you. You don’t ever hang out with us anymore because you’re always at church.” Their friends were giving them a hard time, and their friends said, “You’ll probably put money into that church, don’t you?” Eventually, we were able to lead their friend to the Lord. But when their friend died, they wanted to call the preacher they were bashing to preach the funeral. You know how that goes.

I’m just saying some people, when that stuff happens, they say, “Well, it’s not me,” and they drop out. But just want you to know: the first fellow, we know, is not saved. The second fellow, if I understand scripture, got saved but then backslid when problems came along. So, boy, it’s not for me. When the going gets tough, I’m going the opposite way, amen, you know, that type of thing.

Let’s keep going on these different grounds, if you would. We’ve got the wayside ground—not saved. The stony ground—backslid. Look at the thorny ground, if you would. Look at verse number 22. Verse number 22: “He also that received 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 he becometh unfruitful.” Now this one here, I’ll be honest with you, is very debatable. If I had to fall anywhere, I’d think the guy got saved but never really grew as he ought. Some would disagree, and there’s some ground for that. I want to be honest with you here. If I understand right, he did receive.

And he did hear; there’s a difference in there. And then the bottom of verse number 20—he becometh unfruitful. I’m sorry, I might have read this when I was talking about the stony ground, and I’m sorry if I’m applying this verse to both. This is clearly verse number 22, the thorny ground.

So I apologize if I messed it up. I’m not sure that I did, but I may have. I’m trying to be accurate today. This thorny ground here, it does say for sure, “He becometh unfruitful,” which would make me think it was fruitful for a while. I don’t think this fellow here grew. If he did get saved, he’s one of those guys who got saved and never came to church, never got baptized, never grew into the Christian he ought to become.

The other one, the stony ground, I think he grew a little bit. He got associated with the word, but when persecution came, he dropped out. This fellow here, if he did get saved, he never really took steps of growth. He heard it, he received it, but oh, my goodness, the deceitfulness of riches. People in our day and time are just so caught up in the rat race of…

…get what the Joneses have next door. They’re just so wrapped up in this, entangled with this world, they don’t have time for church. Shame on them. They’re going to regret it one day. But they just don’t grow. By the way, if a baby is born—I’m not talking about a human baby—and it doesn’t get nurture and love and care in its home…

That’s typically where that happens. In our day and time, we use hospitals. They didn’t use it for years and years. But the home is the main caregiver; if not, it’s not going to grow at all. Now, that person gets saved—they’re a brand new baby in Christ. If they don’t get to the house of God, there’s a real good chance you’re not going to grow as God intends. That’s an analogy. You must be born again, so on and so on. This one here is debatable; I just want to be honest with you about it.

If I had to guess, I’d say that fellow got saved but never grew as he ought. It could be debatable, if you would. Let me read this same thing on this thorny seed or ground. Let me read for you what Luke 8:14 says. It’s a parallel passage about it: “And they which fell among thorns are they which, when they have heard, go forth and are choked with cares and riches.”

“…and pleasures of this life, and bring forth no fruit to perfection.” Notice that: no fruit to perfection or maturity. So we’ll kind of leave that in the middle. If I had to choose, I’d say I think the fellow got saved but never grew.

I wouldn’t be dogmatic about that. Then this last ground is the good ground. Look in verse number 23, if you would please. Verse number 23 of Matthew 13: “But he that received 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 60, some 30.”

I don’t know about you, but I like to be good ground. Can I say just a word about this good ground? It was good ground even if it was 60 or 30. Don’t say, “Well, I would be good ground if God would use me like so-and-so.” God doesn’t want to use you like so-and-so. He wants to use you like He plans on using you.

You’ve got different plans, different paths, different races for all of us. If God made you to be a 30, don’t feel inferior or like a failure if you don’t produce 100 like so-and-so. God didn’t make you to do 100. God’s just as pleased with what you produce at 30 as He is with somebody else that does 100. God’s just as pleased with you. It makes us all different. Don’t try to compare. That’s not what the Bible says.

We’re all different. They’re all good ground. Our goal is to be good ground, not to be like so-and-so else. Just be good ground. You hear it, you understand it, and over time, God bears fruit out of your life.

That’s his goal. Here’s my point: The last guy, of course, got saved. Here’s my point: First guy, we know, didn’t get saved. Second guy, he got saved, but when persecution came, he dropped out of the race. Third guy, he’s debatable—maybe, maybe not. We’ll leave that up to you. Fourth guy, we know he got saved. Here’s what I’m getting at.

Friend, when we sow seed, we know not all of them are going to get saved, but portions of them will.

Maybe three out of four, maybe two out of four, but only one grew to maturity. Only one grew to being what I love to see. Jesus, when he healed the ten lepers, even Jesus said, “Where are the nine?” Only one came back and gave Him thanks.

They were all healed that day, healed from the leprosy, but only one was made whole that day—the one that came back. Friend, I wish every person I witnessed to would get saved, and I wish every person who gets saved grows and produces like I want them to. The honest truth is, it doesn’t happen like that. Even with one of His most faithful workers, [garbled text] having loved this present world.

My friend, my job is to sow seed everywhere I go, just sow seed. Not all of them are going to get saved. Not all that get saved are going to grow as I want them to. But can I say this? That one that didn’t grow to perfection—praise the Lord, if God’s safety is in heaven—if you believe in eternal security, that’s the big thing: missing hell, going to heaven.

He’s not going to have the rewards God wants him to have. Praise the Lord, he’s not burning. Praise the Lord, he got the mercy and the grace, and he’s in heaven. If he doesn’t grow, I don’t want it to be because of my lack of follow-up. Friend, I haven’t seen anybody in the last 20, 30 years that’s seen people saved regularly and every one of them grows like that. I haven’t seen that. I don’t think it’s ever been true, even in Jesus’ day.

Not all of them grew in perfection. But praise the Lord, they got saved. Our job is just to sow the seed. Yes, yes, try to follow up, but you can’t make them all grow. It’s exciting just to sow the seed. That’s the excitement of all—to watch the seeds pop up. Brother Frank this week went to Publix, and he got some…

He went in there and he got some cupcakes and he got some ice cream. Let’s see, what else did he get? He got some pies. No, I’m teasing. He didn’t get all that. I don’t know what had gotten in there. But anyway, he was on the way out, and the lady, I think it was, was doing the bags and helping with all that. He planted a seed, and the girl wanted to hear—a teenage young lady. He thought, “Well, she wants to hear,” so he kept going further on the gospel.

Eventually, that 18-year-old, 20-year-old, bowed her head and asked Jesus Christ to be her Savior. He is excited, man. He came in, got a decision slip, and filled it out. We’re going to send a new convert letter and try to follow up. He went back and all that; we’re going to try to do all that. I want her to grow in the Lord, and I’ve never met her. But even if she doesn’t, if she understood and she meant it…

She put her full faith in Christ, praise the Lord. She’s changed from hell to heaven. Brother Anthony on the bus this morning—it was this morning, right?—it was an eight-year-old boy, a new boy on the bus. Brother Anthony, “You got to tell that little boy about Jesus Christ.” And he bowed his head and asked Jesus Christ to save him. This afternoon, I think two teenagers were on the bus. Praise the Lord for that. I want him to stay in church, and we’ll follow up and try to get him on that bus every week.

You know, even if they don’t grow like I want them to, if they truly got saved, hey, they’re not going to hell anymore. By the way, so often when you’re dealing with a bus ministry, it’s not until years later that you see the good ground. Sometimes it’s the ones you never expect; the ones you get known to all the time—you just never know.

I read one time there was a magazine going around called The Baptist, I believe it was, for a year or so. I read a wonderful little story in that magazine about a little church—I can’t remember the state it was in—and they had some buses. There was a lady who had one bus route; she was a bus captain of it, and it was one of the neighboring cities. She was going over there to that city, and she found a new boy to ride the bus.

She was excited. The boy rode the bus that next day. New riders are always excited. It’s always like, “Hoo-hoo, got a new rider!” The bus ministry is always moving, so you’re always losing some, and you always have new ones coming on. Same thing with the church. But anyway, she had a new one.

The little boy came to church and loved it. He was excited about it. He heard about Jesus loving him and shedding His blood for him. He said, “Wow.” He wants to give him eternal life by His shed blood, and he can get saved. That little boy was so excited about it, and with just childlike faith, that little boy got saved that day. I got back on the bus that afternoon—Sunday School, Children’s Church—and he was so excited about all that.

And thrilled about it. The bus captain, that lady, she said, “Whoa, man, I got a new rider. This boy’s going to be faithful. We’re going to get him in here faithfully, and he’s going to grow in the Lord.” She was excited about it. She went back the next Saturday to line up who’s going to ride the bus on Sunday. That’s what good bus workers do. She knocked on the door, and nobody answered. Well, that boy was so excited. She said, “Well, they’re probably not here or something.” She came by Sunday on the bus.

She knocked on the door; surely somebody’s in there. Nobody answered. Well, they’re sleeping in, something. Some days went by the next Saturday, and she said, “I knew people were inside there,” and she kept knocking on the door, but nobody would answer. She said one time she even saw the little boy out, and she went to go talk to him about riding the bus, and he took off running. You know what happens then? The devil says, “Well, that little boy, he didn’t mean it. He didn’t know what he was doing. He didn’t understand it,” you know, all the rest of that.

After a while, she said, “Well, can’t make him come.” She never saw the boy again. Years later, years later—I don’t think it was a big church—I remember the story. I read it in a church, and the ushers, of course, were back there. A well-dressed man came in one Sunday morning, had a suit on, and he started talking to the ushers. He said, “Sir,”

He said, “Was there a lady in this church years ago that used to run a bus route to such and such neighboring city?” They said, “Oh, you’re talking about Miss so-and-so.” He said, “Is she still here?” I remember the story; she was still there. That man went and talked to that lady. He said, “Hey, do you remember years ago you picked up a little boy? He came one time. He loved it. He was excited. He came and got saved.”

“And you came back time and time again, but he never came back.” She said, “I think so,” and he began to describe the things he was wearing, all that stuff, and where he lived at. She said, “I think I remember that.” He said, “I was that little boy. I want to tell you the part you didn’t know. When I came, I heard about Jesus. Something happened in my heart. I loved it, man, just hearing the loving story, ‘God loves me.’ It just meant something. I meant it when I asked Jesus to save me.”

“I went home and told my dad about it. He got mad, and he said, ‘Don’t you ever talk to those people. If I catch you talking to those people again, I’m going to whip you so good.’” But he said he never got over it. When I got old enough and got out on my own, I started to go to church.

I’m in church serving God today, living for God. I want to come back and thank you." Friend, you don’t know—you just sowed seed. It may not be until we get to heaven that you hear what all happened to those seeds. But you just sowed it. Like those sunflowers, man, just toss it out, just keep going everywhere you go and see what God does with that.

Now, let’s just take a moment—just a moment. We’ve got to hurry along here because that clock is always going. We need to stop this clock. Would you look over in Luke 8? It’s a parallel passage about this, and I want you, just for a moment, to look at the good ground.

What do I have to do to be good ground? Do I have to be charismatic? Do I have to know all the Bible from front to back, be able to say Genesis to Leviticus and all that, you know, and then backwards and all that? Let’s find out what it takes to be good ground. The way he describes good ground, it brings forth fruit—30, 60, 100. What do I have to do to be good ground? I love how Luke describes it. Luke 8, would you look in verse number 15? Luke 8,

and verse number 15: “You want to be good ground. How many out there want to be good ground? Would you say amen?” Amen. Amen. I’m with you. Let’s try it again. You want to be good ground? Amen. Oh, me too, me too. Verse number 15: “But that on the good ground are they which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”

All those are key. Let me just emphasize a couple things: honest heart, honest heart. I remember a man came to me several years back, and he was reading a book, and he said, “You know, being honest, I’m realizing I have anger problems. I have a problem with my temper, my anger.” I told that man,

I think God—let me say it—I said, “Brother, you’re setting yourself up to grow because you’re being honest. You’re facing it. That’s when growth happens.”

We mentioned this morning in the message: just be honest. We have problems. Be honest—not manipulative, not justifying, just being honest about it. And the honest—and next thing he says—good heart. Can you have a good heart? Yes. We always quote over there in Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things; who can know it?” But that next verse, verse number 10, says God has the reins.

God gives you a good heart.

Can I mention just a couple things about having a good heart? Number one, guard it. Proverbs 4:23: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Guard it. Men, my eye affects my wife—that’s for ladies too, but men, it’s such an issue in our day and time. Ladies are always looking at things maybe, but I’ve got to guard my heart. What am I watching? What am I reading? What am I listening to?

Guarding your heart. Guard your heart. Number two, guide your heart. Proverbs 23:19: “Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.” Your heart’s going to want to go wrong, but you’ve got to guide it. Don’t follow your heart; you’ll get yourself messed up. Guide your heart. Guard your heart.

Guide your heart. Your heart’s going to want to go here, there, and yonder. But where your treasure is, there will your heart be also, so you guide it. “I want to drop out of church. I don’t want to go to church. I’m tired.” I’m going to put my treasure in there. Your heart doesn’t want to go there, but you guide it. Your heart will follow it. Guard your heart, guide your heart, and then give your heart to the Lord continually.

Just over and over and over again. Psalm 62:8: “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.” Think about it. Just continue to give Him your heart. “Man, I got hurt. I got bitterness. I got moods. I got envy. I got jealousy.” Give your heart continually to the Lord, just over and over again. Give it to Him.

He said, “In an honest and good heart, and then he says, with patience.” I like to have lasting fruit, and that’s a good desire. Friend, I’ve watched it. It seems like those that just patiently, patiently put their seed out over the years—in God’s time, God brings the increase—those are the ones so often who have lasting fruit. It’s wonderful to see. Man, I want it right now, but with patience.

Honest and good heart, with patience, or keeping the word and trying to obey. God, in His time… Many of you have heard the story so many times, but if you haven’t heard it, act like you have, please. Some folks haven’t heard it tonight. Years ago, we had someone call our church office—we had a secretary at the time—and said, “Hey, was your pastor in North Georgia 30-something years ago?” Now, this has been…

I don’t know, maybe 15 years ago, so that would be 45 years ago. Years ago, in North Georgia, did he lead a fellow to the Lord? That fellow was on the front porch, and he had long hair down to his hips, you know, and he led a fellow to the Lord. He was sitting down on his rocking chair and so on and so on. The secretary said, “Well, probably not our pastor, because he wouldn’t have been out that young all those years ago.” Did y’all notice? He’d be mighty young. Did y’all notice that?

The secretary said, “Probably his dad,” so they gave my dad’s number. That individual called my dad. Dad, of course, was living just down the street here at the time. The man asked the same question: North Georgia, 30-something years ago and all that. Dad was at the point where he had cancer or whatnot, and he couldn’t remember everything. Let me just tell you, some of you don’t know my dad, and I haven’t maybe shared some of these things. Dad was always—he was the most faithful soul winner I’ve ever seen personally.

He put me to shame. So many times, me and my siblings would be in the car: “Oh, great, Dad’s witnessing again. We’re going to be here for a little while now.” Shame on us, but that’s what we thought. Everywhere we went, I don’t know how many times. Dad did not have the most tact in the world. I wouldn’t say do it exactly like my dad did it.

Especially when you get older, you can get by with some things. I’ve heard him so many times just walk up and say, “Are you going to heaven when you die?” He just started off a conversation like that with a stranger. That hit me, you know. But he was such a faithful soul winner. Sometimes he wasn’t as thorough as I thought he should be. I’m being honest with you. Me and my siblings sometimes said, “Well, I don’t know if those people really got saved or not.” Now, I don’t know what everyone I did…

I’m going back to this story: this fellow called my dad, and my dad said, “Well, that time sounds like when we traveled.” We traveled a lot, but everywhere we went, Dad was just winning souls, casting seed, I’d say. He said, “That fellow you led to the Lord all those years ago has been my pastor for the last, I think, 16 years at that time, and he’s turning 50.”

He always tries to pronounce your name when he tells this testimony, but he just can’t say Chisgar right. He says “Chisar.” You know, he’s a little older. He’s not as good with computers. I’ve been researching on the internet—our pastor has tried, Tennessee Temple University alumni and all that—tried to find you. We want to surprise our pastor. We’ve restored that rocking chair he was sitting in. It’s been in the shed all these years. We’ve reworked it. We’re going to put it on the platform.

We’re going to have him sit down in that rocking chair, and we’re going to bring you out, and we’re going to reunite you. A wonderful story. Sometimes I don’t have my phone on, but if you ask, I’ll show you the picture of the before and after. Let me give you their side of the story. Their side of the story: they were so messed up.

And never been in church. The wife thought they were so messed up in sin, just put it that way. She thought there was no hope for them; they were just too far gone. But maybe there was some hope for their kids. So she was letting the Jehovah’s Witnesses come in. “Maybe there’s some hope for our kids.” Bud Martin didn’t like that. The husband, he never had been in church, but he said, “I know those folks ain’t right.” So they were arguing at nighttime, laying in bed.

Brother Martin says—he said—“Man, I just want to go to bed. I have to get up early the next morning to go to work. She can sleep, you know, I won’t go to bed.” So he said, “I tell you what, we’re going to pray. If there’s somebody up there, he needs to show us the truth.” I’ve heard him say it more than once. He said, “I don’t even know if I closed my eyes or not. I didn’t know how to pray.” Laying in bed, he just said, “Hey, if You’re up there, we need to know what truth is. We’ll do it if You show us the truth.”

It wasn’t a coincidence. Within the next, I think, 24 hours, maybe 48 hours, my dad and my mom knocked on the door. They wanted to get saved. They heard that story. They got saved. Yes, they came to church. We moved on. Never fought a thing. Never heard from them.

By the way, he’s still pastoring down in Lafayette, Georgia. I preach for him. He’s a preacher. He helped preach my dad’s funeral—the man of God. All those years later, wow. We never dreamed. I never had any idea that some of those seeds—you just keep sowing seed. God, in His time, His way, with patience, brings forth the fruit.

One more thought, one more thought very quickly here. Would you look back over Matthew 13? Just very quickly. I want you just to notice—I love how God words things in other parallel scriptures. Verse number three right there, Matthew 13, verse number three: “And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold.” Now, when God says “Behold,” it’s kind of like, “Whoa, stop, everybody look up here.” Behold, a sower went forth to sow.

To sow. Let me read for you how Mark describes it. Mark 4:3: “Hark! Listen up. Behold, there went out a sower to sow.” What I’m saying is, did you notice the emphasis Jesus is putting on: “Hey, somebody’s sowing seed”? It’s exciting when just sowing seed.

God makes a big deal about sowing. We like to see the results. God says, “Hey, that’s My department. Stay out of there. Just sow seed.” God makes a big deal about us just sowing. “I didn’t have any fruit.” That’s all right. He brings the increase in His time. My job, our job, is just to sow the seed.

The sower went forth to sow. You just never know. I mentioned it so many times—I hope I don’t bore you—but none of us in my family, all my relatives were saved, and somebody put a tract rack out in the hospital in Plant City, Florida. My grandmother got it. They are from my grandmother and grandpa on my dad’s side; they are from Hungary and couldn’t read. My grandpa really couldn’t speak English.

They gave that tract out. My grandma picked it up and she gave it to my mom, and my mom ended up getting saved just from that tract, leading to my dad, siblings, relatives, and so on. Just from the tract. We don’t know who put that tract out there. I imagine he’s in heaven today and he knows about it, but all those years he never had any idea.

You just plant seed. “Behold, the sower went forth to sow.” Woo, look at that sower sowing seed down there. That’s the big deal. You had work—sow seed. Praise the Lord. You had a family reunion with your neighbor, sow seed. You had to gas up, sow seed. McDonald’s window. Amen, come on now.

You went to Jason’s Deli. Come on now. Now we’re getting healthy there, you know, wherever it may be. But you’re just sowing seed. It’s exciting to sow seed. God, in His time, by the way, here’s a neat thing: when you’re faithful to sow, God’s amazing how it brings people across your path that He’s been working in.

Oh, Paul over there at Philippi, he said, “Hey, fellas, we’re in Europe, what world? We’re not related to my Lord over here. We’re just new territory. Let’s go out to the river to pray.” God just happened to have—just happened to have—Lydia there. Seller of purple washing. “Hey, who y’all praying to?” Well, let me tell you about it. In my Bible, that paragraph has above it: “First convert in Europe.” God knew old Paul was faithful to witness. God’s good about it. He’s faithful to—He brings people along your path. Paul’s in jail. God says, “Let me give him a cellmate named Onesimus.” He’s at a point in his life he’ll listen to the gospel. It’s just when you’re just faithful, God brings them along your path. It’s a wonderful thing. Just sow seed. Just sow seed.

Hey, I got to have somebody saying, “No, it’s just sow seed.”

God brings forth the results, just sow seed. Just go along, have a leaking seed basket, have it where you go. Sow seed. Would you bow your heads, please? Our heads are bowed and eyes are closed. Would you just say, “Man, I just want to be—I’m not going to have you raise your head out—I just want to be a sower. I just want to sow seed.”

I heard of somebody used to put tracts in the mail off the bills and put tracts in there—just sowing seed, wherever, whatever have you, just sowing seed. Hey, let’s just be sow-ers for the Lord. Would You do that? Let’s stand, would you please? Let’s just come and come close to Him. Say, “I want to follow You. You make me fishers of men. Help me just sow this seed.” Would You do that? Father, thank you for the parable. Help us to learn and grow from it. Father, help us to sow seed. Thank you, Lord. You give us a job that’s doable. Help us to just participate, get involved, even more so, and sow seed everywhere we can, everywhere we go. Thank you, Lord. We’ll trust You with the results. Help us just sow. In Jesus, let me pray. Amen. Would you come? Lord, help me to be a sower. Help me to be a sower. Help me to be a sower. Help me to be a sower. Help me to be a sower. It’s exciting to sow seed, a great thing, an exciting thing. Excited about Brother Allen Johnson coming tonight.

Original File: It’s Exciting to Sow - Pastor Paul Chisgar Sunday PM