Lord’s Day Message: Matthew 13 (ESV)
Seed – the origin of the kingdom life
Our heart – four conditions to receive the seed
3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”
18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Three possible conditions in the growth of the kingdom life
24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'”
31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” 33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
The treasure and one pearl –overcoming all the negative factors
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
To pursue and to be equipped – To supply rich words in the church life
51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
Next Topics: 1 Peter Chapter 1
Church Meetings/Time/Place
Home Meeting: 12/10 Mon., 7:30pm, (7:00 dinner) Richard & Flora’s
Young Professions Meeting: 13/10 Tue. 7:30pm, Meeting Hall
Sisters Meeting: 14/10 Wed. 10am, Hallstrom Park
(Willoughby Rd. & Small St.)
Prayer Meeting: 14/10 Wed. 7:30pm, Meeting Hall
Pursuing of Words: 16/10 Fri., 8:00pm, David’s
Young People Meeting/Home meeting for Adults：17/10 Sat. 7:30pm, Olsen & Likun’s
Announcements:
- We welcome all the new ones who are joining us today and hope that you can leave your information for us to contact you in the future.
- We thank the Lord for the rich supply in the conference last weekend. We hope that all of us can treasure the seed which God has sown into our hearts so that those who are seeking can be saved and those who have received His life can grow continuously. May the church of God be filled with His life and words.
Today’s message will be shared by the brothers and sisters to review of the contents of the conference or to testify whatever you were touched by during the conference.
- The next Lord’s Day we will enter into 1 Peter chapter 1. We hope all brothers and sisters can prepare beforehand and establish a habit to read the Bible. We also hope brothers and sisters can bring your own Bible to the Lord’s Day meeting. The newsletter in the future will only show the important verses.
<Reminder>
- Please take the Bible Reading Supplement for your daily Bible reading.
- Please come on time for the meeting. During the meeting, please turn off your mobile phone or put the volume on silence.
- When you prepare the love feast for Lord’s Day lunch, please do not prepare any food containing nuts as someone may have food allergy. After the love feast, please remember to bring back your plates.
Intercession:
- We have more than 30 gospel friends who are coming regularly to our gatherings recently. Pray that the Lord will bless them to receive His salvation earlier and they may become a member in God’s family. Also pray that the Lord will keep us fervent in spirit to have more learning in the work of the gospel.
- May the Lord help us so that what we received in the conference can really become a seed to grow in our hearts and we can become a person to pursue, to be equipped, and to supply the riches to the church.
- The HSC exams starts on Monday for year twelve. Please pray for the six young people (Nelson, Chris, Hannah, Christine, Cherie, and Winnie) among us. May the Lord give them wisdom and grace in their exams. May the Lord also bless them and lead them into the university which fits them for their growth.
- Pray for the brothers and sisters who are weak in body or spirit. May the Lord care for them and give them grace. Also pray for some relatives of our brothers and sisters (Jack, Susan, Brett) that the Lord may heal and care for them.
Serving Today: (Oct. 11)
- Sharing: All brothers and sisters
- Breaking the Bread: David Tan & Patrick Li
- Serving Bread and Cup: Benchu Guo, Sam Li & Jason Wang
- Pianist: Nelson Chen
- Cleaning: Raymond & Lucy Family, Thomas & Lena, Joyce & Chris, Michael & Mandy Family, Marget Yang
Serving Next Week: (Oct. 18)
- Sharing: Yulin Wang
- Breaking the Bread: Richard Chen & Olsen YU
- Serving Bread and Cup: Sam Li, Jason Wang & Richard Cui
- Pianist: Hannah Cui
Cleaning: Raymond & Lucy Family, Thomas & Lena, Joyce & Chris
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