The riches of this world can crowd out our relationship with Jesus. We are rightly warned to be careful when we prosper because wealth can be deceitful and cause us to love our stuff more than we love our God. Are you overscheduled and overstressed? Is your life overcrowded with possessions? It’s time to come out of the stuff…
the following program is sponsored by
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Connection we have briefly interrupted
our regular broadcast to bring you
breaking news on the crisis in Haiti a
controversial decision to raise fuel
prices has nearly brought the nation of
Haiti to a grinding halt before long
chaos and violence have set in when
Haiti called several years ago following
the devastating earthquake we were there
with a hundred homes that we built to
restore hope to the people you built
those hundred homes you built the
miracle marketplace you provide the
meals and the water every month to two
hundred and seventy thousand Haitians
and it’s your faithful giving that sends
the gospel into this place we need your
response help us today pray about it and
do your very best I know God will enable
you and therefore we will help these
people and they’re gonna make it through
this storm god bless you thank you two
out of three Haitians live on less than
$2 a day with over 45% unable to provide
for themselves and their family Jantzen
franklin along with connection partners
are bringing hope and help to areas of
desperate need right now there is a
shortage of food in Haiti and it’s the
young and the elderly who suffered the
most but through our kingdom connection
food distribution center we are able to
provide life-saving help to those most
in need not only are the people of Haiti
physically starving they’re spiritually
starving as well now the doors to share
the gospel are beginning to open imagine
reading the Word of God for the very
first time in your native language this
month with your gift of any amount
you’ll join Jensen Franklin and
providing meals and Bibles in Haitian
Creole as a thank-you we’ll send you the
message that God that exceeds the need
with your gift of $75 or more we’ll also
include a limited-edition Haitian print
featuring John 3:16 in Creole don’t wait
the people of Haiti need your help go
online to Jensen Franklin TV to give
your gift today
[Music]
[Music]
Matthew chapter 13 I want to begin with
verse form and he sewed in some fell by
the wayside the birds came and devoured
them some fell and stony places that did
not have much earth and they immediately
sprang up because there was no depth of
the earth and when the Sun was up they
were scorched because they had no root
they withered away verse 7 and some fell
among thorns and the thorns noticed this
sprang up and choked them but others
fell on good ground and yielded a crop
some a hundredfold some sixty some
thirty verse seven some fell among
thorns and the thorns sprang up and
choked them and then go quickly to verse
twenty-two because he gives the
explanation of what that means 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
I want to talk to you for just a few
moments about something that I it’s very
simple it won’t take me long to preach
this morning but it is it is something
that I think we need to hear and God
really dealt with my heart about it
because what we see in this text is the
seed is good and the soul is good but
the Bible said there were thorns that
that sprang up and choked the Word of
God and what God wanted to do through
that seed was destroyed and listen
carefully and then he said if you want
to know what that means here’s the
translations here’s the translation the
word is sown but the cares of this life
the the busyness the going and the
crowdedness of life began to choke out
the effectiveness of God’s Word and the
the
the cares of this life began to and the
love of riches begin to choke out God’s
purpose and plan I’m preaching today a
message that is not just directed to
anybody but I want to preach for a
moment to people who have been blessed
people who have been promoted people who
have been elevated people who have seen
some success in your life I was thinking
about this and I believe it’s the truth
that it’s easy to give everything to God
when you have nothing but sometimes the
greatest enemies that we have to conquer
after we’ve been blessed is to conquer
stuff and things that begin to crowd our
life over crowd our life and choke out
what really matters in our life
entanglements – bondage things like
stuff and the lust for things can begin
to choke out the effectiveness of God’s
Word and God’s power the challenge
sometimes is not the absence of
opportunity but for people whom God has
blessed is the abundance of opportunity
that can crowd out the plan and the
purpose and the destiny that God has and
it begins to choke out the purpose and
the plan of God sometimes your enemy is
entanglements with lesser things the
world is competing for your gifts it
brings something that wants to take away
from you
the purpose that you are here for the
world says bring us your talents bring
us your gifts bring us your skills but
God wants those gifts and most skills
there’s nothing wrong with the seed in
this text there’s nothing wrong with the
soul it listen here’s my point here’s
the theme of this message
it’s an overcrowded place and and the
cares of this life begin to over
and suddenly God’s prophetic word over
your life becomes a minut and tiny seed
and all these other things begin to be
more important bigger and and much more
huge in your life than God and his
prophetic promise and revelation in your
life I want you to understand that one
of the greatest battles that you will
face the more God prospers you the more
God exalts you the more God raises you
it will not be demons and devils that
you have to fight it will be an
overcrowded life that suddenly the cares
of this life and the materialism of this
life begins to become such an important
thing in your life that God is shrink
down to a tiny seed that is not very
effective in your life anymore the woman
with the issue of blood could not get to
Jesus because it was overcrowded the
Bible said she could not get to Jesus
for her healing because of the press of
the crowd there were so many people it
was overcrowded nough stopped her in
some house she was so desperate that she
broke through the crowd and she could
never get his full attention but she
touched the hem of His garment His
garment and clothing and as he walked by
she was healed but she had to realize
this is so overcrowded it’s going to
take something for me to break out of
the cares of this life and the
deceitfulness of materialism when I need
Jesus more than I need anything else
Zacchaeus was a small man in stature and
the crowd was so huge that he couldn’t
see
he was crowded out his life was
overcrowded God was wanting to do a
miracle in his life and he climbed up in
a tree because something in him said
I’ve got to see Jesus but my life is so
overcrowded with masses of people an
appointment and opportunities in this
and fun and entertainment and there’s
nothing wrong with these things
necessarily but if we don’t watch it
they begin to choke out the critical
power of God’s Word in prophetic
direction over our life and we get more
into the cares of this life the temporal
and we forget about the eternal I
thought about how that the men who had a
friend who was who was paralyzed and
they put him on a cot four of these men
put him on a on a cot and they went to
take him because they heard Jesus was in
the synagogue and the Bible said when
they got there the place was so
overcrowded that they couldn’t even get
in the building the problem was was not
the seed and the problem was not the
soul the problem was their life was what
there was so much crowdedness in their
life they couldn’t get that place and
that person that they were trying to get
to Jesus and so you know the story they
tore the roof off and let him down with
ropes but the thing that they almost
missed because of overcrowded ‘no swiss
the miraculous power of God then I
thought about the end keeper in
Bethlehem here Mary and Joseph are and
she’s caring and and about to give birth
to the savior of the world and they
knock on the door of the inn keeper and
the innkeeper says I’m sorry we’re
overcrowded I’m sorry Jesus son of God
do you understand the miracle that
wanted to come to their house do you
don’t know how that would have affected
their children and their children’s
children if Jesus had been born inside
of that that place that Inn where people
were staying but they were in a sold-out
State two other things there for there
was no room for Jesus in the end all the
devil wants to do is overcrowd your life
so much that you have no room for
revival you have no room for a fresh
touch and anointing of the Holy Spirit
because you’re so entangled with the
cares of this life and you’re so
enthralled with the rich
is the deceitfulness of material things
the house the car the land the this the
business the success the entertained
that this in that and it’s not that
you’re an evil person but when these
things begin to take over your life then
Jesus becomes something tiny that you go
and deal with on Sunday and the rest of
the week is being overcrowded by
worldliness and carnality is there room
in your life for Jesus or is it so
overcrowded Matthew 9 and verse 23 when
Jesus went to to Jairus his house his
daughter was Jairus his daughter was
dead and noticed this when Jesus came
into the rulers house he saw them
playing this funeral music and the noisy
crowd was wailing and weeping and he
said to them watch this make room for
the girl was not dead but sleeping and
they ridiculed him it was overcrowded
with sorrow it was overcrowded with
funeral songs it was overcrowded with
weeping and depression and all kinds of
sorrow going on in that house but Jesus
said you need to make room and watch
what happened but when the crowd was put
outside it was overcrowded and Jesus
said I need some room to work here your
life is sold for crowded I’m trying to
get depression out of this house I’m
trying to get weeping out of this house
I’m trying to get defeat and death out
of this house but you’re so overwhelmed
and overcrowded and when he put the
crowd outside he went in took her by the
hand and the girl rose from the dead I
wonder what we’re missing
with our overcrowded lives I wonder what
power were missing with our over crowded
lives Jesus is saying somebody needs to
make room for me
you’re entangled with the cares of this
life but if you would make room for me
in the morning
and go pray if you would make room for
me and open up the book and read it if
you would make room for me and love me
more than a tiny seed on Sunday but if
during your week daily you would come to
me for daily bread I would begin you you
wouldn’t you talk about blessing when I
find somebody who is not in it for the
stuff they’re in it for me then I’ll
take the limits of what I’ll do and I’ll
provide everything they need and then
some you’ve got a big shout if you
believe I’m preaching the truth the only
challenge that Jesus man I feel the Lord
right now the only challenge that Jesus
had was to make room for the miracle the
people were put out sometimes you have
to put some people out to make room for
Jesus the clutter the stacked up packed
up cluttered miss Crowder nough Severna
carnal temporal things other things we
need a good spring cleaning we need a
spiritual housecleaning where we make
room for him in our homes again we make
room for him in our families again the
only vision some people have as a
television you need to make room for him
he wants to put a seed in your life that
will guide you and direct you and anoint
you and bless you and prosper you but if
your life is so overcrowded with earthly
things it chokes the power of the word
out and you have no idea what you’re
missing everything you’re going after is
in Jesus and then seek first the kingdom
and all these things will be added to
you John 18 and verse 8 jesus said if
therefore you seek me
let these go let some stuff go if you’re
after me if I’m what you’re searching
for when you find me you’ve got to let
some other things go let these go and
make room for me sometimes you got to
choose am I going to have room for Jesus
am I going to be is he gonna be the
major thing in my life or am I gonna get
so caught up in the cares of this life
and in the deceitfulness of temporal
riches that it chokes out my passion and
my love for God let these things go
Peter said this is that not this end
there this is that turn loose of some
things of this world now I want to take
you to the Old Testament and I want to
conclude with this story for Samuel
chapter 10 is the story of Israel
searching for the first king they would
ever have his name was Saul and it’s
time the Bible said Samuel brought the
Horn of all and he said God I’m ready to
anoint someone it’s your word to be king
of Israel
where are they Lord and notice the
answer and when they inquired of the
Lord if the man should yet come here the
Lord answered behold he hath hid himself
among the stuff God’s ready to anoint a
king but God couldn’t find him and they
couldn’t find him because he was hiding
in the things of this life the cares of
this life he was hiding among the stuff
just had this and I’m running over here
and I’m going to this and that’ll be fun
and let’s do that next weekend let’s do
this this weekend let’s do that and I
want you to have vacation I want you to
do
all that God’s all for that but I’m
talking about what I’m talking to
blessed people and all of you are
blessed whether you know it or not I’m
talking to people who who have amazing
opportunities
the problem is with those opportunities
they can become the biggest thing in
your life instead of that seed of the
promise and the revelation and purpose
for which you are here and you begin to
hide among the stuff don’t get covered
up with stuff there’s a bumper sticker
that people used to have on their cars
some time back that I remember seeing
that says he who dies with the most
stuff wins their own he who dies with
Jesus Christ wins and the call of the
Spirit today is to come out of the stuff
to come back to the priority of Jesus
first in your life the test is not when
you have nothing the test is when you
have everything can Jesus still be this
big deal and all of this stuff is a seed
that’s really not a big deal the Lord
gives the Lord takes away I’ve learned
to abound I’ve learned to to be abased
it doesn’t matter I love Jesus and thank
God for this stuff this is a blessing
but this is not why I served the Lord I
serve him because he’s my lord
he’s my Savior he’s my master
the question that I’m asking you is
after you’ve been blessed can you give
it all to him again what if God said to
you today you know all that stuff that
I’ve let you accumulate you didn’t have
to two nickels to rub together you
didn’t have nothing when I found you
although all that I had when the Lord
found me was a brokedown continental
Lincoln a saxophone and a Bible and he
has blessed me he has blessed my family
we are blessed exceedingly and the Lord
really worked this message into my soul
and he said now the test is can you
stand to be blessed or is that the
biggest stuff in your life I’m telling
you there is a call there is a choking
that can come when you begin to begin to
get into things more than you get into
Jesus there’s an anointing waiting for
somebody who will come out of the stuff
and when Samuel had that Horn of all he
said Saul come out of the stuff in the
Bible said he came up out of the stuff
and when he got free from the
entanglements of the cares of this life
the business and more money and more
deals and more opportunities and nothing
wrong with doing all of that we’re put
here to be productive winning successful
people but the truth is when it gets out
of proportion and suddenly the word is
nothing but a tiny seed and church is
just a tiny thing and going to church is
just a little thing and reading the
Bible and worshiping God during the week
it’s a tiny portion of your life and all
of this stuff is the big deal to you
you’re overcrowded but there’s an
anointing waiting for somebody who can
come out of the stuff get out of the
stuff throw down your stuff I dare you
to say this morning God hears my stuff
here’s my career here’s my house my best
my that my dreams my aspirations my my
tires everything that I’m working for
here I’m sorry it’s become too big and
you become too little today I want to be
an inverted iceberg I want what’s in me
Jesus under the surface you know that’s
what sunk the Titanic it wasn’t the look
there was just a little bit of that of
the of the iceberg
bird that was that was above the water
the biggest part was unseen and that’s
true in our lives that if Jesus inside
of you is not bigger than what people
see on the outside you’re not very
powerful but God we surrender our stuff
again and we surrender our stuff and we
surrender our things and we get loose
from the cares of this life and the
deceitfulness of materialism and we get
turned back on to the biggest thing in
our life all to be the biggest joy
should not be if I get this that and
that and that and that’s where I get my
joy from the biggest joy ought to be
Jesus
[Applause]
stand to your feet all over this room no
one moving please would you raise your
hands up toward heaven and say Lord I
surrender my stuff I surrender to Hugh
I’ve had I’ve had some choking going on
choking the promise choking the things
of God out of my life the things of God
are the size of a seed versus the world
and the cares of life and the pursuit of
materialism it’s become huge and it’s
choking the very spiritual life out of
my dream and my call and my purpose and
I’ve come today this Sunday morning in
the middle of the summer of 2018 to say
lord I give you my stuff
I give you my my entanglements I give it
to you I want you to be the biggest
thing everything above the water that
people see is great but that’s not who I
am Who I am is unseen because I know you
I walk with you I love you I’m
passionate about you I serve you and I
want more of you than I’ve ever had
pastor I’m back slid pastor I’m not
right with God
pastor I’m far from the Lord my life
what the enemy is choked my faith to
death if that’s you and you don’t know
you’re right with God and you want to
get right with God this morning as
boldly as you can raise your hand up as
high as you can get it wherever you are
all over this room all from the front to
the back raise them high and unashamed
and we’re gonna pray a prayer and Jesus
is gonna hear this prayer and he’s gonna
cleanse you he’s gonna save you he’s
gonna pull you out of the stuff and he’s
gonna begin a mighty work of restoration
in your life everybody together in one
United prayer of faith pray these words
Heavenly Father I come to you and I
surrender my life in Jesus name there’s
no other name like the name of Jesus I
turn my heart to you I surrender my life
to you
I bring my stuff to you I bring my will
you I bring my success to you it does
not satisfy I’m Eve you the life giver I
need you the life liberator I need you
in my life
I surrender my life to your lordship it
is my desire to live for Jesus it is my
desire to come out of the stuff the
entanglements the addictions I want out
I changed my direction and I know you’ll
get me home I can’t make it home by
myself so father come and run to me with
mercy and grace I received total
forgiveness I am a child of God I am
saved and now I receive the anointing of
the Holy Spirit
he’s anointing my head with all my cup
runs over my joy runs over I’m making
room for a miracle to come to my family
to my house to my future to my business
to my finances I make room for you I put
you over for
whoo all right it’s done says the Lord
it’s done since the Lord you are free
you are chosen you are forgiven you are
cold you have purpose you are anointed
we need to shout right here
three and a two out of three Haitians
live on less than $2 a day with over 45%
unable to provide for themselves and
their family
Jensen Franklin along with connection
partners are bringing hope and help to
areas of desperate need right now there
is a shortage of food in Haiti and it’s
the young and the elderly who suffered
the most but through our kingdom
connection food distribution center
we’re able to provide life-saving help
to those most in need not only are the
people of Haiti physically starving
they’re spiritually starving as well now
the doors to share the gospel are
beginning to open imagine reading the
Word of God for the very first time in
your native language this month with
your gift of any amount you’ll join
Jensen Franklin and providing meals and
Bibles in Haitian Creole as a thank-you
we’ll send you the message that God that
exceeds the need with your gift of $75
or more we’ll also include a
limited-edition Haitian print featuring
John 3:16 in Creole don’t wait the
people of Haiti need your help go online
to Jensen Franklin TV to give your gift
today this program has been sponsored by
friends and partners of Kingdom
Connection we hope you’ve enjoyed this
teaching by Jensen Franklin and thank
you for your continued support of this
ministry your prayers and financial
support make these programs possible for
more information about this message and
other ministering resources visit us
online and Jensen Franklin TV