The Gospel calls us to a life above labels Hearing God’s voice is more of a condition than a conclusion Luke 8:4-5a – And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, “A sower went out to sow his seed…” The condition of your soul determines the impact of your life The four soils describe four kinds of souls: Luke 8:5b – …and as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 1. Path Luke 8:6 – And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 2. Rocks Luke 8:7 – And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 3. Thorns “Hurry is not of the devil; hurry is the devil…Jesus was often busy but he was never hurried. Being busy is an outer condition; being hurried is a sickness of the soul. He observed a regular rhythm of withdrawal from activity, for solitude and prayer. He ruthlessly eliminated hurry from his life.” Luke 8:8 – And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold. 4. Good Luke 8:11 – Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God… Three applications of this parable: 1. Daily 2. Prayerfully 3. Repeatedly Luke 10:2 – And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”