The Power of the Seed

Pericope:  Gen. 1:28; 8:22

Sermon Text:  Gen. 8:22 "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter,    day and night will never cease."

Sermon Title:  Life + Passion = Success Pt 6: The Power of the Seed

Point 1:  [Plant]  The first thing you do with a seed is plant it. 

Phil. 1:6 KJV  6Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

1 Cor. 3:7 KJV So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

Point 2:  [Protect]  A seed must protect itself at all times.

1.  Guard your Heart

a.  Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

2.  Disconnect and Connect

a.  1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

b.  Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

3.  It’s What’s Inside that Counts. 

a.  1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

b.  2 Corinthians 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

c.   1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

4.  Resist Negativity

a.  Proverbs 20:19 A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.

5.  Bounce Back from Bruises

a.  2 Timothy 4:5  But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship

Point 3:  [Produce]

Seed Research - SEEDS are the protectors as well as the propagators of their kinds. Thousands of kinds of plants have evolved in such ways that they cannot survive, even in the regions where they are best adapted, if they produce no seeds.

Seeds of most plants are the very means of survival of the species. They carry the parent germ plasm, variously protected against heat, cold, drought, and water from one growing season that is suitable for growth of the species to the next.

Most kinds of seeds will live considerably longer than the time from one growing season to the next if their surroundings are not too extreme for their respective characteristics. Some seeds normally keep alive under natural conditions above ground only a year or two. Others can keep alive for a score of years or more. A few, such as the seeds of silver maple, remain viable only a few days if they are not kept moist and cool.

Some kinds can survive deep burial in the soil, dry or moist, for 10 to 20 years or longer. In one famous experiment, started in 1902, J. W. T. Duvel, of the Department of Agriculture, placed some seeds in soil in flowerpots, so he could find them later. He then buried the pots and all. At intervals he dug up the pots, recovered the seeds, and then planted them under favorable conditions for germination. More than 50 of 107 species tested were viable after 20 years. Many weed seeds remain viable for a very long time if they are buried deeply.

Seeds of common evening-primrose and mullein have been known to remain viable after 70 years in soil. Archeologist found mustard seeds in a pyramid that were 1000 of years old when they planted them they grew.

Some seeds lie dormant, although they are in moist soil, until they are exposed to light. Certain weed seeds never germinate deep below the soil surface, but grow quickly after they are brought to the surface when the soil is worked.

Some seeds in a non-dormant state after harvest can be pushed into a dormant state. Upon exposure to unfavorably warm and moist conditions, some varieties of lettuce seed become dormant, although they are capable of germinating under favorable conditions. It is as though their growth processes recoiled, or went into reverse, in the face of a situation that would be unfavorable for the plants developed from those seeds.

2 Cor. 9:6-8 6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully[a] will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

2 Chronicles 31:10 - 10 Azariah the chief priest, who was of the house of Zadok, answered him, “Since they began to bring the contributions into the house of the Lord, we have eaten and had enough and have plenty left, for the Lord has blessed his people, so that we have this large amount left.”