LWC SERMON GUIDE

Don’t Bury What God Planted

Scriptures to read and ponder

main Text

  • John 12:24 – “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”


Supporting Scriptures from the Sermon

  • 1 Corinthians 15:36 – “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.”

  • Genesis 37:17–20, 23–24 – Joseph betrayed by his brothers and thrown into the pit.

  • Genesis 39:20–23 – Joseph in the royal prison, yet the Lord is with him and gives him favour.

  • Genesis 50:20 – “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…”

  • Psalm 105:17–19 – God sent Joseph ahead; the word of the Lord “proved him true”.

  • 2 Corinthians 4:10–12 – “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed…”

  • Psalm 126:5 – “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.”

Sermon Recap

1. The Seed’s Journey: Darkness, Pressure, Breaking

  • A seed never starts its journey in the sunlight; it starts in the dark:

    • A darkness where you can’t see your hand in front of your face.

    • A darkness where you lose direction and question what you heard from God.

  • The seed is:

    • Pressed down into the earth.

    • Buried under weight it never asked for.

    • Surrounded by layers of soil – pressure on top of pressure.

    • In an environment that screams: “Stay down. Stay hidden. Stay silent.”

  • The environment is:

    • Restrictive, cramped, suffocating.

    • Hemmed in on every side – no space, no air, no room to stretch.

  • Under that pressure:

    • The shell begins to break.

    • Everything in the natural screams, “This is death. This is the end. This is where my story finishes.”

  • If the seed had feelings, it would conclude:

    • Isolation = forgotten.

    • Darkness = God changed His mind.

    • Pressure = the promise has expired.

  • But what the seed calls death, God calls birth:

    • While the seed thinks it’s being buried, it’s actually being positioned.

    • While it thinks it’s dying, it’s actually being unlocked.

    • In the darkness, life is being awakened.

    • Under pressure, potential is emerging.

    • In restriction, roots are forming.

    • In the breaking, wholeness is being released.

  • Key idea:
    The very conditions that feel like a burial are the exact conditions God uses for transformation.

2. When Your Calling Feels Buried

  • Context of John 12:

    • Some Greeks (outsiders, seekers) come wanting to see Jesus.

    • At that key moment, Jesus speaks not of signs and wonders but of His hour and of a grain of wheat falling into the ground and dying.

  • John 12:24 reveals the pattern of the Kingdom:

    • Not glory → then suffering, but suffering → then glory.

    • Not visibility → then impact, but hiddenness → then multiplication.

  • Phrase-by-phrase breakdown:

    • “Falls to the ground” = surrender.

    • “Dies” = letting go of control.

    • “Remains only a single seed” = what happens when we hold our lives too tightly.

    • “Produces many seeds” = multiplication, increase, fruitfulness.

  • Jesus’ promise:

    • “If you will surrender it, I will multiply it.”

    • What looks like loss becomes the doorway to abundance.

  • Many of us live here:

    • Not on the mountaintop or in obvious favour.

    • But underground: in the dark, pressed, restricted, breathing recycled air.

    • Life feels more like a coffin than a launchpad.

  • 1 Corinthians 15:36:

    • “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.”

    • Resurrection power is only released in surrendered places.

  • Reframing the season:

    • Darkness ≠ death.

    • Burial ≠ the end.

    • Hidden ≠ forgotten.

3. Joseph: Pits, Prisons, and Preparation

  • Joseph’s context:

    • One of twelve brothers, in a complicated and messy family.

    • Marked by jealousy, favouritism, competition, wounds.

    • Deeply loved by his father; given a special robe that triggers resentment.

  • Joseph’s God-given dreams:

    • Dreams of influence and leadership.

    • Dreams hinting at a future far beyond his current reality.

    • Instead of celebrating, his family feels threatened: “Here comes that dreamer!”

  • The pit (Genesis 37:17–20, 23–24):

    • The brothers plot to kill him.

    • They strip him of his robe and throw him into an empty cistern.

    • The dreamer is now in the dark – buried in a hole in the ground.

  • The prison (Genesis 39:20–23):

    • Sold into slavery in Egypt.

    • Serves faithfully.

    • Falsely accused and thrown into the royal prison.

    • Loses job, reputation, freedom – despite doing nothing wrong.

    • Again, he is buried in a place he did not choose.

  • God’s interpretation (Psalm 105:17–19):

    • God sent a man before them – Joseph.

    • Shackles, irons, and hardship lasted until the word of the Lord proved him true.

    • God wasn’t punishing Joseph; God was preparing him.

    • The pit was preparation.
      The prison was his training ground.

  • Formation in the hidden place:

    • In prison, Joseph learns administration, timing, wisdom, discernment.

    • These were the exact competencies needed for his assignment as Prime Minister.

  • The turnaround (Genesis 50:20):

    • “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…”

    • What tried to bury Joseph is what God used to build Joseph.

  • Outcome:

    • One conversation with Pharaoh moves him from prisoner to Prime Minister.

    • The ground that held him becomes the ground that released him.

  • Application:

    • Some of us feel buried, locked into situations we did not choose.

    • Joseph’s story teaches:
      God plants what He intends to multiply.

4. Jesus: The Seed Who Chose the Soil

  • John 12 is not about gardening tips; it is revelation:

    • Jesus is not ultimately talking about wheat but about Himself.

  • Jesus as the Seed:

    • The Seed who surrendered to the soil.

    • The Life who chose the tomb.

    • The One who entered the ground not to be buried, but to be planted for the multiplication of sons and daughters.

    • He didn’t “get buried”; He planted Himself.

  • Implication:

    • When Jesus enters the soil, resurrection becomes inevitable.

    • Because Jesus went into the ground first:

      • Your pit is not wasted.

      • Your prison is not wasted.

      • Your pressure is not wasted.

    • He set the pattern and sanctified the soil you are standing in.

5. Identity: You Are a Seed of the Kingdom

  • 2 Corinthians 4:10–12:

    • We carry the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may be revealed.

    • The breaking reveals His life.

    • The pressure reveals His strength.

    • The hidden places reveal His glory.

  • This is not just Joseph’s pattern – it is the pattern for every disciple.

  • Kingdom identity statements:

    • You are a seed of the Kingdom, designed for multiplication.

    • There is fruit inside you that has not yet seen the light of day.

    • You are not buried potential; you are planted purpose.

    • You are not a forgotten field; you are sacred soil.

    • You are not a discarded seed; you are a chosen promise.

  • The world:

    • Defines you by what has happened to you.

  • Jesus:

    • Defines you by what He has planted in you.

6. The World Hides; The Kingdom Plants

  • Repeated emphasis from John 12:24:

    • The call is to bear much fruit.

  • Cultural tension:

    • We live in a visibility-obsessed culture:

      • Everyone wants platform, spotlight, prominence.

  • Kingdom reality:

    • The Kingdom often begins:

      • In secret.

      • Under the ground where no one sees.

      • In surrender, obscurity, hiddenness.

    • There are seasons of:

      • Darkness.

      • Pressure.

      • Layers of “soil” pressing in.

    • These are the conditions that form diamonds.

7. What Have You Buried That God Planted?

  • Psalm 126:5:

    • “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.”

    • Your tears were the water.

    • Your prayers were the planting.

    • Your breaking was the beginning.

  • Key question:

    • What have you buried that God planted?

  • Types of seeds in the room:

    • Burnt-out seeds:

      • Dreams almost dead under exhaustion and heaviness.

      • Buried because life feels too heavy.

      • God has planted them to grow beyond your own strength.

    • Shamed seeds:

      • Gifts locked away because you don’t feel worthy.

      • Buried because your past speaks louder than your promise.

      • God planted them because grace writes a brighter future than sin can describe a past.

    • Fearful seeds:

      • Callings hidden because the price feels too high.

      • Buried because risk terrifies you.

      • God planted them because courage grows in dark places.

  • Heaven’s perspective:

    • What we call dead, God calls planted.

    • What we call the end, God calls the beginning.

    • What we call a prison, God calls a birthing place.

  • Prophetic sense:

    • Some are about to sprout in the very places where they thought they were finished.

8. Conclusion: Stop Burying What God Has Planted

  • This is not the moment to:

    • Shrink back.

    • Stay hidden.

    • Bury your gift to fit in with the culture.

  • This is the moment to:

    • Let the pressure break the outer shell.

    • Allow the life within you to burst through the soil.

    • Stop negotiating with the dirt and getting comfortable underground.

  • Seeds are not designed to stay in the dark;
    they are designed to crack open and let new life emerge.

  • John 12:24 re-affirmed:

    • If the grain dies, it will bear much fruit – that is:

      • Your calling.

      • Your season of growth.

      • Our season as a church.

  • Prophetic declaration over LWC:

    • A season of sprouting.

    • A season of growth.

    • A season of fruit.

    • A season where hidden things burst into the open by God’s Spirit.

  • Heaven’s “board-level” directive:

    • Stop burying what God has planted.

    • Stop hiding what God has anointed.

    • Stop silencing what God has ignited.

    • The Holy Spirit is moving in the soil of our hearts.

    • The ground that held you back is about to release you.

    Memorable quotes

    • “What the seed calls death, God calls birth.”

    • “You are not being buried; you are being planted.”

    • “God plants what He intends to multiply.”

    • “Your pit is not wasted. Your prison is not wasted. Your pressure is not wasted.”

    • “You are not buried potential; you are planted purpose.”

    • “The world defines you by what has happened to you; Jesus defines you by what He has planted in you.”

    • “What we call dead, God calls planted. What we call the end, God calls the beginning. What we call a prison, God calls a birthing place.”

    • “Seeds are not designed to stay in the dark; they are designed to crack open and allow new life to emerge.”

    • “Your tears were the water; your prayers were the planting; your breaking was the beginning.”

    Questions for discussion

    Heart-level reflection

    • Where do you currently feel underground – in the dark, under pressure, restricted or suffocated?

    • Have you ever misread a season as a burial when, in hindsight, it was actually a planting? What changed your perspective?

    • Which type of seed do you most identify with right now:

      • Burnt-out seed (exhaustion, heaviness)?

      • Shamed seed (past failures, unworthiness)?

      • Fearful seed (afraid of the cost or risk)?

    • What have you quietly buried – a gift, calling, dream, assignment – that may actually be something God planted?

    Scripture engagement

    • Read John 12:24 slowly.

      • What word or phrase stands out most to you (falls, dies, remains alone, bears much fruit)? Why?

    • How does 1 Corinthians 15:36 challenge our natural response to loss, disappointment, or delay?

    • Looking at Joseph’s story (Genesis 37, 39, 50 and Psalm 105:17–19), what stages of his life feel most similar to your own story or season?

    • How does 2 Corinthians 4:10–12 help you reinterpret pressure, breaking, and hiddenness in your own life?

    Identity and calling

    • Which of the identity statements do you find hardest to believe:
      “I am sacred soil,” “I am planted purpose,” “I am a chosen promise” – and why?

    • How might your decisions change this week if you really believed:
      “I am a seed of the Kingdom designed for multiplication”?

    • Where are you tempted to chase visibility instead of embracing God’s work in hiddenness?

    • In which area of your life do you sense the Holy Spirit saying, “Stop burying what I have planted”?

    Action and response

    • What is one specific step you can take this week to “unbury” a God-given seed (e.g. a conversation, a discipline, a small act of obedience)?

    • Who in your world needs encouragement because their season feels like a burial? How can you practically speak life and hope into them?

    • As a church family, what might it look like for LWC to live as a planted people, not a hidden people, in Gibraltar?

    Further reading

    Scriptures reinforcing the message

    • John 12:20–28 – Wider context around the grain of wheat and Jesus’ “hour”.

    • Romans 8:18–30 – Present sufferings and future glory; God working all things for good.

    • James 1:2–4 – Trials producing perseverance and maturity.

    • John 15:1–8 – Abiding in the Vine and bearing much fruit.

    • Galatians 6:7–9 – Sowing, reaping, and not growing weary in doing good.

    • Isaiah 61:1–3 – Beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, praise instead of despair.

    • 1 Peter 5:6–10 – Humbling ourselves under God’s mighty hand; after we have suffered a little while, He restores and establishes us.

    • Philippians 1:6 – He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.

    • Hebrews 12:1–2 – Running with perseverance, fixing our eyes on Jesus, who endured the cross for the joy set before Him.

    Prayer points

    1. Surrender and re-framing

    • Pray for grace to surrender the “seed” of your life, calling, and dreams into God’s hands:

      • “Lord, where I see burial, teach me to see planting.”

    • Ask the Holy Spirit to reframe dark, pressured, or hidden seasons:

      • “Father, show me where You are working in the soil I stand in.”

    2. Healing for burnt-out, shamed, and fearful seeds

    • Burnt-out seeds:

      • Pray for those exhausted and overwhelmed, who feel they have nothing left to give.

      • Ask God to breathe fresh strength and to water what feels dry and dead.

    • Shamed seeds:

      • Pray for freedom from condemnation and the lies of the past.

      • Ask God to speak identity louder than history: “Grace writes a brighter future.”

    • Fearful seeds:

      • Pray against paralyzing fear of risk, cost, and failure.

      • Ask for courage to obey in the dark, trusting God with the outcomes.

    3. Formation in the “pit and prison” seasons

    • Thank God that pits and prisons are training grounds, not waste grounds.

    • Pray:

      • “Lord, form in me the character, wisdom, and competencies I will need for my future assignment.”

    • Ask God to help you co-operate with His process rather than resent it.

    4. Identity as seeds of the Kingdom

    • Declare over yourself and the church:

      • “We are seeds of the Kingdom, designed for multiplication.”

      • “We are not buried potential – we are planted purpose.”

    • Pray for a deep internal shift:

      • That LWC would live as sacred soil in Gibraltar – carrying heaven’s life into every sphere (family, workplace, city).

    5. Fruitfulness and corporate calling for LWC

    • Pray that this would be a season of sprouting for LWC:

      • Hidden ministries, gifts, and callings coming into the light.

      • New fruit in evangelism, discipleship, generosity, and compassion.

    • Ask the Holy Spirit to:

      • Uncover gifts that have been buried in the church.

      • Call people into their next step of obedience and service.

      • Use LWC as a planted community bringing life to Gibraltar.

    6. Boldness to stop burying what God has planted

    • Pray for holy boldness:

      • To stop hiding what God has anointed.

      • To stop silencing what God has ignited.

    • Pray a commissioning-style prayer:

      • “Holy Spirit, move the soil in our hearts. Unearth what You have planted. Let the ground that held us now release us into Your purposes, in Jesus’ Name.”