Introduction

Hey there, family! I'm so glad to see all of you here today, ready to dig into the Word of God. I hope you're all doing well and are eager to see what God has in store for us today.

Before we get started, I'd like to share a quote with you from a respected Christian author, A.W. Tozer. He once said, "The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts." This quote is a beautiful reminder of why we come together to study the Word. It's not just about reading the words on the page, but about knowing God more deeply and intimately through His Word.

Now, let's read the Scripture passage for today, which comes from Matthew 13:1-23.

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: 'A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.'

The disciples came to him and asked, 'Why do you speak to the people in parables?' He replied, 'Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: 'Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

'Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.'

Get the Soil Right

In the parable we just read, Jesus used the image of a farmer sowing seeds to illustrate the different responses people have to the Word of God. The first type of soil mentioned is the path. This is where the seed doesn't even get a chance to grow. It's snatched up by birds before it can take root. This is like those who hear the Word of God, but don't understand it. The evil one comes and takes away what was sown in their heart.

Now, we might think, "Well, that's not me. I understand the Word of God." But let's not be too quick to dismiss this. Understanding isn't just about intellectual comprehension. It's about application. It's about letting the Word of God change us. If we hear the Word but don't let it change us, we're like the seed sown on the path.

The second type of soil is rocky ground. This is where the seed springs up quickly, but because it has no root, it withers when the sun comes up. This is like those who receive the Word with joy, but when trouble or persecution comes, they quickly fall away. Again, we might think, "Well, that's not me. I've been a Christian for years. I've faced trouble and persecution and I haven't fallen away." But let's not be too quick to dismiss this either.

Perseverance isn't just about sticking with it when times are tough. It's about growing deeper in our faith. It's about letting the Word of God take root in us. If we're not growing deeper in our faith, if we're not letting the Word of God take root in us, we're like the seed sown on rocky ground.

The third type of soil is thorny ground. This is where the seed grows, but it's choked by thorns. This is like those who hear the Word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. Now, this is a tricky one. We might think, "Well, I'm not rich. I don't have to worry about the deceitfulness of wealth." But wealth isn't just about money. It's about anything that we put our trust in other than God.

Worries, too, can choke the Word. We all have worries. We worry about our health, our families, our jobs. But if we let these worries consume us, if we let them take our focus off God, we're like the seed sown among thorns.

The fourth type of soil is good soil. This is where the seed produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. This is like those who hear the Word and understand it. They produce a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. This is what we should all strive to be like. We should strive to be good soil, ready and willing to receive the Word and let it grow in us.

So, how do we do this? How do we become good soil? It starts with humility. We need to recognize that we can't do it on our own. We need God's help. We need to ask Him to prepare our hearts, to make us good soil.

Next, we need to be intentional about hearing and understanding the Word. This means not just listening to sermons or reading the Bible, but really seeking to understand what God is saying to us. It means meditating on the Word, letting it sink in and change us.

Third, we need to guard against the things that can choke the Word. We need to be aware of the worries and distractions that can take our focus off God. We need to be vigilant in keeping our trust in God, not in wealth or anything else.

Finally, we need to be patient. Growth takes time. We can't expect to produce a crop overnight. But if we're faithful in hearing and understanding the Word, if we're vigilant in guarding against the things that can choke it, and if we're patient, we will produce a crop. We will become good soil. And that's what it's all about. It's not about being perfect. It's about being good soil, ready and willing to receive the Word and let it grow in us.

The Seed Will Show Up

As we consider the parable of the sower, we see that the seed is a constant ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO