Sermons on thorny ground: showing 691-705 of 44,180

A Kingdom Of The Receptive

Contributed by David Dewitt on Jan 9, 2001

The parable of the sower shows us how we are to receive the good news of Jesus Christ

A Kingdom of the Receptive Matthew 13.1-17 September 14, 1997 Morning Service Introduction I. Ben Franklin’s Field of Plaster: Ben Franklin was known for his outrageous experiments, one such experiment revealed that plaster could be sown with crops to help them grow, when he shared his discovery ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-17

Denomination: Church Of God

Of Seed And Soils

Contributed by Gary Roth on Jul 15, 2002

God is the good gardner, working his people into good soil, fit to plant in the seed of his presence.

"Of Seed and Soils" Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 I would like to fancy myself a gardener, although I’ve only been at it about thirty years, and am humbled at the presence of some of you Master Gardeners in the congregation. I am also finding out that gardening in the south is a different kind of animal ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23

Denomination: Lutheran

Do We Have Ears?

Contributed by Steve Malone on May 22, 2001

Communication is important and the most importnat communication is of the word of God. And when it comes to God’s word do we have ears?

“Do We Have Ears?” Luke Chapter 8 Last week we finished up a five week series on the Impact of the Cross. I don’t know about you – BUT I really was impacted by the cross this Easter season like never before.… I don’t want to be unmoved or distressed by the cross ever again – rather I want to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:1-48

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

God's Word, The Good Seed

Contributed by Rich O' Toole on Jan 6, 2023

Four different hearers and responses to God's Word

God’s Word, the Good Seed Mark 4:1-20 Good morning. How many of you have a garden? Those of you, who garden, know weeds grow faster and stronger than seeds you may plant. Some farmers say it takes 60 pounds of wheat seed to sow an acre of wheat; but, there’s 3,000 pounds of weed seed in an acre, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:1-20

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Parable Of The Sower

Contributed by Paul Davidson on Jan 26, 2021

I remember sitting, my face wet with tears, as I prayed for God to rescue me and change the soil of my heart into rich, fertile soil. I was tired of just pretending to be a Christian. I no longer wanted to be the person I had become. I surrendered my life to Jesus... and I was forever changed!

INTRODUCTION God has put a message on my heart to share with you from the Gospel of Matthew. This message is actually very special to me personally. It was April of 1993 when I heard someone preach on the “Parable of the Sower” from Matthew 13. We had just survived a very serious car ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:3-9, Matthew 13:18-23, 1 Corinthians 2:14, James 1:2, Galatians 1:6, Galatians 5:7-8, Matthew 7:21, Proverbs 24:30-32, 1 Timothy 6:10, Matthew 6:24, Matthew 19:23-24, John 15:5-8, Ezekiel 36:26, 1 Peter 5:7  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Fifteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time, Cycle A-- 15th Sunday, Year A --The Sower

Contributed by Paul Andrew on May 17, 2020

It is the intuitive mind alone that can penetrate the essence and heart of a parable. Then it becomes a living reality, thoroughly relevant to one’s own life.

“To throw alongside” a story with cryptic meaning is called a parable in Greek. In Zen Buddhism, a parable is like a “koan,” which is a spiritual inquiry using perplexing language intended to rouse a student’s innate wisdom-mind to apply it to their own life. As Rabbi Ibn Ezra said of parables, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-9, Isaiah 55:10-11

Denomination: Catholic

Soil Solutions For Spiritual Success!

Contributed by Victor Ramlall on Jan 29, 2014

In order to be fruitful productive Christians, we need to have our heart properly prepared by the Holy Spirit to be wholly receptive to the Word!

And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:4-15

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Crave

Contributed by Duran Johnson on Mar 3, 2003

A message for new members to encourage them to aggressively pursue the Word of God.

You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. (1 Peter 2:2-3, NLT) Introduction What a clear and concise message! It simply says that we ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:2-3

Denomination: Baptist

Part 3 - Matthew 12:9-14 -Deformities Of The Heart And Hand Series

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Sep 19, 2010

The CLAWED FINGERS of their law system were DISTORTED AND MALFORMED and particularly difficult to uproot. It is not at all surprising that Jesus uses a man with a DEFORMED HAND to illustrate what needed to be done if ever they were to be healed of their D

Part 3 - Matthew 12:9-14 -DEFORMITIES OF THE HEART AND HAND Yesterday, with the encouragement of my wife, I got rid of some THORNY WEEDS growing like trees in the back garden. The thorns were now like razor sharp nails and so it was difficult to get to the roots without punctures, scratches and a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 12:9-14

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Do I Expect To Hear?

Contributed by Don Hawks on Jul 13, 2008

A Sermon for Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time(A) "As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit" Matthew 13:23

let me ask a question of all you who are here today—What did you come expecting here to hear? In a fascinating story of his journey across the United States with his pet dog, John Steinbeck tells of a Church service he attended during his travels in the State of Vermont. Tongue in cheek, he says, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23

Denomination: Methodist

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Jul 6, 2011

If we are truly Christ’s disciples, then like the sower, we go out to sow the seeds through which God will work in the people of this world. If we are not doing this, then it is just as if our seed has been plucked up by a bird, scorched by the sun, or ch

Have you ever watched a farmer or gardener as he planted his crops at the beginning of the season? It is a meticulous process. First, the ground has to be prepared. Weeds have to be pulled, perhaps a little top soil or fertilizer needs to be put out. The dirt has to be loosened and tilled, and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23

Denomination: United Methodist

Counterfeit Christianity

Contributed by Don Bradley on Feb 5, 2011

This sermon stresses the difference of being a genuine believer and a counterfeit one.

COUNTERFEIT CHRISTIANITY Matthew 13:3-8, 18-23 Intro: One day Jesus was by the seashore when He became accompanied by multitudes of people. There were so many that He had to go offshore and sit in a boat. He then began to teach the people. What He taught them was the Parable of the Sower, among ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:18-23

Denomination: Baptist

The Fear Of God

Contributed by Jim Keegan on Aug 11, 2022

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” as the Book of Proverbs stresses repeatedly. May we seek to live as God-fearing people who humble our hearts in reverence of His glory and live in faithfulness to His will.

The year was 1845. A man named Carl Steinman was fascinated by volcanoes, and going against the advice of his guide, he ventured to the edge of a dormant volcano while visiting Mount Hecla in Iceland. Although it had last erupted over fifty years earlier, the guide noticed there had been ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:12-13

Receiving The Word

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Jul 15, 2017

Let us understand where we find genuine Christianity deeply within people’s hearts.

Intro, Purpose & Plan Are our hearts downtrodden, like a well-worn path? Are our hearts hard, lacking stick-to-it-iveness or thorny, laden down with worldly cares. How can we learn to become like rich soil that receives the word of the kingdom and produces a rich harvest? Let us understand where ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23

Denomination: Independent/Bible

You Gotta Have Heart Series

Contributed by David Owens on May 8, 2023

In Mark 4, Jesus taught the parable of the sower, and then explained it. The parable challenges us to sow the word of God and to cultivate our hearts so that we can be the good soil that produces a great harvest.

A. Once there was a man who was having serious heart trouble, so he went to the doctor to see what his options were. 1. His doctor recommended that he have a heart transplant. 2. The patient asked if there were any hearts immediately available and told the doctor that he could pay whatever amount ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:1-20, 1 Corinthians 3:7, Hebrews 4:12, Proverbs 4:23

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ