Sermons on Thorny Ground:

A Heart For The Word

Contributed by Edward Hardee on Apr 21, 2025

Encouraging message on sharing our faith. Focusing on the positives of the message of the seed of the sower.

Title: Hearing and Giving the Word Theme: To show how God can use us to share the word. Text: Matthew 13:1 -9, 18 – 23 Power of the Word Preparation for the Word Placement of the Word Opening Scripture: Matthew 13:1-9 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. (2) And ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-9, Matthew 13:18-23

Denomination: Church Of God

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

The Spiritual Significance Of Sowing And Harvesting PRO Sermon

Contributed by Sermon Research Assistant on Nov 3, 2025

The sermon urges us to open our hearts to God’s Word, allowing Him to transform us so we bear lasting spiritual fruit in our lives.

Good morning, friends. I’m so glad we get to sit under the kindness of Jesus together today. If you could see my heart right now, you’d notice both a hunger and a hush—hunger for God’s voice and a hush that says, “Speak, Lord. I’m listening.” Isn’t that what we all long for? A steady word in a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-9

Topics: Sowing, Harvesting, Spiritual Significance

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

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: Baptist

Genesis Sermon 4: Origin Of Vegetation

Contributed by Elmer Towns on Nov 20, 2002

This is a sermon about the creation story.

A. INTRODUCTION: GENESIS 1:11-13 "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:11-13

Denomination: Baptist

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

A Complacent Or Passionate Heart, Which Will It Be?

Contributed by David Yarbrough on Oct 22, 2001

The abundant Christian life is a choice that starts with how we listen and respond to the Word of God.

Intro: There once was a not so bright fellow who saw an advertisement for a cruise. The sign in the travel agency window read “Cruise -- $100 Cash.” I’ve got a hundred dollars, he thought. And I’d like to go on a cruise. So he entered the door and announced his desires. The fellow at the desk ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:5-15

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Othniel: God Is Might Series

Contributed by C. Philip Green on Apr 29, 2020

In these troubling times, don’t compromise in your commitment to the Lord; but if you have, cry out to the Lord and count on your Sovereign Savior.

On August 10, 1948, Allen Funt debuted a hidden-camera reality TV show called Candid Camera, which became wildly popular for many years. The genius of the show is that it caught people in the act of being themselves. It produced lots of laughs, but it also offered a fascinating look into human ...read more

Scripture: Judges 3:5-11, Hebrews 2:14-15, Hebrews 7:25, Acts 5:29-31, Revelation 5:9-10  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical Free

What The 5 Anointing Spices Teach Us Of Jesus

Contributed by Maurice Mccarthy on Sep 11, 2012

The high priest was anointed with 5 principal spices, each of these teach us something about the suffering's and merits won by Jesus.

What the 5 Anointing Spices Teach us of Jesus Exodus 30:23-25 "Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of sweet cinnamon half so much, [even] two hundred and fifty [shekels], and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty [shekels], And of cassia five ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 30:23-25

Denomination: Pentecostal

Life's Greatest Influences

Contributed by Ray Ellis on Jul 16, 2007

This message examines scripture that describes Life’s Greatest Influences. Three influences lead people away from God and one influence leads people to God.

Three Verses One -Life’s Greatest Influences- Matthew 13:18-23 This morning I want to examine scripture that describes Life’s Greatest Influences. I’m titled the message, “Three Verses One.” I want us to look at three influences that lead people away from God and one influence that leads people ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:18-23

Denomination: Free Methodist

How To Listen To God: The Good Soil - Mark 4:20-25 Series

Contributed by Darrell Ferguson on Sep 16, 2023

Why is Scripture hard and why so many different conclusions about Jesus? Because he hid the truth in hard sayings. Why make it so hard? This passage explains.

Mark 4:14 The sower sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. Immediately Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:20-25, Matthew 13:12, Luke 8:16-18