Soils Of The Heart

The first week in January, the message was about growing spiritually from milk to meat

The next week we explored the importance of obedience when training disciples

The 3rd week we examined the role of evangelism is discipleship

We finished out January looking how Jesus taught us how to be servants & washing feet as a role in discipleship

We began February by discussing how the Ekklesia comes together in discipleship

Next we considered how discipleship begins with faith

After that we examined how we must have a thirst and hunger for Jesus as a keystone for discipleship

Next we discussed how to overcome dry seasons in our walk with Jesus and discipleship

The couple of weeks following that, we looked at being made in the image of God, and how that effects our discipleship

We just wrapped up a 3-part series how the fruit of the Spirit drives our discipleship beyond our own capabilities

So, here we are in the 22nd week of the year, and continuing our journey into discipleship

Soils of the heart

Title of today’s message is Soils of the Heart.

Key verses are:

Matt 13:1 and

Luke 8:12 (NKJV)

Mark 4:1 Let’s get started

Stand with me as we honor God while reading His word.

Matthew 13:1-9 (read from my bible)

Last night, on a whim, I posted this on FB:

Without the help of any resource (except your gray matter of course), what would be your definition of a biblical parable?

A bible story for adults, with a lesson

A story that Jesus told to help illustrate a lesson or point, or a message in terms that everyone could understand.

A story with a moral

A story that applies to real life

A descriptive illustration using prophetic language for a depth of teaching using a simple example

An illustration

A story told in everyday language with a spiritual meaning

When looking at commentaries, many scholars described a parable in this manner:

A principle concealed, and a truth revealed.

Adrian Rogers said this:

An earthly story with a heavenly meaning. That is, Jesus told a common story, but there was more to the store than met the ear, and you had to be paying attention.

Warren Wiersbe wrote:

To understand a parable and benefit from it, demands honesty and humility on our part, and many of our Lord’s hearers, lack both.

Read Matthew 13:1-9 again

Mark’s account and Luke’s account, of the parable of the soils, are very similar.

Luke’s gospel records 18 parables

Matthew’s records 15

Mark’s records 5

and there are none found in John- that is something I learned new about God’s word this past week.

Many scholars believe this is the first parable Jesus ever told.

Let’s look at these verses and Jesus’ response to the disciples question about this parable.

Let’s begin in Matthew 13:10 “And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?””

Matthew 13:11 “He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.”

Matthew 13:13 “Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”

Matthew 13:3 “Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow.”

Matthew 13:14 “And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive;”

Here is what Jesus is talking about in Isaiah. It is found in Isaiah 6:9–10 “And He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.””

Matthew 13:16–17 “But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

Matthew 13:4 “And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.”

Some versions use “pathway” instead of “wayside”, which speaks more clearly to me.

Here is Jesus’ explanation

Matthew 13:18–19 ““Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one (Satan) comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.”