"THE PARABLE OF THE SEED"

>>>Jesus told many parables, earthly stories with a heavenly meaning.

>>>Jesus told a parable of a farmer who was spreading seeds that land on different types of soil (dirt).

*Seed landed on hard soil and eaten up by birds.

*Seed landed on rocky soil but was scorched by sun, because it did not take root.

*Seed landed on thorny soil that choked out the plant.

*Seed landed on good soil that nourished the seed, and it grew into a healthy plant that bore much fruit.

Mark 4:13–20 “And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. And in a similar way these are the ones sown with seed on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and yet they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown with seed among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And those are the ones sown with seed on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much.””

>>>Jesus explained the parable to His disciples. He said that the farmer represents God/believers who throw out the Word of God like seeds. The different soils represent the hearts of people who hear God’s Word.

>>>Hard Soil: this is talking about people who are “hard” about the gospel. They don’t want to hear it, so the devil takes what they have learned and gets rid of it.

>>>Rocky Soil: this soil represents the person who has a fun experience with something spiritual, but it doesn’t take root. The Word of God does not really do anything to change them. When life happens the “fall away”.

>>>Thorny Soil: this is about people who seem like they are doing okay and following God. But they are too consumed with the world and it chokes out the Word of God.

>>>Fruitful Soil: this soil represents the person who receives the Word of God, and they are fruitful-the Word of God “waters” their hearts, and the began to experience life in Him.

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EVERYONE WILL RESPOND TO THE GOSPEL IN SOME WAY.

>>>We all have an opportunity to respond to the gospel. But what will our response be? Will it be hard? Will it be something fun that goes away? Will it be something we want to do until the world offers something else? Or will it be a response that believes on Jesus and inherits eternal life?