Good Soil F.R.O.G

Intro:

You ever wonder why Jesus taught in parables?

Our Big Idea for the week is:

God helps us know what’s true.

Jesus wants people to know truth, but because the religious leaders did not accept Jesus’ teachings and convinced others, which caused many to doubt who Jesus was and so He began to teach in parables that would explain more of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, what God’s Kingdom is like, to those who would actually listen.

Text:

Matthew 13:10-17

Question/Story:

What if I told you people today have the same problems with hearing God’s word as they did in Jesus’ day? PrIde, Isolation, Idols

As I said earlier, In our passage today, Jesus is teaching in parables.

Parable - simply mean a story that illustrates a truth. He is doing this to teach those who actually want to listen.

Background:

Here in the text Jesus began speaking to them in many parables it says. This first parable he speaks about a sower who went out to sow seed. Matt 13:1-9, 18-23

The seed is the Word of God.

Luke 8:4-15 and he lists three places the seed lands that does not produce fruit (PATH,ROCK,THORNS) this still occurs today, probably even in the room, and then he communicates just one place the seed lands produces and grows a great harvest(GOOD SOIL). Then His disciples ask why is He speaking to them in parables. Again “to them” meaning the crowds that were on the beach surrounding the boat that had yet to respond to Christ. This was new, because when Jesus first started His ministry He would preach plainly. I mean you’ve the sermon on the mount, He preaches the Kingdom of heaven is at hand, then he shifts and begins to teach in parables. Why? Because their hearts had grown callous. Jesus is using these parables to see where people’s hearts are at. Will they actually listen, or seek to understand?

Then he goes on to explain the parable to His disciples, as they are seeking understanding, and each seed that did not produce fruit He points to a reason why it did not produce, which helps us understand what good soil looks like and how we can have a heart that is ready to receive the word of God. Receive truth that grows and sprouts up in our life.

Body:

Jesus starts off by talking the seed that was on the path. Matthew 13:18-19

The seed on the path - PRIDE.

Although they were hearing the stories they were not seeking to understand. They thought they had it figured out on their own, later in the chapter it speaks of Jesus’ hometown, they didn’t believe because they couldn’t understand where Jesus was getting these things from. They knew he was a carpenter and had no formal education, and they knew his parents and his siblings, and they thought how could He teach us. It says they were offended by him in the sense that no way could He be God’s plan. It goes to say Jesus didn’t do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

I think its interesting too here that Jesus talks about how the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. Jesus says about those that represent the path that they heard the word, but they did not seek understanding. So the enemy comes and snatches away what was sown along the path. For some reason when I read this I think about Adam and Eve. They heard the word, yet satan had them convinced God was keeping something good from them, so they chose to eat and man all of a sudden life was different.

The seed on the rocky ground - ISOLATION.

It is interesting to me that the text writes he receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while when tribulation or persecution arises, immediately he falls away. It’s crazy to me Jesus describes these people as receiving the word with joy, and then when hard things come they fall away. I literally can’t get camp out of my mind. This may happen at retreats, conferences, camps, but the moment they get back to reality. They get back to their schedules, doing their own thing and they start to get away from the church, those that held them accountable and the moment things begin to get hard, they quit, do their own thing, the isolate from the place and the people that were encouraging and equipping them.

Nothing good grows in isolation.

The seed among the thorns - IDOLS.

As Jesus explains the seed among the thorns as those who heard but go on their way and are choked by the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches and it chokes out the word. People choose to put other things before Jesus and it chokes out the word that they

The seed on the good soil - Humility, Community, Jesus as Lord.

The disciples seek and inquire of Jesus. They listen and so are given understanding, we see that they highly valued community.

We’ve talked a little about our Calvary Institute here and there but there is a group of about 10 that meet regularly, some helpers/teachers, and participants who are actually working through an online module kind of like and this week we looked at the values of biblical community and just how significant biblical community is. One of the things we look at was several of the one another passages in scripture.

ONE ANOTHER PASSAGES

The disciples looked to Jesus as Lord. He was in charge of our their lives, their families, their jobs. In Matthew 19:27 Jesus just finishes with the rich young ruler story and Peter says, what will there be for us who have left everything to follow you? Jesus tells his disciples of the great reward for all who leave behind houses, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, or children, or fields will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life. And please listen Jesus isn’t giving grounds here for divorce or to forsake your family, but he’s connecting the rich young ruler story on how his possessions were his god and he wasn’t willing to surrender to Jesus. SO Jesus is saying “whoever has given up the god of their lives to follow Jesus will receive an abundant reward.

Invitation/Application:

2 Corinthians 3:15–18 ESV

Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.