Sowing Seed

Matthew 13:3–8 ESV

3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

First thing we need to know

We are the different types of soil or dirt in this parable 

The seed is the word of God

The Path

The path is hard compact dirt

It has been walked on and trampled many times

This ground represents the person who has been hardened by the hurt and struggle of life

And when you become this hardened, the word cannot even get past the surface

Rocky ground

This ground is a shallow layer of dirt with rocks underneath it

This represents a shallow person

Someone who never lets the word of God grow a root system in their life

Without a root system, the word never fully connects with a person 

At first they are excited about it, but because the roots never take hold...it dies

Thorny ground

This ground is filled with thorny weeds that choke out anything that tries to grow

This represents a person who is easily choked out by the worries and struggles of this life

You try to live right you try to change and grow in your relationship with Christ but pressures from this world choke you out

The good ground

This is a rich soil that is primed and ready for the seed

This is a person who is truly ready for God to do something in their life 

They are not hard hearted, they are not shallow (they allow they roots to dig deep into their heart), they don’t let the worries and pressures of this life choke them out.

They grow and produce tons of fruit and their life is full of God’s blessing and favor

Closing 

Sometimes we need to examine ourselves to see if we are letting what God is telling us take root in our hearts 

Sometimes we need to change the garden

No matter which bad ground you might be it can be changed

The hard path can be plowed and broken up

The rocks can be removed

The thorny weeds can be pulled

No matter which one we are we must be able to allow Gods word to produce something in our lives