Parables 2
The Parables • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· Parables 2
Parable of the Sower
Parable of the Sower
· Matt 13:3–9, Mark 4:3–9, Luke 8:5–8
A Good Story
It grabs our attention
§ I love to tell the story of our church.
§ Our story is a remarkable testament to God’s incredible faithfulness.
§ We received great news in last couple of weeks.
§ We truly are a church of second chances.
§ A place were grace wins.
· Jesus used stories
o We call them parables
§ He used these parables as a way of explaining the things of God.
§ They are earthly stories with a heavenly message.
§ We can get a picture of grace and forgiveness by looking at the prodigal son.
§ We this saying “Better than I deserve”.
§ We can all learn about the Kingdom of God/Heaven. (9)
o The Kingdom of God.
§ The Kingdom of God is basically the rule of God.
§ When the bible refers to God’s Kingdom, it always refers to His reign, His rule, His sovereignty, and not to the realm in which it is exercised.
The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything.
§ The Kingdom of God was initiated by Christ earthly ministry.
The ministry of John the Baptist
§ But the Kingdom will not become fully realized until the last days. (Rev 11:15)
§ Every believer is part of God’s kingdom. Here on earth but fully in the last days.
§ While here on earth we are strangers in a hostile kingdom.
The kingdom of evil.
The kingdom of evil.
§ Many people are shocked by this but there is a second kingdom.
§ Satan is the prince of this worldly system. (Eph 6:12)
§ Satan hates everything about the kingdom of God including you!
§ Satan loves hatred, bitterness, hopelessness, chaos, strife, etc.
o Jesus uses parables to teach us.
§ To pull back the curtain.
§ To unveil the mystery.
§ These things are hidden to lost as we will see.
The parable of the Sower.
The parable of the Sower.
o The farmer.
Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.
§ The seed is the message of the Kingdom—God’s truth. God’s word.
§ The Sower is anyone who shares God’s Word: Jesus, a preacher, a parent, a friend.
§ But the soil—our hearts—determines what happens next.
§ What kind of soil are you?
o The Hard Path
§ The closed heart
As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them.
The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message about the kingdom, but don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches the message from their hearts.
§ This heart is hardened—maybe by pride, selfishness, or sin.
§ The Word doesn’t sink in.
§ Like water on concrete. Nothing sinks in.
So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.
§ Is your heart so hardened by sin, hurt, or pride that God’s Word can’t get in?
o The Rocky Ground
§ The shallow heart.
Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.
But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died.
The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.
But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.
§ This heart is emotionally stirred but not spiritually changed.
§ Responds with excitement, but no depth—no root.
§ When trials, persecution, or disappointments come, they fall away.
§ Is your faith rooted in feelings or in truth?
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.
o The Thorny Ground
§ The crowded heart
Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants.
The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.
§ This heart receives the Word but is choked by distractions.
§ This is the divided heart—trying to serve two masters.
§ A garden full of weeds doesn’t produce fruit.
§ What weeds need pulling in your life?
§ What is choking your hunger for God?
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
o The Good Soil
§ A Fruitful Heart.
Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!
The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
§ This soil needs no explanation.
§ If you are already producing this kind of fruit you know it already.
§ This heart is open, receptive, obedient.
§ It doesn't just hear the Word; it applies it.
Finial Thoughts
Finial Thoughts
o What kind of soil are you?
§ Is your life bearing fruit for Christ?
§ If not, ask God to till your heart.
