Sermonette (Parable of the Soils)

And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

Church,

In a garden, we all know that, in order for life to spring forth, there needs to be both seed and soil. Right? You can have amazing soil, that’s tilled perfectly, yet no life will ever spring forth from just soil. Why? Because it needs a seed to grow.

Likewise, you can have seed, yet if that seed sits on the concrete, without ever being planted in the soil, it isn’t going to grow. Why? Because the seed needs soil to grow. It needs a place to be planted to produce growth.

In our text, it is clear that the seed is the word of God (v. 11).

Matthew’s retelling of this parable makes it clear that the soil is a person’s heart (ch. 13 v. 19).

So the seed is the word of God, and the soil is a person’s heart.

In this text, Jesus teaches us that there are different types of soil. Matthew’s retelling of this parable makes it clear that the soil is a person’s heart (13 v. 19).

It doesn’t matter how good the seed is–and the word of God is the only truly good seed–if the seed is not sown into a heart that is ‘good soil’, it will not grow and produce fruit in that person.

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It doesn’t matter how good the seed is–if the seed is not sown into a heart that is ‘good soil’, it will not grow and produce fruit.

There are different ways to hear God’s Word, but only one way saves. Only one way takes you from spiritual death to spiritual life. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The text tells us that good soil is people who, hearing the word of God, hold fast in an honest and good heart.

So our question today, church, is:

How does your heart receive the good news of Jesus’ grace?

The text says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” In other words, there are different ways to hear God’s Word of Jesus’ grace, but only one way saves. You can physically hear but not spiritually hear. Only one way of hearing takes you from spiritual death to spiritual life.

The world’s dilemma is that on our own, the soil of our hearts is not good. It rebells against the seed-the Word of God. The Bible teaches us that on our own, there are none who are righteous, there are none who hear, none who seek after the one true God, therefore ALL are under sin. We all rebelled against the Perfect One who Made Us. And because of this reality, we all deserve death, condemnation, and eternal separation from our perfect God.

We need someone to give us a new heart. To give us good soil that receives the seed of the Word of God in trust and obedience.

Church, the good news is that 2,000 years ago, there was a seed planted on good soil, on a hill called Calvary, where Jesus died for you and me.

Jesus became both soil and seed for us.

Jesus, the seed–the very Word of God on earth, proclaimed the Word of God, by planting Himself on the cross, taking the punishment of our sins upon Himself. He died the death of condemnation and forsakenness that we eternally deserved from God the Father.

Jesus, the submitted soil–the One heart that yielded perfectly to the will of God, He held fast to it in an honest and good heart, He lived the perfect life to God that earned eternity.

Receiving His heart and His sacrifice gives you a new heart and, by the power of His Spirit living in you, a new life. You are freely and forever forgiven and back in relationship with God the Father for eternity.

Church, thanks be to God,

The good news of the gospel is that we can receive the seed of His life in the soil of His heart. We can live in the soil that He brought on our behalf, and live in the resurrection life that He earned for us.

Jesus is both your good seed and good soil. You can trade in your bad soil and receive His perfect heart lived for you, and the seed of His perfect death died for you.

You can, church, this day, “BELIEVE AND BE SAVED” (v. 12). You can submit your life to Him as your Lord and Savior right now.

Jesus gives us His good heart, that trusts perfectly in God the Father and as seed, becomes the sacrifice for our sins.

The good news, church, is that if you’re hearing this and thinking, “My heart’s too sinful, I’ve done too much wrong”– you’re right, your heart is too sinful, and you have done too much wrong – but salvation doesn’t hinge upon you being better, or you not doing wrong – Salvation hinges on the gift of God. Christ’s perfect life and death for your sinful heart and wrongdoings. It is a GIFT.

“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God” (v. 10).

Those who receive Jesus’ sacrifice for them are those who have received the gift of grace.

The good news of the gospel is that we can receive His seed and soil for us, we can live in the soil that He brought on our behalf, and live in the resurrection life that He earned for us.

Good soil that receives the seed is a gift given by God. Receiving the seed is a gift of God.

Good soil believes and trusts in God’s promised Savior.

If you receive Him, Jesus is both the seed and the soil of your salvation. He is your perfect sacrifice and your new heart.

How does your heart receive the good news of Jesus’ grace?

Do not harden your heart to Jesus’ sacrifice. Do not harden your heart to the gift of God.

In view of God’s great love for you of His Son on the cross, ask Him for a heart that holds fast to Him and His Word. Ask Him to do that miracle in you. Trust Him.

Sermonette (Parable of the Soils)

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