Receptive Soil
By: Misty Grimes
Day One: What Type of Soil Are You?
Focal Scripture: “And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them out….When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing.’” (Matthew 13:3-7; 19-22)
Introduction:
The Parable of the Sower is recorded in three of the four Gospels – Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20 and Luke 8:1-15. The human heart is like receptive soil to the seed of the Word of God. Jesus used this analogy in the Parable of the Sower where the throwing of the seed on four types of soil is symbolic of the Word of God being shared with four types of people who respond in four different ways. This parable is the fifth parable that Christ taught and the longest. It has oftentimes been used to illustrate the principle of the wide and narrow roads Christ gave in Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Lesson:
The soil that the seed fell on represents four categories of the hearers’ heart, four different reactions to the Word of God: the hard heart, the shallow heart, the crowded heart, and the fruitful heart.
Today we are going to look at the first three types of soil the seed fell upon:
- Hard soil or the path that ran along the field and was eaten by the birds (vv. 3-4, 19): The birds represent Satan and the seed on the path represents people who hear the message but it is immediately lost because they never really believed it. It’s as if someone sits under the preaching of the Gospel and it doesn’t penetrate their heart at all. They’re simply there. It’s simply hitting their eardrums and bouncing right off. They never even hear it. It never penetrates and they walk away completely unaffected by the Word of the Gospel. This represents the people who don’t live a good Christian life because they are focused on other things.
- The rocky ground where there was little soil thus the seed was unable to develop a root system and quickly withered away and died (vv. 5-6; 20-21). This represents people who are initially attracted to the Word of God; they receive it with joy, but cannot commit to the Christian lifestyle and give up, wither and die when the going gets tough because there is no root system to sustain them. People with stony hearts may try to keep themselves free from these stones but inevitably some areas remain pocked with rocks because of how shallow the seed is planted and thus the soil isn’t good enough for seed to germinate and put down deep roots. The stones block root growth, preventing plants from growing roots large enough to support much fruit, if any. As a result when the sun comes and persecution happens and because the word hasn’t penetrated deep enough to develop rooting in the person’s heart, the plants shrivels up because this person would rather stop fighting to continue to grow (change the type of soil/heart they are rooted in) than hold on because they really have nothing to hold on to. Jesus warned that problems and persecutions will follow when a person believes and tries to follow God’s Word. Unless we develop deep roots, running deep into good soil, the growth won’t last. Events and circumstances can crowd out the seed of truth that has been placed in your life by God.
- The ground full of thorny bushes. The seed sprouted but soon was overtaken by the thorns (vv. 7; 22). This represents people who are more concerned with what others think, they may be jealous, angry, worry too much or are more concerned with materialism than they are in developing a relationship with God. Slowly and surely, these people, busy with the cares and riches of the world, just lose interest in the things of God as they vigorously pursue the things of the flesh. It is someone who says yes I believe this gospel. I want to live according to this gospel. But then the thorns of the cares of the world rise up and just choke it out. The person is easily distracted by money or by the pursuit of power or by the pursuit of worldly pleasures and before long, the plant that grew out of the seed of the word, just shrivels up and dies.
Here is the key to understanding why so many people cannot see, hear or understand the plain teaching of the Scriptures: Satan quickly removes the understanding of the gospel planted in a person’s life when they fail to maintain the proper care it takes to maintain fertile soil regardless of what Satan tries to do. We must realize that Satan works in ways we might never perceive! He has created an alluring world filled with sensations and attractions all designed to distract us and absorb our time and life. We always need to guard our heart because even the most fertile soil can all too easily be distracted from the serious reflection it takes to understand Christ’s message and commit to the Kingdom of God. We need to remember what Jesus said in John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
Conclusion:
Just as there is a process we go through when we are grieving the loss of a loved one, I believe that there is a process we go through as we come to know Christ and begin our journey of spiritual growth. While this parable speaks mainly about how people respond to God’s Word, to me the parable also speaks of the process we go through in our spiritual growth once we have opened our hearts and truly received God’s Word. As I Corinthians says we start out as babes drinking milk but as we focus on our relationship with Christ, as we allow Him to prune and weed those things in our lives that we need to let go of, our soil, our hearts, our gardens, go from hard, to rocky and thorny to fertile. I also believe that there may be times when we are facing obstacles that seem insurmountable whereupon we may regress to one of those stages which is okay as long as we don’t camp out there but rather remain open to God and trust Him to continue to work to get us back on the right path, a path where we are once again able to stand firmly on the roots he has grown in us. When we need to be concerned is when we find ourselves camping out in a garden we no longer have the right to camp in. It is then that we need to get on our knees before God, confess and repent, get up, dust ourselves off and remember who God is!
We are the ones who determine what kind of soil our hearts will be: hard, shallow, and thorny/crowded or, as we will look at in day two, fruitful. This is exactly what James meant when he said, “Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls” (James 1:21). The Word of God cannot work in our lives unless we have receptive hearts!
Application:
Looking at just the three types of soils/hearts we discussed today, how do you see your heart? Be honest. Are there parts of your heart that are:
- Still hard, maybe hardened by some hidden sin, or unforgivness or an area of your life you haven’t completely surrendered to Christ?
- Still shallow because you still live with some unresolved fears or worries that cause you to falter in your faith when troubles come?
- Still in the grip of thorny bushes because you allow the pursuit of the things of this world to overgrow your pursuit of the things of God and His will for your life?
Day Two: Growth
Focal Scriptures: “Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty….But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty” (Matthew 13:8, 23).
“Therefore let us go on toward perfection, leaving behind the basic teaching about Christ, and not laying again the foundation: repentance from dead works and faith toward God” (Hebrews 6:1).
Introduction:
In day one we looked at the first three types of soil in the parable, today we are going to focus on the fourth type of soil as well as expand on what it means, and what it takes, to gain spiritual maturity so that our lives do produce fruit.
Lesson:
The fourth soil mentioned in the parable is the good soil where the seed fell, developed a strong root system, had proper nourishment without the hindrance of thorny bushes and thus produced fruit (vv. 8; 23). This represents the people who have a strong faith and are dedicated to a Christian lifestyle, even when things are difficult. This kind of soil is a deep, properly fertilized and nourished soil that allows the seed to germinate, put down deep roots and produce optimum fruit. The Word of the gospel falls in that soil and it sends down roots, it sends then a deep foundation into the soil and grabs on and begins to get nourished by the soil. The plant sprouts up and it begins to produce fruit and that’s the kind of life Jesus is saying that we should have. These people remain in the faith, regardless of circumstances, and their lives reflect the evidence of salvation in the fruit they produce.
This leads us to the topic of spiritual maturity. We all need to come to a point in our faith where we are no longer babies but adults. The most important reason is for our lives to reflect the nature of Jesus Christ and thus our spiritual maturity should be a priority not an afterthought. Take a moment to reflect on the past. Do you remember where the Lord met you? More than likely He met you in your mess. Though God meets us in our mess and accepts us as we are, he does not want us to stay that way. God’s plan is for us to move beyond the mess and to grow more into the image of Jesus Christ. This is what spiritual maturity is – for all our characteristics to be more like Jesus in every way. To be a follower of Jesus is to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him: “He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me’” (Mark 8:34). Spiritual maturity is an expected result when we are born again. It is important because we are not called to remain the same person we once were. When you are born again, the Holy Spirit makes his dwelling place in you and changes you to be more like Jesus. As we daily take up our cross the Holy Spirit removes the residue of the world and sin and makes us new in Christ. Carrying our cross to follow Jesus is putting away the old self with its sinful desires and being obedient to Him. Our maturity is a reflection of our relationship with God. If we are not maturing in our relationship with God, we cannot bear fruit.
In addition to God wanting us to be more like Christ as we grow in our faith, he also wants us to grow so that:
- We will be able to lead our families like Jesus (Ephesians 5:21-25). Only a person who is constantly matured by God can effectively lead and serve the family.
- Disciple other believers (Matthew 28:1 6-20).
- Being equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). To be equipped for every good work and make disciples, we need to have knowledge of God’s Word, how to apply it and teach it. This is something that comes as a result of us growing in the Lord.
- To see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).
People who are maturing in their faith, and never stop maturing in their faith, know the value of a productive garden. They know not to let the soil get hard-packed. They know not to let weeds and thorns grow up. They know that thorns can thrive just about anywhere and in both good and bad soil. They resist drought and blossom when it rains. When we fail to attend to our hearts weed, thorns, crabgrass and thistles abound and our hearts become an overgrown mess. When even good soil isn’t properly tended, left to itself, everything else moves in. Nothing useful can grow until it is cleared out. So how can we nurture our hearts and ensure that we continue to grow?
- Prayer. We must continually have an open line of communication with God where we not only speak to Him but we listen to Him as well: “Pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17). It is through our communication with God that we come to know Him more, know His will better, find wisdom and understanding, hope and peace in times of trouble and so much more. The only true way we get to know someone is by talking to them and listening to them. Prayer should be the most intimate time we spend with God as we express our hearts humbly and truthfully before Him and let Him show us what stones and weeds and thorns and thistles need to be removed from our lives.
- Bible Study. When we study God’s Word we keep our hearts fertilized and properly nourished and watered as we allow it to penetrate deep and turn over the soil, uprooting any stones or thorns that may need to be removed. We do this by not only reading God’s Word but by applying it to our lives. James 1:22-25 tells us: “But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, ongoing away, immediately forget what they are like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers that act – they will be blessed in their doing.”
- Church: Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us: “And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” We need to be a part of an active, spirit-filled church family for it is through our fellowship with other believers that we gain the strength we need to not only grow but persevere as we pray for each other, confess to each other, encourage and love one another and learn from each other. Sunday worship gets us ready to face the week. Mid-week services help us make it through the rest of the week. When we are part of a church family in times of trial we have our church family to fall back on for strength, support and encouragement. We weren’t meant to walk this journey alone, we were meant to walk it with other believers so that through them we can learn and know what it means to live the abundant life that Jesus came to give us.
Modern life is geared to lure us away from time spent thinking about life’s meaning, studying the Bible, talking with God in prayer, and spiritual fellowship. However we can live a godly life today, no matter what the distraction. We can produce godly fruit but we have to make the choice then stick to it! What we do with the knowledge of the Kingdom comes down to the choices we make each day. You have a choice. You can respond to this message and begin to live by the new knowledge and understanding God has given you or continue to let the world choke out the promise of the abundant life God wants to give you. Remember, there is a spiritual world influencing the physical world. Satan does his best to disrupt the plan of God, but he wins only if we let him! God allows us to choose between His way and the way of this world. You have a choice. Consider your heart, whether you can allow that seed to put down root and begin to change your life now!
Conclusion:
No other parable shows us how the devil, the allure of the world and the cares of life conspire to root from our lives the eternal truths of the Kingdom of God. Our world is full of distractions – the rocks, thorns and birds that conspire to prevent God’s Word and His calling from taking root and bearing fruit. With this knowledge we need to remember that the kind of response we should have to the gospel is not one that gets choked out, not one that gets shriveled up by persecution, not one that just really doesn’t care and has no penetration at all. Rather Jesus wants us to receive His Word, send it deep down into the roots, be nourished by it and then create fruit. In order to mature and thus produce fruit takes good soil (receptive heart), with good seed (nourishment of God’s Word), and a heart tended by an attentive gardener (us working along with God by living a life in submission and obedience to Him and his will).
Living by Christ’s teachings is not easy in today’s world. You will find opposition when you embark on this life journey. Put your life in God’s hands and trust Him to fight for you and guide your path forward. To succeed, you must put down roots in God’s way of life. These roots will sustain you when the path becomes discouraging or frightening or when we let worries and distractions crowd out a serious relationship with God.
Application:
- What quality of soil is your life? Is it full of stones? Has it been packed down hard by the journey of life? Can Satan easily snatch the valuable and precious truth of God from your life?
- Does your life represent a heart firmly planted in good soil and constantly nourished by the Word of God? In other words, are you maturing in your faith?
- Are you producing fruit; is the fruit of the Spirit growing in your life? (See Galatians 5:22-23)