Parables Ls 1: The Sower
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I’ve almost been your youth minister for 4 whole years. If I was a freshmen when I started, I would be on the verge of graduating as a senior. I love being your youth minister! I’m really excited about this lesson tonight, because what we are looking at is very important to me.
I looked at the attendance of the past four years and I was shocked by some things. I’ve taught close to 200 Wednesday night lessons some of you have been here for most of them! That’s awesome.
I put the names of everyone who has ever attended our Wednesday night class into one list. Guess how many DIFFERENT students have been to our church in 4 years? Over 250!! That’s awesome. You guys do an awesome job bringing your friends to church and inviting others to join you, keep it up! 250! That’s like 1/5 of Naples. But you know what worries me? There are not 250 people here tonight.
I know many have graduated, moved away, some were just visiting once, some go to other churches. But that doesn’t account for everyone. Where are the rest? See guys, I worry and think about these numbers, because every single one of those numbers is a person!
Scary thought - 3 years from now, we could be looking back at the numbers and you could be one that we are missing. Does that bother you? It bothers me! I want all of you to be here! Not just be here, but also to grow in your faith.
Just because YOU are coming to church tonight and growing in your faith NOW does NOT mean you will be in the future.
Growing faith doesn’t happen by accident
Growing faith doesn’t happen by accident
You could be “on fire” for God right now, but completely far away from the faith in a year.
Tonight, we’re looking at a lesson Jesus taught that talks about this exact issue. I want you guys to pay attention to what your role is in all of this. Guys, a year from now, I don’t want to be like: well what happened to ____?
Even worse. I don’t want to be talking to you a year from now, even if you stay in church that WHOLE time, and you look back and you haven’t grown closer to God AT ALL. I want every single one of you to GROW in your faith. That’s why I’m here, that’s why I do it.
That’s exactly what Jesus is talking about in the parable we’re reading tonight. So, let’s talk about parables.
What is a parable?
What is a parable?
parables are short stories or analogies that help teach a message. Jesus is one of the most famous users, but anyone can make/share a parable.
Jesus is the parable expert. All throughout his story he uses parables to tell people what God’s kingdom/world is like. Anytime it talks about that Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven, that’s what he means.
Sometimes Jesus uses parables to make something easier to understand. It’s like a word picture, where we go AHH, I get it.. Sometimes, Jesus actually uses parables as a test. It’s like a riddle where only those who CARE enough to think about what Jesus is trying to say will actually understand it.
check this out:
When he was alone, those around him with the Twelve, asked him about the parables. He answered them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those outside, everything comes in parables so that
they may indeed look,
and yet not perceive;
they may indeed listen,
and yet not understand;
otherwise, they might turn back
and be forgiven.”
Jesus could just teach the facts. But that would be boring and cheap. You have got to want to grow. Jesus teaches in parables to create these super valuable learning experiences. They are both memorable and challenging.
Let’s dive in to our parable for tonight.
Again he began to teach by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around him. So he got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore. He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly, since the soil wasn’t deep. When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce fruit. Still other seed fell on good ground and it grew up, producing fruit that increased thirty, sixty, and a hundred times.” Then he said, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”
So Jesus is teaching and he starts telling this story about planting seeds and trying to grow a crop that produces fruit. The soil makes all the difference in this story! 4 types of soil.
Some of you are like great, if I ever start a garden, Jesus is my go-to greenthumb. What does this have to do with me?! EVERYTHING! Jesus is talking about plants as an example! He’s ACTUALLY talking about how to grow spiritually. We need to listen!
This is a cool parable, because just a few verses later Jesus explains to his disciples what he’s trying to say in the parable. Check this out.
Then he said to them: “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand all of the parables? The sower sows the word. Some are like the word sown on the path. When they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word sown in them. And others are like seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away. Others are like seed sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And those like seed sown on good ground hear the word, welcome it, and produce fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was sown.”
Aha! Let’s break this down. 4 types of soil.
The Path (verse 15)
You can be like seed planted on “the path” if you only come to church rarely and don’t really try to pay attention, listen, or care. You’re just here, then you’re not. That’s sad. it’s difficult to grow on the path because you’re just a warm body in the seat. As soon as you leave you forget what you heard and don’t ever think about changing your life at all. You’re barely listening. You are not going to grow and produce fruit if you’re just like “the path”
The rocks (vv 16-17)
Oh the rocks. You are like the seed planted on the rocks if you have ever had an exciting time in your life when you were on-fire for God, maybe you decided to get baptized or come back to God. Things were awesome! But because you didn’t develop the habits of staying close to God by reading the Bible, praying, sharing your struggles with other Christians, you never grew roots. When you realized you may be stand out and be made fun of because of being a Christian, you bailed. Guys, I know students I personally have baptized right here who were like seeds planted on the rocks. This breaks my heart.
The Thorns (vv18-19)
This one is close to home. Folks who are like the seed planted among thorns are those who know God’s word. You go to church all. the. time. You might even read your bible, go to bible studies, go to camp, go to every event you can. But you let “other things” which can be “anything” come in and become more important than following God. Your fledgling faith is crippled. listen to this quote. “My greatest fear isn’t failure, but succeeding at something that doesn’t really matter.” If there is ANYTHING that is more important to you than growing in your faith you are like the seed planted among the thorns. Your job, your family, your friends, your team, your activities, your hobbies, your future/career. That’s a TOUGH word.
The Good Soil (v20)
The good soil is unlike the other types of soil. It should be the type of soil all of us seek to be. A person who is like this hears the word and nurtures it in their life. Following God is revered as the most precious and important thing. Talking cause/effect, the effect of being good soil is growth. When a person grows up in good soil they are healthy and produce fruit! (healthy soil produces fruit) I think that’s two things. They start to show the “fruit of the spirit” in their lives and they start sowing seeds among other people.
The biggest difference in these types of soil is the good soil wants, expects, and nurtures growth. “Welcome it” is such a cool phrase. Jessica and I are expecting a baby in July. We will “welcome that baby into the world” We are putting in to the time/effort to be prepared. To have all the diapers, clothes, nursery, crib, house all prepared. SO that when the baby is born we can nurture her. If we want to be good soil, we have to do things to nurture growth - reading your bible, praying, surrounding yourself with other Christians.
[expecting God rant]
Faith doesn’t grow by accident, you have to nurture it.
Faith doesn’t grow by accident, you have to nurture it.
This lesson is so close to my heart. If I could I would do this for you. YOU have to want it. You have to expect it. You have to welcome it in your life. PLEASE think about what kind of soil you are like.
I’ve done my part. I’ve sowed seeds more than 200 times and I’m going to keep on sowing seeds. There may be 220 soil/seeds missing, tonight but it’s the awesome incredible 30 in front of me that I care about right now. What kind of soil are YOU going to be?