Springs Of Life Bible Church - The Seed and Soils

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		Parable of the Seed & Soil

Please note this lesson was delivered in two parts, both audio files are on the left.

THE PARABLES OF JESUS
INTRODUCTION

A parable is a verbal picture drawn from life or nature which captures our interest and causes us to think deeply about what exactly it means for our lives.

Parables are not fables or allegories; they are never removed from reality: “This is how it is.” They tell it like it is, true to fact, they never relate to a dream world or fiction; they are taken from examples of every day life, from the world in which Jesus lived.

In His parables, Jesus used many metaphors, such as a king, servants, and virgins, but these are never removed from reality. They never relate to a world of fantasy or fiction.

Though it is generally true that a parable teaches only one basic lesson, this rule should not be pressed too far. Some of Jesus’ parables are complex in comparison.
The Parable of the Seed and Soil, as we shall begin to examine this morning, is comprised of four parts, and each part calls for an interpretation.

The parables show that Jesus was fully acquainted with human life and he rubbed shoulders with many different people from many different walks of life.
Jesus uses these experiences to teach truth about the kingdom, salvation, wisdom and folly, the Christian life, and judgment.

A kingdom parable is a dramatic form of theological language that compels us to make a response, because it reveals the nature of the Kingdom of God: how to enter the Kingdom and how a child of the Kingdom should act.

THE PARABLE OF THE SEED AND SOIL

In the Parable of the Seed and Soil the kingdom is compared to a farmer sowing seed and the ground that receives it.

The seed is the gospel of the kingdom and the soil (the ground) is the human heart. The emphasis is on the various kinds of hearts and how they reject or receive Christ’s message.

The first type of soil represents the hard heart, a heart that is unresponsive, insensible, and callous to the gospel.

The preposition en (in) not eis (into) is used showing that the word got to his heart but not into his heart. The word did not penetrate his hard heart. 1 Corinthians 2:14, 2 Corinthians 4:4

The second type of soil stands for the shallow heart.

The Word got into but not deep down (it sprang up quickly but had no root and withered).

This represents the spurious believer who hears the word and receives it with joy. But the word does not take root and only lasts for a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he ceases to believe.

This type of person is moved by their feelings, not the Spirit. They profess Christ but do not possess Christ. Their faith fizzles when difficulty, trial and hardship come and they fall away. Colossians 1:21-23, James 2:14,19

The third type of soil stands for the strangled heart, strangled by the things of this world.

The man who leads a double life—for Christ on Sunday and for the world during the week—will soon discover that the “worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desire of other things” take over, so that his faith becomes worthless. Matthew 6:24, 2 Timothy 4:10, 1 John 2:15

The last type of soil is the one to which the entire parable has been heading. It is the open heart; the heart that receives the gospel like good soil receives seed. And the soil produces a good crop, “yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
The Word got in and down and out (it produced a crop). This represents the person who has been born again by the Spirit and not only receives the word but obeys the word bearing much fruit for God’s glory.

Note 4 things:
1. It is only a few who hear the gospel and bear fruit unto salvation. Matthew 7:14
2. Fruit is the proof that God’s word has taken root in a person’s life. John 15:8
3. The presence and growth of fruit is the important thing, not the amount. Col 1:5-6
4. As it is only fertile soil that receives seed and bears fruit, so it is only open hearts that receive the gospel and are saved (bear fruit unto eternal life). 1 Thessalonians 1:5, Acts 16:14, Ezekiel 36:25-27