1. “Organic Jesus” A Sermon Mini-Series focusing on teachings from Jesus on how we can learn eternal truths from observing nature.

2. “The Parable of the Sower & the Four Soils” * Matthew 13: 1-23 * Mark 4: 1-20 * Luke 8: 1-15

3. “The Parable of the Sower & the Four Soils” * Matthew 13: 3-9 “The Parable” * Matthew 13: 18-23 “The Explanation”

4. As we have been learning together, God longs for our lives to be fruitful. Yet… there are many obstacles to God’s “seed” accomplishing its complete purpose in our lives.

5. “Pathway People”  The wayside soils of the Middle East would become incredibly hard due to the constant beating down by the feet of people and various livestock.  This would make it impervious to the thrusting of any growing young roots.

6. What are the people and things that have “beaten a path” through your life that may have hardened your attitude towards how God wants to work in your life?

7. “Rocky People”  Rocky land is called “marginal soil.” Farmers would show great care and at a great cost clear a stony fields of rocks, and still often gain no noticeable harvest.  There are 3 main types of marginal soil.

8. Marginal Soil #1: “Bedrock” A thin layer of soil covers over a large area of rock. Plants can spring up quickly, but will soon die since the growth is purely superficial…with no true root.

9. Marginal Soil #2: “Gravelly Ground” Land interlaced with layers of gravel or streaks of sand, with a thin layer of top soil concealing the truly-unstable condition of the ground below.

10. Marginal Soil #3: “Stony Ground” A field littered with stones, varying in sizes from eggs to large boulders. Despite these obstacles, this land may be fertile…but will require enormous labor and expense to clear in order to cultivate.

11. “Thorny People”  Palestine was notorious for having over 200 species of undesirable weeds.  The Bible uses 17 different terms to describe this type of undesirable, thorny sort of growth (thorns, thistles, briers, brambles, etc.).

12. Only the constant care of an owner can prevent these thorny “invaders” from ruining a garden. Simply caring for the plant is not enough. Proactive protection is needed.

13. “3 Types of Weeds” 1.) Worldly “Worries” 2.) Deceitfulness of Wealth 3.) Lure of Materialism Mark 4:19 “the desires for other things come in and choke the Word, making it unfruitful”

14. Luke 12:15 Then [Jesus] said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

15. “Productive People”  None of us are naturally “good ground.”  Only the painstaking labor of a loving and diligent owner can alter our condition.  God sees our potential and feels we are worth the “ultimate investment.”

16. “The hardened clay clods, set like cement under passing feet, had to be pulverized with plows and harrows and hoes. The rock-riddled ground had to be cleared, the stones carted away to make room for the crop. The roots and stumps of thorny growth had to torn from the soil and the weed growth piled and burned to fit the garden for the seed…

17. “It all required a tremendous amount of toil to turn a piece of untamed, untilled land into good ground for a garden. EVEN THE BEST OF SOIL MUST FIRST BE BROKEN BEFORE IT CAN BECOME BEAUTIFUL.” - W. Phillip Keller

18. Productive People do 3 Things: 1.) They “hear” God’s Word. 2.) They “receive” and “understand” it. 3.) They are fruitful, reproducing the same gracious Gospel message that was given to them to others.

19. The real question is: Do you want this? Too often we can be content to allow our life to remain “untamed and wild.” Our ground doesn’t become good… and little fruit is to be found.

20. Far too many for far too long have been deluded into thinking that “grapes can come from thistles.” We mistakenly think that new goodness will arise out of our old, unchanged character… this isn’t so.

21. God longs to soften the hard soil…. God promises to clear every boulder… God vows to pull every weed… from within the “garden” of your life. Your only job is to LET HIM. One day at a time…