3. “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning”… Matthew 11:20-21… 20Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: 21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

4. Matthew 12:9-10… 9Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. 10And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him. Mt 13:10,11, 13… 10And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 13“Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

5. The problem Jesus faced was that many people, though they had ears to hear, their ears had become “hard of hearing” – Matthew 13:14-15… 14“And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; 15For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’

6. Through this parable we can see ourselves as what we really are

7. 3Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4“And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5“Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6“But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7“And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8“But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

8. Explanation of the Parable The Sower –Jesus –Matthew 13:37 The Seed –Word of God –Matthew 13:19a The Sower –Jesus –Matthew 13:37 The Seed –Word of God –Matthew 13:19a

9. Matthew 4:23… 23And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Acts 8:12… 12But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Acts 28:30-31… 30Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, 31preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.

10. Explanation of the Parable The Sower –Jesus –Matthew 13:37 The Seed –Word of God –Matthew 13:19a The Soil –Four Soils The Sower –Jesus –Matthew 13:37 The Seed –Word of God –Matthew 13:19a The Soil –Four Soils

11. The Wayside Soil –“hears and does not understand” –Matthew 13:19a; –Matthew 13:15

12. The “birds” Luke 8:12 Their condition is one of being “blinded” by Satan to the gospel 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 Precipitated by their own hardness of heart

13. The Stony Soil –“hears and receives it with joy” Matthew 13:20 –“he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while” Matthew 13:21a –“when tribulation comes – he stumbles” Matthew 13:21b

14. The Thorny Soil –Ability to bear fruit is choked by: “cares of the world” (Matt 13:22b) “deceitfulness of sin” (Matt 13:22c) “pleasures of life” (Luke 8:14) –How can these THREE “thorns” cause us to be unfruitful in God’s Word?

16. The Good Soil –“hears the word and understands it” Matthew 13:23a –“bears fruit and produces” Matthew 13:23b; Luke 8:15 –Fruit that one will bear Winning souls (Rom 1:13) Practical holiness (Rom 6:22) Fruit of The Spirit (Gal. 5:22)

17. “some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” - Matthew 13:23 As illustrated in The Parable of the Talents, some may be given more according to their ability to use what God has given them – Whatever our ability, we should exercise it accordingly - 1 Peter 4:10-11…

18. The Wayside? –Heard the gospel but not yet a Christian? –You may be in the process of hardening your heart Application of the Parable You are susceptible to Satan’s deception in some form, not accepting God’s Word

19. The Stony? –Responded to the gospel at one time but now are not grounded in faith Application of the Parable You will likely fall away when persecution and temptation comes your way

20. The Thorny? –Responded to the gospel at one time but are becoming too preoccupied with the cares, riches, and pleasures of the world Application of the Parable You will not be able to bear fruit! John 15:1-6 You will not be able to bear fruit! John 15:1-6

21. The Good? –Responded to the gospel and are bearing fruit! You’ve demonstrated: A Good heart Understanding Patience Application of the Parable The Word has been able to produce its intended effect in your life!

22. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matt 13:9) Only the “GOOD SOIL” will be among the FEW!

23. 17So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

24. May the Lord Help Us to Understand the PARABLE OF THE SOWER.