The Gospel of Matthew: Kingdom Parables 1: The Sower (Matt. 13:1-23)
Community Guide
The Community Guide below is based on Sunday’s teaching for our current series: The Gospel of Matthew, "Apprenticing with Jesus." As your whole Community gathers (online or in-person), use the Community Guide below to give shape to your time together.
Communion
Begin your time by taking the Lord’s Supper together. To facilitate your time, you can ask a group member to come ready with a short prayer or scripture reading or read the passage we’ve provided below. After reading (aloud), spend a moment in silence before taking the elements:
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” Matthew 26:26-30
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper, he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:23–26
Sermon Overview
Today, Jon continued our teachings in the gospel of Matthew 13:1-23 where Jesus begins teaching in parables. We reviewed some points in general about parables, then walked through our passage today on the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. Hopefully, we all understand more about the condition of our hearts related to hearing God’s truth and producing spiritual fruit in the kingdom of God. We call this first group of parables “the parables of the kingdom”….these parables have one main theme, the kingdom of God.
It is also important that we explore what Jesus was doing through parables considering this turning point in the gospel of Matthew. Parables have a way of grasping your heart and planting a seed, giving you something in your mind to pass on to others. They also present an opportunity for truth to be personally discoverable for the hearer if they are willing to listen. In our passage, Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6, touching on points Christian spoke on two weeks ago. Jesus shares that the message we receive from God through parables is made more plain and straightforward to those who are willing to be taught while at the same time more difficult to hear and obscure for those who are more willingly or even intentionally ignorant….just as it was during the time of Isaiah. So, as Jesus taught in parables some persisted in their unbelief while others were left in their spiritual blindness before the Lord. We will see that Jesus gives us ears to hear so please be thinking about the wisdom of Jesus and as believers, do we always have ears to listen to His truth?
Jesus shares more truth about the kingdom of God here in Matthew 13 where He speaks about this sower who is casting seeds across different types of soils. The seed is God’s word according to Luke 8:18 and the different types of soils represent the four different conditions of the heart in rejecting or receiving God’s message. We have to always know God is sovereign when it comes to casting seeds of His truth and bearing fruit in our lives. When God works in us, we see the fruits of the Spirit explained in Galatians 5: Galatians 5:22-23 “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”. This heart transformation will allow us to see good fruit as we bring God glory, grow in Christ likeness and proclaim the truth about Jesus. God can use us as faithful sowers! We can be used to spread His message of salvation because of His work in us!
We see the first soil type described in verse 4, “And as He sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. This represents the unresponsive hearer of God’s word. This is like a beautiful symphony being played in front of a statue, no response, emotionless, empty nothing. We also have to think, How are we responding to God’s word? Do we have ears to hear?
We see the second soil type described in verse 5 & 6 that says, “Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.” The message here is this immediate and sudden reaction that appears to be a conversion to faith, but it is not genuine, many times this type of hearer is referred as the shallow heart.
We see the third soil type described in verse 7 that says, “Other seeds fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them” This soil type represents the hearer referred to by many as the strangled heart. A focus on living for the concerns of this world, a heart occupied with riches and material things.
We see the fourth soil type described in verse 8-9 that says, “Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty.” and then more wisdom from Jesus about this heart condition in verse 23 that says, “As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty and another thirty.”
This soil type represents the open heart, good soil is a receptive heart that receives the gospel and produces gospel fruit. This is really the main goal we have been working towards this morning…. that the open heart receives the benefit of the gospel by first hearing it and accepting it as truth.
We see in Ezekiel chapter 36, a passage we have looked at recently, only the power of God can “remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” and then put His “Spirit within you”. God can break down our solid, rocky ground of self-reliance and ignorance fueled by our own pride. He removes the sin filled thorns that entangle us….God does all of this to care for us in our struggles, but we need to have ears to hear and our hearts need to be open!
God is inviting us to open our hearts, receive His truth and be faithful hearers….as undeserving as we are, this is the gift of salvation He gives us through His Son Jesus. He softens our hearts to receive His word and no matter how bad or good we are at scattering seed we are also called to be faithful sowers. The hope and prayer and truth is God prepares the soil, He plants His seed of truth, uses it, nourishes it and protects it in accordance with His will for an eternal harvest.
Praise God for His promises, for His plan of redemption and that we get to be a part of it!
Discussion Questions
What is explained about parables and the turning points seen here in the gospel of Matthew?
What is God’s word teaching us about our responses and reception to God’s truth in our hearts? Why is this significant for believers and non-believers?
How is God asking us to be faithful in this passage?
Missionary Practice For The Week Ahead: BLESS
If you do at least one of these practices every day, you will not only become more like Jesus, but you will help others find Jesus too! In your time together as a community, ask the questions, “Who did you BLESS this week? This time of sharing will keep the Great Commission at the forefront of who we are called to be as followers of Jesus. It will also provide the opportunity to celebrate and encourage one another on the journey.
ᐅ B.L.E.S.S.
(B)egin with Prayer:
Pray for the people in your life and the places that you’re in.
People: Who do you live, work and play with that is far from God? Pray that God would create spiritual curiosity in them, and then spend time with them.
Places:
Where does pain exist here? Pray for healing.
Who makes the decisions here? Pray for integrity.
Who throws parties here? Pray for community.
Where are the pennies spent here? Pray for provision.
(L)isten:
Listen to and discover the needs of others and the places where God is at work.
Before you can help others find Jesus, you need to listen to them first - their hopes, pains, challenges, and dreams. In your interactions with others today, take the posture of a learner. Lay down assumptions and practice being present in conversations.
(E)at:
Share meals, drink coffee, and spend time with people in your life that don’t yet know Jesus.
Who can you eat with (or have coffee with) that is far from God? A co-worker over lunch? A neighbor during the day? A friend or family member over the weekend?
Is there a place that you regularly visit (coffee shop, gym, etc.)? Ask God to grant you opportunities to eat with people.
(S)erve:
Who can you serve this week? Who do you know that has a practical need? Ask them how you can help.
Before jumping into serving, have you taken the time to pray for, listen to and eat with these people? Doing these things first helps you discover the way that you really need to serve them.
(S)tory:
Share the story of Jesus and what He is doing in your life with others.
Start by sharing how God has blessed you and made a difference in your life.
Share your story in such a way that demonstrates that Jesus is also at work in their life.
Don’t feel like you have to tell your life story at once. Think “bite-size” stories.
Prayer
Spend a few minutes praying for God’s grace over each other, that we might become a people who make Jesus our Lord, and that there might be a sweeping renewal of the Holy Spirit in our city. Ask that God would stir up within us a desire to be with him in prayer and to serve him, one another, and our neighbor in love.