Applying the Parable of the Sower
My church has just released a new at-home study program called Come Follow Me. I am loving this directed study material, and this week I recorded some of my thoughts on the Parable of the Sower.
Honestly, I went a little overboard on this video because I am going to be sharing it and discussing it with my teenagers tomorrow, so I wanted them to stay engaged. I thought I'd share it so that others could use the material as well.
Here are the types of soil I discuss in this video:
Soil in the "wayside."
Stony soil
Soil among thorns
Good Soil
I also thought it would be a good idea to discuss questions with my children at the end.
Here are the 4 Questions I ask in the video:
How do we cultivate good soil in our souls?
What "rocks" do we need to remove from our soil?
Since seeds require sun and water to grow, what can we do to receive the sun/Son and living water?
If you are doing well getting sun and water what can you do to increase your yield?
Wish me luck teaching my teenagers tomorrow, and feel free to share this movie with others that would enjoy using it as well. I'd love to hear your feedback if you end up using it in your home.Remember God loves you!
Tamara
Transcription
Tamara Anderson 0:00
What does gardening and soil have to do with Jesus Christ and His gospel? That is the question we're going to talk about today. And I'm excited, we're going to talk about the parable of the sower, which is found in Matthew chapter 13. And I invite you to turn there with me this morning.
Tamara Anderson 0:20
And here we will find a parable that Jesus not only tells us the parable, but he also gives us the interpretation, which is like, awesome because we get to learn a little bit more about this parable. So let's start off in verse three.
Tamara Anderson 0:36
And Jesus said, Behold, A sower went forth to sow. And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the Fells came and devoured them up. Some fell upon stony places, for they had not much Earth and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of Earth. And when the sun was up, they were scorched, because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprung up and choked them. But other fell into good ground and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some 60, fold, some 30 fold, who have ears to hear, let him hear.
Tamara Anderson 1:23
And that's it. That's the parable short and sweet. And so we learn here that there are four types of soils that Jesus Christ describes. And we're gonna just briefly go through them in the interpretations which are found in verses 19 through 23. And we're going to dive in and see what kind of soil these are and how we can apply that to us. What does this mean to us? Let's find out.
Tamara Anderson 1:50
So in verse four, we find out that the first type of seed is those that fell by the wayside. And Jesus Christ describes those as they were devoured by fouls. And so if you can just imagine a sea just falling kind of off to the side of the road, and the soil hasn't been prepared or anything, it's Rocky, there's probably weeds there. We don't know. He doesn't tell us much about this, this way side soil.
Tamara Anderson 2:17
But he does tell us the characteristics of the person who has Wayside soil, if you look down in verse 19. And it says, when any one heareth, the word of the kingdom. So there's that word here again, when one heareth the word of the kingdom and understand it that not, then come at the wicked one, and catch it away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received the seed by the wayside. So we have someone who hears the word but doesn't understand it doesn't try. There's there's a bit of choice involved there. They they choose to hear the Word of God, but they choose also not to try to understand it, not to apply it in their lives. And because of that, it says the wicked one comes and catches away that which was sown in their heart. So Satan comes just like the fowls devours that good seed up. And that's what happens in the wayside. And that kind of soil.
Tamara Anderson 3:25
Okay, the second type of soil is the stony soil. And this one, Jesus Christ describes in verses five and six that it doesn't have much Earth because there are a lot of rocks. So the second thing is it is scorched by the sun, probably not enough water. There is no root, so it's not sinking down, probably because of the rocks, and it withers away. So, we learn in verse 20, a little bit more about this type of person who has stony soil, it says, but he didn't receive it the seed into stony places, the same as he that heareth the word and a non with joy. Receive it that so they hear the word they receive it, they're excited about it. Yet he in verse 21, yet had he not root in himself, but duress for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word by and by, he is offended. So we learn a little bit more about the personality of this person who has stony soil. They endure for a little while. But then when persecution or tribulation comes because of the word, they're like, I'm done. It's too hard. It's too hard. I'm not gonna keep this up. And so they give up on God.
Tamara Anderson 4:56
The third type of soil is the sea seed that was planted among thorns, and the thorns choked it. And we learned a little bit more of the details of this and verse 22. It says, He also that received seed among the thorns is he that here at the word, and they care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. And so we learned that if your seed is planted among the thorns, it really does matter who you're hanging around, and what their beliefs are, and what type of seeds they're nourishing. Are they nourishing good seeds? Are they nourishing, thorny seeds, it makes a difference. It really does. This has to do with priorities to the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word. So things of this world popularity, having more than everybody else, riches, those things are more important to them than the Word of God. And so that's what we need to be careful of. And it's a temptation for all of us, because the things of this world are glitzy and glamorous, right. But the key is not to let that become a priority over the things of God. And that's important. That's the key with this type of soil.
Tamara Anderson 6:33
The last type of soil is good ground. And we learned some really neat things about good ground. First, that it brings forth fruit, some 100, fold, some 60 fold, and some 30 fold. And that's cool to know, because God knows that each of us are different than each of us are going to produce differently. And the key to producing fruit in any garden is a balance of good sunlight, good water, and good nutrients. Those are the things that are going to help you produce good fruit, and more fruit. And so those things need to be balanced in order for you to produce fruit. And so that is what's really cool about this good soil is it gives us an opportunity to think what can I do to produce good soil and produce good fruit that will bear fruit for the Kingdom?
Tamara Anderson 7:32
Let's finish this off with a couple of good questions for us to think about. And if you have to pause the video and write down your thoughts, or discuss it with someone you love. That is a good time to do it. My first question to you is, how do we cultivate good soil in our souls? How do we do that? What does that look like for you? And what does it look like for me? What does it look like? Because it's going to be different for each of us. But what can you do to produce good soil?
Tamara Anderson 8:03
The second question is, what rocks do we need to remove from our soil? Do we have any there? And if so, what can we do to remove them? And are you willing to give them up? Are you willing to give up your rocks to have good soil and grow the seed deeper?
Tamara Anderson 8:23
The third question is since seeds require sunlight and water to grow, what can each of us do to receive the sun, Jesus Christ into our life more, and His living water? What can we do to get that daily sun and water?
Tamara Anderson 8:44
The fourth question is, if you are doing well and getting daily sun and water, what can you do to increase your yield? So that requires a little more balancing? Balancing the nutrients in your soil is something out of balance in your life, or your priorities in order you have God first, your family second and everything else third, or later. So how are those priorities in your life? Are they balanced, or something that needs to change? And if so, you know, the solution begin to change.
Tamara Anderson 9:26
So I hope you've enjoyed this week's Bible stories today. Please share it with those who would benefit from it. And take time to think about how you can apply this amazing parable about gardening in your life today. So that we can each take one step at a time closer to Jesus Christ. I'm so thankful for him in my life. And I'm thankful that he can help us improve the quality of our soils when we ask him. So share this and remember God loves you. Hope on!
Transcribed by https://otter.ai