The Sower

Parables of Jesus, 1 – The Sower

Good morning, Church and guests. Welcome to our weekly time of worship to which our God has called us in unity and praise.  May our ears hear clearly and our hearts be receptive to whatever truths God gives us this morning through his word.  We know that the Holy Spirit is active all the time, and when we focus our minds and hearts on drawing near to him, he will bless us with wisdom and courage so that we can keep on living each day for the Lord.

I’m excited to kick off a new sermon series with you this morning that will have us engaging some of the most fruitful but frustrating teachings of Jesus—his parables.  We won’t go through all of them, but I have ten or twelve that I hope to preach about over the next few months. 

If you’ve studied Jesus’ parables before, I hope you won’t tune out thinking this is all old material.  The parables and their applications are rich enough to continue to challenge us year after year, no matter how familiar they might initially seem.  And if you’re new to the parables and are a little bit uneasy about them, because you’ve heard they’re hard to understand, have courage.  God does give understanding to those who seek it, and while we may not understand everything Jesus has to say, I am confident that there will always be something we can take away from these studies and apply to our lives.

This morning’s text is Matthew 13:1-23 and covers material best known as the Parable of the Sower.  I hope that before our worship time begins, you’ll pause to pray silently for all of us that we might have ears to hear Jesus’ message.  God hears our prayers and always gives us what we need at the right time.  I’m hoping that we will experience that goodness for ourselves today.  May the Lord be praised.

— Patrick Barber

The Sower, Lesson 1 from The Parables of Jesus Sermon Series

Digging deeper:

1. Why did Jesus teach in parables?
2. What are some practical ways we can help people become better “soil” so that God’s word can take root and bear fruit?
3. How do we avoid falling prey to the troubles and cares of the world?
4. Whose salvation can we be praying for daily, and how we can help that person grow in their desire for God?