Sowing Seeds that Produce

Sermon Text: Matthew 13: 1-9 Matthew 13:8 “Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown”. 

Sermon Title: Sowing Seeds that Produce

Point 1: Sovereign Sower: vs. 3, 4a ³ “Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.” 4. As he was scattering the seed…

The sower in this parable does not appear to be a very good farmer. He indiscriminately sows the seed. How good a farmer is this…not carefully tilling the land before sowing it, wasting seed on patches of land that surely will not produce a harvest and simply throwing it everywhere?

(1)     Jesus is telling us God is willing to take a risk. You and I would never plant seed anywhere we didn’t think it had a chance to grow, not God. God is willing to take a chance..

(2)     God sees potential where others see a rocky life, a shallow life, a thorny life and a life that has been pushed to the side.

(3)     Jesus also wants us to see the Sower is Sovereign. You cannot tell God what to do with His seed. Some of us are good for giving God instructions on who will live right and who will not live right…  

	Isa 55: 8, 9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
	“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts

Daniel 4: 35…He does as he pleases…No one can hold back his hand and say what have you done…

Point 2: Seed Power: ^4 “As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown”. 

The common denominator in all farm verses is the word seed. The seed, the word of God, is the best seed you can find...

Psalm 119: 11 says I hide it in my heart so I cannot sin against God. Jesus said in Luke 21: 33 heaven and earth shall fade away but his word will last forever. The Psalmist 19: 10 said it’s sweeter than the honey comb. Jeremiah 15: 16 said Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. If there is little growth in your life ask yourself how much seed do you take in? If there is no harvest in your life there has been no seed in your life. Harvest is equal to seed and vice versa. This is how Paul put it in Galatians 6: 7, 9  Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Let us not be weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Point 3: Choice Soil ⁴   “As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.… ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 

Some times when the word comes to a person,“it falls along the path,” what that means is the message doesn’t fall in the middle of the row. We choose to give the required time to understand the word and the evil one comes and snatches it up…

Other times, you choose to receive the seed of the word comes that brings you joy…Now because the word answered some difficult areas in your life notice what the word says happens vs. 21 “persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away” e.g. marital problems, addictions, family problems, and relationship problems…

Finally, you choose to accept the word...