Seed, Soil, and the Secret of the Harvest
Teaching Notes
How do you experience growth that truly lasts?
The Parable of the Soils: Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:1-15
Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.
Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
Mark 4:1-10, 13-20
THE FARMER: God is extravagantly GENEROUS.
Spiritual growth begins with GOD and flows from His GRACE.
“A key component of growth is grace— enough grace to open up and bring things into the light to be healed.”
– Henry Cloud & Stuart Townsend, How People Grow
What would it look like to believe that God is this generous with you?
THE SEED: God’s Word is POWERFUL.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
What you SOW determines what you GROW.
- You REAP what you SOW.
- You never REAP in the same SEASON that you sow.
THE SOIL: The Condition of your HEART.
Four Types of Soil
- The Path: A HARD Heart
- Rocky Soil: A SHALLOW Heart
- Thorny Soil: A CROWDED Heart
- Good Soil: A RECEPTIVE Heart
Good Seed + Good Soil = EXPONENTIAL HARVEST
Good soil doesn’t happen by ACCIDENT; it’s CULTIVATED.
APPLICATION: What’s Your Next Step?
- Evaluate Your Soil: Be honest about the condition of your heart. What needs to change?
- Prepare the Soil: What habits do you need to cultivate receptivity—prayer, repentance, worship?
- Plant the Seed: Spend intentional time in God’s Word daily.
- Awakening Reading Plan: 50 Days in Genesis