Luke 8:4-15 – The Four

Soils and the Field of Life

By Jeremy Myers 

I. The Story (Luke 8:4-8)

II. The Sting (Luke 8:9-10)
III. The Soils (Luke 8:11-15)

In Isaiah 5, God compares the people of Israel to a vineyard. He says that He as the
vinedresser, and they were the field. He came and he tilled the ground, he plucked out the
stones, and planted the best grapevine possible. He built watchtowers and fences to keep
the animals and enemies at bay, and He tended and cared for that vineyard expecting it to
bring forth good grapes. But despite all His hard work and labor, the field only brought
forth wild, small, bitter grapes.

And so God lets His vineyard be destroyed. He takes down the hedges. He allows the vine
to be burned. He tears down the wall, and allows the field to be trampled underfoot. He
does not prune the vine, nor does He till the ground. He allows the briars and thorns to
grow up and choke the vine, and He keeps the rain from watering it. The vineyard becomes
wasteland.

This picture from Isaiah 5 is picked up by Jesus in Luke 8 with the parable of the four
soils. Everybody who has gardens or fields knows that there is good soil and bad soil in
every garden and in every field. But the best gardens, the best fields, are those with the
best soil.

And this is ever farmer’s goal – to get the best soil into his field. If he has a field with bad
soil, it requires a lot of work and effort to make it good soil. One of you was telling me just
last week about all the work you have put into your garden to make it suitable for planting.
If the ground is hard and packed down, you have to till it. If it is rocky, you have to get
those rocks out of there. If it is filled with weeds, you have to pull them or kill them. The
goal for your garden, or your field, is to get that dark, rich earth that all farmers dream of.
Such soil is so fertile and full of nutrients you can smell it. I even heard of one gardener
who used to taste his soil. I hope he didn’t mix manure into it.

In the parable of Luke 8:4-15, Jesus likens the soils of a field to the different kind of people
on this earth. Everybody falls into one of these four categories. You fall into at least one of
these four soils.

I. The Story (Luke 8:4-8)

Luke 8:4-8. And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to
Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: “A sower went out to sow his
seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down,
and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it
sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among
thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good
ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said
these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The sower tosses his seed, and it lands on four different kinds of soil. This is a bit of humor
here by Christ, for this is one careless seed sower. The picture is of a sower just tossing
seed to the wind, willy-nilly here and there, not really caring where it lands. This is not a
good way to sow seed. It seems very wasteful.

The way they would sow seed back then is very similar to the way we sow grass seed today.
You get a big bag of seed, and then spread it all over where you want the seed to grow.
Today, we use spreaders, but back then, they would sling a bag of grain over their
shoulder, and then grab handfuls of the seed at a time and toss it around on the ground.
But just as you don’t go spreading grass seed on your driveway and the gravel road, so also
back then, most seed sowers were relatively careful about where they tossed their seed.
Most didn’t just toss it onto the beaten path and among the rocks and thorns. They want it
to grow. So Jesus is making a bit of a joke here about this seemingly silly sower of seed.
When we understand who the sower is, and what the seed is, the joke will make more
sense.

But notice for now that this sower spreads the seed on four soils. The first is the beaten
path soil. The ground is hard and well-traveled, and the birds come and eat it up. The
second soil, in Luke 8:6, is the rocky soil. It is that soil right next to the beaten path, or on
the edge of the field which contains a lot of rocks and stones. Plants can grow there, but
they are always sickly and stunted because the numerous rocks do not allow the soil to
soak up the rain. Water just runs through it like a sieve. The third soil is thorny soil. We
could call it weed-infested. You all know how difficult it is for any kind of good and healthy
plan to grow among thorns and thistles and weeds. For some reason, thorns and weeds
seem to grow ten times faster than the plants we want to grow. They suck up all the
moisture and nutrients in the soil before anything else can get them, and sometimes, the
weeds are so noxious that they kill everything around them.

When Wendy and I lived in Montana, we had a certain weed in our lawn which drove me
insane. I am certain it could grow two to three inches every day with no rain whatsoever. It
was expensive to water our lawn, and so as the summer went on, the grass got brown and
prickly. But these weeds seemed to flourish no matter what. They grew green and tall no
matter what I did, and I noticed that they secreted some sort of chemical which killed the
grass around them for about half an inch in all directions.

Mowing over them just seemed to make them spread, and after a while, I noticed that
when I mowed them, the pulp they left behind killed the grass. Weed-n-Feed didn’t seem
to work either. I sometimes wondered if the name “Weed-n-Feed” meant “plant weeds and
feed them.” Finally, I had to resort to pulling out each weed in our entire lawn by hand,
one at a time. I easily filled two or three garbage cans with these weeds. Of course, I soon
learned in pulling them that I needed to use gloves, because they were covered with these
little thorns which would embed into my skin and cause it to itch and burn for a day or
two. It was a nasty little weed. And when Jesus describes seed thrown among the thorns,
that is the weed I imagine.

It was not weeds however that Jesus is referring to, but thorns. There was a wide variety of
thorns in Israel, and all of them were nastier than our weeds in our gardens and lawns.
The thorns Jesus was referring to are large bushes or brambles filled with long, wickedly
sharp thorns. If pricked by one, they would cause oozing sores and festering wounds. Even
if seed were able to take root and grow among the thorns, no farmer in their right mind
would try to harvest it, because the thorns would keep him at bay. But Jesus says that this
sower threw seeds among the thorns as well, and not surprisingly, the thorns choked the
seed out, and the seed could not grow properly.
The fourth soil of Luke 8:8 is the good soil. Good, dark, rich soil, well-watered, and full of
nutrients. The seed that is spread on it not only grows, but produces one hundred times as
much at the harvest. The abundance of the harvest is a testimony to the richness of the
soil. I don’t know what kind of seed is being planted here, but let’s say it is wheat or barley.
Wheat normally gets about 25 to 30 grains per head, and barley can have as many as 50.
Barley normally has about two stalks per seed, and wheat can have as many as four. So
basically, a hundredfold harvest is about the best you can hope for from wheat or barley.
And that is what this fourth soil produces – the best harvest possible. Those are the four
soils – the wayside soil, the rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the fertile soil.

At the end of Luke 8:8, Jesus says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Do you have ears to hear? Do you know what Jesus is talking about? Do you understand
this parable? Do you see and understand the spiritual truth behind this parable? Most
people think they understand this parable, but I am convinced that most do not. Most
people think that this parable is a description of how to know who has eternal life and who
isn’t. This is a very common view among pastors and teachers. Such teachers argue that if
you want to know whether a person has eternal life or not, all you have to do is look at how
much fruit they produce.

One prominent author, pastor and radio Bible teacher says that “Fruit bearing…is the
ultimate test of salvation. …Fruit, not foliage, is the mark of true salvation.” Another well-
known pastor and author writes similarly that “the proof of salvation is not listening to the
Word, or having a quick emotional response to the Word, or even cultivating the Word so
that it grows into life. The proof of salvation is fruit.” Again, another pastor and author put
it this way: “It is only the open heart [of the fourth soil] that receives the benefit of the
preaching of the gospel and is saved.” Those who understanding this parable in such a way
go around trying to look at people’s lives to determine if they are truly Christians or not.
They become professional fruit inspectors, with their checklist and guidelines for how
truly true Christians will behave. If the person doesn’t behave that way, then they must not
be the fourth soil, and so must not have eternal life.

Jesus said in Luke 8:9, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” I am afraid that those who
hold to the understanding of this parable I have just mentioned do not have ears to hear.
They have not heard what Jesus said. They should be like the disciples in Luke 8:9 and
come to Jesus for an explanation. I think Luke 8:9-10 are the key to understanding this
parable. Luke puts these two verses in the middle of this parable because these two verses
contain the point of the parable. If parables have a sting in the tale, Luke 8:9-10 contain
the sting.

II. The Sting (Luke 8:9-10)

Luke 8:9. Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable
mean?”

And this is the question we are asking. Rather than going to our preconceived ideas about
what this parable means, or rather than trying to make it fit our theological system, we
throw all that out, and come humbly to Jesus, saying that we want to hear; we want to
understand. Jesus, what does this parable mean? And although Jesus does not really begin
to explain the parable until Luke 8:11, the key is Luke 8:10.

Luke 8:10. And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the
kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that
‘Seeing they may not see,

And hearing they may not understand.’

The point of this parable (and all the parables) is twofold. First, there are some who will
see and hear, but they will not truly see or understand what Jesus is talking about. They
may praise Him for His creativity in preaching. They may be amazed at His signs and
wonders. They may laugh at His jokes and stories. But they do not ever really “get it.”
Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 6:9-10 where God tells Isaiah to do the same thing Jesus is
doing here. The people who claim to follow God have become calloused and hard of heart.
Isaiah and Jesus preached the Word of God to them, but the people did not hear, and did
not repent, and did not change, and did not obey God’s Word. In Isaiah 6:11-13, God says
that the result will be punishment. The people will be carried off into captivity and the
land will be laid waste. However, a remnant, one-tenth of the people, will be allowed to
remain, and will continue to be the recipients of God’s promises.

This is almost exactly the same thing Jesus is saying here in Luke 8:10. He, like Isaiah, is
preaching and teaching to a people who have become calloused and hard of heart, so that
they see, but don’t see; they hear, but don’t understand. And it is this principle, this
prophecy, that is elaborated on in the parable of the four soils. We have four soils, and four
different responses to the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Some do not
respond at all. But others respond in one of three ways, with a total of four possible
responses.

Notice that in those faulty interpretations I quoted earlier, there are only three kinds of
people. The hard soil represents those who do not have eternal life. The good soil
represents those who do have eternal life. And the middle two soils represent those who
claim to be Christians, and act like Christians for a while, but really are not Christians.
This faulty interpretation has bunched together the middle two soils into one group. That
alone should be a hint that their interpretation is wrong. Jesus is talking about four
groups; not three. There are four soils representing four responses; not three.

And this parable is not at all about how to determine who is a Christian and who isn’t. This
parable is about four different responses to the Word of God. Every teacher of Scripture
has seen all four of these in different people at different times, whether they are Christians
or not. This parable does not give us guidelines for deciding who the true Christians are.
It’s about categories for people and their response to the Word of God whether they are
Christians or not. We all agree that the Bible contains wonderful truths and great advice
for all people. Whether a person is a Christian or not, the Bible has advice on parenting,
family, work, finances and general health. The most important piece of advice, if it can
even be called advice, is what God says about how to have eternal life. The Bible is full of
God speaking out on various issues. And no matter what the topic is, different people
respond in different ways. You will see all four responses in non-Christians, and you will
see all four responses in Christians.

Now, having said that, there is a bit of a sliding scale. If we were to group all people in the
entire world in the four soils mentioned in Luke 8:11-15, most non-Christians would fall
under soil number one, most new Christians and nominal Christians would fall under soils
two and three, and most mature Christians would fall under soil number four. That’s just
the way it works out. But I don’t think that’s the purpose of the parable. God wants you to
look at these four soils, and the various areas of life to see what kind of soil you are. If you
are like me, your life is going to be like a field. Some of it is the hardened first soil, some of
it is the rocky soil, some of it is the thorny soil, and some of it is good soil. The goal is the
till the hardened soil, clear away the rocks, and burn out the thorns so that our entire field
becomes good, fertile soil.

With that in mind, let’s look at each of the four soils in Luke 8:11-15. We looked at Luke
8:9-10 previously, and while they are important for helping us understand this parable,
let’s skip down to Luke 8:11-15 where Jesus explains the imagery of the four soils. The seed
is explained first in Luke 8:11.

III. The Soils (Luke 8:11-15)

Luke 8:11. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

Before we look at the soils, we need to recognize that the seed is the Word of God. It is the
seed of the Word that is scattered here and there and everywhere. Jesus doesn’t say who
exactly the sower of the seed is, but it is obvious. The sower of seed is anyone who teaches
God’s Word. In this case, it is Jesus Himself. But I am a sower of the Word any time I
preach and teach it. You are a sower of the Word any time you teach it to others. The Holy
Spirit is a sower of the Word when you read Scripture and pray for understanding and
illumination.

Jesus explains in Luke 8:12-15 that when the Word of God is taught, there are four basic
responses, represented by four soils. And the fact that the seed is spread all over the place,
without regard to where it lands is typical of the way God spreads His Word around the
world. Have you ever noticed that? God does not really care where His seed lands. He just
wants to spread it around wherever He can. It’s always on the radio for anybody who
wants to turn a dial and hear it. It’s on television for those who want to press a button. It’s
in every hotel room for those who want to open a drawer.

The Word of God is not like a laser beam, directed only at a few people whom God knows
are ready to receive it. No, the Word of God is scattered willy-nilly, here and there. You
see, God doesn’t have to buy the seed. It’s free. He’s got an infinite supply. So He might as
well cover the whole earth with it. Who cares what kind of ground it falls on? And I’ve
talked with some Christians who object to this sort of free for all seed scattering procedure.
I talked with one man in Denver when I was there, who tries to make sure, to the best of
his ability, that the person he speaks the Word of God to, or the person He shares the
Gospel with is ready, willing and able to receive it. This was a new concept to me, so I
asked him why he did this.

The reason, I was told, was because Jesus told us not to case our pearls before swine. I
didn’t know then what I know now about that being a gross misunderstanding of Matthew
7:6. But regardless, I asked how he knew who was ready to receive the Word and who
wasn’t, and he said he looked at their lives for the necessary fruit. The fruit, he said, was an
indication of God at work in their life, and so if God was at work, then that person must be
ready to receive God’s Word. But that is not what I see Jesus explaining here in this
parable. Jesus wants the Word of God sown on all sorts of soil, and that is what He does.
He teaches the disciples, and He teaches the multitudes. He teaches the Pharisees and the
tax collectors. He doesn’t try to determine who is ready and who isn’t, He just teaches. He
scatters the seed all over the place.

And it seems to be an inefficient way of doing things, but that is why Paul says the world
thinks preaching is foolishness (1 Cor 1:18-25). The world says, “Who wants to go listen to
some guy talk about the Bible for forty-five minutes, let alone come back on Sunday night
and Wednesday night for more of the same? And what’s up with taking half an hour out of
every day to read the Bible? What a colossal waste of time that is! I’ve heard sermons
before, and they just go in one ear and out the other. They’ve never done me a bit of good.”
But that is exactly Jesus’ point. You see, when the world says something like that, they
have just described themselves and identified themselves as the first soil. The first soil is
the wayside soil.

Luke 8:12. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes
and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be
saved.

Back up in Luke 8:8, it was the birds of the air who come and devour the seed. Here in
Luke 8:12, it is the devil who comes and takes away the Word. The birds represent the
devil. When the Word is preached, the devil does his best to keep people from hearing it
and understanding it. He does his best to keep people from understanding and responding
to it.

Jesus says that the devil takes away the Word, lest they should believe and be saved.

The word “saved” is what makes many people think this parable is about how to determine
who has eternal life and who does not. But if you recall, the word “saved” in the Bible
never refers to having eternal life. It is probably the most misunderstood word in the
Bible. It is also one of the words I look at in my “Bible Dictionary” course. But if you recall
what I have said before about the word “saved” in the Bible, whenever you see the word
“saved” in the Bible, you should stop, substitute in the word “delivered,” and then look in
the context to see what the deliverance is from, and what the conditions for this
deliverance are.

As you know, eternal life is a free gift of God to anyone and everyone who simply believes
in Jesus for it (John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47). But here in Luke 8, the salvation that Jesus is
talking about has numerous other conditions. This should tell us right away that the word
“saved” here does not refer to eternal life at all. Instead, the word “saved” means the same
thing it meant by in Luke 7:50. The word “saved” in Luke is closely related to participating
with God in the Kingdom of God, which means, allowing God to rule and reign in your life.
When Luke uses the word “saved,” he is not referring to receiving eternal life, but is
referring instead to receiving and acting upon God’s rule and reign in our life. The
Kingdom of God is the government of God, the policies of God, When we are “saved” we
follow God’s rules for our lives so that we can avoid the devastating and disastrous
consequences of sin in our lives and instead experience the position, power, and privilege
of living the way God wants our lives to be lived.

So with all of this in mind, we must recognize that Luke 8 is not talking about who is a
Christian and who is not. It is instead talking about how the Word of God is preached and
proclaimed, and there are four basic responses to the Word of God. All people, whether
they are Christians or not, can have one of these responses to the Word of God.

Now, of course, one of the truths of the Word of God is the truth that people can receive
eternal life through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, so in this sense, the parable of the
four soils does apply to those who hear the truth about how they can receive eternal life.
Very often, when people hear the truth that God gives eternal life to anyone who believes
in Jesus for it, this truth goes in one ear and out the other, just as we see happen with this
first soil.

My grandma is not a Christian. My family and I have been witnessing to her for years. A
while back I preached a sermon in which the Gospel was presented clearly. I preached that
Jesus gives eternal life to anyone who believes in Him for it. In that sermon, I also
mentioned something about the people who lived in the time of Noah living to be
hundreds of years old. I sent her the sermon thinking that maybe she would listen to it. I
got a letter a few weeks later from her saying “Thank you for the nice sermon. You are
turning out to be a good speaker. I don’t believe all that stuff about people living to be
hundreds of years old though.” And that was it. Not a word about Jesus or His offer of
eternal life. The one thing she latched on to was an insignificant point I only mentioned in
passing.

But of course, Christians who have eternal life can also fall into the category of this first
soil.

When I was a pastor in a church, I counseled a man who had problems with alcohol and
lust. As I talked to him one afternoon, he kept saying that He just wanted God to hit him
over the head with a 2×4. He was tired of the struggle against sin, and wanted God to just
knock him out with a 2×4. I almost went and got a 2×4 and hit the man over the head. I
didn’t, but I wonder what would have happened if I had. But instead we just kept talking
about what the Bible said regarding this man’s struggles. The only thing is that he didn’t
want to hear what the Bible said. Instead, he just kept saying that it would be easier if God
hit him with a 2×4.

This is what happens to the firs toil. When any truth from the Word of God is proclaimed,
Satan does his best to keep it from being understood and believed. He snatches it from the
heart of the wayside soil before it can take root in the heart and bring about change.

So the first soil represents those people who do not respond to the Word at all. If they hear
it, it goes in one ear and out the other. This often happens to non-Christians, but it also
happens to Christians when we tune out during the sermon or read the Bible and then do
nothing about what it says. If we were to listen to what Scripture teaches, believe it, and
then act upon it, we would be saved, or delivered, from whatever the Bible is warning us
about. But if we just go away without hearing, understanding, believing, or acting upon the
truth of the Word of God, this means that the devil is stealing the Word from you heart.

If you find that happening to you, don’t let him steal the Word of God from you any longer.
Engage in practices that will help the seeds of the Word of God take root in your life. How?
Well, this is what the next three soils are all about.

The second soil is the rocky soil. Jesus explains it in Luke 8:13.

Luke 8:13. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive
the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time
of temptation fall away.

Notice that this soil initially receives the Word with joy. The text very clearly that they
believed. Now again, this is not talking about eternal life. It is talking about all the truths
of Scripture, whatever they may be. Just as both Christians and non-Christians can hear
the Word of God and then ignore it as with the first soil, so also with this second soil, both
Christians and non-Christians can hear the Word of God, and then initially believe and act
upon it, but then stop a short while later.

This second soil hears the Word, and says, “Yes! This is what I’ve been looking for! This is
the instruction I need! This is helpful advice.” And they begin to do what God’s Word says.
But Luke 8:13 says that because of the rocks in their lives, they develop only little roots,
and wither away amongst the rocks. And what are the rocks? Luke 8:13 says the rocks are
the temptations of life. The rocks are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride
of life (1 John 2:16). This second soil represents the life under spiritual pressure. Pressure
to sin especially. Pressure to stop believing what they initially received with gladness.

I had a friend in high school who was a solid Christian. She was very smart. She could read
books faster than anyone I have ever met, and remember with great accuracy almost
everything she read. When she graduated from high school, she went to Harvard. As you
may know, all the ivy league schools put great pressure on Christian students who attend
there to reject their faith in God and the Bible. I thought she would be able to handle the
pressure, but a few summers later, I was back home and she was back home, and I found
out that in just a few years, she had become an agnostic. She doubted that there was a God.
She doubted that the Bible was God’s Word. She doubted that Jesus Christ was God’s Son.
She doubted that there was a heaven and a hell. I do not know where she is now, or what
finally happened to her, but she represents this second soil exactly. She had a faith on the
rocks. Under intense intellectual pressure, she rejected most of the basic tenants of
Christianity.

Other people face intense spiritual pressure to sin. Sexual pressure is a big rock today. So
is alcohol and drugs is another big boulder. Then there is the pressure to succeed and gain
lots of material possessions. The numerous temptations that surround us are the rocks
that crowd out spiritual life, health and growth.

Sin is serious. Yes, on the cross, Jesus paid for all of our sin, past, present and future. Yes,
in Christ, we are secure forever. But this doesn’t mean we should just go sin all we want
(We CAN, but we shouldn’t.) Sin and temptation choke the life out of us. While temptation
itself is not sin, if we knowingly, willingly, and repeatedly put ourselves in tempting
situations, it will not be long before we find ourselves sinning, and our faith being choked
out.

Are you facing the rocks of temptation? You must pick them up and toss them over the
fence line. If you don’t, pretty soon you will find yourself not reading Scripture, not
hanging out with other believers, not following the ways of God, and not having any
spiritual input into your life. The seed that sprang up within you will soon wither away.
There are so many Christians this has happened to. It is tragic to see a person believe in
Jesus, and begin to make progress in their Christian life, but then, because they don’t deal
with the sin issues in their lives, and the things that continue to lead them after the world
instead of into the Word, they end up falling away in times of temptation.

Very often, the people who are this second soil look very promising to begin with, but since
they do not take care of the sin issues in their lives, they fall away, and eventually end up
addicted to sin and destroying their life, their health, and their relationships. Don’t let this
happen to you. Get these rocks out of the field of your life. How? Here’s what the Bible
says.

First, pray that you will not face temptation (Luke 11:4; 22:40, 46). We all will be tempted
because we are in this world, and we still reside in the flesh, and Satan prowls about like a
roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. But we need to pray that God will protect us
from frequent times of temptation.

Second, and this will help answer your prayer, don’t put yourself in tempting situations.
Flee temptation and places where know you will be weak (1 Cor 10:14; 1 Tim 6:11; 2 Tim
2:22). If you have a trouble with alcohol, don’t go the bar with your buddies after work. If
you have impure thoughts about women, don’t watch movies where there are suggestive
scenes. Stay away from tempting situations.
Third, when you do face temptation, look for the way of escape that God has promised (1
Cor 10:13). Handle temptation the same way Christ did. Do not argue with Satan; you will
lose every time (Matthew 4). Instead, depend on Scriptural promises to defeat the
temptation. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).

Fourth, spend more time, not less, around positive spiritual influences. When you are
tempted, you need more time in the Word, not less. You need more time among
Christians, not less.

Get those rocks out of your life, so that you will not face the danger of the second soil. But
even then, there are the thorns of the third soil to watch out for as well. This soil is
explained in Luke 8:14.

Luke 8:14. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they
have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life,
and bring no fruit to maturity.

The first soil were those people who never received the instruction of the Word in the first
place. They either chose to never hear it, or they heard it and promptly forgot it. The
second soil represents those who heard, received, and believed the Word, and initially
began to act upon it, but then temptation to sin caused them to go back to their old way of
living. This third soil is the most dangerous of all, and in my opinion, the one where most
Christians get snared. This third soil is the thorny soil, and according to Jesus, the thorns
are the cares, riches and pleasures of life.

Whereas the second soil was caught up in sin, this third soil is not doing anything sinful.
They are just enjoying life. And life is enjoyable, isn’t it? God has given us many wonderful
blessings to enjoy in life. There is tasty food to eat, beautiful sights to see, wonderful places
to visit. We go on enjoyable outings with friends, spend our days pursuing the many
recreational opportunities that surround us – hiking, biking, hunting, fishing, skiing,
shopping, movie watching, gardening, reading, relaxing, sleeping, playing games, going on
vacation, and too many other things to list. These things fight for our time. They are not
sinful. God made all these things and gave them to us for our enjoyment. But when they
take over our lives, and take the place of God in our lives, they are thorns that choke out
the Word. They stunt the growth of what God wants to see happen in our lives.

There are some Christians who act like Christians, talk like Christians, and even behave
like Christians – they don’t have any serious, evident patterns of sin in their lives. But
these true and genuine Christians are so busy with life, that they have very little time for
the things of God. They are always on some vacation, or always have some project going at
home. They rarely make it to church, or if they do, they only come on Sunday mornings for
the service, and don’t have any time of personal Bible reading and prayer at home. They
want to, but they are just too busy with life. And so what happens? Jesus says they bring
forth no fruit to maturity. They grow, but their growth is stunted. They may even produce
fruit, but nothing edible. Just small, sour, bitter, undeveloped, worthless fruit.

Remember how I told you that the parables sting? This third soil stings. If I had to guess, I
would say that the majority of modern American Christians (pastors included) fall into
this third soil. If a person is a Christian and they are not even attending church, they are in
that second soil. But most church going Christians fall into this third soil. We go to church
because we know we should. We read the Bible when we can. But for the most part, our
lives are consumed with cares, riches and pleasures of life. We spend our money on
ourselves. We use our time in the pursuit of happiness. We spend more time in front of the
television, or at the lake, or on the phone, or reading magazines than we do in the Word.
An hour and half in church on Sunday morning is more than enough for us. The things we
spend our time on are not sinful, so we feel they are not harming us. But in reality, they are
choking our growth, stunting our development. Recreation and entertainment, rest and
relaxation, these are the thorns of life. A little is okay, but they must be in their proper
balance.

What is the balance? I don’t know. I do know that all of us, myself included, are way short
of the Biblical balance. In the early church, they were meeting every day in people’s homes
for the apostle’s teaching, for fellowship and for prayer. Every day. Were they going
overboard with that whole Christianity thing? The opening chapters of Acts indicates that
yes, they did go overboard for Christ, and that is why they turned the world upside down.
They produced much fruit.

Don’t think you can produce fruit on one spiritual meal a week. You need to feed on the
Word of God every single day. What can you do to move in that direction? How can you
get rid of the thorns in your life?

First, pray. Just as with the rocky soil, the first step is to pray. Pray about your cares, your
riches, and your pleasures. Thank God for them, but ask Him to help you keep them in
balance. If you find yourself spending too much time in some morally neutral pleasure,
pray about it. Ask God to change you. Why spend an inordinate amount of time watching
TV, boating, golfing, fishing, or shopping? If you find you are distracted by various cares,
pray about it. God wants us to cast our cares upon Him, for He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). If
you find money is distracting you, pray about it. We are all rich in comparison the majority
of the world. If we aren’t careful, our riches can distract us and keep us from maximizing
our lives for Christ.

Once you have prayed about it, then secondly, set your heart on heavenly treasure
(Matthew 6:19-21). Most of us are far too easily pleased with the pleasures and riches that
this world has to offer, not realizing that what we really long for are the pleasures and
riches of heaven. But Scripture is clear that the pleasures and riches of heaven are reserved
for those who work for them. Entrance into heaven itself is freely given to all who believe
in Jesus for eternal life, but the rewards and riches of heaven are reserved for faithful
Christians who put heavenly riches above earthly pleasures.

Third, in our materialistic society, one thing you can resolve to do is give away a lot of what
you make and have (2 Corinthians 9:6-9; Acts 20:35). Be generous with your money,
possessions and time. Money is not evil, but it is the root of all kinds of evil. And money
will either control you, or you will control money. And the only way to show you have
mastery over your money is to give it away.

These are just a few suggestions. But be very careful that the pleasures of life are not
crowding out the abundant and fruitful life God has in mind for you.

The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of
the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the
world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in
every night. For all the ill that Satan can do, when God describes what keeps us from the
banquet table of his love, it is a piece of land, a yoke of oxen, and a wife (Luke 14:18–20).
The greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemies but his gifts. And the most
deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple pleasures of earth. For
when these replace an appetite for God himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable, and
almost incurable.
[The things that will choke you] are your basic meat and potatoes and coffee and
gardening and reading and decorating and traveling and investing and TV-watching
and Internet-surfing and shopping and exercising and collecting and talking. And all of
them can become deadly substitutes for God.

Don’t let the thorns of life choke you. If you get rid of the stones of temptation and the
thorns of earthly pursuits, you will become the fourth soil, the good and fertile ground
which produces much fruit. This is what we see in Luke 8:15.

Luke 8:15. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having
heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with
patience.

This fourth soil is what God wants all of us to become. But none of us become this way
automatically or instantly. It takes hard work and patience. Jesus says that the two main
ingredients of this kind of soil is that it hears the Word and keeps it.

First, you need to hear the Word. If you are not hearing the Word, you will never bear
fruit. If you are not feeding daily on Scripture, and listening to Biblically based sermons as
often as you can, and attending Bible studies, and then, living out what God teaches you
from His Word, you will never produce an abundant harvest.

This is why I spend so much time studying during the week and why we spend half of our
service in teaching the Word. I want you to leave here on Sunday morning having received
a good spiritual meal. One pastor puts it this way:

Though ever Christian should read, study and meditate upon Scripture, God uses Bible
exposition for the optimal enhancement of his spiritual growth. It is not overstating the
case that preaching should be the chief means of dispensing strengthening grace in a
believer’s life.

Another pastor writes similarly:

Preaching is one of God’s chief means of sowing seed and helping fruit grow; it is a way
of watering and fertilizing the crop. But you must break up the hard clods that have
formed in your soul over the week, turn under the weeds, and prepare the good soil to
receive the good seed.

Of course, having heard the Word, you must then keep it. You must obey what it says in
order to produce fruit. This fourth soil produces a crop that is one hundred times more
abundant than what was sown. Do you want to be effective in your service for God? Do you
want to hear Jesus say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant”? If so, you must hear
the Word as much as possible, and keep it to the best of your ability. Read, study and
meditate on Scripture every day, and make sure you get as much good, solid, Biblical
teaching as you can during the week.

The kind of Christian which pleases the heart of God is not one which makes a dramatic
start and then dies out, nor one whose commitment to Christ is slowly choked out by
worldly desires. The kind of Christian which pleases God is that one which thoughtfully
hears the gospel, understands its implications, and then consistently grows and matures,
and which bears fruit as a result.

This parable describes four soils. They represent all of those who heard the Word of God.
The first soil immediately rejected it. The second soil quickly accepted it, but soon fell back
into old patterns of sin. The third soil grew, but the pleasures of life stunted their
fruitfulness. It is only the fourth soil that bore much fruit. All of you are one of these four
soils. Where on the field of life are you?

If you fear you are not the fourth soil, take heart. The Word of God instructs you how to
become the fourth soil. To move past the first soil, you must believe that God’s Word
contains instructions for life and Godliness. To move past the second soil, you must get rid
of the besetting sins that wither away your spiritual vitality. To move past the third soil,
you must exchange physical and worldly pursuits for spiritual. Only then will you become
the fertile soil, able to produce much fruit.

Sermon: Oct. 30 on the Parable About the Sower (Luke 8:5-

15)

"A sower went out to sow his seed..."

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen.

Christ often taught in parables. He told stories because people always like to hear a good story.
That’s one of the ways we learn, by listening and processing.
As the Good Teacher, Jesus knew that He couldn't just talk straight, give all the details, to some of
the people, they would not be able to understand. So He spoon-fed them, so to speak, by telling
them parables, by giving examples of what the Kingdom of God might be like.
So today’s parable talks about the sower who, as he is sowing, is casting seed really wide. Some
seed falls on the road, some on the rocks, some is eaten by the birds, and then some falls on the
good soil and gives fruit.
As Christ explained to His disciples, the Sower is God, the seed is the Word of God, which is one
of the names we use for Jesus Christ. And the different ground or soil the seed falls on is – us.
Where the seed falls, depends on how it grows. How we hear the Word of God, how we react to it
shows what kind of Christians we are.
The seed is the word. We interact, for the most part, through a spoken word. Spoken word used to
have power. People agreed to contracts through the spoken word. Promises were given and taken
seriously. There was no empty talk involved. No one would throw around their words.
Times have changed, spoken word has lost its significance. I can promise to you anything I want,
and even if you have it on tape, I would still not be liable by today’s standards.
But one thing has not changed about the spoken word – our words reflect our inner selves, the state
of our heart. Our words reveal our Christian conscience and our faith. Spoken word still shows
what kind of person I am.
In Christianity spoken word is still important. For example, we say aloud the Creed, “I believe in
one God, the Father…”, during our baptism, which is effectively our confession of faith, our
contract of faith. We don’t sign any documents stating that we believe this or that, we say it.
Or, in our tradition, we confess aloud. We don’t just do our confession in our heart, whatever that
means. Internal repentance is an important first step towards confession, but internal repentance is
insignificant without a confession that is done with a spoken word.
Ask any serious psychologist whether thinking about our problems is the same as talking about
them?
Spoken word has lost its importance in our society, but it still is a big part of our faith.
The word is also what we call the Gospel. And in today’s parable the word of God is the seed that
falls into our heart and only depending on our choices and our actions it either gives fruit or dies in
vain.
We decide what kind of ground the seed falls on – is our heart a hardened road, where the seed falls
and dies right away? Or is our heart a rock, where the seed can grow a little bit, but then dies of
dryness? Or maybe our heart is full of thorns, which devour the good seed? Or is our heart a good
soil that gives fruit to the word of God?
This is our choice. God gives us as much as He can, without interfering with our freedom – we
were baptized, God-willing we are coming to church regularly, we hear the word of God read from
the Gospels, and we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. The seed, the word of God, has
been planted in our hearts.
If you have ever planted a seed in your garden, you know that the seed has to die first in order to
give fruit. That’s the natural process.
Our seed that has been planted inside our hearts, the Word of God, Who is our Lord Jesus Christ,
has died. He accepted crucifixion, one of the most humiliating ways to die, so that His seed planted
in us would give fruit.
In order to make our heart a good soil for the seed of Christ to grow, we always cultivate it by
praying, by reading the Bible, by confession, and by fasting.
Recently I was told by a former parishioner of this parish, that they left Orthodox Church in favor
of non-denominational church because that church is, quote, “more biblical.” Which is very sad.
It’s sad because we are the most biblical church there is. We are perhaps, the only biblical church
there is. How do we lose track of that? How do we come to think that others read the Bible and use
it in their services more?
If we don’t read the Bible, if we don’t practice our faith seriously the 6 days we are not in church,
then we might believe anything. Perhaps even that evil is good, that sin is inconsequential, and that
God is the reason for all our problems. In other words, by being ignorant of our faith and by taking
it for granted.
Our God is the great Sower. He is not the problem, He is the reason we are still alive. He has done
His job – He has sowed upon us, and the seed has died, now it’s waiting for the good soil so it can
grow roots and give fruit inside our soul.
May we cultivate ourselves to become the good soil for the word of God to grow in us. 
Amen.

IT STARTS WITH THE SOIL, NOT THE SEED: Luke 8:5-15  

1. The Condition  of the Soil is what matters.

2. The Soil is the determining factor in producing an abundant harvest.

3. While the seed represents the Gospel  , the soil represents the condition of the Human  Heart to
receive the message and follow through on a life surrendered to Christ.

4. We have to ask ourselves,  Am I fertile soil?  Is the Gospel growing in me?

SERMON: HEARING GOD’S WORD (PART 1) (LUKE 8:1-

15)
Posted on July 4, 2011 by Brian Evans
Hearing God’s Word (part1)
Last week we looked at a scene of unprecedented extravagance.  The former prostitute who had been forgiven
by Jesus of her great many sins and she loved much.  She loved Jesus so much for showing her grace that when
she heard He was eating with Simon ran to his house to show Jesus her gratefulness for what He had done for
her.  In just a short number of hours, she was beginning to bear fruit.  She was showing everyone present that
this man in front of her has all authority and has the authority to forgive sin.
Luke writes this account and then following it gives us the explanation in the beginning of our passage today
that there were a great number of women who had been healed of demons and disease, and a great number who
have had their sins forgiven.  A great number were following Jesus and showing Him and His disciples love as
they cared for their needs while Jesus and His apostles preached and taught the multitudes.
All of these women were bearing fruit.  They heard the Word, understood the Word, believed the Word, and the
result was that they began living different lives as the Word changed their hearts.  Fruit for the Kingdom was
the result.
Jesus had been healing and preaching for about two years now.  This really marks a shift in Luke’s emphasis
from healing miracles to the preaching and teaching ministry of Jesus.  Luke introduces the next section by
recording that: Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good
news of the kingdom of God.
So the thrust in this text is really hearing the Word of God.  In the first 21 verses, the word hearing occurs 9
times.  To really hear means that you will obey what you hear and this will result in fruit.  The type of hearing
Jesus speaks of when He says, those who have ears to hear, is a hearing that is deeper than just having sound
waves enter you ear but a hearing that results in application.
Please…hear God’s Word:
Luke 8:1  Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of
the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil
spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the
wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them  out of
their means.  4 And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he
said in a parable: 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was
trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it
withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it
and choked it. 8  And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things,
he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” 9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable
meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they
are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 11 Now the parable
is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil
comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.13  And the ones
on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe
for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who
hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit
does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an
honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
May we be Doers of the Word and not hearers only…
1. True Hearers (8:1-3)
Luke 8:1  Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of
the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil
spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the
wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them  out of
their means.
After about two years, many have been saved and healed.  Many were following Christ and exercising their
spiritual gifts and bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God.  This is a picture of a ministry where all the pistons are
firing.  Everyone had a job to do.  Everyone was doing what God had called them to do.  True hearers of the
Word are bearing fruit.
Jesus was preaching, Apostles were learning and preaching some, and because there was a great need for this to
continue, the women were working to see to it that Jesus’ ministry could continue.
A hearer of the Word is bearing fruit in their lives.  If you’re not bearing fruit, you’re not truly hearing
God’s Word.
As we think through what Luke shows us in the first three verses, we can see how important it is for everyone to
have a ministry in the church?  What has God called you to do?  Everyone has a job to do.  If a ministry is to be
functioning well we must all be doing our part.  Bench warmers must get in the game.  Being doers of God’s
Word is Kingdom work.
Why were the women working so hard and giving so much?  They understood that their role was crucial.  The
three women mentioned are just a few of the many who were busy in the ministry of providing for Jesus and the
apostles.
They had all received amazing things from Christ.  They had been healed, had demons cast out and were now
partakers of the kingdom.  They are great examples of what it means to really hear the Word.  They had ears to
hear and they heard.  They understood just what Christ had done for them and they showed their gratitude by
supplying the needs that He and the apostles had while they did for others what these women had experienced.  
Theirs was not an attitude of selfishness…What am I going to get?  But an attitude of gratefulness…How can I
give so others can be saved and reap benefits?  They had truly heard the Word of God and were acting on it.
2.  The Parable About Hearing (8:4-8)
4 And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable:
5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot,
and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because
it had no moisture.7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8  And some
fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has
ears to hear, let him hear.”
Here in Luke, we have the first major parable recorded from Jesus’ teaching.  In verses 1-3 we have real life
pictures of women who had really heard the Word.  In other words, the seed fell on good soil and was bearing
fruit.  Now, Luke records the parable Jesus tells as further proof of what it means to have the Word bear fruit in
one’s life.
Because this is the first major parable, I want to make sure we all understand what a parable is and what it
accomplishes.
A parable is a teaching device which illustrates a truth in story form.  Most of the time the parable was a story
Jesus made up to teach a spiritual truth.  A parable uses well known things often to illustrate spiritual things.
What a parable does is really two-fold.  It reinforces a truth and helps explain the truth to those in the Kingdom
of God.  It hides the truth from those who are not in the Kingdom.  Jesus does this to help His disciples
understand and lessen the responsibility of those who are not His disciples.  Parables open up truth to God’s
elect and hide truth from the non-elect.  Those who will never trust Christ, He is hiding the truth so that they
will not be held more accountable to God for the truth they’ve heard.  He opens the parable to His followers so
that it yields fruit in their lives.
Matthew 13:10  Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And
he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it
has not been given. 12  For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from
the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables,
because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their
case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
“‘You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.
15 For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many
prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and
did not hear it.
This particular parable is set in an the agricultural world.  In the culture of the day, farmers used a method of
planting called broadcasting.  Here they would through the seed out onto the ground and some would land on
prepared soil,
-Some would land on the path between the good soil where people would walk either in through the field or
around the field.  As they walked, the seed would stepped on or because it just sat on top, birds might come and
eat it.
-Some seed as it’s thrown out might even land on rocky places.  Here the seed may receive a rain or two and
sprout.  However, because all the moisture goes right on down past the little bit of shallow soil and the roots, it
withers away.
-Some lands among weeds and thorns and the thorns use all the nutrients and the plant doesn’t grow much and
never bears fruit.
-Finally, some seeds fall onto good prepared soil and when rain falls they sprout.  Because the soil has nutrients
and because there are no weeds the plant grows and matures and bears fruit.
3. The Secrets of the Parable (8:9-15)
9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know
the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and
hearing they may not understand.’ 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12  The ones
along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so
that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word,
receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.  14 And
as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by
the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil,
they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
Notice that the disciples didn’t understand the parable either.  They were left scratching their heads along with
the others.  The difference was, they had a relationship with Jesus.  They were a part of the Kingdom of God
and they could ask the King what He meant by this story.
To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God…
Jesus begins to unfold this privileged insider information to His followers.  He begins to share the secrets of the
Kingdom.
-The seed is the word of God. God’s Word is broadcast like the seed.  The Sower throws the seed out and the
preacher broadcasts the Word.  In this case it was Jesus doing the preaching.  God’s Word goes out like the
seed.
-Hard Heart– 12  The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away
the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
This is a picture of a hard-hearted person who hears the Word but it never penetrates their heart or touches the
conscience.  Very quickly Satan, like the crow, snatches the seed up.  Jesus clearly says these people never
believe and are never saved.  This is an explanation of why some people can hear the gospel many many times
and remain unaffected by it.
-Superficial Heart- 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy.
But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.
Here, the plant spouts and is green and lush.  It looks amazingly a lot like the plant growing in good soil.  But
there is a problem, what you see is only what is above the ground.  You don’t see what’s beneath.  The plant has
no roots.  When the plant goes for a couple of weeks without rain, it dries up and withers away.  Like this plant
is a person who hears the Word superficially but doesn’t really put it to practice.  They seem to be excited about
Jesus at first and even have some level of belief and faith.  But when struggles come into their lives they fall
away much like the plant.
Have you ever known someone who at first seemed very enthusiastic about the things of the Lord but in time
the fire burns out and they are no where to be found?  This has always been the case in the life of the church.
Even back as far as the 3rd Century we have a lamenting pastor sharing his experiences,
Cyril of Alexandria sadly comments,
Some people joyfully receive instruction, yet when they go out of the churches, at once they forget the sacred
doctrines and go about their customary course, not having stored up within themselves anything for their future
benefit…When persecution troubles them and the enemies of the truth attack the churches of the Savior, their
heart does not love the battle, and their mind throws away the shield and flees.—Ryken on Luke pg 361
These are the folks whose Christianity is not deeply rooted in Christ and when trouble comes fall away because
they’re not rooted in the truths of Christ.
-Distracted Heart- 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on
their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.
These are the people who continue to go to church and listen to sermons and attend other things in the life of the
church.  They continue doing these kinds of things.  Jesus doesn’t say that these folks fall away, they seem to
continue in their life of being associated with the church.
Because they are distracted with other things in life they never bear fruit.  These folks look the closest to the
real thing but they are not Christians.
They’re looking for Jesus to give them happiness and pleasure ultimately in this world not in the world to
come.  They want Jesus to give them their heart’s desires.  Jesus isn’t the end but a means to an end for these
folks.  They really don’t want Jesu, they want what He can give them.  Their affections are really set on the
world.
When I read this text, I always think of Demas, Paul mentions in 2 Timothy…
2 Timothy 4:9 Do your best to come to me soon. 10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted
me and gone to Thessalonica.            
Demas loved this present world more than he loved Christ.  These types of people who flirt with Christianity
when it meets some earthly need stick around until they discover that Jesus wants us to look to the future
Kingdom when He is reigning eternally.
-Prepared Heart- 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an
honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
Can you see here how these folks hear the Word in a different way than all the others?  These are the
Christians.  These people really hear.  They hear and hold fast to it.  They cling to it.  They hold it tightly and
act on what it says.
Hold it Fast– to hold fast, keep secure, keep firm possession of 2) to get possession of, take 2b) to possess
These have really heard, they have ears to hear.  They continually hold fast.  As they keep clinging to the Word
and persevere through trials, they begin to bear fruit.  If a tree is to bear fruit it needs to withstand a few storms. 
If we are to bear fruit we too will probably need to weather a few storms.
We are patient and we hold fast to the Word and we begin to bear fruit.  Perhaps a little at first but then the
more we cling to the Word, the more fruit we will bear.
Are you bearing fruit?  On a personal level, are you exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit?
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24  And those who belong to Christ Jesus
have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
The bottom line is when we are holding fast to God’s Word couple that with the Holy Spirit living within us,
outward works will begin to be manifested in our lives.  We will begin to do good works for God.  Our focus
will be like the women who worked so that Jesus’ ministry could prosper.
Do you have ears to hear?