"The Kind of Heart You Need to Hear From God"

Matthew 13:3-9; 18-23

     The kingdom of God broke into the whole world when Jesus came. In this parable, Jesus illustrated the Kingdom as a seed being sown. Today’s scripture focuses on the SOIL rather than on the sower. The reception of the seed depends upon the receiver - not the Seed. Often we think of this parable as applying to different persons. But, what if it actually applies to each of us individually?

     Proverbs 24:30 says, "I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyards of the man who lacks judgment: thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw."

     The effect of God’s Word is dependent on the state of one’s heart. This morning, how you receive the Word of God, depends largely upon the state of your heart.

The Roadway: This is the hardened - indifferent - heart.

The HEARER’S HEART may be hardened and packed down so that the seed of God’s Word can’t get through to them.

This is the hearer with the closed mind and an unteachable spirit.

Hosea 10:12 says to the people, "Break up your UNPLOWED ground for it is time to seek the Lord until he comes."

Mark 4:15 says, "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."

ROCKY SOIL: The impulsive heart is pictured by rocky ground. These are impulsive decision makers who actually make a profession of faith.

The shallow heart is the one who responds to the Gospel with emotional enthusiasm, but who fails to put down roots of moral commitment.

Luke 8:6 says, "Some [seed] fell on rock and when it came up the plants withered because they had no moisture."

Many Christian people are glad to hear a good sermon. Yet, they don’t let it produce fruit in their lives and therefore, they don’t profit from it. Their lives are not changed by it. They are pleased but not changed.

Mark 13:13 says, "...he who stands firm TO THE END will be saved."

Galatians 5:7 says, "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?"

Thorny Soil:

This is the strangled heart who has so many interests in life that the most important things get crowded out.

It produces no fruit because the root of sin remains in the heart.

This represents the unsanctified heart.

Wrong priorities choke out the struggling soul and it never matures.

Jeremiah 4:3 says, "Break up your fallow ground and sow not among thorns."

The Good Ground: hears and accepts and produces.

Good ground is ground that has been cultivated and is CONTINUOUSLY being tended to.

Our spiritual life is an ongoing process.

How do we know that we have good ground? John 15:5, 8 answers this question. "If a [person] remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. This is my Father’s glory that you BEAR MUCH FRUIT showing yourselves to be my disciples."

There are different ways of accepting the Word of God. The fruit which it produces depends on the heart of the one who accepts it. What kind of soil are you today?