Luke 8:5-8 

5 “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it. 6 Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!” When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” 

INTRO

This week we’re going to be beginning our journey through the Bible alongside our church and highlight some of the most powerful chapters it has to offer. We’re beginning this Journey in Luke 8. As we begin I want you to consider this. Your heart is a place where seeds of belief can be planted. I don’t know if you’ve ever worked on a year before, planted a garden, or did a science project where you had to grow and take care of a plant, but regardless you probably know that the right things don’t grow by accident. It takes time, care, and  intentionality for them to grow! The same can be said about spiritual things in our lives. Jesus in Luke 8 shows us the four types of hearts represented by four types of soil that the Word of God can fall on and the dangers of not having the right soil when the seed of the Word lands there.   

The First Soil: Footpath 

Footpath soil is a heart that lives in a constant place of fear and rejection. Oftentimes those who reject God are not rejecting him because of who He is, but because of how life has treated them.

Because of this their life becomes hard and no longer sensitive. They become angry and reject the Word when it’s preached. Allowing the devil to snatch it away from them before it has any chance to settle in their hearts.

The Second Soil: Rocky 

Rocky soil is the heart that is shallow and has only allowed enough room for God to grow in a way that shows through their actions, but doesn’t go deep into who they truly are.

This is the soil of people who only made Jesus their Savior and never made Him their Lord. These are people that respond to a good Word, but never become doers of the Word. They never go deeper than hearing, and when trouble comes they fall away.

The Third Soil: Weeds 

Soil full of weeds is those that allow the Word in as an add on to all the other things already living in their heart. Their heart is already in love with other things and over busy with trying to balance a love for life and what it has to offer and adding God into the equation.

This soil is often too busy to let God really grow something meaningful. It doesn’t have enough room for him to grow and eventually life chokes the Word with the love for everything else.

The Fourth Soil: Good Ground

Good ground is a heart that is fully ready to receive God’s Word and only God’s Word. It’s a heart that has been through tough trials in life, but has chosen to forgive. It’s a heart that goes beyond listening to the Word and attending a Church service, but chooses to let it rule their everyday life. It’s a heart that counts everything as nothing compared to the richness of knowing Jesus.

This soil is a soil that everyone can have if they allow the Spirit of God to soften the ground, remove the rocks, and pull up the weeds. It makes the proper environment for the Word to settle and remain producing the fruit of salvation and reproducing even more seed.

CONCLUSION

Have you considered what state your heart is in. Perhaps you’ve heard all of these different types of heart and you’re saying you have a little of all of them in you. The reality is this. The Holy Spirit is the one that has the power and the ability to help and uproot and turn a heart that can’t grow anything for God into a garden where the life God wants to give can grow and multiply. The seed is never bad, it’s always the state of the soil that matters. Let’s take an opportunity to ask God to check our hearts and create a new heart within us. Like the Psalmist says in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” And we believe that God has the ability to do just that.

Bgroup Questions

1. What are your thoughts about these soils and the seed? 
2. Are there any types of soil that sticks out to you?
3. Where do you feel the state of your heart is at?

TAKE ACTION: When you go home this week take note of what soil you feel like you’ve been living with. Find time to really sit back and evaluate how you can prevent your heart from becoming hardened, rocky, or full of weeds. Discuss this with your small group leader and a friend sometime this week!

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