03/20/2025 Midtown Church Thursday Service

 

“Listen Carefully: The Parable of the Sower”

Pastor Christa Armstead

 

 

Biblical Background:

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Luke 4:18

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim Freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.

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Luke 6:17

Large crowds followed him—“his disciples and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region, around Tyre & Sidon, who had come to “HEAR Him” and to be healed if their diseases

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Matthew 13:14-15

In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes

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Luke 8:1-14

1 Soon afterward, Jesus began a ministry tour throughout the country, visiting cities and villages to announce the wonderful news of God’s kingdom. His twelve disciples traveled with him 2 as did a number of women who had been healed of many illnesses and set free from demonic power. One of the women was Mary who was from the village of Magdala, from whom Jesus had cast out seven demons. Among the women were Susanna and 3 Joanna, the wife of Chusa, who managed King Herod’s household. Many other women who supported Jesus’ ministry from their own personal finances also traveled with him. Mysteries of God’s Kingdom Realm 4 Massive crowds gathered from many towns to hear Jesus, and he taught them using metaphors and parables, such as this:
5 “A farmer went out to sow seeds for a harvest. As he scattered his seeds, some of them fell on the hard pathway and were quickly trampled down and unable to grow and became nothing but bird seed. 6 Some fell on the gravel, and though they sprouted they couldn’t take root; it withered for lack of moisture. 7 Other seeds fell where there was nothing but weeds. They too were unable to grow to full maturity, for the weeds choked them out. 8 Yet some of the seeds fell into good, fertile soil, and they grew and flourished until they produced more than a hundredfold harvest, a bumper crop.” Then Jesus added, shouting out to all who would hear, “Listen with your heart and you will understand!” 9 Later his disciples came to him privately to ask him what deeper meaning they could find in this parable. 10 He said, “You have been given a teachable heart to perceive the secret, hidden mysteries of God’s kingdom realm. But to those without a listening heart, my words are merely stories. Even though they have eyes, they are blind to the true meaning of what I say, and even though they listen, they won’t receive full revelation. 11 “Here, then, is the deeper meaning to my parable: The word of God is the seed that is sown into hearts. 12 The hard pathway represents the hard hearts of those who hear the word of God but the slanderer quickly snatches away what was sown in their hearts to keep them from believing and experiencing salvation. 13 The seeds falling on gravel represents those who initially respond to the word with joy, but soon afterward, when a season of difficulty and harassment of the enemy comes to them, they wither and fall away, for they have no root in the truth and their faith is temporary. 14 The seeds that fall into the weeds represents the hearts of those who hear the word of God but their growth is quickly choked off by their own anxious cares, the riches of this world, and the fleeting pleasures of this life. This is why they never become mature and fruitful.

 

 

The 4 Types of Hearers & Their Meanings:

1.The Hard Pathaway

The Hard Path (Closed Heart)

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Isaiah 14:27

For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?

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2.No Roots

The Rocky Soil (Shallow Heart)

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3.Nothing But Weeds

The Thorny Soil (Distracted Heart)

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Luke 8:1-3

1 Soon afterward, Jesus began a ministry tour throughout the country, visiting cities and villages to announce the wonderful news of God’s kingdom. His twelve disciples traveled with him 2 as did a number of women who had been healed of many illnesses and set free from demonic power. One of the women was Mary who was from the village of Magdala,from whom Jesus had cast out seven demons. Among the women were Susanna and 3 Joanna, the wife of Chusa, who managed King Herod’s household. Many other women who supported Jesus’ ministry from their own personal finances also traveled with him.

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Luke 9:24

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.

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4.Fertile Soil

The Good Soil (Receptive Heart)

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Luke 7:44-50

44 Then he spoke to Simon about the woman still weeping at his feet. “Don’t you see this woman kneeling here? She is doing for me what you didn’t bother to do. When I entered your home as your guest, you didn’t think about offering me water to wash the dust off my feet. Yet she came into your home and washed my feet with her many tears and dried my feet with her hair.

45 You didn’t even welcome me into your home with the customary kiss of greeting, but from the moment I came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet.

46 You didn’t take the time to anoint my head with fragrant oil, but she anointed my head and feet with the finest perfume.

47 She has been forgiven of all her many sins. This is why she has shown me such extravagant love. But those who assume they have very little to be forgiven will love me very little.”

48 Then Jesus said to the woman at his feet, “All your sins are forgiven.”

49 All the dinner guests said among themselves, “Who is the one who can even forgive sins?”

50 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith in me has given you life. Now you may leave and walk in the ways of peace.”

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