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April 21, 1991
During His earthly ministry, Jesus often taught using parables. These stories revealed important truths and encouraged listeners to question the sincerity of their commitment to His teachings. In this message, Alistair Begg challenges us to measure the condition of our hearts against Jesus’ teaching in the parable of the four soils. Only a heart that puts down roots deep enough to be satisfied by the goodness of God can overcome indifference, impulsive behavior, and preoccupation with worldly gain.
1Soon afterward he went on nthrough cities and villages, proclaiming and obringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, 2and also psome women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: qMary, called Magdalene, rfrom whom seven demons had gone out, 3and sJoanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them1 out of their means.
4tAnd when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, 5u“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. 6And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, vit withered away, because it had no moisture. 7And some fell among wthorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded xa hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, y“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
9And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10he said, z“To you it has been given to know athe secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so bthat ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 11cNow the parable is this: The seed is dthe word of God. 12The 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 ebelieve and be saved. 13And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it fwith joy. But these have no root; they gbelieve for a while, and in time of testing hfall away. 14And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but ias they go on their way they are choked by the jcares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and kbear fruit lwith patience.
Copyright © 2024, Alistair Begg. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.
