Groups Discussion Guide
Read Scripture. Go Deeper. Ask Questions. Take Action.
Ground Rules
Scripture
1 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” 9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Main Idea
Jesus’ entire teaching ministry is boiled down to this one parable—the parable of the sower. The seeds are the word of God, and the types of soil represent different conditions of the human heart. Understanding this is essential to understanding how God speaks in your life and how what you do with God’s word impacts your future.
"The soil of our hearts determines what the seed of the word of God can do."
Discussion Questions
- In the parable of the sower, Jesus compares people’s hearts to the wayside (birdy ground), hard ground, weedy ground, and good ground. Can you describe the condition of a heart that compares to birdy, hard, or weedy ground?
- When your heart is hard, what happens when God tries to speak to you?
- A challenge in the parable of the sower is that the condition of our hearts determines the effectiveness of God’s word in our lives. What steps can we take to ensure that our hearts are “good soil” for the word of God to flourish in?
Summary
- The seed is good in every soil, but when your heart is hard, the word gets robbed. There are many types of hard hearts.
- There are defiantly stubborn hard hearts. This is when you hear something from God, and decide you won’t listen to it. We’ve all been there, either because we think we know better, we’re caught up in sin, or we’re afraid of change.
- There are hearts that refuse to hear...when we listen through someone’s else’s ears. We think, “Oh, I wish ___ would hear this” and shrug off the conviction. Remember, Jesus says twice in this parable, “he who has ears, let him hear.”
- Then there are hard hearts of tomorrow. There’s always a reason to put something off, but this lets the enemy come and steal what God wants to give to you. Don’t look back with regrets because you never had the courage to obey. The right time, to do the right thing, is right now.
- There’s also shallow ground, or shallowly convicted hearts. Many people trust God for a season and fall away when life gets hard. It’s important to know that trusting God doesn’t prevent challenges from coming into your life. Don’t let a tragedy change your theology. Jesus came to bring salvation, redemption, and restoration, but this life has pain, suffering, and hardship. It’s easy to become disillusioned when we expect Jesus to be a blesser and not a savior.
- There are crowded hearts. The problem with a crowded heart is that we get distracted. Weeds are natural to soil, and they can choke out the good seed’s ability to produce. (Ex. The rich young ruler who came to Jesus feeling empty.) Nothing besides Jesus can satisfy the longing of our souls.
- Scripture says, those who are planted in the house of the Lord flourish. God’s plan is for us to prosper and flourish. There’s always room for us to grow. ("But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred." Mark 4:20 NKJV)
Take Action
- Is there anything God is calling you to do that you’ve been putting off? Have courage—take a step in faith today.
Announcements
- Our first Wednesday service is this week, November 6! This month, we'll be offering a special prayer service.
- Our year-end vision offering begins soon. We're excited for what's to come--consider what you're believing God for and pray over any offering you feel called to give.
