May 9, 2021

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23: The Parable of the Sower

On Sunday Pastor Nate taught us:

• Some will hear, not understand and reject the Gospel; these are the spiritually unproductive.
• Some will hear, understand by God’s grace, and receive the Gospel; these are the spiritually productive.
• Those who hear and understand the message, do so by God’s grace.

1. We are learning Pastor Nate’s favorite parable and, it is the first parable in Matthew 13, out of 8 recorded parables. 

• How did learning or remembering that the term “parable” means to “lay alongside of” or “to place something alongside of something else for comparison” help your understanding?
• We, in the western world, can sometimes make wrong assumptions or take things out of context when learning about the parables in the Bible that were told in the 1^st century to a widely Jewish audience. After listening to Sunday’s message, what wrong assumptions have you held previously or have heard others hold?

2. Pastor Nate gave the setting, both of Christ’s teaching and the parable setting. What was new to you about the farmer, the path, the first three soils and/or the last soil?

3. Christ concluded with an exhortation in Matthew 13:9, telling the crowd it is vital that they understand the spiritual truth that He articulates. Pastor Nate asked: “What is the spiritual truth that Jesus has expressed through the parable of the sower that we must comprehend?”

4. What does the seed represent? Who is the sower, both in the immediate context and in the greater context?

5. Considering the 5 factors that hinder reception to the Gospel (hard heart, the devil, the cost of following Jesus, preoccupation with the things of this world and greed), which one hinders your growth or reception to the Gospel? For example, in what area or when this week, have you wasted the talents God has graciously given you, thereby being spiritually unfruitful?

6. Pastor Nate’s concluding 3 questions:

• “Do you by the grace of God grasp the Gospel as demonstrated by a life that produces spiritual fruit for Christ and His Kingdom?” Consider reading Galatians 5:22-23.
• “Will you turn back if/when persecution becomes an everyday reality in the United States, because you don’t understand the beauty and wonder of the Gospel?” How does your life reflect that Jesus Christ is worth suffering and dying for? Share with your group if you are familiar with any persecuted Christians, like Richard Wurmbrand, who was mentioned by Pastor Nate.
• “How can we become more fruitful every day?” What fellow believer needs your prayer to become more fruitful? For which situation can your group pray for you to become more fruitful for Jesus Christ?