As many cultural Christians continue to attend church out of social obligation, this week’s sermon series The Gospel of Luke, Part II: A Journey through Galilee graciously confronts any sense of apathy towards Jesus and misplaced affections for the world. The “Parable of the Four Soils” reveals how the condition of our heart directly affects the implanting of God’s Word and its subsequent impact in our lives. Unless we remain receptive to God and His truth, our souls will wither and we will forego the life, growth, and fruitfulness that Christ alone offers.

Tyler’s Main Points

• A hard heart has no affections or desires for God.

• A shallow heart has only surface-level affections and desires for God.

• A strangled heart has choked affections and desires for God.

• A good heart has strong affections and desires for God.

Key Takeaways

• The condition of your heart determines the quality of your hearing.

• A parable is an earthly story intended to communicate and teach a spiritual truth.

• Jesus taught in parables as a judgment to some and an act of grace to others.

• Biblically, the heart is the core of who you are, the center or seat of your being from which your affections, attitudes, and actions flow.

• A hard heart creates opportunity for Satan to keep us captive, dead in our sins, and slaves to sin.

• This parable is a confrontational grace— an invitation to repent and have your heart softened by the power, grace, and mercy of Christ.

• A shallow heart has an initial enthusiastic response for the Lord and His message, but temptations and trials reveal its true superficial faith.

• The testing of our faith reveals the true nature of our faith.

• Double-mindedness is what strangles the heart in this parable. Jesus warns of the dangers of worry and the desire for riches and the pleasures of this world.

• A good heart is eager, ready to receive the Word of the Lord and His life-giving instructions. Receptive hearts exalt the Giver of the Word and adopt His instruction.

• As Tyler suggested for application, ask God to give you a good heart, cultivate your heart to keep it in good condition, and sow the Word abundantly and sleep well.
  

Discussion Questions/Application

Personal application:

• Spend time intentionally praying for God to renew your heart. Meditate on the truth of the Gospel that, by faith, Christ has made you new and brought you from death to life.

• How will you sow the Word abundantly this week?

Discuss with your community group:

• What is the current condition of you heart (hard, shallow, strangled, or good), and why? What most frequently hinders the Word of God from planting, growing, and bearing fruit in your life?

• How can you more faithfully cultivate a heart of humility and receptivity to God’s Word throughout the week and on Sunday? What truths can you share to encourage one another in this area?

Passages Referenced

Luke 8:4-15; Matthew 13:10-13; 2 Chronicles 36:13; 2 Timothy 2:26; Romans 1:21; 1 John 2:19; James 4:4; 1 Timothy 6:10; 1 John 2:15-16; Ezekiel 36:26; Psalm 51:10; Hosea 10:12; Isaiah 55:11.