Jesus Addresses the Soil of Our Hearts | Dr. Stephen Conley

Text: Mark 4:1-20 (Part 2) The Teaching of Parables and the Kingdom of God (1:15; 4:1-2) The kingdom of God has been prophesied and is now being fulfilled in Jesus (Mark 1:15). Jesus begins to teach through parables in order to describe the kingdom of God to His disciples.   The Terrain of Two Different Hearts (4:3-9) The Unbelieving Heart is described as hard, shallow, and thorny ground that is unable to produce any lasting fruit. The Believing Heart is described as good ground that produces abundant fruit.   The Target of the Parable (4:10-12) Jesus' parables are accessible and relatable, but are not understandable apart from knowing Jesus; He must open our eyes to the Truth! Jesus' parables expose those who are outside and reveal who is inside; it comes down to rejecting Christ's Word versus hearing and obeying Christ's Word.   The Totality of the Parable (4:13-20) Jesus explains and applies the meaning of the parable: The Sower represents Jesus and His followers The Seed represents the Word of the Gospel The Soils represent four different types of heart-responses to the Gospel: Hard, Shallow, Thorny, and Fruitful ground This parable has massive implications on how we interpret Jesus' parables and how we carry out Jesus' mission.