Welcome to the Mariners Church Life Group leader podcast. This week the conversation is designed to equip and resource youth to build a healthy life group community that studies God's word, practice his spiritual rhythms, and changes the world together. All right, welcome leaders. This is week three of Stories Jesus Told.
We're looking at Jesus's parable in Luke 8, 4 through 18, commonly referred to as the parable of the sower, the title of this week's message with Eric Eiger speaking across all of our congregations is a story about your heart and hearing from God. Looking forward to unpacking this one with you. As we do, we're going to interact with the questions, give you some tips on how to lead these in your group, how to anticipate responses and how to make the most out of the discussion this week in your life group. And I've got a new regular, a regular on this.
I mean, you've been on these a lot later. Would you? I have. My name is John.
I was the pastor at Mariners North Irvine and thank you that I am a regular. Yeah. Whoever schedules these likes you a lot. Thank you.
Thank you. Yeah. So yeah, thanks for jumping in with us here. Yeah, great time.
Great time to hear about some great things. We're on as you are, as I have too, responsible for helping to lead out all things rooted at your congregation. We're coming into I think week nine now the celebrations just to run around the corner. It's an exciting time of year of new life groups coming on board producing.
Just what do you see in down at North Irvine? Yeah, it's always exciting to see the life change. And at one point, it's easy to get used to it. You know, it's a rhythm.
It's, you know, we do it three times a year. But when you see the individual person and how much they've changed, it's, it gets you excited again. So kind of reminds me of, you know, when Jesus sees the crowd, he doesn't see the crowd he sees the faces and a cardboard testimony. It's a way to highlight, yeah, each individual person is going through this journey.
We get to do it as group, but it's a life change of a single person and it's exciting. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm the older, wiser spokesman in the group for sure.
Yeah, it's just been great to see just a short amount of time. Yeah. The stories that intersect the questions that are being asked and these guys are excited to continue to go on as a life group. You know, this is a great time of year celebration.
Celebrate all that God has done. But you know, it's not rooted graduation. It's really, it's like it's rooted commissioning. It's something you want to the next part of what God's going to do.
So great. All right. We should be jump in to this week. All right.
And just like on the groups that you leave, John hasn't seen the questions, which is great. So in that's often the case that we do this is we want to get like, you know, real time reaction to it. All right. So this is the parable of the store, a story about your heart and hearing from God.
So we got a question about gardening. I don't know how you're going to answer this. I don't know how I'm going to answer. Have you ever tried gardening?
Would you consider yourself a good gardener or a poor gardener and why? Green thumb? What's your experience there? Yeah, I am not a green thumb.
I don't know what the opposite of that is, but I think it's the, it's the plants that do well in my household, if there are any are the ones that are low maintenance, the ones that I don't have to keep constantly carry forward. That's the big ones. No water, no sunlight. Those are the ones that live the longest.
Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, I think it's a daily constant habitual care that I got. I got to pull up that intentionality.
Yeah. I'm busy drinking water myself. Yeah. I take care of this either.
Add a good sunlight. Yeah. That's important, making sure you're rooted in planted. Yeah.
Same for me. It's I think it's something that I can see myself have an appreciation for, maybe not the patience for it. Definitely right now, the skillset for my wife would gravitate towards it more and there's been seasons where we built the vegetable beds in the backyard and she wants like these hanging fruits. Oh, I've seen that.
Yeah. You don't talk about what it was called? It's there's a word for it. Yeah, there is a word for it.
I've seen it. I've seen it in pictures and yeah. I've seen it in the birthdays coming in June. So I'll have to find that.
Good news is our phones are both on the table. They're picking up everything that we're saying right now. So algorithms get a full of hanging vegetable and fruit things in our garden. So all right.
Well, great. So why are we asking that question? What is that question you have to do with the content today? Yeah.
Today we are heading into what is called the parable of the solar and the seed is the same, but the soil is different. Yeah. And Jesus alludes to our hearts being the soil and how we receive a scene, which is the scene of the word. Right.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Jesus telling stories that would be the relevant for all of time guys were just timeless, but particularly to this agricultural people that they would have understand.
And as a growing society, so this was this is them. Like we would understand what Jesus is saying here. And as we discovered throughout the series is the parables are much more than heavily earthly stories to give a heavenly picture and example. And this week you're going to really see that and Eric's going to really teach through, you know, what the purpose of the parables really are.
And this, this problem in particular is one that's a foundational one that helps you to see to see that. Yeah. And it's one that, you know, we've heard many, many times and we've probably heard preached in different ways that I think this week, it's not like this weekend it's going to be, well, I've never heard that before. Eric's going to say something new that's never been said because if the pastor shows up and says, I'm going to share with you something that you've never ever heard before, divine new revelation, I'm going to go.
But it might be a different way that you maybe heard it talk about it, which is going to be great. Yeah. And I love how this parable in particular, just like you said, it addresses the reason for the parable, almost directly disciples are saying, why are you speaking in this way? And Jesus says, you know, the famous, let him last year, let him be here.
So yeah, so hopefully as we unpack and listen and, you know, meditate on the word that we receive will also do the same things. All right, my friend, got to pull the passage. You don't have it open on you right now, do you? I do.
Okay. For the 18. Where are you going? You're going to go into your logos and your Bible.
What do you got over there? Let's go to I usually go to Bible gateway. I've heard of it. Luke for eight, three, yeah, you're all go for it.
Yeah, four, eight, three, all right. And the question that is before us as I type it in here, the question that is before us, it's just lost my tab. Here it is. What do you learn about the message of and responses to God's word from the four kinds of soil?
So what do you learn about the message of God's word and the response to God's word from the four kinds of soil? And you can go through and talk about what are the four different kinds of soil you can talk about that first. So that's identify what those are and then interact. All right.
So Luke four, sorry, Luke eight. Sorry, guys, I'm all over here. You type one number wrong and then something could happen. Luke eight, four, three, here we go.
As a large crowd was gathering and the people were coming to Jesus from every town, he said in a parable, a sore went out to sow his seed as he sowed some seed fell on the path. It was trampled on the birds of the sky devoured it. Other seed fell on the rock when it grew up it withered away since it lacked moisture. So far over two on seed growing and flourishing here.
Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and it choked it. Still other fail on good ground and when it grew up, it produced fruit a hundred times. What was some? And he said this, he called out, let anyone who has ears listen, then the disciples asked him which I would have asked him as well too.
Hey, what does this parable mean? So he said, the secrets of the kingdom of God have been given for you to know, but to the rest it is in parables so that looking they may not see and hearing they may not understand which that's a I say, I go back to the property. The parable of the sore explain is what my headings says. I love that.
This is the meaning of the parable. Yeah, the seed is the word of God and the seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts. And so they may not believe and be safe. And the seed on the rock are those who when they hear receive the word with joy, having no root these believe for a little while and fall away in a time of testing.
As for the seed that fell on the thorns, these are the ones who when they have heard go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, riches and pleasures of life and produce no mature fruit. The seed in the good ground. These are the ones who having heard the word with an honest and good heart hold on to it by enduring produce fruit. Verse 18, no one after lying lamp covers it with the basket or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lamp stand so that those who may come in may see the light from nothing is concealed that won't be revealed and nothing is hidden that will be made known and brought to life.
Therefore take care of how you listen for whoever has more will be given and whoever does not have even what he thinks he has will be taken from him. The word of the Lord. All right, John, help us to work through this parable. Yeah.
What do we what do we learn about the four different kinds of soil that was the message of the gospel response to the work? Yeah. So when when it comes to the word of God, it seems clear when Jesus speaks to disciples how the word of God is available. It's not that the word of God is gate kept in a way, but it's the response to the word of God that makes a difference.
Even that that kind of verb of scattering. It's pretty liberal. It's like thrown far out. It's not held back and down.
That's a really good observation. Yeah. And I think that's really good to mention and talk about because at first glance it may seem, oh, then is it just only for us like a few, but the focus on this and even when Jesus explains the parable, he talks about how you're responding and what kind of response you have. The first one is the devil takes the seed away.
Second, no root falls away in testing. The third, the wounds, the worries, which is pleasures of life and in the end produces no fruit and then only the last soil, the good soil holds the word. For me, what's really fascinating is the seed that's thrown on the rocks. It says that those who hear, they receive it with joy.
So there's something that's happening. There's a power of the words, you know, applying in a person's life, but Jesus says, no, it's not a spectrum of how much you receive the word. It's, are you, is the seed planted in you and you a very good fruit. So that's the app.
There's a lot to unpack there. Right. So it's not just in the receiving. It's in the stewarding of what has been received and what we see contributes to the stewarding of what has been received, which ultimately produces fruit is the environment.
It's the soil. It's what's surrounding it that if not care for overcomes the seed. So then he talks about like what are those things? Well, it's the joys, it's the travings of life and pleasure seeking.
It's trials. And then we're told to it's just the work of the enemy. So just come and rob that thing out of our lives. I think also have note, right?
I mean, that's four different seeds and we see that only one is the one that takes root. And I've heard good messages about, you know, so we should cast wide nets as we evangelize, live on mission with our friends and don't be discouraged when your return rate is only 25%. You know, and there might be some truth in that, in that too. But really, this is about the word of God taking root and it takes root on those who are able to hear and receive it.
And those that aren't able to hear and receive it because the word isn't as I'm taking root. So it's, yeah, there's so much more to unpack. And I'm really looking forward to hearing it this weekend. We're recording on Wednesday.
So we actually have a pretty work teaching. We got the manuscript. We're looking through it. But it's going to be a really good one for us to wrestle with in our life versus we agree.
Anything else you want to draw out just from the passage itself? Yeah. I think one thing that also stands out for me, it's having heard the word with an honest and good heart versus that's verse, I believe that is a verse 15. These are the ones who having heard the word with an honest and good heart hold on to it and by endearing produced food.
And I'm just wondering about, I'm just thinking about the person in the crowd, in the audience, in your life groups that's listening to the word of God that might actually even know, oh, yeah, I'm familiar with it. But it's the hard posture of with what I already know, how am I with an honest and good heart in your and produced food with it. And so there is almost a homework that is placed on Christians to not just hear it and say, hey, that was a good Sunday, but maybe a challenge to your life remembers would be, hey, what have you done with the word? How did you apply it in your life?
Yeah. And it's not workspace, reaction, or religion where it's like, okay, now I got to show I got to do a good thing. We often think, you know, the doctor of grace is incredible and it is so true, but we can have an over extension of the doctrine of grace where we think, great, I can do nothing to earn my salvation. And then therefore I can do nothing in my sanctification process either.
So I'm saved by grace, your faith alone in what Christ has done. Okay, great. So for me to grow, it's also got to be just, and it is a once in a yes, it's a gift of grace that's given to us that I can't remember as Dallas will or somebody who said, you know, grace is not opposed to effort, but it is opposed to the earning. There's a truth in that, you know, it's like we can create an environment where growth can be possible, how we cultivate the ground, how we lean in, how we steward what we've been given spiritual practices and disciplines, I mean, all these things help to create an environment for the root for the word to take root and for it's ultimately, ultimately grow.
Yeah, great. All right, let's move in down to the lookout section here. It says, what do you think makes people so unwilling to hear what Jesus has to say? And then what does it practically look like for someone to hear God's word and live it out like those in good soil?
But I think a couple of insights here when the word enduring, enduring shows on the word trials show up. And that's a major part of our spiritual growth is how we endure through trials, spiritual growth. You know, we don't go through that so that we can not have trials, but actually we go through trials and it produces and it's character, which is all of these things. So I think that's a big part of it.
Yeah. And then what makes people unwilling to hear what Jesus has? I think on the other side of that, I've seen this, you've probably seen this too. When people go through trials, suffering, whatever, there can be this reaction to what God's abandoned me.
He's not with me. I'm doing the stuff. It doesn't work. So I'm out when actually it's like going through that it's got one in refined and do something through you.
But what do you see there? Yeah, I think when it comes to, you know, this fruit and agriculture language, there is definitely that pruning process that also exists where in the grand scheme of things, God may be growing you or even putting the challenges in front of you so that you can overcome and also help others in that time with challenge and need. And that would have got me clear. You receive comfort so that you can comfort others with that same comfort you receive.
Yeah. And I think part of it is to understand and have a bird's eye view, like a bigger picture of a spiritual perspective on whatever comes, you know, whatever you face in life. So I want to speak to the one who might be discouraged, who you as you're hearing the parable, you might say, wait, but I've been I've been on the thorns and I've been I felt that joy once and I got taken away and the encouragement is not, oh, no, I now need to get back to good soil. But it's more of despite all the weather that you've gone through and the environments that you've gone through, where are you now?
Where are you now in this snapshot of your discipleship journey, your relationship with Jesus? And I've always put it this way where you can't live off, you know, yesterday's grace. Oh, I experienced God in this way a long time ago. So therefore, you know, and I'm good, but I'm good.
It's a daily devotion, a daily, daily intake of the word of God. I'm not a fan of eating per se and the way that I say it is. Wait, wait a minute, wait a minute. Let me, wait a minute, wait a minute, yeah.
Yeah, yeah. Refray. There's a question you ask people, yeah. Do you live to eat or eat or eat or live?
Sure. And it's just the way of saying, oh, no, I'm a foodie, for me I'm not, I just, whatever I need to do but one time I had a thought especially, especially in college, I thought, but I don't want to waste time, you know, it's on a meal and all that. eat a humongous burrito on a Sunday and that it lasts me the whole week. But that's not how our bodies work daily in a sustenance.
And the same way we can't just go on a Sunday, we're going to eat this being burrito of the Word of God and then just let it last. It's got to be a daily. Daily, daily, daily, daily, daily sustenance. But going on being filled with the spirit, not a one time event, not a one time emotion, one counter, a daily discipline that comes into the everyday rhythms of your life.
And this goes back to that question of are you a green thumb or not? And the way that you become a green thumb is if you have the daily habit of keeping, you know, making sure the plant has water, sunlight, it's a daily devotion to it, if you want to speak. In the same way, we can't just rely on, oh, one person is just speaking to me the pastor and it will last me for however long it's, you need to intake and have that daily breath. Yeah, really good.
Yeah, that's really good insight, John. That's awesome. Yeah. So great.
Let's move into the, to the look in sections here. It says, just one question here. It says in the message, air talked about how holding on to his word shows you are hearing his word. And then he hit a couple examples in here about, I love this.
He said, when you gather for worship, are you here to hear? Are you here to hear? So what is he talking about? Are you active?
Are you leaning in? Are you asking God to speak to you? Are you taking notes? Are you challenging?
Are you putting it into practice? When you gather for worship, are you just kind of passively in taking that beautiful tune? Man, we've got to receive. Oh, man, that's so great.
God meets us in that too. But are you here to hear, like to really be challenged and grow through the teaching of God's word? And he also said, when you walk by the word in your home, do you stop to stop to hear? When you're walking by the word in home, do stop to hear like, what does that look like in your in your home life?
Were you given into to worry? Were you given into the pursuit of riches and wealth and everything else? How are you cultivating an environment of hearing God's word? Not just here, but in the daily discourse of your life.
And so he says, then, holding on to his words shows you were hearing his word. Talk about how you've experienced or been challenged by this in your life. Seasons where you found it easier, difficult, what's that look like? How would you maybe lead us to think through that as facilitators?
What are we trying to get out of our discussion here? I think a great way to start that discussion, kind of get that engine going is to go around and see where people in their lives, when the word of God impacted them. And that itself becomes an encouragement to others. Oh, when you were going through that, the word of God encouraged me this way.
And most people will have that moment of, yeah, when the word of God was spoken in this moment of my life, it pushed me towards this way, it challenged me in this way and convicted me. And just sharing those stories itself, I think that's a huge way in a group setting. And then that becomes a perfect moment, sometimes you say, you know what, let's continue to gather these stories and get these stories. And I think on that note, it's a great encouragement because most people I think would feel, well, I have those moments and I had those moments, but it's not every day.
I don't care the word of God every day. And I think that's where the consistency comes in, where even for myself, there are times where I don't feel God, I don't see God. Hold on, stop the podcast. I'm concerned.
Sorry. Just like David, but David says in his songs, he says the same thing, God, I don't see you. I don't feel you, but I trust in your perfect track record and you've been faithful to your people and I'm banking on it. And that faithfulness of God that's consistent regardless of my feelings, regardless of my circumstances, that's what the word of God does for us.
It's a consistent truth that we may not feel the truth. We may not want the truth. I think in this message, he talks about Kay's example of that. But when you're near it, even almost reluctantly, you know, there's a power in God's word to change the transformer.
So that stuff, I feel, is a part of living out of life of faith, knowing that right now I'm going to the word, not feeling anything, not wanting to get out of it. I don't understand these genealogies. I'm stuck in Leviticus every year. Like what's going on here?
Still digging in at that moment. That's a gift of faith. That's you exercising to get the faith. That's so good.
That's so good. The promise of the word not returning boy that it will accomplish when it's set out to accomplish. And years ago, Eric wrote that great book with Ed Stets or Transfrontal Discipleship. I read it before I knew anything about Eric.
He talked about spiritual disciplines. We often wonder, how do you measure discipleship? What does that look like? There's certainly things that you can look to from the abiding life in Christ.
What does that fruit look like? But really, he went on a whole really large research journey that was distilled down into a more accessible book and really found that the number one indicator of his return on your life is the day that discipline around God's word. That if that is happening, more than likely, all the other things are happening because of that. You're learning to be generous because you're encountering God's generosity as we're learning how to serve others because you see that Jesus gave a servant, not be served.
You're learning how to serve. I mean, all of that happens as the best way to cultivate an environment for growth to happen is daily discipline and have it with God's word. And so are you here to hear what does that look like? And I love that you can talk about in this section, like honestly, you know, like, man, winter time's always been difficult.
Seasons where it's been more of a challenge. What did that look like? And even in those moments, and I got held onto you more than you were holding onto him. All of that.
This is beautiful. So really good. All right. All right, guys.
Well, thanks for joining us again here, John. And yeah, I hope this generates a good discussion for you guys. And we'll catch you on here next week.