The Teaching (vv. 1-12)

Some key lessons:
1. There are a variety of responses to the seed
2. Spiritual Growth is responding to the work and person of Jesus
3. There is a connect between individual growth & kingdom growth
4. Like farming there is a human part and a God part

The Human Part (vv. 13-20)

Each soil represents a group of people:
• Satan takes it away (v. 15)
• It is received with great joy, but it is very short lived (vv. 16-17)
• It is choked out (vv. 18-19)
• It lands on great soil (v. 20)

The God Part (vv. 21-32)

The lamp is God Himself.
• Jesus Himself is saying I will not be hidden. I did not come to earth to be concealed.
• Jesus is teaching that the kingdom of God is a process.
• God builds His kingdom in our hearts by mysteriously taking obedience to His Word bathed in the Holy Spirit so that we grow in Him.

Spiritual growth is a messy process that requires a lot of grace. It involves our effort to tether our hearts to His by taking in His Word, and then trusting in His power to transform us and make us new.