Central Truth

Our salvation is a gift from God. Once we have trusted in Christ, God will faithfully grow us as long as we are willing to do our part by being obedient to follow Him. Our faith must be active, not passive, in order to grow. God will grow deep roots of faith in us as we spend time in His Word.

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Reflections

I confess that I am lazy. I do not look forward to hard work. I want immediate gratification. But immediate gratification is not what Jesus is offering in Matthew 13.

At this point in His ministry, Jesus begins to teach only in parables. Israel has rejected Him as their Messiah, and He will now teach only to those who want to learn truth. To understand Jesus' teaching, the listeners must first believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah. Those who do not believe in Him, listen and then go their merry way. To them, "ignorance is bliss" because they do not truly care about understanding Jesus' teachings.

But His disciples ask for clarification. They ask and receive Jesus' explanation of His mysterious parables. The Parable of the Soils teaches that we must respond to God's offer of salvation with deep conviction. If not, the temptations and worries of this world can strongly affect our faith and cause doubt. After accepting Christ as my Savior, I was enthusiastic and anxious to learn. But I did not understand that being blessed by God's Word required discipline. Many times, I tried to quickly read the Bible and did not allow God's teaching to run deep within my heart and mind. As the Parable of the Soils teaches, I ran the risk of my faith only being superficial. It was through hearing God's Word in church and on Christian radio that I began to grow through God's truth.

Today, I look forward to extended time in the Word, and my faith runs deep. But there is no "quick fix" to deeply rooted faith. Israel was hoping that Christ was their "quick fix" to freedom. Because of persecution under Roman rule, they wanted a Messiah to reign as their King. But with their rejection of Him as their Messiah, Christ no longer stated that the Kingdom was at hand. Today, we still wait for Christ to reign as King in this world. We need deep roots to walk by faith as we await the time when we will walk by sight.

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Discussion Questions

1. What are some things you can do to grow a deeply rooted faith?

2. What are some of the worries and temptations of this world that cause you to doubt? Identify some verses in the Bible that will specifically speak to your struggles.

3. How can a desire for immediate gratification hinder your growth in Christ?

4. If Christ set up His Kingdom tomorrow, would you feel prepared to stand before Him?

WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY

MATTHEW 11-15 (JANUARY 16-20)

Read Matthew 13:1-23.

How many different places did the seeds fall? Review what happened to the seeds in each place (verses 4-8).
What do the places represent (verses 19-23)?
What kind of place do you want your heart to be?
How do you make sure your heart stays like the good soil, a place where God's truth will grow?

Activity: Get four paper cups and some rye grass seed. Let each of the four cups represent one of the "places."
Pathway: an empty cup with some seed in the bottom.
Rocky Place: rocks and seed in the bottom.
Thorny Place: put soil with rye grass in it and then put a layer of coins covering the top of the soil to represent the riches of this world.
Fertile Place: soil with rye grass seed planted in it.
Put all four in the sunlight and remember to water them all. Watch and see what happens to all four "places." Think about how to remain like the good soil, allowing God's Word to grow in your heart and life.

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