Did You Hear Me?

Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23

What is the difference between hearing and truly listening?

In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a story about a farmer scattering seed on different kinds of soil. But he is not really teaching a lesson about farming. He is exposing what happens in the human heart when people hear the message of Jesus.

Some hearts are hard.
Some are shallow.
Some are crowded.
Some receive the message and produce fruit.

The seed is good. The message is powerful. But Jesus presses the deeper question: what kind of heart is receiving it?

This message explores why hearing Jesus is not the same as receiving him, how pride, pressure, distraction, and desire can keep the gospel from taking root, and why Jesus alone can make a heart fruitful.