# Four Soils - The Gospels

An episode of [Kids Bible in a Year with Julia Jeffress Sadler](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1696638708), 21 Feb 2024, 11 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/f8ddd7fd-69c6-48d0-804f-b4d6010c327c/1b31e858-c542-4506-9f9d-b4d601864477/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=14e8ed60-20b2-4d5c-a832-b4d6010c3283

Join Julia Jeffress Sadler as she takes us on an incredible adventure in Episode 157. Jesus shared a story with a large crowd about a farmer who scattered seeds. Some seeds landed on a hard path and were eaten by birds, while others fell on rocky ground and died because they couldn't grow roots. Some seeds fell among thorns, which choked their growth. However, the seeds that landed on good soil grew into big, fruitful plants. Jesus explained that this story was like how different people hear God's words: some don't understand, others believe for a while but then give up, and some are too distracted by other things. But those who truly listen and understand God's words are like good soil, growing strong and spreading His teachings to others. Sign up to receive Kids Bible in a Year devotionals in your inbox every weekday: https://www.kidsbibleinayear.com/ Get ready to experience the Bible designed specifically for children with the official KidsBibleinaYear.com podcast, led by Julia Jeffress Sadler. This captivating audio series presents the age-old wisdom of the Bible in an engaging format that will captivate your kids. Each episode Julia translates biblical teachings into real-life applications, making Bible comprehension a breeze for young minds. And if you want more Christian resources and content, you can download the Pray.com app. Pray.com is the digital destination for faith, offering over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime Bible stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible. For more resources on how to live a successful Christian life, visit Julia Jeffress Sadler's website at https://ptv.org/julia/. This episode is sponsored by Little Passports. Visit LittlePassports.com/blessed and use promo code BLESSED to receive 20% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: What was sown on the good ground, this is he
[0:03] Speaker 1: who hears the word and understands it, who most certainly
[0:07] Speaker 1: bears fruit and produces. Some 100 times as much, some
[0:12] Speaker 1: 60 and some 30. Matthew 13, 23. Dear God, thank
[0:18] Speaker 1: you for the seed, the message of Jesus in the
[0:21] Speaker 1: good news of the gospel. We want our hearts to
[0:25] Speaker 1: be like the soft, warm soil. where your word can
[0:29] Speaker 1: grow deep in us. Please help us not to get
[0:33] Speaker 1: distracted by all the craziness of this world. Help us
[0:37] Speaker 1: to take your word and hide it deep in our hearts.
[0:41] Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, amen.
[0:45] Speaker 2: Thank you for praying with us today. The Kids Bible
[0:48] Speaker 2: in a Year podcast is sponsored by Little Passports, delivering
[0:52] Speaker 2: monthly activity kit subscriptions that help kids explore the world.
[0:56] Speaker 2: Cultivate curiosity and discover new interests with hands-on crafts and
[1:00] Speaker 2: activities in cooking, science, crafts, and more. All with a
[1:04] Speaker 2: unique cultural twist. Visit littlepassports.com slash blessed to learn more
[1:09] Speaker 2: and save 20% with code blessed.
[1:18] Speaker 3: Four soils. In our last story, a sinful woman was
[1:24] Speaker 3: forgiven by Jesus. after she poured expensive perfume and washed
[1:29] Speaker 3: the feet of Jesus with her hair. In this story,
[1:33] Speaker 3: we will learn how Jesus teaches about the kingdom of
[1:35] Speaker 3: God using short stories called parables. This parable is about
[1:41] Speaker 3: how the gospel can take hold or go away in
[1:45] Speaker 3: our hearts, as inspired by the gospels.
[1:52] Speaker 1: Hello, it's Julianne Thompson, guest hosting for Julia Jeffress Sadler,
[1:57] Speaker 1: here for another story from the Kids Bible in a
[1:59] Speaker 1: Year podcast. Today we get to hear Jesus tell a story.
[2:04] Speaker 1: It's a story about a farmer, but it's also a
[2:08] Speaker 1: story about us. You'll see what I mean. Listen close.
[2:15] Speaker 3: Jesus started to tell a great crowd of people a
[2:18] Speaker 3: story about a farmer. Not long ago, There was a
[2:22] Speaker 3: farmer that got up early to plant seeds in his field.
[2:26] Speaker 3: He had so many of them that instead of planting
[2:29] Speaker 3: them straight into the ground, he would just grab a
[2:32] Speaker 3: handful and let it spray. Wherever the seeds landed, they stayed.
[2:38] Speaker 3: His first handful landed on hard road and were killed
[2:43] Speaker 3: because it couldn't take root. So the hungry birds swooped
[2:47] Speaker 3: down to eat them. The second fell on top of rocks.
[2:51] Speaker 3: and struggled very hard, but because there was no real soil,
[2:55] Speaker 3: they all eventually dried up and died. The farmer grabbed
[3:00] Speaker 3: his third handful and let it fly. Sadly, they all
[3:05] Speaker 3: landed on weeds that sucked up all the water and sunlight.
[3:10] Speaker 3: The plants put up their best fight, but they eventually
[3:14] Speaker 3: died as well. Then, the farmer grabbed his last bunch
[3:18] Speaker 3: of seeds, and sprayed them over good soil. These seeds
[3:24] Speaker 3: grew into huge, fruitful plants and eventually spread their own seeds,
[3:29] Speaker 3: making 100 times more. Jesus told stories like these so
[3:35] Speaker 3: that people who understand the kingdom of God understand, but
[3:39] Speaker 3: those who don't, it's confusing, so that they might seek
[3:43] Speaker 3: the truth. And Jesus responded to his disciples, this is
[3:49] Speaker 3: a story about the different ways people receive the words
[3:52] Speaker 3: of God. That is the seed. Some people don't receive
[3:57] Speaker 3: the seed at all because their hearts are as hard
[4:00] Speaker 3: as the road, so the devil swoops up and steals
[4:03] Speaker 3: God's words from them. Others take the seed but are
[4:07] Speaker 3: like rocks. They might let it grow for a bit,
[4:10] Speaker 3: but because there's no real soil, the seed dies or
[4:15] Speaker 3: go to waste. Some people's hearts are like the thorns
[4:19] Speaker 3: and weeds, They receive the seed, but they let other
[4:22] Speaker 3: things get in the way of their growth. And finally,
[4:26] Speaker 3: the last type of people have good soil. They let
[4:30] Speaker 3: the word take root and build a base by studying
[4:34] Speaker 3: it and by putting it into action. These people will
[4:39] Speaker 3: eventually grow and spread their own seeds.
[4:45] Speaker 1: Hmm... What do a bunch of seeds have to do
[4:51] Speaker 1: with me? If that's what you're thinking, I'm glad you asked.
[4:57] Speaker 1: In today's passage, Jesus goes out to sit by the sea,
[5:01] Speaker 1: perhaps to relax or pray. When people find out where
[5:05] Speaker 1: he is, they all gather around because they are hungry
[5:08] Speaker 1: for more of his special teaching. They are craving it,
[5:13] Speaker 1: almost like you crave a big bowl of ice cream.
[5:17] Speaker 1: The crowd gets so big that Jesus boards a boat
[5:20] Speaker 1: to ensure they don't trample over him. That's when he
[5:24] Speaker 1: tells them a story or what is called a parable.
[5:28] Speaker 1: Jesus told stories of parables often because it helped people
[5:32] Speaker 1: understand things about his kingdom. It gave them an idea
[5:37] Speaker 1: or an example of the truth he was trying to
[5:39] Speaker 1: teach them. The story Jesus tells today is about a farmer.
[5:45] Speaker 1: You see, back in those days, most of the people
[5:47] Speaker 1: were farmers. They didn't have a big grocery store around
[5:52] Speaker 1: the corner where they could go buy their apples and
[5:54] Speaker 1: grapes and carrots just like you do. They grew all
[5:58] Speaker 1: their own fruits and vegetables. The farmers would take a
[6:03] Speaker 1: small seed filled with nutrients and energy and plant it
[6:07] Speaker 1: deep down in some soft, warm dirt called soil. The
[6:13] Speaker 1: seed then sends out a little root that grows down
[6:16] Speaker 1: into the soil and drinks up nutrients from the dirt.
[6:21] Speaker 1: Then a little sprout grows up out of the ground.
[6:25] Speaker 1: The sprout gets energy from the sun and rain helps
[6:28] Speaker 1: to keep the soil damp and soft, giving more nutrients
[6:32] Speaker 1: to the root so even more roots grow. The farmers
[6:37] Speaker 1: knew exactly what Jesus was saying. But before we dive
[6:41] Speaker 1: into the story, let's talk about what these seeds have
[6:44] Speaker 1: to do with us. The seeds in this story represent
[6:48] Speaker 1: the message of God's love. The truth of the gospel.
[6:53] Speaker 1: That Jesus came to die for us and that we
[6:57] Speaker 1: can live forever with him. The soil or ground represents
[7:02] Speaker 1: our hearts and what we do with the message of Jesus.
[7:07] Speaker 1: Do we take it, believe it, and act on it?
[7:10] Speaker 1: Or do we just ignore it? Finally, the fruit that
[7:14] Speaker 1: grows represents love, joy, peace, patience. The things in our
[7:18] Speaker 1: life that show that we love God. The way that
[7:22] Speaker 1: we live. So this farmer went out to plant his
[7:26] Speaker 1: seeds and scattered them in handfuls. Jesus said that the
[7:31] Speaker 1: first handful fell by the road. And the birds came
[7:34] Speaker 1: and ate it up. He said this is the person
[7:38] Speaker 1: who just doesn't understand or care about the message of Jesus.
[7:42] Speaker 1: The seed will be taken and fruit will not grow
[7:45] Speaker 1: from that person's heart. Next, he said some fell on
[7:50] Speaker 1: rocky ground and did not have deep soil or dirt.
[7:54] Speaker 1: Jesus said that seed grew very fast. But since the
[7:58] Speaker 1: dirt was not deep enough, when the sun came out,
[8:01] Speaker 1: it dried up and died. Jesus said this is like
[8:06] Speaker 1: the person that hears and believes the message of Jesus.
[8:11] Speaker 1: But when hard times come, they give up and stop believing.
[8:14] Speaker 1: They don't let the roots of God's word go very deep.
[8:19] Speaker 1: The third group of seeds fell in some weeds that
[8:23] Speaker 1: grew tall and choked the plants. Jesus said this is
[8:26] Speaker 1: like the person who accepts the teaching of God, but
[8:30] Speaker 1: then gets so distracted by the things of this world.
[8:33] Speaker 1: especially money, and that chokes the seed. But the last
[8:39] Speaker 1: group of seeds, these are the ones we want to
[8:42] Speaker 1: pay the most attention to. These seeds fell on good ground,
[8:47] Speaker 1: meaning that this person took the teachings of Jesus, believed them,
[8:51] Speaker 1: and never gave up. This person was able to tell
[8:55] Speaker 1: others about Jesus, and many more seeds were turned into
[9:00] Speaker 1: fruit because of it. Jesus wants us to know that
[9:04] Speaker 1: his love and truth should be very important to us.
[9:09] Speaker 1: What kind of soil does God find in your heart?
[9:13] Speaker 1: Let's keep listening, obeying and following Jesus so his love
[9:18] Speaker 1: will grow in us. And then he will grow fruit
[9:21] Speaker 1: that shows people how wonderful he is. Thank you for listening.
[9:27] Speaker 1: Next time we get to hear more stories from Jesus.
[9:31] Speaker 1: the best storyteller of all. So don't miss it. The
[9:36] Speaker 1: Bible is the best story ever told. It's God's story
[9:39] Speaker 1: to you, and it's all true. Can't get enough of
[9:42] Speaker 1: our podcast? Stay tuned for new adventures by subscribing to
[9:46] Speaker 1: Kids Bible in a Year, your companion in exploring God's Word.
[9:52] Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to Pray.com Kids Bible in a Year.
[9:55] Speaker 1: For more inspiring stories and wisdom to last a lifetime,
[9:59] Speaker 1: download the Pray.com app for free today. Thanks for listening
[10:10] Speaker 1: to Kids Bible in a Year. I want to invite
[10:13] Speaker 1: our adult listeners to check out my other show, Unapologetic,
[10:17] Speaker 1: God's Truth on Today's Topics. It's unfiltered, important, inspiring, and
[10:23] Speaker 1: we have awesome conversations and amazing guests such as Candace
[10:28] Speaker 1: Cameron Bray, Vice President Mike Pence, Dr. Robert Jeffress, Shannon Bream,
[10:33] Speaker 1: Maddie Pruitt, and so many others. We are helping you
[10:37] Speaker 1: have conversations that empower you to have bold faith in
[10:42] Speaker 1: a broken world. You'll be excited, inspired, and encouraged in
[10:47] Speaker 1: your faith as you check out Unapologetic. Remember that you
[10:50] Speaker 1: can tune in wherever you get your podcasts and on pray.com.

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