1 of 7
A sermon on Matthew 13:1–23 · July 26, 2026
The Bag of Seeds
What are you carrying — and what will you plant?
“A sower went out to sow… He who has ears, let him hear.”
Matthew 13:1–23
The movements of this lesson
- 1On Purpose
Every Believer Carries a Bag
The farmer in Jesus' parable scatters his seed everywhere — he never sends soil samples to the lab. God has been filling your bag your whole life. He doesn't consult your past to determine your future; He gives your past a new purpose. God doesn't measure the bag. He watches what leaves it.
- 2Empty the Bag
The Bag Was Never Meant to Stay Full
Seed has one purpose: to leave the bag and be planted. A farmer is measured by what he plants, not by what he owns — and sowing is intentional; no field was ever planted by accident. The rich fool built a bigger barn. Barnabas kept emptying his hands.
- 3One Courageous Yes
Every Generation Has a Bag
"I don't know enough." "I'm too busy." "My time has passed." Every generation has its own excuse — and every excuse keeps the seed in the bag. Every Kingdom conversation begins with one courageous yes.
- 4We Plant. God Grows.
Emptying Is Our Job. Growing Is God's.
The sower never makes a single seed grow — that was never his job. Paul plants, Apollos waters, God gives the increase. Our assignment isn't to change hearts. Our job is to scatter the seed. We have the easy job.
- 5Sow Today. Change Tomorrow.
Some Seeds Won't Grow Until After You're Gone
That's not failure — that's seed growing when it's ready. Who sowed into you? Someone whose seed is still growing, who may never have seen the harvest. The most powerful seeds you sow will yield their harvest in your absence. Your legacy is in the seed you sow.
About this lesson
Jesus sat down by the sea and told a story about a sower who scattered seed everywhere he went — on the path, in the rocks, among the thorns, and into good soil. The seed is God's Word. The soil is our heart. The harvest is changed lives. And the question the parable keeps asking is the one this lesson sits with: what's still in your bag, what keeps it closed, and who is ready for what you're carrying? Growing the seed is God's work. Emptying the bag is ours.
Take it with you
Meet the speaker
Joe Cabrera
Minister · Educator · Consultant
Joe serves the Cisco congregation in an interim ministry role, bringing years of teaching and preaching alongside his work as an educator and consultant.