bTeacher’s Copy HEART CHECK

Introduction: What would your response be if you were told by your doctor that you have a
serious heart problem? a. Ignore it and hope it will go away
b. Laugh at the doctor and tell him he is wasting his time
c. Do all I can to find out what the problem is and have it treated
d. Never go back to that doctor again.
Many of us have some serious “heart” conditions that are very dangerous to our spiritual
life....we want to look at some verses in the Bible today that will be like a doctor’s exam for us to
see what condition our hearts are in and what can be done to treat the problems we might have...

Each READ one verse of: Mark

4:1-9

Discussion:
1. Where was Jesus when He told this story? (In a boat on a lake)
2. Who is the farmer in this story? See verse 14 (Someone who shares the Word of God
with others)
3. What was the seed that was planted?(14) (The Word of God, the Bible)
-Were there different kinds of seed for each soil?(No, all the seed was the same)
-Why then did the seed have a different result in each place? (Because of the
condition of the soil)
4. What were the 4 kinds of soil here? (v.6-8) (Hardened, rocky, thorny, good soil)

1. The Path - Hard Soil v:4,15

-Why did the seed not take root here in this soil?(The seed couldn’t get roots down
because of the hardness of the soil, so birds took the seed away)
-What kind of people do you think this soil represents? (People with hardened hearts
who don’t even let themselves hear God’s Word. They have decided what they want to do
and believe beforehand so they don’t want to know what the Bible says)
-What do the birds represent? (15) (Satan)
 -What are some ways that Satan tries to hinder people from coming in contact with God’s
Word? (Let them give answers – busyness, false fear of the Bible, warnings from others
not to read it, using bitterness from the past to block God out…)
-Are there people you know that seem to have a hardness of heart so that they don’t even
want to be bothered with God or His Word? (Discuss)
-Does your heart sometimes feel hardened?

2. The Rocky Soil v:5-6,16-17

-What’s the problem with this soil?(v.5,6) (Soil was shallow, no deep roots, then sun
scorched the little plants)
-What does this kind of soil represent in the Christian life? (v 16-17) (People who hear
God’s Word and respond well at first, but they have a shallowness and their interest only
lasts a short time)
-Why does their faith not bear any fruit? v 17 (They fall away when trouble and
persecution come )
-Do you know people who have had an interest in spiritual things for a short time, but then
have dried up so to speak when trouble or persecution comes? (Discuss)

3. The Thorny Soil v:7,18-19

-What was the problem with this soil?(Thorns grew up and choked the plants so they
could not bear fruit)
-What is the difference with this soil and the rocky ground? (These plants had roots and
grew, but were hindered by thorns)
 -What are the hindrances to growth of our faith that are listed here?(18-19) (worries of this
life, deceitfulness of wealth, desires for other things)

-These are things that steal away our time, energy and interest. Can you think of other
things that steal away our time and energy so that we don’t have time for God or are too
tired or distracted for Him?

-Often we hear people say, “If I have time I’ll read the Bible/go to church...” Or “If I don’t
have anything else going on....” The thorny soil represents people who would like to
follow God but they are not yet willing to give Him first place in their lives. (Mt.6:33)
-What are some THORNS in your life that might be keeping you from giving God and His
Word first place in your life? (Discuss)

4. The Good Soil (8)

-What characterizes people whose hearts are “good soil?”(v 20) (They hear God’s Word,
accept it, and it produces fruit in their lives)
-What do you think the “fruit” represents in v:20? (Changes that can be seen even by
others as they apply God’s Word to their lives and obey it)
Application:
1- Which of the soils best describes your life right now?
2- Do you think HARD soil can become good soil? How? (By our own choice to listen and take
heed to God’s Word – Sometimes God has to break it up with trials)
3- Do you think ROCKY soil can become good soil? How? (Figuring out what the rocks are and
taking them out of our lives)
4- How about THORNY soil? (Pull out the thorns, don’t let them choke our spiritual life)
5- What can happen to GOOD soil that isn’t properly cared for? (It can become hardened, rocky, or
thorny)

Close: So, this has been like a little visit to the heart doctor today for us. What is the advice that the
doctor would give you about the condition of your heart today? (Give them time to write out what
the doctor’s prescription for their heart condition might be) What will your response be? (Review
the possible responses we talked about in the introduction- ignore it, laugh at the doctor, take
treatment seriously, never go back to the doctor again…)

PRAYER: Close in prayer asking God to do what He needs to do in each of our hearts to make the
soil of our hearts GOOD soil...