Lessons                                                                       Bread of Life                                                                11 July 2020

Isaiah 55:10–13

₁₀“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

         and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

         giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

₁₁so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

         it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

         and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

₁₂“For you shall go out in joy

         and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and the hills before you

         shall break forth into singing,

         and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

₁₃Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;

         instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;

and it shall make a name for the Lord,

         an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

Romans 8:12–17

         ₁₂So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ₁₃For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ₁₄For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ₁₅For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ₁₆The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ₁₇and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23

         ₁That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. ₂And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. ₃And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. ₄And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ₅Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, ₆but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. ₇Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ₈Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ₉He who has ears, let him hear. . . .

         ₁₈“Hear then the parable of the sower: ₁₉When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. ₂₀As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, ₂₁yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. ₂₂As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. ₂₃As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”