Jesus speaking in parables usually does not bring clarity to the doubter, for “seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.” To the unbeliever, it appears His Holy Word is weak, subject to birds of the air, weakly rooting into rocks, and easily strangled by the thorns of this life. Yet, this is not true for the elect saints of God, for whom the Word breaks up the well-worn path, crushes the rocks into fine soil, kills the thorns, and thus makes our hearts into rich and fertile soil for His Word. He does this by the Word and for the Word. As a matter of fact, He does it all—start to finish. Listen to the sermon.
(My preferred sermon from Sunday was marred by a computer glitch. The provided sermon is strongly based up a sermon by Pr. David Juhl.)