5-DAY STUDY GUIDE – Soil & Seed – The Keys to the Kingdom
Pastor Chad Everett
Main Scripture: Mark 4:26–28
Sermon Summary
In this message, Pastor Chad Everett teaches that the Kingdom of God operates according to a spiritual law: seed and soil. Many Christians know how to attend church but not how to walk in Kingdom principles. Pastor Chad walks us through the book of Genesis and Mark 4 to show that God created the soil (our spirit) to be a creative force, designed to respond to His Word (the seed). He reminds us that while our formed part (body and mind) is limited, our created part (spirit) is where the Word of God produces supernatural growth. Whether we see results immediately or not, we’re called to plant the Word, trust the process, and not limit God with small thinking.
Using This Study Guide
This five-day guide is designed to help you meditate on God’s Word and apply Sunday’s message to your personal life or group discussion. Whether you’re studying on your own, with your family, or as part of a Roads Group, this guide will help you go deeper into the truth of God’s Kingdom.
Each day includes scripture, a summary thought, and questions with personal application for different life stages—including new believers, mature Christians, students, and families. God wants to plant something in your spirit that will grow and multiply. Take your time to reflect, share, and let the seed of the Word go deep.
Day 1: Created to Grow
Big Idea:
God created your spirit to be good soil—ready to receive His Word and produce supernatural results.
Scripture:
Genesis 1:11 (NKJV)
“Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth’; and it was so.”
Sermon Quote:
“When God creates something, whatever He creates now has creative properties.” — Chad Everett
Discussion & Application:
- New Christians: What does it mean to you that your spirit was made by God to grow? How does that change your expectations as you follow Jesus?
- Mature Christians: Are you stewarding the soil of your heart as intentionally as you did when you first believed? What’s growing in your life right now?
- Jr. & Sr. High Students: Do you see your spirit as valuable and powerful? What kinds of seeds are you planting through your words, choices, and influences?
- Families with Young Children: Read the verse aloud together and talk about how grass and fruit trees grow. What does God want to grow in us?
- Families with Teenagers: How do you recognize if your heart is open soil or hardened ground? Talk about how to prepare your heart to hear from God.
Day 2: Formed vs. Created
Big Idea:
You are more than a physical being—you are a spirit, created in the image of God, and that part of you is not limited.
Scripture:
Genesis 2:7 (NKJV)
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
Sermon Quote:
“There are some things my formed part will do, and there are some things my created part will do.” — Chad Everett
Discussion & Application:
- New Christians: What’s the difference between being formed from the ground and being created by God’s breath? How does that make you feel about your identity?
- Mature Christians: In what ways have you been operating more out of your formed (natural) part than your created (spiritual) part?
- Jr. & Sr. High Students: How can you recognize when you’re thinking with just your brain instead of listening to your spirit?
- Families with Young Children: Talk about how God made our bodies from the dirt but gave us His own breath inside. What makes us different from animals?
- Families with Teenagers: In what areas are you relying on your natural abilities? How could trusting your spirit (creative part) open new possibilities?
Day 3: Don’t Limit God
Big Idea:
Limiting God with small thinking—especially by worrying about what others think—is a form of pride that blocks His work in your life.
Scripture:
Psalm 78:41 (NKJV)
“Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.”
Sermon Quote:
“My pride was attached to worrying about what other people thought about me.” — Chad Everett
Discussion & Application:
- New Christians: Have you ever felt afraid to fully follow God because of what others might think? How can you overcome that?
- Mature Christians: Is your mindset expanding with God’s vision, or are you operating in old limits? What needs to shift?
- Jr. & Sr. High Students: What would you do differently for God if you weren’t worried about peer pressure or social media?
- Families with Young Children: Talk about times when we care more about what others think than what God says. How can we be brave?
- Families with Teenagers: Discuss how fear of judgment, failure, or being misunderstood can be pride in disguise. What can humility unlock?
Day 4: Get the Word in the Ground
Big Idea:
It’s not enough to hear the Word—you must plant it in your spirit where it can take root and grow.
Scripture:
Mark 4:26–27 (NKJV)
“The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.”
Sermon Quote:
“If I just put the Word in my head, it’s close to my spirit—only 18 inches away—but it won’t produce a harvest.” — Chad Everett
Discussion & Application:
- New Christians: What’s one verse you’ve heard recently that you can begin to plant by thinking about it and praying it?
- Mature Christians: What are your current practices for sowing the Word? Is it routine, revelation, or both?
- Jr. & Sr. High Students: What does it mean to “get the Word in your heart” instead of just memorizing it?
- Families with Young Children: Talk about what happens when we plant seeds in dirt. Then talk about what happens when we plant God’s Word in our hearts.
- Families with Teenagers: How do you know when a scripture has moved from your head to your heart? What helps that happen?
Day 5: Trust the Process
Big Idea:
Spiritual growth is a process. Don’t dig up your seed too soon—wait for the harvest and praise God for the sprout.
Scripture:
Mark 4:28 (NKJV)
“For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.”
Sermon Quote:
“You’re waiting to see the fruit all the time. But I want you to start getting excited about sprouts.” — Chad Everett
Discussion & Application:
- New Christians: What “sprouts” have you seen in your life since following Jesus? What can you thank God for today?
- Mature Christians: Are you discouraged by what hasn’t fully grown yet? How can you recommit to trusting the process?
- Jr. & Sr. High Students: What’s one area where you feel like you haven’t changed yet—but maybe God is already working underneath?
- Families with Young Children: Look at a picture of a seed growing into a plant. Celebrate every part—root, sprout, leaf, fruit. Talk about your own growth.
- Families with Teenagers: Talk about how social media teaches instant results—but God often works in seasons. Where are you in the growth process?