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“The Privilege That
Accompanies Understanding”
(Mk. 1:21-25)
Times & Locations Preached: Orleans August 19, 2012
Scripture Reading: Mat. 4:18-22
Accompanying Song: #507 “Are You Sowing the Seed?”
Subject: Evangelism, Obedience
Objective: To demonstrate that once a person has received and understood the truth they are obligated to act
accordingly.
Location: C:\Users\Mike\Documents\1 My Documents\1_Christian\Expository\41_Mark\Ch_4\SRMN\Mk4_2125PrivldgAcmpnesUndrstndng.docx
Introduction:
1. This morning I would like to speak to you about (TITLE SLIDE)
2. Thought question:
a.
Would you say someone who was thinking spiritually as they ought to…
i. Would that person be one that attends as FEW spiritually-related activities as they
could or as MANY as they could? (Be honest – this isn’t the preacher trying to lay a
guilt trip on you.)
ii. Would that person make daily strides to understand and grow or would they be
content to receive merely whatever was said/done on Sun./Wed. as their week’s
spiritual nourishment?
3. Another Question: What happens when you have an opportunity to hear someone speak about the
Bible?
a.
What about gospel meetings & other opportunities to gather with the saints?
i. Do you rarely, if ever attend?
ii. Only attend the meetings in your local congregation?
iii. Do you only go to the speakers you know & like (is it a popularity contest)?
iv. Do you make every opportunity to attend?
v. Do you look for ways to attend or look for excuses?
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4. Last question (for now): When you know the truth, would you agree that you are obligated to DO
SOMETHING WITH IT?
a.
Are we aware that when we have opportunities to read/hear the word of God that we will be
judged according to how we give heed to that word?
5. Lesson taken from Mk. 9
Body:
I. Parable of the Soils (Title, Mk. 9:3-9):
A. The Parable:
1. Great multitude gathers around Jesus to listen to Him teach
2. Gets into a boat, multitude facing the sea
3. Begins teaching them in parables speaking of a sower who sows seed, some falling:
a. By the wayside
b. On stony ground
c. Among thorns
d. Good ground, producing various yields.
4. Finishes the parable by crying out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Mk. 4:9)
II. Jesus Commonly Taught in Parables
A. (Mk. 4:2, 34)
B. Parable comes from two Gk. words combined, the first, para, meaning “beside” and the second, bole
meaning “a casting” so together they lit. mean to “cast alongside”
1. We use common things – using illustrations to draw a parallel
2. We might say we use illustrations to teach a truth and then show how that is parallel or like some
spiritual truth
C. Thought question: If you were among those listening to Jesus, and the parable had not been explained to
you, do you believe you would have understood its meaning?
D. When truth is taught, it may not always/initially make sense or seem agreeable…remember the parable of
the different kinds of soils.
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1. His disciples do not understand it’s meaning, so, when they get Him alone, He describes its meaning
(Mk. 9:11-20)…
2. Sower: one who sows the word of God
3. Seed represents men’s hearts – whether or not they will accept God’s word
4. Wayside:
a. represents people whom the gospel falls upon dead ears.
b. Satan and the ways of the world have such a hhold on them that they are unwilling to hear the
word of God.
5. Stony ground:
a. Stony ground is like soil that has not been tilled or cultivated. The crust of the soil is too hard for the
soil or water to penetrate, so the seed remains on top of the groun, making it very difficult to find
roots.
b. Seeds like this might be in shallow soil which is unable to support strong root growth and supply the
water and nutrients necessary for growth.
c. People can be like this - like those who hear the teaching but have no depth of understanding.
6. Thorns:
a. Plants that grow among thorns & other obnoxious weeds are in competition for soil, water and
nutrients with the thorns and will be unlikely to prosper – weeds like thorns tend to choke out
anything good in within their proximity and, because they are thorny, they are not easily removed,
just like sin and worldly attitudes are not so easily removed from one’s life.
b. Jesus likens some people like plants among thorns
i. Set and ready to bloom and produce.
ii. But they have the world all around them.
iii. They try to be productive for the Lord but are double-minded
iv. They have their attention on other things than the Lord – the cares of this world and those
things end up winning out in the end
7. Good soil – when a person’s heart is like soil that is rich and prepared for the word of God they are able
to accept the word, see its value and apply it to their lives! These are people who have accepted the
gospel.
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III. Is your heart like good soil, ready to accept the word of God?
A. Preparing the “soil” of the heart to accept the truth:
1. Some of the seed described did not bear fruit: some by the wayside, stony ground and some among
thorns – means many WOULD NOT ACCEPT THE WORD!
2. Illust: I remember a brother in Christ who grew up on a farm describing how they had a good field…
3. But every year in the spring, before they could plant that field, they would have to walk the field and
pick up rocks that had been pushed to the surface by the frost throughout the winter.
4. Point: Even good hearts sometimes encounter things that are difficult to accept – once in a while we
find a rock or two (even in good soil) that we need to remove.
a. Some people may have trouble accepting the truth on one subject or another…
i. …may not want to cast condemnation on others who practice something that is wrong.
ii. …may have a friend/family member who something they don’t want to condemn.
iii. …may practice something themselves they don’t want to admit is wrong.
iv. …maybe they have always believed a certain way and can’t accept the truth could be anything
different.
b. The point I am trying to make is that some people, because of reasons we may not even be
consciously aware of, may be predisposed to reject the truth.
c. In fact, preaching, done effectively ought to give you some things to think about that, initially, may
be difficult to understand or accept.
d. Solid preaching will tell you things that may challenge your current beliefs. That is why only those
who have ears to hear, hear it (that is, only some will accept even sound truth when it is taught)!
B. Jesus spoke in parables.
1. Some did not understand it because their heart was not right to receive the truth (this was the point of
the parable of the soils).
2. In fact even His apostles did not understand it (Mk. 4:10)
a. But explained their meaning privately …
b. For them the message was explained for a special reason (Mk. 4:11).
i. They would soon take the gospel into all the world (Mat. 28:18-20)…
ii. In part, to remind people of the things Jesus taught.
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iii. Some of those things they may not have understood at the time…
iv. But would later recall His words and understand:
v. Examples:
(John 2:22) Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had
said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. (NKJV)
(John 12:16) His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified,
then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these
things to Him. (NKJV)
c. They may not have understood at the time but would later be reminded of what Jesus had said and
AHA! A eureka moment occurred when they remembered what Jesus had said.
i. They may not have understood it at the time…
ii. Maybe they had simply refused to believe it back then…
iii. But now they can see what He said and it all made perfect sense now.
C. So now that they understood, did that change anything? Yes it did!
IV. There is a burden that comes with understanding.
A. What happens once you’ve heard and understood the truth? What do YOU do with it? Different responses
possible when we hear the truth being taught:
1. Sleep through/bored
2. Stay awake but mind elsewhere
3. Listen but fail to see how it applies to your life
4. Listen but see that it only applies to someone else’s life
5. Listen, see how it applies to your own life
6. Listen see how it applies to your own life and see the need for others to understand
B. We are blessed to live in an era where we have greater understanding of the scriptures than people in
previous times…all has been revealed to us. Now there is no excuse not to study and understand.
C. Jesus came to this world to “shed light”; He asked rhetorical questions:
(Mark 4:21) Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is
it not to be set on a lampstand? (NKJV)
a. This statement may not have made sense to them at first…
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b. Remember that Jesus sometimes referred to Himself as the light of the world
(John 8:12) "I am the light of the world.”
c. So when Jesus asked, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be
set on a lampstand?” He was trying to get them to see that He came to this world for a reason…to
teach the truth.
2. Jesus repeatedly stressed that He wants us to listen to His teaching (intended one day for everyone to
hear and know His teaching):
a. “Listen, Behold…” (Mk. 4:3)
b. “He who has ears to hear, let Him hear!” (Mk. 4:9)
c. “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Mk. 4:23)
d. “Take heed what you hear.” (Mk. 4:24)
3. Consider the importance of listening carefully:
a. To be blessed (Mt 13:16-17)
b. To have faith (Rom. 10:17)
c. To bear fruit (Col 1:6)
d. To prevent apostasy (Heb. 2:1-3)
D. What I hope to help us to see in this lesson, is that, just like Jesus knew the truth and felt compelled to do
something with it once He knew it…
E. There is a similar burden that falls upon His disciples…to be those who hear, accept and practice the truth.
1. Notice again what He said…
(Mark 4:20) "But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it,
and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred." (NKJV)
2. Those who have hearts like good, fertile soil will do three things…
a. They will HEAR the truth…
b. They will ACCEPT it (whatever it may be w/o bias or prejudice)…
c. They will PRACTICE it (BEAR FRUIT)…
3. (Mat. 5:14) Just as Jesus came to shed light upon a dark world, in like manner His disciples, once
they have heard and learned the truth, have the same responsibility.
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4. Jesus also said (Mk. 4:24-25)
a. This is illustrated in the parable of The Talents
i. Talents given according to each person's ability (Mat. 25:15)
ii. Those who utilized their talents well received more (Mat. 25:20-23)
iii. The man who did not utilize what talent He had, lost the one talent he did not put to use (Mat.
25:24-28)
iv. Jesus concludes His parable with this saying:”…to everyone who has, more will be given, and he
will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.”
(Matthew 25:29 NKJV)
a.) We will either use what we have and continue to grow…
b.) Or we will lose what we have and what we do have will be taken from us…
B. What will you do with the truth? Do you HEAR IT, ACCEPT IT AND BEAR FRUIT?
Conclusion:
1. There is a well known maxim: "You get out of something what you put into it."
2. Does this not explain why many get little out of religion and the Bible in particular...?
a. They have little interest in spiritual matters
b. They make little effort to learn what the Bible says
c. Their interest in spiritual things declines with time
3. Yet Jesus promises for those willing to "Take Heed What You Hear"...
a. "With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you"
b. "To you who hear, more will be given"
c. "For whoever has, to him more will be given"
Invitation:
A. It must begin by committing your life to the Lord.
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Jesus Said…
“…he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has
everlasting life…” (John 5:24)
“…if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.“ (John
8:24)
“… Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)
“…whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My
Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also
deny before My Father who is in heaven.” (Mat. 10:32-33)
"He who believes and is baptized will be saved…” (Mark 16:16)
“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you…” (John
15:14 – live a faithful life)
(Revelation 2:10) “…Be faithful until death, and I will give you the
crown of life. “
B. Now that you have heard, you have a responsibility…to obey it!
Bibliography
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