The Sapps
Ears To Hear
Having hearts that are plowed
to receive the seed of the word
of God
Mark 4:1-20
1Again
Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around
him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while
all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them
many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went
out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the
path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where
it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was
shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they
withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which
grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still
other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some
multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” 9 Then Jesus said,
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Mark 4:1-20
10 When
he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him
about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has
been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in
parables 12 so that,
“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
13 Then
Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then
will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some
people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as
they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in
them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once
receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time.
When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall
Mark 4:1-20
away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the
worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other
things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed
sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop — some
thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
Mark 4:1-9
1Again
Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around
him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while
all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them
many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went
out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the
path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where
it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was
shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they
withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which
grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still
other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some
multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” 9 Then Jesus said,
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Mark 4:1-9
1Again
Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around
him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while
all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them
many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went
out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the
path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where
it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was
shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they
withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which
grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still
other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some
multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” 9 Then Jesus said,
Big Question:
What does it mean to
have “ears to hear”?
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Mark 4:10-12
10 When
he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him
about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has
been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in
parables 12 so that,
“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
Jesus’ Clear Claims to this Point
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I am God, all sins are against Me and I have the power to
forgive sins and to heal!
- Mark 2:10-11
I am The Lord even of the Sabbath; I created it!
- Mark 2:28
I am the Great Physician, here to heal the sick that know
they need a doctor
- Mark 2:17
Mark 4:11-12 & Mark 1:14-15
Mark 4:11-12:
He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you.
But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,
“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
Mark 1:14-15:
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good
news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has
come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Mark 4:11-12 & Mark 1:14-15
Mark 4:11-12:
He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you.
But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,
“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
Mark 1:14-15:
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good
news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has
come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Mark 4:11-12 & Mark 1:14-15
Mark 4:11-12:
He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given
to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,
“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
Mark 1:14-15:
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good
news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has
come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Mark 3:13-15
13Jesus
went up on a mountainside and called to him those
he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed
twelve that they might be with him and that he might send
them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out
demons.
C. S. Lewis from Mere Christianity
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that
people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral
teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we
must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things
Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a
lunatic -- on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or
else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this
man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.
You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a
demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us
not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human
teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
– pages 40-41
Application – Repent, Believe & Obey
1.Repent
Mark 1:15 – “Repent and believe the good news!”
Application – Repent, Believe & Obey
1.Repent
2.Believe
Mark 1:15 – “Repent and believe the good news!”
Colossians 1:21-23
21Once
you were alienated from God and were enemies in
your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has
reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to
present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from
accusation — 23 if you continue in your faith, established and
firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.
This is the gospel that you heard and that has been
proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I,
Paul, have become a servant.
Application – Repent, Believe & Obey
1.Repent
2.Believe
3.Obey
Mark 3:35: “Whoever does God’s will is my
brother and sister and mother.”
Application – Repent, Believe & Obey
1. Repent:
Is there something I need to confess and repent from? Are there patterns of
relating with people that are self-centered in my life? Have I said or done
something recently that could have been rude or self-centered? Has my heart
been pure in my desires and thoughts?
2. Believe:
Am I truly living as if the Gospel message is true? Do I minimize my own sin around
others to try and make myself look better than I am? Am I trying to earn God's
love and attention? Or am I trampling the cross with my stubborn clinging to
worldly things or behaviors?
3. Obey:
Is my "YES" on the table with following Christ? Am I pursuing people around my
life with a bold testimony of the Gospel? Am I willing to suffer to enter the battle
with Jesus for the lives of people He has put in my life?