41 Preaching teaching/ Mark 4:1-20: Just Listen
Notes
Transcript
SERMON BRIEF
Rhetorical Sermon Outline
Name:Nathan Law
Assignment:D.Min Message
Date Due:9-14-2016
A. Foundational Elements
1. Sermon Title (in quotation marks; headline capitalization style): The Heart of Listening!
2. Text: Mark 4:1-20
3. Subject (in one or two words--or as a short phrase, but not a sentence): Just Listen
4. ETS (Essence of the Text in a Sentence--state in the past tense): Listening determined the destiny and productivity of Jesus’s audience.
5. ESS (Essence of the Sermon in a Sentence--also called the Proposition; do not state in the past tense): You can be productive in God’s Kingdom if you Listen.
6. OSS (Objective of the Sermon in a Sentence--state in terms of what hearers will do as a result of this sermon): Hearers will make God’s word central in their life.
Discipleship Practice-The Word of God
B. Formal Elements
Introduction
1. The difference between hearing and listening.. [Clean up your room..Don’t dribble the ball)
2. Jesus wanted all to hear so he used a parable-1-9-Tell the story
3. All would get the physical but not all will get the spiritual. Indian Believers who do the Bible.
I. EVERY PERSON SHOULD LISTEN TO GOD'S WORD BECAUSE IT DETERMINES YOUR ETERNITY (10-12)
1. Eternity Lost-The Pharisees
2. Eternity Gained-the disciples
II. EVERY PERSON SHOULD LISTEN TO GOD’S WORD TO AVOID THE DANGER OF BEING UNPRODUCTIVE FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD (13-19).
1. Satan Takes away the seek
2. Rocky Places-joy, no firm root, runs when it get’s tough
3. Thorny: Worries of the World, Deceitfulness of Riches, Desire for other things
III. EVERY PERSON SHOULD LISTEN TO GOD’S WORD BECAUSE GOD CRETED US TO BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY(20).
1. Hear-Difference between hearing and listening-Kids bouncing ball
2. Accept-Intellectual versus real
3. Bear The Word-We become the sower(Illustration-Disciples spread of Christianity)
1. So much un-productivity today....
2. So much potential for productivity…
3. You can be productive today by hearing, embracing and bearing the gospel
Introduction:
Have you ever heard someone but you were not listening to them. They told you what you needed to know and what you needed to do but you did not do it because you heard them but you were not listening.
My kids hear me but they do not always listen.
-Don’t dribble in the house.
-Don’t jump off the furniture
-Clean your room.
-Maybe your a boss and you tell your workers exactly what to do and they hear you but are not listening.
-If you are married I am sure there have been times where you heard your spouse but you were not listening.
I remember when Pinterest came out and I did not have much interest in it. I heard my wife tell me about it but I was not really listening and today I could not tell you about Pinterest .
If you are married there have been times when you have heard your wife and not listened to her or vice versa. My friend one time just had a baby and his wife told him I will be back in 2 hours make sure you take care of our baby. My friend put the baby to bed and after about thirty minutes got a call from some buddies to play basketball. He forgot that he had a newborn and left her there and his wife came home and her husband was gone but the baby was there.
Travis Jackson posted this One of my favorite Holiday Traditions!
Can't wait for the 2016 show!
About Transberiean Orchestra. He loves this band.
I do know this if I messed with Travis at one of these concert’s it would not be a pretty sight.
The times we listen are when we think something is important, that it will have an impact on our life. Another time we listen if there is a critical situation. You need to lose some weight we may not listen. If you are at a doctor’s appointment and they tell you that you have cancer you are going to listen.
Listening is so important in the kingdom of God. IN America many people have heard the word of God but not many are listening to the word of God.
As a kid I could care less about hearing the word of God, even when I went to church it was like let me get out of here as quickly as possible. For this reason it did not have an impact on my life.
I wasn’t listening.
What I have discovered is that what we listen intently to reveals our heart.
1 He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land.
2 And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,
Jesus goes onto tell us a parable:
A parable uses something from everyday life to a spiritual truth.
Probably Jesus taught this parable many times during His ministry as an itinerant preacher, and the disciples were familiar with it. It[1]
3 “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow;
The author exhorts his hearers to listen.
Behold and Listen used together. “They never appear together elsewhere in Mark, nor do they introduce a parable elsewhere either in Mark or in the other Gospels. Placed next to each other, they doubly emphasize the importance of continually heeding (“Listen” is a present imperative) the parable that follows[2].”
The sower went out to sow his seed-Who is the sower? Is it Jesus or can it be anyone who preaches the word of God..
This first parable is the key to the other parables. It does not describe the kingdom of God as the other parables do. Rather, it describes the condition of the hearers. As with all parables, but this one especially, the key is not to ask, “What does this one thing signify?” but “What does this mean for me? Where am I in this parable?” This first parable also followed directly on the heels of the religious leaders’ misunderstanding of the person of Jesus. Jesus was describing their spiritual condition. He set the scene by referring to something his hearers were familiar with: a farmer sowing seed.[3]
As we go through this I want to ask you to evaluate where are you in this parable. But the only way you will be able to honestly examine where you are is if you listen and tune in today. Don’t listen to me, listen to God’s word.
Here is the parable Jesus tells:
TELL THE STORY
4 as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
5 “Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.
6 “And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7 “Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
8 “Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
9 And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
There were two ways to sow seed in Palestine. One was to take the seed in a sack and to walk the rows in a field and to throw the seed out yourself. But there were also people in the days of our Lord who were lazy, such as I am. And they conceived of a different method. They brought their ass or their donkey out. And they would put the seed in a sack and tie the sack to the back of the donkey. And then they would cut a little hole in the side of the sack, and then they would just walk the animal, and let the animal do the sowing. I do not know which of these methods is followed here, but both of these methods were followed.[4]
The parable of the sower is faithful to the life situation of Palestinian agriculture, in which plowing follows sowing. The sower is not careless when he scatters the seed on the path or among the thorns or on ground which has no depth of soil. He does so intentionally, for the path on which the villagers have trodden over the stubble and the thorns which lie withered among the fallow ground will be plowed up to receive the seed.[5]
The sower was willing to sow seed knowing that 3 out 4 would never cause any growth.
In Baseball if you bat 300 you are considered successful. Here 75 percent are going to fail.
Faithfulness is the sower’s responsibility, the growth is out of the sower’s control. IN the same way as believers we cannot control people’s response we have to be faithful
the majority of the soil is unproductive.
Transition-Because what we listen passionately to reveals our heart I want to Challenge us all to not just hear God’s word but to listen to it. If Jesus were here sharing with us today he would be saying this exact same thing-Listen Up. The first reason we should listen.
1. EVERY PERSON SHOULD LISTEN TO GOD'S WORD BECAUSE IT DETERMINES YOUR ETERNITY (10-12)
Your eternity is determined on whether or not you have just heard the word of God or if you are listening. I had heard the word of God from a young age but it wasn’t until i was 18 that I believed {Gospel}.
There are insiders and outsiders, there is a heaven and hell there are winners and losers.
Such a concentration of attention on the verb ἀκούω throughout the discourse not only draws the hearer’s attention but tells us that this is a discourse about ‘hearing’, and that the division between insiders and outsiders is connected with how each group can ‘hear the word’.[6]
What are some signs that you are an insider (a believer in the gospel)?
Explanation
a. You have a desire to go deeper in God’s word.
Jesus was always in training with his disciples and after he gave this parable it says his followers had some questions.
10 As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables.
Only God knows if your heart is right with him, But Jesus followers wanted more of God.
Do you want more of God right now? Do you have a desire to go deeper with him?
Do you know God’s word less or more than you did when your first started coming to Church?
Can you say with the Psalmnist-
Psalm 84:10For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God: Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Teachings goal is life transformation, is God at work in your life.
Illustration-Ben Whitaker this summer went deeper with God. He read through the Bible in a month. I talked to Ben last night and he goes it was so awesome because he was asking God question he was going deeper with him.
Greek teachers like Plato and sometimes Jewish teachers would leave certain points obscure to keep them from outsiders; only those who were serious enough to persevere would understand.[7]
What are some signs that you are an insider (a believer in the gospel)?
b. Grace is no longer a mystery.
11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables,
12 so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.”
Someone once asked C.S. Lewis what made Christianity different from any other religion, he said that is easy-Grace
Mystery of the Kingdom-
Those who are listening-Now, the Lord Jesus, if I may hasten through this, the Lord Jesus answers this by saying that there is a twofold purpose in giving the teaching in parabolic form. In the first place, it is given to reveal the truth to the receptive. It will enable them to understand, to have these illustrations.
Those who are not listening-But, it is also given to conceal the truth from the unreceptive. This method of giving the truth will hide the truth from some but will open up the truth to others. One of them has been given the ability to understand, and the other has not. [8]
The failure of men generally to appreciate what the coming of Jesus means, the plan of the scribal authorities and responsible leaders of the people to destroy him (Ch. 3:6), the accusation that he has formed an alliance with Beelzebul (Ch. 3:22), define the climate of unbelief in which Jesus moves. The parables thus reflect significantly on the contemporary situation and look beyond it to the ultimate triumph of the Kingdom of God.[9]
Explanation:
This could almost sound like God does not want some people to understand the gospel. Like he does not want some to understand the gospel. Let’s remember the context here. The religious leaders of Israel the ones were supposed to crown Jesus as king at first did not accept his message, then they vehemently rejected his message and ultimately they were the ones who yelled crucify. Their dislike for Jesus did not stagnate it grew more and more until they wanted to kill him. This verse that is being referenced here is from Isaiah 6:9-10. Those who are outsiders understood the physical message of the parable but they missed the spiritual meaning.
Isaiah 6:9 He said, “Go, and tell this people:‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive;Keep on looking, but do not understand.’10“Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.”
How these men listened revealed there heart was far from God. They believed in a karma gospel which said if you do good enough you will earn favor from God. The mystery of Jesus the messiah arrived and was missed and these leaders missed grace.
What are some signs that you are an insider (a believer in the gospel)?
c. We embrace Forgiveness through Jesus
4:12 they may look closely and not perceive One purpose of Jesus’ parables is to reveal the true meaning of God’s kingdom only to those who receive it in faith.
Jesus paraphrases Isa 6:9–10, in which God asks the prophet Isaiah to allow the people to continue on the path of disobedience they have previously selected. This fits with Jesus’ overall message that He has come for the sinners who are willing to repent and that the self-proclaimed righteous may find themselves in opposition to God’s purposes (Mark 2:17; compare note on 3:24). Jesus does not aim to convince the religious authorities to change their way—instead, as Jesus understands it, they should already know better. It is those who desire salvation or already feel desperation who understand His message (e.g., 2:15; compare vv. 21–23).[10]
For every parable there are two levels of understanding: the physical and the spiritual. Everyone received the parable at the physical level, but the disciples were granted understanding at the spiritual level. The disciples—and this now includes us as believers—had been chosen, as were the chosen people of God in the Old Testament. We have been given a sacred responsibility.[11]
Gospel-
The religious leaders did not think they needed to be forgiven. This is how I was until I got to college, I thought good works could earn my way to heaven.
v.12
The result of being in the group who understands the mystery of the Kingdom of heaven is that they will be forgiven. The result of being outside this group is that you will not be forgiven.
4:12. The point in the context of Isaiah 6:9–10, which Jesus quotes here, is that God’s people had hardened their hearts so that they could not hear him; God thus chose to harden them further (what some have called “penal blindness”) by sending them his message anyway.[12]
Application-Have you come to a place in your life where you turned to Jesus Christ alone for salvation and you know that you are an insider?
Transition-Because our ears reveal our heart I want to Challenge us all to not just hear God’s word but to listen to it. We just saw that the first reason we need to listen is because it determines our eternity, but there is another reason we need to listen.
2. EVERY PERSON SHOULD LISTEN TO GOD’S WORD TO AVOID THE DANGER OF BEING UNPRODUCTIVE in THE KINGDOM OF GOD (13-19).
13 And He *said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?
14 “The sower sows the word.
15 “These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
16 “In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;
17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.
18 “And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,
19 but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
The sower here is Jesus christ, However it could be any believer who sows God’s Word.
Soils are people and even more specifically there hearts
Explanation:
Lets look at these first three soils because they are all unproductive. Today as we look at these four soils my hope isn’t that we will try to figure out which one’s are really believers rather my hope is that we will want to listen so badly to the word of God that we will desire to be the fourth soil. Because the purpose of planting seeds is that they grow and the purpose of God’s word is that it will grow in your life.
What can keep you from being unproductive in the kingdom of Heaven?
a. Satan-comes and takes the seed before it can be planted in your heart (15).
v.4 &15
First
This seed never took root and was eaten up
As he was sowing some fell alongside the road. IT does not seem like he was intentionally sowing there some just ended up falling there
The one’s on the road got eaten they had no where to go and did
Was the sower just sowing seed
They are beside the road and immediately Satan comes and snatches the word up.
There are going to be people we preach the word to whom Satan snatches it up.
They may make a negative response for any one of three reasons. Regardless of the reason, a negative response proves unproductive in their lives. A positive response, however, will produce spiritual fruit, but the fruit will be in varying amounts depending on various factors.[13]
His miracles had preached to them. What kind of soil would they prove to be? Note that there are really only two types of soils—productive and nonproductive. But Jesus gave three examples of the nonproductive type.[14]
Illustration in Colorado sharing the gospel with a guy hand he mocked me and spit at me.
What can keep you from being unproductive in the kingdom of Heaven?
b. [No Foundation] Rocky places-Receive it with joy, no firm root, when going gets tough they run (16).
v.5-6 &16-17
Second
This seed barely took root and withered away
second seed fell on rocky ground
did not have much soil
What happens with a little soil-it immediately springs up
Illustration-Oaks are so big because they dig their roots down deep
Problem-The sun scorched it
It withered away
heard the word (immediately receive it joy)
No firm root, they are only temporary
Notice it says when affliction and persecution arise they turn away (it will come) they fall away not gradually but immediately
What can keep you from being unproductive in the kingdom of Heaven?
Friends I think the majority of us are going to relate to this third see the most.
c. Thorny- (17-19)
a. Worries of the World
One of my favorite movies growing up was what about Bob, the little boy in that movie had a fear about dying. The things we worry about the most are the things we cannot control. A lot of us worried about the election, it ate us up and it took away a ton of time. Many of us fearing providing for our family, we fear that our kids will not do well. The list goes on and on and on. But these things that we worry about keep us from being productive in the kingdom of God. When I was growing up I worried that I would not do well enough in Basketball and that I let my parents down. Here is what the scriptures say about this.
Matthew 6:25-34
What worry has you worried right now and is keeping you from seeking the kingdom of God?
b. Deceitfulness of Riches
One of my biggest fears is not being a good enough provider for my family. I have never been a get rich kind of guy, my parents provided so well for me I think I took it for granted growing up and I was never motivated by money. However having kids now I think sometimes money would solve a lot of my problems. I mean I have a little saved up for college for my kids, but the other day I was like; by the time they get to college that may buy them a book a piece. So I have this dream of winning the lottery. But here is the reality; me winning the lottery [yes would be cool], but I guess you got to play to win, but it won’t solved my problems. And I know that a lot of us have made making money the greatest desire in our lives. Now it is not bad to make money, it is bad when we place money at such a level that God becomes number 2. There is a problem when we think money will solve our problems and take the place of God.
c. Desire for other things
v.7 & 18-19
Third-
This seed grew but produced nothing
Fell among the thorns
the thorns came up and choked it up resulting in no crop
Mark tells us that they receive the word contrasted to the worries of the world
Three things choke the word here: worries of the world, deceitfulness of riches and the desire for other things choke it resulting in unfruitfulness.
The enemy in the first instance is Satan (v. 15). In the second it is the flesh (vv. 16–17), and in the third it is the world (vv. 18–19).[15]
Number one commandment. What is that thing in your life that is keeping you from being where you need to be with God. What do you value more, spend more money and time on. That get’s you up in the morning. Should not God be our motivating desire.
Illustration-Time we were playing basketball with JJ’s friend. He had come to a place where he had made a profession of faith but was living for other things. He was a college baseball player who was pursuing baseball, women and drugs. After we got done playing we went to my office and looked at the gospel. He had already trusted in Jesus but realized he was wasting his life. A year later JJ who I knew called me and told me that the gospel penetrated his friends heart so hard that he became a missionary.
Transition-How we listen reveals what we are passionate about. We just saw that the first reason we need to listen is because it determines our eternity, and we have also seen that if we don’t listen we will be unproductive in God’s economy, but there is another reason we need to listen.
3. EVERY PERSON SHOULD LISTEN TO GOD’S WORD BECAUSE GOD CREATED US TO BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY(20).
20 “And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
v. 8 & 20
Fourth-
This seed grew because it landed on good soil and multiplied
Seeds that fell on good soil
results
They grew up and increased
They yielded more crop [differing sizes] but they yielded other crops
What does the word accept mean here in the greek?
These do three things
1. Hear
2. accept
3. Bear
Jesus wanted the gospel to go out to as many people as possible this is the reason he came.
We were created to be so connected to God that we bear fruit not because we are great but because we are connected to the greatest.
What does productivity look like in the kingdom of God?
a. Hear the Word of God
You see we need to hear the word not just to accepts Jesus one time we need to hear God’s word everyday. We need it to grow us to become more and more like Jesus, as we saw from the beginning of this talk God desires us to listen to him. But how are we going to listen to him if we do not know what he says.
`Christians claim to believe the Bible is God's Word. We claim it's God's divinely inspired, inerrant message to us. Yet despite this, we aren't reading it. A recent LifeWay Research study found only 45 percent of those who regularly attend church read the Bible more than once a week. Over 40 percent of the people attending read their Bible occasionally, maybe once or twice a month. Almost 1 in 5 churchgoers say they never read the Bible—essentially the same number who read it every day.
Because we don't read God's Word, it follows that we don't know it. To understand the effects, we can look to statistics of another Western country: the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom Bible Society surveyed British children and found many could not identify common Bible stories. When given a list of stories, almost 1 in 3 didn't choose the Nativity as part of the Bible and over half (59 percent) didn't know that Jonah being swallowed by the great fish is in the Bible.[16]
Europe that used to be so passionate about this has now forgotten it’s first love and needs missionaries to come to them. .
Illustration-If the people of God do not read the word of God can we expect God to do great things. What we need is another spiritual reformation. Explain this. We have no excuse.
b. Accept the Word of God
Observation + Interpretation - application = abortion
One of the things we do with our youth is we teach them how to have quiet times.
Illustration-Annabelle
c. Bear the Word of God
② to cause the inner life to be productive, bear fruit[17]
You see if we get God’s word into our life we will be productive for the kingdom. We will live productive lives.
Here is what Charles Spurgeoun said about the Bible:
Defend the Bible? I would as soon defend a lion! Unchain it and it will defend itself.
It is time for you to unchain the God of word in your life. He wants it to saturate your entire life.
This is my hope, to allow God’ word to be unchained in my life.
James Lancaster story.
Conclusion-
How are you listening to God’s word.
Since Jesus came and then left the word of God has gone throughout the entire world. It has even spread throughout the entire USA. But today the question which soil are you? Do you want to listen
Today I want to challenge you to be the right kind of listener to the word of God.
Possible applications:
Memorize Verses: 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 2:20, John 14:21, Romans 12:1, 2 Timothy 3:16, Joshua 1:8, John 15:7, Philippins 4:6-7, Romans 1:16, Matthew 4:19, Hebrews 10:24-25, Matthew 18:20.
Scripture Typer
Quiet times: Read through the book of 1 and 2 Timothy this week.
Meet up with someone from the Church and ask them how to teach you how to study the Bible in depth.
Begin to teach the word of God.
If you desire to be the fourth soil God will graciously allow you to sow the word of God to others. It may be to your kids, it may be at your work you make be the next Billy Graham, but it will be the greatest journey you could ever imagine.
[1] Constable, T. (2003). Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Mk 4:3). Galaxie Software.
[2] Robert Stein. Mark: Baker Exegetical Commentary on The New Testament. Grand Rapids, 2008 page 196-197.
[3] Cooper, R. L. (2000). Mark (Vol. 2, p. 66). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[4] s. Lewis johnson
[5] Lane, W. L. (1974). The Gospel of Mark (pp. 153–154). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
[6] France, R. T. (2002). The Gospel of Mark: a commentary on the Greek text (pp. 184–185). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.
[7] Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (Mk 4:10–11). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[8] S. Lewis Johnson Matthew 13 sermon page 12.
[9] Lane, W. L. (1974). The Gospel of Mark (p. 149). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
[10] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Mk 4:12). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[11] Cooper, R. L. (2000). Mark (Vol. 2, p. 67). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[12] Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (Mk 4:12). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[13] Constable, T. (2003). Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Mk 4:14). Galaxie Software.
[14] Cooper, R. L. (2000). Mark (Vol. 2, p. 68). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[15] Constable, T. (2003). Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Mk 4:14). Galaxie Software.
[16] http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2015/july/epidemic-of-bible-illiteracy-in-our-churches.html
[17] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 510). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.