DO YOU HAVE YOUR EARS ON

DO YOU HAVE YOUR EARS ON?
Mark 4:1-9; 14-20

Introduction: In this parable, Jesus wants to know if you have your ears on. He wants to know if you are listening to His voice. As Jesus begins to share the explanation of this parable with His disciples, notice that He first emphasizes

I. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SOWER (V.14)

What is the sower doing? Who does the sower represent? The sower represents not only the Lord Jesus, but any believer who faithfully shares God's Word. ("As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you." John 20:21) The seed of God's Word can be sown in many ways (preaching, singing songs that truly teach the Word, witnessing to someone, or giving gospel tracts). That is the Christian's responsibility....Sow the Word. Parents, Grandparents, on our jobs, young people take your Bible or some good gospel tracts with you to school...and plant some seed! How are we to go about it? As you sow, you need to.....

A. Sow Liberally

(II Cor.9:6) "He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he which soweth bountifully, shall reap bountifully." If we want a big crop, then we must sow a lot of seed. The more seed we sow the more people we will see come to Christ. You also need to...

B. Sow Compassionately

(Psa.126:5-6) "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bring his sheaves with him". You and I need to be concerned about those around us who do not know Jesus as their Savior. Concerned enough to pray, concerned enough to witness, concerned enough to invite them to church. Yes sow the seed, liberally, compassionately, and....

C. Sow Patiently

In other words, don't give up sowing the Word of God. (Gal.6:9) "And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Will we win everyone to Jesus we try to win? No. We will win some. There will be a harvest if we are faithful to keep sowing! Let me mention one more thing to you. As you sow...

D. Sow Confidently

What is the sower to sow? (v.14) Let's be clear on that....the seed is the Word of God. Sadly, many want to throw away the Bible, and find "inspiration" from other sources. No one would get saved if I stood up here and read Shakespeare. I'm not interested in giving you a book report. I must sow the seed of the word! Paul told Timothy to: "Preach the word". That is the mandate to every sower. And we can do so with confidence, because the Word of God is "perfect converting the soul" (Ps.19:7). The word of God is "the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls" (Jas.1:21). Peter says that the believer is: "...born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever" (I Pet.1:23). The writer of Hebrews tells us that, "...the Word of God is quick (gives life) and powerful..." (Illus: seeing a New Testament that had on its binding, instead of the words, The New Testament, the initials, TNT! The Bible is spiritual TNT!) It is powerful enough if obeyed to save a soul, change a character, and detour ones destiny. Some of you today, could not say that you are sure that you will heaven when you die. You couldn't say that you really know Jesus as your savior. Then would you listen closely to me for a moment and let me sow a little seed? The Bible teaches clearly:

1. That You Need A Savior

· Because You Are Sinful - Romans 2:23 says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." The old saying, "Nobody is perfect," is Biblically correct. To be saved one must first acknowledge that there is a problem. That problem is our sin.

· Because Your Sin Has A Penalty (Rom. 6:23 ) says, "For the wages if sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." To continue in sin will result in spiritual death, which is separation from God forever in hell.

2. That You Can Be Saved

· Because Jesus Paid Your Penalty ( Rom. 5:8) says, "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." John 3:16 also tells us, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." God clearly proves His love for us by the fact that He sent Jesus into the world so that He could go to the cross and suffer the punishment of our sins. Sins penalty is death, and Jesus died for you. Jesus took your place to make forgiveness and salvation possible.

· Because Salvation Is A Free Gift Of God (Rom. 6:23 ) says, ".....but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." The Bible also says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and it is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) You can not earn your way into heaven. You can not save yourself. Eternal life is a gift. God's gift to you. He provides that gift by His grace. Grace is undeserved love. All you must do to have that gift is respond to God's gracious offer.

3. That The Lord Will Save You Right Now

You must...

· Understand That God's Free Gift Of Salvation Is Received By Faith. The Word of God says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith..." A man asked the apostle Paul, "What must I do to be saved?" Paul answer was, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." (Acts 16:30 ,31) To become a Christian you must stop relying on your own goodness or merit and trust that only Jesus' suffering and death can provide forgiveness and salvation. These verses are not suggesting that all one must do is believe about Jesus. No you must trust Him, commit your life and eternal destiny to Him.

· Understand That You Make The Commitment Of Faith To Jesus In Prayer. Again the Bible says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:9,10,13). I John 1:9 promises: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Right now if you will pray with a heart of faith God will hear you and save you. (Illus: Sinner’s Prayer). So Jesus underscores as He explains this parable, the Responsibility of the Sower. But note also that he emphasizes....

II. THE RESPONSE TO THE SEED

When the sower sowed the seed, some of the seed..."fell by the wayside" 4:5 "And some fell on stony ground" 4:7 "And some fell among thorns" 4:8 "And other fell on good ground" In verses 15-20, Jesus explains that each of those four soil conditions represents a different response to the seed of God's Word. Look with me at verse 15. Here Jesus describes those who...

A. Respond To God's Word With A Hard Heart (v.15)

The wayside was a footpath that ran through the fields of Palestine . As people walked through the fields their feet would make these paths as hard as rock. The illustration Jesus gives is clear. If seed were to fall on this type of ground, it would not penetrate the dirt and grow, it would remain on top and would be devoured by birds. When we respond to God's Word in this way...notice what happens....Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. If God speaks to your heart and you refuse to apply that truth that you have heard, mark it down Satan will soon be on the scene to steal that truth out of your heart. Don't be so arrogant to think you can treat God's Word like that. Then in verse 16 Jesus illustrates a second way people respond to God's Word.

B. Respond to God's Word With A Shallow Heart (v.16)

Jesus called this ground "stony ground". It was an area where a shallow depth of soil covered a layer of rock. Plants may shoot up in this area, but they would not last because they would not have the proper root system to sustain them. This represents the person who hears the word of God and responds only on the surface. It may appear that they have been saved. But if their response doesn't go beyond just the intellect, and the emotion, all the way down to a surrender of the will, when affliction and persecution come, they will wither away under the heat...why...they had to root. No real commitment, just a surface profession.

C. The Response of the Preoccupied Heart (vv.18-19)

Instead of really hearing the word and obeying the word they allow its effect to be choked out by a preoccupation with other things. Jesus says we can get preoccupied with....

1) Worries...."the cares of this world". Worry chokes the word because it gets our focus off of the Lord and His promises. Some get preoccupied with... 2) Wealth..."the deceitfulness of riches." And then others are preoccupied with...3) Worldliness..."the lusts of other things."

D. Respond to God's Word with a Fruitful Heart (v.20)

These hear the word, accept it as the truth, and obeys what it says! How can we develop a fruitful heart?

1. We must listen carefully and attentively to God's Word.

2. We must resist the external clutter that may keep us from concentrating on the truth.

3. We must evaluate our lives by what we hear.

4. We must obey the truth God impresses on our hearts.

Conclusion: What kind of hearer will you be today?