4 Hearers, 4 Hearts

Introduction

Mark 4:1–20 ESV

1 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” 10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that “ ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’ ” 13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

1) Hard of Hearing (v. 4, 15)

Apathy towards the Word of God

Write it off as nothing more than a fairy tale book

May even regard it as a literary work of antiquity but give no care to read it or know it

Hostile towards the Word of God

2) Shallow and Superficial (v.5-6, 16-17)

Hear the Word of God and likes the Word of God, but it never really takes root.

Often emotional yet superficial.

They like the idea of Jesus, but only as long as it is comfortable for them. Jesus is never really the Lord of their lives.

When difficulty comes or life’s struggles don’t pan out the way they think it should, they are quick to abandon Jesus.

More like a faze or a fad in their life.

1 John 2:19 ESV

19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

3) Carnal and Choked-Out (v. 7, 18-19)

Hears the Word and the Word takes root, and starts to grow in their lives…but no fruit is ever produced.

Like a tomato plant I had a few years back…

Jesus says that if we are not careful the cares of this world will choke out any meaningfulness of His Word in our lives.

Too often, people who are carnal and choked-out will have good intentions and are nice people, they are just too distracted by worldly pursuits to really produce any spiritual fruit in their lives.

Too busy chasing “the good life” to really embrace and enjoy “The Way, The Truth, and the Life”.

Their livelihood becomes their purpose instead of their platform for Jesus.

4) Prepared and Plentiful (v. 8, 20)

Heart desperate for God and hungry for His Word.

Person who truly grows to see the world through God’s perspective.

Has spiritual fruit produced in their lives so much so that they become a spiritual blessing to others around them.

They love God, love His Word, love His people, and love His purposes.

They are not simply hearers of the Word, but they are doers of the Word.

For this heart, they approach the Word with anticipation and expectation.

For a prepared heart, the Word never falls on deaf ears, never only hits on the surface, and never is put on the back burner due to worldly ambitions.

A prepared heart lives life according to the Word of God and let’s God determine the outcomes.

They prioritize God and His Word as their model for daily living.

When life is good, they are blessed.

When life is a struggle, they are blessed.

No matter their season of life, they are a blessing to others out of the overflow of God pouring into their lives through His Word!

Closing

What about you this morning?

Do you realize that God is continuously sowing His Word in your life?

What kind of hearer are you this morning? What kind of hearer do you want to be tomorrow and the next day and the next day?

Do you want to receive the Word or is your heart hardened and callous most if not all the time?

If you do want to receive the Word, how are you cultivating your heart?

Do you receive the Word, get excited about it, but let it whither when it impacts your comfort level?

Do you receive it and let sink into your mind, but it never produces fruits of righteousness because all of the nutrients are sucked away by busyness and life?

Or do you receive the Word and let it shape you, mold you, and produce God’s will and His righteous in your life?