How You Listen Matters

Introduction

Last week in our sermon on Mark’s gospel, we began to consider the way back to God—so to speak, for that is precisely what the gospel is, it is God calling us back to Himself, dealing with the horrible estrangement sin has brought into this world. And, as we began to consider this subject, Jesus explained why so many people don’t seem to understand this message— worse, they don’t seem able to understand the message. And we have all had that experience, right? We are explaining the Gospel to a friend, or a colleague, or a neighbor, and they just don’t seem to get it. It doesn’t strike them as true. Their mind isn’t convinced. They heart is moved. Their conscience isn’t gripped, and their life isn’t changed. They leave their time with us without any interest whatsoever in becoming a Christian, in committing their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now I don’t know about you, but when that happens to me, I often feel discouraged. I often feel I must have done something wrong. I mustn’t have explained the message well enough. I wasn’t able to answer their objections cogently enough. Perhaps my life before them wasn’t compelling enough. If only, I had done a better job in presenting Christ, I think to myself, they would have believed.

Now I don’t know about you, but when that happens to me, I often feel discouraged. I often feel I must have done something wrong. I mustn’t have explained the message well enough. I wasn’t able to answer their objections cogently enough. Perhaps my life before them wasn’t compelling enough. If only, I had done a better job in presenting Christ, I think to myself, they would have believed.

Well, I don’t know about you, but I found last weeks message liberating, because in it I came to see afresh, that I am not the only one who had this experience, Jesus did as well. Jesus lived a perfect life, delivered perfect sermons, had the perfect comebacks, did the most impressive miracles, and yet still people did not believe in Him. Why?

Jesus says quite simple, because it was not given to them to believe...

Mark 4:10–12 ESV

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.’ ”

He is even clearer in Matthew’s account of the same response:

Matthew 13:10–13 ESV

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

Matt 13:10-12

“To them it has not been given.” It almost sounds like a Judgment from God, because that is exactly what it is. God choose to leave these people in their sins, to give them what they deserve, to give them what they really want. They don’t want to hear from God, the obtuse Parables are simply God’s amen to their prideful, hardened refusal to hear. In taking away their ears, God is simply giving them exactly what they want, which is also what they deserve. So, who can complain?

Well, I don’t know about you, but I found last weeks message liberating, because in it I came to see afresh, that I am not the only one who had this experience, Jesus did as well. Jesus lived a perfect life, delivered perfect sermons, had the perfect comebacks, did the most impressive miracles, and yet still people did not believe in Him. And the problem was not him, it wasn’t his message, it was their hearts. Our hearts are so horrible benighted by sin, we are not able to understand the gospel. Paul put it well.

You may have noticed that Jesus’ teaching often ends with the words, “He who has ears, let Him ear....” Do you know from where these words come? They come from the book of Ezekiel:

And the problem was not him, it wasn’t his message, it was their hearts. Our hearts are so horrible benighted by sin, we are not able to understand the gospel. Paul put it well.

1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

Ezekiel 12:1–2 ESV

1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house.

He is not able to understand them because they are spiritual discerned. The natural man, the man as he comes into this world, is so dead in his sins that God’s wisdom sounds foolish to him. He is so full of Himself He can’t bear to hear the reality that the world is not all about Him, it is in fact all about God.

Always remember that: Christian when you try to explain the gospel to unbelievers, you are talking to people who don’t want to hear, you are trying to explain a message, they don’t want to understand. And your only hope that they will is that God will reach down, change them from the inside out, and give them the secret of the Kingdom of God. That then is the first reason why people don’t believe the gospel: God determines to leave them as they are.

There is however a second reason:

Let me ask you this morning? Are you giving God a careful and a serious hearing? Are you listening with the seriousness of a soul that knows these Words are God’s Words?

Let me ask you this morning? Are you giving God a careful and a serious hearing? Are you listening with the seriousness of a soul that knows these Words are God’s Words?

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.”

There is however a second reason: And that reason is the way they choose to listen to the gospel, or rather not to listen to the gospel, not to give God a serious and a careful hearing. When the seed comes, the soil of their heart isn’t ready, isn’t really ready to welcome it...

Notice the parable describes 4 different types of soil. These soils describe the different heart responses people make to God. Notice only one of the soils bears fruit. that’s surprising. You might expect the results to be no fruit, some fruit, more fruit, and most fruit as we progress through the soils. But that’s not what happens. In the end there is no fruit from the first three soils. The Good soil is the only soil that bears any fruit at all.

Also notice the third soil is the only soil that actually accepts the seed (v.20). The soils do not. They represent different ways people actually reject the word of God, refuse to give the Almighty a proper hearing.

Let me ask you this morning? Are you giving God a careful and a serious hearing? Are you listening with the seriousness of a soul that knows these Words are God’s Words?Most people don’t give God a careful hearing. This is, ultimately why the Word of God makes no lasting difference in their lives, why they live and they die without bearing any eternal fruit.

Too Many Listen to God with a Hard Heart

A heart that doesn’t want to hear God. We see this in the soil sown beside the path. This soil is trampelled down. Therefore, from the seeds perspective it is shut down. There is no willingness to accept the seed. In Matthew’s account, this particularly clear....

Matthew 13:19 ESV

19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.

“Does not understand it”— you might be forgiven for thinking these people aren’t really to be blamed. How can God blame a person for not understanding what they can’t understand? But look at the previous section. The reason they can’t understand is that they won’t understand....

Matthew 13:13–15 ESV

13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “ ‘ “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

You will never understand God if you listen to Him with a dull, careless ears. You will not likely see Him if you look at Him with eyes closed fast shut. If you approach God determined and convinced that He is boring, Beware, God may let you find what you expect to find, what you want to find! He may well let the devil take what you don’t really want to keep. And can you blame God if He responds to you this way?

Too Many Listen with a Superficial Heart

We see this in the Rocky soil...

Mark 4:16–17 ESV

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.

Notice the imagery, if you will. There is only a superficial layer of soil. This is where the seed is left to do the best that ti can— which in this environment is not enough. Beneath this thin layer of soil there lies a deep core of rock. This symbolizes the lionshare of their heart. Into this realm, who they are at the depth of their being, the word never gains access. It’s a no go zone for deep roots. What strikes me about this heart is that at first the response is tremendous. They hear the gospel message and their first inclination is to rejoice. But this appearance is precisely that— only an appearance of things. When ever sacrifices have to be made--- and when it comes to following Christ, sacrifices always have to be made. There just are no easy roads to take when you are following a crucified Savior.

It reminds me of the man who thinks he has fallen in love with a girl, but what he really loves is the blessing she brings to his life. what he really loves, therefore, do you see is himself? In such a relationship, he is happy to sacrifice as long as this joy keeps flowing, as long as the sacrifice is worth it. But if ever the benefits stop, his love will surely follow the drought. He doesn’t really love her, he loves himself. As such he will only love her if there is something in it for him. So it is for the superficial hearted believer. Christ is always kept on the edge of life. He is tolerated as long as the benefits are worth it, as long as the cost is not too great. But once the cost becomes too high, that’s when he checks out.

Too many listen with a Divided heart

Mark 4:18–19 ESV

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.

The busyness of the World… all the things in this world that you could be doing.... that the world says you must be doing… Here’s a man that allows the world to set his priorities. I often meet poeple who tell me they have no time to pray, no time to read their bibles, no time to expose their soul to good Christian literature. Hidden in this statement is the illusion is that some people have more time than others. So people who do read their Bible’s and pray, they are different because they have more time. Which of course is not the case. No one man has more time than another men. What is different of course is how you choose to spend that time. How you choose to spend your time is driven by your priorities. And when you allow any other worldly priority to crowd out your willingness to hear God’s word, do you see what you are doing? You are not listening to God as God. You are not giving Him a proper hearing. You can explain this away a thousand different ways, but facts are stubborn things. What could possible be more important than listening to God?

Concerns re Christ Covenant....

The Deceitfulness of riches.... or simply put the lies money tells. What kind of lies does money tell? It whispers in your ears: those who don’t have money, the hoi polloi are’t really that important? If you have money you can buy all the things that really matter in life… If you listen to those lies, chances are you will stop listening to God.

The desires for other things… just wanting other things as well as God. I suppose this is in all of our hearts, but wherever it is and whatever place it has in our hearts, it challenges the priority of God.

Too Few listen to God Properly

Mark 4:20 ESV

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.”

Notice the distinguishing mark of the good soil is that they hear and accept the word… They get the fact that when God speaks God is speaking and they listen. And, in contrast to all the other soils. their listening brings forth fruit. In different amounts to be sure, but fruit none the less.

Dear ones, what I am setting before you this morning is not the difference between bearing more fruit for God or less. The issue is are you bearing any fruit at all? I am not saying if you soften your heart you will bear fruit. I am saying if you don’t soften your heart you will bear no fruit at all. I am not saying, if you will give God central place in your heart it’ll take your spiritual life of the next level and you will bear more fruit. No, I am telling you if you don’t give God His place, you will bear no fruit at all. I am not saying, if you declutter yoru life and created space for God’s word, you will bear even more fruit. No I am saying to you if you don’t declutter your life, if you don’t create serious space to listen to God, you won’t bear any fruit at all. A fruitless Christian is no Christian at all. The hard heart, the superficial heart, and the divided heart are all ways of saying to God, we dn’t really want you in our life. Like the age old excuse when the boy asks the girl out and she’s not really taht interested, what does she say, “I can’t go out Friday night, I have to wash my hair!” That says a lot doesn’t it? So it is with you and me, how you listen to God ( or how you chose not to listen to Him) says a lot about what our soul really wants, more than that it says a lot about who we really are.