Sermon Tone Analysis

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...

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

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.

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?

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....

“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....

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...

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.