Reading: Mark Chapter 4 Verse 1-20.
Ill:
Sir William Osler who was the professor of medicine at Oxford University,
• Had a class full of students before him;
• And wanting to emphasize the importance of observing details,
• He reached down to his desk and picked up a bottle containing 'urine',
• Holding it high, he announced:
"This bottle contains a sample for analysis.
It's often possible by tasting it
to determine the disease from which the patient suffers".
• Suiting action to words,
• He dipped a finger into the fluid and then into his mouth, and continued-
"Now I am going to pass the bottle around.
Each of you do exactly as I did.
Perhaps we can learn the importance of this technique and diagnose the case".
• The bottle made its way from row to row
• Each student gingerly poked his finger in and sampled the contents with a frown.
Dr Osler then retrieved the bottle and startled his students with the words:
"Gentlemen, now will you understand what I mean when I speak about details.
Had you been observant you would have seen that I put my
index finger into the bottle but my middle finger into my mouth!"
• They saw and yet they missed the point exactly;
• How many of us do exactly the same when it comes to the things of God?
• We can be like those described in verse 12;
• "Ever seeing but never perceiving, ever hearing but never understanding"
So often we just see and do not perceive, and not just in the spiritual realm:
• ill: In every day life:
• ill: Birds instead of sparrows or robin's,
• ill: Trees instead of birches or willows,
• ill: People instead of individuals, characters.
• We miss out on the details, and therefore we miss out;
• On the beauty and enjoyment that we can receive from these things.
Now maybe like me you're missing out on much of what God wants for you:
• In church:
• You have heard sermons about God instead of hearing the voice of God!
• In your quiet times (daily readings):
• You've just been meeting with a printed page a set of notes,
• Which fill a few minutes of your time;
• But do not fill the need in your heart,
Then maybe this (morning / evening):
• We can just learn or re-learn some lessons that we might help us observe;
• And hear God clearer and better in the weeks ahead.
(1). Missing out
Now some times there are good reasons why we miss out on what God has to say to us:
(1) Physical factors:
• A church may not be well ventilated, warm heat effect us.
• Bad lighting, bad seat or some man mountain sitting in front of you.
(2) Personal factors:
• Lack of sufficient sleep.
• Medication we are taking can effect us.
(3) Dull, boring preacher:
ill:
• A man went to see his doctor for advice about being cured of snoring.
• The doctor asked, “Does your snoring disturb your wife?”
• The patient replied,
• “Does it disturb my wife? Why it disturbs the entire congregation.”
NOW IN THE PASSAGE WE READ:
• The people certainly could not use these as excuses;
• For missing out on what Jesus wanted to tell them:
(1) Physical factor was cured when Jesus verse 1-2: "Got into a boat"
• So all could see him and all could hear him,
• Use the acoustics of the water to carry his voice.
(2) The crowd seemed to have time and be prepared to spend listening to Jesus.
(3) They certainly did not have a boring preacher.
• T
• hey had the best!
• They had the wisest!
(2). Why Parables?
• Verse 2: "He taught them many things by parables".
• Why use parables, stories? Why not just tell them straight ?
There are a number of reasons why Jesus teaches by parables:
(1) To reveal truth in an interesting way.
• We all like to hear stories, interest us, recapture our attention, attract us;
• Verse 10: "Desire to know more".
(2) Make known mysteries
• Verse 11 "Secrets".
• By comparing spiritual truths with things already known.
• Sometimes his parables acted like windows
• That let in the light and made clear difficult theological truths.
(3) Make known new truths to 'interested' hearers.
• He did not always speak simply and clearly at times he
• Required that they seek out the truth and not just look for it.
ill:
Litter and £10.
(4) To hide and conceal truth from the disinterested hearers and those rebellious at heart (Vs 12):
"They might be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven".
These words may seem a bit hard but don't forget the tremendous privilege these people had:
• Living person of Jesus right there with them.
• They could see the mighty miracles he had performed.
• Voice from Heaven "This is my son".
• Still refused to believe.
ill:
So Jesus spoke in parables to sieve his audience.
• So that only those who were genuine,
• Who had a real desire to find him could.
(5) To add truth to those who love it and want to know more of it.
• Matthew's account chapter 13 verse 12:
• "Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance".
(6) To take away truth from those who will not obey it and do not want it.
Matthew's account chapter 13 verse 12:
"Whoever does not have even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak in parables".
(7) To fulfil prophecy.
• Verse 12: is a quote from Isaiah chapter 6 verse 9-10.
• And Jesus like a lot of preachers had favourite sayings, phrases that he liked to repeat.
Ill:
Verse 3: "He who has ears to hear let him hear"
BACK TO WHAT I WAS SAYING AT THE BEGINNING, DON'T MISS OUT !!!
Quote C. Swindoll:
"Most of us were born hearing well, but all of us must learn to listen well,
listening is a skill, an art that is in need of being cultivated".
Quote: Dr Ralph Richards:
"We think 4, perhaps 5 times faster than we talk.
This means that if a speaker utters 120 words a minute,
The audience thinks about 500 words a minute.
The difference offers a strong temptation to listeners to take mental excursions
........... to think about:
Last nights film, or the need to get that engine tuned up ..
And then we fade back into the speakers talk".
Ill:
• In fact research in one university:
• Revealed that listeners to a 10 minute talk operated at only 28 per cent efficiency,
• And the longer we talk the less we understand.
• Now that's down right frightening to guys like me !!!
Quote:
• Maybe that's why someone described preaching
• "As the fine art of talking in someone else's sleep".
As a preacher that is scary:
• And as a listener that means
• We can miss out on so much of what God may want to say to us.
So 4 suggestions / tips for listening, so that we really do listen and not just hear:
(1) Don't assume the subject is dull.
• "I've heard this before" or "This does not apply to me".
• Any message can have a fresh insight, or helpful ill.
(2) Don't criticize before hearing the speaker out.
• All speakers have faults and mannerisms.
• Look to the positive not to the negative.
(3) Don't let your prejudices close your mind.
• Please hear a speaker out fully,
• Before you reject or dismiss what he has to say on a particular doctrine.
ill:
Baby & bath water.
(4) Don't waste the advantage that thought has over speech.
• Remember the gap between speech and thought speed.
• Diligent listeners practice 4 skills:
• They try to guess the next point.
• They challenge with supporting evidence.
• They mentally summarize what they have heard.
• They apply the scripture at each point.
• Jut one more tip on making hearing into listening .
• Writing down an outline, and a few thoughts during a sermon can sometimes help.
Now let's look at the parable before us:
• The sower.
• The seed.
• The soil.
(1) The 'path' or the 'wayside':
• The ground was to hard for the seed to get down into it,
• Birds came and ate the seed.
(2) The 'rocky' ground:
• A thin layer of dirt covering a bed of rock,
• The shallowness of the earth prevented the seed from taking deep root.
(3) The 'thorny' ground:
• Thorn bushes cut the seed off from nourishment and sunlight, thus choking it.
(4) The 'good' ground:
• The seed fell into good ground, fertile soil, where the conditions were favourable.
• Some seeds produced a crop of 30, 60, some a 100 times what was sown.
• Jesus relates to us the importance of this parable in Verse 13:
• "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable ?"
In Verse 14-20: Jesus gives an explanation of what it means:
The Sower:
• Could be Jesus.
• Or those who witness, preach for him.
• The seed is the word of God. Verse 14:
• The seed is meant to be sown or it is wasted.
ill:
Christmas cards were for now. use them or it's too late.
Question: How much sowing are you doing?
• The seed is the word of God. Verse 14:
• The soil represents human hearts and there receptivity to the word:
4 soils - were the 4 reactions:
(1) Verse 15: The 'path' or 'wayside':
The heart is hard.
• The person is stubborn and unbroken and refuses to allow the seed / word
• To have any effect in his life.
• All he hears is snatched away by the birds of the air,
• The evil one.
Application:
Question: Is that you ?
• Mind already made up before you walked in the room,
• Not to let God have his rightful place in your life!
• A danger to:
• "Honour God with your lips, but their hearts are far from him".
(2) Verse 16: The 'rocky' ground:
• Person who makes a response to what they hears,
• But there is no root / repentance (turning around),
• And they carry on with their old life style, not allowing Jesus to be Lord.
Application:
• Question: Is that you ?
• ill: Meringue sermons.
(3) Verse 18: The 'thorny' ground:
• These people also makes a promising start.
• But they get preoccupied with business, worldly worries,
• With a greater desire to become rich, successful,
• popular than for the things of God, which just become less and less important.
Application:
Question: Is that you ?
• God is not against you having a good job, being successful, or popular,
• But he does say don't let things come between himself and us.
• Look after the Spiritual side of your life as much (in fact more) than the physical.
• Quote:
"Only one life will soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last"
(4) Verse 20: The 'good' ground:
• These people receive the word and allow it to affect their lives.
• Even among them there are different degrees of fruitfulness (30, 60, 100).
• The difference is not how much seed you have (know the Bible backwards)
• What counts is the soil it is planted in (how receptive our hearts are).
ill:
• Man went to D.L. Moody and said,
• "I have been through the Bible 10 times and it has not made any difference".
• Moody replied;
• "If you allow it to go through you once, you will be a completely different person !"
Question: What kind of soil is your heart like ?
Question: Do you just want to hear or to listen ?
• Then you must be willing also to do !
• ill: Wise and foolish builders.
