Pay Attention

Well, good morning, church. Would you turn with me to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 4, verses 1 through 25.

Mark 4:1–25

Our passage begins on page 787 in the Pew Bible.

We will have it on the screens when I read it in just a second, but it would be good to have it open before you as we walk through our text this morning.

Let me pray for us, and then I'll read.

Father in heaven, how firm a foundation indeed we have in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and the word that he has authorized and inspired through your Holy Spirit.

Lord, as we come to your word now, would you do this work of comforting, strengthening, convicting, converting, equipping, and glorifying your great name.

Give us ears to hear, Father, what your Spirit is saying to us today.

In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

All right, Mark, chapter 4, picking up in verse 1.

Mark 4 · chapter mention

30-fold, 60-fold, and 100-fold.

And he said, he who has ears to hear, let him hear.

And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.

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.

So that they may indeed see, but not perceive.

May indeed hear, but not understand.

Lest they should turn and be forgiven.

And he said to them, do you not understand this parable?

How then will you understand all the parables?

The sower sows the word.

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.

And these are the ones sown on rocky ground.

The ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.

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.

And others are the ones sown among thorns.

They are those who hear the word, 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.

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.

And he said to them, is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed and not on a stand?

For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest,

nor is anything secret except to come to light.

If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.

And he said to them, pay attention to what you hear.

With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.

For to the one who has, more will be given,

and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

So for a number of years, there have been articles and studies coming out saying,

that human attention span, the human attention span, is dwindling, is dropping.

Given social media, the always-on news cycle, constant interruptions and notifications hitting us through our smartphones and on and on,

it seems that we're just more distractible than ever.

In fact, one study in 2015 argued that people now generally lose concentration after eight seconds.

I've already lost you in this sermon.

Supposedly, according to this study, that's a shorter attention span than a goldfish.

Now, that study didn't really hold up to scientific scrutiny.

After all, how does one measure the attention span of a goldfish?

But, you know, even if that particular article was discredited,

the general observation seems true.

Paying attention seems harder than ever.

There's oh so much to distract us,

and we are oh so used to being entertained.

Combine those two things together, and sure enough,

really zeroing in, really paying attention,

it's hard.

Unless, of course,

something seems worth our attention.

We've been watching a lot of baseball as a family lately,

and I have to be honest,

that is not something I ever thought I would say.

Why?

Because baseball is so boring.

Unless,

unless your team is in the World Series.

And lo and behold,

the Phillies made it to the World Series this year.

They were in the World Series.

And so, we've been glued to the TV,

watching pitch after pitch of the world's slowest game.

Why?

Because we really wanted them to win.

So, there we were,

paying attention to baseball, of all things,

because we think it's worth our attention.

In our passage today,

Jesus tells us a string of parables about hearing.

Hearing and paying attention.

Just glance through the passage for yourself.

How many times do you find the word hear?

I counted at least ten.

Jesus says in verse 24,

pay attention to what you hear.

That's the big idea of this passage.

Now, as we look at the context in the beginning of chapter four,

we see again that great crowds have gathered.

Many are attracted to Jesus and his ministry.

And at this point, this has been happening for some time now.

Many have been gathering, hearing,

so much so at this point that Jesus has to find a place

along the shore of Galilee that's a bit like a natural amphitheater,

where he can sit on a boat on the water,

and his voice can be carried up across the water,

up in the surrounding cove into the hillside.

And what does Jesus do here?

At this moment, when the crowds are gathering,

when he's become so much of a draw,

when he's become so famous or infamous,

that as we saw last week,

his family thinks that he's out of his mind,

and the religious authority are trying to explain it away,

that he's demon-possessed.

At this moment, what does Jesus do?

With this great crowd.

The crowds upon crowds that gather.

Well, Jesus doesn't sort of stoke them into a fervor

or applaud them for their enthusiasm.

Instead, Jesus tells a parable about hearing,

about paying attention to what you hear.

Because, you see, it's not enough

to just go along with the crowd,

to be swept up in the enthusiasm.

It's not enough to just come to church

and enjoy the singing

and enjoy the relationships.

Jesus looks at us and he says,

pay attention to what you hear.

Now, let's look at why.

Why does Jesus want to make this point?

Well, first, what we see in our text

is that Jesus says,

pay attention to what you hear

because it's the word that's being sown.

Pay attention to what you hear

because what's being sown is the word.

Now, the first parable in our passage

is what we often call the parable of the sower.

Now, sowing here is not a needle-pulling thread, right?

That's S-E-W.

This is S-O-W.

It's planting seed.

The parable of the planter, of the sower.

And in first century Palestine,

this was done by literally taking handfuls of seed

and just scattering it quite liberally across the field.

Now, that practice might seem a little strange to us today,

but that was normal in the first century.

And as Jesus explains in verse 14,

this is all a metaphor for the ministry of the word.

In particular, Jesus' own ministry.

He has come declaring the good news,

the message, the word about the arrival of God's kingdom,

ultimately in and through his own person and work.

So you see, Jesus didn't come to give people

seven steps for successful living

or eight ways to conquer your biggest fears

and achieve your wildest dreams, right?

You probably wouldn't have found Jesus' teaching

in the self-help section of the bookstore.

The sower isn't sowing a bunch of good advice

that you can try out and modify

and paste onto your own life agenda.

He's sowing the word, the news,

the agenda-shattering message

that God's kingdom is at hand,

that God is breaking into enemy territory

to reclaim what was lost

and to set up his reign of freedom and joy

in the place of sadness and death.

And this news was just too important

to gloss over or ignore or hold at arm's length

or just be enthusiastic about,

but not really hear.

I think most people don't really give much attention

to Christianity

because they don't really think

it's all that worth paying attention to.

Often we misunderstand it

as just another way of telling people

to be moral.

As if Christianity is just

love your neighbor

wrapped up in a bunch of religious beliefs

that don't make much sense anymore.

And if that's all that Christianity is,

why pay attention to that?

Do we really need all these religious beliefs

to convince us to love our neighbors?

But friends, Christianity is so much more than that.

But aren't we guilty of this too

inside the church?

Do we really think it's worth our attention,

this word, this news?

Is it worth turning off the countless distractions

and really hearing it?

Really giving it our full attention

as if life and death really depended on it?

As if the message was not just

one more moral exhortation

to do better or to try harder,

but a life-giving word

like seed in the soil

that creates new life from the inside out.

Do we really know this message

that's about a God so holy

and beautiful

that just to gaze upon Him

would be either utter rapture

or utter ruin?

Rapture because of His inexpressible beauty,

but ruin because we've offended Him

and stand under God's perfect justice.

What a predicament we're in as human beings.

We long for the infinite,

for beauty,

for something that would ravish our souls,

but that very thing

we've offended and we stand over against

so that to see God would destroy us.

And yet this God

beheld our miserable state

and in love took our human nature.

The righteous King

took the rebel's place

and Jesus Christ

lived the life

that we should have lived

and died the death

that we deserve to die

so that all of our sins

could be forgiven

and we could be granted

eternal life

and be reborn by His Spirit

and live a whole new life

in the midst of this life

for His kingdom

and His praise,

no longer standing

under God's wrath,

but in the freedom

of God's favor and acceptance.

repentance.

Pay attention to what you hear,

Jesus says,

because it's the word

that's being sown.

But this leads us

to our second point.

Jesus says,

pay attention to what you hear

because there are many

who fail to do so.

Pay attention to what you hear

because there are many

who fail to do so.

In verse 10 of our passage,

the scene sort of cuts

from the crowds

by the lake

to a scene

to a later scene

when it's just Jesus

with the 12 apostles

along with the other disciples

and they ask Jesus,

they ask Him,

Jesus,

why are you speaking

in all of these parables?

And Jesus gives

a very surprising answer

because up to this point

in Mark's gospel,

Jesus' illustrations

and His parables

have been used

to try to help people

get the point.

Remember Jesus talking

about the physician

who doesn't come

for the healthy

but for the sick.

Or remember Jesus talking

about the wedding guests

who aren't going to fast

as long as the bridegroom

is with them.

Or the new cloth

that shouldn't be sewed

onto an old shirt.

Or the new wine

that shouldn't be put

into old wineskins.

Jesus used all of these

quick parabolic sayings

to help people

get the point.

To sort of rattle them

out of their complacency

and to help them see.

But the parable

of the sower

isn't exactly like that.

The parable of the sower

is a solemn warning.

Consider again this moment

in Jesus' ministry.

There were crowds

upon crowds

who were content

to just listen to Jesus

on the hillside

and maybe see a few miracles

and get caught up

maybe in the enthusiasm

but who refused

to really come to him.

They had been listening

but not really hearing.

Not really heeding

what they heard.

And that's why Jesus

makes the distinction

he makes in verse 11.

He says to his disciples,

he says,

to you,

that is to you

who've come to me,

to you has been given

the secret

of the kingdom of God.

Now secret here

is a bit of a technical word

in the New Testament

that means revealed truth.

That is,

it's something

that you can't figure out

on your own

but God has to make it known.

God has to reveal it to us.

And for those

who have entered

into a relationship

with Jesus,

who have moved

from being a casual observer

in the crowd

to really hearing

and following him,

Jesus says,

God has revealed to you

the truth about the kingdom.

And what is it?

Well ultimately,

as Mark is unfolding

before us

that the kingdom,

the secret of the kingdom,

the revealed truth

of the kingdom

is that the kingdom

is ultimately found

in Jesus,

the king.

But notice the distinction

Jesus then makes.

He says,

but for those

on the outside,

that is those

who refuse

to come to him,

everything is in parables.

It all remains

hidden to them.

And in fact,

Jesus even seems

to be saying

in verse 12

that the parable

of the sower

functions like

a judgment

on their hard hearts.

Because they have

refused to come

to Jesus

after all this time,

Jesus tells them

a parable

about their own

refusal

to really,

truly hear.

He confronts them

in cryptic

picture form

with their own

spiritual state.

How about you,

friend?

Are you like

the seed

on the path?

You hear it

and it just

doesn't make

any impact.

It just

immediately

snatched away.

Don't you see

the spiritual danger

that you're in?

Or are you like

the seed

sown on rocky ground?

Maybe you like

what you hear,

but there's no depth.

There's no real

engagement.

At the first sign

of hardship,

you'll fall away.

Or are you like

the seed

among the thorns?

You've listened

for a while.

You go through

the motions.

Some might even

look at you and say,

wow, you're really

growing.

But the real love

of your life

isn't the Lord.

It's the world.

It's career.

It's wealth.

It's friendships.

And there's really

no lasting fruit

in your life.

is Jesus

telling this parable

to you

to warn you,

to wake you up

before it's too late.

We don't have

all the time

in the world

to make up our minds

where we stand

with Christ.

We can't continue

to hold him

at arm's length

forever and ever.

We must decide.

Will we stay

outside in the crowd

or will we come in?

Will we surrender

our lives to him

as our king,

as our loving Lord?

In verse 21,

Jesus changes

the metaphor

as he kind of

presses the parable

of the sower home.

In verse 21,

he changes the metaphor

and he speaks

of a lamp.

And literally,

that verse reads,

does the lamp

come in

to be put

under a basket?

Does the lamp

come in

to be put

under a basket?

And again,

Jesus is speaking

here of himself.

He is the light.

He is the lamp

entering the world.

And though he may

be hidden now,

as verse 22 says,

that's not how

it will be forever.

The lamp

doesn't go in

to stay under the bed,

but to light up

the whole house.

Christ might seem

veiled now,

but it won't be

so forever.

One day,

the glory of Christ

will be clear

for everyone to see.

When he returns

in splendor,

what seems so hidden

now will be uncovered.

The king in all his glory

will be unmistakable.

And where will you

find yourself

on that day?

When the God

of glory comes

to finally

and fully

reclaim his creation.

And his glory

covers the earth

like the waters

cover the sea.

that glory

that is rapture

or ruin.

Where will you

find yourself

on that day?

Still in the crowds?

Still on the hillside?

Still among the shallow rocks?

Still chasing the world

and its passing pleasures?

Friend,

if that is you,

don't let another hour

go by

in such a dangerous

spiritual state.

Take Christ

as your king,

as your light,

as your all.

Believe that he is

God in the flesh,

crucified for your sins,

risen for your life,

seated and reigning

at the Father's right hand,

ready to receive

in mercy

all who come to him.

Pay attention

to what you hear

because there are many

who fail to do so.

Let that not be you today.

But there's one last point

Jesus makes here

in our passage.

Pay attention

to what you hear,

Jesus says,

because those who do

will flourish

beyond measure.

Pay attention

to what you hear

because those who do

will flourish

beyond measure.

You see,

the parable of the sower

isn't just a warning.

It's also a promise.

It's not just a parable

about the many

who fail to hear

and receive this word.

It's also a parable

about the power

of this word

that despite

all the obstacles

it faces,

despite all the obstacles

the word faces

from the world

and our own flesh

and the evil one,

that still the word

will achieve

its saving purpose

in those who hear.

What an encouragement

this parable

must have been

to the early church

as they brought

the gospel

to a new city,

to a new place

and as they sadly

saw some

simply ignore it

altogether,

as they saw some

quickly fall away,

as they saw some

profess belief

but then chase

after the world

as if nothing

had changed.

What an encouragement

this parable

must have been.

An assurance

from Jesus himself

that the word

will find good soil

and it will produce

a harvest

and it will create

new life

and it will flourish

beyond measure

thirtyfold,

sixtyfold,

a hundredfold.

And this parable

should still

encourage us today.

The gospel

is the power

of God

for salvation

to those who believe

and we know

that our great God

has set his saving love

on a countless

multitude

from every tribe

and tongue

and nation

and city

who will hear the word,

accept it,

and bear fruit.

So don't lose heart,

brothers and sisters.

But this parable

is not just

an encouragement

for our witness.

It's an encouragement

to keep on hearing.

In verses 24 and 25,

Jesus again supplements

the parable of the sower

with what we might call

the parable of the measure.

He says,

pay attention

to what you hear.

With the measure you use,

it will be measured to you

and still more

will be added to you.

The degree

to which you give yourself

to engaging

with this word

is the degree

to which you will grow in it.

To be clear,

Jesus is not teaching

works righteousness here.

We are saved by grace

from first to last.

Rather,

Jesus is teaching us

a principle

of the spiritual life.

And even this principle

of the spiritual life

is overflowing

with God's grace.

Notice,

Jesus says,

with the measure you use,

it will be measured to you

and still more

will be added to you.

For the Christian,

growth in Christ-likeness

is more than just

proportionate

with our engagement

with Christ and his word.

It's super abundant.

So,

brothers and sisters,

do we hear it

when it is preached?

And do we meditate upon it

when it is read?

And do we apply it

when it is understood?

If we pay attention

to what we hear,

Jesus promises,

the growth will be abundant.

Brothers,

sisters,

are you longing for peace?

Jesus has revealed himself

as the prince of peace.

So seek him in his word.

Are you longing for strength

to endure,

to run the race?

Jesus is the almighty one.

Seek him in his word.

Do you long for wisdom?

Jesus is the one

in whom are hidden

all the treasures

of wisdom and knowledge.

Seek him in his word.

The measure you use,

it will be added to you

and still more

will be added to you.

You will come looking

for wisdom

and Christ will also

make you patient.

You will come looking

and longing for strength

and Christ will also

make you compassionate.

You'll come looking

for peace

and Christ will also

give you a passion

for his glory

and still more

will be added to you.

Are you willing

to put this promise

to the test?

How will you engage

with God's word

this week?

What is one way

you can take

this promise to heart

and let God demonstrate

his faithfulness to you?

We started out

by saying how much

distraction technology

has produced in our lives.

But you know,

we also live in a time

when we have more access

to God's word

than ever before.

Why not listen

to a Sunday school class

you may have missed?

Put yourself

under the teaching

of God's word

this week.

Why not download

a prayer app?

There are lots

of good ones out there.

And put yourself

under the meaningful

prayer of God's word

this week.

If you don't have

a regular pattern

of reading God's word,

start this week.

You can pick up

reading the gospel

of Mark.

That's a good place

to start.

Read slowly

and ask God

to reveal more

of himself to you

and how you might

keep in step

with his spirit

this week.

How will you

take God

at his promise

this week?

Pay attention

to what you hear

because those

who do,

Jesus says,

will flourish

beyond measure.

Let's pray.

Lord,

we pause

before you

and we acknowledge

that in these moments

when we sit

before you

and your word,

a great spiritual

battle is taking

place

between our proud

hearts

that want to do

things our own way

and your mighty grace

that wants to capture

our hearts

and make us new.

So, Lord,

we pray that the power

of your word

would be at work

converting us,

drawing us to faith,

growing us

and changing us.

God,

how we long

to be a church

where we see

this growth,

not just in number,

God,

but in depth

to see our own lives

flourish

30,

60,

100-fold

with the character

of Christ.

Oh, Lord,

we acknowledge

that we're utterly

dependent on your spirit

to do that work.

So,

would you do it,

we pray,

for Christ's sake.

Amen.