Fruitful Hearers Of The Word

Well, we've noted a number of times through our study of the Gospel of Mark that Mark's

Gospel presents the life of Jesus in a mosaic form.

And so rather than narrating the events of Jesus' life in a strictly chronological way,

Mark, under God's guiding hand, is choosing to write in a sort of topical way.

As we go through his Gospel, we see that he's really given us these snapshots of various things about Jesus

rather than giving us a clear timeline exactly of how Jesus went about his life.

And his desire, of course, as we have said over and over, was to persuade the reader

that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the Messiah and the Son of God.

And so he accomplishes that by giving us these snapshots, persuading us not just to be entertained by the stories,

but to actually come to a point of faith in the person of Jesus and to believe in his work,

ultimately in his death and resurrection.

And though there are various moments of Jesus' teaching that are expressed and explained throughout the book,

there's really only two places that Mark deals specifically with the content of Jesus' teaching.

Mark is focused on the Lord's use of parables,

and he collected just a handful of them,

and he linked them together to help us understand the message of Christ,

the Gospel of Christ,

as well as the message of the kingdom and these comparisons to the kingdom.

So, one thing that we don't have in this chapter is,

it's not a random assortment of stories that Jesus told.

It's not that Mark just grabbed a few of his favorites and threw them in here.

We know that Mark is keeping a very succinct and systematic approach to his teaching about Jesus.

And so, what he has collected here in chapter 4 are the parables that, in his estimation,

are most important for his Roman audience, his early Roman audience, to understand.

And so, when we come to these parables, we don't come just saying,

okay, Jesus told this really nice story here about the four soils,

and then he told this really nice story about a lamp,

and then he told this really nice story about casting seed and things eventually growing,

and then ultimately wraps it up with just another nice story about the mustard seed

and how it grows into a big bush.

It's not just that Mark thought, these are all my favorites.

I want people to hear these favorite stories of mine.

No, there's a very intentional purpose to what Mark is doing.

These are all linked together.

There's a purpose to what he is giving us here,

and we need to come to it understanding that purpose.

Now, remember at the beginning of the chapter,

we saw that Jesus was teaching a massive crowd on the shore of the Lake of Galilee.

And after that time of public teaching,

when he gave this parable of the four soils,

he has some time privately with a few of his disciples

and some of his other followers as well.

They were inquiring the meaning of the parables that he had been teaching,

but they were also trying to figure out

exactly why he was all of a sudden beginning to teach in stories.

That's not what Jesus had done up to this point.

Up to this point in the Gospel of Mark,

he's actually had a very consistent message.

The consistent message we see is summarized in chapter 1

as the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

It is near.

Repent and believe the Gospel.

Repent and believe the good news.

And so for two years now,

Jesus has been teaching this message.

He has been preaching the message of the Gospel.

Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Demonstrating that in his works.

And now he's all of a sudden making this switch

to where he's telling stories.

And so they ask,

why are you teaching in parables?

They don't seem to be as clear as you were before.

Why are you doing that?

And so Jesus gives that answer in verses 10 through 12.

Now, though the text doesn't explicitly state this,

it is reasonable for us to conclude that verses 21 to 25,

what we just read,

are a part of Jesus' private teaching to his disciples.

So that very first section,

that was the public crowd on the Lake of Galilee.

He tells the story.

And then there's the private setting

in which Jesus gives the explanation of the story,

the explanation for why he was teaching in parables.

Well, verses 21 to 25 are tied into this private teaching.

We haven't left that scene yet.

We're going to in verse 26,

but we haven't quite left that scene yet.

And there's a few reasons that I've come to this conclusion.

Maybe I can persuade you that this is it

through these four things.

The first note that I notice here

is that while verses 21 and 24

indicate Jesus addressing a specific group,

verses 26 and verse 30,

the other two parables,

they do not do that.

So look at it with me.

Verse 21, the very first phrase,

and he said unto them.

It's referencing a very specific group

of people that he's teaching.

And then if you look down in verse 24,

same thing.

And he said to them,

to them,

a specific group tying it back

to this private time of teaching.

But when we get to verses 26

and verses 30,

we don't have that same phrasing.

It is just simply that Jesus said.

And so it is reasonable for us to conclude,

and I could be wrong,

but it's reasonable for us to conclude

that those last two parables are just,

that it didn't happen at this particular time,

didn't necessarily happen in this particular place,

but it mattered to the point

that Mark was making in this chapter.

But verses 21 to 25

is more of the explanation

for why he's teaching in parables,

and it's certainly tying into

the parable of the soils as well.

So that's the first thing that I noted

that makes me think that way.

The second thing that I noted

is that the teaching of verses 21 to 25

is better understood as a companion piece

to the story of the soils

and to the story or the explanation

of verses 10 through 12.

We're gonna come back to this

throughout our study this morning.

But if you think about it,

if you just take verses 21 to 25,

apart from 10 through 20,

it is a very confusing passage.

I mean, there's some weird language

that he's using here.

It's not very easy just to grab it and understand.

But when we set it within the context

of verses 10 through 20,

we begin to understand,

okay, he's just explaining further.

He's unpacking further what he was trying

to explain to them before.

And then here's the other thing.

Like the parable of the soils,

the last two stories are agricultural in nature.

They come back to this casting seed,

this growth of plants.

They're all kind of on the same theme.

But this section 21 to 25 is not on that theme.

So it seems reasonable that Mark,

after explaining the parable of the soils,

does this other thing

in this private teaching with Jesus.

Then he circles back around

to deal with the explanation of the kingdom

in these agricultural terms,

which would have made sense

to his Roman audience.

They would have understood that clearly.

And so it just makes sense

that maybe there's a separation here.

And then the last thing,

if you notice the conclusion

of the whole section in verse 33,

Mark writes,

this is Mark narrating now,

is writing and he says,

and with many such parables

spake he the word unto them

as they were able to hear it.

But without a parable

spake he not unto them.

All right.

Well, we know that he spoke

to the disciples at times

without parables.

So that can't be necessarily applying

to this private time of teaching.

That's got to be applying

more to the general audiences

that he was teaching

when he would include these parables

and what they were doing.

So the content of verses 21 to 25

need to be linked really

with the content of verses 10 through 20

and especially verses 10 through 12.

Now there, Jesus explained

why he was teaching in parables.

And the summary is this.

For those who were believing on him,

the parables brought gospel clarity

to their mind.

But for the unbelieving,

the parables had a hardening effect.

And we've used that common phrase,

the same sun that melts the ice

hardens the clay.

And the parables had that effect.

For those who had believing hearts,

their hearts were melted further.

They became more believing people.

But for those who had hardened

their hearts to the Lord,

the parables further hardened

their hearts to him.

And it had this hardening effect.

It's not that Jesus's stories

were difficult to understand.

That's not what this is about.

It's just that their spiritual meaning

was lost for those

who did not believe Christ in faith.

And so Jesus unpacks this thought further

in 21 to 25.

And he first brings some clarification.

Some clarification,

lest someone read verses 10 through 12

and think that Jesus actually

was trying to conceal the gospel,

that he was trying to hide it

because he didn't want certain people

to be saved.

That's not what he's saying in this.

And so the first thing he does

in verse 21

is he brings some clarification to that.

And then he emphasizes

the necessity of being fruitful

hearers of the word.

And so that's really the object

of our study today.

We want to understand

the clarification that Jesus brings.

And then we certainly want to see

the emphasis of being fruitful hearers.

And just for my help,

I've broken this down into three words.

If you want to write these down

in your margins,

maybe it'll be helpful to you as well.

First, I have clarification.

Then I have exhortation.

And then explanation.

Clarification, exhortation, explanation.

And we'll work our way through

those three words this morning, okay?

First, let's look at clarification.

Look with me again at verse 21.

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?

That's an interesting way

to kick things off here, isn't it?

It's just another parable.

It's another story.

And it's almost humorous

what Jesus is saying here.

It's a ridiculous notion

that he's pointing his finger to here.

The lamp that Jesus is referring to

is the lamps that would have been

small clay vessels

that they would have had

scattered throughout their homes

in ancient Palestine.

It's difficult for us

to now think about this.

It's difficult for us

to relate to a time

when there's no electricity,

when there's no electric power, right?

But that's certainly the time

that they lived in.

Now imagine your house, Clementine,

is this stone house

in Israel 2,000 years ago.

But there's no light switches.

There's no lights in the house.

There you have windows.

They're just holes

that are cut out in the wall,

but there's no glass

because they wouldn't have had glass

for their windows.

Even the glass that they had,

that was really for more

of the wealthy people at that point.

And it wasn't very clear glass

like we would have

in these mirrors here

in this room today.

They didn't have what we have now.

So in the evenings

when it was time

to shut the shutters

to the windows

for safety or for privacy

or for whatever it was,

the rooms in the house

would be especially dark.

There's no light coming in.

And so they had

these small clay vessels

that had kind of a large opening

right in the middle

and then maybe it would have

had a spout on one side

or maybe it would have

just been the hole.

They fill it up with oil.

They light one end of it

and then they set it up

on a shelf

or on a table

or on a particular stand

and it gives light

to the house.

They can now see

what otherwise

would be hidden

by the darkness.

And so you can visit

museums even today.

Julie and I have had

an opportunity

to go to the Museum

of the Bible

in Washington, D.C.

And this is just

this is not a paid advertisement.

This is just a by the way.

If you ever get

an opportunity to go,

go.

It is really, really fantastic.

I think you'll enjoy it.

But in there

they have

they have

a collection

of lamps

that are about

2,000 years old

from Israel,

Iraq, Iran

from that area.

And they have

this collection

where you can go in

and see.

And they're very small.

They're very small

and it's just displayed

and you can get a picture

of what it was

that Jesus is referring

to here.

Now,

what does he mean

by this?

Well, his question

was somewhat silly.

It was somewhat

humorous

as the thought

of hiding that light

is really ridiculous

because who does that?

Right?

Who goes into

their dark house,

lights a lamp

so that they can have light

and only to take it

to the kitchen

and cover it up

with a basket

or to take it

to the bedroom

and slide it

underneath the bed

that completely

defeats the purpose

of the lamp?

Who would do that?

It's a ridiculous notion

and that's really

what Jesus is saying here.

Jesus,

in the same way,

wasn't trying

to hide the gospel

through his use

of parables.

That's not what

the parables were doing.

They weren't hiding

anything.

It wouldn't make sense

for God

to bring the kingdom

near as was

Jesus' message.

It wouldn't make sense

for God

to bring the kingdom

near to them

only to conceal Jesus.

That wouldn't make

any sense at all.

So the fact

of Jesus'

constant traveling

and his accommodation

of these massive crowds

only contributes

to the understanding

that Jesus

wanted to be known.

He did not desire

to live in an obscurity.

Think about it.

He could have.

He could have found

a place where nobody

could find him.

He could just grab

the 12 disciples

and maybe a few others,

bring them in

and he could spend

his three years

doing that

and then make his way

to Jerusalem

to provide redemption.

But that's not

what Jesus did at all.

He went from village

to village

and town to town.

He accommodated

the crowds,

even the unbelieving crowds.

He accommodated them.

Why?

Because Jesus

didn't desire

to live in obscurity.

He didn't come

just to be concealed.

He came to be revealed.

And so his parables,

they weren't about

hiding the gospel.

They weren't about

doing that at all.

That wouldn't make

any sense.

He was actually here

bringing clarity

to what the gospel

meant in the parables.

And we just reminded

about Luke chapter 19.

Luke 19 · chapter mention

The son of man

came to do what?

to seek and to save

that which was lost.

He didn't come

to hide

and just hope

that you figure it out.

That's not what Jesus

was doing with the parables

and he brought

some clarification to that.

Now look at verse 22.

For nothing is hidden

except to be made manifest,

nor is anything secret

except to come

to light.

Now the reference

to secrets

and things hidden here

connects back to

what Jesus said

is the mystery

of the kingdom of God

in verse 11.

Let's look back up

to verse 11 with me.

And he said unto them,

unto you,

this is to his disciples,

unto you it is given

to know what?

The mystery

of the kingdom of God.

Well when he gets here

and he's talking

about things hidden

and he's talking

about secret things,

it's a reflection

on what is said

to be the mysteries

of the kingdom of God.

So just as one

uses a lamp

to reveal what is hidden

in his house,

so does God intend

to reveal the mysteries

of the Old Testament

through the person

of Jesus.

That's the point.

That's the point

of the parable here.

Now mystery is used

often in the New Testament.

It's almost exclusively used

to refer to things

that were at one time

hidden

but have now been revealed

in the gospel.

They have now been revealed

in Christ.

And so Paul uses

this word often.

Paul even refers

to these mysteries

as shadows.

But God's intention

was always to bring

to light

the things that were hidden

in the Old Testament,

in the law

and the prophets.

And in his time,

he brought a lamp

to manifest those things.

And that lamp

is Jesus.

He is the lamp.

So when Jesus says,

who lights a lamp

and hides it under

a basket or a bed,

he's referring to himself.

He's saying,

I did not come

to be hidden.

In fact,

think about it.

John chapter 1.

John 1 · chapter mention

In him was life

and the life

was the light of men.

The light shines

in darkness

and the darkness

has not overcome it.

What was John saying?

Jesus himself

is the light.

He is the lamp.

Jesus himself said this.

John chapter 8

John 8 · chapter mention

in verse 12.

Again,

Jesus spoke to them

saying,

I am the light

of the world.

Whoever follows me

will not walk

in darkness

but will have

the light of life.

What's the light

he's referring to?

He's referring to a lamp.

Same thing he's referring

to in Mark chapter 4.

Mark 4 · chapter mention

So we come to this.

We're not just talking

about a theological belief

or a set of doctrines.

We're talking about

a person.

The lamp is Christ.

And when we go back

to the Old Testament

we start trying

to sift through

all the things there.

What is all of this about?

What is this system

of sacrifices about?

What is this whole issue

about the kingdom

that the prophets

are getting on about

in the Old Testament?

What is this all about

about David

and lineage

and all these kinds

of things?

All of those things

are revealed

and answered

in the person

of Jesus.

He is the lamp

and he came

to cast light

on the darkness

of this world

and on the mysteries

of the Old Testament.

And so it wasn't

his goal

to conceal the gospel

but his very presence

demonstrated

his intention

actually

to display

the gospel.

And think about

that message

that he had been preaching.

He was the representative

of the kingdom.

When Jesus said

the kingdom is near

he meant himself

as representative

of the coming kingdom

of God

I am near

spatially.

Spatially.

He's not talking

about time

but space.

I am near you

look to me

and all who heard

the good news

were commanded

to repent

and believe.

And so what's

the point

of this parable

of the lamp?

Jesus is the light.

He is the representative

of the kingdom.

Now that you know

repent

and believe.

And for all

who will not repent

and believe

they will only be

hardened further

as they come

to these stories

and as they come

to these parables

and as they come

to this truth

time and time

again.

James Edwards

said the lamp

coupled with

the theme

of disclosure

testify

that God's purpose

in Jesus

is to

enlighten

and reveal.

He is the lamp.

So he brings

clarification.

Secondly

we see

exhortation.

We've seen

clarification

now we see

exhortation.

Now look with me

at verse 23

and just the first

part of verse 24.

Jesus says

again

if any man

have ears

to hear

let him hear.

And he said

to them

pay attention

to what

you hear.

Pay attention

to what

you hear.

So after

providing some

clarification

Jesus

again

emphasized

the necessity

of quote

hearing

the word.

So the

fruitfulness

of the word

of God

in our lives

is not

then a matter

of intellectual

capacity

but it is a

matter of

spiritual

faith.

faith.

It is not

that Jesus

parables

were challenging

to understand

but the

clarity

they bring

is entirely

useless

unless you

receive it

by faith.

So the

issue for

those that

weren't grasping

what Jesus

was getting

at with

these stories

it is not

because they

were dumb

that is not

what it was

these were

very simple

stories.

They would

have understood

the stories

themselves

but the

extent of

the fruitfulness

of the word

in their life

was directly

related to

the way

that they

heard or

received it

and whether

or not

they received

it by

faith.

And so

throughout

this entire

section

an emphasis

is placed

on how

we receive

the word

and this is

even true

in the

parable

of the

soils.

Remember

the sower

teaches

the word

of God

that is

the casting

of the seed

and the

fruitfulness

of the

seed

is based

on how

the individual

or the

soil

receives

what is

taught.

And we

can trace

this emphasis

throughout

these verses

as well.

21 all the way

really to

34.

Five times

Jesus is

specifically

noted as

speaking,

teaching,

saying,

casting the

word.

Five times.

Five times

then also

there is a

specific

emphasis

on how

that teaching

and how

that speech

how that

word

is then

received

by the

hearer.

So immediately

after the

parable

of the

lamp,

Jesus

emphasized

the

necessity

of

receiving

that

teaching

by faith.

Well,

what teaching?

That he

is the

light.

Come to

him.

Repent

and believe.

And he's

not just

simply saying

to listen.

He's saying

to listen

with ears

intent

on heeding

what you

hear.

It's not

just about

hearing what

he says,

but believing

and receiving

what he

says.

There's

many ways

that people

hear the

word and

yet they

often fall

short of

exactly what

Jesus was

commanding here.

Think about

this.

Some people

come to the

word of

God for

intellectual

stimulation.

Intellectual

stimulation.

That is,

they're not

concerned about

believing it.

They don't come

with a posture

of faith.

Their aim

is actually

to argue

against it.

And so

maybe they

come to

church or

maybe they

read their

Bibles or

maybe they

go to a

Bible study

group or

they have

the conversation

with their

Christian

friends,

but their

intention is

never really

to come to

the word in

order to have

their mind

enlightened to

truth or to

come to an

understanding of

who God is or

to find out how

their souls can

be redeemed.

That's not their

intention.

It is intellectually

stimulating to

them to argue

back and forth

with people that

believe the word.

And so those

people hear the

word, but they

don't hear it.

Does that make

sense?

Are you with me?

They hear the

word, but they

don't hear the

word.

And so some

people come with

intellectual

stimulation as

their primary

goal.

Others come

simply for

moral motivation.

It's not really

that they're

looking to

exercise any

kind of faith,

and they

certainly don't

have any

interest in a

spiritual birth.

They just want

somebody to tell

them what to

do.

They want

somebody or

something to

tell them what

to do to

improve their

life.

So they don't

go to church

looking for an

understanding of

the Bible.

They go to the

church and they

want 10 ways to

be a better

parent.

Or they want

to know or

have some

instruction on

how to win

friends and

influence people

and increase the

success maybe of

their life.

Or they want

some tips on

how to overcome

the various

struggles of

their life.

But they're

not compelled

at all to

consider the

claims of

Jesus or to

follow him in

faith.

It's moral

motivation.

They just want

somebody to tell

them what to

do so that

their life can

be better.

They're not

really interested

in the spiritual

diet.

They're not

really interested

in faith.

They just want

somebody to

improve their

life.

They want

their best life

now, so to

speak.

And discussions

of theology are

just distractions

from what they

actually hope to

gain from the

Bible.

So they hear

the word, but

they don't hear

the word.

You with me?

Some people

come for

emotional

exploration.

So some come

with intellectual

stimulation as

their goal.

Some come with

moral motivation

as their goal.

Still yet, others

come with

emotional

exploration.

Well, what are

these people doing

when they come to

the word, or

when they come to

church, or

whatever it is

when they're

exposed to the

Bible?

Well, they really

only care about

how it makes

them feel.

they're not

really looking

for any kind

of rational

understanding of

truth.

And really, when

it comes down to

it, they may not

state this, but

really when it

comes down to

it, whether or

not the Bible

is actually used

is irrelevant to

them, so long

as they leave

the time feeling

better, feeling

better about

themselves.

They want

heaven without

hell, or they

want blessing

without lament,

repent, or they

want other

things that just

make them feel

better about

themselves.

Works without

repentance, life

without death.

But then there's

another form of

emotional exploration

that's almost the

antithesis of that

particular person, but

it really fits the

same category.

They want hell

without heaven, or

they want to

emphasize repentance

without any kind

of good works, or

they want the

opposite of that.

You know what I

mean?

That person?

That person, it's

not that they're

wanting to feel

good, everybody to

feel good about

themselves.

They actually want

everybody to feel

bad about themselves,

but they don't want

to offer the good

part of the gospel.

You know what I

mean?

It's emotional

exploration.

There's one side

where this extreme,

they just want to

be made to feel

good, and this

extreme, they just

want everybody to

be made to feel

bad with no actual

resolution to their

badness.

All of these

people hear the

word without

actually hearing

it.

But in response

to this, Alistair

Begg is helpful, and

he says that we

should approach the

Bible in three

ways, three ways to

be fruitful hearers.

One, consider it

carefully.

Consider it

carefully.

Now, Jesus, when he

says, listen, when he

says, if you have

ears to hear, hear,

he wasn't talking

about an uninformed

faith.

He wasn't talking

about a blind faith

in the sense that

someone stands up on

a platform on a

Sunday and they say,

say, Jesus is the

Son of God, believe it

and go to heaven, and

just say, okay, I'm

not going to actually

put any kind of

rational consideration

to this.

I'm just going to

accept it and hope

everything is good.

That's not what

Jesus is saying.

He never says that we

are to take our brains

and just set them to

the side and never

actually access them

for anything related

to theology or

anything related to

truth.

We are to come to

the word and

consider it carefully.

We shouldn't be

satisfied with a

surface knowledge of

truth, but we need

to study the Bible

thoughtfully.

Secondly, we believe

it thoroughly.

Believe it thoroughly.

Consider it

carefully and then

believe it thoroughly.

Rather than coming to

your time with the

word with a posture of

argumentative spirit,

rather than coming with

a critical eye to see

everything that you can

find wrong with the

Bible, no, that's not

the right posture.

That's not the right

posture.

We are going to

consider it carefully,

but we have to start

with the fact that this

is the very word of

God.

Therefore, whatever it

says, even if I

disagree, or I don't

like it, or it doesn't

make me feel the way

that I want it to make

me feel, I will believe

it, I will believe it

thoroughly, not because

it's what I want

necessarily, but because

it's what God says.

It is His word.

It's important.

We talked about this a

bit in our Thursday

night group this week.

Undergirding every

doctrine that we believe

is the doctrine of the

inspiration of the

Bible.

That what we have in the

pages of Scripture is

the very word of God.

He literally spoke

these words and used

men to write it, but it

was breathed out by God,

Paul said.

And then the writer of

Hebrews says that this

is a living book.

It's alive.

It discerns the thoughts

and intents of our

hearts.

And I mentioned on

Thursday night, when you

take your Bible, unless

if you do devotions in the

morning or in the

afternoon, whatever you

do it, if you spend an

hour reading your Bible,

that is an hour of time

that God is literally

speaking to you.

That's how he speaks.

He doesn't speak through

epiphany.

He's not going to give

you a dream.

There's not going to be

any kind of subjective

thing that God comes and

gives a pertinent

revelation that's going to

affect you in a different

way than anybody else.

No, he speaks through his

word.

It's his word.

Come to his word and

believe it because it is

his.

And God cannot lie.

And so what he has given

us is truth.

And we need to believe it

thoroughly.

And then thirdly, we

practice it diligently.

We practice it diligently.

So in addition to careful

consideration and thorough

belief, we must approach

the Bible prepared to obey

what it says.

Take one of those three

approaches out of the way

and you will not be a

fruitful hearer.

You can understand it

rationally.

You can even believe it to

an extent as far as just

giving mental assent to the

things that you read.

But unless you're going to

practice it, it will have no

impact on your life.

There will be no fruitfulness

there.

You have to have all three of

these.

And so the question this

morning is, what kind of

hearer are you?

Are you just looking for the

stimulation that it brings to

argue with somebody about

these things philosophically?

Are you just, you just want

somebody to make you feel

good?

And you really just want to

just point me to the

scriptures that are really

just going to help me feel

better about myself.

Well, there's a lot of

scriptures that aren't going

to make you feel better

about yourself.

That's not the point.

The point is to point you to

Christ.

Maybe, maybe your, your goal

is really most of the time

you just want something to

help you live a better life.

And, and the Bible does all

of those things, but, but

those are not its purpose.

But we come in a way that

is fruitful, ready to hear.

So we see clarification.

We see exhortation.

Finally, we see explanation,

explanation.

Look with me now at verse 24

and 25.

This is a weird saying, but

hopefully I can bring some

clarity to it.

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.

All right.

That's kind of weird.

That's a little bit of weird

language there.

Okay.

Let's, let's unpack it a little

bit and remember the context

of the passage.

Now, Jesus closes this dialogue

with an explanation for why

hearing is necessary.

That's what these two verses

are doing.

So he says, you need to hear,

you need to pay attention.

And here's why you need to

hear.

This is why you need to be a

fruitful hearer.

And again, the fruitfulness of

the word is linked directly to

how we receive it.

And so Jesus says to pay

attention because our attitude

toward the scripture will

determine our understanding of

the scripture.

And the extent of our

understanding is based on the

extent of our hearing.

Let's unpack that.

It's helpful to consider these

last two verses in light of the

parable of the soils.

This is why I think it's

significant to connect these.

And Mark's not the only gospel

that puts these together.

Matthew and Luke cover the,

the other parables in at

different times.

They don't put it in the same

timeframe as Mark does,

but they all put this one

there.

This statement is with the

parable, the soils.

It's important for us to

understand.

Now, Jesus said earlier in

Mark four, that the

understanding of the parable

of the soils is the key to

unlocking the other parables.

These two verses tell us how

it unlocks the other parables.

So the variance in the soil,

if you remember the story,

the variance in the soils is

based on the individual's

reception of the word.

And so here in verses 24 and

25, Jesus first addresses the

good soil, the good soil.

And what we could really read

this like this.

We might read this as to the

one who hears or to the one

who has faith.

And we would bracket faith as

an insertion to help us

understand what Jesus is

saying to the one who has

faith, more bracket

understanding will be given.

In other words, those who

receive the word through faith

reap the benefits of abundant

fruit.

So that the person who

welcomes the truth of God

will be given more and more

of God's intended fruitfulness.

It doesn't come all at once.

We all know that.

The moment that you came to

faith in Christ, you didn't

all of a sudden have all the

understanding that you would

ever need about the Bible and

about theology.

No, we grow in that throughout

the process of our life.

And there's even an insinuation

in the scripture that even when

we get to heaven, there is

still this progressive

understanding.

We will never fully understand

the depths of our infinite

God, right?

It's progressive.

It doesn't happen all at one

time.

But to those who welcome God's

truth, God gives more and

more fruitfulness in their life.

That word impacts their life in

more and more ways and to a

greater and greater extent.

So he addresses that.

The measure that you use, it

will be measured to you and

more will be given.

In other words, if you receive

it, God will give more and

more and more.

You will be impacted in more

and more ways.

But then in verse 25, he

addresses those represented by

the other three types of soil.

So think back to the parable.

Remember, the word was sown in

every type of soil, but the

first three were unfruitful.

Only the good soil had fruit.

Now these people, they hear the

word.

They may even understand the

word intellectually, but the

truth never has any lasting

impact on their life.

Why?

Because they came just looking

for some intellectual

stimulation.

Or they came just looking for

some moral motivation.

Or they came just looking for

some emotional exploration.

But they weren't fruitful

hearers.

And we know that because the

word has no impact at all in

their life.

So to these people, Jesus said,

even the understanding that

they have will be taken away.

Look again at verse 25.

That's what he's getting at.

He that hath to him shall be

given.

He that hath not from him shall

be taken away even that which he

has.

What does that mean?

That Jesus is going to take away

even what he has?

We'll think back to the parable

again.

You see how it's beginning to

unlock things for us.

Did the soil on the pathway

receive seed?

Did it hear the word?

Yes.

The seed was cast on the path.

It did not receive the seed.

What happened?

Immediately, the birds came and

devoured it.

What it had was taken away.

Okay?

Why?

Because it didn't receive it.

Didn't hear it.

What about the shallow soil,

the rocky ground?

Did it receive the word?

Did it hear the word?

Yeah, it did.

It heard the word.

The seed was cast.

But what happened?

The sun scorched it.

So even what it had was taken away.

What about the thorny soil?

Did it receive the word?

Yeah, it did.

It received the word.

But what happened?

The weeds choked it out so that it

lost, had taken away, destroyed,

even what at one time it had.

In each circumstance, what truth was

sown was ultimately destroyed or

taken away due to how it was

received.

So while those who believe the word

grow in fruitfulness, those who do

not eventually lose even what they

had, even what understanding they

had.

So Sinclair Ferguson states it this way

by means of application.

This is why Jesus stresses the

importance of how we hear now,

Sinclair says.

If we fail to grasp the mystery of

the kingdom of God now and do not

respond to it now, we may be

increasingly alienated from it in the

future.

But if we do respond to it, we will

grow in our understanding and

appreciation and increasingly

experience its benefits.

And we continually come back to this

verse in Hebrews chapter 4 and

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

verse 7.

Today, if you hear his voice, do not

harden your heart.

Because you don't have forever to

receive the word.

Which was the point Jesus was getting

across about his use of the parables

in 10 through 12.

That there comes a point where he

will harden your heart.

So if you hear his voice today, don't

harden your heart.

Receive the word.

And then God, through his spirit,

produces this fruitfulness in your

life.

Well, let's close it this way.

We need to recognize that this principle

of fruitful hearing is not applied only

to the work of the gospel in salvation.

It doesn't stop there.

This continues on.

This principle in your life as a

believer is to be actually

acknowledged at every point in your

walk with Christ.

There are varying degrees of

fruitfulness in the good soil.

Did you notice that?

Look back with me again at verse 20.

Verse 20.

These are they which are sown on good

ground.

They hear the word and receive it

and bring forth fruit.

Some 30 fold.

Some 60 fold.

Some 100 fold.

Now that's a little strange.

If this is about God providing

fruitfulness to those who accept

Christ by faith, why are there varying

degrees of fruitfulness?

Why doesn't everybody get the same

amount of fruit that everybody else

gets?

Because there's varying degrees of

hearing.

The writer of Hebrews acknowledged

this.

He was addressing spiritual maturity

for believers.

In Hebrews chapter 5 he said this.

Hebrews 5 · chapter mention

For though by this time you ought to

be teachers.

But you need someone to teach you

again even the basics of the gospel.

You need milk not solid food the

writer says.

For everyone who lives on milk is

unskilled in the word of

righteousness since he is a child.

But solid food is for the mature.

For those who have their powers of

discernment trained by constant

practice to distinguish good from

evil.

What's he getting on about?

He's rebuking the church.

And he's saying look I know you know

the gospel.

I know you believe the gospel.

But some of you ought to be teachers

by now in your walk with Christ.

But because you didn't stay fruitful

hearers of the word after your

salvation.

You're just as much a baby as you were

the day you were saved.

And somebody's got to keep giving you

the milk of the word because you won't

ever listen.

You won't listen.

And so this principle continues on.

You want to grow in your walk with

Christ?

Hear the word.

Study the word.

Consider it carefully.

Believe it thoroughly.

Practice it diligently.

And I promise if you do those things

with the word.

If you come to church Sunday by Sunday

Thursday by Thursday whenever it is

that you come to the word.

And you're coming to consider it

carefully and believe it thoroughly

and practice it diligently.

You won't be able to help but bear

fruit.

You can't help it.

Because it's not you that bears the

fruit.

It's God that bears the fruit in you.

And he does it through the word.

But you have to be a fruitful hearer.

You have to be a fruitful hearer.

There's so many Christians that they're

stunted in their growth because they

don't really care about the Bible.

They don't really care.

They never read their Bible.

And when they do maybe they're

bouncing around from place to place

they're not setting themselves up in

a way where they can really

understand what it means.

They come to church they're not

prepared to listen.

They're not prepared to hear.

You want to grow in your walk with

Christ you got to be a good hearer.

You got to be a fruitful hearer.

This doesn't stop at salvation.

It actually continues on.

And let me say spiritual maturity

it cannot be faked for long.

It can't be faked for long.

You can't for a little while.

You can't do that forever.

Because eventually the fruit just

shows.

Jesus said you'll know them by their

fruit.

How does the word impact you?

Are you just as knowledgeable today

as you were the day you were saved?

Or have you grown in that time?

Are you allowing the word of God to

do its work in your life?

Our level of faithfulness to the

word will always reveal itself in the

fruitfulness of our lives.

And it's a shame for a Christian not to

advance in spiritual maturity.

But hearing the word is what will make

all the difference.

Can we not commit today that we're going

to be fruitful hearers?

We're going to be fruitful hearers as a

church.

We're going to care about the word.

And as we care about the word we're

going to share that word.

We're going to live that word.

And we're going to let God do his work.

He only does it through his word.

We're going to takeNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNINGNING