HOFC Sermon Archive

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SERMON TIMELINE

1. Introduction

2. John the Baptist

3. The Baptism of Jesus

4. Temptation of Jesus

5. The Preaching Ministry of Jesus I

6. The Preaching Ministry of Jesus II

7. The First Disciples

8. A Teacher with Authority

9. At the Home of Simon and Andrew

10. Jesus Cleanses Leper

11. Jesus Heals the Paralytic

12. Jesus and the Tax Collector

13. Jesus Questioned About Fasting

14. Of Wine and Wineskins

15. Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath & Resurrection Sunday 2025

16. Hard Hearts and Hard Thoughts

17. Three Responses to Jesus

18. Jesus Appoints the Apostles

19. The Family of Jesus

20. The Unforgivable Sin

21. The True Family of Jesus

22. Parable of the Four Soils

Today is Sunday. June 22^nd, 2025

INTRODUCTION

When we have opportunities to hear or read the word of God, are you aware that we will be judged by how we pay attention to what we read?

Did you know that when it comes to the Christian walk of faith and the blessings we receive in our lives, both are proportionate to how we listen to the Word of God?

Jesus began teaching in parables very early in His ministry. We see in Mark 4 that when the public crowds gathered, He would tell them parables, and in private, He would explain them to His disciples.

Remember, a few weeks ago, we read about the three types of people in the crowds around Jesus. True followers, the curious and demon-possessed.

In today’s parable about the fur soils, Jesus will illustrate how not everyone receives the Word as they should. And at the end of the message, we see Jesus give a stark warning, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Or, in modern English, “To anyone who can hear this, pay attention!”

And after when Jesus was alone with the disciples, He warned again, “Take heed to what you hear!” or “Listen closely to what I am saying!”

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE

Mark 4:1-20

“And He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. 2 And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,

3 “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 and it happened that as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 And other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. 6 And after the sun rose, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7 And other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8 And other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they were yielding fruit and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” 9 And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, [LIT: hear! Listen!] let him hear.”

10 And when He was alone, those about Him, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. 11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside, everything comes in parables, 12 so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, lest they return and be forgiven.”

13 And He *said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown: when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. 16 And in a similar way, these are the ones being sown on the rocky places: those who, when hearing the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and they have no root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are those being sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19 but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for anything else enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 And those are the ones which were sown on the good soil: they who hear the word and accept it and are bearing fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

21 And He was saying to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be put on the lampstand? 22 For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 And He was saying to them, “Beware what you listen to. By what measure you measure it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you. 25 For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”

I. AS CHARGED TO THE DISCIPLES

a. That which is hidden is to be made known

i. Jesus asks a rhetorical question about a lamp (Mark 4:21)

ii. What was hidden would be revealed, and what was secret should come to light (Mark 4:22)

iii. The context of this statement regards the use of parables and the ultimate intention of His teaching.

b. The Ultimate Intention of Jesus’ Teaching

i. Jesus spoke parables publicly

ii. The meaning was explained privately (Mark 4:33-34)

iii. But His teaching was meant one day to be proclaimed abroad

iv. And His disciples would be involved in publicly proclaiming it (Matthew 10:27)

v. Therefore, Jesus told them to pay close attention to what He was saying (Mark 4:23)

Jesus fully intended for all to hear and know His teachings.

c. Listen carefully to what you hear.

i. Jesus charged the disciples to listen closely to what they heard, and the importance of listening closely is repeatedly stressed by Jesus.

1. “With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you,”

2. “To you who listen, more will be given.”

3. “For whoever has, to him, more will be given.”

4. “But whoever does not have, even what little he has, will be taken away from him.”

ii. This parable is illustrated by another, the parable of the Talents

1. Talents were given according to each person’s ability (Matthew 25:15)

2. Those who used their talents received more responsibility (Matthew 25:20-23)

3. The man with a single talent lost it because he did not use it (Matthew 25:24-28)

4. “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.” Matthew 25:29

Jesus promises more for those who listen carefully to what they hear and use what God has given them.

Jesus spoke these words to prepare and motivate His disciples for their future service.

II. AS APPLIED TO US TODAY

a. That which was hidden has now been revealed.

i. Things kept private were to be made public after His resurrection (Mark 9:9)

ii. The Holy Spirit would be given to guide the apostles into all the truth (John 16:12-13)

iii. They were to proclaim the gospel and the commandments of Jesus to all (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20)

iv. The apostles (including Paul) were faithful in listening to what they heard and using the talents they were given according to their abilities (Acts 20:27)

v. What was once a mystery has now been revealed (Romans 16:25-26; Ephesians 3:3-5; Ephesians 3:8-9)

And because of the apostles’ faithfulness to listening and using what they were given by God, we have the New Testament, and all that was hidden can now be known by all!

b. Take heed! Listen to what you hear!

i. The need to listen closely to what we hear remains the same today.

ii. Consider the importance of listening closely;

1. To be blessed Matthew 13:16-17

2. To have faith Romans 1:16-17; Romans 10:17

3. To bear fruit Luke 8:15; Colossians 1:6

4. To prevent apostasy

Hebrews 2:1-3 “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every trespass and disobedience received a just penalty, 3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? That salvation, first spoken by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard,”

5. To avoid rejection and condemnation Matthew 10:14-15; Acts 13:44-49; Matthew 12:41-42

iii. The principle of measure remains the same! Mark 4:24-25

1. “With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you,”

2. “To you who listen, more will be given.”

3. “For whoever has, to him more will be given.”

4. “But whoever does not have, even what little he has will be taken away from him.”

For those willing to dig deep into the word, devote time to reading, studying, listening, and using that which the Lord has given them in accordance with their abilities to serve Him, they will be richly blessed.

You get what you put in!

As with data processing in college, garbage in equals garbage out.

However much you put into the Word of God, that is the same measure you will receive in your life.

James 4:9a “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded…”

CONCLUSION

“You get out of something what you put into it.”

No one receives a reward for something they never invested in. You cannot pick up a check from a business where you don’t work. You cannot get a degree from a university you never attended.

It is for this very reason some get very little out of religion, faith, and the bible. Many will complain about their lives, relationships, jobs, etc., while putting very little into the word of God.

· They have little interest in spiritual matters

· They make little effort to learn what the bible says

· Their interest in spiritual things declines over time to the point where they may still call themselves followers of Christ while living in opposition to the word of God, prioritizing their own interests, ignoring His word, and remaining spiritual infants, if spiritual at all.

Yet Jesus promises to those willing to “Take heed what you hear!” or, in a modern tongue, “Listen! Take note of what you’re hearing.”

· With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you

· To you who listen, more will be given

· For whoever has, to him more will be given

This is why some stagnate in spiritual immaturity while others continue to grow spiritually. Their faith is refreshed and renewed daily (2 Corinthians 4:16)

So, along with Jesus, I offer the warning from Mark 4:23

“Anyone who can understand, pay attention!”

NEXT WEEK: “Part 23: Are You Taking Heed?”

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Sunday, June 29, 2025

Gospel of Mark Part 22: Parable of the Four Soils