016 LISTEN! – part 1

Mark 4:1-34 (1-9)

February 8, 2026

Most recently we talked about followers of Jesus.

We noted that there are two distinct kingdoms at work and that they are not compatible.

· One is darkness, the other is light.

· One is evil, the other is righteousness.

· You cannot be in both.

That one verse sermon of Jesus

In the opening chapter of Mark’s gospel has proven essential.

Mark 1:15 “and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

This has been the call of Jesus.

Leave the kingdom of Satan and enter the kingdom of God.

And some have.

· They were chosen by Christ.

· They came to Christ.

· They were commissioned by Christ.

· They believed He was who He said He was.

· They believed He could do what He said He could do.

· And when He called them to follow, they followed.

But others have not followed.

We saw the scribes who would not concede to the truths about Him.

· Instead, they attributed His power to Satan

· And dismissed Him as a demon possessed man.

· Jesus said that blasphemy like that is an eternal sin and you cannot be saved

while committing it.

We saw others His mother and brothers who thought Him insane and wanted to arrest Him and take Him back home away from His ministry.

· They thought that because of their genetic bloodline they had some sort of

claim on Jesus, and they did not.

· Jesus emphasized that it is those who have followed Him who are His mother

and brothers and sisters.

· It is those who have conformed to the will of God by believing in Him who are in

the kingdom.

That passage had some intense warnings.

That passage contained emphatic truth.

Well, what was stated emphatically in chapter 3

Is now put into practice in chapter 4.

Here we see that ONCE AGAIN a crowd will gather.

ONCE AGAIN Jesus will preach.

BUT THIS TIME He will preach a sermon

That most of them will not be able to understand.

He’ll preach in a parable which has a concealed meaning.

The point of the sermon will not be obvious.

He will purposely keep them from understanding.

WHY?

(4:12) “so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.”

There is no way around it, that is a harsh reality.

Jesus said that He concealed truth

So that they would see it, but not understand it.

AND HERE IS THE REASON JESUS GIVES.

1. You must understand the truth for it to benefit you.

2. If they understand it, there is a chance they might believe it.

3. If they believe it, they will act on it.

4. Acting on it would cause them to return and be forgiven.

5. And so Jesus hid the truth.

WAIT! WHAT?!?

You’re telling me that Jesus is purposely hiding truth from people?

DOES THAT SHOCK YOU?

DOES THAT HIT YOU SIDEWAYS?

Can I remind you again of what Jesus just said:

Mark 3:28-30 “Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Did we suppose that Jesus was only joking there?

Did we suppose that He didn’t mean what He said?

REJECTING THE REVEALED TRUTH IS NO SMALL THING.

We read it twice last week when discussing this sin of blasphemy,

Let me show you the text again and then take it a bit further.

Hebrews 6:4-6 “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

Hopefully you’ve got a handle on that one now.

It’s NOT about losing your salvation,

It’s about wasting your opportunity to be saved.

· It is no small thing for the Spirit of God to come and enlighten you.

· It is no small thing for the Spirit of God to let you taste the heavenly gift.

· It is no small thing for the Spirit of God to convict you.

· It is no small thing for the Spirit of God to let you taste God’s good words.

· It is no small thing for the Spirit of God to show you His power.

If He does and you throw it back in His face, salvation cannot be obtained

I mean listen to what the writer said earlier in the letter.

Hebrews 2:1-4 “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.”

That’s the problem, how will we escape if we neglect salvation?

It’s what the writer said again later:

Hebrews 10:29-31 “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Rejecting God’s revealed truth is dangerous.

Or like he’ll say again later:

Hebrews 12:25 “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.”

It’s everywhere.

But go back to that Hebrews 6 passage again.

· The writer said when someone is enlightened and rejects it,

· They are in effect crucifying Christ all over again

· And it is impossible to renew them to repentance.

And you say, “Why?”

Is it just because they are that stubborn?

Are you saying it’s impossible to renew them to repentance

Because they are just beyond humbling?

NO, that’s not why.

Hebrews 6:7-8 “For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.”

The writer of Hebrews compares it to ground.

· Ground which takes the rain that falls and puts it to use receives a blessing,

· But ground that refuses the rain and refuses to produce, is cursed and inevitably burned.

The reason the blasphemous heart cannot be brought to repentance is because God may stop offering truth.

THIS IS NO MINOR THING!

THAT IS PRECISELY WHAT WE SEE HERE!

Jesus warns against blasphemy in Mark 3

And by Mark 4 He is preaching a message that men cannot understand.

Do you see how serious this is?

Don’t ever take God’s truth or Christ’s call for granted, instead…LISTEN!

That’s what this NEXT SEGMENT in Mark’s gospel is about.

Now, to begin I want us to back up about 700 years.

TURN TO: ISAIAH

Let’s start in chapter 5.

I want to show you what Jesus is doing here with this sermon

It is easy to see when you get a handle on the ministry of Isaiah.

You need to understand that Isaiah, like Jesus,

Is preaching to blasphemers.

The Spirit of God has been preaching the truth to people through Isaiah.

And these people are rejecting it.

REMEMBER:

Isaiah 28:9-13 “To whom would He teach knowledge, And to whom would He interpret the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast? “For He says, ‘Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there.’ ” Indeed, He will speak to this people Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue, He who said to them, “Here is rest, give rest to the weary,” And, “Here is repose,” but they would not listen. So the word of the Lord to them will be, “Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there,” That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive.”

They start mocking Isaiah and so God says,

“Fine, next time you hear the truth it will be indistinguishable to you.”

WHY? “That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive.”

God will hide the truth from those blasphemers

So that they will receive the penalty of their blasphemy.

Do you remember chapter 5; that song of the vineyard?

The vineyard that God did everything imaginable for and yet it still produced worthless grapes?

(READ 5:1-4)

Like the writer of Hebrews said,

That is ground that received God’s rain and did nothing with it.

So what will God do to it?

(READ 5:5-6)

God is going to judge that worthless vineyard.

But here’s the question: HOW?

TURN TO: ISAIAH 6

This is the famous commissioning chapter of Isaiah.

· In Isaiah 6, Isaiah takes a break in the action of preaching to reveal why His message has been so intense.

· He is revealing why His preaching has been so direct and confrontational.

DO YOU REMEMBER THE REASON?

It is because Isaiah saw the Lord!

Once Isaiah saw the Lord,

He saw the uselessness of the systematic religion of his day.

Isaiah had been the prophet with unclean lips.

Unclean lips indicated a phony heart.

Isaiah 29:13 “Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,”

· Isaiah had been a phony and a fraud.

· He was a hypocrite.

· He, like the rest of Israel, only went through the motions.

And one day Isaiah casually entered the temple,

But was not ready for what he would see.

(READ: 6:1-5)

God revealed Himself to Isaiah, and Isaiah was overcome.

Isaiah repented, and God forgave him and cleansed him.

(READ: 6:6-7)

That stone is a picture of Christ.

· Isaiah was forgiven.

· He was atoned for.

· His hypocrisy had been removed.

And then God issued a commission to Isaiah.

(READ 6:8)

AND THEN COMES THE WILD PART.

God explained the purpose of the message

Which Isaiah would preach to these stubborn blasphemers.

(READ: 6:9-10)

I hope you recognize that.

It is the same verse Jesus quoted when asked why He spoke a sermon that no one could understand.

Incidentally, those two verses are

The most quoted Old Testament verses in the New Testament.

(Matthew 13:14; Mark 4:12; Mark 8:17-19; Luke 8:18;

John 9:39-41; John 12:40; Acts 28:26; Romans 11:8)

God’s commission to Isaiah is what Jesus quotes

As an explanation for His preaching a concealed message.

LOOK AT WHAT GOD TOLD ISAIAH.

· He DIDN’T TELL Isaiah to go and reveal truth to the people.

· He TOLD Isaiah to go and bind them up in their blindness.

· He was to render their hearts insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim.

· Otherwise they might understand and return and be healed.

Did Isaiah cause his generation to be condemned?

NO

In fact Isaiah preached a lot of great salvation sermons.

· Anyone read Isaiah 53, all about the atoning Savior?

How about:

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.”

How about:

Isaiah 55:1 “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost.”

How about:

Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Clearly Isaiah offered salvation, just as Jesus continually did.

Isaiah did not condemn them,

They were condemned by reason of their sinful stubbornness.

The same can be said for Jesus.

John 3:17-19 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”

Jesus didn’t condemn them either.

Men were condemned already.

So what was Isaiah doing in this mission?

· Isaiah’s preaching bound up his listeners under their sin.

· Isaiah’s preaching exposed their blasphemous hearts.

· Isaiah’s preaching confirmed their lack of belief.

Isaiah’s preaching didn’t save them,

It justified and, in a way, intensified their condemnation.

They were accountable to the truth for Isaiah had surely proclaimed it.

But they were not redeemed, for their eyes were prevented from seeing it.

IT WAS A JUDGMENT FROM GOD

Upon men who refused to listen to the truth when God revealed it.

And now you understand what Jesus is doing here in Mark 4.

IT IS THE SAME THING.

Jesus is binding up blasphemers under their sin.

· He had come and preached the gospel.

· He had called them to repent and believe it.

· He had promised forgiveness.

· He had promised salvation.

· He had demonstrated His power to save.

But instead of believing that Jesus

Was sent from God to save sinners and usher in God’s kingdom,

They accused Him of having a demon and rejected His salvation.

THAT IS NO SMALL SIN.

It is an eternal sin.

Jesus is revealing that here as He preaches to this crowd.

NOW, BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER,

Again I want to sort of send the feelers out and see how that hits you?

Does that hit you sideways?

Does it offend your sense of right and wrong?

Does something in you cry out that this is unfair?

In our fallenness we often have difficulty appreciating the justice of God.

BUT LET ME ASK:

· Does it not seem wrong that man would rebel against God in the garden?

· Does it not seem wrong that God spared him then?

· Does it not seem wrong that God would condescend to take on human flesh to

come and save sinners?

· Does it not seem wrong that He would offer forgiveness to His enemies?

· Does it not seem wrong that even though He would come they would still reject

and revile Him and accuse Him of having a demon?

The reality is, that God is merciful and willing to save sinners,

But He does not owe them salvation.

When men reject God’s merciful offer of salvation,

He is under no contract or obligation to save them anyway.

He has every right to revoke His offer and judge them as sinners.

Hebrews 10:31 “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

DON’T FORGET THAT.

So as we embark upon this next segment in Mark’s gospel

And we are told emphatically to “Listen!”

NOW YOU UNDERSTAND HOW SERIOUS THIS IS.

God doesn’t speak just to hear Himself talk.

When God speaks He expects to be listened to.

Failure to listen brings about wrath,

And can even bring about an inability to ever hear His truth again.

WE ARE NOT MESSING AROUND HERE.

I know that is a lengthy introduction, but I want to make sure

You understand just how serious this issue is.

So let’s begin looking at our text.

#1 THE PROBLEM WITH TRUTH

Mark 4:1-9

I title this point “The Problem With Truth” but I do want to explain that.

There’s nothing wrong with truth in and of itself…obviously.

We learn in Scripture that truth is incredibly valuable.

John 8:32 “and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

TRUTH IS VALUABLE.

It is in fact the truth of the gospel that saves, sanctifies, and sets free.

BUT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH TRUTH,

AND THAT PROBLEM ARISES WHEN YOU REJECT IT.

We remember the parable of Jesus about judgment.

Luke 12:47-48 “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”

TRUTH EXPECTS TO BE RECEIVED.

When one hears the truth and responds it gives eternal blessings, But when one refuses the truth, it only intensifies the judgment.

Those who rejected the gospel will stand before God as sinners,

And as sinners who knew better. Their judgment will be more severe.

That is the problem with truth.

The same truth that saves can also intensify judgment.

AND WE WILL SEE THAT HERE.

Notice how this text begins.

(1) “He began to teach again by the sea.”

Take special notice of that word “again”.

This is NOT the first sermon.

· We remember Jesus preaching in the synagogue before the demon cried out.

· We remember Jesus preaching in the house before the paralytic was lowered.

· We remember Jesus preaching in the synagogue before the man with the withered hand was healed.

Do you remember when the crowd all showed up at Peter’s house?

Mark 1:37-39 “they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.”

Jesus has been preaching…ALOT.

When we saw the summary of His ministry we read:

Mark 3:7-9 “Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and also from Judea, and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great number of people heard of all that He was doing and came to Him. And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the crowd, so that they would not crowd Him;”

JESUS HAS BEEN PREACHING

But Mark revealed that

The crowd was enamored with miracles, not preaching.

This necessitated Jesus preaching from a boat in the sea.

It was the only way He could keep the crowds off of Him long enough to preach.

· The crowd wanted miracles.

· The crowd wanted healing.

· They were not especially interested in preaching.

The point is, this is NOT A NEW CROWD.

This is a crowd that has heard, and rejected.

MARK DOESN’T INCLUDE IT,

But Matthew adds an account during this segment that is helpful.

After that warning about blasphemy, Matthew goes on:

Matthew 12:38-42 “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. “The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”

They are not listening.

Regarding Capernaum specifically, Jesus had said:

Matthew 11:23-24 “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

These are not ignorant people.

They are blasphemous people.

But here Jesus is preaching to them “AGAIN by the sea.”

And, as we would expect, He has had to pull out into the water

Just to be able to get a word in edgewise to them.

“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.”

But what we notice is that

THE FOCUS OF HIS MESSAGE HAS SHIFTED.

Earlier it was “Repent and believe in the gospel”

Here the sermon has taken on a different feel.

(2-3a) “And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, Listen to this!”

Actually it is just one word, “Listen!”

THIS IS THE FLAW.

This is the problem. They don’t listen.

That is why you also get statements from Jesus like this:

· (9) “And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

· (23) “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Or Mark’s obvious focus throughout this segment.

· (9) “And He was saying…”

· (11) “And He was saying…”

· (21) “And He was saying…”

· (24) “And He was saying…”

YOU SEE THE FOCUS DON’T YOU?

Jesus is speaking and they aren’t listening.

SO PICTURE THE SCENE.

· Jesus has something to say.

· In order to say it, He has gotten into a boat and pulled away from the crowd.

· He is not working miracles right now, He is preaching.

· And He starts His sermon by saying, “Listen!”

There should have been a hush come over the crowd.

This is significant.

Jesus has something to say.

· How important this must be!

How essential this must be!

What is He going to say?

What great truth is He going to give us?

What essential piece of information are we about to receive?

WELL HERE IT IS:

(READ: Mark 4:3-9)

Jesus quieted the crowed and told them to listen,

And then gave them a story about farming.

SPECIFICALLY INSTRUCTION REGARDING WHY SEEDS DON’T GROW.

Have you ever tried to plant a seed?

Have you ever experienced a scenario where that seed failed to produce?

Well Jesus here gives you 3 reasons why seeds don’t grow.

He outlines 3 threats you face when you try to plant.

1) BIRDS (4)

“the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.”

If you tried to plant and your crop failed

You might consider that birds are your problem.

· It could be that your seed didn’t get covered well and the birds swooped down and ate it all before it had time to germinate.

THAT’S A PROBLEM.

If you want a successful garden then you’re going to have to learn

To protect your seed from the birds.

In our day we might add, worms, pigs, deer, weevils, and other pests,

But you get the point.

When seed lands on the hard soil and doesn’t get covered

The birds are going to pick you clean.

That’s one reason why seeds don’t grow.

2) SUN (5-6)

“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. “And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.”

The blame is placed on the sun here,

But we might as easily say it is drought.

If you planted, but got no crop, it might be that your crop lacked water.

· That seed needs water to germinate,

· But it also needs water to survive after it germinates.

· If the roots of your new plant can’t get water then the sun is going to destroy it.

So if you didn’t get any vegetables in your garden,

First you watch out for birds but then you take preparation for the sun.

That sun will roast that plant if it doesn’t get enough water.

That’s another reason why your crop didn’t make.

3) THORNS (7)

“Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.”

If you know your seed was covered and protected from birds,

And you know you had enough water for you crop,

BUT YOU STILL DIDN’T GET A CROP, THIS MIGHT BE WHY.

It might be that you had too many weeds or thorns growing in your field and they choked out your plant.

· Some thorns do it by stealing all the water.

· Some thorns do it by blocking out the sun.

· Some thorns literally choke out the plant by climbing and dragging it down.

So it might be that your field wasn’t clean enough

And it was the weeds that did it in your harvest.

Any of those 3 reasons will explain why your seed didn’t grow.

· You either have a bird problem.

· Or you have a sun/drought problem.

· Or you have a thorn problem.

And that’s why you obtained no harvest.

BUT IF YOU TAKE CARE OF ALL OF THOSE PROBLEMS

There is no reason why your garden can’t thrives.

(8) “Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

When you plant your seed “into the good soil”

· Where it is protected from the birds, the sun, and the thorns

· Then you can expect a harvest.

And an ever increasing one.

· As your plant grows the bigger it will get and the more fruit it will produce.

“as they grow up and increased”

· Your plant may start out producing thirty fold, and it may grow to sixty, even to a hundred fold as it matures.

THAT WAS THE IMPORTANT SERMON JESUS SAID TO LISTEN TO.

And if you have a strange look on your face

And you wonder why that was the sermon of Jesus,

Then you are getting the point.

It’s not that gardening tips aren’t appreciated.

It’s not that growing food isn’t important.

BUT LET’S BE HONEST, it’s NOT LIKE the gardening tips Jesus gave there were SOME NEW and unknown scientific breakthrough.

I doubt anyone thought this to be new information.

It is true, but was it worth Jesus pulling out into the sea and emphatically telling everyone to “Listen!”

But there was that one mysterious statement

Jesus made at the end of His speech.

(9) “And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

After He finished His lecture on threats to the seed,

He paused, looked us right in the eye, raised His eyebrow and said:

· “Do you hear what I’m saying?”

· “Are you understanding the point?”

It makes one think He wasn’t talking about farming,

But perhaps about something else.

BUT WHAT ON EARTH COULD IT BE?

· I know it’s important because He told us to “Listen!”

· But I don’t have any idea what He meant.

WHAT WE JUST REALIZED IS THAT

Jesus told this crowd something very important,

And it had nothing to do with farming.

· Jesus just gave eternal truth.

· Jesus just gave instruction regarding the kingdom.

· The problem is that no one had a clue what He was talking about in that regard.

· He was speaking, but it wasn’t clear.

WHY WOULD HE DO THAT?

Because when He had spoken clearly they had refused to listen.

Now He is speaking mysteriously as a judgment against them.

That is THE PROBLEM WITH TRUTH.

If you hear it and refuse to deal with it, you may lose your opportunity to ever hear it again.

I would strongly encourage you not to let it happen to you.

If God has been so gracious as to allow you to hear the truth,

Then by all means listen to it and do what it says.

How awful it would be to lose the ability to understand.