Hearing God Mountain Life Church/Life Pack/June 29, 2014
Hearing God Sermon Notes June 29, 2014 I. The Pivotal Parable A. The key to all the parables 1. How do I receive truth 2. Do I believe the Bible is truth? 3. Do I act on what I know, or is it just information? B. The spirit of stupor 1. An untilled heart 2. Most Jews of Jesus day thought they were Heaven bound 3. Most Americans today think they are Heaven bound 4. The evidence of stupor a. I can t hear God s voice b. Religion is basically a system, not a relationship c. The Bible is stale d. I m not growing spiritually, nor am I influencing others for the kingdom II. The Key to the Parable A. The Sower - anyone who brings good news B. The Seed - the key... The Word of Truth C. The Soils - hearts of people v.11 12: Did Jesus really speak in parables to hide the kingdom from those outside? According to the context here, yes and no. Proper listening is the theme that connects the parables in chapter 4, and Jesus spoke in parables to distinguish between anyone who has ears to hear (v. 9; that is, those with responsive hearts) and those who do not. He knew His parables would have opposite effects on those ready to listen and those not ready. He therefore implied an element of culpability in the audience (see Mt 13:14). To those who have ears to hear, more revelation of the kingdom will be given, but to those who do not have ears to hear, even what revelation they have been given will be taken away, or will prove ineffective (Mk 4:25). The quote in verse 12 is from Isaiah 6. Concealing the message came in response to the people s repeated, prolonged hardening, but the end of Isaiah 6 nevertheless promises that a remnant would repent and return. Jesus preaching reveals the good earth as well as the bad. One knows something is good earth simply because it bears fruit. In contrast to the bad soil, good soil hears rightly. Gundry draws out the vital differences. The good hearer welcomes the word immediately so that it cannot be snatched away by Satan. The good hearer welcomes it deeply so that it is not withered by persecution. The good hearer welcomes it exclusively so that other concerns do not strangle it. As the seed fails in three different ways in the bad soils, it succeeds in three different ways in good soil; but the parable and interpretation do not expand on the reasons for this varying success. III.The four soils A. The Road 1. Hard, stubborn heart 2. Does not receive the Word 3. Birds (demons) steal the word immediately 4. External influence steals the word 2 19
Mark 4: 1-20 Mark Kang Commentary v.1: In this section we see Jesus making a new departure. He was no longer teaching in the synagogue; he was teaching by the lakeside. He had made the orthodox approach to the people; now he had to take unusual methods. We do well to note that Jesus was prepared to use new methods. He was willing to take religious preaching and teaching out of its conventional setting in the synagogue into the open air and among the crowds of ordinary men and women. v.2: The parable was the most common and distinctive form of teaching employed by Jesus. He used parables not simply to illustrate spiritual truth but to provoke reflection and decision. His parables confronted his hearers with a challenge to submit themselves to the reign of God. In fact, the parables in Mark 4 tell what the kingdom of God is like (vv. 11, 26, 30). B. The Rocky Soil 1. Receive the truth with joy 2. No firm root, but only temporary 3. Persecution makes it unfruitful 4. External influence steals the word C. The Thorny Soil 1. Grows well for a time 2. Thorns grow up a. Cares of this world b. Deceitfulness of riches c. Desire for other things 3. Internal influence chokes out the word (internal desires) D. The Good Soil 1. Receives the word 2. Accepts the word 3. Supernatural fruit a. Internal fruit (fruits of the Holy Spirit) b. External fruit (Influence for the kingdom) v.4 8: The parable is true to what is known about ancient Palestinian agriculture. Unlike the modern method, the seed was sown first and then plowed under. The sower held it in an apron with one hand and broadcast it with the other. It was inevitable that some would fall upon the hardened path through the field, some where the soil was too shallow, and some among thorns as well as on good ground. The stones and thistles that to this day infest Palestinian fields are legendary. Only one element in the parable is unusual, the superabundant harvest in v. 8. Because of the primitive agricultural methods, an average harvest in ancient Palestine was probably no more than seven or eight times the amount of seed sown, and a good harvest probably was about ten. 18 3
Life Group Questions for June 29, 2014 Message = Hearing God Ice Breaker: Can you think of a funny story where you or a friend thought they heard something, but were very mistaken? Read Mark 4:1-20 1. What impacts you about this passage? 2. After you read verses 11-12, does it seem Jesus purposely hides truth from the crowds so they will not repent? 3. Have a few people read: Isaiah 6: 9, Isaiah 43: 8, Jeremiah 5: 21, Ezekiel 12: 2, and Romans 11: 8. Do these verses help you understand the historical context of Mark 4: 11-12? 4. See if anyone can share a story about someone who did not receive the word whatsoever as with the seed that hits the road and the birds steal the word. 5. Have you ever known someone who received the word with joy, but then fell away soon afterwards? How did it make you feel? 6. Can you tell what is different from the third (thorny) soil compared to the first two kinds of soil? (Answer: The thorns grow up inside of a person with wrong desires whereas the other two soils are lost due to outside influences.) 7. Randy talked about the supernatural yield of the good soil. Have you seen this kind of yield in your own life? 8. Pray for one another. IV.And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors A. Acknowledge my sin and thank God for forgiving me through Jesus sacrifice on the cross B. Forgive and release others for their sins against me 1. Acknowledge that someone sinned against me and hurt me 2. Give the memory of the violation to God 3. Cut them loose from all debt they owe me 4. Acknowledge that bitterness has NO HOLD on me 5. Lavish love on them and pray for God to bless them V. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil A. Put on the whole armor of God (Put on the Lord Jesus Christ) 1. The belt of truth (Mentally accept God s truth over lies I have been hearing) 2. Breastplate of righteousness (Thank Jesus for giving me His righteousness which enables me to boldly enter His presence) 3. Shoes of preparation (readiness) of the Gospel of peace (Take time to digest the scriptures - committing them to memory) 4. Shield of faith (Step out on God s truth for my situation) 5. Helmet of salvation (Thank God that He has saved me and remember that I am different than the world. Satan has no power over me except the power I give him by believing lies.) 6. Sword of the Spirit (Apply the Word to the lies I hear, and the situations I find myself in today.) B. Run to the Lord for protection (You are my refuge, my fortress, my God in whom I trust!) 1. I set my mind on things above, not on things of the earth 2. God has set His love upon me 3. He knows my name and will never leave me or forsake me VI.For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever A. Make your faith declarations B. Return to praise 4 This outline inspired by Henry Blackaby & Larry Lea 17
Prayer Guide I. Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your Name A. Picture Calvary and thank God you can call Him Father by virtue of the blood of Jesus B. Hallow (lift Him above everything in your life) the names of God corresponding with the five benefits in the New Covenant and make your faith declarations Benefit Sanctify Spirit Soundness Success Security Name Jehovah-Tsidkenu Jehovah-M Kaddesh Jehovah-Shalom Jehovah-Shammah Jehovah-Rophe Jehovah-Jireh Jehovah-Nissi Jehovah-Rohi Meaning Jehovah our righteousness Jehovah who sanctifies Jehovah is peace Jehovah is there Jehovah heals Jehovah provides Jehovah my banner Jehovah my shepherd Personal Devotion Pages The following pages are designed to help you enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom. LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God. BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol: INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol: II. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done (God, what are you doing? How can I (others) get in on what You are doing?) A. Myself Give me awareness of how to meet others needs today I choose to take the initiative to love others B. My family (spouse, children, other family members) C. My church (pastor, other leadership, faithfulness of people, the harvest) D. My nation (city, state, and national political and spiritual leaders, the harvest) III.Give us this day our daily bread A. Believe that God desires to provide for me B. Be specific C. Be tenacious D. Talk openly about my worries and give them to Him E. Today s needs - Tomorrow will care for itself ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their relationship with Him. These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a regular basis. There are no rules here. Please don t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming. Enjoy! 16 This outline inspired by Henry Blackaby & Larry Lea 5
Day One Day Five 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. But the good soil represents those who hear and accept God s message and produce a huge harvest--thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted. ~Mark 4:20, NLT 2. Slowly read Mark 4: 1-20. 3. Do you hear God s voice on a regular basis? If not, why do you think you do not hear Him? Memorize James 1: 19. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight into the meaning of this verse. Memorize James 1: 19-22. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight into the meaning of this passage. Memorize James 1: 19-25. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight into the meaning of these passages. The key word in this verse is accept. In America, the great majority of us have heard God s message, His Word. But how many of us hear it AND ACCEPT IT? The evidence that I ve accepted it is fruitfulness. I believe that we bear two kinds of fruit: inner and outer. Inner fruit is the fruit of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5. It s the character of God. It s when I begin to experience true growth in my character. I grow in love, joy, peace, patience, and all the rest. Such fruit is contagious - people like what they see and desire it for themselves. Outer fruit is kingdom influence I have on others. It s when I see my co-worker come to know Jesus because he sees the inner fruit of my life and then believes the message of Jesus that I convey to him in a loving way. Outer fruit is what I see when others are encouraged and edified by the inner fruit exhibited in my life. Outer fruit is change in others because of my genuine acceptance of God s word in my life. Do I see genuine fruitfulness in my life? I can t fake fruit. I either have it or I don t. What hinders me from bearing fruit? What keeps me from true transformation and influence? Father, I open my heart to You. Show me if I truly have born fruit in my life. 6 15
Day Five 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Read Mark 4 again today. 3. Ask God to show you the inner and outer fruit you have been bearing lately. Day One And he said, Go, and say to this people:! Keep on hearing, but do not understand;! keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Jesus arrived at the scene in Israel after a long history of rebellion against God. Their history is replete with generation after generation seeking after foreign gods. Even when God s prophets warned them of their sin, they killed or persecuted the prophets! ~Isaiah 6:9 The Israel of Jesus day was much more oriented at Yahweh worship, yet their worship was hollow and rules oriented, not winsome and relationally oriented. To God (and to Jesus), their religion was no closer to Him than it was in the days of Israel s kings when idolatry was common. Since the time of the prophets, God has told His people that though they have ears, they cannot hear His voice. Three of the major prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel each say similar words about their people. They have ears to hear, but their stubborn hearts keep them from hearing. 4. Finish your Bible memorization today. Hearing Him comes with a repentant, softened heart. God is a spirit and we hear Him with our heart. Father, grant me a willing spirit. Give me a desire to do whatever You ask with joy and gladness. Forgive me for wanting to do things my way. I want to know Your secrets O God! 14 7
Day Two 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Slowly and carefully read Mark 4: 1-20 again today. 3. Meditate on what impacts you about this passage. 4. Pray for people you know who have a hard time hearing God s voice. 5. Continue memorizing and meditating on the scriptures for this week. Day Four The thorny ground represents those who hear and accept the Good News, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for nice things, so no crop is produced. ~Mark 4:18, 19, NLT On day 3, we talked about Jesus looking for those with willing hearts. This parable tells us that there are enemies of willingness, just as there are enemies of fruitfulness in the farmer s field. For three types of the soils, something keeps the seed from becoming fruitful. As Jesus mentions the soils, each seed sown grows a little more than the last. The first soil prevents the seed from even growing. The second seed grows for only a short time, but persecution BECAUSE OF THE WORD causes a stunted growth and subsequent unfruitfulness. The third soil, that which is full of choking thorns, allows the seed to grow, but chokes it out and prevents fruitfulness. Jesus said, When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father (John 15: 8). The enemy of my heart wishes one thing for me. He desires for me to be unfruitful. If people are unfruitful with the things of God, then others will never grasp the truth of God s love. O God! Show me where I ve allowed the enemy of my heart to keep me from being fruitful. Make me a fruitful person, full of Your glory and full of Your spirit! 8 13
Day Four 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Slowly read all of Mark 4 today. Do you think the other parables in the passage go along with the first one? Write down what you see in common with all the parables in this chapter. Day Two Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. Jesus tells the story of a farmer, something almost every listener could relate to in a very practical way. In our culture today, few of us are involved in agrarian lifestyles. Yet, the story still relates. ~Mark 4:3, NLT 3. Ask the Lord to show you anything that keeps you from bearing fruit. 4. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. The parable is primarily a sad story. Of the four kinds of soil upon which a seed is sown, only one of them receives the seed, grows, and bears fruit. If the soils are hearts, we find most of the hearts on God s blue planet to be hard, rocky, and strewn with thorns. The majority of people will not receive the word and will fail to grow in a real relationship with God. They may look spiritual, just like the Jews of the first century looked spiritual, but they were far from God. If we are going to hear this story with the sobriety meant for us to hear it, we must not think we are a shoe-in for a ride to heaven. Jesus hides the meaning of the parable from the majority of the people. Even then, His disciples are clueless of its meaning as well. As a race of people, spiritual things come hard to us. Even the apostles needed Jesus to give commentary. Jesus must have looked in sad awe at His creation that had fallen so low since the sin of Adam. Sin had completely dulled their capacity to know and hear God. 12 9
Day Three 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Meditate on Mark 4: 11-13. 3. Bring at least three friends or loved ones to the Lord and ask Him to bring them to repentance and faith. Ask Him to show you how you can boldly love them and speak the words of Jesus into their lives. Day Three Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand! ~Mark 4:9, NLT Jesus repeats the above statement throughout chapter 4 of Mark several times. When Jesus repeats this statement, it means He is extremely serious about them. They are truth that must be meditated on, sucked on, contemplated, and indubitably obeyed. The key word here is willing. Am I willing to hear? When I was young, my mother would say, Go upstairs and clean your room! I would typically respond with a grunt. My mother would come back and say, Did you hear me? I would respond with, Of course I heard you! But she would say, You heard me, but you didn t HEAR ME! The Greek word for hear carries with it the added action of obey. For the first century Greek speakers, you could not hear without obeying. Obedience was the natural result of truly hearing. 4. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. My mother apparently understood the thinking of the ancient Greeks. She, too, thought that if I was going to hear her, I would follow and obey! I think Jesus had the same philosophy. Willingness separates people. The disciples were chosen not because they were spiritually mature, or even spiritually astute. They were not chosen because of their natural goodness. They were chosen because they were willing. Jesus... I am willing. 10 11