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HOW ARE YOU HEARING JESUS?

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” — Mark 4:9
“Pay attention to what you hear.” — Mark 4:24

 

  1. A HEART THAT REFUSES THE TRUTH

“How can Satan cast out Satan?” — Mark 3:23

The scribes saw the work of God and called it the work of Satan.

“No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.” — Mark 3:27

The Unforgivable Sin — Mark 3:29–30
Their problem was not insufficient evidence. Their problem was a hardened heart. A heart can repeatedly resist truth until resistance becomes its settled posture.

 

  1. THE FAMILY JESUS CREATES

Mark 3:31–35

“Whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” — Mark 3:35

 

  1. FOUR HEARTS AND ONE SEED
  2. THE HARDENED HEART — Mark 4:15
    They hear, but Satan takes away the Word. Beware of becoming so familiar with Scripture that your response becomes: “I've heard that before.”

 

  1. THE SHALLOW HEART — Mark 4:16–17
    Receives the Word with joy but has no root. Trouble comes and they fall away. Roots grow through difficulty.
  2. THE CROWDED HEART — Mark 4:18–19
    “The cares of the world…deceitfulness of riches…and desires for other things.”
    We can become so busy living that we forget why we are alive.
  3. THE RECEPTIVE HEART — Mark 4:20
    They hear the Word, receive it, and bear fruit—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, a hundredfold.

 

  1. DON'T HIDE THE LIGHT

Mark 4:21–25

“Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket…?” — Mark 4:21
Light is intended to shine. Truth is intended to be revealed.

 

  1. THE KINGDOM GROWS EVEN WHEN YOU CAN'T SEE IT

Mark 4:26–29

“The seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.” — Mark 4:27

The farmer plants. He waits. God gives the growth.

You cannot see everything God is doing beneath the soil. The kingdom often grows quietly, imperceptibly, gradually—until something breaks through the surface.

Your job is to faithfully sow the seed. God handles the harvest.

  1. NEVER DESPISE A SMALL BEGINNING

Mark 4:30–34

The mustard seed begins tiny but grows dramatically.

Bethlehem looked small.
A manger looked insignificant.
Twelve disciples didn't look like much.
A cross looked like defeat.
An empty tomb changed everything.

Never underestimate what God can do with something small placed in His hands.

CONCLUSION — WHAT KIND OF SOIL AM I?