- Mark 4:21-29
Parables Lamp & Seeds
( “Consider carefully what you hear” / for harvest)
Loaded quote!
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21-25 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? 22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”
24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
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EARS ( see below- Deut thru Revelation )
2Chronicle 7:14 …14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
CONSIDER/ take heed / look
Carefully – def careful
What you hear
Illus : Nabeel’s 10th grade Islamic apologetics ( goal to dismantle Christian world view of Betsy saying:)
•. Bible changed too much
- Where does Jesus say he was God
- Could do No miracles in Galilee ( Mk)
- Woman touched him , he had no idea who it was who touched him
- A Man called him good, Jesus said he was not good. Only God is good.
How would you have done responding to that?
- Where does it say Jesus claimed to be God ?
John 8: 58 “I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!'” (John 8:58).
– Mark 5 (Woman touched him , he had no idea who it was who touched him)
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall..” Malachi 4:2
Mark 10
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.
ILLUS
United Negro College Fund
“ a mind is …..”
Christianity
“ a mind is ….. “
AVOID
2 Tim 2:23-26 foolish , stupid arguments
CONTEND
Jude 3
Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.
Contend – compete for a goal or prize
MEASURED
With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
Malcolm Gladwell’s theory 10,000 hours.
Vs 24 muscle and excerise I’d used.
If not, it wastes away…..
Spiritually speaking, in the Kingdom of Heaven, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This is why Jesus says, “For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” Jesus is teaching us a spiritual truth about how well we receive Him and His Word. Those who respond in faith when they hear the Word of God – those who believe and obey – will be rewarded with greater grace and faith in their lives. Those who have heard the Word of God and either do not believe or do not obey will begin to grow farther away from God.
CONSIDER CAREFULLY
How WELL do we listen?
QUANTITY OF INVESTMENT
How MUCH are we invested in
what we learn?
What kind of effort do we put
forth?
ILLUS : Evolution & Nabeel’s (Islam)
Authority & endoctrination
vs.
careful scrutiny.
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# of times – 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Ears to hear:
Deuteronomy 29 – covenant renewal
“Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes tosee but do not see and ears tohear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.
In Context| Full Chapter| Other Translations
Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears tohear, let them hear.”
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If anyone has ears tohear, let them hear.”
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Do you have eyes but fail tosee, and ears but fail tohear? And don’t you remember?
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Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears tohear, let them hear.”
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It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “Whoever has ears tohear, let them hear.”
In Context| Full Chapter| Other Translations
as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, tothis very day.”
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For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers tosay what their itching ears want tohear.
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Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says tothe churches. Tothe one who is victorious, I will give the right toeat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
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Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says tothe churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
In Context| Full Chapter| Other Translations
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says tothe churches. Tothe one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only tothe one who receives it.
ILLUS – power of “authority” based information and its inherent weakness.
Interesting that Godly advise is for us to be CONSIDER CAREFULLY. Not shut up and just believe…