Check Your Heart, Part 2
Mark 4:1-25
Message #12
Last week we did "Check Your Heart Part 1". If you have not heard that message, it would be good to go back and listen, watch or read that message on the wordbymail phone app.
Today, Check Your Heart Part 2, where we finish looking at the Parable of the Sower and we finish looking at the deep truth of why Jesus taught in parables. There are some challenging verses in today’s message, so hold on tight. Let’s get ready to “check our heart” again.
Remember, from last week, in Mark 4:1, Jesus takes a radical shift in how he teaches the crowds that are chasing him around, and he begins teaching them in parables. We explained that a parable is taking a deep spiritual truth and “placing it alongside” an easily understood truth.
And then we dove into Jesus’ first parable in Mark: The Parable of the Sower and the Seed. That parable started in Mark 4:3 and described four types of soil that a farmer’s seed will fall on. You’ll have to go back to part one to get all the details on that. But just to catch you up, in Mark 4:14, Jesus explains this first parable so everyone will know how the parables work. And he says the seed is God’s Word and the soil condition represents the condition of our heart.
And Jesus says the condition of our heart toward God’s truth is like one of four soils.
1) Hard-Packed Soil
where the enemy can easily SNATCH it away
2) Shallow Soil
where the Word of God cannot take root
3) Thorny Soil
where the things of this world - CHOKE OUT God’s Word
4) Fertile Soil
where God’s Word will bring Real Eternal FRUIT
Again, you have to go back to Part One for all that. But the real deep truth that we tried to clearly explain last week was this: The condition of your heart toward God’s Word determines your ability to receive God’s Word.
Jesus makes it abundantly clear in this parable the condition of your heart is what determines your ability to receive God’s Word.
And then we kind of skipped over verses 10-13 last week because we were saving those verses for this week. Jesus had taught this parable to the crowd, and then in verse 10, the Disciples ask Jesus what the parables meant. But he answers them by telling them why he teaches in parables and this is what we really want to get to today (for Part 2).
Mark 4:10–11(A) (NLT)
10 Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.
11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God . . .
Now, remember, the deep truth of the parable is the condition of your heart toward God’s Word determines your ability to receive God’s Word.
So, when Jesus says to the Twelve, along with the other believers who were there, verse 11(a) “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God . . . he’s not saying they have something special. He’s not saying they are something special. He’s saying they have hearts to receive the truths of the Kingdom of God.
We know that Jesus is saying that because he contrasts it with those whose hearts are hardened and closed to the truths of God in Mark 4:11(b)
Mark 4:11(B)-12 (NLT)
11(B) . . . But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders,
12 so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: ‘When they see what I do, they will learn nothing. When they hear what I say, they will not understand. Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven.’”
And then we read in Mark 4:13,
Mark 4:13 (NLT)
13 Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables?
It’s very critical to understand the solemn warning in these verses and to understand the warning. We’ve got to understand the context these verses were written in. Jesus is quoting from Isaiah Chapter 6, which is the “Calling of Isaiah.”
It’s a famous section of verses. It’s a really powerful, powerful vision that Isaiah got, but that was his calling from the Lord. That’s when the Lord called him to be a prophet. And if you remember it (if not go back and read it, it’s really good), Isaiah said, how can I do this? I am a man of unclean lips. I come from a people of unclean lips. And the angel takes the coal from the altar and touches his lips and cleanses him. Who will go for us? And this is the famous line… Isaiah says, “Here am I, send me.” This is a famous scripture. But, here’s what the Lord does when he speaks to Isaiah about his prophetic calling, he uses these verses.
And he tells Isaiah, Listen. Go and tell the people, but when you do, they’re going to reject you, and they’re going to reject me.
Here’s the background to Isaiah. For 250 years, plus or minus, Israel had been on a steady spiritual decline since Solomon took over for King David. For 250 years (for the most part), Israel’s heart had been growing harder and harder toward the Lord and toward his Word.
And Isaiah was called to prophesy both about the coming Messiah and about the judgment coming before the Messiah. The judgment that was coming for the “Judah part” (the Southern part) of the divided Kingdom of Israel was the exiling of God’s people to Babylon and the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.
But, the reason for that judgment was because the people’s hearts had grown so hard toward God, and they had become so rejecting of God’s Word that they could no longer hear or receive the Word of God.
And in these two verses that Jesus quotes in Mark 12, God is telling Isaiah that even though Isaiah is to call the people to repentance, God already knows they will reject both Isaiah and God. God already knows that their hearts are hardened beyond the ability to receive his Word.
Fast forward to Jesus in Mark 4, and Jesus is saying the same thing. I’m going to tell the people the parables, but I know the ones whose hearts are so hard that they are not able to receive God’s Word. Listen, this is a big deal.
God’s Word makes it clear there is a time when a person’s heart becomes so hard towards God, and their rejection of God becomes so ingrained that it becomes impossible for them to receive God’s Word and be saved. This is scary. It’s scary for us and scary for people we know.
And so, your question has to be how do I know when I’ve reached that point that I can no longer receive God’s Word and be saved. And the answer is simple – try it! Try right now to ask God to forgive you for your hard heart and your closed mind to his Word. Try right now to say, Lord Jesus, please take this hard heart from me and give me a heart that can receive your Word and save me from my sin.
And I promise you, if you can say that, right now, to God, then it is not too late for you, because God will hear your prayer and he will save you before it is too late.
Why were there two thieves on the other crosses with Jesus? Wasn’t it so that we could see what it looks like for one sinner to have a hard heart toward Jesus until the end and another sinner to suddenly have a receptive heart toward Jesus? You will always have the choice to receive God’s Word until you are no longer able to receive God’s Word.
I promise you, if you will sincerely ask God for a heart to be able to receive the truths of his Word, God will give you a heart to be able to receive the truths of his Word.
So, in verses 14-20, Jesus goes on to explain the parable (we went through that last week). Then in Mark 4:21, we pick up our focus today with Jesus “shedding light” on what the Disciples must’ve been thinking.
Jesus had just told the Disciples (and other believers) that only those with a “heart to receive” would be able to grasp the truths in his parables, and that may have been a hard thing for the Disciples to accept. And so, Jesus wants to make it clear; he is not hiding anything from anybody. Jesus came as the Light of the World. In John 8:12,
John 8:12 (NLT)
12 [Jesus said] . . . “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
Jesus came as the Light of the World so that all who followed him would have the light that leads to life. Maybe the Disciples were thinking Jesus should only share his words with people who already had a heart to receive his Word. But, in Mark 4:21, Jesus uses a mini-parable to explain that he came to let the light of the truth shine on every person.
Mark 4:21 (NLT)
21 Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.
It seems to me Jesus is saying I came to shine the light of the truth of God on everyone, whether they will receive it or not. The light of the truth is not hidden for a select few. It’s meant to bring everything into the light.
God’s will is that all will come to repentance and be saved. The fact that he knows who will and won’t doesn’t change his desire that all would be. Look at the next verse, Mark 4:22.
Mark 4:22 (NLT)
22 For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.
Connect the two verses, 21 and 22. Jesus is saying, look, I am the Light of the World. I am putting the Light of Salvation on everyone. Some will receive, some will not based on the condition of their heart. But here’s one thing for sure. Eventually, everything will be brought into the open. Eventually, the light will remove all of the darkness.
Ultimately, the Light of the Truth will bring everything into the open, and every secret will be brought into the light. And then Jesus repeats what he often says at the beginning or end of his parables.
Mark 4:23 (NLT)
23 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
Jesus is life and death serious here because this is an eternal life and death issue, and he’s giving us every reason and no small warning to get us to have a heart to receive his Word. And so, he says again here in verse 23 If you have ears to hear – and a heart to receive, please - pay attention! Then he says it again in Mark 4:24.
Mark 4:24 (NLT)
24 Then he added (for emphasis), “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more.
Do you hear that? The closer you listen – the more understanding will be given.
Do you have ears to hear that? The closer you listen, the more understanding will be given and you’ll receive even more than you think. It’s conditioned upon your desire to receive or reject God’s Word. And then he says it again in verse 25 (for the third time).
Mark 4:25 (NLT)
25 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”
Is Jesus saying God will take it away from them? No. What will take it away from them? The cares of this world, the heat of the trials – you’ve got to go back to the context. We dealt with this verse last week. It’s an encouragement and a warning. If we have a heart to receive, then we will receive even more. If we have a heart to reject then even what little understanding we have will eventually be taken away from us.
The parables of Jesus will reveal to us the truths of the Kingdom of God. IF we will come with “ears to hear” and a “heart to receive.” And please hear me. If we don’t receive the life-changing power of the Words of Jesus, it’s not the seed’s fault. The problem is the soil. The problem is the condition of our heart. The parables are designed to help us check our heart and to help us acknowledge which heart we have.
One last thing. After we receive God’s Word into our heart, we’ve got to continue to tend the truth of God’s Word in our hearts just as a farmer tends a crop while it’s growing.
Listen, please. If seed falls on good soil but that farmer does not continue to tend to its growth, ultimately, that seed will be just as unfruitful as the seed that fell on the hardened footpath. Jesus refers to this truth in the seed that fell on shallow soil and the seed that fell among the thorns.
Don’t let that seedling of God’s Word die in your heart when the hot sun of trials rises over your life. And don’t let that seedling of God’s Word die in your heart when the thorns of this world start trying to choke the spiritual life out of you.
Tend to the seed of God’s Word that’s been planted in your heart and give God time to water and mature and grow the truths of his Word that you’ve received. And have absolute confidence that as you receive and tend the truths of God’s Word planted in your heart, God will see to it that your life will produce an eternal spiritual harvest.
Today, Check Your Heart Part 2, where we finish looking at the Parable of the Sower and we finish looking at the deep truth of why Jesus taught in parables. There are some challenging verses in today’s message, so hold on tight. Let’s get ready to “check our heart” again.
Remember, from last week, in Mark 4:1, Jesus takes a radical shift in how he teaches the crowds that are chasing him around, and he begins teaching them in parables. We explained that a parable is taking a deep spiritual truth and “placing it alongside” an easily understood truth.
And then we dove into Jesus’ first parable in Mark: The Parable of the Sower and the Seed. That parable started in Mark 4:3 and described four types of soil that a farmer’s seed will fall on. You’ll have to go back to part one to get all the details on that. But just to catch you up, in Mark 4:14, Jesus explains this first parable so everyone will know how the parables work. And he says the seed is God’s Word and the soil condition represents the condition of our heart.
And Jesus says the condition of our heart toward God’s truth is like one of four soils.
1) Hard-Packed Soil
where the enemy can easily SNATCH it away
2) Shallow Soil
where the Word of God cannot take root
3) Thorny Soil
where the things of this world - CHOKE OUT God’s Word
4) Fertile Soil
where God’s Word will bring Real Eternal FRUIT
Again, you have to go back to Part One for all that. But the real deep truth that we tried to clearly explain last week was this: The condition of your heart toward God’s Word determines your ability to receive God’s Word.
Jesus makes it abundantly clear in this parable the condition of your heart is what determines your ability to receive God’s Word.
And then we kind of skipped over verses 10-13 last week because we were saving those verses for this week. Jesus had taught this parable to the crowd, and then in verse 10, the Disciples ask Jesus what the parables meant. But he answers them by telling them why he teaches in parables and this is what we really want to get to today (for Part 2).
Mark 4:10–11(A) (NLT)
10 Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.
11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God . . .
Now, remember, the deep truth of the parable is the condition of your heart toward God’s Word determines your ability to receive God’s Word.
So, when Jesus says to the Twelve, along with the other believers who were there, verse 11(a) “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God . . . he’s not saying they have something special. He’s not saying they are something special. He’s saying they have hearts to receive the truths of the Kingdom of God.
We know that Jesus is saying that because he contrasts it with those whose hearts are hardened and closed to the truths of God in Mark 4:11(b)
Mark 4:11(B)-12 (NLT)
11(B) . . . But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders,
12 so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: ‘When they see what I do, they will learn nothing. When they hear what I say, they will not understand. Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven.’”
And then we read in Mark 4:13,
Mark 4:13 (NLT)
13 Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables?
It’s very critical to understand the solemn warning in these verses and to understand the warning. We’ve got to understand the context these verses were written in. Jesus is quoting from Isaiah Chapter 6, which is the “Calling of Isaiah.”
It’s a famous section of verses. It’s a really powerful, powerful vision that Isaiah got, but that was his calling from the Lord. That’s when the Lord called him to be a prophet. And if you remember it (if not go back and read it, it’s really good), Isaiah said, how can I do this? I am a man of unclean lips. I come from a people of unclean lips. And the angel takes the coal from the altar and touches his lips and cleanses him. Who will go for us? And this is the famous line… Isaiah says, “Here am I, send me.” This is a famous scripture. But, here’s what the Lord does when he speaks to Isaiah about his prophetic calling, he uses these verses.
And he tells Isaiah, Listen. Go and tell the people, but when you do, they’re going to reject you, and they’re going to reject me.
Here’s the background to Isaiah. For 250 years, plus or minus, Israel had been on a steady spiritual decline since Solomon took over for King David. For 250 years (for the most part), Israel’s heart had been growing harder and harder toward the Lord and toward his Word.
And Isaiah was called to prophesy both about the coming Messiah and about the judgment coming before the Messiah. The judgment that was coming for the “Judah part” (the Southern part) of the divided Kingdom of Israel was the exiling of God’s people to Babylon and the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.
But, the reason for that judgment was because the people’s hearts had grown so hard toward God, and they had become so rejecting of God’s Word that they could no longer hear or receive the Word of God.
And in these two verses that Jesus quotes in Mark 12, God is telling Isaiah that even though Isaiah is to call the people to repentance, God already knows they will reject both Isaiah and God. God already knows that their hearts are hardened beyond the ability to receive his Word.
Fast forward to Jesus in Mark 4, and Jesus is saying the same thing. I’m going to tell the people the parables, but I know the ones whose hearts are so hard that they are not able to receive God’s Word. Listen, this is a big deal.
God’s Word makes it clear there is a time when a person’s heart becomes so hard towards God, and their rejection of God becomes so ingrained that it becomes impossible for them to receive God’s Word and be saved. This is scary. It’s scary for us and scary for people we know.
And so, your question has to be how do I know when I’ve reached that point that I can no longer receive God’s Word and be saved. And the answer is simple – try it! Try right now to ask God to forgive you for your hard heart and your closed mind to his Word. Try right now to say, Lord Jesus, please take this hard heart from me and give me a heart that can receive your Word and save me from my sin.
And I promise you, if you can say that, right now, to God, then it is not too late for you, because God will hear your prayer and he will save you before it is too late.
Why were there two thieves on the other crosses with Jesus? Wasn’t it so that we could see what it looks like for one sinner to have a hard heart toward Jesus until the end and another sinner to suddenly have a receptive heart toward Jesus? You will always have the choice to receive God’s Word until you are no longer able to receive God’s Word.
I promise you, if you will sincerely ask God for a heart to be able to receive the truths of his Word, God will give you a heart to be able to receive the truths of his Word.
So, in verses 14-20, Jesus goes on to explain the parable (we went through that last week). Then in Mark 4:21, we pick up our focus today with Jesus “shedding light” on what the Disciples must’ve been thinking.
Jesus had just told the Disciples (and other believers) that only those with a “heart to receive” would be able to grasp the truths in his parables, and that may have been a hard thing for the Disciples to accept. And so, Jesus wants to make it clear; he is not hiding anything from anybody. Jesus came as the Light of the World. In John 8:12,
John 8:12 (NLT)
12 [Jesus said] . . . “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
Jesus came as the Light of the World so that all who followed him would have the light that leads to life. Maybe the Disciples were thinking Jesus should only share his words with people who already had a heart to receive his Word. But, in Mark 4:21, Jesus uses a mini-parable to explain that he came to let the light of the truth shine on every person.
Mark 4:21 (NLT)
21 Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.
It seems to me Jesus is saying I came to shine the light of the truth of God on everyone, whether they will receive it or not. The light of the truth is not hidden for a select few. It’s meant to bring everything into the light.
God’s will is that all will come to repentance and be saved. The fact that he knows who will and won’t doesn’t change his desire that all would be. Look at the next verse, Mark 4:22.
Mark 4:22 (NLT)
22 For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.
Connect the two verses, 21 and 22. Jesus is saying, look, I am the Light of the World. I am putting the Light of Salvation on everyone. Some will receive, some will not based on the condition of their heart. But here’s one thing for sure. Eventually, everything will be brought into the open. Eventually, the light will remove all of the darkness.
Ultimately, the Light of the Truth will bring everything into the open, and every secret will be brought into the light. And then Jesus repeats what he often says at the beginning or end of his parables.
Mark 4:23 (NLT)
23 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
Jesus is life and death serious here because this is an eternal life and death issue, and he’s giving us every reason and no small warning to get us to have a heart to receive his Word. And so, he says again here in verse 23 If you have ears to hear – and a heart to receive, please - pay attention! Then he says it again in Mark 4:24.
Mark 4:24 (NLT)
24 Then he added (for emphasis), “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more.
Do you hear that? The closer you listen – the more understanding will be given.
Do you have ears to hear that? The closer you listen, the more understanding will be given and you’ll receive even more than you think. It’s conditioned upon your desire to receive or reject God’s Word. And then he says it again in verse 25 (for the third time).
Mark 4:25 (NLT)
25 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”
Is Jesus saying God will take it away from them? No. What will take it away from them? The cares of this world, the heat of the trials – you’ve got to go back to the context. We dealt with this verse last week. It’s an encouragement and a warning. If we have a heart to receive, then we will receive even more. If we have a heart to reject then even what little understanding we have will eventually be taken away from us.
The parables of Jesus will reveal to us the truths of the Kingdom of God. IF we will come with “ears to hear” and a “heart to receive.” And please hear me. If we don’t receive the life-changing power of the Words of Jesus, it’s not the seed’s fault. The problem is the soil. The problem is the condition of our heart. The parables are designed to help us check our heart and to help us acknowledge which heart we have.
One last thing. After we receive God’s Word into our heart, we’ve got to continue to tend the truth of God’s Word in our hearts just as a farmer tends a crop while it’s growing.
Listen, please. If seed falls on good soil but that farmer does not continue to tend to its growth, ultimately, that seed will be just as unfruitful as the seed that fell on the hardened footpath. Jesus refers to this truth in the seed that fell on shallow soil and the seed that fell among the thorns.
Don’t let that seedling of God’s Word die in your heart when the hot sun of trials rises over your life. And don’t let that seedling of God’s Word die in your heart when the thorns of this world start trying to choke the spiritual life out of you.
Tend to the seed of God’s Word that’s been planted in your heart and give God time to water and mature and grow the truths of his Word that you’ve received. And have absolute confidence that as you receive and tend the truths of God’s Word planted in your heart, God will see to it that your life will produce an eternal spiritual harvest.