Series: 8 Parables
Title: Who Hath Ears to Hear
Text: Matthew 13: 1-23
Date: October 3, 2010
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
In Matthew 13, the Lord began to speak to the people in parables. I want to go through the first one with you this morning--the parable of the sower.
Title: Who Hath Ears to Hear
What is a parable? A parable is an earthly illustration of heavenly truth. The Lord tells us what he is illustrating in the parable of the sower.
Matthew 13: 18: Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19: When any one heareth the word of the kingdom,…
Proposition: He is teaching his true disciples that it is of utmost importance never to take lightly the hearing of his gospel preached.
Matthew 13:1: The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. 2: And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 3: And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
Easily understandable: The Lord compares those who preach the gospel to that of a farmer going forth to sow.
1. The preacher sows but only God can give the increase.
1 Corinthians 3:6: I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
2. The seed sown is the word of God.
Luke 8: 11: Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
3. The new man--the true inner man, the child of God--is conceived--begotten--by the incorruptible word of God.
1 Peter 1:23: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever…25:…And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
4. By this same means God is pleased to feed us and grow us and edify us. That is what the Master is doing--growing his disciples to know how utterly important this matter of hearing the word of the kingdom really is.
I. THE WAYSIDE HEARER
Matthew 13: 4: And when he sowed, some [seeds] fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:…19: When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth [it] not, then cometh the wicked [one], and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
A. Some hear this gospel--and UNDERSTAND NOT.
1. As quickly as they hear it, "the wicked one"--Satan himself--takes it away. Completely unaffected by what they hear.
II. THE STONEY GROUND HEARER
Matthew 13: 5: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away….20: But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21: Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
A. Some take great delight in hearing good sermons.
1. Some delight in seeing the types or the parables
2. Get "warm and fuzzy", and excited, convicted
3. But it lasts only for a while
4. As soon as tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word--they become offended.
5. The Root that brings forth Fruit is Christ! The fruits of righteousness are by Jesus Christ through the Spirit:
Philippians 1:11: Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
Illustration: People may mean well--"Good sermon". How I love to hear people rejoicing in: "Great Savior!"
III. THE THORNY GROUND HEARER
Matthew 13: 7: And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:…22: He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
A. These people try to do the impossible: serve God and the world.
1. If you genuinely want Christ but you also want this world--the cares of the world will choke away the word.
2. If you really want the unsearchable riches of Christ but you also really want earthly riches--the deceitfulness of riches will choke the word.
3. This man "becometh unfruitful"
Matthew 6:24: No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
IV. THE GOOD GROUND HEARERS
Matthew 13:23: But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth [it]; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
A. These hear the word, understand the word and bear fruit
B. He tells us not all bear fruit the same--some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty--but they all bear fruit.
Matthew 13:9: Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
WHAT DOES OUR LORD TEACH US FROM THIS PARABLE?
A. First, he is teaching us that the seeing eye, the hearing ear, and the believing heart are gifts of God.
Mattthew 13: 10: And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11: He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
1. God gives life to some but not others
2. He gives ears to hear to some but not others
3. He gives the understanding heart to some but not to others
If he has given you ears to hear then…"Take heed therefore how ye hear" (Luke 8:18).
B. Secondly, he is teaching us that those who will not attend to the hearing of his gospel, he shall give over to judicial blindness.
1. It pleased God to save through the preaching of his word--He has given the word, He has given the sower, He says attend to it, walk in the light he has given or you shall surely be discovered to be like the 3 out of 4 hearers.
Matthew 13: 12: For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
The example the Lord gives is national Israel--a bold witness to judicial blindness.
· He sent his prophets
· He gave them his word,
· But they despised his prophets and would not walk in the light God gave them
· So he took the light away from them
· Took his sowers away from them
· And turned them over to judicial blindness.
· Here the Master himself stands sowing before a great multitude of them, but not to them, only to his disciples. That is exactly what he declares here:
Matthew 13: 13: Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14: And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and should understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
“Who hath ears to hear, let him hear” Mt 13:9. Let him continually attend the preaching of the gospel. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God through the sowers God has sent to sow this word.
Turn to Romans 10: 14: How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15: And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16: But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17: So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. 19: But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by [them that are] no people, [and] by a foolish nation I will anger you. 20: But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. 21: But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.
I repeat it and be sure you get it:
· He sent his prophets,
· Gave them his word
· But they would not walk in the light God gave them through the means by which God chose to give it to them--his prophets
· So he took all light away from them
· Took his sowers away from them
· And turned them over to judicial blindness.
Who hath ears to hear, let him attend to hearing of the word preached!
C. Thirdly, he is teaching all whom he has given life and faith so that we rejoice to hear his gospel, that he has freely given us a rich, rich blessing!
Matthew 13: 16: But blessed [are] your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
1. Be sure you get this: He gave life and the fruits of the Spirit to his disciples--personally, intimately as he is doing in the hearts of some of you here now--but to the rest he did not give the understanding of these parables.
2. Those who set there hearing his gospel but could not hear in spirit and truth, were a witness to his true disciples what a great blessing he had given them.
Romans 9:22: [What] if God, willing to shew [his] wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
3. Even so now, you to whom he has given this rich blessing behold how particular and rich the riches of his free grace are to you.
D. Fourthly, the Lord strengthens our hearts not to take his means of grace for granted by reminding us that we have been given a more full revelation than his prophets and true saints of old!
Matthew 13: 17: For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous [men] have desired to see [those things] which ye see, and have not seen [them]; and to hear [those things] which ye hear, and have not heard [them].
So we see, brethren, that the hearing of the gospel is a rich blessing which we must never take for granted!
"Take heed how ye hear!” (Luke 8:18). Take heed that you refuse not him that speaketh from heaven. This is what he is teaching you who have ears to hear:
John 15: 1: I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2: Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3: Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4: Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5: I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.