Don’t Just Question The Sermon Question Yourself

Mark 4:14
The farmer sows the word.
Mark 4:15
Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

Sometimes as worshippers we get too critical and permanently fault the preachers. It seems like all else is well in the church except the preacher and the sermon delivered. The Bible tells us that the problem is more than the sermon. While it’s easy and heroic to point an accusing finger at the pulpit, the Bible wants us to look for the problem at the pew. Don’t just question the sermon only, question yourself too!

Jesus gave the parable in our text of consideration today. He said a sower went to sow the seed and the seed fell at different places. The seed is the word of God that is preached. The seed comes from the pulpit. The seed comes from the preacher. The seed is the sermon. The listeners are the different places that the seed fell on. The germination of the seed did not just depend on the seed but also on the place it fell. It didn’t just depend on the sermon, but on the listener too. Don’t just question the sermon only, question yourself too!

Four types of listeners are presented by Jesus. Jesus wants us to question ourselves to find out which type of listeners we are. We should question ourselves because the problem is not the sermon only, the problem in this parable also includes the listener. Don’t just question the sermon only, question yourself too!

The first type of listeners is those who listen to the sermon and easily lose it. After the sermon, they forget everything they heard and they move on to their business. They only came to worship and not to learn anything or change anything. They come for routine attendance. They quickly find a reason not to implement what was preached. They may blame the preacher or create some excuse and they justify themselves for ignoring the admonitions. Don’t just question the sermon only, question yourself too!

Jesus said that it is actually Satan who takes the sermon efficacy from them. While they seem to rationalize why the sermon should not be followed, it is Satan speaking through them. These are the people who after the sermon will discuss it negatively and let others know why the message is not realistic. They will seem analytic and deep in analyzing the preacher and the sermon, but Jesus says, it is Satan in action. The aim is to kill the power of the message delivered. The people in this group will never forward a sermon to anyone or share the sermon link or even make a positive comment. They either discourage others or wait for a mistake then aggressively rise up to condemn. Watch out for your company and commentators after the sermon, you could be dealing with satan incarnate. Don’t just question the sermon only, question yourself too!

Mark 4:16
Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
Mark 4:17
But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

The second group of listeners is those who listen to the sermon and are indeed excited about it. They will share the links and clips of the sermon. They will pledge to do everything that has been proposed in the sermon. The problem is that any small challenge will send them back to sinful leaving and rejection of the sermon. During the sermon, they commit to quitting drug abuse, but the moment they meet the friends who they drink together and they challenge him, he goes back to drink, end of sermon effectiveness. They commit to morality during the sermon until they meet the boyfriend who confuses them back to sinful living. Don’t just question the sermon only, question yourself too!

These people can even get baptized during that excitement but backslide a week later. If they do not get baptized immediately they will still lose interest in the baptism. The problem according to Jesus is that they are not deeply rooted in God’s word. They are very shallow and their experience is a short-lived emotion. They do not have a long-term commitment. No Bible studies or prayers at a personal level. Don’t just question the sermon only, question yourself too!

Mark 4:18
Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;
Mark 4:19
but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.

The third group listens to the sermon but is unable to implement it because of the commitments in life. They are worried about life. They could actively participate in church but they have young children. They could do more for God but the spouse is not a believer and they have to go and attend to them. They could serve God this year but they will be traveling a lot. Their pursuit of life causes them not to make any commitment to God’s word. They will never respond to any sermon even if the call is simple and clear. They are too committed to issues in life and not God. Don’t just question the sermon only, question yourself too!

These people love wealth, money, luxury, comfort, status, etc., more than God. These things cause them to find it difficult to accept any sermon from any preacher. They are like the rich young ruler who couldn’t leave wealth to follow Jesus. Don’t just question the sermon only, question yourself too!

Mark 4:20
Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

The fourth and last group is the good listeners who make use of the sermon preached to grow in their faith. They listen to the sermon, they adjust their lives and they share the sermons with others and they even preach it to others. They are fruitful. The same sermon, four different listeners with four different responses. Don’t just question the sermon only, question yourself too!

Of the four types of listeners, only one is a good listener. The majority of listeners are the problem leading to the ineffective application of sermons. The majority are wrong. The majority prefer to blame the preacher and the sermon, but never themselves, yet they are the problem. Don’t just question the sermon only, question yourself too!

It is true many of us preachers need to improve ourselves and delivery methods. It is true the quality of our sermons needs to be adjusted upwards. It is true preachers and sermons are not perfect. However the blame does not begin and end with preachers and sermons, it also squarely sits with all listeners even the most critical. Don’t just question the sermon only, question yourself too!

Dear God, save me from the pride that ever points accusing fingers at preachers and sermons yet I am the problem. Give me spiritual insight to identify my weakness. Convert me to be a good listener who grows after listening to your word and then shares it with others, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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