TAKE HEED WHAT YOU HEAR

MARK 4:2

A. THE ADMONITIONS BY OUR LORD ARE TIMELY AND APPLY ESPECIALLY TO OUR TIMES
  1. Never before, in the long history of man, has humanity been surrounded by so many voices as today:
    1. The radio.
    2. The television.
    3. Press and kindred media.
  2. What makes the Lord's warning doubly important is that the very air is filled with confusing and contradictive messages:
    1. Some things that are coming over the air are most harmful to the moral life of the listener.
    2. It takes a keen mind to differentiate between truth and error.
B. LET US CONSIDER OUR OPENING TEXT TO LEARN ITS IMPLICATIONS
  1. What we hear affects our life and gives direction to our attitude toward God and the world of sin:
    1. That was true in the experience of our first parents -- Had they heeded what God told them, the history of man would be different - Gen. 2:16, 17; 3:1-6
    2. Had Cain heeded God's warning, he would never have murdered his brother - Gen. 4:6, 7; 8, 9
  2. What we hear makes us responsible, regardless of our attitude:
    1. That was true in the experience of Moses and Aaron - Num. 20:8, 9-12
    2. It was true in the experience of the man of God sent to Jeroboam - 1 Ki. 13:8, 21-25
    3. It will be true in this last generation - Matt. 24:14 Truly, the warning by our Lord is an eye opener to all of us.
C. GOD'S MEDIA TO SPEAK TO MAN
  1. He has, in the past, used different means to speak to man:
    1. The voice of nature - Ps. 19:1-6; Rom. 1:20
    2. The Son of God - Heb. 1:1-3; 12:26
    3. The Holy Bible - Heb. 4:12; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; John 5:39
    4. The Holy Spirit - Heb. 3:7-9; Rev. 22:17
    5. Through the conscience - John 8:9; Acts 24:25
    6. Through His church - Rev. 22:17
  2. Christ's admonition has special signification for this present generation:
    1. The Three Angels' Messages going to every kindred and nation is God's final appeal to a rebellious world - Rev. 14:6-12
    2. What the world hears through the Three Angels' Messages will leave men without excuse.
    3. It will bring men to a final decision to side either with God or with the anti-Christ.
  3. But most of all, what we, the professed believers of the Advent message hear will:
    1. Prepare us for the soon coming of our Lord - Rev. 19:7, 8; Eph. 5:26, 27; 1 John 3:1-3
    2. It will stir our hearts to a point where we will break with every known sin and place ourselves upon the altar for service.
    3. Or, if we do not heed God's message, it will seal our doom to eternal destruction - Heb. 12:25, 26; 2:1-3


Design © John Bryant 2011