In this sermon, the preacher uses an illustration of a man in a railroad station to emphasize the importance of paying attention to the message of Jesus. He explains that just like the man in the station who may not hear or pay attention to the train announcer, people can be indifferent or engrossed in worldly matters and miss the gospel message. The preacher then focuses on the parable of the sower sowing the seed, explaining the different ways in which people receive the gospel. He highlights the importance of having eyes to see the unseen and becoming fruitful by hearkening and paying attention to the word of God.

Free in Cooperation with Fuller Seminary proudly presents the Old-Fashioned Revival Hour, a broadcast of the Gospel with Dr. Charles Eagle. The Bill of Role, he keeps my soul. My Heavenly Father watches over me. The valley may be dark, nor the shed through the gloom. He'll lead me home. My Heavenly Father watches over me. I trust in God, I know He cares for me. I trust in God, I know He cares for me. I trust in God, I know He cares for me. There's a Savior who stands at the door of your heart. He is longing to enter. Why let Him depart? He has patiently called you so often before, but you must open the door. You must open the door. When Jesus comes in, He will save you from sin, but you must open the door. He will lead you at last to that place, dear Lord, to the city of God at the end of the road. Where the night never found the light yet, but you must open the door. You must open the door. When Jesus comes in, He will save you from sin, but you must open the door. Will you take your Bibles, please, and turn to the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Mark, a very familiar passage of Scripture on sowing the seed or the word of God. In Mark, we find the gospel in action against the forces of sin and unrighteousness, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, more than conqueror over demons, disease, and death. And beginning with chapter 4, we see the gospel set forth in parables, and the manner in which that gospel is received on the part of humanity. And so the scene or the setting of this first parable, the parable of the sower sowing the seed, is laid upon the shores of the Sea of Galilee near the village of Bethsaida, close to the entrance of the River Jordan into the Sea of Galilee. A great multitude, in fact, the original language says a very great multitude of people had gathered by the seashore, and the Lord Jesus is pictured as sitting in the boat a few feet offshore. And in this natural amphitheater, the speaker or Christ could be seen by all and easily heard. And the Lord Jesus, we are told here, taught the people and His disciples many things by parable. In fact, He set forth in Mark 4 that if His hearers understood this important parable, the parable of the sower, they would readily and easily understand other parables which He would give later. Now, parable means literally the placing of one thing besides another, and is an analogy or a comparison, the illustration of a deep spiritual truth by the use of a verbal picture taken from common experience of mankind. That is, the use of familiar objects to lead to the understanding of hitherto unknown spiritual truths. Or, as someone has put it, an earthly illustration with a heavenly meaning. That's the parable. Now, will you notice it? Hearken, hearken, hearken. And that word hearken is very important. That is, pay attention, take heed. Something of the utmost importance is about to be given. Hearken, hear, put aside all else, and be truly attentive. Eternal truths are about to be given, settling eternal issues and eternal destiny. And I'm not willing, the Lord says in so many words, that you should perish, but that you should pay attention and take heed. For in the ninth verse, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Strange how sometimes we who have ears do not hear. In other words, he that hath ears to hear should heed, for one cannot be said to hear unless he acts upon that which he hears. Here's an illustration, very simple. A man is in a railroad station awaiting his train to take him to a certain destination. The train announcer sends forth the news that this man's train will be leaving in two minutes on track number so-and-so. And the man may be reading a paper, and though he has ears, he does not hear. Or perhaps he heard the voice, but his mind was engrossed in something else. Or perhaps he did not pay any attention to what the train announcer was saying. The man was indifferent, careless. In any event, he missed the train. I wonder how it is with you with the gospel. Some of you have heard and sat under the preaching and teaching of the gospel for years, and you still haven't hearkened or paid close attention. For I tell you, if you did, realizing that you're a sinner before God, dead in trespasses and sin, and that the soul that sinneth, it shall surely die, you wouldn't waste another second but flee to the place of redemption and cleansing at the cross of Calvary. Problem is, you don't pay attention. You don't heed, and you don't act upon that which you have heard. So likewise, in reference to the gospel, you have ears to hear, but you do not really hear, take heed, or pay close attention. For note verse 12, that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest at any time they should be converted and their sins should be forgiven them. That's exactly the state of affairs. You willfully, deliberately, rebelliously reject God's great salvation, preferring to live in your own sinful, selfish way instead of having your sins forgiven. You prefer to plunge headlong into eternal separation. And I say to you again, hearken, hearken, hearken, take heed, pay attention. For if we sin willfully after we've come into the knowledge of truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins. Now I want you to couple verse 3 with verse 14. Behold, a sower there went out a sower to sow. And in verse 14, the sower soweth the word. We learn from these verses that the sower sows the word. The seed that he sows is the incorruptible word of God. And every truly born-again believer should be a sower, first of all, of the word of God. Instant, in season, and out of season. Peter at Pentecost, read that sermon in the second of Acts and see how he quoted from the Old Testament. Oh, how he brought scriptures from the books of the law and from the psalms and from the prophets. And then how Philip went down to Samaria and preached Christ. And there was great joy in that city. And then Paul, how he went about his missionary journeys, sowing day and night with tears, sowing the word, preaching Christ. I said a moment ago, instant, in season, and out of season. And all the great heroes of the faith from the day of Pentecost down to the present moment have been noted for one thing, sowing the word of God. And I'd rather go down and pass off from the scene and have this said of me, that I preach the word than anything else that this old world could afford. For after all is said and done, the word of God will never return void, but will accomplish whereunto it is sent. And so with verse 4, coupled with verse 15, we find the wayside here. It came to pass as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it. Verse 15, and these are they by the wayside where the word is sown. But when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. Listen to me, Satan is always busy and active where the word of God is taught. And right now the word of God is falling on some wayside here, his heart. A heart that is trodden down with sin, a beaten path of sin, hard, rebellious heart. And that word, unless received deep into the heart and acted upon, believing, confessing, and receiving Christ, Satan will come and snatch that word away. And I say to you that I had rather a thousand million times over be in the darkest jungle of Africa or South America and never have heard the word than to have sat under the preaching of the word and have Satan snatched it away. You'll stand before the judgment of God far more responsible than those that have never heard. And I tell you, you need the hammer of the word and the plowing of the word to break up that hard soil that the seed might find lodgment deep down in the heart. And I think of Pharaoh of the Old Testament, how the word of God came to him through Moses, saying to Pharaoh, let my people go, Jehovah, God says so. And old Pharaoh, rebellious, said, who is the Lord? I don't even know him. I won't obey the voice of Jehovah. And he began to harden his heart, and at the same time as he turned away from the direct commands of God, God hardened his heart. And Pharaoh passes off from the scene as having heard the word but refused to be obedient to that word. Verse 5 with verses 16 and 17, And some fell on stony ground where it had not much earth, and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. Verses 16 and 17, And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground, that is, ground with a stratum of rock underneath with very little topsoil. And here it is, And who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness, and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time. Afterward, when affliction or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble. Brother, listen, this type of here is what we might call emotional faith. You receive the word with gladness. Oh, there's an experience of joy and passing from under condemnation into a state of joy. But listen, let some criticism, some persecution for the word's sake arise. You immediately become offended, and you stumble, and you go back into double darkness, darker than ever. And unless you repent, you are lost forever. Partial illustration of this, though I grant it's not a full illustration, is Peter before Pentecost. How Peter said, I'll never deny thee. Let all men deny thee, Lord. I'll never deny thee. But when he came up in front of the little maid, and the maiden asked him if he were not one of the disciples, he said no, denying the Lord three times. Listen, he went out, and it was midnight, and it was dark. He went out, and he wept bitterly. He had very little death. But afterwards, when that following work, that plowing up work took place, after the resurrection, the Lord said, Go tell my disciples and Peter. And when the Holy Spirit came upon him at Pentecost, Peter became a rock, staunch, fruitful believer. Verse 7 with verses 18 and 19. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And these are they which are sown among thorns, such as hear the word. Now notice it. And the cares of this world system, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Here we find those who will hear the word. The word begins to take root. But wait, the thorns are there. The cares of this age in which we live. Distracting business or family anxiety. Martha was one. She, even though the Lord Jesus was in the house, she was encumbered about with much serving. Did not take the better place that Mary took of sitting at his feet. And then there's the deceitfulness of riches. Daily laboring for the things which are temporal and soon pass away. Oh, I'm going to be rich. I've set my goal. You'll find out that they're empty. They'll soon pass away. And then the lust of other things. The lovers of pleasure. The lovers of self. Covetousness comes in. Eyes upon things which can be seen, which are temporal, soon pass away, instead of having eyes to see the unseen, as Moses did. And Moses had the opportunity of becoming the great ruler over Egypt and sitting upon the throne of that powerful, wonderful nation in ages past. And with all of the knowledge of Egypt at his feet, he could have been the world ruler. He selected, rather, to suffer the afflictions with God's people. He comes down in the hall of fame, of faith, as one of the great heroes of faith. He saw the unseen. He became a fruitful man. And now verse 8 with verse 20, and I must close. Here we find the good ground here is those who really hearken, those who really pay attention, those who really take heed. Here it is. And other fell on good ground and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased and brought some thirty and some sixty and some a hundred. Verse 20, And these are they which are sown on good ground, such as hear the word, hearken unto the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit some thirty, some sixty, some a hundredfold. And will you note one thing, please? That all the seed that fell on the good ground brought forth fruit, some more productive than others. Why? Why not all one hundred percent productive? I'll tell you why. Because that even in believers there are yet to be found corners hardened against the pleading of the Holy Spirit. You take the Corinthian believers. We're told in chapter one of I Corinthians that they were sanctified in Christ Jesus, set apart, and yet they were only thirty percent believers because there was division and strife and contention and living in gross outward sin in the church. They were not fully yielded. He says to the Corinthian believers, Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? And what God demands is a complete turning over of body, soul, and spirit into God's keeping that you might be a hundred percent productive. But listen to the letter to the Thessalonican believers. They were one hundred percent productive. As I was reading this, how the Holy Spirit blessed my own soul. Notice it. Beginning at the second verse of the first chapter, I Thessalonians. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of God and our Father. Knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God for our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance, as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, much plowing, and with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that ye were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. And from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith to God. God's word is spread abroad so that we need not to speak anything. For they themselves show of us what manner of entering we had unto you, how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath of God. One hundred percent believers completely sold out as bondservants to Christ. Paul said he counted all things lost to gain the excellency and the knowledge of Christ. And in the audience today, sorry to say we have the four types of soil. I wonder how many are going to be of the good type. Receive the word, be converted, and your sins forgiven. For he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into judgment or condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Listen, hearken, hearken, take heed of our heads in prayer. Pray with me as I plead with the friends in the radio audience outside of Christ to come. God says, I so loved the world that I gave my only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Will you pay attention? Will you heed? Your eternal destiny is at stake. God says I'm not willing that you should perish in Him that cometh unto me. I will in no wise cast out. Kneel where you are. Give your heart to Christ right now and let the word of God come into the very depths of your heart and you become a new creation in Christ Jesus. God bless you. While our heads are bowed in this wonderful audience in Long Beach today, how many will quickly put their hands up and say, Brother Fuller, pray for me. I here now want to accept Christ. God bless you as my personal Savior. Be remembered in the word of prayer. God bless you, sailor boy. Anyone else on the lower floor here? God bless you, another sailor boy. God bless you, a marine. Is there another hand to go up here on the lower floor? God bless you back there. God bless you, another marine boy. Let's keep bowed in prayer. This is Charles B. Fuller bidding you goodbye and God's richest blessings upon you.