Take Heed How You Hear

Q: What does the Bible say about how to hear God's word?

The Bible, specifically Luke 8:18, emphasizes the importance of how one hears God's word, suggesting that attentive listeners will receive more understanding. In Luke 8:18, Jesus instructs us to 'take heed how you hear,' highlighting the vital importance of our attitude and attentiveness when receiving the message of the gospel. The parable that precedes this verse illustrates that not all who hear the word respond positively; in fact, only a minority truly understand and retain it. The different responses to the word of God are likened to seeds that fall on various types of soil: hard ground, rocky soil, thorny bushes, and good earth. Each type of soil represents a different receptivity to the truth of God's word, with only the good soil producing lasting fruit. Therefore, the way one hears corresponds to the spiritual nourishment one gains.

Q: How do we know the power of God's word is true?

The Bible affirms in Romans 1:16 that the gospel is the power of God for salvation, confirming its transformative and life-giving nature. The power of God's word is affirmed throughout Scripture, particularly in Romans 1:16, where Paul proclaims that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. This encapsulates the transformative nature of the word, which works effectually in those who receive it with faith. It is not merely intellectual knowledge but an active, living force that brings about spiritual rebirth, as noted in the teaching that believers are 'born again' through the word of truth (James 1:18). Furthermore, the Scriptures affirm that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2), providing a strong foundation upon which the veracity of God's promises and the gospel can be built upon. Ultimately, the consistency and historical fulfillment of God's word throughout the ages testify to its power and truth.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to understand the importance of hearing?

Understanding how to hear God's word correctly is crucial for spiritual growth, as it influences the depth of one's faith and fruitfulness in the Christian life. For Christians, understanding the importance of how one hears God's word is fundamental for spiritual growth and maturity. In Luke 8:18, the call to 'take heed how you hear' serves as a critical reminder that active and faithful listening to the Scriptures correlates directly with the depth of spiritual insight and comprehension one gains. The parable of the sower reveals that only those who receive the word with a sincere and receptive heart (the good soil) will produce spiritual fruit—some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some a hundredfold. This indicates that listening with an open heart and a willingness to apply the truth is essential for living out one's faith effectively. Failing to hear well or allowing distractions to choke the truth can lead to a waning of spiritual vitality and potential loss of what was previously thought to be understood, underscoring the gravity of this aspect of Christian living.

the 8th chapter of the book of
Luke. I'm going to be using several
verses from the 8th chapter, but my text is verse 18. Let's look at it
for a moment. Our Lord says, take heed, therefore,
how you hear. Take heed, therefore, how you
hear. For whosoever hath, as a result
of hearing, he's heard well. Therefore, he's gained something
through the hearing. To him more shall be given, and whosoever hath not, he hasn't
gained anything by hearing. He hasn't heard very well, so
he doesn't have much. For from him shall be taken even
that which he seemeth, or thinketh, that he hath." Isn't that something? Take heed, therefore, how you
hear the preaching of God's word, how you hear it. For whosoever
hath, whosoever has heard well, and gained thereby, to him more
and more and more shall be given. But whosoever hath not, he hasn't
heard very well, from him will be taken away. even that which
he thinketh that he hath." Now, I recently brought a message
from this parable of the sower. The parable of the sower precedes
what our Lord just said here, take heed how you hear. Well,
he's just given the parable of the sower. And I preached from
that recently. Let's review it just briefly.
Luke 8, verse 4. And when much people were gathered
together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by
a parable. He said a sower went out to sow
his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by
the wayside. and was trodden down, and the
fowls of the air devoured it. And some of the seed fell upon
rocky soil, stony ground, and as soon as it was sprung up,
it withered away. It lacked moisture. Why? It had
no root. Some of the seed fell among thorns,
and the thorns sprang up and choked it. The thorns sprang
up with it and choked it. And other seed fell on good ground. sprang up and bare fruit a hundredfold. Mark said, Some thirty, some
fifty, some a hundred. And when he had said these things,
he cried, Now he that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his
disciples gathered round him, and they said, What might this
parable mean? What does this mean? And he said
to them, the disciples, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries
of the kingdom of God. to others in parables. I speak in parables that seeing
they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. Now
the parable is this, listen. The seed is the word of God.
The seed is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The seed is
called the word of truth. It's called the word of life.
It's called the word of God. It's the word of truth in that
it declares the truth about God. This book declares the truth
about God. We don't have to wonder about
our God. He's just. He's holy. He's righteous. He's almighty. He's sovereign.
He delights to show mercy. He's plenteous in mercy. He delights
to show grace. This word tells us that he's
entered into a covenant with Christ to redeem a people, God's
going to redeem a people. God's going to have a new heaven
and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness, and it's going
to be inhabited and populated by a people conformed to the
image of his Son. This is the word of truth. It's
the truth about God. And it's the truth about us. About our fall in Adam, all die,
by one man's sin entered this world. And death by sin, and
death passed upon all men for all sin, tells the truth about
our nature. There's none good, none righteous,
none that understandeth God, none that seeketh God. All have
sinned and come short of God's glory. We've all, like sheep,
gone astray and wandered in our own way. And this word tells
the truth about our inability. will come to Christ, or wants
to come to Christ, or desires to come to Christ, or is able
to come to Christ unless God draws him. That's what it's saying.
That's the truth, isn't it? It's called the Word of Truth.
It's the truth about God, it's the truth about us, and it's
the truth about Christ, who he is. He's the Son of God. Bear
God or bear God. He said, I and my Father are
one. What he did? He died the just for the unjust
to bring us to God. Why'd he do it? That God may
be just and justify. Where is he now? He's seated
at the right hand of God. He's entered within the veil.
He's the forerunner, has entered into the holy place, not with
the blood of others, but with his own blood, and obtained eternal
redemption for us, and sat down as our intercessor. That's the
truth. This is the word of truth. truth about God, and the truth
about us, and the truth about Christ, and it's called the Word
of Life. This is the Word of Life. Seed has life in it, doesn't
it? When farmers go out and sow seed, why do they sow seed? Just
for the joy of throwing something in the ground? No, that seed
has life in it. It rains on it, and the sun shines
on it, It'll grow up. The seed actually itself has
life in it. Did you know that? There's life
in seed. The seed is the word of God.
There's life in this word. Oh yes, sir, there's life in
this word. The scripture said the gospel is the power of God
unto salvation to everyone that believes. There's life in this
word. Of his own will beget he us with
the word of truth. You're born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible seed, incorruptible seed, the Word
of God. You know what the seed is in
the new birth? It's the Word of God. That's
exactly right. A man goes into a woman, the
man's the father of the child, but the seed, the life's in the
seed. Is that right? All right, I preach,
or the Son of God preaches. But the life is in the seed,
it's in the Word. And Christ is the Word, that's
right. And this Word, this is the Word of truth, it's the Word
of life. If the Holy Spirit makes it effectual,
it'll give life where it falls on good ground, that's right.
And it's the Word of God. It's the very Word of God. Turn
to whole Luke 8 and turn to Titus chapter 1. Listen to this, Titus
chapter 1. This is the very Word of God. Titus the first chapter, verse
1 and 2, listen. Paul, a servant of God, an apostle
of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and
the acknowledging of the truth, which is after godliness, in
hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before
the world began." Who did it? God did it. God promised it. God gave it, and God can't lie. This is the word of God. Turn
to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. Listen to this. 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, verse
13. For this cause also, 1 Thessalonians
2 verse 13, for this cause also thank we God without ceasing.
Because when you receive the word of God which you heard of
us, which you're listening to right now, you received it not
as the word of men, it's not the word of men. But as it is
in truth, it's the word of God which does what? You effectually
worketh also in you that belief. The Word works. The Word gives
life. The Word gives growth. The Word
gives comfort. It's the Word itself. It's not
what I say about it. It's the Word itself that worketh
effectually. It's the Word of God. So when our Lord says here in
Luke 8, look back at verse 11, he said the seed is the Word
of God. The sower went out to sow. And
the seed which he sowed is the word of God. It's the word of
truth. It's the word of God. It's the
word of life. For it worketh effectually. Now then, verse 12. In these
verses, our Lord tells us how that powerful, effectual, Word
of God is received. How is it received? This truth,
life, Word of God, how is it received? Well, those by the
wayside are they that hear, and then cometh the devil, and taketh
away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and
be saved. The wayside is a fallow ground, hard ground. And the
word falls on it. It's unprepared. These people
are not interested. They're indifferent. They're
careless. They have no interest. And this
sacred, holy, powerful, life-giving word, see, as it's scattered,
as it's preached, it falls on them. But just as far as it gets. as far as it gets. There's no
interest. There's no reception. There's
no pulling it in. There's no feeding upon it. It
just lays here right where it fell. And then they go out. And all these things round about
them just remove it. It's gone. Just like that. It's
gone. Satan is back of it. He doesn't
personally do it. But all he has to do is have
somebody come by and talk to you about something else, and
it's gone. Somebody interjects a thought here, and it's gone.
He's a manipulator. He's a motivator. And it's gone. And then he says in the next
verse, the seed fell on the rocky ground, stony ground. And these
are folks that hear. They hear real quickly. They
receive it with joy. And they don't have no roots.
which for a while they believe, and in time of temptation they
fall away. These are folks that listen to the word, and they
say, say, that sounds pretty good. That sounds pretty good. They hear it with their head.
They have an intellectual interest, but no heart. Where does a root
reach? A root reaches deep. These here, he said, had no root. When the seed fell on the stony
ground, the root, it couldn't go down. It went out. And when
it went out and the sun came down on it, it burned it up.
If roots are going to get down into the water and down into
the nourishment, they've got to go down deep. And if this
word that's fallen on these ears this morning brings forth any
fruit for the glory of God or last, or does you any good, is
going to have to get down here. Isn't that right? And you're
going to have to pass this brain here and this mental, intellectual
ascent. That's pretty good preaching.
You know, that's true. What he says is true. He's reading
the Bible. He's preaching out of the Bible. But wait a minute.
Did he get down here with a heart? Man believeth. Down into the
soul. Down into the deep recesses of
your being. Down where you live. and where
you dwell. But these folks' religion is
kind of a sideline, not the center of their affections. The center
of their affections is on something else or somebody else, not Christ,
not the gospel. So it withers away. And then
he says they that, verse 14, they that fell among the thorns,
these are they which when they heard they'd go forth and they're
choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. They
care more about how they look outwardly than how they are inwardly.
They care about how they're riding in this world instead of what
they're going to ride to glory. They care more about their earthly
dwelling than they do their heavenly dwelling. That's right. Cares
and riches and pleasures of this world. The Word is not uppermost. God
is not the center of their hearts and affections. Other things
are. And so the Word, it may even
grow. It may even grow. It may even
take some root. It may even look like a pretty
good plant. But these things are just too
much for it. They're just too much. The son
of the bondwoman cannot live with the son of the free woman. They cannot grow together. Idols
of this world and the cares and things of this world, they just
can't abide with that seed and that plant. They just choke it,
just choke it. If there's a contest between
the two, if here's a young lady who says she believes Christ
and along comes a young man that does not believe and she wants
to get married, she will. It just chokes it up. Here comes,
here's a man that's sitting in here in the gospel, and he loves,
he says he loves the gospel, sounds good, he's, but along
comes a fellow and offers him a job out in Timbuktu, and he'll
leave the gospel. He just wins out. He just chokes
it. He takes off. It's just when
the, when the contest comes, you know, they'll grow together
for a while. But then there's going to be a contest. There's
going to be a decision. And that decision usually goes
the wrong way. That's our nature, that's us.
But, verse 15, that on good ground, some of that seed fell on good
ground. Are they which in an honest and good heart, having
heard the word, keep it, treasure it. Mike just sang, I found the
pearl. They treasure it, and they bring
forth fruit. where God has been pleased to
do a work of grace, where God has given a hunger and a thirst
and a desire for the living word. That's it. All right, look at
verse 16. Now this is the Master speaking. He says, No man, when
he lighted a candle, cover it with a vessel. A man doesn't
light a candle and put a vessel over it. A man doesn't light
a candle and put it under a bushel. under a bed. What does he do
when he lights the candle? He puts it on a candlestick.
Why? So that all that enter in may
see the light. And what our Lord is saying is
this. He's saying the Lord intended that this gospel be heard, that
it be preached. He intended for the whole world
to hear this gospel. The Lord didn't didn't send Christ
into this world with the light of the world, the light of life,
the light of truth, the light of glory, and hide it down here
in a corner somewhere, or put it off in some little church
building somewhere, isolated from everybody else, no sir.
The Lord took the gospel and put it up here and said, go into
all the world and preach it to everybody. Take this seed, the
word, and scatter it on ears everywhere, black ears, white
ears, red ears, yellow ears, just cast it everywhere. Verse
17, nothing secret. Like Paul said to that ruler,
this wasn't done in a corner. When Jesus Christ came into the
world, God hung a star over his birthplace, sent angels down
here to announce it. When he walked this earth, men
heard him. The Son of God died outside the
city wall. on a cross for all to see. And
when he rose from the grave, God shook the world, sent an
earthquake, covered the sun when he died, sent an angel down to
announce he's risen. He appeared to men, 500 brethren
at once, split the veil and the temple in two, took him back
to glory. People stood and looked and watched.
And God sent his disciples out. He said, nothing secret that
shall not be made manifest, the mysteries of the gospel, the
truth of the gospel, the glory of the gospel, neither anything
hid that shall not be known and come abroad. It's out there.
It's preached. A lot of people lying on God,
but a lot of people telling the truth. A lot of men are not preaching
the gospel, but some are. A lot of people are trying to
get converts for themselves, but there are some men who are
pointing men to Christ. This gospel, God didn't take
the light of the gospel and put it in a hole somewhere or a corner
under a bed or a bushel. He put it out here so everybody
can hear it. I preach it on television every
Sunday morning over the 120-mile radius everywhere, the truth
of the gospel, the truth of God, the truth about you, and the
truth about me. and the truth about Christ. It's not secret. Now verse 18, Therefore take
heed therefore how you hear it. See where he's coming from? You
see that? See where he's coming from? Take
heed how you hear it. See that? Why? Not many hear well. That's
why. You better take heed how you
hear it. Because not many hear well. You know why I say that?
Well, He gave us four sorts of hearing, and three of them are
bad. There you are. Three-fourths of them don't hear.
Isn't that right? I just read it. Our Lord gave
four types of hearers, and three of them are nothing. One good. Is that right, Tom? So take heed
how you hear. Three out of four won't hear
it. In this package. The great majority won't hear
it. That's the reason you better take heed how you hear it. Another
thing he shows from this parable, not only that the majority are
not going to hear it, but secondly, there's so many hindrances. You're
fighting a battle, I'm telling you. You've got a war on your
hands if you're going to hear the gospel. It's not going to
be easy, because there are a lot of hindrances out there. Satan's
a hindrance. He'll take it away from you if
he can. That's what our Lord said right there, peer pressure.
That's another hindrance. Relatives, it's another hindrance.
Stony ground, you're a hindrance. That old stony heart of yours
is a hindrance. There's a way that seems right
to you and to me, and that sin is death. That's your own nature
rebels against the truth. The truth hurts your dignity,
the truth hurts your pride, the truth hurts your love of self,
the truth hurts. Your own nature is a hindrance
to hearing the word of God. That old stony heart's got to
be busted so that seed can put a root down there. A hindrance. The thorns and the buyers, the
riches of this world are a hindrance. How many congressmen, senators,
you know, believe the gospel? I'm talking about the gospel.
I'm not talking about how many religious. How many believe the gospel?
How many managers and presidents and people in authority in these
plants and all believe the gospel? Why don't you name one? I tell you, riches, the love
of money is the root of all evil. It will hinder you from entering
the kingdom of God. riches, cares of this world. I'm just telling
you the truth. It's a hindrance to the gospel. This world is
not the friend of God. This world is not the friend
of God. Now watch this. I told you this
a while ago. Take heed how you hear now. For
whosoever hears, really hears, has received something, more
is going to be given. You hear me this morning. and
hear old Tom tonight, and hear old John Wednesday, really hear
them, you'll be able to hear some more. God'll give you some
more. If you really hear, if you really want to hear, you
really do hear, you really do hear, God'll give you more. And
whosoever hath not, whosoever doesn't hear well, God one day
is going to even take away from you what you think you have.
He'll even take away from you the religion you think you do
have. That's right. He'd even take that away. You've
got a refuge, he'll even expose that. Even that which you seem
to... Actually, Mark, I want you to
turn to the book of Mark, chapter 4. Mark, chapter 4. Listen to this. Mark, the fourth
chapter, verse 24. Mark makes it a little stronger.
Mark, chapter 4, verse 24. about this hearing business.
Now this is the same parable, same parable. And verse 21, you
remember what was written, now watch Mark 4, 21. He said, Is
a candle brought to be put under a bushel, under a bed, not to
sit on a candlestick? Nothing hid shall not be manifested,
neither was anything kept secret. It shall come abroad. If any
man has ears to hear, let him hear. Now watch this. And he
said, now take heed what you hear, how you hear. With what
measure you meet, it will be measured to you. And it unto
you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath to him shall
be given, he that hath not from him shall be taken, even that
which he saith. For with what measure you meet, it will be
measured to you. What's Mark saying? How large
is your container? You know what he's saying? With
what measure you meet, measure you meet God. With what measure
you hear God. With what attitude you come before
God. With what container you bring.
He'll fill it. He'll fill it. How serious are
you? How interested are you? How dedicated
are you? That's the measure that you'll
receive. You know what he's saying? Take
heed how you hear, for with what measure you meet, whatever you
come with, whatever you desire, whatever you want. All right, back to Luke 8. Let
me give you this. I have here some simple directions
for hearing. Now we've already, our Lord sufficiently
has warned us. Take heed how you hear. He that hath ears to hear, let
him hear. Most folks won't hear. And then there's so many hindrances
to hearing. And then he said, well, how you
hear is how you're going to be blessed. How you hear is how
you're going to be blessed. And as you hear, really hear,
you get more. And if you fail to really hear,
you take away that which you have. So let me give you five
simple directions for hearing the Word of God. Let me give
this to you and to me. Here are five simple directions
for hearing the Word of God. First of all, before you can
hear or write, now honestly this is true, before you can hear
or write, you must determine and know your state and condition
in reference to God. Now this is before you can hear
or write. In other words, who's he talking
to? He's talking to sinners. Are
you a sinner? Isn't that right? See what I'm
saying? If a man goes in a drug store, he's seeking some relief. Well, he ought to have some idea
of what his problem is, wouldn't you think so? A person's got
to determine, first of all, when he goes to hear, his condition
before God. Are you a sinner? The old Pharisees
saw our Lord go down and sit with the publicans and harlots
and other sinners and they said, why is he associating with those
people? Why is he down there talking to those people? Why
is he down there ministering to those people? Why is his congregation
that kind of people? Our Lord looked at them and said,
the well don't need a doctor, but those that are sick. You
go learn what that means. I am come, not to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance. Those are the folks that are
going to hear it. Are you a sinner? I've got good news. Do you need
a Redeemer? I'll tell you about a Redeemer.
Do you need a Mediator? We've got the story right here. Here's the second thing. If you're
going to hear right, first of all, you determine what your
problem is. What you come to hear. What you come to hear. Secondly, if you're going to
hear right, you have to come to this conclusion. This is not
the word of men. This is the word of God. Now,
I tell you, so many folks have a problem. You go hear a certain
preacher, and I know the world's full of preachers, the world's
full of denominations, the world's full of religious philosophy,
and it's all so confusing. It's confusing. But I'm telling
you what I'm preaching to you this morning is the Word of God.
Is it not? I stood right here and read this,
the Lord Jesus Christ talked to these people, and I read what
he said. And I read what he said about
hearing. And I read what he said about folks that didn't hear.
This is the Word of God. See what I'm saying? That's what
I read in Thessalonians a while ago. Paul said to the church
of Thessalonica, he said, you received my message as it was,
the Word of God. Not the Word of men, but the
Word of God. Turn to 2 Peter 1. 2 Peter chapter
1. 2 Peter 1, look at verse 21. For the prophecy came not in
old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost. And Paul wrote to Timothy all
scriptures given by inspiration of God. Now this church and this
pulpit is dedicated to one thing. preaching the word of God. Not
what Baptists think, or what I think, or what you think, but
what God says. And in our Sunday school classes
through the years we've gone verse by verse through the word
of God. Read the verse. Teach it. Read the verse. Teach it. Read
the verse. Teach it. In the men's prayer
room every Sunday and every Wednesday a chapter is read in God's from
this prophet every service a chapter is read in God's Word. We're
preaching God's Word. And I'll tell you what we need
to do if we're going to hear right. We come first of all as sinners.
And then we sit there and cast off all of our traditions and
all of our customs and all of our ideas and all of our thoughts
and all of our so-called heritage and raising, and we say like
the Apostle Paul, I count that but done, that I might win Christ
and be found in him. Tell me about the Son of God.
Tell me about Christ. Preach to me the Word of God.
Now you'll hear it if you come that way. Preach to me the Word
of God. I tell you churches are so involved
in programs, doing something for the young people, doing something
on Christmas, doing something on Easter, doing something on
anniversary, doing something on birthday, appealing to folks,
and recognizing the flesh, and getting the tithes and the offerings,
and all this sort of thing, finding out who's the right church, who's
the wrong church, and who's got this right. Now, that all doesn't
mount to a hill of beans until you know Christ. And if you come
to know Christ and love Christ, it'll all fit in. It'll find
its place. It'll find a place where it belongs.
Isn't that right? Hear about Christ. And that's
what I'm preaching to you. If you're going to hear right,
you come as a sinner. Not as a know-it-all. You're
not the teacher. He's the teacher. You're there
to learn. I am too. And secondly, we're
going to throw everything, everything away. Except what he said. And then thirdly, now watch this.
If you and I hear well, we're going to have to hear for ourselves.
Our Lord said what? He said, take heed how you hear,
Jim. That's right. You've been here
a long time, but take heed how you hear this morning. You. You,
Ronnie. You, Bob. He said, take heed
how you hear. You, Jill. You. Gary, you. John, take heed how you hear. You know, David was sitting there
on his throne and Nathan came in. This is interesting. David's
sitting there on his throne and Nathan came in and Nathan said,
I got a story to tell you, a message from God. And David said, well,
say on. He said there was a, there was
a fellow who had, a very rich man had a, some company came
to see him and he had plenty of sheep. But his neighbor only
had one little ewe lamb, and he was going to feed this guest
that came, and he went down and got that neighbor's ewe lamb
and killed it and fed it to his company. David said, You show
me who he is, and I'll off with his head. And Nathan pointed at him and
said, It's you. You're the man. You're the man. And I tell you, sometimes we
hear sermons and hear all Some preacher preach and hear the
word of God read, and you say, isn't it awful the way people
are living? Isn't it awful the way folks are? Isn't it awful,
isn't it? Wait a minute now, we're not talking about folks,
we're talking about you. He's talking about me, you. Take
heed how you hear. Peter was standing there and
the Lord Jesus told him he was going to be crucified upside
down. He turned and said, what's John going to do? The Lord said,
it's none of your business. That's none of your business.
If you get taken up with what John's going to do, you're going
to miss out on what you're supposed to do. You leave John to me.
If I want him to stay here, I'll come back. That's my business,
not yours. You follow me. Oh, my friend, I can't emphasize
this strongly enough. You've got to hear for you. You. And I'll tell you, one of those
hindrances is to get mad at the preacher. Folks do. They get
mad at the preacher. That's another one of those hindrances.
If I sound very personal, I had a man come here. This has happened more than once,
but a lady brought her new husband here to hear me preach. They
live off in another city, and he wasn't converted. She brought
him here to hear me the first time. This is a fact. I'd never met him in my life,
never heard of him. I shook hands with him back at
the door after the service was over. They went out and got in
the car, and he was pouting. And they left to go home. He
said, you told him all about me, didn't you? She said, what are you talking
about? He said, I know. He said, you filled that preacher on me
good and proper. You filled him in on me, didn't
you? Filled him in on me. Told him all that. She said,
that preacher doesn't know you. I never mentioned your name in
his presence. He said, how do you know those things? Well, I can look in the mirror
and tell a whole lot about you. A whole lot. I can look in my
own heart and tell a whole lot about you, Frank. And Frank Sr. too. I do. I know you. I know me. I know what this says
right here. So you hear. That's right. And if it gets in there, that
old hook gets a hold of your heart, don't get mad at me. That's right. Don't do it. Because
it got me too. All right. Fourthly, if we're
going to hear well, we're going to have to hear as a sinner.
We're going to have to hear it as it is, the Word of God. Thirdly,
we're going to have to hear it for myself. God do something
for me. And then fourth, we're going
to have to hear it with faith. Believe it. Now don't wrangle about this
now. God speaks. And God speaks concerning
Christ. And God speaks to you, the sinner. And God speaks the truth. And
God Almighty speaks as it is. It's true. It's the Word of God. And you don't have to understand
it all, you're just supposed to believe it. Just believe it. Abraham didn't understand everything
that God was going to do, and everything that God promised,
but old Abraham believed God. That's it. I believe God. Paul
stood on the deck of that ship and said, this thing's going
down, but there's not a life going to be lost. Because there
stood by me this night the angel of the Lord, and he said, Paul,
The ship will be lost, but not one life, and I believe it will
be exactly as he says. When God came down there to Egypt
and told them to slay a lamb and roast it with fire and eat
the lamb, put the blood on the door, I don't imagine they understood
a whole lot of what he was talking about. But you know what they
did? They believed him. They believed
him. And they lived. And that's what
I'm saying to you. Hear it with faith. But don't
try to, this is one of the greatest mistakes folks make, is submitting the word of God
to their intellect. I try. I don't understand. Can't be that way because I don't
understand it. Bring your intellect and lay it at the feet of God.
Just lay it right there. And like a child. receive the
word. We know in part, we prophesy
in part, we see through a glass dimly. How can you expect to
comprehend God? How could you understand God?
He said his ways are not our ways, his thoughts are not our
thoughts. Well let the wicked forsake his thoughts and the
unrighteous man his ways and let him return to the Lord in
faith. That's it John, just believe him. We don't have to understand
it. And then fifthly, and I'll close. If you're going to hear right,
hear willing to do what he says. Hear with a heart ready to comply. Now I want to show you a scripture,
Acts chapter 10. Acts chapter 10. Now this is
so good here, I saved it till last. Acts chapter 10. There was an ignorant Gentile
by the name of Cornelius. And he had prayed. He was a centurion,
wasn't he? Wealthy man. Had a household. And God told him to send for
the apostle Peter. And he did. And Peter came down
there. And Cornelius said to him, now
listen, Peter came. Acts 10 verse 30. And Cornelius
said, four days ago, I was fasting until this hour. And at three
o'clock at the ninth hour, three o'clock in the afternoon, I prayed
in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing.
He said, Cornelius, your prayer is heard. Your alms are had in
remembrance in the sight of God. Now you send, therefore, to Joppa,
and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter. He is lodged
in the house of one Simon of Tanner by the seaside. And when
he comes, he'll speak to you. What's Peter going to speak to
him? The Word of God, I'll tell you. Immediately, therefore,
I sent to you, and you've well done that you come. Now, listen
to this. Now, therefore, are we all here
present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee
of God? Here we sit. Now tell us. What God said. Isn't
that something? Wouldn't that be wonderful if
the preacher come up here on Sunday morning, and people pointed
a spokesman. And that spokesman got up and
said, now preacher, we're all here. We've come and assembled
together to listen to what God told you to tell us. And we're
going to believe it. And we're going to comply with
it. And we're going to walk there in. I'll tell you this, he'd
be a whole lot more careful what he said. He'd be a whole lot more careful.
Barnard said one time, be careful what you preach. Somebody might
believe you. Somebody might believe you. He'd
be more careful about what he preached. He'd prepare a little
harder, wouldn't he? That happened over here in Jeremiah
42. I'll cut it short here, but there's
some fellows sent to Jeremiah the prophet. Verse 4, Jeremiah 42. They told
him in verse, back here in verse 3, that the Lord God may show
us the way wherein we may walk and the things we may do. In
Jeremiah 42, 4, Jeremiah the prophet said to them, I've heard
you. Behold, I will pray unto the Lord your God according to
your words. It shall come to pass that whatsoever
thing the Lord shall answer you, I'll declare it to you. I'll
keep nothing back from you. These people sent for Jeremiah,
they want to know the way of the Lord. He said, I'm not going
to keep anything back from you now. I'm going to tell you everything
I know. Verse 5, Then they said to Jeremiah, The Lord be a true
and faithful witness between us if we do not even according
to all things for which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us
whether it be good whether we think it good or whether it be
evil whether we think it evil we will obey the voice of the
Lord our God to whom we send thee that it may be well with
us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God they said Jeremiah
go get God's message and bring it back to us and we gonna do
it We think it good, we're going to do it. We think it bad, we're
going to do it. But we're going to do what you say. Boy, that's
the way to hear, isn't it? That's the way to hear. All right,
Michael, come and lead us in the singing of 176.

Take Heed How You Hear

What does the Bible say about how to hear God's word?

How do we know the power of God's word is true?

Why is it important for Christians to understand the importance of hearing?

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Take Heed How You Hear

What does the Bible say about how to hear God's word?

How do we know the power of God's word is true?

Why is it important for Christians to understand the importance of hearing?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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