Why
are there thousands of articles, books, and classes on how to preach a message,
but virtually none on how to listen to one? Because most
people think listening comes naturally. But that's not what Jesus said.
Jesus
said, “Take heed therefore how ye
hear” (Luke 8:18). Revelation 2:7 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches;” (See also Isaiah 1:18;
53:1). The state and fate of your
spiritual life depends on how you listen to the Word of God.
Ephesians
4:10-13 “He that descended is the
same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all
things.)11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,
evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting
of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the
stature of the fulness of Christ:”
Mark
12:30 Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and
with all thy strength:...
Teachers
are responsible for teaching well, but students are responsible for listening
well. Jesus
wants you to listen in a way that will change your life.
So
how can you listen in order to change your life? You
need to hear with more than just your ears. You need to listen with your heart,
mind, soul, and strength. Listening
like this is an act of love, and it will change your life!
1. LISTEN WITH YOUR HEART. Listening with your heart can be tough. Why?
Because our heart
is messed up! Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the Lord search the heart,
I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to
the fruit of his doings.
Oftentimes, we don't feel the way God feels
about things, want the things God wants for us, or care about the things God
cares about. Sometimes we even love what God hates and
hate what God loves. As a result, God's words don't sink in.
John 16:13 When he, the
Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not
speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he
will shew you things to come.
Jesus illustrates this in the parable of the
Sower (Matthew 13). It was a
metaphor for His Word being planted in four kinds of hearts. Jesus said,…
·
Some
hearts are Hard.
They prevent God's words from sinking in, and the evil one snatches them away.
·
Some
hearts are Shallow.
They keep God's words from taking root, and when hard times come, His words
wilt away.
·
Some
hearts are Thorny.
They choke out God's words with worldly worries and wealth.
·
Some
hearts are Good.
They take God's words, plant deep roots, grow, and multiply.
The good news is God can change
your heart. He can soften a hard heart, deepen a shallow heart, and clean a
thorny heart. But the choice is up to you. He'll do this if you really want it
and if you ask Him.
What to do! Ask God to prepare your heart to feel what
He feels, want what He wants, care the way He cares, love what He loves, and
hate what He hates. If you do this, you will be
listening to God with a new heart.
2. Listen With Your MIND. Have
you ever received an urgent letter in the mail? How many times did you read it?
Why? Because you wanted to catch every meaning of every word. Your mind was
fully engaged.
The Berean's treated God's word
this way. Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in
Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and
searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
The Berean’s did two things. They
received the message with “readiness of mind.”
They “searched the Scriptures.”
They received the message like an urgent letter
from God. They examined it, thought about it and made sure what they were
hearing was true. God wants you to use your mind. Treat the Scriptures like urgency.
Who wrote it? When? Why? What's the tone?
What to do! Open
your Bible and take notes. This keeps your mind focused. Write the main idea of
the message. Also, jot down any questions or insights you have. If you do this,
you'll be listening to God with your mind.
3. LISTEN WITH YOUR SOUL. John
21:20-22 Then
Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also
leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth
thee? 21 Peter seeing him
saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? 22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I
come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
Have you ever been listening to a message and
thought, "Oh, so and so needs to hear this?" This is a
demonic distraction! There
was a group of people in the Bible who did this frequently -- the Pharisees!
Jesus' message was for Peter,
but Peter wanted to know about John's life. This is also what Jesus meant when He said,
"How wilt thou say to thy brother,
Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own
eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye;
and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's
eye." (Matt 7:4-5).
You listen with your soul when
you personalize the message. You don't make an excuse for
yourself, you don't compare yourself to someone else, and you don't say, “Lord,
what about him?” Instead, personalize it, and apply it to yourself!
What to do! Picture
what your life will look like by following God. If you do this, you will be
listening with your soul.
4. LISTEN WITH YOUR STRENGTH. When
you look in the mirror, what do you see? You usually see the things you want to
change. You brush, cover, spray, and spend to change what you don't like.
There's another mirror – one that reveals things about your inner
life; God's Word.
James 1:23-25 For
if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding
his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth
his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he
being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed
in his deed.
The Bible reveals, if you
really listen, who you really are. It shows you...
·
Sin to turn from
·
Promises to believe
·
Work to do
·
Attitudes to change
When you see things in your
inner life that need changing, don't walk away and forget them.
If
you don't act on what you hear, you aren't listening in the way that God
expects.
James 1:22 Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers
only, deceiving your own selves.
So what's the best way to know
if you are listening as God intends? Look at your life. Does your life
reflect what you have heard? Walk the talk!
What to do? After
listening to the message, ask “What does God want me to do?” Then do it! Ask
God to work in, with, and through you. If you do this, you will be listening to
God with His strength.
