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"HOW WELL DO YOU LISTEN?" Mark 4:23-25 INTRODUCTION 1. During His earthly ministry, Jesus often concluded a lesson by crying out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" a. E.g., concerning John the Baptist - Mt 11:15 b. E.g., the parable of the sower - Mt 13:9 c. E.g., the explanation of the parable of the tares - Mt 13:43 2. In His letters to the seven churches of Asia, Jesus concludes each with a similar saying: "He who has an ear. let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." - Re 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22 3. What is the point of such sayings? a. It is akin to saying "What is being said is very important, so you had better pay attention and listen!" - cf. Mk 4:23-25 b. It illustrates that Jesus had a problem that often exists today 1) Many people simply don't listen 2) Or don't listen so as to understand 4. I have become impressed with the importance of hearing partly due to my own hearing disability (which can make for some embarrassing situations) 5. But I am also convinced that many today don't appreciate the importance of listening well ... a. But it concerned Jesus... b. So I believe it is appropriate to ask, "How Well Do You Listen?" [It might be profitable to begin by pointing out there are...] I. THREE "TYPES" OF LISTENERS A. THERE ARE THE "DULL OF HEARING"... 1. Some of the Hebrew Christians were like this - cf. He 5:11 a. Note that when a person has this problem, it is hard for others to explain things to them! b. The fault is not with the "subject" material, nor the "presenter", but with the "listener"! 2. Isaiah wrote of such people, and Jesus applied it to many in His day - Mt 13:13-15 a. People are this way because they are DULL OF HEART! b. This prevents them from: 1) Understanding God's truth 2) Turning from sin to God 3) And being healed (saved) by God! -- WHO WOULD WANT TO BE THIS TYPE OF LISTENER? B. THERE ARE THOSE WITH "ITCHING EARS"... 1. Paul describes these in 2 Ti 4:3-4 2. Such people listen only to that which is pleasing a. So they don't like "sound doctrine" (which often requires the kind of preaching mentioned in 2 Ti 4:2) b. They will find the teachers they want...but then they turn from the truth to fables -- PEOPLE TODAY ARE OFTEN AFFLICTED WITH THIS HEARING PROBLEM! C. THERE ARE THOSE WHO HEAR WITH "A NOBLE AND GOOD HEART"... 1. Jesus speaks of these in Lk 8:15 2. The Bereans were listeners of this kind - Ac 17:11 a. They were "fair-minded" (NKJV), thus willing to give Paul a fair hearing b. It showed in how they "received" (or listened to) the word: "with all readiness" -- THIS IS THE KIND OF LISTENER WE ALL SHOULD BE! [But why is it so important to be this kind of listener? Consider several reasons...] II. WHY GOOD LISTENING IS IMPORTANT A. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO "BLESSEDNESS" - Mt 13:16-17 1. For those willing to listen properly, there are wonderful things to learn 2. Many things which great people (such as Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel) did not have the opportunity to learn 3. Things pertaining to wonderful blessings that are now available in Christ! - cf. Ep 1:3 -- WE CAN MISS OUT ON THESE BLESSINGS IF WE DO NOT CAREFULLY LISTEN! B. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO SAVING "FAITH" - Ro 10:17 1. God has ordained that we be saved through faith in Christ - cf. Ro 1:16-17 2. Yet such faith comes through the proclamation of the gospel, often involving our listening to a preacher - cf. Ro 10:14,17 3. While one can certainly gain faith through reading God's Word (cf. Jn 20:30-31), the fact remains that many are often dependent upon what they first hear proclaimed a. One reason faith is often lacking is because people simply are not good listeners b. They miss out an the evidence in God's Word which produces faith! -- DOES YOUR "LISTENING" HINDER THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUR FAITH? C. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO "BEARING FRUIT" - Lk 8:15 1. In the parable of the sower, the only kind of soil (heart) capable of bearing fruit was the one which listened properly 2. That is because bearing fruit comes from "understanding" the grace of God! - cf. Co 1:6 a. Note that the gospel was bearing fruit in the Colossians b. But that was "since the day you heard and knew (understood, NAS) the grace of God in truth;" -- ONLY BY LISTENING WELL CAN WE "UNDERSTAND" GOD'S GRACE, AND BE THUS MOTIVATED TO BEAR FRUIT TO HIS GLORY! D. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO AVOID "DRIFTING" - He 2:1-3 1. There is a real danger of drifting, by neglecting "so great a salvation" 2. The only solution is to "give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard" -- POOR LISTENING IS OFTEN ONE OF THE FIRST STEPS TO APOSTASY! E. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO AVOID "REJECTION" AND "CONDEMNATION"... 1. If we do not listen as we should... a. Those who teach God's Word have a right to reject us - cf. Mt 10:14-15 b. We are judging ourselves unworthy of eternal life - cf. Ac 13:44-49 2. If we reject the gospel (perhaps by poor listening?), the men of Nineveh and the queen of the South will condemn us at the judgment! - cf. Mt 12:41-42 a. The men of Nineveh repented after hearing just one lesson from Jonah; will we reject the gospel of Christ after being given many opportunities? b. The queen of the South went great lengths to hear the wisdom of Solomon; are we willing to go just a short distance to hear God's Word proclaimed? -- THE REJECTION AND CONDEMNATION IS NOT LIMITED TO COMING FROM JUST THESE INDIVIDUALS...IT WILL COME FROM GOD, TOO! [Hopefully, we appreciate the wonderful opportunities we have to be able to listen to God's Word, and the importance of good listening! How then can we improve our ability to listen? For just as speakers need to learn to speak so as to be understood, people need to learn to listen so as to understand! Here are some ...] III. SUGGESTIONS FOR BETTER LISTENING A. MAKE LISTENING AN ACT OF WORSHIP... 1. How you listen to God's word being read or preached is as much an indication of your devotion to God as to how you pray or sing 2. So when you have opportunities to listen, do it with "a worshipful attitude" a. Think of how you would listen if some great person were speaking (such as the president, or any well-known person) b. Does not the proclamation of God's Word deserve as much attention? B. LISTEN FROM FIRST TO LAST... 1. I.e., pay attention all the way through a. Do you expect to understand much of a novel by simply reading a sentence here and there? b. So it is with listening...sentences, phrases, words, to be understood must be heard in light of the context in which they are presented 2. Speakers must follow certain rules of speech so as to be understood: a. Introduce the subject b. Present main points with supporting arguments c. Conclude with a summary -- So listeners must listen to ALL the parts to truly understand C. LOOK AT THE SPEAKER... 1. This greatly aids your concentration a. Looking elsewhere makes it easy for your mind to wander b. Closing your eyes makes it easy for you to nod off! 2. This requires self-discipline, but it is conducive to developing a longer attention span D. READ ALONG IN YOUR BIBLE... 1. You remember a greater percentage of what you both see and hear over what you simply hear a. That is why visual aids are often used in sermons b. But the greatest visual aid is your own Bible! 2. Your knowledge of the Scriptures can be greatly improved by doing this 3. It is hard at first to keep up, but persevere and it will soon become easier F. LISTEN WITH FAITH... 1. I.e., listen with a willingness to accept and believe what is shown in God's Word 2. Notice He 4:1-2; those who died in the wilderness did not listen with faith! 3. If we don't listen "with faith," the same sort of thing will happen to us; i.e., fall short of our heavenly rest! G. LISTEN TO DO... 1. Are we like the people in Ezekiel's day? a. They loved to hear him, but for the wrong reason - Ezek 33:30-32 b. Do we love to hear sermons because of how well the speaker presents them? 2. Hearing must be accompanied by doing to be of any profit - Ja 1:22-25 CONCLUSION 1. To be blessed in what we do... a. That is the goal in presenting these thoughts on listening b. For it all begins with listening in the proper way 2. How important is listening? a. When it comes to listening to God, very important! - Isa 55:2-3 b. It is essential for the good of our soul! 3. Is there ever a time when GOD does not listen? a. Yes, when our sins are between us and God - cf. Isa 59:1-2 b. But we can take care of that problem by receiving God's Mercy - cf. Isa 55:6-7 Today, that mercy is offered through Jesus Christ, God's Son. And as God said: "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!" (Lk 9:35) Have you heeded Him by obeying His word? Or does the following cry of Jesus apply to you...? "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46)<< Previous | Index | Next >>
The "Executable Outlines" Series, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 1999