Can you recall the time when you first heard God speak to you? (Slide 1) The disciples could though they did not understand the full implications of what they were hearing or doing.
For me, it was on a clear, cold, and white January Sunday at the end of the worship service. It was not an audible voice, (like, I have sometimes heard, I will confess,) but rather a very profound impression that I needed to go to the altar to pray. Because of that experience, I came to faith in Christ. I was 8 years old. I, too, am still experiencing the full implications of hearing and responding to God.
Several years ago, I remember hearing that a well-known evangelist, whose name escapes me now, created a controversy when he said, (and again my memory fails me) ‘God does not hear the prayers of ________ ‘and named a group of people.
I respectfully disagreed then, and now with his assertion. For to me the question is not ‘Does God hear the prayers of whomever?’ The question to me is, ‘What does God hear?’
‘Do we hear God?’
I believe that God does hear the prayers of humanity. He heard, as we read in Luke 18, the prayer of the self-righteous religious leader and the heart wrenching prayer of the desperate tax collector. He responded with disgust to the one and gracious acceptance to the other one.
It is more than God hearing our prayers. He does! It’s just that He does not answer all of them! Why? Because some of them are clearly outside of His will and some of them are not yet to be answered by Him.
But God does hear us. (Am I right, church?) But do we hear (and listen to) God?
This reminds me of Abraham Lincoln’s statement in which he said to someone “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” To paraphrase then is to say with Lincoln, ‘It is not that God hears us but do we hear God?’
(Slide 2) Today in our Lenten series ‘The Body of Christ,’ is the second sermon entitled, ‘What Does Jesus Hear?’ Last week we started this 40-day journey to the cross as we considered ‘The Eyes of Christ.’
Our main text for this morning is Matthew 13:11-17. In it Jesus is speaking to the disciples about the lack of hearing (read: the lack of understanding) after Jesus told the parable of the sower.
‘Then he explained to them, “You have been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others have not. 12 To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them. 13That is why I tell these stories, because people see what I do, but they don’t really see. They hear what I say, but they don’t really hear, and they don’t understand. 14This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah, which says:
‘You will hear my words,
but you will not understand;
you will see what I do,
but you will not perceive its meaning.
15For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
and let me heal them.’
16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17I assure you, many prophets and godly people have longed to see and hear what you have seen and heard, but they could not.’ (NLT)
An important connection that we need to make this morning is this one: (Slide 2) Hearing -> Listening -> Understanding ->Obedience
Jesus makes very clear connections to each of these actions not just in our main text but throughout His ministry that we have had recalled for us in the Lenten reading earlier in the service. (The reading was titled, ‘The Ears of Christ’ it was written by Harlan Kaden was published by Creative Communications for the Parish in 1992. ©)
Last week I shared that Jesus both ‘saw’ and ‘heard’ the mocking and ridicule as He hung on the cross. Jesus heard many things as He walked this earth and I think it very, very important that we take time this morning to remember and review some of the things Jesus heard and the implications for us today.
(Slide 3) Jesus hears doubt. He heard doubt in the disciples’ voice. In Luke 8 we read the familiar story of the disciples in the boat with Jesus who falls asleep only to be shaken awake with a panicked group yelling, ‘Master, master, we’re going to drown!’
Jesus rebukes the waves and the storm comes to an end. And then, as the boat settles down in the water, Jesus turns to them and says, ‘Where is your faith?’
Jesus heard a great deal of doubt in His travels and ministry. He heard doubts about His identity, doubts about a person’s faith even after His resurrection (Thomas), doubts about change, doubts about forgiveness, and doubts about many things.
We live in a time of great doubt. We have doubts about our government’s ability to help us move forward economically. We have doubts about our employment issues.
Doubt eats away at our confidence and hope. Doubt challenges our faith and dreams. Doubt attacks our plans and purpose. It can, and it does, paralyze us.
Jesus hears our doubts these days. He hears the ones that we speak about to others and He hears the ones that we never say a word about.
What is the greatest doubt that you are wrestling with these days? Name it in your mind. Do you believe that the Lord can help in this situation? He can, within His will and purpose.
I say this with confidence because while Jesus heard doubt He also (Slide 3a) heard hope.
Over in John 6:68 Jesus hears hope in the context of an affirmation by Peter. It comes in the context of a moment of decision for the larger group of followers that had gathered around Jesus.
He sensed, as we read in verse 61 that a lot of complaining was going on and so He said some things to them that caused ‘many,’ as John says, to desert Jesus. This caused Jesus to turn to the group of twelve that as we read in Mark 3:13, Jesus called as His regular companions, and asked them, ‘Are you going to leave, too?’
Peter replied for them, “Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life. 69We believe them, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”
I think that hope is very much a part of this affirmation. Yes, there is faith expressed but it is in what Peter said that I take notice. ‘Lord, to whom would we go?’
I can almost picture the body language of Peter, his hands and arms raised in the posture of a questioning shrug. Jesus, where would go? To whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life and we believe them!
Hope is essential these days. Hope is vital. We cannot live without hope. To not have hope is to be open to a cynical despair that drives us downward and away from God.
Jesus hears our hope in Him these days. He not only hears it but sees it in our continued acts of worship and service and trust in Him.
Where is your source of hope these days? What is your source of hope? If our hope is only in our circumstances (that suddenly change) then we are going to be tossed back and forth. If our hope is too much, too much in another person who lets us down, then we are going to withdraw from meaningful engagement with others and possibly the Lord.
(Slide 3b) Jesus also hears disbelief. He heard it primarily from one group – the Pharisees. He experienced it, if you will, with Judas.
But one of the most poignant moments of in which I call a moment of disbelief that Jesus experiences came from the lips of Martha as Jesus approached her brother Lazarus’ tomb four days after his death and burial. In John 11:21 she simply says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Now we need to remember and understand that Jesus knew Lazarus was desperately ill because Mary and Martha had sent word of his condition to Jesus four days earlier. But Jesus did not come right away. He waited and waited some more.
Finally He went and He performed what I believe was the greatest miracle before His own resurrection. He raised Lazarus back to life from the dead.
But, Martha, the type A sister, was direct with Jesus. ‘If you would have come sooner Lazarus would not have died.’ ‘Why did you wait so long?’
Now interestingly to me there is a parallel dialogue being paid attention to by John among the disciples and Jesus. It is, to a degree, I think, a conversation of disbelief.
In John 11:8 after Jesus says, ‘okay, time to go to back to Judea,’ the disciples say, “Teacher, only a few days ago the Jewish leaders in Judea were trying to kill you. Are you going there again?” Jesus, are you nuts? We cannot believe that you would be going there again. But He does and as they leave, with the knowledge that Lazarus is already dead, Thomas says, ‘Let’s go, too- and die with Jesus.’ So Jesus is hearing lots of disbelief at this moment.
I think that disbelief is a very common state of mind these days. It ties with the cynicism and despair that seem to be so prevalent in our time.
Disbelief is really another word for doubt and similar to skepticism. Like doubt, it can disable us and cause us to stop believing. It is the opposite of faith.
I think that disbelief is a more sophisticated form of doubt. I think that it has a sharper edge to it than your neighborhood garden variety of doubt.
It is, at times, a more vocal expression of doubt. If often comes when we are shocked by news about or a disclosure from a person that we love or know about.
Disbelief ‘disables’ belief. What is that you struggle to believe about God or in conjunction with God these days? Is it about His justice? Is it about His love? Jesus has heard disbelief before and He wants to hear your disbelief now.
But while Jesus heard disbelief in Martha (and the pain that goes with it) in Martha’s very next statement (Slide 3c) Jesus heard faith. “But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”
Martha refused to let her pain and her disbelief stop her from believing that Jesus would do something just and right and loving. I think that there was a great deal of emotion expressed in this dialogue and we know that it affected Jesus as we read in verse 37, ‘Jesus wept.’
But Martha, expressing her legitimate emotions, refused to live on the dark side any longer. ‘I know that God will give you whatever you ask!’
The same holds true for us. We deal with disbelief on a large scale. We have come to the place as a nation where we are ‘not just buying it any more.’ Literally and figuratively.
But we cannot stay there. We have to believe!
We have to believe as a church and as individual followers of Jesus Christ that God is good and that He is in control. We have to choose to believe, like Martha, that in the face of shocking disbelief that Jesus will still be there no matter what.
Yes, Jesus heard many things over the course of his time here on earth. He heard many negative things but (Slide 3d) Jesus also heard acceptance.
In Matthew 16 Jesus hears one of the greatest statements of acceptance and affirmation in the Bible. ‘When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14“Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”
15Then he asked them, “Who do you say I am?”
16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. 19And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you lock on earth will be locked in heaven, and whatever you open on earth will be opened in heaven.”
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” This is what Jesus wanted to hear. This is a statement of acceptance as well as affirmation and belief.
People had their opinion of Jesus back then, they have had their opinion over years, and they have their opinion of Jesus today. But, what Jesus wants is not our opinion he wants our belief and trust in Him.
Today much competes for our ears, our attention. If we are to have some sanity and hope then we must turn our hearts and our ears to Christ.
When was the last time you expressed to the Lord your re-acceptance of Him and His forgiveness and love? It is something that we should do everyday of our life, I believe. When we get up and when we go to sleep.
Yet eventually as we read the gospel accounts, we come to the place where (Slide 3e) Jesus heard rejection while He hung on the cross. But not just from those who mocked Him, He hears rejection in the silence of God. ‘My God, my God why have you forsaken me?’
Have you had those moments in which God was silent and it was hard to bear? I have.
It is hard. It is trying. It is painful. It is difficult. It is also necessary, at times.
We pray and it feels as if the words hit the floor as soon as we utter them. We seek an answer and all we hear is the deafening sound of silence.
Jesus experienced rejection again and again (and still does). He knows what it is like and so He is not deaf to the pain and the bitterness and even the resentment that racks us when we are rejected.
But, we have to also remember, that when we are disobedient, when we sin, when we fall short of God’s standards, that sometimes He gets our attention much more quickly with His silence than His voice.
He is like that Father who knows that we are far away and He looks for us to come home because He loves us very much. He waits in silence and prayer.
Jesus heard much more than what we have listed here this morning. He also heard hate, anger, disappointment, fear, and jealousy. He hears the same from us today. He hears our doubts, hopes, disbeliefs, faith, acceptance, and rejection. He hears our angry words and our angry thoughts. He hears our disappointments and our fears as well as our jealousy. He hears them in our hearts and souls even if we keep them there and never utter them aloud.
As we move toward our conclusion this morning, I ask us to answer honestly two questions.
This is the first question. (Slide 4) When was the last time you heard the voice of God talking directly to you?
His voice, I remind us this morning, is often that ‘still small voice.’ Sometimes is it a strong impression.
But God still speaks to you. (Slide 4a) Do you hear Him? Are you listening to Him? Are you understanding what He is telling you through the Bible, through prayer, and through the life and ministry of this church? Then, are you obeying Him?
The second question is this one. (Slide 4b) Are we, as a church, hearing the Lord? Do we hear Him these days? Are we listening for and to Him? Are we understanding what He is telling us? Are we obeying Him?
Are we hearing what God wants us to hear these days? There are many, many, many needs in our community these days. We cannot meet them all.
But are we listening to the Lord and obeying Him as to the needs that He has called us to meet, in His name?
(Slide 5) Again, I remind us that in each of these areas, we need to have the ears of Christ. We need to hear and respond, as the Lord directs us.
Let us listen for and to God’s voice and know beyond a doubt that He is listening to ours. Amen.
