Bunbury
Wed pm
10/11/2010
“Saved by your ears”
Intro: A 6 year old boy gives us the introduction to our text this morning by virtue of an incredible thing that happened to him – his life was saved by his ears!!!
*** A SIX-YEAR-OLD Chinese boy was left dangling by his ears eight storeys above a bustling street after he slipped through window bars outside of his family's apartment. Passers-by were stunned when they heard little Ming Ming's terrified screams and looked up to see him hanging by his head, The Sun newspaper reported.
The only thing stopping the lad from plunging to his death was the fact his head was wedged between two window bars. Horrified neighbours in Yichang, Hubei Province, could only watch as emergency services raced to the scene. They eventually arrived and managed to use a hydraulic pressure expander to force the bars apart and pulled Ming Ming back into his apartment.
The accident happened after the boy's grandfather left him sleeping in the flat so he could run an errand outside. The boy woke up to find himself alone and is believed to have fallen from the window while looking out for his grandfather.
Fire service spokesman Wang Shen said the boy had a miraculous escape: "He could have fallen to the ground - or have been suffocated - at any minute."
I’m sure that many of you have already heard about this young boy.
But what few of us have thought about is that his incident gives us a real life illustration of God’s plan for saving every one of us.
God’s plan is to save us by our ears!
So tonight I want to minister a message called ‘Saved by your ears’.
Text: Matthew 13:18-23 (NKJV) 18“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
# 1. Hearing distractions.
A. One of the big problems we have in life is hearing distractions.
a. It’s amazing how we can miss things that we would otherwise take notice of b/c of a hearing distraction.
i. You’ve probably noticed this y/s & you might have even used it to your advantage at some time.
ii. It’s possible someone was heading towards something you didn’t want them to see so you made a noise & distracted their attention to divert them.
iii. Babysitters u/s the power of a hearing distraction when they need take the baby’s attention away from mum while she slips out the door – make a noise get them looking elsewhere!
iv. Parents of teenagers also u/s how much influence a hearing distraction can have on their children...... trying to talk to them while they are listening to the ipod.
b. What we hear many times is going to determine also what we see.
i. In other words our focus can be shifted into a certain direction simply b/c of what you’re hearing.
ii. Much in the same manner that we make a noise to distract a baby & get it’s attention on a certain thing while mum slips out of the room.
*** Everyone tends to float off into space once in a while and fail to see what is sitting there right in front of them. Recently researchers decided to put the theory of “in-attentional blindness” to the test: the unicycling clown test. They documented real-world examples of people who were so distracted by their cell phone use that they failed to see the bizarre occurrence of a unicycling clown passing them on the street. The study is published in an upcoming issue of Applied Cognitive Psychology.
Compared with individuals walking alone, in pairs, or listening to their ipod, cell phone users were the group most prone to oblivious behaviour: only twenty-five percent of them noticed the unicycling clown. The walkers not using a cell phone noticed the clown over fifty-percent of the time.
iii. So here’s the point – not only what we hear but what we are really listening to is of vital impt to us.
iv. B/c you can hear things week after week & never really be listening.
*** One of the classic examples of what I am saying is church announcements. When I was sitting in the congregation as a part of the assembly I never listened to announcements. It may as well have been a 3 minute blackout for all the good it was b/c although I heard noise I was never listening!
People often come up & ask me something that has been announced – aha! You weren’t listening were you?
B. So ......it’s possible to hear noise w/o ever listening.
a. This is a truth that the Bible sounds out again & again for our warning.
i. Listen to what the writer of Psalms says here .....
Psalms 115:6 (NKJV) They have ears, but they do not hear; .......
ii. Isaiah echoes the same thought when he says ....
Isaiah 42:20 (NKJV) Seeing many things, but you do not observe; Opening the ears, but he does not hear.”
iii. And it’s the truth that Jesus is warning against in our text ...... just b/c you’re hearing noise he’s saying, it doesn’t mean you are listening.
b. In fact the entire 13th chapter Matthew is about listening!
i. No less than 4 X in the 13th chapter of Matthew Jesus repeats the words ...... about people who have ears to hear.
ii. Here’s the real danger here ...... we can be given life saving truth out of the word of God but not even hear it & therefore lose it!
iii. That’s what was happening to 3 out of 4 hearers in the parable of the sower.
Vs 19. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away
Vs 20-21. 20But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet he has no root in himself,......
Vs 22. 22Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word,.....
Vs 23. 23But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, .....
iv. Life is full of distracting noises .... this is something we are born into but the point is – which noise are you listening to?
# 2. The heart & ear connection.
A. Jesus makes a vital connection in the parable of the sower between our heart & our ears.
a. Our ability to hear from God is determined by our heart attitude towards God.
i. Now attitude is something that is birthed & comes out of the heart.
ii. Attitude is not even a brain thing ...... it’s something that is developed in & raised up in the heart which means that it can come w/ emotion – either good or bad.
iii. Your ability to hear & respond to what God wants to do in your life is directly proportionate to the openness of your heart towards God.
iv. Simply stated ...... the people who have a heart for God are the people who hear God!
*** We see this illustrated when two people fall in love. When they first begin showing their affection for each other he hears everything she says ..... every detail is carefully noted.
But a few years after they get married he sits on the lounge, his wife is speaking to him from the kitchen & as she talks he says ..... uh huh, yep .... mmmm – really?
Vs 19. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.
v. So the preaching of the word is more than mere dialogue .......... but the Bible says it is truth that is sown into our heart!
b. Listen to what the Bible says here .... about the heart / ear connection.
Proverbs 23:12 (NKJV) 12 Apply your heart to instruction, And your ears to words of knowledge.
Isaiah 6:10 (NKJV) 10 “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.”
Ezekiel 3:10 (NKJV) 10Moreover He said to me: “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears.
Acts 7:51 (NKJV) 51“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.
B. So God’s word links together the things we listen to & the commitment of our heart.
a. In a very real sense your heart will follow your ears.
i. This truth is so powerful that it will even affect our actions w/ things that have the potential to threaten our lives.
*** The first study, in the journal of Accident Analysis and Prevention, found that college-age adults who were talking on a cell phone took 25% longer to cross the street than their peers who were not on the phone. They were also more likely to fail to cross the street in the 30 seconds allotted for the task, even though their peers were able to do so.
The conclusion here being that when you are talking on your mobile phone while crossing the street – a potentially life threatening act – your heart is actually following your ears which is the phone conversation!
ii. So let’s take this thought to another level ...... where are your ears?
iii. B/c wherever your ears are that’s where we’re going to also find your heart b/c – we commit our ears to the things we think matter.
*** Ever watched a cat while it’s got its eyes closed? It can be sitting there, eyes closed but it’s ears are moving like radars all the time. They are constantly scanning the surrounding environment for danger or possible opportunities. Although the cat may be in relax mode it’s ears can be miles away following the noises it is paying attention to.
iv. In that sense w/ you ... wherever we find your ears is the same place that we’ll find your heart.
b. This is what makes rebellion a dangerous thing ..... b/c what we hear has the power to turn our hearts away from God.
i. When we listen to the voice of a rebel we are listening to a voice whose aim it is to turn our heart away from God & His will for our lives....
Numbers 16:23-24 (NKJV) 23So the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 24“Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’” ...
Numbers 16:31-32 (NKJV) 31Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, 32and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.
ii. WOW! Serious stuff!!! A divine visitation of God causes the ground to open up & swallows up several families & then closes over the top of them again!
iii. What’s going on here ...... why the sudden judgment?
iv. B/c our words have the power to affect people’s hearts for either good or bad & when words of rebellion are spoken God sees it as a direct attempt to steal hearts from Him!
# 3. The miracle of rescue.
A. Our ears can provide us w/ a miracle rescue!
*** Think about this boy in our opening story – the only thing that saved him was his ears! His entire body slipped through those steel bars but his ears wouldn’t let him slip through.
a. Remember your heart is going to follow your ears!
i. So where your ears are is something that is of the utmost impt b/c your ears have the power to rescue you.
ii. Ever been in conversation w/ people & it’s almost as though it’s a one sided conversation?
iii. You listen to them & as they pause you say something, giving your input & as soon as you finish they yeh, yeh ....... & go speaking.
iv. It’s just as though you aren’t even in the conversation.
b. Preaching the word .... which is what the parable of the sower is all about ..... is a two way conversation.
i. God is speaking & we need to be listening & then responding to what God is saying to us.
ii. We need to be hearing the rebukes / exhortations / corrections / criticisms / guidance of God for our own lives.
c. We need to tune our ears into the God’s will / purpose for our lives.
i. The basic reality is that our ears are already tuned to certain things & ...... we can tune them into certain things.
*** One of the ways to get someone’s attention in Fiji is to make a ‘hissing’ or ‘SH-SH’ noise. Every time you do it people are sure to look! I realised when we moved back to Australia that it wasn’t so common so now if I’m trying to get Coral’s attention in a shop or crowded place all I have to do is go ‘SS-SS’ & she’ll look in my direction!
Her ears are tuned to that noise!
ii. Drop a couple of coins (used to be one inflation has taken over) on the pavement of a crowded street & see if anyone turns to look.
iii. That’s b/c our ears are tuned to certain things ..... things that grab our attention & more imptly grab our hearts!
*** One day I had to go for a hearing test. By this time I had already worked for many years w/ around machinery that generated a lot of noise. Little did I know at the time what that machinery was doing to my ears. At the conclusion of my test the person doing the test said to me ..... “That’s a pretty amazing result! I’ve never seen a test come out quite like that.”
Unfortunately the noise over the years had done some serious damage & I wasn’t able to even pick up some pitches at all!!!
iv. So the question t/n is ...... are your ears tuned to the life saving word of God?
B. One final thought – God’s word rescues us by connecting it to our heart.
*** If you’ve ever flown on a plane you’ll realise that every flight the crew go through a safety & emergency routine w/ the passengers. One of the instructions is about the life vest / jacket. They go through the demonstration of putting on the life vest ..... pass the strap around your waste ....
The idea here is that if you don’t put it on, it can’t rescue you.
a. The same is true of God’s word & it’s saving power for our lives.
i. Jesus points this out in the parable of the sower.
Vs 23. 23But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
ii. The word ‘understands’ is a Gk word that lit = ‘to put together’ ..... it comes from another Gk word that denotes ‘union w/ or together’.
iii. And the idea here is that if the word of God is going to rescue you ..... you are going to have to put it together / assemble it w/ your own life / circ / situations.
iv. You’re going to have to take the word of God .... apply it to your life & like a life vest put it on if you are going to be saved by your ears.
