Hearing God’s Voice – 6
“Communicating with God – 2”
Luke 8:5-8, 11-18
Luke 8:5-8
5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 8 But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried,“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Luke 8:11-18
11 “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. 14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. 16 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but setsit on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.18 Therefore take heed how you hear.”
Last week we started talking about “Communicating with God.” The first thing we discovered was that in order to be effective and productive, we must be able to communicate. I don’t want to get into a big review this week so if you missed last week get online and download a sermon or buy one at the back.
From this parable that we have read, Jesus explains that the seed is the Word of God and it is very important how we hear. This passage isn’t so much about us speaking as it is us listening. Listening is very important in communication. You can have a serious breakdown of communication if you don’t listen. You can have serious problems in your marriage if you don’t listen. You don’t know how many times this week my wife has said, “Troy, you need to listen.” That’s after I just get done saying to Austin, “Austin, you need to listen.” So, last week we started talking about four ways that people listen and we are going to finish up on that this morning.
Last week we learned that:
I. SOME PEOPLE DON’T LISTEN AT ALL
II. SOME PEOPLE LISTEN BUT FORGET
➢ These are people who plant their gardens in a gravel pit. They are quick to hear but also quick to forget.
Luke 8:6, “Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.”
Have any of you ever tried to plant a garden in gravel? You can throw the seeds out in the rocks. They will spring up when they get some moisture, but if they don’t have a strong root system they will not last. Shallow soil makes weak plants. A shallow hearer makes a weak believer. We are to study the Word of God, we are to meditate on the Word of God, and we are to put it into practice if we are to be strong believers.
James 1:22, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.”
➢ The United States Air Force did a study and found that we forget 90-95% of everything we hear within 72 hours.
For some of us it doesn’t even take that long. Sometimes I forget what I hear from the recliner to the kitchen. I am all the time asking Denise, “What did you ask me to do?” The reason that happens is because my mind is occupied with other things. If I am asked to do something, and I think about it until it is done, then it gets done.
Doesn’t that happen to us all the time with the Word as well? It is so easy to let our minds get flooded with other things and forget that God is trying to speak to us through His Word. Remember, the #1 way God speaks to us is through His Word. I don’t just preach Sundays because it is my job. I want to see lives changed by the power of the Word. I do see that from time to time, but not enough. God wants to change us.
The only way this Word will change us is if we meditate on it. We need to realize the importance of the Word. Meditation is the moisture that causes the seed to grow.
Joshua 1:8, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
Psalm 63:1-7, “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.”
Psalm 77:11-13, “I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds. Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; Who is so great a God as our God?”
Psalm 119:147-149, “I rise before the dawning of the morning, and cry for help; I hope in Your word. My eyes are awake through the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word. Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; O Lord, revive me according to Your justice.”
It is time that we start remembering what God is trying to say to us. And the only way we can do that is by meditating on His Word. We offer free sermons online for the simple reason that we want you to get this Word in your heart, not just your head. Listen, but also remember what you hear. Don’t be like the seed that drops in the gravel pit.
III. SOME PEOPLE LISTEN BUT IT IS NOT IMPORTANT
Luke 8:7, “And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.”
➢ These are the people that plant seeds, they listen when God speaks, but the weeds take priority.
Our minds are crowded with other thoughts. It is a preoccupied mind. We’re distracted. We’re concerned with daily living, worries, plans, goals, ambitions, bills, kids, all kinds of things.
Let me give you three things that preoccupy our minds.
1. WORRIES
You can’t listen to God and worry at the same time. The Greek word for worry means to be pulled in a different direction. Have you ever felt that you’re being pulled in different directions? You’re not going in the right direction when you are preoccupied and distracted. That’s worry. That is a whole sermon in itself that we don’t have time to get into today, but we do need to stop our worrying. Worry likes to preoccupy your mind, because as long as you are worrying, you can’t hear from God.
2. MONEY
Our minds can be preoccupied with money, which can be either the lack of it or what to do with it. Is there enough to go around? If I have it how do I keep it? How do I spend it? If I don’t have it how do I make it? Our minds are filled with money issues. Did you know that Jesus talked more about money then he did about heaven? That’s because people think of it a lot and He has a plan for your money that is much better than your plan. Don’t let money preoccupy your mind.
3. BUSYNESS
Sometimes we get so busy making a living that we don’t really live. We keep so busy that we don’t have time to relax. We get up in the morning and run all day. We are exhausted when we go to bed but we wake up the next day to do it again. God gets the leftovers in life. We are so preoccupied with “doing” that we forget God. We just don’t listen. God gets crowded out. This Scripture sums it all up:
Philippians 4:8-9, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”
I have told you all about the wrong ways to listen, but there is a right way:
IV. SOME PEOPLE LISTEN AND HEAR
➢ God talks to people who open their ears to hear.
Luke 8:8, “But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.”
God is willing to talk with you. In fact, He wants to talk to you. Are you receptive? Are you the good soil, ready and willing to listen to God? Look at what Jesus says about His followers:
John 10:27, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
A country boy went to visit a friend in New York City. It was about noon and they were downtown by Times Square in Manhattan. The streets were filled with people. Cars were honking their horns, sirens were wailing and the sounds of the city were almost deafening. The country boy said, “I hear a cricket.” His friend said, “You have got to be kidding. You couldn’t possibly hear a cricket with all this noise.” The country boy listened again and said, “Yes I’m sure of it. I hear a cricket.” The two boys listened very carefully for a moment and then the country boy walked across the street to a big cement planter where some bushes were growing. He looked into the bushes and sure enough there was a cricket there. “That’s incredible,” said the city boy. “You must have super-human ears.” “No.” said the country boy. “My ears are no different then yours. It all depends on what you are listening for.”
What are you listening for today? God wants to speak to you.
Our prayer should be:
➢ Lord, help me listen to Your voice.
➢ Help me not ignore You.
➢ Lord, help me to remember what you say when You speak to me. I don’t want to hear and then forget.
➢ Help me not get so busy that I crowd Your words out of my life.
➢ Help me receive Your words with my whole heart and become a doer of Your Word.”
