“HOW’S YOUR HEARING? / PSALM 119:33-40 NLT
An old man was worried about his wife losing her hearing So he went to an audiologist to ask if he had any suggestions on how to convince his wife to have her ears tested. The audiologist suggested, “Try coming up from behind her about 10 feet away and, in your normal voice, ask her a question. If she doesn’t answer, come closer to her and ask the question again. Just keep repeating that until she finally gives you an answer.”
So the old man went home and gave it a try. He stood about 10 feet away from his wife and asked, “What are we having for dinner?” Hearing no reply he went closer and asked the question, “What are we having for dinner?” Still hearing no reply he went even closer and asked the question, “What are we having for dinner?” Standing right behind her he asked the question again, “What are we having for dinner?”
With the tone of exasperation his wife answered, “I’ve told you three times we’re having chicken and dumplings.”
Then there is the old man who got hearing aids. When he went in for cleaning, the audiologist asked, “What does your family think about your ability to hear?” The old fellow said, “I haven’t told them yet and I’ve changed my will three times.”
Well I, too, have a hearing loss. Oddly, it’s mostly in the range of the female voice. Often if the milieu of the area is noisy I have a difficult time understanding what people are saying.
When our daughter, Keri, was married the photographer was wandering around during the reception with the camcorder interviewing people. Our son , John, said something that I misunderstood. I looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked, “What did you say?”
He said, “I hope everything works out okay.” I said, “Oh, I thought you said ‘Don’t take all the forks out of the cake.’”
So I got hearing aids. Our son in law, Dean, said one time, “He’s not half as much fun as he was before he got hearing aids.”
Hearing. So how’s your hearing? There are two ways in which we can mean, “I can’t hear you.” In one way it means, not hearing any sound. You’re standing quite a ways away from some one and you know they’re obviously trying to say something but no sound gets to you. In the other way it means not comprehending the words you do hear.
Marlene and I have this ongoing thing. I’m in the kitchen and she’s in the bedroom and hollers something at me and I say “I can’t hear you!” Or, I will holler something to her from the kitchen when she’s in the office and she’ll say “I can’t hear you.”
Wouldn’t you think we’d learn to use the walkie talkies that I have in my drawer? Obviously we each heard the sound of the other’s voice, but not with the understanding of the words.
Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Well, there are more ways than one to hear. Our personal attitudes have something to do with how we hear something. So this morning let’s consider how we need to hear, especially with regard to the word of God.
The Psalmist gives us some insights: “Teach me your decrees, O LORD; I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. Give me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money! Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. Reassure me of your promise, made to those who fear you. Help me abandon my shameful ways; for your regulations are good. I long to obey your commandments! Renew my life with your goodness.” Psalm 119:33-40 (NLT2).
IF THE WORD IS TO PROFIT US:
I. WE MUST HEAR IT GLADLY:
A. “Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. Give me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money! Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word.”
1. Many don’t want to hear the Word and
a. They say, “I want to think my own thoughts and to come to my own decisions. I don’t want the Bible to interfere.”
b. It’s as they plug their ears and say, “Blah blah, blah.”
2. One minister at The Dalles was arguing with my senior pastor about some doctrine. My pastor said, “But the Bible says, ....” The other Minister cut him off and said, “I don’t care what the Bible says!”
3. As believers in God and His Word, we had better care what the Bible says! We are foolish to dismiss parts we may not like or agree with.
4. The true believer says, “My soul keeps Your testimonies, And I love them exceedingly.” Psalm 119:167 (NASB).
5. Yet, even some unbelievers enjoy hearing God’s words, perhaps because they like the narratives, or they enjoy the wisdom of Proverbs, or they are captivated by the poetry, or are interested in many different genre of literature. For example: though King Herod was an evil man, he often had John the Baptist, come to him, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and “when he heard him, he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him.” Mark 6:20 (NASB).
B. Someone said, “The Word of God will either make us mad, or sad, or glad!”
1. Mad because it Condemns the very sin that we’re very fond of
2. Sad because it He speaks the horrible fate of continuing in that very sin.
3. Why should God’s Word Make us glad?
a. Because of the Wisdom it imparts.
b. Because of the promises it contains.
c. Because of their hope it gives.
d. Because it reveals to us the mind of God.
e. Because the word hidden in our hearts keeps us from sin.
f. Because it teaches us how to be pleasing to the Lord.
g. Because of the faith in engenders.
C. Again, the Scripture said, “Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found.”
D. When my mother was hospitalized here in the Albany Hospital it appeared that she was not going to pull through. But, after hours of prayer and waiting, the Doctor finally came out and said “She’s going to be OK.” Now, how do you think we responded to the Doctor’s words? They didn’t make us mad; They didn’t make us sad! They made us glad – so does God’s Word.
IF THE WORD IS TO PROFIT US WE MUST HEAR IT GLADLY AND:
II. WE MUST HEAR IT PENITENTLY:
A. “Help me abandon my shameful ways; for your regulations are good.” and “Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your Word.”
1. Repentance Involves abandoning shameful, sinful ways.
2. Repentance also involves turning our eyes toward God’s regulations.
B. Repentance is a military term that means “About face!” That simply means to reverse our direction.
1. It is more than just sorrow and remorse.
2. It is more than weeping and sobbing because we feel so guilty.
3. It is a change of mind that leads to a change of action and life.
4. It is godly sorrow that causes us to turn away from wrongdoing.
5. It is a motive that compels us to turn toward that which is right.
C. Paul wrote a pretty scathing letter to the Corinthian Church because they not only tolerated, but almost encouraged, an immoral relationship between the man and a woman in the congregation. Then he wrote a second letter in which he referred to that letter and said, “I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.” 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 (NLT2).
D. A man was persuaded by a friend to go with him to a revival at the church he attended. The man went and God laid His hand on him and convicted him of sin. The next morning he went to the home of a friend and said to him, "Do you recognize that old watch?"
"Why, yes," answered the other. "That is my watch. I lost it eight years ago. How did you find it?" "I stole it," was the reply.
"You stole it? What made you bring it back now?" "I was converted last night, and I have brought it back first thing this morning. If you had been up, I would have brought it last night."
That’s repentance.
IF THE WORD IS TO PROFIT US WE MUST HEAR IT GLADLY AND PENITENTLY. AND:
III. WE MUST HEAR IT OBEDIENTLY:
A. “Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found.”
B. There is no salvation unless Jesus is Lord in your life. And He is not Lord if we don’t obey Him.
1. We will not consider any command as unessential to salvation. Obedience is essential to salvation.
2. The only questions we ought to ask are, “What does Jesus Command?” and “What am I going to do about it.”
3. There are only two answers, “I will ignore it,” or “I will obey it.”
4. James wrote, “don’t just listen to God’s Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” James 1:22 (NLT2).
C. The Bible makes it clear:
1. “Even though Jesus was God’s Son, He learned obedience from the things He suffered. In this way, God qualified Him as a perfect High Priest, and He became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey Him.” Hebrews 5:8-9 (NLT2).
2. “If someone claims, ‘I know God,’ but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s Word truly show how completely they love Him. That is how we know we are living in him.” 1 John 2:4-5 (NLT2).
3. God’s Word tells us what is right, and James says, “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” James 4:17 (NLT2). I had a friend in Klamath Falls who told me on one occasion, “I believe every word in the Bible! Every word.” I replied, “No, you don’t.” He said, “Yes, I really do.” So I said to him, “Then why haven’t you obeyed the command to repent and be baptized? He said, “You are right! Let’s do it!” And we did.
D. Don’t question, just comply. Neil Marten, a member of the British Parliament, was once giving a group of his constituents a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament. During the course of the visit, the group happened to meet Lord Hailsham, then lord chancellor, wearing all the regalia of his office. Hailsham recognized Marten among the group and cried, "Neil!" Not daring to question or disobey the "command," the entire band of visitors promptly fell to their knees!
One day every knee of every demon, every atheist, everybody without exception will kneel before Jesus. But to be ready to do that we must hear His Word as James and John did when the master said “Follow me,” and they GLADLY left their nets and their boats and TURNING AWAY from that former life, they OBEDIENTLY followed him. You must do the Word as well as hear it, yielding up your hearts to its commands and teachings.
Max Lucado said, “Once there was a man who dared God to speak. ‘Burn the bush like You did for Moses, God. And I will follow. Collapse the walls like You did for Joshua, God. And I will fight. Still the waves like You did on Galilee, God. And I will listen.’
And so the man sat by a bush, near a wall, close to the sea and waited for God to speak.
And God heard the man, so God answered. He sent fire, not for a bush, but for a church. He brought down a wall, not of brick, but of sin. He stilled the storm, not of the sea, but of a soul. And God waited for the man to respond.
And He waited. . .And He waited. . And waited. But because the man was looking at bushes, not hearts; bricks and not lives, seas and not souls, he decided that God had done nothing.
Finally, he looked to God and asked, ‘Have You lost your power?’ And God looked at him and said, ‘Have you lost your hearing?’”
How’s your hearing? Can you hear the Savior calling? Has He opened your ears and taught you to listen?
