"EarPlugs "
- Heb. 2: 1-4 -
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
I don’t remember if I’ve ever told you my audience that God has given me that when I pray about what the Lord wants me to write about He only gives me a title. Then the Holy Ghost through me His vessel brings forth the message. I love it, and I hope you do too. I get so blessed when the Lord uses me..."It’s all about Jesus", not me...amen. And some of the titles I’m sure seem a bit strange to you...but you would agree, I’ve got to obey Headquarters.
So, with that, today’s message is called "EarPlugs". We want to talk about plugging up your spiritual ears so not to let out what you have heard. Not to as in the natural to protect your hearing but to protect what you’ve heard.
As any day begins our senses go to work. The first thing I hear in the morning is the alarm, waking me up for another day that the Lord has made. The getting ready for the day noises and sounds are next. The next sounds before heading out are my prayers and the listening to the spirit of God as we "praypare" for the day. Petitioning the Father to meet the needs of my family, friends, neighbors, fellow workers, my church, and the harvest He has for me. On my way to the job, Christian radio has my ears. Sermons or music fills my spirit. During the day Ephesians 5:19, 20 is used, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord"; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. With out exception for as long as I can remember, I do this. What a great and beneficial habit has happened, Praise God for it...amen. Making up songs, worshipping, praising, etc. That’s what I hear during the battle of the day, as well as in the peaceful times. (Rom.10:17) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Faith the Bible says cometh by hearing. I’ve always associated this hearing by hearing the preacher or someone else. But of late the Lord said the same comes by hearing yourself speak the Word. So, hear yourself speak the Word of God and faith will come by your hearing.
I’ve been saved now as of this message, 18 years, 9 months, and 27 days. Let me use myself as an example of what I’ve heard as far as the gospel goes. If you figure 3 sermons a week, that’s about 3,000 times I’ve heard messages from the pulpit. Hours of tapes, videos, Christian TV, on and on. So, I’ve heard a bunch...how about you friend??? How much of what I have heard have I shared with others??? How much of what I have heard have I applied to my life??? Put it into this perspective. Friend we are hearing the Word of God. The Almighty One. The King of the Universe. The Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. The Lord and Savior of mine and your life. I must confess as well repent, I have taken it for granted for too long. I’ve heard more Word than the (12) Apostles, the disciples, do you get my point. I must and you must be accountable for what we’ve heard. I guess we "let it slip" like our scripture verse says. How did it slip??? We didn’t give it our "earnest heed". That means we heard it and that’s it. We needed to meditate, put to memory, and most important act on what we heard. After all, it was God’s Word for us that particular time. And that time, what God wanted to say to us and what He wanted to do with what we heard might not come our way again. He created that "Word to us" moment for a divinely appointed reason and time. That should tell you just how crucial it is to hear The Word. Listen to this revelation I believe I just received as I am writing this to you. In the beginning when God spoke the Word, something was created, something only God could and can do. When the Word is spoken to us today he is creating. It isn’t light or mankind or the animals, it’s putting the creative Word in us to take it to a world that needs change or something new. With His precious Word in us, speaking out of us, a life can be affected forever. Healing, deliverance, impartation, etc. The Word we heard needs to be treated with reverence and to a greater degree above anything else we hear. It’s from God shouldn’t it be??? Our verse says, "give the earnest heed". Which means to turn our mind to, be attentive to, bring near the Word you have heard. Simply put, God wants His Word to become part of us. To care for it, to be devoted to it because it’s from God to us and for us. And to hear it like God wants us to hear it means to consider, to comprehend, understand, to hear and react by applying to our lives. And verse one ends stating that if we don’t give the earnest heed to what we have heard, the Word spoken will slip. The word will drift away, escape our being, or it will run out of us like water out of a cup with a hole in it. If you know the "Seed and the Sower" story in the Bible, you know that it’s about the kind of soil we have when the Word of God comes to us. Is it ready for seed, fertile, and watered??? Or hard, stony not any good for a seed. If the seed doesn’t get in the good soil, the life in the seed won’t come forth.
Friend, we can’t let what we’ve heard slip any more. It is so much harvest time on God’s planet. We are the sowers of His seed. The life of God is in His Word. Here are some verses to show the importance of hearing what is spoken.
(Heb. 2:1-4) God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. God has been speaking to His creation for a long, long time. You would think we would get it. But in His mercy He continues to speak to us so to get us about His business to win His world for Christ’s sake. He now, since Calvary uses His Son the very Gospel personified to speak to and through us, by His death, burial and resurrection, "The Greatest Story Ever Told". We are how the job is going to get done, no other way. Through us, with God in us, to get His world saved.
(Jam. 1:22-25) But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. Hear it and do it. That’s the plan. Heralds, ambassadors for Christ, carrying and proclaiming the good news for our King.
(Heb. 4:2) For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. Without faith it is impossible to please God. So, without faith in the Word we’ve heard or faith in ourselves to spread the Word, we let it slip. Have faith in God, have the God kind of faith. Mountain moving, sin killing, life changing faith. Clearly, hearing and not using profits nothing.
(Prov. 4:20-22) My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Solomon tells us how important the Word is. It’s life to them that hear it. It is health to us as well. Give it earnest heed, put it in the recesses of our heart. The Holy Ghost uses the senses seeing and hearing in these passages to make us know how important it is to hear and apply what He says (my words, my sayings). How do people find them, through us.
(Matt. 17:5) While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. My last verse I’ll use says it all. God the Father, telling His creation to hear His Son, the Son of God. We have the privilege and honor to be called, "the sons of God". We too, are the Father’s beloved sons (children, family, heirs, etc). So, when we hear the Word of God and give it our earnest heed, God is wanting His lost world to hear us.
So, the challenge is, what have we got to say??? I hear everyday about a hundred times, things like, how are you doing, what’s happening, you know the norm. We’ve heard the Word, we need to say what God would say. God loves you. Did you go to church this week. I know you’ve been sick, can I pray for you. Do you see how your world will be "turned upside down" and "right side up" for Jesus??? Our message to tell will impact our world like we wouldn’t believe. Miracles, signs and wonders will follow them that believe. Hear, speak and believe. Don’t let what we hear slip away, use "Earplugs"...amen. Keep the Word in your heart, mix it with faith and watch the Lord use you to touch His world.
In closing let us pray for you my friend, Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading c42day right now. Lord, let this message penetrate their hearts and realize their need to be hearers and doers of your Word. Lord, you have a plan and destiny for their lives. They have the world you’ve given them to change for God’s glory. It’s my and I know your desire Lord that they have been challenged to change their life. For sure they have been challenged2Bchanged. In Jesus Name...Amen
If you want to know more about Him go to our "are you challenged2Bchanged" (ru/c2bc) page on the Lord’s website www.c2bc.org for help. Or at least e-mail us, we would love to hear your response.
God Bless,
Mike & Carole
