WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH JESUS?
“Listen to Him!” Romans 10:13-17
Focus: Hearing the good news of Jesus demands a response.. will it be to listen to him?
Function: To call hearers to make a decision to listen to what Jesus has to say for their lives.
What a beautiful text: Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved! We’ve looked quite a lot at the NAME of the Lord over the last several weeks. By taking a look at the different names that the Bible uses to describe Jesus, I hope that we’ve gotten a better feel for who he was, who he is and what he has done for us.
But, just knowing about this name is not enough! There is more to knowing Jesus than knowing about Jesus! Think about it for just a minute: Is it possible to be near to Jesus physically and yet be far from him spiritually? Of course! We’ll see in our look at Judas Iscariot tonight that here’s a man who lived right with him for more than two years, and yet never really knew him. Just being in church doesn’t make one a Christian anymore than being in a hen house makes you a chicken! I hope that our look at Jesus over the last two months has given you a fuller view of who Jesus is… but I want you to hear this morning that simply knowing more about him isn’t enough… we are expected to DO something about that knowledge!
This morning I want to introduce to you a new series: “What Will You Do with Jesus?” This series is about ACTION! It says, “You’ve heard about…Now, what are you going to DO about him?” Some of you have heard about him since you were a small child; parents, grandparents, Bible school teachers who lovingly passed along the message of Jesus to you. Others of you have come to be introduced to him rather recently. Some of you made a decision to DO something about him at a young age. Others of you have heard the story for many years as well, but have never made a decision to DO anything about it- I know b/c I’ve talked with some of you about it. All of us are called upon to make a decision… we are called to ACTION… but that’s getting ahead of myself. Let’s look back at the text:
Romans 10:13-17
13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" 16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?" 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. NIV
My question to you is this: Will you HEAR the message, this morning? Will you LISTEN to HIM!
We usually think of hearing as a Passive thing, but anyone who has been married knows that it is ACTIVE!
My wife gives me a hard time about this all the time. The truth is: there are certain men who are simply gifted at being able to ‘hear’ without ‘listening.’
She’ll be talking to me about something important (usually while I’m doing something important like driving or listening to the radio or watching t.v.) and then she’ll pause and say, “Are you listening to me?” To which I can always reply with a “sure” and spout back the last sentence she just said… Of course, I had no idea what she had been talking about, but I had at least heard it! This is NOT what the Bible is talking about here! I went back to some of our books on Marriage (that people gave us when we got married) to look again at some practical advice on ACTIVE LISTENING… I knew where to look b/c Celeste had highlighted all of the stuff she wanted me to notice! What’s the difference b/w ‘Hearing’ & ‘Active Listening’?
I Found Five Principles—(you might want to write these down, men) Focus attention on the partner; maintain eye contact and don’t interrupt or finish your partner’s sentences for her. I’ve noticed myself doing this from time to time. Celeste and I have been married for long enough now that I know her pretty well and can almost finish my sentences for her. But that destroys good communication! Listen not only to what is said verbally, but non-verbally as well; How a thing is said sometimes tells you more that what is actually said. Give Feedback; be responsive letting your partner know that you are hearing what he/she is saying. You can say something like, “So what I hear you saying is…” Good Communication requires TIME to be devoted to it; that means that you sometimes have to take the time, or make time! Finally, it shows RESPECT to your spouse. Doesn’t she deserve it? That’s my FREE marriage counseling for you this morning (remember, you get what you pay for!) If you ever have a real need for marriage counseling, you’ll want to see Mike.
I want you to consider these principles from the standpoint of Communication with God. Ask yourself, “How am I LISTENING to God?”
Am I Focusing my attention on what He has to say? Or am I constantly interrupting with my own ideas, preferences, opinions? “Yes, God, I know what the Bible says, but don’t confuse me with the facts. I know what I know.” (We don’t have the privilege of non-verbal communication with God, or do we?) Am I listening for the spirit of the text? That is; the Bible isn’t just a book of information for us, it is a book of transformation! Are we listening NOT just to the what of the text, but also the who of the text? Am I responsive to God’s Word? Am I talking back to him, confirming to him what I understand him to say? Am I praying? Am I spending the TIME I need to with God for good communication to occur? Time in prayer? Time in Bible study? Remember, good ACTIVE LISTENING communicates RESPECT… isn’t God worth it?
So, I ask you again, are you ACTIVELY HEARING God’s message? Will you listen to Him?
The Hearing of God’s Word Calls for ACTION! Jesus was teaching one day when some of his followers came in to tell him that his mother and brothers were outside. He used it as an opportunity to make a point…Luke 8:19-21
19 Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you." 21 He replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice." NIV
On another occasion, he was confronted by a woman while he was teaching & responded similarly in Luke 11:27-28
27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you." 28 He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." NIV
What was Jesus’ point in these texts? It certainly wasn’t to demean his mother! He was saying, What’s important here isn’t who you are, but that you have (1) heard the word of God and (2) done something about it by putting it into practice in your life. Again, the Christian faith isn’t just a bunch of facts or information to accept, but its about letting it transform your life into ethical, moral living! What are you going to DO about it? Hearing anticipates ACTION… a decision to do something.
The Question for all of us in today’s world: Will we LISTEN to Him… or to the endless competing voices out there?
… when it comes to Marriage?
In Matt. 19 Jesus is confronted by some Pharisees who wanted to make trouble. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
And Jesus answers them by quoting from Genesis and saying, “Haven’t you read your Bibles?”
“So God created man in his own image,in the image of God he created him;male and female he created them. (1:27NIV) and “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” (2:24NIV)
Our nation is really battling this one these days. A court in Massachussetts just a few weeks ago ruled to re-define marriage for their state—calling for ‘domestic unions’; legal partnerships b/w same sex partners. I try not to get into politics, but I think that for Christians, it is worth noting that each of the top candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to our land’s highest office is supportive of this initiative.
Its NOT just a redefinition of marriage I’m worried about… it’s a general demeaning of marriage that is my most concern! Marriage is now right up there with a new washer & dryer as a prize on our favorite game shows! What kind of message does that send? Almost 1 out of 2 new marriages in America will end in divorce and I heard a recent statistic that the average duration for a new marriage was 7 ½ years!
Church, we’ve got to do something to uphold God’s definition of marriage “till death do you part” in our culture!
This is why when I perform a wedding, I tell the couple that I won’t do it unless they agree to at least four hours of counseling with me or a good Christian counselor. Its too important for us as a church to let our young people go off & get married without teaching them how to be married in God’s sight!
But our culture continues to demean marriage…
Will we listen to Jesus… or the courts & politicians of our land?
…When it comes to Sexual Purity!
In Matthew 5:27-28, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ’Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” NIV
The Old Testament was clear- adultery is wrong. But Jesus takes it to the next level by emphasizing that the point is purity of heart!
Yet if we watch our televisions or listen to popular music we might get the impression that anything goes these days! Nobody really waits anymore! Its commonplace these days to live together before getting married- some counselors will even recommend it- despite good evidence that it doesn’t prevent divorce and probably even contributes towards it.
Yet, I’m impressed by a growing number of young people who are making the decision to wait! If you don’t know, a movement called “True Love Waits” has gained steam over the last number of years in churches and schools all over America, challenging teenagers to abstinence! I applaud our young people for going against the grain of our culture when it comes to sexual purity, and for standing up for God’s plan for sex and marriage!
Will we listen to Jesus… or the voices coming at us from the world?
…When it comes to Integrity in the work place?
Matt 5:33-37, Jesus said, "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ’Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let your ’Yes’ be ’Yes,’ and your ’No,’ ’No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” NIV
Christians keep their oaths, we keep our word! We’re to be men & women of honesty & integrity! If we say we’re going to do a thing, we do it!
All you have to do is watch the news these days and you know words like ENRON & corporate scandal. You’ve seen the pictures just like I have of Martha Stewart coming and going from court for her trial. These are about issues of honesty & integrity! I don’t know if she’s innocent or guilty- that’s not my point! My point is that these are issues that every company in the work place is dealing with!
The question for us will be are WE going to be employees and employers of honesty & integrity? Will we be honest on our expense reports? On our tax reporting? On our time cards and on our lunch breaks? Will we respect our employers enough not to take from them more than we have earned?
Will we listen to Jesus … or listen to the voices out there saying “Its okay, nobody will ever notice—they’ve got so much money already?”
…When it comes to defining Right & Wrong?
Is all truth relative? Who defines truth? How does a society decide what’s right and what’s wrong? Do we caucus and vote on it? Do we elect some council to meet and decide for us? How, for example, do we decide if murder is wrong? Or stealing? Or adultery? Is it just arbitrary? Once decided, can it ever be changed? “Oh, yeah that used to be wrong, but we live in different times today!” it is often said.
Folks, those things are wrong because GOD SAID THEY ARE WRONG! It doesn’t matter what our courts decide on the matter. It doesn’t matter what bills Congress passes. It doesn’t even matter what vote you or I might cast on the matter, it matters what God says about it! God defines right & wrong!
The question for us: Will we listen to Him… amidst all the other competing voices out there?
I think it is probably significant that God said what he did at Jesus’ Transfiguration in Matt. 17. Jesus has taken with him his three closest disciples up to the peak of this mountain; allowing them to witness the most extraordinary event in his ministry to this point! No number of miracles had come close to touching this one! In fact, only his resurrection could’ve been more awesome! The Bible says that up there on that mountain,
Matthew 17:2-5
2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. 4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters-one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" NIV
God says, “Listen to HIM!” Why does God say this? We know, don’t we? Because we know about Jesus. He and the Father are One. Jesus reveals the Father to us. If we’ve seen him, then we’ve seen God! We ought to listen to him!
In Him are the words of life! (Jn. 6:68)… those words that illuminate the way and light the path! (Ps. 119:105)
This morning, if you’ve never put on the NAME of Jesus by becoming a Christian—you don’t have to get ahead of me… all I am asking you to do TODAY is to “Listen to Him.”
Begin with Matthew 5 & his Sermon on the Mount
Hear what he has to say about living on this crazy, mixed up planet. Hear what he has to say about how to treat your spouse, how to regard marriage & keep it sacred. Hear what he has to say about how to treat others, about forgiving your enemies. And give it a try! Take Jesus for a “test spin” so-to-speak!
I guarantee you that he will not disappoint! And if you have really put his words into practice in your life, it will make all the difference in the world! You will not be disappointed.
