"He That Hath Ears To Hear"
1. "... Let Him Hear"
I am now reading through the books of the gospels and one phrase that I see often is, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." (Matthew 11:15) There are several references throughout the Bible on "hearing". We can see this invitation for people to hear the Word of God. We can also see these words as a warning. Judgment will come and it will be terrible for those who would not hear what God had to say. We also have examples in the Bible of those who heard, but would not heed, or follow what they heard. Let's look in God's Word and see what He wants us to hear.
2. Hearing The Word And Bringing Forth Fruit
As I recently read the Parable of the Sower, I noticed the different levels at which people hear the Word. As you read the parable below you will see that in verses 12, 13, 14, and 15, they all heard the Word of God. But, the difference came in how they accepted and believed the Word. It is important that we hear not only with our ears, but that we receive His Word in our heart. "Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears." (Ezekiel 3:10)
"4 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:
5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung 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 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?
10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience." (Luke 8:4-15)
3. A Still Small Voice
I have always been intrigued with the story of Elijah. He told wicked King Ahab that it wouldn't rain and it didn't rain for three and a half years. He stood against the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and God gave the victory. "And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men." (I Kings 18:21-22) And then he ran ahead of the king's chariot to Jezreel. The queen sent word to him that she would kill him by that time the next day and he left his servant and went on alone. "But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers." (I Kings 19:4) The mental and physical exhaustion, together with the spiritual battle left him weary and worn. An angel let him sleep, then fed him and gave him water to drink. Elijah was faithful to the Lord and the Lord was faithful to him. He didn't speak to Elijah through the strong wind, nor through the earthquake or fire. The Lord spoke to Elijah through a still small voice. Many times we want God to speak to us through something spectacular, and we miss the still small voice. We wouldn't hardly miss a strong wind or an earthquake, but it is easy to miss a whisper. We have to be close to someone to hear them whisper. We also must be listening to hear them whisper. We could be doing all sorts of things and still hear a strong wind, but to hear a still small voice we need to be still and listen. As we continue with our devotions on having ears to hear, let's draw nigh to God and listen so that we can hear His still small voice.
"7 And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.
8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.
9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?" (I Kings 19:7-13)
4. Swift To Hear, Slow To Speak
I want to share a little verse from the book of James... "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:" (James 1:19) I think, for the most part, we have that quite the opposite. It seems that we are usually slow to hear, and swift to speak and swift to wrath. I heard someone say that God gave us two ears and one mouth so that we could hear twice as much as we speak. Sometimes I only hear part of something, and I have already formed an opinion before I hear the rest of the story. There are also times when we hear what one person tells us, and forget the old saying, "There are two sides to every story." We need to open our ears and be ready to hear, but hold our tongue and our temper. Be ready to listen, but think before we speak. We can't take back our words once they have been said. "He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding." (Proverbs 17:27-28)
5. Be Ye Doers, And Not Hearers Only
Michael and I worked with youth groups at church for many years. One of the songs we taught them was, "Be Ye Doers Of The Word." We looked at James 1:19 yesterday, and today we are moving forward a few verses. James compares hearing the Word of God and not doing it to looking in a mirror and not doing anything about the way we look. I was working in the garden one day and needed something so I grabbed my keys and made a quick trip to the hardware store. After I got home and went in the house I couldn't believe that I had gone out in public with my hair such a mess and dirt on my face. I should have looked in the mirrow before I went. Our verses below tell us that we will be blessed when we look into God's Word and continue to do His work. Maybe this little song will bring back sweet memories for you.
"Be Ye Doers Of The Word"
1. Out of James 1:22 Comes a call for Juniors true Who will live for Christ the risen Lord. Listen to this trumpet call Ringing out to one and all: “Be ye doers of the Word.”
2. We would strive for Christ to live, Time and talents we would give. We would follow Jesus all the way. Tithes and offerings we would bring; We would work and pray and sing For the Master every day.
3. Kind to others we would be, Jesus likeness they would see; We would keep our bodies clean and strong. We would strive in school and play To learn lessons and obey, Live for right and conquer wrong.
4. Let us serve with all our might; Let us stand for truth and right; Always living for the risen Lord. Come and join our happy throng; Sing with us our joyful song: “Be ye doers of the word.”
(Chorus)
“Be ye doers of the Word, be ye doers of the Word, Be ye doers of the Word, And not hearers, not hearers only, Be ye doers of the Word.”
(Be Ye Doers of the Word, Words, Blanche Linthicum; Tune, B. B. McKinney. 1940)
"22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 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:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 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." (James 1:22-25)
6. Hearing Is Not Enough
We have already seen in the scriptures several times, that it is not enough to hear the Word of the Lord, but we must do what God tells us to do. Jesus told His followers that those who hear His Word and do it are like a wise man which built his house on a rock. And those who hear His sayings and do not do them are like a foolish man who builds his house on the sand. The storms came down on both houses, but the house on the rock stood and the house on the sand fell. We all have storms that come into our lives. If we want to keep standing during these storms, we need to hear the Word of the Lord and do it.
"21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." (Matthew 7:21-29)
7. "Then Will I Hear"
Many times when I have trouble going to sleep I will spend time in prayer for my family and others that the Lord brings to my mind. After the prayer time I often try to remember Bible verses that I can use for these devotionals. Last night I tried to meditate on scriptures that include the word, "hear". One verse came to mind, only one. "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (II Chronicles 7:14) It wasn't like the verses we had this week about our ears to hear. It is a promise from our God about His ears to hear. As a nation, as a people, as families, we need to pray and seek the Lord. We need to humble ourselves and turn from our wicked ways. And God says, "then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." It has to begin somewhere. We may think our country has fallen too far into sin, but we can pray! We can seek the Lord and humble ourselves before Him! We can turn from our wicked ways! This verse begins, "If my people..." and it was written at the time for the Jews. Now, that we are saved by Jesus, we are His people, and this verse is for us. What if each of us prayed in sincerity to our Lord, "Let it begin with me"? Our God is able! "Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:" (Jeremiah 32:17)
8. "O LORD, Hear Me"
I am getting hard of hearing. When my grandchildren talk to me I often have to bend over and listen to them, to be able to hear what they are saying. In Psalms 86 we read a prayer of David and it begins, "Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy." God is not hard of hearing. That's not why David asked God to bow down His ear. David knows his weakness, "for I am poor and needy." When we are weak our voice is low. Our spirit is bowed down. David acknowledges how much he needs the Lord. And in verse 7 he says assuredly, "In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me." No matter how low we get, our merciful Lord, though high in the heavens, still hears and answers our prayers.
"1 <<A Prayer of David.>> Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.
3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.
4 Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
6 Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.
7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me." (Psalm 86:1-7)
9. His Sheep Hear His Voice
I saw a short video of a shepherd who stood at his fence and asked the visitors that were standing there to call his sheep. Each person called to the sheep, but they kept right on grazing. When the shepherd called, the sheep looked up and went to him. I was reminded of this as I was reading in the book of John yesterday. Jesus is our Good Shepherd. He calls to His own, and we hear His voice, and follow Him. I am so thankful that Jesus is my Good Shepherd and that He gave His life for me. I am part of verse 16, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." As you read this portion from John 10, you can see each time that Jesus said His sheep hear His voice and follow Him.
"2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
30 I and my Father are one."
10. The Lord Hears Us And Saves Us
Next month is Thanksgiving, but we don't have to wait until that special day to give thanks and praise to our Lord. I want to share some verses from Psalm 118 and say today that I am so thankful that Jesus heard my prayer and saved my soul! I was around 8 years old, and my Grandpa Moyer P. Beasley was preaching on the rich man and Lazarus from Luke 16. I cried out to Jesus and asked Him to save me and He heard and answered my prayer. "I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation." (Psalm 118:21) I am so thankful for His mercy and grace.
"1 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.
14 The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.
21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
23 This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.
26 Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.
27 God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.
29 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." (Psalm 118)
11. I Will Call Upon The Lord As Long As I Live
The Lord heard me when I cried out for salvation. Why would I ever seek any other? That is more than enough for me to call upon Him as long as I live. "I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live." (Psalm 116:1-2) Because He hears us we love Him! Because He hears us, we walk with Him. "I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living." (verse 9) We serve Him. "O LORD, truly I am thy servant... I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people," (verses 16-18) "I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being." (Psalm 104:33) As long as I live!
12. Faith Comes By Hearing
Has anyone ever asked you, "How did you believe in Jesus?" "How do we have faith?" The book of Romans is a good book to share the message of salvation. First, we have to believe that we have sinned. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23) Next, we must believe that Jesus died to pay for our sin, and that there is no other way to be saved. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23) Now, let's look at the questions that the Apostle Paul asked. "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?" (Romans 10:14-15) How do we have faith? "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17) We have faith through hearing the Word of God. If you are reading this today, you have heard the gospel message. Do you have faith to believe?
"8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." (Romans 10:8-10, 13-18)
13. Isaac's Ears Did Not Fail Him
When Rebekah sent her son, Jacob, in to cheat Esau of his blessing, Isaac's senses failed him. Let's look at these verses from Genesis 27. His sight, his taste, his feeling, and his smell all failed, but his hearing did not fail him! When Jesus was taken in the Garden of Gethsame Peter tried to fight for Him and cut off the ear of Malchus. "And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him." (Luke 22:50-51) Jesus healed his ear. Malchus had no excuse if he chose not to hear the gospel message.
His eyes failed...
"1 And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I."
His taste failed...
"9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:
10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.
25 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank."
His feeling of touch failed...
"11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:
12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.
15 And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:
16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:
21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.
23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him."
His sense of smell failed him...
"26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:"
But, his hearing did not fail him!
"22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
14. "Call Unto Me"
We had a bump-up in our car last June. The body shop could not fix it until mid-September and we drove it all summer, even though the hatch would not fully close. After the car was in the shop a week they called and said the damage was much worse than they thought and our car was declared totaled. I like to pray over everything and I prayed for several weeks that the Lord would lead us to the car that was right for us. There were so few cars on the lots it made it easier to narrow down our choices. I want to praise the Lord today that He helped us find another car. One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 33:3. How many times do we miss out on what God has for us because we don't ask Him and seek His will? Jesus said, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" (Matthew 7:7) I am so thankful that the Lord heard and answered our prayer!
"2 Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name;
3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." (Jeremiah 33:2-3)
15. God Pleads With The Earth To Hear
In the book of Revelation God gave the seven letters to the churches. With the closing of each letter He says, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29 and 3:6, 13, & 22) God calls once more to "any man" in Revelation 13:9. "If any man have an ear, let him hear." The invitation to hear God's Word has been given to all people. The next verses call to heaven and earth to hear what God has to say. We feel the urgency in Jeremiah 22:29, "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD." The Lord is coming again and the best way we can be ready is to hear and follow His Word.
"Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth." (Deuteronomy 32:1)
"Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me." (Isaiah 1:2)
"Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it." (Isaiah 34:1)
"Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it." (Jeremiah 6:19)
"Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple." (Micah 1:2)
