There is one aspect of Jesus that we want to learn today - to LISTEN... to listen carefully to the Word of God. So that we can understand His heart and His will for us.
Jesus said in John 8:28-29
"...I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him."
And again in John 12:48-50
" 49 For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."
Jesus has been listening to His Father. He knows what He wants. He knows His will. He does what He says.
Jesus wants us to know how important it is to LISTEN to God. To hear what God is saying. The seeds, Jesus explain later (v.18ff.) represents the Word of God. Are we really listening to His Word? At the end of this parable, Jesus says: "He who has ears, let him hear." (v.9).
In the book of Revelations, the Lord spoke to John in a vision. Eight times He repeated this line, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
(1) LISTEN INTENTLY
It is very important for us to really LISTEN to what God has to say. Jesus Himself listens and obeys the will of the Father. His heart is a listening heart.
- In this parable, Jesus says of us have hearts like the hard road - we refuse to let the Word in. We reject everything that is said.
- Some are like the rocky places - we hear but we do not allow it to take root. We enjoy hearing sermons but will not allow the Word to change us. We want to continue our own ways.
- Others may be like the thorny patch - we are distracted by many other noises. Too many things in life compete for our attention, and we do not really pay attention to what God says.
- Lastly, there are those who are like good soil. They are attentive and focused. They are ready to hear God’s voice.
The one who truly listen, remembers. The Word will take its effect in his life and he will grow and bear fruit. The one who do not listen, even with repetition, he won’t get it. The problem is not with the seed – the seed is the same in all four grounds is the same. The problem is not with the Sower – He is the same Sower in all 4 scenarios. The problem is with the RECIPIENT.
The problem is not with the radio, not with its speakers – it is with the tuning. You did not tune to the right frequency. You’re hearing noises – the noises from this world. You’ve tune God out of your life. You did not pay attention to His Word.
No wonder Jesus has to emphasize, “He who has ears, let him hear.” (v.9).
FLYING A PLANE DOWN
Robert and his pilot friend Wesley went for a flying trip from Indianapolis to Muncie, Indiana, in June 1998. During the flight, his pilot had a heart attack and slumped over the controls. He was dead. The Cessna 172 single-engine plane began to nosedive and Robert grabbed the controls. He got on the radio and pleaded for help.
Nearby were two pilots who heard the call. Mount Comfort was the closest airport, and the two pilots gave Robert a series of instructions, climbing, steering, and the scariest part, landing. The two-experienced pilots circled the runway three times before this somewhat frantic and totally inexperienced pilot was ready to attempt the landing.
Emergency vehicles were called out for what seemed like an approaching disaster. Witnesses said the plane’s nose nudged the center line and bounced a few times before the tail hit the ground. The Cessna ended up in a patch of grass next to the runway. Amazingly, Robert was not injured.
He said later, “I listened intently and followed every single instruction as carefully as I can. My life depends on it.
Imagine what would take place in our lives; we listened to and obeyed the Word of God with the same earnestness. Blessings and our life depends on it.
When these seeds of God’s Word are thrown our way, what do we do? When was the last time we gave God a portion of our undivided time, so that we could truly listen to Him?
Jesus did so very often. Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Jesus often went off to a solitary place to pray. If Jesus felt the need to do so, why don’t we?
Jesus heard what others did not, he heard His Father. And because he could hear the Father he reacted differently than others. While others saw children as bothersome, Jesus said, “Let the children come.” When others told the lepers and the blind to be quiet, Jesus went to touch them and healed them. WHY? Because this is what the Father wants.
Are you hearing Him today?
(2) Listen Intently WITH A HEART TO OBEY
Jesus said in John 8:28-29
"...I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases Him."
True listening - is to obey what was heard. Whatever the Father teaches Him, He will do it. He said, "I do nothing on my own... for I always do what pleases Him."
James 1:22-25
22 Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does.
That’s why Jesus said (in explaining the parable of the Sower) - Matt 13:23
23 the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
In other words, to LISTEN right - we must be serious about UNDERSTANDING it and BEARING FRUIT from it. Only then, can we "produce a crop yielding a hundred, 60 or 30 times what was sown."
It is not the HEARING but the UNDERSTANDING of it - that is, to know what God wants us to do and how He wants us to live. To listen right is to live in obedience to what God says.
When a child misbehaved, we’ll hear parents responding, “Did you hear what I just said? Have you heard what I say?” Meaning, if you truly listen, you will act accordingly.
HEARING THE MORSE CODE
In the olden days when telegraph was the means of long-distance communication, a company wanted to hire a Morse Code operator. Many came for the interview. A sign on the receptionist’s counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the office. It was a noisy room and people were talking. In the background a telegraph was clacking away.
A young man completed his form and sat down with 12 other waiting applicants. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, opened the office door and walked right in. Naturally the other applicants were taken by surprise, wondering what was going on. How can this man just walked into the office without someone calling him?
Within a few minutes the young man emerged from the office with the interviewer, who announced to the other applicants, "Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has been filled by this young man."
The other applicants began to complain. "Wait a minute - I don’t understand. He was the last one to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That’s not fair."
The employer responded, "All the time you’ve been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message in Morse code: `If you understand this message, then come right in.
The job is yours.’ None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. So the job is his."
We live in a world filled with activities and clatter, just like that room. People are distracted and unable to hear the voice of God as He speaks. That’s why we need quiet times, we need retreats, we need prayer meeting, so that we can really listen and know what God is saying.
Are you tuned in to God’s voice? Do you hear Him when He speaks to you? Are you listening?
When Jesus and His 3 disciples were on the mount of transfiguration, Peter was quick to talk but the voice from heaven says, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!” (Mark 9:7)
If we want to be serious about listening to God, then we must come PREPARED to hear from Him. If you come with the expectation that you will receive nothing from the message, guess what? You will receive nothing. Jesus warned His disciples - Luke 8:18 "18Therefore consider carefully how you listen."
A few things you can do:
q Sleep well on Sat nights. Sleepy listeners are poor listeners. No one but you can prepare your heart.
q Be attentive to what God has to say. Ask, “What is God telling me today?” Maintain eye contact with the speaker, don’t look around. You’ll be distracted. That’s why sitting to closer to the front helps.
q Don’t be overly concerned with the clock
q If you have a personal bible, bring your own bible to every service.
q Make notes, you will remember more.
Once a man rose from the pew after the message and said, “Well, the sermon is over.” To which his friend said, “No, now is when it begins!”
The sermon is not to be heard only, but lived. We are to live out the Word of God. That is the kind of hearing that pleases God. James tells us that we are to “be doers of the Word and not hearers only.” (James 1:23-25)
Conclusion
Jesus said in Rev. 3:20 "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."
Are you listening? Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart. He is knocking in many ways and by means of many people. Do you hear Him? Are you listening?
"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)
Bros/Sis, let us pay more attention to what God says. If you can, make time for the Sunday School. Jesus (Matt 4:4): "It is written: `Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’"
