Hearing the Word of God - Part 3

How To Be A Good Hearer

We have been talking, in the last two messages, about some of the things that keep us from hearing God's Word. I would like to now discuss how to accurately hear the Word of God. How can we be "Good ground" hearers of the Word? Let's take another look at the parable of the "Sower and the Soils" and consider how we can avoid the pitfalls that keep us from hearing:

1.) Prepare our hearts

"When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side." (Matthew 13:19)

Like we discussed in Part 1 of this series, we see here a picture of people WILLFULLY failing to understand the Word of God. Obviously, Jesus was primarily speaking of those who did not believe on Him at all, those who were not Believers in any sense of the word.

But is it possible for those who have already received Jesus, for Christians, to behave this way? My answer is, absolutely. We can resist the conviction and leading of the Holy Spirit the same as unbelievers can. For example, there are those who sit in the church pew, week after week, and always believe the preacher's words are for the folks sitting around them, not for themself. They always think, "Amen! I hope so and so is really listening to this!"

We are also susceptible to resisting the Holy Spirit's conviction and leading when we bring our own preset beliefs and agenda to hearing the sermon or reading the Bible. We become guilty of reading our beliefs into the Word rather than reading the Truth out of the Word. We change the teachings of the Word to adapt to us rather than changing ourselves to adapt to the teachings of the Word.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" (2 Timothy 3:16)

To be good ground hearers, we must apply this Scripture to ourselves, not just to others. We must let the Word of God correct OUR beliefs and behavior. We must allow God to change us, to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ (see Romans 8:29) if we want to be good hearers of the Word. We must submit to the Lord's leading, daily, and never let our hearts harden. No matter how far along we are in our walk with the Lord, there are always things that God wants to teach us, if we keep our ground soft!

2.) Prepare for Trials and Tribulations

"But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended." (Matthew 13:20-21)

We should not be surprised when we face difficulties in this life, Jesus said that we would (John 16:33). Nobody is immune. Often, the closer we get to the Lord and the more we serve Him, the greater the trials and tribulations become. Nearly all of the apostles were martyred for their preaching of the Gospel. The Apostle Paul definitely faced his share of persecutions and hardships (see 2 Corinthians 11:24-29) before he was ultimately executed for his faith.

Jesus told us that we would be wise to "count the costs" of following Him (see Luke 14:28-33, for example). Part of this is the certain hardships and persecutions that will come. Most of us in the Western World are blessed enough that, at least for now, most of our "persecutions" for the Gospel consist mostly of social repercussions. Some might think us strange or perhaps belittle our beliefs. Some may even ostracize us, but Christians in the West seldom suffer any severe consequences. But for some, even these are unbearable. Some love the praise of men above the praise of God. We have to decide who it is we are living for and who we are wanting to please.

3.) Prioritize What's Important

"He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful." (Matthew 13:22)

Whenever we make a stand to serve the Lord, the Devil will do everything in his power to try to stop us. If the persecution we mentioned doesn't stop us, he then proceeds to attempt the strategy of distraction. If we get caught up in worrying about our own day to day needs and wants, we are not going to invest our time and effort into serving God. That is why this is so important. Aside from the fact that stress, anxiety, and worry have devastating effects on our physical and emotional health, they sideline us from pursuing the things of God. We must trust God to provide for us, or else we will get wrapped up into selfishly pursuing our own desires.

God deserves first place in our lives. We are not going to be good, fruit bearing hearers if we only give God our leftovers. We simply cannot whisper a ten second prayer, as we are falling asleep at night, and expect to effectively hear what God is saying:

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matthew 6:33-34 NKJV)

To be fruit bearing, good ground hearers, we have to put our trust in God and make serving Him our top priority.

By making sure that these three things are in place, a heart open to the things of God, a mind prepared to endure persecution, and a body trusting in the Lord for it's needs, we are yielding ourselves to the Lord and His guidance. We make it possible for the Holy Spirit to penetrate our hearts with His holy, life-giving Word.

"But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."(Matthew 13:23 NKJV)

In closing, we see that our lives will bear fruit when we become good ground hearers. We should note that it does not say that we produce fruit, we bear it. It is the Lord Who is producing the fruit in us. Jesus said:

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:5)

What is this fruit? The fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (see Galatians 5:22-23). In short, Christian character. The Holy Spirit produces these virtues in our lives as we yield to Him. We yield to Him by obeying Him. We obey Him by hearing Him.

Until next time, may God bless you.



*New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.