Take Care How You Hear a Sermon

For the previous few days, your pastor and I’ve been pondering and speaking so much about preaching — the ability of it, the privilege of it, and the preparation of it. So, it appeared becoming that I ought to converse to you this morning about listening to preaching. That’s why I selected this textual content.

Discover that within the second half of verse 10 it says, “. . . in order that ‘seeing they could not see, and listening to they could not perceive.’” Verse 12 says, “Those alongside the trail are those that have heard.” Verse 13 says, “And those on the rock are those that, once they hear the phrase, obtain it with pleasure.” Verse 14 says, “And as for what fell among the many thorns, they’re those that hear, however as they go on their method they’re choked.” And look particularly at verse 18, which is sort of a abstract conclusion: “Take care then the way you hear.”

I feel that’s the purpose of Jesus’s educating right here, and that’s the purpose of my message: Take care the way you hear. Be careful, lest you hear badly. Be careful, lest you hear passively. Be careful, lest you twist what you hear. Be careful, lest what you hear goes in a single ear and out the opposite and by no means turns into a remodeling drive in your life. Be careful, lest you merely don’t hear in any respect. Many dangerous issues will be mentioned of preachers, and lots of dangerous issues will be mentioned of hearers. Many superb issues will be mentioned of preachers, and lots of superb issues will be mentioned of hearers. So, take care, Christ Covenant Church, the way you hear.

Sobering Parable

This can be a very sobering textual content for preachers, as a result of it doesn’t maintain out the prospect of big success by way of numbers of people who find themselves lastingly affected — one in 4, maybe (just like the soils), for those who take the textual content that method. I doubt that the proportion ought to be pressed to imply that we are able to at all times, or solely, count on a 25 % lasting response. However absolutely, Jesus is not less than warning us preachers from being cocky, lest we expect we are able to change individuals simply, or lest we get discouraged if there are lots of hearers who don’t reply with lasting change.

Typically individuals will say that the day of preaching is over as a result of it isn’t an efficient method of fixing individuals. The reply to that is that it has by no means been very efficient statistically — nor has another type of communication. The reason being not within the technique of communication. The reason being Matthew 7:14: “The gate is slender and the best way is tough that results in life, and those that discover it are few.” It’s as a result of there may be a lot deceitful snatching, rocky superficiality, and word-choking worldliness. That’s the reason Jesus mentioned in Luke 13:24, “Attempt to enter by the slender door. For a lot of, I inform you, will search to enter and won’t be able.” That’s one other method of claiming that, when the phrase is preached and the best way to life is proven, take heed the way you hear. Attempt to enter.

That’s what this textual content is about. It’s about listening to and but not listening to — seeing and but not seeing. It’s about those that assume they’ve heard however haven’t heard. And so, it’s all about the right way to put together to listen to preaching and the way to reply to preaching.

Sower and Seed

Let’s begin in Luke 8:5, with the start of the parable. Jesus begins, “A sower went out to sow his seed.” Then in verse 11 he interprets: “Now the parable is that this: the seed is the phrase of God.” So, he’s telling a parable in regards to the preaching and listening to of the phrase of God. The sower is the one who preaches the phrase.

Then there are 4 responses to this preaching of the phrase — 4 sorts of soil. What we need to discover particularly is that Jesus interprets every of them explicitly as 4 methods of listening to the phrase. It’s primarily about listening to.

Verse 5 says that, first, some seed — some phrase — “fell alongside the trail and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it.” Then in verse 12 he interprets: “Those alongside the trail are those that have heard; then the satan comes and takes away the phrase from their hearts, in order that they could not consider and be saved.” That’s one form of listening to.

Verse 6 says that “some fell on the rock, and because it grew up, it withered away, as a result of it had no moisture.” Then in verse 13 he interprets: “Those on the rock are those that, once they hear the phrase, obtain it with pleasure. However these don’t have any root; they consider for some time, and in time of testing fall away.” That’s a second form of listening to.

Verse 7 says that “some fell amongst thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.” Verse 14 interprets: “As for what fell among the many thorns, they’re those that hear, however as they go on their method they’re choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit doesn’t mature.” That’s a 3rd form of listening to.

Lastly, verse 8 says, “Some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” And verse 15 interprets: “As for that within the good soil, they’re those that, listening to the phrase, maintain it quick in an trustworthy and good coronary heart, and bear fruit with endurance.” That’s a fourth form of listening to.

Then, on the finish of verse 8, Jesus makes certain we acquired the purpose about listening to and says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Meaning it’s not sufficient to have ears on the aspect of your head. Everyone has these. However there may be one other form of ear that just some individuals have. And people can hear. “He who has ears to listen to, let him hear.” There’s a religious ear — a heart-ear. It’s identical to how Paul says the center has eyes (Ephesians 1:18). So, Jesus implies, the center has ears. There may be an ear that hears, within the preaching of the phrase, greater than mere phrases. There’s a magnificence and a fact and an influence that these ears hear as compelling and remodeling and preserving. That’s the form of listening to Jesus is looking for. That’s what this textual content is about. Take care the way you hear!

Listening to With out Listening to

Then, to emphasize the problem of listening to much more, Luke tells us how Jesus defined the aim of parables in his state of affairs. In Luke 8:9–10, it says, “His disciples requested him what this parable meant.” Earlier than he offers them the interpretation, he says this: “To you it has been given to know the secrets and techniques of the dominion of God, however for others they’re in parables, in order that ‘seeing they could not see, and listening to they could not perceive.’” This can be a surprising phrase. To these whom Jesus has chosen — his disciples — the thriller of his kingdom is opened, and he offers them the reward of understanding. Verse 10 says, “To you it has been given to know the secrets and techniques of the dominion of God.” Understanding the dominion of God is a free reward of God for these whom Jesus has chosen as his disciples.

“Put together your thoughts to listen to God’s phrase by turning from worldly entertainments.”

However then he says that, for the others, the explanation for his parables is “in order that ‘seeing they could not see, and listening to they could not perceive.’” Once more, the problem is listening to. Meaning there are two sorts of listening to: one with the bodily ears of the top and one with the religious ears of the center or thoughts. “Listening to [with the physical ears], they don’t perceive [with the spiritual ears].” And this, he says, is without doubt one of the causes he makes use of parables: “in order that . . . listening to they could not perceive.” In different phrases, the parables are a part of Jesus’s concealing and hardening ministry in addition to a part of his revealing and saving ministry. There may be salvation in these parables, and there may be judgment in these parables.

This difficult phrase — the phrase of judgment — is a quote from Isaiah 6:9–10, the place God tells Isaiah his ministry to Israel won’t solely be saving for some however hardening judgment for others. God says to Isaiah,

Go, and say to this individuals:

“Carry on listening to, however don’t perceive;
     carry on seeing, however don’t understand.”
Make the center of this individuals uninteresting,
     and their ears heavy,
     and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
     and listen to with their ears,
and perceive with their hearts,
     and switch and be healed.

In different phrases, time had run out for these individuals, and the phrase of God was now not efficient to save lots of them however was solely efficient to render their hearts insensitive, their ears uninteresting, and their eyes dim.

God’s Judgment in Preaching

This teaches us one thing essential about preaching. Even when preaching the phrase of God doesn’t soften and save and heal, it isn’t essentially ineffective. This preaching of the phrase could also be doing God’s horrible work of judgment. It might be hardening individuals and making their ears so uninteresting that they’ll by no means need to hear once more. There’s a judgment in this world, not simply on this planet to come back. And oh, how we must always flee from it whereas we are able to!

Paul mentioned of his personal ministry,

We’re the aroma of Christ to God amongst those that are being saved and amongst those that are perishing, to 1 a perfume from loss of life to loss of life, to the opposite a perfume from life to life. Who’s adequate for these items? (2 Corinthians 2:15–16)

There’s a level of resistance within the human coronary heart the place God might give an individual up and hand them over to their very own corruption. Romans 1:24 says, “God gave them up within the lusts of their hearts to impurity.” Romans 1:26 says, “God gave them as much as dishonorable passions.” Romans 1:28 says, “God gave them as much as a debased thoughts.” And John says in 1 John 5:16, “There may be sin that results in loss of life; I don’t say that one ought to pray for that.”

All of this underlines Jesus’s level in our textual content: “Take care . . . the way you hear” (Luke 8:18). Don’t be cavalier within the listening to of God’s phrase week after week. If it isn’t softening and saving and therapeutic and bearing fruit, it’s in all probability hardening and blinding and dulling.

Extra Given to a Good Coronary heart

Now, discover the explanation given in the remainder of Luke 8:18 for why we ought to be so vigilant over how we hear. It says, “for to the one who has, extra might be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has might be taken away.” Now, what does that seek advice from? There are two components: the optimistic (“whoever has, to him extra shall be given”) and the detrimental (“whoever doesn’t have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him”). Take the optimistic first: “whoever has, to him extra shall be given.”

This refers first again to the fourth soil, the nice coronary heart that hears and bears fruit. Luke 8:15 says, “As for that within the good soil, they’re those that, listening to the phrase, maintain it quick in an trustworthy and good coronary heart, and bear fruit with endurance.” Whoever has — that’s, has an excellent coronary heart — to him extra might be given. They “bear fruit with endurance.”

However now take a look at the detrimental half of verse 18: “From the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has might be taken away.” What does that seek advice from? It refers back to the different three soils and the failure to listen to with an excellent coronary heart and with true religious ears. In every of the primary three soils (verses 12–14), there’s a listening to of the phrase of God. However in every case, what they assume they’ve is taken away from them.

Within the first soil (verse 12), they assume they’ve the phrase, however the satan snatches it away. Within the second soil (verse 13), they assume they’ve the phrase and true religious religion and pleasure, however they don’t have any root. So, when the trial comes, what they assume they’ve is taken away. Lastly, with the third soil (verse 14), they assume they’ve the phrase of God, however when the concerns and riches and pleasures of life come, what they assume they’ve is taken away, they usually fail to bear fruit.

So, the purpose of verse 18 is to interpret what was taking place within the 4 soils. Thrice the warning comes true: “From the one who has not [the good heart], even what he thinks that he has might be taken away.” And one time — the fourth soil — the other comes true: “To the one who has [the good heart], extra might be given.” In case you hear with “an trustworthy and good coronary heart” (Luke 8:15), then extra might be given to you, and your fruit might be a candy affirmation that your coronary heart has been made new.

Bearing Fruit for Others

Essentially the most puzzling factor about this passage is the truth that Luke 8:16–17 (in regards to the lamp) comes between the interpretation of the parable of the soils in verses 9–15 and the conclusion to that parable in verse 18. What’s the purpose of verses 16 and 17?

It says, “Nobody after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or places it below a mattress, however places it on a stand, in order that those that enter might even see the sunshine.” I feel what Jesus is saying is {that a} good coronary heart that bears fruit for others to see and style is like lighting a lamp. Good deeds are typically described as fruit and typically described as mild. Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your mild shine earlier than others, in order that they could see your good works and provides glory to your Father who’s in heaven.”

So, the purpose is that when the phrase of God takes root in your good coronary heart and bears seen fruit in your life, don’t put it below a mattress as a result of the aim of it’s so that others would discover their method into the dominion by it. The purpose of bearing fruit and lighting a lamp is to assist others discover their approach to Jesus. That’s why we preach and why you hear.

Then comes a warning in verse 17: “Nothing is hidden that won’t be made manifest, neither is something secret that won’t be identified and are available to mild.” I feel which means the opposite three soils are ultimately going to be uncovered for what they’re. At first, they appear to be they’ve the phrase. However there’s a deep, hidden unbelief that won’t stay hidden. Ultimately, what they thought they’d might be taken away by the satan, by trials, and by the pleasures of this world.

Take Heed How You Hear

Then the principle level of the textual content follows in verse 18: “Take care then the way you hear.” To the one who has, extra might be given. Do you’ve gotten ears to listen to? Do you’ve gotten a brand new coronary heart?

There’s a listening to that defeats the satan, endures trial, scorns riches, and bears fruit unto everlasting life. That’s the listening to we wish, which implies we want a brand new coronary heart, a coronary heart that’s completely different from the primary three soils. This is the reason Jesus died and rose once more. Jesus mentioned in Luke 22:20 that his blood secures the brand new covenant. And on the coronary heart of the brand new covenant is that this: “I provides you with a brand new coronary heart, and a brand new spirit I’ll put inside you. And I’ll take away the center of stone out of your flesh and offer you a coronary heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).

So, “take heed the way you hear” means, first, flip to Jesus and obtain a brand new coronary heart that welcomes the phrase preached and bears fruit with endurance. You’re a blessed and really lucky church as a result of, amongst different issues, you might be properly fed by Kevin.

Meditate on the phrase of God earlier than you hear the phrase of God. Eat an appetizer of the phrase Saturday night time to whet your style for Sunday morning. Put together your thoughts to listen to God’s phrase by turning from worldly entertainments. They do nothing that can assist you hear with an excellent coronary heart and may choke it. Get an excellent night time’s relaxation on Saturday night time as a result of, of all mornings of the week when you have to be alert and never sleepy, it’s Sunday. Come hungry and teachable. Want the phrases of God greater than you need riches or meals, as a result of

extra to be desired are they than gold,
     even a lot advantageous gold;
sweeter additionally than honey
     and drippings of the honeycomb. (Psalm 19:10)

Could God make you a individuals who hear the phrase of God with an excellent coronary heart and bear fruit a hundredfold in order that the lamp of your lives might be on a lampstand, giving mild to all who enter the dominion of God. Take heed the way you hear! Amen.