Those Who Have Ears to Hear

I can't tell you how many times I have finished preaching a sermon on Sunday morning, only to find out that several people walked away with an entirely different meaning than what I had intended.  It doesn't happen every time, but often enough that I have begun to take notice.  It isn't that they heard something entirely opposite mind you; it's just that for them, a different emphasis came across.  I preach the same sermon, but other people interpret the message differently.  I believe this to be both profound and supernatural at the same time, and I will attempt to explain why. 

All of this begs the question: how do we hear God's Word?  Or to put it another way ... how do we interpret what God is trying to tell us?  When attempting to answer Biblical questions, it never hurts to use the Bible to interpret itself.  I am not talking about circular reasoning here (i.e.: I believe it because the Bible said it), but rather I'm talking about using key concepts in Scripture as a reference guide.  The Word itself tells us that all Scripture is God-breathed and fit for teaching and reproof.  So, let's use what Scripture says in one place to understand what God is talking about in another place.

Matthew 11 relates a conversation that Jesus had regarding John the Baptist.  He is attempting to convince some of John's followers that he is the legitimate Messiah that God was going to send to the people.  Jesus then makes this odd statement in Matthew 11:15, "Whoever has ears, let them hear."  At first glance this may come across as a very strange thing to say, but many scholars agree that this simple statement is a directive for God's people to 'listen up.'  It is an imperative that directs those for whom a truth might apply, to make sure they don't miss it.  It's a wakeup call to those who were lucky enough to be listening to one of Jesus' parables two-thousand years ago.  It's also a command for us to listen closely today.

You see, we can decide what truth we let into our hearts, and what we will choose to disregard.  We can harden our hearts like Pharoah, or we can choose to accept what God is trying to impart to us like Moses.  We keep our radio receiver set to "high," or we can keep it set to the lowest volume level possible.  No doubt the Lord works on us during sermons and exegesis.  His Word searches our hearts and souls, isolates an issue, diagnoses it, and finally works to begin the sanctification process.  I can't remember how many times just the right sermon happened to come on the radio when I am driving somewhere and flipping past the different radio stations. 

It takes a certain type of determination to really understand what the Bible has to say about humanity and our role in God's kingdom.  It also takes study to make sure that we are properly comprehending what He has intended for us to hear.  In fact, I believe many are led astray today by false preachers and false prophets because they suffer from Biblical illiteracy.  If we don't know what God actually said in the first place, then we can be easily led away from true revelation.

Continue to work on your spiritual listening skills.  Our relationship with God isn't unlike our Earthly relationships in that regard.  If we never take the time to call our friends and catch up, then we remain in the dark as to what they are doing.  Likewise, if we want to develop ears that can hear, we must dial up our Lord and Savior from time to time and have a chat.  

Scripture and preaching reveal truth handed down through the ages from the lips of God's prophets and disciples, but it is up to us to listen properly.  We are the ones who must make up our minds to actively engage with God's Word in ways that go beyond regular hearing.  We must focus on the truth with spiritual eyes and ears.

John 17:17 says, "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth."  This statement is taken from a very personal conversation that Jesus had with God the Father, asking Him to keep and protect his followers.  God's Word is in fact the same thing as truth spoken plainly.  Be part of a church that partners with God to practicing listening with ears that can hear.  Listen to as many sermons as you can, test them against what the Scriptures actually say, and then bask in the revelation that God has given you.  

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An Ocean of God's Mercy

I fully believe that the concept of mercy is skewed today.  We have a limited understanding of how deep God's love is, and how depraved the sin nature of man can be.  Some hold to a notion that the things we have done in the past could not possibly be forgiven.  Doubtless because we don't often witness this type of all-inclusive forgiveness by watching the world around us.  It's a very rare thing indeed.  

One of my favorite stories is about Jesus being anointed by a "sinful woman" at the home of a Pharisee.  Here is what Luke 7:36-38 says: "When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table.  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears.  Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them."

The owner of the home didn't understand the woman's intentions.  Sometimes love acts differently than we expect, especially when our worldview or perspective doesn't line up with the person extending the grace.  Luke 7:47 further says this: "Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven - as her great love has shown.  But whoever has been forgiven little loves little." 

I don't think we appreciate the full scope of Christ's atonement and sacrifice sometimes.  It's hard for us to get our heads around it.  It isn't until we come to terms with our own sin nature, that we can truly love God for His ability to forgive us and grant us mercy.  You see, we have been forgiven a lot, so we can love a lot.  

God's mercy is vast like the sea; it allows us to love deep and wide.  Anyone who has been to the coast and taken in the beauty of the ocean can attest to the fact that it has an eternal quality.  You cannot see the other side of it, just a vast, blue horizon line stretching off into the distance.  It seems to have no definitive end; just like God's grace.  

My family and I try to visit Florida once a year for vacation.  We enjoy simply basking in the sun while wading through the relaxing waves on the beach.  Once in a while, you get a reminder of how wild and beautiful God's creation really is.  Maybe a jellyfish swims by, or a school of colorful fish.  Then I remember just how all-encompassing and teeming with life our world is.  I suspect God's mercy is like that as well; teeming with life and joyful anticipation of forgiveness from Him.  To take that next step and accept Christ into our lives ... to wade through the waves of life with Him.

The book of Isaiah is one of my Old Testament favorites.  Chapter 30:18 says, "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for him!"  This verse comes to us from a set of Scriptures that talk about how God is disappointed with his followers at the time.  He first admonishes them, like any good parent would do.  But then He reaches out to them and offers a loving hand.  God's patience is long suffering and eternal.  Like the wide, blue horizon of the ocean stretching into the vast skyline, so is God's heart for you and I.  There are hardly words to describe it.    

I suppose the lesson here is two-fold: don't take God's mercy for granted, and at the same time, don't forget to revel in it also.  We can be comforted by His goodness, and humbled by His grace at the same time.  It is an ocean of love that we may never fully understand, but He lets us wade in it just the same. 

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