Greetings,

God has been working in wonderful ways in the past month. We’ve heard testimonies of God's grace being poured out in the hearts of men, women, and their families through the homeschool conventions and the resources that have gone out. Also, we’ve been diligently working to produce another tape series to minister to a tremendous need in the church today: marriages that glorify God. We taped the six messages, edited them, and produced 50 sets within ten days! Marriage for God's Glory contains truths that have transformed Alma's and my marriage over the past 30 years. I’ve taken the key passages of Scripture regarding marriage and addressed key issues for couples. Below are the message descriptions.

Who's Leading in Your Marriage?

Who is the leader in your marriage? The husband? The wife? The children’s sports schedule? The school demands? For a marriage to glorify God, Jesus Christ must be the leader. He has given clear guidance as to how a marriage may glorify God.

God's Purpose for Marriage

If couples enter marriage with different purposes than God’s ordained purposes, then it should be no surprise that difficulties and discouragement arise. Wrong expectations are established from wrong notions of God’s purposes for marriage. But when we have a clear view of what God intended for marriage, we can expect God’s presence, power, and blessing.

The Foundation for the Home

How important is it that you work on your marriage? Extremely important! Your marriage is the foundation for your home and many homes to come. For Jesus' name sake, as well as your own, every effort is warranted to seek God for His grace in building marriages for His glory.

Called to Be One

The calling of God to be the bride of Christ is an irrevocable call of God to oneness. In the same way, the calling of God to marriage is an irrevocable calling to oneness because it is a picture of the gospel. If we're to have marriages that glorify God, then it is important that we understand the mystery of "the two shall be one."

Preaching Christ in Your Marriage

Every marriage preaches Jesus Christ. The question is: What does it preach about Him? One of the greatest privileges a couple has in life is to proclaim the message of Jesus' love for the church and His trustworthiness by the way they relate to each other. God has intended that generations be established for Christ through marriages that glorify God.

Rejoicing in His Love

How is it that most marriages begin with love as the common denominator, yet many marriages end in divorce? Maybe that "love" isn't true love! Learn how a couple can experience God's kind of love within their marriage as they rejoice in God’s great love.

Specials

#1 Unshakable Faith Video Series.
Regular price: $100 Special price: $50
A 12 video tape series which helps your family become grounded in sound doctrine. You'll also discover what thoughts about God are grounded in man-centered theology which has invaded the church today.

#2 New Resources Combo.
Rising to the Call and Marriage for God’s Glory $45
The Rising to the Call series is available in CD or cassette format and Marriage for God's Glory is in cassette format only.

#3 Equipping Men's Special.
Equipping Men, Rising to the Call, & Unshakable Faith series. $80

#4 Glorious Grace Special.
The Glorious Grace book and CD. $20

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F E A T U R E   A R T I C L E
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Having Ears to Hear (Part 2)

The wife was bewildered and confused. How could her husband who grew up in the church, professed to be a Christian, and was so dedicated to Christian service and ministry fall away from the faith? Her husband had become despondent, helpless, and hopeless because he thought there was nothing he hadn’t already heard or even taught about God and salvation. From where was hope to come if the truths of the gospel had not produced more fruit?

      Tragically, this is not an uncommon testimony. In fact, it’s all too prevalent today. What is the explanation for the widespread apostasy we are witnessing? High profile, longtime ministers fall from the faith. Teenagers raised in strong churches and families forsake the faith of their fathers for the pleasures of the world.

      In the last article I began to answer these questions by suggesting that it’s possible to hear but not hear and see but not understand. The foundational parable of all parables was Jesus’ story about the sower found in some of the gospels. After teaching this parable, he questioned his disciples, "Do you not understand this parable? And how will you understand all the parables?" (Mark 4:13) In the last Chariot of Fire, we observed the characteristics of two kinds of listener, the careless listener and the overwhelmed listener. It was noted that both of them "heard" or received the word, but neither of them brought forth fruit due to different reasons (see last month’s article). Now we want to consider two more kinds of listener described by the Lord Jesus. As we continue our discussion about listening, you might ask yourself: What kind of ears do I have? Do I have ears to hear?

The Occupied Listener

What may be arguably the most prevalent listener in society and the church today is the occupied or busy listener. Let’s first look at how Jesus described the one who hears the word.

And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. Luke 8:14

      Perhaps you’ve had a similar experience to one young man I know. He sits Sunday after Sunday under the preaching of God’s Word and hears the messages with his physical ears. Afterward, he rises and visits with his friends, he goes home in his car with the CD player filling his ears with his favorite music, he changes clothes, turns on the ballgame, eats dinner, finishes watching the ballgame, and calls his friends. Very few minutes are not without noise of some sort accosting his ears. He does the same thing almost every Sunday because that is his way. He never intends the word of God to change his way. After the sermon, he doesn’t think about the message or read the scriptures again. He’s heard it now. If he were to return the next Sunday and the pastor were to feel inclined to repeat his sermon, this listener would surely slip into daydreaming because he’s already heard that one.

      The words "go on their way" give us great insight. This kind of listener is a very busy person. His way of life is set and he's filled with doing many things. Jesus further stated what occupied his way: worries, riches, and pleasures of this life. This person may be concerned about making a living, the spending habits of his or her spouse, the recreational pleasures of the Sunday afternoon. Occupied. Busy. No fruit. But he’s heard.

      Think how many people go through the motions such as the young man above. Not only do they go on their way after Sunday's sermon, they probably do it every day after their quiet times--if they take time for quiet times. They read books, read the Bible, listen to Christian music with biblical truth, listen to radio sermons, and attend seminars with great teaching. But if they are so occupied with life that they don't take time to meditate on the truth to evaluate their lives and practices in light of that truth, and to determine to make changes in their lives as a result of applying that truth, they fall into this category of listener.

      Jesus spoke about this kind of listener in the Sermon on the Mount. He warned, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:19-21). The person who goes on his way after hearing is simply following his heart. He's determined that the things of this life are more important than the things of eternity. The kingdom of earth has more to offer than the kingdom of God. He thinks the treasure is to be found in his way, and not God's way.

      Let's get practical for a moment. Consider your own way in life. Is God’s Word considered an intrusion, an interruption, a religious discipline to be done so you can get on with the more important things in life? The busy Martha, the Pharisees who search the scriptures, the many who say, "Lord, Lord", and the rich young ruler who’s "done all these things" exemplify this third type of hearer. Can you relate to the occupied listener? Have you taught your children about this kind of listening?

      This kind of listening can also be applied in our relationships within our families. What kind of listener are you to your wife, your husband, your children, your parents? Are you so occupied with your own way that you don’t carefully listen to those you love or to those with whom God has called you into a special relationship?

The Determined Listener

If the first kind of listener was the careless listener, then we might also call this one the careful listener. He is full of care with the word of God when he hears it. Listen to what Jesus said about this fourth kind of hearer.

"And the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance." Luke 8:15

      Here we should be impressed with the primary difference between this kind of listener and the previous three. He hears the word with an honest and good heart. An honest heart lets the word of God search him. He acknowledges where his own life conforms to the ways and word of God and where it does not. But it doesn’t stop there. In fact, that’s just the beginning. Such a heart also holds the word fast or tenaciously grips it until it bears fruit. Of course nothing that produces fruit does so quickly. It takes perseverance with the seed. The person who hears and bears fruit in his life is the person who has really heard the word.

      The Thessalonians were careful listeners. Paul wrote about their reception of the word of God.

You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia; For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come. And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God's message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. I Thessalonians 1:6-7;9-10; 2:13

      These people didn't just hear what Paul had to say and move on. They considered it to be important enough to apply it. I think the Thessalonians are a great encouragement to us about what kind of listeners we want to be. We want to receive God’s Word, give it the honor it is due, imitate those who are practicing it, and let it change what and who we worship.

      Are you a determined listener when it comes to hearing God’s word? Men, when your wives or children speak to you, do you hold fast their words and bring forth fruit? Ladies, how about your listening to your husband and your children?

      These words have had a tremendous impact on my life in the way I study God’s Word and what I do with it. The first time I thought about it was when attending a preaching conference of Stephen Olford. He recommended that a minister read the book of the Bible fifty times before he began preaching from it. The goal of the reading was the ability to think the book through and to obtain the line of reasoning in order to interpret each verse correctly.

      I've found that advice to be helpful. Although I don't make fifty readings my goal, it is not uncommon for me to read a book until I can think the book or section of the book while I’m driving, resting in bed at night, or whenever. Holding it fast with an honest and good heart entails asking the text many questions. Why did he say ___? Why didn’t he say ___? What are the people doing? What historical facts are known? If I were in his shoes, what would I be seeing, feeling, hearing, and thinking? Once having the truth, how should this impact my relationships, my actions, habits, and reactions? How can I pass this on to my children? How will it be relevant? What other passages of Scripture teach the same concepts explicitly and implicitly? Perhaps these suggestions can be incorporated into your family Bible studies to teach your children good seed-gathering habits.

Why Does One Listen?

Why do you turn on a light in a dark room? The answer to that question is the answer to why one should listen and how one is to listen. As Jesus continued his lesson on listening, he changed his analogy from seed sowing to using light. Perhaps the verse of Scripture recorded in Psalm 97:11 came to his mind. "Light is sown like seed for the righteous..." There is a correlation between the two.

      Why does a farmer plant seed? Is it to get fruit? Why does a person light a lamp in a dark room? It is to see so he can act. Consider Jesus’ next word picture.

Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, in order that those who come in may see the light. For nothing is hidden that shall not become evident, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light. Luke 8:16-17

      Jesus noted the absurdity of lighting the wick of a clay lamp with oil in it and putting it under the bed. Why light the lamp?! The lamp is lit because its light is needed for action to occur. The idea is that one lights the lamp and puts it on the lampstand so that nothing in the room is hidden. That action enables the person to work in the room. Once the light is put in a prominent place in the room, it can be of use. It exposes everything in the room so work can be done.

      So it is with God's Word. The determined listener approaches God’s Word like the one who turns on a light. He intends to use it to do work. He holds fast the word of God he has heard and lets it shine into every area of his life until he sees what he needs to do to put it into practice. He asks himself how his marriage is to be affected. His leading of his family is considered. What impact does this truth have at work or on his priorities? He considers its application to every "room" of his life. Until that is done, he hasn't heard.

      Jesus gave wonderful advice through this little analogy. If we are to listen, we must put God's Word in the prominent place in our heart until it shines in every area of our lives. We listen to God's Word because we need to use it. We meditate on it until it changes our lives. Then we’ve heard.

The Main Point and A Warning

How does one have, but not have? The same way one sees, but does not see. In my opinion, Jesus contrasted the first three kinds of listener with the fourth kind of listener in the following verse.

Therefore take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him shall more be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him. Luke 1:18

      The main point is clear: Take care how you listen! Jesus didn’t disguise his message did he? Learning how to listen is vital. We must be careful not to be careless, overwhelmed, or occupied, but instead be determined to hear what God has to say to us. Why? Because of a promise and a warning.

      First, he promises that to those who have, they shall be given more. What marks the difference between "the haves" and the "have nots?" Those who have are those who have born fruit for the glory of God and put into action what they’ve heard. That is confirmed in the final verses of this section. Those who have had ears to hear get more seed! Have you ever agonized over a passage of Scripture until you got an "a-hah"? Maybe you've read something that didn’t make sense to you in light of another passage of Scripture, then as you continued to meditate on it and asked the Holy Spirit to teach you, God opened your heart to understand it and its application to your life. You began to make changes in "your way" and the next thing you know, you are getting more insight into that truth or Scripture as you walk it out. That insight is another implantation of seed to again be cared for and nurtured until the fruit is evident. Jesus makes a wonderful promise here. We can know that if we'll be determined listeners, God will give us more seed.

      In contrast, all three of the first kinds of listener are deluded and become disillusioned. They think they have "it" because they’ve heard it, but they don’t have it. These deluded listeners may be driving around truck loads of seeds and spreading them all around. They may be seminary professors, pastors, Sunday school teachers, homeschooling parents, or church-trained teens. These have collected many seeds through the years, but their way hasn’t changed from the heart. They might be what I call "house trained" in the church or family, but inside, their way is as engrained as it was when they were born in sin. Can you imagine the shock and utter fright when even what they think they have is taken away? They pass through the veil of the flesh when they die, expecting to enter into heaven because they have silenced their consciences by the amount of seed they know and anesthetized the guilt by their busy, occupied lifestyles. They thought they had a relationship with God. Upon leaving the body they pass into the light for judgment and are then swept into the outer darkness. Now, without the restraint of the fear of man, their real enmity toward God bursts forth against the Almighty, and the seeds of truth are nowhere to be found. They search for comfort, but find none. They look for light, but none exists for them. What they thought they had has been taken away.

      And who do they have to blame? Can they blame God? No, for He spoke to them numerous times through His prophets, His teachers, His preachers, their parents, and the Bible. In God’s kindness and mercy, He surrounded them with good seed. But alas, that seed is gone. Oh, the misery, the eternal misery!  What a sobering warning this is to the child or teenager who could care less about what his or her parents say and what the Bible says. How chilling this should be to the man or woman who knows God’s word, but is so occupied with his or her own life that they don’t take time to really listen and apply it.

      If we’re going to rise to the calling of God in our lives and call out the next generation to do the same, we must have ears to hear. So must our children. Luke's closing to this part of his gospel is the bottom line on the lesson.

And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. And it was reported to Him, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You." But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it." Luke 8:19-21

      This truth is confirmed all through the gospels and epistles. The most familiar passage is probably that teaching from Jesus' brother, James. "Do not be hearers only, but be doers of the Word" (James 1:21). May God give us, as parents, ears to hear, and may we teach our children to teach this truth to their children.

      In conclusion, I have a few questions to ask. Have you heard this parable before? What will you do with this lesson? What kind of listener have you been? Could your teenager be in the spiritual state he is in because he didn’t know how to listen? "And as He said these things, He would call out, 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear'."

            Norm Wakefield
            Elijah Ministries
            PO 377
            Bulverde, Texas 78163
            www.spiritofelijah.com