Hearing the Word of God: How to Understand Mysteries video audio notes. The Lord made a deal with us. By hearing the Word of God, we can know and understand the mysteries of the parables, meaning the mysteries of life. Others listen but never hear. Imagine being able to understand vital mysteries about life!
DEAL OR NO DEAL?
By Delbert Young
Hearing The Word Of God: How To Understand Mysteries
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Hearing The Word Of God: How To Understand Mysteries
Scriptures: Luke 8:8-10; John 10:27; Mark 4:13-14; Luke 8:11, Luke 8:5, Luke 8:12, Luke 8:6, Luke 8:13, Luke 8:7, Luke 8:14, Luke 8:8, Luke 8:15, Luke 8:16-18, Luke 8:19-21,
Luke 8:8-10 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an HUNDREDFOLD. And when he had said these things, HE CRIED, HE THAT HATH EARS TO HEAR, LET HIM HEAR, And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, UNTO YOU IT IS GIVEN TO KNOW THE MYSTERIES of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
One thing that separates a Christ Follower from the lost is grasping the mysteries of time. The Lord is very passionate about this. He cried, “He that has ears to hear… The disciples asked why he was so passionate about this, and the Lord said, “You have got to be able to hear.”
The Lord makes a deal with us. If we will hear, we can know and understand the mysteries of the parables. Others hear the parables and perhaps even the truth of the parables, but they never truly see or hear the mysteries of the parables. Imagine being able to understand vital mysteries about life. Or, you can refuse to hear and, as Jesus said, see, but not see, and hear and not understand the mysteries. You can be brilliant and extremely wise, or you can be dumb. DEAL OR NO DEAL? Understanding mysteries is all about how we hear.
Hearing the Word of God sermon
It is incredible how many times Jesus referenced hearing and the contextual situations he used it.
Remember the “Sermon on the Mount?” In the end, Jesus told a story about two people building houses. One built his house on the sand, and one built his house on the rock. They both heard and faced the same storms, but while the house of the man who heard and did the words Jesus spoke stood, the other house collapsed (Mat 7:24-26). We can directly relate collapsed lives to not hearing correctly. You can understand the mysteries of success.
Jesus talked about how John the Baptist was the prophetic Elijah to come before him. Jesus said, “He that hath ears to hear let him hear” (Mat 11:15). You can understand the mysteries of what is happening in the world right now today.
Jesus told his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. When they did not understand his meaning, Jesus said, “…having ears, hear ye not?”(Mat 8:18). Many have yet to hear that one. Many continue listening to leaven. Hearing correct teaching is a mystery.
Hearing the Word of God sermon
Jesus sent out seventy to teach and preach the kingdom. They had great results, and Jesus rejoiced (Luke 10:21). He said to them, “…many prophets and kings have desired… to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them” (Luke 10:24). We are living in the most wonderful time ever. Can you hear the mysteries of it?
Jesus talked about commitment and “counting the cost” before following him.
Then he said, “Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Luk 14:34, 35). I am not commenting on what Jesus said about people who turn back from following him are not worth. They missed the mysteries.
Jesus, debating with the Pharisees, said, “Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil… He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” (John 8:43-44, 47). Jesus said if a person cannot hear God, that person does not belong to God.
Hearing the Word of God sermon
John 10:27 My sheep HEAR MY VOICE, and I know them, and they follow me:
When you hear God, you will hear mysteries. It’s all about hearing correctly! Are you correctly hearing Jesus or hearing what others around you say?
I read about a lady who had a hearing problem.
She and her husband drove one day from Tennessee to Little Rock, Arkansas. A state trooper pulled them over and asked if the husband knew how fast he was driving. The wife asked, “What did he say?” The husband replied, “HE ASKED IF I KNEW I WAS SPEEDING.”
Looking at the driver’s license, the trooper said, “I see you’re not from around here.” The husband said, “No, we are from Memphis.” The wife again asked, “What did you say?” The husband told her, “I SAID WE ARE FROM MEMPHIS.” The state trooper then commented, “You know, the meanest woman I ever met was from Memphis.” The wife again asked, “What did he say?’ The husband replied, “HE SAYS HE THINKS HE KNOWS YOU!”
Hearing the Word of God sermon
To hear what is actually said, you need to hear it correctly. You know the Lord is saying something important, but can you hear it?
I want to talk about the parable of the seed and sower. In Mark’s account of this teaching, the disciples asked Jesus what this parable meant. Jesus said…
Mark 4:13-14 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and HOW THEN WILL YE KNOW ALL PARABLES? The sower soweth the word.
This parable is the door to understanding all parables. This parable is the door to understanding all mysteries. Why is that? What is so special about this parable? Let me show you. Interestingly, Jesus used the ground to teach us how to hear correctly. Let’s look at Luke’s account, but first, we must establish a significant point.
Luke 8:11 Now the parable is this: THE SEED IS THE WORD OF GOD.
In the parable, the sower spread the seed upon four different types of ground, representing all types of people with varying hearing abilities. We see people in different ways – pretty or not so pretty, slim or not so slim, successful or not so successful, etc. Jesus sees people as ground. Let’s think about that for just a second. From what did God make man? “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground” (Gen 2:7). Isn’t that interesting? We really are ground.
Hearing the Word of God sermon
The seed is the word of God, and it is constant and ageless. It is the ground that differs. I said Jesus used the ground to teach us how to hear. Let me show you what I mean.
Luke 8:5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
The explanation of this ground is in verse 12.
Luke 8:12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
The seed (word of God) fell by the way side. It fell upon a hard path, where people and animals trod, and birds devoured it, meaning the devil came and took the word away out of their hearts.
Notice that this soil, these people, could not believe and be saved. Jesus said the soil did hear, in that the sower sowed the seed upon it. They were in the presence to hear. The word (seed) was all over them. However, the soil did not hear the way it needed to hear. It went in one ear and out the other. People have preconceived ideas or attention deficits. Perhaps you have shared the word of God with someone. They let you put the word on them, but then somebody walked over what you sowed, and the devil took away the word.
Hearing the Word of God sermon
Welcome to my world! A sad part is that it is frequently people who, for years, go to church here. They never seem to “be saved” in certain areas, no matter how many times I throw the word of that subject on them. THEY NEVER UNDERSTAND THE MYSTERY.
The word of God never germinates, and the devil gets it. Are there areas of your life where you allow people to trod on the word and let the devil take away the word? If you are continuously struggling in the same area of your life, you need to step back and re-evaluate. You have not figured out the mystery. You must plow up that way side and get it ready to receive the seed of God’s word. UNTO YOU IT IS GIVEN TO KNOW THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
Luke 8:6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
The explanation is in verse 13.
Luke 8:13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
Hearing the Word of God sermon
There is just enough soil on a rock. The hearing is shallow. Germination takes place, and the little green stalk busts through. However, as soon as things get hot in life or dry, they wither and die. You hear a good sermon, or you read your Bible. You hear or see something and say, “Yes! Yes, I agree with that, and I will apply that to my life.” You do for a period, but then a dry time comes along, and what begins to grow withers and dies.
A prime example is giving and tithing. People see the principle and agree with it. They begin operating in God’s financial plan but want or need something. Instead of doing what the word of God says, they allow that temptation to kill the word of God. Shortly, they stop giving as they should and shut the floodgates of heaven. The problem is there is no root in that life in that area. It’s superficial hearing, and it never took root. You must dig up the rocks and cast them out so the roots can get moisture.
Luke 8:7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
The explanation is in verse 14.
Luke 8:14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
Hearing the Word of God sermon
It looked like this person was going to make the trip. He or she heard, was growing, faithful, praying, giving, serving, happy, and was doing well in life. Then stuff – cares, too busy, riches, pleasures – began to choke what was growing. This experience is so sad to me. These are people we pour our lives into and genuinely care about. We save their marriages, dedicate their children to the Lord, baptize them, bury their parents, spend quality time with them, etc. Then they begin to “choke” down.
You notice they are not around as much, not serving or ministering. You do everything you can to help, but they refuse to pull the weeds that are choking them. Then, they are just gone, choked to death by the weeds and thorns. They never heard correctly. They never understood the mysteries.
Luke 8:8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit AN HUNDREDFOLD. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
This soil is the ground that hears correctly. The explanation is in verse 15.
Luke 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Hearing the Word of God sermon
Jesus used the ground to show us what he meant by hearing. Hearing is more than sitting in a chair on Sunday and having the word of God thrown all over you and allowing the devil to take it away. Indeed, hearing is more than getting excited, but when things get hot, they wither and die. Without a doubt, hearing is more than growing for a time but then allowing stuff to choke the word. WE HAVE ONLY HEARD THE WORD OF GOD WHEN THE WORD OF GOD PRODUCES IN OUR LIVES A HUNDRED TIMES, i.e. over and over. Anything else is nothing more than being way side ground, rocky ground, or thorny ground.
Now listen to me. It said that when Jesus said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. If your life is not productive and you cannot figure something out, you must step back and evaluate. Where are you in this picture? You are obviously not good ground. You have not heard his word, no matter what you say.
Interestingly, Jesus did not stop talking about hearing correctly with the parable of the ground. Look at the next verse.
Luke 8:16-18 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. TAKE HEED THEREFORE HOW YE HEAR: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.
Hearing the Word of God sermon
What in the world is Jesus saying? How does what he said about a lamp have anything to do with hearing the word of God? Do you not have ears to hear? Can you not understand? When you hear the word, and it is produced over and over again in your life, you cannot be hidden. It is impossible. The seed openly produces. You become a light. You understand the mysteries of the kingdom. Your life attracts attention. It gives light – understanding – all around. You understand mysteries and more knowledge of them shall be given to you.
The more you understand, the more understanding you shall be given, producing whatever you need. Those who do not hear – wayside, rocky, and thorny- will find that even what understanding these people thought they had does not work, and what they thought they had shall be taken from them.
Look at another point about hearing. Look at the next verse.
Luke 8:19-21 Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. And he answered and said unto them, MY MOTHER AND MY BRETHREN ARE THESE WHICH HEAR THE WORD OF GOD, AND DO IT.
Hearing the Word of God sermon
Jesus said the ones to which he is genuinely related are those who HEAR THE WORD OF GOD AND DO IT.
Judy was watching the interview of a senior pastor of a huge church with a weekend attendance of over 18,000 people. They asked the senior pastor how many Christ Followers attended his church. Though the weekend attendance is over 18,000, when the pastor was asked how many Christ Followers attended, he answered, “Not many.” He had a lot of people attending, but not many had a real relationship with and followed the Lord.
My point is Jesus is really only related to and relates to those WHICH HEAR THE WORD OF GOD, AND DO IT.
PHONE: The Lord’s deal is that if you will hear his word, as shown by it producing much fruit in your lives over and over, you will understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God. You will have great wisdom and much more of everything will be given to you. Also, you will be a light of understanding. Furthermore, you will have a very personal relationship with Jesus.
Hearing the Word of God sermon
If you do not accept his deal, you will never understand the mysteries of life. You will lose what you think you have, and you will never have a personal relationship with Jesus. DEAL OR NO DEAL?
Hearing The Word Of God: How To Understand Mysteries
Hearing The Word Of God: How To Understand Mysteries
Other Related Sermons:
Blood and Mysteries of Palm Sunday
Sincere Faith Mother’s Day audio video notes
Mothers Day Sincere Faith to Overcome
Seed Growing in Secret audio video notes
Also see:
Jeff Krist, It’s Time to Listen, Sermon Central