CENTRAL THOUGHT
It is not enough to hear God’s word; live by it also.
HYMN: I’ve a message from the Lord
TEXT: DEUT. 28:1-14, EZEKIEL 36:26-27, JAMES 1:22-25, LUKE 8:4-8, 11-15
INTRODUCTION:
The Sovereign God out of love established a father-son relationship with all believers. He is almighty, omnipresent, and all-knowing. But as a good and perfect father, he has a purpose for our lives as individuals and corporately. He only requires us, as loving children to trust and obey Him. “but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word…”, Isaiah 66:2b. “If ye love me, keep my commandments”, John 14:15. In the scriptures, “to hear” God’s word is often used synonymously with hearkening to or obeying it. To encourage us to obey His word and, therefore, grow increasingly into His purpose for our lives, in reality all of God’s blessings have been tied to obedience. In this study, we examine the danger or forgetful hearing and how to live above it.
LESSON OBJECTIVES:
1.) To discuss what happens in our hearts when we hear God’s word.
2.) To consider what it means to be a “forgetful hearer” and,
3.) To understand what it means to be “dull of hearing”, “having itching ears”, and not “mixing the word with faith”.
BIBLE TRUTH:
QUESTION 1.) WHAT ARE THE MAJOR INFLUENCES ON THE OUTCOME OF THE WORD SOWED BY GOD IN OUR HEARTS?
LUKE 8:4-8, 11-15
In the parable, seeds of the same quality/potential were sown on different soils (human hearts). The first group had the word immediately stolen from their hears, because they did not understand it. The devil sowed doubts and unbelief. The second group are usually excited when they hear God’s word but when troubles or persecutions test their love for God and confidence in the word, they fall away.
The third group receives the word but are bogged down by the worries of this life and the eagerness to accumulate wealth and “make it” quickly, because they have been deceived into believing that more wealth makes them more important and better human beings. They, therefore, cannot obey they word and remain unfruitful. The fourth group, “… with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it and by perseverance produce a crop”.
It is fairly obvious to the reader that it did not come easy for the fourth group. First, they had prepared their hearts for obedience and left no room for unbelief. Hence, their hearts are described as noble. They fought to “retain” the word against all odds and the ploys of the evil one to snatch it or make it unfruitful; despite contrary circumstances they persevered, holding on to their obedience and ultimately bearing bountiful fruit.
QUESTION 2A.) WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A “FORGETFUL HEARER”?
JAMES 1:23-25
A forgetful hearer is someone who hears/reads God’s word and does not do what it says. The word of God functions as a mirror. As the word is revealed to our hearts, it x-rays us showing us our true state whether good or bad. It exposes the areas we fall short or are living in sin or disobedience, convicting our hearts on the need for a change. The natural response is repentance and a plea to God to work on that aspect of our lives or a firm decision to change. When instead we choose to ignore the verdict of God’s word and continue in our ways, we become forgetful hearers.
QUESTION 2.B) EXPLAIN THE FOLLOWING PHRASES.
“Being dull of hearing”, Heb. 5:11-13, Acts 28:27.
“Having itching ears”, 2 Tim. 4:3-4, 1 Tim. 1:4
“Not mixed with Faith”, Heb. 4:2, 11:6
BEING DULL OF HEARING. HEB. 5:11-13, ACTS 28:27
This describes the state of someone who is slow to learn. The person has been exposed to God’s word over time but does not apply his heart closely to live in obedience to them, there is no change in his lifestyle, commensurate with the amount of God’s word he has been exposed to. The person may have God’s word in his head but there is no fruit to show for it. This arises because there is really no hunger to know God and no urgency to make progress in the things of God.
HAVING ITCHING EARS. 2 TIM. 4:3-4, 1 TIM 1:4
This refers to a state when individuals have a preference for what they want to hear in supposed gatherings of God’s people. God warned that this would be a feature of the last days. Ordinarily, God by His Spirit should determine what is preached in any gathering of God’s people. He is at liberty to overrule what the preachers or teachers have planned before hand by putting burdens on their hearts along specific lines He deems appropriate. He may thus teach, exhort, correct, or rebuke His people as it is appropriate based on His omniscience and sovereignty. People with itching ears usually have a preference for teachings which they find pleasant to themselves often based on half-truths and are averse to any teaching that points out or condemn aspects of their lives that are contrary to God’s word. They want to be in the church but follow God on their own terms.
NOT BEING MIXED WITH FAITH. HEB. 4:2, 11:6
This is a state in which persons hear God’s word but does not combine it with faith or respond to it by acting in faith. This was the error of the Israelites, who despite being exposed daily to God’s wonders and word through Moses appeared to have doubted His existence and faithfulness at every point they were tested and therefore could not partake fully in the promises of God. God expects us to live by faith in His word daily, in other words, to believe that God is what He says He is and will do what He says He will do. Our lives are to flow daily from this reality. To behave otherwise is to act in unbelief.
QUESTION 3.) DISCUSS EXAMPLES OF FORGETFUL HEARING FROM THE FOLLOWING SCRIPTURES.
A.)THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL (EXODUS 20:1-5, 32:1).
The Lord gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments with obedience attracting blessings and disobedience drawing God’s wrath. But they continued to behave like the heathen, like people who had not received God’s commandments. Repeatedly, they broke the commandments. Perhaps one area where they were most at fault was in the worship of idols. At a point in their journey, Aaron made a golden calf which they worshipped (Exodus 32:1-6). At another point, the young men yielded to temptation by heathen ladies and committed fornication, joining in the worship of the goddesses of the heathen tribes. The worship of Ashtoreth and Baalim was a constant scourge that provoked God’s anger repeatedly. Repeatedly, they grumbled against the hardships they faced and discussed about going back to Egypt. This was a demonstration of unbelief and lack of faith that God could handle the challenges they faced and take them into the Promised Land. Ultimately, God, in judgement did not allow that generation to enter the Promised Land, except for Joshua and Caleb who had followed him wholeheartedly. In what common ways do we behave like the Israelites as individuals and as a church?
The class should discuss.
B. DISCIPLES OF CHRIST. MARK 14:27-28, 16:7, 14
Many of the disciples appeared to have had difficulty in understanding and believing some of the things Christ told them until after his death and resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps, one of the problems they had was trying to make them fit into the Jewish impression of what the expected messiah should be. Hence, although Jesus had taught the disciples about his sufferings, death, and resurrection, they were stunned by his death and mourned like natural men. The experience of the two brethren going to Emmaus illustrates this clearly (Luke 24:13-35). As they admitted, “but we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel”, verse 23. Israel was being occupied and ruled by the Romans and the average Jew resented this strongly. The Lord Jesus never told them that he had come to deliver them from the Romans. They were expecting a political messiah at a time when God was concerned about establishing the spiritual reality.
We also need to be watchful, lest like the Israelites, we become guilty of trying to make Christ and His words fit into our circumstances and not the reverse. We must accept God’s word for what it says and live by it always. We should interpret our experiences in the light of the relevant aspects of God’s word and not wrongly interpret God’s word to suit our circumstances.
QUESTION 4.) HOW SHOULD A BELIEVER RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD?
PSALM 42:1-2, 119:32-36, ISAIAH 66:2, EZRA 7:10, COLOSSIANS 3:16, 1 PETER 2:2
The only appropriate response to God’s word is obedience. It is only as we study God’s word and submit to it that the Holy Spirit can transform our lives from one level of glory to another (2 Corin. 3:16-18). Armed with this understanding, the believer must have a sincere hunger for God’s word, study it diligently with a humble spirit and with his mind made up to obey it. We must ensure that we are continually filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:17-18), who will guide us into all truth and strengthen our hearts to obey it. The believer must make up his mind not to be ashamed of obedience to God’s word and be willing to face any adverse consequences that may arise.
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION
The word of God is God. How we treat God’s word is a true reflection of the state of our relationship with Him. We must continually obtain grace to live in obedience to God’s word. It is no enough to hear God’s word, live by it.
MEMORY VERSE:
JAMES 1:22
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves”.
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
Monday: THE WORD OF GOD IS SEED SOWN IN OUR HEARTS.
Luke 8:4-8
Tuesday: HOW WE HEAR GOD’S WORD MATTERS.
Luke 8:11-15
Wednesday: MEDITATE ON JAMES 1:23-25
Thursday: DANGER OF BEING DULL OF HEARING.
Acts 28:27, Heb. 5:11-13
Friday: DO NOT HAVE ITCHING EARS TO GOD’S WORD.
1 Tim 1:4, 2 Tim. 4:3-4
Saturday: RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD BY ACTING IN FAITH.
Heb. 4:2, 11:6