Hebrews 5:14 - "But solid food is for the mature, who
because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil."
The next sense we're going to look at is our sense of hearing. In Romans 10:17 we read - "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." Faith comes from hearing the Word of God. We need to have our ears tuned to hear Him. The Bible is not just a book, it is the Word of God. And when we come to the Bible we need to stay away from the mindset that it's just a book and we need to have the mindset that our Father is speaking to us. Every time you open the Word of God He has a message for you individually, something that He wants to talk to you about. We're not just reading words, we're listening for His voice. Jesus said in John 10:27 - "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." Hearing God always results in a response from the hearer. Jesus said "My sheep hear My voice... and they follow Me." For those of us who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, when we hear His voice we follow Him, and following Him often means responding in obedience to the things He has said.
In Matthew chapter 13 the Lord Jesus tells the parable of the sower, and He talks about four different types of ground in which the sower sowed seed. He explains the parable in Matthew 13:18-23 saying - “Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” The four types of ground are representative of four types of hearers. All four had the seed, they all heard the word, but only one had the proper response. one hears the word and does not understand. One hears the word and when affliction or persecution arise he immediately falls away. Another hears the word and worry and deceit choke it and it becomes unfruitful. And one hears the word and understands it and bears fruit. There is always a response to the hearing of Gods Word, and any response that is not one of obedience is the wrong response.
Jesus emphasizes this point in Luke 8:21 where we read - "But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”" He identifies His family as those who hear and respond in obedience. He says in Luke 11:28 - "blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."
Romans 10:17 says - "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." Faith and hearing are directly connected. In Hebrews chapters three and four the writer is talking about Israels history and how they failed to enter the promised land due to unbelief. And he says in Hebrews 4:2 - "For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard." Again, faith and hearing go hand in hand. Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ, and hearing always needs to be accompanied by faith. If we don't have faith in what we hear it will not profit us.
John gives his personal testimony of his interaction with Christ in 1 John 1:1-3 - "What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." His relationship with Christ was very close and very personal. He heard Him speak, he saw the works that He did, he touched Him. We'll get to these other senses later, but John and the other disciples heard Jesus, they heard the words of the Word, as He is called in John 1. Jesus is Gods greatest revelation of Himself to mankind. God communicates so much to us through His Son in every aspect of His life. The writer to the Hebrews begins the book by saying - God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world." God spoke long ago through the prophets, but now He has spoken to us, personally and individually, in His Son. God has spoken and He longs for us to hear. When Jesus took Peter, James and John and went up to the mount of transfiguration, as it's called, God the Father made a proclamation out of heaven. We read in Mark 9:7 - "And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”" There are only three times in the earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ when God the Father audibly spoke from heaven, and one of these three times He said “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” We need to have our sense of hearing trained to discern good and evil. We need to exercise our ears to, not only hear words from the Bible, but to actually hear Him. Our Father is speaking to us, are we hearing Him?
Mark 9:7 - "And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”"
The next sense we're going to look at is our sense of hearing. In Romans 10:17 we read - "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." Faith comes from hearing the Word of God. We need to have our ears tuned to hear Him. The Bible is not just a book, it is the Word of God. And when we come to the Bible we need to stay away from the mindset that it's just a book and we need to have the mindset that our Father is speaking to us. Every time you open the Word of God He has a message for you individually, something that He wants to talk to you about. We're not just reading words, we're listening for His voice. Jesus said in John 10:27 - "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." Hearing God always results in a response from the hearer. Jesus said "My sheep hear My voice... and they follow Me." For those of us who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, when we hear His voice we follow Him, and following Him often means responding in obedience to the things He has said.
In Matthew chapter 13 the Lord Jesus tells the parable of the sower, and He talks about four different types of ground in which the sower sowed seed. He explains the parable in Matthew 13:18-23 saying - “Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” The four types of ground are representative of four types of hearers. All four had the seed, they all heard the word, but only one had the proper response. one hears the word and does not understand. One hears the word and when affliction or persecution arise he immediately falls away. Another hears the word and worry and deceit choke it and it becomes unfruitful. And one hears the word and understands it and bears fruit. There is always a response to the hearing of Gods Word, and any response that is not one of obedience is the wrong response.
Jesus emphasizes this point in Luke 8:21 where we read - "But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”" He identifies His family as those who hear and respond in obedience. He says in Luke 11:28 - "blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."
Romans 10:17 says - "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." Faith and hearing are directly connected. In Hebrews chapters three and four the writer is talking about Israels history and how they failed to enter the promised land due to unbelief. And he says in Hebrews 4:2 - "For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard." Again, faith and hearing go hand in hand. Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ, and hearing always needs to be accompanied by faith. If we don't have faith in what we hear it will not profit us.
John gives his personal testimony of his interaction with Christ in 1 John 1:1-3 - "What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." His relationship with Christ was very close and very personal. He heard Him speak, he saw the works that He did, he touched Him. We'll get to these other senses later, but John and the other disciples heard Jesus, they heard the words of the Word, as He is called in John 1. Jesus is Gods greatest revelation of Himself to mankind. God communicates so much to us through His Son in every aspect of His life. The writer to the Hebrews begins the book by saying - God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world." God spoke long ago through the prophets, but now He has spoken to us, personally and individually, in His Son. God has spoken and He longs for us to hear. When Jesus took Peter, James and John and went up to the mount of transfiguration, as it's called, God the Father made a proclamation out of heaven. We read in Mark 9:7 - "And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”" There are only three times in the earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ when God the Father audibly spoke from heaven, and one of these three times He said “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” We need to have our sense of hearing trained to discern good and evil. We need to exercise our ears to, not only hear words from the Bible, but to actually hear Him. Our Father is speaking to us, are we hearing Him?
Mark 9:7 - "And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”"
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