March 25, 2013

^"The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.  They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
 

“Hosanna!”
 

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
 

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

 

Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion, see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” John 12:12-15

It was one of the most inspiring sights of World War II. Four chaplains were standing on the deck of the USS Dorchester, hand-in-hand, singing the old hymn "Nearer My God To Thee." But then, these were inspiring men. And this was a scene the men of the USS Dorchester would never forget.

 

George Fox was the oldest of the chaplains. A veteran of WW I and a recipient of the Silver Star for bravery. He had become a public accountant after the war and then a minister. When WW II began he told his wife he would have to go. "I know from experience what our boys are about to face," he said, "They need me."

 

Alexander D. Goode was the only Rabbi in the group. A father of four and a medical doctor, he was patriotic to the core.

Johnny P. Washington came from a poor Irish immigrant family. He grew up in the slums of Newark, New Jersey, but went on to become a Catholic priest. He was known for his laughter and his love of music.

 

Clark V. Poling, the youngest of the four chaplains, was a minister from the Dutch Reformed church. Clark was the seventh generation in an unbroken line of ministers. However, he wanted to be a fighting soldier instead of a chaplain. He didn’t want people to think he was "hiding behind the church." But when he found out that the mortality rate of the chaplains was the highest of all he felt he would be doing his full part as a chaplain.

 

It was a stirring sight to see these four men united, hand-in-hand, on the deck of that ship. But they weren’t conducting a service for the men as you might think -- they were preparing to die. It was in the early morning hours of February 3, 1943. The ship was bound for Greenland with 906 men on board. Suddenly a torpedo from a Nazi U-boat ripped through the hull and the ship began to sink in the icy waters of the North Atlantic.

 

Fear gave way to panic among the soldiers. Rushing to the deck, many left their lifejackets below. The chaplains helped calm the panic by helping the men escape the sinking ship. Then, with the lifeboats full, they gave their own lifejackets to soldiers who had none. The ship completely sank in only twenty-seven minutes.

 

As the men who had escaped looked back at their doomed ship they saw the four chaplains standing on board the sinking ship hand-in-hand and listened as the men lifted their voices to God. It was a sight that would forever be etched in their memories.    

 

Had the sovereign hand of God directed each of them down the same road or had they chosen it for themselves? What we know for sure is that they chose to give their lives for others. Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." (John 15:13) Jesus was traveling this road into Jerusalem to do just that -- lay down His life for His friends.

 

This "triumphal entry" was actually a road of sorrow He chose for himself. It too was an inspiring sight for those who can see it for what it was.

March 24, 2013

^"Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” Mark 4:8

 

Have you learned more by asking or by listening?

 

Before Jesus told the Parable of the Sower he emphasized, "Listen!" And again, when He ended it He said, "Listen!"

 

Actually, He said, "He who has ears to hear let him hear." In other words, "Listen!"

 

The parable is about listening, or at least hearing, the message of the Gospel. Jesus identifies four different types of hearers.

 

First is the Egocentric Hearer as represented by the seed that fell on the path.

 

This person listens to hear what he wants to hear or for what sounds good to him and dismisses anything else. Ignoring or dismissing truth will harden your heart.

 

Second is the Emergency Hearer as represented by the rocky soil.

 

The emergency hearer usually begins listening when things get rocky or painful in his and life. But because he only wants relief but not the responsibility of a relationship he fails to grow roots to sustain him.

 

Third is the Emotional Hearer as illustrated by the thorny soil.

 

An emotional hearer listens and learns but falls in love the feeling rather getting grounded in faith. So when the trials of life begin to pressure him and the emotions turn from good to bad his faith wanes.

 

Finally is the Effective Hearer as represented by the good soil that produced a bountiful harvest.

 

An effective hearer listens to the Word, he learns the Word, loves the Word and most importantly - he lives the Word. Because he lives the Word it affects other lives through him.

 

Jesus identifies four types of hearers.

 

One of those four is you. Which is it?

 

What will you do about it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 23, 2013

 

 "Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”  Mark 4:1-9

Growing up in Northern Indiana I am very familiar with seed and planting and soil. In that part of the country we were blessed with some of the most fertile soil in the world. But, as good as the soil is it still has to be plowed and harrowed and fertilized in order to be prepared for the seed that will be planted.

In the parable Jesus told in Mark  4 the seed represents the Word of God which is always fertile seed, but the emphasis is placed on the condition of the soil. The soil represents the human heart and He mentions four soil conditions, or conditions of the heart.

The first condition is represented by the path. Because of the constant foot traffic over this soil it has become hardened and unreceptive to the seed. Before the seed has a chance to put down roots it is either crushed under foot or snatched by the birds.This is the hearer who may hear the Word but doesn't listen to it.

I call him the ego-centered hearer. He doesn't think he really needs to hear the Word and so when he does he only listens to what he wants to hear. Therefore, his heart becomes hardened.

The second sort of hearer mentioned in the Parable of the Sower is represented by the rocky soil. This is the hearer who listens to the Word and receives it gladly. His faith is stirred and is initiated within his spirit.

Often this is the person who experiences trouble and rocky times in his life and turns to faith looking for help. And he finds it because any time you sincerely call on the name of the Lord you will find Him.

But while he heard the Master's voice and listened, he didn't have time to learn from the Word and put down deep roots. Since his faith is shallow from lack of knowledge he doesn't withstand the heat of life's trials and faith dies.

 

Regarding the second hearer, he is what I call the emergency hearer. This hearer finds himself in a bad situation and his life has become rocky so he turns to God for help. Sure enough, he finds help from a faithful God. But he doesn't diligently continue to listen and learn from the Word so his shallow spiritual roots are not deep enough to sustain him.

 

Jesus talked about a third condition illustrated by thorny ground. When the seed lands among the weeds and thorns it springs up quickly but is choked out by the weeds before it can produce a harvest.

 

Such a heart is one who hears the Word and listens but doesn't learn the truth of it. Therefore, it cannot survive the attacks of the weeds. I call this the emotional hearer. He hears the Word at an emotional point in his life, listens and believes but depends on emotions when emotions change so does he.

 

Let me ask you, "Which sort of soil is in your heart?"

 

One of these conditions is true of your heart.

 

Are you an ego-centric hearer, an emergency hearer or an emotional hearer?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 22, 2013

"Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root." Mark 4:5-6

 

When I was growing up one of the leading brands of electronic products was RCA. Their logo showed a dog sitting near an old Victrola-style phonograph with a listening ear leaned toward the speaker. The tag line attached to the logo was, "The master's voice".

 

 

Shouldn't this be the picture of a Christian listening to hear the voice of their Master?

 

The second sort of hearer mentioned in the Parable of the Sower is represented by the rocky soil. This is the hearer who listens to the Word and receives it gladly. His faith is stirred and is initiated within his spirit.

 

Often this is the person who experiences trouble and rocky times in his life and turns to faith looking for help. And he finds it because any time you sincerely call on the name of the Lord you will find Him.

 

But while he heard the Master's voice and listened, he didn't have time to learn from the Word and put down deep roots. Since his faith is shallow from lack of knowledge he doesn't withstand the heat of life's trials and faith dies.

 

So, we have the hearer who doesn't listen and we have the hearer who listens but doesn't learn.

 

The first I call the ego-centered hearer. He doesn't think he really needs to hear the Word and so when he does he only listens to what he wants to hear. Therefore, his heart becomes hardened.

 

Regarding the second hearer, he is what I call the emergency hearer. This hearer finds himself in a bad situation and his life has become rocky so he turns to God for help. Sure enough, he finds help from a faithful God. But he doesn't diligently continue to listen and learn from the Word so his shallow spiritual roots are not deep enough to sustain him.

 

Do either of these scenarios apply to you?

 

Are you listening to the voice of God through His Word or through preaching or teaching ministries? Are you studying to learn from God's Word so you can put down deep roots?

 

 

 







 

 

 

 

 

March 21, 2013

^"He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up." Mark 4:2-4

 

When someone who is in authority says, "Listen!" you should listen. When that person commanding you to listen is Jesus, well..............!

 

After He called the crowd to attention He began telling the parable about the sower and the seed. Sowing is how they planted seed in those days. First they would plow the soil of their field and then walk across the field and back tossing the seeds onto the soil from their hand. I assume the more experienced a sower was the more accurate his tossing of the seed, but still there was seed that landed in unintended places. In His parable the Master made each place represent a different type of hearing heart and the seed represents the Word of God.

 

Some seed landed on the path. The path would be the equivalent of a sidewalk today. It was where everyone walked when they passed by that area and because it drew so much traffic the dirt was packed down hard. So hard was this packed down soil that seed landing there had no chance to put down roots before a bird swept down to snatch it. Any seed that landed on the path was wasted seed unless you were a bird.

 

A heart becomes hardened just as a path gets hardened, by the pressure of constant use. When a heart frequently hears the Word but never listens to it that heart becomes hardened. The Word of God never has a neutral result. When the Word is heard and obeyed it becomes soft and molded like clay. But if the Word is heard and deliberately disregarded or disobeyed that heart becomes hardened.

 

My mother tells me I earned my first spanking when I intentionally disobeyed her. I was three years old at the time and loved to crawl into the cabinets under the kitchen counter and play with her pots and pans. She gave me stern orders to not do so again.

 

One day she couldn't locate me and began to call out my name. As she continued to call with no response her level of concern increased. Just as she was about to panic she heard a clank in the area of the lower cabinet. Opening the doors she saw me sittting under there playing with her pots and pans.

 

Relieved but angered, she sternly rebuked me, "Bradley, didn't you hear me calling you? I have been calling your name for quite awhile now!"

 

According to her my response was, "I hear you - but I pay no attention!"

 

She got my attention! She warmed my cold, disobedient heart from the backside up!

 

What is the condition of your heart? Are you obeying God's Word? Are you hearing but paying no attention? Do you listen to what He says to you? Are you yielding to conviction or are you resisting it?

 

Once a heart grows hardened it is hard to change. It is a dangerous condition to allow.

 

When you hear God's Word today - will you listen?

 

 

 

 

March 20, 2013

"Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” Mark 4:1-9

As someone who has been married for over a quarter century, I know the importance of listening to my wife, Barbara.

I discovered early and painfully the difference between hearing her and listening to her. It is the one area where I find the most trouble. If she senses that I didn't pay attention to what she told me she will ask, "What did I just say?"

I'd better give her that right answer when she asks or she gets her feelings hurt and I get in trouble.

Failing to listen to Jesus is a sure prescription for disaster as well.

In this part of Mark's Gospel Jesus begins His parable by saying, "Listen!" and ending the portion by again saying, "He who has ears to hear, let them hear!"

Parables were Jesus' favorite and most effective way to teach. In this parable of the sower He is teaching us that there are four types of listeners. And we also discover that hearing happens with the heart, not just the ears.

Over the next several posts I want to explore those four types of "hearing hearts" but this evening I want to call you attention to how Jesus addressed the audience assembled on the lake shore that day. And according to Mark's account it was a large crowd.

Those familiar with this area where Jesus did this teaching tell us the rocks that line the shore are positioned like church pews. Behind those rows of boulders are steep banks that rise above the level of the lake. That combination of terrain made an ideal ampitheater. When you consider that Jesus was in a boat on the water several yards from the shore speaking over the water, he had perfect accoustics for being clearly heard by anyone who was present that day.

So when Jesus began His teaching by saying, "Listen" He had no doubt that everyone could hear Him clearly. He wasn't so sure everyone who was hearing was really listening.

Jesus knows how to position Himself in your life so you can hear Him when He speaks to you. But you must position your heart so you will listen.

Will you listen to God today? Will you open your heart to hear what He will say to you? He will be speaking! I hope you're listening!

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22







  

March 19, 2013

"He that has ears to hear, let him hear"' Matthew 11:15

Let me ask you a question. "If the Word of God fell near you in the woods, would you hear it?"

 

This variation of the "if a tree fell in the woods" question actually has a serious point. It is very important to learn to listen to God. I am sure you would agree. But do you know how to listen to God?

 

Hear what God says.

 

Read His Word and listen for His voice. Spending regular time reading and studying the Bible is a primary way of hearing God speak.

 

Listen to the preaching of the Word and the teaching of the Word on a frequent basis.

 

Romans 10:17 says, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word of God."

God's Word is the only way to build a life on a foundation of truth. But that is only possible if you are hearing it.

Hear what God says to you.

As important as it is to hear the truth of God's Word, it is even more important to hear the truth specifically applied to your life and your situation.  That is the function of the Holy Spirit and the purpose of the Word.

Hear what God says you should do.

James says, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." James 1:22

When Jesus prefaced His teachings with, "He that has hears to hear, let Him hear" He is not just suggesting they listen, He is telling them to hear it AND obey what it specifically says to them!

If listening to God doesn't result in living for God then you haven't really heard His Word. Listening to God involves hearing what He says, hearing what He says to you, and hearing what you should do - and then doing it!

Are you listening to God?