Are you Listening?
Luke 8:18 “Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken that which he seemeth to have.”
Take heed how ye hear.
Now this is not just good advice, but it is a saying of Jesus.
He warns all who will hear Him, to take notice of what they are hearing.
They are not just nice sounding words to lull you to sleep.
Or assure you that everything is O.K., if it is not.
His Words are not just to enter our ears, but our hearts; and bring forth the fruit of the Spirit, to Eternal Life.
Jesus had just finished the parable of the sower. Four types of ground.
There was the wayside ground: hard and not tilled.
There was the rocky ground: which sprang up, but withered.
There was the thorny ground: which choked the word.
And then there was the good ground: which brought forth fruit.
What was the differences between these grounds? The preparation of the ground, itself.
The wayside had no preparation. The Word was “walked upon, and devoured by the Adversary.” (Luke 8:12)
The rocky ground had too many things which needed to be removed to be useful; and so the Word of Christ just died in the life.
The thorny ground had been tilled but without removing the roots of bitterness, which spring up again and again into weeds and thorns; to choke the Word in the life. (Hebrews 12:15)
But ,……the good ground was prepared to hear…..by getting honest before the Lord….so when he heard,…..he obeyed (took heed how they heard), and brought forth fruit to Christ’s glory, and honor.
How do we hear……take heed?
Do we listen as if our Eternal Soul’s were dependent on just how we heard!
Is your life hardened to the Gospel?
Have you trodden down Christ’s Words to you?
The Adversary is waiting, to remove those Words that are given you; and leave you hardened, and dead.
Christ is speaking, still…. will you prepare your heart to hear?
The reality of these verses is told by Jesus when He says:
“From him shall be taken that which he seemeth to have”!
They looked good; They probably said the right answers, but their hearts separated themselves from the impact of Christ’s Words for themselves……so they would not have to obey.
Christ claims our hearts,…..and requires, not an answer of words;….but an answer of a Life, open to, and receptive to Him.
Remember, when Christ saves a life, He also claims that life.
From that time on, that saved one is bought with a price,…and no longer their own.
Jesus says, “Take heed how ye hear”. Prepare your ears to hear, and your heart to receive.
And He will give into your soul the goodness of His life and the everlasting fruit of His Spirt.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 