Ears to Hear

Gone. Okay. So last week, we started with Jesus' words in Luke chapter 8. Where he tells us that if we listen to his word effectively, his word will be multiplied to us. He says we will be given more.

In other words, the sermons that we hear will be spiritually multiplied. They will lead to fruit and life and repentance more will be given. But if we don't listen well to the word of god, even what we think we have will be taken away from us. And so Jesus underlines very clearly the importance of hearing. How we listen to the word of god is a life or death blessing or curse heaven or hell kind of business.

There is nothing more serious for us to think about than our hearing as it relates to the word of god. And so today, we are gonna have a think about how to practically listen well. What techniques can we learn to make sure that we are effectively listening to the word of god, and how can we identify some of those barriers which stop us listening well. What is it that stops us hearing? The word of god week by week.

Those are the things that we're gonna consider. So much more practical. I hope this evening. And I want us to begin by turning to Luke chapter 24 So on page 1061 of the church Bibles. And as you're turning, if you're making notes, the first point is this.

Effective listeners depend on god's grace. Effective listeners depend on god's grace. So this is Luke 24, and this is the story of 2 disciples who are walking to emmaus. They are taking the emmaus road after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And I want us to pick it up together in verse 13 of Luke 24.

Now that same day, 2 of them were going to a village called Emeus, about 7 miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them, but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, what are you discussing together as you walk along? They stood still.

Their faces downcast. 1 of them named Cleopus, asked him, are you the only 1 visiting Jerusalem? He doesn't know the things that have happened here in these days? What things he asked? About Jesus of Nazareth, they replied.

He was a prophet, powerful in word, indeed, before god and all the people The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death and they crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the 1 who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more it is the third day since all of this took place? In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning, but didn't find his body.

They came and told us that they had seen a vision angels who said he was alive, then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus. He said to them how foolish you are and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory and beginning with Moses and all the prophets. He explained to them what was said in all of the scriptures concerning himself. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he was going further.

But they urged him strongly. Stay with us for it is nearly evening. The day is almost over. So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and began to give it to them.

Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him. And he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road. And opened the scriptures to us. Amazing story.

So how is it then that these disciples meet the real Jesus. How do they meet him? The scriptures? Why couldn't they recognize Jesus on the road? Why couldn't they?

Because he chose not to reveal himself apart from the scriptures. This is how people meet the living Jesus in the pages of the Bible. But just like these disciples, unless Christ causes our hearts to burn with conviction we won't understand. With the natural eye and with the natural ear and with the natural mind, We won't see it. We need him.

We need him to show us Christ in the scriptures. We need his grace if we're gonna see properly. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2, we speak not in words taught to us by human wisdom, but in words taught to us by the spirit, explaining spiritual realities with spirit taught words. The person without the spirit does not accept the things that come from the spirit of god but considers them foolishness and they cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the spirit. Spiritual realities preached in spiritual words require spiritual understanding.

And that is why we pray before we come to the word of god. Not just a formality to pray up here before a sermon. It's not just something to fill time. We pray because we need the gracious work of god's spirit if we're going to hear effectively. Apparently, it was the habit of the the great and, very often quoted here, preacher Charles Bergin.

Every time he mounted the steps of the pulpit, at the Metropolitan tabernacle, which was his church in London. He would whisper under his breath. I believe in the Holy Ghost. I believe in the Holy Ghost. I believe in the Holy Ghost.

Why did he do that? Because he knew the importance of the spirit in his sermons. And so must we? There is no effective listening to the word of god without the work of the spirit. Without him, all of these techniques we're gonna learn this evening are just gonna be much ado about nothing, really.

They're gonna be techniques that just become morals for us to put into place. We mustn't miss this underpinning foundation. Effective listeners depend on the grace of god every week to hear him speak. The second point is this, effective listeners actively engage. Effective listeners actively engage with the word of god.

1 of the things that really gets on my nerves. And, it gets on my nerves mostly because I'm guilty of it myself. And I hate it when I see it in myself. Is distracted listening. You know what it's like when you're in a conversation with someone and at some point, they get distracted.

You've been having a conversation with them and something catches their eye, something draws their attention away from you, and you know that they have off from the conversation. It becomes blatantly obvious. So they'll say to you, look, how, you know, how is your week? And you might say it honestly. Not good.

On Tuesday, my brother was was hit by a bus. He wasn't, but for the purposes of this illustration, he He was hit by a bus. And the person person listening to you is sort of, Oh, great. Oh, great. Great.

Great. Now, this person is thinking, thanks for that pastoral word. You think it's great that my brother's been hit by a bus. And it is blatantly obvious to this person that this listener is no longer listening to you. But this person, when they look back, they realize that they've checked out of the conversation, and they're looking at you waiting for a response.

And so you have to say something generic like, oh, that's that's great. And you then you look at them and you think, did I get away with that? I think I might have got away with that. I think that was generic enough that they haven't noticed, whereas this person has noticed and thinks you're an idiot Thanks for listening to me. You know what it's like?

That must have happened to you and I'm sure you've done it to other people. It's disengaged listening. It's listening, which isn't engaging with the person talking to you anymore. Well, with preaching, We need active listening. Let me try to illustrate several years ago.

Laura and my wife took me to Ronnie Scott which is a jazz club up in London. I don't know an awful lot about jazz or the history of jazz, but I quite like it. And so she thought she would take me up there. And for the whole evening, I can't remember how many hours it was. I was totally taken up with all that was going on in Ronnie Scott.

You know, there was a wonderful 4 piece jazz quartet on the stage. I was looking all night from 1 musician to the next, from 1 instrument to the next, My toes were tapping. My head was bopping. You know, I was consumed and taken up by it all evening. It was active listening.

But when I have that same quartet chugging along in the background on YouTube upstairs, I'm in and out. It's passive listening. I'm not taken up in the same way. And so the question is what kind of listening are we to have on Sunday? Should it be Ronnie Scott's listening or should it be YouTube in the background listening?

We know the answer. I'm not saying it's always easy. Apparently, I was reading this week that the average person speaks at a rate of a hundred and 25 to a hundred and 50 words per minute. But the average person can listen at a rate of 500 words per minute. So you can see there's potential there for the mind to wander.

Yeah? I can only speak at a hundred and 50 words per minute. Maybe you can listen at 500 words per minute. You can wander all over the place. And still probably tune back in and get the gist of it.

Okay? That's true. And let's be honest, there are some sermons where Frankly, the points might be a little dull. You know, the sermon might seem a bit chaotic, not very inspiring. Little bit dense, too long, almost certainly.

And that that needs work from preachers. But if it is the word of god, if we believe it is the word of god, we've gotta fight to keep in the game. Active listening is a spiritual battle. It is a spiritual battle. It is a spiritual battle to focus on the words, to weigh what has been said, to think about the applications, to predict if you like what might come next to be with the preacher to be consumed by the word of god as it is being preached.

If we are going to be effective listeners long term, we gotta fight to be active listeners to be engaged as best we can. So pray for it. Go to bed on time on Saturday. Don't stay up till 3 in the morning watching Netflix. Don't do that.

Put your phone on silent, better still on airplane mode, better still off. Give yourself the best chance of listening to the word of god and pray for preachers that god would help us to be faithful to the word because part of being faithful is being engaging. If you make the word boring, you're an unfaithful preacher. So pray that we would make it engaging within our personalities as best as we can. So that at the end of Sunday, we all leave feeling like we've been to Ronnie Scotts together.

Or whatever illustration works for you. Feeling like we've been in a place where we were taken up with our listening. Secondly, effective listeners are always engaged listeners. Thirdly, effective listeners are honest with themselves. Effective listeners are honest with themselves and they are not selective listeners.

That's a long point. I'm afraid. So it might give you just 30 seconds to write it if you are Effective listeners are honest with themselves, and they are not selective listeners. Growing up, I was I was quite spoilt when it came to dentists. My, family had a, had a friend who was a dentist who had his own private practice, and, he was a an old dentist, and we loved going, me and my brother.

This was the kind of place where there were aquariums in the waiting room. You know, it was the type of place where they were car on the floor, glossy magazines, sofas. It was always a pleasure and never a chore to go to the dentist, where I grew up. But when I came to Kingston, I, registered at a practice, which shall remain, nameless for for legal purposes. And, The first time I went, I was led down into the basement and it felt like I was going into some kind of unlicensed butcher or an abattoir.

You know, there was sort of rusted instruments, this general air of brutality, about the place, and, I'm sure there were bloodstains under chairs and all kinds of things. And, since my experience at that dentist, my basic attitude towards it now is even if there's something wrong with me, I'd rather be told I'm fine. Even if I've got cavities opening up all over my mouth, which I frequently do. I'd rather them just say, you know what Tom's looking great. See you in 6 months.

We'll give you a text. Okay? Now, it goes without saying that that kind of self deception is not going to help me in the end. If I approach the dentist deciding what I want to hear from them, my listening is going to be pretty bad. That selective hearing is gonna damage me.

Well, how much more so if we approach sermons this way Turn with me to Isaiah chapter 30, and we're gonna look at verses 9 to 13. Isaiah 39 to 13. This is a a description of god's people. It's on page 7 1 5. Talking about god's people who have become the rebellious people, the deceitful children, The children unwilling to listen to the lord's instruction.

They say to the Sears, see no more visions, and to the prophets give us no more visions of what is right. Tell us pleasant things. Profise our illusions. Leave this way. Get off this path and stop confronting us with the holy 1 of Israel.

Therefore, this is what the holy 1 of Israel says. Because you have rejected this message relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall cracked and bulging that collapses suddenly in an instant. So you see the problem. In Isaiah's day at this time, god's people were worried about the Assyrians. They were about to invade and there was a general feeling of threat about that.

But Isaiah was telling us that's not their main problem. Their main problem isn't to do with the Assyrians. It's to do with the fact that they're not willing to hear God. They are selective in their hearing. Tell us pleasant things.

If you get a preach, prophesy illusions. Tell us what we want to hear. Even if your mouth is full of cavities, tell me it's fine. That's what I wanna hear. And isn't that a danger that we can face?

If we come to church and to the preaching of the word of god, ready to hear only what we want to hear. And not ready to let the word of god do its work, then that selective hearing will become for us a judgment. Christopher Ashon is a amazing and so helpful book on this. It's it's called Listen Up, all about how to listen to Sermons, and I've I've, you know, harvested it greatly, for this series. He says this.

Sorry. These quotes were meant to be up, but, you'll just have to listen along. He says we don't come to the sermon as blank sheets like a new page in a notebook. On the contrary, we come to the sermon with our live already scribbled over. We come believing that certain things are reasonable and other things are incredible.

We come accepting that some kinds of behavior is normal and acceptable where others are not. What we really want is for the Bible to tell us that we're okay. What we've done is okay. What we believe is okay. And not to be confronted or challenged.

Which is the same as saying, prophecy illusions. Tell us what we want to hear. But if that is my approach to the word of god, can you see where it's gonna take me in the end? It will be very hard for me to accept the teaching of the Bible when my lifestyle depends on me not accepting it. Do you see?

If I've got things in my life patterns of behavior, certain sins that I'm comfortable with, that I want to protect. I've got a real interest in protecting them. When I come to hear the word of god. And so if on Sunday, that subject, that particular subject is addressed by the word of god, well, that's okay. Because I've already built in my protection.

I've decided that in my life, there are some no go, no change areas and no 1 is going to speak into them. So let's say, for example, that a person has been watching pornography for years It's their way of coping with loneliness or stress. It's a habit. They're not gonna break. And they've decided that they're just gonna live with that part of their lives.

Now, what happens if it is mentioned in the word? What happens if I hear something about it in a sermon? Well, that's okay because I've already built up my protection I'm ready to bat it away. I've got strategies for justifying it and for blocking my ears. I won't let it be spoken to.

Or let's say that a person has a very real, very painful struggle with a mental health issue, which many people do. Research last year suggested that 1 in 4 students in the millennial generation either have anxiety or depression 1 in 4. How might we apply that to this situation? Well, 1 of the things that people who struggle with those issues often feel is that no 1 understands them. No 1 understands them.

Nobody understands what it's like to be them And nobody has had their experiences and nobody can speak to them. And of course it is true that no 2 people in the world have had the same experiences no 2 people have. And it is true that we need to learn effectively how to minister to each other. But sadly, that language can often be used as a barrier to the word. We come ready to protect ourselves.

No 1 understands me. No 1 knows what it's like to be me. And that means the only person qualified to minister to me is me. But friends think about it. If we're if we're not willing to let the word open us up.

If we're not willing to let god disagree with us, If we're not willing to allow him to speak into the tough areas through sermons and through our brothers and sisters, How can we be effective listeners? If we are going to inflict a kind of spiritual loneliness upon ourselves, by saying I am the only 1 who can minister to me. How are we gonna be effective long term listeners to the word of god? In the end, is it not the same as saying? Tell me pleasant things.

Because I've decided already, I won't hear the difficult ones. Tim Keller says, if your god never disagrees with you, you might just be worshiping an idealized version yourself. If your god never disagrees with you, you might just be worshiping an idealized version of your self, the point of a sermon is not to safeguard us in our sin. The point of a sermon is not to keep us comfortable It's to open ourselves up to the double edged sword and to let the surgeon do his work. To let the surgeon cut and heal.

And so we need to be honest with ourselves, don't we here? Every week I come to church, and I am unable to think straight. I am full of prejudice. I am ready to excuse myself in all kinds of ways. And so I need to pray that the Holy Spirit would help me hear his word.

No matter what it says, or where it goes. I need to pray that the lord would help me not to say tell me pleasant things. But that I would say search me. Oh lord. See if there is any offensive way in me.

And lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139 verse 24. Effective listeners are not selective listeners. They are honest with themselves. They're not selective they're honest with themselves.

Fourthly, effective listeners cultivate a willing spirit Effective listeners cultivate a willing spirit. Let's turn back to Luke, and we're gonna go to chapter 20 of Luke. Again, we're gonna be, looking at a few scriptures, and quotes this evening to, to help us. So, Luke 20, and we're gonna be looking at verse 20 to 26. Keeping a close watch on him This is the chief priests, keeping a close watch on him.

They sent spies who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor and so the spies questioned him. Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality, but teach the way of god in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not? He saw through their duplicity.

And he said to them, show me a denarius whose image and inscription are on it, Caesar's, they replied. He said to them, then give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to god what is god's. They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public and astonished by his answer they became silent. Laura, my wife is an emergency, emergency planner. And, as part of her job, she has to undergo media training, which basically helps you to know what to say if you are interviewed live on TV, particularly about an emergency.

So it's quite important training because so often, as you know, journalists who are interviewing you, or people, are looking to catch you out. They're asking you the kind of questions where you might slip up so that they can take a statement out of context, spin it as a headline, and condemn you in front of a nation. And so people need training about how to handle that kind of shark like approach to journalism. And so this is why you probably get quite sick of journalists on television who don't answer questions. Instead, they just tend to circle around the same safe statement over and over again and just use different words to say the exact same 3 points.

The reason they do it is because they know they're swimming with sharks. Well, in Luke 20, these spies are a bit like those media sharks. When they went to hear Jesus Preach they were hoping to catch him out. If they could just find 1 fault, 1 problem, 1 misuse of the law, 1 clumsy phrase, they could dismiss his teaching about the kingdom of god out of hand and be done with him. They just wanted to find a mistake.

They came with a critical spirit. Not an isolated incident. Luke 11 53. When Jesus went outside, the pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, what were they doing? Waiting to catch him in something he might say.

Approach a sermon with a critical spirit is a big barrier. This week, we were reflecting on a situation some time ago now where an illustration was given about a black hole. It was, I was, I think, a minor, off the cuff illustration and, probably not scientifically correct in every part. And, somebody came up to the preacher afterwards. It was a guest, not a member.

Let me stress a guest, not a member. And they said that because the black hole illustration was scientifically wrong, they had been unwilling to listen to anything else from that point onwards. Summarizing, maybe slightly overemphasizing, but that was the gist of it. They weren't willing to hear because there was a little problem with the off the cuff black hole illustration. And that's a real shame, isn't it?

When a mistake or a clumsy phrase or a funny slip up, causes the word of god to be dismissed. I remember preaching once I can't remember when it was few years ago, but I was I was trying to rub something in. And, I did use on reflection a very, very clumsy phrase, that I don't think was very helpful. And after the service, we went out for a meal with some friends. And, 1 of them said to me very graciously that it wasn't the best phrase to have used for these particular reasons.

But also had genuinely enjoyed hearing from the lord in his word and was thankful for the evening. And I thought that was just a wonderful example and so needed If there are things that are wrong or clumsy, then we wanna hear about it. But if the mistake becomes a reason, not to listen to the word of god. That's a big problem. Because it reveals a critical spirit and not a willing 1.

And that is a heart issue that we need to deal honestly with. Because the truth is when it came to Jesus, these spies were looking to catch him out, but they never ever could. They were silenced by his wisdom. But with the preachers in this church, you generally will find mistakes. And the question is, how are we going to approach it?

Will it be a barrier to listening to the word god. That's 1 way that we can develop a critical spirit. Another way much less subtle and a bit more crass and a bit more obvious is that we just don't like the preacher. Don't get on with him. Don't like his personality.

Not a big fan of his life. Don't wanna hear from him. That like him, critical of him and who he is. But again, it shows, doesn't it? The heart, the heart is not approaching it the right way?

Remember Paul in 1 thessalonians chapter 2. He said we also thank god because when you received the word of god which you heard from us, You accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of god Paul was deeply thankful because they looked past the man, past the personality, Pass whoever it was on the rotor. They looked past the man, and they received it as the word of god. And Paul was deeply thankful for that. They received it as the word of god.

So do you see Luke 21 thessalonians are encouraging a willing spirit. Brothers and sisters, can we can we try not to come with arms folded, leaning back, eyes squinting, looking for a reason to dismiss the word. But can we pray for willing eager spirits that are thankful for another opportunity to hear from our lord despite the obvious failures of those bringing it. Fourthly, effective listeners come with willing spirits. Fifthly, effective listeners are in it for the long runs.

Only 6 points. So we're coming in. Effective listeners are in it for the long run. Chris Farash puts it so well in his book that I can't do anything better than to just quote him here. And again, it's a little bit longer.

I'm afraid. Hoping it would come up. You would just have to, you know, Ronnie Scotts. Remember, Ronnie Scotts actively engage, heads bopping, feet tapping, This is a time to remember you're in Ronnie Scotts. Okay?

Every good doctor knows that a patient may come with presenting symptoms that mask a deeper illness. If she just treated the bits where patients feel pain, many patients would die. God knows what we need much better than we do. And it's a misunderstanding to think that by some divine magic, the Bible passage I happen to be reading today will be precisely what I need today, and then again tomorrow and the next day. That would be a remarkable series of coincidences.

But the Bible was never intended to work like that. We say, I wanna hear God speaking to me today. Well, he will speak. If I hear the Bible faithfully preached, but he might not teach me what I think I need to hear today. The Bible is not designed to give me a series of instant fixes, it is god's instrument to shape and mold my mind into the likeness of Christ.

And that takes time. I need to listen to the Bible passage being preached today and to turn my heart to god in submission today not only because I may need that passage today, but because I may need that passage tomorrow, and tomorrow may be too late to learn it. 2 things to notice here. Sometimes when we hear sermons, it is so pointed It is like the preacher is reading my heart as an open book knows everything about my past week and is speaking directly to me. It was said of 1 old minister, Robert Murray, that as his preaching progressed, he seemed to advance upon you until he was standing inside your heart.

Ready to apply the word of god. To your life. And we know what that's like when we're listening to preaching and god brings something home with amazing force and accuracy and clarity as if the preacher is standing inside our hearts. But it doesn't always happen. And sometimes we might feel like these sermons are just reminding us of things we've known for years.

And does that make preaching irrelevant to our lives? Of course not. Sitting under preaching isn't just a series of quick fixes. That immediately tell you what you must do with this particular issue you are facing on this day. It is about long term heart and mind renewal under the gospel.

2 Peter chapter 1 verse 10. Can you turn with me to 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 10? Think these are really, really important. Page 1 2 2 2 to Peter chapter 1 verse 10. My brothers and sisters make every effort to confirm your calling and election.

For if you do these things, you will never stumble and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ. So I will always remind you of these things even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory. Do you see that? Even though you know it, you know the gospel school.

You've heard this application before. I think it is right to refresh your memory. It's no trouble for me to remind you, and so it should be no trouble for us to be reminded. Most Christian growth doesn't happen just in fits and starts going up the curve like this. It happens as a gentle curve curving up.

And that change comes as we're reminded of the same truths, week in, week out year in, year out. The experts tell us if you wanna be healthy, it's how many a day? 5 a day. They're always changing the goal posts, but 5 a day will go with. But we know, don't we?

That doesn't mean 5 on 1 day. It means 5 every day. And chances are it will usually be the same 5. But that's okay. That's okay.

The key to long term health is having our minds and our memories refreshed. Effective listening doesn't choose a sermon based on how relevant we think it is. It doesn't choose ministry based on how relevant we think it is to our lives. It is a long term commitment to being reminded of things that we know. Effective listeners are in it for the long run.

6 and lastly, effective listeners put the word to work. Effective listeners put the word to work. Right at the end of the sermon on the Mount, Jesus says this. Very famous story. Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man. Who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house. And it fell with a great crash.

What is the difference between these men? They're both builders, they're both good with their hands, They both own toolkits, I imagine. They both enjoy building houses. What is the difference what makes 1 a fool in the otherwise, simply putting the sermon on the mount into practice. And every time we hear a sermon, that should be our desire.

Without the spirit, we can do nothing. Without the grace of Jesus Christ, We have no lasting motivation, but this should be our prayer. Not just to be hearers, but doers. Not just to be challenged, but changed. 1 last quote from Christopher Ash, no need to buy the book now, friends.

You've you've got it all. Here it is. Short 1. There is more than 1 way to evade the challenge of the Bible. The simple way is just to say The bible is wrong and I don't agree with it and that's all there is to say.

But the more common way in Christian circles is to find a clever way to reinterpret the bible so that I can persuade myself that although I must admit it looks as if it challenges me. In fact, it doesn't. This Here we go. This is like a knife. This preserves my impression of piety while safeguarding my rebellion against God.

Now I find that just so challenging. What a challenging sermon that was. Oh, how hard hitting that sermon was. But in reality, I haven't been challenged. What I actually want is to give you the impression that I am pious by telling you that I've been challenged.

When the reality is, I have no intention change. That's devastating hearing. In Hebrews 3 and 4, Psalm 95 is quoted over and over again. And the main focus is around just 1 phrase. Do you know what it is?

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. He takes an old testament text, which quotes another old testament text, and he says every time this text is opened, god is speaking. Do we realize that? Every time the Bible is faithfully preached, god's voice is heard. And if we hear his voice today, And it is today, by the way, this is today.

We're in today. Now, this is today. If we hear his voice, we ought to repent again And we ought to trust in Christ again. If that doesn't happen, we harden our hearts and we leave in a worse position than when we came. It would have been better not to have come this evening than to have come and to have heard and to do nothing.

Effective listening will always be not merely listening to the word, but doing what it says. Today, if you have heard god's voice, turn to him. That combination is the key to effective listening, hearing and turning as long as it is called today. It was said of Augustin, 1 of the great church fathers when he was convicted of his sexual sin. He prayed to the lord.

Oh lord give me purity, but not today, but not today. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. 6 keys for effective listening. We finished them. And just before we kind of break up and discuss for a few minutes, I think it is worth saying again by by way of encouragement that every time we come to the word of god, we are all coming with 1 or many of these issues.

All of these things can interfere with our response to the word. Jesus actually calls them weeds in the parable of the sower and he's realistic about them. The fact that he even includes them in the parable of the sower shows that he understands how blocked our ears can be and how crowded our hearts can become. And so let's turn to him and ask for his grace to chop the weeds away and give us ears to hear, but also brothers and sisters. Let's do all that we can to prepare the soil of our hearts and to give ourselves the best chance of listening well.

We can, week out. Let's give ourselves the best chance because although this feels very ordinary, We're here every week. It's the same few voices in the same environment. What we do with our ears here really is a life or death business. And so father we pray that you would help us to hear.

Cause us to be effective listeners. Cause us to realize what an absolute wonderous gracious blessing it is to have your word open in front of us and to hear it preached father forgive us that so often we come with barriers. We are so very creative when it comes to not listening to your word. We pray that your spirit would cut away the weeds which choke us and give us ears. For some, there will be real battles in this area, but we don't wanna give up We don't wanna stop.

We know that our enemy, the devil would seek to pluck away the seed of your word before it has even landed. Banish him from us. We pray. Help us to hear and to bear much fruit. Not just today, but for all of our lives, and we ask it in Jesus' name.

Oh, man.