Who Are You Listening To?
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A couple had been married for 50 years and a party was thrown for their golden anniversary. The husband was very moved by the occasion and wanted to tell his wife how much he thought of her. She was hard of hearing, however, and often misunderstood what he said. With family and friends gathered around, he toasted her and said, “My dear wife, after 50 years I’ve found you tried and true!” Everyone clapped for them, but his wife was a little irritated and asked, “What did you say?” He spoke louder, “After 50 years, I’ve found you tried and true!”
The wife was now visibly upset and shouted back, “Well, after 50 years I’m tired of you, too!”
When we don’t hear something right - we can miss the intended message.
For you married couples - how many arguments have you had over misunderstood comments?
“That’s not what I’m saying!” or “that’s not what I meant!”
This morning, my hope is that we will listen to what God is saying to us and we receive what He intends for us to hear.
Admittedly, this is difficult for us to do. Sometimes, we hear what we want to hear.
For example, when we cherry-pick scripture that supports our own viewpoint. We ignore the context of a passage or the overall message of the Bible and we find that one line that - standing alone - seems to supports some position or agenda that we have.
We hear what we want to hear.
Sometimes, just like Adam and Eve in the Garden, we are deceived. We listen to another voice that causes us to question God’s sovereignty as Creator and his goodness.
There are plenty of messages spoken to us daily that work to convince us to do something, believe something, buy something, chase something... whatever it is that will make us happy, secure, and gives us power. Often those messages are in direct conflict with God’s Word. Many messages…same deception.
“Did God really say…[fill in the blank].
Did God really say “the meek shall inherit the earth?” Not true - you need to be confident, self-assured, driven, don’t take no for an answer, be a winner, claim what belongs to you.
Did God really say “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.” Not true - fulfillment comes from satisfying your desires, doing whatever you want, putting yourself first. You only live once.
Did God really say “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Not true. That just lets your enemies win. You need stand up for what you think is right and ridicule whoever thinks differently than you. Shut them down.
Sometimes we are deceived into questioning God’s sovereignty and goodness.
As we see in our passage this morning out of Genesis - this is nothing new. Listening to the wrong voice has plagued us from the beginning.
Walter Brueggemann, in his commentary on Genesis, states that the first eleven chapters of the Bible - the pre-history leading up to and just after the Great Flood - deal with the central issue of the relationship between Creator and creation. There are two overriding theological affirmations in this section (two big truths). He writes:
Genesis Part One—The “Pre-History”: The Sovereign Call of God (Genesis 1:1–11:29)
First, the creator has a purpose and a will for creation. The creation exists only because of that will. The creator continues to address the creation, calling it to faithful response and glad obedience to his will. The creation has not been turned loose on its own. It has not been abandoned. Nor has it been given free rein for its own inclinations. But the purposes of the creator are not implemented in a coercive way nor imposed as a tyrant might. The creator loves and respects the creation. The freedom of creation is taken seriously by the creator. Therefore, his sovereign rule is expressed in terms of faithfulness, patience, and anguish.
Second, the creation, which exists only because of and for the sake of the creator’s purpose, has freedom to respond to the creator in various ways.
Walter summarizes those ways to include faithful obedience and obstinate disobedience.
The obstinate disobedience is introduced with the story of the talking serpent’s deception of the man and the woman and their choice to transgress the boundaries God had established for communal life with Him.
And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Man and woman were permitted to eat of any tree, including the tree of life.
In Rev 2:7 we read...
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ’
To eat from the tree of life is enjoy fellowship with God.
But there was also another tree - the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We don’t know the specific characteristics of this tree - nor does it matter. The point is that to follow God’s command, stay within the boundary he established, and not eat the fruit of this tree was good. Knowledge would come from close relationship with God. To eat of the tree would be to disobey God’s command - which would be bad. It would be deadly.
There were two voices - two messages - one a command from the Creator, one a lie from the deceiver. The first couple chose the lie.
Brueggemann writes:
Genesis The Drama in Four Scenes
They had wanted knowledge rather than trust. And now they have it. They now know more than they could have wanted to know. And there is no place to run.
The damage was done. Satan desired that Adam and Eve would, in the words of Wilbur Williams,
“... come to doubt the precise purpose of God’s command. Satan wanted Eve to ask herself, “Is God withholding something vital from me? Is He really being fair in His command?” Satan was trying to present Eve with a chance to correct God.”
That original sin that we have inherited, that corruption of our nature, results in us doing the same thing.
Do we listen to God and faithfully obey or do we listen to the liar?
By God’s grace, Adam and Eve didn’t immediately drop dead. Death had entered the scene, and while their bodies began to slowly die, God also provided for their needs. He also continued to work out his will, he continued to speak to his creatures made in his image, he instructed the faithful, he made promises - including the promise to one day send a Savior.
And when Jesus arrived, being both God and man, he showed us what true faithfulness and true righteousness looked like.
I included the Matthew 17:5 passage today because this is God speaking once again to all who choose to listen. The setting is a mountaintop. Jesus had led Peter, James and John there so they could witness the revelation of who He really is…the word used to describe this moment is Transfiguration - Jesus, the light of the world, shone in full glory - to look at him was like looking into the sun. Even his clothes became bright as light. And then the three disciples heard the voice of Father God speak..
Matthew 17:5 (ESV)
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Who are you listening to?
The call to listen to Jesus is found throughout the New Testament.
Jesus called the crowd near and said to them, “Listen and understand.
Therefore, listen carefully. Those who have will receive more, but as for those who don’t have, even what they seem to have will be taken away from them.”
Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. Whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
But the Bible is also very clear that not everyone will listen. Even within the church, there will be those who reject God’s word and listen to voice of the liar.
The Apostle John warned his listener’s to be careful.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Who are you listening to?
I strongly believe this is the question of our day.
We live in a time of great confusion. Many people, especially the young, are struggling with their identity - asking the question “who am I?” We have created a hundreds of labels to try to answer that question.
The voice of the liar is repeatedly being heard. You are whoever you want to be. You are your own god - you determine who you are.
This is a spiritual battle and so many are not even aware of there is a war. Souls are being fought over every day.
Meanwhile within the church, there are false teachers preaching a prosperity gospel or conflating nationalism with Christianity.
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
who are you listening to?
If we desire to hear God, shouldn’t we tune our ears to what he has said in his Word? And then allow his Word to have rule over our lives?
Listen to what God is saying to you.
I created you.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
I love you.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Your purpose is to glorify me.
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Following my Son will involve suffering. It is worth it.
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
This age will end, my Kingdom is coming, I want you at my table so we can celebrate together.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Church - we have a powerful message. The truth of the gospel destroys the lies of the enemy.
When Jesus walked on this earth - people travelled far and wide to listen.
If the people are not listening to HIs Words today, it says more about the messengers than the message. Are we living out what we preach? Are our full lives shaped by His Words?
Or are our lives shaped by the father of lies?
I see us shining more brightly week by week here - but I’m also aware the greater the witness, the greater the target. The deceiver is good at what he does.
Make sure you know who you are listening to.
Amen.