Spiritual Formation: Hearing God's Word

Discipline can be understood in a negative connotation. Sometimes we view discipline as something that is forced upon you because of something you did wrong.

Illustration:

Recently, when I was running in a race, a running partner and I were speaking and we were discussing how more and more people were enjoying the sport of running. In the conversation, we were hypothesizing why it was something that so many people did not enjoy. He made an interesting observation. Typically, in youth athletics, running is used as a form of punishment or discipline.

In like manner, this idea of discipline has permeated how we see spiritual disciplines. We seem to think of spiritual disciplines as things that we better do or else we will be failures before the Lord.

In fact it is the opposite. Because we are in Jesus Christ, we should delight to bring our bodies into subjection.

1 Corinthians 9:27 KJV 1900

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Among these many spiritual disciplines should be that of taking in the Word of God.

Psalm 119:16 KJV 1900

I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

The word of God should be the delight of the Christians soul. This delight is not something that you manufacture, but it is something that we receive the desire for when we are saved. ,

Romans 7:18 KJV 1900

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

Philippians 2:13 KJV 1900

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Illustration:

If you purchase a cream-filled doughnut with chocolate glaze on the top. Does it make a difference if when you bite into it, it is filled with lemon? Sure it does.

In like manner, when someone believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord puts desires within the heart of the Christian that are of the Spirit of God. See

Quote:

No spiritual discipline is more important than the intake of God’s Word” (Whitney, p. 22]

In particular, it is my contention that we should start with the simplest of disciplines - Hearing the Word of God.

Illustration:

Wives, have you ever prepared a meal for the family, and you instructed the husband to do one thing. All that he had to do was to preheat the oven to 350 degrees? He did not have to prepare anything. The instructions were quite simple.

In similar fashion, this is the simplest of disciplines yet we find ourselves not considering how fundamental this is in our pursuit of godliness.

Proposition:

Every Christian should be one who takes in the Word of God through disciplined hearing of the Word of God.

(1) The Sufficiency & the Word of God -

What do we mean by the “Word of God”

Of all the forms of the Word of God, the focus of our study in systematic theology is God’s Word in written form, that is, the Bible. This is the form of God’s Word that is available for study, for public inspection, for repeated examination, and as a basis for mutual discussion. It tells us about and points us to the Word of God as a person, namely Jesus Christ, whom we do not now have present in bodily form on earth. Thus, we are no longer able to observe and imitate his life and teachings firsthand.

Grudem, W. A. (2004). Systematic theology: an introduction to biblical doctrine (p. 50). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House.

The written word of God gives to us the opportunity to inspect it, study, and apply it.

Illustration:

Sometimes you will hear about people of the past and you will hear stories that make you wish you would have known them back then. For example, I have heard stories of some of my grandfather’s war experiences. It has made me imagine what it was like back then — maybe even want to be there to witness it.

This is not the case with the word of God. What others of the past have been able to experience, we too are able to experience.

Application:

Hearing the word of God begins with knowing and believing that the book we have is the inspired, authoritative word of God. This is not a 2nd hand experience. It is an encounter with the living God each time.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 KJV 1900

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Transition:

The Word of God is uniquely special and sufficient. This belief is where hearing must begin.

(2) The Salvation & hearing the Word of God - Hearing the word of God is what God uses to save people - ,

God intends that his word be heard. This is instrumental in initial salvation.

As we see in Timothy, it is also to be instrumental in ongoing life.

Illustration:

In the movie Polar Express, the team has set off for the North Pole. They come to a part of the train journey where they are going to cross a part of the train track that has been covered by ice. A train is designed to not only begin on the track but it is designed to continue on the track. This train races out of control and loses grip of the track. Of course, as the train progresses, they are able to get the train back on track.

Listen! the Word of God was not meant to be something your heard when you first believed, and then to be something you now don’t give time for hearing. As the word of God encouraged your faith in salvation, so too the word of God encourages faith for the saved person.

Transition:

The Word of God is uniquely special and sufficient. This belief is where hearing must begin.

Hearing the word of God encourages faith. Faith comes by hearing.

(3) The Setting for hearing the Word of God -

Where does the Bible set forth as the place where the word of God is to be heard? It is in the church.

Quote:

[Whitney, p. 25] If someone says, “I don’t need to go to church to worship God; I can worship Him on the golf course or at the lake just as well, if not better, than in church, “ we may agree that our omnipresent God can be worshiped there. But the ongoing worship of God cannot be separated from the Word of God, which you don’t expected to be read aloud or peached on the golf course or at the lake. We are to discipline ourselves to go and hear the Word of God.”

In other words, since the church is the place where we are to hear the Word of God, we should have hearts that are prepared for hearing the word of God.

Illustration:

Catrina and I left for Little Nashville on Thursday morning. We were scheduled to pick up our speaker at the airport. This was deterred by a flight delay. By the time we arrived to Little Nashville, we had worked up an appetite. We proceeded to check in to our room and went to find the restaurant.

We were seated, we reviewed the menu. We prepared ourselves for the meal for which we longed for.

In similar fashion, I want to reiterate that the spiritual discipline of hearing the word of God does not determine your identity in Christ.....FOR EXAMPLE…the discipline of eating food does not make me human. I eat food because I am human. In like manner, the spiritual discipline of hearing the word of God is what you do because you are secure in Christ.

It is a discipline for which we should prepare. We should prepare ourselves for hearing the word of God.

Application:

We would do well to take this spiritual discipline of hearing the word of God more seriously so as to prepare ourselves...

By seeking to eliminate distractions of the mind

There are students who have cultivated the habit of playing games on their devices during the church service. This is the antithesis of disciplined hearing.

Parents, if you want your children listening when the language teacher is instructing, when the science teacher is teaching, when the math teacher is teaching — how much more should we encourage disciplined hearing when the holy word of God is being spoken.

By seeking to eliminate dozing of the body

Illustration:

Did an experiment: Recently, I did an experiment with some children and a college student. Before I turned the conversation to spiritual matters, I spoke to them about something that I knew would interest them. In one case it had to do with an activity or event of their life. They were bubbly, happy, and energetic. Within moments of turning the conversation to spiritual things, a yawn came out.

Is it possible that we have subconsciously trained ourselves with poor habits for hearing the word of God? When someone has a poor habit, it becomes difficult to overcome.

Transition:

The Word of God is uniquely special and sufficient. This belief is where hearing must begin.

Hearing the word of God encourages faith. Faith comes by hearing.

The setting for hearing the word of God is the local church, and we should have a disciplined approach to this.

(4) The Submission in hearing the Word of God - ,

This one is quite clear. When faith is in the heart of the hearer, he or she will be a doer of the word of God.

Disciplined hearing can lead to disciplined doing.

Quote:

“So hearing the Word of God is not merely passive listening; it is a discipline to be cultivated.” [Whitney, p. 26]

Keep Christ in view here,

John 4:34 KJV 1900

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

Transition:

The Word of God is uniquely special and sufficient. This belief is where hearing must begin.

Hearing the word of God encourages faith. Faith comes by hearing.

The setting for hearing the word of God is the local church, and we should have a disciplined approach to this.

The submission in hearing the word of God is that the intention is obedience to the word of God.

Conclusion:

I want to remind you:

(1) If you are not a Christian, these disciplines will not aid you in spiritual growth. must be born again.

(2) If you are a Christian, these should flow out of your secure identity in Jesus Christ and not because you have to work to gain your salvation.

As you engage in the spiritual discipline of hearing the word of God, you are shown again your need for Christ and the infinite supply of grace to be found by faith in Jesus Christ. [Whitney, p. 20]

The Poison in Everyday Things

Topics: Consumerism; Distractions; God’s Love; Materialism; Passion

References: ; ; ;

The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night. For all the ill that Satan can do, when God describes what keeps us from the banquet table of his love, it is a piece of land, a yoke of oxen, and a wife (). The greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemies but his gifts. And the deadliest appetites are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple pleasures of earth. For when these replace an appetite for God himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable and almost incurable.

Jesus said some people hear the word of God, and a desire for God is awakened in their hearts. But then “as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life” ( NASB). In another place he said, “The desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” ( NASB). “The pleasures of this life” and “the desires for other things” are not evil in themselves. These are not vices. These are gifts of God. They are your basic meat and potatoes and coffee and gardening and reading and decorating and traveling and investing and TV-watching and Internet-surfing and shopping and exercising and collecting and talking.

And all of them can become deadly substitutes for God.

—John Piper, A Hunger for God (Crossway, 1997)

Larson, C. B., & Ten Elshof, P. (2008). 1001 illustrations that connect (pp. 130–131). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

So, would you say that the “discipline of hearing of the word of God” is something we could yield more to in our lives?

How could we prepare ourselves better for this in our lives?

Rather than looking for opportunities and willful excuses from the hearing of God’s word, how can we yield ourselves to this discipline?

The discipline of hearing begins with belief in the authority and value of God’s Word.

The discipline of hearing leads to faith.

The discipline of hearing is to be in the church house.

The discipline of hearing is to lead to obedience in living.

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