Listen and obey, Luke 8:16-21

There is a difference between hearing and listening.  I’m sure all of you husbands out there remember a time when you are reading the paper or watching television while your wife is telling you all about her day and what the kids have been doing.  And eventually she says, “Are you listening to me?”  And you say, “Yes, of course. I heard everything you said. ”  But it is obvious that though you heard her talking, you have no idea of what she really was saying, because you weren’t really listening.

I’m sure that happens in church quite often as well.  You sit there and hear the sermon, but afterwards it’s very difficult to recall exactly what the pastor was talking about, unless there happened to be a funny joke or some sensational story.  I think that any preacher that ever lived has had that problem.  Even the best preacher has a difficult time getting people to truly listen.  Jesus was by far the greatest preacher that the world has ever seen, and yet as we looked at His message about the parable of the soils last week, we see that at one point He calls out in a loud voice, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”  I said then, that I think we lost something in the process of  interpretation.  I think what Jesus was crying out, maybe even in a little bit of frustration, was “He has ears to hear, let him listen!” Or, “Hey, if you can hear Me, you need to listen up!”

In other words, the crowds were coming out to hear Him, but they were leaving without being changed by the message, because it was going in one ear and out the other.  They weren’t listening with open and receptive hearts that responded to the message.   They were like the people James was talking about in chapter 1 vs. 23,
“If anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.”  “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

We said last week that the parable of the soils was about the four different kinds of responses of our hearts to the word of God.  There are hard, indifferent hearts that reject the word of God.  There are emotionally driven, superficial hearts that seem initially to respond, but then wither away in times of difficulty or temptation.  There are hearts that are enamored by the world that are choked of any mature fruit in their lives, and then finally good, honest hearts that bring forth fruit.

But not only is that parable talking about hearts, it is talking about hearing, or listening.  Listening with the right attitude, with a willingness to be obedient is the key to understanding how that parable works in our lives.  Notice that Jesus refers to hearing over and over again in the parable.  Vs. 12, “Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.”  Vs. 13, “Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy…”  Vs. 14, “The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard…” Vs. 15, ““But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.” The parable is all about hearing, listening to the word and then acting upon it.

That’s why when Jesus finished the parable He cried out in a loud voice, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”  Because it is a dangerous thing to hear the truth of God’s word and not respond to it.  And it is very possible, in fact I think it is more than possible, I think it is very common, to go to church Sunday after Sunday, and hear the word of God and yet remain unsaved.  It is entirely possible to do good deeds, to join the church, become a member, even be on some board at the church, and yet die without Christ.  It is a dangerous thing to hear and not listen, to listen and not obey.  It’s important to listen not just to learn some facts, but that hearing would be joined with faith, and faith would be joined by obedience.

In John 1 it says that Jesus was the Word.  And in vs. 9 the Word “was the  true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.”  See when the light of God’s word truly illumines our hearts, there will be a response.  It is incongruous to consider yourself a Christian, to say that the light of God has come into your life, and yet your life is characterized by darkness.

That incongruity is why Jesus immediately adds a metaphorical illustration directly following the parable of the soils.  He says in vs.16,  “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lamp stand, so that those who come in may see the light.”  That’s a fairly obvious illustration.  You don’t light an lamp to hide it, whether under a bushel basket or under a mattress pallet.  You light a oil lamp to be put on a pedestal, so that it lights the way for others.

Well, the illustration may be obvious, but what truth is Jesus trying to convey through it?  He is teaching that if you are a true Christian, if you have received the light of God, then that light is going to radiate to others and show them the way to salvation as well.  God didn’t give you the light to live in darkness.  But He gave you the light so that your life might shine as a beacon in the darkness to draw people to Christ.  

See, Jesus is still talking about the parable; the fruit that is supposed to be characteristic of good soil, or good hearts.  And if your life isn’t reflective of Jesus Christ, then Jesus is saying that is indicative that you aren’t of the light.  Your reflected light should be nothing less than a miracle of a transformed life that gives glory to God through your actions.

Jesus explained that principle further in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;  nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Peter expanded on that principle in 1 Peter 2:9, "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." So the point is that there is going to be a direct correlation between having received the light of God’s word and then shining that light through your words and actions to the world around you.  It’s a direct correlation between hearing and obedience. It’s going to be obvious from your life if you really are a child of God.

Now look at the next vs. 17, “For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”  We need to understand this within the context of the parable of the soils.   A good and honest heart produces good fruit.  A heart that is still in it’s sins, does not produce fruit. The fruit or lack of it is indicative of the condition of the heart.  And that is what Jesus is expounding in this verse, that the secrets of the heart will become known, the secrets of the heart will one day come to light. What a man sows he will also reap.  Or your sins will one day find you out.

You may be able to fool the pastor, you may be able to fool your family or friends for a while, but eventually, what is hidden will be revealed.  Jesus uses these same analogy in different message at another time in Luke 12.  And He makes it clear in that message that He is talking about hypocrisy. Jesus said in vs. 1, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.  Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.”  Jesus is obviously talking about hypocrisy being revealed at the  judgment.  And even though the hypocrites had hidden behind a mask of religion, yet there would be a day when the secrets of their hearts would be made known before God at the judgment.

So not only does an enlightened heart bring forth fruit, but our hearts will be judged by their fruit, and still talking about fruit, Jesus says in vs. 18, “So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.”  For whoever has… has what?  Well, He is talking about having real salvation.  Whoever heard the truth and in faith obeyed the truth and is truly saved, that person will receive more and more.  That is referring to the process of sanctification which is simply an act of following in obedience.  As God reveals through his word something He wants you to act upon, then you act upon it.  You respond obediently.  And then God will take you further, guide you to another step in your faith, and as you are obedient to that, He will give you more and more.  Until one day, Christ comes back and we are taken up with Him and God will give us all our rewards for our stewardship here on earth.  But until then, we are to be disciples, being careful to listen attentively, that is following step by step His word, guided by the Holy Spirit and being obedient to His leading.

But there are some, Jesus is saying that will have even what they think they have taken away from them.  Some who think that they have a place in the Kingdom of Heaven will one day stand in judgment before Jesus.   Jesus said in Matt. 7:22, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’  They thought they were part of the Kingdom because they had done something that was perceived to be miraculous, and yet they weren’t saved because they practiced unrighteousness.  The true nature of their heart was revealed by their lack of godliness.  Their lives did not reflect Christ.

I referred last week to another parable Jesus gave of the wheat and the tares.  Both the wheat and the tares  looked alike right up until the harvest.  So the master told his servants not to try to remove the tares because they might mistakenly uproot the wheat.  But to wait  until the harvest.  Because at the harvest, which is the  judgment, God will separate the wheat from the tares because He knows the hearts.  I don’t know the hearts.  I don’t know who is saved and who isn’t.  But I can tell you that when I look at the lack of fruit in some people that claim to be Christians I am afraid for them.  I wonder about them.  I have known some professing Christians in this community for over 12 years.  And I have to say that there are some that I haven’t seen any fruit in their lives.  From what I can see they haven’t grown spiritually one inch in the last dozen years that I have known them.  I fear for those people.  I hope that they are saved, but only God knows the hearts.  However, Jesus says that if they truly had the light, then they would be growing, they would be growing more and more.  But I don’t see that.

The last section here again seems out of place or as if it stands alone in contrast to the earlier sections.  But Luke under the guidance of the Holy Spirit inserts this event at this juncture because he wants to continue making the correlation between hearing and obedience.  And this passage concerning Jesus mother and brothers will help illustrate that principle.

Look at vs. 19, “And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd.  And it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.”  There is a parallel record of this event in Mark 3 which gives us a little more insight.  His mother and his brothers came out of concern for His health.  By the way, this is irrefutable proof that contrary to the Catholic Churches teaching that Mary remained a perpetual virgin, it is clear that Jesus had half brothers.  That is, they were sons of Mary and Joseph, whereas Jesus was the eldest, and was the son of God and the virgin Mary.  Mark  6:3 names Jesus' brothers. There is James, Joseph, Judas, Simon and His sisters, plural.

But they are concerned that He seemed to be taking this Messiah thing too far. Mark says they thought He had taken leave of His senses. Though Mary believed that He was her Savior, yet His brothers according to John 7 did not.  They came to believe after His resurrection and we see them in the early church in Acts. 1:14.  So it was reported to Jesus that His mother and brothers had come for Him to take Him home.  They thought He was going too far.  He wasn’t eating, and He wasn’t able to rest, and they thought that they would have a little intervention and set Him straight.  I’m sure the Pharisees had a smirk on their face watching all of this go down.

But Jesus says something that seems at first almost cruel or at the very least indifferent to His families wishes. He says, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”  But Jesus isn’t being disrespectful to His family.  He is making a point that is illustrative of the importance  of being obedient to the word of God.

The point being that those that are children of God will be evident because they are doers of the word, not just hearers of the word.  We know that the Bible says you are not saved by your works, but by faith.  Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.”  We know that salvation is not by works.  But we also know that good works are the result of salvation.  James 2:17, “even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” He says you prove you have faith by your works.  It is the result of a transformed heart that is obedient to God.

All throughout the NT the scriptures emphasize that faith will be accompanied by works.  In Matthew 7 Jesus says, "The one who hears My Word and obeys it is like a man who builds his house upon the rock." In John 8, "If you continue in My Word, you're My real disciple." In John 14, and John 15 He says, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." In 1 John 2:4, John says, "The one who says I have come to know Him and doesn't keep His commandments is a liar.  And the truth's not in him."  It’s pretty clear that the outcome of your salvation is to produce fruit, the fruit of obedience to the word of God.

I hope you have been truly listening today and you’ve honestly taken stock of your life  and realized that you have never really produced the fruit of righteousness.  Your life doesn’t reflect the light of Jesus Christ.  And perhaps you sincerely want to know that Jesus is your Savior.  You want to be changed.  You recognize your spiritual bankruptcy and want Jesus to transform you into a child of God.  I hope that is the case.  And if that is how you feel then you are on the right track.

Coming to Christ is simply a matter of being sick of your sin, recognizing your need for a Savior and calling on Him to change you.  God has made it possible for you to have a new life in Christ.  Jesus paid the price for your sins, and if you accept Him as your Lord and Savior you can be saved.

I recently saw a video about some men that wanted to join the French Foreign Legion and I thought it might help to illustrate what it means to come to Christ as Lord.  The interesting thing about the French Foreign Legion is that it is open to every nationality in the world.  You don’t have to be a French citizen in order to join the Legion. In fact, it is known for it’s willingness to accept criminals from every sort of situation, regardless of their crimes, and offer them refuge in the French Foreign Legion.  The Legion promises them a legal sanctuary, and a new identity.  Men can escape their past and find a new life in it’s service.  The only thing that they require is that you willingly come to them, you willingly give up your identity, your passport, your personal photos, possessions, money, everything you have you are to give up to the Legionnaires.  You have to also swear allegiance to the Legion and be willing to sign up for a minimum of five years.  Then the Legionaries begin a grueling physical indoctrination where they break you down and then completely remake you into a soldier of the French Foreign Legion.

But let me tell you, God offers a lot better deal than the Legionnaires.  However, He also requires that you willingly come to Him, acknowledging that you are a sinner in need of saving, coming in faith that He is able to save you and that He is who He says He is.  He will not force you to come.  And coming to Him He requires that you  be willing to lay down all your personal possessions.  Everything you have you give over to Him for safe keeping.  Your identity, your money, your aspirations, your goals, your possessions, even your family ties must take a back seat to the Sovereignty of Jesus Christ.  When you do that, then God promises that He will take you and remake you, He will exchange your sins for Christ’s righteousness, and once you are made holy and righteous by the blood of Christ, He will put His Holy Spirit to live in you, that you might have life, and to work through you that you might be able to do the works of God.

I’m not here today to tell you it’s easy or painless - that if you just say a prayer or have some emotional experience that you can be saved.  You can come as you are, but you cannot stay as you are.  Salvation requires a full capitulation.  Everything you once held dear, you count it all as loss for the sake of knowing Jesus.  But I am here to tell you today that by the blood of Jesus Christ it is possible for you to become a child of God.  No matter who you are or what you have done, salvation is offered to you today.  I pray that you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

Hebrews 3:7, “Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS.  “THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’; AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.’”  Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.  But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

Do you hear His voice today?  Are you listening?  Then what is your response?