By brother R. Michel Lankford
A few years ago I felt God leading me to write a teaching series called "Wrath of God, Grace of God." What I originally thought was going to be a very simple teaching ended up being a five-part series. The whole premise of this teaching series was this. We cannot genuinely understand or appreciate God's awesome grace, until we first understand and truly appreciate God's righteous standards and the guaranteed punishment and penalties for violating God's righteous standards. Until we understand what God really requires, what standards God will use to judge every single human being, until we understand that we are truly guilty of violating the standards, and until we understand what the absolute guaranteed penalties are for violating the standards, then we do not truly understand our desperate need for Grace. What's more, if we do not authentically understand our DESPERATE NEED for Grace, then we certainly will not appreciate the high price that Jesus Christ paid to ransom us out of our destruction and into the Grace of God. We can't appreciate the cure that God offers, if we don't first believe and understand that we have the disease, and we won't take the treatment protocol that the Great Physician requires to cure our disease, if we don't truly understand and believe that staying in our disease is absolutely fatal. This beloved is the crux of the problem with modern day "Grace teaching and preaching." For more than a generation now, the modern-day evangelical approach has been to teach about the grace of God and ignore God's wrath almost completely. What you end up with is that you are offering to give a very high-priced cure free of charge, but you are offering it to people who don't believe they are sick, and who don't take the consequences of their sickness seriously, so they won't appreciate and remain with their cure.
Yesterday, a friend of mine gave me an audio sermon called, "Hell's Best Kept Secret." The evangelist who preached it is named Ray Comfort. He preached and confirmed to my heart every premise I have written in, "Wrath of God, Grace of God."So the Holy Spirit then has clearly been leading us both in the exact same direction. In his sermon, Brother Ray Comfort reveals information that I did not even have when I wrote my papers. He says that in the course of his travels, he has gained access to church growth and development records, and he has seen trends which clearly demonstrate that 80% to 90% of people who make professions of faith in Jesus Christ today will not remain in their faith for Christ. Think about this. Churches are actually reporting and documenting an 80% to 90% failure rate at making and keeping disciples!! Something clearly is Not working, and we need to face up to it and do something about it, if we truly care about the immortal being of people. Imagine, according to present tends, only 10 to 20% of people continue walking with God after they make professions of faith. If you love people and you care about their immortal being, that is an extremely scary reality. Normally, I don't post anything in this blog except for discipleship teachings and Bible studies. I don't usually promote other books and other teachings, but in this case I am making an exception. I highly recommend you listen to this teaching. Also, if you would like a copy of the teaching series that I wrote called, "Wrath of God, Grace of God," (parts 1-5), simply e-mail me and I will make that available to you as well. God bless.
Brother Michel Lankford
Ray Comfort Teaching: Hell's Best Kept Secret
http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=434&commentView=itemComments
I truly believe that every pastor, every teacher and indeed, every believer who has any concern for the destination of people's immortal being, should hear this sermon.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
All Who Are Weary, Come
Christ's 29th Command
By Brother R. Michel Lankford
A dear and precious brother and friend, brought this YouTube video to my attention, and it illustrates very well how Scripture can be misused to create perverted theology if we allow it. It makes a very important point. I request your attention:
'It doesn't matter who you are, what you believe or how you're living, just come to Jesus, and He will give you rest.' Really? Is that what Scripture correctly says?
OR,
'I know how some of you are out There. Your sick and tired of your family. You're sick and tired of your job, your wife, your kids and your in-laws. Some of you are so angry and uptight you practically come home and bite the dog. Just come to Jesus and He will give you rest.
Those are just two examples, but whenever this passage is misrepresented, it is usually misrepresented in much the same way. Normally the minister will highlight a scenario where a person is weary, exhausted, frustrated and angry about their situation in life, and then using or rather misusing Matthew 11:28 as their justification, they will very often issue a blanket invitation that no matter how a person is living, all they need to do is just come to Jesus and He will fix everything. So what happens when this person goes to the front of the church, makes a commitment to Jesus Christ, they experience the joy and forgiveness for a short while, but their life is still very hard. Their bad habits still dominate them. Their relationships are not improving very quickly. Their boss is still a pain. What happens to a person's faith at that point? Well, speaking in the most general terms, what usually happens is that the person becomes heartsick because their hope and expectation was deferred. They were taught to believe and expect for a particular result because of what the preacher said, that result didn't happen (because that is not really what God actually promised in the first place), but now there are seeds of doubt and unbelief planted in a new believer's heart which make it harder for them to believe and obey God the next time.
Beloved, that is the biggest problem with incorrect preaching. It creates beliefs and expectations which God did not actually promise, and when God does not fulfill those incorrect expectations, hope is deferred, and people's faith suffers damage. That's not good.
In Matthew 10:1-15, Messiah is giving ministry instructions to His small group of 12 followers. First, by the Holy Spirit, Matthew describes exactly who these followers were (Matthew 10:1-5). Messiah then goes on to give instructions concerning how this small group is to carry out ministry. Please remember that these specific instructions were given prior to Messiah's death and resurrection (Matthew 10:6-15). In most cases, the instructions of God have A universal meaning, but in this case the instructions that were given were time sensitive. We know this because prior to Messiah becoming the atoning Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, Messiah's followers were told not to go into the places of the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5-6), but after His earthly ministry was completed, after He was resurrected, and just prior to His ascension, Messiah then enlarged their ministry to include the entire world (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; cf. Ephesians 2).
Even though the instructions of Matthew 10:6-15 do not precisely apply to us anymore since Matthew 28:18-20 is now in effect, there are still some principles that we can and should learn from Messiah's instructions (Romans 15:4), in this case, concerning the first harvest:
1. Genuine revival will always begin among God's people first. In our postmodern mass-market culture we are taught to think of success in terms of how many new people, how many new customers are we getting. However, in God's economy, revival is all about getting God's house in order before reaching to the rest of the world. That's why in any genuine and authentic revival you will first see the heart of believers returning to God and obeying His precepts before you ever see a mass arrival of new converts (Matthew 10:5-6)
2. In a genuine revival the message will be constant: "Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand." Why does God ask His ministers to stick to that message? Quite frankly, because that's the one we always need, and the one we are most likely to forget. God's kingdom is a theocracy. Yahweh is in charge, not us. It's His kingdom, not ours. Remember that to repent literally means to change one's mind, to change one's purpose or intent, to change one's desires, and to change one's way of life away from sin and toward what is pleasing to God. As believers, we stand in constant need of repentance throughout our lives, so that message is never obsolete (Matthew 10:7).
3. In a genuine revival and move of God, there will be signs and wonders. At the same time, it's critical to note that the signs and wonders will always coincide with, and will always address the real and concrete needs of the people. God does indeed do miracles, but almost without exception, His miracles will always point back to God, and they will always meet the concrete real needs of people. The legitimate gifts of the Spirit never point back to the Minister. They always focus on who God is, who Jesus is, and meeting the needs of the one who is receiving ministry (Matthew 10:8 cf. 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14).
4. In a genuine move of God, the ministers will operate on faith. That is to say, you don't take out a loan to raise an influx of cash so that you can do what God called you to do. Why do I make such a point of this? God does not entirely bless such a backward practice, because it violates Scripture. It's also an oxymoron. Think about it. The Bible is very clear that the one who borrows becomes a slave to the lender (Proverbs 22:7). So how can you affectively preach freedom, deliverance and salvation in Jesus Christ, but you are going to go into the slavery of debt in order to do ministry? No, you gather your support as you go, you build as you can afford to within your means, and you trust God to meet the needs as you go, but you don't put yourself in other people in bondage so you can preach freedom (Matthew 10:9-10).
5. In a genuine move of God, faithful ministers will not be jumping from pillar to post. It will stay where God sends them, and where the people are receptive. Faithful ministers are not constantly looking for where the grass is greener and opportunities seem greater. At the same time, if the people are not receptive, faithful ministers are not required to endlessly plead and try to force people into a blessing. There does come a time when faithful ministers must move on if the people are not receptive to the message after due diligence and effort has been employed (Matthew 10:11-13).
6. Remember that ministers are called to be obedient to the Lord. The results are strictly between God and the individual, after the Minister has been faithful and obedient.
Our jobs as ministers is to be as faithful and obedient to the Lord as we can, and we should always be striving to improve. At the same time, we must remember that no matter how effectual we seek to be in ministry and service to the Lord, not everyone will accept the truth. The results after this are in God's hands, not ours.
In Matthew 10:16-39, Messiah detailed some of the difficulties that genuine God followers would face. The apostles reminded us of the same principles in their writings (2 Timothy 3:12). We have been warned to expect it and not be surprised by it (1 Peter 4:12).
In Matthew 10:40-42, Messiah reminded his first followers of the rewards for faithful and obedient service.
In Matthew 11:1-6, we see all these principles exemplified through John the baptizer, who has just been arrested.
In Matthew 11:7-19, Messiah affirms John the baptizer's ministry, and He declares that if the people had been willing to believe it and receive it, John was in fact the one operating in the spirit and power of Elijah who was to come and prepare the way for Messiah.
In Matthew 11:20-24 Messiah then pronounces woeful judgments, specifically on the cities that had heard his preaching, who had seen God miraculously working through Yeshua the Messiah, and then rejected Him.
In Matthew 11:25-27 Messiah then goes on to a prayer of thanksgiving to Yahweh. He first gives thanks to Almighty God His Father that the true concepts of the kingdom, about who John the Baptizer was, and about who He is; these things are not revealed to the wise, to the overly educated academics, or to the veterans in ministry. No, instead these things are revealed to infants. They are revealed to those who are like infants, who understand their absolute dependence upon God.
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” ” (Matthew 11:28–30, NASB95)
Yes, Almighty God and Messiah does desire for every individual to come to Him. Yes, the Almighty desires for every person to come to Him, and that no one would perish. There are other verses that speak to this throughout the Testament. At the same time, this particular verse cannot correctly be applied that way. Entering into the Lord's rest is not a free-for-all, as some would suggest. Both the first and second writings of the Whole Testament, apply the same restrictions concerning entering the Lord's rest or Sabbath.
1. Entering into God's rest requires that we be in covenant and in right relationship with Almighty God and the Messiah. This requires that we believe Him and continually come to Him.
2. Just because we are intended to make it and enter into God's rest, this does not magically guarantee that we will get to experience it. I give you this example. Didn't every single person who came out of Egypt with Moses, did they not all start out obeying God? Think about it. Everyone who came out with Moses had put the blood of the Passover lamb on their door posts so that the death angel would Passover and not kill their firstborn. According to the Scriptures, every one of those people had passed through the Red Sea on dry land and had seen the Lord's salvation. Everyone of those people were intended to live in a land full of promise and rest, but did they all enter the rest that God intended them to have? No they did not. In fact, among that first generation, only Joshua and Caleb actually lived to enter the Lord's rest, because they obeyed God, while the rest of their generation rebelled against God.
3. In both the first and second writings of the Whole Testament we are told the same thing. Entering into the Lord's rest requires that we believe God. It requires that we come to God. It requires that we start out obeying God. Entering into the Lord's ultimate Sabbath rest requires that we follow through and persevere in obeying God until we are all the way home and reach our ultimate destination.
Before you say, "Hey brother, that's Old Testament. We are under New Testament now. We are under Grace. Please, let me stop you there before you use such flawed theology to delude and comfort yourself right into hell. Yes, the example I used regarding Joshua Caleb and the children of Israel are in the first writing of the Testament, that's true. However, the exact same principle is restated again in the Second Writing of the Testament, or the New Testament (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:1-33; Hebrews 4:1-16. Again and again we are warned throughout the Second Writings (AKA the New Testament) that we should diligently learn from the so-called Old Testament. We should hold on to the good examples (i.e. Hebrews chapters 11-12), all the while making sure that we not to repeat Israel's mistakes and failures. Please do not be deceived. Thank you for joining me. See you next time.
Brother Michel Lankford
By Brother R. Michel Lankford
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30, NASB95)
A dear and precious brother and friend, brought this YouTube video to my attention, and it illustrates very well how Scripture can be misused to create perverted theology if we allow it. It makes a very important point. I request your attention:
This is the perfect example of HOW NOT TO USE YOUR Bible. Brought to you courtesy of YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Q32xIyoeo&feature=channel_video_title
How to Apply the Bible INCORRECTLY
One of the easiest ways to incorrectly apply Scripture is
to take bits and pieces that you like and put them together. If one completely abandons and ignores the context in which Scripture is actually placed, then honestly one can adapt Scripture to say anything they want. This is a practice that I wholeheartedly DO NOT RECOMMEND, such a practice is destructive to both preacher and their listeners, but people still do it. Today's focal passage is one that often gets abused in this way. People especially love Matthew 11:28: "Come to me all who labor in our heavy laden and I will give you rest." Look at some of the FALSE statements that have been made using this verse as justification. I'm not going to name names, but how many of you have actually heard statements like these preached in your lifetime? See if any of these sound familiar when considering Matthew 11:28 without its context:'It doesn't matter who you are, what you believe or how you're living, just come to Jesus, and He will give you rest.' Really? Is that what Scripture correctly says?
OR,
'I know how some of you are out There. Your sick and tired of your family. You're sick and tired of your job, your wife, your kids and your in-laws. Some of you are so angry and uptight you practically come home and bite the dog. Just come to Jesus and He will give you rest.
Those are just two examples, but whenever this passage is misrepresented, it is usually misrepresented in much the same way. Normally the minister will highlight a scenario where a person is weary, exhausted, frustrated and angry about their situation in life, and then using or rather misusing Matthew 11:28 as their justification, they will very often issue a blanket invitation that no matter how a person is living, all they need to do is just come to Jesus and He will fix everything. So what happens when this person goes to the front of the church, makes a commitment to Jesus Christ, they experience the joy and forgiveness for a short while, but their life is still very hard. Their bad habits still dominate them. Their relationships are not improving very quickly. Their boss is still a pain. What happens to a person's faith at that point? Well, speaking in the most general terms, what usually happens is that the person becomes heartsick because their hope and expectation was deferred. They were taught to believe and expect for a particular result because of what the preacher said, that result didn't happen (because that is not really what God actually promised in the first place), but now there are seeds of doubt and unbelief planted in a new believer's heart which make it harder for them to believe and obey God the next time.
Beloved, that is the biggest problem with incorrect preaching. It creates beliefs and expectations which God did not actually promise, and when God does not fulfill those incorrect expectations, hope is deferred, and people's faith suffers damage. That's not good.
Remembering the Context
In as much as this is one of the most important promises in all of Scripture, It's easy to take some of these powerful Scriptures which we like and indeed need so much, and to use them as though they were stand-alone versus. The problem is that when we do this we can very often take things out of context and sometimes we can even neglect the meaning of what was actually said. So, let's refresh our memory as to what led up to this command:In Matthew 10:1-15, Messiah is giving ministry instructions to His small group of 12 followers. First, by the Holy Spirit, Matthew describes exactly who these followers were (Matthew 10:1-5). Messiah then goes on to give instructions concerning how this small group is to carry out ministry. Please remember that these specific instructions were given prior to Messiah's death and resurrection (Matthew 10:6-15). In most cases, the instructions of God have A universal meaning, but in this case the instructions that were given were time sensitive. We know this because prior to Messiah becoming the atoning Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, Messiah's followers were told not to go into the places of the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5-6), but after His earthly ministry was completed, after He was resurrected, and just prior to His ascension, Messiah then enlarged their ministry to include the entire world (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; cf. Ephesians 2).
Even though the instructions of Matthew 10:6-15 do not precisely apply to us anymore since Matthew 28:18-20 is now in effect, there are still some principles that we can and should learn from Messiah's instructions (Romans 15:4), in this case, concerning the first harvest:
1. Genuine revival will always begin among God's people first. In our postmodern mass-market culture we are taught to think of success in terms of how many new people, how many new customers are we getting. However, in God's economy, revival is all about getting God's house in order before reaching to the rest of the world. That's why in any genuine and authentic revival you will first see the heart of believers returning to God and obeying His precepts before you ever see a mass arrival of new converts (Matthew 10:5-6)
2. In a genuine revival the message will be constant: "Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand." Why does God ask His ministers to stick to that message? Quite frankly, because that's the one we always need, and the one we are most likely to forget. God's kingdom is a theocracy. Yahweh is in charge, not us. It's His kingdom, not ours. Remember that to repent literally means to change one's mind, to change one's purpose or intent, to change one's desires, and to change one's way of life away from sin and toward what is pleasing to God. As believers, we stand in constant need of repentance throughout our lives, so that message is never obsolete (Matthew 10:7).
3. In a genuine revival and move of God, there will be signs and wonders. At the same time, it's critical to note that the signs and wonders will always coincide with, and will always address the real and concrete needs of the people. God does indeed do miracles, but almost without exception, His miracles will always point back to God, and they will always meet the concrete real needs of people. The legitimate gifts of the Spirit never point back to the Minister. They always focus on who God is, who Jesus is, and meeting the needs of the one who is receiving ministry (Matthew 10:8 cf. 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14).
4. In a genuine move of God, the ministers will operate on faith. That is to say, you don't take out a loan to raise an influx of cash so that you can do what God called you to do. Why do I make such a point of this? God does not entirely bless such a backward practice, because it violates Scripture. It's also an oxymoron. Think about it. The Bible is very clear that the one who borrows becomes a slave to the lender (Proverbs 22:7). So how can you affectively preach freedom, deliverance and salvation in Jesus Christ, but you are going to go into the slavery of debt in order to do ministry? No, you gather your support as you go, you build as you can afford to within your means, and you trust God to meet the needs as you go, but you don't put yourself in other people in bondage so you can preach freedom (Matthew 10:9-10).
5. In a genuine move of God, faithful ministers will not be jumping from pillar to post. It will stay where God sends them, and where the people are receptive. Faithful ministers are not constantly looking for where the grass is greener and opportunities seem greater. At the same time, if the people are not receptive, faithful ministers are not required to endlessly plead and try to force people into a blessing. There does come a time when faithful ministers must move on if the people are not receptive to the message after due diligence and effort has been employed (Matthew 10:11-13).
6. Remember that ministers are called to be obedient to the Lord. The results are strictly between God and the individual, after the Minister has been faithful and obedient.
Our jobs as ministers is to be as faithful and obedient to the Lord as we can, and we should always be striving to improve. At the same time, we must remember that no matter how effectual we seek to be in ministry and service to the Lord, not everyone will accept the truth. The results after this are in God's hands, not ours.
In Matthew 10:16-39, Messiah detailed some of the difficulties that genuine God followers would face. The apostles reminded us of the same principles in their writings (2 Timothy 3:12). We have been warned to expect it and not be surprised by it (1 Peter 4:12).
In Matthew 10:40-42, Messiah reminded his first followers of the rewards for faithful and obedient service.
In Matthew 11:1-6, we see all these principles exemplified through John the baptizer, who has just been arrested.
In Matthew 11:7-19, Messiah affirms John the baptizer's ministry, and He declares that if the people had been willing to believe it and receive it, John was in fact the one operating in the spirit and power of Elijah who was to come and prepare the way for Messiah.
In Matthew 11:20-24 Messiah then pronounces woeful judgments, specifically on the cities that had heard his preaching, who had seen God miraculously working through Yeshua the Messiah, and then rejected Him.
In Matthew 11:25-27 Messiah then goes on to a prayer of thanksgiving to Yahweh. He first gives thanks to Almighty God His Father that the true concepts of the kingdom, about who John the Baptizer was, and about who He is; these things are not revealed to the wise, to the overly educated academics, or to the veterans in ministry. No, instead these things are revealed to infants. They are revealed to those who are like infants, who understand their absolute dependence upon God.
Viewing This Command in Its True Context
It's critical to remember that it is within the context of everything Messiah just said in the last 69 verses that the command and promise we are now studying actually applies. Remember that in this combined command and promise, He is addressing believers who know and understand who John the Baptist really was, they understand that Jesus truly is the Messiah. They understand at least on a basic childlike rudimentary level how the kingdom of God is supposed to function, and that the religious and political establishment isn't functioning as God designed them to work. They are choosing to remain true to what God says regardless of what the traditional religious and political establishments say. The people Messiah is addressing in this command and promise are facing hardship and persecution because of their faithful stand for God and The Messiah. It was in this context that Jesus said these words:"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” ” (Matthew 11:28–30, NASB95)
Yes, Almighty God and Messiah does desire for every individual to come to Him. Yes, the Almighty desires for every person to come to Him, and that no one would perish. There are other verses that speak to this throughout the Testament. At the same time, this particular verse cannot correctly be applied that way. Entering into the Lord's rest is not a free-for-all, as some would suggest. Both the first and second writings of the Whole Testament, apply the same restrictions concerning entering the Lord's rest or Sabbath.
1. Entering into God's rest requires that we be in covenant and in right relationship with Almighty God and the Messiah. This requires that we believe Him and continually come to Him.
2. Just because we are intended to make it and enter into God's rest, this does not magically guarantee that we will get to experience it. I give you this example. Didn't every single person who came out of Egypt with Moses, did they not all start out obeying God? Think about it. Everyone who came out with Moses had put the blood of the Passover lamb on their door posts so that the death angel would Passover and not kill their firstborn. According to the Scriptures, every one of those people had passed through the Red Sea on dry land and had seen the Lord's salvation. Everyone of those people were intended to live in a land full of promise and rest, but did they all enter the rest that God intended them to have? No they did not. In fact, among that first generation, only Joshua and Caleb actually lived to enter the Lord's rest, because they obeyed God, while the rest of their generation rebelled against God.
3. In both the first and second writings of the Whole Testament we are told the same thing. Entering into the Lord's rest requires that we believe God. It requires that we come to God. It requires that we start out obeying God. Entering into the Lord's ultimate Sabbath rest requires that we follow through and persevere in obeying God until we are all the way home and reach our ultimate destination.
Before you say, "Hey brother, that's Old Testament. We are under New Testament now. We are under Grace. Please, let me stop you there before you use such flawed theology to delude and comfort yourself right into hell. Yes, the example I used regarding Joshua Caleb and the children of Israel are in the first writing of the Testament, that's true. However, the exact same principle is restated again in the Second Writing of the Testament, or the New Testament (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:1-33; Hebrews 4:1-16. Again and again we are warned throughout the Second Writings (AKA the New Testament) that we should diligently learn from the so-called Old Testament. We should hold on to the good examples (i.e. Hebrews chapters 11-12), all the while making sure that we not to repeat Israel's mistakes and failures. Please do not be deceived. Thank you for joining me. See you next time.
Brother Michel Lankford
Friday, May 6, 2011
God Is Pleading for Us to Hear Him
Christ's 28th Command
By Brother R. Michel Lankford
Please Read: Matthew 11:1-19, (Which is the full context of the command),
At the time, the people listening to Christ's words were struggling with the question. Who are these two men (meaning Joshua of Nazareth and John who baptized in the wilderness)? Are they agents of God? Are they impostors and frauds? Or are they simply insane? Is John the baptizer the forerunner of Messiah which was foretold or is he a fraud? Is Joshua, this Jesus of Nazareth truly the Messiah, the Christ who was promised by God and foretold by the prophets?
Yes! I believe that John the baptizer was the forerunner who operated in the spirit and power of Elijah, and I believe that Jesus/Joshua of Nazareth is in fact the Messiah and Christ sent by Almighty God. We must remember though, that at the time this discourse (Matthew 11:1-19) occurred, people were not at all sure who these two people were. They had certain expectations of the Messiah which teaching and tradition taught them to expect. While Jesus was meeting the biblical standards that were prophesied concerning Messiah, Jesus was not meeting the expectations that developed concerning Messiah according to the traditions of men. That left people in a quandary including John the Baptist himself. When John the baptizer was preaching in the wilderness, he was absolutely certain who and what Yeshua is (John 1:29; John 3:1-36), but when Yeshua did not fulfill what human traditions had taught that Messiah ought to be (remember He fulfilled the Scriptures but not the traditional teachings and expectations of men). People, including John the baptizer expected that Messiah would immediately overthrow all of Israel's enemies, and that the eternal kingdom would be instantly established. They completely forgot about the prophecy concerning the fact that Messiah would have to be cut off and killed for the sins of others (Daniel 9:26; Isaiah 53:1-12).
Even though it was completely prophesied concerning Messiah, these ideas had been completely pushed out by what had become the traditional teachings, beliefs and expectations of men concerning the Messiah. So when John the baptizer, who had faithfully preached the message of repentance and returning to God before the coming of Messiah suddenly found himself being arrested by Herod, I believe this was not what he expected. He struggled with doubts, because that turn of events ran completely contrary to what tradition concerning the Messiah had trained God's people to expect. That's why Jesus the Messiah sent John the reassuring message (Matthew 11:1-6).
Messiah then went on to give His affirmation of who John the baptizer was, and what John's ministry meant (Matthew 11:7-19).
As it is written:
In A larger sense each human being will face the same exact questions that first century Israelites encountered. Is this John the baptizer who baptized people into repentance in the River Jordan, was he the forerunner of the Messiah. If you believe that he is, then believing and obeying Messiah becomes that much easier. Messiah then proceeds to give the woeful curses on those cities that refuse to listen or refused to hear (Matthew 11:20-24).
Both Yahweh Almighty God and His Word Who became flesh, Jesus the Messiah have been constantly pleading for people to hear and hearken to His voice. Almost from the very beginning unto this very day, God has been pleading for people to hear, to receive, to pay attention to, to believe and to obey the voice of the LORD. That is a constant chorus throughout the Whole Testament of Scripture. He repeats it constantly, because we need constant reminding. In fact, the very phrase in our command, 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear,' is repeated no less than 16 times in the 2nd writings (a.k.a. The New Testament). I have not counted how many times the sentiment is repeated through the whole counsel of God, but the concept is often repeated throughout the Whole Testament of Scripture. The point is that God is pleading for people to hear, to recognize, to receive, to believe and to obey the Voice of the LORD.
We will not do an exhaustive study of the command throughout the entire counsel of the Whole Testament, but I want to do a flyby of the concept spanning the entire Testament, so that you understand how important God considers this command. I do this not to exhaust your patience, but because this concept is so simple and yet so critical, and it is often the very simple yet most critical things that get neglected:
In Genesis, we see that God's word is so powerful that it created everything (Genesis 1). That way we can see that it can certainly re-create us. We see that Abraham and the patriarchs heard God, they were counted righteous because they believed, and through them God established the precedent of righteousness through faith (Genesis 12). By contrast we also see the effects of listening to the devil instead of listening to God (Genesis 3). In Genesis 4, we also see that Cain refused to hear God's counsel, therefore sin overtook him and he murdered his brother.
In Exodus, we see that Moses routinely heard and favorably responded to the voice of the Lord. God revealed Himself in special ways to Moses and those who heard God's word and acted upon it were delivered from God's judgment (i.e. Exodus chapters 3,12).
In Numbers, we see the tragedy that comes from listening to our own fears and refusing to hear God's voice (Numbers chapters 13, 14). The people refused to enter the land that God promised them because of their fears, but Joshua and Caleb were faithful to God's voice, and they were the only ones of that generation to enter the promised land.
In Deuteronomy, we see the entire law of God repeated for a new generation coming out of the wilderness and about to enter the promised land. The second telling of the law of God begins with a great cry of God's heart, which is often repeated every Sabbath day in congregations of God's faithful people throughout the world: "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! Deuteronomy 6:4 (NASB)
In the book of Joshua, we see that when God's people heard and obeyed God's voice, they won many miraculous victories against more powerful enemies (Joshua 6:1-27), but when they failed to either seek God's advice, they were deceived (Joshua 9:3-15). Or if they failed to obey God's voice, they lost even the so-called easy battles (Joshua 7:1-26).
In the book of Judges, we see the constant teeter totter of deliverance. For a while the people listen to God's voice, and obey His written word, but repeatedly they drift away from hearing and obeying God. They commit idolatry and other vile sins. God warns them to repent. They resist his voice. Israel's enemies triumph over them and oppress them for a while. They become overwhelmed under the burden. They cry out to God for deliverance. He sends a judge or deliverer who defeats the oppressor. Israel is then grateful and starts obeying God for a while but then repeatedly returns back into the old pattern of rebellion and disobedience and the pattern repeats itself through the entire book of Judges. That pattern of Israel's behavior is recounted also in Psalm 107. It is written there as an example for us not to repeat that bad habit.
In 1 Samuel, we see that offerings and ministries are okay, but they are only accepted by God after we hear and obey God's voice and directions. If we are willfully disobedient, our offerings are meaningless: 1 Samuel 15:22-23 Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. "For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king." (NASB)
In Job, we see a man who was constantly crying out to hear God's voice. He stayed faithful to what he knew God wanted him to do, and God rewarded him with seven times more than anything he'd lost.
In Psalms, we routinely see the psalmists begging God to help them to take heed and to obey God's word (i.e. Psalm 19; Psalm 119:36; Psalm 119:11, 112; Psalm 141:4). He also warned us not to repeat the sins of Israel in the wilderness (Psalm 95:7-11; cf. Hebrews 3:15-19).
In Proverbs, God's word is constantly pleading for us to listen to the voice of wisdom and to turn away from every foolishness.
In Ecclesiastes, we see that the whole point of human existence is to reverentially fear the Lord, and to hear, to learn and to keep His Commandments. Comparatively everything else is meaningless because we will all have to answer to God someday (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
I could go on to find many other examples throughout the First Writings, but you get the idea. The exact same sentiment is repeated constantly throughout the second writings:
In Matthew, we see that Messiah defeated the devil with the rightly divided Word (Matthew 4). We also see that hearing God's word and doing God's will actually ensure our entry into the kingdom of God (Matthew 7:21). Hearing His words will also ensure that we are not torn asunder, but that we successfully endured through the storms and difficulties of this life (Matthew 7:24-25).
In Mark, He warns us to be attentive and receptive to the word (Mark 4:3-9).
In Luke, He repeats the exact same instruction (Luke 8:4-8). In the same book we have clear examples that both Joseph the husband of Mary and the wise men were receptive to God's leading, and so Messiah was saved from premature death, thus helping to guarantee our salvation.
In John, we see that hearing, receiving, and abiding in God's word will make us disciples. It will cause us to know the truth, and it will free us from slavery to sin (John 8:31-36). We know that hearing His voice is one of the things that identifies and marks us as one of His people, because Christ's sheep hear His voice, and won't follow another (John 10:27). We know that hearing and doing His commands is what demonstrates that we really love Him (John 14:21). Hearing and doing His Word is what makes us fruitful and productive in Him (John 15:1-7). It's what brings us into friendship with Him (John 15:14). It's what sanctifies us and sets us apart unto God (John 17:17). It is also what unites us to Him (John 17:20).
In Acts, the entire book is absolutely filled with one account after another people who heard God's word, and the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit, and their lives were forever radically changed (i.e. the people on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2); and Paul the apostle (Acts 9).
In Romans, we see that hearing and responding to God is what identifies us as one of His children (Romans 8:14). Hearing God's word is what produces faith (Romans 10:17), and believing God's word when it is preached is what grants us God's salvation Romans 10:8-14).
In 1st Corinthians, the entire book deals with the idea of how the Word of God functions together with the moving of the Holy Spirit to transform lives (i.e. 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14).
In Ephesians, we see that the Word and the Spirit seals us (Ephesians 1:3). A husband can use the Word to sanctify his wife (Ephesians 5:26). God's Word is our principle weapon in spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10-20).
In Philippians, we learn how important it is that we hold on to God's word without fear (Philippians 1:14). We learn to hold on to the word through all our difficult circumstances so that all our struggles will not be in vain (Philippians 2:16).
In Colossians, we learn that the Word is the foundation for our hope (Colossians 1:5). We are encouraged to make the word of God fully known (Colossians 1:25). We are encouraged to allow the Word to dwell in us richly, to encourage, and admonish each other using the words that are found throughout the Testament (Colossians 3:16).
In 1st Thessalonians, we are to comfort and encourage one another with the hope that we find in God's word (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
In 2nd Thessalonians, we are told to comfort one another with the word (2 Thessalonians 2:17, and we are told to pray God's word will speed forward and the people will be open and receptive to the word (2 Thessalonians 3:1).
In 2 Timothy, we are told to follow the word (2 Timothy 1:13). We are told to be faithful to the word, correctly dividing and interpreting it (2 Timothy 2:14-15). We are guaranteed that if we stay faithful to it, it is sufficient to salvation, and it will leave us completely equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:14-17).
In Hebrews, we encounter the word of God that is living and active, sharper Than a two edged sword. It's able to discern the soul and the spirit, joints and marrow, and to judge the thoughts and intentions of our heart, so that we can repent before we have to be judged by God (Hebrews 4:12). We are encouraged to become mature and skillful in using the Word of God (Hebrews 5:11-13). We have an encouragement to remember all of those who live by God's word in the past, and to learn from their positive example (Hebrews chapter 11-12:1-2).
In James, we are encouraged to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. We again see that the Word is able to Save us. We are also warned that hearing and doing God's Word is our best safeguard against self-deception (James 1:19-25).
In 1 Peter, we are reminded that the word of God endures forever, and through it, we are born again (1 Peter 1:23-25). Therefore we should crave the word, in the same way the newborn babies crave mother's milk (1 Peter 2:2).
In the epistles of John, we are told that keeping God's word will perfect us in God's love, and confirmed that we are indeed in him (1 John 2:5). We are reminded that by abiding in God's word we overcome the evil one (1 John 2:14).
In the book of Revelation, God makes a final plea for us to hear His Words. He repeats this exact command, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." He repeats it some seven or eight times.
Beloved, that is not an exhaustive list but you get the point. He offers His Word to everyone who's willing to receive it (Isaiah 55:1-11). God doesn't want anybody to perish. He wants everyone to be saved (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4). He is eagerly willing to receive everyone that comes to Him (Matthew 11:28-30; John 6:37; Romans 10:13). The simple truth is that we will either hear God's Word and favorably respond to it so that we will be saved, or we will resist, neglect, diminish it, reject, or misuse God's word to our own destruction (Hebrews 3:15; 2 Peter 3:16).
I've said it in the past, and I will say it again:
I believe that Almighty God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them by speaking His Word (Genesis 1:1-3, 31). Therefore, I believe that God said what He meant and means what He says. I believe that all Scripture (Old Testament and New Testament) is God breathed, anointed and appointed by God.
I believe that it is all completely sufficient for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the people of God will be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
I believe that it is the refusal to rightly divide and obey God's word that is at the root cause of every human ill and character defect we will ever encounter.
I believe that when it is rightly divided and obediently applied in the context of being in right relationship with God and Jesus Christ, His Word is completely sufficient to give us true wisdom in every situation, guidance and comfort through every hardship, and victory in every battle.
This is why you want to avoid preachers and teachers who tickle your ears, who tell you what you want to hear or who diminish or change the word to suit their own purposes instead of faithfully pursuing God's purpose. It's not as though God has failed to repeatedly warn us. God is pleading with us to hear Him, to believe Him, to obey Him and to persevere with Him, and His Word. I want to be one of those people who enjoys the blessings of hearing and doing God's word, how about you?
Prayer: Almighty God Who created heaven and earth by the words of His mouth, have mercy upon me. Save me according to Your unfailing love. I admit that I have at times been willful, hardhearted, unreceptive and disobedient to Your Word. Please forgive me. Speak forth Your Word afresh in my heart, and save me from destruction (Psalm 107:20). Mercifully give me ears that truly hear You and what Your Holy Spirit says. Graciously transform my heart to be good, fertile ground for the seed of Your Word. Fill my heart with so much love toward God, that obeying Your Word doesn't even feel like a burden, but is instead always a delight and a joy. Grant that Your Word will produce an abundance of good fruit in my life. I commit my will to Your hands. I choose to be willing and obedient to You, but I need Your constant help to correctly fulfill that choice. Help me to be willing and obedient and to persevere in doing what truly pleases You, so that Your Word will truly become my salvation, and not my destruction. Graciously transform me and sanctify me by Your Word into one of Your children, who brings authentic joy and delight to Your heart. Mercifully grant this according to Your unfailing love, and also through Your Living Word made flesh, Yeshua the Messiah, amen.
By Brother R. Michel Lankford
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 11:15)
Please Read: Matthew 11:1-19, (Which is the full context of the command),
The Command in This Specific Context
It was well understood by the prophets and teachers of Torah that before Messiah came, either Elijah himself, or one operating in the spirit and power of Elijah would come to usher in the coming of Messiah. The key message of this latter Elijah would be repentance and a strong call for people to return to adherence to the written Word and Will of God (Malachi 4:4-5; Luke 1:13-17). Jesus Christ was declaring that John the Baptizer was indeed that prophesied precursor to the Messiah. The apostle Matthew agrees.At the time, the people listening to Christ's words were struggling with the question. Who are these two men (meaning Joshua of Nazareth and John who baptized in the wilderness)? Are they agents of God? Are they impostors and frauds? Or are they simply insane? Is John the baptizer the forerunner of Messiah which was foretold or is he a fraud? Is Joshua, this Jesus of Nazareth truly the Messiah, the Christ who was promised by God and foretold by the prophets?
Yes! I believe that John the baptizer was the forerunner who operated in the spirit and power of Elijah, and I believe that Jesus/Joshua of Nazareth is in fact the Messiah and Christ sent by Almighty God. We must remember though, that at the time this discourse (Matthew 11:1-19) occurred, people were not at all sure who these two people were. They had certain expectations of the Messiah which teaching and tradition taught them to expect. While Jesus was meeting the biblical standards that were prophesied concerning Messiah, Jesus was not meeting the expectations that developed concerning Messiah according to the traditions of men. That left people in a quandary including John the Baptist himself. When John the baptizer was preaching in the wilderness, he was absolutely certain who and what Yeshua is (John 1:29; John 3:1-36), but when Yeshua did not fulfill what human traditions had taught that Messiah ought to be (remember He fulfilled the Scriptures but not the traditional teachings and expectations of men). People, including John the baptizer expected that Messiah would immediately overthrow all of Israel's enemies, and that the eternal kingdom would be instantly established. They completely forgot about the prophecy concerning the fact that Messiah would have to be cut off and killed for the sins of others (Daniel 9:26; Isaiah 53:1-12).
Even though it was completely prophesied concerning Messiah, these ideas had been completely pushed out by what had become the traditional teachings, beliefs and expectations of men concerning the Messiah. So when John the baptizer, who had faithfully preached the message of repentance and returning to God before the coming of Messiah suddenly found himself being arrested by Herod, I believe this was not what he expected. He struggled with doubts, because that turn of events ran completely contrary to what tradition concerning the Messiah had trained God's people to expect. That's why Jesus the Messiah sent John the reassuring message (Matthew 11:1-6).
Messiah then went on to give His affirmation of who John the baptizer was, and what John's ministry meant (Matthew 11:7-19).
As it is written:
“And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear. ” (Matthew 11:14–15, NASB95)That phrase, 'And if you are willing to accept it...' is a very interesting terminology because on its face, it clearly suggests that each individual has a personal responsibility to accept the truths of God with which we are presented. Therefore this clearly refutes the idea that God's grace is absolutely irresistible, as some erroneously teach.
In A larger sense each human being will face the same exact questions that first century Israelites encountered. Is this John the baptizer who baptized people into repentance in the River Jordan, was he the forerunner of the Messiah. If you believe that he is, then believing and obeying Messiah becomes that much easier. Messiah then proceeds to give the woeful curses on those cities that refuse to listen or refused to hear (Matthew 11:20-24).
The Command in Its Broader Biblical Context
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 11:15)
Both Yahweh Almighty God and His Word Who became flesh, Jesus the Messiah have been constantly pleading for people to hear and hearken to His voice. Almost from the very beginning unto this very day, God has been pleading for people to hear, to receive, to pay attention to, to believe and to obey the voice of the LORD. That is a constant chorus throughout the Whole Testament of Scripture. He repeats it constantly, because we need constant reminding. In fact, the very phrase in our command, 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear,' is repeated no less than 16 times in the 2nd writings (a.k.a. The New Testament). I have not counted how many times the sentiment is repeated through the whole counsel of God, but the concept is often repeated throughout the Whole Testament of Scripture. The point is that God is pleading for people to hear, to recognize, to receive, to believe and to obey the Voice of the LORD.
We will not do an exhaustive study of the command throughout the entire counsel of the Whole Testament, but I want to do a flyby of the concept spanning the entire Testament, so that you understand how important God considers this command. I do this not to exhaust your patience, but because this concept is so simple and yet so critical, and it is often the very simple yet most critical things that get neglected:
In Genesis, we see that God's word is so powerful that it created everything (Genesis 1). That way we can see that it can certainly re-create us. We see that Abraham and the patriarchs heard God, they were counted righteous because they believed, and through them God established the precedent of righteousness through faith (Genesis 12). By contrast we also see the effects of listening to the devil instead of listening to God (Genesis 3). In Genesis 4, we also see that Cain refused to hear God's counsel, therefore sin overtook him and he murdered his brother.
In Exodus, we see that Moses routinely heard and favorably responded to the voice of the Lord. God revealed Himself in special ways to Moses and those who heard God's word and acted upon it were delivered from God's judgment (i.e. Exodus chapters 3,12).
In Numbers, we see the tragedy that comes from listening to our own fears and refusing to hear God's voice (Numbers chapters 13, 14). The people refused to enter the land that God promised them because of their fears, but Joshua and Caleb were faithful to God's voice, and they were the only ones of that generation to enter the promised land.
In Deuteronomy, we see the entire law of God repeated for a new generation coming out of the wilderness and about to enter the promised land. The second telling of the law of God begins with a great cry of God's heart, which is often repeated every Sabbath day in congregations of God's faithful people throughout the world: "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! Deuteronomy 6:4 (NASB)
In the book of Joshua, we see that when God's people heard and obeyed God's voice, they won many miraculous victories against more powerful enemies (Joshua 6:1-27), but when they failed to either seek God's advice, they were deceived (Joshua 9:3-15). Or if they failed to obey God's voice, they lost even the so-called easy battles (Joshua 7:1-26).
In the book of Judges, we see the constant teeter totter of deliverance. For a while the people listen to God's voice, and obey His written word, but repeatedly they drift away from hearing and obeying God. They commit idolatry and other vile sins. God warns them to repent. They resist his voice. Israel's enemies triumph over them and oppress them for a while. They become overwhelmed under the burden. They cry out to God for deliverance. He sends a judge or deliverer who defeats the oppressor. Israel is then grateful and starts obeying God for a while but then repeatedly returns back into the old pattern of rebellion and disobedience and the pattern repeats itself through the entire book of Judges. That pattern of Israel's behavior is recounted also in Psalm 107. It is written there as an example for us not to repeat that bad habit.
In 1 Samuel, we see that offerings and ministries are okay, but they are only accepted by God after we hear and obey God's voice and directions. If we are willfully disobedient, our offerings are meaningless: 1 Samuel 15:22-23 Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. "For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king." (NASB)
In Job, we see a man who was constantly crying out to hear God's voice. He stayed faithful to what he knew God wanted him to do, and God rewarded him with seven times more than anything he'd lost.
In Psalms, we routinely see the psalmists begging God to help them to take heed and to obey God's word (i.e. Psalm 19; Psalm 119:36; Psalm 119:11, 112; Psalm 141:4). He also warned us not to repeat the sins of Israel in the wilderness (Psalm 95:7-11; cf. Hebrews 3:15-19).
In Proverbs, God's word is constantly pleading for us to listen to the voice of wisdom and to turn away from every foolishness.
In Ecclesiastes, we see that the whole point of human existence is to reverentially fear the Lord, and to hear, to learn and to keep His Commandments. Comparatively everything else is meaningless because we will all have to answer to God someday (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
I could go on to find many other examples throughout the First Writings, but you get the idea. The exact same sentiment is repeated constantly throughout the second writings:
In Matthew, we see that Messiah defeated the devil with the rightly divided Word (Matthew 4). We also see that hearing God's word and doing God's will actually ensure our entry into the kingdom of God (Matthew 7:21). Hearing His words will also ensure that we are not torn asunder, but that we successfully endured through the storms and difficulties of this life (Matthew 7:24-25).
In Mark, He warns us to be attentive and receptive to the word (Mark 4:3-9).
In Luke, He repeats the exact same instruction (Luke 8:4-8). In the same book we have clear examples that both Joseph the husband of Mary and the wise men were receptive to God's leading, and so Messiah was saved from premature death, thus helping to guarantee our salvation.
In John, we see that hearing, receiving, and abiding in God's word will make us disciples. It will cause us to know the truth, and it will free us from slavery to sin (John 8:31-36). We know that hearing His voice is one of the things that identifies and marks us as one of His people, because Christ's sheep hear His voice, and won't follow another (John 10:27). We know that hearing and doing His commands is what demonstrates that we really love Him (John 14:21). Hearing and doing His Word is what makes us fruitful and productive in Him (John 15:1-7). It's what brings us into friendship with Him (John 15:14). It's what sanctifies us and sets us apart unto God (John 17:17). It is also what unites us to Him (John 17:20).
In Acts, the entire book is absolutely filled with one account after another people who heard God's word, and the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit, and their lives were forever radically changed (i.e. the people on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2); and Paul the apostle (Acts 9).
In Romans, we see that hearing and responding to God is what identifies us as one of His children (Romans 8:14). Hearing God's word is what produces faith (Romans 10:17), and believing God's word when it is preached is what grants us God's salvation Romans 10:8-14).
In 1st Corinthians, the entire book deals with the idea of how the Word of God functions together with the moving of the Holy Spirit to transform lives (i.e. 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14).
In Ephesians, we see that the Word and the Spirit seals us (Ephesians 1:3). A husband can use the Word to sanctify his wife (Ephesians 5:26). God's Word is our principle weapon in spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10-20).
In Philippians, we learn how important it is that we hold on to God's word without fear (Philippians 1:14). We learn to hold on to the word through all our difficult circumstances so that all our struggles will not be in vain (Philippians 2:16).
In Colossians, we learn that the Word is the foundation for our hope (Colossians 1:5). We are encouraged to make the word of God fully known (Colossians 1:25). We are encouraged to allow the Word to dwell in us richly, to encourage, and admonish each other using the words that are found throughout the Testament (Colossians 3:16).
In 1st Thessalonians, we are to comfort and encourage one another with the hope that we find in God's word (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
In 2nd Thessalonians, we are told to comfort one another with the word (2 Thessalonians 2:17, and we are told to pray God's word will speed forward and the people will be open and receptive to the word (2 Thessalonians 3:1).
In 2 Timothy, we are told to follow the word (2 Timothy 1:13). We are told to be faithful to the word, correctly dividing and interpreting it (2 Timothy 2:14-15). We are guaranteed that if we stay faithful to it, it is sufficient to salvation, and it will leave us completely equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:14-17).
In Hebrews, we encounter the word of God that is living and active, sharper Than a two edged sword. It's able to discern the soul and the spirit, joints and marrow, and to judge the thoughts and intentions of our heart, so that we can repent before we have to be judged by God (Hebrews 4:12). We are encouraged to become mature and skillful in using the Word of God (Hebrews 5:11-13). We have an encouragement to remember all of those who live by God's word in the past, and to learn from their positive example (Hebrews chapter 11-12:1-2).
In James, we are encouraged to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. We again see that the Word is able to Save us. We are also warned that hearing and doing God's Word is our best safeguard against self-deception (James 1:19-25).
In 1 Peter, we are reminded that the word of God endures forever, and through it, we are born again (1 Peter 1:23-25). Therefore we should crave the word, in the same way the newborn babies crave mother's milk (1 Peter 2:2).
In the epistles of John, we are told that keeping God's word will perfect us in God's love, and confirmed that we are indeed in him (1 John 2:5). We are reminded that by abiding in God's word we overcome the evil one (1 John 2:14).
In the book of Revelation, God makes a final plea for us to hear His Words. He repeats this exact command, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." He repeats it some seven or eight times.
Beloved, that is not an exhaustive list but you get the point. He offers His Word to everyone who's willing to receive it (Isaiah 55:1-11). God doesn't want anybody to perish. He wants everyone to be saved (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4). He is eagerly willing to receive everyone that comes to Him (Matthew 11:28-30; John 6:37; Romans 10:13). The simple truth is that we will either hear God's Word and favorably respond to it so that we will be saved, or we will resist, neglect, diminish it, reject, or misuse God's word to our own destruction (Hebrews 3:15; 2 Peter 3:16).
I've said it in the past, and I will say it again:
I believe that Almighty God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them by speaking His Word (Genesis 1:1-3, 31). Therefore, I believe that God said what He meant and means what He says. I believe that all Scripture (Old Testament and New Testament) is God breathed, anointed and appointed by God.
I believe that it is all completely sufficient for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the people of God will be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
I believe that it is the refusal to rightly divide and obey God's word that is at the root cause of every human ill and character defect we will ever encounter.
I believe that when it is rightly divided and obediently applied in the context of being in right relationship with God and Jesus Christ, His Word is completely sufficient to give us true wisdom in every situation, guidance and comfort through every hardship, and victory in every battle.
This is why you want to avoid preachers and teachers who tickle your ears, who tell you what you want to hear or who diminish or change the word to suit their own purposes instead of faithfully pursuing God's purpose. It's not as though God has failed to repeatedly warn us. God is pleading with us to hear Him, to believe Him, to obey Him and to persevere with Him, and His Word. I want to be one of those people who enjoys the blessings of hearing and doing God's word, how about you?
Prayer: Almighty God Who created heaven and earth by the words of His mouth, have mercy upon me. Save me according to Your unfailing love. I admit that I have at times been willful, hardhearted, unreceptive and disobedient to Your Word. Please forgive me. Speak forth Your Word afresh in my heart, and save me from destruction (Psalm 107:20). Mercifully give me ears that truly hear You and what Your Holy Spirit says. Graciously transform my heart to be good, fertile ground for the seed of Your Word. Fill my heart with so much love toward God, that obeying Your Word doesn't even feel like a burden, but is instead always a delight and a joy. Grant that Your Word will produce an abundance of good fruit in my life. I commit my will to Your hands. I choose to be willing and obedient to You, but I need Your constant help to correctly fulfill that choice. Help me to be willing and obedient and to persevere in doing what truly pleases You, so that Your Word will truly become my salvation, and not my destruction. Graciously transform me and sanctify me by Your Word into one of Your children, who brings authentic joy and delight to Your heart. Mercifully grant this according to Your unfailing love, and also through Your Living Word made flesh, Yeshua the Messiah, amen.
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