Mark 4:9-12 Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
Do we all have ears? Yes, but we all do not have our inner ears tuned to the voice of God. Some people will always be on the outside with ears deaf to the words of the Holy Spirit. They are those eternally, adamantly opposed to anything that elevates God to his rightful position in their lives. They have ears, but never allow the Spirit to open them so they might hear from God. Of course, Jesus' ministry was for all people. The angels expressed that view when they announced the Christ child's birth: And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:8-11) But there will always be those like the Pharisees who reject Christ for their lives and desire their own little kingdoms over God's kingdom. They do not want another king ruling in their fiefdoms. They intend to lead, not to follow. This personality trait is part of fallen mankind's DNA, part of the sin nature.
We first see the spirit of rebellion develop in Satan's great deception: “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will BE LIKE GOD, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 1, 4-5) From the time of the fall, man has been in a continuous struggle with God in determining what happens on Earth. We see this basic fallen nature, the innate desire to control, manifest itself before the flood. God destroyed all the people except those on the ark in Noah's time because of their violent sin nature. Man's propensity towards violence is illustrative of his strong desire to control events and situations. People tend to resort to deception and violence whenever they do not get their way. Human beings want to control and if necessary they will use force to get their way. In the Old Testament, we see King David lusting after Bathsheba, arranging to have her husband, Uriah, die in battle, and then taking her as his wife--all this to satisfy his sinful desires. (See 2 Samuel 11 & 12) But man's desire to be godlike is also seen in his idol worshipping. People craft gods according to their fears and wants, gods they can control. They worship these gods of wood, stone, or precious metals so they can have their will on earth and ignore the true God and his will. Idolatry is just part of mankind's plan to maintain control over his existence. We also see in the Bible the lust and desires of the kings God put on the Israelite throne who led the Jewish people into sin, eventually causing them to be punished and exiled into every nation. The Old Testament is replete with examples of mankind's battle with God. When we look to the New Testament, we see the same scenario played out in the rejection, persecution, and death of Jesus and his followers because people ignored the truth, the way, and the life. Sinful man will allow no other God than himself.
Yes, man has the ability to hear and to know God, but in his state of rebellion, he has stopped his ears from the voice of God. He lives on the "outside" of God's presence. His DNA of rebellion will not allow him to listen to the "good news." Therefore, Jesus spoke in parables, for he knew those who were eternally, persistently rebellious would never be convinced by reason and truth. They look at a world that is obviously unique in existence and claim there is no supernatural element in its construction. They look at the phenomenon of life and claim it is but an accident. Their conclusions about life obstruct their ability to have spiritual ears. Therefore, they will always be on the outside. For sure, they are never open to Jesus' message of grace and mercy from the God of creation and reality. They will never allow their spirits to be wooed by the Holy Spirit. Their deadness in understanding and clear thought causes them to trample the good things of God. It is difficult to bring the gospel to those with closed minds. Jesus said, Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. (Matthew 7:6) Sadly, they see the power of God in life around them but never perceive; they hear the words of the Jesus and others testifying of the reality of God, but they never really understand, for life to them is but a biological accident in an unfathomable experience. We must pray for the Holy Spirit to soften hearts and to prepare the way for the Word of the Lord to penetrate hard hearts. We read in God's Word: The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
The Holy Spirit sensitizes ears to hear the voice of the living God. He talks about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who takes away our sins and plants seeds to bring forth a harvest for the kingdom of God. He clears the way for us to worship the Creator of all things. The twelve disciples were called to hear the voice of God. Jesus breathed on them to receive the Holy Spirit. Yet, until the Holy Spirit came in his fulness on the day of Pentecost, they also were confused by Jesus' teachings. After the fulness of God dwelt in their hearts, they became true testimonies of his teachings and carried the gospel to the known world with great zeal. We who have the Spirit within us have ears to hear what the Holy Spirit speaks to us. We are living testimonies of Jesus' teachings. Those who resist the Holy Spirit's call are in a dangerous position outside of the grace and mercy of God. Jesus said all sin will be forgiven except for blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, rejecting his call, for He alone can open up the ears of a dead man lost in trespasses and sin. He can make Jesus' parable relevant for us today. The Holy Spirit will open blind eyes and heal deaf ears, but we must be willing. The Lord does not force himself upon us. We always have a choice. As Joshua said to the people, we must each choose this day whom we will serve. (See Joshua 24:15) We must listen and obey; hear and speak to others the Good News that Christ came to save sinners. We walk in grace and mercy that we might lead others on the path of righteousness to eternal life with our heavenly Father. None of us are worthy but all are called and accepted through the precious blood of the Lamb. We close with these wonderful words of life from Paul to Timothy: Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:15-17)
Dear Breakfast Friends,
One of our sons suggested Monday might be a better day to send out our breakfasts because Saturday is a busy day for many people with planned family activities and outings. He also mentioned that some people get the breakfast on their office email accounts. By the time they come back to work, the breakfast can be lost among 50 other emails. So we are trying this for a while. We hope it works better for you. We want to make it easy for you to read the breakfasts. Bless you today and every day.
Faithfully in his love,
Dad and Mom
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