Take Heed How You Hear - Olu Talabi - March 3, 2019
http://rlcfchurch.org/take-heed-how-you-hear River of Life Christian Fellowship 1306 N Lincoln Avenue Loveland, Colorado - 80537, USA
Summary
The speaker warns against the danger of becoming too familiar with God's Word, leading to apathy where one merely knows the message without allowing it to bring about genuine, continuous transformation in life. Drawing from Hebrews 2 and 4, he emphasizes that the key question is not what has been heard, but whether those words are actively changing one's life to reflect Christ's image. True discipleship requires constant, earnest attention to the gospel's message.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Giving earnest heed to what we have heardThe writer of Hebrews warns believers to pay close attention to the things they have heard so that the message does not slip away from them.
The danger of the word not being mixed with faithHebrews cautions us to fear missing God's rest, noting that the gospel preached in the Old Testament did not profit those who heard it because it lacked faith.
The core message of the BibleThe fundamental message of scripture is simple: love God supremely and keep His commandments, and love one another just as Jesus loved us through His Spirit.
Learning from personal experience with pride and familiarityIt is a prideful thing to assume we already know what a preacher will say before he speaks, failing to check if the word has actually brought a changed life.
The supreme revelation of Jesus ChristHebrews emphasizes the superiority of Jesus over the prophets and angels, making the neglect of such a great salvation a serious and dangerous matter.
The problem of familiarity in the GospelsJesus faced opposition because people grew too familiar with Him and His words, causing the message to lose its transformative effect on their lives.
The vital role of spiritual hungerTwo people can hear the same scripture, but only the hungry person benefits because hunger allows God's word to bring life, and true appetite cannot be given by other humans.
Hungering and thirsting after righteousnessJesus pronounces a blessing on those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they are the ones who will be filled.
Why scripture repeats the same messageThe biblical authors and the Gospels repeatedly emphasize the same fundamental truths to remind us that we do not know it all and must hear it again.1 John 2:7–8
Checking our hearts for real transformationWe must examine whether God is helping us overcome sin, grumbling, and murmuring day by day so that His word proves itself active in our lives.
Examples of hearers whose hearts did not changeFigures like Herod and Felix enjoyed listening to godly messengers, yet their hearts remained unchanged because the words produced no lasting life in them.
The good ground of an honest heartJesus describes the good soil as an honest and good heart that hears the word, keeps it, and bears fruit with patience.Luke 8:15
