Hearts That Can Hear

Introduction

Last week on Sunday night in our trip through the Proverbs, we noted, chapter 12, verse 19, truthful lips will be established forever, but a lying tongue is only for a moment. And that particular proverb catches my attention. How important is truth and speaking truth? It has a perpetual reward versus untruth versus lies that may satisfy a need for a moment, but no good lasting result. Why is that? First of all, this emanates from the very character of God Himself, in which it is impossible for God to lie. Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 18. He is a God of truth, and we hear that about our God over and over in the pages of inspiration. Thus, those who dwell in this holy hill, those who dwell in Zion, speak truth in their hearts.

That’s why they’re in Zion. That’s why they’re the covenant people of God. They’re all about truth.

The Zion dweller speaks truth in his heart. And so I want to make this simple observation this morning, yet it’s so significant and important. Truth matters. Lies destroy. The devil is a murderer. He is the father of all lies. Liars have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which will constitute the second death. Revelation 21 and verse 8, along with all abominable acts that people do. One of the things that coincides those and will receive the same fate is those who perpetuate lies. Lies destroy. Truth matters. I could have said a lot of other things. Truth saves. Truth exalts. Truth matters. Lies destroy. And so I want to take you to one of our two texts this morning. The first is shorter.

1. Truth: Do You Know It When You Hear It?

And I want to make some observations about this text. Truth, do you know it when you hear it? John 16. I want you to begin reading with me in verse 12. I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. Remember the context of John 16 is Jesus’ final hours with his disciples. He’s about to go out into the garden and pray for an extended period of time, and he’s going to be betrayed by Judas, and all of his disciples are going to flee. That’s going to unfold this very night. And so in this final discussion that begins in chapter 13 and runs through his prayer in chapter 17, he says, Many more things I have to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, the one who would disclose God’s mind, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth comes.

For he will not speak on his own initiative, but whatever he hears, he will speak. He will search the deep things of God. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2, as we’ve studied recently. And he will disclose to you what is to come. He’s going to fill in some blanks. He’s going to provide some answers for the future. He, his work will be about this. He shall glorify me. For he shall take of mine and shall disclose it to you. He’s going to perpetuate the work that I have done while I’ve been here. He shall glorify me, for he shall take of mine and shall disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are mine. Therefore I said that he takes of mine and will disclose it to you.

Again, we have the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit all working in concert. And he’s going to guide you. The Holy Spirit is going to guide you in my things, which are the Father’s things, and He’s going to guide you into all truth. In verse 16. A little while, and you will no longer behold me. In a very little while. Within hours, he is going to be crucified, and he will no longer be beheld by them. And again, a little while, and you will see me. A reference, of course, to his resurrection. Okay, as we read this text about truth and the Holy Spirit guiding the apostles into all truth, I think some questions inevitably rise from this text that are important to consider, and I want to share them with you very briefly this morning.

2. Don't You Want to Be Right?

What exactly did the Holy Spirit disclose? There’s so much confusion in the religious world today about what is revealed in the New Testament. What exactly did the Holy Spirit disclose? And the problem with that is really answered by this question. Why do people settle religiously for less than truth? What is right, what is real, what is from God, what He intends for us to understand. Why do people settle religiously for less than truth? Truth matters. Lies destroyed. Then I want to ask this question, and this needs to be very personal with all of us, these questions. Don’t you want to be right? In our studies together, yes, there are some difficult texts, and we were studying some this morning in 1 Corinthians. I’ve been studying some in 1 Corinthians.

And I’ll tell you what underlies all of my efforts in teaching and have for 30 years, and this has not changed. I’ve had struggles along the way as we all do spiritually, but what has always guided me and guides me even now, I can tell you without any reservation at all. I want to know what God said. I want to be consistent in my dealing with this message. I want to understand the things God says I can understand and must understand. I want to be right. Don’t you want to be right? I want to be right. Am I content with what a preacher says? Or only what God’s word actually reveals? You know, we have to come to the conclusion that not everybody who claims to speak from God today is actually speaking words of truth.

In fact, most people that claim to speak from God today are not speaking words of truth, sadly. I don’t know all of them. But I know some of them, and I would suggest to you that the majority do not. Now, are you going to be content with what I say or what any other preacher says, or you going to seek what God’s word actually reveals? And then this. Am I willing to embrace truth? Regardless. Now, that last term is the problem. Regardless of the potential hostility of others, because they don’t or won’t understand, regardless of the radical changes I will be called upon to make in my thinking and conduct, regardless of the pain that I may have to endure as others belittle me, persecute me, think little of me.

Whatever the result is, are you going to embrace truth regardless of the cost? And that’s what these men in John 16 ultimately had to do. And the cost for all of them, it seems, except for perhaps John, was their very lives. Am I going to embrace the truth about Jesus that is revealed in the New Testament regardless? Even if family members turn against me, even if friends think I have lost my mind.

3. The Kind of Heart That Can Embrace Truth

Those are important questions. My answers to all of these questions contributes heavily, mightily to having the kind of heart that can embrace truth. And I really believe that’s what’s under consideration in Acts chapter 16, if I might reference this text briefly, where we’re introduced to the cellar of purple. And even our young people know that is Lydia. And she was out by the riverside as Paul went out there because it was a place where women would gather to pray. And Paul sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled. And Lydia is introduced in verse 14. And it says, the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. Now, we talked about this text not very long ago as we talked about the sovereignty of God.

Really, what this passage is saying is she had the right answers to these questions. She had the kind of disposition of heart that could embrace truth, and thus God opened her heart or allowed her to embrace the message that Paul spoke. And she was baptized. She urged then Paul to stay at her house. And Luke is also with Paul because he says, us. She prevailed upon us. So God opens Lydia’s heart. Now, I want to take you to the text that will take up the rest of our time in Matthew 13 this morning. And there’s a lot here. I’m not going to read this entire section, but it’s the entire context I want to draw your attention to because Jesus talks about this very matter of hearing the word and having the heart to do so.

4. To You It Has Been Granted

And he does so by telling the parable of the sower. And most of us are familiar with that story, as it’s repeated in Mark and Luke as well. About there were four types of soil. The first soil, the wayside soil, is just it just doesn’t receive the message. It can’t take root in this person’s heart. The second soil is that which can embrace the truth, but it’s not going to last for very long. In time of temptation, they quickly fall away. And so there’s no strong root that can be developed there. The third soil, the thorny soil, is one that latches on to the truth, but other things interfere. The carry, the cares, the worries and riches of this life interfere with it producing God’s fruit long term.

And that’s the one that scares me about those of us who have embraced truth at some point in the past and committed ourselves to it, that things can interfere with our ongoing pursuit of that truth. But then there is the good soil. And of course, that’s the goal that all of us in here would be the good soil that produces the fruit of the kingdom as we hold fast to the word and bear fruit, some thirty fold, some sixtyfold, some a hundredfold. Now, Jesus tells this story about these four kinds of soil, and then later, after some more instruction in between, gives the explanation to you that I’ve just given. But what I want you to see is what lies between the telling of the parable and then its explanation.

Assuming that many in our audience are familiar with this parable. But I want you to hear what he says in the middle of this. And the disciples came and said to him, What’s the business with the parables? If I might put it in modern vernacular, why are you teaching this way? Why are you using these, this figure of speech, this way of teaching the parables. And he says, and what is this about? This is what we’re looking at. To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. That’s like God opening Lydia’s heart, right? To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, the religious leaders of the day who would reject him, who would stumble over him, to them it has not been granted.

To some it is granted, to some it’s not. Listen, you want to be in the granted group. To some it has been granted, to some it has not been granted. And it’s all going to depend upon what’s going on in here. For whoever has, and that means your heart’s in the right place, for whoever has, to him shall more be given. That’s the wonderful thing about what God does. If you have it, if you’re clinging to it, he gives you more. Whoever has, to him shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance. Now, that’s what God offers, an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away. Now you don’t want to be in that group. You think you have, but you don’t.

Whatever you think you have, even that, you lose it all. Therefore I speak to them in parables. Why this method of teaching? Because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. They see, they see me, they hear me, but they don’t get it. And in their case, the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, You will keep on hearing, but you will not understand, and you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive. What a tragedy that is.

Hearing and seeing, but not getting it. Why? Verse 15, key verse here. For the heart of this people has become dull. And with their ears they scarcely hear. And they have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return. And I should heal them. They don’t want what Jesus has to offer. Not in the way that he’s offering it anyway. But he says, Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see and did not see it, and to hear what you hear and did not hear it. Isaiah, from whom he quotes, would be one of those people.

A righteous man who desired to see, who longed to see according to 1 Peter 1, verses 10 through 12. Things into which angels longed to look. They anticipated so much the coming of the Messiah, the anointed one who would reveal ultimately God’s intentions for man, and yet they lived prior to that time. Oh, how they wanted to see and they wanted to hear, but never had the opportunity because of when they live. He says, But blessed are you because you see and you hear. And blessed are us if we see, and if we hear.

To understanding not just this parable and all parables, and for us to be granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. So we better buckle down here. Somebody says, I understand this one. You know, when you were explaining the soils, I get it.

Okay?

It’s not that this parable is harder to understand than all the other parables. This particular one. There are some parables that are harder than this one. The wheat and the tares, I would throw into that category as a harder parable to understand than this one. It’s not about being hard to understand. For example, kids, you’re going back to school, I never took physics or calculus. Those things were all Greek to me. I like that. Never studied Greek either, except on my own a little bit. Those things were just too hard. I wasn’t going there. You probably don’t get that option. Good luck with that. It’s not that this is that this parable represents physics and calculus, and it’s just so hard. You know, makes my brain hurt to think about those subjects.

And it’s not that God made these parables so hard that only a precious few who had the intellect who were smart enough that they could get it. I’m glad it’s not that way because I can get it. If it was, if it was reserved for the greatest of intellects, I wouldn’t get it. That’s not what he’s saying. And it’s not that if you understand this parable, if you somehow get this one right, that then all the others you’ll understand. What he’s saying is, this is a foundational parable. If you get the application of this one right, if you are indeed the fourth soil, if that reflects your heart that can be changed to be this way, if you have this heart, the heart that desires the word, embraces it and clings to it and holds fast, you will then be equipped to understand all of them.

5. God Does Not Arbitrarily Decide

To embrace the teaching of all of them. But if you don’t develop that heart, you’re not going to get it. So what is he saying here? To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. Did God just come along and arbitrarily decide, you know, I sort of like you guys, and I’m going to let you get it. I like Lydia. I’m going to let her get it. You know, that’s part of the Calvinistic theory. I studied a guy who actually believed, I studied with a guy who actually believes that God predestines individuals to be saved, apart from any decision of their own will. I mean, God determines, you know, I like him, I like her, I’m going to save them.

And the major problem with that is it brings God in conflict with some other things that he said. God is not a respecter of persons. Why even say something like that? In every nation, he who fears God and does what is right is accepted of him. Why even say that? If it doesn’t have something to do with man’s free will. This would imply a favoritism. If God just thought, okay, I like these people, you can have it. Don’t like these people, you can’t have it. That makes God a respecter of persons. God does not arbitrarily decide. It is based on our will to choose. While all who find him do so by his grace and mercy, it is ultimately determined by my willingness to choose him and his will.

If not, why make appeals to these stubborn people? And that’s really what’s going on in Isaiah. Remember, Isaiah sees his vision of the Lord, more on that at the end of our lesson. He sees this vision of the Lord, and the question is asked. Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And we know what Isaiah said, right? Here am I, send me. How many sermons have you heard on that? Here am I, send me. Be a volunteer. Get busy. Volunteer for the Lord. Here am I, send me. But you know what follows that? God says, by the way. As you sign up for this task, they’re not going to listen to you. And that’s the quotation in Matthew 13. The heart of this people has become dull.

That’s what Isaiah says. They keep on, they see, but they do not see. They hear, but they do not hear. They do not understand with their hearts. Understand the tough task that I’m giving you. Isaiah. But he’s supposed to teach them anyway. Why do that if God’s already determined, well, they’re going to be lost? Why do that? Because God is lovingly, graciously making appeal after appeal that they might indeed change their hearts. That they might be blessed to hear and see the hearts of his disciples to them that have been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven because their hearts were moldable, pliable, willing to follow his will. Is your will flexible?

6. Approach God's Word With a Submissive Heart

Okay, I’ll say it again. Hey, I need that strategically placed, Mona Sorry. That was very well placed. Sorry, I missed that. Okay. Is your will flexible? Are you willing to set aside your desires for his. That’s what this is all about. The apostles were willing to listen and to embrace the message. Are we? I’d say we learned something in this, but also was taught in Isaiah. In Isaiah 55 and verse 11, God’s word accomplishes the purpose for which it was sent. It succeeds in the matter for which it was sent. God’s word does exactly what he wants it to do. It doesn’t fail. It renders what is true of a person’s heart. It brings it to the surface. The word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, piercing to the very joints and marrow.

It reveals what’s in a person’s heart toward God. For some it draws, for others, it rejects.

And what’s interesting about this in Isaiah 55. If you looked at the whole context, which I would challenge you to do, he’s appealing to the people come buy milk and wine from me. Come take the water of life without cost. I’ll give you living water. Seek the Lord while he may be found. You should listen to the prophet because God’s ways are higher than your ways, and his thoughts higher than your thoughts, as the heavens are higher than the earth. That’s that whole context of Isaiah 55. God’s word reveals the wheat from the chaff. Lydia had a heart to embrace. The apostles, oh, by the way, they weren’t intellectual geniuses of their day. They weren’t scholars. They were ordinary folks. They were fishermen. And that was more commonly the people that would listen.

God would choose the things that are not to nullify the things that are. Not many mighty, not many noble. It was the common people who didn’t have agendas, who weren’t consumed in self. It was people who were willing to sit and listen and say, this is right. This is God’s thing. I’m going to embrace it. And I want to make this point. People who approach God’s word with a submissive heart will arrive at truth and be blessed. Blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear, but not the arrogant. When we talk about the arrogance, we talk about the guy, you know, the Gaston of beauty and the beast, who just all carried away with how wonderful he looks.

That exalts what self wants above everything else. Who are determined, I’m going to go this way because I think it’s best. Rather than listening to God. The arrogant bent on rebellion. And the real tragedy of all of this is what Jesus says in verse 15. That they should understand with their heart and return, and I should heal them. If we don’t embrace truth, we are not healed. And that’s why Jesus would say in John 17, John 7, verse 17. If any man is willing to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God. You know, if someone has the right heart, he will end up in the right place. But that right heart has to be cultivated. So I want to conclude with this morning.

Conclusion

You’ve listened well. I want to talk to you about what is at stake here. As he used the word healing. These are wonderful concepts related to the gospel of Christ. We can be healed and cleansed and freed. Like in Isaiah. When Isaiah sees that vision of the Lord, he said, Look, I’m undone. I’m a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips. And God did not contradict him. But he sent one of his angels with a hot coal, cleansing him.

He was cleansed and commissioned to do his work. God can cleanse us. And so we come to the New Testament. Saul of Tarsus, who did not have a heart to hear early on. His Epiphany came on the road to Damascus.

What was he told? Arise. Why do you delay? Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling upon the name of the Lord. What a marvelous concept that is to be cleansed or to be freed. As we were in prison, now we’re emancipated. We are set free. And that’s what truth does. If you abide in my word, then you are disciples of mine, and you shall know the truth. And the truth shall make you free. And then this. Go and learn what this means, Jesus tells his audience. And these were people who were in that category that he describes in Matthew 13 to them it has not been granted. The Pharisees. It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.

But go and learn what this means. I desire compassion and not sacrifice, for I did not come to call the righteous but sinners. The thing that’s always leaped out at me about these verses is he’s not saying that his audience on that occasion, the Pharisees, were not sinners. Because they were all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The problem is you can’t come to the physician for healing unless you know you’re sick. And they didn’t perceive it. They didn’t get it. They saw those, oh, they saw the sickness of the tax gatherer and the harlot. They saw their sickness, but yet those people were willing to embrace the message of truth and come for cleansing to the kingdom of God and to the Savior Jesus Christ.

But they rejected him, and so their sins cannot be cleansed. What a tragedy. You don’t have the right kind of heart. That’s the very charge that he makes. He says, I desire compassion and not sacrifice. I don’t want religious people. I want people who will have my heart. The religious thing will follow. I desire compassion and not sacrifice. Have you embraced these wonderful provisions of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Have you been cleansed in his blood? Healed by his work of atonement. Freed from the bondage of your sin by submitting yourself to the will of the kingdom. Do you have the good and honest heart that embraces the truth of this marvelous kingdom of which we, by the grace of God, are a part? Can we assist you in knowing it better?

If you need to respond, come now as we stand and sing.