You Can't Hear If You're Not Here!
Posted by Michael La Framboise on Saturday, September 21, 2013
My
grandfather strongly believed that faithfulness to church was vital to a
healthy and vibrant faith. He was ever asserting “It takes three
to thrive: Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night!” He knew the
importance of preaching to the Christian life. He knew that believers
need to hear God’s word and hear it often, that the Holy Spirit
might have ample opportunity to bring conviction to the heart of God’s people.
In the Bible hearing carries with it the notion of receiving with deep conviction. Those who hear are prepared to act, prepared to repent, prepared to initiate a change of behavior in their lives. Hearing leads to conviction which causes action. But when a Christian disengages from Church, they remove themselves from the place of hearing God's word preached; for you cannot hear if you are not here!
Moses began one his greatest sermons, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them.” The great deliverer implied that hearing God’s word leads to conviction of God’s word and causes action to obey God’s word. Hear (listen), that hearing you may learn (be convicted), that learning you might observe (obey). But you cannot hear if you are not here!
Asaph the psalmist gave voice to the Spirit of God striving with the hearts of God’s people, saying, “Hear, O my people, and I will speak, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God!” Notice how God requires His people to hear that they might be convicted and change their behavior. Notice also how God calls His people to be accountable to Him as His own peculiar people: I am your God. We are expected to hear, expected to respond to His convicting words, and expected to repent and obey His word. However, this implies that God’s people are gathered to hear the preaching, because you cannot hear if you are not here!
The royal preacher of Ecclesiastes admonishes, “Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear…” He reminds us to prepare ourselves as we enter into God’s House. “Walk prudently:” be aware of the presence of God and the movement of His Spirit through His word in your heart. “Draw near to hear:” make it a priority to be in God's House to hear the preaching, to receive conviction, and to obey the word of God. Draw near, be here; because you cannot hear if you are not here!
God has blessed the Church with pastors and teachers to minister His word to His people; but you cannot hear if you are not here! God has ordained that His people should be stirred up to good works through the proclamation of His word; but you cannot hear if you are not here! God has intended His word preached to bring conviction to His people; but you cannot hear if you are not here!
The great prophet Isaiah lamented the ease with which God’s people wander and stray, and confronted the religious masses of His day with the searing truth of their sinful rebellion: they refused to hear. They were not where they should have been, so the prophet called out, “Hear, you who are afar off!” They were far from the convicting power of God’s word, because they were far from the place where God’s word was preached! You cannot be convicted if you do not hear; and you cannot hear if you are not here!
Likewise Jesus frequently called the people to hear, and often admonished His followers to have ears to hear, to have a heart tender to God’s word, and a mind to obey it when convicted by it. Jesus said He identified those of His family as those “who hear the word of God and do it.” But you cannot hear if you are not here!
The Bible says “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Faith grows strong, our trust and dependence upon the Lord is strengthened, when we faithfully commit ourselves to hearing, to listening, to receiving the word of God. But you cannot hear if you are not here! Are you afar off? Get here, be here! It really does take three to thrive: Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night.
In the Bible hearing carries with it the notion of receiving with deep conviction. Those who hear are prepared to act, prepared to repent, prepared to initiate a change of behavior in their lives. Hearing leads to conviction which causes action. But when a Christian disengages from Church, they remove themselves from the place of hearing God's word preached; for you cannot hear if you are not here!
Moses began one his greatest sermons, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them.” The great deliverer implied that hearing God’s word leads to conviction of God’s word and causes action to obey God’s word. Hear (listen), that hearing you may learn (be convicted), that learning you might observe (obey). But you cannot hear if you are not here!
Asaph the psalmist gave voice to the Spirit of God striving with the hearts of God’s people, saying, “Hear, O my people, and I will speak, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God!” Notice how God requires His people to hear that they might be convicted and change their behavior. Notice also how God calls His people to be accountable to Him as His own peculiar people: I am your God. We are expected to hear, expected to respond to His convicting words, and expected to repent and obey His word. However, this implies that God’s people are gathered to hear the preaching, because you cannot hear if you are not here!
The royal preacher of Ecclesiastes admonishes, “Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear…” He reminds us to prepare ourselves as we enter into God’s House. “Walk prudently:” be aware of the presence of God and the movement of His Spirit through His word in your heart. “Draw near to hear:” make it a priority to be in God's House to hear the preaching, to receive conviction, and to obey the word of God. Draw near, be here; because you cannot hear if you are not here!
God has blessed the Church with pastors and teachers to minister His word to His people; but you cannot hear if you are not here! God has ordained that His people should be stirred up to good works through the proclamation of His word; but you cannot hear if you are not here! God has intended His word preached to bring conviction to His people; but you cannot hear if you are not here!
The great prophet Isaiah lamented the ease with which God’s people wander and stray, and confronted the religious masses of His day with the searing truth of their sinful rebellion: they refused to hear. They were not where they should have been, so the prophet called out, “Hear, you who are afar off!” They were far from the convicting power of God’s word, because they were far from the place where God’s word was preached! You cannot be convicted if you do not hear; and you cannot hear if you are not here!
Likewise Jesus frequently called the people to hear, and often admonished His followers to have ears to hear, to have a heart tender to God’s word, and a mind to obey it when convicted by it. Jesus said He identified those of His family as those “who hear the word of God and do it.” But you cannot hear if you are not here!
The Bible says “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Faith grows strong, our trust and dependence upon the Lord is strengthened, when we faithfully commit ourselves to hearing, to listening, to receiving the word of God. But you cannot hear if you are not here! Are you afar off? Get here, be here! It really does take three to thrive: Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night.
