Life Ministries

“God Has a V.L.E.”

 1 John 5:13-15 and Matthew 13:12-23

    In the scripture in Matthew we read the words: “though hearing, they do not understand”….and, of course, in the explanation of the Parable, Jesus says; “One person hears the Word and evil snatches it away” … “One hears the Word and because he has no root, he does not last”… and, one “hears the Word and worries and deceitfulness choke it out”…But, one “hears the Word and understands the Word and so is fruitful”. In the Book of Luke, chapter 8, verse 18, Jesus follows up this parable with the words; “Therefore, consider care-fully how you listen.”

    Now, if you asked my wife this morning, she would probably tell you that I am not a very good listener. …but, I have an excuse…I think that all men are born with a “mute” button in their ears! There is something in my ears - an extra nerve or something - that acts like the mute button on the T.V. remote whenever I am thinking about something. For some reason I can’t seem to think and listen at the same time. It’s not that I don’t want to listen, or that what she is saying isn’t important, it’s just that dang mute button in my ears!
    All of us tend to be poor listeners at times. A stewardess tells of a time when she was frustrated by the inattentiveness of passengers while she was giving her “welcome aboard”, safety speech. One time she changed the wording and said; “When the oxygen mask drops down in front of you, place it over your navel and sneeze!”…Not a single passenger heard what she said.
    President Franklin D. Roosevelt got tired of smiling and saying all the usual greetings in White House reception lines… So, one evening he decided to find out if anyone was listening. As each person came up to shake his hand, he would flash a big smile and say; “I murdered my Grandmother today”… People would automatically respond with things like: “Keep up the good work”!  or “You’re doing a great job”!… Except for one foreign diplomat who responded softly “Well, she probably had it coming.”
    There are really two things I want to bring out today. One is our need to listen to God…and the other is to know that God listens to us.
    God desires to speak to us. He speaks to us in several ways; in His Word as we read and study; by the still small voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to our spirit; he may speak to us through other people; he may speak through circumstances. He speaks in ways that we can know it is God speaking - if we are listening.
    God wants to reveal His will for us; He wants to reveal Himself to us; and He wants to be actively involve-ed in our lives. This has been true from the very beginning. God walked and talked with Adam “in the cool of the day” says Genesis 3:8… Today He calls us to be led by His Spirit. I must tell you that anything that God chooses to reveal or speak to us will always be totally consistent with His Written Word.
    The Bibles says that the Bereans didn’t just take Paul at his word, they searched the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true or consistent with God’s Word. It ought to be obvious that those like Jim Jones, and David Koresh, and the Hale Bop Comet riders perverted the truth of God’s Word that had nothing to do with the leading of the Holy Spirit….”Consider carefully how you listen.”
   In the case of the scripture, “Ears to hear” is not a function of our physical senses like hearing an audible voice with our ears; it is a function of the intellect and the heart working together. In the Gospels, when Jesus spoke, he spoke to the disciples; to the people gathered around; to the Scribes and Pharisees; to the Teachers of the Law…those who taught the scriptures…and each one heard what he was saying based on three things;
1. Their intellect, what they knew.
2. Their heart, what they were feeling. And
3. Their attitude toward God… And, we do the same today. If we listen, we will hear what we hear, based on these same three things…. “Consider carefully how you listen”.
    In his book “Spiritual Disciplines For The Christian Life”, Donald Whitney describes something called a V.L.A.  Now V.L.A. stands for “Very Large Array.”  The V.L.A. is located in New Mexico. It is a series of very large radio wave receiver satellite disks on thirty eight miles of railway. Apparently it is able to pick up extremely faint radio waves emitted from outer space.  Basically this device serves as a huge ear, listening to what is going on in the universe.
    Well, I want you to know that God has a V.L.E…A Very Large Ear. And, He is listening to even the faintest prayers of His people and He desires to answer them. “This is the assurance we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us.” There are times and circumstances when we really don’t know if it is God’s will to do something…and that’s O.K.  But, when we know something is God’s will, we ought to pray with confidence.  For instance, we know it is God’s will that “not one should perish”…so, if we are praying for those on our prayer list to come salvation in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, we don’t need to say “if it be Thy will”…because it is!  Romans 10:10 says; “Everyone who trusts in him, and calls upon the name of the Lord, will be saved. But, how can they call, how can they believe, if they haven’t heard”…Using that, we might pray for those on our list to be exposed to a clear, understandable, presentation of the Gospel message… knowing that it is God’s will.
    Jesus said that the Father would send the Holy Spirit to “convict the world in regard to sin, and righteous-ness, and judgment”…and, that He would guide them into all truth”…So, we might pray that those on our list might be convicted of the guilt of sin, and guided into the truth of God’s Word…That’s His will. My point is just what the scripture says “If we ask anything according to His will” … In my book, that’s a sure thing!
    We cannot force anyone to come to Church or come to Christ…That’s not our job.  Conviction and judgment is not our job. We can’t save anyone, it’s not our job. Being steadfast and prevailing in prayer… Now that’s our job.
    Why is it that Billy Graham can say a few simple words, and thousands of people come to accept Christ as their Savior?  Is it because he is the greatest preacher who ever lived? No. Is it because he has a large ministry and money and power and influence? No.  It is the reward and promise of scriptural, steadfast, prayer by hundreds of prayer warriors behind the scenes, praying God’s will, for the lost!
    So, my challenge to you this morning continues with - find a quiet place, a quiet time, and have a quiet heart to pray…. Pray scripturally, according to God’s will, and pray steadfastly with all sincerity, for those on your prayer list… Listen for God - as He listens to you - He may want you to DO something for His glory… And, remember, He has a V.L.E.