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Wise Listeners - by Hambali Leonardi Text: Matthew 7:21-29 29 May 2005
Matthew 7:21-29
Sermon
“Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven.” When this verse is read to all of us, how does it make us feel? Do we say to ourselves? “Oh, that can’t be about me. I am okay with God.” Or, do we say, “Oh, could that be about me? Am I right with God?”
Many Christians are terrified about this verse because it talks about people who apparently did many wonderful things for God. They prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles, and yet God called them, “evildoers!” These people did great things but they were considered evil because of one grave thing – not doing the will of God. So, my question for all of us this morning is, “Are we doing the will of our Father in heaven?” God is not concerned with how many wonderful things we do. We can build the biggest cathedral in the world or cast out thousands of demons but God is more concerned whether we are doing his will.
The title of this morning’s sermon is “Wise Listeners.” I think it is a good reminder for all of us. Are we wise listeners or foolish doers?
There are three qualities of wise listeners. They wait for God, they walk for God and withstand when the storm comes.
Wait
Why is waiting important for wise listening? Many of us are impulsive and choose not to wait for God, and rush to do things. Waiting is perhaps the most difficult thing to do for many of us. We live in a world of microwave and instant messaging where we expect instant results and answers. Just imagine waiting for hours at the polyclinic, or weeks for your ‘O’ level results. The wait can often be excruciatingly slow and tiresome, but are we prepared to wait for God?
I am reminded by the story of King Saul in 1 Samuel 13, who disobeyed God by doing what he thought was right. The prophet Samuel specifically instructed King Saul in 1 Samuel 10: “I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.” (1 Sam 10:8) Unfortunately, King Saul, out of fear of his people, did not wait for Samuel’s return. He disobeyed God’s commandment and made the offerings on his own accord. Samuel rebuked him by saying, “You acted foolishly. You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.” (1 Sam 13:13) And from then on, King Saul’s dynasty grew weaker and weaker until King David took over him.
To some of us, what King Saul did was legitimate. We would probably consider him as proactive and in tune with the wishes of his people. After all, their enemies, the Philistines were approaching while King Saul’s army was loosing morale and disintegrating. King Saul needed to make an offering to God so that his army could find courage in God. King Saul’s action seemed proper and even pious, but it was an act of disobedience against God. How about us? Have we acted foolishly like King Saul? Have we done things without waiting on God? Sometimes, God tells us to wait but we, out of fear or desperation choose to overrule God’s perfect timing. Some of us are rushing to do things like getting married because we are fearful of “going over the hill,” or changing jobs because we are fearful of not paying the bills. But, have we paused and listened to God if it is the right timing or in line with God’s will?
Let us be wise listeners and wait upon the Lord.
Walk
God is not a silent God. Today, God continually speaks to us through his Holy Spirit, the Bible and through his people. When we wait and listen to God, he can speak to us in a dramatic way like a burning bush or in a soft and gentle way like a whisper. God speaks to us as we read the Bible or listen to the preaching of his Word. God also speaks to us through the counsel of his people like our pastors, parents, teachers or friends. For example, you felt a calling to go to Thailand for mission. During your quiet time, the Bible verse of that day is, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” On Sunday, your pastor preached on the same Bible passage. The following Sunday, you had lunch with your church friends who invited you to Thailand for a short-term mission. The following week, your grandparents passed you some money, saying, “Here’s some money. Why don’t you go somewhere for fun like Thailand.” Hmm… you asked yourself, is God trying to tell me something? With all these signs from God, what would you do? You take that step of faith and walk. Many of us listen and read God’s Word, and are even challenged by God’s people but we remain stagnant. We listen, nod our heads in agreement and may even say a few “amen’s,” but we do nothing with what we have read or heard. We are great hearers but not so good doers. We need to recall what Jesus said, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” We must put into practice what we have read in the Bible and heard from the pulpit. The Apostle James gave us a very sound advice: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22) Therefore, let us be wise listeners and act upon what we have heard for God. Let us take that walk for God.
Withstand
With the recent earthquakes in Sumatra, people living in the eastern Singapore and Toa Payoh could feel the tremors while the rest of us don’t. It is because the flats in the East and Toa Payoh were built on clay and are not as stable as other parts of Singapore. When the tremors were felt, I wonder if some Christian residents living there were reminded by Jesus’ saying about houses being built on the rock and sand. If you have two houses, one is built on the rock while another on sand. And, when the rain comes down, the streams rise, and the winds blow and beat, or when the Sumatra earthquake shakes, can you guess which house would withstand the storm or earthquake? Jesus compared wise listeners as builders who built their houses on the rock while foolish ones were those who built theirs on sand. The pressures of life and temptations of the world are like the storm and earthquake. They jolt us from our comfort zone, shake the foundation of our faith, and flood us with worldly values. A wise listener who waits and walks for God has a higher chance of surviving life’s storms and earthquakes. A wise listener has heard and had an encounter with the living God. To the wise listener, the Bible is not a mere book but the sword of the Spirit, living and active. To the wise listener, a Sunday sermon is a not a mere pick-me-upper or motivational speech but words for life-transformation. What the wise listener has heard or read; he puts it into practice. It is a living faith that grows, fortifies and withstands the test of time. How about us? Will our faith be able to withstand the storms and earthquakes of life? When we meet the Lord on that final day, may we never hear those awful words, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” Instead, may we hear the words from our Lord Jesus, “Well done, good and faithful servants.” Therefore, let us strive to be wise listeners. Let us wait and walk for God, and withstand when the storms and earthquakes of life come.
Let us pray.
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