Do You Have Ears to Hear Jesus?

I am always amazed at how difficult communication is sometimes. Sometimes something I say will trigger a person’s mind, and they imagine they hear me say something that I didn’t. Or I will say something and someone will take it the wrong way. If you are married, you know how difficult communication is. The wife says something, the husband hears something entirely different, or doesn’t hear at all.

Justice Bramwell, when attempting to be clear, said the following:

"My good woman," said the learned judge, "you must give an answer in the fewest possible words of which you are capable, to the plain and simple question whether, when you were crossing the street with the baby on your arm, and the omnibus was coming down on the right side and the cab on the left and the brougham was trying to pass the omnibus, you saw the plaintiff between the brougham and the cab, or whether, and when you saw him at all, and whether or not near the brougham, cab and omnibus, or either, or any two, and which of them respectively, or how it was?

In the movie Cool Hand Luke, we see the Captain of Road Prison 36 beat runaway Paul Newman, and then to his men says this famous line:

“What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach, so you get what we had here last week which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it. And I don't like it any more than you men.”

In Acts 9 we find Jesus communicating with someone infamous, by the name of Saul.

Acts 9:3-7 (NKJV) As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads." So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.

Now the reason God spoke to me about this being a lesson in communication is because of Acts 22:9, when Paul is personally telling the account of his conversion. He says: And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me .

In Acts 9 it says the men with Saul heard a voice, while Paul says they did not hear a voice. Now what is it. Is this a failure to communicate?

In the Greek language, the word “akouo” is used in both of these accounts. Like many other words, this word has different meanings that vary depending on the context in which it is used. It can mean to both understand and to hear. According to Vine’s, because of a difference in case, Acts 9 akouo indicates a "hearing" of the sound, while Acts 22 indicates the meaning or message of the voice. I Corinthians 14:2, shows how this works: “For he that speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not unto men, but unto God: for no man understands [Greek: akouo] him; howbeit in the spirit he speaks mysteries.” Although they heard a voice, they did not understand. This is what happened to Paul and those with him while traveling to Damascus. While the men with him heard Christ’s voice—they did not understand what was said. However, Paul both heard and understood!

This gives us an insight into God and His communication with man.

God communicates with man in a variety of ways. In their heart, though Nature, through the skies, through disasters, through other people, through authorities and through His Word.

Yet most people just don’t get it. There is a real communication problem. The men with Saul on the Damascus Road just didn’t get it. None of them were converted. Only Saul.

At the funeral service for Fern Hampton, I preached a gospel message just as clear and simple as I could from God’s Word. A man who was a Catholic came up afterwards and said, “I really enjoyed that sermon, we just don’t get clear and plain messages about Jesus Christ in the Catholic church I attend”. He said it was refreshing to hear the Word of God. But he still is going to go to his Catholic Church that doesn’t preach and teach the Word of God. I sensed that he is really religious, but I don’t know if he has a personal relationship with Jesus. It was interesting though, because he commented on the family sitting in front of him. He knew them to be Jewish, and he could not believe how closely they paid attention while I was preaching about Jesus Christ being the Son of God. But no matter how closely Jews pay attention, if they don’t come to saving faith in Jesus Christ, they will die separated from God and suffer for all eternity.

Sometimes I wonder why people don’t get it, even when it seems like God is SHOUTING at them.

It’s like this whole world is full of teenagers.

I even got a shock to learn that some people in this church, who have been listening to me preach still don’t understand how you get to heaven. I have started asking people, even people I know have made a profession of faith, “If you died and appeared before God, why would He let you into His heaven”. Even with people I believe to be Christians, I get, well I go to church faithfully, I do good to other people. Either I have explained the gospel wrong, or there has been a failure to communicate.

There is nothing you or I can do that will ever be good enough to get us into heaven. God does not owe us eternal live because of what we do for Him. Every work of our flesh is as stinking filthy rags to a Holy Righteous God. The only one who ever satisfied God’s demands for perfection and holiness is His Son, Jesus Christ. When Jesus rose from the grave and ascended on high, he gave us the gift of eternal life. How do you get this gift? You see your sins, and you see Jesus as your Savior, the Son of God. You then give your life to Him by FAITH. You trust in Jesus Christ and God’s Word. That Faith that enabled you to SEE Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, enables you to be born again. You are sealed with the Holy Spirit.

When you die what should you tell God when He asks you why He should let you into His heaven? You simply say, "I have Your Seal on my heart. By FAITH I am in Jesus Christ your Son. Jesus and your Holy Spirit have made me Your Child."

It is not a matter of what you have done, are doing or will do. It is a matter of what Christ has done for you and whether your understanding has empowered you to trust Him by FAITH.