Hearing with Heed

In these days we have many instructions as to preaching; but our Lord principally gave directions as to hearing. The art of attention is as difficult as that of homiletics.

The text may be viewed as a note of discrimination. Hear the truth, and the truth only. Be not indifferent as to your spiritual meat, but use discernment. 1 John 4:1; Job 12:11.

We shall use it as a note of arousing. When you do hear the truth, give it such attention as it deserves. Give good heed to it.

I. HERE IS A PRECEPT. “Take heed what you hear.”

The previous verse is—“If any man have ears to hear, let him hear;” that is—use your ears well, and to the best purpose.

1. Hear with discrimination, shunning false doctrine. John 10:5.

2. Hear with attention; really and earnestly hearing. Matthew 13:23.

3. Hear for yourself, with personal application. 1 Samuel 3:9.

4. Hear retentively, endeavoring to remember the truth.

5. Hear desiringly, praying that the Word may be blessed to you.

6. Hear practically, obeying the exhortation which has come to you.

   • This hearing is to be given, not to a favorite set of doctrines, but to the whole of the Word of God. Psalm 119:128.

II. HERE IS A PROVERB. “With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you.”

In proportion as you give yourself to hearing, you shall gain by hearing.

This is practically illustrated in the result of preaching.

1. Those who have no interest in the Word find it uninteresting.

2. Those who desire to find fault find faults enough.

3. Those who seek solid truth learn it from any faithful ministry.

4. Those who hunger find food.

5. Those who bring faith receive assurance.

6. Those who come joyfully are made glad.

   • But no man finds blessing by hearing error.
   • Nor by careless, forgetful, caviling hearing of the truth.

III. HERE IS A PROMISE. “Unto you that hear shall more be given.”

You that hear shall have—

1. More desire to hear.

2. More understanding of what you hear.

3. More convincement of the truth of what you hear.

4. More personal possession of the blessings of which you hear.

5. More delight while hearing the glorious gospel.

6. More practical benefit therefrom.

   • God gives more to those who value what they have.
   • For practical application let us say—
   • Hear. It is your wisdom to know what God says.
   • Hear well. God’s teaching deserves the deepest attention.
   • It will repay the best consideration.
   • Hear often. Waste no Sabbath, nor any one of its services.
   • Use week-day lectures and prayer-meetings.
   • Hear better. You will grow the holier thereby.
   • You will find heavenly joy by hearing with faith.
   • HEAR! HEAR!
   • What care I to see a man run after a sermon if he cozens and cheats as soon as he comes home?—John Selden.
   • A heart-memory is better than a mere head-memory. It were better to carry away a little of the life of God in our souls than if we were able to repeat every word of every sermon we ever heard.—De Sales.
   • Ebenezer Blackwell was a rich banker, a zealous Methodist, and a great friend of the Wesleys. “Are you going to hear Mr. Wesley preach?” said one to Mr. Blackwell. “No,” he answered, “I am going to hear God; I listen to him, whoever preaches; otherwise I lose all my labor.”
   • Once-a-day-hearers, represented by a Perthshire landlord, were pithily rebuked by Mr. Walker, the minister of Muthill. The landowner, meeting the minister on Monday, explained to him that he had not been hearing him at the second service on the previous day, as he could not digest more than one sermon. “I rather think,” said Mr. Walker, “the appetite is at fault rather than the digestion.”
   • Alas, the place of hearing is the place of sleeping with many a fine professor! I have often observed that those that keep shops can briskly attend upon a twopenny customer, but when they come themselves to God’s market, they spend their time too much in letting their thoughts wander from God’s commandments, or in a nasty, drowsy way. The head, also, and hearts of most hearers, are to the Word as the sieve is to water: they can hold no sermons, remember no texts, bring home no proofs, produce none of the sermon to the edification and profit of others.—John Bunyan.
   • Some can be content to hear all pleasant things, as the promises and mercies of God; but judgments and reproofs, threats and checks, these they cannot brook; like unto those who, in medicine, care only for a pleasant smell or appearance in the remedy, as pills rolled in gold, but have no regard for the efficacy of the physic. Some can willingly hear that which concerns other men and their sins, their lives and manners, but nothing touching themselves or their own sins; as men can willingly abide to hear of other men’s deaths, but cannot abide to think of their own.—Richard Stock.
   • If verse 23 exhorts us to hear, verse 24 exhorts us to look to that which we do hear, and use it rightly. “Take heed what you hear,” means “Look after it as you would look after money that you have received.” Learning a truth is not the end, but the beginning. After it is learned, it is to be applied, kept, obeyed. And it would appear from the next sentence that, unless it is shared with others, we can neither get it nor keep it for ourselves. “With what measure you mete, [understand, ‘mete out your light,’] it shall be measured unto you: and more shall be given unto you.” (Revised Version.) To learn the truth of God you need to listen, but you need to tell it to another as well. The meaning of this passage is brought out in the words of the old Rabbi: “Much have I learned from my tutors; more from my companions; but most of all from my pupils.” The more light you give another, the more you get yourself. You get a better grip of truth by pondering it with the wish to impart it. The love, which imparts what you have, opens your heart to receive something still higher. It is true, not only in regard to money, but to knowledge, and all power of help, that, “There is that scatters, and yet increases; and there is that withholds more than is meet, but it tends to poverty.” He is a dull teacher that does not learn by all he teaches. Rejoice in your work; it is worth doing well, for it is the best way of learning.—Richard Glover.