Hearing vs. Listening

I had a student ask recently, "Why did Jesus speak to people using parables?" Here is a quick response. Hope it helps!

As we are looking at Matthew 13 and the use of parables, verse 10 brings up the exact question as to why Jesus doesn't just speak to the people plainly. Before we go into this more in depth, let me ask you all something. How many times do you listen to a sermon and remember all three main points (or however many there are) the next week? Always? Frequently? Occasionally? Never? Most of us would probably say occasionally or never. Here's the next question. How many times do you remember a particular story or illustration that the preacher uses to get his/her point across in a sermon? Is it more often or less often than how often you remember the main points? Probably more often right? Why is that? I think Jesus is brilliant (ok, I KNOW He's brilliant :) ) because He knows that story is the most powerful tool both for teaching and for evoking emotion. If I speak and tell you not to do drugs, you'd HEAR me but most likely you wouldn't truly LISTEN. It would go in one ear and out the other. But if I share a story with you about my friends in high school who were enslaved by their need to get high to the point that it destroyed countless other areas of their lives (which is true by the way), you'd probably pay more attention. Why? Because the power of story. This is what Jesus does with His parables. He teaches in a way that grabs attention, keeps attention, and evokes emotion so as to bring the LISTENERS to a greater truth. The context of the parable is that Jesus is speaking to an audience used to living as farmers in an agricultural society. These farmers would definitely be affected by a story of a sower who scatters seed but doesn't see the plant grow. It would be heart wrenching for them to go through so much effort with no fruit to show for it. If you notice, most of the parables in Matthew 13 are tied to the idea of farming (the sower, the mustard seed, the weeds, etc.). Jesus uses the power of story to bring the LISTENERS into a place of being open to learning.

But that doesn't completely answer the question as to why He speaks to the people in parables. This is response in verse 13, "This is why I speak to them in parables: 'Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.'" Then He continues to say that there are so many people that will HEAR God's Word but not truly LISTEN and take it to heart (verses 14-15; see also Isaiah 6:9-10). Is it just me or does it seem like God divides those who just HEAR what He says from those who are willing to take the time to LISTEN and then apply what He says to their lives? It's almost like God is playing hide and seek, and wants us to pursue Him until we find Him. This idea shows up in Jeremiah 29:13 and Matthew 7:7. So perhaps parables/stories are unclear because that is the way in which He determines who HEARS but just thinks that it was a "nice story" and who LISTENS and wants to experience the power of the story in their own lives and in doing so find the One for whom they seek.

The difference between HEARING and LISTENING goes back to the Hebrew word for "listen" in the Old Testament. This word is "shema" and it means not only to LISTEN but to also OBEY. In our culture, when we say we "listen" to a message there is no distinction between whether we are HEARING or LISTENING. In the Old Testament to LISTEN WAS to OBEY. They went hand in hand. Perhaps that is why in His explanation of the parable He compares the bad types of soil who only "hear the message" (v. 19) and the good soil who "hears the word and understands it" (v. 23). The good soil is when we don't only HEAR the word, but when we LISTEN and OBEY what it says. Then and only then will we be the good soil that is ready for the Word to change our lives.

What do you all think? Do you agree? Disagree? Does it make sense? Let me know! I'd love to hear your perspectives!

Joshua: Moving Forward or Bust

Joshua: Moving Forward into The Promised Land

Review of Navigating Through Life
First night: Jonah - rebellion of south
Second night: Moses - questioning and excuses of the west
Third night: Peter - faith but distracted by the winds from the east
Who are you acting most like right now?
Tonight: Joshua - moving north or bust

Joshua 1:1-9
Verse 2 - pack and get ready to move
Big point - The sign is AFTER obedience; the promise is before
Joshua means "Yahweh saves" or "Yahweh brings salvation"
Joshua will bring salvation to the people by conquering the Promised Land
Verses 3-4 - God's promise now it's time for obedience
Verses 5-9 - God promises again to be with them
Verse 8 - Do not let the Word of God depart from your mouth, meditate on it
Verse 9 - same promise as Exodus 3:12 and Matthew 28:20 (God will be with us)
Did Joshua rebel like Jonah?
Did Joshua make excuses like Moses?
Did he get distracted like Peter?

Joshua 3:1-5
Verse 3 - following the leader
Congo line
Coming back from Delta X YOU are the leaders (whether in 7th-12th grade, YOU are)
If the 105 of you here lead back at home, SHIFT Students will follow
Verse 4 - we want to have a F.D.F. on every campus in the Valley
We haven't been there before, we must follow God and obey so we may lead others

Joshua 3:6-13
Verse 13 - remember that Yahweh is "the Lord of all the earth"
He provides gorgeous sunrises and sunsets here
He placed each of the stars in the sky and knows them by name
Also remember this generation was after the Exodus generation
They have heard stories of the plagues and Red Sea but hadn't experienced them
Only Joshua and Caleb had been there before (they were the unquestioned leaders)

Joshua 3:14-17
Verse 15 - flood stage means the river was full
"as soon as" is reminiscent of story of Peter and how Jesus was there "immediately"
Verse 16 - "heap" is the exact same word used in the Red Sea passage
Town called "Adam" is 20 miles away
This means that God stopped the water hours before to coincide with the priests' steps
God is doing amazing things RIGHT NOW in your life, you just can't see them yet
Are you obeying and stepping in the river?
Or are you acting like Jonah, Moses, or Peter?
Me and my brother
God wants to do things in your life; He's just waiting for you to step into the river
Verse 17 - how amazing would this be?

Camp high or mountaintop experience
Have you ever felt God's presence so clearly at church or camp that you would never deny His existence?
Matthew 17:4 - Peter and the Transfiguration
Peter wanted to set up camp because it was such a camp high for him
What happens when you come back home?
The winds and the waves hit right?
Matthew 17:17 - even Jesus gets this to a degree after the Transfiguration
He comes back down to a demon possessed man that the disciples couldn't heal
He wishes they could have a greater faith

What if the Israelites tried to set up camp in the river? They couldn't.
Why do we try to live our whole lives from camp high to camp high? We can't.
We MUST move north and move forward
How has God called you to move forward from here?
Reconciliation? Devotionals? Stepping out in sharing your faith? Loving enemies?

You CAN'T stay here
There has been a theme throughout Navigating Through Life
Jonah 2:2 - Jonah rebelled and cried out, God answered him
Exodus 3:12 - no matter the excuse or the self-doubt, God promises to be with him
Matthew 14:30-31 - when Peter gets distracted Jesus is with him immediately
Joshua 1:9 - Joshua is commanded to be strong for God is with us wherever we go
The only way to Navigate Through Life is to remember that God is with you no matter what
Only Jesus can help you Navigate Through Life
Jesus is the second Joshua
Jesus also means "Yahweh saves" or "Yahweh brings salvation"
He doesn't save by conquering armies but by conquering the sin in our lives
He doesn't save by bringing us into a physical Promised Land but by bringing us into life and life to the fullest
He yearns for you to move north and to move forward

How is He calling you to move north?
John 5 - idea that an angel would stir up the water of the pool and heal
The paper and the buckets of water
Write down what God is stirring in you
Put the paper the water and stir
John 5:8-9 - "Get up and get well"

Moses: Making Excuses and Doubting Self-Worth

Yesterday, Justin introduced the idea of putting our sermon notes from our Delta X summer camp online for everybody who was unable to attend. As he mentioned, we went through a series called "Navigating Through Life." We used the different directions of the compass to explain the different ways we can respond to God's calling. Yesterday, Justin put his message about Jonah and running south away from God. Today, I will put my notes up about Moses and how he made excuses and doubted his worth when God called him to move west to free the Israelites from the Egyptians. Here you go!

Moses: Making Excuses

Have you ever known those people who look like they have it all together?

Why is it so easy to compare and so hard to measure up?

I have always thought of Moses this way

Sometimes it's hard to relate to a guy like him

Did he ever doubt?

Exodus 3:1-4

We all want to be part of something amazing (house boating) -"Here I am"

Exodus 3:5-10

But when God asks us to do something? We make excuses

Five Excuses and God's Responses

1. Who am I? - Exodus 3:11

Jeremiah voluntelling me to try first - who am I to go first?

My call to ministry - who am I to be a pastor?

God's response in Exodus 3:12 - "I will be with you"

Like God telling me the proof that I'm called is to be preaching tonight

Big point - The sign is AFTER obedience; the promise is before

2. Who is sending me? Who are You, God? - Exodus 3:13

Questioning God - do You know what You are doing?

Is this God or is it me? (Ministry)

God's response in verse 14-15 - "I AM WHO I AM"

Look at how mighty and powerful God is in Job 38-41

3. What if they don't believe? - Exodus 4:1

What will people think? How will they know it's God?

My dad's response to my call to ministry

God's response in verses 2-9 - gives us signs to reassure ourselves and to show others

My dad's dream, God opening doors to APU, etc.

4. I am not good enough - Exodus 4:10

God's response in verse 12 - "I will help you speak and teach what to say"

It's so easy to tear ourselves down

Isn't that a stab against God?

When you read Psalm 139:13-16, it's impossible to question your self-worth

The powerful God who created everything in Job 38-41 created YOU in Psalm 139:13-16!

5. Send someone else - Exodus 4:13

Possible rebellion

God's response in verse 15 - same as verse 12

Matthew 28:18-20

We may want God to send someone else

We may not feel good enough

God took 12 people "not good enough" and changed the world

We are part of something amazing, what is God calling you to do?

Put your fears and excuses aside and remember that God's responses ALL include HIM doing everything

We see both in Exodus 3:12 and in Matthew 28:20 that God is with us ALWAYS

The Dark Before The Dawn

"The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming." - Harvey Dent, The Dark Knight

I woke up at 5am on Easter morning. I had to be at church by 7 and I wanted to make sure I had enough time to have my quiet time and get ready. It was an incredible feeling being awake before the sun came out on Easter. I was able to envision what it must have felt like for the women who were waiting for dawn to prepare Jesus' body for a proper burial. We know the end of the story and rejoice on Easter morning. But how dark would it have felt to be awake before the sun on the first Easter?

I can only imagine the brokenness, the heartache, and the weeping that happened on Good Friday. I can only imagine the emptiness and loneliness from that Saturday. Waking up on that first Easter must have been the darkest moments of their lives. Then, on top of all those emotions, when they showed up and Jesus' body was gone, I can only imagine the shock, the anger, and the confusion. What had happened to their Teacher? What had happened to Jesus?

Amidst this confusion, there was Mary Magdalene. John 20 tells the story of how Jesus appeared to her, but she was so broken that she was unable to perceive that her Teacher was right in front of her. Jesus asks her who she is looking for and she thinks he is the gardener who may have taken the body. Then comes verse 16.

¹⁶Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

With one word, everything changed for Mary. All Jesus had to do was utter her name and her eyes were opened to see He was there with her. She finally knew who He really was. That dark Easter morning was transformed to the brightest day of her life. I pray that people all over the world no matter how dark things have been in their lives, heard Jesus call their name this Easter. I pray that people learned the fact that Jesus is with us already, we just need to hear His voice, open our eyes, and rejoice in the resurrection. Then we can echo Mary's words in verse 18.

¹⁸Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Praise God for Easter morning! Praise God for calling each of us by name! Praise God that no matter how dark the night gets, the dawn is coming!

Random Thought: Seventy six percent of people who eat chocolate Easter bunnies start at the ears.

Paper and Plastic

A few Thursdays ago, we finished the third season of Men's Fraternity at church. On the last day Dane had a huge sword for an illustration. This thing was massive! It had to be at least three feet tall. After the session, Delaney thought it would be funny if I took a picture with Dane with him holding the sword and me holding a plastic knife. We thought it was pretty ridiculous looking. I joked with Dane that it could be used as a "before" Men's Frat picture of manhood (plastic knife) and an "after" picture (massive sword). It was just a joke, but I like the picture. I'll come back to it in a second.

Recently, God has been doing some incredible things in SHIFT Student Ministries and CCV. We've seen passionate worship, lives changed, baptisms, and students excited about what God is doing. Needless to say though, the enemy is at work. He is a prowling lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). He has been attacking me, pastors, volunteer staff, and students. On the one hand, it's an encouragement to know that God is doing something that is striking fear into the heart of the enemy. That's the kind of movement I want to be part of! But on the other hand, it's hard being under attack. The enemy knows how to go after each of us and I know he knows how to come after me.

As I was praying a week and a half ago, I realized that there has been an area of prayer in which I have been lacking. When I first became a Christian 6 1/2 years ago, I used to pray through the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) all the time. I knew I was in a battle and knew that I needed the Armor of God to protect me. I haven't done that recently. I became comfortable and lost the realization that I was in a battle and that the enemy would love to tear me down. I needed to pray for protection. I got the image of myself trying to fight the onslaught of the enemy with nothing more than a plastic knife and a paper plate. I had the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) and the shield of faith "with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one" (Ephesians 6:16). His arrows were blasting through my "shield" (apparently paper plates aren't very effective against flaming arrows...who knew?) and my "sword" was weak and wildly ineffective. God had given me the armor; I had just chosen not to put it on daily. Whose fault is that? I only have myself to blame.

Do you go to battle with an armor made of paper and plastic or with the Armor of God? Back to the picture of me and Dane. What started as a funny picture became a conviction in my life. No longer will I go to battle with a plastic knife and paper plate. On my own, that's the best armor I can come up with. I want to go to battle with the massive Sword of the Spirit and the Shield of Faith. That's why God gave it to us. We need it. We need Him.

Are you ready for battle?


Random Thought: Americans toss out enough paper & plastic cups, forks and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times.

For a better use of plastic cutlery, check this out.

Like Comparing Lemons and Oranges

I love lemon bars. I love the Lemon Passion dessert from my time working at the Macaroni Grill. But as much as I love the taste of those desserts...it's the smell that gets me. It's almost intoxicating. I might go so far as to say that the smell of lemons are one of my favorite scents. However, as many of you may know, if you bite into one, they taste ridiculously sour. The scent can lure you in, but if you take a bite, it's absolutely horrible.

On the other hand, I'm not always the biggest fans of eating oranges. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE how they taste. They just take so much effort. You have to get rid of the outer skin. They are messy. They just aren't easy to eat. But after the hard work is done, the taste is amazing. It's worth the effort.

Have you ever been told something was going to be sweet, but when it happened it left you with a bitter taste in your mouth? The enemy does an amazing job at convincing us that sin is sweet. He lures us in with the sweet smell and promises us that it will be worth it. It's like smelling a lemon and then believing it will be as sweet as it smells. But it's all a lie. On the other hand, resisting sin and living the life God calls us to lead takes effort. You have to get rid of the outer skin of our sinful nature and put on the new self. Your life becomes messy because you can't live as you once did. It isn't an easy life to live. But when you taste it...it's amazing.

"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."- Psalm 34:8

It's worth the effort.


Random Thought: Ever wonder why lemon juice is made with artificial flavor, while dishwashing
liquid is made with real lemons?

Good Impression

I've always wanted to blog. But I've always built it up so that it became too intimidating to start. I wanted the first one to be epic to announce my entrance into blogdom.

So...instead I decided to get the first blog over with. Now I can get rid of the pressure of making a good blogging impression and just write what God is teaching me.

Here we go!