Ears

TEXT: Proverbs 17:4; Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 8:11-15; 2 Timothy 4:3-4

As we study our text and related Scripture, we realize that God is speaking of much more than just our ears receiving and identifying audible sounds. God expects us to act upon what we hear and be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only. We should also be aware that there are voices to which we should not listen. We must carefully evaluate what our ears hear, rejecting that which is contrary to the Word of God.

QUESTIONS

1. In the text in Matthew, was the man wise because he could remember all the sayings taught by the Lord? Give a reason for your answer.
2. Think about the characteristics of a rock and sand. The man mentioned in Matthew 7:26 had a problem because he built on something that was shifting, movable, changeable. What are some of the things we may hear in our world today which are also shifting and changing?
3. In John 5:24, what action did the hearer have to take to receive eternal life?
4. In Romans 10:17, the Apostle Paul says that we receive faith by hearing. Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is impossible to please God. Is hearing more than just perceiving an audible sound? Would deaf people be unable to gain faith because they cannot hear? Write the definition for the word hear.
5. The wayside hearers mentioned in Luke 8:12 are those who listen to the devil when he comes with doubts or a suggestion such as, “Hath God said?” Inasmuch as we rarely have a head-on confrontation with the devil, how might he introduce some of these doubts and fears into our minds?
6. Read James 1:23-24. Unto what does James liken the one who is a hearer but not a doer of the Word? What do you think this means?
7. List some of the things to which a Christian should not lend an ear. See Proverbs 6:16-19; 10:18; 20:19; Romans 16:17.
8. We cannot shut out the audible sounds of the world around us even though they are not in accord with the spirit. How do we deal with them?