Hearer Only?
Hearer Only?
We can read or hear the Word of God all day long—but until we heed His Words, it is meaningless.
The LORD through the prophet Isaiah speaks about this when He spoke these Words, “These people draw near to Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.
Isaiah 29:13
Wherefore the LORD said, Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the precept of men:
So many today talk about the Word of God, but they live by the word of man. They have a “form of godliness”, but it’s not a genuine trust and surrender to the LORD.
Isaiah 29:14-15
Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
The LORD says, “woe unto them” that speak of Him with their lips, but secretly devise their on “plan” and live by their own “counsel”. They don’t think the LORD sees what they’re really doing—but the LORD sees every thought, word and deed.
[15] Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
Matthew records Jesus’ Words about this.
Matthew 15:8-9
This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
What does Jesus say that merely speaking the Word of God is? He says it is vanity, “in vain do they worship Me.”
Vanity defined: marked by futility or ineffectualness, unsuccessful, useless, having no real value, idle, worthless, foolish, silly.
Paul tells us that we can’t be justified by the LORD by only hearing or reading His Word—we must walk in obedience to it.
Romans 2:13
For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
Beloved, how does a holy God feel about the reading of His Word, the singing of songs that speak of Him, the burning of candles, and incense, and every other outward act done in His Name—apart from obedience to His Word?
Does He say, how wonderful is it that these acts are being done in My Name! I am pleased with these outward adulations?
Let’s see what His Word says!
Isaiah 1:11-15
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before Me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread My courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto Me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hateth: they are a trouble unto Me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
These outward acts and calling of meetings in His Name are an abomination to Him. He says He can’t take it—He’s weary of Words and acts without righteousness and obedience.
Instead of being pleased by this semblance of worship, He says He will not even hear those who show only an outward pretense of devotion to Him.
Through Ezekiel the LORD tells us that even the priests were doing abominable things. They even told themselves, “the LORD does not see us”—but He did see. He sees right through the facade erected for appearance sake. I would encourage you to read all of this story in Ezekiel, chapter eight, but here’s just an excerpt.
Ezekiel 8:11-13,18
And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.
Then said He unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth. He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.
What was to be a place of worship, was instead a place of all sorts of abominations. This is how the LORD said He would deal with it.
[18] Therefore will I also deal in fury: Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in Mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.
Beloved child of God, even if we have been worshipping the LORD in vain, and putting on a show outwardly, He will forgive us when we turn to Him in repentance with our whole heart—when we make the decision to not only hear His Word, but to heed it.
Isaiah 1:16-18
Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
When I was a teen, I wrote the words, “Jesus is Lord” in the front of my Bible. One day I opened my Bible and saw that underneath those words, my Mom had written a question. She asked, “Is He Lord of your life?”
You see it’s one thing to just state a fact, or do an outward act of worship—it’s another thing altogether to allow Jesus to be the LORD of your life.
Allowing Him to be LORD means turning from your own way, or what the world says is okay, and submitting fully to His Ways. His Word then becomes your standard.
If we want to be a righteous nation, we must be ruled by His Word. We can’t be hearers only.
And reading the Word will not save us or our nation, only righteousness will. Righteousness is acting in accord with the Word of the LORD.
Before us today is the question we began with—are we hearers only?
#EyesOnHim