He Who Has Ears to Hear
--- title: "He Who Has Ears to Hear" date: series: "Sermons 2001 Rewritten" text: "Matthew 11:15" speaker: Ed Rangel location: Waupaca Church of Christ bibleversion: NASB 1995 type: Topical status: draft tags:
sermon
sermons-2001-rewritten
hearing
obedience
discipleship
apostasy
cssclasses:
tpt-sermon
tpt-sermon-outline
tpt-mode-outline
---
He Who Has Ears to Hear
Learning Objectives
Explain why Jesus repeatedly said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Identify three kinds of hearers: the dull of hearing, those with itching ears, and those with honest and good hearts.
Show why spiritual listening is necessary for faith, fruitfulness, and endurance.
Warn against the danger of hearing truth without receiving it.
Call hearers to listen to Christ with obedient faith.
Thesis
Jesus’ repeated call to hear is a warning that spiritual hearing is not measured by sound entering the ear, but by truth entering the heart and producing obedient response.
Many people hear sermons the same way they hear background noise. The words pass by. The Bible is opened. The preacher speaks. The invitation is offered. Then the listener walks out unchanged, not because God failed to speak, but because the hearer never truly listened. Jesus knew that danger. That is why He said again and again, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Introduction.
Jesus often called people to listen.
In Matthew 11:15, after speaking about John the Baptist, He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
In Matthew 13:9, after the parable of the sower, He gave the same warning.
In Matthew 13:43, after explaining judgment in the parable of the tares, He said it again.
In Revelation 2–3, He repeated the call to the seven churches of Asia.
The Lord did not repeat that phrase because He lacked words.
He repeated it because men are slow to hear.
He repeated it because truth can be heard and still rejected.
He repeated it because listening is a spiritual issue, not merely a physical ability.
The phrase means more than “notice this.”
It means pay attention.
It means receive the truth.
It means let the message do its work.
It means do not treat the word of God as common sound.
The same problem exists today.
Some sit under sound teaching and never grow.
Some only listen when the sermon pleases them.
Some hear the word, examine it honestly, obey it, and bear fruit.
The question is not whether we have ears on our heads.
The question is whether we have ears in our hearts.
How well do we listen when God speaks?
What kind of hearer are you?
I. Some Hearers Become Dull and Do Not Understand.
The dull of hearing are not always ignorant because they lack opportunity.
Hebrews 5:11 says some had become dull of hearing.
The writer had much to say.
The truth was available.
The problem was not the subject matter.
The problem was the hearers.
They had become hard to teach.
Not because Scripture was weak.
Not because the teacher had no truth.
Not because God had failed to reveal His will.
They had lost spiritual sharpness.
Dull hearing often develops slowly.
A person neglects study.
A person stops caring about correction.
A person hears without applying.
A person grows satisfied with spiritual immaturity.
Jesus connected dull hearing with a dull heart.
In Matthew 13:13–15, Jesus explained why He spoke in parables.
Some saw, but did not truly perceive.
Some heard, but did not truly understand.
Their hearts had become dull.
The issue was not physical deafness.
They had ears.
They heard the sound.
They did not receive the truth.
A dull heart blocks spiritual healing.
The truth is not understood.
The sinner does not turn.
The soul is not healed.
The man remains lost while sitting near the word.
Dull hearing is dangerous because it feels normal.
A dull hearer may still attend worship.
He may still carry a Bible.
He may still know the songs.
He may still recognize the language of faith.
But he no longer trembles before the word.
Warnings do not move him.
Rebuke does not correct him.
Commands do not press him.
Invitations do not stir him.
The danger is not that he never hears.
The danger is that he hears so often without obeying that hearing no longer affects him.
The sermon becomes routine.
The Bible becomes familiar sound.
The heart becomes harder while the body remains in the pew.
II. Some Hearers Want Their Ears Tickled Instead of Their Souls Corrected.
Paul warned that some would reject sound doctrine.
Second Timothy 4:3–4 warns of people who will not endure sound doctrine.
They do not want healthy teaching.
They do not want correction.
They want teaching that matches their desires.
These hearers gather teachers according to their own appetites.
They want someone to tell them what they already want to believe.
They want preaching that comforts their rebellion.
They want religion without surrender.
They turn away from truth and turn aside to myths.
False doctrine does not need to be reasonable to be attractive.
It only needs to satisfy the desire of the hearer.
Error becomes easy to believe when truth is unwanted.
Itching ears are selective ears.
Some listen only when the sermon agrees with them.
They enjoy preaching against sins they do not practice.
They like correction aimed at someone else.
They resist the word when it touches their own home, habits, doctrine, or heart.
Some listen only when the preacher sounds pleasant.
They confuse softness with love.
They confuse bluntness with hatred.
They judge the sermon by how it made them feel instead of whether it told the truth.
Some listen only to preserve tradition.
If Scripture confirms the tradition, they quote it.
If Scripture exposes the tradition, they dodge it.
That is not hearing Christ; that is using Christ.
Itching ears produce dangerous religion.
They produce churches that cannot endure correction.
Sound doctrine becomes “too negative.”
Warnings become “unloving.”
Authority becomes “legalism.”
Obedience becomes “works salvation.”
They produce sinners who think comfort is salvation.
The hearer feels religious.
The hearer feels accepted.
The hearer remains unconverted.
They produce saints who drift while being entertained.
The sermon may be polished.
The atmosphere may be pleasant.
But the soul is not being warned, corrected, trained, and strengthened.
A man with itching ears is not looking for truth.
He is shopping for permission.
He wants a teacher who will let him keep what God told him to leave.
He wants a gospel that saves without ruling.
III. Some Hearers Receive the Word with Honest and Good Hearts.
Jesus praised the hearer who receives and bears fruit.
In Luke 8:15, Jesus describes the good soil.
These hear the word.
They hold it fast.
They bear fruit with perseverance.
The difference is not the seed.
The word is the same.
The message is true.
The condition of the heart makes the difference.
The honest and good heart does not merely enjoy truth.
It keeps truth.
It obeys truth.
It endures under truth.
It produces fruit.
The Bereans show noble hearing.
Acts 17:11 says the Bereans received the word with eagerness and examined the Scriptures.
They were not gullible.
They were not lazy.
They were not hostile to truth.
They tested the teaching by Scripture.
Not by family tradition.
Not by denominational loyalty.
Not by emotional preference.
Not by the popularity of the preacher.
Noble hearing welcomes examination.
Truth does not fear investigation.
False doctrine hates scrutiny.
A sincere hearer wants Scripture to decide the matter.
Honest hearing produces obedience.
The noble hearer does not ask, “Do I like this?”
He asks, “Is this what God said?”
He asks, “What must I change?”
He asks, “What must I obey?”
Honest hearing is not passive.
It listens carefully.
It compares with Scripture.
It receives correction.
It acts.
The church needs this kind of hearing.
Hearing that can be taught.
Hearing that can be corrected.
Hearing that can be warned.
Hearing that can bear fruit.
A preacher cannot make the heart honest.
He can preach the word.
He can plead with the hearer.
But the hearer must decide whether truth will be received or resisted.
IV. Good Listening Is Necessary for Salvation, Fruitfulness, and Faithfulness.
Good listening is essential to saving faith.
Romans 10 teaches that faith comes through hearing the word of Christ.
Faith does not come through imagination.
Faith does not come through family heritage.
Faith does not come through human tradition.
Faith comes when the word of Christ is heard and received.
A man cannot believe what he refuses to hear.
The gospel must be preached.
The sinner must listen.
The word must be received.
Romans 1:16–17 identifies the gospel as God’s power for salvation.
The gospel must not be replaced by stories, opinions, or emotional pressure.
The gospel reveals what man needs to know and obey.
Faith must answer the message God gave.
Good listening is essential to fruitfulness.
The parable of the sower shows only the good soil bearing proper fruit.
The hard heart rejects.
The shallow heart withers.
The crowded heart is choked.
The honest heart bears fruit.
Fruit does not come from hearing alone.
A man may hear and forget.
A man may hear and resist.
A man may hear and delay.
The fruitful man hears, holds fast, and perseveres.
Fruitfulness proves the word has taken root.
Changed speech.
Changed habits.
Changed worship.
Changed priorities.
Changed treatment of brethren.
Changed endurance in trials.
Good listening is essential to preventing apostasy.
Hebrews 2:1 warns Christians to pay much closer attention to what they have heard.
Neglected truth leads to drift.
Drift often begins quietly.
No one drifts toward faithfulness by accident.
Poor listening is often the first step toward falling away.
First, the warnings sound repetitive.
Then correction sounds irritating.
Then doctrine sounds optional.
Then worship sounds inconvenient.
Then sin sounds reasonable.
Hebrews 2 asks how we shall escape if we neglect so great a salvation.
The danger is real.
The warning is not pretend.
A Christian can drift by neglecting what he has heard.
The man who will not listen is already in danger.
He may still be present.
He may still be known by brethren.
But if the word no longer rules him, he is drifting.
Application.
For the hearer in the pew.
Do not measure your listening by whether you sat through the sermon.
Measure it by whether the word corrected you, strengthened you, and moved you to obey.
If you can hear truth for years and remain unchanged, something is wrong with the heart.
For the Christian who has grown dull.
Ask whether the word still moves you.
Ask whether correction still reaches you.
Ask whether you are harder to teach now than you were before.
For the church.
A congregation that wants entertainment more than doctrine is already asking for teachers to tickle its ears.
A church that cannot endure correction cannot remain faithful.
A faithful church must keep hearing Christ, even when His word cuts.
For parents and teachers.
Teach children how to listen to God.
Do not train them to endure worship as dead time.
Do not let them think sermons are background noise.
A generation that does not learn to hear will not learn to obey.
Conclusion.
Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
He said it about John.
He said it in the parables.
He said it to the churches.
The phrase is a warning, not decoration.
There are still different kinds of hearers.
Some are dull of hearing.
Some have itching ears.
Some hear with honest and good hearts.
Listening to God is not small.
Faith comes by hearing.
Fruit comes through hearing held fast.
Apostasy is prevented by paying closer attention.
Isaiah 55 calls men to listen so they may live.
God’s word offers what the soul needs.
The things of the world cannot satisfy.
Life is found by inclining the ear to God.
There is also a time when God does not listen.
Isaiah 59 teaches that sin separates man from God.
The problem is not that God is weak.
The problem is that sin stands between the sinner and God.
At the transfiguration, the Father spoke from the cloud and pointed to His Son.
“This is My Son.”
“Listen to Him.”
That command still stands.
Plan of Salvation
Hear the word.
Faith begins when the sinner hears the message of Christ.
No man can obey a gospel he refuses to hear.
Reference: Romans 10:17.
Believe Christ.
The sinner must believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
Faith must rest in Christ, not in feelings, heritage, or religious assumption.
Reference: John 8:24.
Repent.
Repentance turns the heart from sin toward God.
A man who hears Christ but refuses repentance has not listened with an honest heart.
Reference: Acts 17:30.
Confess Christ.
Faith must not remain hidden.
The sinner must confess Christ as Lord.
Reference: Romans 10:9–10.
Be baptized for the remission of sins.
The sinner must submit to baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness.
Baptism is not a symbol after salvation; Scripture connects it with forgiveness, new life, and entrance into Christ.
References: Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3–4; Galatians 3:27; 1 Peter 3:21.
Live faithfully.
The saved must keep listening to Christ.
Faithfulness requires continued attention, obedience, repentance, and endurance.
Reference: Revelation 2:10.
Word Study.
| Word | Original | Meaning | Use in Text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hear | ἀκούω / akouō | To hear, listen, heed, obey. | Jesus calls men not merely to hear sound, but to heed truth. |
| Ears | οὖς / ous | Physical ear, organ of hearing. | Used by Jesus to press spiritual responsibility. |
| Dull | νωθρός / nōthros | Sluggish, lazy, slow, dull. | Hebrews 5:11 describes hearers who became hard to teach. |
| Doctrine | διδασκαλία / didaskalia | Teaching, instruction. | Second Timothy 4:3 warns of those who will not endure sound teaching. |
| Noble-minded | εὐγενής / eugenēs | Noble, fair-minded, honorable. | Acts 17:11 describes the Bereans’ honest reception and examination of Scripture. |
| Hold fast | κατέχω / katechō | To hold firmly, keep secure. | Luke 8:15 describes the good heart that holds the word and bears fruit. |
| Drift away | παραρρέω / pararreō | To slip away, drift past. | Hebrews 2:1 warns that neglecting what is heard leads to spiritual drift. |
|---|---|---|---| | Hear | ἀκούω / akouō | To hear, listen, heed, obey. | Jesus calls men not merely to hear sound, but to heed truth. | | Ears | οὖς / ous | Physical ear, organ of hearing. | Used by Jesus to press spiritual responsibility. | | Dull | νωθρός / nōthros | Sluggish, lazy, slow, dull. | Hebrews 5:11 describes hearers who became hard to teach. | | Doctrine | διδασκαλία / didaskalia | Teaching, instruction. | Second Timothy 4:3 warns of those who will not endure sound teaching. | | Noble-minded | εὐγενής / eugenēs | Noble, fair-minded, honorable. | Acts 17:11 describes the Bereans’ honest reception and examination of Scripture. | | Hold fast | κατέχω / katechō | To hold firmly, keep secure. | Luke 8:15 describes the good heart that holds the word and bears fruit. | | Drift away | παραρρέω / pararreō | To slip away, drift past. | Hebrews 2:1 warns that neglecting what is heard leads to spiritual drift. |
Scripture Interlock Table.
| Testament | Reference | Original Context | Connection to Main Text | Doctrinal Use | Sermon / Teaching Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Testament | Isaiah 6:9–10 | Isaiah is sent to a people who hear but do not understand because of hardened hearts. | Jesus uses this principle to explain dull hearing in Matthew 13. | Shows hearing can be resisted by a hardened heart. | Supports Point I. |
| Old Testament | Isaiah 55:2–3 | God calls His people to listen so the soul may live and be satisfied. | Shows spiritual life requires receiving God’s word. | Calls hearers to seek what truly satisfies. | Supports Conclusion. |
| Old Testament | Isaiah 59:1–2 | Isaiah teaches that sin separates people from God and hides His face from them. | Shows God hears, but sin blocks fellowship with Him. | Warns against sin while claiming access to God. | Supports Conclusion. |
| New Testament | Matthew 11:15 | Jesus calls hearers to listen after speaking of John the Baptist. | Main text and theme. | Shows the need for spiritual hearing. | Governs the sermon. |
| New Testament | Matthew 13:9 | Jesus calls for hearing after the parable of the sower. | Connects hearing with heart condition and fruitfulness. | Shows the word must be received rightly. | Supports Points III and IV. |
| New Testament | Luke 8:15 | Jesus describes good soil as those who hear with honest and good hearts and bear fruit. | Defines the right kind of hearer. | Shows obedient hearing produces fruit. | Supports Point III. |
| New Testament | Hebrews 5:11 | The writer says some had become dull of hearing. | Identifies one kind of bad listener. | Warns against spiritual sluggishness. | Supports Point I. |
| New Testament | 2 Timothy 4:3–4 | Paul warns of people who reject sound doctrine and gather teachers to suit their desires. | Identifies the itching-ear hearer. | Exposes desire-driven religion. | Supports Point II. |
| New Testament | Acts 17:11 | The Bereans receive the word eagerly and examine Scripture daily. | Shows noble hearing. | Establishes Scripture as the test of teaching. | Supports Point III. |
| New Testament | Romans 10:14–17 | Paul explains that faith comes through hearing the word of Christ. | Shows hearing is necessary for saving faith. | Grounds gospel response in the preached word. | Supports Point IV and Plan of Salvation. |
| New Testament | Hebrews 2:1–3 | Christians are warned to pay closer attention lest they drift away. | Shows poor hearing leads to apostasy. | Supports conditional security and endurance. | Supports Point IV. |
| New Testament | Luke 9:35 | The Father commands men to listen to His Son. | Gives the final divine command about hearing Christ. | Establishes Christ’s authority. | Supports Conclusion. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Old Testament | Isaiah 6:9–10 | Isaiah is sent to a people who hear but do not understand because of hardened hearts. | Jesus uses this principle to explain dull hearing in Matthew 13. | Shows hearing can be resisted by a hardened heart. | Supports Point I. | | Old Testament | Isaiah 55:2–3 | God calls His people to listen so the soul may live and be satisfied. | Shows spiritual life requires receiving God’s word. | Calls hearers to seek what truly satisfies. | Supports Conclusion. | | Old Testament | Isaiah 59:1–2 | Isaiah teaches that sin separates people from God and hides His face from them. | Shows God hears, but sin blocks fellowship with Him. | Warns against sin while claiming access to God. | Supports Conclusion. | | New Testament | Matthew 11:15 | Jesus calls hearers to listen after speaking of John the Baptist. | Main text and theme. | Shows the need for spiritual hearing. | Governs the sermon. | | New Testament | Matthew 13:9 | Jesus calls for hearing after the parable of the sower. | Connects hearing with heart condition and fruitfulness. | Shows the word must be received rightly. | Supports Points III and IV. | | New Testament | Luke 8:15 | Jesus describes good soil as those who hear with honest and good hearts and bear fruit. | Defines the right kind of hearer. | Shows obedient hearing produces fruit. | Supports Point III. | | New Testament | Hebrews 5:11 | The writer says some had become dull of hearing. | Identifies one kind of bad listener. | Warns against spiritual sluggishness. | Supports Point I. | | New Testament | 2 Timothy 4:3–4 | Paul warns of people who reject sound doctrine and gather teachers to suit their desires. | Identifies the itching-ear hearer. | Exposes desire-driven religion. | Supports Point II. | | New Testament | Acts 17:11 | The Bereans receive the word eagerly and examine Scripture daily. | Shows noble hearing. | Establishes Scripture as the test of teaching. | Supports Point III. | | New Testament | Romans 10:14–17 | Paul explains that faith comes through hearing the word of Christ. | Shows hearing is necessary for saving faith. | Grounds gospel response in the preached word. | Supports Point IV and Plan of Salvation. | | New Testament | Hebrews 2:1–3 | Christians are warned to pay closer attention lest they drift away. | Shows poor hearing leads to apostasy. | Supports conditional security and endurance. | Supports Point IV. | | New Testament | Luke 9:35 | The Father commands men to listen to His Son. | Gives the final divine command about hearing Christ. | Establishes Christ’s authority. | Supports Conclusion. |
Invitation.
Hear the word.
Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Believe Christ.
John 8:24 warns that unless you believe that Jesus is He, you will die in your sins.
Repent.
Acts 17:30 says God commands all people everywhere to repent.
Confess Christ.
Romans 10:9–10 teaches confession with the mouth and belief in the heart.
Be baptized for the remission of sins.
Acts 2:38 commands repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
Live faithfully.
Revelation 2:10 calls the Christian to be faithful until death.
