Blessings with Ears to Hear Title
Isaiah (121) The blessing of having ears to hear (Isaiah 50:1-11)
<Have ears to hear>
God sometimes sends out believers from the seat of blessing for educational purposes (verse 1). In order to receive the grace of restoration in that situation, two things are especially necessary. One is “a tongue that speaks helpful words” and the other is “an ear that hears” (verse 4). A blessed tongue and ears usually lead to a life of obedience and progress (v. 5). How was Jesus able to go completely on the path of his mission without being shaken on the way of the cross? It was because he always heard the 'sky drum' and went out.
How many 'worldly drums' are there now that seduce the soul? The content of the drumbeat of the world is usually compressed into the sound of “Strength is Justice!” To those who listen to the drums of the world, the image of Jesus carrying the cross without any resistance seems powerless. However, the Lord did not use his power because he was powerless, but because he did not use his omnipotent power. The power to subdue powerful people without using that much power is the real power.
Being weak and fearful and not resisting is sullen, but having strength and quietly walking in the path of righteousness is true courage. Pastor Gandina Martin Luther King had such courage, and the source of that courage is the ‘ear to hear’.
The ‘scholar’s tongue’ and ‘the scholar’s ear’ are the two main sources of victory in life. The prayer time is a time to speak with the tongue and a time to listen with the ears. Those who hear well with their ears can hear well with their tongues. If you open your ears, God will also give you the Word. Don't worry about who you meet, what you say, and how you can persuade them. First, open your heart to God and open your ears. Then the Word will be given.
A baby's mother can hear her baby's cry even when there is a lot of noise around her. Just like that, become a saint who can understand the sound of the drums in heaven even in the sound of the drums of the world. The reason Jesus did not lose his composure in the midst of trials was because he heard the sound of the drums in heaven through the noise of the drums of the world. So, have “ears to hear” and listen to the voice of God. God's reproach is more fearful than the world's condemnation, and God's approval is more precious than the world's praise.
<Follow the will of God>
The drumbeat of the fortress world has penetrated into the church a lot. In particular, how much does an external church growth strategy formed by following the drums of the world ruin the church? According to the drumbeat of the world, it seems to grow temporarily, but in the long run, it will retreat. When a believer decides something, the important criterion is not “how effective is it?” but “Is it really in accordance with God’s will?” A church can become the salt and light of the world only when we try to follow God's will, even if we are a little stubborn.
It is the life that the church should choose to walk the right path even if it seems slow, to take 10 steps together rather than to go 100 steps ahead alone, and to push and pull from the back rather than trample and climb up others. Rang (狼) and bae (狽), which make up the word naughty, are both beasts of the wolf family. The word that describes such a situation is the word disappointment. If you rush to find a shortcut like that, you will inevitably be at a loss.
Since the 1980s, the ‘Church Growth Seminar’ for external success has been a sensation in Korean churches. However, there are many views that the ‘Church Growth Seminar’ is the main culprit that ruined the Korean church. Free yourself from the myth of size. Free yourself from the myth of numbers. Free yourself from the worldly principles that know power as justice.
A fundamental and internal change is necessary for such a history of liberation. So we need a word. When things turn complicated and your heart falls into chaos, if you quietly look to the Lord, God gives you a tongue to help you, and opens your ears to understand reality and the truth. If we live according to the enlightened word and do not retreat from the way of the cross, the amazing work of restoration will appear. The way the soul and the church live is in the Word. After all, the greatest learning in life is ‘learning the Word’.