Faith Comes from HEARING | Episode #214
In Episode #214 of the Way of the Bible podcast, we continue our study of Jesus' concluding illustration in the Sermon on the Mount, focusing on the opening words of Matthew 7:24: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice...” The emphasis of this episode is on one crucial word: hears.
Jesus teaches that hearing His words is the beginning of a life built upon a solid foundation. Yet throughout Scripture, we see that people can hear the same message and respond very differently. Why is that?
The episode explores the distinction between physical hearing and spiritual hearing. Physical hearing involves receiving sounds through our ears, but spiritual hearing involves the heart. Jesus repeatedly emphasized that understanding and responding to God's Word is ultimately a matter of the heart's condition.
To illustrate this truth, we examine Jesus' explanation of the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8. The seed is the Word of God, but the condition of the soil determines the outcome. Some hear and quickly lose the message. Others receive it temporarily but fall away under pressure. Some become distracted by life's worries and pleasures. Only the good soil receives, retains, and produces fruit.
This leads to a deeper question: what makes a heart capable of receiving God's Word? Scripture answers through the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Jeremiah describes the human heart as deceitful and beyond cure, while Ezekiel records God's promise to remove hearts of stone and replace them with hearts of flesh. God promises to place His Spirit within His people, enabling them to follow His ways.
The episode then connects these promises to the ministry of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit. Through Christ, God provides cleansing, renewal, and the gift of His Spirit, making genuine faith possible.
Finally, we arrive at Romans 10:17: “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Faith is not merely intellectual agreement. It is the response of a transformed heart that hears the Gospel, believes that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, and responds in repentance and surrender.
The episode concludes with a challenge. Jesus is still speaking through His Word today. Some hear and obey. Others hear and remain unchanged. The difference lies not in the message but in the condition of the heart. The question each listener must answer is simple:
Do I have ears to hear?
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