Incline Your Ear
Incline means – a leaning of the mind or will; to deviate from a direction.
Your hearing can be tuned into the things of God. God is speaking and He wants
us to hear and obey (Proverbs 4:1-2, 20-21) says “hear you children, the
instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good
doctrine, forsake you not my law. My son, attend to my words; incline your ear to
my sayings. Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your
hear. For they are life to those that fine them, and health to all their flesh. Keep
your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life”. We incline our
ears, by focusing on the word of God and meditating on it, until it become more
real to us than what we see, hear and taste in the natural.
The Bible is full of the word of God, and because the Bible is the truth, we can
trust it. All we have to do is to dig in and pull out all kinds of nuggets.
The Psalmist says in Psalm 78:1-4 “give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your
ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark
sayings of old. Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the
praises of the Lord Yahweh, and His strength; and His wonderful works that He
has done”.
Joshua proclaims to the Israelites “now therefore reverence the Lord Yahweh, and
serve Him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers
served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve you the Lord
Yahweh. And if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord Yahweh, choose you this day
whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the
other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but
as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord Yahweh”.
You are either serving God or you are serving the devil, there is no middle
ground. Jesus said “if you are not with Me, you are against Me”.
Inclining your ear is something that we have to make a choice to do, for ourselves,
by not by ourselves. After Joshua’s speech the people made their choice (Joshua
24:22-24) “and Joshua said to the people, you are witnesses against yourselves
that you have chosen you the Lord Yahweh, to serve Him, and they said, we are
witnesses. Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among
you, and incline your heart to the Lord Yahweh God of Israel. And the people
said to Joshua, the Lord Yahweh our God will we serve, and His voice will we
obey”.
God loves us so much, that He sent many prophets to His people to get them to
turn from evil (Jeremiah 7:23-26) “but this thing commanded I them, saying; obey
My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people; and walk you in all
the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well to you. But they
hearkened not, nor inclined their ear; but walked in the counsels and in the
imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward. Since the day
that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have even sent
to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them. Yet
they hearkened not to Me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck; they did
worse than their fathers”. Remember that He wants us to prosper and be in
health even as our soul prospers.
In Jeremiah 17:23 God said “but they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but
made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction”.
In Jeremiah 25:4-7 God says “and the Lord Yahweh has sent to you all His
servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but you have not
hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear. They said, turn you again now every
one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that
the Lord Yahweh has given to you and to your fathers forever and ever. And go
not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke Me not to
anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt. Yet you have not
hearkened to Me, says the Lord Yahweh; that you might provoke Me to anger with
the works of your hands to your own hurt”.
God tells us to come and buy with no monies (Isaiah 55:1-3) “Ho, every one that
thirsts, come you to the waters, and he that has no money; come you, buy, and
eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do
you spend money for that which is not bread? And your labor for that which
satisfies not? Hearken diligently to Me, and eat you that which is good, and let
your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come to Me, hear, and
your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the
sure mercies of David”. He wants to bless us.
Isaiah 26:3 is a great promise to hang on to, it says “You (God) will keep him in
perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You; because he trusts in You”.
Jesus said many times “he that has an ear, let him hear” (Mathews 11:13, 13:9,
43). Jesus said in John 10:27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and
they follow Me”. In John 5:25 Jesus says “Verily, verily, I say to you, the hour is
coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and
they that hear shall live”.
Jesus tried to explain to Pilate (John 18:37) “Pilate therefore said to Him, are You
a king then? Jesus answered, you say that I am a king; to this end was I born,
and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth;
every one that is of the truth hears My voice”. But Pilate said to Him, what is truth?
We are told to set our mind (Colossians 3:1-3) “if you then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. St
your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you are dead, and
your life is hid with Christ in God”.
We have to focus our faith in Jesus; Peter stepped out of the ship upon the word
that Jesus spoke, until he stopped hearing Jesus and began looking at the
circumstances (Matthew 14:25-30) “and in the fourth watch of the night Jesus
went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the
sea, they were troubled, saying, it is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But
immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, be of good cheer; it is I be not afraid.
And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be You, bid me come to You on the
water. And He said, Come, and when Peter was come down out of the ship, he
walked on the water; to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was
afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me”.
The Psalmist says in Psalm 119:111-112 “Your testimonies have I taken as a
heritage forever; for they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined my heart to
perform Your statutes always, even to the end”.
David prayed in Psalm 141:1-4 “Lord Yahweh, I cry to You; make haste to me,
give ear to my voice, when I cry to You. Let my prayer be set forth before You as
incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Set a watch, O
Lord Yahweh, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to
any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity; and let me not
eat of their dainties”. We too can pray like this, remember that God sent the Holy
Spirit to be our Helper.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: January 28, 2011
Incline means – a leaning of the mind or will; to deviate from a direction.
Your hearing can be tuned into the things of God. God is speaking and He wants
us to hear and obey (Proverbs 4:1-2, 20-21) says “hear you children, the
instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good
doctrine, forsake you not my law. My son, attend to my words; incline your ear to
my sayings. Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your
hear. For they are life to those that fine them, and health to all their flesh. Keep
your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life”. We incline our
ears, by focusing on the word of God and meditating on it, until it become more
real to us than what we see, hear and taste in the natural.
The Bible is full of the word of God, and because the Bible is the truth, we can
trust it. All we have to do is to dig in and pull out all kinds of nuggets.
The Psalmist says in Psalm 78:1-4 “give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your
ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark
sayings of old. Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the
praises of the Lord Yahweh, and His strength; and His wonderful works that He
has done”.
Joshua proclaims to the Israelites “now therefore reverence the Lord Yahweh, and
serve Him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers
served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve you the Lord
Yahweh. And if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord Yahweh, choose you this day
whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the
other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but
as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord Yahweh”.
You are either serving God or you are serving the devil, there is no middle
ground. Jesus said “if you are not with Me, you are against Me”.
Inclining your ear is something that we have to make a choice to do, for ourselves,
by not by ourselves. After Joshua’s speech the people made their choice (Joshua
24:22-24) “and Joshua said to the people, you are witnesses against yourselves
that you have chosen you the Lord Yahweh, to serve Him, and they said, we are
witnesses. Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among
you, and incline your heart to the Lord Yahweh God of Israel. And the people
said to Joshua, the Lord Yahweh our God will we serve, and His voice will we
obey”.
God loves us so much, that He sent many prophets to His people to get them to
turn from evil (Jeremiah 7:23-26) “but this thing commanded I them, saying; obey
My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people; and walk you in all
the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well to you. But they
hearkened not, nor inclined their ear; but walked in the counsels and in the
imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward. Since the day
that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have even sent
to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them. Yet
they hearkened not to Me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck; they did
worse than their fathers”. Remember that He wants us to prosper and be in
health even as our soul prospers.
In Jeremiah 17:23 God said “but they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but
made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction”.
In Jeremiah 25:4-7 God says “and the Lord Yahweh has sent to you all His
servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but you have not
hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear. They said, turn you again now every
one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that
the Lord Yahweh has given to you and to your fathers forever and ever. And go
not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke Me not to
anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt. Yet you have not
hearkened to Me, says the Lord Yahweh; that you might provoke Me to anger with
the works of your hands to your own hurt”.
God tells us to come and buy with no monies (Isaiah 55:1-3) “Ho, every one that
thirsts, come you to the waters, and he that has no money; come you, buy, and
eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do
you spend money for that which is not bread? And your labor for that which
satisfies not? Hearken diligently to Me, and eat you that which is good, and let
your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come to Me, hear, and
your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the
sure mercies of David”. He wants to bless us.
Isaiah 26:3 is a great promise to hang on to, it says “You (God) will keep him in
perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You; because he trusts in You”.
Jesus said many times “he that has an ear, let him hear” (Mathews 11:13, 13:9,
43). Jesus said in John 10:27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and
they follow Me”. In John 5:25 Jesus says “Verily, verily, I say to you, the hour is
coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and
they that hear shall live”.
Jesus tried to explain to Pilate (John 18:37) “Pilate therefore said to Him, are You
a king then? Jesus answered, you say that I am a king; to this end was I born,
and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth;
every one that is of the truth hears My voice”. But Pilate said to Him, what is truth?
We are told to set our mind (Colossians 3:1-3) “if you then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. St
your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you are dead, and
your life is hid with Christ in God”.
We have to focus our faith in Jesus; Peter stepped out of the ship upon the word
that Jesus spoke, until he stopped hearing Jesus and began looking at the
circumstances (Matthew 14:25-30) “and in the fourth watch of the night Jesus
went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the
sea, they were troubled, saying, it is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But
immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, be of good cheer; it is I be not afraid.
And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be You, bid me come to You on the
water. And He said, Come, and when Peter was come down out of the ship, he
walked on the water; to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was
afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me”.
The Psalmist says in Psalm 119:111-112 “Your testimonies have I taken as a
heritage forever; for they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined my heart to
perform Your statutes always, even to the end”.
David prayed in Psalm 141:1-4 “Lord Yahweh, I cry to You; make haste to me,
give ear to my voice, when I cry to You. Let my prayer be set forth before You as
incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Set a watch, O
Lord Yahweh, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to
any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity; and let me not
eat of their dainties”. We too can pray like this, remember that God sent the Holy
Spirit to be our Helper.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: January 28, 2011
