United Church of God

The Deaf Shall Hear

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The Deaf Shall Hear

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The Deaf Shall Hear

MP3 Audio (11.21 MB)
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For the deaf to receive hearing is a miracle which brings great wonder and joy beyond words.

If listening to the audio, please watch the following Youtube video, first, if possible:

"Hearing for the First Time"

Sermon Notes

The video I have just showed you is a viral video which has been shared for years on various video hosting sites. I have shown it, today, to add impact to your and my perception of what we might call “revelation”. Surely, you were meant to notice, and surely you noticed, how overwhelmed each deaf person was by the brand new ability to hear. Some expressed instant surprise accompanied with great joy, while others, as you watched, you could see something dawning on them so powerful that, as the experience sank in, as the amazement flowered, they came to tears of joy.

Some things happen in life for which the change is otherworldly, beyond the concepts we are prepared to imagine, so when we experience that new reality, we are overwhelmed.

In the case of the individuals in this video, they had no concept of hearing, then, suddenly, they could hear. This revelation brought them instant joy beyond words.

Revelation --> not just a matter-of-fact response

The prophet, Isaiah, likened the truth to hearing… 

Isaiah 29:17  Is it not yet a very little while Till Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, And the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest?
Isaiah 29:18  In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

Isaiah 35:3  Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the feeble knees.
Isaiah 35:4  Say to those who are fearful-hearted, "Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you."
Isaiah 35:5  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Isaiah 35:6  Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert.

 

We as a people of God have received many revelations from God, being that we’ve been called out of this world in this present time. We have learned that no man can come to God except that God call him, or draw him (John 6:44), which means God must give us ears to hear and eyes to see.

Being called, we have been made aware of the absolute necessity for a Redeemer, because it has also been revealed to us the real meaning of truth and its conflict with our sinfulness. We can be certain we have been given a level of awareness we had no capability WHATSOEVER to discover on our own.

I will not be going through the details of the Exodus, today, but I would like to mention the fact that Israel was in slavery with no way out. Through the leadership of Moses, God revealed to Israel by many miracles His ability to rescue them out of Egypt. And they became aware enough that, when God commanded them to keep the Passover, they did exactly what He required, which also saved their firstborn.

We, the firstborn, have been rescued by the blood and body of Jesus Christ, a revelation that at some point, and maybe ongoing, has brought amazement, joy, and tears as we began to see a whole new world unfold before us.

Again, Israel had to face what looked like no way of escape as the Red Sea trapped them, yet they then experienced the revelation of God’s ability to make a dry pathway through the Sea. Their response? They walked through it and became baptized into Moses (1Co 10:1-4). Though it is not described, can you imagine any other reaction than sheer amazement at the spectacle of a wall of water revealing a dry path to escape?

How amazed are we at this calling God has given us? Do we treat God’s revelation sort of matter-of-fact(ly) as some sort of logical construct of legalese, or do we experience the amazing otherworldliness of this miraculous calling?

We need to be a people overwhelmed by what we are miraculously able to hear and see about God’s Way, so overwhelmed that it brings powerful emotion to our state of mind. We need to look like people who are experiencing something otherwise impossible to experience or even explain.

To take of the Passover as we did just the other night is to remember what our Savior did for us, not just because it happened and we can define what it fulfills, but because God has opened our blinded eyes and given us ears to hear. Through Christ’s shed blood and God’s power to deliver, we have been saved, are being saved and will be saved.

As you might recall from Dr. Randy Urwiller’s sermon last week on the East Texas webcast, we can then find the great and overwhelming joy in repentance, which is to turn away from a worldly way of thinking to an otherworldly, enlightened way of thinking; a revelatory way of thinking. And this gift of repentance is afforded us every single day of our lives, so that when we come to Passover and the Days of Unleavened bread we can rejoice in the mighty power of God to save, for, when all is said and done, we can only truly be saved if we fully believe in God’s ability to do so.

There was another aspect to the video that you may or may not have noticed. Did you notice that the deaf were not the only players. Surrounding them were doctors, technicians, friends and family, all of them already able to hear. Did you notice how they looked and how they reacted as the deaf were made to hear? Did you happen to see their joy, too?

You see, Jesus, our Savior, endured the cross for very good reason. After we learn of the faith of those who have gone before us in Hebrews 11, we read the following in chapter 12…

Hebrews 12:1  Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
Hebrews 12:2  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

It is our Father’s and Brother’s joy to see the truth of God revealed in our hearts. There is a time coming when the scales will fall off all eyes, and all ears will become unstopped. The revelation of the joy of truth, which includes salvation, will have an overwhelming, otherworldly impact on every living soul.

Revelation 22:17  And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

With open eyes and unstopped ears, the Spirit will become available for every living soul during the Great White Throne Judgment. We, the firstborn, having our eyes opened and ears unstopped are called to play a key role in revealing the truth to all mankind.

I pray God help us to grow in amazement at the calling given to us as we relish in the joy of knowing God has freed us from the slavery of sin so He can then lead us to our own Promised Land.

Blessed Feast of Unleavened Bread to all of you!