Scripture Reading: Acts 22:22; Acts 7:57

Introduction:

A. Listening has tremendous value.

1. Comfort, knowledge, warning and understanding are a few of the benefits of listening. (Psalms 46:10; Proverbs 4:10; Proverbs 1:8)

B. We are admonished to be “swift to hear” (James 1:19).

C. Since faith comes by hearing of the word of God (Romans 10:17), why would anyone stop listening to its truth?

Discussion:

I. Paul’s audience listened quietly.

A. They listened to the commitment of Paul to the Jewish faith (Acts 22:2-5).

B. They listened to his encounter with Jesus (Acts 22:6-11).

C. They listened to Paul speaking about a faithful Jew who believed that Jesus was the “Just One” (Acts 22:12-15).

D. They listened to the requirement to have sins forgiven (Acts 22:16).

E. They even listened to Paul’s account of a vision from Jesus that they themselves would not receive the testimony about Jesus (Acts 22:17-21).

II. Listening stops because of prejudice.

A. They stopped listening at the word, “Gentiles” (Acts 22:21-22).

B. Paul finds this same rejection of the word in Acts 28:28-29.

C. There is no respect of persons with God (Romans 2:11).

D. We are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28-29).

E. Jesus quotes Isaiah about ears and eyes closed to the truth (Matthew 13:14-15).

III. Listening stops because of sin.

A. Stephen’s accusers stopped their ears (Acts 7:54-58).

B. The listening stopped when told they had killed the Just One and had not kept the law (Acts 7:51-53).

C. Some will not listen to the light of truth because it exposes their deeds (John 3:19-20).

Conclusion:

It is never easy to change a lifestyle. But the decision to stop listening to truth because it makes you feel uncomfortable is not the solution (John 12:48).

John 3:19-20

19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

It is never easy to change a lifestyle. But the decision to stop listening to truth because it makes you feel uncomfortable is not the solution.

John 12:48

He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.