“Keep on hearing but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.” Isaiah 6:9
Listening to God is, for us, not a simple matter. We bring into the experience a complication: our preferences, our preconceptions. Listening is not easy. It can be impossible. Isaiah said so.
The New Testament authors quoted this Isaianic text on multiple occasions. The early Christian movement suffered opposition for its good news of God’s grace. They found the explanation here in Isaiah. What’s the insight?
Every time we hear the Word of God, we come away from it either a little closer to God or a little further away, either more softened or more hardened. But we are never just the same. And if the gospel isn’t saving us, what will?
A sermon is, above all else, our moment with God. How we hear it reveals our deepest, truest feelings about him. His message is grace. We will experience it that way, if our hearts are open. If our hearts are demanding, no sermon can help us.
“Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21).
