HAVING EYES TO SEE AND

EARS TO HEAR

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JESUS SPOKE ABOUT SEEING AND HEARING

“I only DO the things I SEE my Father do …”“I only SPEAK what I HEAR my Father speak …”

Jesus’ ability to SEE what His heavenly Father was doing and HEAR what His heavenly Father was saying was a KEY factor in the success of His ministry.

He then carried out what He SAW and spoke out what He HEARD … joining Himself to the work of the Father, bringing fulfillment in the earth of what He saw and heard ‘in the Spirit’.

ROMANS 1:20

• Ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities — His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. (NLT)

MATTHEW 13:13 - 16• They look, but they don’t really see. They hear,

but they don’t really listen or understand . . . This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says … ‘The hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes - so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. (NLT)

GOD’S WORD SPEAKS ABOUT SEEING AND HEARING

• Abraham had to SEE something to stay focused on the promises of God. (Gen.22:17)

• Some heard God’s voice at Mt. Sinai, but others said it thundered. Some heard God at Jesus’ baptism, but others said it only thundered. (Jn.12:29)

• Moses left Egypt by faith, his eyes set on Him whom is invisible. (Heb. 11:27)

• Moses SAW the tabernacle in heaven so knew how to build it on the earth (Heb 8:5)

• Moses parents bravely hid baby Moses because of what they SAW in him. (Heb. 11:23)

• David SAW something in the encounter with Goliath that others did not see. ( Sam.17:23)

• O.T. heroes of our faith SAW God’s promises from a distance, agreed they were nomads in the earth, and that God’s heavenly city was worth waiting for. ( Heb. 11:13-16)

• Jesus SAW a lame man at the Pool of Bethesda … (John 5:2-9)

• Peter & John STARED intently at the lame man. Whatever they SAW caused them to speak life to him. (Acts 3:1-8)

• Paul & Barnabas in Lystra SAW the lame man had faith to be healed (Acts 14:9)

WHAT ABOUT US?• HOW do we look at life - - at ourselves, at

others, at the world around us, at God and His word?

• WHAT do we SEE ?

• HOW do we listen - - to ourselves, to others, to the world around us, to God and to His word?

• What do we HEAR ? • Having EYES to REALLY SEE and EARS to

REALLY HEAR may be our greatest need!

God’s word says that when we ask anything according to His will, we

know He hears us … and that we can be confident that we have whatever

we have asked. 1 John 5:15 + John 15:16

LET’S PRAY!

Heavenly Father, we ask You to anoint our eyes to SEE, not only what You see but also the way that you see. We want to be able to look at ourselves, others and the world around us through Your eyes to be able to see what You are doing so we can join You in Your work in the earth, as Jesus did. We pray also that you anoint our ears to HEAR, not only what You hear, but also the way You hear - - with grace, with love, and with faith. Because this we know this is Your revealed will, in faith we ask You and we thank You for answering our prayer, in Jesus’ name. Amen!