Complimentary Story
Summer 2025 Around the turn of the century, there was a group of applicants waiting to be interviewed for a job as a wireless operator. With the exception of one person, the entire group was busy talking amongst themselves. The one person who was not talking was listening intently to the sound of dots and dashes coming over the loudspeaker.
Without warning, this person jumped out of the chair and almost raced into the hiring manager’s office. The rest of the group stopped their talking long enough to chuckle at the sight, thinking the person would certainly be disqualified for bursting into the manager’s office unannounced.
Moments later, this same person came out of the office with a huge smile and the exclamation, “I got the job!” Bewildered, the entire group began to protest and said, “How did you do that?”
The person responded, “If you hadn’t all been talking you would have heard the hiring manager’s coded message over the loudspeaker. It said, ‘The person I need for this job must always be on the alert. The first one who hears this message and comes into my office will get the job as the wireless operator.’ ”
Recently at our church, we began our study of Jesus’ great Sermon on the Mount. We learned that in order to enter the Kingdom of God – i.e. be born again – we must come to a place where we see our spiritual poverty; we come to see that we are sinners needing God’s mercy and grace.
As I thought about this text, I realized it is possible to hear the greatest sermon ever taught and go away unchanged by it. I’m sure it happened the very day Jesus spoke the words we’ll study today.
But I pray that as we look at what Jesus said concerning the Christian life that no one will leave this place unchanged today.
Is there anything we can do as individuals to make sure we hear all that God is speaking to us? I believe there is and I want to point out three things as we begin our study.
The first thing we can do is to develop an attentive heart. That is the point of the wireless operator illustration. James said:
“Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the Word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” (1:19-22).
“Quick to hear” refers to an “alert ear.” James is not talking about physically hearing words, because it is possible to hear and yet not hear. We do this all the time with our spouses.
When James says we must be quick to hear, he means we must be alert at all times to listen to what God has to say. Jesus constantly talked about “having ears to hear.” What He meant by that was people need to have hearts that are attentive to God; that are sensitive, that are listening. We must have a sensitive spirit if we are going to live for God because He is constantly communicating with us.
James mentions 2 other things in the passage I just cited that can keep us from hearing God’s Word. He says we must be “slow to speak.” What does this mean? It means exactly what it says. Someone once said, “We have two ears and one mouth. That should tell us something about the ratio of talking to listening that God desires.”
The other thing James points out in that passage is that we are to be slow to anger. This means we must work to cultivate a calm spirit. It’s a fact that when we are upset, our capacity to hear diminishes greatly.
So, the first thing we can do as individuals to make sure we hear God when He speaks is that we cultivate an attentive heart. The second thing we can do is maintain a “teachable spirit.”
After telling us to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, James says “in humility receive the Word implanted, which is able to save your souls.” How do we receive God’s Word? We receive God’s Word humbly — in humility.
This speaks directly to the third thing we can do – develop an obedient walk. The reason God gives us His Word is to make us wise so that we will listen and obey. The result of listening and obeying is the salvation of our souls.
There seems to be a huge disconnect today within the church though. There are many people who know facts about God but do not know God. They think knowing facts about God is the same thing as knowing God in a saving relationship. That is a lie of the devil.
A.W. Tozer, the late pastor and author once wrote: “There is an evil which, in its effect on the Christian religion, may be more destructive than communism, Romanism (Roman Catholicism), and liberalism combined. It is the glaring disparity between theology and practice among professing Christians. So wide is this gulf between theory and practice in the church that an inquiring stranger who chances upon both, would scarcely dream that there was any relation between the two of them. An intelligent observer of our human scene who heard a Sunday morning message and later watched the Sunday afternoon conduct of those who heard it would conclude that he had been examining two distinct and contrary religions. It appears to me that too many Christians want to enjoy the thrill of feeling right but are not willing to endure the inconvenience of being right. And so, the divorce between theory and practice becomes permanent in fact. Truth sits forsaken and grieves ‘til her professed followers come home for a brief visit. But she sees them depart again when the bills come due.”
Tozer was not one to mince words. The interesting thing about his comments here is that he wrote them as a critique of what he saw 50 years ago!
Folks, there should be no disparity between what we profess and what we possess! There should be no difference between what we say we believe and our actions!
Jesus has not called us to be people who know His words only. He has called us to be people who obey His words always.
Steven Curtis Chapman wrote a song a few years ago that illustrates this point perfectly. The name of the song is called “The Change.” Here’s what it says in part:
“Well I got myself a t-shirt that says what I believe;
I got letters on my bracelet to serve as my ID;
I got the necklace and the keychain, and almost everything a good Christian needs.
I got the little Bible magnets on my refrigerator door;
And a welcome mat to bless you before walk across my floor.
I got a Jesus bumper sticker, and the outline of a fish stuck on my car;
And even though this stuff is all well and good, I cannot help but ask myself;
What about the change? What about the difference? What about the grace? What about forgiveness? What about a life that’s showing I’m undergoing the change?
We are to be people who live the Word, who obey the Word, who speak the Word, and who share the Word — all because we know it is the way to salvation in Christ.
Let’s see what God will tell us today from His Word. Verse 3. We know that the path to happiness, to being blessed, to experiencing joy in this life begins with understanding and accepting that without God we are spiritually bankrupt.
Thus, we could read verse 3 this way: “Happy is the person who finally recognizes that he or she can’t make it; can’t handle life all by him/her self. So he/she comes to God and says, “God I need You in my life. I can’t do this alone.”
What you’ll see from this basis is a progression of sorts in the remaining Beatitudes. Verse 4. This verse reminds me of Charlie Brown’s favorite expression – “Good grief!”
How can grief be good? It’s good when it is the result of seeing your spiritual poverty in verse 3. Jesus is saying, “When you finally accept your spiritual poverty and that your only hope is to have God in your life, then your sins will break your heart and you will mourn.”
Let me ask you a question. How long has it been since you agonized over your sinfulness? How long has it been since you took a serious inventory of your life?
What happens during the process of mourning over our shortcomings? Confession and repentance washes over us and draws us closer to God.
That’s one of many points that are made in the parable of the prodigal son. Now, the world tends to laugh at such talk. Sin? What is that? It is fashionable today to believe that sin is an outdated way of thinking. People increasingly believe that there are only good choices and bad choices. Good choices produce what we want and bad choices don’t.
Many people today live as if life is one big party. They believe they live in a morally neutral universe where there are no consequences to their actions because there is no such thing as an absolute standard of right and wrong.
Those people are much like the man at the Los Angeles International Airport who was worried about missing his plane. He did not wear a watch and he could not locate a clock so he walked up to a total stranger and asked what time it was.
The stranger said, “of course” and set down two large suitcases to look at his wristwatch. After glancing at his watch the stranger said, “It is exactly 5:09. The temperature outside is 73 degrees and it is supposed to rain tonight. The barometer reading is 29.14 and falling. And, let’s see, in Singapore the sun is shining and it is 85 degrees. In London it is sunny and 65. And by the way, the moon should be full tonight here in Los Angeles.” At that, the stranger stooped down to pick up his large suitcases and started off again.
But the first man stopped him and asked, “Your watch tells you all that?” To which the second man said, “Oh, yes, that and more. You see I invented this watch as a gift for my son. I can guarantee you there is not another watch in the world like this one.”
The first man then said, “I want to buy that watch. How much? I’ll give you $1000 cash right now.” “No it’s not for sale, it’s for my son.” “Ok, I’ll give you $2000 cash.” “No, I’m sorry it’s not for sale.” “Ok, $5000 cash.” The stranger said, well for $5000 I could make another one I guess. Ok, it’s yours for $5000.”
The first man was elated. He strapped the watch on his wrist and with a big smile on his face started to walk off. That’s when the stranger pointed to the two large suitcases and said, “Don’t forget the batteries.”
Folks, sin is devastating. It will take you farther than you want to go; it will keep you longer than you want to stay; and it will cost you more than you want to pay.
But praise God, when we realize this and turn to God He will comfort us. Comfort is from the Greek word “parakaleo” that means “Comforter or Helper.” Clearly this is a reference to the Holy Spirit that indwells, fills, and baptizes us.
As our mourning, our broken-heartedness over our sin rises to the throne of God, His unsurpassed and matchless comfort descends upon us. God stands ready to meet our every need; to encourage us; to admonish us; to strengthen us. We shall be comforted. This is a promise from God.
And this is just the beginning - Verse 5. The picture Jesus gives us of the path to God’s joy is upside down by the world’s standard. Most people today think “meek” means “weak.” But this couldn’t be further from the truth. In the original language of the New Testament, this word for meek was the same word used for “bridling a horse” and “training a wild animal.”
So as it is used here meek is a picture of “power under control.” That’s a far cry from weak or timid isn’t it?
Jesus is saying in this verse that the person who’s life has been brought under the influence and power of the Holy Spirit, the person who turns control of his/her life over to God will inherit the earth.
In one sense, this refers to the promise that Jesus made to all believers that they would rule with Him. But in a second context I believe it refers to that fact that we will experience an order, a peace in our lives in the here and now. The world won’t rule us. The time constraints of the world will not bog us down. The pressures we all face in this life will not separate us from God.
The “flow” of God’s Word is intentional. There is design and purpose even in the construction and sequence of what is said. The first three Beatitudes demonstrate this truth. They correspond to the steps we take in becoming a Christian.
When we recognize how spiritually broke we are, it breaks our hearts and we allow God to have control over our lives. This is a description of being born-again.
The Bible refers to new Christians as babies. We are spiritual infants, so to speak. The apostle Peter tells us this in his first epistle:
“Since you have, in obedience to the truth, purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding Word of God . . . like newborn babes long for the pure milk of the Word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” (1 Peter 1:22-23, 2:2).
That is why we read - verse 6. Babies need fed often. Midnight, 3AM, it doesn’t matter. When babies are hungry, they will let you know about it. The same is true for Christians. When we are born-again there should be a hunger and thirst for God.
This is precisely where some Christians get stuck though. They recognize their sin, seek forgiveness, and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. But there is never a hunger and thirst for God.
They are perfectly content to slurp milk out of a sippy cup their whole lives. Is there anything that is more ridiculous looking than a person who has been saved for many years and still does not understand even the most elementary things of God?
One of the best things you can do for your relationship with God is to develop a serious study of the Bible. When you commit yourself to feeding on God’s Word, you will be amazed at where He will take you.
Psalm 42 is a good description of where you want to be as a Christian: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” (42:1-2).
(To be continued)
Dr. Mike Spaulding
P. O. Box 3007 • Lima, OH 45807
