Pay Careful Attention To God's Instruction

May I have your attention? 
May I have your undivided attention? 

Undivided attention in the 21st century is a scarce commodity... everyone wants your attention... keep you watching... keep you listening... keep you clicking. They want your attention because they want something from you [money, power, sex]... but to get that they first need your attention.

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In today’s media saturated virtual reality you are enticed by many appealing sights, sounds, and sensations vying for your attention. You have more demands on your time that you have time. Your brain does not have enough bandwidth to take it all in. So, we have to make myriad quick decision, yes/no, click/don’t click, look don’t look.

The technological age promotes the idea of multitasking. The notion that you can learn a foreign language on headphones... while preparing your weekly report... while scanning your instagram feed... while running on a treadmill at the gym.

But is it true?  Is the pie getting bigger? Or are we just getting better at cutting it into thinner slices?

I enjoy listening to pod-casts or music while I drive… but when I get into tight urban traffic where I don’t know my way around… I pause the podcast… because I need to give my undivided attention to driving… because the stakes are high… I could get into a serious accident… plough into a pedestrian… perhaps even die. 

God Wants You To Pay Attention

I [Craig Scott] don't deserve your attention… I know that! The only attention I deserve is if I fulfill my charge as a faithful messenger of teaching and instruction God wants presented. He does deserve your attention... unlike the attention hogs in this world God doesn't want anything from you... He wants to give to you... the way of love and peace, eternal life, an everlasting inheritance. But none of those good outcomes are going to come  your way if you do not give Him your concentrated attention.

Our purpose today is to remind you that God wants you to pay attention and consider how you might do just that. God will not force you but He wants you to give focused attention to His word and instruction, and to give diligent heed  to how you then live your life.

Hebrews 2:1-3 … let’s unpack this verse…  we are to pay careful attention to what we have heard: what was spoken by Christ, and is then repeated and passed along by the apostles who were there in person, and is now passed on through "those who have heard" which means the ongoing ministry of His church.

If we are not paying close attention we will drift away... carelessly float down the river... which kinda sounds nice, peaceful, relaxing, no stress but there are consequences. Like floating down a river in a tube until we find ourselves caught in the rapids and heading for the giant waterfall.

Not paying attention to the words of law receives a just penalty, and not paying attention to the words of reconciliation will also receive just penalty. We will be held accountable for what we have heard.

There is a social trend: escape from accountability. Its a mindset that has been noted by business leaders. The reasons why this mode of thinking is taking hold of our society are many... our current philosophy that all things are relative and subjective mean we shy away from giving clear cut instructions [that is a leadership problem]. On the flip side, young and old are taught they are merely pawns in a game... swept along by momentous social, economic forces beyond their control... Socialism, capitalism, racism, sexism, etc. etc. … there are so many reasons why I should not really be held accountable.

The church is susceptible to social trends. So, pay attention because you will be held accountable.  

God Gets David's Attention

2 Samuel 6:1-4 bringing the ark back to Jerusalem was meant to be a high point in the reign of David. He will put right the errors made by Saul. And if you go back and read the events surrounding how the Israelites lost the ark in battle and how it was a curse to the Philistines you could say... they had plenty of reasons to be very afraid of the ark.

This was a big state event... they put it on a fancy cart [which was well intentioned… but not following God's very specific instructions on how to transport the ark]. David had a band, music, dancing, celebrating... then when the oxen stumble Uzzah puts out his hand to keep the ark from toppling over and he’s struck down. That got everyone’s attention… David didn’t know whether to be mad or scared.

God was sending a message: pay attention to the instructions I have given you. David had good intentions, Uzzah had good intentions, but our good intentions must be put together with attention to what God has commanded.

In fear they park the ark at a nearby house. After 3 months the guy who lives there is getting blessing after blessing. So, David decides its safe to try again. 2 Samuel 6:13 this time they are bearing the ark… carrying the ark as per the instructions Numbers 4:6,15.

Lesson: don’t wait for something terrible to happen before you start paying attention to God

3 Principles of Paying Attention

1. 2 Peter 1:19 listen to God's servants

God's word is confirmed by fulfilled prophecy, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus were confirmed by hundreds of eye-witnesses [as were His teachings].

a) We are to pay heed/ pay attention.

b) No type of teaching from the scriptures is intended for personal interpretation. Note: the word prophecy refers to all forms of inspired teaching not merely foretelling of future events.

Biblical instruction is challenging. Quite literally…

a) He it poses a challenge to the way you think.

b) He asks you to perform actions that are counter-intuitive. Some things you don't understand until you act upon them… which requires faith.

So… while you are hearing/listening/being instructed, ask yourself: What am I here to learn? What is God trying to tell me? What areas of my thinking need adjustment? What modes of behavior do I need to exchange for what is better?

Acts 16:14 instruction can also be less formal settings one-on-one. Here Lydia’s heart is opened up so she might pay attention to what Paul was saying to her.

Question: Do I seek counsel when I face issues? 

Answer: God advises you to seek it out [ministry, elders].

Have you ever had an annual review - at work many of us get an annual review. They are not fun. It is not pleasant to hear about your shortcomings. Painful as they are annual reviews can be  helpful and improve you as an employee. Consider this: If you were doing something that was seriously holding you back at your job... wouldn't you rather hear about it? I'm missing out on promotions, opportunities, raises... yeah but I don't really want to know why.

On your job, if you don't listen, take the feedback, act on it and fix the areas that need fixing... you could miss out… even lose your job. You are accountable to change elements in your life, to improve.

Your Father Creator asks you to submit yourself to the process of conversion… to become transformed in your mind... get engaged with the changes God wants to see. If you don't listen, take the feedback, act on it and fix the areas that need fixing... you could miss out, diminish or lose the reward you are to receive when Christ returns.

2. Pray to Understand God's Direction

Prayer is a form of paying attention to what is happening in your life.

There is prayer that looks ahead. For example; in the morning you might pray and because you know some of what is ahead during the day... you pray in advance  for God to help you with your approach... it’s better to face problems or opportunities in a manner that reflects the mind of Christ.  You could think of it as a form of mental stimulation or engagement that gets your head in the game.

In this same manner, we might also pray that our mind and spirit be open to input. As we move through the day we might gain some new perspective on a matter, perhaps some prompting from the spirit, perhaps additional information we didn't have before.

Then there is prayer that is reflective. For example; in the evening you might look back over the events of the day and seek to make sense of it all... you might ask how well you handled yourself... ask God through His spirit to give us help processing it all.. with wisdom and discernment.

You might ask " have I heard and heeded"? did I act with the wisdom and discernment given?

Isaiah 55:6-9 we mostly pay attention to our own interests, hobbies, career, household chores… activities we like, or give us personal gratification. Your natural tendencies must be critically examined. Prayer is part of this examination. Go is asking you to go against and rule over your natural tendencies.

Proverbs 3:5-8 trust Him... not yourself... use prayer to get into the mind of God... He wants you to seek His help and His way of understanding life. And He will help [but He won’t do it for you].

John 16:13a through His spirit the Creator will guide you into all truth and into His own way of thought.

3. Pay Attention Long Term

2 Peter 1:5-8 …

1. Approach your walk with God with [spooday] great care, time, attention, making every effort. Persevere... day after day, Sabbath after Sabbath, year after year.

2. God wants to see results... He does not want you to be ineffective or unfruitful.

This is a very intense "to do list". At the head of the list we are told "be diligent" about these things... and the summation of the list is "so that we may be productive".

Conclusion: Don’t Be Too Proud To Pay Attention

Luke 12:1-2 "beware" is the same word that is elsewhere translated "take heed", “pay attention”. Pay attention and be on guard against the errors of the Pharisees... which was the leaven… which was pride.

The Pharisees felt good and very confident based on how they appeared on the outside but were not paying attention to what was going on inside.

Matthew 23:23 

Maybe you look pretty good to the average person, perhaps you think "I don't really need to listen to God's instruction". The better option is to humble yourself... admit that you might accomplish more if you were to pay closer attention to instruction… open yourself up to learning, growth, and development.

The Creator of the Universe would like your attention!

Read this message on our blog Pay Careful Attention To God's Word