again, please, in the living Word of God to Luke's Gospel, chapter 11. The text I wish to preach on is verse 28. And with the Word of God open before us, let us buy briefly in a word of prayer. And if you've not already, could I please encourage you to take this brief opportunity and ask that the Lord would speak to you this day. Let us all pray. For Heavenly Father, we thank that thy word is ascribed in the book of Hebrews as that which is quick, living, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. And I pray that thy word, as it's sown this day, would bring forth thirty, sixty, and one hundredfold in every heart, those that are young and each one that's older. Glorify thy name, thy beloved son, in every life. Give me help. Fill me afresh with thy Holy Spirit. I thank thee for the promise which thou hast given. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. Use me simply as thy channel. I thank thee for the words of Christ, even in this chapter of Luke, that if we, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto our children, how much more, Father, wilt thou give the Holy Spirit to them that ask. Fill me with thy Spirit. Use me simply as thy channel. In Jesus' name we ask all these things. Amen. Who are the most blessed people in the world? You ask that question to many people around about and along and indeed throughout our province. And many will say that the most blessed people in the world today are those who have been given the greatest possessions. They've got the nicest house or the greatest amount of money in the bank. Others will say the most blessed people in the world today are those who have been bestowed the greatest favor and talent. The likes of those who are great sport athletes. Others will say the most blessed people in the world today are those who have received the greatest privileges, such as those in great position and places of authority. And others will say the most blessed people in the world today are those who have experienced the greatest praise and honor from men, those who are loved by many around. As you and I come into Luke's Gospel, chapter 11, Jesus Christ teaches, in the opening 13 chapters, the profound truth about prayer. And then, in the verses that follow, he performs a miraculous work of casting out a demon. Whenever Jesus Christ teaches profound truth and casts out a demon, in verse 27 we read that a woman beholding these things said, Blessed is the woman that beareth thee, and the paps which thy hast sent." She's basically saying, blessed is the mother who gave birth to you. What a blessing you are being to us, Lord. So how blessed that woman must have been through whom you have come into this world. No doubt Mary was a very blessed woman. You think of the possession and the position that she was given. In Luke's Gospel, chapter 1, the angel Gabriel told Mary that she was going to be the one through whom mankind's Savior would come into the world. The Savior had got him promising for 4,000 years. She was the one through whom the Savior was going to come. What possession, what position she was given. You think of the favor that she was given. The angel Gabriel described Mary not only as one who was blessed among women, but one who was highly favored. In fact, Mary herself said, regarding God, that he that is mighty hath done to me great things. You think of the privilege that she knew. Over the 4,000 years leading up to the coming of Christ, millions of women would have wanted to be the one through whom the Savior entered as well. Indeed, even in the very generation in which Mary lived, hundreds of thousands of women would have wanted to be the one through whom the Savior came, but that privilege was given to one and one and only, and that was Mary. What privilege she knew, and also what praise she would receive. In Luke 1, verse 48, it is truthfully declared regarding Mary, from henceforth all generations shall call Mary blessed. So no doubt, Mary was a very blessed woman. She was blessed abundantly with possession and position, and blessed abundantly with privilege and with praise, the one through whom the Savior would come into this world. And yet in Luke 11, verse 28, Jesus Christ speaks that there exists a group of people who are even more blessed than Mary. even more blessed than Mary, a group that you and I can be a part of today and also throughout this year and the rest of our lives. In verse 28, Jesus Christ, he says, oh yes, Mary is blessed. But listen to this, even more so, blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it. Let me ask you this morning, do you want to be blessed? You may feel like you're nothing special, You may know that you're nothing extraordinary. You may have the impression that you could never be blessed as greatly as Mary was. Not to mention being blessed beyond Mary. But the good news is that today you and I can be the most blessed people in the world. How? Well, notice with me a number of truths. First of all, to be blessed, you and I must hear the word of God. To be blessed, to be among those blessed in the world, you and I must hear the Word of God. Jesus Christ says in Luke 11, 28, blessed are they that hear the Word of God. Before you and I can ever keep the Word of God, you and I must first hear the Word of God. Now, why is it that the most blessed people in the world are those who hear the Word of God? Well, let me give you two reasons. The first is this, that the Word of God is God's instrument for blessing. If you turn with me, please, in the Word of God to Psalm 119. Psalm 119. This is the Psalm in which every one of its 176 verses contains at least one reference to the Word of God. And while you're turning to the psalm, let me ask you, do you want to be a man, a young person, or indeed a woman of wisdom today? Do you want to be one who really understands what this life is all about, and live in light of that truth? Well then, I tell you, hear the word of God. Psalm 119, verse 104. The psalmist said these words. Through thy precepts, Lord, I get understanding. Through thy precepts, I get understanding. Then look at verse 130. The psalmist says, the entrance of thy words giveth light. It giveth understanding unto the simple. In Psalm 19, we read earlier, we're told that the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. Do you want to be a man, a woman, or a young person with wisdom? Then hear the word of God. Let me ask you, do you want spiritual life to abound in you, leading you to enjoy abundant and eternal life? Well then, hear the word of God. In Psalm 119, look at me at verse 25. Verse 25, the second part of that verse, the psalmist is praying to the Lord and says, quicken thy me according to thy word. He wanted to be quickened, he wanted life to enter into him and to fill him up as it were. And what did the psalmist then declare in verse 50, having prayed that prayer? Verse 50 of Psalm 119, the end of that verse, for thy word hath quickened me. We're told that we are born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God. Life enters our soul and fills us up through the hearing of the word of God. Let me ask you this morning, do you want to get through life without making an abundance of decisions that you will only ever regret? An abundance of decisions that cause you shame will then hear the Word of God. Let me please at verse 6 of Psalm 119. Psalm 119 in the verse 6, the psalmist says, then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all my commandments? You look at verse 80 of the psalm. The psalmist says, let my heart be sound in my statures that I be not ashamed. You and I can be saved and rescued from a life of regret and shame by hearing the Word of God. Let me ask you this morning, whenever you're doing that which is wrong, do you want to be corrected? Steered away from the wrong path into the right path. Well then, hear the Word of God. Look at me at verse 9 of Psalm 119. There we read the words, wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy words. Jesus Christ prayed in John 17, 17 to his father, sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. Let me ask you this morning, do you want to be delivered from traps which your enemies have set for you and to be shown the right way to walk, the way that's safe? Look at me please at verse 105 of Psalm 119. Verse 105, the psalmist says to the Lord, thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Today you and I have lampposts through our towns. But in the ancient roads, they did not have the lampposts that we have today. The ancient roads were often dark and dangerous. And so the psalmist, he likens God's word to be that lump onto his feet, the very individual small steps that he makes day by day, but also as a lump onto his path for the journey of life, not merely the small bits of life, but the huge long-term aspects of life. The word of God will direct him away from the dangerous pitfalls and the traps that the enemy set and lead him in the way that's safe. Let me ask you this morning, Do you want joy and peace? Do you want to know that all is well? In the decisions that you make, in the situations that you face, will then hear the word of God. Let me please at verse 165 of Psalm 119. The psalmist says, In verse 54, the psalmist says, My joyful songs, in the house of my pilgrimage. Men and women, why is it that those who hear the Word of God are blessed? Because the Word of God is the means that God has given for you and I to be blessed. The Word of God is God's means of giving us wisdom, spiritual life, correction, direction, joy, and peace, so that we We will not live our lives with regret and shame. Let me ask you this morning, do you want to be among the category of people that are the most blessed in all this world? Then hear the Word of God. Now, of course, if you want to hear the Word of God, then we must believe two things about the Word of God. We must believe that the Word of God is valuable and that the Word of God is delightful. The Psalmist believed both those things. Look at me please at verse 14 of Psalm 119. The psalmist is the one who treasured the Word of God. He believed the Word of God was valuable. He says in verse 14, I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies as much as in all riches. In verse 72, he says the law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver. In verse 113, he says, Thy law do I love. In verse 127, he says, I love thy commandments above gold, yea, above fine gold. And in verse 162, he says, I rejoice at thy word as one that findeth great spoil. Oh, the word of God was more precious to him than anything else in this world. It was valuable to the psalmist. It was also delightful. Verse 16 of Psalm 119, the psalmist says, I will delight in myself and my statutes. Verse 24, he says, thy testimonies also are my delights. He says in verse 70, I delight in thy law. Verse 77, thy law is my delight. Verse 111, speaking about God's testimonies, the psalmist says they are the rejoicing of my heart. Verse 164, he says, seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments. In verse 167, he says, regarding God's testimonies, I love them exceedingly. And then verse 174, near the end of the psalm, he simply says, thy law is my delight. Do you want to be among the most blessed people in all the world? will then hear the Word of God, see the Word of God exactly the way the psalmist saw it, that which was valuable, more valuable than anything else in this world, and that which was delightful, that which was his love, that he, like Psalm 1, would meditate in it day and night. Let me ask you, whenever it comes to this week and this year, will you be one that seeks to hear the Word of God. Oh, to hear the Word of God morning by morning as you start your day, and to hear the Word of God evening by evening as you end your day, to hear the Word of God in family worship, and of course to hear the Word of God Lord's Day after Lord's Day and prayer meeting after prayer meeting. For those who are young, boys and girls and children, do you desire to hear the Word of God at Sabbath school? or indeed at the children's meeting. And young people, do you desire to hear the word of God at your fellowship? Do you want to be among the most blessed people in all the world? Then hear the word of God. Be like the hymn writer who said, more, more about Jesus. Tell me more about Jesus. More of his saving from the sea. More of his love who died for me. He said there were two reasons why those who are the most blessed in all this world hear the Word of God. It's because the Word of God is God's instrument for blessing. But there is another reason. And it is that hearing the Word of God is God's instrument of power. Hearing the Word of God is God's instrument of power. In verse 28, Jesus Christ said, blessed are they that hear the Word of God. He could have said, blessed are they that read the Word of God, but that's not what he said. He said, blessed are they that hear the Word of God. And the term for hear is used so often in the New Testament to refer to the public hearing of the Word of God. For example, if you want to turn with me please to Luke chapter 5 and the verse 1. We'll have a time whenever this Greek term for here is used. Luke chapter 5 and the verse 1, and there we read, And it came to pass that as the people pressed upon Christ to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret. And there Christ in the open air, he's preaching the word of God. And there in the public preaching of the word of God, there are those who desire to hear the word of God. Also, in Acts chapter 4, in the verse 4, we read about Peter and John publicly preaching at the temple in Jerusalem. And we're told that many of them which heard the word believed. That is, they heard the public preaching of Peter and John. And the number of them that believed was about 5,000. You and I could look at Acts 10, 44, and Acts 13, 44, and Acts 15, verse 7, but in all these references and many, many besides, you and I will see that the term here that's used in Luke 11, 28 refers primarily to the public hearing of the Word of God, the public preaching of the Word of God. And so I want to make it clear, no doubt God will bless those that read His Word. The lesson this morning is that all things are not equal. God places a specific emphasis on the public preaching and the public hearing of His preach words. Let me give you a few ways of proving that. The first is this. It is true that Jesus Christ tells you and me, you're believers, in Hebrews 13 verse 5, that He will never leave us nor forsake us, and what a wonderful truth that is. But yet, in Exodus chapter 20, verse 24, Christ speaks of those places where he will be publicly worshiped. And concerning those places, Christ gives us promise. I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. You say, well, how can Christ come? He's with us always. He'll never leave nor forsake his people. But yet in a special way, when his people gather together to worship him, he says, I will come unto thee. Oh yes, I'm with thee always, but in a special way, in a more intense way, I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee as I come unto thee. In Revelation chapter two, in the verse one, Christ said he was the one who walked within the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. The seven golden candlesticks being the seven churches. We often envisage Christ, as it were, walking up and down the aisle as people gather to worship, and going in and out of the rows, speaking to people through the public preaching of his word. In a very special way, Christ has promised to come unto his people and to bless his people as they gather together to worship him. Turn with me, please, to Psalm 63. Psalm 63. Why is it that there's a special emphasis upon the public hearing of God's Word? Because, well, we've read that Christ will especially meet with His people in the public preaching of His Word. But in Psalm 63, we read the words of David, Verse 1, he says, Oh God, thou art my God. Early will I seek thee, my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is, to see thy power and thy glory. So as I have seen thee in the sanctuary, that is in that place that's set aside for your worship, David was one who experienced many wonderful revelations of God. He was the one who said in Psalm 18, regarding Christ, He is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my strength, and whom I will trust, my buckler, and the hoard of my salvation. He says, He's my high tower. Oh, David has so many wonderful revelations of the Lord, but yet here in Psalm 63, he desires to see the Lord. He desires to meet with the Lord. He desires to be changed by the vision of God through faith. as he's experienced in the sanctuary, because it was there in the place where Christ is publicly worshipped that he's experienced greater things of the Lord than anywhere else. In Psalm 27, in the verse 4, David cried, one thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, that is the place of worship, the temple, to behold the beauty of the Lord. and to inquire in his temple. You see, men and women, it is especially in the public preaching of God's Word that Christ has promised, I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. I'm eternally pleased to Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter four, this passage is referred to at the week of prayer up in Coleraine and I do want to take this opportunity of thanking each one that prayed for the ministers that gathered together and of course the students and licentiates that gathered together for the week of prayer. It was a real blessing, the Lord answered many prayers. In Ephesians chapter four, in the opening number of verses, we read of the greatest blessings that Christ has purchased for his people at the cross. In verse 8 to 10 we read about Christ then rising from the dead and ascending into heaven, that He may apply those gifts and blessings to His people in His resurrected power. In verse 11 we read about one of the blessings that Christ has purchased at Calvary, and it is that He would give a gift to His church. In verse 11, He gives some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. It's a very humbling thing for those who are called to service. that the Lord describes as a gift. You and I will hear of those who turn around and believe they're the gift of God, the men. And they're speaking with pride and arrogancy. I say most ministers do not see themselves as God's gift to men in that sense. But in this sense, Christ says that those pastors and teachers that he gives, they're God's gift to his people. That as they gather together in public worship and as the minister stands up to preach, that the gospel publicly preached will be, verse 12, for the perfecting of the saints and for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect, that is, a mature man, unto the measure, the stature, the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sight of men and in cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. I have no doubt that every believer here wants to be built up and become stronger Christians. I have no doubt that every believer here wants to be increased whenever it comes to their faith, to have a greater trust and peace in the Lord. I have no doubt that everyone wants to grow in their knowledge of the Lord, who wants to become more and more mature in their Christian walk and an example to those around you. I have no doubt that everyone here wants to be protected from erroneous teaching, and everyone wants to be drawn closer to Christ. and that more personal relationship. And yet while you can do all these things in your private studying of God's Word, which is important, yet Ephesians 4, it is primarily through the pastor, the teacher who labors himself until he's weary in the word of doctrine week by week and then comes in the message of God to teach you, to bring God's Word to you, to explain it and apply it. God says that this especially, will be the means through which you'll grow and be edified and be strengthened and protected and defended from all the erroneous teachings in this world. I still remember whenever I was younger, and it was, as it were, the penny dropped or the light bulb turned on, and someone explained to me that, you know, I can go and make an appointment with somebody, whether it be with a GP and hope that we get the appointment or go make an appointment with a mechanic or whatever it may be. And whenever you make the appointments made and you go, they're there. And you know that God himself has contracted himself to be in a certain place at a certain time. I had no doubt that if I turned around and said to you, by the way, the Lord has promised he's going to be in a certain place at a certain time in Northern Ireland, one day at a very certain time, he's going to be there that day, and he promises that he'll be there and all those that go, he will bless them. I had no doubt that you and I would sit in our diary, he's right, this time next year, this certain day, I'm going to be there because I want the blessing of God. And yet Christ has contracted himself every single week. Every Lord's Day morning, every Lord's Day evening, as his people gather together, he's promised, I will come and I will bless you. Christ has promised to be here. What a blessing, what a privilege public worship is. Twelve noon, every Lord's Day morning, Christ promises, I will come unto thee. Six p.m. every Lord's Evening, I will come unto thee and I will bless thee. This is why we have the phrase written at the back. This is why Christ said it in Luke 11, 28, blessed are they that hear the word of God. Christ has promised to come and to bless his word and to bless us through it. That's the first point. The second point is briefer. You may be glad to hear that. I only have two points. You may be glad to hear that too. Who are the blessed? The blessed are they that hear the word of God. But Christ doesn't end there. Look at Luke 11, verse 28. Luke 11, 28, Christ says, blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it. The Greek term keep comes from a root word meaning to swell up. It has the idea of a seed germinating in soil and then producing a multitude of seed. And I believe the essence here is that as we hear the word of God, that it is we that seed in our lives. That it will produce something in us. It will produce change in us. It will germinate, it will multiply, ever changing us more and more, bringing forth fruit 30-fold, 60-fold, 100-fold. It will change what we believe, change how we think, change how we behave. The Word of God that we hear is to change us, to swell up within us. How does this happen? How do we have the Word of God do these things? How do we keep the Word of God so that it does these things? Well, let me just mention a few things briefly. To keep the Word of God, to have it change us, you and I must pray over the Word of God. That's the first thing. 1 Corinthians 2, verse 14, we read, The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Oh yes, while reading the Bible is academic and seeking to understand the context is an academic thing, yet understanding and hearing the message of God is more than academia. We need the Spirit of God to reveal to us the treasures of Christ. That's why the psalmist prayed in Psalm 119, "'Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.'" You and I must pray over the word that we hear. Pray that we'll understand it with our mind. and pray that our heart will be changed by it. The psalmist prayed in Psalm 119 verse 133, order my steps on thy word. Verses 35 to 37, make me to go in the paths of thy commandments. We must pray over the word that we hear. Notice also then, you and I must consider the word that we hear. Look at me please again, Psalm 119. Psalm 119, the end of verse 48, the psalmist says these words, declaring how he has loved the commandments of God, he says, and I will meditate in thy statutes. Verse 78, he says, I will meditate in thy precepts. Verse 95, he says, I will consider thy testimonies. In verse 97, he says, oh, how I love thy law. It is my meditation all the day. If you and I want to be among those that are the blessed, the most blessed in all the world, we must hear the word of God, but we must keep the word of God. We must pray that we'll understand it, that we'll be changed by it. And then for that to happen, we must consider and meditate on the word of God that we hear. Let me tell you a story. Many years ago, I listened to the Word of God preached at Cumberford Presbyterian Church. I was a teenager and as a young man, that's where I heard the Word of God. I can honestly tell you, I was blessed every single week through the faithful preaching of the Reverend Thomas Murray, who was the minister then. Every single week without fail, I went out of the church doors encouraged and blessed in my heart. Maybe I'd received a promise from God regarding service or something I was praying about. Well, I was blessed every single week. When I thanked the Lord's servant for his ministry, I would have thanked him day after day and week after week. But I must be honest with you. While I was blessed every time, in the moment when I was sitting in the pew hearing the Word of God, and whenever I went out and I shook the hand of Mr. Murray, I said, thank you for that message. That was a real blessing to me. Yet whenever I went out the door, I never really thought about the message again. Oh, I was filled up as it were, thrilled in my heart what God had spoken to me, but I never really thought about it. I heard the word of God. I thought about it in the meeting, but I never considered it afterwards. I never took time to pray over it. I never took time to meditate on it, to apply it to my life. And I think how much blessing I missed for years. I remember thinking about Abraham in the Old Testament. If you want to turn to Genesis chapter 12, I'm just trying to explain to you my process of thought here as a young teenager. I was blessed so much, but I went out and never thought about it. And I remember thinking about Abraham in Genesis chapter 12. In the verse 1, Verse 2 and the verse 3, the Lord gives Abraham a command and a promise, a command to get out of his country and to go where God tells him. And he gives him a promise that in him all the families of the earth will be blessed. And then in verse 4 we read, so Abram departed as the Lord had spoken unto him. In verses 5 and following, Abram will move his whole family and will travel 550 miles to Shechem in verse 6. Well, it was a long trip. I don't know if Abram went by a horse, a donkey, or a camel on his foot, but certainly a long trip. It was tiring. Imagine leaving all that you had. Imagine leaving your home, all the people in you. Imagine leaving. That's a big thing. No doubt Abraham, as he left, he had doubts and concerns. Am I doing the right thing? No doubt he faced problems and obstacles and difficulties. Am I doing the right thing? But do you know what? Even though Abraham traveled for weeks and months, he didn't hear another word from God. What would have helped Abraham to continue going the right direction? What would have helped him through the troubles and the trials? It was the single word of God that he heard back in verses one to three. I remember thinking, boys and boys, if that was me, I couldn't remember the next week what God told me the week before. A month from that I couldn't remember what God told me, because I never took time to consider it, never took time to pray over it, never took time to apply it to my life. I was blessed, but never really did anything with the Word. In verse 6 of Genesis 12, Abram, arriving with Shekin, the Lord will speak to him in verse 7, and will say, On to thy seed will I give this land. But then after that, weeks and more months will pass without God speaking to Abraham, and Abraham, he will go through a time of famine, and he'll go down into Egypt, and a time of difficulty, a time of trouble, and a trial, a time of real trial, and he'll go down to Egypt, and yet God does not give him another words. God expects Abraham to think upon the word that God did give him all those weeks and months before, even years before, to apply it to his life. Abraham, in his Christian journey and pilgrimage on this earth, it was about 100 years in length, and the amount of times that God spoke to him was very, very few. He didn't have a Bible to go to like you and I do, and yet Abraham endured Tiredness, bereavement, division in his family, family turmoil, great danger, disappointment, and failure. What enabled him to go through all these trials again and again and again? It was the fact he remembered what God told him. There's times whenever Abraham went 13 years without hearing a word from God. And I remember thinking as a young person, boys and boys, have I never heard a word from God? Imagine God spoke to me one Sunday morning and I was really encouraged and received a promise from God. And I thought, that's great. I went out the doors and I carried on with my daily life. And then next week I came in to hear another word from God and God didn't speak to me. And then I went to the next week and God didn't speak to me. And the week after and God didn't speak to me. Would I have remembered what God told me the week before? Abraham would never have done what he did unless he took time to pray over, meditate, and consider the word that God gave him and God gave it. And I remember being so challenged by the life of Abraham. And then I decided I would do something, and I never did. I had a friend in Cumber Free Church, and she was a bit older than me, and she would have encouraged me to take notes. I'm not saying you have to take notes, by the way. That's not what I'm seeking to say here. But she encouraged me to take notes in the meeting. I remember saying, look, I couldn't take notes. If I took notes in the meeting, I couldn't remember. I couldn't keep up with what the minister's saying. And I would forget it, and I wouldn't get it all down. She says, trust me, just try it. Just try it for a month and see how you get on. And I didn't do it for a while, but eventually she kept going at me, and eventually I said, well, I'm going to try it. And all I had to do was just simply not take down every message or every sentence that the minister said or every illustration, but simply just to write down as it were the main headings and a sentence just to summarize it. If I got more time, I could put more into it, but that's just the main thing, the main heading or the subheading and the main point behind it, whether it's a wee illustration, a simple word or two. And what I decided to do with the notes that I took, on a Monday, I would take the notes from the Sunday morning, the first half of it, and I would pray over the notes from the Sunday morning. On the Tuesday, I would take the notes from the second part of the Sunday morning message and I would pray over it and consider it and apply it to my life on the Tuesday. In addition to my own quiet time. And then on the Wednesday, I would take the first half of the Sunday evening message and would take over and pray over it and meditate over it and apply it to my life. How should this apply to my life? And then the Thursday, I took the second half of the Sunday evening service. And then the Friday morning, I took the first part of the prayer meeting message. And the Saturday, I took the second part of the prayer meeting message. And while Mr. Murray, Reverend Thomas Murray, he had nine points every Sunday morning. I don't know if Reverend Harris has, but Mr. Murray had nine points every Sunday morning. And I used to think, what is it, boys? There's no way, no way can I take all that in. He's feeding me way too much. But see, whenever I began to pray over it and meditate over it and see that it was not a word for the moment, but a word to meditate for the week, just as the table of showbread was given on the Sabbath day for the week, I remember thinking, You know what? I'm so glad Reverend Murray gives me so much. I couldn't take it all, and I couldn't take probably about a fifth of it on the moment of the day, but whenever I took time to meditate on it, to consider it, and to pray over it, I'm so thankful he gave me so much. I remember Reverend Kyle Graham, who's a missionary out in Australia at the minute, and we went through college together, very, very friendly. And he would phone me every few weeks or so and would catch up. And I remember him asking me a little time ago, Paul, when are you most blessed through your messages? Is it in preparing them or is it in preaching them? And I took a moment to think about it and I thought, well, about 30% of the blessing is in the preparing of them. Probably about 2% in the preaching of them. I'm too busy thinking what's coming up. But you see around 70% of the blessing, it comes in the week after. The week after I've preached it, the week that I take time to pray over it, more so than before, to meditate on it, to apply it to my life, to apply it to the circumstance and the situation that I face that day, that's when I'm more blessed. Turn with me please to Luke's gospel chapter 8 and verse 18. Luke's gospel chapter 8 and verse 18. You and I know the parable of the sower, and how really that's all about listening. And how the word of God as it's sown in our lives, that it's to bring forth fruit. That fruit doesn't happen in a few moments, doesn't happen in 10, 15 minutes, or half an hour, 45 minutes, whatever this length of service is. that bringing forth of fruit 36 and 104 that happens after the seed's sown. We knew that. The farmer doesn't sow the seed just the sake of it. He sows it that it will bring forth fruit, an abundance of fruit. And Luke chapter 8, verse 18, Jesus Christ is speaking and he says these words, take heed therefore how you hear. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given. And whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he seemeth to have. And the context here of Luke 8 is the parable of sorrow, as well as other parables, that all are emphasizing the fact of the Word of God changing us. And the lesson is Christ says, take heed how you hear. If you receive the Word of God as it's preached, and you do something with it, you consider it, you pray over it, you apply it to your life, God will bless you with more understanding and more wisdom and more light. Heed and ha-ha to more, more will be given. But you see, if you and I neglect the word of God and don't do anything with it, what we do have, the wisdom and understanding we do have, it will be taken away. And instead of becoming more wise, we'll become less wise. Take heed, therefore, how ye hear. You and I must hear the word of God if we're to be the most blessed in all this world. But you and I must not only hear the word, we must keep it. We must be those like the psalmist that meditate on the precepts of God, that pray over it for understanding. but that we cry that God will make it to be that seed that germinates inside us, changing us, changing what we believe, changing how we think, changing how we behave. That's when the real blessing is, far greater than any blessing you receive in the moment. As Simon said in Psalm 119, verse 16, I will not forget thy word. He says in verse 93, I will never forget thy precepts. He says in verse 112, I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes. Let me ask you this morning, are you one who wants to be among the most blessed in all this world? The world thinks the most blessed people are those who are the sports athletes of the world, or those who are kings and queens, or whatever it may be. You may even say that Mary was tremendously blessed, and that she was. But Christ says the most blessed people in all this world are those who hear the Word of God and those who keep it, those who meditate upon it, those who pray over it, those who apply it to their lives. Let me just conclude this morning. In James chapter one, we read about those who hear the Word of God. And James the apostle likens him to a person who looks in the mirror and sees the things that need to be changed. Oh, I need to fix my hair here. I need to wash my face a bit here. And while they see what needs changed, yet they go away and they forget everything that they noticed. Don't be like a person who sees the things that needs changed and go away and forget everything that you've seen. He says instead, be swift to hear the word of God. And in verse 26 and 27, be swift to apply the Word of God. In Hebrews chapter 5, the Apostle Paul speaks, and he says in verse 12, to Hebrew Christians, for when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again, which be the first principles of the articles of God. He says you have become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. He says you're unskillful in the words. Here's people that have been taught great truth and taught again and again and again, week by week and month by month. And Paul says, you're unskillful. You can't even see great truth that's in the words. You've been taught it, but you haven't done anything with it. Imagine a child going to school, and imagine that they get 45 minutes over two classes in the week, and imagine they don't do anything after 45 minutes. They don't do any homework, they don't do any coursework, they don't do anything. Do you think your child's gonna learn much? Oh no, if I was in school, I wouldn't learn much. Didn't learn too much anyway, but I definitely wouldn't have learned if that's all I ever had to do. But a child thinks about it and goes home and does the homework and does examples, two plus two definitely does equal, and all the rest of it. And they learn and they develop and they grow through the work they do after they hear it. Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it. Let it swell up inside you, multiplying inside you, changing you. Let us be like those in Acts 17, the Bereans who received the Word with all readiness in mind and searched the Scriptures. They went home with what they heard, and they studied it, and they meditated on it. And what are we told? As they meditated on it, their faith grew. As they were convinced of all that they heard and all they saw regarding Christ and the Word, they were blessed the moment they heard it. but they were truly changed more and more to far greater depths after they went home and they studied it. Will you and I be like those in Hebrews 5, 12, or those in James 1 who see what needs changed and see what God says and just go away and forget all about it? Or will it be those like the Bereans in Acts 17 who go home, who hear the word of God, but who go home and seek to keep it, pray over it, considering it, meditating on it, that will swell up inside you like a seed that multiplies, bringing forth fruit 30, 60, 100 fold. And then come back the next Lord's Day and say, Lord, let me hear another word. And the next week then contemplate that message, that showbread for the week. Change me through thy word. What will you do with the Word of God? Christ says in the Gospel of Matthew, in the verse 12 and the verse 36, he says, I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof on the day of judgment. Every word that you and I speak, every idle word, you and I will have to stand before God and give an account of it. Our words are so often unprofitable and useless. Think about the opposite. If we're going to have to give an account for every word that we speak, those empty, silly words, how much more will you and I have to give an account for every profitable, weighty, substantial word that we've ever heard from God? We will have to give an account, what did we do with that word? Did we hear it? Did we keep it? Did we pray over it? Did we consider it? Did we apply it? Were we changed by it? May the Lord make us be those who are the most blessed in all this world. We hear the word and