Having Our ‘Hearing’ Opened … To An Open Heaven

To Increase Hearing Believing The Voice His Blood

“But you have cometo Jesus and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better …”                                              excrpt frm  Heb.  12:22-24

“And his HEARINGS were thoroughly-opened, ….”             Mark 7:35a

” ‘Faith’/ ‘Believing’, comes by HEARING,                                                                                    and HEARING‘                                                                                       through the [living-flowing, life-giving speaking] Word [ῥῆμά-rhema], Christ’s.”                                                                     Romans 10:17                                           (w/ denotation  of Grk word “rhema “)


asdReading through portions of the gospels in my private time with Jesus in the mornings, an account only documented in Mark’s gospel suddenly was popping off of the page.  I love how Holy Spirit does this.  I love when He brings to life to me the life of Jesus, causing those words of two thousand years ago to still be fresh … and, too, when He unveils the gospel, Jesus, from out of the words of the Old Testament.  If those words do not come alive to me, I know it’s not the place from where Father is speaking to me.  There is a place of a ‘rest of faith’ set in my heart by Jesus, by His Spirit in me, for my day when I give Him my desire to know Him from the Scriptures.  I find oftentimes, throughout my work day, that the life of the gospel, from which I’ve been feeding, comes out in regular conversation with customers, homeowners throughout the metroplex for whom I’m doing work.  So often I’ve seen Jesus touch their hearts, opening up hope to an Awesome God, into Whom some have never believed.  I’ve driven away at the end of my jobs so many times in Awe of Jesus, a few times in tears, because of getting to watch Him pour out His Love in Grace upon these precious people, all who were not expecting it whatsoever,  … through a guy who just came to do work in their garages.

“And again He went out from the region of Tyre and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis.  They brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they entreated Him to lay His hand upon him.  And He took him aside from the multitude by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the salivaAnd looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him,“Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened! ”  And his ears [lit.  his HEARINGS] were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly.  …  And they were utterly astonished saying, “He has done all things well.  He makes even the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak.””                                                                    Mark 7:31-35, 37 (NASB)

        I love Father God’s love for people, for individuals, through His Spirit in Jesus.  Jesus, prior to this account, had just traveled as far northwest as one could in the land of Israel, because Father saw there a precious woman, a Syrophoenecian woman, not Jewish, who was desperate to have her daughter set free from a tormenting evil spirit.  Having set her free, Jesus journeyed as far east one could in the land of Israel, because another precious family so wanted Him to set free a relative who was both deaf and had an incredibly difficult time speaking.  That walk, as far northwest, then as far east, boating across the sea of Galilee, for two individuals’ freedom, was no short journey, and causes us to see God our Father’s true heart towards each single person.  I’m in awe of Him.

asfIt was the language, the wording, of this final account of Mark 7 that jumped off the page, and has been alive for days in my heart.

“And his HEARINGS were thoroughly-opened, ….”                                                                                                 Mark 7:35a  Lit. frm. Grk txt. 

asThere is a war by the enemy of our souls, Beloved, very specifically for our hearing.  he hates mankind.  And he hates the blood of Jesus;  for that blood intentionally, with great and bold power, booted him out of heaven and cleansed that spot where he had had the right to stand before God to accuse us (ref.  Zech. 3:1; Rev. 12:10; Col. 2:15: Eph. 1:17-22; Rom. 8:33-34)) …  which place, which position, he no longer has, nor has had, since that mighty Resurrection day when Jesus went up and presented His blood (Heb.  9:23-24, 12; Jhn. 20:17), through a heaven that was torn open for us three days earlier when He’d breathed His last breath on that judgement stick called,  “the Cross” (Mat. 27:50-51; Mk. 15:37-38).  The enemy of our souls is desperate for the church, the Bride of Christ – you and I, Beloved – NOT to hear from the blood on that Judgment-Seat-turned-Mercy-Seat, lest She actually believe all the Royal Authority Grace-gifted her, and so begin to rule as One with her Redeemer-Groom, King Jesus.

asfJesus takes this man apart from the crowd, to a private place, puts His fingers into his ears, then spits and touches the man’s tongue.  He then looks up into the heavens … and groans

adThis root verb, “to groan” – στενάζω – stenadzo – is only used here of Jesus in all the New Testament, (though there is one more use by Jesus the following chapter as a compound verb).  The next uses of this verb are by us; and it is from these passages that we understand what is behind this groaning.

“For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.  … For we know that the whole creation groans … and not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly our adoption as sons (lit. “sonship placement), the redemption of our body.”                                                                                               excrpt  frm  Romans 8:19-23 (NASB)                                                                                      (ref. also II Cor.  5:2-4)

  a   The expression of the groan is the longing for the manifestation of something that is almost too deep for expressible words.

adfJesus looks up to the heavens and, with a deep longing, sighs, groans, unable, in the vernacular that the common Greek could not fully express, for the manifestation, the opening up … OF WAY MORE THAN WE ACTUALLY COMPREHEND, something from His Father, from God,  …   for US

“For He looked down from His Holy height;                                              From heaven the LORD gazed toward the earth,                                      To hear the groaning of the prisoner;                                                       To set free                   [root verb,  פָתַח – paTakh]                                                                                                           Psalms 102:20 (NASB)

“And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped [root vrb,  פָתַח paTakh]                                                                                                 Isaiah 35:5b (NASB)

asfIn His groan, He suddenly receives the Holy Spirit breath of His Father to actually verbalize what His groan [for this man] is aching out loud … but in another tongue.  Instead of simply writing the Greek word, Mark documents that the word finally expressed by Jesus comes out in a Syro-Chaldaic word, a form from the ancient Aramaic Shemitic tongue.  Mark gives the translation into Greek for what Holy Spirit through Jesus is decreeing.  The Greek compound translation is huge in its full definition, exceedingly more than what we see in the English.  It is a word expressed by one of the two on the road to Emmaus, in Luke 24, after Jesus had so thoroughly explained the scriptures of the Tanakh, a total opening up, a complete unveiling of HIMSELF in all the scriptures, (Lk. 24:32).   Even so, with this account in Mark 7, it had to come out, by Holy Spirit’s breath through Jesus, in a tongue that expresses probably more than even the Greek word.  This utter tearing apart opening is seen from the Hebrew, which is a Shemitic tongue, of the Old Testament, this verb related very closely to that Syro-Chaldaic word spoken by Jesus.  It is seen all the way back to Noah’s day, yet rooted because of something that had happened in the garden of Eden, where we first see the one who robbed giving all of our hearing, our hearings, to YHVH’s living, flowing, life-giving, speaking word from the ears and heart of the first Bride.  Look again at Mark’s writing, then pay attention to this very verb’s first use in the Scriptures.

And looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him,“Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened! ”  And his ears [lit.  his HEARINGS] were opened

as    Mark does not write that Jesus looked at the man when He said, “Ephphatha!”.  Jesus is looking up unto the heavens while commanding this healing of this man’s hearing and his speaking.   The Hebrew equivalent’s first use of this verb is found in Genesis 7:11.

“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all  … the windows of the heavens were opened [ נִפְתָּֽחוּnif-Takh-hu -from the verb,  פָתַח – paTakh – Sounds like “paw-takh”]

      Hasn’t this been the longing prayer of so many … for an open heaven?  That God would come down again, as it were, to pour out again of His Spirit for another “move of God” … ?

     The veil had been set up between man and the tree of life from back in the Garden.  Adam had REFUSED the voice of the LORD God, and had consequently forfeited inheritance – a finished Work of Rest – into which he had been placed.  His first son, Cain, had REFUSED the offering lamb at his door, which the LORD, by His Voice, was providing, a sin offering, that it’s blood might be shed so that Cain might offer an ACCEPTABLE to God offering, as had his brother, Abel.

asdWe have to quit asking, Beloved, for an open heaven.  Jesus’s groan, His deep sigh that burst forth into another tongue {he that has ears to hear, let him hear}  as He was gazing into the heavens, caused, brought about, an opening COMPLETELY for that man of his HEARINGS,  …  to hear from God’s Living Word  …  Who was standing right in front of him …                                                                                                                             … as it all was for all mankind, because of the full, sweet ascending aroma sacrifice of Himself upon the cross (Eph. 5:2; Mat. 27:50-51; Mk. 15:37-38; Lk. 23:45b-46).  The prayer that asks for what God our Father has already so overly, willingly, with a bursting towards us heart, answered, in that violent ripping of the veil and of the darkness, stems from not having had the ears of our heart opened to the truth of Scripture, of the Word, or from wrong teaching that still keeps the serpent in the heavens from out of which he has been booted.

“But the righteousness based on faith (lit,  thefrom out of {correct} believing’ righteousness) speaks thus, “Do NOT say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down), … But what does it say? The word [ ῥῆμά-rhema] is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.”                                                                                                       excrpt frm Romans 10:6,8 (NASB)

      The Day of Pentecost, Beloved, was, from the heavens, from Father God Himself, the stamp that Jesus’s groan was answered – forever(Acts 2:1-4; Rom. 5:1-2; Heb. 4:16; 19-23)God was far more in a hurry to send the breath of His heart, His very own Spirit, in a sound like a mighty rushing Wind, to let us know that the last breath of His Son’s sacrifice forever opened up, to all mankind of every tongue, heaven, even the very Holy of Holies, that we might always hear from an open heaven (Acts 2:5-11, 41; Rev. 1:5-6; 5:9-10 et al).  He opened up completely, Beloved, the way to the Tree of Life, which was cut off to all man all the way back to Adam.  That living Word Tree of Life is Jesus, … as close as the breath of your heart and lips.  The open heaven believed has the opened ears by God’s Spirit who already dwells this precious vessel … that is YOU!  Even if you “feel” like the heavens are brass, they are not!  Jesus’s death proved it.  The gospels testify to this truth.   You must step by faith, by your heart and mouth’s “AMEN”, into this truth.  Precious one, even if you can’t find the word or words, the Holy Spirit knows how to utter through your groan … in a tongue that may not even by your own … if you will let Him; (Romans 8:26-27) .  For those who need to hear this, ask Jesus to baptize you in His Holy Spirit.  He will not give you something evil.  He cannot.  (Lk. 11:11-13; Mk. 1:8; 16:17 et al).  Jesus has not changed, Beloved.  He is the same yesterday and today and forever.  Don’t waste your effort arguing theology, because you are letting be robbed from you what His blood poured out to grace-gift you.  He will not give you a stone if you ask for bread.  He will not allow anything evil to be given you when you ask Him for what is Holy.  And yes, He is far more than willing to unveil to you the truth from the scriptures pertaining to this (Psalms 12:6); you will have a solid Word foundation.  (One of you needed to hear this).

11With all my heart and love for each single one of you reading this, in whichever country you live, from whichever is your mother tongue, for the whole Bride of Christ, as Holy Spirit, the living Rhema Word which is Jesus, which is from Father, has exhorted us from the Scriptures, “in ALL your guarding, GUARD YOUR HEART … for out of it are the issues of life.  (Proverbs 4:23)“Take care what and how you hear” (Mk. 4:24; Lk. 8:18), because, “out of the abundance of the heart,” of your heart, your mouth speaks (Mat. 12:34b; ref also 15:18; Jas. 3:10-11).  Let your words be filled with Grace (Eph. 4:29), with the living revelation unveiling of the finished work of the cross of Christ Jesus our Saviour (Lk. 24:27, 32; I Cor. 2: 2, 4).  Guard the treasure of glory entrusted to you, precious saint, avoiding letting into your ears the evil reasonings, which can even, on the surface, sound so reasonable and sound, yet actually defile believing of precious promises of heaven, and which becomes the noise of this age blocking hearing from the still, small, but so precious, Voice of the Holy Spirit, even the voice of the blood of Jesus through an opened heaven . (I Tim. 6:20-21; II Tim. 1:13-14).  

QqWhat is at stake is an increasing level of faith, of believing for what is exceedingly beyond all that we could ask or think (Eph. 4:20), a level of hearing, not that makes you so super-spiritual that you can’t touch the lost, rather a level of Kingdom of God life and light through effortless Grace transformation that causes the world to give their ears to you … instead of you to it.  There is an open heaven, Beloved, to hear the awesome Goodness of God our Father because of the Blood of Jesus on the Throne, the Voice of the Blood decreeing what it was shed to Grace-gift us, a Royalty that is so far, far more than what we have even begun to hear. 

You are so Greatly loved, Beloved

Mark D.

 

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** – Beloved, you are free to print this and any Kairos for your own study.  Take the time to go through these scriptures, and let the Holy Spirit write them and bear witness to them in your hearts and minds.  Let the Word of God and the Blood of Jesus and the witness of the Holy Spirit who lives inside of you wash through you and renew your mind.  These blogs are meant to be Bible studies, so you are free to print up any newsletter of this blog site for your own study.  Feel free to copy and reset these Newsletter with lines in them for notes.

For those of you who have believed into Jesus; take communion often (I Cor. 11:23-26; Lk. 24:30-31a).  Let communion be a refreshing of the Blood and the Spirit (Heb. 9:14) to cleanse your conscious from sin consciousness to righteousness consciousness, that you are indeed clean, as a gift of His grace.  You are no more, Dearly Beloved, under condemnation; rather, you are under justification – eternally! (Rom. 4:25b, 5:21;b; Heb. 9:11-12).  You will find the Holy Spirit of Jesus unveiling Jesus to you from the scriptures like you’ve never seen Him before.

If you have never believed into Jesus Christ, you can do so now, from your own heart and words.  If you wish help to pray, pray, “LORD Jesus, I believe You died for me and as me because You love me.  I receive Your Forgiveness for my sin.  Thank You for shedding Your blood to cleanse me, for making me clean, for breaking the power of sin in my life, for transforming me as a gift of Your Grace to me.  I ask You to live inside of me.  I thank You, Jesus, for giving me eternal life, that I might know You and Your Father, as my God, forever.  In Your Name, LORD Jesus.  Amen!”

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kairos – (Kahee-ros’) – Strong’s concordance defines this word: “an occasion, I.e. set or proper  time.”  The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible (NASB) defines this word; “season, time, but not merely as a succession of moments, which is chronos,” [from which we derive the English word ‘chronology’].  “Kairos, however, implies not the convenience of the season, but the necessity of the task at hand, whether the time provides a good, convenient opportunity or not.”  This must be understood.  Strategic times of the Lord do not necessarily imply good or convenient times.  We are in Kairos times.  Maybe not good or convenient times, but definitely strategic, opportune times because of the season we are in.  We must have “ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches,” (Rev. 2:29), so as to respond correctly to the Kairos time.
* Some Scripture for this letter is taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, (c) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, by The  Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.  Other references translated from Grk. Txt as presented in T. Newberry’s Englishman’s Greek New Testament, Zondervan Publishing – 1982- originally published in London, Eng. 1877                                                                                                                                                           Scripture references not showing a Translation in Brackets are this writer’s translation from the Hebrew Massoretic Text as it appears on the web-site “qbible.com”.  Some definitions given to Hebrew words are also referenced from this website, as well as from Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament, Baker Book House Company, (C) 1979

Several Translations and study guides to which this author refers are taken from biblehub.com website