Introduction

Welcome, dear friends, to this gathering of hearts and souls, eager to hear the Word of God. What a blessing it is to be here with you all today, to share in the wisdom of the Scriptures and to seek understanding together. Today, we will be focusing on the theme of hearing God's call, heeding His instructions, and harmonizing with His will.

Our guide for today's sermon will be the text from 1 Samuel 3:10-20 and John 1:43-51.

In the words of the great Christian theologian, J.I. Packer, "The healthy Christian is not necessarily the extrovert, ebullient Christian, but the Christian who has a sense of God's presence stamped deep on his soul, who trembles at God's word, who lets it dwell in him richly by constant meditation upon it, and who tests and reforms his life daily in response to it."

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your Word, a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We pray that as we reflect on these passages, our hearts will be receptive to your call, our minds open to your instructions, and our lives in harmony with your will. Speak to us, Lord, for we, your servants, are listening. In Jesus' name, we pray, amen.

Hearing God's Call

When we open the pages of the Bible, we find many instances where God speaks to His people. In the stillness of the night, in the rush of the day, in the quiet of the desert, and in the clamor of the city. God's voice is not limited by time or place. It transcends our human boundaries and reaches us wherever we are.

Samuel is not initially familiar with the voice of God. He mistook it for the voice of Eli, the priest. But when he understood that it was God speaking to him, he responded with a heart ready to listen. "Speak, for your servant is listening," he said. This is the first step in hearing God's call - being ready and willing to listen.

Listening is more than just hearing. It involves paying attention, focusing, and being receptive. It's not a passive act but an active one. It requires us to quiet our minds, to set aside our own thoughts and ideas, and to tune in to what is being said. It's about being present in the moment, not allowing distractions to pull us away.

In the noise and busyness of our lives, it can be challenging to hear God's voice. We are often preoccupied with our own concerns, our plans, our dreams, and our fears. But God is always speaking, always reaching out to us. We need to make space in our lives to listen. This might mean setting aside time each day for prayer and reflection, or it might mean cultivating a habit of mindfulness, of being aware of God's presence in every moment.

It's also important to remember that God's voice may not always sound the way we expect it to. In the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19, God's voice was not in the powerful wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but in a gentle whisper. God speaks to us in many different ways - through His Word, through other people, through circumstances, and through the quiet promptings of the Holy Spirit. We need to be open to all these channels of communication.

But hearing God's call is also about understanding what He is saying to us. This requires discernment, a gift that comes from the Holy Spirit. Discernment helps us to distinguish between God's voice and the many other voices that clamor for our attention - the voice of the world, the voice of our own desires, the voice of the enemy. Discernment helps us to recognize the truth of God's Word and to apply it to our lives.

In the story of Philip and Nathanael, we see how discernment works. Philip recognized Jesus as the one Moses and the prophets had written about. He understood that Jesus was the fulfillment of God's promises. And when Nathanael expressed doubt, Philip didn't argue or try to convince him. Instead, he invited Nathanael to come and see for himself. This is another aspect of hearing God's call - it's not just about us; it's also about inviting others to hear and respond to God's call.

Finally, hearing God's call is a lifelong process. God continues to speak to us throughout our lives, guiding us, teaching us, and drawing us closer to Him. Each time we respond to His call, we grow in our relationship with Him. We learn to trust Him more, to rely on His wisdom and strength, and to align our lives more closely with His will.

Heeding God's Instructions

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