Knowing The Voice Of God Series

KNOWING THE VOICE OF GOD

KEY VERSE: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27)

A. INTRODUCTION

One of the greatest benefits of our salvation is the privilege of hearing God speak to us personally. God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to take our place and to die for us. He did this so that we could once again have fellowship with Him.

In the book of Hebrews we see that we can have access to God's very presence, "...having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way..." (Hebrews 10:19-20a).

God wants to fellowship and communicate with us. That's two-way communication because you can't really have a relationship unless there is true dialogue.

How do we get to know a person? By communicating with them. By talking and listening. It’s the same with our relationship with God. He talks, we listen. We talk, He listens. (read Jeremiah 33:3)

He also wants us to be fulfilled, blessed, and successful in the plan that He has established for our lives, so that we can be a reflection of His love and blessing in the Earth. Believers are the light of the world.

In Jeremiah 29:11 the Lord makes His intentions clear for you and I, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

We see in Genesis 3:8a, "...they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day..." This is how God wants to relate to us today as well. It is God's desire to walk with and to communicate with His children. He wants to talk to us. And He wants us to listen and talk to Him, too. But, as easy as it is for us to speak to Him, the average Christian has a hard time hearing His voice. This is not the way the Lord intended it to be.

As a child of God we don't have to walk blind. We can have confidence that we will hear His voice.

The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 8:14, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." This scripture implies that if we are God's children, if we are born-again, we will be led by His Spirit.

We have further assurance of this promise in Psalm 37:23 and 24, "The steps of a good (righteous, born-again) person are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand."

B. GOD THAT COMUNICATES

1. The title of this teaching, "Knowing The Voice Of God," implies several things:

• First: That there is a God.

• Second: That He communicates with man.

• Third: That man can recognize His voice when He speaks.

• Fourth: That God has something to say.

Jesus tells us in John 10:27, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."

2. Let us examine each of these statements:

First: This teaching is based upon the truth that there is a God who is revealed to man through the written record of His Word, the Holy Bible.

Second: The Bible is the inspired written record of God's communication to man.

It details the ways which God spoke to man and the response of individuals and nations to the voice of God. The Bible often repeats the phrase “. . . and the Lord said" and incidents where He spoke to man. This confirms that God communicates with men and women.

God is a communicator, He says:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and I will sup with him and he with me” Revelation 3:20

• God communicates His mind concerning life issues.

• He communicates His will to you so you know what He wants you to do.

• He communicates His purpose to you so you know when certain things happens and why He is doing certain things too.

• He communicates divine instruction to you so you know the way to go.

• He communicates His agenda for your life to you so that you do not live a useless life.

Any life lived outside the divine agenda is a waste. You may be rich or popular, it is still a wast. As far as that life is lived outside divine agenda it is as good as dead. God communicates a divine warning to us.

• He communicates His correction to us so that we can learn from our mistakes.