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John- Believe in Jesus and live!
Part 5
“Hearing God’s voice”
Back ground text-- John 10:1-18
Focus text—John 10:3-5
I have told ya’ll a few times about a couple of Blue Healers I had while I was working for ANLACO on the Flat creek Division.
I had a lot of different dogs while working on this ranch and I was blessed at having 2 very exceptional dogs and even further blessed by having them both at the same time.
I can tell you I was very proud of those dogs, Butch a big old Blue healer that looked more like a pit bull and Koon dog , a little fine boned healer that was about 1/3 the size of Butch.
I was proud of them for their abilities , but let me say right off , I had little to do with them being the dogs they were, I simply taught them how to sit , how to stop and come to me- Everything else they learned by watching other dogs, by natural instinct and by pure desire.
These were good dogs
They were good in the brush
They were good in the pasture and they were good in the pen
One of their best chararistics was that they paid attention and they listened to my voice
Like most really good dogs
These dogs would not work for anyone else
If you have working dogs
Then you know
Every time you get together in a pen with a bunch of cowboys
Everybody wants to tell your dogs what to do
This really irritates me
But these dogs knew my voice and they absolutely refused to work for anyone else
To the point where they would not even get in the truck for anyone else
One fall as we did every year we had sold calves from the 4 combined ranches that made up ANLACO
We had hauled all the cattle to the pens down at Glad Oaks and after the sorting and weighing we were loading out the trucks
The man who had bought 5 loads of the cattle was there helping or supervising the loading of the trucks
And
He had been watching my dogs work all day so he decided that he wanted to try and buy them
Mt first reply was “you don’t have enough money to buy my dogs”
Which was a stupid reply
He owed a big ranch, He had just written a check for 5 truckloads of steers I was working for a small salary and a house
He in every imaginable way had enough money to buy those dogs
My next reply when I saw the look on his face was
Please don’t make me an offer; I don’t want to sell my dogs”
And then I said
“They won’t work for you anyway”
To that he said something on the dirty side of Bull Corn
So
I had to prove it
I put the dogs in the cab of a truck and told him to let them out after I drove off
Once I was gone, he could try and get them to work for him
I stayed gone about 15 min
When I came back the dogs were sitting in the shade
The men were extra hot and tucked out
And
He had to admit that I was right
My dogs would not work for anyone else
Butch and Koon dog knew my voice but more importantly listened for my voice\ but most importantly they trusted my voice
This is where we come to in our study of John today
John has been showing us who Jesus really is in an attempt to cause us to believe in him
And here in our passage for today
We see that Jesus wants us to know his voice
Let’s read John 10: 1-18
Then I will break it down and put it into use in our lives
“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! 2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”
6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, 7 so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me[a] were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved.[b] They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. 12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.
17 “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. 18 No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”
Last week we learned about the Truth that is Jesus
And
In studying about this Truth we looked at the 7 I AM statements that Jesus used in John to describe himself to us
2 are found in today’s passage
“I am the gate”
And
“I am the Good Shepherd”
By describing himself as the gate Jesus is showing us his love and his protection
In biblical days
Shepherds would bring their sheep into pens at night
These pens were usually made of rock or brush
Sometimes they would use a box canyon
But there was never a gate
Many shepherds would bring their flocks in to the safety of the pen and the shepherds would take turns sitting or lying in the gap
Keeping the sheep in and the wolves out
Jesus as our Gate
Offers us this same love and protection
In this statement he also shows us his identity as the only gate or way to get to the Father
As the Good shepherd he is showing us
The truth of His inherent goodness
And
His righteousness,
As shepherd of the sheep
He is the one who protects, guides, and nurtures His flock.
He as the shepherd has full authority over and full responsibility for his sheep
So
We see from scripture that Jesus is our Gate and our Good Shepherd
But
We have responsibilities as his sheep
Please open your bible back up to John 10
Let’s look at verses 3b-5
He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”
We as Jesus sheep have the responsibility to know his voice
We have the responsibility to listen to his voice
And we have the responsibility to move when we hear his voice
I said that many times several Shepherds would bring their sheep to the same pen at night for safety
How do you think they got them separated again in the morning?
It would take hours to sort a bunch of sheep
But
The shepherd would call his sheep
And HIS sheep knew his voice
They listened for his voice and
They went to him when he called
You see as believers in Jesus
As his sheep
He is our protector
He has responsibility for us
He has full authority over us
But
If we don’t hear his voice we like sheep are prone to wander off
And it is when we wander off that we are in danger
People in general have 3 voices that speak to them in their hearts and in their minds
We have the voice of God the Holy Spirit
We have our own voice
And
We have the voice or voices of the others
The ones who desire to lead us astray
This last voice or voices is Old Slick in many different forms
First let’s look at the voice of God
God speaks to his sheep daily
Actually I would say if we are attentive he speaks to us constantly
But we often time are not attentive
We often times are distracted
Sometimes we are too busy other times we just refuse to listen
Let me say first that Jesus says in John that my sheep know my voice and they listen to me
If you are not hearing God’s voice it may be because you are not HIS sheep
But let’s go on the assumption that I am speaking to believers here this morning
If you are his sheep you have listened to him at least once
At one time you like I was were lost
At one time you belonged to the Satan
And then
A voice talked to your heart
This voice may have just been a feeling
But
You listened
And the Holy Spirit
Convicted you
And convinced you that you were a sinner and that you need Jesus
You listen to his prompting and moved form lost to saved
Unfortunately many become his sheep though salvation and think that they have crossed the finish line
Salvation is the starting place for the Christian not the finish line
God has much to do for us and through us
And much for us to experience and it is only by listening to his voice that we will do or experience all he has for us
So you may be asking
Preacher
If there are many voices
How do I know if the voice is God’s?
How do I separate it from the other voices?
How do I see truth?
Life is full of decisions we must make
That do not have absolute, specific-by-name, how-to directions in the Bible.
Many decisions that we must make have no clear instruction in scripture
But every decision we as believers can be backed up by scripture
Let me give you an example
The bible does not specifically address hooking up to a satellite system without paying
But it does address theft
The bible does not specifically address Gay marriage
But it does address Homosexuality
The bible does not specifically address abortion
But it is clear on murder
We all have notions about the truth, but here is the truth
Anything that contradicts this is not the truth but is a lie
So you may ask
How can I Know that I am I hearing God?
Sometimes distinguishing our own ideas and the ideas of the world from God’s leading is difficult.
And what if our urges are actually coming from the enemy of our souls and not from God?
1 John 4:1
“Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.”
Our minds can lie to us and Satan and his voices can lie to us
But God cannot and will not lie
This is the first step to knowing God’s voice
First he speaks to us through his written word
If you hear a voice that tells you something that goes against scripture
It is not from the true shepherd
God does not contradict himself
He will not contradict himself
Listen to me
I am going to step on some toes
God will not tell you to get a divorce- your mind might- Satan will
But God won’t
Why
Because it goes against scripture
He will not tell you to seek happiness by cheating in the arms of someone who is not your spouse- Your mind might- Satan will
Why
Because it goes against scripture
He will not tell you to break the law
He will not tell you to do anything that goes against His word
And his word is clear on these and many other topics
Satan on the other hand is the father of Lies
He will shine stuff up and make it pretty
Make it desirable
And
Our own voice will make us attempt to justify or selves and our sins
God won’t
If the voice is telling you to do something that goes against scripture or Godly values
It is wrong- it is the wrong voice!!! Don’t listen!!
As I already said one of the most common ways that God speaks to us is through his word
His Holy Bible
If we don’t read it
Study it
Meditate on it
And learn it
And this is how he most often speaks to us
Then
How can we expect to know his voice?
Reading the Bible is the primary way God speaks to us.
It is also the best way to learn about God’s character
It is the best way to learn how God has dealt with people throughout history.
Listen
Satan
People and sometimes even your own inner voice will try to tell you that
That Old book was just written by men
That it is outdated
Out it is of touch
Hooey
2 Timothy 3:16
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
It is all God’s word!!
In this Holy word is the power to change lives
And nothing is here that God did not want here
And nothing has been removed that he wanted in his word
While we speak to God in prayer,
He speaks to us through His Word.
And we must know that
His word
Is pure
It is true
And it is how we know his voice
Next we must pray
James, Jesus’ half brother tell us in James chapter 1
That if we need wisdom ask, God for it
And he will give us what we need to understand
Talk to God in daily in prayer, many times daily
And
Patiently wait for His response.
Don’t be like so many in our world today
They pray “God give me patience------- NOW”
God works in his time and in his way
As the Good Shepherd one of his jobs is protection
He doesn’t always give us all the answers we want
Because in his mercy
He knows what we need to know at any given time, and He will tell us what is best.
Often times not getting the answers we want will assure us that the voice is from God
I could go on for days how it is God’s mercy and love that often times he does not give us what we want
So once we know God’s voice
Once we begin to determine how to tell the difference
How do we learn to listen to his voice?
John 10
Says the sheep know my voice
And they come to me
This verse tells us that they not only recognize his voice
But that they listen to and for his voice
They Listen
Ya’ll know that there is a difference between hearing and listening
Someone can hear you
They may be able to repeat what you said
But
They were not listening
Men
Kids
Hear me
Hearing your wife or your Mom does not mean you were listening
Listening means paying attention
My dogs would have never been able to do what I wanted if they had not listened
We can’t do what God wants if we do not listen
Knowing his voice is important
Knowing how to distinguish his voice from all the other voices that are trying to get your attention are imperative
But once we know the voice
We must learn to listen when he speaks
How do we do that?
Remember I told you that Butch and Koon dog trained themselves
Except
I taught them to
Stop
Sit
And
Come to me when I called
That stop and sit part are so important for us as well
The world is a noisy place
Somebody or something is constantly trying to get our attention
In order to listen to God’s voice
We must learn to stop and to sit
I am not comparing us to dogs here
What I mean is we must be still
Psalm 46 says
“Be still, and know that I am God!
God’s voice is most often heard in the quiet times of our lives
When we sit
And stay
And be still
The prophet Elijah was feeling sorry for himself after his struggle with King Ahab, Jezebel and the prophets of Baal
He felt all alone and rejected
But God spoke to him
Let me read for you how he did this
From 1 Kings 19:10-11
Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”
11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
God spoke to him in the gentle whisper
You see we must learn to listen while it is quiet
So when can keep on listening when it is not
When I started Butch as a puppy
He often got distracted on busy days
Cows
Horses
Other dogs and other voices
Trying to tell him what to do
But he learned in the sitting time- the quiet time
In the alone time with me
To listen to the voice of his master
This is what we must learn to do
Know his voice
By reading and studying and praying
And learn to listen to his voice but the same methods
I cannot tell you the importance of a quiet time with God for a believer
This is where we truly learn the voice of God
But I think more importantly or just as importantly this is where we learn to listen to the voice of God
And maybe just as importantly this is where we learn not to listen to those other voices
The ones trying to deceive us
John 10:5
“They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”
Our quiet time with God is where we learn Gods voice
And trust God’s voice
And where we learn to listen to God’s voice
As many of you know
If you come to me for counseling for some dilemma or wreck
I will always question you about your quiet time
Your prayer life
And your personal bible study
This is not just a preacherly thing to ask and say, not a text book response thing to ask and say
It is important
Because
If we don’t know God’s voice
We can’t listen for his voice
And if we don’t listen for his voice there is no way we can move when he calls
Verse 4
“4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him”
Following him is an active movement
It is putting feet to your faith
But
We must know and trust the one we follow
Or we can be lead astray
Ya’ll have heard me say this before
Old slick only wants one of two things from you
If you are a believer
He wants to distract you
To keep you from doing God’s work
That is helping to lead others to The Lord
And if you have not yet accepted Christ as your savior he wants to prevent you from doing so
Either way he wins
Either way he wants you to listen to him
Not listen to God
He wants to lead you astray
But when we know and trust the voice of our Shepherd
And we listen for the voice of our Shepherd
When we move it will be in the direction that he desires
And when we move in the direction he wants
This is called finding God’s will for your life
I get asked all the time “how do I find God’s will for my life”
Simple answer, so simple many won’t accept it
Pray
Read
Listen to his voice
Move when you know it is from God
Sit still till it is
I love verse 9 of this passage
“9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved.[b] They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.”
When we know his voice
Listen to his voice
And move at the prompting of his voice
In his role as protector and provider
We will find peace
Rest for our souls Matthew 11 says
We will find Good pastures
And those who come to him will be saved!!!
Close from the heart
Pray
