HEARING THE VOICE OF GOD
John 10:27
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. “Stay at Home” orders aren’t really all that new. I heard about one man, long before Coronavirus came along, who was tired of living with his wife.
2. There seemed to be no way he could get away from her verbal harangues; she was always ‘setting him straight.’ At last he got so desperate that he decided that he would be happier in jail. He thought, “I’ll rob a bank and they’ll put me in jail.”
3. So he robbed a bank, was captured by the police, and the Judge gave him 6 months of “House Arrest!” He learned a good lesson; it’s better to learn to get along with your spouse!
B. TEXT “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow Me” John 10:27.
C. THESIS
1. We live in a time when we need to hear the voice of God and be led by the Spirit! There are a lot of voices that we listen to, but there’s one voice that’s most vital for us to hear – God's voice! Especially in this time of contagion.
2. The wisdom of man often fails. God knows the location of the germs and can warn us or change our itinerary so we don’t come in harm’s way. We don’t need to let fear rule us. “The safest place in all the world is in the will of God.” - Warren Wiersbe
3. So this morning I’m going to talk about God’s voice, how to recognize it, and four prerequisites to hearing it. The title of today’s message is “Hearing the Voice of God.”
I. THE VOICE OF GOD IN HISTORY
History is filled with instances of God speaking to individuals. In fact, the Bible is a record of God revealing himself to people down through history.
A. EXAMPLES OF GOD SPEAKING
1. Adam and Eve heard the voice of the Lord walking in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:8). They walked along with the voice, i.e., they kept His pace and direction.
2. One day a farmer, Noah, began to hear God speaking to him about a flood-judgment because of sin but God told them how He would spare Noah’s family if he obeyed God's voice and built an ark.
3. Abraham heard God’s voice telling him to separate from his idolatrous family and travel to a distant land which God promised to Abraham and his descendants as their inheritance.
4. Moses was in the backside of the desert after fleeing from Egypt. He saw a burning bush and as he approached, he heard a voice speaking out of the midst of the bush calling, "Moses!” God said some pretty insightful things to Moses:
“I have seen.”
“I have heard”
“I am concerned”
“I am come down.”
“I will send you.”
These give us great consolation as to God’s awareness of us.
5. Years later, a boy was sleeping in the Tabernacle. He began to hear the voice of the Lord calling to him, "Samuel, Samuel!" He obeyed the Lord and ushered in the time of the kings of Israel.
6. Later a prophet by the name of Elijah traveled to Mount Horeb, because he was desperate to hear from the Lord. Many distractions occurred, including fires and earthquakes, but he didn't let the effects of God's power distract him from hearing the actual voice of the Lord. Finally he heard the still small voice of the Lord asking, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 1 Kings 19:9. Elijah’s fear of Queen Jezebel had gotten him off track from God’s mission, but God put him back on it.
7. The prophet Habakkuk had a good thought, “I will look to see what He will say to me” 2:1. We should too!
B. THE CLEAREST VOICE OF GOD
1. The book of Hebrews tells us of God's ultimate speaking to us: through his Son Jesus Christ; “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe” Heb. 1:1-2.
2. When Jesus spoke, being God incarnate, His words were God's clearest and most authoritative voice speaking to us.
3. After he returned to heaven God sent the Holy Spirit to continue to speak to us. He spoke to the apostles all through the Book of Acts. But God isn't done yet, nor has His nature changed: He is still speaking today!
II. HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE VOICE OF GOD
A. IT MATCHES SCRIPTURE
When God speaks to you He reminds you of His promises (2 Cor. 1:20). God's voice always matches Scripture. God never says anything contrary to it.
B. IT’S RECONCILING
God's voice is always reconciling. He doesn’t want to judge us; He longs for us to come to repentance. So He’s attempting to woo us back to him or get us to see the things that hinder our relationship with Him.
C. IT BRINGS CLARITY & PEACE
God's voice is clear, peaceful and calm. Satan, our enemy, always spreads confusion, is in a hurry, accuses and causes doubt.
D. IT’S CONSISTENT
God's voice reflects His character, purposes and plan. God has a definite plan – the reconciliation of the world – and is always working to bring that about.
E. IT’S AUTHORITATIVE
God's voice has authority to accomplish what he says. His Word accomplishes that for which it was sent. It is life-giving.
F. IT CENTERS ON JESUS
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow Me” John 10:27.
III. 4 PREREQUISITES TO HEARING HIS VOICE
HUMOR
1. A very dirty little boy came in from playing in the yard and asked his mother, "Who am I?" His mother -- ready to play his little game -- said, "I don't know! Who are you?"
2. "WOW!" cried the boy. "Mrs. Johnson was right! She said I was so dirty, my own mother wouldn't recognize me!"
3. Well, Christians may start off dirty, but if the Holy Spirit is living in us, we’ll be transformed into Sons of God in our character. THE FIRST PREREQUISITE TO HEAR:
A. YOU MUST TRUST HIM
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” Prov. 3:5-6.
1. Faith is always a prerequisite to knowing God; we must believe that “He is, and that He’s the rewarder of those who seek Him” Heb. 11:6.
2. ILLUSTRATION
a. It’s like the young child who was lost on the streets of a large city. He stopped a policeman and asked for directions. The policeman tried to explain the way.
b. Finally he realized that the child couldn’t possibly remember all his directions, so he took the child's hand and said, "Just come with me."
c. That's the way the God leads us. He doesn’t reveal to us all the details, He just takes us by the hand and takes us where we need to go. A childlike trust is necessary to being led by the Spirit.
B. SURRENDERED TO DO GOD’S WILL
“Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own” John 7:17.
1. We’ll know the truth IF we’re willing to do God’s will. Why should God attempt to lead us if we’re not willing to be led?
2. ILLUSTRATION
a. God comes and says, “Child, are you willing to do My will?” If the person responds, “What is your will?”, God will say, “Never mind.” (2X)
b. But when the child of God says, “Yes Lord; I will do your will, whatever it is!”, then that child is ready to hear God’s will.
3. The first response to the Gospel is to “deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him” Mt. 16:24. It’s about NOT doing my will, but taking up my cross (whatever God wants me to do) and FOLLOWING JESUS. We’re not going the way we want to go, but His way. Until we take this attitude, we haven’t started on the road of discipleship.
C. HAS A STRONG FEAR OF THE LORD
“The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them” Psalms 25:14.
1. There are 3 TYPES OF FEAR: 1). Irrational fears that are unhealthy and stymy us; 2). Healthy fears that preserve us from harmful risks; and 3). The Fear of the Lord -- a deep, reverential faith in the vast power of God. It’s also the knowledge that He holds our lives in His hands and that we will stand before Him and give an account of how we listened and obeyed His commands.
2. Jesus said that God won’t “cast His pearls before swine.” God won’t pour out heavenly treasures of spiritual knowledge and revelation to those who won’t appreciate them or obey them.
3. God hasn’t quit speaking. If you’re not hearing the will of God, you might need to back up and do what He told you the last time. “The Lord confides in those who fear him.” Do you fear Him?
D. WHOLE-HEARTED SEEKING
“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” Jer. 29:13.
1. This requirement has to do with sincerity. God doesn’t look at “the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” 1 Sam. 16:7.
2. If we’re just playing games with God, He’s not going to waste His resources on us. The first & greatest command is to “love the Lord with all our hearts.” Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me Peter?” God’s asking you the same question.
3. Do you love Jesus above your family? Is He the center of all your affections? If we don’t, Jesus said “you’re not worthy of Me” Mt. 10:37.
4. If we want to “find God” in prayer, we need to seek Him with all our hearts – then we’ll hear from Him!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: ARE WE TAPPING INTO GOD?
1. Max Lucado related a story about a lady who had a small home on the seashore of Ireland at the turn of the 20th century. She was quite wealthy, but very frugal.
2. People were surprised when she was among the first to have electricity installed in her home.
3. Several weeks later, the meter reader came to her door. He was concerned and asked, "Are you using any power?" "Certainly, each evening when the sun sets, I turn on my lights just long enough to light my candles, then I turn them off."
4. She had the power but didn't use it! Have you trusted Jesus Christ for salvation, but haven’t "turned on" the power of His Holy Spirit in your life? What would happen in your life if you left the ‘light/ power’ on?
B. THE CALL
1. How many of you would say, “Pastor, I haven’t been hearing from God lately, but I want to start today?”
2. Some of you need to surrender your wills so that you can hear the voice of God. How many? How many need a new fear of God?
3. Jesus is speaking to you this morning; He’s saying “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” Rev. 3:20. Will you open the door of your life to Him?
4. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Let’s turn around and make our seats an altar, and seek the face of God. Do you really want to hear from God? Then prove it by praying.
5. PRAY: “Lord, I want to hear Your voice. I’m willing to do whatever it takes. I surrender to your will. Put the fear of God in my heart. Help me love you above all else. I repent. Come into my heart; I open the door of my life to You. Come live in me and be my Lord. I love you Jesus. I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.”
