“Can You Hear Me Now?”
Luke 6:12-16
A sermon for 5/2/21
Pastor John Bright
Luke 6 “12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; 15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.”
This is the only place in the Gospels we have recorded that Jesus pulls an all-nighter with His Heavenly Father in prayer. What we do see, over and over, is a pattern of Jesus spending time alone in prayer:
Mark 6:46 “After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray”.
Mark 1:35 “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.”
Matthew 14:23 “After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.”
Matthew 26:36 “Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
That night we read about in Luke 6:12, like in the Garden of Gethsemane, there was serious time spent in prayer over the task that lie ahead – choosing the 12 Apostles. Here’s the hard part – for 11 of them, Jesus is choosing men who will suffer for Him and almost all will die for Him. I figure that Judas was the easy choice. Back then, like today, there are plenty of folks who will betray you for money, but there are not many who will die for their belief in the Son of God – at least, not in the American Church.
What happened to the Apostles? Based on Christian tradition:
Peter was crucified upside down on a cross.
Andrew was crucified. He was tied to a cross has the shape of an “X.” It took several days before he died. It is said that he preached while hanging on the cross.
James, son of Zebedee was beheaded. He was the first martyr from among the twelve apostles.
The beloved John was in tortured and survived to be exiled on the Isle of Patmos He would be released and die in Ephesus.
Philip was hanged.
Bartholomew was killed by having his skin cut off his body.
Matthew died a martyr’s death in Ethiopia
Thomas was killed with a spear.
James, son of Alphaeus crucified and then sawed in pieces.
Judas, son of James, was killed with arrows.
Simon the Zealot, was crucified.
Judas hanged himself (Matthew 27:5). His death is the only one that is recorded in the Bible.
I can’t imagine choosing men to suffer and die like these Apostles. It was an all-night job to make sure Jesus was hearing the words spoken by God the Father. Only in Garden of Gethsemane do we hear the words of Jesus praying alone. He gives His Apostles the words to pray Luke 11 (Was that how to pray or what to pray?) In John 17, we have three prayers that Jesus prayed in the upper room the night of his betrayal. I truly believe that Jesus spent more time listening to God in prayer than telling God what to do.
How’s your listening time going in your prayer closet?
Listening starts with the faith that God is willing and able
James 1 “5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
If we need wisdom or understanding or discernment from God – it would follow that He would speak to us. I can trust that God hears my prayers – Amen? I can trust that God will answer my prayers – Amen? Faith is both belief and trust. It’s a whole lot easier to have faith in God Almighty than folks at work or school or in our families or even in the local church. JD Walt, of Seedbed Ministries, often talks about the part in us that has been damaged by others but that we need to have faith in God – he calls it his “truster.”
In the Old Testament, they seemed to expect God to speak – even when it was unexpected. In 1 Samuel 3, there is a story about the young boy Samuel who is now living with Eli the Priest. Everyone is in bed and God calls out to Samuel by name, so the boy, not knowing the voice of God, goes to Eli who tells him to go back to bed. It happens two more times. On the third go around – Eli realizes the Lord is calling Samuel so he gives the boy some instruction: 1 Samuel 3” 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”
Could it be so simple for us? Speak Lord, for your servant hears.
We always rely first on God’s Word to hear Him Speak. Can we go the Bible and read:
• “Now is the time to invest in Bitcoin”?
• “Look for a new job in Lynchburg”?
• “Get that shiny, new pick-up truck – TODAY”?
As Believers, we are the sheep and there are times we need to hear the Shepherd’s voice. John 10:4 “And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” Could this be a promise for the leading and guiding voice we need from day to day? YES!
Let’s get real – we all hear voices
Sometimes, there is a whole conversation going on inside my head… and it’s downright exhausting!
I hear voices from the past – a few are good but most are bad.
I hear voices for today – all about doing this or doing that.
I hear voices that are investigating the ifs and buts of the future – some fill me with faith and hope but others fill me with doubt and fear.
Anybody else feel this way?
So, I know there are three sources for the voice in my head – God, me, or satan. I really want to listen to God’s voice the most! You agree? Okay – so I want to talk about the practices that can make this a reality. These are Best Practices for Hearing God’s Voice.
Best Practice #1 – Go to God’s Word
Psalm 1:1-3
1Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
God’s Word for us and God’s speaking to us are always in agreement. That means we need to know the Bible. So, if you are not reading it – start. If you are not reading it through – get on a one-year plan to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. (That’s 12-15 minutes per day) If you are already reading through – start to study. There are lots of study Bibles and great self-directed studies to help you learn more about the whole thing or individual books of the Bible. I’m talking to the Church here – right? This is not new ground I’m covering. Stop with your excuses and get deeper and deeper into God’s Word so you can discern agreement when He speaks.
Best Practice #2 – Do what God tells you to do
Jeremiah 7:23-24 “23 But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’ 24 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.”
John 15:14 “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.”
If I went to the Doctor because I was having trouble with my blood sugar, he or she would usually tell me to change my diet, get more exercise and maybe start on some medication. This happened to my Dad – he changed his diet (actually my Mom did that!) and joined the YMCA and went there 5 mornings a week. He ended up loosing over 50 pounds and never went on insulin. Okay, so you get that advice and you DO NOT do what my Dad did – you change nothing and your health continues to decline. Can you blame the Doctor?
As you begin to hear God speak – determine that you will do what He tells you to do (or stop what God says to stop!) and be prepared to make mistakes. I just lost all the perfectionists out there – sorry! Really, I mean it – we all make mistakes and we all will as we learn to hear God speak into our lives. In the past, I learned far more from my mistakes than from my successes. Recently I attended an event – a community worship service in another community at the invitation of someone I had just met. I sat two seats away from him. As we closed in prayer, I heard God telling me to go pray for him. Simple, right? I hesitated and he left. I learned something about timing that day and it will make me more responsive to God’s leading and guiding next time… and THERE WILL BE A NEXT TIME!
Best Practice #3 – Slow down and wait
Psalm 40:1-3
“I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
3 He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.”
Since we are far more likely to hear the still small voice of God as the Prophet Elijah did in 1 Kings 19:11-2 than we are to see the burning bush like Moses in Exodus 3 – we might want to give God some space and time in our busy schedule to speak to us. We need to notice the peace and the calm when we read God’s Word or as we are praying with no pressure to finish by a certain time. When I consistently know what the experience is of that peace, I can wait right there. Then, the next question is – “How long must I wait?”
The answer – “Until God speaks.” There is a concept that we need to incorporate into the space and time of waiting: God ain’t done with me yet. There is still plenty of work for God to do in each one of us – do you agree? Just imagine that God has something to tell me, but I’m not ready yet. God will have to do a work in me – pruning the vine, refining the metal, burning the chaff – until I am ready. That work in you may be as simple as you getting busy on Best Practices 1 & 2. God may have some inner healing in store for you – Amen? There are as many different works that need to be done by God as there are folks listening to me today – and one more – me!
These Best Practices for Hearing God’s Voice are not complicated, but they can be hard. These practices involve sacrifice on your part. I would rather make any sacrifice here rather than get to heaven and hear God say, “John, there were so many things I wanted to tell you, my Precious Child.”
Let me close with a story - “ONCE THERE WAS A MAN” by Max Lucado in his book, "Gentle Thunder".
Once there was a man who dared God to speak.
Burn the bush like you did for Moses, God. And I will follow.
Collapse the walls like you did for Joshua, God. And I will fight.
Still the waves like you did on Galilee, God. And I will listen.
And so, the man sat by a bush, near a wall, close to the sea and waited for God to speak.
And God heard the man, so God answered.
He sent fire, not for a bush, but for a church.
He brought down a wall, not of brick, but of sin.
He stilled the storm, not of the sea, but of a soul.
And God waited for man to respond.
And he waited. . .
And he waited. . .
And waited.
But because the man was looking at bushes, not hearts; bricks and not lives, seas and not souls, he decided that God had done nothing.
Finally, he looked to God and asked, ‘Have you lost your power?’
And God looked at him and said, ‘Have you lost your hearing?’
(https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon-illustrations/84105/waiting-on-god-by-dr-larry-petton)
Speak Lord, for your servant hears.
Speak Lord, for your servant hears.
Speak Lord, for your servant hears.
Amen.
