Hearing From God
Established - Week 2:
Scripture: John 10
We are in the second week of our series, Established. During these next several weeks, we will be learning how to be rooted and established in the love of God.
Today we are going to learn an important lesson in being rooted in God.
If you and I are going to be rooted and established in the love of God, we’re going to have to learn how to listen to God.
We’re going to have to learn how to hear His voice.
In our day and time, if you pray, you’re considered to be spiritual.
But, if you hear from God, people might think you’re...what?
You’re crazy.
But Here’s the thing.
God is still speaking and God wants you to hear Him to know His voice.
This concept is not just something that is an optional luxury for you to have. Those days are gone. Part time Christianity is becoming more and more impossible the closer we get to the coming of Jesus
This will be a critical necessity for those who wish to continue to live for Jesus in these coming days.
Prayer
In the Bible, we always read that God spoke a lot.
God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, so in our modern times, is He still speaking?
Think about this for a second.
Think about all the conversations happening right now.
People are having all types of conversations around us. Text messages flying back and forth. Video chats from all over the world.
We can’t see them, but they are happening.
If you have a television, it picks up a broadcast. So, just because we can’t visualize or sense what is on WEAU out of Eau Claire right now in church, it doesn’t mean it’s not any less real.
But in order to receive what is bring broadcast, you have to be tuned in.
That point- being tuned in is critical to our understanding of how important to be hearing from God.
God is still speaking.
We can still hear from Him.
But we have to learn how to tune in and hear the voice of God.
So, how do we hear the voice of God. How do we tune in? And how do we learn to be guided by Him?
Let’s look at the scriptures to find out-
Turn in your Bible to John Chapter 10.
Here, Jesus is speaking, and he tells us that he wants us to know his voice. In that, we’re learning and knowing the voice of God.
However, the voice of God is not the only voice we can tune into.
John Chapter 10, verse 10. Here’s Jesus talking. He says, “The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy.”
The thief is satan. You and I have an enemy that wants to destroy our lives.
satan is known as the father of lies. His voice is in competition with God’s voice.
That’s really the battlefield of this spiritual war- whose voice are we listening to?
That’s the main focus of today’s message-
So, how do we discern those different voices? How do we discern the voice of God? How do we discern the truth?
Jesus says this, “I have come that they might have life and have it to the full.”
Have it to the full.
Let’s stop right there. Jesus says you have an enemy. That enemy wants to destroy your life. He’s the father of lies. He wants to steal, kill, and destroy.
But Jesus has come that we might have life and have it to the full.
That original Greek word used for life is “zoe” (zo-A), and the Greek Language connects it to the word “full or Abundantly” That word in the Greek is “Perussos” (Perry- Sauce) the idea that there is life to the maximum.
It isn’t just life. It’s meant to convey to us the idea of Abundant life. Passionate life.
A life full of God’s presence and blessing no matter what problem you may face in this life, you can face it with joy and faith because of who is standing with you.
Jesus wants us to have this. As he continues to teach, he says if we’re going to have an abundant and passionate life with God, we need to learn to hear his voice.
Look at John Chapter 10, verse 27. “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me.”
Verse 28. “I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.”
Verse 29. “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than them all. No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” Then, in verse 29, Jesus says, “I and the Father are one.”
Jesus is the shepherd in the illustration
We are the sheep. We’re to know his voice and follow him.
If you want to know the voice of God, you’ve got to understand who Jesus is. We must know his voice and follow Him.
There are three things here in this passage of scripture.
Number one, and the first thing out of this passage: God wants you to know His voice because He loves you.
God’s not playing Where’s Waldo with you.
He’s not hiding somewhere and waiting for you to figure it out.
The Bible says that God is not the author of confusion. He is speaking in a very clear way. The secret to all of it, in hearing God, is learning how to tune in.
For some of us, this is a big, big deal.
We need to hear God’s voice to know God’s will and direction for our lives
Most of us have many different ways we make a major decision. Some list the pro’s and con’s, some sleep on it before making the decision. Some just go with their guts.
But we have access to the greatest resource imaginable- someone who knows every possible permutation to any decision we can make, and knows which is best for us.
Let me use what may seems to be a strange example. Let’s say you have a major financial need. You stop at Kwik Trip, and someone you trust walks up to you and absolutely guarantees he has the winning lottery numbers for a 250 million dollar Powerball. All you have to do is ask, and he will give them to you.
Would you take advantage of that?
God has the riches of the entire universe at his disposal, and not just financial riches- those really are insignificant compared to
His wisdom
His knowledge
His love for you and wanting you to make the correct decision.
He wants to guide you.
God can speak in a variety of ways.
God even used a donkey to speak and correct a prophet.
That example is the absolute proof of why God can use me to teach or preach his word- he even makes donkeys speak.
Let’s look at 5 ways that God speaks in our day and time.
The first way is through the Bible.
It’s the primary way He speaks, and the 4 other ways will always fall in line with the Bible.
(Read Slowly)
The bible is our absolute authoritative, unfailing, rule of belief, faith, and conduct. If some new fad, teaching, “communication” or word of prophesy does not line up with the clear teaching of scripture, it is to automatically be disregarded and the person silenced.
This is the one rule that has to be solid for us to be able to distinguish the other ways God can speak from the lies of the enemy. This is the one objective source of truth we compare all other to.
Now lets look at the bible-
The Bible is God’s love letter to us. God’s will is found in His word.
Various superstitions- horoscopes, tarot cards, coin flipping
Here is some great life advice- Stop looking for a sign and start looking for the bible says about a subject.
The more that you know your Bible, the more you will know God. The more that you know your Bible, the more you’ll be able to discern the voice of God when He speaks to you. It’s knowing the Bible in its context and what the book actually teaches.
This is important because in our relationship with God as the shepherd, we are the sheep.
That’s meant to be a trusting relationship. It means using the bible correctly.
There’s a story of a guy who was really wanting direction from God. So, he took his Bible, thumbed through it, and pointed to a verse without looking. And he says, “God, I need Word from you!”
He looked, and the verse said, “Judas went and hung himself.”
The guy thought, “That can’t be right. Let’s try it again.” So he flipped through it again and he pointed to a verse and it said, “Go and do likewise.”
He tried it again and it said, “What you do, you must do in a hurry.”
That’s a funny example of how some people try incorrectly to use the bible.
But that doesn’t take away from truth today- God primarily speaks through the Bible.
You need to know what it says, but also the context it was written in. Again, you want to know the context. A lot of us are intimidated by the Bible, but you don’t need to be. As you get into God’s word, God’s word will get into you.
The second way God will speak with you is through authority.
God has placed authority in all of our lives. For example, as your pastor, I’m under authority- locally of the board and the congregation, regionally of the district superintendent John Davis, and nationally of the general superintendent of the AG, Doug Clay.
God uses authority to speak to you. In the church, pastors and leaders have authority (but it doesn’t make them any more special than you- leadership in the church should always be servant leadership- concerned only for your good).
Having authority in the church just means that pastors, board members, or elders have a different role in the church.
The Bible also says it’s a heavier responsibility.
In the book of James, it literally says, “Why would anyone want to be a pastor?” Because pastors are going to be judged more strictly than regular folk.
I’ll be honest, there are a few scriptures that instill fear in me, and that is one of them. I tremble at that scripture.
That authority comes with it responsibility, and I don’t take that lightly
I say that because I understand that many balk at the idea of authority in their lives- its in our DNA as American’s to resist any authority.
However, God has instituted the church and has given it HIS authority to speak into your life and that of your family.
Another authority God uses is found in Romans Chapter 13 that the government is authority. That it’s God’s will for us to obey the law of the land. When you’re driving and the posted speed limit is 55 miles per hour, God’s will for you in the moment is to drive 55 miles per hour. The law of the land, ultimately, is ordained by God.
If you’re a student and you live at home, parents would be godly authority in your life. In fact, the Bible says in Ephesians Chapter 5, that if you obey your parents, it’s good for you. It’ll help you live a long and healthy life. Parents are godly authority. If you have a job, your employer is a godly authority. If you are married, your spouse is a godly authority in your life.
And if you’re thinking about the passage that says “wives submit to your husbands,” it would include that. That’s in Ephesians Chapter 5 as well.
Most men who’ve ever been in church for seven minutes know that verse. It becomes the central verse you quote to your wife.
“Wives submit yourselves to your husbands.” Men, do you know the verse before that one? Not just one verse, but almost an entire chapter of the bible telling us men that we are to love our wives as Christ loved the church- even giving up his life and dying for it.
So it you live like that before your wife, it will give her something to be willing to obey.
I’ve had many spouses come to me wanting me to fix their spouse, or take sides in their argument. I point them to Jesus, because Jesus doesn’t take sides. He takes over.
If you get them to where they need to be with Jesus, everything else will fix itself.
So God will speak to you through authority, government, parents, pastors, employers, your spouse. You want to listen to those kinds of things.
If you’re here today and you have authority, you want to make sure that you’re under God’s authority. If you’re a parent, if you’re a leader, if you’re a boss, an employer, if you can’t be under authority, then you shouldn’t be in authority.
The Third way God speaks is through other followers of Christ.
The third thing Got speaks is through godly others. This is why God has given us the church- to speak into our lives.
The optimum word here is godly. The truth is, when we’re making life decisions, you can always find somebody who will agree with you.
If a bunch of godly people are disagreeing with you and you go out and find an ungodly friend who agrees with you, you’re not trying to listen to God. You’re rationalizing and trying to find somebody who will tell you what you want to hear.
How do you know if they’re godly?
They’re following Jesus.
They come to church and serve the church family regularly.
They know the Bible.
They’re humble.
Humility is the chief virtue of the Christian life. 1 Peter Chapter 5 verse 5 says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
You want people who will tell the truth whether you like it or not.
The 4th way God speaks
The still, small voice.
What does that mean? If you are a follower of Jesus, every once in a while, the Holy Spirit, will prompt you and nudge you.
You'll be going through your day and something or somebody will come to mind. It feels random but you can’t shake it. God will speak to you in a still, small voice. He will nudge you in certain directions. He will impress certain things on you.
Now, how do you know if it’s God? How do you know it’s not your own mind? How do you know it’s not the pizza you had last night? How do you know it’s not the one who wants to steal, kill, and destroy your life?
Go back to the 3rd way God speaks- talk it over with Godly people.
Then ask-What does the Bible say? Ask some authority in your life.
These principles I’m giving you this morning are not stand alone principles, but interconnected with each other.
God will speak to you through a still small voice. He will nudge you. He will prompt you to do certain specific things. The question is are we tuned in. Are we listening?
The 5th and last way God speaks is
through circumstances. Ever heard the phrase “an open door” or “a closed door?” That’s how church people say it.
God opened this door. God closed that door.
Of all the five that I just gave you, this one’s the least reliable. It comes from something that happened to Paul in the New Testament, but people often take it out of context. Usually, an “open door” means it’s easy. “Oh, this is easy. God must want me to do it.”
Actually, most of the time when God speaks to you, it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be difficult. God wants you to trust Him.
If you are disobeying God because it’s difficult, and you’re using the, “Oh, closed door. It’s hard so it must not be God,” you’re deceiving yourself because you’re entirely capable of opening and closing the doors and by the way, so is your enemy.
This is why these 5 principles are interconnected.
When we have a circumstance we have a question about- go through all the steps-
So what does the Bible say?
What does authority say?
What do godly others say?
What is God prompting you to do?
Let’s use these steps to be a people, who are God’s sheep, looking to and trusting in our shepherd for everything.
Let’s bring this home-
First, God wants you to know His voice. That’s why He speaks with you through a still, small voice today.
And Second- if you are to know HIS voice, you have to know the Shepherd.
When Jesus talks about shepherding, it’s a different picture than maybe what we think. In the West, they shepherd with sheep dogs. If you’re somewhere where there’s a bunch of sheep, you’ll have sheepdogs and all these horses. The dogs push the sheep where they’re supposed to go. The dogs scare the sheep. Then the herders come on horses and push the sheep where they’re supposed to go.
That’s just not what Jesus was talking about. Jesus is not going to bark at you. That’s not how he speaks. When Jesus talks about shepherding sheep, here’s how they would shepherd in the Middle East during his time.
A lamb would be born in the flock. The shepherd, after the birth of the lamb, would take the lamb and put the lamb on his shoulders and would walk around with the lamb for a few days. When he did that, the little lamb got to know the shepherd’s voice and there’s trust. After a period of time, the shepherd would take the lamb and put it back in the flock. The lamb would know the voice of their shepherd. In the Middle East, shepherds could just literally walk in front of the flock and call them and the sheep follow. Why? Because they know his voice.
If you want to know the voice of God, you have to spend time with God. And the more we spend time with Him, the more we’ll be able to recognize when He speaks to us. Spend time with God and you’ll know the voice of God. And you’ll follow Him as He leads you.
Last main point.
If you do the general things God asks of you, then you’ll know the specific things you’re supposed to do. There are a bunch of things that all of us know are in the will of God. Those would be the general things.
How many of you think it’s God’s will for you to come to church? You don’t wait until it’s Saturday or Sunday to decide whether or not you’re going to show up. That’s just part of your life. It’s God's will for you.
All of us know it’s God’s will for us to pray. It’s God’s will for us to be around godly others. All of us know it’s God’s will to get in the Bible. When you do those general things that you know are God’s will for you, when it’s time to make a more specific godly decision, the more you’ll know what God wants you to do. Why? Because you spent time with God doing those general things. Your job? Marriage? What do you do with your kid? How do you deal with your aging parents? How do you handle your teenager? When it’s time to make those specific decisions, you’ll know what you’re supposed to do because you will already be living in obedience to God’s will.
And now we are back where we started—Jesus came so that we can have life to the full. Abundant life. To the maximum. If we’re going to experience that, we have to learn to recognize his voice.
Let’s pray together.
