Can You Hear Me Now?
Why Listen To God?
John 10
Intro: One day I was at the park with some of my kids. There was one kid there, he was without any parents, who was being mean. At one point I asked him to stop doing what he was doing, and he replied, now this is about a seven year old, “I don’t have to listen to you, you ain’t my daddy.”
I told him that he could be sure that I wasn’t his daddy, because if I was he would be a lot more respectful to adults. As it was, I truly could not enforce my will upon him, so I was asking him man to man to please stop being mean.
Think back about what he said. He was telling me that he did not have to obey me, or listen to what I had to say because I did not have a relationship with him. There was no reason for him to do what I said.
I sometimes go to the hospital when someone is injured or seriously sick. There have been times when I have gone to visit someone, and been told that I could not see them. You know what I have thought? I don’t have to listen to you, you ain’t my boss. As I waited for them to leave so I could sneak back and see the person.
We choose who we listen to. We choose who we allow to influence our lives, because the person that we we listen to is the one that tells us, indirectly or directly, what to do.
The people, or philosophy, that we listen to…the one that has our attention, is the one that determines everything from our slang vocabulary to our dress code. They decide our spending habits and our dreams. We are influenced by the voices that we listen to.
At this point scream really loud….GOTCHA!
See what I mean? I influenced many of you to jump in church by my voice.
We are continuing with our study on listening to God, and today I want us to look at why we should listen to him. Why should we let His voice be the one that determines our direction.
He that has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13.9)
1. We Listen To Him Because Of Love. (Jn 10.11-17)
I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. (John 10:11)
He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them. (John 10:12)
He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep. (John 10:13)
I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me, (John 10:14)
even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. (John 10:15)
And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they shall hear My voice; and they shall become one flock with one shepherd. (John 10:16)
For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. (John 10:17)
Jesus is pointing out the reason that we should listen and follow him. I think that it is interesting what He appeals to. This is prophetical, look a few years later after the fact and you see that God is still appealing to this truth.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4.10)
Stop and consider this. Who is Jesus?
He is God
He has all knowledge.
He has all power.
He has all wisdom.
He is eternal.
He is unlimited.
He is God.
But when He appealed to us to follow Him, He did not use these as the reasons. He said we should follow Him…because He loves us.
Whenever anyone else talks to us, there is always the question of motivation. What is it that they want from us? What will they get out of it?
Illust: Have you ever had a stranger knock on your door? When you opened the door, and they began to talk to you, what was going on inside of you?
Contrast that with the person who loves you the most suddenly appearing on your doorstep. How would you respond to that?
If you and I were talking, and you knew that I truly loved you, that I had no selfish motivation, that the heartbeat of my life was to help you, bless you, encourage you, benefit you….if every word that left my mouth had one goal and that was to minister grace to you…wouldn’t you like talking to me? When you know that someone loves you, it changes the way that you respond to them. God has proven that He loves us. We should listen to Him, because He loves us more than we can even conceive. He loves us more than we can picture or imagine. He loves us, not so much that He would die for us, but so much that HE DID die for us. He has proven His love.
2. We Listen To Him For Life.
When these competing forces clamour for our attention, what is the bottom line message that they are telling us?
If you want to enjoy life, then follow me.
If you want to truly have a good time, then commit this sin, or indulge in that temptation. Purpose in life can be found when you go down this road or travel this path.
It is amazing to me that we listen to death as it tells us how to live.
There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14.12)
No matter what these people, products, or philosophies promise…all they can deliver is death. If you want life, then you have to listen to life and live.
a. Abundant (John 10.9-10)
The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly. (John 10:10)
I don’t get to watch Dr. Phil on television very much, but I have had the pleasure of seeing him a few times. One of the things that he will do is ask people a straight-forward question. “How is that working for you?”
It is amazing to me that we fill up our lives until they are full, but never enjoy a fulfilled life. We listen to the promises of someone that cannot deliver, and then wonder why we don’t have what they never possessed themselves.
How many people here today want a really great, purpose filled, exciting, vibrant, and abundant life? Who are you trusting to deliver it to you? How is that working for you? Are you fulfilled? Do you look forward to each day? Or are you drained, depressed, down?
We need to listen to God, because He is the only one that can give us the abundant life that our heart cries for.
b. Eternal (John 10.7-9, 28)
Not only do we have an abundant life when we listen to Christ, we have an abundant, eternal life.
Jesus therefore said to them again, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. (John 10:7)
All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. (John 10:8)
I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (John 10:9)
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; (John 10:27)
and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. (John 10:28)
3. We Listen To Him For Leadership.
On a day by day basis, if you are not listening to God’s direction…then who are you following?
Let me give you a couple of options. One in this passage is the Selfish Hireling. This is a person that is simply using you for personal gain. They will abandon you as soon as it benefits them to do so. Another option that Jesus referred to was the wolf in sheep’s clothing. This person isn’t just using you, their intent is to abuse you. They want to destroy you.
Are you going to follow someone who will use you?
Are you going to follow someone who will abuse you?
Or are you going to follow the One Who allowed Himself to be used and abused for you? The Good Shepherd who has only your gain as His motivation and will never leave or forsake you?
The wolf hates you, the hireling may like you, but the shepherd loves you.
a. He leads us to where His love knows we need to be. (john 10.1-4,9)
To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. (John 10:3)
When he puts forth all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. (John 10:4)
I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (John 10:9)
Because He is our shepherd, it is His job to tell us where to go. Sheep cannot see very far. They cannot plan well. They do not know what lies around the corner or over the hill. They do not know where to go. You are the sheep. He is the shepherd. His love will direct you, not to the place where you think you ought to be, but to the place where He knows you will find the pasture you need.
b. He leads us to love like Him
This is probably the greatest thing about following the leadership of our Good Shepherd.
He leads us to love.
This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. (John 15.12)
Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. (John 15.13)
Notice that the sheep are loving each other the same way that the shepherd loves them?
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; (Ephesians 5.1)
and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. (Ephesians 5.2)
Who else can teach you to love?
Who else can give you the joy of loving someone?
When you follow Jesus, you end up in love.
When you follow someone else, you end up in danger.
Who are you going to listen to? Who are you going to follow?
