"Speak, Thy Servant Heareth”

Look at…

(1) John 10:27, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

(2) I Samuel 3:9, 1 Samuel 3:9 Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Notice especially the phrase “Speak Lord, thy servant heareth”

The phrase “SPEAK MY LORD” means thy servant is ready to listen.

Today we have a lot of good talkers but not many good listeners.

Some will say, “If God spoke to me, I would listen.”

In a few minutes I want to show you how God speaks to us each day, and many are not listening to Him.

One of the problems among people is that we hear but we do not really hear.

Franklin Roosevelt was very much aware of this problem.

Illus: The story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment.

To each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, "I murdered my grandmother this morning."

The guests responded with phrases like,

• "Marvelous! Keep up the good work.”

• “We are proud of you!

• “God bless you, sir."

It was not until the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. The ambassador leaned over and whispered, "I’m sure she had it coming."

God is speaking today but many are not listening.

Illus: There was once a television program on one of the networks called, “The Practice”.

It ran for eight seasons, ending its run in 2004 as one of television's most critically acclaimed and award-winning series, receiving Emmys, a Golden Globe, and even a coveted Peabody Award.

One of the stars on the program is Sharon Stone, who was a lawyer.

But she is different from all the other lawyers in the firm in which she worked because she occasionally talks about God talking to her.

• When she did this, everyone looked at her as if she is some kind of a nut that should be institutionalized.

• But at the risk of sounding like a nut myself, I want to align myself with her by saying I also believe God speaks to us.

There are many today who do not believe God still speaks to people today.

They believe this is something that took place in the Old Testament but not in the New Testament age.

Illus: In the book of Acts that talk about the New Testament age it has no closing at the end of this book. The reason it does not have a closing is because the New Testament age continues to our age.

God still speaks to us today in this New Testament age.

For example, the Word of God teaches us that God speaks to us at different times in different ways in this New Testament age.

For example:

God spoke to Saul on the road to Damascus.

• Look at Acts 9:3-4, we read, “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"

• God spoke to Peter: "And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat. But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth. But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again into heaven.”

The Lord Jesus is still SPEAKING to His children!

I personally have never had the Lord to speak to me in an audible voice but I can assure He speaks to me each day.

Illus: Now I have had:

• Former President Ronald Reagan spoke to me in an audible voice!

• Actor Chuck Connors (Rifle man) spoke to me in an audible voice!

• Former Senator Ted Kennedy to spoke to me in an audible voice!

• Senator Ernest Hollings spoke to me in an audible voice!

• Governor Henry McMaster spoke to me in an audible voice!

But I have never had the Lord Jesus to speak to me in an audible voice! If I did it would be the high light of my life!!!

But I can say the Lord has spoken to me many times in many ways.

Look at Hebrews 1:1-2 says, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, (But notice) Hath in these last days (We live in the last days) spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.”