Why Listen To God Series

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.