Know His Voice

How to Hear God’s Voice

We’ve just completed a fairly comprehensive study on how Jesus instructed to pray. Detailing out the necessity of communicating with God to the ultimate end of seeking to be closer and closer to Him.

And now we want to move from just mainly focusing on speaking to God and what we can expect to be encouraged to say to Him now, we want to transition to a deeper emphasis. Hearing God.

As we have learned in previous weeks, clearly God wants us to speak to Him. To ask Him for the things for us and for our world.

There comes a time when we stop just talking about God, at God, or even to God and start talking with Him.

The Ancient Biblical culture understood this so well that they came up with a prayer that they would pray together as a community and nation. The Shema was a prayer that would be written on the door frames of Israelites homes. They would fold it up in little boxes and tie them to their foreheads. It could quite literally be said that it was always on their mind.

Deuteronomy 6:4–5 (ESV)

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

And one of the primary assumptions of this prayer was that before you love God with all your heart, soul, and might, you first had to listen. You’d have to hear Him. You’d also need to know what His voice sounded like in order to recognize it.

And of course this is a reasonable conclusion when wanting to have a relationship with anyone. If you are seeking a relationship with someone then you’d want to know their voice and an evidence that you knew someone well would be that you could recognize their voice.

EG Crying

EG Fries

Mancy and headphones

The point is simple.

If we are so focused on the noise of this world (e.g. finances, news, work, quarrels) then how could we ever expect to hear God’s voice?

There is a fascinating verse in the exodus story where Moses sees for the first time the burning bush.

The bush is always burning.

Exodus 3:2 (ESV)

2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.

The reason this verse is fascinating is because of the phrase “the bush was burning”. Many scholars believe that a more accurate translation of that phrase could be that the bush was always burning but this was just the first time that Moses had noticed.

That all other times he had been distracted. Perhaps by his guilt of murdering the slave driver, the loss of his Egyptian family, or maybe his great fall from royalty to the wilderness. Whatever the case may be, it prevented Him from seeing the presence of God that had been wanting to speak to Him.

In Moses’ case the distractions of his life prevented him from seeing the God who longed to speak and intervene into His life.

And this is where it gets a bit confusing which is where i believe most of us find ourselves. Because God doesn’t always speak through burning bushes. Wouldn’t that be great if He did. Sometimes He speaks through His word, or through a friend, or perhaps a vision. And that’s where we must train ourselves to avoid disconnection (as stated earlier: headphones), and tune out the distractions of this world and tune into the voice of Him who speaks.

Think about what happens when He speaks...

Psalm 33:6 (NLT)

6 The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.

What then do you think would happen if He spoke to us and we listened?

Now if this is all starting to sound a bit intimidating let me reassure you with the words of Jesus

John 10:27 (CSB)

27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.

Don’t overcomplicate what was meant to be simple. Hearing God’s voice comes down to relationship.

Jesus brings it back to relationship. Hearing His voice is accomplished through relationship. It can not be stated too frequently. The entire point of everything is that you would dwell with God

Again we learn much from the life of Moses

Exodus 33:11 (ESV)

11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend...

God longs to be communicate with us and it is up to us to listen for every way He chooses to speak

Visions and Dreams (Peter Acts 10.9-19)

Still Small Voice (Elijah 1 Kings 19:12, Samuel 1 Samuel 3)

Scriptures (Couple on the Road to Emmaus Luke 24.13-16)

And this brings us to our primary text this morning:

Luke 24:13–35 ESV

13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. 28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Now it may not be evident straight away but this singular story gives us unique insight into the reality of prayer and just some of the primary ways that God chooses to speak to us.

5 ways God commonly speaks

Conversationally -

Luke 24:15 (ESV)

15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.

2. Exegetically -

Luke 24:27 (ESV)

27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

3. Sacramentally -

Luke 24:30 (ESV)

30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.

4. Prophetically -

Luke 24:31 (ESV)

31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.

5. Inwardly -

Luke 24:32 (ESV)

32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”

Now of-course this is not an exhaustive list of all the ways that God speaks to us. (Dreams, angels, donkeys, and so on) It does gives a good launching point to explore this wonderful truth that God seeks to speak to us.

And before we set out in the weeks ahead to dive into these marvelous ways that God speaks we should spend the rest of our time addressing the primary way that God speaks and reveals Himself that is not ( but is ) included in this list.

The ultimate way that God chooses to communicate is through Jesus.

Not primarily through the Bible - remember he must personally approach them and explain the Scriptures to them over the course of an hour. On another occasion Jesus says that its entirely possible to study the scriptures your entire life and never know Him.

Not Through the breaking of bread. or religious practice or traditional forms of worship ( Church attendance)

Not through extravagant “spiritual experience”

Not through deep theological definitions and thought experiments

When God speaks through any method it will definitively point toward the person and the work of Jesus. If it does not accomplish that objective then it can be surely said that the message was not from God.

God doesn’t drop a Bible on the couples head, or send an angel, or a sudden epiphany. He sends the one who draws near. (v.15)

Maybe your’e in a spot where you’ve been longing to hear from God. You tried the different ways. You’ve not tried because you don’t know how. Let me encourage you to above all else pursue Jesus. Draw close to the one who draws near. For he truly is a friend that stick closer than a brother.

Hebrews 1:1–2 (ESV)

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Testimony