Are You Listening?

I got this illustration from Max Lucado’s book Gentle Thunder

Once there was a man who dared God to speak.

Burn the bush like you did for Moses, God. And I will follow.

Collapse the walls like you did for Joshua, God. And I will fight.

Still the waves like you did on Galilee, God. And I will listen.

And so the man sat by a bush, near a wall, close to the sea and waited for God to speak.

And God heard the man, so God answered.

He sent fire, not for a bush, but for a church.

He brought down a wall, not of brick, but of sin.

He stilled the storm, not of the sea, but of a soul.

And God waited for man to respond.

And he waited. . .

And he waited. . .

And waited.

But because the man was looking at bushes, not hearts; bricks and not lives, seas and not souls, he decided that God had done nothing.

Finally he looked to God and asked, ‘Have you lost your power?’

And God looked at him and said, ‘Have you lost your hearing?’

There are so many different voices we listen to when we need help. There is that inner voice, the one we talk to when we are alone. There is the voice of friends - who may/ may not be Christians. There is the voice of experts - offering up wisdom … or not! There is the voice of experience - which we often ignore! There is the voice of the Enemy - who is never silent. There is the voice of God - the one we should listen to above all.

Proverbs 2:6 CSB

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Today’s text makes us beg the question Are We Listening?

In 1 Samuel 3, we see a young man who both heard and listened. Samuel was a child of promise - His parents Elkanah and Hannah. You might remember that Hannah could not bear a child and prayed that if God would give her a child she would dedicate him to God. She brought him to Eli to raise. Eli might not have been the best choice - his sons were given to blasphemy and running wild, without correction from Eli. When Samuel hears the Word of the Lord, God’s word is troubling - but this becomes the kind of message that he becomes accustomed to bringing. Samuel becomes a major figure in the story of the Old Testament because he listens to God and he faithfully delivers the message. This text gives us three truths about listening to God in our lives.

When we do not listen, there is chaos!

1 Samuel 3:1–3 CSB

The boy Samuel served the Lord in Eli’s presence. In those days the word of the Lord was rare and prophetic visions were not widespread. One day Eli, whose eyesight was failing, was lying in his usual place. Before the lamp of God had gone out, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was located.

What a disastrous time for Israel. The time of the judges has mostly been a failure due to rebellion and wild, brutal living while ignoring God. Eli is nearly blind and is quite old - but that’s not all of his problems. His sons have blasphemed God by forcing themselves on women who come to the temple to worship and by eating sacrifices that didn’t belong to them. Eli speaks to them, but has no discipline.

Proverbs 29:19 CSB

A servant cannot be disciplined by words; though he understands, he doesn’t respond.

Chaos is all around us. Yet, God always keeps the door open for repentance. No matter what you have done in your life, God has the light on for you … He wants you to come home. If sin has brought chaos into your life, it’s time to let the Word shed some light on your situation and be a lamp to your feet! God is calling out to you through His Spirit.

Isaiah 9:2 CSB

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.

There is chaos because this world has decided to listen to everything else except to God. Never give up on God, He never gives up on us. There is always hope.

We are the searchers, looking for home, looking for some kind of order in the apparent chaos of our lives and in the history of our species. But the triune God is also searching for us...

Christianity Today, John Wilson

Are you listening?

Are we listening when God calls?

1 Samuel 3:4–10 CSB

Then the Lord called Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.” He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “I didn’t call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. Once again the Lord called, “Samuel!” Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “I didn’t call, my son,” he replied. “Go back and lie down.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, because the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. Once again, for the third time, the Lord called Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy. He told Samuel, “Go and lie down. If he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came, stood there, and called as before, “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel responded, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Three times Samuel hears the Lord call out his name. He is young, and this is his first experience at hearing from the Lord (and far from his last). He assumes it is Eli. The old priest finally instructs him to stop saying “Here I am” and say “Speak, your servant is listening.”

How is God calling you today?

Calling through the Gospel

2 Thessalonians 2:14 CSB

He called you to this through our gospel, so that you might obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I have said it a million times and I will say it a million more. God is speaking and calling out to you through His Word. Read your bible. His very Word, His very nature is in this book. There is no excuse not to read His Word. Give Examples.

Calling through the actions or experiences of others.

2 Peter 1:5–7 CSB

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

Our actions are on display for all to see. You are the bible people see. Is your actions calling them to God or to the enemy?

According to multiple sources, 80–83% of people are likely to attend church if invited by a friend or family member.

Are you answering God’s call in your life? Before we can answer, we need to hear.

When God calls, are we REALLY listening?

1 Samuel 3:11–18 CSB

The Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do something in Israel that will cause everyone who hears about it to shudder. On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I said about his family, from beginning to end. I told him that I am going to judge his family forever because of the iniquity he knows about: his sons are cursing God, and he has not stopped them. Therefore, I have sworn to Eli’s family: The iniquity of Eli’s family will never be wiped out by either sacrifice or offering.” Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the Lord’s house. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.” “Here I am,” answered Samuel. “What was the message he gave you?” Eli asked. “Don’t hide it from me. May God punish you and do so severely if you hide anything from me that he told you.” So Samuel told him everything and did not hide anything from him. Eli responded, “He is the Lord. Let him do what he thinks is good.”

There is a difference between hearing and listening! Hearing is a passive involuntary physiological act of hearing

sounds. Listening is a mental, active process that requires multiple senses. How much of what we hear is forgotten immediately? Research shows that within one hour, people will have forgotten an average of 50 percent of the information you presented. Within 24 hours, they have forgotten an average of 70 percent of new information, and within a week, forgetting claims an average of 90 percent of it

Listening takes more effort - is harder work. How do I move from Listening to Hearing?

Pay attention to the One Voice that matters. Sometimes we listen to everyone else BEFORE turning to God’s Word!

Hear the true message, not just the one we want to hear. Eli really wanted to hear God’s message, no matter how bad it was. How many people are there who really want to hear God’s disturbing news? I’m afraid most people don’t want to be challenged. They don’t want God to disturb their set ways of thinking.

Act upon what we hear - otherwise we’re just accumulating trivia.

Remain in the posture of hearing. God is not through with us yet!

Samuel would have a lifetime of service to God because He listened to Him and shared God’s message with the people.

1 Samuel 3:19 CSB

Samuel grew. The Lord was with him, and he fulfilled everything Samuel prophesied.

“This is not just a children’s story. It is a story for all of us who are most in danger of losing their capacity to hear and respond to the word of the Lord.” Mickey Anders

Are you listening? His voice brings life to the dead.

John 5:24–28 CSB

“Truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life. “Truly I tell you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted to the Son to have life in himself. And he has granted him the right to pass judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice

We will take the next few weeks to really dive into listening to God’s voice. It is my prayer that you walk away with a hunger to hear His voice. A hunger that will cause a spark that will ignite a a fire deep within your soul. It just takes a spark from one person to build a fire of revival. Will you listen for His voice and be that spark?