The Voice of Faith

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Luke 1:5-25 & 57-69

You Won’t Hear What You Don’t Want To Hear

A Navajo and his friend from the city were walking the busy streets of a major city. Suddenly the Navajo stopped, looked around, walked towards a bush and pointed out a lone cricket chirping.

His friend was amazed and asked, “How did you ever hear that?”

The Navajo pulled a coin out of his pocket and threw it on the ground. Instantly heads turned from every direction towards the sound of the coin hitting the ground. The Navajo told his friend, “See, you hear what you love.”

If we want to serve God with all of our heart, we will lean in to hear His voice. Those who do will hear Him.

Some people say they don’t hear God. That probably indicates they are not very inclined to hear God.

You Can’t Obey What You Never Hear

Which means you end up disobeying what God is saying- you did not hear it because you did not want to hear it.

And while we may be content not to hear the voice of God- the truth is that there are consequences when we do not hear and obey what God is saying.

Zechariah struggled to hear the Word even when told to him from an Angel.

Hear The Word

There are many reasons people do not hear the Word:

Busy: Jesus told Martha, you are busy with many things

Barren: lost hope, accepted reality, no expectation

v6 Being righteous does not guarantee that we will be fruitful.

v7 It is never too late to bear children- natural or spiritual.

v8 We hear the Word of the Lord in the Presence of the Lord. Zechariah went to the Temple, where God said His Spirit would dwell. We are now the temple. The Spirit dwells in us.

v9 God controls the roll of the dice. He dictates even the random circumstances of our lives.

v10 We enter the presence of God with prayer- incense. Incense creates a welcoming environment for deity. It is an invitation to God. Prayer at its core is an acknowledgment that God is good, that He knows what is best.

v11 God sends His message to those who seek him.

We don’t need to fear the messenger. We need to hear the messenger.

v12 We don’t need to fear the messenger, we need to hear the messenger. The message may be startling, challenging, wonderful or difficult. But we need embrace the message.

The more we think we know about God, the harder it can be to hear God.

Gabriel shows up. Sometimes God has to send an unexpected messenger to get our attention.

Believe The Word

v13 Don’t reject the message just because it is too good.

Zechariah seems to be more shocked at the thought of having a baby than he is shocked by the sight of an angel.

v14 Don’t be afraid to pray the hardest prayer. The hardest prayer is the one you have prayed a thousand times and that has not yet been answered. Have the courage to pray it again.

Testimony of Mark Batterson’s asthma

V17 The purpose of the blessing of God in our lives is to save the lost, to proclaim the Word of God that leads men back to God. Do not fear being blessed. Just be a good steward of the blessings God gives you.

v18 Don’t let your past prevent you from receiving your future.

v19 Don’t look at the messenger. Look at the Message Sender. Look to the Lord.

Obey The Word

v20 If you don’t believe, you won’t have anything to say. How often do you talk to people about what God is doing in your life? We serve a God who speaks. If you can’t tell me what He has told you lately, it makes me wonder if you are listening to Him.

I can’t hardly talk 5 minutes without referencing my wife. Why? I love her. If Jesus never pops in your conversation, if you are not busting at the seams to tell about how good He is and what He is doing in your life- you might need to check your love meter.

And the problem is this- the longer we have served the Lord- the less we usually think we need to talk about Him. It should be just the opposite. The longer we have known Him, the more we should have to say about him. But our passion for the Lord can grow cold, dim, stale. Our first love fades. And pretty soon we are content to just know about him rather than knowing him personally, intimately. Zechariah had served the Lord all his life. He came from a family that served the Lord. He grew up in Church. Stayed in Church. Served in the Church. But when God showed up and started speaking- he was not prepared to hear it. He could not believe it.

Zechariah writes on a tablet that they are to name his John, rather than seeking the honor of having his son named after himself or one of his ancestors.

v62-When you put speaking God’s word above seeking your own honor- God will open your mouth and fill it with blessings. And you set your children on a path of righteousness. You send them towards the Lord and towards a lifetime of serving the Lord.

Christ Vihar Church building delayed. Donors were concerned about the funds. God told me, “I sent you to start Churches, not to build them.” Reputation was on the line. Preparing to start Mission TEN.

Today we have the Church building.

It has been expanded.

Students have been to 149 nations of the World.

And I am here in Farmington, NM eating green chilli and living the good life. Other people are back there doing the work.

v63 When You Hear God and Believe God and Obey God- then God’s purpose and blessing are released in your life and your mouth is filled with Praise!

V68 Ultimately, what God wants us to know is that even though it has been a long time, and our struggles were real, and our pains prolonged- God has not forgotten us. He has come to visit and redeem His people- to bring them back home.

And really what that means is this:

He loves us.

He wants us to come close to Him.

His Mercy will visit us.

His Light will lead us.

His Peace will keep us.

Hear the Father today saying, “Come Home.”

Hear the Father. Believe the Father. Obey the Father.

He has good plans for you. Come to Him.