Hearing God's Voice
Notes
Transcript
Read: John 10:27
Read: John 10:27
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Dallas Willard that great thinker once said, “People are meant to live in an ongoing conversation with god, speaking and being spoken to by Him.”
Then he lists Adam and Eve in the garden, Enoch’s walks with God, the face to face conversations between Moses and Jehovah are usually thought of as exceptional moments.
In reality, he continues, “these moments are not meant to be exceptional at all. Rather they are examples of the normal human life God intended for us:”
Oswald Chambers asserted, “God seldom speaks to us in startling ways, but in ways that are easy to misunderstand, and we say, ‘I wonder if that is God’s voice?’”
John records the words of Jesus “My sheep hear my voice”
now this term “hear” is more than just receiving auditory signals
My boys at one time were Hank the Cowdog Fans and sometimes in their stories Hank the Cow Dog would hear a sound and he would talk about tuning in his auditory scanners to pick up the signal or sound.
Sometimes we try to do that with God’s voice - Oh I hear it, it sounds interesting, or nice, or sweet, or whatever term we want to use -
But the text here means we not only hear - but that we heed what he says.
Jesus’ sheep - hear and heed his voice.
A few years ago a voice-over actor sang a popular Disney song while imitating various Disney Character’s voices. He uploaded it to YouTube and it recieved over 2.5 million views. Many of the viewers would accurately guess which of their favorite Disney character sang parts of the song which the actor was imitating. From Winnie the Pooh to Mickey Mouse.
How could the listeners guess the voices? The answer is simple - they had heard the voices many times before.
If we are going to know God’s voice we are going to have to be in the practice of listening to it.
Sometimes the voice of God hurts:
I tremble when I read about Isaiah’s personal experience: “For the LORD spake thus to me with a strong hand...” (Isaiah 8:11)
Isaiah’s circumstances were so rough that he knew God was speaking to him through them.
He goes on to say: “Nothing touches our lives but it is God Himself speaking...”
It was C.S. Lewis who penned the famous quote:
“We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain.
But I’m going to be real with you tonight - I want to be honest and clear:
It is important to be able to distinguish between the real voice of God and an artificial voice.
Satan is a master at deception - but the better you know God’s voice - the more obvious Satan’s counterfeit words will be.
The Blackaby’s wrote a book several years ago called Hearing God’s Voice in this book they give us several distinguishing differences between the voice of God and Satan.
While we think knowing God’s voice is automatic for a Christian in reality it is a learned process.
Samuel heard the voice of God several times, but didn’t know what it was - as soon as Eli instructed him on what it was, I don’t read where Samuel ever had trouble recognizing the voice of God again.
The more you listen and the more you say, “Speak Lord your servant heareth” the more acute and tuned in your hearing will be.
The first difference we notice: Satan Lies—Christ Does Not
God says one thing, Satan says something else, we have to decide who is telling the truth.
The past year was a heyday in fact finding - to be honest I don’t know if we will ever get to the bottom of some of the shenanigans that went on in the world during 2020. But I know one thing there was a lot of things that sure didn’t have the ring of truth. A lot of things sounded almost like truth, some things I couldn’t tell.
Satan is the master of half-truths, misinformation, propaganda, lies and deceit.
Jesus declared “I am the way THE TRUTH and the Life”
One of Satan’s biggest lies is that sin is not destructive - but the truth is SIN ALWAYS DESTROYS and brings pain. This is why Jesus came to destroy the works of the Devil.
Another difference: Jesus is the Way and tells you the way - Satan offers shortcuts
God’s sheep aren’t looking for shortcuts they heed the voice of their shepherd.
A third difference: Satan Justifies Sin - God calls for repentance
It amazes me how easy it is for people to justify their sin. Even finding twisted scriptures to excuse and allow the opposite of what God says outright in His Word.
A Fourth difference: Satan Divide - God Unites
There is an amazing scripture verse in 1 Corinthians 14:33
33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
Satan fosters pride - God brings humility
While this does not answer the question fully of “How do I hear God’s voice”
But three tremendous ways to hear God’s voice is to
Read God’s Word - that is like hearing His voice
Pray - Talk to Him, and
Listen - God talks back!!!
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Let’s purpose to be more attentive to the voice of God.
Will you pray with me that we will be more aware of His voice!