The Voice of Assurance

John 10:1–18 NIV

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Introduction: In the late nineteenth century, Fanny Crosby wrote the popular hymn “Blessed Assurance.”

- Knowing Jesus and being known by him is a “foretaste of glory divined.

- As British soldiers in the Boer War passed one another headed to the front or returning from the front of battle, they would call out the hymn numbers to two songs, one of them being “Blessed Assurance.”

We need encouragement like this in an uncertain, and sometimes frightening world.

One of the reasons is the confusing messages we get...

25 - There are different Voices asking for our Attention.

Today we have different Voice Recognition devices like Siri, Google, Alexa, etc....

Vote on which one you like or use the most if at all.

26 - We have a crisis of Voices. - News Bias Chart - It is a commentary on our day that we even need this chart. -

There are a lot of voices out there - Which ones do we listen To? Which ones can we Trust? Which ones give us the best information and perspectives to orient our lives around?

All of these different voices can create a crisis of Assurance.

27 - We want Assurance.

- This passage comes after controversy of Jesus healing a blind man with Pharisees (Blind)

The Pharisees were too assured of themselves, but Jesus takes them back to scripture to remind them of how often the people of Israel listened to the wrong voices.

God in O.T. Israel’s Shepherd - Good Shepherd in this passage

The Kings were called the Shepherds, but they often were false shepherds (hired hands)

They shepherded to false gods and Israel’s destruction

28 - Picture of Sheepfold:

For Safety, Wall with thorn bushes, Sheep recognize the good shepherd by who comes through the gate, and voice.

Jesus is the gate into the fold and He is the Good Shepherd - He is salvation, and He is Lord.

29 - Pastor Friend making the point about Which Theologians do we listen to? How do you know who to trust?

So how do we gain this Blessed Assurance?

30 - Assurance is a Result of a Close Relationship with Jesus.

The intimate nature of this relationship is essential

Seen in the repetition of the word “Voice”

There is a level of familiarity between the sheep and the Shepherd.

Safe with that voice even when going into the dangerous world.

As already mentioned, Arab shepherds are well known for knowing their sheep personally. During the Palestinian uprising in the late 1980s the Israeli army decided to punish a village near Bethlehem for not paying its taxes (which, the village claimed, simply financed their occupation). The officer in command rounded up all of the village animals and placed them in a large barbed-wire pen. Later in the week he was approached by a woman who begged him to release her flock, arguing that since her husband was dead, the animals were her only source of livelihood. He pointed to the pen containing hundreds of animals and humorously quipped that it was impossible because he could not find her animals. She asked that if she could in fact separate them herself, would he be willing to let her take them? He agreed. A soldier opened the gate and the woman’s son produced a small reed flute. He played a simple tune again and again—and soon sheep heads began popping up across the pen. The young boy continued his music and walked home, followed by his flock of twenty-five sheep.

Burge, Gary M.; Burge, Gary M.. John (The NIV Application Commentary Book 4) (p. 260). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

Sheep know the shepherds voice, but the Shepherd knows the sheep by name.

The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament points out that during the time of Jesus “there was and is a world-wide belief that the name of an object, man, or higher being is more than a mere label only incidentally associated with the one who bears it. The name is an indispensable part of the personality” (Gerhard Kittel, et al., The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1977], 5:244).

When Jesus says that God knows the names of his sheep, he is saying he truly knows them, down to the very essence of who they are.

Jesus’ contrast, A stranger, however, “they will not follow” (10:5).

Is God someone I know, or is God a stranger to me? If he is a stranger to me, what can I do to grow my knowledge of God?

31 - How Do You Listen To Jesus’ Voice?

Ask the congregation of who they know has a recognizeable voice that brings comfort or assurance.

We test whether it is from Jesus - Scripture, Mature Believers who are used to hearing the Lord - 2 or three are gathered.

How to practice listening prayer

1. Come to God with your request for guidance “Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ, your son, and according to James 1:5. I am seeking wisdom for _____________(your request). In the name of Jesus, according to Matthew 28:18 and Luke 10:19-20, I take authority over Satan and his fallen angels and command that they be rendered deaf, mute, and blind to my prayers, and removed from my presence. I submit my own voice to the shed blood of Jesus and command that my own thoughts be taken captive to the obedience of Christ, according to 2 Corinthians 10:5. I ask, Father, that only your Holy Spirit will speak to me now as I wait on you for wisdom, insight, and direction. And whatever you show me or direct me to do, I pray that I will quickly obey. In Jesus’s mighty name, amen.”

2. Wait in silence for God to speak for 10-12 minutes Listen to what God is saying to you. What themes emerge? What becomes clear about God’s plan for you as you listen?

3. Jot down any Scripture, songs, impressions, or pictures God gives you

4. Share how God spoke to you with your prayer partners and follow God’s will

Conclusion:

We have practiced this over the last couple of years as we discerned what to do with the RCA’s Vision 2020.