God's voice
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· 23 viewsHow can we discern God's voice from our inner thoughts? By knowing God's Word.
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God? Is that you?
God? Is that you?
PRAY…
There’s a TV show on during the day that, to be honest, I have never watched. I probably will never watch it. But earlier this week, this show became a lightning rod when one of the hosts quipped, “It’s one thing to talk to Jesus. It’s another thing when Jesus talks to you… that’s called mental illness.” That was on Monday. On Tuesday, the show tried to backpaddle and even apologize, sort of. Now, I’ll let you look for further responses on the internet as homework.
The only reason I even bring this up today is that I think the question is fair. How do we know if we are just hearing voices or if we are hearing Jesus? I have stood in front of you many times over the years and said I believed God wanted us to do something, or I believed that God wanted us to change something. And, to be honest, whether you said it aloud or not, you wondered if what I was saying was coming from God, or my own head. So, the question once again, “How do we know if we are just hearing voices or if we are hearing Jesus?”
Are there times when we assign our own thoughts and feelings to Jesus? When we say something to the effect, “this is what Jesus wants me to do,” are we sure that it is Jesus? Even more, is it possible to know when our thoughts and ideas are genuinely from Jesus? Is it possible to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that we are hearing from Jesus and not just liking our own ideas? Or the ideas of a famous person? How can we sort this out? How can we have any assurance whatsoever that we are hearing God’s voice?
I would like to answer those questions for you this morning. I would like to give you 7 clues that will help you discern if what you are feeling is God truly speaking. And, because this is not really a secret, I’ll give you the bottom line of what I am going to say. We can know that we are hearing God’s voice when the thought or idea is confirmed by God’s Word, the Scriptures. That is where we will end up. But let me give a warning before I proceed.
What I am certainly not saying is for us to sit in a corner and come up with an idea and then diligently search the Scriptures for a verse or passage that confirms what we want it to say. We must be ever aware of what Dr. Don Carson of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School says when quoting his own dad, “A text without a context is simply a pretext for a proof-text.” In other words, when we pull verses out of the historical-grammatical context we have in the Bible, we set ourselves up to misuse or even abuse Scripture. So, we must be careful as we approach the Bible to confirm what God is saying. However, with just a little work, we can be confident of what Scripture says and what it means in context. And then we can be sure we have heard the voice of God in the Scriptures and then we can measure our own ideas against what God said. And, with that introduction, let’s look at 4 passages to get 4 clues that we are hearing the voice of God. I would encourage you to go home and read these passages in their full-context before returning at 4pm for the Solemn Assembly of Prayer.
1.
Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day.
Obedience
Obedience
1.1. Joshua is told to remain obedient to the Scriptures, or the Book of the Law of Moses. He is not to turn to the right or to the left. The way he can know whether he has wandered is because the people of Israel will begin to mix with the nations. Or they will begin to worship the gods of those nations. Instead, Joshua is to cling tightly to the Lord.
1.2. Do you see? The way Joshua could know that he was no longer listening to God, that he was no longer obeying God, was when things got muddy. Instead, if he remained obedient, things would be clear just as they were the day this command was given to him.
1.3. When we wander from obedience to God, we make things muddy. We start to think that a particular sin is not as bad as other sins. We start to compromise and say the Bible is an ancient book that doesn’t apply today. And it doesn’t take long at all before we have turned to the left or the right and we start to honor the gods of this world and not the God of the Bible. Instead of clinging tightly to the God of the Bible, we begin to wander away.
1.4. The first clue to help us know if we are hearing the voice of God is to examine ourselves to see if we are being obedient to the Scriptures. If we are not being obedient to God’s Word then how can we possibly discern God’s voice from all the other voices swirling around us?
The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
Context
Context
2.1. As we read God’s word in context, it unfolds for us. Difficult passages become more clear in context. What we need to do to be obedient becomes evident. But when we take a verse or even section of verses out of context, we make it difficult. Read the Bible! The whole Bible. Watch as God gives light to your understanding. Let me give you a quick example.
a) How many of you know ? Well, maybe you don’t know it by address, but you have probably heard it used out of context. - Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. How many sermons have we heard that say something to effect that Jesus is standing at the door of your heart and knocking, won’t you let Him come into your heart? Now, just at fact value, that is crazy. There’s no door on my heart. And even if there were, would Jesus be standing in my chest cavity knocking on it? How crazy does it sound that the God of the whole universe would come into your heart to live? Last summer, we were told by Child Evangelism Fellowship not to use that phrase, “let Jesus come into your heart, “ because it caused more confusion in children than anything else. But, if we read that verse in context, we see a completely different picture.
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.
“ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ”
Context
Context
is the letter to the church at Laodicea. That is the church that Jesus says is neither hot nor cold but lukewarm. Jesus actually says he wishes they were one or the other, but because they are not, he will vomit them out of his mouth. Yuck! What a picture! Then Jesus calls the church to repentance. And after He tells them to repent we get verse 20. Jesus is not standing at the door of anyone’s heart knocking, He is standing at the door of the church! He is knocking so the church will let HIM in! Don’t you see? In context the verse has a clear and vastly different meaning that what you may have heard.
Jesus says they are neither hot nor cold but lukewarm. Jesus actually says he wishes they were one or the other, but because they are not, he will vomit them out of his mouth. Yuck! What a picture! Then Jesus calls the church to repentance. And after He tells them to repent we get verse 20. Jesus is not standing at the door of anyone’s heart knocking, He is standing at the door of the church! He is knocking so the church will let HIM in! Don’t you see? In context the verse has a clear and vastly different meaning that what you may have heard.
b) Another one, real quick, is - And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. You hear people say all the time, “I believe everything happens for a purpose.” But the Scripture in context tells us that this promise is for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. It is not a promise for every human being but only believers!
2.2. Context brings clarity. Or, as the Psalmist says, The unfolding of your word brings light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
2.3. The first clue of hearing God’s voice is to make sure we are being obedient to the Scripture. The second is to make sure we understand the Scripture in context. And those 2 are so important to bring us to the 3rd clue.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
3.
Knowing Scripture = Knowing Jesus
Knowing Scripture = Knowing Jesus
3.1. We have to get Scripture right because when we get it wrong, we get Jesus wrong. He came to fulfill all of Scripture. He told us not to change one little bit of His Scripture. We cannot relax the commandments of Scripture, or we will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But when we seek to obey and teach others to obey, we will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
3.2. The more we study Scripture, the more we understand Jesus. The more we understand Jesus, the better we will be in hearing His voice. - My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. We can hear the voice of Jesus when we know Jesus. We follow Jesus when we can hear Jesus’ voice. Do you see? To water down the Scripture is to water down Jesus. We must never do that. Jesus is the very fulfillment of the entire Scripture. Therefore, to know Scripture is to know Jesus.
3.3. The first clue of hearing God’s voice is to make sure we are being obedient to the Scripture. The second is to make sure we understand the Scripture in context. The third is to know Scripture so we can know Jesus. Once we know all of that then we can begin to discern God’s voice.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Sin-ectomy
Sin-ectomy
4.1. The word of God is like a double-edged sword so sharp it can divide sinew. It can slice bone and empty out the marrow. It can pierce right through all armor to the heart. And it judges the thoughts and the intentions of all men. No creature is able to hide, rather, we are all left exposed before God because of the Scripture.
4.2. When we are struggling to hear God’s voice, when our prayers don’t seem to get any further than the ceiling, we need to return to God’s Word and let it do surgery on us. It needs to cut through our pride and ambitions. It needs to excise the sin that is hindering our walk with God. We need to be laid naked and exposed by the Scriptures before our Creator. In short, we need to be convicted of sin. We need to confess of our and sin. And we need to repent of our sin. The Word of God is what God uses to do that. - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. - If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Confessing and repenting of sin must be part of our everyday walk with Jesus. Sin will keep us from hearing His voice. Sin will confuse us. Sin will hinder us. Let the Word of God do surgery on your life. Confess of your sin and repent before your Creator. Then, you will be surprised at how clearly you can hear His voice and how it squares up with the Scriptures.
God? Is that you?
God? Is that you?
That’s the 4 clues. They are all about digging in and knowing the Scriptures. We need to make sure we are obeying the Scriptures. We need to make sure we understand the Scriptures in context. We need to remember as we are studying the Scriptures, we are learning about Jesus. And we must be willing to let the Scriptures perform a little sin-surgery in us. But perhaps you are sitting there thinking this has all been a very interesting talk, but how do you live it? Let me give you 3 more passages, 2 about what we should be doing and 1 warning.
- Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Read, exhort, and teach from the Scriptures!
- But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it - and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. - All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, - that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. Remember that every Scripture is profitable. So, don’t just read the parts you like. Read the whole Bible. Learn the whole Bible. If you have trouble understanding, go to a Bible study to learn more. If all the Scriptures are truly about Jesus, then to ignore any of them is to ignore something about Jesus.
Those are what we should do. Now for the warning. - And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, - as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. Don’t twist passages that are difficult to fit what you want them to say. And don’t listen to anyone who does that. Don’t even listen to them for a second. They are on a path to destruction. You don’t want to be on that path.
Coming back to the question before us today. How can we know we are hearing the voice of God? The very best way to know the voice of God is to know God. And the very best way to know God is to know His Word. Are you struggling because you can’t seem to hear God? How often to you read the Bible? Are you wondering if your dreams are from God? How do they measure up to Scripture? Are your dreams in line with everything the Scripture teaches about Jesus? Or do you have to perform some mental acrobatics to make them match? Instead of trying to get God’s Word to agree with your thinking, change your thinking to line up with God’s Word.
I’ve saved what I think are the most important Scriptures today for the end. If you have never heard God’s voice, these verses are for you.
Follow Jesus
Follow Jesus
- for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Have you heard God’s voice now? Will you respond to Him? The Scripture says that Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. If you know you are lost, now is the time. He is calling your name. Can you hear Him?
PRAY…