Hearing God's Voice
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Hearing God's Voice - The Kind of People Who Hear God's Voice - Message 2

TURN TO MARK 14:32…

• Before there can be a solution, there must be a problem.
• Before there can be healing, there must be disease.
• And before there can be a resurrection, there must be a death.

And Christ had to cooperate with it. His life wasn’t taken away, it was given away. He made a choice. He made a willful decision to cooperate with the plans of His Father.

Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ, opens with Jesus praying alone in the Garden of Gethsemane. Powerful images portray the struggle between flesh and spirit, between self-will and God’s will and between Satan and God’s Son. This was Christ’s moment of decision: Will I – or will I not – cooperate with the plans of the Father?

The text from which this scene comes reads this way…
“They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”” Mark 14:32-36, NIV.

This prayer is a battle. It is a war. And it is a war where Jesus had to make a choice: “Will I willingly give myself away to the purposes of my Father – or will I selfishly and soulishly choose to do my own will?”

And if you were to continue reading – you’d discover that Jesus entered into this battle of the wills – not just once, but three times.

Three times Jesus goes to battle. Not with His Father – but against the Enemy of His Father! For if Jesus chooses to protect Himself and to ignore the will of His Father – in choosing self over submission, He would lose everything! Jesus was living out in real time His own words…
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” Matthew 16:25, NIV. (See also – Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24 and Luke 17:33)

Willingness to abandon everything temporary – is the only way to be guaranteed that you’ll receive everything eternal!

Martyred missionary Jim Elliott wrote: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose.”

And when Christ willingly gave His life – His Father responded:
“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:8-11, NIV.

Christ will never be humbled again. He came, he willfully submitted – and he completed His work. The result: Exaltation!

The Greek word: Hooper-oopsa – literally to ‘be exalted beyond measure’ – and today, as it has been for 2000 years – hundreds of millions of people will gather in millions of different settings with one purpose: To exalt Christ in their lives!

Prayer: “Lord – we join with the millions, the hundreds of millions, the billions – who for 2000 years have been rightfully speaking of Your glory and Your praise! You are exalted – You are Lord! You are King! You are Wonderful! There is no other name quite like Yours! Jesus – Jesus – Jesus! Amen.

Now – I want to use the example of Jesus to help you and I grow in our ability to hear the voice of God.

Availability to Christ is the first character trait for those who will hear the voice of God. It is our task – and privilege – to wait on the Lord and to actively seek the Lord. And as we do – we hold claim to the promise of God that says: “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” James 4:8, NIV.

The second trait that we must develop if we are to hear the voice of God is… WILLINGNESS.

Write this down: “I will hear the voice of God when I become willing to do God’s will.”

Jesus’ teaching constantly amazed people. They didn’t know how he – an uneducated carpenter – could teach at such an incredible level of insight and power. They were blown away by how he out-taught the Teachers of the Law. Where did this ability for spiritual insight come from? What was its origin? When He was questioned about this – we read in John 7:16 the following:

“Jesus therefore answered them, and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. “If any man is willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself.” John 7:16, 17, NASB.

In effect – He was saying: “If you want to hear the voice of God – be willing to do the will of God!”

This is – without a question – the second prerequisite for hearing God’s voice – first AVAILABILITY, second WILLINGNESS TO DO GOD’S WILL.

Jesus modeled this perfectly…

“By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” John 5:30, NIV.

“For I seek not to please myself but him who sent me…” This is the priority of the authentic baptized in the Spirit believer in Christ!

When you are filled with the Holy Spirit – you begin to experience a dynamic in your spiritual life that is of far more value to you than simply ‘feeding your flesh’ with pursuits of pleasure and self-gratification!

Therefore – if you want to hear God…
• Surrender your life plans to Him
• Submit your daily agenda to Him
• Sink your life into Him!

Dear friends: Have you settled the issue of whom you are going to please in your short life on earth? If the goal of your life the same as the goal of Jesus’?

“I have come to do your will, O God.” Hebrews 10:7, NIV.

Success in Jesus’ ministry was not determined by any of the usual factors that the world holds dear! Success was determined by His faithfulness in following the will of the Father!

But, there is a price to be paid. When you are willing to do the will of the Father – it has a cost associated with it. TURN TO MARK 15:33…

Jesus is on the cross. He had been there for three hours now. The beatings and mockery have taken their toll. His body is being reduced towards death. His mother and the few friends who stayed – sit near his feet in shock and overwhelming grief. And we read…

“At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” --which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”” Mark 15:33, 34, NIV.

When I watched Gibson’s movie – The Passion of the Christ, the brutality of the beatings and savagery of the people got to me. It was extremely difficult to watch. But, this week, as I studied for this message something struck me square in the forehead – that which was far worse than the physical pain that Jesus suffered ---

Jesus cries out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Theologians believe that it was just prior to this that the sin of mankind was put upon Jesus. This is the moment in time when He indeed became the sacrifical lamb and the guilt of all I’ve ever done – and all you’ve ever done – and the guilt of all the people who have ever lived or ever will live – was ‘imputed’ upon Christ!

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24, NIV.

Three years earlier – John the Baptist had prophesied over Jesus by saying:
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29, NIV.

And how did Jesus ‘take away the sin of the world…’?

He became sin so that we could be forever forgiven and reenter into relationship.

And at that moment – He no longer could hear the voice of His Father. For the first time in eternity, His fellowship with the Father was cut off. Not because of His disobedience, but because of the sin put upon Him.

He willingly allowed this to happen. Why? Because He loved and trusted His Father and He loves and cares for you.

There will times when you are WILLINGLY OBEYING the will of God – and everything will seem to turn dark and everything you touch will turn to dust. And in that season of pruning and struggle – keep doing the last thing God told you to do and trust Him to work it out.

“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6, NIV.

You and I each have a DESTINY in the kingdom of God. My destiny and yours are different – but they are equally wonderful! You see – if you are following and serving the will of the One who is all good, all knowing, all generous, all merciful and all powerful – and if He has promised rewards for those who earnestly seek Him – then, whatever your reward might be – when it comes - it’s gonna be A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

Now – here’s something you need to get: NO ONE CAN KEEP YOU FROM FULFILLING YOUR DESTINY! No gossip, no slander, no betrayal, no tragedy – not even the devil himself – can steal your destiny in Christ!

I’m the only one who can throw away my crown. I’m the only one who can surrender my crown to another.

But – this won’t happen – if you keep the issue of your life’s goal settled in our heart of hearts! So long as I remember why I am here – my destiny is secure! Regardless of the temporary circumstances of this life – God’s promises are absolute.

CONCLUSION:
In 1979 Bob Dylan wrote a song called “Gotta Serve Somebody” – part of the lyrics go like this:

“You may be a construction worker working on a home,
You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome,
You might own guns and you might even own tanks,
You might be somebody's landlord, you might even own banks

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.”

Who are you living for?
What is the goal of your life?
Who do you belong to?

Christ was willing to serve the will of His Father.
The Father was willing to speak clearly to His Son.
And if that isn’t enough – the Father was willing to EXALT His Son.

And – we – the people who have been brought back from live unto death – because of the willingness of Christ – we choose right now to join the Father in EXALTING Christ!

Let’s worship the Lord!

Hearing God's Voice - The Kind of People Who Hear God's Voice - Message 1

INTRODUCTION:
One of God’s greatest desires for His people is that we would hear His voice clearly – and in hearing His voice, we’d have clarity of what we are to do with our lives.

• When MOSES spoke to Pharaoh saying “Let my people go!” he did it with the confidence that was the result of HEARING GOD’S VOICE!
• When NOAH entered the Ark as the rains came down – He did it with the assurance that was the result of HEARING GOD’S VOICE!
• When the APOSTLE’S cast out demons, healed the sick and preached the gospel – they did it with power because they had HEARD GOD’S VOICE!

The people of the Bible heard God speak in a variety of ways:
• Audible voice
• Dreams
• Visions
• Circumstances
• Fleeces
• Impressions
• Prophets
• Angels
• And other ways

These things we so common in the New Testament church that Paul had to give detailed instructions in 1 Corinthians 12-14 concerning the use of tongues, prophecy, words of wisdom, words of knowledge and discerning of spirits.

The author of Hebrews even underscored the importance of showing hospitality because –
“...for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2, NIV.

You do not have to be a theological scholar to read the Bible and figure out that God speaks in many different ways to His people.

One of the deepest heart cries of the people of this church – as we’ve opened ourselves to the Holy Spirit – is to hear the voice of God. This is the #1 question I hear from you – “How can I hear God’s voice?” – or - “How can I know for sure that I’m hearing God and not just me, or worse yet Satan’s?”

This is something we need to tackle. What could be more important for the Christian than to be confident that he is hearing God’s voice consistently and accurately! And so – tackle it we will – we are going to go on a journey of discovery together in order to hear God’s voice.

In the Gospels, Jesus said – numerous times: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
In the book of Revelation, Jesus says the same thing to seven different churches: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 2:7, NIV.

• Do you want to hear the voice of God?
• Is this your desire – do you hunger for this?

Then – let’s take the next couple of minutes – and let’s speak faith to our desire! In other words – let’s cry out together – aloud – in faith – seeking the Holy Spirit to give us ‘ears to hear’. Express your faith that God will respond to your prayers…. Let’s pray.

NOW – It seems good to me to begin with this question:
What Kind Of People Hear God’s Voice?

And as I study the Bible – there seems to be three key traits common to those who heard God’s voice:
• Availability
• Willingness
• Humility

Today I want us to focus on that first and most critical condition of AVAILABILITY.

Available defined: able to be used or obtained, or spoken to or consulted

God speaks to those who are available to Him. In other words – you’ll hear God’s voice if you make yourself available to Him. Pay attention, be open – listen. If you are busy in your own agenda, running your own life, hopping from one day to the next – hardly even aware that you are in a relationship with God – you are not likely to hear the voice of the Lord.

No one heard the voice of the Father better than Jesus.

Look at Mark 1:32ff
“That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:32-35, NIV.

Jesus is up half the night ministering, casting out demons, healing the sick – if anyone deserved to sleep in the next day it was him. But look at the text: ‘VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING, WHILE IT WAS STILL DARK, JESUS GOT UP…’

Jesus didn’t FIND TIME for His Father – His time BELONGED to the Father.

Jesus wasn’t in a hurry, He was easily interrupted by the priorities of God. He said in John 5:19…
“I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” John 5:19, NIV.

So – when a large crowd gathers on a hill outside of Jerusalem – hungry to know God – we read in Matthew 5:1…

“Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them…” Matthew 5:1, 2, NIV.

Or – when traveling through Samaria on a hot summer’s day, and stopping to get a drink of water at the well, he asks a local woman to give him a drink and that begins an amazing conversation that leads her to faith!

• Can you imagine Jesus feverishly preparing the Sermon on the Mount the night before – studying the commentaries and lexicons – all the while sweating out a deadline?
• Can you imagine Jesus nervously trying to manipulate the conversation with the Samaritan woman so that He could share the “Four Spiritual Laws” & lead her in the Sinner’s Prayer?

Jesus was prepared to do the works of the Father as the result of the outflow of His relationship with the Father! His life is the sermon. His message came from His availability to the Father.

Many contemporary Christians feel like they’ve done well if they consistently have a 30 minute ‘quiet time’ before their day begins. But hearing the voice of God isn’t about dedicating 30 minutes for ‘God-time’ – it is the result of living through out the course of the day seeking and hungry for the Presence and Voice of God!

Do you know what the #1 thing God wants from you?

Some would say: “Obedience” – and that is important – but it’s not the #1 thing.
Others would say: “Service” – and service is vital – but it’s not the #1 thing.

Jesus said in John 15:15…
“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15

God created you to be His friend.

• And in friendship availability isn’t a burden or obligation, it is a joy and a privilege.
• And in friendship availability is a two-way street. It is reciprocal.

“But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29, NIV.

Those who find Him are those who have sought Him. And God is most available to those who are most available to Him.

Do you want to hear the voice of God? Then you and I must come to realize in the day to day of life that all of ‘our time’ is actually ‘His time’! And that in the coming and going of life, we must maintain a ready availability to Him.

When my mother got sick and was rushed to hospital – my dad called – and I dropped everything, immediately. All of my plans and schedules and meetings and work were tossed out – without hesitation – because of the greater priority of family.

We need to live with the same level of availability – seeking, listening and available – to hear His voice and to respond to it!

Availability is the first task of Christians.

In Mark 3 we read of how Jesus selected those 12 men who would be His apostles:
“Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve--designating them apostles-- that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.” Mark 3:13-15, NIV.

Notice where Jesus was during the selection process. “on a mountainside” – Why? Because it was quiet and He could hear His Father’s voice better.

Now – notice what the three priorities that Jesus gave to His closest friends:
1. Be with him.
2. Go out to preach.
3. Drive out demons.

“Be with him” – this is key. Can you imagine Peter saying to Jesus: “Well, golly thanks Lord, I appreciate the invitation and I can give you two hours on Sunday and 90 minutes every other Wednesday night.”

That won’t get it done. Christ invites us to live with Him. And from that constant availability to Him everything else flows. From being with Him comes the message to preach. From being with Him comes the authority to tackle the enemy!

Two Kinds of Availability:
• WAITING
• SEEKING

There are times when you only task is to simply wait on the Lord. Look at Jeremiah 42 for an example of this:
“Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray to the LORD your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. Pray that the LORD your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.” “I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray to the LORD your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the LORD says and will keep nothing back from you.” Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the LORD your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the LORD our God.” Ten days later the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah.” Jeremiah 42:1-7, NIV.

They approach the prophet Jeremiah with a problem. They ask Jeremiah to seek the Lord for a word. Jeremiah commits to doing so, and does so. And TEN DAYS go by before the Lord answers.

Monday – Tuesday – Wednesday – Thursday – Friday – Saturday – Sunday – Monday – Tuesday – Wednesday!

Wait.
Be still.
Let the fruit of the Spirit be developed in you – ‘peace & patience’.

You cannot rush God. So ‘be still and know that I am God’

A second kind of availability is SEEKING.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:33…“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33, NIV.

If you are available to be used and to hear the voice of God – you’ll make doing so a huge priority in your life! You’ll actively SEEK Him and His purposes! You’ll not be standing around twiddling your thumbs, you’ll be earnestly, actively, energetically pursuing Him!

Who gets the most out of a worship service? The one who puts the most into it!
Who gets the most out of prayer? The one who prays!

James 4:8 says…
“Come near to God and he will come near to you.” James 4:8, NIV.

Okay – so how long do I need to seek Him? 15 minutes? 30 minutes? 1 hour? All day?
How long will it be until I hear His voice?

Hosea 10:12 gives us the answer:
“For it is time to seek the LORD until He comes…” Hosea 10:12 NASB

The person who is available to God – the person who is going to hear the voice of God – is the person who is going to seek the Lord UNTIL HE COMES!

CONCLUSION:
There are situations you are facing right now – or will face very soon – that you will desperately need to hear the voice of God…

• Seek Him.
• Wait on Him.
• Until He comes.
• He is worth waiting for.

For when the Lord comes – and when He speaks…
“The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars… the voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the LORD shakes the desert… The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”” Psalms 29:3-9, NIV.

Those who hear the voice of God – worship Him. We cry “Glory!” because we have seen and heard glory!

God still speaks.
God will speak to you.

Become the kind of person who hears the voice of the Lord.