Easter 4 5/7/06 Text: John 10:11-16 Title: Voices
Easter 4
5/7/2006
Text: John 10:11-16
Title: Voices
Grace, mercy, and peace from our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Voices are heard from all kinds of people, people who claim to be authorities on any given subject. Some of the voices are worth listening to, others are not. Some voices should be run away from for they will lead you into danger. Voices like those that call out to you things like, “Come on no one will ever know.” Or “Everyone is doing it.” Or “Just buy whatever it is I am selling and you will be rich, fall in love, lose weight, get that job, and so on and so on.
A voice you should listen to is that of the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ, whose words we are studying today. Each one of us needs to listen to his voice for we all deep down in us have a desire to know his will for our life. Each one of us wants to know why God has put us here on this earth so that we will know what our purpose is. And because of that desire we go off in all directions seeking the latest books and tapes so that we can discover our purpose. That is what we do, but is that what we should be doing?
Instead of asking the question, “What is God’s will for me?” We should be asking, “How can I know the voice of God?” for knowing the voice of God results in finding the will of God for your life.
God tells us in Matthew 4:4, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” In Greek the word that we translate “comes” has the sense of a continuous going out of the mouth of God. In other words it is not a one time deal, but a never ending hearing of God’s voice.
God speaks to us through his Word in order to communicate with us. His words are the only way to know the voice of God and so we gather here together on Sunday morning to hear and study his words to us, for it is in those words that we find comfort and strength.
There are two words in Greek that we translate in English as “word” in the Bible. The first meaning you are probably more familiar with. It is logos. It has the meaning of an embodiment of a concept, idea or thought. That is why Jesus is referred to as the Logos. He is the word, for without him there is no life saving meaning to the word.
The other meaning of word as it is used in Greek is when it refers to the personal, living and life-giving word of God. That word is pronounced rhema, instead of logos. A good example of rhema is found in John 12:48, “There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words (rhema); that very word (logos) which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.”
Just as the Jews heard Jesus audible voice, but not the voice of God, there are many today who also hear the sounds of God’s word as it preached, taught, and read, but do not hear God’s word, the rhema, the personal word that God wants them to hear, understand, and live.
They don’t hear his word for many reasons. It might be that they don’t like the delivery of the pastor, or have a beef with him or any of the other things that turn a person off to their pastor’s preaching and teaching, and in doing so they do not hear the voice of God, that personal word that he wants them to hear that day.
I read an article a long time ago when I was struggling with listening to my pastor that might explain what I mean a little better. It went something like this. “At least one time in every sermon God breaks through the words of the preacher and speaks directly to the people. It may be a single sentence or just one phrase. It is well then that you listen intently to the whole sermon so that you don’t miss that one illuminating sentence or phrase that God wants to speak to you that day. It will probably not be the same sentence or phrase for all the people who are there that day, but it will be what God wants you to hear.”
That article made a big difference in my life and continues to do so today, but not for the same reasons. Then it helped me to stay focused on the word of God, the rhema instead of the pastor. Today, as your pastor it humbles me, for it reminds me that out of the 187 sentences that are in my average sermon, God has chosen at least one of those sentences for each of you here today. That is humbling, for it not my doing, but God’s doing.
We have come here today to hear God’s voice, but what about all those other voices clamoring for your attention. What about them? What affect do they have on your life as God talks to you?
I want to look at just a few of those voices. First there are the voices of our fellow human beings. They might be voices giving wise advice, but anytime any of those voices conflicts with the voice of God, beware, for that voice might be keeping you from hearing the voice of God.
Then there is the voice of Satan. Don’t be fooled into thinking that Satan does not talk to you, for Satan and his co-harts have voices too. Their voices lie, deceive, and always attempt to lead you away from God.
Then there is the voice of self? That is when your sinful mind tries to tell you that all is well, that you really don’t need God, that the Bible is just written by humans, and thus has to be reinterpreted by each generation.
That is just a few of the numerous voices that can keep you from hearing the voice of God, but those voices don’t have to drown out his voice, for God assures us in our text today that his sheep know his voice and follow him.
I heard a story about a man whose wife never seemed to hear his voice. He was having difficulties in communicating with her. He decided to conduct a test to find out if the problem was that she was hard of hearing.
One evening he sat behind her in the far corner of the room. Her back was to him. He called out to her, “Can you hear me now?” There was no response from his wife. He moved a little closer and did the same thing over again. “Can you hear me now?” No response so he moved the chair closer.
By the fourth try he was right behind her. He knew he was right, she was hard of hearing. But he needed absolute assurance before he confronted her, so he leaned over right next to her ear and said, “Can you hear me now?”
To his shock she turned around and responded with irritation in her voice, “For the fourth time, yes, I can hear you!” You see the problem was not with the wife but with the husband.
I just wonder how many of us here this morning have a hearing problem, a spiritual hearing problem when it comes to God speaking to us. Maybe, just maybe the problem is we are not listening for God’s voice.
There are five prerequisites to really hearing God‘s voice. The first thing you need is to have faith, for without faith you can’t hear the voice of God as he tells us in Romans 10:17, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word, (there is that word rhema again) of God.”
Second, are you receptive to God’s voice? There was a man, I can’t remember his name that once said, “They were listening to what he had to say, but they were not capable of understanding because they did not want to understand.” In other words, you need to be open to his Word, to not have your mind shut because of preconceived ideas and personal beliefs.
Third, you must see the relevancy. Are you in his Word enough to know him? That is important for a stranger’s voice usually will not mean anything to you because it is not relevant to you. As a rule you just tune out the voices of those you don’t know.
Fourth, you need to pay attention to God as he speaks to you. Have you ever thought of what the person you profess to love would say to you if while they were talking to you, you were reading a book, or doodling, or doing something else besides listening to him or her? Let’s just say that your actions would be speaking louder than your words. Should your relationship to God be any different?
That brings me to the last prerequisite, discernment. Now discernment is critical to hearing God’s voice, for without discernment you don’t know what or how to apply his Word to your life.
When you are able to apply those 5 prerequistes to God’s voice you will truly be hearing his rhema. You will know that you are his, that he is leading you, for Saint John writes in verse 3 and verse 4 of chapter 10, “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
You will know that he is the only way to God, for we are told in verse 8 that he is the gate and anyone who enters will be saved.
You will know that he is holy and deeply loves you, for in verse 11,it is written, “The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.” The Greek word we translate as good, does not really do the Greek word justice, for in Greek, it has more of the meaning of being noble, or the opposite of evil.
You will know that he is faithful, for in verse 16, which is not part of our text, we are told that Jesus has others that are not of this flock and that he will bring them in also.
Yes, there are voices, voices, voices everywhere, but there is only one voice that you can completely trust in and that is the voice of Jesus. Rejoice with me, for you are truly loved by our shepherd, Jesus Christ. Amen
5/7/2006
Text: John 10:11-16
Title: Voices
Grace, mercy, and peace from our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Voices are heard from all kinds of people, people who claim to be authorities on any given subject. Some of the voices are worth listening to, others are not. Some voices should be run away from for they will lead you into danger. Voices like those that call out to you things like, “Come on no one will ever know.” Or “Everyone is doing it.” Or “Just buy whatever it is I am selling and you will be rich, fall in love, lose weight, get that job, and so on and so on.
A voice you should listen to is that of the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ, whose words we are studying today. Each one of us needs to listen to his voice for we all deep down in us have a desire to know his will for our life. Each one of us wants to know why God has put us here on this earth so that we will know what our purpose is. And because of that desire we go off in all directions seeking the latest books and tapes so that we can discover our purpose. That is what we do, but is that what we should be doing?
Instead of asking the question, “What is God’s will for me?” We should be asking, “How can I know the voice of God?” for knowing the voice of God results in finding the will of God for your life.
God tells us in Matthew 4:4, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” In Greek the word that we translate “comes” has the sense of a continuous going out of the mouth of God. In other words it is not a one time deal, but a never ending hearing of God’s voice.
God speaks to us through his Word in order to communicate with us. His words are the only way to know the voice of God and so we gather here together on Sunday morning to hear and study his words to us, for it is in those words that we find comfort and strength.
There are two words in Greek that we translate in English as “word” in the Bible. The first meaning you are probably more familiar with. It is logos. It has the meaning of an embodiment of a concept, idea or thought. That is why Jesus is referred to as the Logos. He is the word, for without him there is no life saving meaning to the word.
The other meaning of word as it is used in Greek is when it refers to the personal, living and life-giving word of God. That word is pronounced rhema, instead of logos. A good example of rhema is found in John 12:48, “There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words (rhema); that very word (logos) which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.”
Just as the Jews heard Jesus audible voice, but not the voice of God, there are many today who also hear the sounds of God’s word as it preached, taught, and read, but do not hear God’s word, the rhema, the personal word that God wants them to hear, understand, and live.
They don’t hear his word for many reasons. It might be that they don’t like the delivery of the pastor, or have a beef with him or any of the other things that turn a person off to their pastor’s preaching and teaching, and in doing so they do not hear the voice of God, that personal word that he wants them to hear that day.
I read an article a long time ago when I was struggling with listening to my pastor that might explain what I mean a little better. It went something like this. “At least one time in every sermon God breaks through the words of the preacher and speaks directly to the people. It may be a single sentence or just one phrase. It is well then that you listen intently to the whole sermon so that you don’t miss that one illuminating sentence or phrase that God wants to speak to you that day. It will probably not be the same sentence or phrase for all the people who are there that day, but it will be what God wants you to hear.”
That article made a big difference in my life and continues to do so today, but not for the same reasons. Then it helped me to stay focused on the word of God, the rhema instead of the pastor. Today, as your pastor it humbles me, for it reminds me that out of the 187 sentences that are in my average sermon, God has chosen at least one of those sentences for each of you here today. That is humbling, for it not my doing, but God’s doing.
We have come here today to hear God’s voice, but what about all those other voices clamoring for your attention. What about them? What affect do they have on your life as God talks to you?
I want to look at just a few of those voices. First there are the voices of our fellow human beings. They might be voices giving wise advice, but anytime any of those voices conflicts with the voice of God, beware, for that voice might be keeping you from hearing the voice of God.
Then there is the voice of Satan. Don’t be fooled into thinking that Satan does not talk to you, for Satan and his co-harts have voices too. Their voices lie, deceive, and always attempt to lead you away from God.
Then there is the voice of self? That is when your sinful mind tries to tell you that all is well, that you really don’t need God, that the Bible is just written by humans, and thus has to be reinterpreted by each generation.
That is just a few of the numerous voices that can keep you from hearing the voice of God, but those voices don’t have to drown out his voice, for God assures us in our text today that his sheep know his voice and follow him.
I heard a story about a man whose wife never seemed to hear his voice. He was having difficulties in communicating with her. He decided to conduct a test to find out if the problem was that she was hard of hearing.
One evening he sat behind her in the far corner of the room. Her back was to him. He called out to her, “Can you hear me now?” There was no response from his wife. He moved a little closer and did the same thing over again. “Can you hear me now?” No response so he moved the chair closer.
By the fourth try he was right behind her. He knew he was right, she was hard of hearing. But he needed absolute assurance before he confronted her, so he leaned over right next to her ear and said, “Can you hear me now?”
To his shock she turned around and responded with irritation in her voice, “For the fourth time, yes, I can hear you!” You see the problem was not with the wife but with the husband.
I just wonder how many of us here this morning have a hearing problem, a spiritual hearing problem when it comes to God speaking to us. Maybe, just maybe the problem is we are not listening for God’s voice.
There are five prerequisites to really hearing God‘s voice. The first thing you need is to have faith, for without faith you can’t hear the voice of God as he tells us in Romans 10:17, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word, (there is that word rhema again) of God.”
Second, are you receptive to God’s voice? There was a man, I can’t remember his name that once said, “They were listening to what he had to say, but they were not capable of understanding because they did not want to understand.” In other words, you need to be open to his Word, to not have your mind shut because of preconceived ideas and personal beliefs.
Third, you must see the relevancy. Are you in his Word enough to know him? That is important for a stranger’s voice usually will not mean anything to you because it is not relevant to you. As a rule you just tune out the voices of those you don’t know.
Fourth, you need to pay attention to God as he speaks to you. Have you ever thought of what the person you profess to love would say to you if while they were talking to you, you were reading a book, or doodling, or doing something else besides listening to him or her? Let’s just say that your actions would be speaking louder than your words. Should your relationship to God be any different?
That brings me to the last prerequisite, discernment. Now discernment is critical to hearing God’s voice, for without discernment you don’t know what or how to apply his Word to your life.
When you are able to apply those 5 prerequistes to God’s voice you will truly be hearing his rhema. You will know that you are his, that he is leading you, for Saint John writes in verse 3 and verse 4 of chapter 10, “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
You will know that he is the only way to God, for we are told in verse 8 that he is the gate and anyone who enters will be saved.
You will know that he is holy and deeply loves you, for in verse 11,it is written, “The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.” The Greek word we translate as good, does not really do the Greek word justice, for in Greek, it has more of the meaning of being noble, or the opposite of evil.
You will know that he is faithful, for in verse 16, which is not part of our text, we are told that Jesus has others that are not of this flock and that he will bring them in also.
Yes, there are voices, voices, voices everywhere, but there is only one voice that you can completely trust in and that is the voice of Jesus. Rejoice with me, for you are truly loved by our shepherd, Jesus Christ. Amen
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 3:18 PM
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