Do You Know His Voice?
Good morning. When we read the 10th chapter of the gospel of John, Jesus dwells on two great truths. The first is that He is the Good Shepherd, and we are the flock under His care. The 2nd is that Jesus, the Messiah of God, is absolutely one with His Father. You cannot speak of one without recognizing the other. Jesus is, we are told in this chapter, the voice of God to His beloved, His own.
The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” John 10:3-5
As followers of Jesus Christ there must be no doubt in our minds that we are His sheep, the flock under the tender care of Jesus, our personal Savior. This relationship is dependent upon one essential thing: we, the sheep, MUST recognize the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. If we do not recognize His voice, how will He lead us? If we do not recognize His voice, how will He protect us? If we do not recognize His voice, how will we enjoy His tender and nourishing care?
Do you feel absolutely confident that you are hearing the voice of Jesus, and in hearing Him, are you recognizing the voice as His?
As we pray to the Father in the Name of Jesus, are we willing to listen fervently? As we come to understand that Jesus the Son is one with the Father in every way, we must also come to understand that it is through the person of Jesus Christ that God the Father has chosen to draw near to us, to become intimate with us in the power of His love. To commit to hearing the voice of Jesus is to commit to hearing the voice of God in His fullness.
What is Jesus saying?
I believe that Jesus is constantly entreating us to come to Him in faithful trust, and to listen to Him. In listening to Jesus, we will hear His promise to bless us when we are willing to embrace Him as Lord. Jesus reveals to us His will and assures us that His will is right for us, comforting and never harmful (Matthew 11:28-30).
The voice of Jesus assures us that even though He is the Creator, even though He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, He is ready to commune with us. He is ready to listen to us, He is ready to speak to us, He is ready to reassure us, to guide us, and to richly bless us in accordance with His wisdom and will.
I enjoy the paraphrase/translation of Eugene Peterson’s The Message as he writes of Isaiah 55:3
Pay attention, come close now,
listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words.
I’m making a lasting covenant commitment with you,
the same that I made with David: sure, solid, enduring love.
If I set my heart on having a conversation with the mayor of Albert Lea, I think I could do so, maybe this afternoon. If I set my sights on a conversation with the governor of Minnesota, it could be done…perhaps, but probably not. If it was my heart’s one desire to have a conversation with the president of the United States, I may get a visit from the FBI, but as for a conversation with the president…not going to happen. If I decide to have a conversation with Jesus Christ, the Creator of the universe, the Messiah of God who is the Savior of all who seek Him, there is no doubt about it. He is joyfully waiting to hear from me and to speak to me. This is the absolute truth for all of us who claim salvation through His blood.
How is this possible? The voice of God comes to us through Jesus as we seek Him, and this was made possible in the final moment on the cross when Jesus won the victory: But Jesus, again crying out loudly, breathed his last. At that moment, the Temple curtain was ripped in two, top to bottom. Matthew 27:50-51
When that curtain that separated the Holy of Holies, where the living presence of God had been made manifest, when that curtain was torn in two from top to bottom, mankind suddenly was given full access to God. What had been reserved for the High Priest, and that only for a few moments once a year, was at that moment made available to all people for all time, to all those who belong to God through His Savior Jesus.
So, I ask again: Are you hearing the voice of Jesus? If not, then I would suggest some quiet time in prayer is definitely in order. This would be a time without distraction. This would be a time of humble love. This would be a time of faithful searching and careful listening. This would be a time more rewarding than any you will have experienced for a very long time. For the voice of Jesus Christ is well worth hearing, and obeying, and enjoying, and loving. Listen to Him.
Vern