John 10:27 "My sheep hear my voice."
Isaiah 55:3 "Hear and your soul shall live."
Revelation 3:20 "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."
Jesus wants us to hear Him.
When Stephen testified to the Sanhedrin they refused to hear him; Zechariah prophesied and the people refused to listen. The Isralites wandered forty years in the desert because they refused to listen to the voice of God.
Today there are so many voices that we hear the Word preached over and over, and yet we do not hear the Word. In the scripture lesson, Mark 4, we read "listen" (v.3), "hear" (v.9) and "hear" (v,20)
Our capacity to listen is a measure of how good we are as disciples.
In the ninth chapter of Mark we read of Peter, James, and John, with Jesus on the mount when Christ is transfigured, revealed in his glory as God everlasting and there appears with them Moses and Elijah, the greatest prophets of the faith who ever lived! Yet stunned and terrified as the disciples were Peter interrupted and proposed the building of shrines. Then spoke the Voice from Heaven and said, "Listen!" to My Son.
James 1:19 "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak. . ."
The call to listen is foundational and imperative for every disciple. First and foremost as disciples we are called to hear every word!
Ours is a culture of asking questions. We need to listen more. When we are asking we want to "fix." We need to have God's directions. Take it in, soak it up.
When we ask we want to know; when we listen we understand God's control. Force yourself to be still before God and listen. "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:14)
Shift from asking questions to listening to His voice.
How the Lord speaks.
1. Through His Word, the Holy Bible.
2. Through people.
3. Through situations.
(Anytime God speaks to you through people or situations, it will be verified in the Word.)
Pastor Johnnie Blair
Sunday morning
3 comments:
Likely that some were "offended" by the message. We want to talk but listening is, well, a waste of time in which we could be talking. 😊
I can see in my mind the picture of Christ knocking on the door - First Pilgrim in Colorado Springs. I do try to spend time in the Word and listening. I always hope my requests don't become most important.
Remember the picture vividly. The asks are important to Him, for he said, 'Ask and you will receive.'
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