Life 2: Listen to Jesus
January 17, 2012
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. John 10:4
Jesus confidently asserts that he will make himself known to his people. This past Sunday we looked at the truth that Jesus is speaking and leading. The question that we must ask is: Are we listening?
On a number of occasions Jesus said something like: “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear…”
In saying this he points to a basic truth of human existence that we are able to take in communication without really paying it any heed. We have all had the experience of talking to someone and having the sense that though they are physically present to us, they are not really listening to us. Conversely, though we may not want to admit it, there are likely times when we are the ones who are physically present, but we are not really listening. (Ever checked email or FB on your phone while pretending to be listening to someone talk?)
The story of the Bible is of God speaking. As Tozer said the message of the Bible is not just God spoke but God is speaking. The question is: Are we listening?
We reviewed some territory we have covered before and that is forming a grid for how God speaks to us. We use the alliteration of the CS’s to help us remember how God is speaking to us.
The first and primary way God speaks to us is through Christ the Son. If we want to know who God is and also what it means to be fully human we will look long and hard at Jesus.
God speaks through his Commanding Scriptures. In the Bible we read the great metanarrative of God and Humanity. We spent some time on Sunday looking at particular truth from the Bible of who we are. We are created as God’s image bearers, but we rebelled and turned from God each other and who we were meant to be, but God is about the work of restoration and reconciliation in Jesus. So the truth about us as we trust and follow Jesus is that we are dearly loved and cherished are name becomes beloved instead of the labels we or others have tried to attach to us. We showed this video (which unfortunately was a little difficult to see) that very nicely captures this truth from the Bible. I find the video particularly powerful in light of the back story of the songwriter.
God speaks through His Comforting Spirit. One promise Jesus repeated was that he would send the Holy Spirit who would guide us into all truth and remind us of the things Jesus taught us.
God speaks through the Counsel of the Saints. Throughout my life I’ve been empowered to follow Jesus by hearing him through the counsel of His people.
God speaks through Confirming Signs. There are a number examples just in the gospel according to John of signs that were given so that people would trust in Jesus.
In short God is speaking. Again the question is: Will we listen? (Or will be people who say - I hear you but I don't) One of the first things is to ask will we believe what Jesus says about us or will we believe the voices from our past. Jesus speaks so that we might have life – full life. We experience life as we listen to the truth of who Jesus says we are.
May we be the people who listen to and follow Jesus.
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