HEAR MY VOICE

7 2 12 Hear My Voice  Jn 10 27 30

Scripture: John 10:27-30 (NIV) My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one."

Note:  The Bible makes a stunning declaration. Believers of Jesus Christ can hear his voice. When he speaks, we should follow his directions. You may be sitting there thinking to yourself; I’ve never heard the voice of Jesus. But that’s not true. If you are a true follower of Christ you are spending time in God’s word. When you read God’s Word the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart and enlighteners you – you have heard the voice of God! It is His voice you hear as you read His Word and it is the work of the Holy Spirit in each believer that enables us to understand and grow in our walk with Christ. Anyone who has been born again of the Holy Spirit possesses spiritual eyes and spiritual ears.  One of the main works that the Holy Spirit wants to work in you is to give you a hunger and thirst for His Word. His Word teaches you how you are to live in relation to God and to others. So if the Holy Spirit has found you to be willing to follow his lead he will lead you into a deeper study of the Word of God which gives you direction in how to live in such a way that people see Jesus Christ in you. If you’re living faithfully you have heard the voice of Christ, you recognize his voice and you are following his directions. Anyone who refuses to listen to and follow Christ proves that they are not his sheep and are the sheep of God’s enemy, Satan.

For those who are faithful followers, those who are in Christ, God gives them a precious promise, they shall never perish. Read those last four words again but, this time make it personal and replace the “they” with and I; I shall never perish. Why? Because you are in a spiritual relationship with Christ and Christ makes you a promise that you will live with him forever. Death will not defeat you nor separate you from God’s love and presence. Your destiny is an eternal destiny. Nothing in all of creation has the power to separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Ro 8:35-39]

It’s sad to say but there will be some who will turn their backs on the gift of salvation that is theirs in Christ Jesus.

In December 1999, an extreme sports fanatic scaled the 120-foot statue of Christ the Redeemer on Brazil's Corcovado Mountain and jumped from its outstretched arms.

For the first ever such leap, Felix Baumgartner, 30, an Austrian, smuggled his parachute on board the little train that takes dozens of tourists up the 2,000-foot mountain to visit the statue. Once at the base of the Christ, he scaled the gray-stone figure, climbed on to one of its fingers, and jumped. Baumgartner's parachute worked, and he walked away in one piece from the stunt. [Alan Wilson, Daily Telegraph]

The Bible makes this declaration concerning those who are in Christ;  “no one can snatch them [you] out of my hand Jn 10:28 (NIV). You however can decide to take yourself out of His hand. There are many people who live their lives like this dare-devil. They continually choose to jump from the safety of the hands of Christ attempting to work out their own salvation only too late to discover that their lives will not end well for there is no spiritual parachutes available to those who reject Christ. 

Word from the Lord:   “Beloved, don’t run from me, don’t jump from my hand. If you do you will stumble and fall. Instead run to me and I will lift you up. Don’t listen to those of the world who think they have no need of me. They think they are smart. They think they are strong. They think they have superior abilities and understanding that will enable them to live in such a way as to impress me with their goodness but hear me clearly; their goodness will never be good enough for me to overlook their sins.  My Way of goodness is for all  and is by Way of the Cross. My Son, Jesus Christ, died there for the sins of the world but more specifically for your sins. He is your atoning sacrifice that takes away your sins. It’s not your goodness that draws me to you it’s your neediness. I love you and want to lift you up out of the muck and the mire of sinfulness. Humble yourself by acknowledging me as the one who is able to lift you up and enable you to walk with me. Once you have humbled yourself to me the ability to yield yourself to my leading is easy. By the way, your yielding is evidence of your willingness to follow me and your heart’s desire to live a life of victory. To know me is to know my Word.”   

 Prayer:  What do you need to pray to the Lord today? Listen to your heart. He loves you!