Divine Voice, Human Response: Hearing God’s Guidance

We started with Mary showing us extravagant worship, and since then, we've navigated criticism from Judas, complications around Lazarus, expectations that didn't match reality, faith that preceded understanding, and the hard truth that some things must die to multiply. But here's what strikes me when we read this passage, that even Jesus, who taught all these principles, he reaches a moment where he says, his soul is troubled, and he needs to hear his Father's voice. And if Jesus needed divine confirmation above the noise of what was happening around him, how much more do we? [00:28:49] (50 seconds)  #DivineConfirmationNeeded

But that's the world we live in, right? Not a world of clear, I suppose, clear villains and heroes, but competing voices. Social media algorithms, news cycles, well-meaning friends, even our own anxious thoughts. They're all legitimate concerns and there's exciting opportunities. And all of that is just creating noise for us. [00:31:16] (28 seconds)  #NavigatingLifeNoise

Last week, Jesus taught the principle that wheat must die to multiply. And this week, we actually watched Jesus wrestle with that very principle in his own soul as the cross draws near. I suppose principles don't just preach themselves into reality, do they? They require choice, courage, confirmation from the father. [00:32:47] (25 seconds)  #DieToMultiply

This isn't the first time where we've heard Jesus say that my soul is deeply troubled. Yeah. And the gospels don't shy away from showing Jesus humanity. His soul was troubled at Lazarus tomb. Just in just the previous chapter in chapter 11, as well as in the upper room in the coming chapters where Jesus was foretelling the betrayal that would come upon him. [00:35:24] (27 seconds)  #JesusHumanityShown

In the original language, the sense of being deeply troubled, it carries this idea of, I suppose, an inner turmoil or an outward commotion. There's just a lot going on. Both of these were happening to Jesus at this, at this exact same time, internally, knowing that his hour has come and externally with the crowds around him. [00:35:52] (25 seconds)  #InnerTurmoilOuterCommotion

And so Jesus, he stands at a fork in the road. One path says, father, save me from this hour, right? It's escape, escaping the cross, avoiding suffering, finding another way. But the other path is this acknowledging, but this is the very reason I came embracing the mission that he came for to be a suffering servant, the one who would go to the cross to carry our shame, our guilt, our sin upon himself. [00:36:17] (34 seconds)  #ForkInTheRoadFaith

So that through his death and resurrection, there would be reconciliation between, between heaven and earth, that there will be restoration of all things back to God, the father, and that through Jesus, we get to be called sons and daughters of God. [00:36:51] (19 seconds)  #HonestFaithStruggle

And so here's, what's remarkable that Jesus doesn't just feel the struggle. He actually voices it honestly before God, the father, he doesn't pretend to escape the, this path that really, you know, he isn't appealing to go to the cross. He actually holds both paths before the father in prayer and lets that conversation clarify the mission. [00:37:09] (31 seconds)  #GloryToTheFather

You know, many years ago when I was a teenager, my, my family, they, they hosted a party at home for about, I'm guessing about 50, 50 people, could be more. Um, my, my family loved to do a huge cook up. You know, there was music playing, people eating, people chatting away. And I was in the backyard and this is before the time of mobile phones. Okay. So, um, for many of you, you, you still remember that time. Um, and I was in the backyard and I heard the home phone ring. I heard it immediately. And I heard it clearly above the noise. You know, I was amazed that I heard it. Other people around me were amazed. Like, where are you going? Victor? Like there's, there's a phone, the, the, the phone's ringing. Um, I was like, okay. Um, they were confused. Uh, and it wasn't because that the, the, the telephone was louder than the 50 people partying. But, but I think it was because I was subconsciously listening. [00:39:20] (65 seconds)