Listening to God's Voice: A Transformative Discipleship Journey
Summary
In John chapter 10, Jesus presents himself as the Shepherd, and his followers as sheep who recognize and follow his voice. This metaphor emphasizes the importance of listening to God's voice, a practice that is central to a disciple's life. Listening to God is not merely about hearing words but involves a deep, relational engagement with Him. It is about discerning His guidance amidst the myriad of voices that vie for our attention. This practice of listening is not new; it is deeply rooted in the tradition of the Hebrew people, as seen in the Shema from Deuteronomy 6, which calls for hearing and obeying God.
Prayer, as a dialogue with God, involves four stages: talking to God, talking with God, listening to God, and being with God. Listening to God is a transformative experience that shifts prayer from a monologue to an interactive relationship. However, this practice can be daunting due to past experiences or the fear of misinterpretation. Yet, learning to hear God's voice is crucial for spiritual growth and obedience.
The sermon outlines six ways through which God communicates: Jesus, scripture, circumstances, desires, prophecy, and listening prayer. Jesus, as the Word, is the primary medium through which God speaks. Scripture serves as a written record of God's voice, offering guidance and wisdom. Circumstances in our lives can also be God's way of leading us. Desires, when discerned carefully, can reflect God's will. Prophecy, dreams, and visions are other means through which God communicates, often providing encouragement and direction. Finally, listening prayer involves waiting quietly for God to speak into our hearts and minds.
Discernment is essential in distinguishing God's voice from other influences. It is a skill developed over time, requiring community and spiritual maturity. As disciples, we are called to listen and obey, trusting that God's intentions for us are for our deepest happiness. This trust transforms our approach to prayer, shifting from seeking control to surrendering to God's will.
Key Takeaways:
1. The Importance of Listening to God: Listening to God is a vital aspect of discipleship, transforming prayer from a monologue to a dialogue. It involves discerning His voice amidst the noise of life, leading to a deeper relationship with Him. This practice is rooted in the tradition of the Shema, which calls for hearing and obeying God. [06:50]
2. Prayer as a Dialogue: Prayer involves four stages: talking to God, talking with God, listening to God, and being with God. Listening is a transformative experience that shifts prayer from a monologue to an interactive relationship, allowing us to hear God's guidance and wisdom. [03:57]
3. Six Ways God Communicates: God speaks through Jesus, scripture, circumstances, desires, prophecy, and listening prayer. Each medium offers unique insights and guidance, helping us discern God's will and direction for our lives. [17:13]
4. The Role of Discernment: Discernment is crucial in distinguishing God's voice from other influences. It is a skill developed over time, requiring community and spiritual maturity. Without discernment, we risk being led astray by false voices. [42:52]
5. Trust and Obedience: Trusting in God's intentions for our deepest happiness is essential for obedience. This trust transforms our approach to prayer, shifting from seeking control to surrendering to God's will, allowing us to follow His guidance with confidence. [13:54]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:12] - Introduction to John 10
- [01:37] - The Shepherd and the Sheep
- [03:01] - Mother Teresa's Prayer Insight
- [03:37] - Four Stages of Prayer
- [04:29] - Fear and Misinterpretation
- [05:13] - Jesus as the Shepherd
- [06:50] - Relational Spirituality
- [08:16] - The Shema and Listening
- [11:25] - Obedience and Trust
- [13:35] - Discipleship and Obedience
- [17:13] - Six Ways God Communicates
- [24:24] - Circumstances and God's Voice
- [26:51] - Desires and God's Will
- [31:08] - Prophecy, Dreams, and Visions
- [34:39] - Listening Prayer and Discernment
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. John 10:1-10
2. Deuteronomy 6:4-5
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Observation Questions:
1. In John 10, what characteristics distinguish the shepherd from the thief and robber? How do the sheep respond to each? [01:37]
2. According to the sermon, what are the four stages of prayer mentioned, and how do they transform the nature of prayer? [03:37]
3. What is the significance of the Shema in Deuteronomy 6, and how does it relate to the practice of listening to God? [08:16]
4. How does the sermon describe the role of discernment in distinguishing God's voice from other influences? [42:52]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the metaphor of Jesus as the Shepherd in John 10 help us understand the nature of our relationship with Him? What does it mean to "know His voice"? [06:50]
2. The sermon mentions that listening to God is a transformative experience. How might this transformation manifest in a believer's life? [03:57]
3. In what ways does the Shema's call to "hear" and "obey" God challenge modern cultural attitudes towards authority and obedience? [11:25]
4. How can the six ways God communicates, as outlined in the sermon, be integrated into daily spiritual practices? [17:13]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your current prayer life. Which of the four stages of prayer do you find most challenging, and what steps can you take to deepen your practice in that area? [03:37]
2. Consider a recent decision or situation in your life. How did you discern God's voice amidst other influences, and what role did community play in that process? [42:52]
3. The sermon emphasizes trust and obedience to God's will. Identify an area in your life where you struggle to trust God's intentions. What practical steps can you take to surrender control in this area? [13:54]
4. How can you create space in your daily routine to practice listening prayer and discern God's voice more clearly? What distractions might you need to minimize? [34:39]
5. Think about a desire you have that persists. How can you discern whether this desire aligns with God's will, and what role does prayer play in this discernment process? [26:51]
6. Reflect on a time when you felt God speaking to you through circumstances. How did you respond, and what did you learn from that experience about God's guidance? [24:24]
7. How can you incorporate the practice of Lectio Divina into your Bible reading to enhance your ability to hear God's voice? What specific passage will you start with this week? [38:43]
Devotional
Day 1: Listening as a Pathway to Relationship
Listening to God is a vital aspect of discipleship, transforming prayer from a monologue to a dialogue. It involves discerning His voice amidst the noise of life, leading to a deeper relationship with Him. This practice is rooted in the tradition of the Shema, which calls for hearing and obeying God. Listening is not just about hearing words but engaging in a relational experience with God. It requires intentionality and openness to discern His guidance and wisdom. In a world filled with distractions, cultivating the ability to listen to God is essential for spiritual growth and intimacy with Him. [06:50]
Isaiah 30:21 (ESV): "And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left."
Reflection: In what ways can you create space in your daily routine to intentionally listen for God's voice amidst the noise of life?
Day 2: Transformative Dialogue in Prayer
Prayer involves four stages: talking to God, talking with God, listening to God, and being with God. Listening is a transformative experience that shifts prayer from a monologue to an interactive relationship, allowing us to hear God's guidance and wisdom. This transformation requires moving beyond simply presenting requests to God and instead engaging in a two-way conversation. By listening, we open ourselves to the possibility of being changed by His presence and direction. This shift from monologue to dialogue enriches our spiritual journey and deepens our connection with God. [03:57]
1 Samuel 3:10 (ESV): "And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!' And Samuel said, 'Speak, for your servant hears.'"
Reflection: How can you incorporate moments of silence and listening into your prayer life to allow God to speak to you?
Day 3: Diverse Channels of Divine Communication
God speaks through Jesus, scripture, circumstances, desires, prophecy, and listening prayer. Each medium offers unique insights and guidance, helping us discern God's will and direction for our lives. Jesus, as the Word, is the primary medium through which God communicates, while scripture provides a written record of His voice. Circumstances, desires, and prophecy can also reveal His guidance, requiring discernment to understand His will. Listening prayer invites us to wait quietly for God to speak into our hearts and minds, offering a personal encounter with His presence. [17:13]
Job 33:14-16 (ESV): "For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds, then he opens the ears of men and terrifies them with warnings."
Reflection: Reflect on a recent circumstance or desire in your life. How might God be using it to communicate His will to you?
Day 4: The Art of Discernment
Discernment is crucial in distinguishing God's voice from other influences. It is a skill developed over time, requiring community and spiritual maturity. Without discernment, we risk being led astray by false voices. Developing discernment involves seeking wisdom from scripture, engaging with a community of believers, and growing in spiritual maturity. It is a process that requires patience and practice, as we learn to recognize the subtle ways God speaks to us. By honing this skill, we can confidently follow His guidance and avoid being misled by competing voices. [42:52]
Hebrews 5:14 (ESV): "But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil."
Reflection: What steps can you take to cultivate discernment in your life, and how can your community support you in this journey?
Day 5: Trust and Surrender in Obedience
Trusting in God's intentions for our deepest happiness is essential for obedience. This trust transforms our approach to prayer, shifting from seeking control to surrendering to God's will, allowing us to follow His guidance with confidence. Trusting God requires letting go of our desire for control and embracing His plans for our lives. It involves believing that His intentions are for our ultimate good, even when circumstances are challenging. By surrendering to His will, we open ourselves to the fullness of His blessings and experience the peace that comes from walking in obedience. [13:54]
Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV): "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
Reflection: Identify an area of your life where you struggle to trust God. What practical steps can you take to surrender this area to Him today?
Quotes
The defining characteristic of a sheep is a sheep is one who is listening to the voice of a shepherd. He calls his own Sheep by name, so notice the voice of Jesus is not one to many like this experience right here, it's one to one. He calls his own Sheep by name, your name and mine. [00:05:29]
Listening to God and we kind of shift our posture from speaking to hearing. In this stage, we begin to experience prayer as less of a monologue and more of a dialogue, more of an interactive living back and forth. Now this raises all sorts of questions that we have to get into this morning. [00:03:50]
A disciple of Jesus is one who by definition is listening for Jesus' voice with one intention: to obey it, to follow through, to live it out. Jesus' final words to his disciples in Matthew's biography chapter 28 are go and make disciples or apprentices of all Nations. [00:12:34]
Learning to hear God's voice is the single most important task of a disciple of Jesus. Let's look again here at John chapter 10 just a little bit more in depth. Jesus in context is teaching his disciples or his students and he's likening himself to a Shepherd in this figure of speech. [00:05:00]
The heart is both full of beauty and ugliness, of light and of Shadow. Some of our desires left unchecked would lead us over a cliff into ruin, but other desires are actually God at work deep in our heart. A professor I had many years ago on igni spirituality once said to me, sometimes our desires are God Desiring through our desires. [00:28:58]
Discernment is the ability to sift through the ideas and events and thoughts and feelings and circumstances of our life and clearly see what is God and what's just my own imagination or my dad's opinion or the cultural liturgies of our day and what is God's voice coming to me. [00:42:14]
Prayer involves four stages or dimensions of prayer: talking to God, talking with God, listening to God, and being with God. This week we come to listening to God and we kind of shift our posture from speaking to hearing. In this stage, we begin to experience prayer as less of a monologue and more of a dialogue. [00:03:40]
The Shema here is the father saying to his sons and his daughters, listen to me, do what I'm saying here in the Torah, follow my Commandments, obey me, and it will go well with you. Early on in Israel's history, the became the center point of their daily spiritual life. [00:11:19]
Jesus' picture of apprenticeship to him is of an interactive Dynamic living relationship. It's not just of a faith or belief system or a choice architecture of habits that are based on his life or practices. It is all of that, but at the core, it is a relational spirituality, a relational way of being before God. [00:07:00]
God speaks to us through one another and through the mystery of the spirit of God. In the New Testament, This falls under the umbrella of the prophetic prophecy. Contrary to what a lot of people think, it is not primarily predicting the future or pronouncing judgment. Most of it is what the writer Paul calls strengthening, encouragement, and comfort. [00:31:05]
The question is how in the world do we do this? God doesn't have a body, he doesn't have vocal cords that make sound waves that go into the hair follicles in our inner ear. How do we hear God's voice? Well, there is no one size fits-all formula for how to discern his voice. [00:16:37]
In prayer, we wait for a word that we cannot give to ourselves. This is not just mental hygiene, it's not self-talk, it's not just positive mental manifest. It is waiting for a word from God that we cannot give to ourselves that has the power to unlock a new reality. [00:45:12]
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