Listening To God's Voice

Last Sunday’s sermon was preached by Pastor Harry with the title “Listening To God’s Voice” (Luke 10:38-42; John 12:1-11). The sermon and the whole service can be watched on our WIC YouTube Channel.

Listening to God’s voice is a subject that doesn’t mean much to most people these days. As Brother Sean indicated in his sermon last week, people who are focused on themselves are not rooted in the Kingdom of God. The Bible tells us (Acts 28:27) that “the hearts of these people have become dull; they scarcely hear with their ears; and they have closed their eyes”. They have closed their eyes. People don’t listen to God, because they prefer to listen to themselves – it’s the choice they’ve made.

 

You can easily see the effects of this. World leaders who listen only to themselves cause havoc in the world. They’re like a major natural disaster. The story about Elijah and God’s voice illustrates this so well (1 Kings 19:11-12). God was not in the windstorm. God was not in the earthquake. God was not in the fire. God was in the sound of a gentle whisper. That’s how God talks to us – assuming we choose to listen. Elijah was listening out for Him.

 

Martha’s sister Mary was intent on listening to God too. Jesus is a guest in their house. Martha was doing what we would do if Jesus turned up at our place: prepare a special meal! But the Bible says this was actually a distraction for Martha. Jesus Himself said there was only one thing worth being concerned about – and Mary had it! What was that? – to listen to what the LORD says.

 

What effect does listening to the Lord have on Mary? It draws her ever closer to Jesus. See how this develops later. Jesus raises the sisters’ brother Lazarus from the dead! This shocked people in Jerusalem so much that the leading priests and politicians decided at that point to kill Jesus – and Lazarus too, because so many people were coming to see him. So in the second reading, Jesus is back at their house with His disciples, including Judas. Of course, dinner is prepared again. But what does Mary do this time? She takes a whole jar of incredibly expensive perfume – nard – and anoints Jesus’ feet with it; and then wipes Jesus’ feet with her hair: an expression of deeply submissive love. What could Martha have been thinking about her sister this time? The perfume was worth one year’s average wage: perhaps about 100,000 zlotys!

 

You see, as Mary dwelt on Jesus’ teachings, her love for Him grew stronger and stronger. And so did her understanding of what He was really saying at the time: that He really was going to die. So Mary’s action in pouring out the perfume was done in preparation for Jesus’ burial, since nard (for those who could afford it) was used to ward off bad smells at funerals Perhaps she alone realized fully that Jesus would soon die – and her sadness must have been incredibly profound.

 

But Judas was indignant. That perfume could have been sold, and the money given to the poor. How noble of Judas to think about the poor! Of course, he was only thinking about himself. After all, he’d been regularly stealing from the money box; and if the disciples were to have sold the perfume, some of the proceeds would definitely have made their way into this own pocket. He was pretending to be good – but really he cared nothing for the poor, and nothing for God. He cared only about himself.

 

Some months ago I was doing street evangelism in town, and I got talking to a young woman who was also stopping people to talk to them. She was getting them to support Greenpeace – an organization I have sympathy for. I told her that my particular job was to get people to think about God. But then her behaviour changed abruptly, and she said disparagingly: “You’re wasting your time with that silly rubbish, while I am doing something practical for mankind”. You know, that was precisely the voice of Judas – because deep down, I could tell she hated God. Love of Jesus will always draw resentment from the people of this world. And I was thinking: how can anyone with such hatred and resentment perform a fully effective service for mankind?

 

So how can we listen to God’s voice? Because if you analyse your own thoughts, you’ll find that 95% of them are full of yourself, not of God! “I must do this. I must do that. I’m so rushed. I’m so tired. I feel unwell. I’m so angry. I’m so hurt. I’m so weak”. Me, me, me all the time. Even thoughts like “Lord, help me” are to some extent self-centred! So you might then say: “I’ve never heard God’s voice – I’ve never heard Him speak”. Right? No – that’s wrong: very wrong!

 

Open your Bible, and you’ll find hundreds of things the Lord says to you. “I am your shepherd. I know how you feel. I know everything about you. Come to Me and I will give you peace. I’m so close to you. I will overcome your enemies. I will make you righteous and holy. I will heal you. I will take away your sins, your worries and your fears. And I’ll lead you safely to heaven”. And so on, and so forth.

 

I hope today’s message will inspire you to read your Bible in a new light. Look for the many statements on every page, where God is talking to you. Then fill your mind with those thoughts – make them your thoughts. Write them down separately in a notebook, and repeat them to yourselves. You’ll be filled with God’s thoughts; and you’ll come into a closer relationship with Him. In that spirit, you can reach out properly to the poor and sick and needy of this world – and you will then understand the truth of this closing thought from Jesus: “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40).

 

The poor of the world, that the Greenpeace lady wanted to help, therefore somehow constitute Christ’s body; and so whatever we give and do to those who are in need, we give and do to the Lord Himself. Amen.