Matthew 24:14
ESV / 54 helpful votes
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Romans 1:19-20
ESV / 35 helpful votes
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
John 14:6
ESV / 25 helpful votes
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Acts 17:30
ESV / 20 helpful votes
The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
John 3:36
ESV / 19 helpful votes
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Romans 1:20
ESV / 14 helpful votes
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Acts 4:12
ESV / 14 helpful votes
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Revelation 14:6-7
ESV / 13 helpful votes
Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
Revelation 14:6
ESV / 12 helpful votes
Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people.
Acts 10:1-48
ESV / 10 helpful votes
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. …
John 14:15
ESV / 10 helpful votes
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
John 3:16
ESV / 10 helpful votes
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
2 Peter 3:9
ESV / 9 helpful votes
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Romans 10:17
ESV / 9 helpful votes
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Romans 3:23
ESV / 9 helpful votes
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 1:1-32
ESV / 8 helpful votes
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, …
Matthew 28:19-20
ESV / 8 helpful votes
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Revelation 3:10
ESV / 7 helpful votes
Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.
1 John 1:8
ESV / 7 helpful votes
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Romans 11:22
ESV / 7 helpful votes
Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.
Romans 10:14-15
ESV / 7 helpful votes
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Romans 8:1
ESV / 7 helpful votes
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 1:18-32
ESV / 7 helpful votes
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, …
1 John 2:2
ESV / 6 helpful votes
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
Mark 16:15
ESV / 6 helpful votes
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
Genesis 18:25
ESV / 6 helpful votes
Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”
Titus 2:11
ESV / 5 helpful votes
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,
2 Thessalonians 1:8
ESV / 5 helpful votes
In flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
Galatians 3:27
ESV / 5 helpful votes
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Romans 10:13
ESV / 5 helpful votes
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:1-21
ESV / 5 helpful votes
Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. …
Romans 5:13
ESV / 5 helpful votes
For sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.
Romans 2:12-16
ESV / 5 helpful votes
For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
Romans 1:18-28
ESV / 5 helpful votes
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, …
John 10:14-16
ESV / 5 helpful votes
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
Matthew 6:1-10:42
ESV / 5 helpful votes
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. …
Revelation 21:12
ESV / 4 helpful votes
It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—
Revelation 1:7
ESV / 4 helpful votes
Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
1 John 5:11-12
ESV / 4 helpful votes
And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
1 Corinthians 15:1-58
ESV / 4 helpful votes
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. …
Romans 2:15
ESV / 4 helpful votes
They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them
Romans 2:12
ESV / 4 helpful votes
For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.
Romans 1:16
ESV / 4 helpful votes
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Acts 23:1
ESV / 4 helpful votes
And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.”
Acts 17:1-34
ESV / 4 helpful votes
Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. …
Acts 16:31
ESV / 4 helpful votes
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Acts 3:19
ESV / 4 helpful votes
Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
John 12:48
ESV / 4 helpful votes
The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.
John 8:31-32
ESV / 4 helpful votes
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:24
ESV / 4 helpful votes
I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”
John 6:45
ESV / 4 helpful votes
It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—
Matthew 4:17
ESV / 4 helpful votes
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Revelation 20:15
ESV / 3 helpful votes
And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 14:1-20
ESV / 3 helpful votes
Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. …
1 John 5:5
ESV / 3 helpful votes
Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 4:9
ESV / 3 helpful votes
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
Hebrews 11:6
ESV / 3 helpful votes
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:1-40
ESV / 3 helpful votes
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. …
1 Timothy 4:10
ESV / 3 helpful votes
For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
1 Timothy 2:1-15
ESV / 3 helpful votes
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, …
2 Thessalonians 1:9
ESV / 3 helpful votes
They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,
Philippians 1:27
ESV / 3 helpful votes
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
Ephesians 2:8-9
ESV / 3 helpful votes
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:3
ESV / 3 helpful votes
Among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Ephesians 1:4
ESV / 3 helpful votes
Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
Galatians 3:26
ESV / 3 helpful votes
For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
Galatians 1:8
ESV / 3 helpful votes
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
1 Corinthians 1:9
ESV / 3 helpful votes
God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 14:11
ESV / 3 helpful votes
For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
Romans 10:14
ESV / 3 helpful votes
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
Romans 10:9
ESV / 3 helpful votes
Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 6:23
ESV / 3 helpful votes
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 5:19
ESV / 3 helpful votes
For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
Romans 5:12
ESV / 3 helpful votes
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
Romans 5:1
ESV / 3 helpful votes
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 4:15
ESV / 3 helpful votes
For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.
Romans 3:24
ESV / 3 helpful votes
And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Romans 3:20
ESV / 3 helpful votes
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
Romans 3:11
ESV / 3 helpful votes
No one understands; no one seeks for God.
Romans 3:9-20
ESV / 3 helpful votes
What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” …
Romans 2:16
ESV / 3 helpful votes
On that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
Romans 1:16-17
ESV / 3 helpful votes
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Acts 20:21
ESV / 3 helpful votes
Testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 17:30-31
ESV / 3 helpful votes
The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
Acts 10:43
ESV / 3 helpful votes
To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Acts 10:34-35
ESV / 3 helpful votes
So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
Acts 10:2
ESV / 3 helpful votes
A devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.
Acts 8:1-40
ESV / 3 helpful votes
And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. …
Acts 3:23
ESV / 3 helpful votes
And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’
John 20:31
ESV / 3 helpful votes
But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 17:12
ESV / 3 helpful votes
While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
John 15:12
ESV / 3 helpful votes
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
John 10:7-9
ESV / 3 helpful votes
So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
John 8:56
ESV / 3 helpful votes
Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”
John 8:32
ESV / 3 helpful votes
And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 6:64
ESV / 3 helpful votes
But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)
John 5:24
ESV / 3 helpful votes
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
John 5:23
ESV / 3 helpful votes
That all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
John 3:18
ESV / 3 helpful votes
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
John 3:17
ESV / 2 helpful votes
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Sower of the Word
Luke 8
Main Idea: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom 10:17 NKJV).
- Be Careful to Hear God’s Word (8:1-33).
- Those who hear the word should spread the word (8:1-3).
- God calls everyone to hear the word (8:4-8).
- Hearing the word of God is spiritual warfare (8:9-15).
- The more we hear, the more we receive; the less we hear, the more we lose (8:16-18).
- If we obey the word, it will change our loyalty (8:19-21).
- The word of God calms our fears (8:22-25).
- The word of God sets us free (8:26-33).
- Be Sure to Believe God’s Word (8:34-56).
- You cannot believe apart from God (8:10).
- Yet not believing is sin.
- Do not reject God’s word (8:34-39).
- Your faith will make you well (8:40-56).
Over the last ten or fifteen years pastors have changed the way they refer to themselves. It used to be enough to simply have the title “pastor” or “reverend,” but now such titles seem unpopular or insufficient. Now pastors are “motivational speakers” and “life coaches.” Many pastors make a big deal of the fact that they are authors or speak at conferences. Before you ever get to the title of pastor, they list off their other accolades and roles—many of which seem to bear little relationship to the ministry of the Word.
Over the same ten-to-fifteen-year period, there remain groups of people who are not ashamed to be called “pastor.” However, they want bigger titles like “apostle.”
What’s happening in the minds of church leaders when they rest their identities on these titles? Titles have their place. We appropriately honor people for the roles they play in life. Titles very often describe and honor those roles and the people in them. But how are we to understand a church leader grasping for a different way to be described or understood? Perhaps more to the point, how does craving such titles compare to the way Jesus describes himself? How does it compare to what Jesus makes primary in his own ministry?
Luke 8 divides into three scenes. The first scene begins in verse 1 when the Lord teaches three parables to his disciples. The second scene begins in verse 22, when Jesus and his disciples enter a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee and find themselves caught in an unexpected and violent storm. Then, while in Galilee, the third scene beings in verse 26, as the Lord performs four miracles: the calming of the storm, the healing of a demon-possessed man, the healing of a woman, and the raising of a little girl from death to life. Running through each scene—whether in Jesus’s teaching or in the action portions of the chapter—is an emphasis on the word of God. Running through the chapter are various responses to the word of God. Each parable teaches us something about the nature of God’s word. And each miracle teaches us something about how we must respond to God’s word.
Be Careful to Hear God’s Word
Luke 8:1-33
Let me give you seven statements under this heading about the nature of God’s word and why we need to be careful about how we hear it.
Those Who Hear the Word Should Spread the Word (8:1-3)
These verses summarize Jesus’s earthly ministry. He traveled “from one town and village to another, preaching and telling the good news of the kingdom of God” (v. 1). In other words, Jesus preached the gospel.
He wasn’t alone. “The Twelve” refers to the twelve men Jesus called to be his apostles, the early leaders and teachers of the church. We’re not surprised to see the men listed here, but then there are “some women” (v. 2) traveling with our Lord. That is a very surprising thing. Unlike every other rabbi of his day, the Lord Jesus included women in his ministry. They traveled with him. Not only that, but they were the supporters of his ministry (v. 3).
If Luke were alive today he would use the hashtag #SayHerName because he notes three of the women in particular: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna. We don’t know much about Susanna apart from this verse. Joanna was apparently a woman of some status since her husband, Chuza, managed Herod’s house. Mary Magdalene was at one point possessed by seven demons until Jesus delivered her. There are unnamed women, unknown women, women with a broken past, and women of position. All kinds of women served the Lord and supported his ministry.
The Christian church would never have gotten off the ground were it not for women. Churches around the world would have closed their doors generations ago if it were not for women. Luke affirms these women by naming them for us. If our Lord valued and included women in his ministry, then every church should include them in every way the Lord and his Word permits. In every way women are called and gifted to serve, we want to see them encouraged and flourishing in their service in accord with the Word of God so that the Word of God might be spread among us.
This was the pattern of Christian ministry from the start. It’s a partnership to spread the word by those who heard the word. Some go preaching—Jesus and the apostles. Some give for preaching—Mary, Susanna, and Joanna. Everyone does one or the other or both. The entire aim is to spread the word of Christ to those who have not heard.
That’s why the local church exists. Of all the things the Lord may call us to do, we must not fail to spread the word. We have a partnership in the gospel (Phil 1:6). That’s our business. We do not look for government support or the resources of private foundations. We assume collective responsibility for supporting the ministry of the word in our neighborhood and beyond. Let us never forget or be distracted from this partnership. Those who hear the word should spread the word.
God Calls Everyone to Hear the Word (8:4-8)
The sower sows his seed on four types of soil: the path, the rock, the thorns, and the good soil. The punch line of the parable is “As he said this, he called out, ‘Let anyone who has ears to hear listen’” (v. 8).
You often hear Jesus say, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.” You might ask yourself the question, Who does not have ears? Nearly everyone does. But the saying suggests a person can have ears and not listen. That was my mom’s most frequent complaint about my dad. She used to say, “Harvey hears what he wants to hear!” He had ears, but it was as if certain things just never entered them. My mom would say he didn’t try to listen.
That’s the thing about God’s word: You must work to hear it. You have to tune your ear to God’s word. You must train your appetite for it. There must be concentration in order to understand it. So Jesus calls his hearers to listen if they have ears. In other words, the Lord calls us to understand and obey—not merely register the sound of words.
Some Christians have grown accustomed to hearing sermons that entertain them. They like sermons with lots of stories and illustrations, with humor and the occasional clever twist. While preaching should be interesting and engaging, preaching is not entertainment. Preaching must be better than entertainment. In our culture, entertainment is almost entirely passive, as people stare endlessly at screens. But with preaching, people must come to the Word of God fully awake and ready to do the work that true hearing requires.
This is important because . . .
Hearing the Word of God Is Spiritual Warfare (8:9-15)
The disciples ask the Lord to explain the meaning of the parable. They want to know what’s up with the path and birds, the rock and withering away, the thorns that choke the seed, and the good soil that yields a crop. Hearing, they have not yet listened. So the Lord explains the parable.
Parables are not meant to be interpreted line by line. Parables have one major point that they make in a symbolic story. So the Lord explains the symbols. “The seed is the word of God” (v. 11). By implication, he and other preachers are the sowers. Then Jesus explains that there are three different ways to hear the word sown.
- Defenseless hearing (v. 12)
- Shallow hearing (v. 13)
- Distracted hearing (v. 14)
These first three soils remind us of the Christians’ three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. They all oppose God’s word. That’s why I say hearing the word of God is spiritual warfare.
The devil is mentioned in verse 12. He and his demons are real. The devil looks to snatch the seed before it can take root, like birds devouring seed. Christ spreads the seed generously, but Satan pecks it up from the human heart as quickly as he can. And why? A war is being fought on the soil of every human heart. The devil enters that war to prevent people from being saved. The ear is the gate to the heart. Satan steals the seed to kill the soul. Don’t be defenseless. “Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life” (Prov 4:23). Guard the word that comes through your ear into your heart, for the word is able to save you.
The Lord alludes to the flesh in verse 13. Persecution or testing often arise because of the word. Though some people received the word joyfully, when trouble comes they “fall away.” Apostasy is real. Do not faint or turn away in the day of testing. You will reap if you do not faint. To all those who overcome, the Lord will give the crown of life (Rev 2:10-11). When you suffer for the name of Christ and the gospel, you are being treated like the prophets, and your reward in heaven will be great! Do not fall away. Persevere.
The world is described in verse 14. The world chokes out the seed, so any early fruit does not mature. Do not let the world lure you away with its false and vanishing pleasures and riches. Many a Christian has set out for the celestial city only to get snared in Vanity Fair. Too many Christians care too much for the ways of the world—about its power, its wealth, its beauty, its knowledge, its technology, its fashion, its cool. And the world keeps producing things for people to “get into.” The world never encourages you to get into the word of God. Never. It doesn’t want the word to produce fruit that remains in your life. It’s warring against the maturing of your soul in Christ. Don’t give in to it.
We are right now engaged in warfare. We are right now fighting against distraction from the world, the flesh, and the devil. When we listen to the preaching of God’s Word, our thoughts travel to work on Monday morning, to lunch after church, and to the temperature of the room. Even trials that small will allure us from the Word of God. Some of us will face far more significant persecutions and trials. We will have to decide again and again whether we will hold onto God’s word or look away to something else. Satan and his minions fight to keep us distracted that they might destroy the power of God’s word in our lives.
A heart made of good soil provides the only antidote to the world, the flesh, and the devil. Verse 15 describes such hearts. We win the spiritual war of hearing when we hold on to the word like a soldier trained never to lose or surrender his weapon. We do that if our hearts are honest and good; in other words, if we receive the Word of God for what it truly is—the very Word of God. We don’t receive it to justify ourselves. We don’t cut out the difficult parts. We don’t pick and choose what we will believe. We receive it all with a good heart—with an intention to do good and to believe what is taught. We win the war for the Word when we look to bear fruit with patience (Jas 1:2-4). We’re not trying to rush into maturity or skip the things that produce growth. We just steadily read, believe, and apply the Bible, and let patience have its perfect work in our lives.
That’s how we win. Hold fast. Have an honest heart. Bear fruit. Keep patient. Hearing the Word of God is spiritual warfare.
The More We Hear, the More We Receive; the Less We Hear, the More We Lose (8:16-18)
That’s the point of the second parable. The Lord compares the word of God to a light or candle. No one puts a lamp under a jar or under a bed. We don’t hide light. We let it shine.
Verse 17 tells us why: The Word reveals everything. We can’t hide things from God. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. He sends his Word into the world and it exposes the darkness. The Lord says,
“This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.” (John 3:19-21)
My mama would say, “It all comes out in the wash.” Jesus says, “It all comes out in the light of God’s Word.”
The more of God’s Word we hear, the more of it we receive. The more we neglect God’s Word, the more of it we lose (v. 18). To hear more of God’s Word is to receive more from God. To hear less of God’s Word is to have what you had taken away.
It’s not like we hear the word at one time and can live on it for the rest of our lives. We have to keep replenishing the store, stocking the shelves of our heart so that we always have something to feed on. We’re either going forward in the things of God or we’re going backward. There is no neutral ground. The more we hear the more we receive. The less we hear the more we lose.
I was convicted by these verses as I wrote this. I had slipped into a pattern of laziness when it came to my own personal study of the Scriptures. The Lord showed me that I wasn’t sitting still in neutral. I was going backward. I needed to “take care” to “hear” well. Maybe that’s you. Perhaps you need to take better care of how you hear God’s word. This Bible containing God’s promises is our life. We live by every word of it.
The second half of verse 18 promises that the word will be taken away from those who do not have it. I think this means that if we attempt to live on yesterday’s quiet times today or last week’s sermon for this week then we will find diminishing remembrance of God’s Word. With our “little” we end up with “less” because Christians leak. Instead, we need to continually pour in the Word of God to keep our tanks filled. The more we receive God’s Word the more of it we get. The more we develop an appetite for Scripture the more we hunger for it. The more we give ourselves the more we receive. But the more we withhold the more is taken away.
Isn’t this a perfect description of how we sometimes find ourselves spiritually dry? We did not intentionally set out for a desert place. We woke up one morning a little late, running behind for work, so we skipped our quiet time. We could still smell the fumes from the gas of yesterday’s quiet times, so we had a pretty good day despite not reading and pondering the Word that morning. The second morning we thought, It went well yesterday, so I’ll sleep in again. On the third morning we felt a little guilty so we thought we’d at least get a little snippet of the Word into the morning. We rush our spiritual feeding like a man grabbing a piece of toast for breakfast as he runs out the door. The fourth day you have your quiet time, but it’s less rewarding than it was last week. Now reading God’s Word feels harder. Praying is more difficult. So you miss another day or two before trying to press your way back into the Bible. Before you know it, a couple weeks have passed since you fruitfully received God’s Word. You had just a little of the Bible, and more of it was taken away. You’ve been losing all the while and now you’re wondering, How do I get it back? The promise of the first half of verse 18 is that if you start with at least getting some of the Bible, then you will want more of the Bible. Water the dry places of your heart with the Scriptures, and the desert will bloom with truth. The more you water, the more you flower. The more you flower, the more you water.
Feed on God’s written Word. Feed on it daily and several times a day. Let us not rest on sermons and studies from yesterday or last week or last year. Let us keep a fresh word in our hearts and minds by reading it and hearing it every day.
The result will be . . .
If We Obey the Word, It Will Change Our Loyalty (8:19-21)
In verse 19 we transition from the Lord’s teaching in parables to the action and miracles of the chapter. The Lord’s earthly mother and brothers come to him. They can’t reach him because of the crowds, but they get word to him that they’re standing outside and want to see him (v. 20).
The Lord’s response shocks us even today: “My mother and my brothers are those who hear and do the word of God” (v. 21). These words continue to astound readers who wonder if Jesus sinned against his mother by refusing to see them.
What we read in the Word of God redefines our relationships and our loyalty. The active obedience of the Christian to the Word of God actually creates in the Christian a higher loyalty than our closest earthly relationships. Our Lord is not diminishing or disrespecting parenthood. Instead, the Lord points us to the fact that there is a greater Father to whom we owe the highest loyalty. Our heavenly Father comes before our earthly mothers and brothers. The more we obey God’s Word, the more we have in common with others who obey God’s Word. We find ourselves closer to those who obey God’s Word than we are to our blood relatives who do not believe.
I may never forget the year my wife and I realized that God’s Word had done this in our lives. The girls were very young, and our parents wanted us to come home for Christmas. That meant driving to both ends of North Carolina from the middle. But we made the journey—which also meant we weren’t going to celebrate Christmas with our church family or in a way that fit our understanding of the Bible’s priorities. At one point, while we were itching to get back to our home in Raleigh, one of our mothers said, “You guys love your church friends more than you do your own family.” That rocked me a little. It wasn’t that I loved my family less. It’s that in Christ we now had a new family with whom we tried to live out God’s Word. The Word of God forges new bonds and affections that natural families point to and symbolize.
You know God’s Word is doing its work in your heart when you share a stronger bond with your brothers and sisters in the church than your blood relatives who do not believe. The Word creates family. This is wonderful because many of us don’t have family or don’t have good families. My father left the family when I was thirteen. Some of us have never met our fathers. Some of us grew up in homes where Mom and Dad were always fighting. Or perhaps you mourn the loss of a parent. But the Word of God read and obeyed holds out the promise of a new and better family. We receive brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers one hundred-fold through the Word of God. That’s what the local church is to be—the family of God united by obedience to the Word. I praise God for the way he’s been doing that in our lives already.
The Word of God Calms Our Fears (8:22-25)
I can tell you that a storm on the Sea of Galilee is no joke. As verse 22 says, it’s actually a large lake, but because the lake is below sea level, the winds that come down across it can cause it to act like a sea. That means big waves and storms can come up suddenly. That’s what happened in verse 23. The Lord fell asleep in the boat, and a windstorm swept the lake.
These are professional fishermen. They know these waters, and they’ve likely been out in storms before. But this one is so violent that the boat starts to fill up with water and these grown fishermen start screaming, “Master, Master, we’re going to die!” (v. 24a).
Now see the authority of God’s word: “Then he got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves. So they ceased, and there was a calm. They were fearful and amazed, asking one another, ‘Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the waves, and they obey him!’” (24b-25). Winds and water do not have minds. Winds and water do not think. They do not have ears. Winds and water do not make decisions. Yet they obey the Lord at his word. Deaf creation may hear and obey better than smart people.
See the Lord’s authority over creation. He exercises his authority through his word. The written Word, the Bible, is meant to have the same effect in our lives as it does to the winds and the waves. More so when you consider that we are made in God’s image and made for fellowship with him. But since sin has come in the world, we find it difficult to obey God. The winds and the waves put us to shame. We have to look at unthinking things in order to know how we should think about God’s Word and his authority.
The Word of God Sets Us Free (8:26-33)
This is what we learn in the second miracle story when Jesus heals a man who was possessed by demons for years. This man was in rough shape (v. 27). Can you imagine him? This poor man has been devastated by these demons (v. 29).
When the demons encounter Jesus they shout, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torment me!” (v. 28). The demons recognize Jesus, and they recognize who has the real authority. So they beg not to be tormented. There is not the slightest hint of “good vs. evil” in this passage, if you think evil has any chance against good. The demons know the moment they see Jesus that God has just stepped on the scene. They tremble in his presence.
The demons tremble at the Son’s word (v. 29). The Lord controls their fate by his word. The demons can do nothing but submit to whatever Jesus commands. And there are many demons in this man—so many his name is “Legion” (v. 30). So it’s not even a one-on-one battle. It’s Jesus alone against a legion of demons! And they all must bow before the Lord and his command. They beg to go into pigs rather than to be sentenced to the abyss, which is the hell prepared for Satan and his demons.
The word of God controls the natural spiritual realms. The Lord rules things seen and unseen. Everything from demons and devils to waves and winds obey the word of God. By his word our Lord calms our fears, and by his word he sets the captives free.
- Those who hear the word must spread the word.
- Everyone must hear the word.
- Hearing the word is spiritual warfare.
- The more we hear it, the more we have of it.
- If we obey the Word, it will place us in a new family.
- By his word, the Lord calms our fears.
- By his word, the Lord sets the captive free.
My friend, this is why we love the Bible. The Bible is the written Word of God, and God rules his world through his Word. And this is why Satan hates the Word. This why our personal reading of the Bible and our listening to biblical sermons become so critical.
How do you respond to God’s Word? What attention do you give to it? What habits do you build around it? When you hear it preached, do you listen?
Be Sure to Believe God’s Word
Luke 8:34-56
Jesus receives various responses as he sows the word. The responses teach us something about how we should respond. They teach us about the nature of faith or belief. I want to make four statements about faith.
You Cannot Believe Apart from God (8:10)
No one can believe God’s word or the gospel unless God gives us ears to hear. That’s the point of verse 10, which quotes Isaiah 6:9-10. In Isaiah 6 God calls Isaiah to be a prophet and sends him to preach the word to Israel. But God tells Isaiah from the start that Israel will not believe or perceive. They will not believe because God will not give them faith. God promises to blind their eyes and stop up their ears so they will not believe.
Belief isn’t something we work up or create on our own. Faith is a gift of grace (Eph 2:8-9). Knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom is given to some. Who does the giving? God does. Jesus prays in Matthew 11:25-27,
I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure. All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal him.
Knowing the secrets of the kingdom, or knowing God the Father and God the Son, is a gift of God’s gracious will. He makes it known to “infants.” In other words, according to Jesus, God is in control even over who believes. If you have come to know Christ, it is because God has already changed your heart with the gift of faith.
Yet Not Believing Is a Sin
That’s implied in verse 25 when the Lord asks the disciples during the storm, “Where is your faith?” We cannot create faith, but Jesus expects us to have faith. God expects us to trust him and believe in him. We cannot believe apart from God giving us the gift of faith, yet it’s sin not to believe. Romans 14:23 says, “Everything that is not from faith is sin.”
So even our unbelief makes us guilty before God. So you may say, “Well, what should we do if we can’t believe on our own, and we are guilty for not believing?” Good question.
You should call on God to give you the gift of faith. Pray with the sinner, “Lord, help my unbelief.” Ask God to give you eyes to see and ears to hear. Ask him for an honest and good heart that patiently bears fruit in faith. What we can do is call on the name of the Lord with the promise of Romans 10:13 in mind: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom 10:13). We should appeal to God’s mercy, asking him to do even concerning faith what we cannot do for ourselves.
That really is the message of the gospel. Through Jesus Christ, God does everything we cannot do for ourselves. God provides righteousness for us through Jesus’s perfect obedience. God provides payment for our sin through Jesus’s death on the cross. God provides for us eternal life through raising Jesus from the grave three days later. Everything we need—from righteousness, to atonement, to new life—God provides through his Son; faith is no exception. By God’s grace we come to believe. So what must we do? Simply ask, “Lord, give me this gift. Show me your mercy.”
Do Not Reject God’s Word (8:34-39)
The Lord will give faith to those who are like little infants who receive his word with an honest and good heart (v. 15). Even if you don’t understand it all, receive it. At the very least trust that it’s God’s word and then commit to growing in understanding.
Whatever you do, do not reject God’s word. That’s what the people do after Jesus heals the man with the many demons. Do you remember that in verses 34-39? They see the miracle. They see the man clothed and sane after he’d been running around naked and crazed for years. They hear how it had been done (v. 36). But they do not receive Christ or his word. Instead, they “asked him to leave” (v. 37).
Many people are like the people of the Gerasenes. When they visit a church, they see a room full of former sinners and reprobates. And they see how Christ has cleaned us up, has clothed us in our right mind, and has begun to renew our lives. They hear the explanation: “God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). They will hear people tell them that new and eternal life can be theirs through Jesus Christ. And do you know what they do? They effectively ask Jesus to leave. Or they themselves leave offended or afraid. They reject eternal life and the Savior.
This story is here to show us ourselves. The lesson is, do not refuse Jesus. Believe in him, and you will be saved from God’s condemnation; he will clothe you in his righteousness and renew your mind. Look at how Jesus gives purpose to that formerly crazy man (vv. 38-39). Jesus made this man an evangelist and a preacher.
The demons begged to depart from Jesus. The man, when free of the demons, begged to go with Jesus. Don’t let your response to Jesus be like the demons. Let it be like this man who became known throughout his town for praising God and telling others how much Jesus had done for him. You begin that new life by believing that Jesus died to pay for your sins, that he rose so you might live forever in his righteousness, and he is coming again to receive all those who believe in him.
My plea to you if you’re not a Christian is that you not respond like the demons. Respond like this man. Confess your sins. Beg to go with Christ. Beg that Christ would be to you a Savior and Lord. Beg that all Christ has done to turn away God’s wrath against you and to reconcile you to God would be yours through faith.
Your Faith Will Make You Well (8:40-56)
You may be wondering if believing in Jesus this way is worth it. What will you give up, and what will you gain? The last two miracles answer that question—if you have ears to hear.
In verses 41-42 a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came to Jesus to heal his twelve-year-old daughter. I can tell you, a father of a twelve-year-old daughter will do almost anything to save his sick daughter’s life. He’ll go all John Q to save her. This man comes to Jesus.
As Jesus is going to see the daughter, a woman who has been bleeding for twelve years presses through the crowd to touch the hem of his garment. Verse 43 says she’s spent all she had on doctors but couldn’t be healed. A private medical savings account wasn’t enough. Insurance wasn’t enough. But she reasoned that just a touch of the Lord’s garment would be enough. That’s faith. Just as the father coming to Jesus was an act of faith.
She manages to press through the crowd and touch the Lord’s garment, and power went out from the Lord (v. 46). When Jesus finds out she had touched him, the Lord said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace” (v. 48).
He says a very similar thing when he arrives at Jairus’s house. The people say the girl is dead; don’t bother the teacher any more. They’ve given up and already begun their mourning. They crowd is more committed to the girl’s death than the father is to the girl’s life. But Jesus goes into Jairus’s house with Peter, John, James, and her parents. He closes the door with everyone inside weeping and crying. The crowd laughs at him when he says the girl is not dead (v. 53). That’s when Jesus does the miracle (vv. 54-55). In that moment Jairus’s daughter becomes a foretaste of the resurrection and the life to come.
Conclusion
Did you notice how Jesus spoke to the woman and to Jairus? “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace” (v. 48). “Don’t be afraid. Only believe, and she will be saved” (v. 50). From this we learn that faith in Christ makes the sin-sick sinner well. Faith in Christ raises the person dead in sin to newness of life.
Is faith worth it? Is living well and living forever worth it?
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (see Rom 10:17). Salvation comes through our ears. Let us hear the word of God and believe. Christ is the sower of God’s word. May the seed of the word find fertile soil in our hearts.
Reflect and Discuss
- What strategies have you found successful in helping you hear God’s word?
- As you think about your Christian life, in what ways has God’s word changed you?
- How can you spread God’s word to someone before the day ends today or tomorrow?
- Do you agree that hearing and obeying God’s word is part of the spiritual warfare Christians face? Why or why not? If so, how do you fight the war?
- Are there any parts of God’s word you struggle to believe? Why or why not? How do you answer or work against your objections in order to fully accept God’s word? Do you pray for God’s help to receive and believe his word in those areas?
Scripture References:
st. 1-2 = Rom. 10:14
st. 3 = Rom. 10:15
In 1980 Michael A. Perry (PHH 299) wrote this text in Southhampton, England, for use at a tenth anniversary service for «Radio Solent,» a celebration held in Winchester Cathedral in 1981. The text was first published in Hymns for Today’s Church (1982).
Inspired by Romans 10:14-17, “How Shall They Hear” is a missions text. The first line of each stanza poses a question in the manner of the Pauline passage, and the final line a prayer that continues a personal commitment to be witnesses for Christ «with life and voice.» That personal commitment is our answer to the questions posed earlier.
Liturgical Use
Services that promote missions and evangelism (during Epiphany and Pentecost seasons); ordination/ commissioning of missionaries; prayer meetings prior to evangelistic campaigns.
—Psalter Hymnal Handbook, 1988
“Why can’t I hear from God?”
I can not even begin to count how many times I have been in conversation with a friend and spoken these words. Hearing the voice of God, discerning His voice, and desiring Old testament like direction would be so useful in this time of information overload. It is quite exhausting when everywhere you turn there is a new avenue to get connected to others and to outside voices. There is advice on every topic. A how-to about nearly everything under the sun.
And yet, we still have a longing in our core to have a direct connection to the ultimate information source and hear the voice of God. We speak to God often, with requests, questions, and fears adding to those external voices we hear. Our prayers are full of us speaking, but we fail to hear God, because our prayer time often ends when we run out of words.
If you are serious about hearing the voice of God actively in your life and getting his direction as you continue to grow your faith then keep reading for what the bible says about God speaking to you.
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What does it mean to hear God’s voice?
When you hear from God, you are listening to him. Now I know that is a very “duh” explanation but hear me out. Oftentimes as Christians both new and old, we go through situations that leave us wondering if God hears our prayers.
It can be hard to distinguish his voice from the noise around us and we question whether He is listening.
Hearing from God requires us to be listening. Listening means we are actively making our quiet time with him a dialogue instead of a monologue. It’s a dynamic conversation between a loving God and his doted on child.
If this sort of communication with God seems foreign you may be asking “How is prayer a conversation? I’ve been asking God for answers, help, direction, and it seems like all I am getting is a busy tone.”
I used to feel exactly that way.
I know what it is like to be sure of God’s existence, to know what things should be like, but to doubt your connection to God because you can’t hear God clearly. I know what it means to feel like he is ignoring you.
This. Is. Not. True.
He is not ignoring us, in fact God speaks to us constantly, we just have to expect his voice at all times. His voice is similar to when you get in the car and your favorite radio station immediately begins playing because it has been programmed. You do not have to worry about hunting down the station, it just plays.
That is what it is like when we hear God speak to us. When we are tuned into his frequency, and if we have programmed his voice, then whenever God communicates with us, we are ready.
Hearing the voice of God implies two different actions have to happen. The first of those is God has to be speaking. We serve a living God who is always speaking to us, through creation, through his holy bible, through his spirit.
Hearing his voice requires, first, that he is speaking to us and second that we are listening. There are several bible verses about hearing God speak that encourage us that we need not worry about whether he is talking to us.
Hearing the voice of God scriptures
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27 (NASB)
This scripture from the book of John is an encouragement to us. It tells us that hearing the voice of God will be a distinguishing factor to those who consider themselves his sheep and under his care. Now this should not make you worry, instead it is letting you know that you CAN hear his voice. Hearing God speak is a blessing we receive as his children!
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. Isaiah 30:21 (ESV)
This bible verse about hearing God reminds us that the voice of God will give us direction. When he speaks, we will receive an answer to something we have asked, or a request we didn’t even know we needed. When God speaks to us, we will gain clarity.
The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn’t speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen. John 16:13 (CEV)
This this scripture about God’s voice, Jesus was encouraging the disciples prior to his final accension. He was letting them know about the gift that would be given to them during Pentecost, a helper we know as the Holy spirit. In order for the spirit to speak in our lives, God has to have given Him words to say. So the feeling of the holy spirit speaking to you, that is GOD!
Ask me, and I will tell you things that you don’t know and can’t find out. Jeremiah 33:3 (CEV)
So many times we believe God is not speaking because we have yet to hear his answer. This scripture tells us just the opposite. It is a promise from the Lord. He is saying that when you ask him, he will answer. Now, it may not be the answer you were wanting to hear, or may not be in the form you were expecting, but he will answer!
In the past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. Hebrews 1:1-5 (NIV)
Here we see a history of the voice of the Lord in the lives of his people. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ gave us access to the father. We no longer needed priests and prophets to be an intercessor for us for God to speak to us, instead we could encounter God for ourselves.
Through Jesus we can hear God and see God in our lives actively and audibly, if we only listen for him.
These hearing God’s voice scriptures are just one half of the equation for attuning our ears to be more focused on God’s voice. We must also look at scriptures about listening to God’s voice.
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Bible verses about Listening for the voice of God
Now the second thing that is required to hear God’s voice is that we are listening. Hearing the voice of God is effectively the second half of our prayer routine. So often we pray to God, like a genie or diary. We list our needs and share our hurts. We ask rhetorical questions and then check prayer off of our to do list.
We walk away, and stay still long enough to hear God respond. The following bible verses about listening to God can be a gut check!
Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God. John 8:47 (NLT)
OUCH! This first verse is hard to hear, but it is truth, and knowing truth is the first step to making changes. If we want to hear the voice of God, we have to be listening. And that could be figuratively, but also actually listening. Like, are you actually listening to the things that God has already told you in his word?
But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Luke 11:28 (NKJV)
Again, this bible verse about listening to God hits a space somewhere between our pride and our ego and splits them open. This verse blesses the people who not only hear the word of God, but follow it. Can we take a moment here and just sit with this thought.
Are you keeping the Lord’s commandments? Have you taken the step towards freedom and healing that he has already given you? Or are you simply praying to lay your burdens down, just to pick them back up from the alter when you are done talking?
We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. Hebrews 2:1 (NIV)
I always remind my son that there is a distinct difference between hearing me and listening to me. When you hear, you simply acknowledge that the person talking is speaking. But listening is an active word. It implies that you are taking in the words, processing them and acting on them. Perhaps, we do not hear the voice of God because we are not prepared to act upon the words that he might say?
Why is it important to listen for voice of God?
So what are the benefits of hearing the voice of God?
It is vitally important that we first seek the voice of God and then that we hear the voice of God. He is key to our existence and the success of our life. God is our creator. Before we were conceived he know us, loved us, prepared for us.
He is constantly speaking to us and guiding us in the way that we should go, if only we listen to him. Hearing his voice requires us to tune in to him and his word. It requires us to press in to what he is saying. We can’t however distinguish his voice from the countless voices of others if we do not consistently focus on intentional time in his presence.
Time in his presence allows us to know without a doubt what he sounds like so that we can experience the benefits of hearing the voice of God which include:
- Get His guidance in the decisions we make
- Learn about His purpose for us
- Readily hear His warnings when we get off track
- Feel His comfort when we are in distress
- Be used by Him to encourage others
- Experience his love as He speaks over us
The benefits and importance of hearing the voice of God are endless. The bottom line is this, our survival and success are 100% dependent on our hearing God’s voice.
How do you recognize God’s voice?
Knowing his voice and distinguishing it from the voices around you is key to closeness with God and growing your relationship with him.
Staying in the word of God through Bible reading, worship and prayer with time for quiet meditation all help you tune into God’s voice and discern his words from that of others.
Remember that the voice of God will not contradict His word in the Bible. His voice will not cause you to sin. If the answer you come up with purposefully leaves others hurting. That is not God. His voice and his answer to your prayer will follows a Corinthians 13 model of love.
Additional ways that you can seek his voice include:
- Invite him into your everyday moments
- Make praise a lifestyle
- Surround yourself with faith-filled friends
- Be intentional about quiet time with God
- Follow God’s laws
- Be obedient in the direction God gives you
- Seek God in everything
- Ask God to see his hand active in your life
A prayer to hear gods voice
If you are seeking guidance and direction and you are longing to hear the voice of God, pray this prayer to hear God’s voice in your life.
Heavenly Father, I ask now; as I walk in boldness seeking you, as I prepare to take these steps, as I grab Your hand and lean into Your plans for me, that You would cover me in Your peace, still my restless and human heart, remind me of Your word through Your holy spirit, do not be far from me, but reach down from heaven and let Your presence be ever near me.
I choose You because You first chose me, You pursued me with a relentless love, a love I cannot begin to fathom, a love that I know I do not desire, and yet Your love is unshakable. Lord I ask that you show me what my next step is. I long to hear your voice Lord, Light my path and my way and guide me in the ways you would have me go! I look to you, and follow your footsteps! I praise You name for Your goodness! Amen
Seek God with all your heart and listen for his voice
Hearing God’s voice can be tough if you aren’t prepared to receive the message. My prayer for each of us is that we would be constantly positioned to be wrapped in the Lords words for us! Try these techniques and let me know how they work for you!
And remember as always, he’s provided the grace you need to grow in this practice! Be bold in that grace!
- For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
- All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
- Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path. - Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
- How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word. - He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
- The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever. - As for God, his way is perfect:
The Lord’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him. - Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
- Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
- Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.
- The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple. - Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- For the word of the Lord is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does. - Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.
- In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me? - Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.
- For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. - To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
- Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
- You are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my hope in your word. - He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
- So is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. - You make your saving help my shield,
and your right hand sustains me;
your help has made me great.
You provide a broad path for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Bible verse of the day
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
Most Relevant Verses
Matthew 13:20
The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
Mark 4:16
In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;
Luke 8:13
Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.
Matthew 13:22
And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Mark 4:18
And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,
Luke 8:14
The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
Matthew 13:23
And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
Luke 8:12
Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.
Mark 4:15
These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
Luke 8:15
But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.
Mark 4:20
And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
Numbers 24:4
The oracle of him who hears the words of God,
Who sees the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered,
Numbers 24:16
The oracle of him who hears the words of God,
And knows the knowledge of the Most High,
Who sees the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered.
Luke 8:21
But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”
John 6:45
It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.
Acts 22:14
And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth.
2 Corinthians 12:4
was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.
James 1:22
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
James 1:23
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
James 1:25
But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
Romans 2:13
for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.
Luke 5:1
Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret;
Acts 10:33
So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
Acts 13:44
The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord.
Romans 10:18
But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have;
“Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
And their words to the ends of the world.”
Amos 8:11
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
“When I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water,
But rather for hearing the words of the Lord.
- Acceptance, Of The Gospel
- Faith, Nature Of
- Fertile Land
- Fruit, Spiritual
- Knowing God’s Will
- One’s Deeds
- Rejoicing In God’s Word
- Shortage Other Than Food
- Sowing Seeds
- Temptation, Sources Of
- The Source Of Fruit
- 9 more topics on Hearing
- 40 more topics on Word
next Sabbath almost
the
Alm1:26 And now when
the
priests left their labor,
to
impart
the word of God
unto
the
people,
И когда священники оставляли свою работу, чтобы учить народ
слову Божию,
Andrew Taylor is one
of the
450 people who has
come
to the
conference center at Macleay in Oregon, USA to hear the Word of God during this last weekend in January.
Эндрю Тэйлор был одним из 450 участников,
приехавших в последние выходные января, чтобы услышать Слово Божье в конференционный центр Мэклей в Орегоне, США.
Do you believe that
God
only spoke through
the
prophets
of
Вы верите, что
Бог
говорил только через пророков прошлого- что
только эти верующие люди прошлых веков были квалифицированы слышать слово Бога, которое Он шептал в их уши?
Who was with
the
proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man
of
understanding. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul,
Он был с проконсулом Сергеем Павлом, человеком умным, который, позвав к себе Варна́ву и Са́вла,
And it came
to
pass, that, as
the
people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by
the
lake
of
Gennesaret,
And saw ships standing by
the
lake: but
the
fishermen were gone out
of
them, and were washing their nets.
Когда народ теснился к Нему, чтобы слышать слово Божие, а Он стоял у озера Геннисаретского, увидел
Он лодки, стоящие на озере; а рыболовы, выйдя из них, вымывали сети.
And it came
to
pass, that, as
the
people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by
the
lake
of
Gennesaret,
2 And saw two ships standing by
the
lake.
Когда народ теснился к Нему, чтобы слышать слово Божие, а Он стоял у озера Геннисаретского, 2 увидел Он две лодки, стоящие
на озере; а рыболовы, выйдя из них,
our inner self strengthens, and destruction, confusion, uncertainty, mortification, and resentfulness gradually subside.
Когда мы ежедневно стараемся слушать Слово Божье и выполнять его, наше внутреннее я укрепляется и состояние внутренней
обескураженности и тлена, путаницы и неясности, ранимости и чрезмерной обидчивости внутри нас постепенно преодолеваются.
As they were going down at
the
end
of the
city, Samuel said
to
Saul,“Tell
the
servant pass on before us”(and he passed on):“but stand still first,
Когда подходили они к концу города, Самуил
сказал
Саулу:
скажи
слуге, чтобы он пошел впереди нас,- и он пошел вперед;- а ты остановись теперь,
This is what
the
evangelist Luke brings marvelously
to
light in Elizabeth’s declaration:»Blessed are you who believed»(Lk 1:45) and in Christ’s response
to the
woman’s observation:»Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it» Lk 11:27.
Евангелист Лука замечательным образом подчеркивает этот факт через восклицание Елисаветы:« И блаженна Уверовавшая…»( Лк 1 45), также как через ответ Иисуса женщине:«… блаженны слышащие слово Божие и соблюдающие его» Лк 11 27.
Thanks
to the
toil
of
Father John,
the
Yakut people in 1859 first heard the Word of God and divine services in their own native language.
Благодаря трудам святителя Иннокентия в 1859 г. впервые услышали Слово Божие и богослужение на своем родном языке якуты.
Jesus turned aside a moment from his conversation with Andrew
to
answer this woman by saying,“No,
Иисус на мгновение прервал свой разговор с Андреем, чтобы ответить этой женщине:« Нет,
and got there that you promised service
to
Satan.
Очень печально, что ты рос в христианской семье и слышал Слово Божие, но бунтовал в плоть до того, что обещал служить сатане.
I heard how she advised my father
to
read the Word of God and
to
come
to the
divine services
of the
church.
Я слышал, как она часто побуждала моего отца читать Слово Божье и посещать служения в церкви.
And it came
to
pass, as
the
crowd pressed on him
to hear
the word of God, that he was standing by
the
lake
of
Gennesaret:
Было же: когда толпа теснила Его и слушала слово Божие, и Сам Он стоял у озера Геннисаретского,-.
With our attention fixed on
the
Lord Jesus, we wish to hear from him once again»the words of God«(Jn 3:34) and meditate anew on
the
Gospel
of
life.
Обратив взор ко Христу Господу, мы жаждем еще раз услышать от Него» слова Божии«( Ин 3, 34) и рассмотреть Евангелие жизни.
And say
to the
forest
of the
south, Hear the word
of the
LORD; Thus says
the
Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree in you, and every dry tree:
the
flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from
the
south to
the
north shall be burned therein.
И скажи южному лесу: слушай слово Господа; так говорит Господь Бог: вот, Я зажгу в тебе огонь, и он пожрет в тебе всякое дерево зеленеющее и всякое дерево сухое; не погаснет пылающий пламень, и все будет опалено им от юга до севера.
For
the
recipients
of the
epistle,
to
pay much more closer attention to what thay have
heard,
means
to
believe in
the
revelation of God, His Word from
the
Old Testament and
to
receive salvation through Jesus Christ.
Быть особенно внимательными к слышанному, для получателей послания значило верить в явление Господа, Его Слово возвещенное в Ветхом Завете и принять спасение, которое предлагается через Иисуса Христа.
Unlike
the
crowds
of
people who claim
to
be Christians but do not read
the
Bible and do not attend church services, there is a sort
of
people who attend church,
and come to hear God‘s word, but do not rush toeffectively do it and so,
they are like a man who, after having looked at his natural face in a mirror, goes away without making any change in his appearance, because he immediately forgets what kind
of
person he was.
В отличие от многих людей, которые называют себя христианами, но не читают Библию и не ходят на богослужения, есть и другой тип людей,
которые посещают церковь, слушают Слово Божье, но не спешат исполнить его и тогда они похожи на человека,
который смотрит на свое лицо в зеркало, но не предпринимает ничего, чтобы исправить недостатки, потому что сразу же забывает каков он.
Результатов: 91,
Время: 0.0375
Английский
—
Русский
Русский
—
Английский
Speak the Word of God, and your becomes His voice!
Dead religion gives you the checklist:
- “Thou shalt do all these things!”
- “Thou shalt NOT do those things!”
But here’s the problem:
Religion only beats you over the head with the rules, but gives you no power to succeed. Then it heaps shame and guilt upon you when you fail to live up to its standards. The devil loves this because it serves his kingdom very well.
Just as the mirror you look into when you get up in the morning only shows you how much you need to wash your face and comb or brush your hair, in the same way, the “Law” only reveals your sin problem, but does nothing to help you to overcome the sin problem.
I was raised in such a religion, one that heavily emphasizes rites and rituals, but teaches nothing about how to use the Bible for practical application. So, like most of the members of this religion, I was totally illiterate regarding the Bible.
I was in my 40’s when I began listening to Bible teaching on the radio. I began to discover how the Bible is actually full of wisdom for everyday life, such as the following principle:
BIBLE PRINCIPLE:
When people hear someone speak the Word of God they are hearing Jesus speak!
Key Supporting Verse:
He who hears you hears me and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”” (Luke 10:16a)
Here Is Why This Is Important:
The reason Jesus left us here is for us to become His disciples. His purpose is to work through each of us to continue the work of spreading the Gospel Truth that He began when He was here!
And What Was It That Jesus Did?:
- He spoke.
- He taught.
Jesus taught all of us a very important principle in that first part of Luke 10:16. When people hear a follower of Jesus (could be you or me) as we speak the Word of God (anything in the Bible), the listeners are hearing Jesus speaking through the voice of the speaker.
However, if you read the verse in context, you’ll see that Jesus commissioned those who had dedicated their lives to doing His work. There is no indication that the power of His spoken Word is available to unbelievers or even casual, cultural Christians.
Nevertheless, the good news for us is that there is great power in the Word of God. This is not like fictional characters who, by way of special effects, can cause “supernatural” things to happen. That’s fiction. But the Word of God is not fiction.
BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE:
The Word of God contains the power of God!
Here’s how that is true:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14)
I don’t understand the “how” of those words, but I believe that somehow God literally IS His Word! As someone has said, the Bible is the written Word, and Jesus is the “living Word”.
Here are verses supporting the assertion that there is power in God’s Word:
Scriptures Showing The Power In The Word of God
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)
The Word of God seems foolish to many. In reality, it contains the power of God!
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of POWER and of love and of a sound mind.» (2 Timothy 1:7)
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the POWER that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.» (Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes» (Romans 1:16)
4 for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
It may “feel” awkward at first, to speak God’s Word out loud in the presence of others. Don’t let that stop you! Don’t be ashamed. Those “feelings” were likely put into you by a demon hoping to get you to back down and not give voice to what they hate.
On the contrary, speak out boldly! Take a step of faith and open your mouth, not because of what you FEEL, but because of what you KNOW! Put the devil in his place, and you will soon become aware of the presence of God as never before!
But you can’t give to others what you do not have. That’s why I keep banging the “Scripture memory” drum!
This principle accompanies the one stated earlier:
BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE:
We access the power of God’s Word by speaking His Word!
Here’s an example of how Jesus applied the principle of quoting Scripture when being harassed by the devil. He modeled it for us as an example of how we can use the spoken Word of God to rebuke the devil.
When the devil tried to tempt Jesus after His forty-day fast, here’s how Jesus responded (emphasis mine):
The Temptation of Jesus
4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But He answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command His angels concerning you,’
and
“‘On their hands they will bear You up, lest You strike Your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these I will give You, if You will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.’”
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to Him.
(Matthew 4:1~11)
In that passage, Jesus demonstrated for us how the spoken Word has power over temptations of the devil!
Do you realize how awesome and how important that is? You speak an appropriate Scripture passage, and in so doing put the lie to whatever the devil is trying to get you to believe and act on.
When you or I do that, the devil has to obey!
Why? Because to the devil, there is no difference between Jesus speaking the Word and you or I speaking the Word! The devil feels the power and does what he’s told!
The power of God is in His Word, and we access that power when we speak the Word of God!
In the following passage God revealed a glimpse of the grandeur and majesty with which He regards His spoken Word.
Note the underlined text:
10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10~11)
God SPOKE! And Look What Happened:
- He spoke — and the universe came into existence.
- He spoke through Moses — and the Red Sea parted.
- He spoke — and the lepers were made clean.
- He spoke — and Lazarus rose from the dead.
- He spoke — and water turned into wine.
- He spoke — and multitudes were fed.
- He spoke — and the blind could see, the dumb could speak, the deaf could hear, and the crippled, the lame, the paralyzed, and the bleeding were healed.
- He spoke, “It is finished!” — and thereby threw open the gates of Heaven for all who believe in Him and obey Him.
By way of story, God has even revealed to us a “How-To” process for accessing the power of His Word, thus giving us a part in His process of bringing about things that would be impossible without Him:
Note the underlined text:
The Valley Of The Dry Bones
The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. (Ezekiel 37:1-10)
Notice the first order of business:
The first thing He told the prophet Ezekiel to do (see the underlined phrase) was to “Hear the Word of the Lord”!
God is saying to the prophet (and to us), “This is what I want you to say. Now, SAY IT!“
This was an impossible situation: bringing life back into a bunch of bones. But not just any old bones; DRY bones!!
God instructed a mere mortal — just like any one of us — to speak words that He gave them.
So the point is??
The first thing God wants us to do when facing an “impossible” situation is to begin to speak His Word over it!
He’s given us the words to say. They’re all right there, in the Bible. And the more of the Bible passages we know, the better equipped we are for victory over the devil.
That brings me to the point I’ve been laboring to make all along!
You cannot speak God’s Word over your situation unless you know His Word.
In the heat of the battle, when the devil has you whimpering in fear and is freaking you out to the max, there’s no time to try to look it up in your Bible or call a friend. No, you have to know God’s Word. Scripture memory is the answer.
An Important Point Regarding The Principle That Calls Us To Speak The Word Of God:
Recall that in Isaiah 55:11 (quoted earlier) God said His Word “shall accomplish that which I purpose”.
We, as His ambassadors, are called to do what He would do if He were here in the flesh. We’re instructed to do His work. That likely does not include requesting a new car or thinking we are empowered to call down the wrath of heaven upon someone we don’t like!
So I’ll say it again: you cannot know what God would do until you have a good grasp of what He has said in His Word.
Think Of It Like This:
Suppose you were in desperate need of legal help.
Let’s imagine you’ve been unjustly accused of a serious crime, but the evidence against you appears overwhelming.
Which of these people would you rather have as your advocate?
A) Someone who is “interested in” the law and plans to go to law school.
B) A seasoned top-notch defense attorney with decades of experience.
Right… So would I!
Speaking for myself, I want to BE the biblical equivalent of that top-notch attorney!
I’m gladly paying the price to reach that goal. It’s not a burden; it’s a joy and a delight!
How About You?
— Jan
Posted by: missionventureministries | November 3, 2014
As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Luke 11:27-28)
Jesus had just finished exposing His “religious” critics in front of a crowd (Luke 11:14-26), and as He came to the end of this teaching, a woman who had been moved by all she had heard and the blessing she had received she burst out quite spontaneously, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”
Jesus did not question the truth of the woman’s statement, but pointed her to an even greater truth. “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
The true blessing is reserved for those who pay attention to God’s Word and obey it; and we demonstrate the truth of our praise and worship through our actions and obedience.
In the Old Testament we read Samuel telling his people: “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22)
Jesus is focusing on the importance of obeying the word of God. On another occasion Jesus made nearly the same point: “Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near Him because of the crowd. Someone told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.’ He replied, ‘My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.’” (Luke 8:19-21)
Here again we read that those who follow His commands are truly blessed because they know Almighty God personally and they find joy in hearing and obeying His word.
Our goal in life, the very reason we were created, is for union and fellowship with God. We were created for God, and until we trust and rest in Him we are considered incomplete and abnormal.
Our adoption as sons and daughters of God through the shed blood of Jesus on the cross transforms our worldly relationships and requires a new order of loyalty to God and His kingdom.
Therefore, if you say you love God, show it to Him by honoring and obeying His word. Let His light shine through you, so that those who do not know Him may also have a desire to follow Him and glorify Almighty God.
Jesus said: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)