The Powerful Voice of God
Notes
Transcript
NAME - THAT - VOICE!
Three voice slides (Bugs, Darth, WW of West)
God’s Voice
God’s Voice
See Psalm 29:3-9
The Power of God’s Voice
1- Creates the universe and everything in it
Genesis 1:3 (NASB95)
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
God SPOKE everything into existence
2 - Rules over nature
Mark 4:39 (NASB95)
And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.
Jesus spoke - HUSH, and the sea calmed
3 - Brings the dead to life
John 5:25 (NASB95)
“an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
Let’s READ John 11:1-46 today
Teaching points:
Jesus knows, and loves, this family; very familiar
4 days in the tomb - people convinced he’s dead, because He is
Judea is unsafe for Jesus, but it’s important to go for His friends - disciples agree (Thomas)
Mary and Martha, somewhat indignant, somewhat frustrated, somewhat sad
BUT THEY BELIEVE IN JESUS
They wanted temporary healing (to not to die in the first place)
Jesus wants resurrection!
Look at how Jesus feels about death
(1 Cor. 15 describes death as the last enemy to be destroyed)
V. 33 - deeply moved - like the snort of a horse - in disgust
Death is the enemy, an aspect of the works of the devil
V. 33 - troubled - agitation, sharing common feeling about death
V. 35 - He wept, in sadness
Death was a curse, it saddens Him
People remembered His miracles of healing, and wondered why He had not helped Lazarus
And some are moved by His genuine show of emotion
(Guys, it’s OK to cry)
An interesting focus, with this account - the voice of Jesus
Jesus speaks
And Lazarus lives (and he is alive again for some time)
Where did he go in the meantime? Paradise - spirit was with God
Jesus was not selfish in wanting to be with Lazarus again (he’d be able to see him shortly, when He died)
He needed people to recognize the power of the I AM
GOD’S VOICE TODAY
GOD’S VOICE TODAY
His WORD, His Power
1 - Creates - new life
1 - Creates - new life
By pronouncing forgiveness - believers are a new creation
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
The Word gives life - through faith
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
LOOK - THE WORD OF CHRIST
He speaks, and faith results
2 - Calms the chaos
2 - Calms the chaos
In the human nature that we try to hang on to so dearly
HOW DOES HIS VOICE DO THIS TODAY?
Again, the Word
“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
God’s Voice to us today!
The sheep hear His voice, remember?
Recall Psalm 29 again
In a crisis - who do you listen to?
When you snort, sigh, and cry (just like Jesus) over something wrong and evil - whose voice is the one you really want to hear?
The earth was without form, void - chaos
God’s voice brought order
The stormy sea raged, dangerously
Jesus’ voice made it be still - it had no choice
The powerful voice of Jesus
3 - Brings the dead to life
3 - Brings the dead to life
His voice brought Lazarus out of the tomb - “Lazarus, come forth”
Jesus’ voice, from the cross, summarized His mission
His voice on the cross said “IT IS FINISHED”
The very Word of God is what is powerful to save
God’s Word - the Bible - is how God specifically revealed Himself to us
God’s Word - the Bible - is the very voice of Jesus, written for us
Active in our lives
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
His voice will welcome believers to glory
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
HE WILL BE SHOUTING WHEN WE RISE!
His voice will commend believers for a life lived for Him
Matthew 25:23 (NASB95)
‘Well done, good and faithful slave…enter into the joy of your master.’
John, on the heels of the parable of the Good Shepherd
Hearing the Master’s voice
Now that we understand more, the power of that voice
Hearing the Master’s voice
The response to that voice
Martha - “Yes, Lord…I believe”
CLOSE - God’s challenge
Creating the world - easy
Calming the sea - He created it, no problem
Raising Lazarus, and the dead - simple stuff
All He had to do was speak
But…changing hearts of humans with free will?
I won’t say God can’t do it
I will say He won’t do it for someone rejecting Him
I will say He does do it, when we surrender
VV 45 - 46
Many believed
But some…
See…The voice of God has triumphed over
Sin, Death, Corruption, Hopelessness
The voice of Yahweh
Brings Righteousness, New life, Calm in the storm, and HOPE
Jesus’ voice = HOPE
That confident expectation of His victory in our life, forever
That presence we need here and now
What is your response to Jesus’ voice, in the midst of all the chaos?
I love to hear Him say YES when I ask Him to forgive me
I love to hear Him say “Cease striving (be still) and know…)
I love to hear Him say, “Hey, you can do better than this,” correcting me.
I love to hear Him, I know He is my Shepherd
And, I will LOVE to hear Him SHOUT!
Come up here!
His sheep hear His voice
Lazarus, physically dead, heard His voice
All other voices - powerless
The voice of Yahweh, Jesus - all powerful
What is your response to Jesus telling you to live (because that is what He told Lazarus)?
What is your response to Jesus telling you to surrender to Him, if full and complete faith?
“Yes, Lord…I believe”