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How Do We Know When We Hear Jesus’ Voice?
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- Updated Feb 07, 2024
“The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.” John 10:3-5 NLT
Every day, we recognize voices. Famous people, everyday people, family, friends, and local people. People in our community. The voices of our pastors, leaders, and teachers. Each voice is unique in tone and character, inflection, and delivery. But there is one voice that has the power to command the attention of every earthly and heavenly soul. Jesus. He is the living Word of God. When we read the Bible, we are ingesting His voice. His unique tone and character, inflection, and delivery. His supernatural ability to inspire writers to pen His voice and meet us in our everyday lives through it.
How Do We Know It’s the Voice of Jesus?
“So faith comes with hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” Romans 10:17 NLT
Faith is the conduit by which we recognize the voice of Jesus. He is the living word, and when we know Him, follow Him, and accept Him as our Savior, the words of the Bible never look or are digested the same again. From that moment, every word is applicable to the moment in time we read them. Meant for us, to guide us, in love. “Every word of the Bible is the voice of Jesus,” Pastor John Piper explains, “The inspiration of the Bible was through the Son. Therefore the Bible is the word of Jesus."
“The Scriptures are more than ink printed on a forest of dead tree bark,” J.A. Medders wrote for desiringGod.com, “The Bible is living and active.”
“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.” John 10:14-16 NLT
Why Can We Trust the Voice of Jesus?
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.” John 10:11 NLT
Jesus is good. The Greek translation of the word He used to describe Himself literally means “beautiful, handsome, excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable…” there is no good better than Jesus is! “The voice of Jesus is the word of the gospel or the word of God more generally in Scripture,” Pastor John Piper explains, “accompanied by the work of the Spirit of God that enables us to recognize in the Scripture, or in the gospel, the very call of Jesus on our lives.”
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep in His care.” John 10:11 Voice
Sheep aren’t smart. If left alone, they will find a way to kill themselves. Isolation is the death of us. We’re always listening to something, beyond literal sound. The Greet root of the word shepherd means “he to who’s care and control others have committed themselves, and whose precepts they follow.” What we tune in to propels the direction our lives. In context, Jesus was answering Pharisees concerning a blind man …putting them in their place for their misplaced understanding of what it means to see and understand. Of the Pharisees, The Voice paraphrase of the Bible explains,
“They think blindness is a curse that evidences sin, and they think vision ensures knowledge and understanding- even concerning spiritual matters. Instead, the Pharisees’ confidence in their vision and discernment make them unable to see the truth about Jesus. Ironically, they have blind trust in their sighed leaders. By refusing to believe in Him, they are the sinners, not the blind man.”
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/monkeybusinessimages
Elsewhere in Scripture, Jesus says, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” (John 20:29 NLT) The same is true for hearing Jesus. The audible voice of the Lord is not impossible, but it’s not the common way He speaks to us in our everyday lives. Through the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we are able to discern through a supernatural perspective, through our belief in Jesus! Naysayers may claim the Bible is just a bunch of stories …and to them …it may be! But to us, who believe in Jesus Christ our Savior, it is alive!
The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians about the armor of God. This is the way we protect ourselves from the enemy, who, as Jesus mentioned, is out to kill and destroy us. It also allows us the clarity and calm we need to hear the voice of Jesus and follow His lead on our lives:
“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:13-17 NLT
The voice of Jesus is living water. Imagine how life-giving a cool drink of water refreshes our bodies and quenches our thirst. We can feel the cold liquid on our lips, in our mouths, and travel down our throats and into our stomachs! This is the power of the word of God, and then some! The voice of Jesus brings us to life! Refreshes us and quenches our thirst, strengthens us, and prepares us …we trust in Him because of who He is and His good intentions toward us.
Where Does the Bible Talk about Listening to Jesus?
“Then a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.’” Luke 9:35 NLT
Listening to Jesus is counter-cultural. In fact, if you are finding favor with people, and enjoying popularity in this world, it might mean you’re tuned into the wrong voice, or maybe a prosperity gospel. Jesus said, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” (Luke 11:28 NLT) Hearing leads to doing. If we’re accepted by the world, we’ve done something as a reaction to what we’ve heard …what we believe. The apostle John wrote:
“I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:7-10 NLT
The favor of God is often misunderstood to mean favorable conditions on this planet. We are acceptance junkies, liking and sharing on social media. It feels so good to be liked. But Jesus said, “the gateway to life is very narrow, and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” (Matthew 7:14 NLT) The apostle James wrote:
“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” James 1:19 NLT
The voice of Jesus meet us where we are at. Daily, when we immerse ourselves in the word, we can trust Him to meet us there, links arms, and walks out into the day with us. Always, forever, and onto eternity. He is the voice in our heads. The voice in our hearts. The voice of life. The voice of our Savior… leading us to life to the full.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Tatiana
