The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. (John 10:2-4)
One phrase kept popping out at me this morning from John 10…his sheep follow him because they know his voice (10:4)…I have other sheep…they too will listen to my voice (10:16)…my sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me (10:27).
What is the “voice of Jesus”? Obviously Jesus speaks through the Word of God. It is God’s written Word and it testifies of Jesus. But the Pharisees and religious leaders ”knew” God’s Word and they still didn’t hear the voice of Jesus. So the voice of Jesus must be an inward voice, a voice that speaks directly to our hearts. It speaks in conjunction with God’s Word…it also speaks in conjunction with God’s witness through nature (Psalm 19:2)…but it is not the same as the Bible or nature. It is an inner voice. A voice that speaks directly to our hearts. It is the voice of the Spirit of God.
What does the voice of Jesus say? Well, if it is tied to the ministry of the Holy Spirit, then it is a voice that convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:7-11). It is the voice in our hearts that tells us directly but with love…”You are a sinner. You do not measure up to the righteous, holy standard of God. You need God’s mercy. You need a Savior.” The true sheep of God not only hear this voice but listen to it. They respond in humility and brokenness. They call upon the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13)…they cry out for God’s mercy…God, be merciful to me a sinner (Luke 18:13)…and they embrace His grace and mercy. Others hear this voice and “speak against” (i.e., blaspheme) the voice of the Spirit. They essentially tell the Spirit to “shut up” or simply drown out His voice with the noise of this world.
Who hears the voice of Jesus? Everyone in the world “hears” it in the strictest sense of the word but only God’s sheep listen to it. That’s why everyone who stands before God in judgment is “without excuse.” Because God loves every person on planet earth and He speaks to the hearts of every person on planet earth. A person either listens to His voice or rejects it. As God’s witnesses, we simply echo the voice of Jesus that already resounds in a person’s heart. If they reject us, it is because they are already rejecting the voice that they hear in their hearts.
Wow, this thought really hit me this morning. Am I listening to the voice of Jesus? I think His voice calls us to salvation but, once we receive Him as Savior, it also speaks to us day by day. It calls us to follow Him. It speaks through the written Word to our inner hearts. It speaks through nature. It speaks through our conscience. It speaks directly. Our job is to quiet our hearts to hear His voice. To eliminate the extra noise. To be still and know that He is God…and that He is speaking…we have to train the ears of our heart to listen.
Jesus says over and over in the Gospels…He who has ears to hear, let Him hear. I think He is talking about more than our physical ears. He is talking about the spiritual ears of our heart.
Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts… (Hebrews 3:7).
Lord, let me hear Your voice today. I know You are speaking. Train me to detect Your voice through Your Word, through nature, through the witness of others, through the quiet whispers of Your Spirit.