Fearful...

Special thanks to my beautiful wife, Michelle, for preaching this message for me!  You did great!

“Fearful…”
Brimfield Faith UMC / February 26, 2012

Exodus 20:18-21

THE VOICE

There has always been something taboo and intimidating about hearing God’s voice. There has always been a great deal of debate surround the voice of God. Every time there is a natural disaster a preacher gets on T.V. claiming that it was God condemning some outrageous sin. It happens with such frequency most of us have simply tuned it out. It seems harder and harder to know when and if God is speaking. If you only read the Old Testament, you might be inclined to listen to the preachers declaring the latest earthquake is a message from God. If you’ve watched Charlton Heston’s “The Ten Commandments” you know what I mean. The fire, the smoke, the booming thunder.

Exodus 19 and 20 describe the scene in graphic detail. It is the first seriously intimidating encounter with the voice of God. Moses is preparing the Israelites to hear the voice of God for the first time. Moses goes up Mount Sinai to converse with God. As God appears and begins to speak to Moses, he permits the people to hear his voice. The voice is dramatic and powerful sounding like thunder. It is a voice that the people are unfamiliar and fearful of. The Israelites in hearing God’s voice realized the power and authority of God. This left a significant impression upon them but it also created in them a great fear.

Thankful, natural disasters are not God’s preferred method of speaking to His people. In fact, the Scriptures are replete with various ways in which God speaks. Since the Ascension of Christ, God has continued to speak to the world. While the clutter of the world tries to drown out God’ voice we can still hear it if we will listen.

We have a heritage of hearing God’s voice. Our founder John Wesley heard the voice of God. When he experienced his heart being strangely warmed on Aldersgate Street, he was filled with the Holy Spirit. The Methodist movement in the early years was marked by tremendous physical expressions of God’s Spirit. The Protestant Reformation opened up the Scriptures and access to the presence of God to every believer. No longer was it simply the priests, monks and nuns that were permitted to hear the voice of God.



BARRIERS

Like the Israelites, we have barriers that prevent our spiritual senses being in tune to the voice of God. There is certainly a stigma attached to people who hear voices. People who hear voices are often labeled as crazy. In fact, some do indeed have serious illnesses. Other people who claim to hear voices are labeled as psychics. These people are often met with skepticism and doubt.

These are not the voices that we are talking about this morning. Instead, we are talking about the voice of God. The voice that speaks again and again throughout Scriptures. The voice that created the world. The voice that created each of us. The voice that has the final word over sin and death. This morning as we begin the journey of Lent we will begin by attempting to overcome two myths that can prevent us from hearing the voice of God.



Myth #1. God only speaks to special people.

The Israelites had been following God in a cloud of smoke and a pillar of fire through the desert. They had experienced God perform numerous miracles on their behalf. God was a real protector, provider and guide. The problem was that Moses was the main mediator of these miracles. Moses was the greatest prophet that ever lived and it was believed that God should only speak to him. As they heard the intimidating, booming voice fear entered their hearts. They feared they weren’t holy enough. They feared for their lives. They feared they wouldn’t be able to live up the expectations of God. Therefore, they relegated special people to listen to God’s voice and speak to the people. The prophets of the Old Testament serve in this manner. The average people never expected to hear from God.

In the New Testament, Jesus turns the table. As he teaches about the Holy Spirit in John 16, we learn that God will speak to the hearts of people who are filled the Holy Spirit. As the Holy Spirit falls in Acts 2, people begin to see visions and dream dreams. Any Spirit-filled Christian was capable of hearing the voice of God. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul exhorts the people to strive for the gift of prophecy. Paul understands that each believer can and should seek to hear the voice of God. While God certainly has special relationships in which he reveals greater secrets, every person can be free of fear and be guided by the Holy Spirit and the voice of God.

The reality is this. Each of you are special in God’s eyes. You are His children. You are his creation. You are his splendor. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you can hear the voice of God. You can know the secrets of the universe. You can know the love of Christ. While you might not feel worthy, God says you are. You are special and God wants to speak directly to you.



Myth #2. God no longer speaks.

Some Christians for a variety of reasons, believe that God has stopped speaking directly to his people, whether it be out of fear or out of misguided theology. They believe that God only uses the Bible to speak to people. While the Holy Spirit certainly reveals truth and guides believers, God is not contained to the Scriptures.

The ancient Christian belief was that there were two unique revelations of God. The Holy Scriptures were one and the other was the natural world. Romans 1:20 says, “Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.” The Bible teaches that God speaks to people in whatever manner to wishes to. God speaks through the Bible and through the natural world.

This revelation changes everything. God can speak to me while I’m driving in the car. While I am watching TV. While I’m reading a book. Having dinner. Catching up with an old friend. There is nothing and nowhere that God cannot speak to us. We cannot limit God’s voice to the Bible or to the Church. God is speaking and we must learn to tune our spiritual ears to hear his voice more clearly.



BLESSINGS

As the myths of God not speaking or only speaking to special people are dispelled, we can begin to learn to listen and hear the voice of God. Even if we believe that God can speak, many still chose not to listen. I would suggest that it is not only possible to hear God’s voice, but imperative that we learn to listen. God’s voice will guide us in times of trouble, and it has the capacity to bring great blessings.

In Exodus 19:5-6, God tells Moses that if he and the people will listen to God’s voice that they will be a treasured possession out of the peoples and they will be made into a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. There is no longer any reason to be afraid or to ignore God’s voice. It doesn’t have to be weird or crazy. It doesn’t need to be reserved for special people or spiritual fanatics. Everyday Christians can learn to learn the voice of God. When we will tune our ears to heaven, listen and follow, God will do amazing things in your life. Christianity will break out of your Sunday morning box and invade your entire life. All you have to do is listen.

Ash Wednesday marked the beginning of Lent. Traditionally, Lent is a time of prayer and fasting as we journey towards the celebration of the Resurrection. Prayer and fasting are designed to tune your ear to heaven and to sharpen your spiritual senses. They prepare us to navigate the darkness of the world and move towards the light of Christ. It becomes imperative that we learn to hear the voice of God. Without His guidance, we will indeed wander in darkness without ever finding our way. I want to invite you on the journey of listening and following God towards the victory of Resurrection on Easter morning. It will not be a journey without difficulty, but it is one of the most important journeys of your life.