Topic: THE VOICE OF GOD (PART 1) [Church of God Mission International] Above Only Daily Devotional 18 JUNE 2023
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CGMI SUNDAY SCHOOL OUTLINE
DATE: SUNDAY, 18th JUNE 2023.
HYMN: S.S & S 642 “When We Walk With The Lord…”
CENTRAL THOUGHT:
It is in the interest of the believer to hear, listen to and obey God’s voice
TOPIC:
THE VOICE OF GOD (PART 1)
TEXT:
1Sam 3:1-10; Jn 10:25-30; Psa 29:1-11
INTRODUCTION:
Many voices from different platforms including religious, political, academic, philosophical and ethnic speak in the world today. Although, some of these voices seem/appear to speak authoritatively, however a keen listener soon finds out to his/her dismay that there is a dearth (absence) of truth, honesty and sincerity in what is being said. As a result, the Christian who lives in contemporary society sometimes finds it difficult to know which voice to believe or not.
Nevertheless, in the midst of these voices, the Lord expects His children to have discerning hearts under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit so that they can recognize and distinguish His voice from other voices.
God has given us the Holy Spirit and His word to guide and help us in identifying His voice so that we can walk in His Light and counsel as we live in this world.
This study therefore focuses on how we can identify God’s voice and appreciate the blessings of heeding His voice.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this study are to:
- Understand the meaning of the phrase “Voice Of God”
- Know the characteristics of God’s voice
- Differentiate between general counsel and the voice of God
- Know why it is important to listen to God’s voice
BIBLE TRUTH:
QUESTION 1. WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND BY THE PHRASE “VOICE OF GOD” ?
Biblically, the phrase “voice of God” includes all of the following:
A. God speaking audibly to His children in the scriptures (Gen 6:13-14; 9:8; 12:1-3; 17:1; 22:10-23; Exo 3:1-4; Acts 9:3-6, 10-15).
B. Words given by God to His servants to declare to other people (Isa 1:1-2; 2:1; Jer 2:1-2; Ezek 2:1-3 etc
C. The voice of God is also implied in messages He gave angels to deliver to His people. (Lk 1:11-17, 26-33).
We understand the written word (The Holy Bible) to also be the voice of God because the writing were inspired by Him. It is written in 2 Tim 3:16 “All Scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”.
Also, in 2 Peter 1:19-21 we read “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost”
QUESTION 2. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD’S VOICE ? (Psa 29:1-10)
It is the desire of every believer to hear from God. The very idea that the maker of the universe would want to have a relationship with us and speak to is incredible and gladdens the heart of the believer. Unfortunately, at times we feel confused about hearing from God. Often times we ask ourselves “Am I hearing God’s voice or is it my own inclinations (which are often sinful), is it the voice of the world or worse yet, is it the voice of satan. The following characteristics of God’s voice will help us appreciate what God’s voice is like.
In Psalm 29:3-5, 7-9 (NLT), we find the following characteristics of God’s voice: (I) The voice of the Lord is powerful (II) authoritative (it is final), (III) calm (1King 19:12-13), (IV) discernible (Jn 10:3-5,27) and (V) glorifies Him as Sovereign and Supreme.
We also learn from Psa 119 that God’s word as declared by His voice is perfect, holy, true, righteous, established, sweet, faithful, light etc (Psa 119:11, 72, 86, 89, 100, 103-105, 111, 129, 130, 133, 137-138, 144, 152, 160, 165)
QUESTION 3. HOW DO WE DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN GENERAL COUNSEL AND THE VOICE OF GOD ?
There is no denying the fact that God has blessed man with wisdom, and by means of such wisdom, human beings are able to examine situations critically and give sound counsel on some issues. An example may be in the choice of career by a youth. Such a youth may be able to receive counsel from aore experienced Christian as regards the prerequisite subjects, psychological and emotional demands of that career path.
However, it is quite possible for an individual to hear God’s voice clearly in the calmness of his/her thoughts as regards the career path to follow. As enumerated above under the characteristics of God’s voice, in such a situation God’s voice will come with conviction and wisdom and He will put all the necessary requirements in place.
Another example may be in the area of choice of life partner. It may be a wise human counsel to decide on marrying an individual with seemingly good prospects in life and family background. On the other hand, God’s voice can be heard clearly by an individual warning him/her of the consequences and implications of marrying someone who do not know Him no matter how promising the life prospects of that individual may be.
Also, with regards to marriage, these days people receive counsel to quit marriage when things appear difficult or as it often said “when there are irreconcilable differences”. There are situations when churches advise couples to temporarily separate but unfortunately, some of those couples never come back together again.
We must be reminded that when it comes to the issues of marriage, God’s voice is that we must follow His Word as regards our choice of a life partner and how we conduct ourselves at home bearing in mind that He hates divorce (Mal 2:16)
Let us remind ourselves of an instance in scripture when David had an opportunity to kill Saul. The counsel of his followers was that God had put his enemy in his hands. However, David knew what God’s voice/word was on the matter. Therefore, contrary to the counsel of his followers, he chose to follow God’s voice (1Sam 24:1-7)
QUESTION 4. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO LISTEN TO GOD’S VOICE ?
God is sovereign. He rules and reigns in the entire universe. He is all knowing and He is the only one who sees the end from the beginning.
He is Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient. He has a thorough understanding of all matters. Therefore, we are most fortunate to have Him as our Father, and to be called His children. It is in our own interest and to our advantage to listen to His voice !
He is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2). The Christian race we are running was originated by Him. He begins the race with us, runs it with us, providing guidance/direction in this world and is waiting to reward us in eternity at the end of the race. Listening to and following His voice will help us in running the Christian race victoriously.
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION
God’s desire is that His children will hear/listen to and obey His voice. There are uncountable blessings associated with obeying Him. It is in our interest and to our advantage if we resolve to be obedient to God’s voice. Apart from material prosperity/blessings that follow obedience to God’s word in today’s world, the ultimate blessing of spending eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ await all those who will live in obedience to God’s voice.
MEMORY VERSE
Psalms 29:4 “The voice of the LORD [is] powerful; the voice of the LORD [is] full of majesty.”
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