Pursuing: Discernment & Listening | John 14:23-26
This message was preached at Sherwood Community Friends Church on Sunday, February 5, 2023. You can watch the video in full by clicking below.
Listening. Seems like an impossible feat, doesn’t it?
There’s another email to open, a magazine to flip through, a new episode to watch, another book to read, a feed to catch up on. And the list goes on.
Many of these things aren’t even bad! They can provide value to our lives. But the stream seems to be never-ending. We are in a constant state of input.
In fact, this phenomenon has a name: Information Overload. Forbes addresses the very real nature of Information Overload and that it’s more than just related to noisy social media or partisan news sources or a constant stream of entertainment. They point out that in 1976, there were 9,000 items on average in our local grocery stores. Today, that number is 40,000. That means that every time we go grocery shopping, we must ignore tens of thousands of products. It’s believed that we’ve created more information in the last 10 years than in all of human history prior.
So, if the world feels noisier today than it used to… You are right. It is.
And then our information overload continues to cloud our minds with so many options, instigating FOMO -that is, Fear Of Missing Out- in us, that we become so desperately consumed with analysis paralysis. We don’t know how to discern WHAT the right choice is because there are simply too many choices in front of us.
So how in this noisy world are we supposed to listen? And then, how do we take the next step into discernment, that is, deciding deciding and doing what that next step is?
Does God speak to us today?
It is church. So I suppose it would be wise of me to share some of what God’s word has to say about listening and discernment. I feel I must warn you ahead of time, I will be sharing many verses throughout the Bible in today’s message. By looking at all parts of Scripture, this will give us a more complete understanding of what the Bible has to say about God’s character and how we are to respond.
Going back to Genesis, we see that Noah looked like a fool when he listened to God to build an ark and Joseph heard God through dreams. Moses listened to God speak at the burning bush. Samuel listened to God speak in the middle of the night.
Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”
and
Isaiah 30:21 says, “And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”
If I stood up here and told you this was some ancient act of God, only reserved for prophets and kings in the Old Testament, that might make some of you feel better. You might exhale a breath of relief because you have wondered for so long if God actually does speak because it’s been so long since you’ve heard his voice.
Jesus assures us that he still speaks today.
In John 10:27, Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.”
The writer of Hebrews says in 1:1-2, “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.”
And in Revelation 3, verse 22, we are told that the Spirit speaks, “Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
Despite our noisy world, John 14:26, part of what Jane read earlier, is still relevant today. “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.”
In fact, it might be more relevant than ever to calm our souls and soothe our spirits by seeking out the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.
But we must pursue it. My friend and author of The Fabulous Journey, Ashley Ferris says, ”We must be relentless in our pursuit of putting our thoughts in front of God to allow the Holy Spirit to give us Heavenly insight into our motives and perspectives.” We have a responsibility to position ourselves to hear the voice of God.
So if God speaks to us today, then how?
How will the Holy Spirit teach us? How will the Holy Spirit remind us of the things that Jesus said?
Charles Swindoll says, “God makes His desires known to those who stop at His Word, look in with a sensitive spirit, and listen to others. When we go to His Word, we stop long enough to hear from above. When we look, we examine our surrounding circumstances in light of what He is saying to our inner spirit (perhaps you prefer to call this your conscience). And when we listen to others, we seek the counsel of wise, qualified people.”
Scripture intake
The first point from Swindoll is the intake of God’s Word.
Although we talked about some of the difficulties of living in 2023 with information overload, we do have one significant advantage that many believers who have gone before us didn’t have. We have the actual Bible available for us, and we have the ability to read it. Up until the 1500s, literacy was uncommon, and there was no realistic way for each home to have its own copy of the Bible. In addition to access, we also have better confidence that the translations available to us, while not perfect, are much more accurate than even those first printed.
So why do we find it so difficult to take the time to embrace the holy words in this book? If we trust that the Holy Spirit is our teacher and will bring to our mind the things of God, we have a responsibility to put in the things of God to be reminded of them.
Psalm 119:105 - “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”
Psalm 119:111 - “Your decrees are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.”
Romans 10:17 - “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.”
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Part of the Shema, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Matthew 4:4, which Jesus directly quotes from Deuteronomy 8:3 to combat the lies of the enemy who is tempting him in the desert, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
I think of all the times I was a kid in school and praying for the results of my upcoming test. I would pray for God to help me get a good grade. But if I didn’t do the work ahead of time to study, to listen to my teacher, and to do my homework, then how could God help me to recall what I never put in in the first place?
How can we live by every word that comes from the mouth of God if we’ve never read every word?
Stillness
The second point brought to us by Swindoll is by stillness, a listening to the inner voice. Some call this our conscience. It’s that small voice that sometimes we wonder… Is that God?
I can’t help but to be reminded of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. He’s tired and frustrated and feels as though he’s the only prophet left because the others who were faithful have been killed by the king and queen. He’s feeling a bit sorry for himself. And then this happens.
“Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”
He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
And then their interaction goes on from there.
God didn’t show up in the magnificent, the terrifying, the unexplainable. We walk around our days looking for a burning bush or a hand writing on a wall or a sky-splitting, light shining audible voice from God.
But more often, it’s when we pull away from the noise, those distractions, when we carve out the quiet space - that’s when we can enter into that phase 3 and 4 states of prayer that Bob talked about last week. That’s when we can listen to God and when we can simply be with God. We know we are his sheep because we are so familiar with his words that when he speaks, we simply can’t deny it’s him.
Jesus regularly pulled away from the noise, the demands of this earthly life, to be in relationship with the Father. This is why practices like silence and solitude, sabbath and sabbatical are vital to a vibrant relationship with God.
Jesus had plenty to keep him busy. The work of healing and forgiving and setting the Pharisees straight, he could have done all of that work nonstop. He could have sacrificed sleep, sabbath, and silence. He had plenty to do. But Jesus set the example for us. May we follow suit.
Wise Counsel
The third point in Swindoll’s quote is seeking wise counsel.
Many of us have heard about King David and maybe even King Solomon. But we don’t often talk about Solomon’s son Rehoboam. He’s not one of the good guys. The full story is in 2 Chronicles 10, but I’ll give you a summation. After Solomon died, Rehoboam took over the kingdom. After his coronation, the people came and asked him to lighten their workload. Rehoboam went to the older advisors and they advised him to acknowledge the people and to bend to their wishes, because then they would have loyalty to him as their new king. But Rehoboam didn’t like their advice and he went to his friends who had grown up with him. They told him to respond with force and heavy discipline, which is what Rehoboam did. 2 Chr 10:19 says “So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.”
The Bible has more to say about seeking wise counsel.
Proverbs 22:17-19, “The words of the wise: Incline your ear and hear my words, and apply your mind to my teaching; for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the Lord, I have made them known to you today-yes, to you.”
Proverbs 19:20 - “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom for the future.”
Even the disciples, who lived and breathed Jesus’ presence every day for years still asked him questions and for clarification.
Why does God speak?
We’ve established God speaks. We’ve established how God speaks. But what do we do when God speaks? What is the purpose of God speaking?
God speaks for his glory to be made known.
Sometimes that glory is made known through our transformation. This is most notable in
Romans 12:1-2 - “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Philippians 1:6 - “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.”
Psalm 119:11 - “I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you.”
Sometimes that glory is made known by taking action in the name of Jesus. I’m reminded of the man who built his house on the rock versus the man who built his house on sand.
Matthew 7:24-27 - “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”
Jack Willcuts, a previous superintendent of the Northwest Yearly Meeting, was on a furlough from the Bolivian mission field for about three years. Ron Stansell in Missions by the Spirit recounts this point in Jack’s life. Jack was unsure if he and his family should remain at Lents Friends Church in southeast Portland in a call to pastorate or if they were to go back to Bolivia. He sought out the wisdom of Elizabeth Braithwaite, described as a saintly and prayerful elder, for advice. Here’s how she responded, somewhat impatiently: “Well, Jack, what do you really want to do? Both of the courses are right, not evil, it is just a choice of directions. What do you want to do?” Jack responded that he would like to go back to Bolivia. She closed her Bible and stood up with an air of finality. “No use to pray more about that. When your heart is right with God and the door is open…no use wasting time talking to God about it…Don’t forget the song ‘Trust and Obey’ means action as much as waiting.”
Above all, that glory is known in the simplicity of our presence with the Lord.
Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
my whole life long.
Now we practice
It’s great to come on Sunday mornings, to sing songs, drink coffee, watch fun videos and listen to teachings. But there is something that happens when we take what we learn and we put it into practice. So that’s what we are going to do now.
We are going to practice now listening and discerning the voice of God. Together. As one body.
I find value in journaling as God reveals himself to me, so, for this exercise I’ll describe in a moment, I’ve provided notebooks for you. You each should have received a small notebook and a pencil. If you didn’t raise your hand and we’ll get them to you.
One form of scripture reading you may have heard of before is called Lectio Divina, which simply means Divine Reading. It’s a way of slowing down our thoughts to meditate on the words God gives us in text form, that is the Bible, and creates space for his Holy Spirit to reveal truth to us through that inner voice. Then, in a practice of seeking wise council, we will enter into our time of open sharing.
Jane read our scripture earlier. I will now read it 4 more times. With each reading, there will be both the scripture passage and a guided note up on the screen to consider as God speaks to you. The prompts are also included on a bookmark in your notebook for you to take with you. After each reading, we’ll pause for about 1 minute for reflection. When doing this on your own, you can take 1, 5, 10, or more minutes in between readings of your selected scripture.
Prompt #1 Notice any words or phrases that speak to you. Write down your observations if you would like.
John 14:23-26 “Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” NRSV
Prompt #2 Meditate on the passage, using your mind and imagination to think about it. Write down your observations if you would like.
John 14:23-26 “Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” NRSV
Prompt #3 Allow yourself to pray with God through this passage. Allow Him to respond to you. Write down your observations if you would like.
John 14:23-26 “Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” NRSV
Prompt #4 Savor and take in the experience of God's word and this time of prayer. Write down your observations as you would like.
John 14:23-26 “Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” NRSV
We will now enter into a time of open sharing. Again, this is a practice of both seeking wise counsel and learning to be comfortable in sharing what God reveals to us with others. Feel free to share how God spoke to you, what you heard, that is, the practice of listening, or what your next step is, that is, the practice of discernment.
