Sunday Messages

Shift: We cannot hear God until we reduce competing noise in our modern culture. We spend solitary time listening to our Shepherd’s words when he calls.

[Bob]

The little things do matter…

Shifts not only have a big impact in the crust of the earth, but also in every area of our lives. By making these small adjustments in the right places, we can set off a chain reaction – much like the earth’s seismic forces that result in an earthquake – but in this case small changes can make a BIG difference in the most important areas of our lives. 16:Shifts can take place almost anywhere: in the workplace, the school, the family, the church, the community, and in our spiritual and personal lives. In our last message, God disclosed to us the importance of Shift #7: The Shift from Sacrifice to Celebration.

SHIFT #8: From Monologue to Dialogue

This message will be presented in the form of a dialogue to highlight the importance of communication that embodies a verbal exchange of thought and feeling between two or more persons. We might take a moment and define the contrast between a monologue and a dialogue.

Monologue =

“a stirring sketch presented by one performer”

Dialogue =

“a captivating conversation between two or more persons”

In essence, dialogue is a channel of communication. Two or more persons are able to be open with one another, whether that exchange is pleasant or the cause of conflict. It is a two-way process in which people discuss issues that concern them. Dialogue calls a person to be vulnerable, to engage in the process of self-disclosure and feedback.

People in dialogue:

-- try to receive feelings and thoughts of others without attempting to change them;

-- can let others be themselves even when they are different;

-- listen without trying to refute or argue down the other person;

-- listen to understand;

-- ask questions to check out or ensure understanding;

-- don’t sit in judgment;

-- are open to being changed should the evidence point in this direction.

Now when it comes to our relationship with God, a dialogue with God involves a natural two-way conversation similar to our conversation with others. We seek to share our dreams, desires, needs, fears, and praises. God in return encourages, redirects, challenges, teaches, and blesses us. Dialogue moves our relationship with God from dependence to interdependence, to a sense of belonging and bonding to the life-giving relationships for which we are created by God.

Our culture today finds it difficult to accept the fact that we as Jesus-followers can actually experience a conversation with God who still speaks. Years ago comedian Lily Tomlin asked, “Why is it that when we talk to God it is called prayer, but when God talks to us it is called schizophrenia.” The bottom line truth is, talking to God and listening to God are both acts of faith. Talking and listening are two sides of the same coin. It is imperative for those of us who call Jesus our Good Shepherd to learn how to recognize his voice and to follow where he leads.

The gospel writer Mark records an example of Jesus’ relationship with his Heavenly Father in Mark 1:35…

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

So Jesus models for us how he consistently observed a communal relationship with his Heavenly Father. Jesus kept in check a discipline of quiet in his own life and ministry. Like Jesus, we can prepare for our Shepherd’s call by first learning the discipline of quiet.

[David]

Hearing God’s Voice

The gospel writer John records an example of how crucial it is for us to hear God’s voice through the illustration of the Good Shepherd in John 10

John 10:1-6

"Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep….”

Most people during the time of Jesus would understand this illustration, though we in the west may not. When shepherds gathered their sheep, they would put them into a sheepfold. A sheepfold was a designated area, usually made with mud walls and only had one entrance, the gate, used for protection against thieves and wolves. And since the area would hold the sheep of many shepherds, a doorkeeper was hired to guard the sheep and open the door for those who were allowed.

v.3 “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

Ok, that part sounds weird…right, sheep with names? What doe she do? “hey Jim!” C’mere, Steve.” But this corresponds exactly with what we know of Eastern shepherds. They gave names to sheep as we do horses, cows, and dogs. Even today, witnesses have claimed to watch shepherds walk up to a flock of sheep which would be several hundred, call a particular one, and that sheep will actually break from the flock and come to the gate.

v.4 “When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice."

This is also true; when a stranger has changed clothes with the shepherd for an experiment, the sheep still follow the disguised shepherd's voice and refused to listen to the voice of a stranger whose wearing the clothes of their shepherd.

This passage also says that the sheep “follow” the shepherd. Again, in the West shepherds drive their sheep from the back with dogs, but in the East, shepherds lead their sheep – and all of the sheep simply follow them.

So how will we know we are listening to the voice of the True Shepherd or a thief who has come to destroy us? Following the wrong voice can be extremely painful, and possibly deadly!

Jesus says in, Matthew 7:15

“Watch out… for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”

The biblical warning for our day is clear. We are all a part of the sheepfold; and if we listen, a time will come when a voice calls us to follow.

v.6 “…Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.”

The Pharisees, as the religious leaders, should have known and been known by their followers. But they had ceased to be shepherds who cared for their sheep and they had become thieves who only wanted to "acquire" more sheep to increase their own status.

The prophet writes, Ezekiel 34:3

“You eat the curds [the food], clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock"

See the relationship between sheep and shepherd was quite different in Palestine. In America sheep are largely kept for killing, for food; but in the East they are kept mainly for wool. Jesus doesn’t use us …or deplete us. Our True Shepherd wants a shared relationship with us.

So how do we get to that point? How can we be like sheep? For a sheep to recognize its master’s voice, or to learn to come when it’s master calls, sounds like it would take months or years for a relationship like that to develop.

Possibly, but then what else is there to do out in the fields all day? How complex is the life of a sheep? For that matter, how difficult is the life of a shepherd? As we saw last week, in our need to do more, be more…we pack our lives with so much business, that we inevitably drown out the master’s voice.

Jesus says in, Matthew 6:5-6

"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.

Jesus says, we cannot hear until we become still and block out all competing noise. And you might remember that in older translations, this used to say, “Go into your closet” and it’s actually a more accurate translation. This is a Hebrew prayer shawl, the same that would have been worn by a Middle Eastern Rabbi, and Jesus. And one tradition of wearing it is like this…. And this was called your “prayer closet.”

But, it seems this discipline becomes more and more difficult in our "modern" age. We must spend the necessary time getting to know the voice of our Shepherd when he calls. Fortunately, his words are recorded and preserved so we need never be deceived. Make the shift in your life to observe moments of solitude. Know His words; recognize his voice. There is no greater pursuit in life.

Do we speak to God in monologue or dialogue? Do we expect him to reply? Do we wait on God and listen for him to speak? And do we then respond to his promptings?

Some people may hear God speak with their ears; others with their heart. Still others simply feel divine nudges. God chooses to speak in various ways to different people. The key is for us to encourage the conversation and to follow his leading.

God speaks to Jesus-followers today through…

The Bible

Other People

Circumstances

A Still, Small Voice

Dreams and Visions

[Bob]

Learning to Listen to God

Let’s practically discover now how we as Jesus-followers can determine if something is really a word from God. It is a four-step process:

Step 1: We Identify the Source

First, we determine the origin of what we are hearing when we sense God is speaking. There are usually three possible sources. The voice speaking can be of God, Satan, or self. We need ask ourselves, “Is what I am hearing the kind of thing that I would say, that God would say, or that the Enemy would say?

Step 2: We Use the Scripture Test

Next, we need to take the source of what we are hearing and test it against the teaching of the Bible. God’s Holy Spirit will never lead us to do anything contrary to his will revealed in the Scriptures. Never! So we constantly evaluate what we hear and filter it through the standard of God’s Word.

Step 3: We Take Action

Then, once we have determined that God is the most likely source of what we are hearing and we have tested it against Scripture, we are now ready to move into action. Taking action could be seen through performing an act of service, changing a behavior, giving a generous gift, seeking reconciliation in a broken relationship, or many other things.

Step 4: We Evaluate, Reinforce, and Remember

Finally, we make sure we evaluate what happened. The key is that we learn to look back and remember how God communicated to us. Just like a sheep, we record this in our memory banks so the next time God speaks, we recognize his voice with greater clarity. We give God praise when we look back and are confident God was leading.

Shift Suggestion: Growing in our ability to hear from and follow God is a skill we must acquire. We will never sharpen this ability unless we use it. So the next time you feel God is prompting you, use the four-step process outlined above. You might want to invite a wise Jesus-follower friend to pray for God’s leading in this area of your life. And seek his or her input as you press forward.

Moving from monologue to dialogue is one of the great disciplines that allow God through prayer and solitude to speak to our heart. Our series on 16:Shifts highlights the verse from John 3:16…

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

…God loves…God gave…We believe…We live.

Prayer: Father, I believe you love this world. You gave your one and only Son so I can live forever with you. Apart from you, I die. With you, I live. I choose life. I admit I need a Savior. I believe Jesus is my Savior. I choose to walk with Jesus and become a worldchanger.

[David]

[Bob]

In the Arms of Jesus. We want to close this message with a picture that captures praying in our heart of hearts. It comes from a confession that many Jesus-followers make over the years: “I feel guilty because there are many evenings I try to pray but end up falling asleep right in the middle of my prayer time.” These people feel they let God down each time they doze off before uttering their official amen for the day.

This is what we can tell them. Hopefully, this response will speak to our hearts.

Imagine a mother cradling her five-year-old girl in her arms. It is the end of the day, and the two are talking. The mom is telling her about the plans for tomorrow. The little girl is talking about the fun she had that day. As the daughter talks, she yawns and rubs her eyes. They keep chatting, but the little girl is fading quickly. The mother looks down at the one she loves so tenderly. As they are talking, in midsentence, her little girl falls asleep, right in her arms. How does the mother feel? Is she angry? Disappointed? As the mother looks on her precious child, she smiles and rejoices. There is no other place she would rather have her little girl fall asleep.

When we end our day talking with God and we happen to doze off, God is not angry or disappointed. God holds us in his arms, embraces us, and gives us a kiss on the forehead. God loves to be with us, to speak to us and hear what is on our hearts. And if we happen to fall asleep in God’s arms, it brings joy to his heart. It’s the shift from monologue to dialogue—there is no other place for us to end a busy day! Amen.