Hearing God’s Voice

This is a message from Bobby:

Imagine for a moment that you are instructed to read a driver’s manual, but afterwards, you are told that the purpose of reading the driver’s manual is not to drive a car, but to know about what driving a car looked like in the past. Now this could sound very convincing, unless of course, you will need to travel a long distance and you can only do it by driving a car. 

That’s how I feel much of Christianity looks like today: we are told to read the Bible by many ministers, but we are also told that a lot of the New Testament teachings do not apply for us today, because they only applied to the first century believers. It sounds kind of absurd, doesn’t it? That’s why, today’s topic about hearing God’s voice is so important because it’s so fundamental for our Christian walk as believers – believers who want to obey the Word of God and who want to be led by God’s Holy Spirit.

John 16:7-14 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged…. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” 

Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will come to His disciples for the following purposes: to convict the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgement, to guide His disciples in all truth, to glorify Jesus, to tell of things to come, to hear from God and speak the words of God to the disciples, and to declare everything that God wants to share. 

Now the question is: are these words by Jesus addressed only to his first disciples, or do they apply to all believers, to all of us? Are all believers expected to hear personally from God? Or has the Holy Spirit somehow changed since the writing of the Bible and is no longer able to personally speak to believers? Or, perhaps, the disciples have received a different Holy Spirit from us, who was there only for the sole purpose of writing the Bible and none of what we read actually applies to us today? 

To answer this question, we first need to ask does God’s Holy Spirit still convict of sin today as he convicted the world during the time of the first disciples and apostles of Christ? Has the Holy Spirit somehow lost the power to convict of sin the unbelieving world today? If anyone would argue affirmatively to that question, this would make the whole of Christianity completely meaningless, as why would Jesus need to die on the cross except for the forgiveness of sins. But if there is no conviction of sin, then how can we even speak of for the necessity of forgiveness then?

Second, we need to ask, does still the Holy Spirit guide into all truth today as He did in the day of the early disciples and apostles? Now, if we dare to answer negatively, we might wonder how trustworthy is the Holy Spirit if He can guide us only into partial truth, or even worse, if He might somehow deceive us. And how “holy” would that Spirit be if He’s not able to guide us into all truth? Unless, again, we have received a different kind of Spirit from the early disciples – one more untruthful, more misleading, more misguided and more untrustworthy. Of course, put this way such a statement sounds ludicrous, because if we happen to believe this, then Christianity itself becomes pointless. How can then be better for Jesus to die on the cross, if we are going to receive a Spirit whom we cannot trust fully? 

Therefore, the logical question becomes: if the first part of Jesus’ words still applies today (and the Holy Spirit still convicts of sin today and still guides into all truth today), then how much more should we have no doubt that the second would also apply to us today and expect God to speak personally to us through His Holy Spirit! 

No wonder then that we can see Apostle Peter declare on the Day of Pentecost (when the Holy Spirit was first poured out): 

Acts 2:14-18 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.”

Peter makes it clear what the purpose and function of the Holy Spirit is expected to be as prophesied by the prophet Joel: to enable sons and daughters to prophesy, young men to see visions, old men to dream dreams, and to enable God’s menservants and maidservants to prophesy. Then Peter promises that the gift of the Holy Spirit is available to be received to everyone, who is baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38). And this promise is for all generations present and future. 

Throughout the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit speaks to God’s people. 

In Acts chapter 5, we read about Ananias and Sapphira who attempted to lie to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3), but they were exposed. The Holy Spirit clearly spoke to the church and exposed their deception. 

In Acts chapter 9 we can see a disciple named Ananias to whom Jesus appeared in a vision and instructed him to meet the man formerly known as Saul, who persecuted the believers (Acts 9:10-16). 

In Acts chapter 13:2, the Holy Spirit spoke to the church in Antioch to separate Paul and Barnabas for the work for which He had called them. They did not have to guess because God’s Spirit clearly spoke to them. 

In Acts 16:9-10, Paul received a vision in which a man from Macedonia pleaded with him to come and preach the gospel. Paul concluded that God was calling to go to Macedonia and changed his plans. 

In Acts 18:9, God spoke again to Paul in a vision in the night encouraging him to remain in Corinth and keep preaching the Word of God. 

The prophet Agabus appears twice in the book of Acts. In Acts 11:27-29, he prophesies of a coming famine, and in Acts 21:9-11, we can see that he warns Paul of what is about to happen to him in Jerusalem. But Agabus who is from Judea is not the first to warn Paul. Acts 21:4 says that believers in Tyre also warned Paul through the Holy Spirit not to go to Jerusalem. In other words, the Holy Spirit spoke the same message to Paul through multiple believers at different points in time and in different places. 

In Acts 21:9, we also read of 4 prophetesses, daughters of Phillip. 

Suffice it to say, that we can see the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding the early church, clearly manifested through the Book of Acts. And the Spirit speaks to common believers (like Ananias and the disciples in Tyre) just as he can to apostles and prophets. And in some instances, we are not even told how or through whom the Holy Spirit spoke. 

Hebrews 3:7-19 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ” Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. 

The author of Hebrews devotes two chapters warning believers in the church that they should obey God when they hear His voice and not rebel against His voice like the Israelites did it in the wilderness. Because of their rebellion and disobedience, the Israelites were unable to enter God’s Promised Land, God’s rest. 

Hebrews 4:1-13 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it…. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. 

We have often heard the words of Hebrews 4:12-13 being applied to the written word of God, the Bible. However, if we look at the context, it would become clear that the author intends something more: 

Hebrews 4:7-11 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 

The context of Hebrews 4:12-13 is not reading the Bible. The context of these verses is that God can speak to everyone to expose what is hidden in their thoughts and hearts. The author of Hebrews intends for believers to hear God’s voice clearly and be transformed by it as they seek to obey him. The context is that we are expected to hear from God personally and His voice will reveal everything that needs to be corrected in our hearts. That’s why in verses 14-16, believers are encouraged to come to the throne of grace through Jesus because we have a compassionate High Priest, who can sympathize with our weakness and failings. In other words, we should not hide our sins from God because nothing is hidden from Him but we should allow Him to speak to us and expose them, so that we may obey Him and be led by His Holy Spirit. 

In Hebrews 12, believers are reminded that when God rebukes them that they should not become weary or discouraged, because God shows them His love through His discipline: 

Hebrews 12:3-6 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” 

Again, we see the same implication: God can and will personally speak to us when rebuking and correcting us, and He will reveal to us the areas in which we need to grow. Otherwise, how would we know what is the reason behind the troubles we face? Is God chastening us, or is it Satan’s work testing us like he tested righteous Job, or is it purely coincidence, or is it something else? We would have no clue, unless God clearly speaks to us and reveals that to us. That’s why the Book of Hebrews repeats over and over again the exhortation, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion…” 

In Hebrews chapter 10, we are encouraged to boldly enter the Holy Place “by the blood of Jesus” and not draw back, so that we may hear God’s voice and obey it. (Heb 10:19-22, 38-39). The blood of Jesus is our sacrifice that cleanses us from our sins and that allows us to enter into God’s presence. Yet, then we should expect God to speak to us, to correct us, to chasten us, so that we may learn how to do His will. 

The Book of Hebrews plainly tells us what the kind of relationship we are promised to have with God thanks to Jesus.

Hebrews 8:10-11 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 

What does it mean “to know God” personally and to have His laws written in our minds and hearts? Or what does it mean to have our conscience cleansed from dead works as declared in Heb 9: 14? This is all connected to hearing from God.

Why do I spend so much time trying to convince you that God can speak clearly to each one of us through His Holy Spirit? And why am I trying to encourage you to believe and seek that? Because if we think that the Bible is only speaking figuratively or these words do not apply to us today, then how would we know if the Holy Spirit is working in our lives? Is He simply a feeling, or a tingling sensation, or a religious ceremony, or some divine sign? How would we know that we are indeed walking in the will of God, unless God reveals that to us? After all, don’t we all want to be led by the Holy Spirit as children of God (Romans 8:14)? God is able to speak personally to us. Yes, He would never contradict His written Word, but He will speak to us, He will expose our secret sins, He will correct and chasten us, and He will teach us how to do His will, if only we are willing to hear and obey. 

The problem, however, is that when God does not speak, then believers can easily be manipulated and deceived. They can be deceived by prosperity teachers, who have mastered the art of making people feel good by creating a short-lived emotional high, thus misusing their spiritual gifts to fleece the flock and build massive empires for their own glory. They can also be tricked by cessationist teachers, who offer them a well-structured and organized religion, which appeals to the flesh by alluring to the sense of sensible country-club community, but it’s devoid of any spiritual life. But the Holy Spirit is not bound to a specific minister or ministry – He can speak directly to each individual believer and guide them into all truth. 

Finally, I know of so many ministers today, who deny the existence of spiritual gifts and deny that God can speak personally to believers. They claim that these things were only for the purpose of writing the Bible, and once the Bible was completed, then the Holy Spirit stopped operating in that way and we should not expect Him to do speak to us today. This sounds to me more or less like, once the driver’s manual was finished, then we could stop driving cars. 

I have one question to such cessationist ministers: if believers are not able to hear God’s voice like they did in the early church, and they are not able to prophesy, then whose voice did you hear when you decided to become ministers? In other words, who called you into ministry so that you can teach people not to believe what the Word of God plainly and clearly says? “Did God really say that you cannot eat from that tree”? 

In the end, I would like to clarify the difference between the gift of prophecy and hearing the voice of God speak personally to us. In 1 Corinthians 14:1, all believers are commanded to seek the gift of prophecy. But not all believers have that gift. But the expectation throughout the New Testament is that the Holy Spirit can speak to every believer. The main purpose of the gift of prophesy is for edifying and building up the church – God reveals a mystery or a hidden thing which serves to help other believers. On the other hand, when God speaks personally to me and reveals the areas in my own life which I need to work on, that’s for my own benefit. But when God trusts me to reveal deeper truths and mysteries to me that can help other believers be strengthened and grow in their faith, or unbelievers come to faith in Jesus, then I’m helping the entire church. That’s why, prophecies are also to be tested by other believers.

God can speak to us today. He is not a dead God, he is alive. Whatever he says to us will be in line with the word of God, it will never contradict the Bible. And if we want to hear God speak more clearly, we need to spend more time reading the Bible, and then we will hear God speak more clearly to us. When we hear his voice, let’s obey him, and not harden our hearts.