Sermon Central
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Can You Hear Me Now
Contributed by Lacy Scott on Aug 24, 2005 (message contributor)
Summary: God has always wanted us to worship Him, but without us listening to Him we have a problem understanding what He has to say.
Can You Hear Me Now”
Most of us have seen the commercial on TV done by Verizon Wireless. It’s the one where the guy walks around to various places where a phone normally would not work. He goes out further and further away from the main connection and asks the question, “Can you hear me now”? There’s even one where they show a monkey in the zoo with a banana walk from tree to tree mimicking; “Can you hear me now”?
The commercial is trying to make a point about how well and how good the reception is for their phone service. No matter where you are; no matter how far away; Verizon service is still available and usable. You are never out of range. Some times we as Christians get to the point where we can’t hear God. We are still a part of His family but we have lost our connection to Him. This can be caused by something we have done or something we have omitted to do.
God has always wanted us to worship Him, but without us listening to Him we have a problem understanding what He has to say. And time and time again God is sending His message and asking, “Can you hear me now”? Brothers and sisters I am here today to tell you that we serve a God that is alive, He is not dead and he is still speaking to this world, and when God speaks everyone had better listen.
The things that God says are important and it would be beneficial to us to pay attention and when He speaks listen. How many of you can remember when your mother would call you, you would hear her voice and respond to it. When she calls you, and uses your entire name, there is authority that goes forth and you know that it says you had better respond if you want to survive what I am calling you for. But there is still that feeling of; “It’s only Mom”.
But let the same situation happen and let Daddy speak. When daddy speaks it is with an authority that says I have no doubt I had better respond AND it had better be the correct response. When we do not respond the way daddy thinks we should there is always an unwanted result. We know that we had better do right then and there what he tells us to. Too many times we get the feeling with God like we do with mothers; “It’s only God”. “Yes, God I hear you but I know you’ll forgive me this time”.
Brothers and sisters when God speaks it is with an authority from the throne of heaven that carries more power than Mom or Dad. It is with the same authority of the voice that spoke and worlds were formed. It is with the same authority that spoke from a burning bush that said; “Take off you shoes for you are on holy ground.” It is with the same authority that spoke and a dead man came out of a tomb. It is with that same authority that he speaks into our live today. Mom & Dad may have spoken with a voice of authority but it came forth dripped in love.
God speaks into our lives words of Compassion; Direction; Correction and Understanding because He loves us. When God speaks there is always reaction. There are those that act with rejection. Look at Jonah. Jonah was to go and preach unto Nineveh but he went unto Tarshish to flee the presence of the Lord. Many would refuse to hear what God has to say. They are asking God to speak to them but run around like the child with his finger in his ears saying, “I can’t hear you.” It is as if we refuse to hear.
That what God has to say will not effect us. Many of us don’t want to be bothered with what God has to say. Our life is comfortable, and hearing from God could cause us to move from Apathy about things of God to caring about the things of God. Move from apathy about prayer life to caring about prayer life. Move from apathy about souls to caring about souls. Many don’t want to hear from God because they know that they are in store for a voice of rebuke because of a sinful lifestyle.
God is then getting ready to take us to the woodshed. The woodshed is not a place of excitement and praise. But it is a place of discipline and correction. Then there are those that act with reception. They receive what God is saying. John 6:67-68; “Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. The words of God may be hard from time to time, but in His words we can find eternal life.
