This was an introductory lesson I taught to our elementary children last Sunday ( 2/16/20). We had wonderful dialogue about the passages and stories below, and of course lots of other things! This followed a couple of weeks where we teachers taught on Jesus's 40 day fast and temptations in the wilderness.
I. God speaks and His voice is very powerful
One of the wonderful things about our God is that He is a living relational God, who speaks to His creation.
Psalms 29:3,4 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; The God of glory thunders, The LORD is over many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful, The voice of the LORD is majestic.
Ex. How did God create the lights of the universe (sun, moon, stars)? (Gen. 1:3)
Ex. Psalms 29:9 The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve, And strips the forests bare, And in His temple everything says, "Glory!"
II. God wants us to hear and obey His voice – Early Examples
- Adam & Eve – Genesis 1 & 2
- Cain – Genesis 4:6,7
- Noah – Genesis 6:13
III. All the promises of God are for those who hear and obey His voice
Jeremiah 7:23 "But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.'
Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock……
Revelation 3:20 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me.
IV. God often rebuked the people of Israel because they did not listen to and obey His voice
Jeremiah 7:28 "And you shall say to them, 'This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the LORD their God or accept correction; truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth.
Jeremiah 22:21 "I spoke to you in your prosperity; But you said, 'I will not listen!' This has been your practice from your youth, That you have not obeyed My voice.
V. Jesus said His sheep will hear His voice
John 10:4 "When he puts forth all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
John 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; “
VI. We must trust God to open our ears and teach us to listen
The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens [Me] morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. - Isa 50:4
So how can we learn to hear His voice?
1. Become one of His sheep – John 1:12 – Receive Him as your Savior
2. Study His word so we know what He is like
- If I break a dish of one of my parents, and I have a thought that I should just throw it in the trash outside and kind of bury it so no one will see it, do you think that thought is from the Lord?
- If my sibling does something unkind to me, but then apologizes and I have this thought that I should not speak to him for the rest of the day and maybe forgive him tomorrow, is that from the Lord? Is that His voice?
- If I am driving early in the morning, and I come to a red light, and there is literally no one around, and I have this thought that I should just go on and go even though the light is red, especially since I am in a hurry and need to get to work, could that be from God? Could that be God’s voice?
- If I am in a hurry walking to school maybe from the school bus, and I see someone drop their handkerchief, and I have this thought that I should pick it up and run to give it to them, could that be God’s voice?
- If I am worrying about something, and I have this thought that I should go find a quiet place and talk to God about it, could that be His voice?
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