The Voice of the Lord

Exodus 19:1-6 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.
2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.
3 And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of he mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto Myself.
5 Now therefore, if you will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all peoples: for all the earth is Mine:
6 And ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

God wanted Israel to be a peculiar treasure unto Him. He wanted them to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Israel never fulfilled that calling. They never became the kingdom of priests that God wanted. Consequently, this Word is still valid today. The Church, now, has the opportunity to be a peculiar treasure unto the Lord. It can become the kingdom of priests and the holy nation that God is wanting.

If you will obey My voice indeed, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me… The key to becoming a peculiar treasure, a holy nation, and a kingdom of priests unto God is hearing His Voice. That is the all important thing at this time. We must be able to hear the Voice of the Lord, for it is the Voice of the Lord that will create a Kingdom priesthood. It’s the Voice of the Lord that will create a holy nation and cause us to be a peculiar treasure unto Him. If we do not learn to hear His voice, then we will not become what He wants us to be.

There are many ways in which the Voice of the Lord can come. It can come through the Scriptures, through an angel, through men who are anointed to speak the Word, or even through circumstances. In Luke chapter one there is an example of the Voice of the Lord coming through an angel. Then the Voice of the Lord came through Mary. The Voice of the Lord is creative, and it will create us to be what He wants us to be. It was the Voice of God that actually brought forth Jesus Christ into the world.

Luke 1:30-38 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name Jesus.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David:
33 And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elizabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy Word. And the angel departed from her.

The angel Gabriel appeared unto Mary and spoke of the birth of Jesus. Gabriel was not only speaking of something that was to take place, but he was speaking the Word of God. Mary, who had ears to hear the Voice of the Lord, said, “Be it unto me according to thy Word.” It was because she heard the Voice of the Lord that Jesus was born of a virgin. Now let’s see what happened after Mary heard the Voice.

Luke 1:39-44 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elizabeth.
41 And it came to pass, that, when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For, lo, as soon as the Voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

The Voice of the Lord creates. When Mary heard the Voice, the creative Word began to work. Not only was the seed that became Jesus placed within her, but there was also a change that took place in Mary. She then became a channel for the Voice of the Lord. As she approached and greeted Elizabeth, it was the Voice of the Lord that came through her words. When Elizabeth heard the Voice, she was filled with the Holy Spirit and began prophesying. She also began to speak the Word of God. The creative Word creates channels of the Word. Even little John the Baptist, yet unborn, leaped within Elizabeth’s womb when he heard the Voice through Mary and was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Then years later John was baptizing those who came to him at the river Jordan. The Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? That we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the Voice of One crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. John 1:19-23. John had become a Voice, the Voice of the Lord, because he had heard the Voice, even while yet in his mother’s womb.

If we can learn to hear the Voice of the Lord, then we can become the holy nation that God wants, that peculiar treasure unto Him, a Kingdom priesthood. It is necessary for us to hear His Voice, for it is only then that we can become proclaimers of His Word. God is going to fill the earth with Himself. His very presence is going to come through the Word that He has spoken. The Kingdom priesthood will be created by the Voice of the Lord. However, all cannot hear His Voice. Everyone does not have the capacity to hear the Voice of the Lord. His Voice will not come on a natural plane as an audible sound that can be heard with the physical ear. Rather it will be that still small Voice that speaks to the heart. Sometimes His Voice will come through circumstances, and sometimes it will come through the Scriptures. The Voice of the Lord will also come through those who are anointed to speak the Word, but even then it will only be heard with the heart.

John 5:37-40 And the Father Himself, which hath sent Me, hath borne witness of Me. Ye have neither heard His Voice at any time, nor seen His shape.
38 And ye have not His Word abiding in you: for whom He hath sent, Him ye believe not.
39 Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.
40 And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life.

The Pharisees were dedicated to the study of the Scriptures. They taught from them every Sabbath in their synagogues. Yet Jesus tells them, “You have not heard His Voice. You have not His Word abiding in you.” It’s hearing the Voice of the Lord that causes the Word to abide within you.

Then in verse 39, Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, but they are they which testify of Me.” No one was more dedicated to the Scriptures than the Pharisees. They thought that eternal life was theirs because of their devotion to them. But they were so locked-in to their doctrines they could not hear the Voice testifying of Jesus. Jesus is the Word (John 1:1-3, 14). The Word is not a language; neither is it doctrines. The Word is spirit and life (John 6:63). Just because one hears the Scriptures read or preached does not mean that he is hearing the Word of God. One can only hear the Word (the Voice) when his spirit is tuned-in to the Spirit of the Lord.

II Peter 1:20-21 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The Scriptures were spoken by men, but they were not opinions of what they thought should be. They were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they prophesied the Word of God. They were the Voice of the Lord in the earth. When Peter said that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation, he was saying that we do not have the right to a private interpretation of the Scriptures. Yet the private interpretation of Scripture is the reason we have so many denominations. Some interpret the Scriptures one way, and some another, and still others have their particular interpretation. The fact of the matter is, we do not have the right to a private interpretation of the Scriptures. We are not hearing the Voice of the Lord when we come up with various doctrines. God does not speak contradicting doctrines. The only way we will be able to hear his Voice is to be anointed with the same Holy Spirit that anointed the men who spoke the Word of God and penned the Scriptures. We must have that same anointing!

John 16:13-15 Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all Truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.
14 He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you.
15 All things that the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall shew it unto you.

The Holy Spirit is given to lead us into all truth. He will speak of the things of Christ and reveal them unto us. If we have received the Holy Spirit, then He will quicken our ears so that we can hear the Voice of the Lord. The Holy Spirit is the Revealer. It is ministry to reveal the Lord Jesus Christ to us. Revelation does not come apart from Him, and without revelation we will not be able to hear the Voice of the Lord.

Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed (Acts 19:2)? Many Christians have not, and that is why there is such a lack of revelation in the church-world. One of the greatest hindrances to spiritual growth is the teaching that one automatically receives the Holy Spirit when he is saved. But neither should it be taught that one never receives the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. Everyone should believe and expect to be filled with the Holy Spirit when they accept Jesus Christ as Savior. Very few are, though, because most people are not saved under the ministry of Spirit-filled ministers.

Do not take it for granted that you have received the Holy Spirit. If you have and He is leading you, then you are being led into all truth; the things of Christ are being revealed to you, and you are learning the Voice of the Lord.

Revelation is not a luxury; it is a necessity. The true Church is built upon the revelation of the Lordship of Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:13-18). It is not built on doctrines or creeds or any such thing. Its foundation is a revelation of the Lord.

John 5:24-25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the Voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the Voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. Hearing the Voice of the Lord creates life in you. Notice that Jesus said, “The hour is coming, and now is…” He is speaking of something in the future and of something in the present. The hour is coming when the dead shall hear the Voice of the Son of God and shall live. There will be a resurrection. However, He also says that there is an hour that “now is” and the dead shall hear the Voice of the Son of God and shall live. There are many Christians who are spiritually dead. If they will open their hearts to hear the Voice of the Son of God, then they shall live. We are living in the “now is” time. The Voice of the Lord is coming forth in the earth today. The question is, “Do we have ears to hear it?”

John 8:43 Why do ye not understand My speech? Even because ye cannot hear My Word.

The Pharisees could not hear the Voice. Consequently, they did not understand what Jesus was saying.

John 8:44-47 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe Me not.
46 Which of you convinceth Me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe Me?
47 He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

The Pharisees were diligent to study and search the Scriptures. Yet Jesus tells them, “You are of your father the devil.” Notice how boldly Jesus spoke to them. He could see through their outer coating of religiosity and see the corruption of their hearts. He said, “If you had heard Me, then you would be of God.” How could Jesus be so certain that the Pharisees were not of God? He knew because they did not have the ability to hear the Voice of God. Even though they searched the Scriptures diligently, they could not hear the Voice of the Lord in the Scriptures that was testifying of Jesus Christ.

I John 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

The apostle John knew the difference between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. The spirit of truth is the one who hears the Voice of the Lord. When one hears the Voice of the Lord, he also becomes a channel of the Voice, as did Mary, as did John the Baptist, as did Jesus Himself. Then John said that the spirit of error is revealed when one does not hear the Voice of the Lord. Notice how boldly John speaks, “We are of God. He that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth us not.” John knew that he heard the Voice of the Lord. He also knew that he was a channel for the Voice of the Lord. Consequently, he could say, “He that knoweth God hears us, and he that does not hear us is not of God.” It is just that simple! Now how can we know whether one is of the spirit of truth or the spirit of error? Can he hear the Voice of the Lord? Of course we have to understand that we will not be able to discern whether someone else can hear the Voice of the Lord if we cannot speak the Word, and we will not be able to speak the Word if we have not heard His Voice.

I John 4:1-3 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come: and even now already is it in the world.

Notice the present tense: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. That is the same thing as saying that every individual through whom the Voice of God comes is of God. If the Voice of the Lord is coming through a person, it is because he has heard the Voice of the Lord, and he is of God. If the Voice of the Lord is not coming through a person, he is not of God.

Jesus Christ is come in the flesh – It is not that He will come in the flesh sometime in the future, or that He did come in the flesh in the past, but He is coming in the flesh right now. In other words, Christ comes forth within those who hear the Voice of God. He is created within them. The confession is the Voice of the Lord coming through those who have heard the Voice of God. Those who have not heard the Voice are not of God.

Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist (the antichrist spirit cannot hear the Voice of the Lord), whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now is it in the world.

I John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Ye…have overcome them – Notice that John equates the antichrist spirit with those who do not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.

Who is this “He that is in you”? It is Christ! Christ comes forth in those who hear the Voice of the Lord.

I John 4:5-6 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

How can we know the spirit of truth? How can we know the sprit of error? We can know by knowing whether one can hear the Voice of the Lord. Here is what we must consider: can we hear the Voice of God? There are many Christians who are dull of hearing. There are many that cannot hear the Voice of the Lord. That does not mean that all is lost, though. We can still become the holy nation that God wants. We can become a Kingdom priesthood, and a peculiar treasure unto Him.

If the church will open its heart and hear the Voice of the Lord, then Christ will be created within it. Mary heard the Voice of the Lord, and Christ came forth within her. It can happen that way with the church. The Voice of the Lord will create the many-membered Body of Christ. Then they will also become channels for the Voice.

John 10:27, 5 My sheep hear My Voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
5 And a stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

Many Christians are following strange voices, because they know not the Voice of the Lord. The airwaves are filled with strange voices, and God’s people are being fleeced by them. Let’s get serious with God. Let’s open our hearts to the Word of the Lord, and obey His Voice. His sheep hear His Voice, and they will not follow a stranger, for they know not the voice of strangers.

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