I Hear the Voice – Intro to Bible People

Written by Teresa Barrington

Presented on 01-07-2024 at the Christian Church of Windsor

SCRIPTURE READING

 Hebrews 11:32-40 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—  who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,  quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.  Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.  Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.  They were stoned, they were sawn in two,[a] they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—  of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised,  since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

MESSAGE – I Hear the Voice

Song: I hear the voice of one crying… I hear the voice of one crying.  Prepare ye, prepare ye the way of the Lord.

Before there were seconds, minutes, or hours, “The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2) 

God was silent, hovering, seeing, and knowing.  Then God spoke. Silence was broken by a tone, a sound. God has a voice.  If we could step back to the very first millisecond of time, we would each say, “I hear the Voice… of Elohim.”

What did the voice say?  “Let there be light,” and there was light.  God’s voice formed words of power.

That same Voice is heard again from within a garden.  This time calling out to His image bearers, Adam and Eve. God had given each of them voice, the ability to make sound, to form words of power.  Though duly warned of the consequences, they listened not to the Voice of their Creator but to the voice of a serpent-wrapped liar. They ate the fruit of disobedience. Then, they were hiding to cover their sin. Genesis 3:8 in the Apostolic Bible says, “And they heard the voice of the Lord, God walking in the paradise at dusk.”  Adam must have said to Eve, “I hear the voice… of the Lord.”

Two sons, two offerings, one acceptance, and one murder. And the Lord said to Cain, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.” (Genesis 4:10 NIV) Blood has a voice?  In the blood is the life of the body. In death, life cries out.  God says, “I hear the voice… of blood.”

A boy crying out in the wilderness, his maidservant mother as far off as a bow shot.  She is sobbing, not wanting to see her child die. Then, she hears a voice. “…the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.” (Genesis 21:16-17) God says, “I hear the voice… of a boy.”

Tending a flock in the wilderness of Sinai, the murderous man, a one-time heir of the mighty Pharoah, hears a voice from within a burning bush. “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:6) Having stood on holy ground, Moses would tell his people, “I hear the voice… of I AM.”

A Messianic prophecy being fulfilled by a man clothed in camel’s skin, consuming locusts and honey, shouting to the wind.

Song: Prepare ye, prepare ye the way of the Lord.

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.” (John 1:6-8)

John the Baptist was chosen to speak words of power.  His voice was calling the people to open a pathway for the entrance of the long-awaited Messiah, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

Then came the sound of the voice of the Savior. Speaking hope, speaking love, speaking redemption.  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

He spoke to each person in the way that they would most understand. He spoke differently to blind men, lepers, fishermen, women, and tax collectors than He did to religious leaders. So few of them recognized the voice of God when Jesus spoke.  Do you not wonder at the tone, the tenor, just the sound of that voice? What does the voice of the Son of God, Son of Man sound like?  Do you long to hear it? Someday, perhaps not too far from this day, you will hear His voice.

Until then, His followers are instructed to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, the supernatural gift sent down on tongues of fire.  Can you imagine the marvel of being able to speak of God’s glory in other languages that you do not know?  How incredible it must have been for those first disciples who no longer had to rely on Prophets to relay messages from the Almighty!  They could hear His voice within their own spirits, a voice speaking in alignment with the glories of which Jesus spoke.

Many people say they do not hear the voice of God, even Christians say that.  In 2007, God sent me on my spiritual journey, a 3-month excursion of healing, restoration, and revelation. In those days alone with the Lord, He told me that He uses my internal voice – the voice I hear when I think – so that I can never be deceived. God does not sound like Charlton Heston!  Even though He’s using my internal voice, His voice through my internal voice has a power and authority that my voice alone does not have.  And, His voice always aligns with scripture.  He often uses scripture to speak to us.  He spoke it once, He will speak it again.  Truth is truth.  You can hear the voice of God.  Romans 8:16 tells us, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” The Psalmist proclaims in Psalm 42:7 that “Deep calls to deep.” I hear the Voice.  Can you hear the Voice?

Song: I hear the voice of one crying…

A prophet in a cave, emotionally crushed by a death threat, even though fire fell from the sky when he called for it.  He heard the voice say, “11 … “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.[a] And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 9:11-13)

How do we hear a whisper? How do we hear a whisper, a still small voice?  How do we hear a whisper, a still small voice, in this noisy world? We must pause to listen, not with our outer physical ear, but with our inner spiritual ear.  How do we hear a whisper, a still small voice, in this noisy world? We must take time out and often away from all the voices vying for our attention.

A Story        

In his book Directions, author James Hamilton shares this story about listening to God. And, as you know, everyone loves a good story…

Before refrigerators, people had in kitchens an “ice box” to preserve their food. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut, hauled to thick-walled icehouses and covered with sawdust. Often the ice would last well into the summer.

One day, a man lost a valuable watch while working in an icehouse. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but didn't find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile. A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the icehouse during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch.

Amazed, the men asked him how he found it.

He told them, "I closed the door and laid down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking."

God’s Voice through Your Voice        

Are you unable to hear the voice?  You might need to lay down in the sawdust of your labors and keep very still. “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;” (Isaiah 55:6) Soon, like the quiet ticking of a lost watch, you will hear the Voice.

What if you have no time to lay down?  No time to keep very still?  Is there another way to hear a whisper, a still small voice, in this noisy world? Yes, but it takes practice and diligence. To tune the inner spiritual ear to the still, small voice of God, one must be inside the word of God.  You cannot hear the ticking of a watch from outside the icehouse.  You need to enter in.  Write the word on your heart and like the blood of Abel cried out from the ground, the word of God will speak from corridors of your heart.

Do these things and, over time, the voice of God, the potent Voice you hear with that inner spiritual ear, will meld with your own voice.  As Dr. Gail Rice, a voice of reason crying out for equality in the pulpit, explained in her thesis, “Voice for her means ‘God speaking through me’ and ‘the authority that comes with speaking from the Holy Spirit – inspired words.’” (pg. 119) God speaking through me. The Voice (capital V) heard in my voice (little V).  We ought not waste or hoard the sound of that Voice in our voice. We are compelled to cry out like John the Baptist to a lost world…

Who Will Hear Your Voice?   

Song: “Prepare ye, prepare ye the way of the Lord.” 

Who will hear your voice?  Only those who are near, only those who are listening.  Most are not listening.  Instead of listening, billions of human voices are crying out.  Like the boy, Ishmael, crying for lack of water and his mother’s comfort, so these desperate souls cry out in the wilderness of their hearts.  They are thirsty for lack of Living Water and hungry for lack of the Bread of Heaven. 

Before the Voice in your voice can be heard by them, there must be a delivery of peace. A kind of quiet noon hour presence where the peace that passes understanding can flow as still and slow as melting ice. Only the Lord’s peace flowing from your own inner sanctum will quiet their noisy, incessant voices, and allow them to hear the Voice of God in your voice. Amidst the winds, earthquakes, and fires of life, only in peace can we hear the still, small Voice of God.

What will the Voice in your voice say when ears begin to hear? Only the Holy Spirit knows. Before you speak, listen for the Voice. The Voice of instruction, the voice of comfort, the voice of wisdom.  John 10:27 records Jesus saying, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”  Tune your inner spiritual ear to hear the Good Shepherd’s Voice. He will give you His words. The kind of words that the listener will most understand. Remember that His words have power that yours do not. Be still and listen within. Then speak what you hear. His voice will come out loud and clear to those who so need to hear from God.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) Do not hold back the words of power. God’s word will not return to Him void.  It will accomplish that for which it was sent. So, go out, my friends, go out into the highways and byways, go to the downtowns and out to the wildernesses of this world. Shout to the winds and call for dry bones to come alive.  Someone, somewhere is going to hear you. And someone, somewhere is going to be saved. 

Song: I hear the voice of one crying… I hear the voice of one crying…prepare ye, prepare ye the way of the Lord

CLOSING PRAYER

Dear Lord God, help us to hear the cries of the ones you so dearly love, the ones who are wandering in the desert, the ones who are hurting, confused, lost.  May the heart cry of your Holy Spirit rise up from within the followers of Your Son Jesus Christ and may the sound of Your Voice in our voices reach across the room, across the street, across the city, across the nations, carried on the winds of time to the farthest ends of the earth.  Prepare ye the way of the Lord!  Jesus, You are coming!  It won’t be long now. God forbid that we would remain silent. Empower us, embolden us to speak the words of power, the words of grace and love, the words of joy and goodness.  And may the sound of Your Voice in our voice be preceded with an outpouring of Your peace that passes understanding. Revive us, O Lord!  Shod our feet, Lord, with the gospel of peace.  I pray this in the name of our Good Shepherd, the Light of the world, the Living Water, and Bread of Heaven, Jesus Christ. Amen.

©2023 Teresa Barrington 

Tidings of Great Joy: He is Here

Written by Teresa Barrington

Presented on 12-17-2023 at the Christian Church of Windsor

THREE WOMEN

It was several years ago when I learned the amazing connection between Jesus and baby lambs.  When shepherds chose a lamb without spot or blemish for the Passover lamb, they would wrap the lamb in swaddling clothes – strips of cloth – and, as a protective measure against injury, they would put the lamb in a manger.  Isn’t that an amazing correlation?  Jesus is our Passover Lamb – the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

In our Christmas series, we revisit the time when God became a human by focusing on three women who played vital roles in the Messiah’s birth: Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna. Elizabeth was married, settled, mature. Her kinswoman Mary was young, still living at home, and engaged to a carpenter. Anna was an elderly widow whose every waking hour was wholly dedicated to God. Last week, we heard from Elizabeth, as she told her story of the miracle child who would prepare the way for the Messiah.  She felt favored, but knew that someone else was going to be most highly favored.  Another woman was going to be the mother of the Christ child.  Lo and behold! She would find out that this highly favored one is none other than her relative, Mary, a young girl with a destiny yet unknown to her.

Note: Today, I’ll be quoting excerpts from the book “The Women of Christmas” by Liz Curtis Higgs. This is a lovely book full of lovely words. I wove my thoughts in with hers.  So what shall we say of Mary today?

Mary, the Maiden

“Her name is synonymous with innocence, purity, and devotion. And her calling was like no other woman’s before or since: she gave birth to the Savior of the world.”

“In Mary’s time barely one hundred people called Nazareth home. The were hardworking folk. Laborers, shepherds, tradesmen, farmers. Some lived in limestone and clay-walled houses with flat rooftops, inner courtyards, and small square windows high above the dusty street. The poorest families dwelled in caves.

“Little wonder that when he first met Jesus, Nathaneal scoffed, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Yet, God considered this insignificant village worthy of his attention. He sent His angel Gabriel there, bearing good news for a girl who stood on the cusp of womanhood.

She was a maiden, meaning she was a virgin. “Even so, a future husband waited in the wings for Mary. She was pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a carpenter in Nazareth.  They were as good as married,” since a betrothal in those days could only be broken by divorce, which was uncommon.   Remember how Joseph pondered if he would quietly divorce her before the angel told him she was pregnant not of a man but of the Holy Spirit? 

Mary was very young – perhaps as young as twelve. “Girls were betrothed as soon as they could bear children, both to protect their innocence and to allow many healthy years of childbearing.”

Joseph, the Carpenter

And what of Joseph?  “Young men waited to marry until they were capable of supporting a wife and so were usually several years older and established in a trade. A carpenter like Joseph would have spent his days making doors and shutters, cartwheels and plows for his neighbors while preparing a home for Mary as she readied her wedding clothes.

“They were not yet living under the same roof – a full year often stretched between engagement and marriage. To protect her reputation and Joseph’s, Mary had to steer clear of any social gatherings and behave as a chaste and proper bride-to-be. 

Joseph was of the house of David, in the lineage of the king.  In addition to his royal roots, he had a loyal heart.  After the angel told him not to be afraid to take Mary for his wife, he did exactly that.  He married her despite the scandal and wagging tongues, despite the mystery and the hardship. Like his wife-to-be, and later shepherds in the fields, Joseph knew to listen to an angel sent by God.

Why Mary?

Throughout the centuries of church history, Mary has been venerated. No doubt, she was important. No doubt she was chosen. But we must not lose sight of how normal she was. It’s easy to think when you’re normal that you’ll not be able to accomplish anything significant for God.  This is not true.

“God didn’t choose Mary because she was unique. Mary was unique because God chose her. He knew her tender heart, her trusting nature, her abiding faith, her humble spirit. He who formed Mary in her mother’s womb would soon form His Son in Mary’s womb.” (pg44)

“What made her worthy of her calling was not her virtue, it was God’s virtue. That’s why her story gives every woman a generous measure of hope. God takes us as we are and uses us as He wills, for our good and for His glory.

“For centuries Jewish women had hoped that one of them would become the mother of the Messiah.”  And now here she stood in the presence of the angel Gabriel being told that she was the one, the chosen one, to bear the honor, to bear the Messiah, and to bear the misunderstanding of the people around her.

Yet, she did not fully understand what Gabriel was saying.

How Can This Be?

In verse 34 of Luke 1, Mary asks, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”  She was not asking for proof like Zechariah.  Mary did not doubt God could manage this miracle. She just wanted to know “how.”   Clearly it’s okay – more than okay – to ask God how he will accomplish something. Even if his answer is “Trust me,” we can be sure he hears us. (g 51)

“To her credit, Mary didn’t ask for clarification or press for details” when Gabriel told her how it would happen. In verse 35, he said, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power fo the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”

She believed the angel because she believed in the One who had sent him.

Connection to Elizabeth

Surely God knew that this whole situation was going to be difficult for this young girl, not only to grasp, but to walk out.  So, Gabriel makes a connection between her and another woman, someone she knows and loves, to help her through the process.

Gabriel said, “Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.” (vs. 36)

“Elizabeth’s conception was remarkable because of her advanced age, but at least her husband was involved in the process!  Still, the unexpected news about Mary’s kinswoman must have comforted her as she realized that if the miracle of Elizabeth’s pregnancy could happen, maybe her own conception wasn’t so far-fetched. It also meant Mary would not have to face this nine-month journey alone. She would have a confidante, a listening ear, and experienced woman who could help her.   Let this connection encourage you – at any age, we can serve the Lord and we can do it with younger people if we are older or older people if we are younger. God calls certain ones of us into the same space to serve Him.

God’s Word is Unfailing

“The angel’s next words ring through the ages, having empowered not only Mary but also everyone who has ever read them on a page or heard them spoken: “For no word from God will ever fail.” Luke 1:37

“There it is: the splendid banner flying over this scene. A truth that answers every doubt, every fear, every question, every concern and is “one of the most reassuring statements in all of scripture.   Nothing is impossible for God.  God can do anything! (pg 54)

“Sometimes we whisper to ourselves, ‘No way. That’s impossible.’  For us, perhaps, but not for our heavenly Father. As an angel once said within Sarah’s earshot, ‘Is anything to hard for the Lord?’ The obvious answer is no.

“Then why do we throw up roadblocks when God drives a tank?  He can remove any obstacle, overcome any challenge, mow down any opposition. He is the very definition of trustworthy. And he can do anything. Anything.

“Mary carried Jesus in her body. By the same Holy Spirit we ‘carry the risen Lord in our hearts.’ Nothing is impossible with God residing in us and working through us.

The Lord’s Servant

Mary heard loud and clear, “No word from God will ever fail.” What was her response? Have you considered that she had a choice?  She didn’t have to do it.

God would not force her to do what Gabriel spoke.  Mary had a choice in the matter. Just as each of us has a choice in the calling on our lives that God has revealed to us. 

May we be like Mary and say, “I am the Lord’s servant.”

“Her first response was to humble herself. Mary knew her place, but even more she knew God’s place; all-powerful, all-seeing, all-knowing, and all-loving.” (pg 55)  “Think of this young maiden consciously and willingly joining with the purpose of God to bring salvation to the world. Only God could have provided the faith necessary to take such a huge leap.  And leap she did.

Verse 38 records her statement of compliance, “May your word to me be fulfilled.” 

“God knew she would say yes. God did not have a Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C.  Mary was The Plan. (pg 56)

Lest we raise Mary up to preside over humanity just under Jesus, consider that when “Gabriel was no longer there to comfort her, she must have felt overwhelmed with the secret she carried inside her heart. How would she explain what she had seen to her friends, to her parents?  No one in Nazareth has encountered an angel How would she make them understand? What if they didn’t believe her?” 

In the end, their opinions did not matter. She knew the truth.

Mother Mary

Then, she would give birth to the Truth.  “The miracle was accomplished, all because an ordinary woman clasped hands with an extraordinary God.” (pg 57)

Closing Prayer

Adonai, our Great God, we can rest in Your providence, Your ability to know the start from the finish. You are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Your plan to counteract sin and bring life back into the world was accomplished through the most unlikely people. Elizabeth and Zechariah were unlikely.  Mary and Joseph were unlikely. May we, who feel just as unlikely, be willing to accept whatever role you would have us fulfill in your great plan of salvation. Help us in our ponderings this season to see through the eyes of the people who lived the first Christmas. Keep our focus on the Christ Child who died to be our Savior. In that dying, He bought us eternal life. We could never thank You enough for this precious gift, Your only Son sent to the world through a young woman’s willingness to say, “Yes.”  Empower us by Your Holy Spirit to say “Yes,” too, no matter how difficult, humbling, or impossible the assignment. In the name of the Son You sent, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

©2023 Teresa Barrington