Are you one of Jesus's sheep? Do you know His voice?

Thank you for joining today as we seek God’s wisdom together. Let us begin with prayer.

“Lord Jesus, I ask that you search our hearts and see if there be anything wicked in them. We ask that your Holy Spirit show us what you are saying to us today. I ask that the words on this page would jump out to us as you speak to our hearts and minds truth and life. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Romans 2: 17-29 (NASB).

“But if you call yourself a Jew and rely upon the Law and boast in God, 18and know His will and distinguish the things that matter, being instructed from the Law, 19and are confident that you yourself are a guide to people who are blind, a light to those in darkness, 20a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, possessing in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth— 21you, therefore, who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one is not to steal, do you steal? 22You who say that one is not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who loathe idols, do you rob temples? 23You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? 24For “THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,” just as it is written. 25 For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a violator of the Law, your circumcision has turned into uncircumcision. 26So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will his uncircumcision not be regarded as circumcision? 27And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a violator of the Law? 28For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from people, but from God.”

What the Word is Saying

Paul takes off the gloves so to speak here and comes right out and puts his finger on what he has been alluding to in the Book until now. Specifically, that the Jew is not exempt from these warnings. Being a descendant of Abraham will have no bearing on when you are judged by Christ. Knowing the law, learning the law, being circumcised in the flesh, observing a Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah when you became an ‘adult’ and doing religious acts will not matter in that day. What will matter is obeying and following the law.

You may say that I am not a Jew though, so this does not apply to me. But is that true? Are you relying on the infant baptism for the forgiveness of your sins? Are you relying on the observance of Sunday church services as checking off the box for your righteous acts of the week? Do you read your bible and ask God to reveal to you the truth that is in it? Do you take communion without first repenting and asking forgiveness from those you have harmed? Do you confess your sins without intention of no longer committing them. Do you rely on your relatives' prayers to cover your relationship with God and not pray to Him yourself to Him instead? Do you confess to follow God, but you do not know Him? Do you perform good deeds for the eyes of men and fail to serve God in ways that no one will be able to give you recognition for? In your drive for success have you trampled on the heads of the poor, needy, and downtrodden? Have you taken glory for your achievements and failed to give God the Glory for the blessings He has bestowed upon you?

God will not be mocked or fooled by your outward behaviors. He judges the heart. Jesus said:

“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; LEAVE ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

Those are sobering words. Ones that should not be taken lightly. These are people performing acts that the outside world would tend to give God glory for. I am sure that most of the people they know would say that these people really have a strong relationship with God. But God is not fooled He knows your heart and judges it accordingly. So, what if you gave millions to the church. If your heart does not know Him, then He does not know you.

So how do you know that He is in fact the Lord of your life. Listen to what Jesus said: “Jesus answered them,

“I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. 26But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. 27My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”

That is the one thing you can be sure of if you are in fact a follower of Jesus. You will know His voice. You will hear Him speaking when you read His word. When you are praying and a name of someone in need of help. An action that you are taking that he wants to change in you. A sin that you are committing that he wants to give you victory over. A peace, Joy, and reassurance that He is your God and You are His child. You will know His voice. You will hear it in people talking to you. In the Love and affection of a child or pet. He knows you personally and you learn to know Him personally. Because He is the living God. He is alive and not dead. He is a loving Father who wanted you to be part of His family so much that He sent His Son into the World to die for you so that you could live in eternity with Him.

If you feel the Holy Spirit prompting you to give your life to Jesus or are feeling Him prompting you to return to Him if you have left, I encourage you to do so right now. Right where you are; pray these words out loud: “Jesus I confess that you are Lord, I believe that you came into this world and lived a sinless life, you suffered and died on the cross for my sins, they buried you in the tomb, and three days later you rose from the dead. I confess to you I am a sinner and ask you to forgive me. I ask you to send to me now your Holy Spirit so that I might hear your voice and have the Power to live my life for you. In Jesus Name, Amen”

If you prayed this prayer, I encourage you to contact us. We would love the opportunity to stand beside you and hold you up as you begin your Journey with Jesus. I also encourage you to find a church to attend. Somewhere where the gospel of Jesus Christ is preached. I pray the Holy Spirit will quicken your mind with a name of someone or place that He would like you to contact to find that place in the community of believers that He wants you to be a part of.

Thank you for joining me today as we searched the scriptures for What the Word is Saying. I pray that God will send His Holy Spirit into our lives anew and fill us again with His love and His purpose for us. So that we can fulfill the mission He left us in bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.

“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB (New American Standard Bible) Copyright 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” lockman.org.