Listening To God

SERMON NOTES
From In Touch With Dr. Charles Stanley
Listening to God
KEY PASSAGES: Mark 4:1-3, 23-24, 7:14 | SUPPORTING SCRIPTURES: Psalm 32:8 | Proverbs 3:5-6 | John 3:3

SUMMARY Mark 7:14. At another time, Jesus called out, “Listen
to Me, all of you, and understand.” His goal is that we
It’s very comforting to know that God loves us comprehend what He says.
enough to make a plan for each of our lives. John 3:3. When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, He said,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he
In fact, He designed it before we were ever born. Nothing cannot see the kingdom of God.” The phrase, “Truly, truly,
about our lives is an accident. Although God’s plan is the I say to you” is used 25 times by Christ in the book of John.
best possible path, it’s not always the easiest. We may have It was His way of emphasizing that what He was saying
to climb a few mountains and walk through some dark was authoritative truth that deserved full attention.
valleys, but if we follow His instructions, we’ll discover
the rewards of living according to His will. That’s why it’s How does God speak to us today?
important to ask the Lord to reveal His plan to us and be
ready and willing to listen for His directions. We know that the Lord spoke to people in the Bible, but
He also wants to speak personally to each of His children
SERMON POINTS today. This means we must be attentive because no one
else can listen for us.
Since God has a plan, we can be certain that He
wants to guide us into it (Ps. 32:8). God’s primary way of speaking to us is through His
Word. The Bible is not just an old book, but the inerrant,
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart authoritative Word of God and the only source of truth.
and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your When we read it, we’re hearing directly from the Lord.
ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths All other methods of listening to God must be checked
straight.” To acknowledge the Lord means we consider and compared with the scriptures to determine if we are
what He says, recognize His great power, trust His accurately hearing Him.
guidance, and follow His instructions. He’s continually He also speaks to us through prayer. Prayer is our way
seeking to guide us, but if we’re not listening, we’ll miss His of communicating with God by talking to Him, but it’s
instructions and go the wrong way. also a time to be still and listen for His guidance. Instead
of simply running through our list of requests and
When Jesus speaks, He wants us to listen. moving on to the day’s duties and activities, we need to
learn to be still for a while to see if He has anything to say
Mark 4:1-3. As He taught a large crowd, Jesus called for to our hearts.
their attention by saying, “Listen to this!” The Lord may speak through our circumstances. When
Mark 4:23-24. Christ also announced, “If anyone has ears a situation is painful, we must remember that hearing
to hear, let him hear,” and cautioned them saying, “Take from God is more important than our comfort and
care what you listen to.” It’s not only important to hear, pleasure. He uses difficulties and suffering to grab our
but it’s critical to be discerning in our listening. attention. In every event, God has something to teach us.
SERMON NOTES | SN150201

Instead of focusing on why the situation has happened, those who tune in to Him everyday realize that He speaks
our first question should be, “Lord, what do you want to personally to our spirits if we’re listening.
say to me?” We might be afraid of what He will say. What if God
Sometimes God speaks to us through other people. asks of us something we don’t want to do? This attitude
It may come in the form of affirmation, confirmation, displays a lack of trust and a failure to understand that
encouragement, or even reproof or warning. And the Lord His plan for our lives is always the best option.
may use anyone He chooses to deliver His message—even We could be angry with the Lord. If we’ve blamed Him
someone we may not like. No matter the source, we should for something that happened in the past, we may not be
thoughtfully and prayerfully consider whatever is said. interested in hearing anything He has to say.
We could have a rebellious spirit. If we’re refusing to
How can we identify God’s voice? give up a particular sin in our lives, we won’t want to hear
the Spirit’s convicting voice.
When we are seeking to hear from the Lord, we must make
sure that it’s His voice we are hearing and not our own What are the consequences of not listening to God?
thoughts or someone else’s ideas.
We know that the Lord spoke to people in the Bible, but
God’s voice is always consistent with His Word. Any He also wants to speak personally to each of His children
message must agree with what the Lord has already said today. This means we must be attentive because no one
in scripture. else can listen for us.
His voice is quiet. God speaks to our hearts through His
Holy Spirit in an inaudible but compelling way. We won’t receive His guidance and will miss out on His
The Lord speaks clearly. If we’ll tune our hearts to Him plan for our lives.
by setting aside time to read His Word and listen for His We’ll listen to the wrong voices, be deceived, make
Spirit to speak, He will give us clear guidance. costly decisions, and forfeit God’s best.
Others will suffer. An unwillingness to listen to the Lord
How does the Lord get our attention? affects not only us but our loved ones and associates.
Sometimes He uses a sense of restlessness. Perhaps we RESPONSE

have already planned a course of action but then develop
an uneasy feeling about it. If we’ll pray and ask God for Have you ever felt a conviction regarding a particular
specific guidance, He might lead us in an unexpected sin? If so, you have heard God’s voice. How else have you
direction. sensed Him communicating with you?
At other times God may get our attention with a gentle As you’ve read the Bible, has a passage ever spoken to
whisper. Although His voice is soft and inaudible, it a situation you were facing? What did the Lord say to
rings so loud and clear in our spirit that we know we’re you through His Word? How has Scripture given you
hearing from Him. guidance, comfort, or insight regarding a circumstance in
your life?
Why don’t we listen to God? What do you need to do to increase your sensitivity to
God’s voice?
We may not believe that the Lord speaks today.
If that’s the case, we won’t be listening for His voice. But
To purchase this message on CD or DVD, please visit store.intouch.org or call 1-800-789-1473.

To download these Sermon Notes, visit intouch.org/sermonnotes
SERMON NOTES | SN150201
Copyright © 2020 by In Touch Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. In Touch grants permission to print for personal use only.

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SERMON NOTES

From In Touch With Dr. Charles Stanley

SERMON NOTES | SN150201

Sometimes He uses a sense of restlessness. Perhaps we RESPONSE

To purchase this message on CD or DVD, please visit store.intouch.org or call 1-800-789-1473.

SERMON NOTES | SN150201

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