{"id":2544,"date":"2014-07-15T14:55:03","date_gmt":"2014-07-15T18:55:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=2544"},"modified":"2014-07-26T10:58:25","modified_gmt":"2014-07-26T14:58:25","slug":"the-voice-of-god-is-calling-71314","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=2544","title":{"rendered":"The Voice of God is Calling (7\/13\/14)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pastor Jim gave his 2nd sermon at PUMC on Sunday July 13.\u00a0 His text was from John10:1-5 and Acts4:5-12.\u00a0 The title of the sermon was, “The Voice of God is Calling”…<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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John 10:1-5;\u00a0 The Sheep Hear the Good Shepherd…<\/span><\/h3>\n

In John 10, Jesus identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd.\u00a0 The sheep (us!) hear His voice and recognize that it’s Him.\u00a0 Not only do they recognize His voice, they obey His voice and they are able to tune out all of the other noise and static generated by “other voices.”\u00a0 Open the box below to read John 10:1-5…<\/p>\n

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Click here to learn more<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
John 10:1-6 10<\/p>\n

1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. <\/span><\/p>\n

2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. <\/span><\/p>\n

3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. <\/span><\/p>\n

4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. <\/span><\/p>\n

5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” <\/span><\/p>\n

6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0Acts 4:5-12; No Other Name<\/span><\/h3>\n

In Acts chapter 3, Peter and John heal a man who had been lame from birth.\u00a0 They did this while on their way to the Temple to pray.\u00a0 Of course, everyone was amazed that this lame person could now walk.\u00a0 But Peter and John don’t take any credit- this happened because of their faith in Jesus. And they made no bones about explaining who Jesus is.<\/p>\n

But the Priests and temple officials aren’t very happy about Peter and John preaching about Jesus, so they arrest them and keep them in jail overnight.\u00a0 The passage in verse 5 opens as Peter and John are called to explain themselves before the high priest…<\/p>\n

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Click below to read the passage…<\/p>\n

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Acts 4:5-12 5<\/p>\n

5 And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, <\/span><\/p>\n

6 as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. <\/span><\/p>\n

7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?” <\/span><\/p>\n

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: <\/span><\/p>\n

9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, <\/span><\/p>\n

10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. <\/span><\/p>\n

11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ <\/span><\/p>\n

12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Radio-Transistor<\/a>The “voices” we listen to can have a major impact on our lives. But sometimes we listen to the wrong voices… imagine if you did everything that TV commercials tell you to do! But sometimes we are influenced by voices that say “you can’t be successful without ___”\u00a0 and we are turned to greed, or pride, or fear.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes we have trouble hearing the voice of God. It’s like an old AM radio on a summer night.\u00a0 We need to do our best to tune it into the station, and we also need to concentrate on filtering out the noise and static.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

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Are You Listening???<\/span><\/h3>\n

Many people are running around with blank faces; rushing around with no purpose and empty lives.\u00a0 They’re looking for a shepherd, for a teacher, for purpose in their lives.<\/p>\n

When we think about the Voice of God, there are two points that need to be remembered:<\/p>\n

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God WANTS to Speak to YOU!!!<\/span><\/p>\n

Imagine that- the Creator of the universe wants to have a conversation with little ‘ole you!!!\u00a0 We’re sinful, we rebel against Him, we constantly ignore Him, but God still wants to have a relationship with us.\u00a0 God could have done a “Cntl-Alt-Del”, rebooted creation and wiped us out.\u00a0 We’re the ones who hung up the phone; God’s still waiting.\u00a0 He wants to have a personal one on one “sit down” with you.<\/span><\/p>\n

The refrain from the familiar hymn, “In the Garden” says:\u00a0<\/span> “And He walks with me, and He talks with me. And He tells me I am His own.\u00a0 And the Joy we share as we tarry there; none other has ever known.<\/span><\/em>”<\/div><\/div>\n

Check out the following Allan Jackson video of “In the Garden.”\u00a0 God wants to have a personal relationship with us.<\/span><\/p>\n