Listening to the Voice of Truth

John 18:37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” NKJV

The world today is filled with talk radio programs such as Rush Limbaugh’s and a great volume of others. Now we have satellite radio and its prime time advocates like Howard Stern. The internet has given us even more men and women with online radio talk shows vying for listeners. The range of the subject matter discussed goes from A to Z and from G rating to explicit, vulgar and profane, violent, racist, religious, etc. Television also has its share of talk shows with the now retired Oprah Winfrey being its biggest star ever.

For some reason people tend to think that there is wisdom that can be found in regularly listening to these people and their programs. I understand many just tune in to be entertained for an hour or so, but what you allow yourself to be continually exposed to will shape your world view and your perspective of this life and the life coming after death. On many of these programs truth is not important at all mainly sensationalism wins the day because it will continue to draw men and women back to consume more and more building up ratings and filling up wallets.

However, our Lord Jesus Christ says clearly, “Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.” We have heard the saying, “Birds of a feather flock together.” This is true in the animal or natural world because you will never see ducks flying with pelicans. So it is true in the spiritual world and this is why people like to listen to many of the voices mentioned above because it satisfies their spiritual appetites of fleshly indulgence.

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. NKJV

Only those that are begotten by God through a supernatural birth will listen to the voice of Jesus Christ. We find His voice not in some mystical manner (although He speaks to the hearts of His children periodically) but His voice is contained from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. Our Lord made some very hard rough statements throughout His journey to the cross. There are some Scripture passages where His voice is strong, stern, and sharp. Only a man or women made to love Him and all of His word would listen to and heed those words. The heart of a man or woman still attached to their sin would not want to hear the words of Christ on a daily basis. However, every person that desires to know the truth will be brought by God the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to Jesus Christ for cleansing from sin. Sin is the great barrier that keeps the heart from listening to Jesus Christ because some of His words were so hard. He left no door open to mere intellectual belief, but rather directly put forth the cost, the course, and the cause in coming to Him for salvation.

Matthew 8:22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” NKJV

Matthew 10:34-36 Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' NKJV

Matthew 15:13-14 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My Heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” NKJV

Matthew 18:6-9 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.” NKJV

The truth is hard when it is rationalized or made to be relative to today’s philosophy or pop culture. A sinful wicked heart can only be exposed by the truth. Our Lord knowing the hearts of the religious Jews and the heart of every man or woman reading this right now knew exactly what needed to be said. The powerful thing is those same words are still piercing hearts with the truth nearly 2000 years later because every word our Lord speaks has spiritual life eternal life. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God and all of the Word of God is the voice of Jesus Christ speaking to men and women. The writer of the Book of Hebrews tells every person that would be brought to read the Bible, “If you hear His voice, do not harden your heart.” Instead of hardening your heart you should do what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 10:8-10 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. NKJV

“It is the voice of Christ that wakens the dead soul. Jesus speaks through the Bible, through ministers, through providences. His voice can reach the dead. He quickeneth whom He will. They that hear, live. When the voice of Christ speaks through the Word, then you will arise, and leave all, and follow Him.” Robert Murray McCheyne

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that by the power of Your Spirit and Word that You would prick the hearts of every curious on looker or on reader with the truth and they would hear the voice of Jesus Christ my Lord and turn from their sin to Him for salvation and receive the mind of Jesus Christ. Amen!!!

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reader, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…