Hearing God's Voice: Can You Hear Me Now?

April 27th, 2025/Casey Middle School

Introduction:

I have terrible cell service at my house.

I’m talkin’ — one bar if I stand on one foot next to a window, holding my phone over my head.
It’s giving… desperate teenager.

I’ve literally walked laps around my neighborhood waving my phone like I’m on a treasure hunt, just trying to catch a signal.
And every time, without fail, you hear that classic, frustrated phrase:

"Can you hear me now?!"

Because here’s the reality:
I’m speaking.
The person on the other line is speaking.
The problem isn’t communication.
The problem is… connection.

The voice isn’t broken.
The phone isn’t broken.
The connection is broken.

Transition:

What if I told you — the same thing happens with many of us and God?

God is speaking.
You’re speaking.
But sometimes — there’s a connection issue.

And the problem isn’t with the Sender.
It’s not that God stopped speaking.

How crazy would it be for me to yell in the phone… I can’t hear you… TALK LOUDER!!!
Maybe we’ve drifted too far from the signal.

Maybe there’s a proximity issue.

Maybe we’ve been living in a dead zone.

Today, we’re kicking off a series called "Hearing God's Voice,"
because the truth is simple:

"God’s voice hasn’t gotten quieter.
Maybe we’ve just moved out of range."

And Jesus — the Good Shepherd — is inviting us today to come close, listen well, and follow fully.

Pew Research & Barna Stats:
According to Pew Research, only 38% of Americans believe they've ever heard God speak.
Barna Group says only 52% of Christians believe they've ever heard His voice.

That’s heartbreaking.
Especially because Jesus didn’t say, “Some of My sheep hear My voice.”
He said:

“My sheep hear My voice.” (John 10:27)

Passage: Reading: John 10:22–30 (CSB)

Pray:

Background:

John 10 happens right after Jesus healed a man who was born blind.
Same day. Same setting. The Pharisees — the ones who were supposed to be the spiritual shepherds of Israel — had failed. They cared more about power, status, and control than they did about the people. And what’s important to notice is — Jesus had already spoken plainly to them. He had made it clear who He was. But they refused to listen. Their hearts were hard, therefore their ears were closed.

So now, in John 10, Jesus shifts. He begins speaking to them in a parable — using the picture of a shepherd and his sheep. A story that would resonate deeply in their culture. In ancient Israel, shepherds lived with their sheep. The sheep didn’t recognize their shepherd by sight — they recognized him by his voice. The sheep learned to trust the voice that cared for them, led them, and protected them.

So Jesus steps right into that broken system — right into their hardness of heart — and He says: “My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me.”

He’s offering a clear, loving truth:
You don’t have to be blind.
You don’t have to be deaf.
You don’t have to miss the voice of the Shepherd.
But you must be willing to listen.

Main Points:

1. You Belong to the Good Shepherd

You aren’t forgotten.
You aren’t random.
You aren’t abandoned.

You belong to the Good Shepherd — by name.

“He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out.” (John 10:3)

George Whitefield said: “Believers are likened to sheep — humble, often straying, yet valuable and useful.”

Applications:

• Do you feel invisible at work? He sees you.
• Do you feel weighed down by your past or the pressures of your life? He’s still calling your name.
• Do you feel replaceable or forgotten? You are engraved on His heart.

If Jesus had an iPhone you wouldn’t be listed as “Brown hair/met at Safeway”, you’d be labeled Tom (My son). You’d be on His favorites. Today Jesus is saying “I’ve not left, I’m right here, “Can you hear me now?”

2. You Can Hear and Obey His Voice

“My sheep hear My voice.” (John 10:27)

God is not silent. God is not distant. God is not hiding.

In Job 33:14 it says:

“For God does speak — now one way, now another — though no one perceives it.”

And Jesus says to His disciples in Matthew 13:16:

“Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.”

You were made to hear His voice.
But hear me: Hearing God isn’t about ability.
It’s not even just about proximity or posture.
It’s about belonging.

The ability to hear God’s voice comes because you are His.
Because you’ve been adopted.
Because you’re not an outsider — you're family.
You’re not trying to hack into the signal — you've been given full access.

When you belong to the Good Shepherd, the connection isn’t shaky.
It’s not spotty.
It’s not “Can you hear me now?”
It’s full access. It’s five bars. Full 5G! You’re on the Land Line!!! (Some of y’all don’t even know about that land line)

You’re not earning access.
You’re not begging for a signal.
You’ve been given the right to hear the voice of your Shepherd.

How Does God Speak Practically?

In theology, we say God speaks through General Revelation — that's creation shouting His glory.

Through Special Revelation — that's Scripture, His Son, and His supernatural Word to His people.

And through Illumination — when the Spirit takes what we read and what we hear, and makes it explode into real, personal truth inside our hearts.

*Show Image

God speaking is always…

• Anchored to His Word,
• Empowered by His Spirit,
• and Consistent with His Nature.

How you might hear Him:

1. Through the Bible — the primary and clearest way.
2. Through the Holy Spirit's nudges — those inner promptings that align with Scripture.
3. Through Circumstances — the doors He opens and closes around you.
4. Through Wise Counsel — godly people speaking truth into your life.
5. Through Supernatural Moments — like dreams, visions, or even that unexplainable peace that passes understanding.

But every way God speaks will always align with what He's already said in His Word.

Personal Examples:
I've heard God’s voice:

• Through Scripture that felt highlighted just for me.
• Through a strong nudge to encourage or text someone. (What’s a nudge?)
• Through closed or open doors.
• Through a deep peace that didn't make sense but settled my spirit.

It’s not always mystical — sometimes it’s just unmistakable clarity.

Hearing is Meant for Obeying

Sometimes, hearing isn't the problem.
Often obedience is the problem.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLZW-kWr1F4

Same mistake, different font.

Can anyone relate?

James Montgomery Boice said: “Each of Christ’s sheep has a double mark — on his ear and on his foot. The mark on his ear is that he hears Christ. The mark on his foot is that he follows Him.”

Real proof you’re hearing God?
It’s not goosebumps — it’s footsteps.

Jesus said in John 7:17:

“If anyone wantschooses to do hisGod's will, he will knowfind out whether theMy teaching iscomes from God.”

In other words, hearing God’s voice isn't first about having a seminary degree.
It’s about having a willing heart.

God doesn’t speak most clearly to the most educated.
He speaks most clearly to the most surrendered.

The Pharisees heard the words of Jesus, but because their hearts were closed, their ears were closed.

And maybe today, you’re sitting here thinking:
"I wish I could hear God more clearly..."

If that’s you — hear this:

Maybe the invitation today isn’t try harder.
Maybe it’s trust deeper.
Maybe it’s obey sooner.

Because the more you obey, the more your spiritual ears tune in to the frequency of Heaven.

Obedience doesn’t earn God’s voice —
it positions you to recognize it.

3. You Have Abundant and Eternal Life

Following the voice of the Good Shepherd isn’t just about surviving this week.
It’s about living in the reality of abundant life now and eternal life forever.

Jesus says: "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of My hand." (John 10:28)

When you hear His voice and follow Him, you aren’t just getting directions for today.
You’re stepping into a relationship that will never end.

You’re not just invited to a moment of clarity
You’re invited to a lifetime of communion.
A lifetime of trust.
A lifetime of being led, loved, and secured by the Shepherd who never lets go.

Applications:

• Feeling the weight of regret? You’re still held in His hands.
• Facing an uncertain future? You’re still held in His hands.
• Fighting anxiety or fear? You’re still held in His hands.

You are double-gripped:

• Held by the Son.
• Secured by the Father.

You are not barely hanging on.
You are being held.
You are safe. You are loved. You are His — now and forever.

Closing:

Maybe today...
You realize you’ve been tuning into the wrong voices.
You realize the Good Shepherd has been calling your name the whole time.

• You were made for more than noise — you were made for His voice.
• You were made for more than wandering — you were made for following.
• You were made for more than surviving — you were made for hearing and thriving.

“When he has brought out all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice.” (John 10:4)

Invitation:

If you want to make a decision to follow Jesus. Then join me and everyone else in the building as we pray out loud together. It’s not the prayer that saves you, but your faith, making Jesus Lord of your life. We don’t let anyone go on the journey alone. If you have faith in Jesus, then let’s join together as we pray…

Prayer of Salvation:

Jesus, I acknowledge that I need you

I confess that I have sinned against you

I believe that God raised you from the dead

And right now, by faith, I say “Jesus is Lord”

Thank you for forgiving me

By your grace I am saved

And by your power I am set free

Communion: 1 Corinth 11