FOUNDATIONAL TRUTH
Hearing God’s Voice
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
As in the above Scripture, Jesus clearly stated that His sheep (those that belong to Him & His Father, John 14:23-24; John 16:15; John 17:10) would hear His voice. This voice is part of the Godhead, which is the Holy Spirit. It is the same Spirit that Jesus spoke of coming after He died on the cross and left the earth to return to the Father (John 16:5-11). Even though it seems from an earthly understanding that these are three separate entities, They are not.
God created all things into existence in order to use them to teach us of Himself by His Spirit’s leading. And to explain the Godhead simply for those that struggle with the understanding of it is this: Just like God created our bodies that have many parts (arm, leg, eyes, etc.); there may be various parts but since they are united, they are considered one body. Each part may have different roles & characteristics that make them unique but when working together rightly, they perform perfectly, as they should. This is how you can look at the Godhead. Even though there are three parts of the Godhead, each part has Their own characteristics and roles they are assigned to perform in order to rightly work in goodness. Again, if our own bodies had problems occurring within them, they would not work properly and things would go bad; but if they worked appropriately than they’d have no problems and all would be good. This is why it states in Scripture: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called,” (Ephesians 4:4). This corresponds with the above explanation, but it’s a spiritual Body first, which has one Father, One Spirit, and one Son. And these three agree with each other so that all things work out for good when combined in the ways He’s led them to work (Romans 8:28; John 10:30). They work in one accord, as this is what His true Body of people will do when they come into an agreement or in accord with the Spirit of God. This would require complete obedience unto the Holy Spirit in ALL things as an individual first, which would then make them in agreement with the Son and the Father, and then they would be ‘added unto’ with others as well that have formed this same union in obedience that agrees on all that God says by His Spirit—forming a Body or the Body of Christ (Romans 15:5-6). It is important to notice that it also says in Ephesians 4:4 that there is one Spirit. So, that means you will listen to one Spirit, the Holy Spirit always. Any other ‘spirit’ you may be listening to reveals that it is not the Truth, as there is only one Spirit to listen to. To take part in listening to other spirits puts you in danger of listening to the false, which is of the darkness and works to do bad (no matter how nice it may sound). Those that try to mislead others into listening to ‘spirits’ are actually taking part in listening to demonic spirits not led of God but of the devil, which will ultimately lead them into destruction if one does not walk away from their leading (1Timothy 4:1; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). This is why it’s crucial to learn by the Holy Spirit, how to discern if you are truly listening to Him or to other spirits that are not of Him (1 John 4:1-4). Always pray to God for greater discernment and understanding of Himself continually so that you may determine correctly if it is His Truth guiding you (John 16:13; John 14:17; Philippians 1:9-10; Hebrews 5:14; Proverbs 2:1-5; Colossians 2:8; James 1:5).
This brings us to the latter part of John 10:27, “and I know them and they follow Me.” The Lord knows who are His because He first of all, chose them from the beginning and He knows the beginning and the end (John 15:16; Jeremiah 1:5; 2 Timothy 2:19; Isaiah 46:9-10). He knows them because they follow Him. Meaning, His people follow His Spirit’s leading ALL of the time and abstain from wickedness entirely. This is done by the Holy Spirit guiding you into all things. If you’re following His Spirit all of the time, you’re not following others’ spirits, your own spirit that can be enticed to sin easily, and demonic spirits that can influence your choices away from God’s leading. You cannot continue to walk in sin and claim you are following Christ (or that you are a Christian). Either you will love one or hate the other. God’s true children will grow more into His likeness by following His Holy Spirit completely and will not accept sin in their lives nor encourage others to stay in sin by compromising the Gospel of Christ and the faith (Psalm 97:10, sin IS evil; Romans 12:9, to be a sincere follower of Christ you must hate evil; Psalm 34:14, to turn from evil is to seek peace; Proverbs 8:13, if one truly has Godly fear, they will hate evil). Those that consistently listen to the Holy Spirit’s leading will learn about sin and how to judge rightly what is and isn’t of God, in order to make good decisions that are in God’s will. This is exactly why Jesus had to return to the Father, so that the Holy Spirit could come to teach us all these things:
“However, I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you [into close fellowship with you]; but if I go away, I will send Him to you [to be in close fellowship with you].
8 And when He comes, He will convict and convince the world and bring demonstration to it about sin and about righteousness (uprightness of heart and right standing with God) and about judgment:
9 About sin, because they do not believe in Me [trust in, rely on, and adhere to Me];
10 About righteousness (uprightness of heart and right standing with God), because I go to My Father, and you will see Me no longer;
11 About judgment, because the ruler (evil genius, prince) of this world [Satan] is judged and condemned and sentence already is passed upon him.”
When we listen to the Holy Spirit, we learn Truth of spiritual things; about sin, righteousness, and sound judgment. If you can learn to understand these things properly in the Lord, you will be able to grow spiritually and live eternally through His Life, which is Spirit (John 4:23-24; Psalm 145:18; Philippians 3:3) and is holy (1 Peter 1:16; Leviticus 20:26). We are spiritual beings. Even though we may have an outer appearance that is perceived as otherwise (or fleshly), inwardly we are really a spirit. However, the whole purpose of Christ coming to the earth, or God in the flesh, as His Son was to reveal to His people that we are something more than what we appear as. But we need to learn how to be ‘that more,’ and that would be accomplished only by following His lead that He demonstrated while on the earth. Jesus was led by God the Father and the Holy Spirit was with Him in unison, or one accord, walking as a body in order to show that God is One and His people must become one as He is as well (Luke 3:21-22; John 5:19; John 5:30; John 6:38; John 8:16). This is what it means to be made whole or complete (Philippians 2:1-2). Our spirit is not made complete or whole or healed until we become unified with the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is why there is no peace within. Those that are His will be stirred within of a lack of ‘missing something’ when they have not truly encountered and met God intimately in a relationship consistently. We were created to be in a union but it was for this union, with God first, and then unified with others that which have the same union. When this is done, peace will exist in oneself and be able to be extended to those that seek this same peace as well, which is in goodness. The world is always seeking for peace but it will never exist if there are people that do not have peace within themselves first because the ones that have not sought true peace in Christ through the Spirit will always be at odds against those that have. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” (Matthew 5:9). The peacemakers are those that have made peace with God and have come to Him in humility to submit themselves under His lead, away from sin and wickedness. This is why the Scripture goes on to say that they will see God or be called the children of God. Why? The reason is they have been made well and whole by Him and through Him and His ways. They no longer walk at odds against God.
When we have come into the place with God where we are at peace with Him, He is able then to give us life eternal because the new life in, by, and through Him ISeternal life. It will feed your spirit continually (Isaiah 58:11; John 4:14; Psalm 107:9; Isaiah 49:9-10; Matthew 4:4). And the reason why none shall perish is because they are no longer on the path to destruction in sin, but on a new path of Life through obedience in a Life-giving Spirit that leads you away from sin and its deathly nature of destruction (1 Corinthians 15:35-49). Once you are under the power of God or in submission and living in His Spirit fully, no one can lead you away from Him into darkness again, only He into His Light from glory to glory. God is the ruler over all things. This is when you have overcome…
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all.
He who overcomes (is victorious), I will grant him to sit beside Me on My throne, as I Myself overcame (was victorious) and sat down beside My Father on His throne.
38 For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,
39 Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.