Watch “An Ear To Hear” Jentezen Franklin, host of Kingdom Connection & Pastor of Free Chapel. www.jentezenfranklin.orgWatch “An Ear To Hear” Jentezen Franklin, host of Kingdom Connection & Pastor of Free Chapel. www.jentezenfranklin.org
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I want to talk to you just a very simple
message a very instructional message
today about hearing the voice of God
having an ear to hear the first thing we
learn about God in Scripture is that God
is a speaking God he is a God of
language he is a God who closed his
thoughts with words he is a God who
conveys his will with his speech he is a
God who gives furball form to his
thinking in the book of Genesis our
first introduction to God is in Genesis
1 and the third verse of the Bible and
God said it was the voice of God that
walked through the paths of the Garden
of Eden the Bible said the voice of God
came walking we have preached it like
God came but and he did certainly but it
was his voice that would come walking in
the cool of the day and walk through
that garden with Adam and Eve I’ve told
people the reason that it said it his
voice spoke in the cool of the day is
because any time God speaks is cool come
on say men on Mount Sinai the Bible said
his voice sounded like peals of thunder
and the people ran in terror and said
Moses you go hear from God were scared
of that voice in with the prophet Elijah
he came as a gentle whisper a still
small voice one translation said like a
whisper like a gentle whisper in the ear
of the Prophet John on the Isle of
Patmos heard the voice of God and he
said it sounded like the sound of many
waters it was like a thousand niagra’s
it was so strong so God’s voice has
nuances it has high as it has lows God
has an awesome pitch he can hit high or
he can go low and if he wants to with
his voice he can Rumble like a thousand
Niagara Rivers but if he wants to he can
whisper so softly that you might mistake
it for a gentle breeze but God knows how
to speak his voice is active in the
earth today in the Old Testament when
God would anoint a priest or prophet as
his mouthpiece they would preference
their word
words by saying thus says the Lord
listen to that thus says the Lord
why because over and over and over God’s
trying to get us to have this
comprehension that he’s a speaking God
he wants to talk he’s always been a
speaking God then at the end of Malachi
the last book of the Old Testament
there’s 600 years of silence God’s voice
goes quiet and he will not speak and he
backs off and then we’re introduced to
the New Testament with John the Baptist
the Bible listen to the biblical
description of John the Baptist I’m the
voice of one notice the wording I’m the
voice of one crying in the wilderness he
wasn’t the voice but he was the voice of
one crying in the wilderness why because
the one he’s preaching for has a voice
and he’s saying I’m his voice repent for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand in John
one and one perhaps the most astonishing
description of Jesus Christ and in the
beginning was the word and the word
noticed the verbal the word and the Word
was with God and the Word was God John
1:14 and the Word was made flesh notice
the description of what Christ was
before he took on physical bodily form
he was the word the word why because God
is a communicator God is a speaker and
he even calls his son his word wrapped
in flesh and dwelt among us full of
truth and full of grace God is a
speaking God and even in the upper room
on the day of Pentecost they spoke with
tongues as the spirit gave them the
utterance what is that about it’s again
God confirming I speak I talk I want to
communicate with you I see usually two
extremes when it comes to people hearing
the voice of God there’s those on the
one hand who pray and they don’t ever
really expect or take time to even
listen to God they just go pray and
and they talk talking they do all the
talking and they really have no
expectation of God ever really
confirming or guiding or speaking to
them in any significant way and then
there’s the other extreme of people who
say they hear God all the time God tells
them where to buy their gas God tells
them what what kind of cereal don’t eat
cocoa pop see frosted flakes and God
told me to I think the balance is
somewhere in the middle I doubt God’s
telling you what cereal that you need to
eat you ought to let your weight tell
you that come on somebody why would God
waste his words on stuff like that but
but if he’s going to he’s going to speak
to us he wants us to believe and listen
and lean in to hearing usually if you
have a speaking problem it’s because you
have a hearing problem people who can’t
talk plainly can’t hear plainly and you
need to focus more on what God has to
say than what you have to say
the book of Revelation does not say he
that half a mouth let him talk the book
of Revelation says he that hath an ear
let him hear what the Spirit is saying
what does this voice sound like pastor
what is this what is this voice like the
Hebrews puts it like this you have the
inner ear
the circumcised ear one translation said
and that inner ear that inner voice that
will that will always agree with the
Word of God that will always tell you to
do the right thing there is an inner
voice and inner circumcised ear the
scripture calls it and it’s almost like
God puts in us a GPS navigational system
on the inside as believers and if we
will learn to listen and to think about
those navigational systems is they they
speak to you when you first start out
and they tell you what direction to go
but then they go silent
and I hate it when you’re on a long trip
and they don’t say anything for a long
ways and you’ve had a lot of turns and
stuff and you’re still wondering is this
the right I need you to confirm that I’m
doing but God seldom repeats himself and
sometimes God will go silent on you but
it’s okay because if you miss it he’ll
say turn around and right before the
turn the voice will come back and we’ve
got to grow sensitive to that voice he
that hath an ear let him hear what the
Spirit is saying so God one day comes to
Abraham in Genesis 22
and he says Abraham take with you your
son your only son a hint of Jesus your
only Son take him to a certain mountain
that I will show you now I’m giving you
direction but I’m not giving you details
this is how God does it many of you are
waiting on God to just drop you a set an
amount with markings and how your life
is going to be laid out that is not how
God does it he will give you a certain
direction he will give you steps the
Bible said the steps it didn’t say the
the leaps it didn’t say the great long
journey
it said the steps of a righteous man
it’s one step at a time
it’s what everything’s connected when
you hear the voice of God and he says he
says take him to a mountain that I will
show you how would you like for God to
uproot you tell you to take your son go
on a journey you don’t know where you’re
going I’ll tell you when you get there
that’s like country directions he said
he said you’re going yonder to the
Yonder Mountain have you ever read that
in Genesis 2 you’re going to the
mountain that is yonder yes I don’t need
those kinds of directions I need a clear
path of where you want me to go but God
says I rarely will give you the
specifics God doesn’t give you details
he says you walk by faith not by sight
and it’s all about you staying closer
enough to hear my voice when I tell you
to do something it’s not about the
destination it’s about the journey I’m
going to get you to the destination but
you’re going to have to walk with me I’m
not going to give you the whole thing so
you can take off on your own but you’re
gonna need me for every step of this
journey that I’m taking you on that will
lead you to your destiny and your
purpose and I’m not gonna let you
operate independent of me if you want to
do that then you’ll go in circles and
you won’t get to the place that the high
place I had for you but if you will walk
with me day by day I will be the voice
that will guide you to your destiny God
doesn’t give you details he says you
walk by faith and if you have too many
facts then you don’t have enough faith
he says I’m going to take you to a place
called yonder it’s not just about where
you’re trying to go but the lessons are
about you learning to hear his voice
along the way he’s training Abraham
through a test he’s training Abraham
through that trial and it’s all about
him hearing the voice of God I’ve
ordered your steps step by step take
another step take another step that’s
how God does it he’s not big on details
he says step into the unknown so I can I
can perform the impossible for you as
long as you are where it’s safe for you
in your comfort zone you’ll never
experience the supernatural and the
impossible what God’s greatest challenge
to you and I is is to hear his voice and
the step out of the comfort zone and as
soon as you do you will confront the
fear zone that says get back in the
comfort zone get back in because anytime
the first zone you have to step out of
is the comfort zone then you step and
immediately you’re introduced to the
fear zone because you’re unfamiliar you
don’t know how you’re gonna make it you
don’t know where your provisions going
to come from but God has not given us a
spirit of fear but of power and of love
of a sound mind and if you will keep
going you’ll move from comfort zone to
fear zone to victories own successes own
destiny zone Abraham God said go to that
mountain and when he gets to the
mountain he says you and your son go
yonder to worship and leave the servants
and the donkeys behind and he says while
you want with me I’ll lead you and I’ll
guide you go to yonder mountain he
doesn’t even tell him where it is
have you ever had God speak to you and
you see yourself and you see and clearly
you believe that’s where God’s called me
to go but what do you do when you know
where he’s told you to go but you don’t
understand where you are when your word
doesn’t line up with what he’s telling
you to do the question is can you endure
the silence while God is saying nothing
he speaks when it’s time to make a turn
he speaks and he’s trying to teach you
to hear with your inner ear and the rest
of the time you walk by faith he got to
that place that he had to hear God and
he took his son and they were three days
off the Bible said afar off well how
will you know when you get there God I
mean you need to tell me exactly he said
your three days go yonder well how will
you know that’s women have this thing
that they understand this point because
women have an have an intuition when
they’re shopping they’ll go shopping and
and a salesperson will come up to them
and say can I help you and they always
say at least my wife does no thank you
I’m just looking which really means
leave me alone in a polite way
but if they’re persistent they will
follow you and they will say if you
would just tell me what you’re looking
for I can show you where to go to which
they always say when I see it I will
know it that’s how the will of God is I
don’t know how to tell you in so many
words but if you want with God
and he’s with you and you’re searching
and asking him for his wheel of what
college I should go to or what job I
should take or what opportunity I should
get involved in and what I should do
with my life
all I can tell you is that inner voice
will say to you at the right times on
the right steps I don’t know how I know
it but this is right for me I have peace
about and boy if you don’t have that
peace don’t do it there is a place and
God set up trials in Abraham’s life so
that he would hear the voice in crisis
listen carefully
usually God speaks clearest in dark
places the closer he got to his destiny
the more he had to lose his history
where God’s taking you you can’t take
everybody with you and he says to the
servants and the donkey’s you stay here
we’re going there there are some people
that you can’t take with you
dedication requires separation don’t
fight being alone
don’t fight loneliness don’t fight
because that’s where you perfect the
voice of God the closer you get to God’s
will the smaller the crowd gets Paul was
alone in a jail cell when he wrote the
epistles John was alone on the Isle of
Patmos when he wrote the book of
Revelation Jesus was alone in the garden
when he won the battle over the flesh
Elijah was alone in the cave when he
heard the steal small voice of God it
became a whisper but he heard it when he
got along
Abraham and Isaac are there and Isaac he
says put the wood on your back and let’s
climb this heel and they climbed the
hill together and we think that Isaac is
a little child but the truth is he’s 17
to 19 years old if he wanted to resist
the father he could have resisted the
father but he willingly laid down on the
altar and when the father built an altar
to sacrifice the son because that’s what
God told him to do he told him to take
his son up on that mountain he told him
to build an altar and he told him to
kill his son and burn him in a sacrifice
unto Him he said offer me a burnt
offering and he laid the boy down and
the boy willingly he didn’t resist the
old man who was over a hundred he could
have resisted a beautiful picture of
Jesus Christ who didn’t have to die on
the cross he could have called ten
thousand angels he could have resisted
the will of the Father but he submitted
and willingly laid down on the cross and
Abraham raises the knife at what God has
told him to do and he’s about to put the
knife in his son’s heart and suddenly
the voice of God comes a second time and
this is so important and says stay your
hands stop don’t do this and all of a
sudden his hand is froze because he’s
hearing another word now God was the one
what do you mean don’t do it I’m doing
what you told me to do but man shall not
live by bread alone but by every word
listen to it that proceeds Matthew four
out of the mouth of God
it’s the preceding word and if you don’t
if you don’t get the preceding word
meaning the now word you will kill your
future living off what you heard
yesterday you can’t make it off what you
heard back then that’s why it’s not
enough to come to church and hear
sermons
you have to read this book so that it
will speak to you if you will pray God
will speak to you if you would develop a
walk with God as you walk with God
because here’s the point of the sermon
listen as his hand is raised what do you
mean don’t do this God you told me to do
this God says I don’t need your son’s
blood your son’s blood can’t save
anybody I’m gonna give my own son’s
blood his blood will say listen it never
was about your son what was it about why
did I do all of this it was about your
ear I was trying to develop your ear to
hear new direction can I trust you
enough to give you new direction can I
trust you enough not to live in the past
that I can change your direction and you
will hear me and you don’t care about
you’re not so married to your history
that you would kill your future God was
speaking and some of you some of you are
killing your future because you’ve grown
death to his voice God already knows who
you’re supposed to marry God already
knows what you’re supposed to do God
knows that you’re gonna fail if you do
what you think you can do but he knows
your giftings and the Bible calls it the
Paul said I press for the mark of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus
meaning this is the highest thing I can
do with my life and God has put
everything together in me and he’s
marked the high-water mark up here now
if I go with God he’s going to take me
to my highest potential but if I don’t
I’m gonna hit down here down here down
here down here but here’s where God saw
you but I can’t get there leaning on my
own understanding but in all of my ways
I have to acknowledge him
and he will direct my path it’s never
been about your son Abraham it’s about
your ear I wanted to know if I could
still speak to you under pressure in a
trial and you hear me because now I know
that I’ve got your ear now I know that I
can give you fresh instructions and new
directions and the next step for your
life and you will be bold enough to obey
me and that’s all I ever needed from you
I’ll do the miracles I’ll do the
multiplication I’ll do the successful
things I’ll open the doors
I’ll bring the provision I just need you
to hear me God has a word now if Abraham
could hear if he couldn’t have heard he
would have killed his future because he
couldn’t hear the preceding word of God
I’m saying this in closing now don’t
kill your dreams because you’ve grown
death to the voice of God he starts to
slay him God says stop right there it
was never about your son it was about
your ear I wanted to know if I could
hear you and the Bible said that he
untied his son and here’s the amazing
thing when he heard from God instantly
provision came and he said we’re dead
what are we going to sacrifice and the
Bible said at that moment they heard a
ram that was called in the thicket his
horns were called in the thicket the
horns are the part that the RAM would
resist you with but God tied up all
resistance to the resources and
provision and had it waitin on listen
God already has all the provision you
need to succeed and do well tied up it
can’t resist you it can’t get away from
you nobody can take it it’s there for
you and it’s all dependent upon you
hearing his voice now I know what I’m
preaching about right here because I
started out with
and I’m telling you we’ve watched God
meet every need of this ministry
miraculously all we’ve got going for us
it turned to somebody and say man what
big ears you’ve got if you will hear God
God will send you to college and pay for
it if you hear God he’ll start that
business and you’ll succeed if you hear
God he’ll help you get a house and
you’ll pay for it if you’ll hear God
he’ll bless your family for generations
to come
somebody shout and praise God for big
ears these young people need to hear
he’s still Jehovah Jireh and he will
provide if you’re hearing from him the
money is already tied up in that amazing
and what is he already tied up on the
other side of your trial just wondering
will you hear me will you move and my
word will you walk with me will you stay
uncluttered enough and not get
distracted that you will stay in tune
with my voice because if you do
everything that you need I will supply
this is where he said we will name this
place I feel like shouting right here we
will name this place Abraham said
Jehovah Jireh the Lord will provide
he’ll provide favor he’ll provide open
doors he’ll provide millions of dollars
if necessary he’ll be your backer up I
need somebody in the balcony to shout
just a minute on a Sunday morning
back you up when you hear him I believe
you’re having that ear to hear right now
I believe the voice that you’re hearing
inside that still small voice is the
voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to you
and there are some of you that are
watching this program that need a change
in your life that voice is challenging
you to come to Jesus to surrender your
life to it and it’s time to do that
today he can change things in your
family in your life he can change things
in your future if you’re tired of being
bound and defeated and just seeming
seemingly missing something deep inside
that missing factor is Jesus Christ and
he wants to heal your life let him in
right now pray this prayer say Lord
Jesus say the words Lord Jesus I receive
you as my savior I would need you and I
believe in you and today I hear you
calling me and I say yes yes to your
will yes to your way yes Lord
that you would be Lord of my life in
Jesus name Amen
if you prayed that prayer we would love
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designed to help you in your new walk
with Jesus Christ praise God tell
somebody what the Lord has done for you
in our closing moments together I want
to thank all of you who have been
responding to the new project that we
are talking about on the program we have
a new campus that we’re about to open up
in Spartanburg South Carolina it’s an
amazing facility with 3,000 seats and
we’re going to believe God from a mighty
mighty harvest it’s already beginning
actually and we’re seeing hundreds of
people who are assembling every week but
we believe that God has called us to do
something great in that area we would
love for you to partner with
pray about what you can do to make a
difference we’re believing that since
there’s 3,000 seats in this beautiful
Spartanburg Worship Center that there
are 3,000 people that would say you know
the ministry is impacted my life and
Jensen i watch you and you feed my soul
and help me and i want to help you reach
souls I’m not asking for myself every
penny you give to this ministry we take
and we either use it to expand the
broadcast to give to world missions or
to do specific projects like this that
are soul-winning they reach Souls
churches by the our churches reach the
housings of people this is our fourth
campus and we believe God has called us
to do this would you pray about being
one of the three thousand and so a
thousand dollar seat if you can’t do
that do your very best God will bless it
and we’ll have more than enough to do as
we’ll thank you for helping us with this
project we’re going to win many souls
god bless you
life is real vivid alive beating Bremen
it happens behind closed doors and out
in front there’s joy there’s laughter
chaos
lifelong friendships are forged love is
found moments cherished
and never forgotten
life is a gift and together we are real
family
real friends
real people
experiencing real life
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