John 10.3-5,16 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, [and] one shepherd.
Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice and know His voice. Did that only pertain to those individuals who were on earth at the same time Jesus was? If so, then Jesus only has a flock of sheep that is limited to His 3-year ministry on earth. That of course is not true. The book of Hebrews was written long after after Jesus ascended into heaven. It says, “For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.”
Obviously, the voice of Our Lord is much more than the printed Scripture or His audible voice on earth. It is unfortunate that out of control charismatic extremists have so poisoned the hearts and thinking of many of God’s people to the point where any talk of The Lord speaking to His children is considered borderline craziness. How sad. Yes, God’s Word is complete and is a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path. His warnings, commands and principles never change or waver. I also believe that God’s sacred Scripture and God’s worldwide prophetic picture for the end of the ages into eternity future cannot be added to or taken away from. But when the ink dried from the last verse of Revelation, did God put masking tape over His mouth? Is He silent in the sense of speaking to His sheep today? I believe that as long as Jesus has sheep, He will speak to them. Not only through Scripture but in that still small voice.
“He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.” John the Baptist speaks here of the bridegroom’s voice. Who is The Bridegroom Jesus’ bride? The church. All of His sheep.
All of those who are born again are married to Jesus. How do we enter into that body? “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” We hear His voice. Thus, we are a His bride. “Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, [even] to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.” Do we not as The Lord’s flock need His guidance and direction today? Do not The Lord’s sheep today need personal and practical wisdom in making decisions or seeking His direction? I am not about to claim to understand fully just what His voice “sounds like”, but I know that His voice is as real as yours or mine. If prayer is a dialogue, do we do all the talking and Jesus all the listening? Hardly.
Yes, there is a non-biblical craziness regarding God speaking to people. But let’s not throw away a precious biblical truth and promise out the window because of that. Thus saith The Lord as is found in a scripture in a finished revelation. Thus saith The Lord as far as directing you and me today in our daily need for His insight or wisdom is as real for us as it was 2,000 ago on earth. Why do I believe that? Let me close with Jesus speaking for Himself, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. When did that stop?
