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Love
Teaching Text: John 10: 1-10 and 27-30
“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
Themes
Consider these themes and ask your group what else they see in the passage:
Hearing God
Formation
Thoughts and notes you can use for discussion:
When God began to set the world right after the fall, God initiated a conversation ...
Abraham heard a calling - an invitation
Moses drew near to something he has seen everyday for years before
Samuel was sleeping as a child when he began to sense God's voice
Mary, Paul, Augustine, Martin Luther, Thersea of Avila, Brother Lawrence, and Jackie Pullinger
Redemptive History is shaped by God's children hearing His voice and responding in faith and love.
In a relational world and a relational Kingdom of God, there is little that rivals the importance of communication. It is at the heart of every deep relationship.
God speaks. God is active in revelation. We can learn to discern the voice of God in our lives.
Jesus gives us this incredible promise that His sheep will hear His voice.
It comes at a moment where His very identity is being questioned. Jesus locates who He is in the reality that His sheep, His disciples, those He has saved, who apprentice under Him WILL HEAR HIS VOICE.
HEARING FROM GOD IS ESSENTIAL TO OUR LIFE AS FOLLOWERS OF JESUS
Hearing from God is your spiritual birthright in the Gospel
But as in so many things, what is important is not without challenges.
It can take time to discern how God speaks to us
It can take some wisdom and consideration as to why that is so very rarely in human history in an audible voice
It can be humbling to know we may get it wrong sometimes when discerning God's voice
I have four children and communicating with them over the years has taught me that different ways of communicating are needed based on the situation and on who they are. There are shared principles, but ways and settings of talking and listening that are unique to each of them.
God has children beyond number, but we can be confident that we can learn to hear God's voice, especially if we ask to and commit to seek God's voice.
Experiencing God study in college
4 of the primary ways - SCRIPTURE, GOD'S WHISPER IN THE SPIRIT, COMMUNITY, CIRCUMSTANCES
Which of the 4 ways of hearing God have you found most prevalent in your life?
Which of hearing God do you want to grow in?
How can you learn/practice that?
