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History: God's Voice Speaking To His Children - Old Testament Prophets

History: God's Voice Speaking To His Children

Jesus Heard His Father's Voice For Instruction

John The Baptist...
Of course, historically, John the Baptist came between the Old Testament prophets and Jesus Christ.  In Luke 7:28 Jesus tells us that John was a prophet:  "Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist...".   In Revelations 19:10, we are informed that "the 'Testimony' of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."  Just as Israel's other prophets, John heard the Spirit of God speaking. 

John confirms this in John 3:27-34, saying, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.  You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.'  He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and HEARS HIM, rejoices greatly BECAUSE OF THE BRIDEGROOM'S VOICE. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.  He must increase, but I must decrease... And WHAT HE {JESUS} SEES {EXPERIENCES, STARES AT; SEES CLEARLY} AND HEARS, THAT HE TESTIFIES {BEARS WITNESS TO; GIVES TESTIMONY TO}; AND NO ONE RECEIVES HIS 'TESTIMONY'. He who has received His 'testimony' has certified that God is true. For HE WHOM GOD HAS SENT SPEAKS THE WORD OF GOD, for God does not give the Spirit by measure." (John 3:28-34)

John said that God does not give His Holy Spirit by measure; therefore, all who have received the Holy Spirit, have received the FULLNESS of the Spirit who is Holy.  We have also received the TESTIMONY that certifies that God is true, or the truth. BECAUSE Jesus had the Holy Spirit living within Him, He heard God speak: "He whom God has sent speaks the Word of God"; "And what He {Jesus} sees {experiences, stares at; sees clearly} and hears, He testifies {bears witness to; gives testimony to}...".  It is through the Holy Spirit, that we are given the ability to hear God, and receive the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Some may interpret John's words, "the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and HEARS HIM, rejoices greatly BECAUSE OF THE BRIDEGROOM'S VOICE..." as a reference to hearing Jesus' earthly voice, rather than the Spiritual voice of God.   This may be true.  However without any chance of misinterpretation or misunderstanding, we are told in John 1:32-34 that John heard the voice of Jehovah: "John bore witness, saying, 'I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, BUT HE WHO SENT ME to baptize with water SAID TO ME, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified {given Testimony} that this is the Son of God." (NKJ)

The Holy Spirit Leads Jesus Into All The Truth...
For years I wondered if Jesus Christ heard His Father's voice in the same manner I hear Jesus. If you think about it, it makes sense; but due to lack of proper training, I dared not even hope for the knowledge and nature given to Jesus.  In this study, our Lord proves beyond a doubt that He heard His Father's voice from within, as we are to do.

Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary tells us, "Looking forward to the ministry of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit inspired Isaiah to prophecy: (1)"The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him" <Is. 11:2>. The Holy Spirit inspired Jesus with wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, fear of the Lord, righteousness, and faithfulness. Thus we come full cycle to the New Testament where Jesus claims the fulfillment of this prophecy in Himself <(2) Is. 61:1-2; Luke 4:18-19>."

(1)  (Isa 11:1-2)  There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.  The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.  (NKJ)

(2)  (Isa 61:1)  "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, BECAUSE the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound"  (NKJ)

Many times I have been asked by others, "Why do you think I am not hearing God?"  God has trained me to ask them in return, "Why do you want to hear God?"  Above, Nelson's stated that "the Holy Spirit inspired Jesus with wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, fear of the Lord, righteousness, and faithfulness".   This is why God has endowed each of us with the ability to hear His voice; and why each of us should want to hear Him speak.

We, as Christ's disciples, are told in the John 16:12-15, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  HOWEVER, WHEN HE, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, HAS COME, HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH; FOR HE WILL NOT SPEAK ON HIS OWN AUTHORITY, BUT WHATEVER HE HEARS HE WILL SPEAK; and He will tell you things to come.  HE WILL GLORIFY ME {in you, as well as in the physical, earthly realm, and in Heaven}, for HE WILL TAKE WHAT IS MINE AND DECLARE {SPEAK}  IT TO YOU.  ALL THINGS THAT THE FATHER HAS, ARE MINE. THEREFORE, I SAID THAT HE WILL TAKE OF MINE {all that belongs to the Father} AND DECLARE IT TO YOU. (NKJ)

What is Jesus teaching us, when He says, "He {the Holy Spirit} will take of Mine and DECLARE it to you"?  He is saying, that in receiving the Holy Spirit we have received the same gift from our Father, that He, Jesus, had/has.  With regards to Jesus hearing His Father, John 1:8 informs us, "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has DECLARED {spoken} Him" (NKJ).  God is the Word.  As we just read in John 16:12-15, Jesus has promised us that the Holy Spirit will DECLARE the Fullness of the Father through us also.   Just as Jesus DECLARES/DECLARED His Father, so should we.  In reality, it is the Father's own Holy Spirit that DECLARES Him with truth and clarity, through us.

We learned in our chapter 'The Old Testament Prophets', that God put His Word in the prophets' mouths.  Again, in Deuteronomy 18:16-18, God promises, "I will raise them up a Prophet {Jesus Christ} from among their brothers, like unto thee {Moses}, and WILL PUT MY WORD IN HIS MOUTH; and HE WILL SPEAK UNTO THEM ALL THAT I WILL COMMAND HIM.

We are born by the same Spirit as Jesus Christ was. Just as the presence of the Holy Spirit spoke to, and through, the Old Testament prophets, John the Baptist and Jesus, so we also receive the voice of God Almighty.

Through Isaiah, Jehovah promises this gift to us, saying, "The Redeemer {Jesus Christ} will come to Zion, and to those who {repent} turn from transgression in Jacob," says the LORD.  As for Me," says the LORD, "this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you {the Redeemer, Jesus Christ}, and MY WORD WHICH I HAVE PUT IN YOUR MOUTH, SHALL NOT DEPART FROM YOUR MOUTH, NOR FROM THE MOUTH OF YOUR DESCENDANTS, NOR FROM THE MOUTH OF YOUR DESCENDANTS' DESCENDANTS," SAYS THE LORD, "FROM THIS TIME AND FOREVERMORE" (Isa 59:20-21; NKJ).  Wow! what a promise; what a covenant we have in Christ Jesus!  

In John 4:34, "Jesus said to the disciples, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work" (NKJ).   With this statement alone, we can assume that there was, out of necessity, a continuous dialogue between Jesus Christ and His Father.

Jesus again tells us, in John 5:30, "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge {form my opinion}; and My judgment {opinion} is just, BECAUSE I DO NOT SEEK MY OWN WILL, but the Will of Him who sent Me" (NAS).  

In other words, I seek the Will of My Father, daily, and without ceasing.  This is what Paul was teaching us in 1Thessalonians 5:16-20, when he said, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  Do not quench the Spirit {who speaks}.  Do not despise prophecies {the voice of God}.  Again, he said in Hebrews 12:25, "See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him {Jesus Christ} who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him {Jehovah, through His Holy Spirit} who speaks from heaven" (NKJ).

Jesus' Word Tells Us He Heard His Father's Voice Continually, Without Ceasing...
In John 8:37-51, Jesus declares, "{I am}a Man who has told you the truth which I hear from God", and "he who is of God hears God's Word":   "I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My Word has no place in you.  I SPEAK WHAT I SEE WITH MY FATHER, and you do what you see with your father.  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth WHICH I HEAR FROM GOD...  Why do you not understand My talk/speech? Because you are not able to listen to My Word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. WHEN HE SPEAKS A LIE, HE SPEAKS FROM HIS OWN RESOURCES, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I lay forth/tell the truth, you do not believe me... HE WHO IS OF GOD HEARS GOD'S WORD; therefore you do not hear, BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT OF GOD...  I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges {forms opinions}.   Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My Word {Testimony} he shall never see death." 

Satan, false prophets, anti-Christs, and all other liars speak from their own resources; and not the Word of God, as the Holy Spirit gives them 'utterance'.

Jesus answers the Jews in John 7:16-18, saying, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.   He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. (NKJ)

When Jesus says, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me", we are reminded that He did not teach the Old Testament Law.  If He had, most of the problems He encountered would not have occurred.  We also know that the New Testament had not been written.  Jesus received His Father's doctrine; Jesus spoke what He heard from within.

Jesus said, "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory"; thus, we know that Jesus, who did not seek His own Glory, spoke not from HIMSELF, His own resources; but rather, He spoke the Word of God, given to Him by His Father, through His Spirit living within Jesus.  Just as the Old Testament prophets proclaimed, and Jehovah promised, "I will put My Word in His mouth", JESUS SPOKE AS THE SPIRIT GAVE HIM UTTERANCE!

John 17:8 confirms this, teaching, "For I have (1)given to them the Word WHICH YOU HAVE (1)GIVEN ME; and they take them (receive them), and have known surely that I come {issue} forth from You; and they have believed that You have set Me apart."

GIVEN:  "To give".  (Strong's Concordance of the Bible)

In John 17:8 the transcribers chose to translate the Greek word 'didomi is the past tense ('For I have given').  I choose to translate the word 'didomi' as 'give' (present tense).  I prefer to read John 17:8 as, "For I GIVE to them the Word WHICH YOU GIVE ME; and they receive them, and have known {know} surely that I issue forth from You; and they believe that You set Me apart." 

Jesus Hears His Father From Within...
John 14:9-10 teaches us that Jesus heard His Father from within:  "Jesus said to Phillip, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? THE WORD THAT I SPEAK TO YOU, I DO NOT SPEAK FROM/OF MYSELF: BUT THE FATHER THAT DWELLS {lives} IN ME, HE DOES THE WORK {Word}."

In the above scripture, 'Word' and 'work' are synonymous; they are one in the same.  Jesus informs us that He does not speak the 'word/work' from Himself; but rather, His Father who lives within Him  does all the 'works/word'.

Jesus verifies this in John 5:19-20: "Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and SHOWS HIM ALL THINGS THAT HE HIMSELF DOES; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. (NKJ)

When was Jesus SHOWN the 'greater works' that we might marvel?  After He had ascended into Heaven?  Before He was born on earth?  No, of course not.   It was during His earthly ministry.  He had the spiritual eyes and ears that both see and hear God.

(John 12:23-33) Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me {into death}; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again." The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus said, "This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself..." (NIV)

"Jesus said, 'This voice was for your benefit, not mine."  In other words, Jesus heard His Father from within continually.  In an audible voice, our Father confirmed for those who stood beside Jesus, what He had already confirmed within Jesus' many times. 

Jesus told His disciples the following in John 8:28-29, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I DO NOTHING MYSELF; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.  And He who sent Me is with Me {He is in Me}. The Father has not left Me alone {He is in Me}, for I always do those things that please Him."  (NKJ)

In John 8:28-29, the transcribers chose to translate the Greek word 'didasko', in the past tense as 'taught' (but as My Father taught Me').  I choose to translate the word 'didasko' as TEACHES (present tense): "I do nothing Myself; but as My Father TEACHES Me, I speak these things".   Notice, Jesus dedicates the balance of the scripture to proving that His Father is EVER PRESENT with Him.  In essence, Jesus told His disciples, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that: I am He {who was promised}; and I do not do anything under My own power or understanding; but as My Father teaches Me, I speak {the things He teaches Me}.  He who sent Me is with Me always.  He has never left Me alone.  I always please Him BECAUSE I submit to His presence {voice} in Me.

Our next chapter discusses John 20, when the Apostles alone receive the Holy Spirit.   None speak in otngues - why?  What did they receive from the Holy Spirit?   Double click on:

The Apostles Received A DOUBLE Portion

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