I hear the sound...
Hear the Sound of the Spirit


Mark 4:23  "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."  24  Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  25  "For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."

♫ "Oh be careful little ears what you hear.  Oh be careful little ears what you hear.  For the Father up above, He is looking down in love.  Oh be careful little ears what you hear." ♪♪♪

Remember this children church song?  What you hear matters!  What you do with what you hear shows if you have heard with a noble heart or with a dull ear.

Jesus was teaching a kingdom principle about hearing from God here in the book of Mark.  The measure that you hear the words of God is the measure that determines what you will receive from God.  What you have in the kingdom of God has been given based upon your hearing.

Romans 10:16  But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?"  17  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  18  But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: "Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world."

Believing the report of the Lord is imperative if we are going to walk in victory!  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.  That is why meditation of the Word of God is so important.  Meditating on the Word can change what you think and ultimately it will change what you believe.  There is a sound that has gone out from the throne room of God.  That Word reaches to the ends of the earth.  Can you hear the sound?  Your hearing will determine if you will walk in victory.
  
Psalm 89:14  Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face.  15  Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.  16  In Your name they rejoice all day long, And in Your righteousness they are exalted.

Can you hear the sound of the goodness of God.  Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!  What if we practice hearing His Word to such a degree we can know the joyful sound?  This is intimacy with the Word of God.  What if our hearing brought us to such closeness that the hearing of the Word becomes a joyful sound!  To delight in His Word so that we can see His countenance is a place we have been called to!

1 Kings 18:41  Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain."  42  So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees,  43  and said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." And seven times he said, "Go again."  44  Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.'"  45  Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.  46  Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

There had been a drought in the land of Israel both physical and spiritual.  The prophet Elijah told the king “there is the sound of abundance of rain."  In my own spirit I hear the sound of abundance of rain; God is going to pour out His spirit upon us.  After Elijah spoke the word to the king he and his servant went to praying.  Elijah bowed down on the ground and put his face between his knees.  After prayer he sent his servant to go check the sky for some rain clouds.  After seven times of this, there was a cloud so small that is was no bigger than a man’s hand.  That was enough for the prophet Elijah.  He sent word to the king get off this mountain before the rain stops you!

It all started when the prophet heard the sound of abundance of rain.  I hear the sound of abundance of rain.  Will you join me bowing down to the ground and putting your face between your knees?  The rain is coming!  The rain is coming!  The rain is coming.  It is time for the people of God to rise up and hear the sound of revival,  revival of the Word of God, revival in the heart of the saints, revival for the salvation of our sons and daughters, and a revival of righteousness in the land.  “ I hear the sound of abundance of rain!”

1 Samuel 3:1  Then the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.  2  And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see,  3  and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the LORD where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down,  4  that the LORD called Samuel. And he answered, "Here I am!"  5  So he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." And he said, "I did not call; lie down again." And he went and lay down.  6  Then the LORD called yet again, "Samuel!" So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." He answered, "I did not call, my son; lie down again."  7  (Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.)  8  And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. Then he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you did call me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD had called the boy.  9  Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, 'Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place.  10  Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel answered, "Speak, for Your servant hears."

Here is the story of the Samuel the prophet and the first time he heard the voice of God.  He was serving the High Priest Eli and he mistook the voice of God for Eli calling him.  Eli finally perceived it was the voice of God calling.  He told Samuel to yield to the voice of God and say “Speak for your servant hears”

Hebrews 1:1  God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,   2  has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

In the past it was through the prophets God spoke but in this day of grace and truth He speaks to us through His Son Jesus Christ.

John 16:12  "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  13  "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.  14  "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  15  "All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

The Holy Spirit has things from Jesus to share with us; let him that has an ear let him hear…

Hebrews 3:6  but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.  7  Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you will hear His voice,  8  Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness,

God has called us to hear His voice and to live in His rest.  Here, as Jesus reads from the Old Testament:  

Luke 4:18  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;  19  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."  20  Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  21  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

If you will hear the voice of Jesus the scriptures will be fulfilled in you!  What do you hear the voice of Jesus speaking?  Your hearing will determine your victory.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

1 Kings 19:9  And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"  10  So he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life."  11  Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;  12  and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.  13  So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

The prophet Elijah had just come off the greatest victory of his ministry and the wicked king’s wife threatened to take his life.  Elijah ran for fear going from his greatest victory to his greatest despair.  In the midst of his fear and despair God brought miraculous provision.  In fact the scriptures said Elijah went in the strength of the food God gave him for forty days!   God came to speak to Elijah and taught him a lesson we can live by.  God sent a great wind but the Lord was not in the wind.  God sent an earthquake and God was not in the earthquake. God sent a fire but the Lord was not in the fire.  However, Elijah did find God in the still small voice.  Elijah had gotten off track with his ministry; all it took was God’s still small voice to send him back into the purpose of God again.  Listen for the voice of the Spirit.

John 10:27  "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  28  "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  29  "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.

Listening to the voice of God brings the promised assurance of eternal life and we will not perish.  We are in God’s hand and that is the perfect place to be!  Jesus said it, “my sheep know my voice and another they will not follow.”

Revelation 2:7  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."'  …  2:11  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death."' …  2:17  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."'  2:29  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'  … 3:6  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."' … 3:13  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."' …  3:22  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."' "

The measure you use to hear will be the measure that is used to bring the Word of God to pass in your life.  He who has an ear let Him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  I hear the sound of abundance of rain…