Today, If You Hear His Voice

2008-11-29 22:37

His voice is the gospel. In the beginning God said, "Let light shine out of darkness." This voice is the gospel. This voice was from the beginning. This voice is the Word of God. It is written, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1). And also, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." (Micah 5:2).

Therefore, it is written, "for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice," (Psalms 95:7). And also the Bible exhorts, "So, as the Holy Spirit says: 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert'" (Hebrews 3:7-8).

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day." (Genesis 1:1-5). This voice from the beginning is the gospel that has dawned on the people living in darkness today.

It is written, "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6). And also, "In him was life, and that life was the light of men." (John 1:4).

Therefore, for someone, the work of God is in the beginning, or for someone, it is in progress, or for someone, it is finished and God, with him, rest from all the work. This is the good Providence of God that is accomplished for each one within the limits of his faith which is through His voice.

For the work of God, there are the beginning, the progress and the end, which are through Christ. "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained." (Philippians 3:13-16). In the end, the goal is the everlasting rest of God.

Therefore, it is written, "Jesus said to them, 'My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.'" (John 5:17). And again, the gospel says about the everlasting rest of God, "for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his." (Hebrews 4:10).

Therefore, the good voice of God, that is, the light, which is in these words, "Let there be light," is "the true light" that is from the beginning. The light is Christ Jesus. It is written, "The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world." (John 1:9). And again, "Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining." (1 John 2:8).

The origin of this light is the glory of God. It is written, "May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations." (Psalms 67:1-2). The light of life, which is in the Word from the beginning, shines in people's hearts today.

The light in the face of Christ is the radiance of the knowledge of the glory of God. Therefore, the Bible says, "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Therefore, the Bible says, "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." (Hebrews 1:1-3).

The origin of light is the glory. Without the glory, there can be no light. Therefore, the Lord Jesus, who is the true light, said, "...For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." (Matthew 6:13). It is because the glory is the Father, and its radiance is His Son.

Therefore, the words, "Let there be light," means, "...You are my Son; today I have become your Father." (Psalms 2:7). And so, today, all those who hear his voice, "Let there be light," appear as lights with His Son. It is written, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light." (Ephesians 5:8).

Therefore, God said through the Holy Spirit to all those who hear His voice, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you." (Isaiah 60:1). "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17). Amen. Today, If You Hear His Voice... Thank you, Lord.