2014.08.17_Hear the Voice of the Lord

All Creations Moving Intricately According to God’s Ordinance

God sent His word to the world. Some people make hasty conclusions and say, ‘Was His word all that God has given to man?’ One of the most untrustworthy things in human society is people’s words. From morning till night, we constantly encounter people deceiving and being deceived by one another. And those who are quite experienced in that sense would also take God’s word lightly as they do man’s words. However God is different to man.

God is the eternal, self-existing, unchanging One. He is so great that all creations including Heaven are contained within Him. And the most perfect way that such God revealed Himself was His word; the word is His most active mode of operation. God’s word is His greatest authority, and the sovereignty of His powers.

Just as the beginning of the Bible has written about the creation of the world, the end of the Bible writes about its destruction. Revelation 20:11 says, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them,” and verse 14 says, “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” Such testaments about the end of the world are written in a number of places in the Bible. Isaiah 51:6 says, “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, the earth will grow old like a garment, and those who dwell in it will die in like manner.”

It is consistently indicated throughout the entire Bible that Heaven and earth will later be destroyed. 2 Peter 3:10 says, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat.” This description reminds us of the state of the universe before it was properly formed, when there was only darkness and “the earth was without form, and void” (Gen 1:2). That final end of the universe will be like the process involved in its formation, only reversed.

Isaiah 34:1 says, “Come near, you nations, to hear; and heed, you people! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world and all things that come forth from it.” Isaiah the prophet declared that not just man but every creation in the universe must hear the word of God. What is this word that the creations must hear? What does it say? Isaiah 34:4 says, “All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; all their host shall fall down as the leaf falls from the vine, and as fruit falling from a fig tree.”

The world is a temporary and transient creation made for the purpose of God. Second Peter 3:5-7 says, “For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire.” Once the purpose of God is achieved, the world will be dissipated by His word.

All creations belong to the Creator God. They serve Him as His servants (Ps. 119:91). The word was with God in the beginning and that word is God (John 1:1-2). All things were made by Him (John 1:3) and for Him (Col 1:16). Therefore they have the ears to hear the Creator’s words. They are ready to hear His word and submit to Him when He says, “The end has come. All disappear!” Hence, they are able to commonly hear God’s word.

Animals are not able to speak as humans do but they have their means to communicate with their own kind. Likewise, all creations have a way to hear the voice of God. The fact that all kinds of animals gathered to Noah’s Ark serves as an evidence for it. They came not because Noah had called them but because God had sent them to the ark. As we can see from such examples, the world being as complex as the internal mechanism of a clock is running like clockwork according to the order set out by God.

Creation that Submits to Even the Word that Goes Beyond the Natural Order

When God intervenes with His word at some critical point, an anomalous change is noticed in that clockwork rhythm. For instance, the Israelites who came out of Egypt walked across the Red Sea that was divided. And in the desert they were guided by pillars of fire and cloud, ate quail and manna, and drank the water coming from the rock. All of these things transcended the laws of nature.

Similar things happened when Jesus came to the world. At one time, Jesus saw a fig tree by the road and sought some figs from it. That tree had an obligation to obey the command of God given at the point of creation, which was to be fruitful and increase in number. Yet, when a long time had elapsed and Jesus the Lord of all creation was actually seeking fruit, the tree was unable to offer Him any. Jesus cursed the tree saying, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again” (Matt 21:19) and the fig tree withered away and died. It had no value of existence having lost its original purpose.

Once when Jesus was at sea with His disciples, there was a windstorm and the waves were high. It is absolutely normal and natural phenomena for the winds to blow and the waves roll high on the seas. The disciples who felt the perils of the huge waves cried to the Lord for help, and the Lord calmed the winds and the waves. For the winds and the waves to immediately become calm at the Lord’s word is not something ordinary but beyond the laws of nature.

God’s word thus governs all creations. That means not only the natural world but also mankind. However, unlike other creations, only man tends to doubt and be heedless toward God’s word. We certainly need to understand that God definitely accomplishes what He says. In order to make this known to man, God demonstrated a number of examples through Israel. We came to know for certain from the history of Israel that those who disobey God would perish. They repeatedly disobeyed and perished, but from that God desired man to clearly learn and understand the consequence of disobedience.

Out of all, we need to pay particular attention to the incident in the Garden of Eden. God said to Adam that he would surely die if he disobeyed the word. According to that word, Adam’s spirit died. However, the effect of the word did not end there but also drove Jesus Christ to death. Thus, mankind came to witness the death of Jesus Christ.

Unbelievers consider God’s voice as something false and untrue and pay no heed. Whether they listen to God’s word or not, the choice is theirs. Even though man has the right not to choose life, we must remember that nobody can escape from the word that says ‘whoever does not take life will surely die.’

To choose life means to accept the fact that Jesus Christ died for us. Anyone that does so is able to merge his death with that of Jesus Christ and by so doing he fulfils God’s word, “You will surely die!” While he is no longer pursued by that word, whoever does not satisfy the word would ultimately experience its fulfilment on the Day of Judgment. Thus, once the word proceeds from God’s lips, there is no way to defy it.

All creations listen to God’s voice. First Corinthians 8:6 says, “[yet for us there is] one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.” As part of creation man has to listen to God’s voice as well, and more so if anyone is a Christian. It should not just be our body sitting in the worship place when we are listening to the sermon, but we must immerse ourselves in the urgent commands God is giving to our spirit.

The Signs that Must Be Manifested through Us Today

At the time when Jesus was on the earth, the Jews were well aware of the signs that their ancestors had experienced. However, because they had heard about them second hand, God’s signs were like legends to them. Yet, it was revealed by His appearing that the master of all those wonders is Jesus and that He has sovereignty over all creations. One other important point Jesus made while on the earth was that those signs and wonders are not of the past when they only occurred on specific occasions; instead they could be witnessed in our lives at any time. Jesus performed many signs to highlight the point that they happen ‘today in this place.’ If every one of those signs were to be written down, there would not be enough room in this world to contain the books written (John 21:25). If those countless signs were actually encountered, no one would be able to doubt and say, “Can that really happen?”

When Jesus said, “Lazarus, come forth!” Lazarus who had died four days earlier walked out of the grave. The dead daughter of Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue immediately arose at the Lord voice saying, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” Likewise, even the dead hear the word of God. Moreover, those that do not have a personality also obey God’s word. When Jesus rebuked and calmed the storm, people viewed the incident and said in conclusion “Who is He that even the winds and the waves obey Him?” (Matt 8:27). The scene where Jesus commanded the storm and the storm obeyed His command, was like an interchange between two people. Jesus was not saying a spell when He had calmed the storm. He spoke to it as if it was a person and told it to be quiet and still.

He was not casting a spell when He cursed the fig tree either. In the same manner of speaking to a person, Jesus said to the tree that it would not bear fruit ever again. Later, the disciples saw that the fig tree had withered and asked, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” (Matt 21:20) And implied here was the question, ‘Did the fig tree listen to Your voice Lord?’

The signs Jesus had performed are not limited to Him. He gave us the window of faith and said, “If you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree but even tell this mountain to be thrown into the sea and it will be done” (Matt 21:21). He expressed His frustration to those who could not experience signs and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?” He also rebuked a person who did not have faith saying, “All things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23). To Him, it was a matter of course that every believer performs signs.

Jesus commanded us to perform signs and wonders that even move the creations, which indicates that we have been endowed with the authority that the creations submit to. When we command something at a creation, the authority behind that command supports us. Although the sound that made the command goes out from our lips, by the faith that we have, God works signs and wonders through that sound. Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12). The one phrase ‘he who believes in me’ sufficiently satisfies the condition to perform the signs and wonders.

Faith means that God’s command becomes our inheritance. An inheritance refers to an enterprise or business that is bequeathed. A person cannot be irresponsible in managing the business inherited from his parents. And this is even more so when it comes to the everlasting inheritance from God. One cannot operate a business whilst being idle and careless. We have the right to do extraordinary things by faith. Faith is a matter of action not an idea. Faith without deeds means nothing.

Poverty Must be Eradicated By the Power that Rules Over All Creations

When there is a sick person, we command, “Go away sickness!” And we experience countless times the demons fleeing together with the sickness. When the sickness obeys God’s word and is about to go, the entity (personality) that brought about the sickness reveals its identity. Many view demons to be formidable beings but we must know that demons are also one part of the creations. No matter how well they lie and cunning they might be, they cannot go beyond the essence of all creations that should listen to and obey the Lord’s command. And when our voices go out from our lips to curse them, the demons recognize it as coming from Jesus and immediately react.

All creations have the ears to hear God’s voice and consequently, they are bound to react to the sound of faith coming from our lips. This is not something limited or applied only to sickness. One of the major factors that torment man is poverty. People make all sorts of excuses as to why they are poor: ‘I haven’t got any funds to start a business; I lack the discernment to evaluate the changes in the world; I’m irresolute in everything I do; I haven’t had much learning in my youth; I’m never given a chance even though I try; I was born in a poor family’; and they blame their own selves as well as others.  But they could never find the reason for their poverty by doing that, and they would gain nothing in the end. Those excuses are not the fundamental reason why man suffers from poverty; it is because he does not have the power to make the creations submit to him. Without such power, he has nothing to depend on except the authority of man.

Jesus did not call influential men of the earth when He was choosing His disciples. He said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28). Those with whom Jesus met and looked on with compassion were the poor, the distressed, the afflicted, the unfairly treated, the sick, the ignoble, and those faced with a dead end. What Jesus gave them was not money but the authority to rule over the creations, the right to overcome the underlying obstacles when faced with life’s ordeals. Whoever has received that authority can command the sickness to flee in Jesus’ name even today, and drive away poverty in the same way.

Concerning the Son of God, Colossians 1:16 says, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.” In other words, all things exist by and for the Son of God. We do not need to exclude ‘poverty’ from this concept of ‘all things.’

The main reason man suffers from poverty is because he lacks the power to rule the creations. Some people pray earnestly in tears, but their hearts are already in submission to their fate. They give off a defeated scent. It is possible to succeed and to fail as one operates a business. It is natural that water flows from higher ground to the lower. Likewise, it is a matter of course that a person running a business experiences both success and failure. Therefore, there is no reason to be overconfident of one’s ability just because the business is going well, neither is there any reason to be despondent when the business is in trouble. Having success within the bounds of nature cannot be seen as true success and the same goes with failures.

We are thankful because the Lord has given us the authority to overcome the laws of nature. Though there might be a great wall standing before us, we can demolish it by relying on the Word. Lazarus was dead and decaying in the tomb, yet he heard and obeyed the Lord’s voice telling him to come out of the tomb. Although Sarah was like a withered branch having already passed the age of child bearing, she heard God’s voice and conceived a son. Likewise, it is God’s word that says what is non-existent, ‘Come!’ and to the dead, ‘Arise!’ (Rom 4:17).

The Church Which Must Experience Abundant Signs

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” God cleanses away the sin of our spirit through His word and grants His grace and blessings so that our spirit may have eternal happiness. God can penetrate even through our body’s joints and marrow and heal us. Even if someone requires a delicate operation, to God it is not a problem. Moreover, God knows what oppression, anguish and sadness is in a man’s heart and can wipe them away.

Such working of God is sharper than any double-edged sword so that there is no place in the world that it does not affect. Therefore, no one should doubt saying, ‘Would God be aware someone like me? Would He have interest in such small matters of mine?’ Psalm 24:7 says, “Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in.” We must uncover ourselves before God. We must let Him see our joints and marrow. We must let Him see our hearts and minds, and our spirit.

Some people come to me saying, “Pastor, please pray for me to be healed”. But they themselves actually do not have much hope that they would be healed. If anybody wants to be healed of their sickness, he must first rely on the word within him. Faith is to possess the word of God that makes all things submit. Faith reveals its actuality through power. That power is not ours but the Creator’s. The Lord was disappointed by those who did not have faith and rebuked them, “Why did you doubt?” If anyone ate and drank the flesh and blood of Jesus, he would be certain that he has eternal life. Which is harder to attain: eternal life or solution to the small problems we face in the world? Anyone would say that eternal life is harder. So if someone believes that he has obtained something so hard, why does he not believe that he could remove the obstacles in the world with God’s word? It is because he is influenced by the way of thinking of this world. And which is harder: to receive forgiveness of sins or be healed of our sickness? Anyone would answer that it is the forgiveness of sins. So if someone believes in receiving the forgiveness of sins, why does he not believe that he can be healed of his sickness through God’s word?

If God commands eternal life, we receive eternal life; if He commands holiness, we would have holiness; if healing, then we receive healing; if blessing, then we receive blessing. God’s word is the absolute commandment that all things must listen to and obey. As those who follow God’s word, the saints are in no way powerless. The One who is above all things and makes them submit to Him is the head of the church. To have become the members of His body means that we are also able to rule over the creations. We ought to give off the aroma of the Lord who is our head, and display His powerful authority,

It will become more and more difficult to witness God’s signs as the next generations continue to be without faith. Yet, in such times we need to have our church resemble the early church written about in the book of Acts. As the members of Christ, the saints have an obligation to carry out Christ’s commands. The saints need to dedicate in order to make a church that triumph through faith. We must help all the souls in the church to become accustomed to the state of trusting in the power of faith. We need to help them discard the doubts they had like a habit and put their trust in God’s word. For this, the saints must encourage one another with words of faith. The whole church must unite as one and richly experience the signs that prevail over the world.