Our name | Mission | Vision | Leaders Ministries | Schedule | Directions | Contact Home   Gateway Church gathers for worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Location: 6425 Jefferson Rd. (Hwy. 129) in Athens, Georgia. For directions, click here. Ministry of the Word: Recent sermons Our quarterly e-magazine Gateway Today For the Gateway family Pastor Jerry's Weekly E-Mail A GATEWAY SERMON SUMMARY AUDIO Knowing the shepherd's voice Jerry Varnado, pastor Gateway Church, Athens GA May 18, 2003 Main Scripture text: John 10:1-18. The bottom line of last week's sermon: The most critical thing in life is knowing the Good Shepherd. It is through knowing the Shepherd and living in a relationship with Him that we learn His voice. We must know his voice to follow Him. This is a critical issue because there are many of voices out there calling for our acceptance and allegiance. Many of them, even within the church, are voices contrary to traditional Christian teaching. There is another reason we need to know the Shepherd's voice: Everyday we have to make decisions about many things, and some of these decisions have long-term consequences. We need input from Jesus. At times God has spoken through a booming voice from heaven. He has also spoken through miraculous phenomena, such as a burning bush or a donkey talking. However, these seem to be the exception rather than the rule. More often than not, the Lord speaks as shepherds do. Shepherds, and other animal trainers, speak to their animals firmly to be sure, but they also speak calmly and gently. Here are some of the instruments God uses to speak to us: 1) The Bible. The doctrine of the United Methodist Church is that the Bible is our all-sufficient rule for faith and practice. This means it should govern our doctrinal positions and how we live. Certainly, God may tell us something that is not in the Bible, but He will never contradict the Bible. 2) Preachers and Teachers. These are people called and gifted by God to proclaim His Word to His people. 3) Spiritual Gifts, including prophecy, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. The Bible is clear, however, that must we must weigh, consider, and judge every prophetic word and every teaching by the Scriptures. 4) Dreams and visions. We must exercise great caution here, because interpreting dreams and visions can be tricky business. We know from Scripture that God often gives some special gifts for interpretation. 5) Discernment. Not the spiritual gift of "discerning spirits," but the discernment that comes as the natural consequence of learning the Word of God and endeavoring to put into practice what it teaches. 6) Godly counsel. Scripture encourages us to seek godly counsel. This may be through professional counseling, or through seeking advice from a parent or friend you know to be a godly person. 7) Life experiences. If we'll listen, God will teach us through life's experiences. Indeed, sometimes God will allow things to happen to us to teach us important truth. 8) Nature. Jesus often used things in nature as illustrations of what He was teaching about God or the Kingdom. For example, the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. 9) Decision-making. God can and will speak to us through our natural thought process and decision-making, especially as we prayerfully seek out his guidance in our plans and decisions. Remember, eternal life is a relationship with Jesus. It is critical to know the Scriptures because they point us to Him. We must know the Good Shepherd so we can know the His voice. Then He can lead us to good pasture and give us life to its fullest measure. Supporting texts: John 17:3 | John 12:28-30 | 1 Kings 19:11-13 | Hebrews 4:12 | Hebrews 5:14 | Romans 1:18-20 | John 5:39 A mp3 audio file of this sermon is here. (Download to a PC by right clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As." Mac users: click, hold, and choose "Download Link to Disk." Depending on your connection speed, the file may take several minutes to download.) An audio tape of this sermon is available free of charge (U.S. requests only). Request a tape by calling or writing the Gateway Church office. Please specify tape number 030518a: Knowing the Shepherd's Voice. © 2003 Gerald R. Varnado To the Gateway Church home page How to contact us