In John 7:45 the Apostle John tells about the reaction of several 1st-century Jewish Temple guards when they overheard some of Jesus’ teaching. After being rebuked by the Jewish leadership for failing to arrest Jesus, those guards boldly responded “No one ever spoke like this man!” We can assume those guards had heard the voice of many rabbis and preachers during their day-to-day duties on Temple grounds, but they experienced something truly unique in the voice of Jesus. Whether they realized it or not, they were being convicted about his words by the power of the Holy Spirit. Their hearts told them that his words came from a higher authority. Little did they know that, in reality, what they were hearing was the voice of God.
Whatever went forth from Jesus’ lips was (and is) the living word of God. The Bible declares that “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12, ESV) And that’s precisely what God’s word continues to do in the hearts of people around the world today – even among those still in search of the truth.
In this world, we are confronted by many competing voices. Sooner or later we can expect to encounter voices that reflect every part of the spiritual spectrum – from the truly holy to the utterly humanistic to the darkly satanic. Thankfully, the indwelling Holy Spirit equips every believer to discern the voice of God. In the cacophony of voices around us, there is only one we really need to listen to. Whenever your own heart is moved by the word of God, I pray your soul will echo the response of the Temple guards, “No man ever spoke like this!”
Pastor Dave Korinek