November 07, 2022
“Behold, I have told you in advance.” (Matthew 24:25)
Of all the stunning things about Christ, one of the most compelling is this: Jesus speaks. John describes Him beautifully in the opening chapter of His gospel as the Word that was in the beginning and that continues to communicate to us even now. His voice, like yours, is one of the ways we come to know Him.
HIS WORD IS POWERFUL
He spoke, and the billions of stars of heaven exploded into the sky. A word created the earth and all it contains. Every speaking thing that lives and breathes received its voice from Him. All of heaven and earth, time and eternity, move at its sound.
HIS WORD IS PERSONAL
“I have told you” (Matthew 24:25)
Jesus said these words to His disciples, recorded in Matthew 24. He was constantly calling them by name. He was intimate and real, compelling and convicting. Of all the voices the disciples heard in their life, His was the most personal, for no one knew them like their Elder Brother.
No one knows you (or cares for you) like Jesus. He understands you completely, even more than you think you know yourself. There’s not a shadow of your thinking or a corner of your soul that He does not see. This would be altogether disturbing if His knowledge were not coupled with His perfect love.
So, when He speaks, it is not random or without thought. His words have your name on them. You are on His mind when He opens His speaking mouth.
HIS WORD IS PREPARATORY
“I have told you in advance” (Vs. 25)
The point of the incredible teaching of Matthew 24 is to prepare His followers. He knew that there were things they needed to know to prepare, to be on the alert as time wound down. Without His voice, they would be completely blindsided and woefully unprepared.
He is constantly speaking now. As you read the Scripture, listen to His Spirit daily, and talk to Him in prayer, it is not merely to enlarge your mind but to prepare your heart and direct your steps.
It would be deadly to walk over a cliff in the dark. But if there were a warning voice, the wise man would listen and be saved. This personal deliverance is always Christ’s intent. He tells us things in advance for our good. Listening aggressively now equips us for later. Thousands never listen to their eternal detriment.
HIS WORD IS PERFECT AND PRECISE
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. (Matthew 24:35)
‘“Immutable” is the theological word that describes this aspect of His voice. “Unalterable; not capable or susceptible of change,” Mr. Webster said. Men may ignore His voice, mock His word, and doubt its veracity. But Christ's words are the plumbline upon which every other word ever spoken is measured.
Why would we ever fail to listen? To pause and turn and give Him our full attention? We should bend in glad submission to His voice, or we will be broken by the unchanging truths. They will not change. “Forever Your word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89).
The remarkable joy is that He speaks and that He speaks to us. Every day is designed to be a walk in the Garden with unceasing communication. It is His unending nature and our supreme delight.
Lord Jesus, I’m overwhelmed by Your speaking voice. But even more, the heart that longs to commune continually with me. Forgive me for the height of my pride which goes hours ignoring You. Teach me to listen unceasingly so that I may come to know You more. Let me be led today by Your voice, comforted by Your presence, and directed by Your mind. Let me never turn from Your speaking voice.
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