I. Giving of Ten Commandments. A Voice From Heaven a. How did God communicate the Ten Commandments? i. Exodus 20:1, And God spoke all these words, saying. ii. Do you remember the reaction of the Israelites? iii. Exodus 20:18-19, Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die. b. Can you imagine God speaking to us from Heaven? i. Perhaps like He did in the Garden of Eden. ii. Genesis 3:8-9, And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, Where are you? c. This morning s lesson. i. We re going to look at three times in the New Testament when God spoke audibly from Heaven. ii. Each time it s in relation to Jesus. II. Jesus pleased God. a. The baptism of Jesus. i. Matthew 3:13-17, Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me? But Jesus answered and said to him, Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 1. Focus on verse 17. b. Why did God speak from heaven? i. To show His approval of His Son. ii. To recognize that Jesus had pleased Him. iii. God s will was for Jesus to be baptized. 1. It would fulfill all righteousness. iv. Jesus pleased His Father. 1. Through His obedience. c. An obvious lesson.
i. If the Son of God obeyed His Father simply because it made Him happy.. 1. Shouldn t we be motivated to do the same? ii. Motivation. 1. Man has come up with a lot of theories on motivation. 2. What makes somebody do something? iii. What motivates you to serve God? 1. Fear of going to hell. 2. Hope of heaven. d. Motivated to please God. i. Pleasing God should be the basic reason to do the will of the Father. 1. Colossians 1:10, that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God 2. That s what Paul wanted for the church at Colossee. a. That they would fully please God and bear fruit. ii. Hebrews 11:5-6. 1. By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, and was not found, because God had taken him ; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 2. Enoch s testimony was that he pleased God. iii. Make it your aim. 1. Your life s goal is to please the Father. 2. When you get up in the morning, that s your focus. 3. What can I do today to please my Father? III. Listen to Jesus. a. The Transfiguration of Jesus. i. Luke 9:28-36, Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son. Hear Him! When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen. ii. An incredible scene. 1. What happens to Jesus appearance.
2. And then Moses and Elijah appear. iii. Peter s suggestion. 1. Three tabernacles: one for each. iv. God s reaction. 1. A cloud came and overshadowed them. 2. This is My beloved Son. Hear Him! b. God s point is clear. i. While Moses and Elijah were important and faithful men 1. They were still men. ii. And Jesus is the Son of God. 1. No comparison. iii. God s message is clear. 1. Listen to Jesus. iv. There was a time when men needed to listen to: 1. Moses: the law of Moses. 2. Elijah: as a prophet of God. v. Hebrews 1:1-2, God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds. c. Again, the application should be easy for us. i. John 12:48, He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. ii. Instead of listening to what man says. 1. We need to listen to Jesus. iii. Instead of leaning on our own wisdom. 1. we need to listen to Jesus. iv. And we know that it s not good enough just to hear Jesus words. 1. There must be action. v. Action is the logical result of listening to Jesus. 1. Luke 6:46, But why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and not do the things which I say? 2. It s great that you call Jesus Lord and hear His words. 3. But it doesn t make sense that you won t do what He says. d. This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him! IV. Jesus brought glory to God. a. Shortly before Jesus Crucifixion. i. John 12:20-28, Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, Sir, we wish to see Jesus. Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. But Jesus answered them, saying, The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it
remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name. Then a voice came from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. ii. The hour has come. 1. Jesus is nearing the end of His life. a. And His mission. 2. Jesus request. a. Not to be saved from death. b. Not even for His name to be glorified. c. But for God s name to be glorified. iii. God s words affirm what the actions of Jesus will bring about. b. Application: Bring glory to God. i. Matthew 5:16, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. 1. Good works aren t about bringing honor to ourselves. 2. They re about bringing gory and honor to God. ii. 1 Peter 2:11-12, Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. 1. The ultimate goal of our conduct. 2. Glorify God in the day of visitation. a. Day when Jesus returns (visits) to bless His people. iii. 1 Corinthians 6:20, For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God s. 1. Use everything you have. 2. To the glory of God. c. Are your actions bringing glory and honor to God? i. How we live matters. ii. As someone who claims to be serving God, our lives cast a reflection upon God. 1. For good or bad. 2. We either bring glory to God or cause His name to be blasphemed. iii. Here is the promise of God. 1. Live your life to bring glory to God. 2. And God will exalt you. 3. 1 Peter 5:6, Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. V. Conclusion. a. Three points. i. Are you pleasing God?
ii. Are you listening to Jesus? iii. Are you bringing glory to God? b. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. i. Beautiful picture of the second coming of Jesus. ii. Did you notice something that connects the verses to our lesson? 1. A voice from heaven. c. Don t you want to hear that voice? i. The call to come home. ii. And always be with the Lord.