Matthew 17:5b This is my Son, Whom I love, with Him I am well pleased.  Listen to Him.

Yesterday we observed the Transfiguration of our Lord, the last Sunday of the Epiphany season. This is an appropriate conclusion to Epiphany, which emphasizes Jesus showing Himself to be God. The Transfiguration was an ultimate Epiphany or “showing,” with Jesus revealing His glory to those three disciples. It must have been a tremendous thing to witness. Peter was so overwhelmed that he didn’t know what to say, except that he wanted to do something special to commemorate this event.

I wish I had been there to hear the conversation between Jesus and Moses and Elijah. But we have something even better. You and I have a constant source for listening to God: His Word. Listen to Him!

God the Father spoke to those who were on the mountain, repeating what He had said at the Baptism of Jesus: This is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him. While we cannot “listen” to Jesus as the disciples did, we still have the chance to hear Him. We have God speaking to us each time we go to His Word. Do you listen?

How much do you listen to God? Once a week? Once a day? How well would things go at work if you only listened to your boss once a week? How would your relationship at home be if you only listened to your spouse once a day?

God’s Word has countless riches waiting for you, passages that will speak to you where you are in your life. God wants to be with you, He wants to help. Will you listen?

The most important thing you need to hear is what God tells you about Jesus Christ. If you listen to Him, as He speaks to you in His Word, you will discover that no matter what you have done, no matter how bad you have been, you can be forgiven. Jesus went to the cross to insure that forgiveness. But only those who believes that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died and rose again for you, will receive forgiveness and life. Hopefully you hear that each week when you attend worship and Bible Class. But what do you listen to during the rest of the week?

There are so many things in the world that vie for our attention. Phones, movies, video games, sporting events, books, jobs, friends, and so on. You listen to these things. You cannot help but listen. But keep your priorities straight. God tells you to listen to him. Why? Because He alone is able to tell you what you really need to know. Jesus spoke to his disciples, who listened. They preached to others, who listened. And God led some men to preserve His Word in written form, so that we might have it with us still today. You all own copies of God’s Word in a version that you can readily understand. But do you use those Bibles to listen to what God wants to tell you?

Owning a Bible will not get you into heaven. Believing what God tells you there will. But how can you believe if you don’t know what it says? And how will you know unless you are in the Word for yourself, looking for what God says to you?  In John’s Gospel, we are told that some of Jesus followers at one time were abandoning Him. Jesus asked the 12 if they, too, would leave. Peter’s response tells us that He had been listening. He said, Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life!

When you listen, you will hear how God has dealt with sinful people throughout history. He hates sin but is merciful and forgiving to those who put their trust in Him and ask to be forgiven. When you listen, you will find that the rules and regulations He lays out for His people really do make sense. Your life is easier and better and happier when you follow His plan for your life. And this is all in the context of knowing that you have been forgiven and given the gift of eternal life because of your faith in Christ.