RAP SHEET LUKE 7:29-35

Series: The King’s People

Sermon: Why Don’t I Hear From God?

Scripture: Luke 7:29–35

REVIEW

Jesus closes this section about John the Baptist by showing us two very different responses to God's revelation.

Luke tells us that the ordinary people and tax collectors heard John's message, received it, and were baptized. They looked at what God was revealing through John and essentially said:

“God, You are right.”

The Pharisees and experts in the law responded differently. They rejected John's message and, in doing so, “rejected the plan of God for themselves.”

What happened next is important. When Jesus arrived, the same people who had received John's revelation were prepared to recognize the One John had been pointing toward. But those who had rejected John continued resisting when greater revelation stood right in front of them.

This gives us an important principle:

REVELATION RECEIVED PRODUCES RECOGNITION

REVELATION REJECTED PRODUCES RESISTANCE

Revelation is not neutral. When God reveals something to us, we respond to it. Receiving God's revelation means agreeing that God is right and allowing His truth to shape our thinking and actions. As we respond to what God has revealed, we're prepared to recognize and receive what He reveals next.

However, repeatedly rejecting, suppressing, or ignoring truth can harden us over time.

Romans 1 describes people suppressing what God had made known until their thinking became distorted and their hearts darkened. Jesus makes a similar point in John 5: those who wouldn't believe what Moses had written were unprepared to believe Jesus when He stood before them.

That is exactly what happened with the religious leaders in Luke 7. Jesus compares His generation to children who refuse to participate no matter what game is offered:

“We played the flute for you, but you didn’t dance; we sang a lament, but you didn’t weep!” — Luke 7:32

John came like a funeral—calling people to repentance, fasting, and preparation. They rejected him as having a demon. Jesus came like a wedding—eating, celebrating, extending grace, and befriending sinners. They rejected Him as a glutton and a drunkard.

The problem was no longer the presentation.

They had decided to reject the revelation, regardless of how God delivered it.

But Jesus ends with the other possibility:

“Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” — Luke 7:35

Those who received John's message said, “God is right.” Eventually, their lives demonstrated that God was right. Each response prepared them for what God revealed next, ultimately leading them to Jesus.

We often ask, “Why don't I hear from God?”

Sometimes a better question is:

“What has God already said that I haven't responded to?”

APPLY

We can easily want new revelation while resisting something God has already made clear.

Maybe Scripture has already confronted a habit.

Maybe you've known you need to forgive someone, confess something, reconcile a relationship, surrender an area of your life, or obey something Jesus has taught.

Maybe the problem isn't that you need God to say something new.

Maybe you need to respond to what He has already said.

This isn't about earning God's love or proving that we're worthy of Him. Eternal life is God's gift received through faith in Jesus Christ. This is about refusing to let our hearts become resistant to the God who loves us and continues drawing us toward truth.

So take some time to ask:

What is ONE thing God has already made clear that I have been resisting, delaying, or ignoring?

Then decide what saying “God, You are right. My answer is yes.” would actually look like this week.

PRAY

Take some quiet time before praying together. Ask God to reveal any area where you've become resistant to what He has already made clear.

Then use prompts like:

• “Father, show me where I have resisted You.”

• “God, You are right. Help me surrender my preferences to Your truth.”

• “Show me where I've been asking for something new while ignoring what You've already said.”

• “Protect my heart from becoming hardened or calloused.”

• “Give me the courage to act on what You've made clear.”

For anyone who has never trusted Jesus, the first response God is inviting you to make is not cleaning up your life or becoming more religious - it is receiving His Son.

Jesus died for our sins and rose again, and eternal life is given freely to everyone who believes in Him.

God has spoken through Jesus. The question is, "How will we respond?"