Hearing from God
So here we are back together again – as we continue through the book “The Life you’ve always wanted”. When Graham announced his intention to study this book I was somewhat pleased as before starting at Spurgeons we had been leading a homegroup where we studied this book as a group. The book has its own strengths and weaknesses but as a group we benefited greatly from it – and it led to us growing deeper as a group as we shared and spoke more openly about our spiritual lives together.
However as I re-read the chapters of the book – I felt an urge to change the title from the Life you’ve always wanted” To The Life you’ve always needed.”
For example with chapters on servanthood, being spiritually disciplined, and confessing sin – none of these things are things I naturally want to do. But having a servant heart, cultivating spiritual disciplines and confesing my sin to God aer all things I need to do. Who was here last Sunday and heard Peter’s sermon on confessing sins. Are these things we want to do – no – loet me hide them – I don’t want my fellow workers to see my sin, I don’t want my fellow Christians to see it, nor my wife or family not even my dog or cat, and often we hide these things from God. But if we are going to live the kind of life tthat we need if we are going to have a daily walk with Jesus these are things that we need to do. For God wants to change and transform us into his likeness. Have you confessed your sins to Jesus to this week or aer they building up.
This week we will be looking at the subject of listening to God. When I was a teenager and before I became a Christian my parents lived in the country-side and to reach the local town I had to cycle a couple of miles through a thick dark forest. I always seemed to have problems with my bike lights and on more than one occasion I can remember as they stopped working in the darkest part of the forest saying God – if you fix this bike light now I will believe in you – I listened and nothing happened – ultimately God had other ways of reaching and speaking to me than through my bikelights. But it raises the question Does God still speak and if so how.
The Bible makes it very clear that we have a speaking/acting God. The picture of God tucked in the corner of the universe holds no place in the Word of God.
So to show the breadth of the ways God has spoken to people through the Bible I want to take a whistle stop tour through some different passages of Scripture. Are you ready?
At the very start of the Bible In Genesis we see whatever God spoke happened. God said “Let there be light” and there was light. When God spoke – creation sprung into being.Whatever God commanded happened. His voice brought life and goodness into the world.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard. [a]
4 Their voice [b] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
Face to Face
But also in the Bible we see God speaking directly to people face to face
So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Ex 33.11a
Visions and dreams from the Lord
In the Bible we see people receiving visions from the Lord
Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I (the prophet Ezekiel) was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. Ezek 1.1
We read about how God can also speak through visible signs
39 Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew." 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew. (Judges 6:39)
We read about how God can also speak through prophecy (1 Cor 14:29-31)
29Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.
We read of God speaking through others (Acts 8:30-35) - example of Philip and the eunuch.
Hebrews 13:7
In the Bible we see how God speaks through His Holy Spirit (Acts 13:2)
In the Bible we see how God speaks to people through His Word
All the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. (Nehemiah 8:9)
“All Scripture is God breathed” 2 Tim 3:16
Our hearts
God can speak to us through our hearts (Colossians 3:15)
But most importantly we see God speaking to us through His Son
1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.
And in the gospel of John we read the following (1:14-15)
Through Jesus we can get to know the Father. The Bible makes it very clear that Jesus wanted a personal relationship with people – he called them to repent to say sorry and come and follow him. Jesus was sent to die on the cross – so that we might be forgiven. It was on that cross he died – that we might come into a relationship with him. In Genesis we see how God’s voice brought life and goodness into the world. And in John Jesus is described as the Word – coming from God containing life and light for all people who will believe and trust in him.
So from the Bible we can see how God’s way of speaking can vary and change. Circumstances, other Christians, His Word, in prayer, dreams, visions, angels, prophecies, words of knowledge, wisdom and reveelation
He deals with individuals in many different ways depending on their needs and on their circumstances but He does not alter. God is utterly consistent.
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish - but nought changeth thee.
This means that what is written down in the Bible should be treated as the primary source for guidance because here we see God revealing himself – and above all in Jesus we see God in human form. If we want to hear directly from God we can do so through His Word.
The picture that came to mind in all these things is a funnel. God has ervelaed himself through His Word and there are many other ways we may hear from God – but these all need to be funneled through His Word – do they fit through the finnel aer they in balance or are they out of balance with His Word. So it is good to ask God to confirm his leading through another person or through His Word or the Holy Spirit. We should be looking for things to converge.
You see Clearly, hasty claims for divine guidance can lead to much abuse and dishonour to God himself.
The Lord has told me that we must marry tomorrow. Or in a church meeting we can feel absolutely certain that it is God’s will for something and yet our fellow believers don’t quite see it that way.
You may know of the young man who went, somewhat against his will, to a retreat where there was prolonged and concentrated meditation. One afternoon he planned his escape into the town; but as he crept along the corridor he met the conductor of the retreat. `Where are you going?’ `Well, sir, the Holy Spirit moved me to go into the town to do some shopping,’ replied the young man as he tried to sound very spiritual. `Then of course you must go,’ said the con¬ductor of the retreat, without batting an eyelid. ’But I hope that both of you know that it’s early closing!
For example if you get a feeling in your heart or a prophecy that you should not forgive a person – then clearly you are mistaken. Jesus makes it very clear forgiveness of others is a mark of a disciple.
So we have looked at a variety of ways that we can hear from God based on the Bible. But what about today. Can we have confidence that God still speaks to us today.
I want to invite someone to come and share their own experience of hearing from God.
Share 1 story of how you have heard from God in the past (through His Word, circumstances, other Christians, prophecy, visions etc)
Share how this event spoke to you and what you learnt from it.
Well based on the level of conversation I have been hearing I hope you are feeling encouraged. (Put your hand up if you had an event to share.
So hopefully you can now see that not only can we see from the Bible that God still speaks and in a variety of ways but also from our own experience we now it be true. Some people see God as some kind of absentee landlord – who created this amazing place and then left it to run on its own. This created what’s been called ’the God of the gaps’. For the bits which science can’t explain then there must be God. But the Bible has no place for such nonsense – it sees the Lord as intimately involved with his people – willing to send His Own Son to die so that they might be forgiven. God is not dumb – he has a voice he has used it he does use it and he wants to continue to use it. And what is God’s purpose – well that we might be holy as he is holy – to enable us to become more like Him.
And to finish I would like us to spend some time reflecting on the message from Samuel and some of the practical consequences of knowing a God who can speak. Firstly we see that Samuel was in a good place – we read how he “Ministered before the Lord”. And he was in the temple of the LORD. It appears he had gotten himself into a place where he could hear from God. That’s not to say God can’t speak in any location. But he had carved out a space to hear from God. So often we can rush around from one thing to another – I have so much to do – rushing around from A to B to C. Yet it is good to remember you had exactly the same number of hours in the day as the Lord Jesus – and yet he found the time and the space to spend time with His Father away from the crowds. So Samuel’s circumstances weer in his favour. He was in a place where he could listen
Secondly there were people to help him. Here in this story Eli was able to point Samuel in the right direction to help him realize God was speaking through him. Samuel needed the help of Eli the priest to learn to recognize the voice of God. If you feel the Lord is calling you to something it is good to share that with someone close to you – a partner a home groupmember or a close friend. Allow people to speak God’s truth into your life.
Geneva story – lady watching me – should I really be giving up my job – yet to hand in notice.
Desire
And so after Eli had helped him he told him to tell the Lord to speak to him and most importantly Samuel wanted to hear – The Desire was there. “Speak Lord for your servant is listening”. Do you say that to God – If we find prayer a struggle then maybe its because we haven’t cultivated that attitude. When you open the Bible and read it why not pray that prayer “Speak Lord your servant is listening.” As you meet people at work and interact with them “Speak Lord for your servant is listening”. As you start off a homegroup “Speak Lord for your servants are listening.” As you pray for someone “Speak Lord for your servants are listening.”
Read 150/151 Ortberg
Listen for the Spirit Continually Thomas Kelly wrote,
There is a way of ordering our mental life on more than one level at once. On one level we may be thinking, discussing, see ing, calculating, meeting all the demands of external affairs. But deep within, behind the scenes, at a profounder level, we may also he in prayer and adoration, song and worship and a gentle receptiveness to divine breathings.
This gentle receptiveness, this ordering Our minds on more than one level at once, is a skill that can be learned. For instance, if we have a sionificant decision to make tomorrow, we can stop and ask for wisdom. If we have some discretionary time unexpectedly open up, we can pause and ask God, "Do you have anything for me to do?„ Then we can "listen" for a moment, and if no prompting comes, we simply do what seems wisest. Each time we greet someone tomorrow, we can inwardly ask the Spirit, "How can I respond to this person? Do you want to speak or work through me?"
We can really do this. The church I serve has a large food court. One of my friends on the staff there was practicing this "ordering of the mind" as he talked to a person who had volunteered there a few times. On this particular night this volunteer had attended a church service and then was to help serve pizza afterward. But when the ser¬vice was over, my friend on the food staff had a sense that he should ask this volunteer ’about her life with God.
"Let’s sit down and talk about the service," he invited.
"Don’t we have to go hack and work in the food court?" she asked.
"Nah-let them "!et their own food," my friend replied.
He explained the gospel to this volunteer and told her what it means to be a Christ-follower.
"Does that make sense to ~ you?" he asked.
"It’s very helpful," she replied. "I understand much better now. Thanks very much."
My friend explained further that understanding isn’t all there is to it, that it is possible to place her life in God’s hands in that moment, commit her life to him. And she did.
Was it the guidance of the Holy Spirit that caused my friend to talk with this volunteer? That was certainly his impression. "To not talk to her would have been a sin of omission," is how my friend put it.
Here
Obeyed
Finally he obeyed – it was an unsavoury message – and he was scared to do so – but here we can see how Eli also helped him by telling him if the Lord had spoken he must act. Samuel had to be instructed by Eli to even know it was the Lord who was calling him. But when he listens to what God has to say, he realizes he is to tell Eli that God will destroy him and his family. Eli will be ruined. Eli, the man who cared for him since he was a toddler, the man who heard his mother pray in earnest to God for a son. Eli who was walking with him down the journey of faith, who this very night helped him to recognize the voice of God. Samuel was to tell Eli, the man whom he loved like a father, that he would be punished along with his sons for their actions against God. Who among us would want to deliver such a message, especially to someone we cared for deeply.
But even here there is a lesson for us Maybe we hear the word of the Lord but we hear a word of judgment and condemnation. We hear God judging us for something we did not do, but those close to us did. We hear God judging us for not trying to stop them, for not doing enough to protest their actions against God. We hear this and do not want to be blamed for someone else’s iniquities and so we ignore the voice of God. We continue to live our lives but we have learned to block out the voice of God so that we begin to think like others that the word of the Lord is rare. It is often easier to think God is absent than to ponder the idea that God may be calling us to do something difficult.
How important this is – if God is speaking to us through His Word by His Spirit and we are ignoring him we need to come to him and say sorry. As Peter was sharing last week we need to confess our sins.
But encouragingly Samuel grew in the Lord through this experienceAnd we can see the consequences of this from vs 19-21 – The Lord continued to use him and bless him. goes on to become the trustworthy prophet of the Lord. Samuel is obedient to his calling. And we are left with this picture of not a word dropping ferom his mouth
This is an exciting story on every level. It shows us that even when we feel God’s word is rare and visions are uncommon, God is there. It reminds us that God can and does use unlikely people, people like you and me, to be God’s spokesperson
But like Samuel we face a choice will we listen to the Lord or not. will we spend time with him or not. Will we look for him for guidance or not.
When a relationship breaks down there is always a cause. 50 years ago it was violence and adultery broke up The research into changing reasons for divorce shows that, modern women judge a marriage by the amount of quality time a couple spend together. Emotional factors — such as non-communication and lack of attention — have also grown fast and are the most commonly mentioned of all motives for divorce.
Major reasons for breakdowns Lack of Quality time together, non-communication and lack of attention. Now Jesus and trust him his promise is “I will be with you always” but unless we are willing to spend quality time listening to him how can we expect a quality relationship. The stakes are high we can muddle along or we can mean business. The same rules in marriage apply to our relationship with the LORD faithfulness, quality time listening to him
“Speak Lord for your servant is listening”
After dying in a car crash, three friends go to Heaven for orientation.
They are all asked the same question: "When you are in your coffin, friends and family are mourning over you, what would you like to hear them say about you?"
The first guy immediately responds, "I would like to hear them say that I was one of the great doctors of my time, and a great family man."
The second guy says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and school teacher who made a huge difference in our children of tomorrow."
The last guy thinks a minute and replies, "I’d like to hear them say...... LOOK, HE’S MOVING!!!!!"
I’m not sure what you would like people to say at your funeral – but to be known as a man and woman of God someone who loved the Lord and listened to him must surely be a worthy cause.
So as you go away this week – make it a resolve to listen to the Lord – ask him to speak to you – he is there we have seen how through the Bible he has spoken abundantly and we have seen how through our own experience he is still speaking today. If we are to be a people doing God’s will in every circumstance then we must be a people willing to listen to him.
“Speak Lord for your servants are listening.”
