Seismic Shifts
Session 5 “From Monologue to Dialogue”
RBW (inspired from “seismic shifts” book)
Introduction:
+Drama: (Rick Crass / Cassie Davis)
+Short Seismic Shift intro clip
I wonder if this conversation we just watched resembles many of our prayer lives. Where God is just waiting to meet with us and share with us, wisdom, guidance… life…. But we end up doing all the talking and then just get up and go on with our days.
Let’s talk about it today and see what shift is in store for us with our message entitled,
“From Monologue to Dialogue.”
Stand for Congregational reading:
+John 10:1-6 (NIV)
10 “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
+Lily Tomlin, famous comedian once asked the question, “Why is that when we talk to God it’s called prayer, but when God talks to us it’s called schizophrenia?”
+How many of you believe God still speaks to His people?
How many of you believe that God longs to speak and communicate with you?
How many of you believe that you can learn to hear God’s voice?
Jesus said in verses 3, 4 and 5, He calls …He leads…His sheep follow him because they know his voice. …His sheep do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
+Who does God talk to?
+In Genesis 2:15-17 (NIV)
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
Genesis 2:25 (NIV)
25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
Who does God talk to? Naked People. No, with God speaking to the first man He sets up the standard, the ideal… that when man is brought back into a right relationship with God through Jesus… communication between God and man is the most natural of phenomenon.
+Who does God talk to?
+1 Kings 19:9-13 (NIV)
… And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
+11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. +12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
+Who does God talk to? People who are zealous for Him. People who don’t just go with the flow but swim upstream, who count the cost. People where are the prophets of God today?
Where are the Elijahs?
They’re in these very pews right now… and God is going to use you in a mighty way if you’ll let Him.
Who does God talk to and through?
From the book of Exodus forward God speaks to Moses, Aaron and others during the exodus and wilderness wanderings. In the book of Numbers God speaks through a donkey; In the books of Ezra and Isaiah God speaks through a pagan leader, King Cyrus. The disciples hear God speak in a thunderous voice, Paul hears God on the road to Damascus and then hears the spirit’s voice on several occasions throughout the book of acts.
Who does God talk to? Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice…”
God speaks to and through whomever He wants, but He promises to speak to His followers.
God wants us to know His voice, and to know His will so that we’ll have the most intimate relationship possible, just like with Adam in the garden… because God wants the best for His kids.
Illustration:
+Like the physician who was driving with her four-year-old daughter. On the way to preschool, the doctor had left her stethoscope on the car seat, and her little girl picked it up and began playing with it. “Be still, my heart”, thought the mother, my daughter wants to follow in my footsteps! Then the child spoke into the instrument: "Welcome to McDonald’s. May I take your order please?"
It’s natural to want your kids to take after you, to follow in your footsteps. You don’t want your kids working the rest of their lives at McDonalds saying “would you like fries with your order?” when they could have a promising medical practice, or teach at a university or become a foreign missionary bringing hope to thousands who don’t know Christ. The point is that….you want the best for your kids. God wants the best for you too. He doesn’t want you to waist away with just a McDonald’s spiritual life, He wants you to have it all. The best understanding of His Word. The most terrific Church experience and the greatest prayer life available!! Because he’s your Dad. He doesn’t want you to spend your Christian life scrounging for morsels when you could be eating T-Bones at the table of Christ.
+Some Conditions for successful prayer (5):
+2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
+1st Condition: Humility
+Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)
13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
+2nd Condition: Wholeheartedness
+Mark 11:24 (NIV)
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
+3rd Condition: Faith
+James 5:16 (NIV)
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
+4th Condition: Righteousness (in Christ positionally; In lifestyle, practically)
+1 John 3:21-24 (NIV)
21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
+5th Condition: Obedience
Illustration:
+Four guys decided to go mountain climbing one weekend. In the middle of the climb, one fella slipped over a cliff, dropped about sixty feet and landed with a thud on the ledge below. The other three, hoping to rescue him, yelled, “Joe, are you OK?” “I’m alive… but I think I broke both my arms!” “We’ll toss a rope down to you and pull you up. Just lie still!” said the three. “Fine,” answered Joe. A couple of minutes after dropping one end of the rope, they started tugging and grunting together, working feverishly to pull their wounded companion to safety. When they had him about three-fourths of the way up, they suddenly remembered he said he had broken BOTH his arms. “Joe! If you broke both your arms, how in the world are you hanging on?” Joe responded, “with my TEEEEEEETH…”
Most days don’t you feel like that kitten in the poster who’s just barely holding on for life, let alone trying to be obedient to God. But an obedient Christian life is the only way to live a powerful, prayerful, impactful, spirit-filled, God honoring life.
+There’s power in the prayer of an obedient person completely consumed with God!
+Some Techniques that will help you become a better listener in prayer:
+First, “Put it in Neutral”
Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)
31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Ask God to help you shut off the thoughts, and to-do lists and schedules. This is your task… to wait upon and listen to God
+Second, “Let God Lead the Prayer Time”
Say with Jesus, Luke 22:42 (NIV)
42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
Ask God to lead the prayer time, to show you what to pray about, who to pray for and then…
+Third, “Follow the Spirit”
Scripture says, Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
When the Spirit impresses in your mind and your heart what or whom to pray… stay right there on that subject until you feel released to move on.
Don’t rush through a laundry list!
+Finally, “Take the time that it takes”
Remember your meeting with the King of Kings, He deserves first priority in your life and in your schedule. Even Jesus had a busy schedule, but He made it a priority to spend time in prayer. It takes time to be a good listener!
+Pass out dominoes.
In this shift we go from Monologue to Dialogue a two-way conversation.
We listen… we respond.
+Stand…..
Say with me, “God wants to speak to me. Am I listening?”
In the Morning say, “God wants to speak to me. Am I listening?”
During the day say, “God wants to speak to me. Am I listening?”
In the evening say, “God wants to speak to me. Am I listening?”
