HE SEEKS AND SPEAKS

Presented April 29, 2001

Tim Fletcher

God has shown us his love over and over, hasn’t he?

And what has he asked us to do:  to love him with all our heart, and to love our neighbors.

Matt 5:43-45

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.

Matt 22:37-40

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'  38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

We know we are to love God and love our neighbors...But how do you know what the next step is?

What do you do...to truly love God.   What do you do to truly love your neighbor? 

In your life, how do you know if God’s plan means changing jobs, or giving up a job?  How do you know if you should put your kids in private, public or home school?  How do you know if you should make that purchase, or increase your giving at the church or to non-profit agencies?

How do you know?

Have you ever wondered what God’s plan for your life is?

Have you ever wished that you could just hear from God what his will is, for you, so that you could carry it out, no questions asked?

God did not leave us here alone, to sort of fumble our way through life.  Jesus has not disappeared behind a cloud and now sits on high looking down on us, hoping we will make it.   Quite the contrary...remember these passages from Scripture?

John 14:18

18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Heb 13:5-6

5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." 

 So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?"

We believe the Bible is God’s word...but sometimes we have a hard time believing that it means what it says.

Because if we believed what the Bible says in these passages, we would believe that God’s spirit inside of us is full of power and love and self-discipline.

If we believed what the Bible says in these passages, we would believe that we are not left alone to make decisions, and we are certainly filled with Jesus himself who empowers us to make choices and decisions with the blessing of God.

If we believed what the Bible says in these passages, we would believe that God will never leave us alone, or abandon us...but will surely help us in every situation we face.

Do you believe God has placed his spirit in your to empower you and to strengthen your self-discipline?  Or are you doing it all on your own?

Do you believe that God helps you make your decisions?   Or are you just lucky?  Or unlucky?

Do you believe God will never leave you alone?  Or do you even believe God is with you right now?

I want to take a look at someone in the Old Testament that was surely facing these same questions:

ABRAHAM

Abram Genesis 12:1-5  “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 

What did God ask Abraham to change in terms of his experience? 

His location and go to a place he didn’t know...a place he didn’t know the final destination, his country, his people,

his household.

What choice was Abram really facing?

Can you imagine? 

How did Abraham know it was God?

He heard God’s voice. 

What would you give to be able to hear God’s voice?

I believe that God is still speaking to his people today.

Let’s look more closely at someone who did hear God’s voice. 

Let’s look at Moses:  Ex 2:23-25...God was already at work, hearing the groans of his people...and he went after Moses...in the burning Bush.  God pursued Moses...

That’s my favorite scene in the Prince of Egypt...and the text comes straight out of Exodus 3.

And God has pursued you and me...has he not?  His love is amazing!! 

I want to point out a couple things about the Exodus 3 “God Speaks” episode...and this can really be said of any time God “spoke” in the Old Testament. 

HOW GOD SPOKE...IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS THE FACT THAT GOD SPOKE

God could have spoke through a rock, or out of the sky...or like he did, the burning bush.   What matters is that he spoke...not how he spoke.

WHEN GOD SPOKE...THERE WAS NO DOUBT THAT GOD WAS SPEAKING.

WHEN GOD SPOKE...THE HEARER KNEW WHAT GOD HAD SAID.

WHEN GOD SPOKE...THAT WAS THE ENCOUNTER WITH GOD...that was the revelation of his will.

In the Old Testament God spoke many different ways.

In the gospels, God spoke through Jesus.

In Acts, and all the way through the present day, God is speaking through his Holy Spirit.

4 WAYS GOD SPEAKS TO US TODAY THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT.

1.  BIBLE

Jesus said that a relationship with him is like a relationship between a sheep and a shepherd. 

John 10:2-5

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.

Eph 6:17-18

17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. NIV

1 Cor 2:14-16

14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment:

16 "For who has known the mind of the Lord

that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. “

2.  PRAYER

Truth is a person, is it not?  John 14:6  “I am the truth”, Jesus said.

When you become a Christian...Jesus did give you some “thing”, he gave you himself.

Prayer...is a two way fellowship and communication with God.  You speak to God, and he speaks to you.  Its TALKING and LISTENING.

Prayer is a relationship...not just a religious activity.  It will change you more than you will change God to do what you want him to do.  God doesn’t need your prayers, but he wants you to pray.  You need to pray because God has a plan for your life, and you need to find it.

Rom 8:26-27

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

3.  CIRCUMSTANCES

What is happening right now?

God is working.

God has you working.

You watch to see what God is doing.

Do what God is already doing.

Things only God can do:

Draw people to himself.

Cause people to seek after him.

Reveal spiritual truth.

Convict the world of guilt regarding sin.

Convict the world or righteousness.

Convict the world of judgment.

4.  CHURCH

The church is a body.  It is the body of Christ

Jesus is the head of this church.

Every member is placed wherever God pleases.

We need each other.

Apart from the body, I can’t know God’s will for my relationship to the body.

Every member needs to listen to what the other members are saying.

These relationships help us do and understand God’s will.