“Is That You God?” (How To Hear The Voice Of God)

Pastor Jim Lowe III

Sunday Morning, 9:30am Stream 06/04/23 (1st Sunday Message)

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{All scriptures are NIV84 unless stated}

How many of you would like to hear God better?

 

Job 33:14

14 For God does speak—now one way, now another— though man may not perceive it.

 

God speaks.

 

But WE don’t always recognize it.

 

How Does God Speak?

 

When it comes to hearing God…you need to know some of the ways he communicates with you.

 

4 Ways God Can Speak:

• Through His Word (The Bible)

• Through Other People

• God Himself

• Through His Actions

 

Today let’s talk about the first one:

 

• Through His Word (The Bible)

 

God can speak to you through his word.

 

“God Speaks To Me Through His Word!”

 

Some may agree…some may not. Some of us may wonder:

How Can An Old Book Give Me Direction Today?

 

If you want to know why the word is important You have to understand that HE is the word.

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 

This book is God.

 

It is his love letter to us.

 

He poured himself out for us and put it all into a book…

 

If We Want To Know God Better, HE Is In HIS Word!

 

Hebrews 4:12

12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

 

For the word of God is living and active… it is LIVING.

Why is it living?

 

John 1:1 - because it IS God.

 

Since the word is God…he can DEFINITELY speak through it.

 

They are HIS Words!

 

2 Timothy 3:16-17

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 

ALL scripture…

 

God breathed.

 

“inspired by God” {NKJV} Because God is in it…

We can learn direction for our lives THROUGH his word.

 

Psalm 119:105

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

 

It’s hard to walk in the dark!

 

How often do we stub our toe walking in the dark? We need a light to see where we’re stepping.

but even being able to see your feet…

 

you can’t walk forward looking down… you’ll hit a wall.

You need something like a flashlight you can shine on the ground and in front of you. But a flashlight can’t show you what you’re doing spiritually.

The Word Will Show Us WHERE We Are Standing, AND WHERE We Are Going!

 

So because the word is God…

And God speaks through his word,

 

Why Should We Study The Bible?

 

Why Should We Study The Bible?

• The Bible Is God’s Word (John 1:1, Heb 4:12)

 

We already talked about this earlier.

 

But also mentioning that because we can find God here… this means that we can also find his nature.

And ONE thing about the word is it is consistent.

 

Numbers 23:19

19 God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change  his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

 

This means if God said it. that’s it.

Isaiah 55:11

11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

 

God doesn’t just speak to be speaking… God’s word has a purpose.

So because God doesn’t change… If we learn the word once…

We got it!

The Bible Tells Us About A God Who Will Not Change!

 

Who God Is…

 

the creator of heaven and earth {Genesis} How Does God think…

How Does God Feel about you and I.

 

his most treasured possession {Deuteronomy 14.} chosen…part of a royal priesthood {1 Kings.} Loved…even in your dirt {John 3, Romans 5}

This is ALL in the word!

 

Because whatever word we hear later… it won’t conflict with this one.

God Loves You, And That Won’t Change!

 

Many times we need to be reminded of what God says for us because we’ll forget it. This is how we begin to learn God’s voice.

…hearing his word!!

 

Even what we do on Sundays.

 

Each Time We Read The Word of God, We Are Learning Of Who He Is!

this is why church is important!

 

It’s harder for the enemy to fill us with grief when we already know what God says!

 

Why Should We Study The Bible?

• To Give Us Hope (Romans 15:4, Psalm 119:114;

Psalm 119:81)

 

Romans 15:4

4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

 

Hope of what?

 

That whatever God told us in his word is true. and because God doesn’t lie.

we don’t have empty hope!

 

Psalm 119:114

114 You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.

 

God PUT this in his word to remind us just like David to put our hope in his word.

 

Why Should We Study The Bible?

• To Increase Our Faith (Romans 10:17)

 

Romans 10:17

17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

 

Hearing the message…

 

what’s the message?

what Christ said… what did Christ say?

it’s in our bible!

 

• To Increase Our Discernment (2 Timothy 2:15;

Ephesians 4:14)

 

2 Timothy 2:15

15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

 

Do your best to be someone who knows the word of God.

 

Make sure you are capable of handling it.

 

that you have a GOOD understanding of what it says.

 

Why?

 

Ephesians 4:14

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.

 

We study the word because God has set his word as the foundation of how he speaks. God will speak in many ways…

But it ALWAYS comes back to the word.

 

This is how we discern if it’s God speaking or not.

 

**When we pray…sometimes we assume it’s God…when it’s or own voice telling us what we WANT to hear.**

Sometimes we have to ask ourselves…

 

Is It God Or Is It Us We Hear?

 

How do we know?

 

We have to check it back to the foundation. The word of God.

Many Times We’ve Gotten In Trouble Because We Thought It Was God When It Wasn’t

 

 

 

THINKING it was God!

 

But would God tell us to do some of those things?

 

This is why God left us a standard.

 

Make Sure To Test What You Hear Against God’s Word!

 

1 Thessalonians 5:19-21

19 Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil.

 

Test everything…

 

1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 (MSG)

Don’t suppress the Spirit, and don’t stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don’t be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what’s good. Throw out anything tainted with evil.

 

Don’t be gullible…

 

Don’t be gullible to yourselves or anyone else. Test it against the word!

But How Do You Test It Against The Word?

 

depends on what it is.

 

But God speaks about things like this:

 

Matthew 6:31-33:

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his  righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

 

The more you go after God…

 

the more HE will open up doors for you.

 

1 Corinthians 10:31

31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

 

Ask yourself will God get glory out of this?

 

{Recap and closing}

 

So on this message alone:

 

How Do We Hear God More Clearly?

First we have to make sure we know what God’s voice sounds like. To know that you’d have to know the type of things he’d say.

How do we know that?

 

If You’re Looking For God, Get In The Word!

 

Joshua 1:8 - Keep this book of the law ALWAYS on your lips. Repetition…

When you get it…you got it.

 

Find ways to get God’s word in front of you! Scripture of the day…

Devotionals!

 

Current devotional on my desk:

 

Isaiah 30:21

Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

 

What is God telling us?

 

We are never alone.

 

Even when we take a wrong step… He is there with us.

Leading us back to where we should be.

 

And ONCE we have a better knowledge of the word, we’ll know Matthew 7.

Matthew 7:7-8

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

 

This Week:

• Review This Message (it was a lot!)

• Find Ways To Get Into The Word This Week!

• Pray That God Shows Us How To Learn To Test Things Against His Word

 

If we’re seeking God’s word on things… Remember he DOES speak…

But we gotta find ways to hear him better.