Recognizing God's Voice - John 10:4-5

Recognizing God's Voice
July 17, 2011
John 10:4-5

Introduction

- During the last two sermons we have looked at Bible teachings and we have seen that God is a God who speaks
- Last week we also looked at ways in which God speaks to us
- Through the Word, in our thoughts, through other people, through circumstances
- TESTIMONIES
- Today we will examine how we can know when it is God speaking, or alternatively it could be our own thoughts, or the enemy

1. Be obedient to what God says

- James 1:22
- God tells us that along with hearing God's voice, there is accountability - we have to be obedient and do what he says
- God will not speak to us unless we are obedient to what he tells us
- When we are disobedient, we grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30)

2. Ways to test what we hear

- 1 John 4:1 - test what you hear - you don't want to believe lies
- a) It must be according to God's word
- Isa 8:20 - the word is the test
- b) It should draw us closer to Christ
- Phil 2:5 - Let this mind be in you which was in Jesus
- What Would Jesus Do? - Charles Sheldon
- c) It will fit our mix of spiritual gifts, personal talents and personality
- Eph 2:10 - God has a plan and purpose for us
- Num 23:19 - God does not lie
- d) Is the word convicting or condemning?
- God may chastise us verbally
- Hebrews 12:10-11
- Romans 8:1 - God does not condemn
- But he may convict us of some area of life in which we need to change
- e) Do other believers confirm it?
- Proverbs 19:20, 24:6 - get advice
- We need help when we are in new territory
- Ask for directions!
- f) We will have a sense of peace
- 1 Cor 14:33
- Confusion is not of God
- If the word is confusing to us, God did not give it to us
- John 14:27 - my peace I give to you

3. Listen for what God will speak to you

- Rev 2:29, 3:6, 13, 22
- "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches"
- We are going to spend some time listening to God
- Free to come forward to altar rail, or stay in seat
- Prayer for forgiveness, and open ears
- Lord speak to your people

Conclusion

- We can listen to God's voice
- He speaks to the global church
- He speaks to Grace Fellowship
- And he speaks to us personally
- Practice this, make it part of the way you live each day

Ways God speaks to us - 1 Kings 19:12

Ways God Speaks to Us

July 10, 2011

1 Kings 19:12

Introduction

• Helen Keller - lived during early 1900's, died 1968 - deaf and blind - not able to communicate - isolated - Ann Sullivan broke through and allowed young Helen to blossom as she learned to communicate
• We grow and develop mentally and emotionally through communication
• In growing up spiritually we also need communication, with God
• God speaks to us in different ways
• These are as varied as He is great!
• Today we are going to look at some of the ways in which God speaks to us

The Bible

• John 17:17 - Thy Word is truth
• Rev 19:13 - His name - the Word of God - spokesman, communicator
• James 1:21 - Logos
• Matt 4:4 - Rhema
• What sometimes blocks our understanding of the Bible
• Need to confront issues, not ignore or run away from them

Still small voice

• 1 Kings 19:12 - still small voice
• Matt 10:20 - the Spirit of your Father speaks
• John 16:13 - the Spirit will guide

Many ways

• Prophetic word
  • 1 Cor 14:1-5 - gift of prophecy
  • Acts 13:2 - Holy Spirit spoke - prophetic word, accepted by the church?
• Circumstances
  • Acts 16:7 - Paul stopped by circumstances
  • Rev 3:8 - open door - an open door to walk into God's destiny - revealed by circumstances
• Dreams and visions
  • Acts 16:9-10 - Macedonian call - a night vision
  • Matt 1:20 - angel of the Lord speaks to Joseph in a dream
  • You know the dream is special, and usually you know the meaning
• Nature
  • Psalm 19:1The heavens declare the glory of God
  • God's answer to prayer re candidating

Conclusion

• We have looked at a few of the ways God speaks to us
• But God is so great, he is not limited by a few ways to speak to us
• It is one thing to be listening for God's voice
• But we also need to know when we hear a voice, is it from God, is it from ourselves, or is it from the enemy
• Come back next week, because that is what we will be talking about in the next sermon

The God who speaks - John 10:1-10

The God Who Speaks

June 26, 2011

John 10:1-10, 14

Introduction

• 1 John 3:1-3
• What incredible favor has been given to us
• That we should be made the children of God, God's adopted children
• A parent communicates with his children
• Often dads are the strong silent types
• But children need a dad who is speaking to them, who directs them, who guides them
• How can a parent comfort and encourage, without speaking to the child
• Our relationship with God is no different
• If we are God's children, we need His guidance, his comfort, his communication
• Now we know that God is a God who speaks
• He spoke to Adam, he spoke to Enoch who walked with God
• He spoke to Abraham, he spoke to Solomon, he spoke to David and the prophets
• Jesus came to earth as a human being and communicated with his followers
• The Holy Spirit spoke to the New Testament church
• Yet sometimes we seem to have difficulty in having two way communication with God
• Today we are going to discuss a chapter where Jesus tells us about his communication with us
• John 10:1-10, 14

One entrance, one shepherd - verse 1-2, 7-9

• People like to do things on their own terms
• But Jesus tells us that there is only one entrance into the fold
• John 14:6
• There is only one way to have a relationship with God
• That is through Jesus
• This means, unless I accept Jesus as my Lord and my Savior, I cannot expect to hear God's voice
• The reason is that our sins separate us from God - Isa 59:2
• Thankfully, God sent Jesus so that our sins could be forgiven and we could have a fresh start in life
• John 3:16
• So Jesus is the only way to have relationship with God
• There is only one entrance, and one shepherd

The shepherd knows his sheep - verse 3, 14

• In recent weeks we have been examining different aspects of our identity as a Christian
• We have learned how close Jesus wants to be with us
• Eph 2:6
• John 14:20
• When we have such an intimate relationship with Jesus, it is impossible that he not know us
• Like a shepherd with his sheep
• He knows everything about them
• Like when my dog had a sore paw
• I cared for him on a day to day basis
• I knew when he was hurting, when he was hungry
• Our shepherd Jesus, knows his sheep

The sheep know the shepherd's voice - verse 4

• The reason the sheep follow the shepherd is that they know his voice
• They trust him
• There is nothing they wouldnt do for him
• they follow him
• they dont go off looking for their own way to do things
• the shepherd shows the way to go, by leading the way
• all the sheep have to do is follow where he is going
• where you go Ill go
• It is possible to recognize the shepherds voice
• he will not take us places that are bad for us
• we need to be obedient to where he sends us
• the sheep knows the shepherd's voice

The sheep avoid strangers - verse 5, 8

• The sheep hear other voices too
• but they dont recognize them as something they want to follow
• they only want to follow the shepherd';s voice
• the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy
• the thief is the arch deceiver
• Rev 12:9 - he deceives the whole world
• the sheep know Jesus voice, and recognize the difference
• The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth - Jn 14:13
• He is the one who shows us what is of Jesus and what is not
• but it takes closeness with God to be sensitive to what He is saying to us
• The Holy Spirit is sensitive
• But how often dont we grieve the Holy Spirit
• Jesus sheep, children of God, stay away from the stranger's siren song
• we want to only hear Jesus' voice

The shepherd cares for his sheep - verses 9-11

• Proverbs - the blessing of the Lord makes rich, he adds no sorrow with it
• when we listen to God's voice, and are obedient, the results will be good
• because the shepherd looks after his sheep
• he wont take them into a swamp, or desert, he will feed them and give them al;l they need
• One of the most important things he gives us is that he communicates with us and speaks to us
• This is how he guides us and comforts us and occasionally corrects us
• So the shepherd cares for his sheep

Conclusion

• God is a God who speaks to us, all the time
• He speaks to us in many different ways
• But it is the same voice that comes through, whatever is being said
• As we grow up as Christians, we will learn to exercise discernment and know his voice
• In my next sermon I will talk more about recognizing God's voice
• But in the meantime know this, that he is speaking to you, because he cares for you and wants to lead you to good pasture

Let Your Fire Fall - Acts 2:3

Let Your Fire Fall

June 12, 2011 - Pentecost

Acts 2:3

Introduction

• Today is Pentecost Sunday
• 2000 years ago an event happened which turned the religious world on its head
• The disciples were assembled in an upper room, where they had been praying for the coming of the promise
• 10 days before the resurrected Jesus had told them to wait in Jerusalem to be baptized with the Holy Spirit
• He told them that when this happened, they would receive power, and that they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth
• Let's read it
• Acts 1:4-8
• The disciples continued to pray
• They selected a successor to Judas Iscariot, and chose Matthias, so the number of apostles was once again 12
• And they continued to pray

The disciples were together, keeping Pentecost

• Acts 2:1-4
• They were all together in one place
• First of all, it was Pentecost
• This was one of the holydays described in Leviticus 23
• Pentecost is a Greek word which means Count Fifty
• During the days of unleavened bread the Israelites were to bring a wave sheaf offering to the priests, to be offered before God
• This was rougly at the time of Easter
• This wave sheaf was the first stalks of barley to be harvested in the spring harvest
• From the day that they offered this before the Lord, they were to count 7 weeks or fortynine days, and then it says on the day after they finished counting the 7 weeks, in other words the fiftieth day, they were to keep the feast of weeks or Shavuot
• So Pentecost means count fifty, and it always lands on a Sunday
• Pentecost was unique in God's festivals in that it had to be counted out.
• On that day there was an assembly of the church
• So the disciples were all together in one place, observing Pentecost

The disciples were together, praying

• There was unity among them
• One was not thinking, I'm going back to see mom
• Mat 6:33
• Another was not thinking, I don't want to be here with Peter
• Psalm 133
• There was a unity of purpose, they were all praying for the promise to come, the baptism of the Holy Spirit
• Acts 1:14

The disciples were together, obedient to what God had said

• Acts 1:4-5
• Jesus tells them to do something and they did it
• Are we obedient to every word the Lord tells us?
• It was said of Samuel the prophet he let none of the Lord's words fall to the ground - 1 Sam 3:19

Revival

• This last week I have been reading about revival here in the US, starting with Stoddard back in 1672
• I want revival in my own life
• I want revival in this church
• and I want revival in this town
• As I read through this book I noticed a number of things
• Each of these awakeners was sold out, not afraid of consequences, and had a hunger to do what the Lord had laid on their heart
• I am convinced that most all of us have had fire in our bones at some time
• But often we are not obedient to what God says, and we grieve the Holy Spirit
• As we grieve the Holy Spirit, it creates distance between us
• Today we are contending for that fire to return
• We want to return to an obedient walk with God
• We want to do the things we have neglected
• Maybe we are like the church at Ephesus which left its first love
• But we can rebuild what was lost
• Like a marriage
• A marriage can grow cold by not doing the things that make for a vibrant marriage
• But it can also be rebuilt, starting by getting back to the things we did when we were first in love
• So let's turn back to the hunger for God that we had at the beginning, and new life will come into our walk with God

I am accepted! - Eph 1:6

I am accepted!

June 5, 2011

Ephesians 1:6

Introduction

• Keith Hernandez is one of baseball's top players. He is a lifetime 300 hitter who has won numerous Golden Glove awards for excellence in fielding.
• He's won a batting championship for having the highest average, the Most Valuable Player award in his league, and even the World Series.
• Yet with all his accomplishments, he has missed out on something crucially important to him -- his father's acceptance and recognition that what he has accomplished is valuable.
• Listen to what he had to say in a very candid interview about his relationship with his father:
• "One day Keith asked his father, 'Dad, I have a lifetime 300 batting average. What more do you want?'
• His father replied, 'But someday you're going to look back and say, "I could have done more."

• How many of us can relate to this story
• Today we are going to see what the Bible tells us about our worth as a person, individually

Early Days and Life

• Often we grow up in families which do not value us as a person
• It may be our Mom, it may be our Dad, it may be someone else
• But as we grow up we are being molded into the person we will be as an adult
• The things that are said to us have huge impact, particularly in the early years
• As we grow up, we start working and other people start to make comments about us
• These comments often relate to the things we have done and accomplished
• I had a boss who praised me for good accomplishments, and this was a big help for me
• He also told me when I needed to improve a report I had written, but without putting me down
• So in life, we can have both positive and negative influences
• We see ourselves in terms of what has been said of us

The flaw

• The things that are said of us vary, depending on who is saying what
• So on Monday someone may praise us for an accomplishment, while on Tuesday we may be criticized
• When we see ourselves based on our performance, our self-image will change depending on what we have been told
• This means that the way we see ourselves is constantly changing, our feelings are fickle
• This is not the kind of foundation we need for our life.
• Jesus tells us that he is the Rock on which he would build his church
• David talks of God as being his rock, his shelter
• Paul talks about us being built as a temple for God, on the foundation of Jesus
• So God does not want us to be ever-changing in the way we see ourselves
• He wants us to have a solid basis, a real foundation for our life

How does God see us?

• Is God continually looking at how we are measuring up to certain standards?
• Does this change from day to day depending on how well we have done in following Him?
• Ephesians 1:5-6 "Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
• "To the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he made us accepted in the Beloved"
• Paul is telling us that the Father specifically chose us to be his children! He did this according to his will, he was not forced into it by any set of circumstances
• It is by his grace that we have been made "accepted in the Beloved"
• The Beloved in the context here, refers to Jesus
• So we have been accepted in Jesus
• The word used for accepted here, is Charito-o
• This means "to be highly favored, to make accepted, to make graceful, charming, lovely, agreeable, to pursue with grace, to compass or surround with favor, to honor with blessings"
• This is the way God sees us
• Notice, the word means to MAKE accepted
• It is God who does this work, we are his workmanship, as Paul says in verse 10
• God makes us accepted, he favors us, he surrounds us with honor and blessing
• This is how God sees us.

Performance or Being?

• God sees us not as the person who skimped on his prayer time yesterday
• He doesn't particularly look at our spiritual accomplishments either
• Because all our personal accomplishments are to him like filthy rags - Isaiah 64:6
• He doesn't put us down by saying this, it's just that whatever we do will never measure up!
• Instead of our standing with God depending on our performance, God makes us into someone he loves, cherishes, honors, favors
• It is no longer dependent on how we perform
• Instead, it relates to the person God has made us to be
• In Jesus, we have received grace, and are sinless before Him
• How can this be?
• It is because God sees Jesus in us, and Jesus is the One to whom we have surrendered
• And God says in him there is no shadow of turning - James 1:17
• The process is that we are made acceptable - as a result we desire to walk worthy of our calling
• This is pure grace
• All comes from God - He draws us to Him, His goodness leads us to repentance, and then He makes us acceptable
• The process is NOT that we walk worthy of our calling, and then God makes us acceptable
• This would mean our being made acceptable is conditional on our performance, which is a form of works rather than grace

We are worthy

• So God has made us acceptable
• He has made us worthy
• It is not dependent on our performance
• It is solely dependent on grace
• God has made us worthy to have fellowship with Him -
• 1 Jn 1:3

Communion/Last Supper

• 1 Cor 11
• It is this grace that makes us worthy to share in communion
• Not anything we have done

Memorial Day - Hope for the future - Isa 2:2-4

Memorial Day - Hope for the Future
May 29, 2011

Isa 2:2-4

Introduction

• Tomorrow is Memorial Day
• Many of us have family members or friends who have served or are serving in the military
• We may have family members who gave their all to this calling on their life
• They may have been a grandfather, a dad, perhaps it was a brother or sister or nephew or a son
• They may have been a friend, even a fellow combatant
• We will now watch a short video honoring those who have given their lives for our freedom
• VIDEO
• There is so much suffering associated with war
• Man was not made for war
• 10,000 US troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001 = 900/yr = 3/day
• 32,000 killed in Iraq since 2003 = 3500/yr = 10/day
• This pales into insignificance when we think of the 600,000 who died in the American Civil War in 1861-1865 = 340/day
• More husbands and fathers died in that war than in WW1 and WW2 combined
• A total of over 1.3 million US military personnel have died since the Revolutionary war in 1775

Cause

• When man chose to obey the enemy, war was a part of the consequences
• The enemy seeks to kill, steal and destroy - Jn 10:10
• One of Satan's names is Abaddon or Destroyer
• Rev 9:11

Jesus came to bring life and peace

• But Jesus came to give life, abundant life
• Isa 9:1-6 His name is Prince of Peace

When/How will He come?

• 1 Thes 4:17 There will be a rapture
• The dead in Christ will rise first
• 1 Cor 15:51-54
• We will all meet Jesus in the air - can't wait to get together with his people
• Jesus will set up a kingdom
• Zech 14:4-9
• Feet on Mount of Olives
• Isa 2:2-4
• Swords into plowshares
• No more war
• God will reign!

What if loved one has died

• They are in safe keeping with Jesus
• They are in heaven today
• They are able to commune with him one on one, any time they wish
• and they will be resurrected at Jesus' return, as we read
• And we will embrace each other once more

Conclusion

• So be comforted
• The loved ones you lost, you will see them again
• We honor those who have fallen
• We honor all who have the calling of fighting for the freedom of their country
• And there is hope for the future, because Jesus will return and set things straight, and usher in a time of peace

Looking in the mirror - our identity - Eph 2:6

Looking in the Mirror

May 22, 2011

Eph 2:6

Introduction

• Please raise your hands if you have not received a bulletin - you will need it before the end of the service
• We have all heard about identity theft
• we become paranoid about someone seeing our social security number or birthdate
• I even started altering my birthdate on facebook and my email accounts, but later felt that was dishonest and changed them back
• But we do so much online
• email, paying bills, it is convenient
• but when we go to nasty places on the web we can contract a nasty virus, which compromises your identity
• You may not know it has happened to you until you receive bills for a credit card you never had, or you are held liable for bad checks passed in your name, on a bank account you did not know existed
• it affects your credit and your credibility and you end up owing lots of money
• Identity theft happens in our spiritual life too

Thief steals ID

• John 10:10
• Satan is a thief
• What does he steal? Not our goods, he has no need of them
• he steals our identity
• How does he do this?
• He plants bombs in our thinking
• He starts off when we are very little, and sets up situations which are designed to steal our value and worth
• It may start off when we are conceived - maybe we were an unwanted child
• Some of us were adopted or fostered out, and at the core of our being we feel like we don't belong, because we did not have a sense of being wanted, in the early years of our life
• Maybe our family split up and we became part of the 50% of children that grew up in a broken family - 50% of marriages end in divorce
• As a child you don't know you are not responsible, nor that it is not unusual anymore - instead you feel like your family is sub-standard and that means you are sub-standard too
• This is all stuff the enemy engineers
• Maybe your teachers were old-school and tough and put you down
• maybe home life was affecting your grades and you bombed out at school
• Later on, we are affected by our employers
• They can build us up or tear us down
• It happens in church too
• we can be beaten down in church, convinced we are going to hell, convinced we are the scum of the earth, and that we don't measure up to the standards expected of us
• I grew up with a measuring rule - you had to pray one hour per day, study the Bible one hour per day, and also find time to meditate. I would try and try to do it but it never really worked. So I walked around carrying a huge load of guilt
• This was all part of the enemy's plan for me
• When we look in the mirror, this is what we see
• But Jesus has a different perspective on this

We are in Christ

• Eph 2:1-7
• The Bible teaches that when we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are "in Christ"
• This is more than a theological concept
• It is more than imitating the life and teaching of Jesus
• It is the present experience of the risen Jesus, living in us!
• Paul and John both use this term, being in Christ, to express the personal and dynamic relationship between the believer and Christ.
• This term is used 8 times in Galatians, 34 times in Ephesians and 18 times in Colossians
• This term refers to what we call "identification with Christ"
• It means God has done something in our life, so that we have become identified with Christ.
• As a result, what is true of Christ's standing, has become true of us
• Jesus was crucified, so were we! We are crucified with Christ - Gal 2:20
• Jesus is risen from the dead - so are we - Rom 6:4
• But it goes beyond this
• Jesus rose to heaven to be with the Father - if I am identified with Christ I too have ascended to heaven and am seated at the right hand of the Father!
• Eph 2:5-6
• Of course we have not become creators of the world, nor have we become God
• But our identification with Christ goes much further than we think

Who am I?

• Let's read aloud from the insert in the bulletin:
• I am the salt of the earth - Matt 5:13
• I am the light of the world - Matt 5:14
• I am a child of God - Jn 1:12
• I am part of the true vine, a channel of Christ's life - Jn 15:1,5
• I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear fruit - John 15:16
• I am a son of God and one in Christ - Gal 3:26, 28
• I am a saint - Eph 1:1, 1 Cor 1:2, Phil 1:1, Col 1:2
• I am God's workmanship, his handiwork, born anew in Christ to do His work.

Conclusion

• Please read the summary of our Christian identity
• During the next few weeks we will take a closer look at the kind of person we truly are
• This will be a life-changing experience for you