Hearing God’s Voice
Introduction
Thoughts from- Hearing God’s Voice by Blackaby.
Does God speak today- if so, how does He speak?
What is the significance of God speaking to us?
Rom 8:26-27, 33-34
Intercession- type of prayer- prayer is talking w/God.
Intercede- to bring before God a person/situation and to ask God to move in that person’s life/situation.
Intercession- not praying what I think should happen.
To pray God’s will I must look beyond my pre-conceived thoughts/ideas/opinions/agendas.
We must pray/intercede according to God’s will.
To do this we must be able to hear what God is saying
This type of interaction w/God distinguishes Christianity from other religions and their gods
Ex 33:12-16
God’s presence speaks of a God who interacts and communicates with people.
How does God speak to us today?
God’s Word is the authoritative foundation for everything that we do and believe.
Many times as I seek God’s heart on a particular matter He speaks to me as I read His Word.
Oswald Chambers- chaplain- British forces- WWI- sent to Egypt, too dangerous to take his family, but both he/wife desired to be together. As he was reading the Bible- God spoke to him through Psa 37:4- Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. He felt this was confirmation to bring her over.
The Bible lays down a foundation for understanding the heart/mind/purposes of God in everyday life.
However, as we examine the scriptures we see God speaks in many ways.
However God speaks, it will not contradict the Bible.
When God speaks He takes the revelation found in the Word and applies it to specific situations.
Therefore, we know God both by revelation from Scripture and by personal experience.
Jesus did not rely on OT scripture alone or His own thinking- depended on hearing God the Father.
Jn 5:30 "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. NASU
Easy for a person to misuse the idea of God speaking personally as an excuse to do what they want to do
Part of the problem comes from our lack of understanding of absolute truth.
We sometimes ignore/modify the words of scripture because it does not align with our experiences.
Result- interpret the Bible to match our experiences.
At the same time, God is more than theology- He is a personal God desiring a relationship w/His people.
Jn 17:3 "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. NASU (1 Jn 1:3)
Mistakes we can make in recognizing God’s voice …
God does not speak beyond the Bible
God’s personal word to me overrides the Bible
Doctrine about God replaces relating to God
When God speaks He does not give new revelation about Himself that contradicts what He has already revealed in the Scripture. Rather, God speaks to give application of His Word to the specific circumstances in your life. (Blackaby)
How did God speak in the Old Testament?
Creation
Psa 19:1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. NASU
Angels
Prophets
Dreams and Visions
Gentle Voice
1 Sam 3:4 that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, "Here I am." NASU
Burning Bush
Preaching
Judgments
Symbolic Actions
Isaiah walking about naked- sign of judgment.
Hosea marrying a harlot- demonstrate God’s love.
Signs and Miracles
Donkey
How did God speak in the New Testament?
When Jesus came to the earth, God did not change, but- a new dimension of how God speaks to men.
Heb 1:1-2
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. NASU
Jesus was not just another vehicle through which God spoke to men, Jesus was and is the Word of God.
Jn 1:14, 18
However, since Jesus earthly ministry, God has continued to speak to men in various ways …
Nature
Angels
Dream and Visions
Prayer
Prophets
Signs and Wonders
Preachers
Scripture
Holy Spirit
Summarizing How God Speaks
We can see that God expressed Himself and revealed Himself and His will through many vehicles.
Jn 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written. NASU
God speaks to people in countless ways.
What is important is not how God spoke, but that He does speak and desire a relationship.
God’s Pattern for Speaking to People
1. God Speaks Uniquely
God speaks in accordance with the circumstances and the heart of the individual.
Saul- zealous, self-righteous- humbled publicly on the road to Damascus.
Samuel- as a young man heard God’s voice quietly in the night hours.
2. God Speaks Personally
God is not confined to any particular way of speaking.
We enjoy formulas- like God to speak the same way.
God speaks in a variety of ways to force us to exercise faith and not trust in a particular method.
As we pursue God through faith He will personally speak to us in a way that may stretch our faith.
Ja 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you … NASU
3. God Speaks Progressively
We would like God to speak dramatically to us- write on the wall in our bedroom- explain everything.
But God is more interested in an on-going relationship
When God first spoke to Abraham about leaving his home, He did not tell him where he was going.
45 years later, after Abraham had learned to follow God in faith, He tells him to sacrifice his son.
God guides us one step/day at a time- each interaction w/Him building our faith/confidence in Him.
4. God Speaks Consistently
There is a danger in saying God always/never.
However there are absolutes in the Kingdom of God.
God will never say anything inconsistent with His Holy Character.
God will not lead people in a way that would cause them to be unethical/immoral.
David knew God’s voice, and therefore he knew better than to say his relationship w/Bathsheba was of God. He knew that the relationship was in consistent with the God that he knew.
5. God Speaks Faithfully
When God speaks you can be assured He will live up to His Word- His Word is absolutely reliable.
Isa 14:24 The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, "Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand, NASU (Isa 55:10-11, 1 John 5:14-15)
6. God Speaks Unmistakably
When God speaks, it is not that we do not know it is God, but we do not want to hear what He is saying.
God sent an angel to Zacharias and Mary, telling them both that they would supernaturally have a baby.
Zacharias did not believe and Mary did.
When God speaks, it is impossible to remain neutral- it reveals the heart of men.
God’s Purpose for Speaking to People
We do not figure God out, He reveals Himself to us.
Why does God speak to people?
1. God Speaks to Reveal His Character
In the Bible there are many names for God that reveal to us something about His Character.
When God took Abraham up on the mountain to sacrifice Isaac- Abraham learned- about God …
Gen 22:14 Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the Lord it will be provided." NASU
Abraham gained knowledge about God through experience, not just through information.
We will struggle to forgive others until we understand how much it cost God to forgive us personally.
Our relationship with God may begin with knowledge that comes through the Bible, but it becomes alive
as we interact with Him on a personal level.
2. God Speaks to Reveal His Purposes
When we pray and place our requests before God, we are looking for Him to guide or grant our requests.
However His purposes for us are much greater.
Rom 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; NASU
We want God to take care of our needs, He wants to save us and transform us.
That is the reason God does not always answer our prayers the way we think He should.
However, when we ask Him for guidance according to what is on His heart and when we ask how we can adjust our lives to His plans, the Bible says we will hear Him clearly. (Blackaby)
3. God Speaks to Reveal His Ways
How we do something is as important as what we do.
God will not lead us to cheat on our income tax so we have more money to give to missions.
Paul was zealous for God and felt he was serving God by persecuting Christians.
His heart was to serve God, but his ways were wrong.
Pro 5:21 For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, And He watches all his paths.
God will teach us not only what to do, but how to do it such as to honor Him.
Conclusion
We serve an amazing God- one that interacts with us on many levels and in many ways.
His interactions w/us are filled w/His purposes for our lives, but clearly demonstrate His love for us.
God speaks to us …
Uniquely, Personally, Progressively, Consistently, Faithfully, Unmistakably.
God speaks to us to reveal to us His …
Character, Purposes, Ways
