Please open your Bibles to 1 John 2:1-2
"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."
Doesn't that just fill your heart with gratitude that we have an Advocate with the Father and that Advocate is none other than Jesus Christ the Savior of the world?
This is a beautiful Scripture. We should not be sinning, but, if we do, there is hope!
This not only applies to Elijah after he ran from God's appointment but it applies to me as well as we will see later in the message.
Elijah -
Do you remember how the past couple of Sundays we’ve been taking a look at the record of Elijah’s life in 1 Kings 17-19 and how when he finally arrived at the cave on Mount Horeb the Lord demonstrated His power through the wind, the earthquake and the fire but only spoke to Elijah in a still, small voice or a gentle whisper?
This past Sunday and Monday I lived a graphic illustration of that situation.
This past Sunday I lost my temper with someone. It was not a holy anger and
I said words that were hurtful. It was a sin.
I have confessed this sin to those who were present and asked forgiveness.
I am ashamed that this happened and it has happened in the past.
I would not confess this publicly but it is an example of the situation with Elijah.
As soon as I let my anger overflow I knew that what I had done was wrong in the sight of God and those present.
At that point I felt a heaviness in my spirit and I knew that I had displeased the Lord as well as my brother and sisters in Christ.
That heaviness of spirit lasted through the afternoon, the evening and into the night. To me, that heaviness of spirit was like the wind, earthquake and fire of the Lord demonstrated to Elijah. It was not a remedy but it certainly opened me to what the Lord would say in a still, small voice.
As soon as I woke up Monday morning my mind went directly back to that situation and the Lord spoke to me with this question, “Why haven’t you made this a matter of prayer?” which was the equivalent of His question to Elijah,
“What are you doing here, Elijah?”
You see, this is not a new problem for me as some in the church know.
I could try to blame the problem on genetics or “That’s just the way I am” or my upbringing or some other excuse but that’s exactly what it would be, an excuse.
I had known that this was a problem I had because I was always there when it happened, but, I assumed that as I became more mature in the Lord the problem would resolve itself and so I had never thought to make it a matter of daily prayer.
But, on Monday morning when the still small voice of the Lord said, “Why haven’t you made this a matter of prayer?”
I determined to make it a matter of daily prayer, even multiple times per day as necessary.
I also hope to connect with an accountability partner who will ask me on a regular basis as to how I am doing with this problem and who will pray for me.
Now, how did I know that this still, small voice was from God?
1) It addressed an area of spiritual weakness in my life
2) The corrective action was Biblical
Look at these Scriptures regarding the area of spiritual weakness:
Proverbs 12:18 NIV
“The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Proverbs 15:1 ESV
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Proverbs 21:23 HCSB
“The one who guards his mouth and tongue keeps himself out of trouble.”
Proverbs 21:23 TLB
“Keep your mouth closed and you’ll stay out of trouble.”
What should the speech of a mature Christian be like?
Psalm 35:28 NIV
“My tongue will proclaim Your righteousness, Your praises all day long.”
Psalm 37:30 ESV
“The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.”
Proverbs 25:11 ESV
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.”
Colossians 4:6 ESV
“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
OK. So we know that the ability of Christians to hear the still small voice of God or His gentle whisper depends on us knowing the Word of God whether it comes by reading or hearing.
This isn’t something I just dreamt up as a pastor; it comes directly from the Word of God!
Psalm 1:1-2 NKJV
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”
Psalm 119:14-16 NIV
“I rejoice in following Your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways. I delight in Your decrees; I will not neglect Your word.”
We are not prophets or apostles or those commissioned by the Lord to write the Holy Scriptures. We are not going to get some new revelation from God.
i.e. Some new way of salvation
Some revelation regarding the status of sin back then and now
Something to add to the Revelation of the end times, etc.
Our ability to hear the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit to our spirit depends on two things:
Our knowledge of God through His Word
The current status of our relationship with the Lord
Let’s disassemble these verses from Psalm 119
Psalm 119:14 NIV
“I rejoice in following Your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.”
Statutes: a law or commandment - the 10 commandments
Psalm 119:15 NIV
“I meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways.”
Precept - a command with a required response
The obligation of the nation to gather for the Passover each year
The obligation of allowing the land to lie fallow every seven years
Exodus 12:10-14 NIV
"“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord - a lasting ordinance."
Psalm 119:16 NIV
“I delight in Your decrees; I will not neglect Your word.”
Decree: one of the eternal purposes of God, by which events are foreordained.
It was decreed by the Lord that Jesus would be born of a virgin
It was decreed by the Lord that Jesus would die for our sins
It was decreed by the Lord that the way to salvation would be through faith in Jesus Christ empowered by the grace supplied by God Himself.
I delight in Your decrees! Yes! Your are God and I am not! I delight in Your decrees!
When I sinned with my words last Sunday how did I know that it was sin?
Matthew 22:37-40
Love is the great all-encompassing commandment (explain)
1 Corinthians 13:1-8a NIV
Without love you are just a clattering, irritating noise with no value or profit.
Patient, kind, not rude, not easily angered, always protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres, never fails
Galatians 5:22-23
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control
I knew, without a doubt, because of God’s Holy Word.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
God’s Word - taught me, rebuked me, corrected me, continued training me in righteousness
God speaks to us through His Word and the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit.
Wow! Now, let me show you another side of this coin!
What is the exact opposite of knowing God’s Word and letting Him speak to you through it? It’s something that is creeping into Christianity.
It is known as “Listening Prayer” or “Centering Prayer” and it is a principle part of the Hindu practice of yoga and other eastern mystical or occult religions.
In “listening prayer” or “centering prayer” or even what is called “Christian” yoga the emphasis is NOT on filling your heart and thoughts with the Word of God but on emptying yourself.
Listen to how it is described in such a way that unless you’re paying attention it can kind of just slide by:
“Centering Prayer is a method of prayer, which prepares us to receive the gift of God's presence, traditionally called contemplative prayer.
Note: all true believers already have the gift of God’s presence.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me …”
“It consists of responding to the Spirit of Christ by consenting to God’s presence and action within.
Note: all true believers already have the gift of God’s presence.
“It furthers the development of contemplative prayer by quieting our faculties to cooperate with the gift of God’s presence.”
This all sounds so good with the constant invocation of “God’s presence” but how exactly is that achieved?
Is it by knowing God’s Word and letting Him speak it into our lives?
Is it by letting the Lord change the parts of our lives that are out of sync
with His Holy word?
Is it by offering ourselves as a living sacrifice available for His use?
Here are the steps involved with “centering prayer”:
1) Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.
Hindu origin: here’s a couple:
Aum - the sacred sound of Hinduism
2) Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.
3) When engaged with your thoughts, return ever so gently to the sacred word.
So … if thoughts come into your mind push them away with your “sacred” word
4) At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.
Not exactly sure what the prayer was that happened in the prayer period
since only one word was allowed.
We are not supposed to empty our minds and let whatever is out there contact us. Instead, we are to use our minds and meditate upon the Word of God.
Romans 12:2 says,
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
If you are doing nothing with your mind but emptying it in an attempt to reach God, you are on dangerous, unbiblical ground.
Centering prayer is an unbiblical and dangerous practice. It can put a person in an altered state of consciousness and open him up to a spiritual connection that is not in harmony with Scripture.
Instead, we are to seek God in prayers that are non-repetitious, with a focus on God's Word and truth, with an active mind seeking to find the true and living God through the revelation of the Scripture and communion with His son Jesus.
So, what have we learned from these two examples?
There is a spectrum or a continuum with Truth and Life on one end and with lies and death on the other end.
Where are you on this continuum?
Do you know enough of the Holy Bible to recognize the Voice of God when He speaks to you?
Would you be able to differentiate between the Voice of God and a false voice masquerading as God?
If you were to go to a prayer meeting at a church and the leader said, “Tonight we are going to practice contemplative prayer.” Would you know enough of God’s Word and the prayers recorded in the Bible to know it was wrong?
In a boxing match one of the very last instructions from the referee to the boxers is, “Protect yourself at all times.”
There is protection for you.
This protection is only available for the child of God.
If the Holy Spirit has called you to salvation and you have refused then you are living unprotected.
If you are saved. If the grace of God has called you to place your faith and trust in Jesus for salvation you are protected.
And, while the protection is only available through Jesus Christ, you have a responsibility as well.
To know God’s Word
To remain in fellowship with Him
Concluding remarks and invitation if the Holy Spirit leads
