9
1 The Speaking Voice John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” (KJV) This week we are looking at The Speaking Voice of God. Does God still speak today? I would agree with Tozer as he shouts a resounding “Yes”! When pondering this issue of God’s speaking, it is important to understand how to hear His voice. In what forms does it come, and can we develop an ear for it? To begin let’s turn to our homework: 1. What do Psalms 33:6, 9, Hebrews 11:3 and Genesis 1:9 indicate about the power of God’s Word? Psalms 33:6, 9 “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” 9 “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” (NKJV) Imagine the power in God’s voice. He Spoke and it was done. This takes us back to the Creation in Genesis. Out of nothing, through the power of His Word, He created everything. “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” The host refers to the stars and the planets. God spoke creation into existence. So when you see the heavens above and the earth and seas below, you stand in awe at the power of His Word. Hebrews 11:3 “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” (NKJV) Again, we see in this verse that by the Word of God the worlds were framed out of nothing. Matthew Henry: "That he made the world with great exactness; it was a framed work, in everything duly adapted and disposed to answer its end.—Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary

Pursuit of God - The Speaking Voice

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

In this presentation, A.W. Tozer will explain how God still talks to us and how to listen to His voice. God talks to us through His Word, Holy Spirit and other various ways. We talk back to God through prayer and just talking to Him as you would your own family member. After all, we our the children of God the Father and Jesus Christ.

Citation preview

Page 1: Pursuit of God - The Speaking Voice

1

The Speaking Voice

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” (KJV)

This week we are looking at The Speaking Voice of God.

Does God still speak today? I would agree with Tozer as he shouts a resounding “Yes”!

When pondering this issue of God’s speaking, it is important to understand how to hear His voice. In what forms does it come, and can we develop an ear for it?

To begin let’s turn to our homework:

1. What do Psalms 33:6, 9, Hebrews 11:3 and Genesis 1:9 indicate about the power of God’s Word?

Psalms 33:6, 9 “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” 9 “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” (NKJV)

Imagine the power in God’s voice. He Spoke and it was done. This takes us

back to the Creation in Genesis. Out of nothing, through the power of His Word, He created everything.

“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” The host refers to the stars and the planets. God spokecreation into existence.

So when you see the heavens above and the earth and seas below, you stand in awe at the power of His Word.

Hebrews 11:3 “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” (NKJV)

Again, we see in this verse that by the Word of God the worlds were framed out of nothing.

Matthew Henry: "That he made the world with great exactness; it was a framed work, in everything duly adapted and disposed to answer its end.—Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary

Page 2: Pursuit of God - The Speaking Voice

2

Genesis 1:9 “Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so.” (NKJV)

God controls the very boundaries of the seas…..

Think about it, God’s voice is so powerful that all He has to do is speak and it is so!

Some charismatic’s take this and say that we can speak a word and it willhappen.

Ladies, Only God has this power. This speaks of God’s sovereignty.

To say that God is sovereign is to say that He is supreme over all things, that there is no one above Him, that He is absolute Lord over creation. There is nothing out of His control.

The Voice of God and His written Word are different. We have seen the power in His spoken Word, now let’s look at question number two of our homework and see the relation of God’s spoken Word to his written Word; the Bible.

2. What is the relation of God’s spoken Word to His written Word – the Bible?

Tozer said: “The Bible is the written Word of God, and because it is written it is confined and limited by the necessities of ink and paper and leather.

The voice of God, however, is alive and free as the sovereign God is free.

(John 6:63): "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life". The life is in the speaking words. God's word in the Bible can have power only because it corresponds to God's word in the universe. It is the present Voice which makes the written Word all-powerful. Otherwise it would lie locked in slumber within the covers of a book.” —Pursuit of God, The

He goes on to say: “God did not write a book and send it by messenger to be read at a distance by unaided minds. He spoke a Book and lives in His spoken words, constantly speaking His words and causing the power of them to persist across the years.” —Pursuit of God, The

Page 3: Pursuit of God - The Speaking Voice

3

What is the relation of God's spoken Word to His written Word—the Bible? To understand this issue, study what Scripture says about God's Word.

A. (Powerful) Jeremiah 5:14, 23:29; Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12B. (Purifies) 1 Peter 1:23-2:3C. (Eternal) Psalm 119:89; Matthew 24:35D. (Food) Deuteronomy 8:3; Job 23:12; Psalm 119:103E. (Should be written on our hearts) Psalm 119:11; Deuteronomy 11:18;

Romans 10:8; Colossians 3:16F. (We should love it) Jeremiah 15:16; Psalm 119:140G. (Brings light) Psalm 19:8, 119:105, 130; Proverbs 6:23; 2 Peter 1:19

—Pursuit of God Study Guide, The

Jeremiah 5:14 “Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: "Because you speak this word, Behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire, And this people wood, And it shall devour them”. (NKJV)

God assured the prophet that when His Word was preached and taught, it would burn, convict, and consume the hearts of the people. The power of God’s Word would never be diminished. It would convict the human heart of sin, showing people how short of righteousness they had come and how desperately they needed to repent or else face the coming judgment of God.—Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible – Commentary

Jeremiah 23:29 “Is not My word like a fire?" says the Lord, "And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (NKJV)

Their straw messages did not feed people. But the Word of God is like fire that purifies and cleanses the human heart. God’s Word is like a hammer that breaks the hard rock of the human heart, stirring people to confess and repent of their sins.—Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible -Commentary

Eph 6:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (NKJV)

Armor of God: Sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

Page 4: Pursuit of God - The Speaking Voice

4

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (NKJV)

Living and Powerful and sharper than any two edged sword

3. How is God’s voice apparent to even the unsaved? (John 1:9-10; Romans 1:20, 2:15)

He was in the world and the world knew him not…His visible attributes are clearly seen in the world so they are without excuse….wherever you go, you find people with an inner sense of right and wrong; and this inner judge, the Bible calls “conscience”.

John 1:9-10 “That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.” (NKJV)

Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (NKJV)

Romans 2:15 “who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them” (NKJV)

4. In what ways is God’s voice apparent to those who are His children?

There is a difference between God’s spoken word and His written word. God does not speak audibly to us today. But He does speak to us! So you say,

“How does He speak to us today”?

God speaks through His Word God speaks through prayer God speaks through our thoughts God speaks through people

Page 5: Pursuit of God - The Speaking Voice

5

A. One way is through His written word.

John 1:1 says; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” (KJV)

It is the Living Word of God and we must not forget that. When we read the scriptures, we must ask God to reveal what He wants us to learn.

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (NKJV)

The Bible is our manual for life. This is the most clear and efficient way of His communication with us.

How many times have we delved into something without reading the manual, and then wonder why it didn’t turn out right? So often we also disregard God’s manual and try to do things on our own and find ourselves in a mess. We try everything else before we finally say ok, God I need help.

Psalms 119:11 “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You!” (NKJV)

If you are not in His Word, how are you going to be able to combat Satan? We need to have the scripture hidden in our hearts.

Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (NKJV)

God will direct our paths if we diligently seek Him.

Ladies, the Bible is not just a book recording what God said. God is not silent and His word is not dead – it is alive! It is the Living Word of God!

B. Another way God speaks to us is through Prayer.

We have talked about praying and how we need to be in constant prayer with God. That we need to commune with Him daily. Not just when we get up in the morning and close in prayer at the end of the day, but to be praying and talking with God all day long.

The other side of prayer is to stop talking and listen. In an ordinary conversation, we speak, and then listen for the response of the other

Page 6: Pursuit of God - The Speaking Voice

6

person, right. It’s the same with God. We need to prepare our hearts to listen for God’s response. Once we’ve prepared our hearts to listen through prayer, we’re more likely to hear the voice of God. If we are doing all the talking and ending our prayer and going on about our day, how are we going to know what God is telling us.

He may not answer our prayer right away, He may make us wait awhile, but He still wants to commune with us.

Listening to God is an important part of the Christian life. Goddesires to speak to us and we have the privilege of listening to Hisinstruction and guidance.

William Barclay once said, "Prayer is not a way of making use of God; prayer is a way of offering ourselves to God in order that He should be able to make use of us. It may be that one of our great faults in prayer is that we talk too much and listen too little. When prayer is at its highest, we wait in silence for God's voice to us."

Psalms 91:15 “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him” (NKJV)

Psalms 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God…” (NKJV)

I like how one of the commentators put it: "Be still" literally means "Take your hands off! Relax!" We like to be "hands-on" people and manage our own lives, but God is God, and we are but His servants.

It is important that we get still to wait on God, preferable with our Bible outspread before us.

Do you allow enough times of stillness in your life to hear the voice of God? Sometimes we are afraid to be still because we’re not sure about Gods voice. How did you know it was God’s voice that you heard?

One sure test is that God will never tell us something that is contrary to His Word, the Bible! If you are not sure it was God’s voice you heard, check out what you heard against Scripture. Meditate on His Word – He will give you the certainty you need.

Page 7: Pursuit of God - The Speaking Voice

7

C. God speaks to us through our thoughts, through those little small urges

Isaiah 30:21 “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.” (NKJV)

The Holy Spirit is that still small voice inside you, the one that will remind you of what God said, and help you recognize God’s opportunities in your life.

You will find God talking to you when you feel those urges, you see doors opening to opportunities in your life – it may be a little scary sometimes and we may not always just jump at the first urge. But sometimes God makes it so real to us as He continues to open the doors of opportunity. Other times, it is hard to know, is this really God speaking to me or is it my own wishes.

D. Sometimes God speaks through people

Proverbs 12:15 “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise.” (NKJV)

God has placed people in our lives to help us to hear His voice. In some cases, they will confirm the voice of God to you and help you to see His plan, but this is not to say that you should rely on them solely. These people are human and can have their own feelings and fears distort their objectivity. So we still need to take the counsel of the people placed in our lives and carefully bring it to God in prayer. God will direct you according to His will in your life. He will give you a peace within that will confirm His will in your life.

One sure way to know that God is speaking to you is that God will not lead you to do something that goes against scripture. So when in doubt, check with scripture.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (NKJV)

Page 8: Pursuit of God - The Speaking Voice

8

6. Read Psalm 29. What insights about God’s voice can you glean from this passage?

Seven times you find the phrase "the voice of the Lord

a. Psalms 29:3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; The God of glory thunders (NKJV)

b. Psalms 29:4 The voice of the Lord is powerful (NKJV)c. Psalms 29:4 The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. (NKJV)d. Psalms 29:5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars (NKJV)e. Psalms 29:7 The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire. (NKJV)f. Psalms 29:8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness (NKJV)g. Psalms 29:9 The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth (NKJV)

Note that it was the thunder—the voice of God—that broke the trees, and not the wind or the lightning. The voice of God is majestic and powerful and can shake the wilderness like an earthquake.

7. How can we develop our sensitivity so we can more clearly and regularly “hear” God’s voice?

Do you want to hear more of God’s voice? There are ways you can develop your sense of hearing so you can more closely and regularly hear God’s voice:

1. The first and most obvious way is to be still and listen. Establish more silent time as a part of your devotional life.

2. Second, obey God’s Word. Allow the Bible to be “a living Book” to you. Deal with the sin in your life. Keep your life pure before God. Develop your spiritual ears through spiritual exercise. Increase your times of Bible reading and prayer.

3. Finally, pray for illumination. At the beginning of each quiet time, ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you.

The Scriptures were not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives. E. L. Moody

Page 9: Pursuit of God - The Speaking Voice

9

Each day we need to come to the open Bible expecting it to speak to us. Do not come with the notion that it is a thing which you may push around at your convenience. It is more than a thing; it is a voice, a word, the very Word of the living God.

Tozer’s Prayer:

Lord, teach me to listen. The times are noisy and my ears are weary with the thousand raucous sounds which continuously assault them. Give me the spirit of the boy Samuel when he said to Thee, "Speak, for Thy servant heareth." Let me hear Thee speaking in my heart. Let me get used to the sound of Thy voice, that its tones may be familiar when the sounds of earth die away and the only sound will be the music of Thy speaking voice. Amen.

—Pursuit of God, The