WEBVTT 00:00:03.849 --> 00:00:11.509 So we're in the middle of a sermon series called Encounter, and today we're going to be talking about hearing the voice of God for yourself. 00:00:13.260 --> 00:00:18.172 This Encounter series is all about understanding the person and work of the Holy Spirit. 00:00:18.172 --> 00:00:32.511 God desires for each one of us to have real encounters, real encounters with the Holy Spirit that lead to godly transformation in our lives first, and then in the lives of others around us. 00:00:32.511 --> 00:00:37.408 Last week, john did a great job reminding us about the fruit of the Spirit. 00:00:37.408 --> 00:00:42.723 Let's see Will Welcome, and we're so thankful for what he brought to us. 00:00:42.723 --> 00:00:49.033 The fruit of the Spirit should be evident in an ever-increasing way in the life of Christ followers. 00:00:49.033 --> 00:00:49.935 You agree with that. 00:00:49.935 --> 00:00:54.768 How many of you were tempted in one of those nine ways this last week? 00:00:54.768 --> 00:00:58.354 Right, patience, anybody. 00:00:58.354 --> 00:01:01.386 Yeah, that's one that you know. 00:01:01.386 --> 00:01:08.965 They always say don't pray for patience, because God will definitely send it to you in one way or another, but it is important. 00:01:08.965 --> 00:01:12.710 The fruit of the Spirit should be actively increasing in our lives. 00:01:12.710 --> 00:01:17.430 Like I said, today we're going to be looking at the fact that the Holy Spirit speaks to us. 00:01:17.430 --> 00:01:19.786 He speaks to us. 00:01:19.786 --> 00:01:30.909 We, as believers in Jesus, have the God-given ability to hear and discern the voice of God and I want your faith to increase this morning. 00:01:30.909 --> 00:01:43.272 I want you to believe, coming out of here, that you, as an individual follower of Jesus, have the ability to hear and discern the voice of God in your life. 00:01:43.272 --> 00:01:47.322 How many of you know, we're living in a day and a time when that is essential. 00:01:47.322 --> 00:01:51.692 That's not something that's just an add-on that we can have or not have. 00:01:51.692 --> 00:02:14.126 We must hear the voice of God, we must be led by him, and so my hope and my faith in our prayer that we've been praying together as an elder team, and also all of the prayer people this morning that prayed We've been praying that God would develop in all of us a greater faith in the area of being able to hear the voice of God. 00:02:14.927 --> 00:02:17.453 Let's look at John, chapter 10, verses 1 through 5. 00:02:17.453 --> 00:02:32.731 Jesus says truly, truly I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 00:02:32.731 --> 00:02:36.635 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 00:02:36.635 --> 00:02:50.175 To him the gatekeeper opens, the sheep listen, hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 00:02:50.175 --> 00:02:57.639 When he has brought out all his own. 00:02:57.639 --> 00:02:59.161 He goes before them and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 00:02:59.161 --> 00:03:04.504 You notice, they hear his voice and they discern, or they know his voice. 00:03:04.504 --> 00:03:13.310 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. 00:03:14.070 --> 00:03:16.252 Let's pray together, Father. 00:03:16.252 --> 00:03:25.737 We ask, in Jesus name, that you would cause your words of life to infiltrate our minds and our hearts and our spirits. 00:03:25.737 --> 00:03:31.680 Today, lord God, we ask that the Holy Spirit would bear witness within our spirits that we are children of God. 00:03:31.680 --> 00:03:37.752 And if we're children of God, then we have been given the great gift of being in relationship with you. 00:03:37.752 --> 00:03:50.085 And so, father, I pray that you would help us, help our faith to increase, help us to understand more clearly how you speak and how to listen and discern your voice. 00:03:50.085 --> 00:03:52.649 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:03:54.712 --> 00:04:02.251 I don't want to shock you too bad this morning, but I do want you to know that the Bible is really not about you and me primarily. 00:04:02.251 --> 00:04:11.967 I know that maybe you've been told, or maybe, as you read the scriptures, you think about it in terms of yourself, and there's nothing necessarily wrong with that. 00:04:11.967 --> 00:04:13.284 It is about us. 00:04:13.284 --> 00:04:16.490 Right, it should be ministering to us as individuals. 00:04:16.490 --> 00:04:18.908 But there's a bigger picture involved. 00:04:18.908 --> 00:04:38.500 It's his story, his story, it's the story of a father and a son and the spirit who desires to cause their will, their purpose, their plans to come to pass. 00:04:38.500 --> 00:04:44.668 So, god, the father looked at his son and said within himself I want to create a bride that is worthy of my son. 00:04:44.668 --> 00:04:57.581 And the son looked at his father and within himself, he said I want to create children, other children, for my father to be able to enjoy and to be in relationship with. 00:04:57.581 --> 00:05:10.084 And so the Holy Spirit, having discerned the voice and the thoughts of the father and the words of Jesus Christ, came to this planet and we all, we have all of the. 00:05:10.084 --> 00:05:11.730 And God said boom. 00:05:11.730 --> 00:05:12.932 And God said boom. 00:05:12.973 --> 00:05:16.360 And finally, god created human beings. 00:05:16.360 --> 00:05:19.105 Why did he create us? 00:05:19.105 --> 00:05:24.014 Just so that we would be like pets to him? 00:05:24.014 --> 00:05:25.036 Or so that we could? 00:05:25.036 --> 00:05:27.180 You know, why did he create humanity? 00:05:27.180 --> 00:05:39.007 He created us because he wanted to have a living, active relationship with us, and we see that in Genesis, chapter 1. 00:05:39.067 --> 00:05:44.651 Let's look at that Genesis, chapter 1, verses 26 through 28. 00:05:44.651 --> 00:06:01.911 You see, the first experience of mankind was to hear the voice of God, the first experience of human beings on this planet, when God breathed into them the breath of life, the first thing that happened is they heard God speak. 00:06:01.911 --> 00:06:19.132 Genesis 1, 26 says Then God said let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 00:06:19.132 --> 00:06:23.408 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God. 00:06:23.408 --> 00:06:25.872 He created him Male and female. 00:06:25.872 --> 00:06:28.225 He created them, and God blessed them. 00:06:28.225 --> 00:06:32.963 And God what Said to them? 00:06:32.963 --> 00:06:45.048 Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth. 00:06:45.048 --> 00:07:07.413 So what was, again, the first thing that God did after he created humanity was to speak to them, to speak with them, and in fact, we know that this wasn't just instructional, it wasn't just God giving a commandment to them, because we'll see other places in scripture where it says that God walked and talked with them in the cool of the day. 00:07:07.413 --> 00:07:12.971 Imagine walking and talking with God. 00:07:12.971 --> 00:07:15.286 What an amazing experience. 00:07:15.286 --> 00:07:21.199 That's the kind of relationship that God intended to have with human beings that were created. 00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:31.583 We were created to be part of his family, to be prepared to be a bride for his son. 00:07:34.908 --> 00:07:35.809 So what's the problem? 00:07:35.809 --> 00:07:38.172 We all know it. 00:07:38.172 --> 00:07:39.334 It's got three letters. 00:07:39.334 --> 00:07:39.954 And what is it? 00:07:39.954 --> 00:07:50.257 Say it a little louder Sin Say it a little louder Sin. 00:07:53.100 --> 00:07:54.463 Sin brought separation in the relationship between God and man. 00:07:54.463 --> 00:07:55.586 Look at Colossians, chapter one, verse 21, with me. 00:07:55.586 --> 00:07:58.254 This includes you, who were once far away from God. 00:07:58.254 --> 00:08:03.367 You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 00:08:03.367 --> 00:08:05.132 Who is the you here? 00:08:05.132 --> 00:08:08.961 Was it Satan? 00:08:08.961 --> 00:08:11.226 Oh yeah, it was Satan. 00:08:11.226 --> 00:08:12.028 But who else? 00:08:12.028 --> 00:08:13.992 Who was it after Satan? 00:08:13.992 --> 00:08:14.473 Who was it? 00:08:14.473 --> 00:08:22.134 Every person ever born on this planet, except for this is we're back in Sunday school. 00:08:22.134 --> 00:08:23.281 Here you can answer Jesus. 00:08:23.281 --> 00:08:25.884 That's the right answer, except for Jesus. 00:08:25.884 --> 00:08:26.266 Right? 00:08:26.266 --> 00:08:28.048 We are all. 00:08:28.048 --> 00:08:33.442 We were all enemies of God, separated from him because of sin. 00:08:33.442 --> 00:08:36.787 Sin brought a separation between God and man. 00:08:36.787 --> 00:08:41.014 It created an unnatural relationship. 00:08:41.014 --> 00:08:44.105 It created a break in relationship. 00:08:45.508 --> 00:08:49.442 But how many of you know that sin could not win in the end? 00:08:49.442 --> 00:08:51.885 And why is that the case? 00:08:51.885 --> 00:09:12.148 Because at the very time that God, the Father, spoke the curses over this planet and over humanity, and over Satan, he also said in Genesis 3.15 that there would be the seed of a woman who would come and that Satan would attempt to strike him in the heel, but that he would what Crush his head. 00:09:12.148 --> 00:09:24.125 So, even at the very point of the breaking of relationship, god, the Father said this is not the end of this story, aren't you glad? 00:09:24.125 --> 00:09:35.241 End of this story, aren't you glad? 00:09:35.241 --> 00:09:37.826 In Colossians 1, verse 22, it says this includes you who were once far away from God. 00:09:37.826 --> 00:09:38.769 Does that include us Absolutely? 00:09:38.769 --> 00:09:43.044 You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 00:09:43.085 --> 00:09:50.461 But then let's read the next verse, verse 22,. 00:09:50.461 --> 00:09:52.794 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. 00:09:52.794 --> 00:10:03.231 As a result, he has brought you into his own presence and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him, without a single fault. 00:10:03.231 --> 00:10:05.663 Do you believe this? 00:10:05.663 --> 00:10:08.590 That is a radical saying. 00:10:08.590 --> 00:10:10.900 You know what Jesus did? 00:10:10.900 --> 00:10:13.086 He repaired the breach. 00:10:13.086 --> 00:10:20.964 He created a bridge where we could be reunited in relationship with our heavenly father. 00:10:20.964 --> 00:10:26.596 What a gift of grace that is, what a blessing it is. 00:10:26.596 --> 00:10:35.660 And we just took communion as a representation, as a celebration of gratitude for what Jesus did so that we could be made right with God. 00:10:37.121 --> 00:10:39.485 God sent his son, jesus, to save us from sin. 00:10:39.485 --> 00:10:44.432 He gave his life so that we might have eternal life. 00:10:44.432 --> 00:10:47.655 How does all of this get accomplished? 00:10:47.655 --> 00:10:50.804 Well, jesus sent Holy Spirit. 00:10:50.804 --> 00:10:54.812 Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to speak truth to us. 00:10:54.812 --> 00:11:03.086 Let's look at John, chapter 16, and this has been a verse that's been referenced several times in this series already Verse 12,. 00:11:03.086 --> 00:11:06.841 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 00:11:07.403 --> 00:11:12.313 Jesus is talking to his disciples just after the time at the last supper. 00:11:12.313 --> 00:11:15.831 They're on their way to the garden of Gethsemane and he's speaking these words to them. 00:11:15.831 --> 00:11:28.001 When the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not what speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak. 00:11:28.001 --> 00:11:29.445 How does he guide us? 00:11:29.445 --> 00:11:35.921 He speaks to us and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 00:11:35.921 --> 00:11:41.505 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 00:11:41.505 --> 00:12:04.729 God not only created an avenue, a pathway for us to be in right relationship with him, through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, but he also sent his secret agent into the world, the Holy Spirit, to live on the inside of us, to speak to us, to direct us, to lead us, to guide us, to instruct us. 00:12:05.711 --> 00:12:16.046 But make no mistake about it, and some of you have said, and some of you even are thinking this this morning I've never heard the voice of God. 00:12:16.046 --> 00:12:20.914 And I'm not here to argue with you, but I am here to say you may be wrong on that. 00:12:20.914 --> 00:12:23.001 Here's what I mean. 00:12:23.001 --> 00:12:31.323 The first truth that the Holy Spirit speaks to us is our desperate need for salvation. 00:12:31.323 --> 00:12:45.695 All of us who are believers in Jesus Christ were called by the Spirit of God to respond to the gospel message and to repent and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. 00:12:45.695 --> 00:12:52.092 So the very first act of our relationship with God started with you hearing the voice of God. 00:12:52.092 --> 00:12:54.265 Now, you may not have known it was the voice of God. 00:12:54.265 --> 00:13:00.735 You may not have discerned it like that, it may not have shook the heavens, it may not have been like lightning or thunder. 00:13:00.735 --> 00:13:03.203 But I'm telling you you could not be saved. 00:13:03.203 --> 00:13:14.049 I could not be saved unless the voice of the Holy Spirit drew me to understand my need for a Savior. 00:13:15.951 --> 00:13:22.988 We believe that the Holy Spirit lives in the lives of all believers, all believers. 00:13:22.988 --> 00:13:26.475 He does not sit there silently. 00:13:26.475 --> 00:13:37.804 Scripture says that he testifies of the truth of God, he speaks into our lives, he guides us, he counsels us, he directs us. 00:13:37.804 --> 00:13:49.115 All of these things speak of leadership, and they speak of him communicating with us, and they speak of him communicating with us. 00:13:49.115 --> 00:13:53.879 Is your faith beginning to build, even now? 00:13:53.918 --> 00:13:56.726 Now Jesus is speaking in the John 10 passage to his followers. 00:13:56.726 --> 00:13:57.850 And what has just happened? 00:13:57.850 --> 00:14:06.171 The chapter before, there was a man that was blind since birth, and you remember this story and maybe we'll have a reenactment later. 00:14:06.171 --> 00:14:18.211 But Jesus stooped over and spit in the dirt and made some mud and applied it to the eyes of the man who was blind, and he told him to go wash himself in the pool of Siloam. 00:14:18.211 --> 00:14:24.308 And when he did, guess what happened, he was healed. 00:14:24.308 --> 00:14:27.235 There's only one problem when did this happen? 00:14:27.235 --> 00:14:30.683 It happened on Shabbat. 00:14:30.683 --> 00:14:40.769 It happened on Sabbath day, which was considered a holy day where there was no work to be done, and so Jesus broke the rules. 00:14:40.769 --> 00:14:45.369 It's funny how can you break the rules that were yours in the first place? 00:14:45.369 --> 00:14:48.767 That's a little arrogant of us to put on him, isn't it? 00:14:48.767 --> 00:14:50.851 But he broke the rules right. 00:14:50.851 --> 00:14:52.865 So he healed this man on the Sabbath day. 00:14:52.865 --> 00:14:59.186 And so the leaders of the law, the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day couldn't handle it. 00:14:59.186 --> 00:15:03.174 And so they bring this man in and they question him who was this man? 00:15:03.174 --> 00:15:03.756 Who did this? 00:15:03.756 --> 00:15:05.541 How is it possible that? 00:15:05.541 --> 00:15:07.686 That were you just faking it? 00:15:07.686 --> 00:15:08.589 They're, they're. 00:15:08.589 --> 00:15:09.692 They're quizzing his parents. 00:15:09.692 --> 00:15:10.702 They're wanting to find out. 00:15:10.702 --> 00:15:12.248 Why is it that this? 00:15:12.248 --> 00:15:13.251 How did this happen? 00:15:13.251 --> 00:15:17.423 And finally they pull his membership card and say you can't come here anymore. 00:15:17.423 --> 00:15:19.828 What is your sin? 00:15:19.828 --> 00:15:22.333 You got healed on the Sabbath day. 00:15:22.333 --> 00:15:26.193 You got healed on the Sabbath day. 00:15:29.740 --> 00:15:53.090 And then Jesus begins to talk to the crowds, to his disciples and to those very same religious leaders, about the difference between religion that comes to harm and to kill, and about relationship that has at its very core principle a good shepherd who leads us and guides us and keeps us and transforms us. 00:15:53.090 --> 00:15:56.115 All of the things that Jesus does. 00:15:56.115 --> 00:15:57.943 What beautiful imagery. 00:15:57.943 --> 00:15:59.909 I'm not going to even try to get into the whole. 00:15:59.909 --> 00:16:06.033 You know the whole shepherd thing because Mark did such a great job the first two weeks in September. 00:16:06.033 --> 00:16:14.682 So please, if you haven't heard that message yet, go back to YouTube or find us on Spotify and listen to the podcast of those two messages, because they were so impactful. 00:16:19.047 --> 00:16:37.320 God is speaking, is speaking, the Holy Spirit is speaking, and he wants us to hear his voice and to follow it, amen. 00:16:37.320 --> 00:16:38.201 So let's look at this a little bit closer. 00:16:38.201 --> 00:16:39.344 Some ways that the Holy Spirit speaks to us. 00:16:39.344 --> 00:16:40.625 I want to make this as practical as I can. 00:16:40.625 --> 00:16:44.432 The number one way that the Holy Spirit speaks to us is no mystery. 00:16:44.432 --> 00:16:45.313 How is it? 00:16:46.741 --> 00:16:48.688 The word of God, the word of God? 00:16:48.688 --> 00:16:50.726 Hebrews, chapter 4, verse 12. 00:16:50.726 --> 00:17:04.909 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 00:17:04.909 --> 00:17:06.311 Does the word of God? 00:17:06.311 --> 00:17:07.855 Do we read the of the heart? 00:17:07.855 --> 00:17:16.384 Does the word of God, do we read the word of God or does the word of God read us? 00:17:16.384 --> 00:17:16.906 Hopefully, both right. 00:17:16.906 --> 00:17:19.798 When we read the word of God, you know what we need to do Pray before you read the word. 00:17:19.798 --> 00:17:25.673 Say Father, would you open up my eyes of understanding that I could see clearly what it is that you're trying to say to me today? 00:17:25.673 --> 00:17:35.592 Holy Spirit, open my eyes, help me to see the truth, help me to walk in your ways, help me to know and discern your voice today from the scriptures that I'm reading. 00:17:35.592 --> 00:17:41.288 Give God an opportunity, right, it's really not even giving God an opportunity. 00:17:41.288 --> 00:17:44.931 It's giving us an opportunity to tune in right. 00:17:44.931 --> 00:17:47.882 Even giving God an opportunity. 00:17:47.882 --> 00:17:48.864 It's giving us an opportunity to tune in right. 00:17:48.884 --> 00:17:50.627 The word of God reveals his will, his desire and his plan for mankind. 00:17:50.627 --> 00:17:53.101 It provides us with the knowledge of salvation. 00:17:53.101 --> 00:18:03.910 It is the primary way that God speaks to us today, the primary way we will never grow out of a need to hear God from his word. 00:18:03.910 --> 00:18:12.188 If you get to that point, or if you're following somebody that gets to that point, please run away. 00:18:12.188 --> 00:18:19.067 Run away from yourself, run away from that thought, because it's not from God. 00:18:19.067 --> 00:18:21.232 There is a temptation. 00:18:21.232 --> 00:18:31.589 There is a popular thought process within the world today that says we need to parse and parcel out the scriptures and you can believe the words of Jesus, but not the words of Paul. 00:18:31.589 --> 00:18:33.605 You can throw away the Old Testament. 00:18:33.605 --> 00:18:42.433 Let me tell you something the word of God is powerful and we need every single word that's found in it Amen. 00:18:42.433 --> 00:18:49.580 Found in it Amen. 00:18:49.580 --> 00:18:55.093 Any other way we believe God is speaking to us should always be evaluated through the lens of scripture and utilizing the Bible as a filter for all truth. 00:18:58.560 --> 00:19:06.468 So, following the scriptures, the next thing is sound biblical teaching and, by the way, I'm not going to be able to give an exhaustive list, I'm giving categories or examples. 00:19:06.468 --> 00:19:16.321 Sound biblical teaching, hopefully, like what you're hearing right now, sound biblical teaching that you can put yourself under, that God may be speaking to you directly. 00:19:16.321 --> 00:19:23.644 I know that there have been so many messages in my life that God has used to that have been like lifelong messages. 00:19:23.644 --> 00:19:28.807 Other people have spoken that I've been under them, listening to them, and God has spoken to me. 00:19:28.807 --> 00:19:39.951 I know Rick was talking about the difference between being thankful in all things and being thankful for all things and the distinction between the two. 00:19:39.951 --> 00:19:50.326 I'm going to have to mull that over, because it's easy to do the one but the other oh, my goodness. 00:19:50.405 --> 00:19:53.731 So anyway, sound biblical teaching, how about Bible-based podcasts? 00:19:53.731 --> 00:19:55.174 There are some really good ones out there. 00:19:55.174 --> 00:20:05.096 There's one called Known the Podcast and if you haven't checked that one out yet, I encourage you on all of your devices to locate that one. 00:20:05.096 --> 00:20:05.942 Known the podcast. 00:20:05.942 --> 00:20:09.911 I even made a guest appearance on there for two weeks. 00:20:09.911 --> 00:20:13.708 I don't know how that happened and I have no idea what I said because I didn't listen back to it. 00:20:13.708 --> 00:20:20.813 So please pray that you'll be able to discern what is the voice of God and what is maybe my own voice in that. 00:20:20.813 --> 00:20:24.765 But it's an important discussion. 00:20:26.689 --> 00:20:31.785 Notice that it all has in common that it must be in the Bible and affirm God's truth. 00:20:31.785 --> 00:20:36.001 Do not follow a podcast just because somebody has a good communication skill. 00:20:36.001 --> 00:20:38.547 That can't be the only reason. 00:20:38.547 --> 00:20:48.183 Everything must be based and baked and cultivated and come from the riches that are mined from the word of God. 00:20:48.183 --> 00:20:52.875 How many of you have experienced God speaking through other people? 00:20:52.875 --> 00:20:54.971 God speaks through others. 00:20:54.971 --> 00:20:57.913 We're going to spend a lot of time next week looking at that. 00:20:57.913 --> 00:21:03.497 God uses whomever he chooses to build up the church for the good work we are called to do. 00:21:03.497 --> 00:21:10.815 Godly relationships are meant to disciple and grow one another to fulfill our God-given purpose and potential. 00:21:10.815 --> 00:21:13.992 God speaks through other people. 00:21:13.992 --> 00:21:19.087 He really does Pay attention. 00:21:19.087 --> 00:21:21.009 God speaks through supernatural beings. 00:21:21.009 --> 00:21:23.373 This is exciting. 00:21:23.613 --> 00:21:29.480 Now, first of all, let me say this you realize that the definition of supernatural is it's supernatural to us. 00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:37.548 It's not supernatural to God. 00:21:37.548 --> 00:21:38.330 This is the realm that he lives in. 00:21:38.330 --> 00:21:39.354 This is completely normal and natural for him. 00:21:39.354 --> 00:21:40.818 So don't make it something that it's not. 00:21:40.818 --> 00:21:51.486 It is supernatural to us because it's something that is out of the ordinary, that happens in our time, in our day, in a moment in time. 00:21:51.486 --> 00:21:54.599 Right, it's God intervening in a situation. 00:21:54.599 --> 00:21:57.228 So it is supernatural to us, but to God. 00:21:57.228 --> 00:22:00.714 This is his MO, this is how he operates, this is who he is. 00:22:00.714 --> 00:22:06.015 So the gifts of the spirit, one way that God speaks to people. 00:22:06.778 --> 00:22:08.542 We had some examples of that this morning. 00:22:08.542 --> 00:22:21.461 I remember in my own life, the first time that I ever considered being a pastor was somebody prophesied over me when I was eight years old and said that God is calling you to the ministry and he's calling you to be a pastor. 00:22:21.461 --> 00:22:26.517 And my dad was a pastor and I knew at eight years old I didn't want to do that. 00:22:26.517 --> 00:22:31.127 So why was that word important for me? 00:22:31.127 --> 00:22:31.907 So why was that word important for me? 00:22:31.907 --> 00:22:42.701 Because God was establishing something in my life that I was going to try to run from for a season, but he was going to always bring me back to it because it was what he had called me to do. 00:22:42.701 --> 00:22:46.210 That make sense. 00:22:46.269 --> 00:22:47.531 How about dreams and visions? 00:22:47.531 --> 00:22:49.596 God speaks through dreams and visions as well. 00:22:49.596 --> 00:22:51.445 Acts 2.17,. 00:22:51.445 --> 00:22:53.170 And in the last days it shall be. 00:22:53.170 --> 00:23:03.338 God declares that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams. 00:23:03.338 --> 00:23:10.153 Now I'm not going to ask you if you're seeing visions or having dreams okay, that's not what this morning is about, right. 00:23:10.153 --> 00:23:15.192 But I know that God speaks in these ways. 00:23:15.192 --> 00:23:27.008 If you just think about the name Joseph in the Bible Old Testament, new Testament we have beautiful examples of people who saw dreams, had dreams that God gave to them. 00:23:27.008 --> 00:23:30.234 Right, and did God fulfill those dreams? 00:23:30.234 --> 00:23:32.527 Absolutely, he fulfilled them. 00:23:32.527 --> 00:23:35.296 Right Now, not every dream is from God. 00:23:35.525 --> 00:23:38.011 Some dreams are because you ate pepperoni pizza. 00:23:38.011 --> 00:23:48.237 Some dreams are because you were watching a movie and your mind continues the movie on and puts you as one of the characters in the movie. 00:23:48.237 --> 00:23:57.871 So, but if there's a dream that comes to you, that sticks with you and you can't seem to get away from it, maybe you need to ask the Lord. 00:23:57.871 --> 00:23:58.753 Lord, would you show me? 00:23:58.753 --> 00:24:01.713 Is there something about that dream that I need to pay attention to? 00:24:01.713 --> 00:24:04.832 God can use dreams for warnings. 00:24:04.832 --> 00:24:08.134 He can use dreams for vision. 00:24:08.134 --> 00:24:14.329 He can use dreams in many, many different ways, and visions are just daydreams. 00:24:14.329 --> 00:24:22.527 So, like Peter when he was on the roof and the blanket came down to him with all the animals on it and the voice said rise, kill and eat. 00:24:22.527 --> 00:24:25.874 That was a vision, that was a daydream, right? 00:24:26.695 --> 00:24:27.917 Also, signs and wonders. 00:24:27.917 --> 00:24:31.349 Signs and wonders are ways that God can speak to us. 00:24:31.349 --> 00:24:32.973 Hello, pay attention. 00:24:32.973 --> 00:24:35.585 Here's a sign, here's a wonder. 00:24:35.585 --> 00:24:36.666 What are they supposed to do? 00:24:36.666 --> 00:24:39.352 Point to Jesus. 00:24:39.352 --> 00:24:44.319 If they point to a person, run from it. 00:24:44.319 --> 00:24:47.628 If they point to Jesus, pay attention. 00:24:47.628 --> 00:24:52.616 How about a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day? 00:24:52.616 --> 00:24:55.181 How about a donkey speaking? 00:24:55.181 --> 00:24:58.451 Can God speak through a donkey? 00:24:58.451 --> 00:24:58.893 He did. 00:24:58.893 --> 00:25:05.517 I won't go into what that could mean for the rest of us, right? 00:25:05.517 --> 00:25:08.634 How about Gideon's fleece? 00:25:08.634 --> 00:25:12.853 God spoke to Gideon through his fleece. 00:25:12.853 --> 00:25:17.154 Right On and on, examples that we could go through. 00:25:18.226 --> 00:25:25.096 I remember one time being in a service and a glory cloud filled the room. 00:25:25.096 --> 00:25:37.231 I was a teenager and I was old enough to recognize it wasn't just an air conditioning problem right, the air conditioning was working properly but the room literally filled with the cloud. 00:25:37.231 --> 00:25:42.849 And the thing that I recognized, the thing that made me, as a teenager, recognize that God was with us. 00:25:42.849 --> 00:25:45.355 People were not shouting. 00:25:45.355 --> 00:25:47.606 Nothing wrong with shouting. 00:25:47.606 --> 00:25:49.515 People weren't running around. 00:25:49.515 --> 00:25:50.961 Nothing wrong with running around. 00:25:50.961 --> 00:25:51.924 People weren't dancing. 00:25:51.924 --> 00:25:53.390 Nothing wrong with dancing. 00:25:53.390 --> 00:25:55.134 You know what they were doing. 00:25:55.134 --> 00:26:00.957 They were on their face in the presence of a holy God. 00:26:00.957 --> 00:26:08.074 What a powerful thing to experience. 00:26:08.134 --> 00:26:15.992 God in signs and wonders, angelic visitation how many of you know? 00:26:15.992 --> 00:26:25.451 Just as there are demons and in fact there are twice as many angels as there are demons I think we forget that sometimes there are twice as many angels as there are demons. 00:26:25.451 --> 00:26:27.275 The spirit world is real. 00:26:27.275 --> 00:26:29.446 If you don't believe me, go to Haiti. 00:26:29.446 --> 00:26:33.412 If you go to Haiti, you go to Africa, you go to some of these places. 00:26:33.412 --> 00:26:39.401 You will discern very quickly that there are good forces and there are evil forces. 00:26:39.401 --> 00:26:44.517 There is demonic activity and there is angelic activity. 00:26:44.517 --> 00:26:52.675 We're not supposed to pray to angels, we're not supposed to command angels, but we do know that God uses angels as messengers. 00:26:52.675 --> 00:26:57.011 Can you think what's an example of an angel giving a message in the scriptures? 00:26:57.011 --> 00:26:59.637 Who? 00:26:59.637 --> 00:27:01.386 Yeah? 00:27:01.386 --> 00:27:03.053 Gabriel speaking to Mary? 00:27:03.053 --> 00:27:05.853 Right, many, many examples throughout scripture. 00:27:07.385 --> 00:27:09.394 And then also the audible voice of God. 00:27:09.394 --> 00:27:11.951 The audible voice of God. 00:27:11.951 --> 00:27:18.836 And though there is no biblical reason why God can't choose to speak audibly today, the reality is that it's fairly rare. 00:27:18.836 --> 00:27:23.015 It's fairly rare, I don't know how many I don't not asking for a show of hands. 00:27:23.015 --> 00:27:28.854 I don't know how many of you have literally heard the audible voice of God, like when God was speaking to Saul. 00:27:28.854 --> 00:27:30.857 Saul, saul, why are you persecuting me? 00:27:30.857 --> 00:27:34.509 How do we know it was audible? 00:27:34.509 --> 00:27:39.250 Because those around him heard what A sound like thunder. 00:27:39.250 --> 00:27:43.445 They couldn't discern what it was that God was saying, but they knew something was happening. 00:27:43.445 --> 00:27:52.010 But Saul heard it and it began the change and the transformation that we see so beautifully poured out in the book of Acts and beyond. 00:27:52.010 --> 00:27:54.915 What a transformation, right. 00:27:55.938 --> 00:28:01.980 The only time that I can ever recall hearing the audible voice of God was at a very dark time in our lives. 00:28:01.980 --> 00:28:06.490 Our son, levi, was at the point of death. 00:28:06.490 --> 00:28:17.145 He had a disease called Stevens-Johnson which was attacking his entire body and especially his mouth was closed and sealed. 00:28:17.145 --> 00:28:19.590 Amy had to feed him with a straw. 00:28:19.590 --> 00:28:27.035 We took him to nine doctors, I think, and none of them could really discover or figure out what was wrong with him. 00:28:27.035 --> 00:28:37.154 And so one day I couldn't handle it anymore, so I just got in my vehicle and started driving and turned the music up as loud as I could, and then I just started screaming. 00:28:37.154 --> 00:28:41.685 Did you know, God's not bothered by us screaming. 00:28:41.685 --> 00:28:44.328 I was screaming at him. 00:28:44.328 --> 00:28:46.712 What are you doing? 00:28:46.712 --> 00:28:48.836 Take me. 00:28:48.836 --> 00:28:52.760 That was my prayer. 00:28:52.760 --> 00:28:55.792 Save his life and take mine. 00:28:55.792 --> 00:29:10.097 I pulled over and I don't know if it was audible or not, but it shook me when God said to me Levi will live. 00:29:10.097 --> 00:29:20.309 And I know not everybody has that testimony and I'm so sorry for those of you who have lost loved ones in similar scenarios. 00:29:20.309 --> 00:29:26.779 Levi was completely transformed from that day on. 00:29:26.819 --> 00:29:28.568 It wasn't that he was immediately healed. 00:29:28.568 --> 00:29:33.126 Something happened in him as well, and we didn't know until years later. 00:29:33.126 --> 00:29:42.096 When we were having a Bible study in our house, we were talking about hearing the voice of God and we asked have anybody in this room have an example of hearing the voice of God? 00:29:42.096 --> 00:29:57.297 And Levi raised his hand and said one day, when I was very, very sick, the Lord spoke to me and said that I was going to live and I can tie it to that same day, the day God spoke to me. 00:29:57.297 --> 00:29:58.786 God spoke that to him as well. 00:29:58.786 --> 00:30:01.131 I needed. 00:30:01.131 --> 00:30:08.906 I was in such a place of desperation and brokenness that I needed to hear from God, not only for myself. 00:30:08.906 --> 00:30:10.548 I needed to be able to go tell my wife. 00:30:10.548 --> 00:30:12.612 God spoke to me. 00:30:12.612 --> 00:30:18.740 He is going to live as if you don't know. 00:30:18.740 --> 00:30:21.828 Levi's sitting right here and he is alive and well. 00:30:21.828 --> 00:30:24.153 Thanks be to God. 00:30:24.153 --> 00:30:29.406 So God speaks to us through supernatural means. 00:30:30.489 --> 00:30:33.054 God also speaks to us sometimes through circumstances. 00:30:33.054 --> 00:30:43.836 You experience that God sometimes speaks to us through life circumstances, in times of difficulty, in seasons of blessing, and opened and closed doors. 00:30:43.836 --> 00:30:49.724 Yet again, we have to filter what we think we're hearing or seeing through the light of scripture. 00:30:49.724 --> 00:30:53.172 Not all open doors are from God, please hear. 00:30:53.172 --> 00:31:05.829 Hear me when I say that when God wants to bless you, he opens the right doors, but when Satan wants to curse you, he opens what seems to be the right doors, but they're the wrong doors. 00:31:05.829 --> 00:31:10.098 Right doors lead to holiness and righteousness. 00:31:10.098 --> 00:31:13.171 Wrong doors lead to sin and unrighteousness. 00:31:14.674 --> 00:31:18.250 Again, amy and I experienced this when we were young and newly married. 00:31:18.250 --> 00:31:26.096 I was working in the pizza and delivering pizza, and an opportunity came for us to be able to purchase a Christian bookstore. 00:31:26.096 --> 00:31:27.306 Here's the problem. 00:31:27.306 --> 00:31:40.049 We didn't have any money, and so we asked for some counsel from some people who were kind of like non-committal, like you really need to hear God on this. 00:31:40.049 --> 00:31:57.449 And then we asked God for an open door, and in the mail, we got a notification of a credit card that we could take out for the exact amount not joking the exact amount that we needed to make the purchase of this bookstore. 00:31:57.449 --> 00:32:22.553 And so we took that as God opening the door and we took the credit card out and we purchased the business, and was it two years later, a year and a half later, a year later, whenever he was born we don't equate it with Jordan's birth, but it was around that time, yes. 00:32:22.553 --> 00:32:36.439 So, anyway, what happened was it was not a sustainable business, and so we ended up having to basically to just offload that business and lose $20,000 in the process. 00:32:38.006 --> 00:32:42.777 Now, did God just disappear from the scene during that time? 00:32:42.777 --> 00:32:51.778 Do you know how many lives were touched because we were in that place in that time, including ours? 00:32:51.778 --> 00:32:53.829 I'm not just saying that we were the ones doing all of the. 00:32:53.829 --> 00:32:56.277 We had conversations with people. 00:32:56.277 --> 00:33:02.067 People would come into the store and talk to each other and God would speak to them. 00:33:02.067 --> 00:33:03.288 So am I upset that that happened? 00:33:03.288 --> 00:33:18.771 I'm upset that we didn't discern correctly, but I also understand that God turns all things together for his good, for those who are called according to his purpose, and so God did accomplish a lot of things through that time, but, man, that was tough. 00:33:18.771 --> 00:33:23.249 So make sure that you don't just use the open door policy. 00:33:23.249 --> 00:33:28.487 It has to be an open door that God opens, amen, and he can give you discernment on that. 00:33:28.487 --> 00:33:29.307 He will. 00:33:30.671 --> 00:33:44.452 And this one is probably the most important, the one I want to land on here for a minute An inner voice or impression, something that you experience or feel on the inside of yourself, and this is really hard to describe, like in English. 00:33:44.452 --> 00:33:50.779 I feel like if I could say it in my prayer language I might be able to communicate it better. 00:33:50.779 --> 00:33:55.317 I don't know, it's just strange, it's hard to say in words. 00:33:55.317 --> 00:34:00.494 It's a knowing that comes from God, that registers on the inside of who you are. 00:34:00.494 --> 00:34:11.586 Your born-again spirit bears witness with the Holy Spirit that is speaking to you and your soul somehow is in the mix and picks it up. 00:34:11.586 --> 00:34:14.956 It registers with your mind, your will and your emotions. 00:34:14.956 --> 00:34:17.329 So it's God speaking to you. 00:34:17.329 --> 00:34:28.065 The Holy Spirit is quickening your spirit, which is born again and made alive to God, and then somehow they zap your mind and your mind picks it up and discerns it and understands it. 00:34:31.452 --> 00:34:41.398 We need to do a Christian version of Inside Out, the movie Inside Out, where we can kind of try to personify this and make it a little bit more easy to comprehend. 00:34:41.398 --> 00:35:10.715 But in my life I would have to say that 95% no, I can't say that because majority of the time is through the word of God but the times that I have felt like the Lord spoke to me directly or distinctly, especially directionally, leading me question that I had in front of him, things like that, the majority of the time it has come through this kind of experience when I've just had the sense that God was saying something to me. 00:35:10.715 --> 00:35:12.018 Does that make sense? 00:35:12.018 --> 00:35:21.913 And again, I want you to, I want to be able to explain this in a way that you can begin to experience it, because you are, honestly, I believe you already are experiencing it. 00:35:21.913 --> 00:35:25.677 You may not recognize it all the time, but it is. 00:35:25.677 --> 00:35:28.873 It's just a knowing, it's just a feeling. 00:35:28.873 --> 00:35:33.536 Any other words to help me with this? 00:35:33.536 --> 00:35:38.527 An unction that's another Bible word. 00:35:38.527 --> 00:35:39.168 Right, it's an unction. 00:35:39.168 --> 00:35:43.875 It's a yeah, it's not weird, it's a guide. 00:35:43.875 --> 00:35:47.400 It's a yeah, it's all of those things. 00:35:49.045 --> 00:35:58.233 Now, even in the biblically recorded instances of God's speakings, it doesn't always say in what form he spoke, right, like, was it audible? 00:35:58.233 --> 00:36:00.740 Was it an inner voice, like I'm talking about? 00:36:00.740 --> 00:36:03.869 Was it a mental impression or realization? 00:36:03.869 --> 00:36:06.695 Was it an image that somebody saw? 00:36:06.695 --> 00:36:08.039 Sometimes people see images. 00:36:08.039 --> 00:36:10.387 Was it a what was it? 00:36:10.387 --> 00:36:11.650 How was God speaking? 00:36:11.650 --> 00:36:15.317 It doesn't define it always for us, right? 00:36:15.317 --> 00:36:20.733 And so one of the reasons that I think that is is because we tend to formulize things. 00:36:20.733 --> 00:36:21.717 Have you noticed that? 00:36:21.717 --> 00:36:28.018 And so if I hear from God in a particular way, then you must hear from God in the same way. 00:36:28.018 --> 00:36:35.052 But how many of you know God created us all with distinct what Flavors? 00:36:35.052 --> 00:37:03.275 I'm not going to mention his name because this is online, but somebody in the church said flavors, which is not horribly wrong, but I was going to say personalities, right, distinct personalities, distinct ways of thinking about things, approaching things, you know, feeling things, expressing things. 00:37:04.036 --> 00:37:14.873 We're all unique, right, and so God, in a relational way, just as we do, how many of you know that you communicate with different people in different ways, based on who you are and based on who they are? 00:37:14.873 --> 00:37:20.355 Yeah, my wife and my daughter sound a lot alike. 00:37:20.355 --> 00:37:26.918