WEBVTT 00:02:10.621 --> 00:02:14.332 So how many of you know what this is? 00:02:14.332 --> 00:02:16.639 How many of you had one of these growing up? 00:02:16.639 --> 00:02:22.322 This is the famous Magic 8-Ball. 00:02:22.322 --> 00:02:24.265 Remember you were a young teenager and you would say oh, magic 8-Ball, magic 8-B ball. 00:02:24.265 --> 00:02:28.794 If I ask this girl out, will she say yes, certainly not. 00:02:28.794 --> 00:02:32.211 That's the answer I always got, and pretty accurate. 00:02:32.211 --> 00:02:34.520 That's not funny. 00:02:34.520 --> 00:02:36.889 So let's have a little fun. 00:02:36.889 --> 00:02:39.247 Magic eight ball, magic eight ball. 00:02:39.247 --> 00:02:41.307 Should we take Sunday naps today? 00:02:41.307 --> 00:02:52.104 I don't want to read this Very doubtful Magic 8-Ball, magic 8-Ball. 00:02:52.104 --> 00:02:55.072 Should the congregation give a little extra in the offering today? 00:02:55.072 --> 00:02:57.284 This thing's broken. 00:02:57.284 --> 00:03:02.807 Magic 8-Ball, magic 8-Ball. 00:03:03.281 --> 00:03:05.228 Is my sermon going to be a little bit lengthy? 00:03:05.228 --> 00:03:10.466 Cannot predict now. 00:03:10.466 --> 00:03:14.427 Oh goodness, isn't that fun. 00:03:14.427 --> 00:03:18.460 Well, listen, wouldn't it be awesome? 00:03:18.460 --> 00:03:28.750 We know the magic eight ball is not real, it's random, but wouldn't it be awesome that, when we are faced with major decisions in life, that we could know that we're making the right decision? 00:03:30.395 --> 00:03:32.941 Well, I've got great news, christian, for you today. 00:03:32.941 --> 00:03:34.322 You can. 00:03:34.322 --> 00:03:36.243 You know why. 00:03:36.243 --> 00:03:40.628 Let me read you Romans 8, 14. 00:03:40.628 --> 00:03:48.276 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. 00:03:48.276 --> 00:04:05.350 Here's why we can know that we're on the right path and we can know that we're making right decisions, because God's children, his sons and daughters, they are led by the Holy Spirit. 00:04:05.350 --> 00:04:12.140 Can I tell you today that God still speaks to his people. 00:04:13.343 --> 00:04:16.370 Now, when you pray and you ask God for guidance, I know what you want. 00:04:16.370 --> 00:04:19.687 If you're like me, you want God to write a message in the sky. 00:04:19.687 --> 00:04:21.271 Have you ever prayed for something like that? 00:04:21.271 --> 00:04:26.827 Or you want him maybe this would be kind of cool Lord, send me a divine text message this morning. 00:04:26.827 --> 00:04:30.341 I almost, but I didn't want to make light of the sermon. 00:04:30.341 --> 00:04:34.028 I almost had Jody set up a text to go off right. 00:04:34.048 --> 00:04:39.966 Then you know from our church text and say you know this is the Lord kind of thing, but I decided against it. 00:04:39.966 --> 00:04:44.552 But you know the Lord, the Lord's word to us. 00:04:44.552 --> 00:04:46.834 You know when he speaks to us and he leads us. 00:04:46.834 --> 00:05:02.052 It's often not that obvious, but I will tell you this we can learn, as believers, to better and more clearly hear and recognize God's voice, and I want to help you do that today. 00:05:02.052 --> 00:05:04.442 And if you will listen, this will transform your life. 00:05:04.442 --> 00:05:05.444 Let me tell you why. 00:05:05.444 --> 00:05:17.723 Because if you can hear God's voice, you could have confirmation and peace that you're making right choices when you listen to him and, by the way, you'll lean in for this one. 00:05:17.723 --> 00:05:19.086 You can. 00:05:19.086 --> 00:05:26.451 You know, if you learn to hear God's voice, you might be stopped from making some really destructive decisions. 00:05:28.281 --> 00:05:32.968 So in our text today we see this new missionary team. 00:05:32.968 --> 00:05:36.973 You know Paul and Silas. 00:05:36.973 --> 00:05:39.463 Remember last week we finished out chapter 15. 00:05:39.463 --> 00:05:47.463 Paul and Barnabas had finished their first missionary journey and you remember what happened At the end of it. 00:05:47.463 --> 00:05:59.689 They're ready to go on their second journey and Paul and Barnabas get into a knock-down, drag-out fight and this is over Barnabas' cousin, john Mark, who abandoned them on their first missionary journey. 00:05:59.689 --> 00:06:02.307 So they end up parting ways. 00:06:02.307 --> 00:06:08.444 So what's happening here is that Paul is establishing a new missionary team for his second journey. 00:06:08.444 --> 00:06:19.903 So he recruits a leader in the Jerusalem church named Silas, and then he recruits a man, a young man by the name of Timothy, whom Paul actually led to the Lord on his first journey. 00:06:19.903 --> 00:06:21.848 But then this is really cool. 00:06:21.848 --> 00:06:22.971 You know who else he recruits. 00:06:23.031 --> 00:06:25.807 Here it's a little more cryptic, you may not have noticed it. 00:06:25.807 --> 00:06:28.949 He recruits Luke, who wrote the book of Acts. 00:06:28.949 --> 00:06:41.333 And the reason we know that is because, if you look down at verse 10, luke uses the pronoun we instead of they. 00:06:41.333 --> 00:06:46.973 Up to this point he's been talking about they and them, but now he says we. 00:06:46.973 --> 00:06:52.971 So you have Paul and Silas and Timothy and Luke. 00:06:52.971 --> 00:06:55.879 This is the new fantastic four. 00:06:55.879 --> 00:07:07.783 They're getting ready to go out on this missionary journey and so, as they set out what I want you to see, I really want to focus on those last several verses, those last five verses, six through 10. 00:07:09.146 --> 00:07:14.423 I want you to notice how the Holy Spirit guides them and speaks to them. 00:07:14.423 --> 00:07:15.766 Do you know? 00:07:15.766 --> 00:07:30.031 Three times in this short passage, in these five verses, luke points out that the Holy Spirit stopped them from doing something or gave them a vision, told them where to go. 00:07:30.031 --> 00:07:38.112 It's pretty profound, and so we can learn something from this passage about how to hear and follow the voice of the Lord. 00:07:38.112 --> 00:07:46.708 So how is it if it's not a message in the sky, how is it that God leads his people, how is it that he speaks to his people? 00:07:46.708 --> 00:08:01.725 Well, I want to step outside of this text for a moment, because this is foundational, and I want to start by saying that God fundamentally speaks to his people through his word, this thing we call the Bible. 00:08:01.725 --> 00:08:03.690 Now, this is important. 00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:05.245 Do you know the early church? 00:08:05.245 --> 00:08:06.802 We've seen already throughout Acts. 00:08:06.802 --> 00:08:12.333 They discerned often the will of God by the scriptures. 00:08:12.333 --> 00:08:14.002 Let me just give you a few examples here. 00:08:14.002 --> 00:08:24.043 In Acts 1, 16, peter uses Psalm 69 as a guide for replacing Judas with another apostle. 00:08:24.043 --> 00:08:36.100 In Acts 2, 16 through 20, remember, pentecost has happened, the Spirit's been poured out, people are speaking in other languages and everybody's going. 00:08:36.100 --> 00:08:37.562 What's going on? 00:08:37.562 --> 00:08:46.995 And all of a sudden Peter says here's what happened, and he discerns what's happening by Joel, chapter 2 in the Old Testament. 00:08:46.995 --> 00:09:01.214 Then one more example in Acts 15, james discerns the will of God concerning the Gentile believers by appealing to many of the Old Testament prophets Isaiah, daniel, amos and others. 00:09:02.541 --> 00:09:07.384 So the word of God is really important if we're going to hear his voice. 00:09:07.384 --> 00:09:13.761 Now listen, I'm not suggesting that God doesn't speak to us in other ways and I'm going to get into that. 00:09:13.761 --> 00:09:15.667 But here's what I want you to get. 00:09:15.667 --> 00:09:23.509 Look at me If you are not consistently in God's word, you will never clearly hear his voice. 00:09:23.509 --> 00:09:28.296 That is so important. 00:09:28.296 --> 00:09:31.741 Here's what will happen if you're not in his word. 00:09:31.741 --> 00:09:38.274 At best, you'll never be sure that it's God speaking to you. 00:09:38.274 --> 00:09:40.001 Is it your own voice? 00:09:40.001 --> 00:09:40.923 Is it bad pizza? 00:09:40.923 --> 00:09:58.020 At worst, when you're not in the Bible, you will end up thinking something is from God that's not from him at all, could even be of the devil and will lead you astray or even destroy your life. 00:09:58.020 --> 00:10:08.076 So God will never speak to you or lead you in a way that is contrary to his word. 00:10:08.076 --> 00:10:10.466 Let me just give you an example of this. 00:10:10.466 --> 00:10:18.707 One of the most consequential decisions you'll ever make in your life is who you're going to marry. 00:10:18.707 --> 00:10:23.129 If you decide to get married, like, that's kind of an important decision. 00:10:25.201 --> 00:10:33.691 So let's just imagine for a second that there's a Christian man and this Christian man decides he wants to be married. 00:10:33.691 --> 00:10:39.928 He's a young man, and so he begins praying God, send me a woman, send me a lady, somebody I can love for the rest of my life. 00:10:39.928 --> 00:10:47.024 And so he meets a lady, but this lady is a non-Christian woman, but he likes her a lot. 00:10:47.024 --> 00:10:56.013 She's very attractive, he's smitten by her, he thinks she's very, very kind, he loves spending time with her. 00:10:56.013 --> 00:10:57.394 They have a lot in common. 00:10:57.394 --> 00:11:05.953 They stay up all hours of the night talking, and so he prays Lord, could you show me if this is the one? 00:11:05.953 --> 00:11:13.270 And after praying he hears that this lady, he thinks he hears from the Lord, this lady is the one for him. 00:11:13.270 --> 00:11:17.664 But I can tell you that man has not heard from the Lord. 00:11:18.668 --> 00:11:19.690 You say well, that's arrogant. 00:11:19.690 --> 00:11:20.753 How would you know that? 00:11:20.753 --> 00:11:22.743 How can you make such a blanket statement? 00:11:22.743 --> 00:11:28.272 Well, because if you listen to the story I told you, this man was a Christian and the woman was not a Christian. 00:11:28.272 --> 00:11:31.544 So he shouldn't date her, he shouldn't marry her. 00:11:32.408 --> 00:11:33.130 Why do I say that? 00:11:33.130 --> 00:11:37.423 Well, because 2 Corinthians 6, 14, paul makes it, he doesn't mince words. 00:11:37.423 --> 00:11:41.350 He says do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. 00:11:41.350 --> 00:11:45.533 For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? 00:11:45.533 --> 00:11:48.123 Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 00:11:48.123 --> 00:11:52.913 So let me ask you, what more serious partnership is there besides marriage? 00:11:52.913 --> 00:12:03.392 So if you're praying for a young people, if you're praying for a spouse, if you're praying for love, you know love is in the air. 00:12:03.392 --> 00:12:04.561 If you're praying for love. 00:12:04.561 --> 00:12:05.381 You know, love is in the air. 00:12:05.381 --> 00:12:12.750 God is never going to lead you to marry someone who is not a Christian if you are in fact saved. 00:12:12.750 --> 00:12:13.951 So that's an example. 00:12:15.173 --> 00:12:18.115 If you hear that from you, think you hear that from the Lord. 00:12:18.115 --> 00:12:27.519 It's not the Lord, because he'll never lead you, contrary to his word. 00:12:27.519 --> 00:12:29.341 Okay, this might be worth writing down. 00:12:29.341 --> 00:12:30.182 I think we have it on the screen. 00:12:30.182 --> 00:12:35.591 If I am not reading the word of God, I will not recognize the voice of God. 00:12:35.591 --> 00:12:46.614 Can I say that again, if I am not reading the word of God, I will not recognize the voice of God. 00:12:47.315 --> 00:12:52.423 God fundamentally speaks to his people by his word. 00:12:52.423 --> 00:13:08.754 Now, to springboard off that point, there are people who have said to me pastors matter of fact, ron and I were at a conference with the other elders and Ron and I were out on this deck talking to this pastor. 00:13:08.754 --> 00:13:12.881 His whole goal was to convince us that God doesn't still speak to his people. 00:13:12.881 --> 00:13:23.288 And the argument is well, since we have the complete word of God and since God speaks to us through his word, that's the only way God speaks to us. 00:13:23.288 --> 00:13:28.946 So he's never going to, you know, speak to your heart or it's all by the word of God. 00:13:28.946 --> 00:13:32.913 That's how he does it, which I think, just to be sure, is ludicrous. 00:13:34.421 --> 00:13:37.808 Now, to be sure, we cannot add to or take away from the word of God. 00:13:37.808 --> 00:13:45.130 It is a closed canon and the Bible tells us everything we need to know about the character of God. 00:13:45.130 --> 00:13:47.725 Nothing else is going to be revealed to us about God's character. 00:13:47.725 --> 00:13:50.072 The Bible gives us the gospel. 00:13:50.072 --> 00:13:52.144 It tells us how we can be saved. 00:13:52.144 --> 00:13:53.748 That's never going to change. 00:13:53.748 --> 00:13:57.903 You're not going to get additional insight on how to be saved. 00:13:57.903 --> 00:14:02.293 The Bible tells us all there is to know about living a godly life. 00:14:02.293 --> 00:14:04.815 The moral law of God is never going to change. 00:14:04.815 --> 00:14:08.066 It's not going to be added to, it's not going to be taken away from. 00:14:09.448 --> 00:14:15.249 But you know, the problem is the Bible gives us a lot of generalities but it doesn't give us specifics. 00:14:15.249 --> 00:14:20.650 So the Bible would tell you marry a Christian woman if you get married, but it doesn't tell you which Christian woman. 00:14:20.650 --> 00:14:27.640 And can I say not all Christian women are created equally or they don't act equally. 00:14:27.640 --> 00:14:32.471 Don't just assume this lady's Christian. 00:14:32.471 --> 00:14:39.481 She's going to be nice to me, because that's not the case and, by the way, I'm not saying this from experience, my wife is lovely, just to clarify. 00:14:39.481 --> 00:14:42.688 So how is it then that the Lord speaks to us? 00:14:42.688 --> 00:14:43.370 Because he does? 00:14:43.370 --> 00:14:45.073 I strongly believe this. 00:14:45.073 --> 00:14:51.052 People who are sons of God are led by the Spirit of God day in and day out. 00:14:51.052 --> 00:14:55.150 Doesn't the psalmist say that the steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord? 00:14:55.150 --> 00:14:57.443 Do you believe God speaks to you? 00:14:57.443 --> 00:14:59.711 How does he do it? 00:14:59.711 --> 00:15:04.491 Well, one way we see in the text God speaks to us by closing doors. 00:15:04.491 --> 00:15:07.626 Look at verses six through eight. 00:15:08.041 --> 00:15:16.434 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 00:15:16.434 --> 00:15:22.393 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go to Bithya, but the spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 00:15:22.393 --> 00:15:25.107 So, passing by, they went to Troas. 00:15:25.107 --> 00:15:27.446 You know, here's what's interesting. 00:15:27.446 --> 00:15:29.147 I was thinking about this. 00:15:29.147 --> 00:15:37.070 Paul has already been told one-on-one by Jesus you're to go out to the ancient world, you're to preach the gospel to the Jew and to the Gentile right. 00:15:37.070 --> 00:15:39.466 So he knows the mission. 00:15:39.466 --> 00:15:49.350 And right before chapter 16, paul and Silas are back in Antioch and the church confirms that they're to go out on this second missionary journey. 00:15:49.350 --> 00:15:50.826 So they just start heading out. 00:15:50.826 --> 00:15:51.662 But do you know? 00:15:51.662 --> 00:15:53.128 Paul has no specifics. 00:15:53.128 --> 00:15:59.668 He's just kind of wandering around and, by the way, they're not in a vehicle, they are walking. 00:15:59.668 --> 00:16:01.687 And he's got this new ministry team. 00:16:01.687 --> 00:16:04.788 You know, timothy, he's like guys, you know, I've got experience in this. 00:16:04.788 --> 00:16:05.490 Hang with me. 00:16:05.490 --> 00:16:06.272 This is going to be great. 00:16:07.341 --> 00:16:20.096 And as they're walking through this tough terrain, it's like Paul has no idea where he's going, but it seems to me he thinks that he is going to be ministering in Asia Minor, which is modern day Turkey. 00:16:20.096 --> 00:16:21.460 That's not the case. 00:16:21.460 --> 00:16:33.577 So here's what he does From Iconium, where they start, they go to Phrygia and Galatia, 100 miles by foot. 00:16:33.577 --> 00:16:34.159 God closes the door. 00:16:34.159 --> 00:16:37.455 That's not where they're to be. 00:16:37.455 --> 00:16:44.346 Then they go from that region to Mysia, northwest to northwest Asia Minor, 200 more miles. 00:16:44.346 --> 00:16:52.302 And from Mysia they attempt to go into this place called Bithynia, but the Holy Spirit says no, it's not it either. 00:16:52.302 --> 00:17:03.683 Then they travel to Troas, door number three, another 100 miles, wrong again, and finally there the Lord makes his will clear and watch this, they're on the wrong continent. 00:17:03.683 --> 00:17:07.510 You ever ask the Lord for something and you think you're close and you realize you're on the wrong continent. 00:17:07.510 --> 00:17:17.900 Come on, somebody Like you're not even close to what God's asking you to do. 00:17:17.900 --> 00:17:30.882 They're in Asia and they're supposed to cross the sea and go to Europe and into what is Northern Greece Now, into what is Northern Greece Now. 00:17:30.902 --> 00:17:31.703 Here's what I love. 00:17:31.703 --> 00:17:35.231 Paul is willing just to try to open some doors by faith, and he's okay if the door's open or if the door's closed. 00:17:35.231 --> 00:17:36.053 He trusts the Lord. 00:17:36.053 --> 00:17:39.133 And I think you know what I was thinking about this. 00:17:39.133 --> 00:17:46.262 I thought you know sometimes we're praying for something and we just kind of sit back and wait for the Lord to drop something in our lap. 00:17:46.262 --> 00:17:49.471 Like, if you're praying for a spouse like you should probably try to meet some people. 00:17:49.471 --> 00:17:55.310 Like a lady man is probably not going to just show up at your door, right? 00:17:55.310 --> 00:17:56.553 I mean, she could. 00:17:56.553 --> 00:18:08.861 If she is, she's probably selling vacuum cleaners, you know, I don't know, but here's the thing we need to try and say Lord, is this the door you have for me? 00:18:08.861 --> 00:18:25.116 Let me give you another example If you need a job, it's like I've been through this with some people it's like man, I believe God's got something for me, so I'm just going to sit back and eat Cheetos on the couch while I wait for the phone to ring. 00:18:25.157 --> 00:18:26.340 It's like that's not going to happen. 00:18:26.340 --> 00:18:27.182 What do you do? 00:18:27.182 --> 00:18:41.061 You apply to places, you send in resumes, you network and then you say, god, I don't want to force anything, but if any of these are your will, would you open the door? 00:18:41.061 --> 00:18:42.505 That's what Paul does here. 00:18:42.505 --> 00:18:47.842 And let me say this If God closes the door, don't be frustrated. 00:18:48.565 --> 00:18:57.229 You know, a lot of times we get our hearts set on things right, we want something to happen and the door closes and we get really frustrated. 00:18:57.229 --> 00:19:05.652 But you know what, if we trust God and his providence, the Lord, when he closes that door, he may be saving you from who knows what. 00:19:05.652 --> 00:19:11.211 You think this is the girl for you or the boy for you and you think this is who I want to marry. 00:19:11.211 --> 00:19:15.880 But you don't know the future, because sometimes you don't know somebody until you get married. 00:19:15.880 --> 00:19:21.342 Actually, that's always the case until you get married and sometimes people seem really sane and they're a little cray-cray. 00:19:21.342 --> 00:19:22.663 Don't point at your spouse, okay. 00:19:22.663 --> 00:19:27.653 So don't get frustrated. 00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:28.662 And here's the other thing. 00:19:28.662 --> 00:19:34.073 Listen to this Don't try and force a door open that God closed. 00:19:34.073 --> 00:19:43.300 You know Paul and Silas didn't like, and Timothy and Luke they're not trying to like say come on, lord, I'm going to try this again. 00:19:43.300 --> 00:19:44.443 Will you please let us go here. 00:19:44.443 --> 00:19:45.717 No, it's a closed door. 00:19:45.717 --> 00:19:46.618 We trust the Lord. 00:19:46.819 --> 00:19:50.127 There's a reason God doesn't want us ministering here. 00:19:50.127 --> 00:19:56.948 Pastor Chuck Swindoll famously said that when God is in it, it flows. 00:19:56.948 --> 00:19:59.775 When the flesh is in it, it's forced. 00:19:59.775 --> 00:20:04.349 God is in it, it flows. 00:20:04.349 --> 00:20:05.714 When the flesh is in it, it's forced. 00:20:05.714 --> 00:20:09.977 You know, closed doors are not always permanent. 00:20:09.977 --> 00:20:20.935 What's so interesting about this story is Paul is forbidden to preach in Asia Minor, but do you know, in Acts, chapter 19, he spends two years in Ephesus, the chief city of Asia Minor, and he preaches and he preaches, and he preaches. 00:20:20.935 --> 00:20:25.106 Listen, when a door is closed, it's not always that God is saying no. 00:20:25.106 --> 00:20:28.582 It could be that he's saying not right now. 00:20:32.009 --> 00:20:33.512 Let me give you one more caveat here. 00:20:33.512 --> 00:20:37.800 Don't assume that every open door is God's will. 00:20:37.800 --> 00:20:39.203 I think that's a big mistake. 00:20:39.203 --> 00:20:53.128 For instance, if you're at a job and you know you've been there and things are going well and a company does happen to call you, don't assume, like, maybe test it, but don't assume that that's God calling you to leave. 00:20:53.128 --> 00:21:01.464 Like, if you're a good employee and other companies get word of it, you would be switching jobs all the time because you know people are going to be calling you. 00:21:02.826 --> 00:21:10.722 I had a church pursue us not too long ago in Arizona and you got to know this, nikki and I. 00:21:10.722 --> 00:21:15.323 We're from Kentucky, we love Kentucky but we love anybody ever get tired of cold weather. 00:21:15.323 --> 00:21:16.025 Come on somebody. 00:21:16.025 --> 00:21:21.644 We lived in Arizona before and we really liked Arizona. 00:21:21.644 --> 00:21:30.348 So this church in Arizona called us and said you know, we'd really like you to consider being our pastor. 00:21:30.348 --> 00:21:33.221 And I thought, well, I'm not looking to leave real life community church. 00:21:33.221 --> 00:21:34.064 I love it here. 00:21:34.064 --> 00:21:36.517 But I said it's an open door. 00:21:36.517 --> 00:21:37.878 I'm going to see what the Lord has. 00:21:37.878 --> 00:21:39.221 And so I flew out, nikki and I. 00:21:39.221 --> 00:21:55.944 We flew out to Tucson and drove to Sierra Vista and we love the church, we love the church and the church loved us and it was a great opportunity and it's kind of primed for growth. 00:21:55.944 --> 00:22:02.915 It would have been something new, a change, and there's all these good things to say about it. 00:22:02.976 --> 00:22:11.240 But when I got home I didn't assume that, just because the door was opened, that it was God's will, because it's like that's a major decision. 00:22:11.240 --> 00:22:16.537 And so as I prayed, I asked God, I said give me a clear sign. 00:22:16.537 --> 00:22:25.601 And two days later God confirmed that at that time it was not God's will for my life, and so we stayed. 00:22:25.601 --> 00:22:27.724 Obviously, here I am. 00:22:27.724 --> 00:22:29.989 I don't look so happy about it. 00:22:33.395 --> 00:22:39.715 When there are open doors, god will confirm in other ways that those are the ones you need to go through. 00:22:39.715 --> 00:22:46.565 So God speaks by closing doors, opening doors, but you know he also speaks, as we see in the text, through dreams and visions. 00:22:46.565 --> 00:22:49.559 And you think, oh, pastor, you're getting kooky, come on. 00:22:49.559 --> 00:22:51.644 Well, it's in the Bible. 00:22:51.644 --> 00:22:53.188 You believe the Bible? 00:22:53.188 --> 00:22:55.401 Look at verse 9. 00:22:55.714 --> 00:22:57.823 And the vision appeared to Paul in the night. 00:22:57.823 --> 00:23:02.558 A man of Macedonia was standing there Would that freak you out a little bit? 00:23:02.558 --> 00:23:08.203 Urging him and saying come over to Macedonia and help us. 00:23:08.203 --> 00:23:11.782 So they've been searching. 00:23:11.782 --> 00:23:13.258 Is this the will of the Lord? 00:23:13.258 --> 00:23:14.240 Is this the will of the Lord? 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:15.284 Is this the will of the Lord? 00:23:15.284 --> 00:23:16.026 And what happens? 00:23:16.026 --> 00:23:17.579 It's no, no, no. 00:23:17.579 --> 00:23:19.676 And finally, paul's like all right, I'm just going to sleep. 00:23:20.698 --> 00:23:23.163 And God shows up through a vision. 00:23:23.163 --> 00:23:27.509 Now you say, okay, sure, they're apostles. 00:23:27.509 --> 00:23:32.747 You know Paul was an apostle and they didn't have the Word of God completed yet. 00:23:32.747 --> 00:23:37.944 But God wouldn't speak to me like that, don't be so sure. 00:23:37.944 --> 00:23:42.096 Let me ask has anybody ever had what you feel like is a dream from the Lord or a vision from the Lord. 00:23:42.196 --> 00:23:53.700 Okay, in Acts, chapter 2, after the Holy Spirit's poured out again, peter quotes Joel, chapter 2. 00:23:53.700 --> 00:23:58.178 Here's what he says, verse 17, quoting the Old Testament, in the last days. 00:23:58.178 --> 00:23:59.201 What are the last days? 00:23:59.201 --> 00:24:06.066 It's the church age From the time of Christ's ascension, or Pentecost, to the time of Jesus' return. 00:24:06.066 --> 00:24:07.978 So you are in the last days. 00:24:07.978 --> 00:24:10.444 People ask me all the time Pastor, you think we're in the last days? 00:24:10.444 --> 00:24:12.016 Yep, and we've been for 2,000 years. 00:24:13.676 --> 00:24:15.817 Here's what he says will happen in the last days. 00:24:15.817 --> 00:24:24.923 So if you're in the last days, nod your head at me, because I'm going to make this argument and I will pour out my spirit, holy Spirit, on all flesh. 00:24:24.923 --> 00:24:26.963 You got flesh. 00:24:26.963 --> 00:24:29.045 Pinch yourself, make sure All right, we're good. 00:24:29.045 --> 00:24:39.371 And here's what will happen when the spirit is poured out you ready your sons and your daughters Does it say apostles only Does it say men only. 00:24:39.371 --> 00:24:42.873 It says your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. 00:24:42.873 --> 00:24:43.893 That's a spiritual gift. 00:24:43.893 --> 00:24:55.140 And your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams. 00:24:55.140 --> 00:25:09.664 There's a famous missionary by the name of Hudson Taylor you might know that name and he described a dream in which he saw millions of Chinese people passing before him into eternity without Christ. 00:25:09.664 --> 00:25:33.146 And the dream so profoundly shaped his life that he began what's called the China Inland Mission and he gave his life from then on to spreading the gospel in inland China, where multitudes by the thousands came to the Lord. 00:25:35.396 --> 00:25:45.705 Now most of your dreams are probably you ate too close to bedtime or you watched a crazy movie or whatever, but be open that the Lord still speaks that way. 00:25:45.705 --> 00:25:47.823 I believe this comes by faith, right? 00:25:47.823 --> 00:25:54.448 So if you just discount this altogether, you're probably not going to recognize that maybe the Lord's trying to speak to you. 00:25:54.448 --> 00:25:57.284 Number four God speaks through angelic messengers. 00:25:57.284 --> 00:26:08.884 In Acts 5, 19 and 20, the apostles are in prison and it says but during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out and said go and stand in the temple and speak to the people. 00:26:08.884 --> 00:26:10.369 All the words of life. 00:26:10.369 --> 00:26:14.719 We just saw this happen again to Peter, who was in prison just a few chapters back. 00:26:14.719 --> 00:26:22.891 God also speaks through let's say it like this spiritual gifts and kind of prophetic words. 00:26:22.891 --> 00:26:29.247 Now let me read you 27 through 30 of Acts 11. 00:26:29.307 --> 00:26:43.009 Sorry, now, in these days, prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch and one of them, named Agabus, stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world. 00:26:43.009 --> 00:26:45.542 This took place in the days of Claudius. 00:26:45.542 --> 00:26:55.528 So the disciples determined, based on what the prophet said, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea, and that's what they did. 00:26:55.528 --> 00:27:04.628 So there are Paul lists in 1 Corinthians, chapter 12, what we call the supernatural gifts. 00:27:04.628 --> 00:27:23.931 And look at me, I didn't grow up this way, what I'm about to tell you, but believing this, but I am 99.9% sure that I'm right on this, no, I'm going to say I think I'm 100% sure that I'm right on this. 00:27:24.414 --> 00:27:29.335 There is nothing in the Bible to suggest that those supernatural gifts are no longer for today, nothing. 00:27:29.335 --> 00:27:36.648 And it frustrates me when good Bible-believing people make that argument. 00:27:36.648 --> 00:27:47.286 Beloved, if the apostles needed the gifts of the Spirit, who are we to think that we no longer need the gifts of the Spirit? 00:27:47.286 --> 00:27:51.962 So let me list three of those nine spiritual gifts. 00:27:51.962 --> 00:27:58.083 You have the gift of prophecy, you have the word of knowledge and the word of wisdom. 00:27:58.083 --> 00:27:59.906 So this is not just regular knowledge. 00:27:59.906 --> 00:28:03.161 This is a special, you know, kind of revelation. 00:28:03.161 --> 00:28:07.038 And you have the word of wisdom, and not just regular wisdom. 00:28:07.038 --> 00:28:17.126 This is wisdom imparted by God for a particular situation, and do you know that is one of the most needed gifts in the church today. 00:28:17.126 --> 00:28:26.395 It frustrates me, like, by the way, I believe in all the gifts, including the gift of tongues, which means languages and interpretation and all of that. 00:28:26.395 --> 00:28:33.723 I believe in the gift of faith and miracles, but so many people, when they think of spiritual gifts, they immediately think of the gift of tongues. 00:28:33.723 --> 00:28:40.441 But you know what Paul said, and when he's writing the church in Corinth, that's what they were doing, that's what they were focusing on. 00:28:40.441 --> 00:28:48.924 He said listen, desire the gifts, but especially the higher ones, and he tells us what that is that you might prophesy. 00:28:48.924 --> 00:28:52.836 Let me show you how this works. 00:28:55.541 --> 00:29:13.045 Years ago, I was pretty new in ministry and I was serving in a small church as an associate pastor in Lexington, and a church in Tucson, arizona, called me as a big church 800 to 1,000 people, five buildings on campus and I thought man, I'm in my 20s and they want me to come work for them. 00:29:13.045 --> 00:29:15.201 I thought this is going to be great. 00:29:15.201 --> 00:29:21.359 It's going to be great, it's an opportunity of a lifetime, right, and so I made the decision. 00:29:21.359 --> 00:29:26.765 Nikki and I flew out Actually, we went out twice and finally made the decision to accept the job. 00:29:26.805 --> 00:29:43.943 Well before I left the church in Tucson or in Lexington, we had a guest evangelist Can't remember the guy's name, but he came and he preached the word and my pastor called me after he took the evangelist back to the airport and he said Chris, I just want to tell you this. 00:29:43.943 --> 00:29:46.546 He said Heather, this is Pastor Randy. 00:29:46.546 --> 00:29:47.527 He said to me. 00:29:47.527 --> 00:29:48.106 He said Chris. 00:29:48.106 --> 00:29:53.832 He said that evangelist doesn't know you from Adam. 00:29:53.832 --> 00:30:03.280 And as we were driving to the airport, he said to me where is your? 00:30:03.280 --> 00:30:06.087 He said your associate pastor is about to move somewhere and if it, if he does, it will kill him. 00:30:06.087 --> 00:30:08.031 My pastor calls and he tells me that. 00:30:08.031 --> 00:30:09.095 And I'm. 00:30:09.095 --> 00:30:09.977 I told Nick. 00:30:09.977 --> 00:30:13.705 I said I just think pastor Randy's trying to, you know, manipulate me. 00:30:13.705 --> 00:30:17.819 So I won't leave, cause you know it's a small church and they're going to lose their music leader and all that. 00:30:18.279 --> 00:30:20.844 So I went anyways and I didn't even consider that word. 00:30:20.844 --> 00:30:25.068 Well, I will tell you, I was there two years. 00:30:25.068 --> 00:30:27.116 I went with a clean bill of health. 00:30:27.116 --> 00:30:33.877 I left with a stack of medical records like this, and if I would have stayed another few months it would have killed me. 00:30:33.877 --> 00:30:39.489 It was a nightmare and I thought many times. 00:30:39.489 --> 00:30:52.259 I thought many times since, man, I wish I would have considered that God was speaking through that evangelist and, by the way, it's not just evangelists or pastors whom God uses like this. 00:30:53.141 --> 00:31:04.181 So, if God ever, you know, you're probably not going to hear some audible voice that says you know, courtney, you know, tell Ben, whatever, but you know what it is. 00:31:04.181 --> 00:31:06.135 It's the prompt, and I'm going to talk about this in a second. 00:31:06.135 --> 00:31:14.798 But it's this sense in the spirit, that God wants you to share something with somebody and you don't have to say I would guard from this. 00:31:14.798 --> 00:31:17.403 You thus sayeth the Lord no, it's, you know what. 00:31:17.403 --> 00:31:22.311 This is what I sense God's laying on my heart, and we've had this happen in this church many times. 00:31:22.311 --> 00:31:25.760 You don't have to get up from the platform and do it, you just go to that person. 00:31:25.760 --> 00:31:31.396 Now, not every word quote unquote word that people share with you are from the Lord. 00:31:31.396 --> 00:31:35.144 There are some kooks out there, right, man? 00:31:35.144 --> 00:31:36.448 You open this up. 00:31:36.468 --> 00:31:42.561 You know, I had a guy come in my office one time in Tucson and he came in from another church and he was frantic. 00:31:42.561 --> 00:31:48.124 He, I had an office upstairs and he comes up the stairs and he sits down across from my desk, pastor, he's out of breath. 00:31:48.124 --> 00:31:48.865 I said what's wrong? 00:31:48.865 --> 00:31:51.641 He said, pastor, I need a word. 00:31:51.641 --> 00:31:52.222 I said what do you mean? 00:31:52.222 --> 00:31:52.743 You need a word? 00:31:52.743 --> 00:32:05.041 He said well, I was in church and this person told me I was supposed to go to this country and be a missionary. 00:32:05.041 --> 00:32:05.964 This other one said God was calling me here. 00:32:05.964 --> 00:32:06.948 And this one, he said, pastor, I just need a word. 00:32:06.948 --> 00:32:08.633 And I just slid my Bible over to him and I said this is the word you need right now. 00:32:08.653 --> 00:32:09.075 But but you know what? 00:32:09.075 --> 00:32:13.818 What the Bible says is this first Thessalonians, 520, do not despise prophecies. 00:32:13.818 --> 00:32:19.723 So just because there's some kooky things out there, we don't throw the baby out with the bath water. 00:32:19.723 --> 00:32:23.567 But he says test everything. 00:32:23.567 --> 00:32:28.852 Test it and hold fast to what is good You're going to get. 00:32:28.852 --> 00:32:35.679 If you practice this, you're probably going to miss it sometimes and somebody's going to miss it when they talk to you. 00:32:35.679 --> 00:32:36.881 That's all right, just kick them and go on. 00:32:36.881 --> 00:32:37.362 No, don't do that. 00:32:37.362 --> 00:32:38.403 Just kick them and go on. 00:32:38.403 --> 00:32:40.105 No, don't do that. 00:32:40.125 --> 00:32:42.670 So God speaks through these spiritual gifts. 00:32:42.670 --> 00:32:54.001 But most often, here's how God speaks to us regarding specific situations he speaks to us internally by the Holy Spirit. 00:32:54.001 --> 00:32:55.525 Have you ever just felt prompted? 00:32:55.525 --> 00:33:04.041 Let's say you're walking by somebody and the Lord just prompts you to give them something, share food, or give them a few dollars. 00:33:04.041 --> 00:33:16.538 Or maybe you have been awakened in the middle of the night and somebody that you maybe even haven't thought of in a while was on your heart and it was the Holy Spirit prompting you to pray. 00:33:16.538 --> 00:33:19.605 Has that happened to anybody recently? 00:33:19.605 --> 00:33:21.597 That happened to me just not too long ago. 00:33:21.597 --> 00:33:31.240 Or maybe the Holy Spirit will just prompt you to call somebody at just the right time. 00:33:31.240 --> 00:33:33.284 We call those the nudgings of the Holy Spirit. 00:33:33.284 --> 00:33:43.588 So what's happening there is, it's the Spirit of God speaking to our spirit, and you've got to learn to listen to that voice. 00:33:43.734 --> 00:33:49.415 Okay, this is most often how the Lord speaks and it's like well, how do I know I'm hearing from God? 00:33:49.415 --> 00:33:58.722 Because if you're like me and don't put me in the loony bin for this, but anybody else hear voices in your head all day, you don't know how to respond to that. 00:33:58.722 --> 00:34:02.136 No, but your own voice is in your head all the time. 00:34:02.136 --> 00:34:05.505 Right Now, I speak out loud to myself I'm sorry. 00:34:05.505 --> 00:34:06.448 Then I answer myself. 00:34:06.448 --> 00:34:07.758 That's when things get really crazy. 00:34:07.758 --> 00:34:11.748 But you hear that voice in your head, but also from Scripture. 00:34:11.748 --> 00:34:13.936 We know the devil tempts us in things. 00:34:13.936 --> 00:34:15.057 So it could be. 00:34:15.057 --> 00:34:32.472 You know, demons can't possess a believer, but I believe, just like the devil put a thought in Judas's heart, I believe that there's times that he can do that in the life of believers, and so we've got to learn to discern like is this me, is this God, is this the enemy? 00:34:40.054 --> 00:34:43.275 So let me give you quickly I'm just going to list these out four questions that you can ask to see if this is, if what you're hearing in your spirit is from the Lord. 00:34:43.275 --> 00:34:47.764 Number one, to be redundant, is does it align with God's word? 00:34:47.764 --> 00:34:50.208 If not, nope, it's not God. 00:34:50.208 --> 00:34:54.065 Does it make me more like Christ and does it bring glory to God? 00:34:54.065 --> 00:34:59.059 Our lives are about the glory of God, so if it doesn't do that, then probably not God. 00:34:59.059 --> 00:35:00.862 Our lives are about the glory of God, so if it doesn't do that, then probably not God. 00:35:00.882 --> 00:35:03.505 Here's another one Does it bring me peace or confusion? 00:35:03.505 --> 00:35:06.849 Now let me just add a caveat here. 00:35:06.849 --> 00:35:16.340 When God speaks to you, he will often lead you to do things that stretch you, that often don't make sense. 00:35:16.340 --> 00:35:27.978 If he calls you to move somewhere, if he calls you to start this new job or start this new ministry, and there will be a little bit of I don't want to say anxiety, because we're not supposed to be anxious, but just concern. 00:35:27.978 --> 00:35:40.416 You're going to have a lot of questions, that you may not have answers, but if you are in a really confused state, the Bible says God is not the author of what confused state. 00:35:40.416 --> 00:35:42.438 The Bible says God is not the author of what Confusion. 00:35:42.478 --> 00:35:46.807 Fourth question this is an important one Is it confirmed by the church? 00:35:46.807 --> 00:35:55.824 Is it confirmed by the church? 00:35:55.824 --> 00:36:04.755 So in verse 10 of our text, when Paul sees this vision, here's what happens. 00:36:04.755 --> 00:36:08.018 It says immediately Luke says we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel. 00:36:08.018 --> 00:36:08.639 So watch this. 00:36:08.639 --> 00:36:16.226 Paul has this dream, but he doesn't assume that by himself he can decipher if this is from God or not. 00:36:16.226 --> 00:36:20.309 He brings it to Luke and to Timothy and to Silas. 00:36:20.309 --> 00:36:22.672 Here's the dream I had. 00:36:22.672 --> 00:36:24.293 Do we sense this is from God or not? 00:36:24.293 --> 00:36:25.373 He brings it to Luke and to Timothy and to Silas. 00:36:25.373 --> 00:36:25.835 Here's the dream I had. 00:36:25.835 --> 00:36:30.757 Do we sense this is from the Lord? 00:36:30.757 --> 00:36:31.597 And collectively, yes. 00:36:31.597 --> 00:36:33.378 Luke says we concluded that this word is from God. 00:36:33.400 --> 00:36:39.166 Now, when you are faced with a major decision and you think you are hearing from the Lord. 00:36:39.166 --> 00:36:54.722 It is arrogant and unwise to make that decision without talking to people who love you, who are unbiased and who will speak the truth to you in love and are spiritually wise. 00:36:54.722 --> 00:37:05.063 When I'm faced with any major decision, when I told you about that church in Arizona, I called three or four people who are a lot wiser than I am. 00:37:05.063 --> 00:37:06.742