When God Speaks
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Review…
Ephesus - Put Your Passion In It’s Place -
Smyrna - “Who?” not “Why?” -
Pergamum - Win Within -
Thyatira - No Compromise -
KEY- There is this reoccurring phrase that Jesus says, “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”
(NLT) — 7 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
(NLT) — 11 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.
(NLT) — 17 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.
(NLT) — 29 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.
MAIN POINT- You see Jesus is strongly emphasizing the importance of listening and understanding what he is saying.
QUESTION- Is Jesus still speaking to people today, and if so how?
(NLT) — 5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
(NLT) — 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.
How does Jesus speak to people?
Illumination of scripture.
(NLT) — 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
Spiritual gifts
(NLT) — 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
Through the life of Christ
(NLT) — 1 Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.
Through the holy spirit
(NLT) — 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
Through relationship
(NLT) — 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
Ok so we have come to the conclusion that Jesus is still speaking to people, he desires to have a relationship with us.
QUESTION- Why do you believe Jesus is still speaking to people today?
QUESTION- Why do you believe Jesus is still speaking to people today?
MAIN POINT- Jesus was speaking to the churches in the book Revelation, we can learn from the churches about what our response should be when Jesus speaks to us.
ILLUSTRATION- Missionary’s kid in Africa having to crawl on the ground to avoid the snake.
POINT- When Jesus speaks we need to act.
(NLT) — 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.
KEY- Each time Jesus was speaking to the church he was telling them to fix something or keep doing something.
(NLT) — 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.
(NLT) — 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.
(NLT) — 16 Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
(NLT) — 24 “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you 25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.
POINT- What good is it if you listen, but refuse to act on what you hear.
QUESTION- Have there been times in your life when you didn’t act and you should’ve?
QUESTION- What can you do in the future so that you won’t hesitate to do what God is leading you to do?
Revelation 2:24–25 (NLT) — 24 “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you 25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.