God Speaks, Will You Listen?

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TITT: The people did not feel worthy enough to hear from God.

They were afraid the word of God would kill them.

The people knew the sins that they committed and were afraid that God would kill them instantly while in God’s presence.

The people asked for a mediator between God and them.

God agreed but put a condition on the people’s request, they must listen.

The problems come when the mediator hears God wrong or uses the opportunity to manipulate and control others.
We can be prepared to find some prophet even of impiety who will tell us of a word of the Lord, which the Lord has not at all commanded, or a “word of wisdom” which has nothing whatever to do with wisdom. His purpose is to slay us by the word of his mouth. - Origen of Alexandria ( c. 184 – c. 253)
Contemporary prophecy ranges from prepared messages applied to our hearts to instant revelations “in particular circumstances may mix genuine divine words with potentially fallible human interpretations.” - Blomberg

When a prophet presumes to speak in the name of God, and it is not from God, they idolize someone other than God.

This is using the Lord’s name in vain, for vanity.

We have been deceived before by charlatans, sycophants or even the most well-meaning person who claims divine authority but are found lacking morality.

How can we know when someone speaks a message from someone other than God?

TITW: Sometimes we do not feel worthy enough to hear from God.

Reading a letter when you are expecting shocking news.

Sometimes we don’t feel worthy enough to read the letter when it comes from someone important.

Sometimes we need other people to read or speak a message to us and help explain it to us.
When hearing something we did not expect we may become overwhelmed and respond with Ignorance, Denial or Profound Acceptance with Joy.

That’s why we need secondary voices in our lives to confirm what we first heard.

Shrill and fearful voices can drive us to close off ourselves to God and others, while compassionate voices can help us to reconnect God, ourselves, and reality.
Human voices are always influenced by many factors that keep us from speaking the simple truth, this can be overcome only through Jesus Christ .
GITT: Jesus was sent to us to give us his word and confirms it by the Holy Spirit present in us.

Moses was the first of the appointed prophets who heard from God.

Moses’ prophecies were confirmed with signs and wonders, the unfolding of history.

Prophets, judges and kings were sent to the people of God to lead them by the words of God.

When the people of Israel received and obeyed the words of the prophets and judges, the people and land prospered.

No prophet, judge or king ever rose to the to occasion of being “like Moses.”

Not even Moses was perfect.

He wasn’t even allowed into the Promised Land he led his people to.

When Jesus began teaching, he spoke with authority

That authority was confirmed through the signs and wonders that he performed.
His authority was not the same authority like the rabbis, who were only teachers of the law and taught obedience to it.

Jesus is the only one who truly experiences God’s constant presence and communication.

Only in the presence of God is there true compassion and power to overcome all evil.

The people may not have recognized him as the truly appointed one from the beginning, but his authority was confirmed through the signs and wonders that followed him.
Jesus healed people physically and spiritually, fed people miraculously, silenced and cast out impure spirits to free them from evil.
Through Jesus’ resurrection all that Jesus said and did was confirmed by the Father.
After Jesus ascended into Heaven, he sent another mediator, the Holy Spirit to all who believe.

God within us confirms the words of God given to us.

John 8:31–32 NIV
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
GITW: We receive the word of God to give it to others.

The time will come when Jesus will return and restore everything.

Until then we must wait on the Lord, listen for his words and obey them that the truth be restored to us, the image of God who is love.

New life in Christ includes receiving the constant presence and communication with God.

That’s what Paul meant when he said to “pray without ceasing.”

Communication includes listening for the voice of the other.

Make time to listen for God.

When we receive a word from the Lord, we test it with Scriptures and wait for confirmation of the Spirit. When we are convinced that the word is true, we must move forward in obedience.

The word of the Lord is not given to us only for our personal benefit but to encourage others.

Who needs to hear a word from the Lord? Apparently everyone!

Or there would not be any suffering.
Or humanity would lead perfectly sinless lives apart from God.
Or the Scriptures would not have been written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Or Jesus would not have been sent to proclaim the coming of the kingdom of God.
Or you would not have been commissioned by Jesus to share the Good News.
Would you embody the Good News?

Listen for the word of God, and after testing, repent and live out that word?

If so, welcome to the New Life in the Spirit

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