Tune in- W1

What is up Vertical! We are back on 2023. I am so extremely excited about everything God has for us this year. However, if we are not careful we can easily miss what God is doing right in front of our eyes.

This series is called Tune In, and it’s all about learning to hear and respond to the voice of God. For the next two weeks we will talk about tuning into God’s voice and His direction for our lives. I am convinced that God is consistently trying to communicate with us- The Bible is the primary way but I do believe that God will use different methods to speak to His children. The question is: Are you tuned into God’s voice?

Radio Station Illustration: Old School radios would require you to carefully tune into an specific station. It was an intentional action to tune into the right voice.

Main Point: One point of evidence of God’s existence is His desire to consistently communicate and commune with us.

Over the break I read a couple of books and kept asking God to speak to me about the direction for our youth ministry. One fact that continue to come to my mind through different channels was the reality that many students make a decision to follow or abandon their faith while in Middle and High School. They may still attend church or may still go to the events but when college comes- they leave the church because their faith was never personal.

My prayer is that through Sunday School, Wednesdays, events and personal relationships you would tune into God’s direction for your life. There are so many messages out there but only one has eternal consequences, that is whether or not you choose to surrender your life to King Jesus.

Here is what Jesus said in John 15:1-6

John 15:1–6 NIV

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

Don’t miss that very important word “true.” We did our apologetics course and talked about the postmodern philosophy. In short, this philosophy is a response to modernism.

While modernism was based on idealism and reason, postmodernism was born of scepticism and a suspicion of reason. It challenged the notion that there are universal certainties or truths.

This movement brought some great ideas but it tore down to thought that nothing can be known for sure. Students, you and I are influenced by this. So when we read John 15:1, we need to realize that Jesus is the objectively true. The Bible has evidence to elevates it to be the Word of God and therefore it is a primary way to tune into God’s voice and message for us.

But let me clear up a misconception: God is not only concerned with communicating to Christians. God wants to communicate with people who believe in Him, and He wants to communicate with people who don’t believe in him. Think about it. The Bible teaches that we were ALL enemies of God and only because God’s initial action we are able to be reconciled (Rom. 5:10 “10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” ) So, if you’re someone who would say, “Well, I’m not a Christian yet,” this does not leave you off the hook. God desires to communicate with you, as well. So this series is important for you, because God wants to communicate with you regardless of whether you are following him or not.

Main Point: One point of evidence of God’s existence is His desire to consistently communicate and commune with us.

Here are some principles I want to share with you today

1. God spoke through the prophets/judges/leaders.

Hebrew 1:1 “1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,”

He spoke through people like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Gideon, David, and Moses. Literally, if you open to almost any page in the Old Testament, you will be able to find the Words: “Thus saith the Lord.” While I believe that God used prophets to speak clearly in the Old Testament, the principle is that God uses people in authority to speak to you, to equip you. (Eph. 4:12) Now does this means that whatever I say goes? No! the Bible also tells us to test everything and to hold fast to what is good. (1 Thess 5:21)

Side note: Do you realize that Christianity is the only religion that asks you to examine, to question your leaders, to make sure that the truth is being proclaimed?

What does this mean for us today? God uses the leaders in our lives to speak to us. It is not the only way, but it is one of the ways that God uses to speak to us. It could be through a message at church. It could be through a personal interaction. It could come as the result of prayer.

This has happened to me so many times. God has used spiritual leaders to speak things to me. I had a leader in my life speak something to me about a blind spot in my life that I really needed to address. It did not feel good but I did know it was from God from someone that loved me and wanted me to be more life Christ.

2. God spoke through ordinary people.

Paul and Barnabas were preaching in a city called Lystra, and it says that the people of the city thought that they were gods because of what God was doing through them. Paul responded by saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you” (Acts 14:15). Another translation says, “We are mere men.”

Even though it might not seem like spiritual heroes like Paul and Barnabas were ordinary people, the truth is, they were! God spoke through ordinary people—not superstars, but people like you and me. In one crazy situation, God even spoke through a donkey (Numbers 22).

What does this mean for us today? God can use ordinary people to speak to us. That means that you could be the person that brings a message of truth to someone close to you.

3. God spoke through the written Word.

2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

What does this mean for you today? God will speak to you through His Word and unlike postmodern mentality, we can know what is true based on what the Bible says. Now, I am not saying that everyone else never speaks a word of truth, because I have seen many shows, videos, read books and hear stories that contain truth, but it is never the whole truth. I think we know that, we have been conditioned by a postmodern mentality to say: “well that might be true… for you,” but in reality when it comes to the Bible, this is not just true for us. It is either true or not.

I am not asking you to take me a face value but make sure you don’t miss God’s voice. Tune into His way to communicate with you. Don’t just read the Word, study it.

Let me start by saying that I have come to believe that: Learning to hear God’s voice is the easy part, but learning to respond to God’s voice requires great courage. (James 1:22 “22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” )

And here is the reason why: for some reason, when we tune in, God begins to ask us to get out.

Most of the time when God spoke to people, He asked them to get out of their comfort zone so that He could use them in a great way.

Here are some examples of this in the Bible:

Genesis 12:1 – “Go from your country to a land I will show you.”

Exodus 3:10 – “Go to Pharaoh and tell him to let my people go.”

Joshua 1:2 – “Rise, go up over the Jordan and take the land that I have for you.”

Judges 7 – “Cut your army down to 300 men and I will use them to defeat a massive army”

Nehemiah 1 – “Leave your job and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.”

Isaiah 6 – “Go and speak to a people who will not hear you.”

Daniel 1 – “Do not bow the knee to the statue of Nebuchadnezzar.”

Jonah 1 – “Go to Nineveh; the city of your enemy and preach to them.”

Matthew 4:19 – “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”

In my experience as a follower of Jesus for many years, I have found that a good portion of the time when God is speaking to me, there is a level of comfort that I have to give up in order to follow through on what He says.

So the question you might have is, “Then why should I tune in?” Maybe you would say, “I’d rather not tune in if all that God is going to do is ask me to get out of my comfort zone.”

That is a good question. And I think that we can gain some insight on this by looking Jesus’s words in John 15.

John 15:1–2a,5–6 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes…Whoever abides in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers.”

Here is what this verse is saying: if you choose not to tune in and follow through when God speaks, then you will become a branch that has decided that it does not want to be a part of the vine. And the sad result is that the branch is eventually cut off.

You see, God does not ask you to get out of your comfort zone so that He can torture you. He does it because He wants to prune you and make you more fruitful for Him.

I think that God does this because God uses us best when our comfort is low. When our comfort is low, it requires more trust—and God loves when we trust Him. When I have trusted that still, small voice and gotten out of my comfort zone and responded, God has rewarded me for it.

Are you wondering if you are hearing from God, or are you wondering how you can better hear the voice of God? Here is a tip.

Listen for a voice inside that asks you to get out of your comfort zone. If the whisper you hear is asking you to get out of your comfort zone, there is a good chance that it is God speaking to you.

Galatians 6:7-8- I heard and was challenged through Scott’s preaching.

Main Point: One point of evidence of God’s existence is His desire to consistently communicate and commune with us.

Students, would you tune in so that God can use you! Would you be open to His direction for your life?

As we close tonight, I want to tell you that the most important step in hearing God’s voice is to have a relationship with Him. One of the things that God speaks is, “You need me.”

Maybe God has been speaking this to you for a while, and you have never responded. Maybe when I said those words earlier, you were reminded that God has been consistently trying to get your attention, but you have never given your heart to Him.

Tonight is your chance to step out of your comfort zone and give your heart to Him for the first time.

Let’s pray: Dear Jesus, tonight I want step out of my comfort zone and give my life to you. I believe that you love me. I believe that you want a relationship with me. I believe that you died for my sins. Come into my heart. Make me new. In Jesus’s name, amen.