Does God Still Speak?

Psalm 81:8–14 (NLT)

8 “Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings. O Israel, if you would only listen to me!

9 You must never have a foreign god; you must not bow down before a false god.

10 For it was I, the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.

11 “But no, my people wouldn’t listen. Israel did not want me around.

12 So I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas.

13 Oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!

14 How quickly I would then subdue their enemies! How soon my hands would be upon their foes!

INTRODUCTION:

There is a striking lack of the presence and the power of the Lord in the lives of contemporary Christians. Some have put forth the theory that the problem is a lack of prayer. I submit to you that the answer goes much deeper. In fact, there are many prayers and petitions offered to God every day.

Some people say that the problem is a lack of thanksgiving and praise offered to God. While this is true, I do not believe that this is the problem.

I believe that the real problem stems back to the serious lack of quality listening we do in our personal time with God. Prayer is supposed to be communication between ourselves and our Lord. In order for real communication to take place, both parties must speak and both must listen.

If we neglect to listen to God, are we communicating? Are we really praying or are we merely going through the motions?

It is time that you and I as believers in Jesus Christ repent of playing at prayer and begin to seriously pray and communicate with God.

TS: Notice some things the psalmist says about listening to God.

I- THE PLEA FOR US TO LISTEN (Psalm 81:8)

Psalm 81:8 (NLT)

8 “Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings. O Israel, if you would only listen to me!

A- What does God have to say about listening?

1- God’s greatest desire is to really communicate with us.

a- He issued the plea to the Israelites to listen. (Psalm 81:8)

Psalm 81:8 (NLT)

8 “Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings. O Israel, if you would only listen to me!

b- Man was created to have communion with God.

(1) Adam and Eve had communion with God before the fall. (Genesis 3:8)

Genesis 3:8 (NLT)

8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.

(2) After the fall, God made prayer the means of communion with himself.

B- Why does God want to speak with you and I today?

1- He loves us just as much as he did the people in the Old Testament and New Testament.

2- We need his direction for our lives as did Joshua, Moses, Jacob or Noah.

3- He knows we need comfort and assurance just as much as the believers of old.

4- He wants us to know him.

a- You can’t get to know someone if you never listen to them.

b- You can never know the sweetness of his fellowship, nor the comfort of his companionship without taking time to really communicate with him.

II- THE PROMISE TO THOSE WHO LISTEN (Psalm 81:9, 14)

A- A faithful heart (Psalm 81:9)

Psalm 81:9 (NLT)

9 You must never have a foreign god; you must not bow down before a false god.

1- The closer you grow to him, the greater will be your desire to please him.

a- The closer you grow to your spouse, the less likely it is that you will be unfaithful and the greater will be your desire to make him/her happy.

B- Protection and Vindication. (Psalm 81:14)

Psalm 81:14 (NLT)

14 How quickly I would then subdue their enemies! How soon my hands would be upon their foes!

1- God promises to intervene on behalf of his children who maintain a close relationship with him.

a- God intervened on behalf of Elisha with an angelic army. (2 Kings 6:8-23) (Key: 2 Kings 6:15-18)

2 Kings 6:15–18 (NLT)

15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.

16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!”

17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

18 As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please make them blind.” So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked.

III- THE PERSON TO WHOM WE LISTEN (Psalm 81:10)

Psalm 81:10 (NLT)

10 For it was I, the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.

A- There is only one voice that our hearts are to be tuned into…God’s.

1- How has God spoken?

By direct revelation (Genesis 12:1-2)

Genesis 12:1–2 (NLT)

1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.

2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.

Through dreams and visions (Daniel 2:1-3, 19)

Daniel 2:1–3 (NLT)

1 One night during the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had such disturbing dreams that he couldn’t sleep.

2 He called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers, and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood before the king,

3 he said, “I have had a dream that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means.”

Daniel 2:19 (NLT)

19 That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven.

Through his written word

Through his prophets

Through circumstances. (Judges 6:33-40)

Judges 6:33–40 (NLT)

33 Soon afterward the armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east formed an alliance against Israel and crossed the Jordan, camping in the valley of Jezreel.

34 Then the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with power. He blew a ram’s horn as a call to arms, and the men of the clan of Abiezer came to him.

35 He also sent messengers throughout Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, summoning their warriors, and all of them responded.

36 Then Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised,

37 prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised.”

38 And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water.

39 Then Gideon said to God, “Please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew.”

40 So that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but the ground was covered with dew.

Through angels (Genesis 19:1-2, 12-13)

Genesis 19:1–2 (NLT)

1 That evening the two angels came to the entrance of the city of Sodom. Lot was sitting there, and when he saw them, he stood up to meet them. Then he welcomed them and bowed with his face to the ground.

2 “My lords,” he said, “come to my home to wash your feet, and be my guests for the night. You may then get up early in the morning and be on your way again.” “Oh no,” they replied. “We’ll just spend the night out here in the city square.”

Genesis 19:12–13 (NLT)

12 Meanwhile, the angels questioned Lot. “Do you have any other relatives here in the city?” they asked. “Get them out of this place—your sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone else.

13 For we are about to destroy this city completely. The outcry against this place is so great it has reached the Lord, and he has sent us to destroy it.”

Through the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:6-7)

Acts 16:6–7 (NLT)

6 Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time.

7 Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there.

2- How does God speak now?

Through his word (2 Timothy 2:15, 3:16)

2 Timothy 2:15 (NLT)

15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT)

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

Through the Holy Spirit (John 16:13)

John 16:13 (NLT)

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.

Through other people (Acts 21:11)

Acts 21:11 (NLT)

11 He came over, took Paul’s belt, and bound his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles.’ ”

Through circumstances

IV- THE PROBLEM: OUR FAILURE TO LISTEN (Psalm 81:11-13)

A- Why do we refuse to listen? (Psalm 81:11)

Psalm 81:11 (NLT)

11 “But no, my people wouldn’t listen. Israel did not want me around.

1- We are too busy to listen.

2- We don’t want to hear what God has to say.

3- We are to intent on what we want to say to God.

4- For whatever reason, we, like Israel are refusing to take time to listen to God.

B- Refusing to listen brings its disasters. (Psalm 81:12-13)

Psalm 81:12–13 (NLT)

12 So I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas.

13 Oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!

1- Heartache, doubts and fears will be our lot as we walk in our own counsel.

2- God call out to us and urges us to listen to his voice!

CONCLUSION:

Child of God, the greatest asset that you can have in your life is a real prayer life… one in which you and the Lord really communicate. One in which you take time to listen to God.