Listening to God: Following Jesus

Core Seminar

Following Jesus

Class 3: Listening to God

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Pray

I. Introduction

Week 1 Review

Who can recall the theme of the first week?

That we are “saved by God.”

What two ways does Paul describe us before Salvation?

Dead and enslaved.

So If we are corps and a slave, What does i t mean that we were saved “By God”?

Salvation is from first to last a work of God.

The fact that God is the author and finisher of our salvation should humble us, and give us great confidence and assurance in our salvation, and it also should motivate us to glorify Him with our lives.

Week 2 Review

Last week we learned that God saves us to live lives that are pleasing to Him,

What enables us to live a life that Pleases God?

-by giving us a new nature that is alive to God and dead to Sin.

- By filling us with the Spirit to lead and change us form the inside out

today we begin a two week look into communicating with God.

The theme today is, “listening to God.”

What do you think it means to Listen to God?

If we are to listen to God, what 2 facts must be true?

1. God Speaks to us

2 We Listen to God

As Christians we obviously want to know what God’s will is for our lives. To know this, we must be acquaint ourselves with how He has revealed Himself to us and what He has revealed to us --- both about Himself and the lives He calls us to live as Christians.

To help us with this we’re going to look a Psalm 19

Speaking of this Psalm C.S. Lewis wrote “I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.”

Psalm 19 can easily be separated into three distinct parts. The first section includes verses 1-6. Let’s go ahead and read these first 6 first together

II. Vs. 1-6 (Creation Praise)

Read Psalm 19:1-6

Psalm 19:1–6 (ESV)

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, 5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

So how does God speak to us, looking at the six verses?

One fundamental way in which God speaks to us is through his creation.

Someone Give us a testimony of How God has spoken to you through Creation?

The Psalmist make a general declaration:

The Heavens declare the glory of God.

So he looks up at the Heavens or the skies, He sees beauty perhaps from the stars or the radiance of dusk or a sunrise and he says that this, whatever he’s looking at in all its wonder declares, the glory of God.

what action is ascribed to the heavens?:

they pour forth speech (vs.2),

and, in fact vs 3 says that they have strong vocal chords because there is no place where their voice is not heard, even to the ends of the earth.

In other words, the creation speaks loudly and clearly, communicating something to all inhabitants under the canopy of the sky.

Q: according to this passage ; if they heavens, and I believe all creation, speaks, what are they saying to us?

There is a creator.

So the Psalmist looks up, and sees the beauty of the heavens and it leads him to only one conclusion: there is a creator and this is his handiwork.

What New Testament Passage also tells us that creation tells us there is a creator?

Romans 1:18–20 ESV

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Who knows what we call this type of General clue to the existence of God?

Natural Revelation- Creation itself proclaims that there is a creator of all things.

The truth being conveyed by Paul inRomans 1, is that creation alone makes it impossible for men to live as if there is no God and then excuse it by ignorance.

This means that there are absolutely no such thing as an atheist. -Someone who believes God does not exist.

Theologian Matthew Henry has a great way of putting this. Speaking of the heavens, he writes “All people may hear these natural immortal preachers speak to them in their own tongue the wonderful works of God.”

Creation, in a sense, preaches to us, so that we have no excuse of being ignorant of God.

Unfortunately, man’s wickedness has not only caused him to fail at acknowledging the Creator, but even worse , in verse 23 of Romans 1, it says that mans wickedness has caused him to worship the creation instead of the creator . Undoubtedly, this takes many forms --- from the worshiping the sun and moon, to worshiping each other and ourselves.

So, through creation, God speaks to us and tells us that He is there and that He has disclosed His power and character through His creation and it’s plain to see.

So, instead of worshiping the creation, we are to be like David in Psalm 19, who looks up at the heavens and recognizes it for what is --- a display of God’s glory.

Q: Now, what do you think are some things that creation tells us about God?

• His power (Is 40:25-26); 25 "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. 26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”

• His wisdom (Is. 40:28); The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.”

• His love/compassion/provision to his creation (common grace, Psm. 145:9, 15-16), etc…, “The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made….The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.”

So God speaks to us through creation and, first and foremost He tells us there is a Creator. And as we notice and meditate upon what we see in creation, it tells us something of what God is like.

Creation reveals to us the glory of God and our own dependence upon Him.

Q: Ultimately, what does seeing the heavens cause the Psalmist to do? What’s his response to the glory of God in the verse 6?

A: He worships / praises God. The very language he uses expresses marvel and wonder and really joy that is entirely directed at God.

So, this summer, If oyu are out by the lake and watch a magnificent sunset or stare out across the shoreline and feel humbled by your own smallness and wonder at the power and majesty of God, and if that leads you to worship God…well, that is the appropriate response to what God is telling you through His creation.

When We hunt Ducks-standing in the marsh as the sun comes up and creation becomes alive is always my favorite part of the hunt, And It always seems to leave me breathless and in a state of worship because of its beauty that proclaims. the creators praise. the

That’s the Psalmist’s response in Psalm 19.

God speaks to us through his creation, It reveals to all of mankind His glory, His power, His majesty, and our dependence on Him.

Questions / Comments

III. Vs. 7-11 (God speaks perfectly to us in His word)

Well, not only does God speak to us through creation, he also speaks to us through His word.

And we see this as we turn to the second part of the Psalm verses 7-11. Let’s read this together.

Psalm 19:7–11 ESV

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Q: So, specifically, how else does God speak to us, according to David?

A: His law

As magnificent as natural revelation is, at the end of the day, it is small and incomplete compared to the revealed word of God.

Specifically, in Psalm 19, David refers to the Law of the Lord and says that the OT commandments, the divine law of God given to his people. Interestingly, we know from Exodus 31:18 that this law began with God’s written Word, as he gave Moses the ten commandments and actually wrote them on the stone tablets with His finger.

So, in this one Psalm, we have the two primary ways given to us that God speaks to us: Through His creation and through His Word, in this case the Word being the Law.

Let’s look further at how the Psalmist describes God’s word.

What are they ways that David describes the Law in each of these verses ?

vs 7 - Perfect- Revives the Soul ,

vs 7 -Trustworthy -making wise the simple

vs- 8 - Right- bringing joy to the heart,

vs 8 - light to the blind eyes

So why do you think that God’s Written word has this effect for those who read it?

Well, because God’s word has God, the omniscient one, our creator, as its author.

These byproducts of God’s revelation through His law, such as joy, enlightenment, and wisdom, are proof of their divine origin.

Remember when David wrote this Psalm He only had the OT LAW. This is what he was writing about.

There is a tendency by some to neglect the OT Law as somehow unimportant because of Christ. The gospel is the good news of Jesus, the Law simply bogs us down like the Pharisees. However, it’s important for us as Christians to remember a couple of things with regard to God’s revelation in His law:

First, Christ didn’t come to destroy the law but to fulfill it.

So it still reveals to us God’s holiness and how he desires us to live.

We know from the Gospels that the summary of the law and prophets (OT) is to love the Lord our God with all our heart soul and mind and our neighbor as ourselves.

So, on one hand, we know that Christianity is clearly not about a legalistic list of rules, do’s and don’ts. On the other hand, the commands found in God’s word reflect His perfect holiness, the beauty of His moral character and helps us know the sort of lives God has called us to live.

Secondly, the law also reveals our own sin (Romans 7) and points us to accept Christ, the only one to ever fulfill the law perfectly, as our substitute.

It reveals to us our inability to live in complete accordance with God’s moral law and subsequently our need for Christ and his work on our behalf.

Well continuing on in our passage…

Verse 10

In verse 10 How Valuable does David say Gods Reveled Word is?

More to be desired than Gold our Silver. EVEN MUCH SUPERIOR THAN THE WORLDS BEST GOLD

Essentially David implies that God’s ordinances, laws, etc. make one rich in wisdom, joy, and truth.

VERSE 11

Q What in verse 11 does David say God’s laws do for us?

A: They warn us and grant us great reward.

First, we are warned, meaning that obedience to God’s laws are designed, in part to protect us from evil.

The Book of Proverbs is a great example of how following God’s ways as expressed in His law keeps us from evil.

So, Proverbs is a great resource if you want some practical wisdom that fleshes out more fully what David says here: namely that God’s word, as expressed through his law, warns and protects us from evil and sin in our lives.

secondly, David says that in keeping them there is great reward.

We’ve already noted that it brings us knowledge of God.

From this passage we also see that it will keep us from evil, as well as give us joy and wisdom in this life.

But we also know that ultimately our reward for obeying God’s word is not finally even in this life, but in the next life, where Paul tells us that “no eye has seen, no ear has heard of what God prepares for those who love Him.” (I Cor. 2:9).

To summarize verses 7-11, God communicates to us directly through his Word:

Who knows what what theologians call this revelation from God?

Special Revelation

This is the means through which God has communicated particular things about Himself and his will for our lives.

Any questions?

IV. Verses 12-14 (Prayer of forgiveness and acceptance)

Lastly, let’s look at verses 12-14.

Psalm 19:12–14 ESV

12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Q: What is David’s response in verse 12-13 to God’s natural revelation in creation, and His Special revelation through His word?

A: in verse 12 - It seems it causes a self examination of sorts.- David is clearly Humbled

A; Verse 13- He asks for Gods Help to keep him from deliberatly sinning

David He recognizes his imperfection and sinfulness, which leads him to confession before God and finally a prayer to be blameless before God.

what is Davids Final response in verse 14?

A: Another Prayer

he closes with a prayer that his words and meditations will be pleasing in the Lord’s sight. David’s desire becomes to please God.

So Davids Response to Gods General revelation through Creation and His Special Revelation through His written word.

Was to reflect on his own sinful humanity, Confess His sinfulness, ask God to keep him from continually sinning, and that His life would be pleasing to God

I think even in a church like CLBC where God’s word is faithfully preached, it is easy to not allow it affect us.

Do you agree?

David not only takes time to meditate on God’s revelation, but he’s challenged by it in a way that leads him to humility and prayer for God to change Him.

So the question for us is: are we like David?

Are we taking time to consider God and what He has said to us?

And are then diligently asking Him to use His word to change us?

These are good things to meditate on this week as you go about your everyday life.

So, essentially, Psalm 19 gives us a helpful framework for How God speaks to us, what he tells us, and what our response to his revelation should be.

Any questions?

V. A New Testament Parallel 2 Timothy 3:14-16

Ultimately, the priority of God’s word is taught not only in the OT, but also in the New.

Before Christ ascended to Heaven, He promises his disciples that the Holy Spirit would be sent to remind them everything they had been taught by Christ, and also that the Holy Spirit would reveal to them the truth behind what they had seen and heard with Christ.

Theologian Wayne Grudem writes that “the apostles, then, have authority to write words that are God’s own words, equal in truth status and authority to the words of the Old Testament Scriptures. They do this to record, interpret, and apply to the lives of believers the great truths about the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.” (2 Peter 3:16/I Timothy 5:17-18)

In 2 Timothy 3:14-16, we have a strong New Testament affirmation of the priority of Scripture being the way God speaks to us. It’s on your handout. Can I get someone to read this out loud?

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Q: What is the source of Scripture? Where does it come from?

A: God (vs. 16, God-breathed)

Paul’s words reinforce the truth that Scripture is the primary way in which God’s speaks to us. How much of Scripture is God-breathed? All of it, not just the NT. And not just our favorite books - even the challenging and more obscure portions – they’re all God-breathed and useful for our growth in holiness and godliness. They all tell us something about God and how we are to live as His children.

For example, we will never fully understand the depth of God’s sovereignty if we ignore the book of Exodus and how God led his people from Egypt and provided for them. Nor we will we understand his faithfulness and justice if we ignore the prophets. And importantly, we’ll never understand how the Old Testament anticipates Christ and how Christ fulfilled the OT Law, if we ignore the first five books of the Bible. So, if you’re a new Christian, in particular, it’s important to realize that all of God’s Word is profitable for you, today, as you continue to walk with the

Lord.

That is also why you’ll notice that the preaching at CHBC alternates between the OT and NT over the course of the year, and why you will always hear a Sunday evening devotional on the same theme but from the other Testament than what was preached earlier in the morning. This is to drive home the point that all of scripture is God-breathed and that it’s all useful for instruction.

According to our passage, the Bible is God’s means to accomplish two things: First, he says it makes us wise unto our salvation.

Q: What do you think Paul means that it makes us wise unto salvation?

A: That everything we need to know about how to be reconciled to God is found in them.

Scripture is not primarily to teach us how to be good stewards of our money or to help us with that tough relationship we may have. Rather, it’s to point the way to God. It makes us “wise unto salvation.”

Secondly, we also see the Scriptures equip us for every good work.

Again, Paul is taking us back to this concept that a Christian’s life should be characterized by good works. We saw that as one application of being “saved by God” and then “Living by God’s Ways,” and we see it again here.

And it’s not just that we are to do good works and then not given any clue as to what this means.

Rather God’s Word has been given to us, and it equips us in all that we do.

Most fundamentally, it reveals who God is, who we are, and how we can be reconciled to Him. With that knowledge, it then equips us to live a life that reflects the hope we have in Christ.

So, for instance, the Word tells us how to behave as a spouse or as a parent toward to our children, towards our neighbors, how to worship God, what it means to live an honest and upright life, How Christians should treat one another.

It also has much to say about anger, lust, temptation, what should motivate your faithfulness in work, how to be truly humble, how to be good stewards of your earthly blessings. And the list can go on and on…

The point is that God has spoken to us perfectly through His word and by knowing it, we are equipped with everything we need to not only meets life challenges, but to overcome them in a way that glorifies God.

So when Christians say, “God spoke to me in a dream, or in prayer, and told me to do this and that…” we must be careful.

It is possible that God will choose to communicate through extraordinary means, however that is not his MO – and he will never command us to do anything contrary to his will as revealed in Scripture.

He has chosen to reveal himself to us in His word – which has it’s fulfillment in the person and work of Christ.

So, every experience we have and any illumination of truth we make think we gain from God, must always be viewed through the lens of Scripture. - That is how God has disclosed Himself and His ultimate will for our lives,

namely to be holy and blameless before Him.

Any Questions…

VI. Conclusion

We’ve seen that God reveals Himself to us through his creation, and more importantly, through His word.

His creation displays his majesty, his power, and his knowledge. Creation reveals the character of God just as thumb-print reveals the identity of a man.

However God’s word, his laws and ordinances, speak perfectly to us as they give life and light, and provide warnings and rewards.

They are also integral to our salvation, and teach and equip us for every good work.

So how can we know God’s will for our lives?

Fundamentally, we simply need to listen to what he has already said to us.

That means we want to be students of the Bible, by reading and meditating on it daily, by studying it with other Christians, by faithfully attending the public preaching and teaching of God’s word, and then by applying it prayerfully to our lives.

Questions

Next week – Talking to God