Being Taught by God
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
1 Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
3 Thou turnest man to destruction;
And sayest, Return, ye children of men.
4 For a thousand years in thy sight
Are but as yesterday when it is past,
And as a watch in the night.
5 Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep:
In the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
6 In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up;
In the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
7 For we are consumed by thine anger,
And by thy wrath are we troubled.
8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee,
Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath:
We spend our years as a tale that is told.
10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten;
And if by reason of strength they be fourscore years,
Yet is their strength labour and sorrow;
For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger?
Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
12 So teach us to number our days,
That we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
The Psalmist here asks God to, “...teach us...”
Question: are you teachable?
More importantly, are you teachable by God?
Have you ever considered: “What is it, that I don’t know, that God can teach me to help me?
So how does God teach us?
Through the Holy Spirit and His Word:
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
<<<PRAY>>>
There are 5 things that I want to point out that God can teach us:
1. God can teach us to use the time He has given us on earth wisely
1. God can teach us to use the time He has given us on earth wisely
12 So teach us to number our days,
That we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
Allow me to outline Psalm 90 before we jump into it:
Vs. 1 - God has been a shelter throughout all our generations
Vs. 2 - God has always been, even before the creation of the world
Vs. 3 - God chastens men to get them top return to Him
Vs. 4 - God understands time better than anyone
Vs. 5-6 - Time flies by
Vs. 7-8 - Judgement has come to light and we are in trouble
Vs. 9 - Between His judgement and the brevity of life, our years are as a tale that is told
Vs. 10 - We will soon be cut off and gone
Vs. 11 - Anger, fear, wrath...
Because of that or “so”: teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
The first 11 verses are like a resume for God as to why He is qualified and holds authority to teach us about numbering our days...
Remember, wisdom is the action behind understanding, which is the ability to properly apply knowledge...
2. God can teach us to do His will
2. God can teach us to do His will
11 Teach me thy way, O Lord,
And lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
4 Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.
10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God:
Thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
Not just to taught His will, but to be taught to DO His will...
We’ve all prayed to be taught WHAT His will is, but have you ever prayed to be taught to DO His will?
3. God can teach us good judgement and knowledge
3. God can teach us good judgement and knowledge
66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge:
For I have believed thy commandments.
Judgement: meaning good discernment or good taste
Just as the tongue distinguishes flavors, the mind and heart distinguish truth from error, wisdom from folly and right from wrong
4. God can teach us His Word
4. God can teach us His Word
26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me:
Teach me thy statutes.
I don’t just want to know facts about God’s Word, though I do want that...
I want to know what God says in His Word...
What do the Words mean?
Why are the historical truths there for us to read about?
Why did He give us the dimensions and all the details of something like the tabernacle?
Why are there so many lineages in the Bible for us to read?
What is more meaningful and impactful for me is that you don’t just know facts about the life of Moses, but you make spiritual application to those facts in how and why God placed them in the cannon of scripture for us to read...
Questions to be asked:
What do God’s Words mean?
Why did God want me to read them?
How does God want me to use them?
5. God can teach us how to Pray
5. God can teach us how to Pray
1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
What makes my prayers be heard by God?
What prevents my prayers from being heard by God?
What is God’s will, so I can know how to pray?
How do I pray to fulfill a need in my life or in someone else’s life and have that prayer answered?
Teach me to pray so that I’m not just doing it out of religious duty, but because I truly believe in the power of prayer.
"Prayer is learned. We are taught by the Holy Spirit, by the Word of God, and by the school of experience. The disciples said, 'Lord, teach us to pray,' and every true disciple still needs that same instruction." E.M. Bounds
He also stated:
"Prayer is not learned in a classroom but in the closet."
Some concluding thoughts:
Everything the Psalmist is asking God to teach him about are things that are God’s:
4 Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.
26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me:
Yo
Teach me thy statutes.
11 Teach me thy way, O Lord,
And lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God:
Thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
He’s not asking to be taught about “paths, ways, statutes, etc.” but specifically GOD’s...
Before you can be taught of God to make application to what you’ve been taught, there are two requirements:
a.) You have to admit you need to learn
b.) You have to admit the one you’re asking has something to teach you
2. You have to believe in what you are learning and have a purpose for it...
Don’t ask for God’s paths, unless you plan to walk down them
Don’t ask for God’s way if you don’t intend to follow it
Don’t ask for God’s statutes, if you won’t obey them
Don’t ask for God’s will if you won’t do it
