God is Speaking, Are You Listening?

Bottom line

God speaks to his people in so many different ways, the question is whether or not you are actively listening.

Opening Line

Have you ever been sitting in a sermon and felt like the pastor was talking directly to you?

Introduction

I want to preface this by saying I wish I was better at journalling, because I can think of so many instances in my life where God answered my prayers in so many different ways, but I can’t remember the exact details. So the story is reduced to, this one time, I was praying for something, and someone said this one thing and it was confirmation. Which doesn’t make a very good story.

There is one story I can think of. Michelle and I were going through a really tough season in ministry. It was putting a lot of stress on our marriage, and we were praying often, “God, something needs to change.” We prayed that prayer for months, crying out for God to change something. Then one day, it dawned on me that maybe I was the problem. Maybe I was the thing that needed to change, something that never crossed my mind up to that moment. So we prayed, “God something needs to change, even if it is us. If we’re the problem, then change us.” Two days after we prayed that prayer, we got on answer. It took a couple months, but I needed to be humbled, and I needed to learn to pray the right prayer.

Fast forward to when we were deciding whether or not to come back here to pastor OneChurch. In summer of 2019, Michelle and I snuck into town, we came to the church for a couple hours to pray, to get a feeling of things. We hung out with Pastor Louis, and after a couple days, we loaded in our car and really didn’t feel called back. We really felt that it wasn’t time… until we got back to where we were pastoring at the time. The more we prayed, the more it became evident that yes, it was time to come back. I think that was a better confirmation because it wasn’t based on a feeling. It was based on other confirmations and other ways God speaks that told us it was time.

Main Point

My point is that God is always speaking to us, whether it is in big life decisions or just the day to day. That’s part of being in relationship with someone is that you talk and communicate to each other. The problem often isn’t whether or not God is speaking, it is whether or not you are listening.

Why it matters

If you are not actively listening for or seeking God’s voice in your day to day, it can be easy to miss those little prompts that he gives. It might be that thought that you should text that person you haven’t heard from in a while. It could be a gentle reminder to encourage your coworker or your spouse. Never underestimate the power of a small gesture, and God knows exactly what gesture a person needs and when they need it the most.

This morning, as we dive into Acts chapter 10, you are going to see several ways in which God speaks to his people, and more importantly you’re going to see the ripple effects of being obedient to those prompts that God gives.

Scripture

So we are in Acts 10:1-7

Acts 10:1–8 NLT

In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment. He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God. One afternoon about three o’clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. “Cornelius!” the angel said. Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel. And the angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering! Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.” As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants. He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa.

1. God speaks through angels

Though this is the most obvious way that God speaks to you, it is not the most common way. When you take into whole witness of scripture, there really aren’t that many instances where God speaks to people through angels. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is probably the most well known instance. Daniel records having several encounters with angels during his time in Babylon.

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But there is something really significant here that I don’t want you to miss. Luke records that Cornelius is devout, God-fearing, generous towards the poor, and prayed to God regularly. Question: Is Cornelius a believer?

Based on those factors I just listed, I think many people would assume that yes, he is a believer. Interestingly, there’s a good chance that he wasn’t. In that era, when someone was described as God-fearing, it meant that they respected the high ethical stance of Judaism, but wasn’t willing to fully commit to the faith. Now you might be thinking, “But he prayed.” Let’s be honest; you and I probably know a few people who pray to God when they’re in a pinch but there is nothing about their life that suggests they are a believer. It is the reminder that being a good person simply isn’t enough to get you into heaven; only when you surrender your life to the Lordship of Jesus and accept his forgiveness are you truly saved.

Since Cornelius is an unbeliever, though he may be praying, he probably doesn’t know how to hear God’s voice, so God sends an angel to get his point across.

Acts 10:9–16 NLT

The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.” “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.” But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven.

2. God speaks through dreams and visions

This is one the more common ways God speaks to his people, though it is not the most common. Joel 2:28-29

Joel 2:28–29 NLT

“Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike.

This is the same passage Peter quoted on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit first filled the disciples. God would speak to his followers through dreams and visions.

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Notice what Peter is doing when the vision comes. He is praying. But not only that, but he is hungry and lunch is being made right below him. What typically happens when you’re hungry and you can smell a fresh meal being made? All you can think about it food. What is the vision Peter has? It’s about food. Only God can use our current circumstances to speak to us.

So what does Peter mean about eating anything unclean or impure? Well, in the Old Testament, Moses gave the Israelites strict food laws, what could and couldn’t be eaten. As a devout Jew, Peter would’ve stayed away from anything unclean.

Interestingly, there was a study done on all the foods the Lord declared as unclean, and to the surprise of absolutely no one, if you actually followed God’s food laws, it would have a huge benefit to your health. Its almost like God knew what he was talking about.

So why don’t we still follow the food laws. Well first of all, if I started telling everything the had to stop eating things like pork, bacon, and lobster, I’m pretty sure I would have a mass exodus out of the church. I’m pretty sure my own dad once said he’d be looking for a new church if I really pressed the issue.

The other thing you need to understand about Old Testament laws is that they are broken into 4 categories. There are the moral laws, like do not murder, and these laws are eternal and unchanging. Then there are the ceremonial, judicial, and separation laws. Things like food and circumcision were the separation laws, things that the Jews were to do that set them apart from the rest of the world. Now that Gentiles have been brought into the family of God, the separation laws are no longer necessary.

More importantly, Jesus actually declared that all food was clean. Mark 7:19

Mark 7:19 NLT

Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.)

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But Peter has this vision three times. God is really trying to get something across to Peter. It may be just that Jesus is trying to remind him of something he said while he was on earth, or maybe the vision really doesn’t have anything to do with food...

Acts 10:17–23 NLT

Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean? Just then the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house. Standing outside the gate, they asked if a man named Simon Peter was staying there. Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling over the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, “Three men have come looking for you. Get up, go downstairs, and go with them without hesitation. Don’t worry, for I have sent them.” So Peter went down and said, “I’m the man you are looking for. Why have you come?” They said, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message.” So Peter invited the men to stay for the night. The next day he went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.

3. Holy Spirit speaks in a small voice

Peter comes out of the trance that he was in and is still trying to figure out wha that vision was about. As he’s still trying to figure it out, the Holy Spirit speaks to him. There’s three men downstairs looking for you. Get up and go with them.

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The still small voice is the most common way that God speaks to his people, even still today. It may be a thought that you just know didn’t come from you. It could be a feeling that you need to do something. Recognizing when those thoughts and feelings are God speaking to you take time and practice.

One of the things that people will often ask is why you don’t hear the audible voice of more often. Why is often a small voice? Well scripture, and personal experience, indicates that the audible voice of God is scary. The Israelites asked Moses that God never speak to them directly because it terrified them so bad. More importantly, I want you to think about a small voice, a whisper. Who are you most prone to whisper to? Someone that you are close to, both physically and relationally. God speaks in whispers because he is close to you, and sometimes he wants to see if you are listening.

There’s actually a second way that God speaks to you revealed in this passage.

4. God speaks to us in community

Remember, Peter is still puzzled by the vision when the Holy Spirit tells him to go downstairs. When he meets with the men, they immediately tell him that they were sent by Cornelius, a Roman, because he had an angelic visitation.

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Despite the fact that Peter tends to be slow, I’m pretty sure the light bulb went off in this moment. OH, the vision wasn’t about food. Look what he says

Acts 10:28–29 NLT

Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean. So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me.”

This is not unusual, that one person will receive part of the message and another part is given to someone else. It actually reinforces the fact that your faith is meant to be lived out in community. It also protects the church from one person exerting their authority as the sole person who hears from God. Actually, everyone can hear from God, and we even need everyone to hear from God so that we actually get the full picture.

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I actually had this experience not too long ago. I was praying about the future of Redvers, and someone in our church who I would say has the gift of prophecy, came up to me and said they had a vision of an anchor that was holding the church back. As soon as they said it, I knew that it was time to close the chapter on Redvers and that something new was going to come. I’m not saying that Redvers had become an anchor, but when you delay in following God’s plans, it could have become one.

This is just another example of everyone using their gifts to advance the kingdom of God.

Jumping ahead, Cornelius tells Peter about the vision of the angel, and invites Peter to share the message that God has placed on his heart.

Acts 10:34–47 NLT

Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism. And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. “And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear, not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.” Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. For they heard them speaking in other tongues and praising God. Then Peter asked, “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?”

When God speaks, lives are changed

Through the angelic visit and the weird vision about food, Peter ends up at the house of Cornelius and preaches the Good News about Jesus. He builds his case by letting those gathered know that he was there with Jesus during his earthly ministry.

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As he is preaching, the Holy Spirit falls on everyone gathered and they all begin to speak in tongues. This is a significant moment because it connects what is happening to these Gentiles to what happened in Jerusalem on Pentecost. It is confirmation that the gospel has been opened up to the Gentiles, and by extension to the world. Phase 4 of the plan is in motion.

Transition to Application

When God speaks, and his people obey, lives are changed.

Main To Do

So the question is, what is God trying to say to you these days?

Why it matters

As I said, it is often not a problem that God isn’t speaking. Sometimes he is silent, I’m not going to deny that, and there’s usually a good reason for it. But what I have found is more often then not, it is likely a case that you and I are not creating space for him to speak. The longer you are not listening for his voice, the apt you are to miss those prompts from him when they come.

So how do you create space to hear from God? You set aside a time and place everyday where you open your Bible, you grab a journal, and start by asking the question,

“Father, what do you want to say to me today?”

Here is why you need a journal. You write down that question, and then write down the first thing that pops in your head. If nothing pops in your head, then start reading. The amazing thing about the word of God is that the Holy Spirit can speak to you through it. It is why you can read the Bible every day your entire life and things will still pop out to you as if it wasn’t there the first 10 times you read it.

Communion

Now here is what I want you to do this morning. We are going to take communion, and often in church we take the time to reflect and prepare our hearts for communion. This is a holy moment, set aside for you to meet with God. So what if this morning, as the plate is passed around, you quiet yourself and really have a conversation with God, where you actually hear his voice. I have put pieces of paper on the tables, or you can open the note app on your phone. Start with the question on the screen, and write down what comes to mind, and have a conversation with God.

Discussion Questions

What stood out from the message?

What steps can you take to actively listen for God's voice during your day?

Can you share a personal experience where you felt God was directing you to take action?

In what ways have you seen God communicate with you through other people in your life?

What are some practical ways you can encourage your friends to seek God's guidance?