Did God Say That
Did God Say That?
1 Thessalonians 2:13-14
1. Intro: You can train your ears to hear certain sounds.
Ø We need to train ourselves to hear and respond to God’s Word.
2. Scripture, 1 Thessalonians 2:13-14
Ø The Word of God can come and be rejected, accepted as human in origin, or it may be received as God’s Word.
3. Rejecting God’s Word
Ø “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…” Hebrews 3 & 4. God’s voice was heard, but rejected, so God’s people wandered in the desert for 40 years never knowing his rest.
Ø We put all at risk in an obviously foolish move. To hear it, know it and reject it is crazy unless we believe Him to be cruel or lacking in wisdom.
Ø No, the bigger problem is that we hear it, question the source, and devalue it.
4. Receiving God’s Word as Human
Ø “Did God really say” the old as time ploy to suck the core from our convictions and undermine the base of our beliefs leaving us to discern good from evil on our own.
Ø A human word is considered and evaluated, but the decision to obey rests in our own appraisal of its worth.
Ø If it does not immediately impress us with its worth then we’re not likely to reflect or meditate on it, or remember it, much less apply it.
Ø Forgetting it, we lose the value of God’s wisdom & perspective on ourselves and our situation and are left to muddle along on our own, easy prey for our soul’s enemy.
Ø We become so accustomed to treat God’s Word as human that we begin to only tolerate what our itching ears desire. “The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Ti 4:3
Ø The foolishness of seeking understanding, but rejecting God’s perspective is obvious.
Ø If we treat God’s Word as human, we lack the courage to change our values. We won’t make decisions that put at risk old values.
Ø Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.
! 5. Receiving God’s Word as God’s
Ø Holy Spirit conviction convinced hearers of the source of the apostolic preaching.
Ø It did not convince every hearer, yet the source did not change for each hearer in fact, but only in opinion.
Ø If God spoke to me, I would quake; with excitement, fear & anticipation.
Ø Do I do this with God’s Word when I read & hear it and recognize it for what it is?
Ø Do we value God’s word more than food and money? We should.
Ø Do we value it more than sleep?
Ø When God’s Word is received it works in us powerfully. (Fruitfulness)
Ø Receiving & obeying God’s Word in James says that it brings blessing.
Ø It perfects, matures and builds us up.
Ø When His Word works powerfully it produces changes in our values that our peers may resent.
Ø They may resent the change it brings to their relationship with you.
Ø They may resent the challenge it brings to their values and to their community.
Ø Their resentment can become persecution.
Ø I am not terribly anxious to be persecuted for acting on somebody’s opinion. How about you?
Ø I need to know it’s God’s Word.
Ø How do we know? As we’ve implied. We either train our spiritual ears to hear and accept, or to question and reject.
Ø We can’t be entirely uncritical, so we must learn to listen to the Holy Spirit.
Ø We must treat the Scripture as Jesus did.
6. Invite:
Ø Spend time with Him. Fear Him. Trust Him. Lean on Grace. Keep short accounts.