# 9 God speaks through believers

ken.geer

God's Voice • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

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Need flatbed for the Parade.

need to get entry into parade

Get books and magazines back to Gene!!!!!

Need to explain how speaking Jesus to Other believers, is speaking Love. faith and not doubt. Truth not lies. not hiding from the good we should do but encouraging other believers, for our time is shorter than we think.

Pre-Service/Start Stream at (9:55am)

Opener

Our nation will only survive this current challenge with a spiritual revival. returning to our first Love. That starts with us.

We speak Jesus to our friends neighbors and families… the world is ready for the real Jesus.

Prayer

One barrier some people have with Prayer… C.S. Lewis experienced. and I think it is a common one:

C.S. Lewis on How to Enjoy Prayer

ByJuan Davalos October 4, 2022

📷https://onlinecoursesblog.hillsdale.edu/c-s-lewis-on-how-to-enjoy-prayer/

While working on our online course, “C.S. Lewis on Christianity,” I was surprised to learn that the young Lewis shared many of my same struggles with prayer. As a young boy, Lewis was taught that prayers offered in faith would be granted. Naturally, he worked hard to produce by sheer force of will a firm belief that his prayers would produce a certain pre-determined result. When that failed, he worked hard to ensure that every single word of his prayer was sincere. The burden of this practice was in large part responsible for Lewis abandoning the faith when he was 13 years old. When I had similar views on prayer, I questioned the practice altogether. If my prayers went unanswered, I wondered if their apparent failure was due to my lack of will or sincerity.

Lewis’s New Understanding Fortunately, Lewis returned to Christianity as an adult and articulated his new understanding of prayer. His explanation has enriched my life, which is why I want to share it with you. Lewis makes a distinction between contemplation and enjoyment. He says that contemplation is what we do when we are thinking about something from the outside, while enjoyment is what we do when we are fully immersed in something. He paints an analogy to help us understand the difference. Lewis asks readers to imagine themselves in a dark shed with a beam of light coming in through a crack in the door. He says that contemplation is like looking at the beam of sunlight that comes into the shed. We are contemplating the beam, because we are looking at it from the outside. Enjoyment, on the other hand, is like stepping into that beam of sunlight and allowing it to rest on our face so that we can look along the beam, through the crack in the door, to the world outside. Lewis says we need to look along our prayers to the God we are praying to, rather than just look at our prayers.

The Experience of Prayer Lewis encourages us not to focus on ourselves and the intensity or sincerity of our prayers, but instead to fully immerse ourselves in the experience of our prayer and enjoy the fact that the Holy Spirit is speaking through us and for us with an Almighty God who loves us deeply. In this way, Lewis urges us to enjoy our prayers and not to merely contemplate them. For his understanding of prayer, Lewis draws from Romans 8:26, which says: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.” In his mature thought, Lewis understood prayer less as man speaking to God and more as God speaking to and for man, and man learning to participate in the divine cycle of God creating, sustaining, and redeeming the world. This subtle yet profound distinction in how to approach prayer has enriched and transformed my prayer life. I hope it does the same to yours.

Welcome/Prayer (15 min)

Welcome - new people introduce! Fill out Cards

Greeting and Opening Prayer

Announcements (15 min)

Parade! - Need a float!

God Speaks through other believers

What Happens when you Become a Christian?

What happens when you accept Jesus Christ (messiah) as your Lord and Savior.

This event in your life is supernatural.

It is a humbling of your self before God

It is confession of your sinful ways, and turning away from them.

It is asking God to Come in and fill your life and Follow His direction and leading. This is the amazing thing - God and His glory begin to reside inside you.

Dead Spirit - You are made up of both a physical body, a soul (mind will and emotions) and a spirit. Before you accept Jesus as your savior, your spirit is dead. You can sense are missing something in your life. It has been described as a God-shaped whole… and many people try to fill it with all sorts of things that don't work. Alcohol, drugs, sex, Friends, power, Money, Job, etc — The problem is non of that will satisfy. It will not bring peace, but it will bring greater amounts of pain as time goes on.

Accepting Jesus into your “heart” allows him to Bring life to your Spirit, and a Holy Communion, begins with Jesus. He is now able to communicate with you as a friend as the barrier of SIN is removed.

NO longer a slave to sin Sin had a control over your life. It was able to tempt you, lie to you, and lead you into doing more sin… It was impossible for you to be able to walk a right life. When Jesus comes into your life he gives you power over sin. As you know have a bigger YES in your life than the power of your other SINS.

Practicing your super power What is critical is that you PRESS IN and seek GOD and start exercising your God given super power of saying no to SIN by saying YES to GOD. your new found love for God is the source of this super power. If you don’t SIN may deceive you into thinking you are still strapped.

You can now hear Gods Voice - you have become one of his children and His Sheep can here his voice. His sheep follow his voice.

Colossians 1:27 ESV

27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

see Jesus is in us. and Give us HOPE… but notice this next verse:

Matthew 18:20 ESV

20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Not only is he in US, but when several of us get together, we is among us… as is now more present in very special way that is not true when we are alone. Together we can experience Christ in a more complete way.

And this is why we must consider the way that God can speak to us.

He may speak to us through other believers that are also born again from heaven. that are listening and hearing from God.

We have talked about many ways God is talking to a Christian:

Love Speaks Series

This sermon series is roughly following the amazing Video series, and book by Carl Wesley Anderson, that highlights 21 ways we can recognize God’s multi-faceted voice.

What have we covered so far?

#1 The Established Word of GOD (LOGOS) - The BIBLE - Scripture memorization

#2 The living Word (Rhema) - Ask & expect God to speak directly to you as you study the Bible

#3 The Inner Witness of the Holy Spirit -

#4 The Still, Small Voice of GOD

#5 The Desire of our Hearts - as you put God first.

#6 God Speaks through Creation

#7 God Speaks through Providence (coincidences)

#8 God Speaks through Preaching - SPEAK JESUS

Explain in some depth as needed

#1 The Established Word of GOD (LOGOS - Jesus! the word became flesh!)

Foundational! - Bible memorization - Ling Logos.

#2 The living Word (Rhema) fresh and daily.. like the manna from heaven

#3 The Inner Witness of the Holy Spirit(spirit of Truth giving us check/peace)

#5 The Desire of our Hearts (last week - God has put inside you Desires and skills that are designed to help you fulfill the plan he has for your life, if you delight yourself in the LORD first. ) Psalm 37:4 “4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

# 6 God Speaks through Creation - Creator has hidden his sermons in all of creation. Jesus used creation over and over again to speak spiritual truths. Could it be that he as the creator of the universe, designed it just this way?

#7 God Speaks through Providence (coincidences) Prov 25 2 “2 It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.” God enjoys working things out to achieve his ends through subtle means.

#8 God Speaks through Preaching - SPEAK JESUS

Counsel from other Christians

We learned last week how we are supposed to speak. Speak Jesus. to the Darkness. we each have a part in preaching Jesus and the good news. Just like the Oklahoma Girls Softball team.

1 Peter 4:10–11 ESV

10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

I used that to talk about all manner of talk including preaching toe unbelievers. But this verse is This speaking is specifically directed toward other Believers int his context.

If I can hear God’s voice, and you can hear gods voice, and all of us that are walking in obedience to Jesus are hearing God’s voice, then as this verse suggests we are to speak that wisdom from God to each other.

GOD will confirm his will and words to us through other Christians.

Could this be Intimidating and Problematic?

Does that intimidate or scare anyone here? it can be. but remember god Poke through a Donkey Numbers 22 so he can easily speak through you, if you rare willing.

Also, I love this idea because I am also worried I may not always hear god correctly on my own!

God loves to confirm things among 2 or three witnesses. (it is part of the law of Moses) so ask him to help you make things clear, and ask for confirmation with other Christians.

One important bit of caution: do not take offense at other Christians. If you have specifically taken offense that is sin. ask for forgiveness. Other Christians are strange and weird - and none of us are exempt from that completely. lets be generous. and if our brother (sister) comes and asks forgiveness we are to forgiven 70x7 times… without count. Love holds no record of wrongs. we may have to speak to each other at times directly and with some "weight” when things are serious. But it should always be done with LOVE… never malice, and a desire to lift up each other and carry one another’s burdens.

this is great advantage to all who are in Jesus togher. we love each other as we love Jesus.

when we sin or make mistakes with each other we are to quickly repent and ask for forgiveness.

If we have been sinned against, we should restore them gently - and not hold grudges as CHrist does not hold our sins against us.

How many of you feel God has Spoke to you through another believer?

Mission Encouragement

My friend Dan. Started a mission called Mission Encouragement. He was deeply impressed that encouragement is an increadibly important thing to be able to do in ones own life and in the lives of others. He started a 502c3 and asked me to be on his board. Our hope was to be able to share messages of encouragement to others. His scripture that God had spoken to him was 1 Samuel 30:1–6 - it is profound that in the depth of despair that through our relationship with God, we can encourage ourselves.

1 Samuel 30:1–6 (ESV)

1 Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire 2 and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. 3 And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.

4 Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. 5 David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6 And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

This strengthening in the LORD is available to those in God’s family. Those that have accepted Jesus as their savior. We have hope. We are no longer subject to ultimate death… we have a home in Heaven. We are not slaves to Sin. God has given us power over it. And with this power to overcome, we have access to encouragement.

It was through my friend Dan that God taught me that.

What about the rest of you?

How has God spoken through to you through other believers?

Paula… Seeing How Pastor Julie Koon handled sistuations with “what does Jesus think about that?”

Meeting together

It is so important when you become a christian, to connect often with other Christians. This is always true.

Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

We need each other to encourage us to stir each other up. to do good things.- without the siring there is a settling. do you want to settle? No no settling. dirt it up get the good stuff flowing.

3rd of july Parade… the encouragement that comes from that.

But it it is especially true especially as you are a new you my not have learned yet to discern God’s voice accurately and the perhaps you are just learning wisdom. Wisdom is a godly virtue that begins when you begin to truly reverence God as your Heavenly father, as his Adopted children can. When you begin to become more concerned about damaging your relationship with God you begin to learn wisdom.

It is interesting that it is often young Christians that think that they don't need the fellowship with other Christians, that they can stand strong on their own.

Luke 11:17 ESV

17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.

divided kingdoms fall… we will fall when we allow ourselves to become isolated. The enemy is an expert at culling people out of the pack and running them down to exaction and then going in for the kill.

Jesus had Disciples - we are now his Disciples.

We must spend as much time as we can together. learning how to walk with God… it is a discipleship process.

becoming disciplined in the ways of God.

Global Dictionary of Theology: A Resource for the Worldwide Church (1. The Roots of Biblical Community)

“I … will be your God, and you shall be my people” (Lev 26:12), which occurs with variations some twenty-five times (e.g., Jer 31:33).

Jeremiah 31:33 ESV

33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Helping each other - Discipleship

We need god to speak through other Christians… let me provide a few examples

Saul & Ananias

Saul was a really nasty Guy --- rounding up Christians and putting them to death with the help of the LAW during the early times of the church in Acts… but God stopped him. and convicted him. HE blinded Saul… he did not have to do that. but he did and then he brought Ananias to Paul to confirm his plan to Him

Acts 9:1–19 (ESV)

1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem.

14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.

See Both Paul and Ananias needed to know that God was in this,

Paul because is needed to know he was part of God’s family, and god had a purpose and destiny for him.

Ananias and the rest of the disciples so they would Know God had done this and it was not a human ploy

God needed to unite them together has HIS disciples.

Seeing through the Deceptions.

There are many voices of deception in this world. We must help each other by discussing the world and national news and try to begin processing it from God’s

Satan is lying to us constantly … both in our (1)heads and in (2)the messages of the real world.

in your head he is trying to tear you down. and destroy God’s image in you. twist and hid your true identity, make you hate what God has given you. DON'T Listen to the LIES… the TRUTH of God is so much better… You are beautiful, and wonderfully made. You have a Purpose. There is profound meaning to your life.

2. Leftist propaganda such as the New York Times’ “1619 Project” and Marxist-based “critical race theory” is promoted and even taught in many K-12 schools nationwide. Critical Queer theory are demonic lies that have found their way into our schools, universities, and medical institutions. These issues are important to us because we see it destroying lives and freedom. If there really is a “doctrine of demons” is invading Christian churches across America, twisting the Bible to advance leftist ideologies that divide people. turning the Jesus of the Bible into a “Woke Jesus” or a “False Messiah” then this is a serious issue we need to discuss and think about.

The best way to deal with this is: Grace and TRUTH - We are able to learn and and grow, discuss, and debate the differences in our views. on these topics. WITHOUT calling each other names… WHILE loving and caring for each other. LISTENING to each other and look to the BIBLE as a common ground that allows us to arbitrate our differences.

Forms of discipleship

Bible Study - ask the questions on your mind.

if you don’t yet have a person that you meet with each week to discuss questions… ask me to find one for you.

The Shield of St. Patrick

I bind unto myself today the strong name of the trinity,

by invocation of the same,

the Three in One, the One in Three.

I bind this day to me forever by power of faith Christ's incarnation,

his baptism in the Jordan river,

his death on the cross for my salvation;

his bursting from the spiced tomb,

his riding up the heavenly way,

his coming at the day of doom

I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself today

the power of God to hold and lead,

his eye to watch, his might to stay,

his ear to harken to my need,

the wisdom of my God to teach,

his hand to guide, his shield to ward,

the Word of God to give me speech,

his heavenly host to be my guard.

+++

Christ be with me, Christ within me,

Christ behind me, Christ before me,

Christ beside me, Christ to win me;

Christ to comfort and restore me;

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,

Christ in hearts of all that love me,

Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

+++

I bind unto myself the name,

the strong name of the Trinity,