Decibels of Deity Part IV, Hearing God Speak Through Others

Change the message just a little bit from the first service today and kind of bring us right into The sort of the core of the message today It's about recognizing God's voice if you'll get your outline out of your notes and we will have a few blanks to fill in but I'm gonna kind of adapt things just a bit and I think in favor of a Preferable way to go here, you know in the early 1980s a very well-known and respected Christian leader publicly warned of economic collapse Impending collapse I should say Economically and the need to prepare for difficult times he encouraged Christians to buy gold and silver and other non perishable items and Several of us here in this auditorium today collaborated and did so I Have with me my now 15 year old freeze-dried green peas Which I can make available to you at a very reasonable rate if you'd like to try them, you know who this gentleman is I won't mention his name, but he is still very very much on the Christian scene, but he stopped making prophetic warnings He no longer Dabbles in the predictive nature of prophecy though. He does admit to the fact that the Bible seems to spell out Pretty clear terms what's going to happen. We just don't know when Friends we're gonna look today at how God speaks to us through others I believe in what he said enough to act on it. He was more mature than I was he was Well respected national leader. I thought he was hearing from God Apparently he wasn't How do you know when someone is giving you a message from God How many you say that's an important thing to know if God's trying to get a message through to you how do you know if it's from him and Today I have a sense that there might be just a few of us who are hungry to know what God is saying to us This could be five messages I I was frustrated this week in the one hand because some of you I have a real hunger to know a lot about prophecy and words of wisdom and words of knowledge and a lot of the things that the Bible talks about in first Corinthians 12 and 14 and other places like that. This is not the forum to do that. I just don't have time I believe we may need to have a seminar weekend when we look at those things because I Believe as it says in your outline in your notes that God wants us the Holy Spirit wants us to be able to move freely in these gifts so that we can Encouraging to one another in the body of Christ, but I won't have time to do that today And so I'm going to ask you just to bear with me as I focus in on a couple of points here How many of you routinely listen to radio teachers or preachers just on an average week you'll listen to at least a couple All right This group is about 70% as spiritual as the first group The nine o'clock group everybody's in with it I'm not sure they were all telling the truth though. I think this is a more truthful group We have we have a plethora don't we of radio preachers and teachers Interesting and my my car now. I have this little thing Right in the steering wheel where I can flick a dial and it'll change the radio stations kind of cool You know, so I'll go down and the other day I was listening in and here was no this FM station And then this music station and then all of a sudden J. Vernon McGee comes on How long has he been on? Huh? At least 40 years. He's dead right, but he's still on and There's something about that. I'm looking into that And people are still hearing from God through J. Vernon McGee Who comes on right before J. Vernon McGee, by the way, well those of you who are real Radio listeners Hank Hanegraaff. Yeah, the Bible answered him and he's got a whole different brand of Perspective that he's he's a transmitting over the airwaves. How do you know who to listen to? Well on your outline there. The first thing you need to do is you need to learn to discern You need to learn to discern What preaching and teaching is going to edify you and I just want to make a quick point here because again This could be a long teaching This may be a newsflash if you're a newer Christian this may surprise you You do not have to have any particular credential to get on the radio In fact, if you can go record a pretty good cassette tape and have some money in your pocket I'd be pretty sure that most radio stations would be happy to play your tape for you It's a money thing and as long as you're not just preaching heresy They'll be happy to take your money and put your tape on them on the radio And so you've got to be discerning you can be buzzed through the dial and you can hear on a typical Weekday morning the entire theological perspective on the radio from people who would say that folks like us Are kind of crazy because we believe in the whole Bible and we believe that excuse me that the Spirit of God is is moving Today like he did in the book of Acts to people who are would say that gee we better get our act together because we're really Not moving very much at all with the Spirit of God You hear the whole spectrum and you see we need to learn to discern What's the what's coming through in the teachings that you're getting? Are you hearing a? sense of compassion and a sense of Sensitivity to the Spirit in the teaching. Are you hearing sort of a harshness or an arrogance? Are you hearing sort of a? Sort of in your face, you know This is the way it is kind of message or do you hear someone who obviously has been through some? Pain of their own and has learned to have a little more compassion in their teaching. Is there an openness? Toward other perspectives on the Word of God or is their way the only way and these are things you begin to pick up I do believe that God speaks through preachers and teachers First Thessalonians 2 13 so if you'll put that up, please look what Paul writes This isn't on your notes, but jot it down in the Living Bible first Thessalonians 2 13. Here's what he says When we preach look when we preach to you You didn't think of the words as being just our own but you accept it as the very Word of God Which of course it was and it changed your life Do you hear what he's saying? Preaching changes your life Preaching changes your life. I Don't fully understand that but I believe it's true Because I've been listening to preaching for many many years and now I've been involved in it and to my amazement Preaching changes life. I had a person come up to me She comes up to me occasionally maybe every couple of months and says This was about two weeks ago. I just gotten that last week. I get just back from India. She said Pastor J. You did it again You spoke exactly to me How did you know what I needed to hear and of course I didn't know what she needed to hear but God did and you all do know that I pray throughout the week I say Lord give me a message For the people that need to hear it on that particular day so that whenever they walk out of here They're ready to face the week before them Full of the Holy Spirit and expecting you to move in their life Teachers and preachers and pastors can change their lives. I remember 30 years ago going to a Young Life meeting first time I'd really gotten kind of tuned in to sort of the contemporary Christian message I mean I've heard heard it in church and went to camp but I went to a Young Life meeting and I didn't go because I wanted to hear the teacher. I went because there were girls there and I was just wanting to meet some girls, but I and I didn't pay much attention I know the guy to this day who spoke there. I'm so I'm a friend of his it in fact But at the end of his message, I remember him looking up and saying He said these words. He said What's your life gonna count for when it's all said and done I was 20 years old I was a college student I wasn't thinking about what my life's gonna count for and I remember him saying when it's all said and done What is your life? What difference will your life make and then he said you'll never be fulfilled until you know What your destiny is in God and I remember that was the moment That some door clicked in my my heart my head that that perhaps God was leading me To do something to serve him and I took many years after that for that to develop But that was the first time and you know, I often have asked the question. What if I hadn't gone in that retreat? What if I just said, you know what? I'm going skiing or I'm gonna watch football or whatever I wouldn't have heard that message and you say well God would have used another messenger wouldn't he maybe so but can I just Postulate postulate a little bit here I believe that many many times God wants to get a message through to us and we just don't take the time to hear it I had a radical devotion when I was in seminary all the way through my doctoral studies. I never missed classes Carol Tell you I mean if I was sick, I went to class because I didn't want to ever Wonder if there was going to be a message from a teacher because these were godly men and women that were teeth I knew that God could speak to them to me and friends. Can I say as a word of application? you should never just Casually miss a gathering of worship You never know when God's gonna have a message from the pulpit for you for that will change your life It may just you just don't know You should be radically committed not to miss because you might be this day receiving a message from God that will influence your future So well, you know, that's that sounds like you're kind of puffing yourself. I'm not I know it's not from me. I Preaching has a certain impact You said well, I've come a lot of times and I didn't get changed at all I got bored and that may be something I need to work on and it may be something you need to work on But I can't say this We need to open to teaching we need to be hungry to let God, you know, people say to me sometimes Boy, that was really right. You've been reading my mail No, I haven't but God has friends and he knows I couldn't keep your attention after 17 years I've given you all the good stuff. I have believe me about two years into it. Whatever you get. That's good Now it comes from God and there are many times that it comes from places. I mean, I'm just astonished at what the Lord gives God speaks through me. I don't know why he speaks for other people up here. I don't know what and you know what? He speaks through you too he may use you to be the instrument that will bring a word of encouragement or a word of Strength or a word of comfort to someone around you. That's the nature of the New Testament life We're gonna look at in just a moment. So get a lot of teaching I just want to say it get as much teaching as you can get You know, I've got a lot of books up there people come to my office Well, you got a lot of books up there, don't you? I do. I don't know. I think like 5,000 books I've accumulated over the last 22 or 3 years a minute, but you know what? I have more cassette tapes than I have books I'm more of a tapeworm than a bookworm Why because I found that most of my downtime in my life was sitting that dumb car and So I buy tapes and I just throw those tapes in the car And I'm this here's a word for some of you people that travel a lot and all you do is just listen to music Get some teaching tapes and start edifying yourself instead of wasting your time Get that word in you. Let it just just stir up in your spirit Imagine if you just fasted for six days every week and all you did was eat on Sunday. What would happen to your body? Well, first of all, you'd look pretty sorry, you know And then you have a lot of indigestion on that Sunday when you if you pigged out and made a big mess of yourself that one day Well, you know what spiritually some of you do that You don't read the scriptures You don't listen to any teaching and you come on Sunday and you get a meal a meal and a half Sometimes I is too long of a meal and then you go home and you don't really get all that much out of it That's why you need to spread out your diet just a little bit It'll make you a wholesome Christian Second thing we need to do to learn to discern the voice of God through others is to seek wise counsel We need to pursue the counsel of others who we trust. I Can't take the time to develop this this got me messed up in the first ever I just want to say this wise counsel comes from people that you've learned to trust I don't take counsel from people. I don't know just walk in and blank and I say well, what do you think? I take counsel from people whose lives to me model the kind of Christian character that I believe God would have me to pursue That's why I have a group of pastors from this city that I'm committed to and I receive counsel from that's why I have a small Group in this church and I'm part you see friends That's what you need You need to seek counsel at times you hear the voice of God when it's cloudy to you God will use people to help you to discern his voice and may I say there's a whole lot of very highly qualified Trained Christian counselors that will help you to discern the Lord's voice if you pursue them I want to encourage you to do so number three. You need to learn to trust your own assessment Of the input you're receiving. Have you ever have someone come up to you and say The Lord told me to tell you this ever how many ever had that the Lord told me to tell you this or God showed me this about you or I Think I have a word from God. I mean, that's all it takes it's someone say I think I have a word from the Lord for you that can be a moment of I mean huge anxiety Because you can think wow, maybe they really do Or maybe they're really wacky. You know, it's probably one of the other And what we need to do is to learn to trust our assessment of that input very very important in the book of Acts listen a lot happened in here because someone came to someone and said hey God told me To tell you this. So let's be honest friends. It's in here. I mean when Saul had just been blinded on the road to Damascus and he was waiting for something to happen And Ananias showed up in Acts chapter 9 said hey Saul God told me to tell you go get baptized and come with me What if what if Saul said you know, what I don't I don't believe that you might he might still be blind waiting for something to happen Well instead he he obeyed and did what was told and of course the result is he became the the great Author of most of the New Testament. So how do we know when God's speaking? Let me give you seven simple tests I mean and and these will go quickly So get ready to write them down rather rather quickly if I can get my hands on mine Here we go sort of seven ways to test. Is this impression? You're getting through someone from God write him down and I Mean, I wish it was a lot easier than this. How many of you have to wear beepers for work anybody? I Feel sorry for you. That's that can be so annoying. But but here's I wish God would give us all a beeper Like when it's really from him Yeah And It was a real something could barely see but it would go off when someone was talking to you like This is for me, you know, this is really for me get this one I would love that then I wouldn't have to give you all this But but we don't have that God's not blessed us with that kind of like lights on lights off discernment We've got to use a little filter. Here it is. I submit it to you Seven things real quickly. Number one is what someone's telling you. First of all, does it agree with Scripture? Now that should be obvious but for some people This is huge. I mean some people will come up and tell you something. Well, I think God wants you To or they'll say something about this. I think God is leading me. I remember about 10 years ago There was a guy that came by and he said get ready Jesus is coming back in 1988 and he wrote a little booklet called 88 reasons why Christ will return in 1988 Did he? Well, if he did you're in serious trouble because you're in the wrong place being here today, right But the funniest thing was the guy had the audacity to write the follow-up Which is 89 reasons why he's coming in 89 and some people were dumb enough to buy that book, too. Okay? That's a that's absolutely true Someone said to me not long ago Well, you know I had a word from the Lord that I'm not I'm to no longer pay taxes in this country because our government's so corrupt and We support abortion and we you know do this and that you know what? That's not what this is. This says I'm supposed to pay taxes. I'm supposed to pay taxes to to my government. I Had someone say to me well, you know The Lord gave me a word that I was not to be part of a specific church But I was to be part of the universal body and be free to go just as the Spirit led me to go I'll show up and be a blessing to this church of that church Yeah, well, you know what I check that in here in here it says that we are members of the body we are Connected my hand does not just show up somewhere. It is part of my arm, which is part of my Torso and it we go together friends. I just I told the person you know what that's not from the Lord I'll tell you that word is not from God. You're to be part of a local body. You're to be plugged in now The person said oh the Lord gave me a word that that we but I was to give my tithes To different ministries because I believe in so many things that are good out there And I said well, you know, it's interesting because it says in here that you're to bring your whole tithe into the storehouse which is the place where The feeding takes place for the body So I just don't think you're hearing from the Lord correctly about that and on and on it goes I even have people say you know what I? Was impressed by the Lord with the word that I was to really get to know this woman that I've fallen in love with and God's given me such a lover and I know that we're meant to be together and and I'm supposed to comfort her and and I'm Supposed to even live with her for a season just to confirm that this is the right person We know that we're right for each other, but I'm going to confirm that you know friends. Give me a break I mean I pulled out the Bible said so you're saying you're supposed to live with this person for a while and just be sure they're The right person for you to marry, right? wrong, okay in here it says You're to have a sexual relationship With one person and that's your spouse that you're married to not beforehand not to check it out and see if it's right And so all these different things are very easily understood if you know scripture if this sounds silly every single one of those illustrations have happened to me in the last couple years and I've had them come to me from people and you've had them as well Does it line up with scripture number one test number two does this word make me more Christlike? if the word that someone's giving you is putting anxiety and and up as upsetting your spirit if it's moving you into some discontentedness in a sense that You're you're moving away from faith and into doubt and fear then it's likely that it's not from Christ I remember 1984 some of you around in the earlier days of our church we had a very strong team of prophetic ministry coming here from the Chicago area, Illinois area and These people had an unusual gift They could they could kind of they could discern things and they had a scary ability to kind of look and and point out Particular faults and failures and and they caught many of us off guard We're much younger than but I remember very clearly the moment of truth came to me when the one man looked at me said God's called me to be an apostle or no. God's called me to be the Apostle to your church And I remember something in my spirit just went whoa wait, that's not from me I couldn't argue with some of the other things he was but that's not from me that caused discontent in my spirit And as things would have it if you know that story from that point on we met and and we made some very very strong Moves to disassociate ourselves from that particular ministry and and rightly so see if words create Dissonance or envy or ambition in you then they're not from God James 3 if you would please sue James 3 tells us if wisdom is coming from heaven It's going to create these qualities in your life just jot down that reference the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure and then peace-loving and Considerate submissive full of mercy and good fruit Impartial and sincere look at those seven qualities if the words that you're receiving from people Create that in your heart then those are words from God if it's creating anxiety and worry and tension Then it's probably not from God and you shouldn't embrace it or feel guilty Number three does my church family confirm that what I'm hearing is from the Lord Listen one of the greatest benefits I told you I would mention a benefit about going to the discovery class one of the great Benefits of becoming part of a church family is that you have a body of believers Through which you can help to discern what the mind of the Lord is So much heartache could be avoided if we had the courage just to openly share our impressions about what the Lord's saying or what? We're hearing from others with a trusted small group listen We make a huge mistake when we try to ride our high host silver horse Throughout the kingdom of God. We are not the Lone Ranger Christian, and we won't make it to the finish line a few years ago a North Way member had a Christian friend from another city call and invite them to come to their city and Over the course of a number of weeks of conversation. They said things like you know We're part of a great church here. The job market is so much better here and plus the Sun shines And after a week like this you know who of us wouldn't be vulnerable that temptation right? Well this couple struggled a bit Because it did sound really appealing to them, but they had the wisdom to test this word with their small group and so for a few weeks they prayed about it as a small group and and The group listened they asked some questions and in the end they said you know it sounds very appealing But we don't really think that's the Lord speaking to you to make that move well this North Way family declined the move and within six months the church that the family in this Sunbelt City had been part of went through a major split and dissolved and That family lost their job to move away from that city And I wonder what might have happened if that family had just said hey, you know what this I just sound like a word from the Lord. Let's just go move Friends listen some of us make major decisions With very little accountability To anyone else other than our own sense of discernment The number one reason why people get confused and often miss the Lord is they fail to check out their leadings With trusted members of their church family friends nobody is nobody here will ever tell you you can't do this You can't but you are wise if you ask someone that you trust It's in a group with you that is committed to you. What do you think about this? Do you think this might be the Lord? You're wise if you do that God uses relationships to help you discern his voice in Acts 15 28 the Council of Jerusalem met together They were facing a very complex issue about whether or not Gentiles should be Circumcised and keep all the laws and it was a huge issue It could have divided the church and I love the one little sentence that appears in Acts 15 28 after all the deliberations Here's what they said. It said it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us that we do that And so and can I just just look at those words for a second if you can look at every major decision and say hey You know what? It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us the people to whom I'm accountable to make a decision Can I say to you you're in great shape for knowing the will of God for your life. I just want to encourage you with that All right Next is it consistent with what God has designed me to be? If someone gives you a word about well You know, I think God might be leading you to go in the mission field. Well, maybe he is But has he designed you for that? Friends listen God put a lot of forethought it says in Psalm 139. He fashioned and designed you to be just like you are Now, how many of you say I'm getting out? You know what? I'm gonna talk to God about that when I get up there, but He loves you the way you are He fashioned you with your personality and and your unique gifts and your abilities and your temperament all that He's designed you to fulfill a specific purpose. And by the way sometime in this year 1998 I want to do a series on finding your purpose in God because I have a sense I've been talking to people one more person. You know, I don't really know my purpose yet. I don't know why I'm here in terms of God's Call on my life. Look at this chair. This chair was designed With a purpose in mind, well, what's the purpose? Sit down and give me good support, right? It's got a great little lumbar thing here. I mean, it's comfortable I could just sit here and finish the message. No problem. This is great perfect, it's designed to be a Comfortable seat. Okay. What's this? It's a microphone stand, right? What if I tried to sit in that microphone stand serious problems, right? I'm thinkable things. I mean forget it unfortunately Some people think that because God says something to him That they have to figure out a way to make this work, you know Well, I'll turn it upside down and maybe I can sit on the tripod No, let's get this right God designed you a certain way and in the long run where he Fashions you he'll place you to fit that design now That's not to say there won't be times that you won't have to do things that are a little bit weird They're a little uncomfortable for you. I should say I mean it's not talking about short-term investments You know, it's not like when someone says hey the auditorium is a mess. Could you help clean up? You know what? I'm not designed to serve. Sorry. I don't don't have that gift. Well now You can serve on occasion. You can make some calls. I mean you can you can be a little bit available now and then But the long term when someone has given you a word about your life Make sure it fits the design that you know, God has invested in you. I had a college student that came up to me I'd say is about six months ago and Said, you know God wants me to become a teacher. I said, well, that's great. Well tell me about Your own background. Well, the more I dug into this more I realized first of all, this person was not a good student Second of all, they've had no teaching experience number three They didn't enjoy research which was one of the things a good teacher has to really enjoy doing and number four They're their whole personality type and profile was very low-key and rather kind of You know not not very expressive And I remember thinking I said, you know what God maybe he does But my initial blush here after we've talked here for a while is you might want to go back and just reinvestigate that call a little bit and I'm happy to say now six months later. They're now pursuing a call in counseling Where they can take the word and bring it to someone in a personal level and I think that'll fit their design a whole lot Better. So you need to tune in with how does God is number five? Does it concern my responsibility is? What I'm hearing concern my responsibility Sometimes we want to receive input for somebody else in the worst of ways Don't we how many really want to hear something from God for your spouse, you know, God give me a message for my wife Oh Lord, you know, I want to hear from you for pastor Scott Give me a message for Scott or give me a message for pastor Jay and some of you, you know, you're you're very quick to let me know that God did give you a message for me. I Have a file of those. I just want to say to you I'm not At all denying that occasionally God will give you a message for another person But could I encourage you to not make a big deal of pursuing those messages? Don't worry about someone else. Just worry about you And if God wants to get a message through you to someone else he can take it. It's funny in Scripture I mean people have always been the same John chapter 21 is a great story there where Peter and John and Jesus are together and they're having fish breakfast. Remember that and Jesus talks to Peter. He says Peter you're gonna die you're gonna die in a cross upside down and Peter remember good old Peter. He goes and he looks over at John. He says well Lord, what about him? Remember that that's exactly what he said. What about him and oh, it's this Hey if he lives until I come back Again, what's that to you? About him. I'll take care of him. You take care of you and friends for the most part. I really believe that's the best approach Unfortunately a lot of folks try to get real involved in someone else's life when God doesn't really need you to do that He can get through if he is to do that just three things normally I have found that when God gives you a word for someone they'll do one of three things normally number one. They'll confirm to them What they've already heard from God most often a word from the Lord will confirm what they've already heard and Somebody right now needs to write this down because you're gonna receive something like this The purpose of it is to confirm you're hearing correctly number two It encourages you to take the next step in what you heard or number three It comforts you in a time when maybe you need to be comforted Maybe you're being stretched and by the way Those three things are what appear in first Corinthians 14 3 when you hear from God for someone those should be the ways that they normally Hear from you and you know what? I've discovered more often than not friends Those things are done without the person even knowing that you were the messenger That's it without you knowing that you were the messenger. That's the part that I love You see the most powerful words that some of you give to me or when you don't even know you gave me a word is What I'm saying when you don't come up and say well I've got a word from God for you But rather you say something to me that I know is from God what because that keeps your pride out of it And it makes it pure Number six is it convicting rather than condemning? I'll just say this real quickly Conviction friends comes from God God conviction means here's something about your life. It needs to change get on with it Condemnation is hey your life's a wreck. You're not going to make it Conviction is take these specific steps and you'll change Condemnation is you're worthless. What are you doing here? You're a fake Christian. What do you think you are? Where does that come from it comes from the devil? And if you're hearing words that are basically condemnatory dismiss them they're not from God it's interesting to me, isn't it how Satan has a way of minimizing sin before we do it and maximizing sin after we do it. You ever notice that Satan will tell you, you know, if you just do this little thing, no one's really gonna know it It's not that big a deal. You can get away with it. No, you know, but after you do it. Well you miserable lying Christian You you cut you did that and you call yourself a Christian that same thing He told you wasn't a big deal. Now. He just beat you over the head with it How many know what I'm talking about? I mean just he'd you know He rips on you Well, remember this one thing look to the cross because on the cross Jesus bore the penalty for your sin past present and future There is now therefore No condemnation for those are in Christ Jesus and finally, I know words from the Lord. Well, do you have peace from God? Do I sense peace about it if words are given and they create anxiety or confusion? Just wait God is patient. If someone says hurry up. This is a word from God. You got to move on it 99% of the time it's not when the word is hurry. I usually say that's not that's not the Lord Jesus never hurried off to do anything. The Lord is not the author of confusion. He that's peaceful in our hearts I've done a little survey stress and pressure Are not from God Satan is the one that drives us compulsively the spirit draws us compassionately. So if you think something is coming to you Creating all these what-ifs in your mind, then it's probably not from the Lord. Just give it time. It'll pass Well friends, that's all I have time to say today The fourth point discerning prophecy, we'll come back to that another time. In