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COMPLETE SERMON NOTES
Godcast – Hearing His Voice Through the Word
[pt. 2 in a series]
Recap: Worship does not fill in the gap until its time for the message. Often, it is the message. Worship is a lifestyle of laying our heart before God in reflection and meditation – tremendous joy and healing often take place – but this is also where heart surgery takes place.
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We were created to worship…
A PERSON who does not worship will have a difficult time hearing and discerning God’s voice – worship positions the heart to hear, the SPIRITUAL eyes to see, and the mind to comprehend the will of God.
WHY A SERIES? Most follow the wrong voice because they live in Deception – hearing but not doing (cf. James 1:22).
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“The world doesn’t believe the Bible, Christians don’t obey the Bible.”
– Leonard Ravenhill
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“Men will allow God to be everywhere except on His throne!”
-C.H. Spurgeon
Part 2: Hearing His Voice Through the Word
Top Question: How Can I Change?
THE PRINCIPLE OF SOWING AND REAPING [not just about $]: We must first discipline ourselves before desire comes. We must first empty ourselves in order to be filled. We must first obey before receiving the blessing. We must first break before there is restoration. We must first pray before there is transformation. We must praise Him before there is peace. And we must first seek Him if we are to truly find Him – WE MUST SOW BEFORE WE REAP.
The Word Plants Seeds:
1. Discouraged: “We are hard pressed…”
2. Financially: “A good name…”; “Give me neither poverty…”
3. Purity: “Stolen water is sweet…”; “Guard your heart – it is the wellspring of life.”
4. The Battle for the mind: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever…”
5. God’s will: “Do not be conformed…”
The Practical Application
Reading – the Gateway to the Mind
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Schedule it when you’re fresh and not distracted – begin with worship.
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Follow with prayer – “Lord’s prayer”.
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Systematic reading plan – 20 mins a day.
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Note questions.
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End with prayer and help to apply.
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Read a devotional such as My Utmost For His Highest.
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Begin the day with the Word and end it with the Word [and books]
During worship the heart begins to soften…open. You hear the still small voice of God during prayer as He’s drawing your heart towards Him. Reading reinforces, educates, and opens our eyes to His will. Answering the questions builds apologetics. The devotional reading sparks a deeper walk…a deeper hunger for God. The ending reading sets the stage for tomorrow.
Sin is deceptive: We are free of bondage but not influence.
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Hearing alone is not enough – it’s deceptive.
James 4:17, “Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
SIN Blinds, Leads, Deceives, Justifies, Excuses, Prevents
God uses the Word to bring clarity – “Your Word is a lamp and a light” (cf. Psalm 119:105).
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Just inches away we did not see our daughter in the pool.
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The Ap that measures how far we jog to give exact readings.
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I look down the road to prevent dangerous situations.
The Power of the Word:
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
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SPIRITUAL & PHYSICAL BENEFITS
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Discernment: being able to grasp and comprehend what’s really going on.
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Teachers who fail to preach the Word in all its fullness don’t pierce the heart.
“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2).
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Convince: to make somebody sure or certain of something.
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Rebuke: to warn, confront, or challenge with the hope of changing course.
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Exhort: to give earnest advice, or to encourage.
HEARING THE WORD IS LIKE HEARING A SIREN AND SEEING A RED LIGHT IN THE MIRROR. YOU EITHER PULL OVER OR CONTINUE TO RUN FROM GOD – obedience is “pulling over”.
“He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions” (Psalm 107:20).
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Salvation:
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Physical Healing: “Be not conformed to this world…” Being conformed to this world
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Deliverance came thru the obedience.
READ 107 to get the context.
Without this compass & truth indicator we hear the wrong voice:
Hearing God’s voice can keep us from sin, or sin can keep us from hearing God’s voice.
>Stills vs. Rushes
>Leads vs. Pushes
>Reassures vs. Frightens
>Enlightens vs. Confuses
>Encourages vs. Discourages
>Comforts vs. Worries
>Calms vs. Obsesses AND Convicts vs. Condemns
THE WORD: opens Blind eyes, Leads us in the right direction, Conquers deception, Crucifies sin vs. justifying it, Exposes instead of excuses, Prevents dangers instead of leading us in.
What is God’s will for my life? To be saved and to worship Him, to be holy and set apart for His glory, to be filled continually with the Holy Spirit, to witness to others, to make disciples, and so on. (Refer to I Timothy 2:4; I Thessalonians 4:3-7; Ephesians 5:17-18; and Matthew 28:19.)
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