Submitted by admin on Mon, 16/01/2012 - 4:49pm
MP3 File:
01-15-2012 message by Pastor Rich Doebler
We started the new year off by looking at Galatians 5:25, which says: “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
The elders and pastors of the church sense that God wants this to be our theme for this year: “In Step With the Spirit.” Can you imagine what might happen if we begn to focus more on the things the Holy Spirit wants to do in our lives?
My desire—my prayer—is that we will grow in our understanding of God and give room for his Spirit to work in our lives and in our church.
We began the first weekend by talking about God’s heartbeat—how we need to hear God’s heart so we can keep in step with the Spirit, so we can march to the cadence of his drum beat.
Last week Pastor Fred gave us an overview of many of the things the Holy Spirit does—a systematic theology with many Bible verses on how the Spirit operates.
Today I want to look more specifically at the way the Spirit speaks to us.
How many of you have ever wished for an easier way to know God’s will? You want to make good choices—about schooling or training, career, spouse—but God doesn’t send an angel with a heavenly announcement. He doesn’t give you a dream or a vision or even so much as an email!
Pastor Fred reminded us last week that sometimes God has been silent. There were 400 years between the OT and the NT with no prophets, no miracles, no word from God.
But that wasn’t unique to the period between the Testaments. There were other times when people struggled to know God and his ways.
● Before the prophet Samuel appeared on the scene, the Bible says: “...In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions” (1 Sam 3:1).
● Gideon said, “Why has all this happened to us? Where are all [God’s] wonders that our ancestors told us about... But now the LORD has abandoned us...” (Judg 6:13).
● David said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? (Ps 22:1).
● He also said, “To you, LORD, I call... do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit.” (Ps 28:1).
So you’re not alone if you’ve longed to hear God’s voice! Centuries ago godly men and women longed to hear God speak clearly to them. Today we also want him to direct our paths and guide our steps.
We mentioned this need to hear from God a couple weeks ago when we considered Galalations 5:25, because you cannot keep in step with the Spirit without hearing the beat of God’s heart—the cadence or rhythm of the Spirit. To be led by the Spirit, we must hear what he is saying.
Other translations of Galatians 5:25 even describe “walking in the Spirit” to mean things like “be guided by the Spirit” (ISV) or “follow the Spirit’s leading” (NLT).
Here’s the thing: if someone is going to lead you or guide you, there has to be clear communication. You need more than vague, ambiguous directions! You need something clear, accurate, precise.
When you turn on your Garmin or Tom-Tom, you don’t want approximate directions. You want: “In 500 feet, turn left. Go one-quarter mile and turn left. Your destination will be on your right.” You don’t want: “Somewhere up ahead, you need to turn...not sure which way, but get ready. Then go a little ways farther—give or take—and take another turn. If you cross some railroad tracks, you might have gone too far.”
If we’re going to be led by the Spirit, we need to hear clearly what he is saying. If we want God to guide us, then we need a strong spiritual connection with him with clear communication.
Sometimes we hesitate in following God’s leading because we’re not really sure we want to go where he seems to be taking us.
We sing: “If you lead me, Lord, I will follow. Where you lead me, Lord, I will go.” But we think: “If you lead me, I’ll think about it. Where you lead me, I’ll check into it.”
When it comes to following God’s will, we typically don’t sign on the dotted line until after we read the contract.
In theory, we want to follow God. In practice, we’re not quite sure he has our best interests at heart. We get a little nervous that he might tell us to do something outside our comfort zone: to give him ten percent of our earnings, for instance. Or to invite people over to our house, maybe even to do a Bible study. Or to sell our house and prepare to go to a foreign land, live in another culture, and share God’s love with people who are different from us. “Where you lead me, I will follow...as long as it’s not Kenya (like the Blaisdells) or Uganda (like the Ashcrofts).”
So here is the first principle you need to know when it comes to hearing God’s voice, to knowing the leading of his Spirit:
1. Surrender first, then listen. You can’t really hear until you’ve surrendered. If you reserve the right to decide if what he wants is something you want to do or something that is convenient for you, then you won’t be hearing much from the Spirit of God. You won’t be able to keep in step with the Spirit when your ears are tuned in to your own desires.
To keep in step with the Spirit, we need to surrender our lives completely to the Lord. Jesus must be the Lord of our lives—the boss, the owner.
Perhaps you’ve heard the term “carte blanche”? It means “unconditional authority, full discretionary power.” I might say, “I gave my wife carte blanche to decorate the living room however she liked.” It means I gave her permission to choose the colors, pick out the furniture, to spend as much as she wanted, without asking my opinion about anything.
The term “carte blanche” came to us from the French where it literally meant, “white (blank) paper.” In the 1700s “carte blanche” was used when you would sign your name to the bottom of a blank sheet of paper and then give it to a representative or agent so he would have the authority to negotiate a deal on your behalf. He would then fill in the terms of the contract above your signature, signed beforehand. Obviously, to give someone carte blanche, you would have to trust him completely.
Are you willing to trust the Lord so completely that you would give him carte blanche with your life? That you would accept whatever he decides? That you would follow, that you would go wherever he leads?
We don’t know what the future holds. We may be apprehensive about the unknown. We may worry that we might not be up for the task, that we will be inadequate, that we might not like the work or the place. It’s difficult to say, “I will follow” when we don’t know where he intends to lead us.
But if you want to hear the voice of God’s Spirit, it begins with trust. It begins with surrender. You must believe if God leads you, he will provide for you. If he calls you, he will equip you. If he puts you in harm’s way, he will give you the strength and courage you need to face the challenge.
To hear the Spirit and keep in step with the Spirit, you must surrender. You must trust. You must give Jesus carte blanche—trust him enough to sign on the dotted line even before the contract is written in.
Surrender first. Then you can listen and begin to hear the voice of the Spirit.
Sometimes we hesitate to follow the Spirit because we’re just not that confident. We’re not quite sure that we’ve actually heard from him: “Is that really you speaking, Lord? Or is that just something in my head—my own thoughts and desires—speaking?”
Obviously, we want to confirm God’s will before we act on it. We don’t want to assume God has spoken without checking to be sure we’ve actually heard from him—that we’re not just chasing our own ambitions.
We are warned about rushing to action without waiting for God. God gives us a lot of examples in the Bible of people who did their own thing without waiting to be sure it was God was directing them.
● Abraham hoped he could help God fulfill the promise he’d been given for a son. So he slept with his wife’s servant, Hagar.
● King Saul, trying to rally his discouraged troops, took matters into his own hand and offered a sacrifice to the Lord, instead of doing as he had been told and waiting for the prophet to come.
● David took a census of his fighting men so he would know the strength of his army, instead of trusting the Lord with his battles.
● Moses, upset and frustrated with all the grumbling of the people, hit the rock with his staff though God had said merely to speak to it.
● Peter whipped out his sword when Jesus was arrested, and cut off a man’s ear before Jesus told him to put it away.
● Paul rushed to judgment and banished Mark from the missionary team, causing a split between him and Barnabas, who later was able to restore Mark to ministry.
In each of these cases (and more) there were consequences for doing something (even good things) out of the will of God. So we may hesitate because we don’t want to make a mistake.
The danger is to hesitate indefinitely—to never step out in faith. So the second principle to listening to the Spirit and hearing God’s voice is:
2. Listen, get confirmation, then obey.
To be people of faith requires that we step out and take a risk. You cannot follow the leading of the Spirit without taking a risk!
It can be scary business to walk in the Spirit. It may feel like he’s walking you out on a limb. But if you know you’ve heard from God, then you’ve got to obey. You’ve got to be willing to take a risk!
So how do you know for sure that you’ve heard God speak? How do you listen? Key steps:
● Know God’s written Word. The Spirit will never lead you in a way that contradicts what the Bible says. If Scripture says something is wrong, then it’s wrong. Some people don’t read their Bible or don’t seek to understand their Bible, so they’re vulnerable to making mistakes. Others know the Bible but rationalize their way around its clear, straight-forward message.
● Be brain washed. Our minds are so cluttered by the things of this world, so warped by human ways of thinking.
As long as we are so heavily influenced by the world, hearing God’s voice will be like hearing a foreign language. It won’t make any sense! “Passt euch nicht dieser Welt an, sondern ändert euch, indem ihr euch von Gott völlig neu ausrichten lasst. Nur dann könnt ihr beurteilen, was Gottes Wille ist, was gut und vollkommen ist und was ihm gefällt.” In other words...
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Rom 12:2).
● Ask for confirmation. Sometimes (rarely) God confirms his will in a physical way—as he did for Gideon with the fleece or for the Israelites with the pillar of smoke and fire. Sometimes (rarely) God may confirm his will supernaturally through a dream or vision. More often God may confirm his will through spiritual gifts of knowledge, wisdom, or prophecy. Someone in the church—without knowing your situation—may give a word that is spot on for you.
● Watch for God’s opportunity. “15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Eph 5:15-17). If we see God already doing something, it’s not a big leap to get involved in what he is already doing.
A neighbor going through a crisis might say to you, “Ever since I got laid off, things are a mess at home. My wife is mad; my kids are out of control; my credit cards are maxed out. I really need a job.”
So what do you say at a time like that? That is an opportunity—God is already at work and now he’s given you an opening into your friend’s life. God often leads us by opening a door of opportunity—or closing the door to something we shouldn’t do. God can use circumstances, but there’s more to it than that...
● Keep knocking. Some doors that should open don’t automatically open—and you shouldn’t give up too quickly without know for sure. God’s will isn’t always the easiest thing. You might find yourself in trouble, in a fight, or in great need even though you’re in the center of God’s will. Think about what happened to Paul as he followed God’s purpose for his life. He wrote:
“ [I was] in prison...flogged...exposed to death...Five times I received...forty lashes minus one. Three times...beaten with rods, once...pelted with stones, three times... shipwrecked...constantly on the move...in danger from rivers...bandits...Jews...Gentiles...false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked” (1 Cor 11:23-27).
Who’s ready to sign up? God’s will is not guaranteed to be comfortable or automatic! To follow God’s will may require persistence—dogged determination. Jesus said, “Keep asking...keep seeking...keep knocking, and the door will be opened” (Matt 7:7).
Paul said, “a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me” (1 Cor 16:9).
● Seek godly counsel. Find friends who will be honest and truthful—not just friends who tell you what you want to hear. Make yourself accountable to someone who will keep you on track and continually draw you back to God’s ways. “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” (Prov 15:22).
“If you lead me, Lord, I will follow. Where you lead me, Lord, I will go.”
Why does the song say, “Heal me?” What does healing have to do with obeying God’s will and following his lead? We need a spiritual healing because our “sense of following” is sick! Without God’s healing touch on our spiritual eyes and ears, we are spiritually blind and spiritually deaf. We cannot hear his voice or see his way until he heals us internally. We need spiritual healing so our sense of following will work properly.
● Fear, like a cancer, needs to be surgically removed. The supernatural inner healing from the Holy Spirit makes us bold and courageous. When we are filled with the power of the Spirit, our fears are removed.
● Doubt, like an infection, needs to be cleansed and disinfected. The Holy Spirit heals us by a transfusion of faith. We learn to trust God. We believe that the Spirit will never lead us where God’s power cannot keep us. We have faith that God is in control, and we’re okay with whatever happens.
● A half-hearted commitment, like a defective heart, needs a heart transplant! When the power of the Spirit comes upon us, he replaces our luke-warm, mediocre, half-hearted commitment with a white-hot, full tilt, passion to give our all for God.
Will you allow God to work a healing in your spirit? Will you let the Spirit of God speak to your heart? Will you open your heart to surrender to his will, to listen for his will, to find confirmation of his will, and ultimately to obey his will? Will you keep in step with the Spirit?