River Church NOLA
July 21 God Still Speaks
  • Blessed Be Your Name
  • Goodness Of God
  • It Is You
  • Here's My Heart
  • ​
    Intro-
    We will begin 21 Days of Prayer on August 1st…
    Last Week, Fred did a great job talking about being ready to hear. We used the name Frequency for this short series because we want to be on God’s Frequency.
    John 10:3 NLT
    3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
    We are living in days where we need God to lead us out. He knows our name. A prepared heart is the heart that’s ready to hear from God. Repented heart, a refreshed heart, and a revived heart.
    Today we will talk … He Speaks to Me.
    God wants us to listen to him. We need God to speak and we need to hear him. So we will look at a passage in the Old Testament.
    While we are talking about prayer, let’s make sure we are praying for our nation… leaders and churches all over the place. We want to pray against the hate and anger that’s out there. We want to pray against racism from all directions. We pray for people’s hearts to be reached with the Gospel and people to follow the Lord.
    Pray...
    Look at your neighbor and tell them you are glad they came to church. Look at the person you didn’t choose and tell them, they look like they need some church…
    ​
    Hearing the Voice of God
    1 Samuel 3:1–11 NIV84
    1 The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. 2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. 6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 The Lord called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle.
    ​
    Samuel was about 12. He was still teachable. The Lord told Samuel that He was about to do something in Israel. God is an announcing God. He told Moses he was going to deliver Israel. He told the shepherds that he was sending the SOG.
    Of all the people he could have shared this with, he picks a 12 year old boy.
    1 Samuel 3:15 NIV
    15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,
    So in the morning, Samuel kept doing what he was supposed to do.
    Even though Samuel didn’t know how to hear from God… he didn't’ understand God, but he kept trying. He kept listening.
    It’s hard for us to realize that God wants to speak to us… not me with all my problems. We think that he only wants to talk to the elite… the pastors… those who seem to be spiritual… The problem is that we compare ourselves to other people… God doesn’t. He wants to speak to everyone. Listen, He wants to speak to you. He knows you didn’t read your Bible like you should have. He knows you said a word you should not have. He knows you put something on FB you should not have. He knows you didn’t pray enough… BUT with all of that he still speaks to you.
    God will repeat himself. Samuel missed it three times, but God spoke again. Thank God he spoke a 4th time. When you miss it, God will speak again.
    This passage let’s us know that if we will just be surrendered, we can hear from God.

    Ideas around Hearing God Speak

    I want to cut through the noise. I want to be in God’s frequency. I want to hear from God all the time.

    1. A humble heart ushers in the voice of God.

    Samuel had a humble, pliable and teachable heart. He had not figured out everything. A humble heart gives you fresh ears. It’s the prepared soil of God’s voice. When we are humble, we are the right kind of soil.
    He could have spoken to Eli but he had a lot going on and his sons were not living for the Lord. God didn’t speak to Eli or his kids… They were not humble and they were not living right. He spoke to a kid named Samuel.
    I don’t want to be old spiritually. I want to be young in the spirit… Childlike. Jesus wants to us to come to him like a child. He wants us to be pliable… teachable so that when we are confronted by God’s Word, we change.
    Being Child-like keeps our signal strength strong. Stay humble.

    2. Every verse speaks his voice.

    God speaks through every single verse in the Bible. When you read it and apply your faith to it, God works in your life. It’s a living relationship and he communicates with us.
    Relationships are built on communication. The number 1 thing realtionships are built is through communication. Our spiritual relationship is built on communication.
    People say, I haven’t heard the voice of God… have you read the voice of God. Get in the WORD and you will read the voice of God and might just hear the voice of God.

    3. Value His voice above all

    We talked about that we honor something by giving it weight. Give weight to God’s voice. We want to silence the other noise. Put his voice above the voice of Social Media… Culture…
    Samuel’s mom, Hannah, was a praying mom. She prayed for a son and God gave her one and she gave him to the Lord.
    It’s important for us to pray for our children and grand children…
    God is not a “hollerer.” We want God to shout, but he doesn’t always shout.

    We want God to turn up His voice and He’s wanting us to turn down our lives.

    A lot of time, he speaks in a whisper. During the 21 Days of prayer we want to spend extra time so that we can hear from God. We want to come out of 21 Days and be closer to God.

    4. Share what He says

    Samuel shared what he heard. If you have a word, share it… in love.
    Many people will hear your voice before they hear God’s voice. God may be speaking to you so that someone else can hear God. In September we will restart our small groups. Maybe God wants you to lead a group so God can speak to you and others.
    You may be here thinking that you have not heard from God. I want you to leave her believing that God wants to speak to you.

    5. Whatever He says to do, do it

    God speaks to us and he expects us to do what he tells us to do.
    Write this down

    Obedience is our love language to God

    When we obey God, it shows that we love God. It releases his destiny in our lives.
    John 14:15 NLT
    15 “If you love me, obey my commandments.
    ​
    When I disobey God, I find myself not doing what I need to do… wandering around with no purpose.
    1 Samuel 3:19–20 NLT
    19 As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. 20 And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.
    Samuel was recognized as a prophet because he had been faithful for a long period of time. God kept speaking to him.
    Conclusion
    Listen, God is still speaking today and he wants to speak to you. He called Samuel 4 times before Samuel answered. You haven’t missed it. God still wants you. He wants to give you another chance. He wants to speak to you.
    Salvation
    Story of resource class… GI Joe had been duck taped together
    He speaks to me in the fight because our Christian walk is not lived in a box, it’s lived in the back yard in the fight of life.
    Maybe you want a Fresh Start or a new beginning.... I asked Jesus into my heart because I did not have peace.

    Did you know that God wants you to have peace and life?

    God wants you and I to experience peace and life… a rich and satisfying life.
    Romans 5:1 NLT
    1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
    John 3:16 NIV84
    16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
    John 10:10 NLT
    10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

    So if God wants you and me to experience peace and life, why don’t we?

    It’s separation because of our choices. God created us in his image to live a rich and satisfying life, but he did not make us robots. He gave us the ability to choose… Free Will.
    We choose to disobey God and live our way. This results in separation from God.

    Our Choice results in separation from God.

    Romans 3:23 NLT
    23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
    Romans 6:23 NLT
    23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

    The problem is that we try to fix that with all sorts of things… Morality… Philosophy… Religion… Good works...

    People have tried to bridge the gap between us and God in many ways… All of these fail.
    Proverbs 14:12 The Living Bible
    12 Before every man there lies a wide and pleasant road that seems right but ends in death.
    Isaiah 59:2 NLT
    2 It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.

    God provided the only way to reach him and that’s through Jesus

    God’s bridge across the gap between us is Jesus… no one else.
    1 Timothy 2:5 NLT
    5 For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.
    1 Peter 3:18 NLT
    18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
    Romans 5:8 NLT
    8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

    God provided the way, but we have to make the choice to receive Jesus

    We must trust Jesus as Lord and Savior and receive him by personal invitation.
    Revelation 3:20 NLT
    20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.
    John 1:12 NLT
    12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
    Romans 10:9 NLT
    9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
    Where are you today?
    Are you away from God? Are you still trying to get there on your own? Are you ready to receive Jesus and experience the Peace of God… the rich and satisfying life?
    1. Admit you are a sinner
    2. Be willing to turn away from your sin (Repent)
    3. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross and rose from the dead
    4. Through a prayer, invite Jesus to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit. (Receive Him as Lord and Savior)
    Pray.
    Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe that you died form my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite you to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow you as Lord and Savior. In Jesus Name Amen.
    If you prayed this prayer, He has saved you and you are now his child.
    1 John 5:12–13 NLT
    12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. 13 I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.
    When you receive Jesus, you are reborn into his family by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit who now indwells you. That’s called regeneration.

      • John 10:3NLT

      • 1 Samuel 3:1–11NLT

      • 1 Samuel 3:15NLT

      • John 14:15NLT

      • 1 Samuel 3:19–20NLT

      • Romans 5:1NLT

      • John 3:16NLT

      • John 10:10NLT

      • Romans 3:23NLT

      • Romans 6:23NLT

      • Proverbs 14:12NLT

      • Isaiah 59:2NLT

      • 1 Timothy 2:5NLT

      • 1 Peter 3:18NLT

      • Romans 5:8NLT

      • Revelation 3:20NLT

      • John 1:12NLT

      • Romans 10:9NLT

      • 1 John 5:12–13NLT

River Church NOLA
robert@riverchurchnola.com
504-578-8317
https://riverchurchnola.com
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