Is God Speaking to You? Distinguishing Stillness from Subjectivity

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
which is Eden to Eternity.
[00:00:04] And we've been going through kind of the entire Bible, looking at maybe some less looked at parts of Scripture, trying to have a more whole understanding of what's going on in the Old Testament and how it relates to the New Testament.
[00:00:16] And I've really loved this series.
[00:00:17] Has anyone else loved this series?
[00:00:19] Okay, three other people.
[00:00:20] All right, good.
[00:00:22] It's been a lot of fun, very different series for us.
[00:00:26] And last week we talked about the judges.
[00:00:27] We talked about a group of people that were kind of the justice warriors for the Lord.
[00:00:33] And today we're also talking about a group of people you find all throughout the scripture, and that is the prophets.
[00:00:38] So I'm gonna put up, the prophets are all throughout the Bible.
[00:00:42] And we're gonna talk about what their role was and how this pertains to us today.
[00:00:47] So here highlighted in the yellow, these books feature prophets.
[00:00:51] So we're going to be here the next 12 hours talking about this.
[00:00:55] There's a lot of places you can go to.
[00:00:58] Prophets is something that God rose up over and over again.
[00:01:01] And they were individuals.
[00:01:03] And they also, I used to think of them as kind of the fortune tellers of Scripture.
[00:01:09] You know, they're the ones that come and tell you what's going to happen next.
[00:01:13] and that was part of what they did I mean there was an aspect to that but their role was actually much much larger than that they were also authors many of them wrote books that ended up in the Bible that you can see here some of the you maybe you've heard the idea of major prophets minor prophets and this is only this isn't based on their works or how significant their works were this is based on simply the size of the book that they wrote that they contributed to the Bible but the number of prophets is far more than this this is just the prophets that wrote books that ended up
[00:01:43] In the scripture.
[00:01:45] And so, you know, there's debate about who you actually consider a prophet, but what I want to focus on is the role of prophets first.
[00:01:54] And God spoke plainly to Moses about the role that prophets would have.
[00:01:58] He spoke this to Moses while they were still in the desert, the nation of Israel, before they even took their land.
[00:02:04] He explained to him, I will raise up for them, the people, a prophet like you from among their brothers, and I will put my words in his mouth, that's important, hold on to that, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
[00:02:21] Now, so it's pretty clear they're gonna be the mouthpiece for the Lord.
[00:02:25] They're gonna draw near to the Lord, the Lord's gonna speak to them, and then these prophets will go and deliver the news, whether that's to the leaders, whether that's to the people as a whole.
[00:02:34] They'll get direct line to God because sin has separated us so that many people didn't have that direct line to God.
[00:02:45] The prophets were kind of the mouthpiece for the Lord in the Old Testament.
[00:02:49] he goes on to explain some other rules around the prophets because my first thought was always like well what if a prophet you know just decides to go rogue and start start with their own messages right lord answers that but the prophet who presumes to speak even a word in my name that i have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods that same prophet shall die so that's how he dealt with that one right there he just there you go that's this is done
[00:03:18] I mean, that's some Spider-Man stuff right there.
[00:03:19] With great power comes great responsibility.
[00:03:21] You know what I'm saying?
[00:03:22] I mean, don't mess around if you're a prophet.
[00:03:26] So prophets were these mouthpieces.
[00:03:28] They would hear from the Lord, and then they'd
[00:03:32] bring the message to the people and here's the important thing you know this was necessary because sin separated people from god now we know this that today we live in a different time um prophets kind of have a different role now because the lord has made it so that jesus has atoned for sin
[00:03:54] Jesus has solved the sin problem.
[00:03:58] The scripture says plainly that Jesus took on the weight of our sin.
[00:04:03] Jesus took on the burden of our sin, the consequences of our sin as he died on the cross.
[00:04:11] That's why one of the last things Jesus said to his father was, why have you forsaken me?
[00:04:16] Because Jesus himself was separated from God because he had the weight of sin.
[00:04:22] He died with that sin.
[00:04:23] who raised from the dead to show that even sin isn't greater than him, has no authority over him.
[00:04:29] And so as a result, you and I as Christians, when we put our faith in Jesus and say, yes, Jesus is Lord, we don't have the weight or the shame of sin that separates us from God anymore.
[00:04:41] We can hear from God ourselves.
[00:04:43] And so in many ways, I want you to understand this, church, while prophets,
[00:04:48] We're a very specific, unique, set-apart group of people in the Old Testament.
[00:04:52] As a Christian, you've actually taken on some of the roles of prophets.
[00:04:58] You have a responsibility to draw near to God, to hear the voice of God, and to apply it to your own life, and to help others see it as well.
[00:05:09] Now let me be clear about this, because I don't want anything crazy happening around here.
[00:05:13] This does not mean you are to go around and be like, I am prophet Eric.
[00:05:17] You shall listen to me.
[00:05:18] Well, we will go to Chick-fil-A for lunch today, family.
[00:05:22] You know, I mean, let's just, let's keep it, I'm not calling all of you prophets, because I don't want, you know, I don't, there could be debate about all that.
[00:05:34] What I'm saying is you definitely have some of the responsibilities of a prophet.
[00:05:37] And so, it's important.
[00:05:40] Maybe you're here today and you've sensed, maybe at some point in your life, a nudge from God, or you've sensed some sort of calling from God, or you've sensed, God's trying to communicate something to me here, but have struggled to figure out real clarity around that.
[00:05:56] You ever been there before?
[00:05:57] Can I get an amen?
[00:05:59] Come on church, I know you've been, it can't just be me that feels that way.
[00:06:02] You ever felt a nudge from God or a call from God, but you're not exactly sure what it all means?
[00:06:08] You're not exactly sure what, you know, is that God?
[00:06:12] You're trying to figure out, is that really from God?
[00:06:14] Can I get an amen if you've been there before?
[00:06:16] Thank you.
[00:06:17] Thank you.
[00:06:18] We've been there before, right?
[00:06:20] And so the struggle is, what does the voice of God really sound like?
[00:06:26] This is why we're always looking for signs.
[00:06:28] Many of us, we go around literally just looking for signs.
[00:06:32] We'll open our Bibles and just randomly point to something and read it and say, this must be true for my life.
[00:06:39] I remember doing that as a kid.
[00:06:41] I always aimed for the back half of the Bible.
[00:06:43] Wanted to get a New Testament verse in there, not an Old Testament verse.
[00:06:47] Don't want one of those.
[00:06:49] you know or or we literally are looking for a sign you know like literally we're looking at all the commercials that pop up or a text message that comes in through we're looking for a sign god you got to send me a sign you ever prayed that prayer before how do i know this is the voice of god and today we're going to talk about how do you really hear the voice of god
[00:07:09] If you've got your Bibles, we're going to be opening up to 1 Samuel chapter 3.
[00:07:13] And Samuel is one of my favorite prophets.
[00:07:17] Samuel is a very significant prophet because he is the prophet who first anoints the first two kings of Israel.
[00:07:25] And we're going to talk about kings next week, but...
[00:07:29] The nation of Israel decides they want kings, and God tells Samuel who to select as these first two kings, which would be Saul and David one day.
[00:07:38] But what we're studying today is before Samuel did any of that, when he was first called as a prophet, when he first heard the voice of the Lord.
[00:07:48] So check this out.
[00:07:50] 1 Samuel 3, verse 1.
[00:07:53] Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli.
[00:07:57] Eli was the priest.
[00:07:59] He was just a boy at this time.
[00:08:01] And the word of the Lord was rare in those days.
[00:08:05] There was no frequent vision.
[00:08:08] You know, I don't know if you've ever felt this way before.
[00:08:11] I'm sure you have.
[00:08:12] You've had these times, these windows in life where you just feel like God's not moving.
[00:08:17] You know, it's not that you stop believing in him, it's not that you stop worshiping him, maybe you keep going to church, but it just feels like I'm not hearing anything, you know?
[00:08:28] I'm not getting anything.
[00:08:30] And it's easy to read Scripture and feel like, well, God's just constantly speaking in the Bible.
[00:08:35] You know, He's part in the Red Sea every moment.
[00:08:38] He's doing a miracle.
[00:08:40] He's giving amazing victories.
[00:08:42] He's bringing healing.
[00:08:43] It's so easy to look and go, man, look at all these just miracle, miracle, miracle.
[00:08:48] Why don't I see that in my life?
[00:08:51] Well, first off, we have to understand the Old Testament spans thousands of years.
[00:08:57] And so you're getting all the highlights of that, but also you have to understand there are seasons where God is not booming loud voice.
[00:09:08] Scripture says that.
[00:09:09] I mean, this is what it says.
[00:09:10] It says, the word of the Lord was rare in those days.
[00:09:13] There was no frequent vision.
[00:09:16] But this story is to remind us that even while it feels like the Lord is silent, he is not far.
[00:09:21] Can I get an amen?
[00:09:24] Even if you're not hearing the loud booming voice, he's not far.
[00:09:29] At that time, Eli, whose eyes had begun to grow dim, he's again the priest and the mentor to Samuel, so he couldn't see.
[00:09:39] He was lying down in his own place.
[00:09:42] And the lamp of God, now this is important, the lamp of God would represent the presence of God while the light was still on.
[00:09:49] God's presence was there.
[00:09:51] The lamp of God had not yet gone out.
[00:09:54] And Samuel was lying down in the temple, tabernacle, right?
[00:09:57] This is before the temple temple was built.
[00:10:00] So tabernacle is a holy place is what it's really saying.
[00:10:05] At the tabernacle of the Lord where the ark of God was.
[00:10:08] Now think about that.
[00:10:09] The ark of God is there.
[00:10:10] This is the box that contained the Ten Commandments, contained Moses' staff, contained some of the most holy artifacts
[00:10:19] of this time.
[00:10:20] The Ark of the Covenant was considered one of the most holy things, items that was in existence.
[00:10:29] And so Samuel is literally sleeping next to this.
[00:10:33] Then the Lord called Samuel.
[00:10:35] And Samuel said, here I am.
[00:10:36] And he ran to Eli.
[00:10:39] And he said, here I am, for you called me.
[00:10:42] But Eli said, I didn't call you, lie down again.
[00:10:44] So he went and he laid down.
[00:10:47] And the Lord called again, Samuel.
[00:10:50] Samuel arose, went to Eli again, and he said, here I am, you called me.
[00:10:54] He's thinking it's Eli over and over again.
[00:10:56] But Eli said, I didn't call you, my son, lie down again.
[00:10:59] Now look at this, verse seven, look at this.
[00:11:01] Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
[00:11:10] How interesting.
[00:11:11] You know, Samuel's doing all these great things, right?
[00:11:15] I mean, he is an apprentice, essentially, to the priest.
[00:11:19] He is around all these spiritual things.
[00:11:22] He is sleeping in the presence of the Ark of the Covenant, which is so incredibly holy.
[00:11:28] He's all around these spiritual things.
[00:11:30] He has spiritual mentors in his life.
[00:11:32] But the Scripture's really clear, but he didn't yet really know the Lord.
[00:11:38] And he didn't yet know
[00:11:40] The voice of the Lord.
[00:11:43] And so it's great that he's around all these things.
[00:11:45] It's actually a good thing.
[00:11:47] But he wasn't yet where God really wanted him to be.
[00:11:53] Reminds me of my soccer team when I was a kid.
[00:11:57] When I was a kid, I played for some really good soccer teams.
[00:11:59] I played for the Orange Team one year.
[00:12:03] the red team the blue team was really good too uh i played soccer eight years all that to say i did not play for like a high school or a college you know i played just the basic
[00:12:12] Soccer and I played for eight years it's the sport I played the most um and and I mean I would try really hard I'd give my best at every practice I always tried my hardest at the game um but I never got really good at soccer if I'm being honest I was an okay goalie um but I skill position wise I was not good at it like at all I remember looking around being like I should be better at this by now you know you ever you ever have that moment you're like why am I still bad at this like
[00:12:41] But I just kept playing soccer.
[00:12:42] I mean, I literally played like eight years, you know.
[00:12:45] But the truth is, I didn't love soccer, you know.
[00:12:49] Nobody was forcing me to play.
[00:12:51] It's just what I always did, and I always knew.
[00:12:53] So when it came time to sign up for soccer, I signed up for soccer game.
[00:12:55] But I'd come home, and I'd throw a baseball into the front steps.
[00:12:59] They were concrete.
[00:13:00] It's okay.
[00:13:00] I was allowed to do this.
[00:13:02] I would dribble a basketball in my driveway.
[00:13:04] I'd throw a football up in the air, and I'd do it for hours at a time.
[00:13:08] But I would never break out a soccer ball.
[00:13:10] Like, I just never.
[00:13:11] Really did it.
[00:13:12] I wasn't that interested in it.
[00:13:14] And yet, I just kept playing soccer.
[00:13:16] And so, eight years in, I'm looking around, I'm like, I'm still one of the worst kids on all these teams consistently.
[00:13:24] I was getting better because I'd give my best at practices and games, but I was never gonna excel at it.
[00:13:31] And it wasn't just because I didn't have the skills, it's because I just didn't really invest in it beyond a one-hour practice once a week.
[00:13:40] All right, you know where I'm going with this one.
[00:13:42] Come on, church.
[00:13:44] You know, it's so easy, isn't it?
[00:13:47] To be around good things, to be around good people,
[00:13:53] and think that that's gonna be enough.
[00:13:56] We come to church and we come to really a service and we might really come with the intention of I wanna experience the Lord in worship, I'm gonna worship, I'm gonna really pay attention to the message, I'm gonna try to apply some of these things to my life.
[00:14:10] And you'll get some stuff out of it.
[00:14:12] You will grow some, there is no doubt.
[00:14:16] But that's not God's end goal for you.
[00:14:18] And you know what?
[00:14:19] You can be around great people.
[00:14:20] You should be in a life group.
[00:14:21] Let me encourage you.
[00:14:22] Being in a life group is a game changer for your faith.
[00:14:25] But that's not God's end goal for you either.
[00:14:29] God's end goal for Samuel before anything else is that he would hear and know his voice.
[00:14:36] And His end goal for you is not that you would plug into a church.
[00:14:42] His end goal for you is not just that you would find a life group.
[00:14:45] His end goal for you is not happiness or that you'd find the right job.
[00:14:47] His end goal for you is not even the treasures of heaven.
[00:14:50] The desire that God has before anything else is that His people would know His voice and walk with Him.
[00:14:59] Look at this, Jesus says it plainly.
[00:15:01] This goes all the way forward into the New Testament.
[00:15:04] Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.
[00:15:12] I give them eternal life.
[00:15:14] and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
[00:15:18] Church, can I tell you, that's what the Lord would want for you more than anything else, that you would know His voice.
[00:15:23] All the Old Testament points back to it, this desire to get back to what Adam and Eve had.
[00:15:29] They walked in the garden and knew the voice of their God.
[00:15:33] And then it's been a whole story of how we've drifted away from knowing the voice of God.
[00:15:40] So how, okay, how do I know the voice of God though?
[00:15:43] Look what happens next.
[00:15:45] The Lord called Samuel again a third time.
[00:15:49] And he arose and he went to Eli again and said, Here I am, for you called me.
[00:15:55] Then Eli perceived that the Lord was actually calling the boy.
[00:16:00] You know, it's funny because this is the same thing that we do as well.
[00:16:04] You know, the temptation is when we sense that God's calling us to something, we want to go have somebody else tell us what God's saying.
[00:16:13] We want to know because maybe we don't trust ourselves or we're not sure where else to turn.
[00:16:19] So oftentimes we go to a pastor or we go to a mentor or a trusted friend.
[00:16:25] That's on a good day.
[00:16:26] Sometimes we just go to Google and we try to see if Google can help us out.
[00:16:30] We want somebody else to tell us clearly what's going on.
[00:16:34] And look, I'm not even saying that's wrong or bad.
[00:16:37] That would be weird if I was saying like, don't go to your pastor, leave me alone.
[00:16:42] That's not what I'm saying at all.
[00:16:44] But what I'm saying is the Lord wanted to speak directly to Samuel.
[00:16:50] He did.
[00:16:51] He did not want to speak to Samuel through Eli.
[00:16:53] That wasn't his goal.
[00:16:55] He wanted Samuel to draw close to him and to hear his voice.
[00:16:59] And you'll see that in a second.
[00:17:01] So listen, if you've ever come to me and said, Will, I feel like, I have this conversation often, I feel like God's maybe calling me to this or that, or God's calling me out of this job, or God's calling me to this relationship, or God's calling me to marry this person.
[00:17:16] And then they'll say,
[00:17:18] Do you think, you know, you tell me, is this what the Lord is saying to me?
[00:17:25] And I, if you've ever had that conversation with me, you've been disappointed, right?
[00:17:29] I mean, maybe you've, because that's not what I do.
[00:17:32] You know, I don't like sit here and say, oh, this is what God's saying to you.
[00:17:37] I know it for sure.
[00:17:38] You know, earlier the scripture said that a prophet who says it's a word from the Lord and it's not, they will be put to death.
[00:17:44] You know, they will die right then and there.
[00:17:46] So don't kill me, please.
[00:17:47] Stop asking stuff like that.
[00:17:49] Here's a confession.
[00:17:52] I just want you to hear this plainly.
[00:17:54] I do not have some special access to the Lord that you do not have.
[00:18:01] The Lord does not answer my prayers within 30 seconds of my prayers.
[00:18:06] I don't get to just ask the Lord something and he tells me within 20 seconds what I'm looking for.
[00:18:14] I don't have some special power I don't have some special ability to conjure the voice of God into my life instantly whenever I want it it's not how it works now I'm not saying the Lord hasn't spoken to me I'm not saying there haven't been times that someone's come seeking something the Lord's given me something that I know is not from me I'm not saying that never happens but
[00:18:37] To say that's how it works, it always has to be done through somebody else.
[00:18:42] That's not accurate.
[00:18:44] That's not what Jesus died for.
[00:18:46] Jesus died so that you would be able to have a relationship with him directly, that you would be able to come approach your God, come to the throne room with boldness knowing that Jesus Christ has atoned for my sin and fixed my sin problem.
[00:19:03] When I became the lead pastor, I said this plainly, I believe I said it on stage.
[00:19:07] I said, look guys, I'm not your shepherd.
[00:19:10] I don't believe you have a good shepherd.
[00:19:12] Can I get an amen?
[00:19:14] The scripture says, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
[00:19:17] You already have a great shepherd.
[00:19:19] That's not my role.
[00:19:20] My role, I have always viewed myself as the sheepdog.
[00:19:23] You know, if you're wondering what the role of a sheepdog is.
[00:19:26] When the sheep start doing something they're not supposed to do, the sheepdog comes and barks at them.
[00:19:31] And that's what I view my role as.
[00:19:34] I can't sit there and say exactly what the Lord is saying to you.
[00:19:39] Sometimes the Lord wants to meet with you.
[00:19:41] Sometimes the Lord is speaking to you.
[00:19:44] Maybe you're going, okay, well, that's great, but how do I know?
[00:19:47] Part of my role is to definitely help point to what does Scripture actually say?
[00:19:52] Does this line up?
[00:19:53] Or how to pursue the voice of God?
[00:19:57] But there are so many times I can't tell you, oh, the Lord told me who you're supposed to marry.
[00:20:04] Look at this.
[00:20:06] Therefore,
[00:20:07] So Eli, I always think of this scripture when that happens.
[00:20:10] Therefore Eli said to Samuel, go lie down.
[00:20:12] He doesn't say, this is what God wants to say to you.
[00:20:15] He says, go lie down.
[00:20:17] If he calls you, you shall say, speak, Lord, for your servant hears.
[00:20:23] So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
[00:20:26] And the Lord came and stood just as he did the other times.
[00:20:30] Samuel, Samuel.
[00:20:32] And Samuel said, speak for your servant
[00:20:37] Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.
[00:20:40] Then the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.
[00:20:51] The Lord had a special message just for Samuel that he wanted Samuel to bring to the people as his role as a prophet.
[00:21:01] But isn't it interesting that the Lord doesn't just force this message on Samuel?
[00:21:08] The Lord doesn't even really speak this message to Samuel until Samuel says, speak, Lord, your servant is listening.
[00:21:15] You know, God could have just as easily shown up and been like, Samuel, wake up, we got a plan.
[00:21:20] Here's what we're doing, buddy.
[00:21:22] He could have done it that way, but that's not what he does.
[00:21:26] He just says, Samuel, and he waits.
[00:21:32] And Samuel goes running around looking for where this voice is coming from, Samuel.
[00:21:37] and then he waits.
[00:21:39] Four times, Samuel.
[00:21:42] Until finally Samuel says, speak Lord, your servant is listening and that's when the Lord speaks clearly to him.
[00:21:50] You know this concept is all throughout scripture.
[00:21:53] It's this idea of just clearing out all the noise
[00:21:59] It's when Samuel doesn't have any preconceived notions, doesn't have any agendas, when his mentor just says to him, just listen, just stop and just listen and tell him you're listening and he'll speak.
[00:22:17] This is the difference between prophets and kings or judges.
[00:22:21] God uses all these people.
[00:22:22] Have you ever noticed God uses broken people?
[00:22:24] Have you ever seen God use someone and you're like, why is God using that person?
[00:22:27] Come on now, they're messed up a little bit.
[00:22:29] Can I get an amen?
[00:22:31] Oh, man, you guys were ready to judge someone on that in your heart, okay.
[00:22:36] We were good with that, amen.
[00:22:38] We weren't as comfortable when we were talking about struggles that we have, but man, yeah, I've had that one, I get it, I get it.
[00:22:47] God uses all these different people all throughout scripture he uses judges and a lot of the judges don't seem like good people if you go read their story you're like that that seems not like not a very good person but but yet god uses them but the difference between a judges and the kings is the lord anoints them the lord selects them and then they like go off and do their thing you know and sometimes it almost feels like they don't even really look back and ever seek the lord again they're just like i'm a warrior now for god and they just go off to the battlefield or
[00:23:15] I'm the king now and I'm in charge and they just go on leading.
[00:23:19] The difference between the prophets and these other people is the prophets consistently have to come back to the Lord and draw near to the Lord and seek the Lord and seek the voice of God and have to deliberately be intentional to slow down and hear the voice of God.
[00:23:38] Look at this.
[00:23:41] God said this about the prophets.
[00:23:44] He said this to the nation of Israel.
[00:23:45] He said, hear my words.
[00:23:47] If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make myself known to him in a vision.
[00:23:53] I speak with him in a dream.
[00:23:57] He says, I have a different relationship with Moses.
[00:23:59] He's faithful in all my house.
[00:24:01] With him, I speak plainly, mouth to mouth, clearly, and not, look at this, in riddles.
[00:24:07] And he beholds the form of the Lord.
[00:24:09] He even acknowledges here, this is not a slam on prophets.
[00:24:12] He acknowledges that his relation with prophets is, he doesn't just like come out and be like, this is what you're doing now.
[00:24:18] You know, this is the job you need to have.
[00:24:21] He speaks in riddles.
[00:24:22] He says dreams and visions.
[00:24:25] Why?
[00:24:26] Because then the prophet has to draw near to God, has to seek God.
[00:24:31] He wants them to draw near to him.
[00:24:36] And so church, for so many of us, I know we go through times where we maybe hear a word from God.
[00:24:45] Maybe we get an idea that we feel like maybe that's from God.
[00:24:48] Or we feel a calling from God.
[00:24:51] And we'll start scrambling around, trying to figure out.
[00:24:56] And my question is, how often do we slow down and actually do the second part of this story and say, speak Lord, your servant is listening.
[00:25:04] How often do we just slow down and just shut it all down and really seek, is this from God?
[00:25:13] God, I'm coming to you, I'm knocking, I'm asking, I wanna understand.
[00:25:18] It's so important that we get this.
[00:25:20] This is not just a principle in this one story.
[00:25:22] This is a principle all throughout Scripture, Old Testament, New Testament.
[00:25:27] This idea of shutting it all down, slowing it all down, and just seeking the voice of the Lord in your life.
[00:25:34] And no one else can do this for you.
[00:25:37] Only you can do this for you.
[00:25:40] Jesus, his ministry, the bulk of his ministry was essentially three years.
[00:25:45] When he did the miracles and the teachings, it was three years.
[00:25:49] And you know how he started that three-year journey?
[00:25:52] He started with 40 days in the desert, just sitting alone with him and God, praying and fasting.
[00:25:59] I want you to think about that.
[00:26:00] If you were told you've got three years left here on earth,
[00:26:04] You're gonna be here three more years.
[00:26:05] You got a lot to accomplish.
[00:26:07] Would you start that three years by doing 40 days of nothing?
[00:26:13] Most of us, no way.
[00:26:14] We'd start putting our plan together.
[00:26:15] We'd start moving.
[00:26:16] We'd start going.
[00:26:17] We'd pray as we go, but we'd never slow down.
[00:26:21] And how Jesus did it was he literally spent 40 days alone, praying and fasting.
[00:26:28] This is all through scripture.
[00:26:29] In the Old Testament, Jonah, Jonah was running away from God.
[00:26:33] He wouldn't stand still.
[00:26:34] He wouldn't slow down and listen.
[00:26:36] So you know what God did?
[00:26:37] He had him swallowed by a whale.
[00:26:40] And he said, now you will listen.
[00:26:44] Elijah, after his greatest victory, begins to run away and struggle.
[00:26:50] And the Lord continuously slows him down.
[00:26:53] He says, eat, drink, slow down, listen for my voice.
[00:26:58] Daniel was committed to a time of prayer.
[00:27:01] It's what put him in a lion's den eventually.
[00:27:03] He would close the door.
[00:27:05] He'd find his quiet place and spend time with the Lord.
[00:27:10] This idea, it's not just in the stories, it's also in the law and what the teachings are.
[00:27:16] The Sabbath day, one day a week.
[00:27:18] I mean, the Sabbath is like the ultimate proof that no matter what God asks us to do, we're gonna rebel against it.
[00:27:23] Can I get an amen?
[00:27:25] God's like, hey, I want you to take one day and do nothing.
[00:27:28] That's all you dream of doing all the time.
[00:27:31] And we're like, I can't do that.
[00:27:34] He says, take one day a week.
[00:27:36] Don't worry about all the things that need to get done and just be still.
[00:27:40] and just be in my presence and be still.
[00:27:42] Or fasting.
[00:27:44] You know, fasting, God doesn't ask us to fast because he likes to torture us.
[00:27:48] I know for some of you, like, that's torture.
[00:27:49] You're like, God's not like, hey, I'm gonna give you a new command.
[00:27:52] I want you to be miserable.
[00:27:53] You're gonna fast for a while, you know?
[00:27:55] Why fast?
[00:27:57] Well, because I don't know if we talk about anything more than money and food in our life.
[00:28:02] Can I get an amen?
[00:28:03] Like every day you have this conversation.
[00:28:05] Tell me if this is true.
[00:28:06] What are we doing tonight for dinner?
[00:28:08] You know, like that conversation is every single day.
[00:28:12] And so what does fasting do?
[00:28:13] It takes that off the table.
[00:28:15] There's one less thing to worry about.
[00:28:16] It reminds us that, just like Jesus said, man is nurtured on more than food alone, but on the Spirit of God is what fills us, right?
[00:28:25] And so it's taking that off the table so that life is just a little simpler.
[00:28:29] Why?
[00:28:30] So I can focus.
[00:28:32] So I can really seek the Lord.
[00:28:34] I want you to see this.
[00:28:39] This is from Habakkuk.
[00:28:41] He's also a prophet.
[00:28:43] And he talks about seeking the Lord, seeking stillness with God.
[00:28:47] He says, I will take my stand at my watch post and station myself on the tower and look out to see what he will say to me.
[00:28:56] He's searching.
[00:28:57] What's the voice of God say?
[00:28:59] And what I will answer concerning my complaint.
[00:29:02] And what I will answer concerning my complaint.
[00:29:05] And the Lord answered me.
[00:29:07] Write the vision.
[00:29:09] Make it plain on tablets so he may run who reads it.
[00:29:14] For still the vision awaits its appointed time.
[00:29:18] It hastens to the end.
[00:29:20] It will not lie.
[00:29:21] If it seems slow, let's read this together, church.
[00:29:24] If it seems slow, wait for it.
[00:29:28] It'll surely come.
[00:29:30] It will not delay.
[00:29:32] This idea is over and over again.
[00:29:35] We want God to speak now, loudly, as we're going.
[00:29:41] You know?
[00:29:41] I mean, even the way we do our quiet times.
[00:29:43] We do them on our phones, right?
[00:29:45] Where we're getting emails the whole quiet time, or text messages.
[00:29:49] Have you ever had that happen to you before?
[00:29:51] You're trying to do good, and then an email starts popping through, a text message starts popping through, and you're like, well, Lord, I tried.
[00:30:02] We want God to speak loudly now.
[00:30:05] I'm giving you a 15-minute window, God.
[00:30:07] You better answer.
[00:30:08] This has been convicting to me because in Scripture we see it over and over again.
[00:30:12] They would take 40 days, 40 years in the desert.
[00:30:16] 40 is a significant number, by the way.
[00:30:20] When's the last time we just took 40 minutes to really be still, to really listen?
[00:30:28] to have the cry of our hearts speak, Lord, your servant is listening.
[00:30:32] I get it, you're sitting here going, Will, what are you asking me to do, take 40 days off work?
[00:30:35] I mean, I'll ask my job, but I don't know if they're gonna do that.
[00:30:39] I'll ask my kids to take care of themselves for 40 days so I can, you know, it's not gonna work.
[00:30:45] I get it, our culture's not built that way, but it's the principle.
[00:30:49] Being intentional about finding time where things are quiet.
[00:30:54] We're so consumed with doing something and then the moment things get still, we turn on Netflix.
[00:31:00] We open an app.
[00:31:02] We get music on.
[00:31:04] We're so rarely still and silent and the Lord speaks.
[00:31:09] Can I just encourage you?
[00:31:10] You're here today and maybe you felt a nudge from God.
[00:31:13] You felt a call from the Lord and you've gone, I don't know what else to do with that.
[00:31:17] I'm waiting for God to make that more clear.
[00:31:20] I want to encourage you to find a quiet place to close the door and say, Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.
[00:31:27] And then just be.
[00:31:32] I want you to check out this family.
[00:31:33] This is family from the Cove, Kevin and Joe, and they're amazing.
[00:31:38] You might recognize them.
[00:31:39] Kevin has served on our worship at Denver for years, and he's served here at Mooresville on our band.
[00:31:47] And Jo has been super active in missions over the years.
[00:31:51] And Jo went to South Africa and while she was there, she just felt this immense call like this is home.
[00:31:59] Like she was like, I couldn't, it was that nudge, you know, that feeling of like, I don't know how to explain it.
[00:32:04] This feels more like home than anything else.
[00:32:06] And she came home and she told her husband about it.
[00:32:09] And her husband said the same thing probably most us husbands would say is that that's awesome.
[00:32:14] I love that.
[00:32:15] But it's not like we're moving to South Africa or anything.
[00:32:18] Can I just warn you husbands, if you ever say something like, it's not like we're moving to South Africa or anything to your wife, you will probably be moving to South Africa and other things, all right?
[00:32:31] They began to talk about it.
[00:32:33] Kevin went out on the mission field as well.
[00:32:35] And it was like, all right, this is happening.
[00:32:39] We're gonna sell our stuff and move to South Africa.
[00:32:43] That crazy thing that we always hope to hear.
[00:32:47] Don't worry, God's not gonna call you to do that.
[00:32:49] They were like, we're supposed to do that.
[00:32:52] They came home, they put together this plan, they're now playing music and teaching kids through music.
[00:33:00] Kevin's a great teacher and Joe had this vision, this whole mapped out, written out vision of what a ministry could look like to use music to teach kids and connect kids and make kids a part of something and ultimately teach kids about the love of God through music and through being part of musical groups.
[00:33:21] And I remember when Joe
[00:33:35] God brought this plan to me, her and Kevin, and they said, we want to share a little more about this ministry with you.
[00:33:41] And they showed me kind of their blueprint and their plan.
[00:33:45] And they kept, Joe specifically kept saying stuff like, you know, God said to me that this is how to do it.
[00:33:53] God told me this is how to do it.
[00:33:54] And you know, have you ever had someone say something like that and you go, can you define that for me, you know?
[00:34:00] Like, what do you mean God said to you?
[00:34:04] You know, when I was asking her about that, not to criticize, but I was just genuinely curious, like, was this in a dream?
[00:34:11] And she said, you know, I know this is gonna sound weird.
[00:34:16] She said, but I'm a big believer in closing the door, and I have my little prayer closet, and I went into my prayer closet with my Bible and with my journal, and that was it.
[00:34:30] And she said, and I sat there and I just spent the day in there, hours in there, just me and God, just talking, just seeking.
[00:34:38] I knew this was something he was calling me to and I didn't know what it all was gonna look like.
[00:34:42] And he just so clearly was giving it to me.
[00:34:44] I mean, just telling me what to do.
[00:34:46] Sometimes in an audible voice, sometimes vision, just,
[00:34:49] and I was just writing it down, just writing down whatever the Lord was giving me.
[00:34:54] And she said, and this is basically it.
[00:34:57] I mean, I cleaned it up, I organized it and put it all together, but the Lord just was so clear and said, I've never had that happen, but I just spent the day just alone, me and God, and just saying, God, what is this supposed to be?
[00:35:08] I don't know what this is supposed to look like.
[00:35:11] And the Lord spoke.
[00:35:13] Can I just tell you, I know we're quick to say, well, the Lord won't speak to you like that.
[00:35:16] You probably won't hear an audible voice.
[00:35:18] And maybe you won't, but the Lord still speaks to his people today.
[00:35:23] Can I get an amen?
[00:35:27] And maybe for you, that's just been a word so far.
[00:35:29] That's okay, that's a good start.
[00:35:32] But would you slow down and say, Speak, Lord, your servant's listening.
[00:35:38] Look at it.
[00:35:39] And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and let none of his words fall to the ground.
[00:35:47] All Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord and the Lord appeared again at Shiloh for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh and by the word of the Lord.
[00:36:05] Now Samuel recognized the word of the Lord.
[00:36:08] Now Samuel knew what the voice of God sounded like.
[00:36:11] And here's the thing.
[00:36:12] God called Samuel to some really hard things, too.
[00:36:15] I wanna be clear.
[00:36:17] The word of God is good, but sometimes it's challenging.
[00:36:21] Maybe for some of you, you haven't gotten serious about really sitting silent and saying, speak, Lord, your servant is listening, because you know God's gonna call you on some things.
[00:36:30] You know there's some things that maybe you don't wanna hear from the Lord about.
[00:36:33] You ever been there before?
[00:36:34] Can I get an amen?
[00:36:36] Oh, you don't amen that one as loud, do you?
[00:36:42] We can hide from the Lord.
[00:36:44] The Lord called Samuel, first thing to do, to call out Eli on some of his shortcomings.
[00:36:49] That's not a fun job.
[00:36:51] That's his mentor.
[00:36:53] The Lord told Samuel to anoint the first king and then later told Samuel, you're gonna step down, the first king.
[00:37:00] Broke Samuel's heart.
[00:37:02] The Lord would call Samuel to some really challenging things for the people of Israel.
[00:37:06] The Lord would call Samuel to some really challenging things in his own life.
[00:37:10] But at the end of the day, every message the Lord ever had for Samuel was for the good of Samuel and for the good of the nation of Israel, and ultimately was used for good.
[00:37:21] Can I just tell you, yes, the Lord might challenge you to some hard things.
[00:37:26] Some things you maybe don't want to hear in the moment, but it ultimately is always for good.
[00:37:35] You don't have to fear the voice of the Lord.
[00:37:39] But I want to encourage you to get serious about seeking the voice of the Lord.
[00:37:43] This is the thing, no great teaching can make you do it.
[00:37:46] Nothing can make you do it other than your desire to really seek and know the voice of the Lord in your life.
[00:37:55] Would you make that commitment to get serious about being in silence?
[00:38:00] Not always going, not always doing the next thing.
[00:38:03] Maybe this week, just setting aside time on your calendar.
[00:38:06] I'm gonna be still in a closed off place.
[00:38:11] I'm gonna set the kids up with something and I'm just gonna go be still with the Lord.
[00:38:21] It's uncomfortable to be still, amen?
[00:38:25] But this week, would you prioritize?
[00:38:27] I wanna know the voice of the Lord.
[00:38:30] Let me pray for us.
[00:38:31] Father God, we thank you so much that you would send your Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for our sin, to take away the weight and the shame of sin so that we can come to you and know you personally.
[00:38:48] We thank you so much for the prophets and the way you would speak to them.
[00:38:52] You speak plainly to them.
[00:38:55] and speaking riddles to them sometimes.
[00:38:59] But that ultimately you draw these people close to yourself so that they would know you, know your voice.
[00:39:07] And God, we know that that's your desire for your people, that we would know your voice.
[00:39:12] I'm sorry for the times that we just haven't taken that seriously.
[00:39:15] We haven't sought your voice.
[00:39:16] We've thought it's good enough to follow the rules and go to church and check the boxes, and we've stopped seeking.
[00:39:23] Before anything else, my one desire is to know the voice of the Lord in my life, and in my heart, and in my ears, and in my mind.
[00:39:36] And so God, speak, your servant is listening.
[00:39:40] Would you make that your prayer today?
[00:39:44] There are some things in my life, there are some places that I felt your nudge,
[00:39:51] I felt like you're doing something.
[00:39:53] I felt like you're calling me to something.
[00:39:56] And I haven't gotten serious about just sitting in your presence.
[00:40:00] I've looked for answers all over.
[00:40:03] I've sought advice.
[00:40:04] I've searched the internet.
[00:40:09] I've maybe in quick passings asked for answers, but Lord, I wanna get serious about just sitting in your presence and seeking you.
[00:40:22] Samuel, speak your servant is listening.
[00:40:29] I pray that we'd model that.
[00:40:34] You're here today and you've never known Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
[00:40:37] You've never had a personal relationship with the Lord.
[00:40:41] I want you to know God loves you.
[00:40:42] He sees you.
[00:40:43] He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for you.
[00:40:47] It is not just reserved for prophets, the voice of the Lord.
[00:40:50] It's not just reserved for pastors or priests, the voice of the Lord.
[00:40:55] He wants His children to know His voice.
[00:40:59] He wants you to know His voice.
[00:41:04] And that starts with receiving this truth that Jesus has died on the cross for my sins.
[00:41:12] He's taken away the weight and the shame of my sins, the consequences of my sins, so that I might stand before a perfect God and I would be holy and blameless, not because of my own perfection, but because of what Jesus has done.
[00:41:31] And so to start that relationship, it starts with believing in your heart.
[00:41:36] Jesus is Lord.
[00:41:38] Would you make this your prayer of your heart and of your mouth?
[00:41:42] Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for my sins.
[00:41:44] Thank you for loving me.
[00:41:46] And God, thank you so much that you have made a way for my sins to be dealt with.
[00:41:51] I'm not perfect.
[00:41:52] I need a savior.
[00:41:53] and thank you for Jesus.
[00:41:54] Thank you for the cross.
[00:41:56] I ask him to be my Lord and my Savior.
[00:41:58] And I wanna walk with you, God.
[00:42:00] I wanna know your voice.
[00:42:03] I wanna follow the callings you have on my life.
[00:42:07] I give my life to you as my Lord and Savior.
[00:42:10] It is not my own.
[00:42:12] It is yours.
[00:42:13] You are God.
[00:42:14] You are creator.
[00:42:16] You are good and your plans are good.
[00:42:19] And so God, I surrender all of myself to you and call you Lord.
[00:42:25] Thank you for Jesus.
[00:42:27] God, thank you for this church.
[00:42:29] I pray as a church, before anything else that we do, we would be known as a people that seeks the voice of the Lord.
[00:42:38] That's our desire.
[00:42:40] Not that we're the coolest, have the best service, not that we're the most religious, that before anything else,
[00:42:54] As a church, we'd be known as people that just truly seek the voice of you.
[00:43:01] That truly put finding your voice, finding your clarity above anything else.
[00:43:08] And so, Lord, speak.
[00:43:11] Your servant is listening.
[00:43:15] God, we love you.
[00:43:17] We thank you for Jesus and we come to you in his name.
[00:43:20] Amen.