God always has a plan.

 Acts 17:26 (NIV) From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.

His plan includes you.

 Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We are called to be his ministers both personally and corporately.

PERSONALLY: here are some things we can be doing.

 Create a top three list that you can be praying for daily and doing what you can to share the good news with them.

 Choose to be equipped to become better servants and messengers.

 GROW groups, SOUL Journaling, Going Deeper Discipleship Classes.

CORPORATELY:

 Serving in some area of ministry in the church.

 Giving so that we can constantly improve our presentation of the message.

 Inviting people to attend church on Sundays with you.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS

The question is not whether you have gifts, it is what are they and how can you use them in our church family to fulfill God's calling for us to multiply Christ-followers everywhere?

Gifts of the Father

Inherent tendencies that have been placed there by God when He created us. We are born with these basic gifts.

 Romans 12:3-8(NIV) ³For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. ⁴Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his^£ faith. ⁷If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Gifts of the Son

The gifts of the Son are also known as office gifts and are given for application within in the body of Christ – the church. They are for oversight and leadership in order to help equip the body of Christ so that they can mature in their walk with Christ and so that they can be effective ministers, fulfilling God's calling on their lives in an effective manner.

 Ephesians 4:11-15(NIV) ¹¹It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, ¹²to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. ¹⁴Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. ¹⁵Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given in order to profit the church and to give us power for the mission. They are available to any believer, given when the moment requires it.

 1 Corinthians 12:7-11(NIV) ⁷Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

You are important to the fulfilling of the purposes of God. If you are not using your gifts in the church body it means some other body part is working harder than it needs to in order to compensate for the missing part.

NEXT STEPS

Discovering your gifts

http://www.assessme.org/2106.aspx

Type in the link, create an account (it is free) then fill out the tests.

God always has a plan.

His plan includes you. He believes in you.

We have one life to live here on earth and we need to make it count for the things that matter.

In order to understand what matters we must remember that…

• Life on earth is a mere scratch in relation to our eternal existence.
• God has saved us and placed His message of good news in our hearts and left us here on the planet so that we can share the good news with others.

• Matthew 5:13 –Matthew 5:16 (TMSG) "Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

  "Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.

  If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

God has made you a minister and placed you where are you to be salt and light.

He has also placed you in a church family, by design, so that you can be equipped to be a full time minister as well as pool your resources to be more effective at preaching the gospel.

Ephesians 4:1 –Ephesians 4:13 (TMSG)

In light of all this, here's what I want you to do. While I'm locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere.

And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.

You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly.

You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.

But that doesn't mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift.

The text for this is,

He climbed the high mountain,

He captured the enemy and seized the booty,

He handed it all out in gifts to the people.

It's true, is it not, that the One who climbed up also climbed down, down to the valley of earth?

And the One who climbed down is the One who climbed back up, up to highest heaven. He handed out gifts above and below, filled heaven with his gifts, filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christians in skilled servant work, working within Christ's body, the church, until we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:14 –1 Corinthians 12:27 (TMSG)

I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn't just a single part blown up into something huge. It's all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together.

If Foot said, "I'm not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don't belong to this body," would that make it so? If Ear said, "I'm not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don't deserve a place on the head," would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.

But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn't be a body, but a monster.

What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, "Get lost; I don't need you"? Or, Head telling Foot, "You're fired; your job has been phased out"? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the "lower" the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it's a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn't you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?

The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.

You are Christ's body—that's who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your "part" mean anything.

What is this body at DSC supposed to be doing?

Multiplying Christ-followers everywhere.

Let's take a quick look at what the Good News again.

Good news:

We were created by God to be in relationship with Him. We were in unbroken fellowship with God.

There is no good news without bad news – the bad news is that Adam fell into sin and because of His sin all mankind after that was born separated from God.

More bad news: The penalty for our sin is death and hell. We are doomed to spend eternity separated from God and the fact is that no matter how hard we try we cannot get rid of the stain and guilt of sin on our own, we need a Savior.

Good news! God took initiative to rescue us. He became human in order to live the righteous life we are not able to live and then took our punishment for our sin on Himself by dying in our place. Then He rose again from the dead so that we too can be raised to a new life free from the penalty of sin.

Now, if we will believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and as the One who offers forgiveness of our sins, we will be saved from death and hell and given opportunity to have the relationship with God we were intended to have.

This gift of God is free, not based on anything we have done or will do – we are given freedom from sin totally based on the grace and mercy of God. We don't have to perform a bunch of good works to get it.

This boils down to people. God loves people. And you and I need to do what counts the most in relation to our entire lives both here on earth and in eternity. We do what we can both personally and corporately.

PERSONALLY:

Create a top three list that you can be praying for daily and doing what you can to share the good news with them.

Choose to be equipped to become better servants and messengers.

Corporately:

Serving in some area of ministry in the church.

Giving so that we can constantly improve our presentation of the message.

Invite people to attend church on Sundays with you.

Make you life count for what matters – telling people about the good news so that they can make a decision about Christ and restored relationship with the Father.

NEXT STEPS

Top three people.

Commit to reading and studying God's Word at least three to five times a week.

Serve in ministry in the church.

Accept Jesus as my Savior and Lord.

Sermon Audio

Jeremiah 1:4 –10 (NKJV)

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

      "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;

      Before you were born I sanctified you;

      I ordained you a prophet to the nations."

Then said I:

      "Ah, Lord GOD!

      Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth."

But the Lord said to me:

      "Do not say, 'I am a youth,'

      For you shall go to all to whom I send you,

      And whatever I command you, you shall speak.

      Do not be afraid of their faces,

      For I am with you to deliver you," says the Lord.

Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me:

      "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.

      See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms,

      To root out and to pull down,

      To destroy and to throw down,

      To build and to plant."

God does not do things randomly, He always has a plan.

• Acts 17:26 (NIV) From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.

• Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

God's plans includes us!

• John 15:16 (NIV) You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

He chose you.

He believes in you.

He has a plan that includes you.

He trusts you to be fruitful with your life.

Don't settle for anything less.

One of the reasons why God saved you.

He has kept us on planet earth so that you and I can be His messengers about the good news that eternal life with God is available to all who will call on His name.

• Romans 12:1 (ESV) ¹ I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Who are you and what are you doing here?

• Ephesians 4:11 –12 (NKJV) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

• 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV) But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

We are ministers. The ministry of multiplying Christ-followers everywhere is not the responsibility of a few professionals, it is the divine responsibility of all of us.

• Matthew 5:13 –Matthew 5:16 (TMSG) "Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

  "Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.

  If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

Follow Up

1. Read John 15:16. God chose each of us for a reason. If God were to tell you six things he wants your life to stand for, what would they be?
2. Why do you think God gave you certain gifts and placed you in a specific church?
3. What one thing would you like to accomplish for God before you die?
4. Who are you and what are you doing here?
5. We tend to forget who we are and what we are doing here. Why do you think that is so? What can we do to counteract it?
6. Do you agree that every member is a minister? Are you living as a minister?
7. How have you partnered with God and DSC this week to fulfill your calling to make and mature Christ-followers?

Unexpected happens!

Life is filled with the unexpected and many times we are unprepared for it!

Unexpected and unprepared in Jerusalem!

• Matthew 2:1-12(NIV) ¹After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ²and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east^£ and have come to worship him." ³When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ^£ was to be born. ⁵"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: ⁶"'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'^£" ⁷Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." ⁹After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east^£ went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. ¹²And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

3 CONSEQUENCES OF BEING UNPREPARED

1. FEAR.

• Matthew 2:1-3(TMSG) ¹After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory—this was during Herod's kingship—a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East. ²They asked around, "Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We're on pilgrimage to worship him." ³When word of their inquiry got to Herod, he was terrified—and not Herod alone, but most of Jerusalem as well.

2. INSECURITY.

• Matthew 2:4-7(TMSG) ⁴Herod lost no time. He gathered all the high priests and religion scholars in the city together and asked, "Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?" ⁵They told him, "Bethlehem, Judah territory. The prophet Micah wrote it plainly: ⁶It's you, Bethlehem, in Judah's land, no longer bringing up the rear. From you will come the leader who will shepherd-rule my people, my Israel." ⁷Herod then arranged a secret meeting with the scholars from the East. Pretending to be as devout as they were, he got them to tell him exactly when the birth-announcement star appeared.

3. DISHONESTY.

• ⁷Herod then arranged a secret meeting with the scholars from the East. Pretending to be as devout as they were, he got them to tell him exactly when the birth-announcement star appeared.

You can experience the unexpected and still be prepared.

THREE SECRETS FROM THE WISE MEN TO AVOID BEING UNPREPARED

1. Cultivate a DISCIPLINED heart.

• "Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We're on pilgrimage to worship him."

The wise men were on a mission to find Jesus and nothing was going to stand in their way.

2. Ask For Help

Preparation requires research.

In the middle of the journey they were willing to stop and ask for directions. They used all of their sources of knowledge available to them.

• "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

For us today God continues to give you directions on how to find Him…

• Through the Bible
• Through godly friends and family
• Through godly leaders
• Through impressions of the Holy Spirit
• Through the unexpected occurrences of silence and pain.

• Matthew 2:12(TMSG) ¹²In a dream, they were warned not to report back to Herod. So they worked out another route, left the territory without being seen, and returned to their own country.

3. Invest in the things that MATTER.

• Matthew 2:11(NIV) ¹¹On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

• Matthew 6:19-21(NIV) ¹⁹"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Life is filled with the unexpected and that is a gift from God.

It is in the unexpected moments that you will encounter the presence and power of God.

It is at the moments when we have come to the end of our rope, when we are in uncharted territory, where we are no longer able to lean on our understanding, that we discover the power and presence of God.

Reflection Questions

• Were you ever unprepared for something significant?
• What were the consequences?
• What would you do better to prepare yourself?
• What in your heart is "under training" (learning discipline)?
• What "sources" of knowledge do you need to access?
• Where are you primarily investing your time?

• Luke 2:8 –20 (NIV) And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

        "Glory to God in the highest,

        and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

  When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Good news of great joy

What exactly is this good news of great joy?

• Christ is born! God has come near!
• He came near so that He could be our Savior. Our deliverer.
• And though He became one of us He was still 100% God.

It was good news of great joy.

Great: megas

The message of the gospel should always be accompanied by great joy.

We preach by our lives –

We preach by our words –

Good news of great joy, which will be for all people.

• John 3:16- 17 (TMNT) "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

God loved the world, not just a few.

• The good news is that He loved us all. Even while we were yet in sin and totally removed from Him He loved us.
• The good news is that He sent His Son who became one of us so that He could lead us back to life.
• The good news is that He loves all of us not just a chosen few. He loves us without reservation.
• The good news is that he did not come to condemn us but to restore us to real life.
• The good news is that whatever place you find yourself in God says, "I have made a way of escape. I have provided a way out through my son."

Look at the sequence…

1. The shepherds hear the good news through angelic proclamation. The line good new for all people is not lost on them.
2. The shepherds are given a sign that confirms that the news is true.
3. The shepherds believe the word from God through the angel.
4. The shepherds step out in faith and proceed with great haste to come to the Son.
5. The shepherds come face-to-face with God.
6. After the shepherds hear and believe the tidings of great joy and come face to face with Jesus they go out and tell the good news to everyone they meet.
7. They continued to glorify and praise God. They did not stop after one session of telling the good news.

"Go tell it on the mountains, over the hills and everywhere, that love has come for the world to know!"

What makes something a perfect gift?

• It is personal
• It makes the person feel special
• It is useful to the person

• Matthew 1:18-25(TEV) ^18 This was how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. His mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they were married, she found out that she was going to have a baby by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹Joseph was a man who always did what was right, but he did not want to disgrace Mary publicly; so he made plans to break the engagement privately. ²⁰While he was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife. For it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived. ²¹ She will have a son, and you will name him Jesus—because he will save his people from their sins." ²²Now all this happened in order to make come true what the Lord had said through the prophet, ²³ "A virgin will become pregnant and have a son, and he will be called Immanuel" (which means, "God is with us"). ²⁴So when Joseph woke up, he married Mary, as the angel of the Lord had told him to. ²⁵ But he had no sexual relations with her before she gave birth to her son. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Put yourself in Joseph's sandals.

• Leviticus 20:10(NIV) ¹⁰"'If a man commits adultery – both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.

• ²⁰While he was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife. For it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived.

The best example of courage is found in the ORDINARY.
Joseph was no superhero. He was an ordinary person.  

God gives ordinary people Courage to do the extra ordinary thing.  God will empower the ordinary to face the extraordinary.

• "Take a good look...at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of 'the brightest and the best' among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these 'nobodies' to expose the hollow pretensions of the 'somebodies'? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God." (1 Cor. 1:26-29 MSG)

Too often we despise our lives because it seems to ordinary, but your ordinary lives can have significant impact if we will have the courage to say yes to God.

Courage is doing what is right, regardless of THE COSTS.

• ²⁴So when Joseph woke up, he married Mary, as the angel of the Lord had told him to. ²⁵ But he had no sexual relations with her before she gave birth to her son. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Although Joseph was afraid, he was courageous enough to do what was right - even if it ran counter to the culture he was living in.  

Courage is ROOTED in God's word.

Courage is not uninformed. Real courage is based on God's directives and His Word

For most of us God will speak through the pages of His revealed Word – the Bible. That is why we are to take time to

• Read it daily.
• Research to understand what the Bible is saying
• Ruminate on that Word through the research and the revelation of the Holy Spirit, clarifying it all by writing it down.

Remember…

• God will speak to us through Gifted Teachers and those in authority.
• God will speak to us through our friends and family.
• God will speak to us through the impressions of the Holy Spirit.

And when He speaks you must test that word before you act on it.

1. Does it agree with the Bible?
2. Does it make me more like Christ?
3. Does my church family/GROW group confirm it?
4. Is it consistent with how God has made me?
5. Does it concern my responsibility?
6. Is it convicting rather than condemning?
7. Do I sense God's peace about it?

When you are courageous that gift gives to countless others.

Dads when you say yes to being faithful to your wives that gift affects her directly but it also has sweeping effects for generations of children to come.

When you say yes to forgiveness you give a gift that goes eons beyond your day and time.

Why not give the gift of courage this Christmas?

For Further Thought and Discussion

1) How could you stand as strong as Joseph?

2) How would more courage help you with your life?

3) Why should you say "Go" when the Lord tells you of His plan for you?

4) How can you better prepare yourself to receive God's word?

• Ephesians 5:1 –2 (NIV) Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

• Ephesians 5:15 –17 (NIV) Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

• Habakkuk 2:1-3(TLB) ¹I will climb my watchtower now and wait to see what answer God will give to my complaint. ²And the Lord said to me, "Write my answer on a billboard,^ large and clear, so that anyone can read it at a glance and rush to tell the others. ³But these things I plan (for your life) won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow,^ do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!

1. Want. I must want to hear God.

"I will…"

• Psalms 40:6-8(TLB) ⁶It isn't sacrifices and offerings that you really want from your people. Burnt animals bring no special joy to your heart. But you have accepted the offer of my lifelong service.^{ 7}Then I said, "See, I have come, just as all the prophets foretold. ⁸And I delight to do your will, my God, for your law is written upon my heart!"

How serious are you about wanting to hear from God?

Is it a nicety or a necessity?

• 1 Timothy 4:7-8(TMSG) ⁷Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! ⁸Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever.

2. You decide to withdraw

Get alone in a quiet place.

"I'll climb up into my watchtower."

• Luke 5:16(TMSG) ¹⁶As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer.

In order to get away from the noise we have to intentionally decide to withdraw.

Two words to motivate this decision to withdraw – God cares.

God cares even about the details. Talk to Him about the details, talk to Him about the delights, talk to Him about the disasters, talk to Him about anything and everything.

When should we withdraw?

When we are at our best.

3. Wait

"I will wait."

One of the biggest obstacles to hearing God is hurry.

In the waiting…

Read God's Word

• Have a plan, don't just read haphazardly. Use a system.
• Read with pen and highlighter in hand.

Research

Part of hearing God requires that we understand what we are reading in the Bible.

• Invest in a Bible handbook.
• Read a couple different translations.
• Use online tools.

Ruminate

• On the Word you have read and on life experiences.
• You don't learn from experiences you learn from reflecting on your experiences.
• Wisdom comes from reflecting on your experiences and knowledge.
  • "Be careful how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of your time…." (Eph. 5:15)

4. Write. Record the ideas that you receive.

"Write down clearly what I've revealed to you."

Ruminating and writing go together

• You clarify your thoughts.
• It helps you focus your thoughts.
• It helps you remember what you said and what God said.
• It helps you to test the impressions that you get from God.
• It also helps you to pass on a spiritual legacy to your children.

• Psalm 102:18 "Write these things down for the future so that people who are not yet born will praise the Lord."

5. Worship

"Oh Lord, now I have heard Your report, and I worship You in awe."

Thank Him for speaking to you.

The greatest act of worship is obedience to what God has spoken.

NEXT STEPS

I will put aside time to read and study God's Word three to five times a week.

I will worship Him by obeying what He speaks to me to do.

I will accept Jesus as my Savior and Lord.

Review

God wants to speak to us.

He is always speaking but we need to tune in.

Some of the ways that He speaks are…

• Through the Bible
• Gifted teachers
• Godly friends and family
• The Holy Spirit
• Pain
• Silence

Testing a Word

• Does it agree with the Bible
• Does it make me more like Christ?
• Does my church family/GROW group confirm it?
• Is it consistent with how God made me?
• Does it concern my responsibility?
• Is it convicting rather than condemning?
• Do I sense God's peace about it?

• Luke 8:4-8(NIV) ⁴While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: ⁵"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. ⁶Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. ⁸Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear.""

• Luke 8:11-15(NIV) ¹¹"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. ¹²Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. ¹³Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. ¹⁴The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. ¹⁵But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

The farmer represents God.

The seed represents God wanting to talk to you – God's word to you.

The soil represents four different attitudes that you can have toward hearing from God.

If you want to hear God speak you must…

1. Cultivate an open mind

The number one barrier to hearing God speak is resistance.

The hard soil represents a closed mind.

What causes us to have a closed mind?

• Pride
• Fear
• Bitterness.

2. Allocate time to listen

You've got to put it in your schedule so you have time to hear God speak.

The second barrier to hearing God speak is hurry.

The shallow soil represents a superficial mind.

How do you grow beyond superficiality?

• Schedule a daily time with God.
• Join a GROW group.
  
  • Hebrews 10:25(NIV) ²⁵Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

3. Eliminate the distractions

The third barrier to hearing God is busyness.

You can get so distracted and so busy you don't have time to hear God.

Three common weeds that tend to choke God out of your life.

• worry
• riches
• pleasure

A weed is anything you allow to take first place in your life instead of God.

A weed is anything you allow to choke God out of your schedule.

4. Cooperate with what He says.

God speaks to the person who decides in advance to do whatever God tells him (or her).

Notice four marks of good soil:

• They hear it.
• They retain it.
• Then they obey it.
• Then they persist in it until they bear fruit.

The key to future revelation is present application.

God is always speaking to us, but unless you're tuned in, you're not going to hear Him.

So how do you know when an idea is from God?

How do you know when an idea is from Satan?

How do you know when an idea is from yourself?

• Proverbs 14:12 (GNT) "What you think is the right road may lead to death."

But How Can You Tell If It Is God or Not?

• 1 John 4:1(TLB) ¹…don't always believe everything you hear just because someone says it is a message from God: test it first to see if it really is. For there are many false teachers around,

• John 7:16-17(TMSG) ¹⁶Jesus said, "I didn't make this up. What I teach comes from the One who sent me. ¹⁷Anyone who wants to do his will can test this teaching and know whether it's from God or whether I'm making it up.

1. Does it agree with the Bible?

2. Does it make me more like Christ?

• James 3:14-17(NIV) ¹⁴But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil…¹⁷But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace–loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

3. Does my church family/GROW group confirm it?

• Proverbs 11:9 "The wisdom of the righteous can save you."

4. Is it consistent with how God has made me?

5. Does it concern my responsibility?

Does God ever speak to other people through you? Yes.

He does it when you're unaware of it.

If God speaks to you about somebody else it will normally be as a confirmation of what He's already said to them.

When someone gives you a "word from God" test it with the filters we are talking about here.

WHAT DO I DO WHEN I THINK I HAVE A WORD FOR SOMEONE?

• Be patient.
• Pray.
• Simply deliver the message. It is up to them to weigh it and respond.

6. Is it convicting rather than condemning?

Conviction comes from God.

Condemnation comes from the devil.

The purpose of conviction is to correct something that's out of whack in your life.

The purpose of condemnation is just to put you down and make you feel miserable and guilty and ashamed.

The motivation behind conviction is God loves you and wants to help you be better.

The motivation behind condemnation is Satan hates your guts and wants to make you miserable.

Condemnation is general. Conviction is specific.

• Revelation 3:19(NIV) ¹⁹Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

Condemnation doesn't go away. It just stays there.

7. Do I sense God's peace about it?

• 1 Corinthians 14:33(NIV) ³³For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.

• Philippians 4:6-7(CEV) ⁶Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. ⁷Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.

Next Steps

Read God's Word at least three to five times this next week

Get involved in a GROW Group

Discover how God has shaped me so that I can be more effective in hearing and serving Him.

Accept Jesus as my Savior and Lord.

It's very important to know when it's God talking to you

• Proverbs 14:12 (GNT) "What you think is the right road may lead to death."

• 1 John 4:1(TLB) ¹…don't always believe everything you hear just because someone says it is a message from God: test it first to see if it really is. For there are many false teachers around,

• John 7:16-17(TMSG) ¹⁶Jesus said, "I didn't make this up. What I teach comes from the One who sent me. ¹⁷Anyone who wants to do his will can test this teaching and know whether it's from God or whether I'm making it up.

Ways to test whether something is a word from God or not.

1. Does it agree with the Bible?

• Proverbs 12:19(CEV) ¹⁹ Truth will last forever; lies are soon found out.

The better you know God's word the more God will be able to talk to you. We always get into trouble when we doubt God's word.

2. Does it make me more like Christ?

Jesus is the standard by which you measure all the ideas, all the impressions that come into your mind.

God's goal is to make us like Jesus Christ. That's the number one goal that He has in our lives.

Here is a good checklist…

• James 3:14-17(NIV) ¹⁴But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil…¹⁷But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace–loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

3. Does my church family/GROW group confirm it?

You need the wisdom and counsel and advice of other godly people in your life to help you stay on track. God never meant for you to go through life on your own. That's why He created the church family because we need each other

If you get an idea that no mature Christian confirms, you're wrong because God speaks to His body not just to us as individuals.

• Proverbs 11:9 "The wisdom of the righteous can save you."

It is possible that the two biggest reasons people mess up in life are...

• They have no spiritually mature friends.
• They don't listen to them if they do have them."

• Proverbs 11:14 "In the multitude of counselors there is safety."

4. Is it consistent with how God has made me?

SHAPE (Rick Warren)

Spiritual Gifts

Heart/Passion

Abilities

Personality

Experiences

• Ephesians 2:10(NIV) ¹⁰For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

What God has shaped you for will determine your purpose.

• Romans 12:6(TLB) ⁶God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well…

Next Steps

• Read God's Word at least three to five times this next week
• Get involved in a GROW Group
• Discover how God has shaped me so that I can be more effective in hearing and serving Him.
• Accept Jesus as my Savior and Lord.