Participants: Shelley Quinn
Series Code: PHP
Program Code: PHP000019
00:01 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
00:02 Has the Holy Sprit of God 00:04 ever impressed a thought upon your mind? 00:07 Please join us today, as we continue our Bible study 00:10 on the many ways God speaks to mankind. 00:35 Welcome to "Pressing in to His Presence." 00:37 On this series in prayer, we have reached the point 00:40 where we have pressed into God's throne 00:44 through earnest prayer 00:46 and now we are training our ears to hear 00:48 what the Lord would say to us. 00:51 On our last program, 00:52 we considered four of the ten ways 00:55 the Bible identifies that God uses to speak to mankind. 01:00 We looked at scripture 01:02 as the premier method of divine communication 01:06 then we added His prophets and His son Jesus Christ, 01:10 the appearance of angels and creation. 01:13 Today we will consider six remaining categories. 01:18 If you're following along in the companion book 01:21 "Pressing in to his presence" 01:23 we are starting this program on page 161. 01:28 Our next category of divine communication 01:31 is answered to prayers and a dynamic example of this 01:37 is found in 1 Kings 18:37-39 01:42 where Elijah called on the Lord saying 01:45 "'Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know 01:49 that you are the Lord God, 01:51 and that You have turned their hearts back to you again.' 01:55 Then the fire of the Lord fell 01:57 and consumed the burnt sacrifice, 02:00 and the wood and the stones and the dust, 02:03 and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 02:05 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces, 02:09 and they said, 'The Lord, He is God! 02:13 The Lord, He is God!' " 02:16 Elijah prayed earnestly and God answered. 02:20 His answer was not audible 02:22 but Elijah and everyone around him knew God had spoken. 02:27 When a childless Hannah prayed passionately 02:31 God answered by giving her a son, Samuel. 02:35 And after Peter and John were arrested 02:37 their fervent prayers, here they are in jail, 02:40 but their fervent prayers joined with others 02:43 brought a remarkable release. 02:46 And another stunning example 02:48 is Acts 4:29-31 listen to this. 02:54 They are praying the disciples and they say 02:57 "Now, Lord, look upon their threats, 02:59 and grant to Your servants 03:01 that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 03:04 by stretching out Your hand to heal, 03:07 and that signs and wonders may be done 03:09 through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus. 03:12 And when they had prayed, the place were 03:15 they all assembled together was shaken, 03:18 and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit 03:21 and they spoke the Word of God with boldness." 03:26 They knew, even though they didn't hear 03:29 that God it's spoken. 03:30 God testifies to His nearness and He knits our hearts to His 03:37 when He speaks to us through answered prayers. 03:42 Yet, another divine means of communication 03:47 is signs and circumstances. 03:50 The angle of the Lord whom most Bible expositors agree 03:54 is Jesus Christ called Gideon, 03:58 to command a group of His people 04:00 to go up against a vast invading army. 04:04 An in secured Gideon wasn't sure 04:06 of the time of his visitation 04:08 and he wanted to make certain, it was God who spoke to him. 04:13 He prayed in Judges 6:36, 37 asking God to prove His call 04:19 by having dew on the fleece of the sheep only while making 04:24 the threshing floor, dry ground. 04:27 Gideon asked for sign and divine grace granted it. 04:30 The next morning he was able to ring a bowl full of water 04:34 from the fleece of the wool, 04:35 all the surrounding ground remained bone dry. 04:39 All though privileged by this sign from the Lord 04:42 Gideon's faith was still immature 04:44 and he humbly asked for second sign. 04:47 God allowed and answered the second testing. 04:51 Reversing the sign is Gideon requested 04:55 and the next morning after dew covered the ground 04:58 but the fleece was fluffy and dry. 05:01 In our next program, I want to share with you 05:04 my own Gideon experience just as he questioned 05:07 whether he is really hearing from the Lord, 05:10 so did I and asked for sign. 05:13 God is so gracious to us 05:14 to have faith as small as a mustered seed. 05:18 He causes it to increase and as faith matures 05:22 we do not require signs for certainty. 05:26 Okay, that explains signs 05:28 but does the Bible support divine circumstances? 05:32 Jesus said in Revelation 3:7, 8 05:37 "These things say He who is holy, 05:40 He who is true, 'He who opens and no one shut, 05:43 and shuts and one opens' I know your works. 05:47 See, I have set before you an open door, 05:51 and no one can shut it, for you have a little strength, 05:56 have kept my word, and have not denied My name." 06:01 when God opens a door for us to do His work 06:04 He is communicating His will to us. 06:08 Paul determined to stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 06:12 because he said "A wide door of open opportunity 06:17 for effectual service was opened to him." 06:21 And in his letter to Colossians, 06:24 Paul requested prayer 06:26 that God may open a door for him to speak the word. 06:31 So we clearly see from scripture 06:33 that God communicates with His people 06:36 through circumstance and opportunities. 06:40 Now another well known means of Divine communication 06:44 is through visions. 06:46 Acts 2:17 says "And it shall come to pass in the last days, 06:51 says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. 06:56 Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, 06:59 your young men shall see visions, 07:01 your old men shall dream dreams." 07:05 When we think of visions from God, 07:07 we tend to think of prophets like Daniel or Ezekiel 07:12 or Apostle John on the island of Patmos, 07:15 where he received the vision of the Book of Revelation. 07:18 Yet, the Bible reports that this still he gives 07:25 plenty of reports of believers like you and me 07:28 who receive visions. 07:29 And I just have to add this thought to tell my mind, 07:32 today, I mean right now during our day and age 07:37 I know that it is happening particularly among Moslems. 07:41 We are getting reports from all over the world 07:44 how Moslems are getting visions 07:46 that the Lord is Jesus Christ is God. 07:50 So, now let's look at some of the reports 07:53 of believers like you and me 07:54 who received visions from the Lord. 07:57 Acts 9:10-12 says this "Now there was a certain disciple 08:03 at Damascus named Ananias, 08:06 and to him the Lord said in a vision, 'Ananias.' 08:10 And he said, 'Here I'm, Lord.' 08:12 So the Lord said to him, 08:13 'Arise and go to the street called Straight, 08:16 and inquire at the house of Judas 08:18 for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. 08:22 And in a vision he seen a man named Ananias coming in 08:26 and putting his hand on him, so that he receive his sight.' 08:31 " So we see here that the God called a little known disciple 08:34 Ananias to minister to Saul of Tarsus, 08:38 who had formerly been determined 08:40 to do Christians harm. 08:42 And at the same time he gave Saul a vision 08:46 to receive Ananias as God's representative. 08:49 Now off course the result was 08:52 that a murderous Saul experiences 08:55 both a character and name change 08:58 becoming the super active sprit filled Apostle Paul. 09:04 But it was not only those God call to special service, 09:08 who received visions. 09:11 In Acts 10:3-5 gives us another account it says 09:18 "About the ninth hour of the day 09:21 he saw clearly in a vision an angle of God coming in 09:26 and saying to him, 'Cornelius!' 09:29 And when he observed him, he was afraid and said, 09:32 'What is it, Lord?' 09:33 So he said to him, 'Your prayers and your alms 09:38 have come up for a memorial before God. 09:41 Now send men to Joppa and send for Simon 09:44 whose surname is Peter.' 09:47 " You see Cornelius was a pious Gentile 09:51 one who's heart searched for God. 09:54 And as a Roman centurion, 09:55 he had been generous toward Jewish people. 09:58 God gave him instructions through a vision 10:01 to invite the Apostle Peter to his home 10:04 that he and his household might receive the good news 10:09 of the forgiveness of sins and salvation through Christ. 10:12 And in the mean time God had given Peter a vision 10:16 to prepare his heart for ministry to a Gentile. 10:20 In vision Peter saw a great sheet bounded four corners, 10:25 and filled with unclean animals. 10:28 And he heard the command to rise and eat. 10:31 Now knowing that God had forbidden 10:33 the eating of unclean animals 10:35 that had not been sanctified by His word 10:37 Peter pondered this symbolic meaning of this. 10:42 He wondered what the interpretation 10:44 of this vicious vision was. 10:46 But then he shared that interpretation with Cornelius, 10:51 and it's recorded in Acts 10:28 10:55 where he says, he explains that although 10:59 it was unlawful for a Jewish man 11:01 to keep company with a Gentile. 11:04 That God had shown him in the vision not to call 11:07 any man common or unclean. 11:11 This serves as a wonderful example of praying 11:14 for understanding of any vision that is symbolic. 11:17 God will not contradict Himself, 11:20 He will clear any confusion in our minds 11:23 as we pray for His true meaning. 11:27 Now, another means of divine communication is dreams. 11:32 An example of this is found 11:34 in the Old Testament Book of Daniel. 11:37 A pagan king Nebuchadnezzar 11:40 and a prophet of God Daniel were given dreams 11:44 that described the future of world history. 11:48 Neither man understood the dreams 11:49 until they were later explained in vision. 11:53 Other familiar incidences of dreams 11:55 include Jacobs ladder, 11:57 the council to Joseph to take unto him 12:01 Mary the mother to be of Jesus as his wife, 12:05 and the warning of wise men from the east 12:07 to avoid return to Herod 12:08 after they found the Christ child. 12:11 You know, God frequently communicated His will 12:15 to Gentiles through dreams, 12:17 including Pharaoh's chief butler and baker. 12:21 Pharaoh himself a midianite warrior 12:24 and Pilate's wife. 12:27 At the time that I wrote the book 12:29 Pressing in to His Presence 12:31 I was praying for a highly educated man from Mexico 12:35 whose life had been turned upside down. 12:39 He had been devoted 12:41 to the religion of his family roots 12:43 until he received a vivid dream from God 12:47 that called him out of darkness, 12:49 in to his marvelous light. 12:51 And he read the Ten Commandments 12:54 twice removed he became converted 12:56 and became a Seventh-day Adventist 12:58 which caused a huge uproar in his family. 13:02 But imagery of his dream caused him to become 13:06 seeker of truth and God lead him 13:09 with instruction in his dream. 13:11 And his influence on family members 13:13 for Bible study turned many 13:16 to embrace the same wonderful truth. 13:19 Now a common or I should say, 13:22 an uncommon means of communication from God 13:28 is the audible voice of the Lord. 13:32 At any time the Bible mentions the audible voice of the Lord, 13:37 it is easy to comprehend that it is an all inspiring event 13:44 for humans to hear His voice. 13:47 Revelation 1:14, 15 describes His voice 13:53 as the sound of many waters like the roar of a water fall. 13:59 says 14:02 that the voice of "The Lord is powerful. 14:06 The voice of the Lord is full of majesty." 14:10 This privilege was granted, 14:13 the privilege of hearing the audible voice to Peter, 14:16 James and John at the time of Christ transfiguration 14:21 when Peter suggested making a tabernacle 14:24 there for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. 14:27 Mathew 17:5-7 tells us that 14:33 "While he was still speaking, 14:36 behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, 14:40 and suddenly a voice came out of the heaven, 14:45 the voice said, 14:46 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 14:50 Hear Him!' 14:51 And when the disciples heard it, 14:53 they fell on their faces and they were greatly afraid. 14:58 But Jesus came and he said, 'Arise, and don't be afraid.' 15:05 " You know, the Apostle Paul shared the same privilege. 15:11 He had much the same fearful reaction 15:14 as recorded in Acts 9:3-7 here, 15:20 he was on the road to Damascus 15:22 and he heard the voices saying to him Saul, 15:26 Saul why do you persecute me? 15:29 I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 15:33 Scripture says that Paul was trembling and astonished. 15:38 And the men who journeyed with him 15:40 and heard the voice stood speechless. 15:44 And further, you talk about trembling. 15:48 Can you imagine being at Mount Sinai, 15:52 when the Lord descended up on the mount with fire 15:55 and in His majestic and powerful voice 15:59 He spoke to Moses? 16:01 The Bible record says that God answered him by voice. 16:07 And Exudes 20:18, 19 says this 16:11 "Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, 16:15 the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, 16:19 and the mountain smoking, and when the people saw it, 16:23 they trembled and stood afar off. 16:26 Then they said to Moses, 16:27 'You speak with us, and we will hear, 16:30 but let not God speak with us, lest we die.' 16:36 " It is an inspiring knee knocking event 16:41 to hear the majestic audible voice of the Lord. 16:46 From scriptural accounts it would seem 16:48 it is also a some what rare event. 16:51 In the majority of incidents today 16:54 when God's people say they hear His voice 16:58 I believe it is the inaudible voice of the Lord 17:01 but when God is speaking not to our ears outwardly 17:07 but something that is heard inwardly. 17:11 This brings us to our final listing 17:14 of divine communication. 17:16 The still small voice, 17:19 this expression comes from the Bible 17:23 it's the account of Elijah when he was hiding in a cave 17:26 trying to avoid the wicked queen Jezebel. 17:29 And it's found in 1 Kings 19:11, 12 17:35 "Then He said," this is He being God. 17:39 "'Go out, and stand on the mountain 17:41 before the Lord.' 17:42 And behold, the Lord passed by, 17:44 and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains 17:47 and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, 17:50 but the Lord was not in the wind, 17:52 and after the wind an earthquake, 17:54 but the Lord was not in the earthquake, 17:56 and after the earthquake a fire 17:58 but the Lord was not in the fire, 18:00 and after the fire a still small voice. 18:06 So it was, when Elijah heard it," 18:09 that still small voice 18:11 "that he wrapped his face in his mantle 18:13 and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. 18:17 Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, 18:20 'What are you doing here, Elijah?' 18:25 " All those sensational signs accompanying 18:27 God's message to Elijah it was none the less 18:30 His still small voice that spoke. 18:33 I have come to understand, 18:35 that when God speaks in this manner 18:38 it is the power of His Holy Sprit 18:40 who is impresses His thoughts, up on our minds? 18:44 The Apostle Paul was well acquainted 18:46 with this still small voice. 18:48 In Acts 20:22, 23 he wrote that he would not know 18:55 what would happen to him when he went to Jerusalem, 18:59 but he said the Holy Sprit testified to him 19:02 in every cities saying, 19:04 that changes and tribulation awaited him. 19:08 And the Book of Acts reports numerous occasions 19:11 when God impressed His thoughts up on His followers 19:14 by the still small voice of His sprit. 19:17 While Peter meditated on the vision of the sheets 19:20 and unclean animal's scripture says, the sprit spoke to him. 19:26 But you didn't have to be an apostle 19:28 to hear the still small voice. 19:30 Philip was one of the first seven deacons 19:33 of the early church. 19:34 He heard God still small voice telling him 19:38 to go to the Jerusalem, Gaza road 19:41 which resulted in baptism of an Ethiopian treasure. 19:47 Let's look at Acts 8:29 "Then the sprit said to Philip, 19:55 'Go near and overtake this chariot.' 19:58 Then Philip opened his mouth, 19:59 and beginning at this Scripture, 20:01 preached Jesus to him." 20:04 As a group of Antioch believers, 20:07 believers just like you and me 20:09 as they fasted and prayed in Acts 13:2 20:13 the Bible tells us that the spirit spoke telling them 20:18 to separate Barnabas and Saul to him for the work 20:22 to which he was calling them. 20:25 And at one point Paul and Timothy 20:28 were forbidden by the sprit, to preach in Asia. 20:32 And then Agabus whom the New Testament 20:35 describes as a prophet, he took Paul's belt, 20:40 he bonds his own hands and feet, 20:43 this is what he said 20:48 "Thus says the Holy Sprit." 20:51 So that's the still small voice of the Lord, 20:54 Agabus is speaking about. 20:56 "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 20:59 so shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man 21:03 who owns this belt, and deliver him 21:06 into the hands of the Gentiles." 21:09 You see, hearing the still small voice of God, 21:14 was not unusual for New Testament believers. 21:18 In Luke 12:11, 12 this is what 21:22 Jesus promised to His followers. 21:26 He said "Now when they bring you to the synagogues 21:31 and magistrates and authorities, 21:33 do not worry about how or what you should answer, 21:37 or what you should say. 21:40 For the Holy sprit will teach you 21:43 in that very hour what you ought to say." 21:50 He is talking about the Holy Sprit, 21:53 the still small voice of the Lord 21:56 impressing his thoughts 21:58 up on the minds of the believers. 22:00 How comforting these words from Jesus 22:04 must have been to His disciples? 22:06 I am convinced, the Lord continuous 22:09 to impress His thoughts up on the minds of His people, 22:13 through the power of the Holy Sprit. 22:15 I've asked audiences around the world 22:18 how many of you know that you know 22:21 that God has impressed a thought up on your mind? 22:24 Two thirds of them raised their hands. 22:27 You know, before I didn't understand 22:31 how to be still before God. 22:34 Before I started this process I didn't have a clue. 22:38 He had to break through, 22:40 all of my world win activities to gain my attention. 22:45 And I wonder how many times I ignored His gentle whisper 22:50 before I allowed Him to train my ears. 22:53 Forgive me, Lord. 22:56 Still whenever I hear someone say, 22:59 God spoke to me and said-- soon as I hear that, 23:03 a caution flag flaps furiously in my mind, 23:08 signaling to pay close attention to the report. 23:12 If it doesn't line up with the Bible, 23:16 and scriptural principals 23:18 I know it did not originate from heaven. 23:21 The Holy Sprit, listen the Holy Sprit 23:25 will never contradict God's written word 23:29 which endures forever. 23:31 The person who receives a message 23:33 in compatible to scripture 23:36 might be hearing a voice, but it is not God's voice. 23:41 The misguided message either originated 23:44 from their own desires, 23:45 which would not necessarily evil 23:47 or from a demonically inspired source. 23:52 Yet, I know many Christians today, 23:55 who are convinced 23:56 God has impressed His thoughts up on their minds. 24:00 Now sharing some thing that God has spoken to my heart 24:04 I realize I should say. 24:06 God impressed this thought upon my minds 24:09 by the power of His Holy Sprit. 24:12 When I say that, that phrase seems 24:14 to put people more at ease, 24:16 because many people have received 24:18 these impressions from the Lord, 24:20 from time to time. 24:23 But how often I forget to socially correct 24:26 and I simply say, God said to me 24:30 that's probably sounds really strange to people 24:34 who don't know how to listen for a voice 24:37 that cannot be heard audibly. 24:40 Hearing from our Heavenly Father 24:42 is a privilege of God's children 24:45 that shouldn't be ignored, 24:47 and it shouldn't be taken for granted. 24:49 Most of the time we are too rushed to listen 24:52 but we haven't trained ourselves to listen. 24:57 Let me read to you what Isaiah 50:4, 5 says. 25:02 This is the Amplified Version. 25:04 "The Lord God has given me the tongue of a disciple 25:08 and of one who is taught, that I should know 25:11 how to speak a word in season to him 25:14 who is weary. 25:16 He wakens Me morning by morning, 25:19 He wakens My ear as a disciple as one who is taught. 25:24 The Lord has opened My ear, 25:27 and I have not been rebellious or turned backward." 25:32 In the prophetic messianic message of Isaiah 50, 25:37 the servant of the Lord, 25:38 proclaims that God awakens my ears to hear. 25:43 The ears of Christ were trained to-- 25:47 they were anointed His will to hear the Father's voice. 25:51 We are predestined to become like Christ, 25:55 to develop His character, to develop His habits, 25:59 and we need to learn to have our ears opened 26:04 and trained to listen for the Holy Spirits prompting. 26:08 As we abide in Christ, we are to walk as He walked. 26:14 Let me-- just recap this 26:16 and then I want to give a word of caution 26:18 because this is important. 26:21 Right now we have looked, 26:22 in our last program in today's program 26:25 how God has spoken to us, and still speaks to us today. 26:31 Number one was scripture, 26:33 God that is His primary way to speak to us. 26:37 The second way He spoke to us 26:38 was through prophets and His son Christ Jesus, 26:41 through the appearance of angels, 26:44 through creation and creatures, through answered prayers, 26:49 through signs and circumstances, 26:52 through visions, through dreams, 26:55 through His audible voice which is extremely rare, 26:59 and then His still small voice. 27:03 Why is this so important? 27:07 Why is it important to know the way that God Speaks? 27:13 Because we have to know the real way 27:16 to avoid the counterfeit. 27:18 There is a teaching that is running ramped 27:22 in the church today, in many churches 27:25 and it is a Middle Eastern form of praying of going in 27:29 and emptying yourself, and meditating, 27:32 and receiving what they think or massages from God. 27:36 But they are not. 27:37 And if we don't know the real we won't know 27:40 how to identify the counterfeit. 27:43 So it's critical, that we understand the real. 27:47 Well, our time today has slipped away. 27:50 Please join us next time as we consider 27:54 what the Bible has to say 27:56 about the type of people with whom God communicates 28:00 and you will be surprised its people like you and me. 28:04 God bless you. Join us next time. |
Revised 2015-01-01