Solemn Assembly (2) - Hearing God when He Speaks.

 

 

I just want to start by saying that I’ve truly been blessed by what I’ve heard during this Solemn Assembly.

I also want to take this time to acknowledge Bishop Lofton for his vision for the Solemn Assembly and bringing it to pass.   If you haven’t been watching, I encourage you to listen to them and glean so you can continue to grow and solidify your citizenship in the Kingdom.  We’ve heard a lot about obedience and repentance in this solemn assembly and I want to add to that, Hearing God when He Speaks. 

The bible says in several different places that the day we hear his voice to harden not our hearts.  Apostle Paul put an urgency on it when he said:

While it is said, Today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.  Hebrews 3:15 

This is not just instruction to the sinner; it is to all of us who have a desire to be pleasing in the sight of God.  Being baptized in Jesus’ name and filled with His Holy Spirit is just the beginning of our journey.  We take the next step by developing a relationship with God that is based on His word.  That’s why we need to listen to Him through the reading of His word and however else He presents Himself to us and then be obedient to what we hear and apply it to our lives. 

When God speaks, we can’t stay where we are as if we didn’t hear Him.  We have to make the necessary adjustments in our life and sooner rather than later.  

We hear Him through His word as He tells us to:

Ø Forsake not the assembling of ourselves together – not do everything but assemble 

Ø Love Him with our all – not everyone and everything but Him 

      Ø Love others even as we love ourselves – not treat them as less than 

      Ø Follow peace with all men – not just the ones that we think are advantageous to us 

      Ø And holiness – because he said it:  Be ye holy for I am holy! 

      In this Kingdom Release, God wants to reveal Himself to us and those around us.  

Apostle Paul said ‘today’, so what’s hindering us from doing the things that God has spoken to us through His word? 

God would have us released from every hindrance (the weights that so easily beset us [Hebrews 12:1] as well as all ungodliness.  He wants us to be released to release His Kingdom to the world.  Our speaker from Wednesday morning read the account found in Acts 3 regarding the man with an infirmity or impediment that caused him not to be able to function in his full capacity.  His was a physical hindrance, but we have emotional and mental and carnal infirmities and impediments that are hindering us from hearing God or if we do hear Him, not being able to make the necessary adjustments to act out that good, acceptable and perfect will of God. 

So, what I see is God making Himself known to us in ever increasing dimensions in order to make Himself real to us – in order for Him to become a reality in our life and not just fantasy or a fairy tale that may or may not come true or grant us our whims.  The more we allow God to be a reality in our life, the more we’ll come to know Him in a better way.  The more we allow God in our experiences the more real He is to us! 

So, then there’s some realignment that must take place in the body of Christ as well as in our life.  The church has gotten so misaligned with programs, false teachings, and compromise that there must be some major adjustments made to join God in what He is doing today. 

So, here’s our first Reality Check:  

We come to know God by experience as we obey Him

When God begins a work in us; old things must be set aside so that we are completely available and prepared for the new.  Isn’t that what the bible tells us regarding the wine skins:

New demands new—new wine for new wineskins.  Luke 5:36-38

You can’t put new wine in old wineskins.  No good will come from it.  It’s the same with us; we’ve got to be cleaned up from the inside out so that we’re releasing God and not us. 

God transitions us from one place in our life to another in order for His will to be accomplished.  Note the pattern: 

 

• 
  David transitions from shepherd to king, 
• 
  Peter – fisherman to apostle, 
• Moses – backside of the wilderness to God’s servant, and 
• Paul – Christian slayer to apostle.

In order to begin this transition, repentance; a change of heart and action must occur in order to turn from what we were doing to what God is doing.  It’s not the time to procrastinate or insult God by saying ‘Let me to pray about it’.  The moment God speaks He is telling us immediately to do something.

Realignment may include our family, our job, our church life and any other aspect of our life.  Whatever God says, we have to make the adjustments rather we like it or not; rather it feels good or not.  Just know that during our adjustment, God has not left us; he is still with us – he might be working behind the scenes but He’s still there and He’s at work with us and within us.   It’s not always comfortable getting into the right position with God, think about Apostle Paul:

And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?  And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.  And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.  Acts 9:4-6

He had to stop and completely adjust his route and it was comfortable especially since His intervention with God left him blind.  Adjustments are costly but the reward and experience of knowing God outweighs it all.  We have to obey God in order to experience Him working within us.  Obedience is key!  We can’t call Him our Lord and savior while we walk in disobedience to Him.

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?   Luke 6:46

Following obedience means to: 

v  Come to Jesus 

v  Hear Jesus’ words

v  Put Jesus’ words into practice or action

The moment of deep experience with God comes at the time of obedience.  Obedience is crucial. And as crucial as it is to be obedient, it is just as detrimental to be disobedient!

Disobedience causes the invitation of God to move on, but we can repent and turn back to God; forgiveness is possible but the assignment may not come again.

There are consequences to disobedience:  

ü Moses was denied entrance into the promised land and, 

     ü David lost his son;

     ü Zacharias struck dumb 

     ü King Saul rejected by God

      - all results of their disobedience in some fashion to God. 

Be prepared; there is a price to pay for disobedience.  God lets us know ahead of time what He wants us to do:

Ø Love Him with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength

Ø Love others and treat others right according to His word

Ø Be full of the fruit of the spirit

Ø Obey His commandments

Ø Seek His kingdom and righteousness

All of these things are obedience to His word.  You’ve heard the saying: 

The more we do these things the more the old self dies and the new creature is released!

God will affirm what He’s doing.  I’d rather be obedient and benefit from the blessings than disobedient and suffer the consequences. 

The enemy will send you distractions but doesn’t tell you what it will cost you not to obey God.  

There are times when God’s will allows for second chances:  as with Peter who denied Christ 3 times. 

The second chance is saying:  

I don’t want you to miss what I am doing because I love you too much.

Learn obedience the way that Jesus did.  The same Jesus who became the source of eternal salvation.  The bible says that

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;  Hebrews 5:8-9

Let God re-arrange your life in such a way that He can use you.

ü      No matter what it cost -

ü     Reverent submission and obedience

Let God bring you to the deepest experience you have ever known!

Hear God when He speaks – through His word or through the one that He chooses to speak on His behalf and then be obedient to what He tells you!

 

I pray something was said this morning to encourage, enlighten and empower you in God.

Sermonette