Learn to Listen - 7

Learn to Listen - 7

Subject – The Importance of God’s Voice 

By Rick Welborne

1 Samuel 3:9-10 (NIV)
⁹  So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
¹⁰  The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." 

--We have been speaking quite some time about the importance and the power of hearing God’s voice. It is difficult to do His will if we cannot hear His voice.

--I have appreciated and am thankful for so many telling me how hearing God’s voice has changed their lives and many times given them direction when they did not know what to do.

--I listened to a retired missionary tell me the story of how God took him and his wife from a very successful career to having a home for children overseas. 

--With tears in his eyes he shared how the opportunity was presented to him and how he felt there was no way until he heard that still small voice saying this is My will for your life.

--Maybe you have never considered what I am about to share with you about the beautiful Christmas story. How important was it for the characters in this story to hear the voice of God?

1. Mary Hears from God.

Luke 1:26-38 (NLT2)
²⁶  In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,
²⁷  to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
²⁸  Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
²⁹  Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.
³⁰  “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!
³¹  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
³²  He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.
³³  And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
³⁴  Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
³⁵  The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
³⁶  What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month.
³⁷  For nothing is impossible with God.”
³⁸  Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. 

--We can learn so much from Mary and how God communicated with her. God’s Words through the angel Gabriel was about to change her life forever.

--What can be more wonderful than a message from God letting you know that God is with you? Because she is afraid, the angel tells her to not be afraid because she had found favor with God.

--You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 

--If you are listening, God is speaking the same words to you. What is conceived in you is the Son of God and He will set up His throne in your life. And Holy Spirit will come upon you!

--Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So what is born inside you born will be the Son of God. We want Jesus glorified in our lives.

--One of the greatest words from God ever…For nothing is impossible with God. Mary’s response to Gabriel must be our response whenever God speaks to us. Willing to serve and obey.

Luke 1:38 (NKJV) ³⁸ Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. 

--How would this story have changed if Mary could not hear from God and be an obedient servant?

2. Joseph Hears from God.

Matthew 1:18-25 (NLT2)
¹⁸  This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.
¹⁹  Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
²⁰  As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
²¹  And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
²²  All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
²³  “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
²⁴  When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.
²⁵  But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. 

--Again, we can learn so much from this encounter with Joseph. Notice with Mary, God spoke to her through an angel, probably a vision while she was awake. 

--Gabriel speaks to Joseph in a dream. God can use a vision, a dream, or an angel to speak to us. And, God can speak to us in many different ways. Why? Because He is God.

--What can we learn. We can learn how to treat people respectfully. Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before they are married she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Right!

--Joseph was a good man. He did not want to disgrace her publicly. Why do we get such joy from destroying people publicly? Joseph was a good man and good men hear from God.

--“Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus.

--How would this story have changed if Joseph could not hear from God and was not willing to be obedient to the words given to Him?

--Joseph new the Word of God and he knew the prophecies of the Messiah said that a virgin would conceive. Men of God, obedience becomes easier when you know God’s Word! 

--When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. A good man.

3. The Shepherds Hear From God.

Luke 2:8-20 (NLT2)
⁸  That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
⁹  Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,
¹⁰  but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
¹¹  The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
¹²  And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
¹³  Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
¹⁴  “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
¹⁵  When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
¹⁶  They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.
¹⁷  After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.
¹⁸  All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,
¹⁹  but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.
²⁰  The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. 

--We learn, as it says in the Book of Acts, that it is for certain that God is no respecter of persons. Shepherds were not known to be the best of society but the lowly of society.

--God is still wanting to appear and to speak to those of whom many (even in the church) have given up on. What a sight for the angel of the Lord to appear in the sky and to speak. What?

--“Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 

--Everyone say “Good news.” Everyone needs to hear the good news. Everyone needs the opportunity to hear the Savior has been born. That’s why we do missions.

--It’s not enough to just have a lovely church and an exciting service for those of us who are already benefactors of the good news. Everyone needs to hear. Go shout it on the mountains!

--Can you imagine hearing the armies of heaven (the heavenly host) praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth?

--I love the phrases that were said about the shepherds…they hurried…they found…they told everyone…they praised and glorified God for all they had seen and heard.

--Again, how important was it for Mary, and Joseph, and the shepherds to hear God’s voice and then, to do what He commanded them to do?

--How important is it for you and me to hear the voice of God, and then, to do what He commands us to do?

Jeremiah 11:4 (NKJV) ⁴ 'Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God,'

We Need Each Other – 11

We Need Each Other – 11

Subject – Unity and Community – A Place for Miracles

By Rick Welborne

Luke 5:18-26 (NLT2)
¹⁸  Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus,
¹⁹  but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
²⁰  Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”
²¹  But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
²²  Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts?
²³  Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’?
²⁴  So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
²⁵  And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God.
²⁶  Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” 

--I hope and pray that all of us have learned something about this wonderful community and I hope we realize how much we need each other. Our foundational text:

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NLT2)
²⁴  Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.
²⁵  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

--Our world is crying for its redemption and it appears to me that we are living in the last days. We should love each other enough to motivate each other toward being faithful to God.

--When Barna and other pollsters are saying that church attendance is on the decline, we should be gladly running to God’s house to find hope and love. 

--Doesn’t it stand to reason that you will find more peace and security in the house of God in an atmosphere of worship and the Word than you will staying in bed?

Hebrews 10:21-23 (NLT2)
²¹  And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house,
²²  let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
²³  Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 

--If God can be trusted to keep His promise, wouldn’t it make sense to be faithful to His house worshiping Him with sincere hearts believing everything will be okay. Notice where these verse are:

--I have prayerfully considered how to wrap up this series on community and how to understand “We Need Each Other.” And I believe God has given me a progression. 

1. I Feel as if I am Paralyzed.

--It doesn’t matter if you are in the church or out of the church, life happens to everyone and it can be very hurtful and depressing. You can even feel paralyzed or stuck.

--Thankfully for us, when we face life with all of its challenges and pain, we have a God Who has promised us He will never leave us or forsake us. See the difference from Paul.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV)
¹³  No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 

--No matter what you face you can declare with boldness and with the Word of God backing you up, God is faithful! God is faithful!

--Sinners get sick and Christians get sick. Sinners die and Christians die. Sinners have major difficulties and Christians have major difficulties. The difference is God (Jesus)!

--The blessing for us is that even when we feel paralyzed by life or a bad report, God is not finished with us yet. He will make a way of escape (a way out of the situation).

--That way out may be by healing, forgiveness, provision, blessings, or possibly a miracle like the paralyzed man received when he was lowered to Jesus.

Psalm 103:1-5 (NKJV)
¹  Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
²  Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
³  Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,
⁴  Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
⁵  Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. 

2. I Feel as if I am at the End of My Rope.

--I believe many of you have heard of evangelist Dave Roever. Dave was a decorated Vietnam veteran of solid character. A Purple Heart recipient. 

--At the height of the Vietnam War, he joined the U. S. Navy and served as a river boat gunner in the elite Brown Water Black Beret -- until tragedy occurred.

--As their boat was on a mission, they came under fire from the enemy. The fight was intense. At one point Dave pulls out a grenade, pulled the pin and was ready to throw it.

--A bullet struck the grenade discharging it in his hand and the force of the blast blew him into the water. As only he could tell it, his skin was blown off floating next to him.

--He said he was literally beside himself. When you are at the end of your rope and you think you are about to go under for the last time, reach up, you might just grab the hand of God.

--Obviously, God spared his life and has used him to touch hundreds of thousands, if not millions, for the Kingdom of God. It’s not over until God says that it is over.

--Because this man was a part of the community of the mat, he was not in this situation alone. He had friends who had the other end of the rope to hold him up or to lower him down.

--The point here is that we truly need each other desperately no matter how small the community is. There is such strength when we are connected to others.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NLT2)
⁹  Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.
¹⁰  If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.
¹¹  Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone?
¹²  A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

--Isolation has been the downfall of so many. Pastor, I don’t need the church, I don’t need my family. I can make it own my own without anyone’s help. Watch National Geographic.

Proverbs 18:1 (NKJV)
¹  A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment. 

--You may not need anyone at this season of your life but there will come a time when you find yourself at the end of your rope. If you have cut off community, you are truly in trouble.

3. I Feel Loved

--The message that we have been trying to communicate in this series has been, “We Need Each Other” and we need each other a lot as the days are getting more and more evil.

Ephesians 5:14-18 (NLT2) ¹⁴ “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
¹⁵ So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.
¹⁶ Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.
¹⁷ Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
¹⁸ Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 

--Being careful how you live can mean many things but one thing it means for sure, you need to value this community and the church. We truly need each other.

--This paralyzed man definitely felt loved by his small community of the mat. They loved him enough to take care of him and enough to get him to Jesus.

--They loved him enough that they had decided no barrier or obstacle was going to keep them from getting him to Jesus. True friends get their friends to Jesus. 

--They loved him enough to be roof crashers and to lower their friend into the room where Jesus was teaching. When was the last time you loved someone enough to go out of your way to get them to Jesus?

--This paralyzed man felt loved by Jesus. Jesus wasn’t upset His church service was interrupted. He was pleased there was someone who needed His love, healing, and forgiveness. 

--Just imagine what tremendous love this man felt to realize he had the best friends in the world. Imagine what love he felt when Jesus said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” 

--Imagine the overflowing love when the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. He experienced love, freedom, and healing all at one time.

--Even the community was filled with love…Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” Summary:

1 Peter 4:7-10 (NLT2)
⁷  The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.
⁸ Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.
⁹ Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.
¹⁰ God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 

We Need Each Other – 10

We Need Each Other – 10

Subject – Resolving Conflict in the Community

By Rick Welborne

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NLT2)
²⁴  Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.
²⁵  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Matthew 18:15-17 (NIV)
¹⁵  "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
¹⁶  But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'
¹⁷  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 

1. If there is conflict…

2. You…

3. Go…

4. To the person…

5. In private…

6. And discuss the problem…

7. For the purpose of reconciliation.

1. We Must Acknowledge There is Conflict. 

2. We Must Own Responsibility in the Conflict.

3. We Do Not Avoid the Person, but We Go to Them. 

4. We Must Not Include Third Parties.

--Jesus says (and He is supposed to be Lord) go directly “to the person” you are in conflict with. As a general rule, we don’t want to go to the person we are in conflict with. Last person I want to go to.

--Honestly, I want to go to someone else and tell them what is going on and get their feedback. Of course, a neutral third party who will be fair about the issue. Right!

--You tell this third neutral party your concerns (the Bible calls this gossip and slander) not to tell anyone else that this brother or sister is a deeply disturbed psychopath. 

--The truth is, it’s more fun and it’s easier to go to someone else. I can have the third party to commiserate (sympathize) with me. I’m building my case. You are actually building walls.

--Please do not think the early church was without conflict. Yes, they were of one mind and they were devoted to one another but they were not without problems and conflict.

--The Greek speaking members were upset with the Hebrew speaking members over the care of their widows. Paul and Barnabas went their separate ways because they had a conflict about Mark.

--Paul wrote to Philippi, where two prominent women, Euodia and Syntyche were locked in conflict. What he doesn’t tell them was each of them make their case before the church.

Philippians 4:2-3 (NIV)
²  I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.
³  Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. 

--Notice how Paul after he has pleaded with them to agree, commends them as women who contended with him for the gospel and he says their names are in the book of life. 

--Just because they were having conflict did not mean they were bad people. Just because we are spiritual does not mean an absence of conflict. 

--The litmus test is how we handle it. Conflict is inevitable. Resentment is optional. Going directly to the person is a command by Jesus. 

--There is a myth that if I can go to a non-biased third party and vent (talk out my issues) it will help me work thru it. Two problems. We don’t go to a neutral person and it’s not what Jesus said.

Carol Tavris – Talking out an emotion doesn’t reduce it, it rehearses it. As you recite your grievances, your emotional arousal builds up again, making you feel as angry as you did when the infuriating event first happened, and, in addition, establishing an attitude of hostility about the source of your rage. 

--Sadly churches split over conflict. In the 20^th Century there were more than 100 varieties of Baptist Churches. There are more than 33,000 denominations of Christianity in the world and most all were splits.

--Almost all of them were born out of anger and hostility. Noteworthy is the fact that these splits happened between people who claimed to follow the teachings of Jesus. 

--This is the same Jesus who prayed that all His followers be brought to complete unity.

John 17:22-23 (NIV) ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:
²³  I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

--The man rescued after 15 years on a deserted island. Three buildings. House. Church. Old church.

5. We Must Use Sensitivity and Go to the Person in Private. 

--Jesus tells us to go to the person we have the conflict with and deal with it just between the two of you. The privacy avoids un-necessary embarrassment to the person you are trying to reconcile with.

--We approach him or her the way we would want to be approached. Following the Golden Rule. 

Matthew 7:12 (NLT2) ¹² “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.

--In the 60s and 70s psychologist were teaching that you do not hold in repressed anger but that you let it out like and erupting volcano. Blow off steam! Get it off your chest!

--They taught that if you don’t let it go, it will build up like steam in a tea kettle and just simply blow up one day when your least expecting it. Very strange.

--We don’t think of other emotions that way. What if I hold all this joy inside of me for a very long time until I just can’t contain it anymore. I explode in laughter in the mall one day. Lock you up.

--Here’s another problem with venting your anger toward someone. The person doesn’t like it and will probably get angry at you. Example of road rage. Oh, thank you for yelling at me. Nope!

--The key is that you talk to the person the way you would like to be talked to. I have learned no matter the emotions in the room, I attempt to never change the level or tone of my voice.

Proverbs 15:1-2 (NLT2) ¹ A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.
² The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness. 

6. We Must Kindly but Directly Discuss the Issue.

--Jesus says we must show him his fault. This is often easier said than done. People tend to, when they are face to face, go at the problem indirectly to soften the blow.

--For example a wife may be very frustrated that the husband is not picking up his dirty clothes. Instead of being direct she forms a question hoping he will get the point.

--Are those your underwear on the bedroom floor? He responds, they better be or I have a few questions for you. The problem is not dealt with and she is even more aggravated.

--We have a tendency in conflict to get a little fuzzy about the issue. The person does not get what you are saying and you are left feeling even more frustrated.

Matthew 5:37 (NKJV) ³⁷ But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' 

7. We Must Make It Our Goal to Reconcile.

--Jesus says, “If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.” The goal in conflict situations is not to win or score points—it’s reconciliation.

--Your aim in going to the person (especially in family and this beautiful community) should be to restore the relationship. Reconciliation is rarely simple and almost never quick.

--But it is Jesus’ will for all of us. It is His command for His church. If this is not the goal, all of our work and effort will be for nothing.

--In conflict we can do many things right. We can acknowledge our conflict. We can see our responsibility to do something. We can go directly to the person.

--We can keep it just between the two of us. We can make sure no one else is listening. We can speak directly to the issue of the conflict. All these are good but not enough.

--Again, our goal has to be reconciliation. If you are not ready for step seven, you are probably not ready for the first six steps. Sometimes doing Mat. 18 works and sometimes not.

--My understanding is that we are not looking for percentages, we are looking to obedience to Christ. Either way, we are commanded to forgive. Ouch.

Matthew 6:14-15 (NLT2) ¹⁴ “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
¹⁵  But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Luke 23:34 (NLT2) ³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” 

--Remember forgiveness is an absolutely necessary part of Mat. 18.