Learn to Listen – 3

Learn to Listen – 3

Subject – Be Still and Know

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." 

Psalm 46:1-2&10-11 (NLT2)
¹ God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
²  So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.
¹⁰  “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”
¹¹  The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. 

--I was speaking to someone in the church the other day and they were talking about what a mess our world is in and I said I totally agree.

--Maybe you are the exception but it seems that everyone’s world is in chaos in so many different ways. No one seems to be exempt from the tests and trials all around us. 

--In Psalms 46 the sons of Korah speak of times of trouble, earthquakes, and mountains crumbling into the sea. There are hurricanes (California. Fires in Hawaii. Floods in Vermont.

Romans 8:22-23 (NLT2)
²²  For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
²³  And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. 

--Interesting…we believers also groan even though we have Holy Spirit and we long to be out of all of this mess. Everyone is dealing with life and life happens every day. Hurts!

--Your pastors are not exempt from the pains of this life. We too are dealing with the effects of sin that started way back when Adam and Eve chose to be disobedient.

--Pastor Joseph has been in a battle for the last several months with his health and, thank God, he has had Holy Spirit in him and people praying for him. Life is tough sometimes.

--I promise I am not whining but life has been tough for us. I was just recovering from full knee replacement and thank God for His healing and help during that time.

--Then, as Summer started it seemed like chaos. The well quit! Replaced. An a/c unit quit. Replaced. The other a/c unit messed up and flooded our ceiling in the kitchen. Replaced.

--We had already scheduled for our house to be painted before all this started. It got painted. Praying to win Publisher’s Clearing House $10,000 a week for life. Nope! Not yet!

--Then, people we love very much pass away. Hearts are broken. Trying to navigate all the emotions. Be careful when you say to your pastor, “It seems you have lost your passion.”

--Maybe like you, we are walking through unbelievable trials and chaos and it is not necessarily about revival as much as it is survival. Pray for us and shhhh!

--Shortly after that I feel a pain in my shoulder. Go get a shot. Pretty bad and after a few days I hear a loud pop. Definitely more pain. Three days later my bicep is totally unattached. 

--As I am sitting here doing this sermon, I am waiting for my primary care doctor to give me a referral to see the orthopedic surgeon. It popped on Wed. This is the next Wed. Called twice a day to the doctor. Nope.

--And we believers also groan. During this time my mother-in-law is put under Hospice care. Relationships are strained. Did I mention life can hurt sometimes?

2 Corinthians 7:5 (NKJV) ⁵ For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears.

--So what do we do when we have conflicts on the outside and fears on the inside. We say, “Speak, Lord, for Your Servant is Listening.” How do we do that?

Psalm 46:1-2&10-11 (NLT2)
¹ God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
²  So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.
¹⁰  “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”
¹¹  The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. 

--I believe what I am about to share with you is not only good advice, it is the Word of God and we need to hear what He has to say when life hurts. God often speaks the loudest when we’re the quietest. 

French Philosopher Blaise Pascal – The sole cause of a man’s unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room. 

--It’s obvious in the day we are living, with all the noise around us, that we have a hearing problem. We need to learn to get quiet and say, Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.

--Let’s break down this statement from the sons of Korah and see if we can quiet the storms inside of us and the conflicts all around us.

1. Be Still.

--Have you ever tried to quiet a room full of church people? Trying to yell over them is almost impossible. It’s more effective to shush a crowd with a shhh. That what God does with a whisper.

--His whisper, His till small voice quiets us, calms us, and stills us. Our problem, my problem is that we have not disciplined ourselves to be still. To be quiet.

--Let me make this statement…chronic non-stop noise may be the greatest impediment to our spiritual growth. If you can’t be still and hear God, how can you grow?

--Psychologist Arlene Bronzaft did a study of elementary-age students in Manhattan. 

--She found that students who were on the side of the building where the elevated train tracks were eleven months behind their counterparts on the quiet side of the building.

--When our lives get loud, with noise filling every frequency, we lose our sense of being. We turn into human doings instead of human beings. 

--When we can’t “be” who God created us to be and we can’t “Be still” to hear His voice, we begin to lose our sense of balance and our lives spiral out of control.

--Let me go out on a limb…Your life is too loud. Your schedule is too busy. That’s how and why we forget that God is God. You know this, it takes so little to distract us.

English Poet John Donne – I neglect God and His angels, for the noise of a fly.

--The solution. Stillness. Be still. Or more specifically hearing His still small voice.

2. Be Still and Know.

Philippians 3:10 (NIV) ¹⁰ I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

--Silence (being still) is anything but passive waiting. It is proactive listening. 

--Henri Nouwen believed that silence was an act of war against the competing voices inside of us. This war is not easily won because it is a daily battle. 

--The goal of being still and being silent is to allow God’s voice to get louder and louder every day until His voice is all you can hear.

--The more you hear God’s voice, the more you want to hear His voice. The more we hear Him the more we know the plans He has for us to give us a hope and a future.

--If you want to hear the heart of God, silence (stillness) is the key. If you want Holy Spirit to fill you, be still. This is where we discover what Paul was talking about.

Acts 17:28 (NKJV) ²⁸ for in Him we live and move and have our being…

--How will we ever find that until we “Be still and know?” You say you want a deeper relationship with God, get still, get quiet, learn to listen, be still and know. 

3. Be Still, and Know that I am God!

--The psalmist did not have quiet chambers or extra rooms in their houses to be converted into “war rooms” so they retreated to God. 

--They referred to God as their refuge, their fortress, and their ever present help in time of trouble. The spoke of the shelter of the most High and the shadow of the Almighty.

--One of my favorites, God is described as our “Hiding place.” I don’t know about you but there are times I want to find a place away from the noise and the chaos. From all the voices.

Psalm 32:7-8 (NLT2)
⁷  For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. 
⁸  The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. 

--When we go to Him and we are still, we will know He is singing songs of deliverance (victory) around us all the time. Our problem is we don’t hear them.

--When are still, when we know He is God, and we begin to hear those songs of deliverance, there is nothing that He can’t set us free from.

--Stop hiding from God behind all the noise and learn He is your hiding place!

--A pastor told me early in my ministry some of the best advice ever. Rick, if you talk to God every day, you will never have trouble talking to the people you minister to. 

We Need Each Other – 5

We Need Each Other – 5

Subject – Roof Crashers

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!” 

--Last week we talked about the community and how Jesus related to it. This week we are referring back to the community of the mat. We need more roof crashers.

--These four friends get word that Jesus was there in their town and, of course, they want to hear this famous Rabbi. One of them says, “We have to get our friend to Jesus!”

--This could really be encouraging to him and if everything we have heard about Jesus is true…maybe, just maybe our friend will be healed. We have to get him there!

--To do what they are wanting to do will not be easy logistically but it is so important to understand that they were not thinking about themselves, they were thinking about their friend.

Philippians 2:3-4 (NKJV) ³ Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
⁴  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

This is key to community - True friends get their friends to Jesus!

--They tell their friend that he is going to see Jesus. They tell him they will be there at 9:00 to pick him up. He really doesn’t have much choice because when his friends pick him up, they really pick him up.

--They arrive at the house where Jesus is teaching and the house is packed…standing room only. There was no room left, not even outside the door. Jesus is so close but they can’t get to Him.

--This happened before the American churches adopted the unwritten verse…Thou shall place a bulletin on the pew to reserve your seat and anyone who sits there shall be cast into outer darkness. Amen!

--These friends had not counted on the crowd. One of them (the management guy) says how can we get him to Jesus…let’s brainstorm. Remember, no idea is a bad idea. 

--Soon one of them gets an idea…probably the youngest, the tattooed and pierced guy…I have an idea, Dudes! What if we make a hole in the roof and lower him down? Whoaaa! Any other ideas? There were none.

1. Roof Crashers are Desperate to Get Their Friends to Jesus.

--This can be for salvation, deliverance, or healing but holy desperation is necessary to get people to Jesus. Community recognizes that the only hope people have is Jesus.

--They are so desperate to get to Jesus that they decide nothing was going to get in their way…not even a crowd or a roof. They were motivated by their love for their friend and their trust that Jesus could do something.

Proverbs 3:5 (NKJV) ⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;

--Trust in the Lord will bring us to the healing we need. Your trust in the Lord will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones. This man needed that.

--So they get ropes to lower him and they head up on the roof. Many houses had outside stairs which led up on the roof which was used like a patio area. 

--I am sure people outside the house were asking them what were they doing and were told how ridiculous of an idea it was. When you are truly desperate, you do not care what people think. 

--Years ago as I was fulfilling my call to restaurant ministry…I met a young lady by the name of Hollie. For about two years I felt such a holy desperation to get her to Jesus.

--She met my entire family and we would encourage her to come to church and to come to Jesus. She would disappear for a while and then, show up at another restaurant. Jesus had a plan for her life.

--Again she disappeared but I kept praying for her salvation. Desperate people do not become weary in reaching out to people who need Jesus. 

Gal. 6:7-9 (NKJV) ⁷  Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
⁸  For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
⁹  And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

--After church one Sunday we were going into Moe’s and guess who was coming out…Hollie and her mother. She introduces me to her mother as the preacher trying to get her to church.

--Her mother said, we will be in church next Sunday and that is a promise. During the prayer time, Hollie runs forward and gives her heart to Jesus. She is gloriously saved. I was so happy! So was heaven!

--The story does not stop there…the following Thursday she breaks up with her boyfriend because of her new found relationship with Jesus. She determined nothing would keep her from serving Jesus.

--Her boyfriend explodes in anger, drags her into his car, drives over 80 miles an hour, and purposely crashes into a tree killing her instantly. She made it to Jesus! Desperation paid off. Her mom was so thankful.

--A thought about community we must understand…when you witness to people you are probably answering the prayer of someone in the community of God. We were her mom’s answer.

2. Roof Crashers Break Through.

--These words (Break thru) were used much more when I first came into the Kingdom of God than they are now and I have a theory of why that is true. You may not like my answer.

--I believe the answer is that we have become quite lazy in our Christian walk and since a break thru implies effort and work, we are less likely to go after the things we say we need from God.

--Prosperity has made us lazy…why struggle or labor in prayer when I can buy an earthly solution to my need?

Rev 3:15-17 (NKJV) ¹⁵ I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
¹⁶  So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
¹⁷  Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked--

--Jesus is teaching and because He is the greatest teacher ever, people are listening. Suddenly there is a distraction…a sound from the roof and then, a little dust falling.

--Dirt, dust, and small parts of the roof begin to fall into the meeting messing up people’s hair and their concentration. Then bigger pieces begin to fall. The owner is getting a skylight he did not ask for.

--The owner steps outside to call Allstate to let them know about the damage to his house. Jesus is here so can I clam it as an act of God? People begin to see four sets of hands laboring hard to break through. 

--These men are not going to allow anything to stand in their way…they are going to get their friend to Jesus. They become roof crashers because they love their friend and this is his only hope. 

--When was the last time you determined to break thru for a friend or someone in this community who needed a miracle? Communities pray for one another and we fight for one another. May stay up all night praying.

--Remember if this man does not have these friends he does not get to Jesus, he doesn’t have his sins forgiven, he doesn’t get healed…he doesn’t have a break through.

Ortberg – Community gets built by servants. Great community gets built by roof-crashers.  

3. Roof Crashers are Committed to Community.

--This paralyzed man had true friends in their small community. Not people who were just friendly but people who are committed to you in a way acquaintances or paid service providers are not.

Urie Bronfenbrenner – A family or community is a group which possess and implements an irrational commitment to the wellbeing of its members.  

--The key word here is irrational. In great communities, people carry mats and crash thru roofs without asking the question…What’s in it for me?

--How often do you do roof crashing? You do not have to destroy someone’s home. Mostly it involves doing two things. Noticing and doing. See a need and fill a need. 

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NCV)
²⁴  Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds.
²⁵  You should not stay away from the church meetings, as some are doing, but you should meet together and encourage each other. Do this even more as you see the Day coming.

Learn to Listen - 2

Learn to Listen - 2

Subject – Learning the Value of a Whisper

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." 

--I believe all of us would be in agreement that we live in a hurry scurry noisy chaotic world. There has never been so many voices with so little to say.

--Everyone has their viewpoints, their politics, and their opinions. If you don’t believe it, just ask them. Be careful because their voices will probably be loud and disturbing.

--We all say we want to hear from God or receive a word from God but there is no indication that God has ever stopped speaking to us individually.

--Just a word from someone who loves you and cares about what happens in your life, if you can get still and be quiet long enough you just might hear the voice of God.

--I have preached multiple times about Elijah and his powerful ministry. God used him to call fire down from Heaven and to kill hundreds of false prophets. 

--He is then threatened by the woman Jezebel and he runs for his life into the wilderness. He sits under a broom tree and is so depressed that he prays that he would die.

--God feeds him by food brought to him by a bird (Uber Eats) and a jar of water. He tells him to sleep. Never underestimate the power of food and a nap. He sends him to Horeb.

--When he arrives at Horeb (the Mountain of God) God gets his attention and then He speaks:

1 Kings 19:11-12 (NKJV)
¹¹  Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;
¹²  and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

--A still small voice…ESV says a low whisper. NASB says a gentle blowing. NIV says a gentle whisper. So often we dismiss the wind, the earthquake, and the fire because God was not in them.

--The truth is they got Elijah’s attention. Maybe, just maybe your life is in such upheaval and such chaos because God is trying to get your attention.

--Have you ever thought about this; God has an outside voice and He is not afraid of using it to wake us up!

--But when God really wants to be heard, when what he has to say is too important to miss, He often speaks in a whisper just barely above the threshold of hearing. The question is why?

1. The Sound of a Whisper

--The Hebrew word for “Whisper” demamah can be translated as silence, stillness, or calmness. Interesting that this is the same Hebrew word that is used when God delivers us from our distress. 

Mark 4:38-39 (NKJV)
³⁸  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"
³⁹  Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

Mark 4:39 (NIV) ³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 

--Because it is still the same Hebrew word, you can literally say that Jesus calmed the storm with a whisper. Do you just suppose Jesus can stop the storms in your life with just a whisper?

--His whisper is gentle but nothing is more powerful. The dictionary says a whisper is speaking very softly using one’s breath instead of vocal cords.

--Jesus using His breath instead of vocal cords is significant because isn’t that how God created Adam. He whispered into the dust and called it Adam.

Genesis 2:7 (NKJV) ⁷ And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 

--Adam was once a whisper. So were you and everything else that God created. How amazing is that?

--Whispering is typically used for secrecy. No form of communication is more intimate. It seems it is God’s preferred method to communicate with us. But the question is why?

--When someone whispers in a whisper you have to get very close to hear. In fact, you have to be so close that your ear has to be close to the person’s mouth.

--We lean in toward a whisper and that is what God wants. The goal of hearing the Father’s voice is not just wanting to hear Him; it’s intimacy with Him.

--That is why God speaks in a whisper. He wants to be as close to us as is divinely possible. He loves us that much so He draws us in with His gentle voice. Biblical example:

Psalm 40:1-3 (NKJV) ¹ I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry.
²  He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.
³  He has put a new song in my mouth-- Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD. 

--The phrase “He inclined to me” has such a beautiful word picture. Imagine you are in a pit (a pit of death) and your cry is barely a whisper. God bends down close to hear your prayer. Intimacy.

Oswald Chamber – The voice of the Spirit is as gentle as a zephyr. So gentle that unless you are living in perfect communion with God, you never hear it. 

--How many of you are grateful for a gentle God? Our Almighty God could intimidate us with His outside voice but He draws us close with a whisper. And His whisper is the very breath of life. 

2. God’s Whisper Can Change Your Life

--I had only been a Christian for a little while and God had just recently baptized me with Holy Spirit. I was working at the Bastrop Paper Mill. Paper Mills are known for being very loud.

 --This one was extremely loud because it was the oldest in the SE United States. Between the machines and winders, you couldn’t hear anything. You had to yell or use hand signals.

--I was still so excited about my new found life in Christ. In all the noise, I was worshiping God. I remember vividly walking up the steps toward the water fountain.

--I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder. No one there. Hmmm. Again, as I walked, I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder. No one there. Three times and then I remembered Samuel. I prayed.

1 Samuel 3:10 (NIV) ¹⁰ "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." 

--And then a voice. A sweet gentle voice in all the noise and chaos around me I heard the Lord speak to me words from the Apostle Paul…Woe, is me if I preach not the gospel.

1 Corinthians 9:16 (NKJV) ¹⁶ For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!

--Very important to understand this…God’s voice is a whisper but it is also so powerful that it can be heard in all the noise around us. Whatever is going on, you can hear Him.

3. Listen to Holy Spirit.

John 16:7&13 (NIV)
⁷  But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
¹³  But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 

--This is so powerful. Jesus said it is good for you that I am going away. Why? Because Holy Spirit is coming. And when He comes He is going to guide you and speak to you.

--Pastor, can we really hear God’s voice? Jesus said we could and that He would only tell us what He hears from the Father. Do we want to hear from Him and are we willing to take time to listen?

--I had been the YP here for almost two years. The lead pastor is ready to resign and go to the district office. Voices and more voices were telling me what to do.

--The district called and said resign from there and find another church. We will help you. Everyone had an opinion and were not afraid to use it. The Board asked me to submit a resume. What?

--My head was spinning and my heart was confused. I told the Board I had to get away and hear from God. We went to La. and then Ala. I tried praying. Still confused.

--Finally, in Ala. I said I am going walking in the woods and staying until I hear from God. Only thing warm was my LSU sweat suit. Looked like Big Bird. I prayed for two hours. Cold!

--Finally, came to two giant oak trees and there it was. There He was with His still small voice. So gentle.

‘’Rick, I have anointed you to pastor Leesburg First Assembly of God. Just allow Holy Spirit to do whatever He wants to do, whenever He wants to do it.” I said, “Yes, Lord.”

--We came back and I told the Board I wanted to pastor the church. They voted us in and that will be 33 years in January. Thank God for His sweet gentle voice!

"Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."