Previous sessions
     1.   Every human has a spirit; makes humanity unique in physical creation.
     2.   For most people, mind prevails over spirit.
     3.   Western culture
               a.   Emphasizes mind (intellect, rational thought, feelings, emotions)
               b.   Virtually rejects spiritual side of human nature.
               c.   About only emphasis most churches put on human spirit is salvation, much less
          emphasis placed on spiritual development.
     4.   God is spiritual being, communicates with you spirit-to-spirit.
     5.   the problem: we're not good listeners and don't recognize him speaking to us.
     6.   Spiritually mature Christian maintains balance between mind & spirit.
               a.   recognizes & practices spiritual communication
               b.   uses knowledge of Bible & maturity of other believers to test what he hears
          spiritually.

God wants you to know his voice!
     1.   Adam & Eve heard God's voice
               a.   Gen 1:28  "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in
          number ..."
               b.   Gen 2:15-16  "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden
          to work it and take care of it.  And the Lord God commanded the man, 'You are
          free to eat from any tree in the garden ...'"
               c.   After they sinned:  3:9  "the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?'"
     2.   Repeatedly in OT, God spoke to his people:  Abraham, Moses, Caleb, Joshua, Samuel,
     David, righteous kings and judges.
     3.   Repeatedly in NT, evidence of Jesus speaking to his people:
               a.   Jn 10:3-5  "The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his
          voice.  He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has
          brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him
          because they know his voice."
               b.   Jn 18:37  "Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
     4.   God wants you to hear and know his voice!
     5.   Be prepared for anything God says:
               a.   expression of his love for you;
               b.   correction or rebuke;
               c.   guidance or direction;
               d.   a call to a life of faith, with no guarantee of comforts.
               e.   giving you revelation (knowledge, insight or understanding)
               f.   Question: Why would God speak these things to you?
     6.   God wants you to know his voice.

     If you are nurturing sin, you really don't want to hear God's voice.
     1.   You already know what he will say to you & you don't want to hear it.
               a.   When Adam sinned, his reaction was to isolate himself from God:  "I heard you
          in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid" (Gen 3:10).
               b.   Hearing God's voice produces a sense or feeling of conviction
               c.   The presence of God highlights the presence of sin, therefore a marginal
          Christian will avoid God.
     2.   If you want to hear God's voice, you must be ready to have every sin exposed and
     cleansed [Isaiah 6].
               a.   Isaiah had a powerful vision of the Lord sitting on a throne.
               b.   Isaiah's response:  Isa 6:5  "Woe to me! ... I am ruined!  For I am a man of
          unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen
          the King, the Lord Almighty."
                         i.   Isaiah immediately sensed his sin and uncleanness in God's presence.
               c.   6:6-7  "Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which
          he had taken with tongs from the altar.  With it he touched my mouth and said,
          'See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned
          for.'"
               d.   vs 8  "Then I heard the voice of the Lord ..."
                         i.   After he was cleansed of his sin, he heard the Lord speak.
     3.   This is not to suggest that you must be totally sinless before God will speak to you —
     that is not humanly possible — but sin separates you from God
     4.   Excusing or deliberately overlooking sin in your life will interfere with your ability to
     hear God speak to you.
     5.   Rationalizing that God loves you as you are leads you to feeling comfortable in your
     sin.
     6.   Sin separates you from God
               a.   the more we understand God’s holiness, the more clearly we recognize why he
          will not tolerate sin — he sees what sin has done to man and rest of creation,
          absolutely devastating results.
               b.   Another way sin separates you from God is by making you want to isolate
          yourself from him, since being with him makes you uncomfortable about your
          sin.
     7.   Example of Israel, people speaking to Moses
               a.   Deut 5:25-27  "But now, why should we die?  This great fire will consume us,
          and we will die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer.  For what
          mortal man has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as
          we have, and survived?  Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God says.
          Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you.  We will listen and obey."
               b.   Heb 12:19-20  "those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to
          them, because they could not bear what was commanded."
               c.   God's command was purity in their relationships with him:  Ex 20:3-4  "You
          shall have no other gods before me.  You shall not make for yourself an idol."
               d.   The real reason they didn’t want to hear from God: they knew he would expect
          them to give up their pagan ways.
                         i.   They used danger as an excuse.
                         ii.  They either didn’t think God would destroy Moses, or maybe they
               wished he would.
               e.   Sin is so opposed to holiness that it alienates you from God and sin causes you
          to isolate yourself from God.
               f.   We keep excusing our sin — “I can’t help it.” “God loves me as I am.”
               g.   There is element of truth to these statements, but with your willingness and
          God’s power, you can and will defeat your sinful nature.
               h.   Don’t excuse your sin; God calls you to be holy.
               i.   Two major reasons believers have difficulty hearing & knowing God’s voice:
                         i.   emphasis on mind, overlooking human spirit
                         ii.  sin.

     8.   A third reason: You cannot hear God's voice if you are depending on another person
               a.   From scriptures we just read: Israel wanted Moses as an intermediary.
               b.   People claimed they would die if God spoke to them again.
                         i.   Ridiculous! They had heard God's voice on many occasions & had not
               been consumed with fire as they claimed they would be.
                                   (1)  Previous verse (v24):  "Today we have seen that a man can live
                    even if God speaks with him."
                         ii.  Claimed no mortal man could survive listening to God speaking out of
               the fire, then sent Moses to do it!
               c.   What they were saying:  "You go to God, then tell us what he says and we will
          do it."
               d.   Issue:  they were uncomfortable listening to God directly; wanted a buffer
          between them and God.
                         i.   Wanted someone else to make the effort, meet the requirements to hear
               God.
                         ii.  If they didn't like what their representative said, they could place the
               blame on him or reject what he said.
               e.   Maybe you rely on an intermediary, too.
                         i.   Favorite minister, teacher or evangelist
                                   (1)  You like the good things they talk about:  healing, prosperity,
                    faith, blessings.
                         ii.  Favorite prophet:
                                   (1)  Flattering words & promises of how God will use you in mighty
                    ways.
               f.   How do you respond when someone deals with your sin?
                         i.   They tell you: "You have to let go of your secret sins."
                         ii.  "You have no concept of God's holiness."
                         iii. "Repent!"
                         iv.  Most people turn away from this kind of ministry; it's too
               uncomfortable.
                         v.   Most people choose a ministry that makes them feel good.
                         vi.  It's easy to choose someone to be an intermediary for you; it's risky
               hearing God for yourself.
               g.   It is time for you to hear God's voice directly, without a barrier between you.
                         i.   don’t allow another person to be a barrier/intermediary.
                         ii.  don’t allow sin to remain a barrier.

God's desire for you:  daily, consistent, dialog with him
     1.   Rev 3:19-20  "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.  So be earnest, and repent.
     Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the
     door, I will go in and eat with him, and he with me."
               a.   Addressed to believers!  You and me!
               b.   God is saying:  "If you hear my voice, open the door.  I want to come in and
          have an intimate dinner with you."
                         i.   He wants to talk with you face-to-face about what's on his heart.
                         ii.  The image in this verse is one of love and intimacy, of gentle voices
               sharing secrets.
               c.   Most Christians are satisfied with a little advice, a few words of direction, a
          reminder that God loves them.
                         i.   Most people wait until they get in trouble, then turn to God for help.
                         ii.  Instead, always turn to him first.
               d.   Jesus wants access to those areas you have closed off to him; those most private
          issues, your locked-up rooms.
               e.   He wants to be the most important, most intimate thing in your life.
               f.   This will involve him rebuking & disciplining you, but because he loves you.

     2.   In his presence, in privacy with him, you will get to know him — his thoughts, his
     ways, his desires, his plans.

Identified three common reasons we have trouble hearing and recognizing God’s voice; what
were they?
     1.   Emphasis on mind, overlooking spirit
     2.   Excusing your sin
     3.   Relying on others to hear God for you

Exercise
          Meditate quietly. Form a mental image of God, think about how much he loves you;
     write down any thoughts that come to mind regarding the three reasons we discussed.

          Anyone want to tell us briefly what they wrote down? Having others review what you
     sensed helps you confirm that what you heard was from God.

     1.   This week, beginning now, confess your sin to God, ask his forgiveness
     2.   Resolve, with his help, to do things God’s way
     3.   Continue spending 2-3 minutes daily, maybe several times daily, thinking about God’s
     love for you, how much you appreciate your relationship with him.
 

Additional Notes

Why Believers May Fail to Follow their Spirit (may overlap previous material)
     1.   Never been taught how to train your human spirit
               a.   Trained all your life to rely on intellect, feelings or physical senses.
               b.   If you spend all your time feeding your intellect or emotions, rather than your
          spirit, you may not (probably won’t) recognize God’s voice.
               c.   Normal to override spiritual input; this is how most people live.
     2.   Too busy to get quiet inside and listen to your spirit
               a.   Easy to dismiss internal disturbance or brief warning
               b.   If continue to ignore spiritual input, those promptings grow weaker
               c.   God normally will not intrude where he is not wanted; he won’t force you to
          listen and obey. He gave you free will and he honors it.
     3.   Insist on staying in control
               a.   Insist on understanding the whole picture before you’re willing to take even the
          first step.
               b.   This is pride: God’s plan must meet your approval before you commit yourself.
               c.   God very seldom (if ever) gives more than one step at a time.
               d.   He expects you to walk by faith, not by sight (or understanding).
               e.   Issue: is he your Lord, or are you?
               f.   After you take the step he showed you, then he’ll give you next step; one step at
          a time.