Our God Speaks
Our God Speaks
1 Corinthians 12:1-2 (NLT) Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this. You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols.
Romans 8:5-9, 14-17 (NIV) 5Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. 9You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. … 14For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ…
Why God wants to speak to me:
It’s a proof that I’m in the family of God.
John 10:27 (NIV) “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
It’s the byproduct of him living inside my body.
Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV) When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession…
What God wants to say:
1. The Holy Spirit wants to talk about my new birth. (regenerate = he makes me new)
Romans 10:17 (NASB) So faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.
2. The Holy Spirit wants to talk about my personal holiness. (sanctify = he makes me like Jesus)
3. The Holy Spirit wants to talk about ministry that needs to get done. (anoint = he gives me power for work & service)
Acts 13:2 (NIV) While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Acts 15:28-29 (NIV) It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NIV) 4There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
4. The Holy Spirit wants to talk about my witness to the world. (evangelize = he gives me power to share)
Acts 1:8 (GW) “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes to you. Then you will be my witnesses to testify about me in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 8:29 (GNT) The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that carriage and stay close to it.”
The bottom line:
The Holy Spirit wants to mediate the presence of Jesus and communicate his will.
John 14:26; 16:13-14 (ESV) 26“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 16:13… he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak… 14He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
How to respond:
1. Let the Lord set the agenda.
Amos 8:11-12 (NIV) “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.”
2. Trust his direction.
Matthew 7:26 (NIV) “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.”
3. Obey him quickly.
Growing Deeper Together (Small Group Discussion Questions)
Use these points throughout the week as part of your quiet time, in your small group, or over coffee with a friend to help you apply what you learned in today’s message.
What “speechless idols” do you identify in your life? Work, family, money, respect, fun & relaxation, relationship, etc. If you can’t identify something immediately, ask God to reveal it to you.
How at home are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in your life? Are they more like owners or temporary guests?
Review the four points Shane made in the section What God wants to say. What does he want to talk with you about today? Spend time with him in prayer, listening for guidance, conviction, and wisdom.
How has the Holy Spirit revealed Jesus in your life?
How will you respond to what you’ve heard today? Review the final three points. Which challenges you most? Which is the easiest or do you feel the most confident in? What will you do this week to connect with the God who speaks?