Part 3: Our Response to God’s Voice (Part 3 of 3)

Real life presents the Jack Hibbs podcast with intention and boldness to proclaim truth, equip the saints and impact our culture. So hey welcome back to our podcast. Listen previously we're talking about the voice of God God speaks. Secondly after that we looked at having ears that is ears that are hurt to hear what God is saying and today we're going to be looking at the mouth. What do we say after God is spoken? That's what's coming up next right here in the lecture. You can get the outlines of this podcast by going to jackhibbs.com slash podcast. Today if this podcast lifts you up and encourages you to live a more fulfilled life in Christ then make sure you leave us one of those five star ratings. To us that's like saying amen or yes then that rating will encourage others to listen. Now open your hearts to what God's word has to say to you. Here is Jack Hibbs. Alright so listen we're talking about the reality of our ability to receive and hearing what God is saying. Number one or first time together we're talking about the voice of God. God can speak any way he wants to speak. He can speak audibly. He can speak by dreams. There's no limit to what God can use to speak but the Bible tells us in these last days now he is spoken to us by his son Jesus Christ and the Bible makes it very clear that that narrative that conversation that God has given us is revealed in the Bible. So the Bible is God's tool by which he confirms or speaks to us. Secondly we saw that the heart must have ears. We have to nurture that. It's it's hard. In fact before we get into the third and final talk on this watch how difficult this is. We talked about clearing the field of noise away from our hearts. So watch this. Are you ready? Listen listen get ready now. Watch how hard this is. I'm going to look at the timer. We're going to take a little moment. Are you doing this in your life to get still to get along with God? Ready? Set. Go. That's 10 seconds. That was 10 seconds of quietness and it felt like an eternity. You know wild about how we're wired is for those of you who are parents when everything's fine at home you got kid noise going on you know kid noise there's some whining there's some griping there's toys moving around you hear plastic wheels on the on the tile you hear little conversations of the little ones you you hear them don't you you hear them but you're not listening to them you know you're just assessing you're making spaghetti the kitchen is going life phones ringing but you got an ear of the ambient noise the kids are the kids are noisy all of a sudden do you know what interrupts you with a scream it's not the kid there's an alarm that goes off because now you're no longer hearing any nothing from the kid no noise no movement and a parent can be just completely fine doing their thing and then this silence coming from the kid and the parent is lit up what's going on and they immediately you must immediately go in search and see wouldn't it be great if you saw your kid looking up the window your two-year-old contemplating creation in the wonders of God that's not going on they're either eating something they're not supposed to or they're pulling their sisters hair out or sometimes going on that they're not supposed to be doing why is that happening because we are creatures that are wired to hear and to listen so what we're talking about is this now is what is spoken our mouth if if God is speaking to us with a voice and if we have ears to hear what the spirit of God is saying to us the next thing is what are we doing with our mouth after we've heard what God has said this is important number one when God says things to us listen not everything is to be repeated out to others God will speak to us and it's personal this is an important thing in my life for example when when I became a Christian some years after so I'm going to say it was three years after I became a Christian something happened at a little prayer meeting at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa in the late 70s and God spoke something through someone directed at me and I've never had the liberty in all my life that was 46 plus years ago I've never had the liberty to tell other people what it was that that man said why I wrote it down I haven't written down it's very lengthy but what's amazing is about 75% of it has already been fulfilled about 25% of it remains just check tell me I can't tell you I'm not allowed to tell you God's made it very clear you keep this to you this is between us I'll do this but it's between us maybe someday when I'm old and dying I can you know put it in a book or have somebody write about it but right now I can't talk about it just because God speaks to you doesn't mean you're supposed to jump up on the rooftop and blab it everywhere so be very wise about what God has spoken to you about don't blur it out don't post it don't do a podcast about it ask God I might I might to talk about this just because God revealed something to you listen A.W. Tozer wrote a book it's an awesome book you have to get it a little book that I'm not your socks off it's called God tells the man who cares by A.W. Tozer not everything God says to you you're supposed to repeat number two when God tells you to say something when many speaks to you then say it speak it ask him for wisdom sometimes today in our modern age of Christianity it's so lack luster and it's so thin and veneer that if somebody says I've got a word from God people flock to hear what's going to be said because quite frankly let's be honest number one hey if he's got a word for God then that means I don't have to wait on God myself tell me what's up that's pretty scary because you don't know what that guy is going to say and you don't know if it's from God or not okay so just because somebody saying something doesn't mean it's from God so when you want to take into consideration what is being said does it match up with scripture number two does the person's life being lived out match up with scripture important but once God speaks to you about something and you know it listen I say this lovingly I say this because it's a common part of my life every pastor will know immediately what I'm talking about who's watching right now when God speaks to you and you know it there's a tear there's a fear that comes upon you of stewardship about what's just been said to you how do I say this when do I say this how was this to be spoken so for example friends has God been speaking to you God speaking voice to you your heart with ears about somebody that you love you know that there's something going on in their life that's not right God tells you to go tell them these words that's terrifying do not consult your friends hey I think God said this to me do you think I should do this your friends are gonna say because God didn't speak to them no or yes or yeah you know what you should do you should jump them sit on their chest and yell at them about it no calm down don't talk to others about it but if God says you need to tell your friend that what they're doing is wrong and before you tell them you need to pray yourself up and ready I shared it to you so that you are to talk to them don't tell somebody else about it you go to them but you speak it you must listen Jeremiah God is so cool Jeremiah a lot of you don't know I don't know if you know there's a Jeremiah was a teenager God says to Jeremiah hey I'm gonna give you a word I'm gonna put my word in your mouth so God put his word in Jeremiah's mouth and Jeremiah this is funny because I'm sure God didn't put this Jeremiah's mouth God puts his word in Jeremiah's mouth Jeremiah turns around with his mouth and says I'm not gonna say that I'm too young no one's gonna listen to me it's hilarious but does that describe the life that we live as Christians God says in the word I want you to say this say it with listen say it with reverence with awe say it lovingly but speak the truth but speak it you can't say I'm not gonna do that God you can't say yes Lord or no Lord it's I'm gonna obey I'm gonna do this and so when we speak out of our mouths it needs to be edifying it needs to be in accordance with the word convicting it might be convicting it might encourage someone it could be a rebuke it could be instructive it could be something that gives people enlightenment or understanding whatever you're sharing I love this from Isaiah chapter six it needs to come off the altar of righteousness and holiness and placed on your tongue like it was on Isaiah's tongue and then God said who's gonna it's amazing will place this on us who's gonna speak for us in Isaiah says I'll do it why because Isaiah knew hey my sins have been purged God's word is in my mouth the spirit of God's upon me he can use me and so wouldn't it be wonderful if we slowed down as Christians Christ followers and we began to speak life remember the Bible tells us that we need to be careful what we say because we are actually pronouncing in a sense a destiny upon people's lives I'm not talking about weirdness here I'm saying it this way if you constantly criticize your husband or your wife or your kids if you're saying what are you doing that for oh you know what you're too short for that you're too tall for that you up listen I've never been able to do that I doubt if you can you're destroying people talking like that well then it never happened listen when God speaks through you now that's what we're really talking about now it's coming around a full circle God spoke to you you had ears to hear he's put it in your heart and in your mouth and now it's to be spoken it's to be done as God's vessels God God's tools with reverence in awe knowing that we are speaking the word in the New Testament's the oracles of God can you imagine wow we are to proclaim the word of God when we speak we're to speak in a way that is that which builds up people we're to speak joy we're to speak life into people we listen it's an awesome thing to say to your little kid you do know you do know this right that if you follow God and put him first in your life junior there's nothing that God will withhold from you whatever he's got plan for you you can expect it to happen notice I didn't say God's gonna make you rich you know if you follow God junior you'll never be sick that's insane what you can say is you know what sweetheart you follow God and whatever he's planned for your life it's gonna happen you speak that to your kids speak that to your husband into your wife before they go out the door tell them you know what I'm gonna be praying for you today as you walk and busy about whatever you've got to do today I'm telling you right now that God's going before you and I pray that God has your thoughts all day long you have an amazing day I pray that God even shows you something really awesome today and you know that it's him doing it speak it speak with your mouth and this is not positive confession if you want that kind of stuff then turn the channel I'm talking about being an actual spirit led individual because the word of God is in you the spirit of God's got something to work with now because there's Bible in you you've heard from God and listen the natural result is speaking life and love truth to other people so somebody long time ago said I don't know what was it doesn't matter don't get it don't get up there and say something just don't walk up to the microphone and say something go to the microphone because you've got something to say that's cool right don't make something up and blame God for it well the Lord told me that this is what's going to happen and it doesn't happen how many times you've heard this God told me this and it doesn't happen and you asked them hey what happened oh you know I don't know what the Lord's doing he changed his mind he didn't change his mind you never heard from him so you went around talking about stuff that you never got secured with God you got all excited but with no knowledge yet all the zeal to spread the news but it wasn't news at all it was false so what you want to be very careful about is when we speak that we're speaking that which honors God blesses God because listen everywhere that you and I speak the Bible says we'll be held accountable for in the day of judgment the believers us so from here on out when we get around other people's lives we shouldn't be the party pooper to their life we should be known for people go talk to them ask them see what they think about it they listen to God they fear the words but even in that situation I got and I'm going to end with this for those of you who know me if you come up and you ask Pastor Jack you know um I think I think uh I think we're going to move to to New York okay but great what do you think about that I won't answer people I never have and never will what do you asking me you think God's telling you to move to New York or to move to California you don't ask me what I think it's irrelevant what I think oh can you pray for us that uh because we're thinking about getting a new job in San Jose I'll pray for you but you've got to hear God's voice on your own you've got to know it's him speaking and then once he has spoken now you can speak about it and you can be sure about it without any doubt and I thank God that what I'm telling you right now is so true in my life and a fact that when I get to the pulpit or out on the street or I'm stopped at the mall or the airport hey Jack what about this if I'm a speaking Bible I'm good if what's coming out of my mouth doesn't matter if they like it or not I'm good if I'm honoring God with my words because it's truth I'm speaking in love I've done my part now it's up to them to deal with it so guys let me insert it this way um to put a bow around all that we've been talking about in these three sessions together it's this that what do I do after I've heard from God and I'm supposed to speak or do or act right go what do I do understand this it's all in faith it's got to be by faith but faith is not blind you now know enough by what you've learned that what God has said requires obedience obedience is faith in action faith is actually tangible because I can see it happening in your life you see it goes from the invisible into the world around me because obedience is something that affects you and others so when he speaks you take it in you hear him you discern that word of God confirms it and you act that applies to tomorrow that applies to the mission field it applies to everything of life it's very simple if you take the time to unpack that and to put these pieces together so listen you know what I'm gonna say it's time for you to live out what it is that you believe in it's time for real life so listen if these are blessing you if these podcasts are making a difference in your life share it that's the greatest thing if you wanted to send me an encouraging word it would be best if you just shared it with other people the reach is what matters and that's where you and I come in and we'll do this together God bless you guys this Jack Kemp's 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