1. God directly spoke with a manifest presence, in very clear, powerful ways
• “The word of the Lord came to… saying…”
• God appearing and speaking to Moses in the tent of meeting
• To Adam & Eve in the garden; to Abraham as one of 3 men; to Elijah;
• Christ, God incarnate, spoke during His earthly ministry, and a few times after
He ascended (Ex. Hebrews 1:1-2; to Paul Acts 9:1-6; 23:10-11; the testimony of Charles Stanley)
2. The Holy Spirit:
• Word of knowledge or Word of wisdom or a direct word from the Holy Spirit:
This is a word of God directly to you; may or may not be audible. There may tend to be some uncertainty at first of who’s the voice is: His, or ours.
• 1 Corinthians 12:8
• Acts 10:19 The Holy Spirit told Peter that 3 people were seeking him.
• Acts 13:1-4 The Holy Spirit told believers to set apart Barnabus and Saul for missions work
• Acts 16:6 The Holy Spirit did not permit Paul to go to Asia or Bithynia.
• Kimmy Barker’s testimony of joining church plant
• Prophecy: A word from God’s Holy Spirit through one person to another — could be a future-telling sort of thing, or a declarative word from the Lord through a prophet or preacher. The Holy Spirit could move a pastor to preach on the very thing you have been asking god about — and when you hear it, you know it’s a word from God to you. Not all preaching is prophetic, and not all prophecy is preaching.
• 2 Peter 1:20-21 “… no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation… but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
• Romans 12:6 Prophecy is a spiritual gift, given by the Holy Spirit, for use in the body of Christ (see also 1 Cor. 12:28; 1 Cor. 14:29,31,39)
• Acts 20:23; Acts 21:10-11 The Holy Spirit foretold of Paul’s death, through Agabus and others
• Acts 11:28 Agabus, by the Holy Spirit, predicts the great famine coming upon the land.
• Acts 13:9-11 The Holy Spirit speaks through Paul, to Elymas the sorcerer.
• John 15:26 The Holy Spirit will testify of Christ to the world (through people): Acts 1:8; 2:1-4; 4:8-12, 31
• 1 Corinthians 14:3 Those who prophesy speak edification, exhortation, and comfort to men: Ex. Pastor Mark Becton’s story
• Non-verbal impressions by the Holy Spirit:
Sometimes the Holy Spirit communicates to you through “nudging’s” and non-verbal impressions. If you think God is nudging you or impressing something on your heart — search it out, seek confirmation, raise your awareness until you find the answer. As a believer, the Spirit of God lives within you, and you must learn to discern His voice from yours. The Bible is the best way to “test” these.
• John 16:7-8 Impressions, like the conviction of the Holy Spirit
• 1 Cor. 12:10 — “Discerning of spirits” The Holy Spirit can help us to discern
whether something is from God or Satan (see also 1 John 4:1)
• Read Travis Collin’s book “Directionally Challenged” Ch. 2 for more info.
• Praying in the Spirit — effective prayers led by the Holy Spirit — in tune with Him.
• Jude 20 “… praying in the Holy Spirit”
• Ephesians 6:18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…”
• Romans 8:26 The Holy Spirit helps us in our prayers
• 1 Corinthians 14:14-15
• Spiritual understanding — that is only available to us supernaturally through God’s Holy Spirit: as God communicates with us, we need help to understand what He says.
• Our natural selves could never understand: Ephesians 4:17-18; Romans 3:11
• Luke 24:36-45; Acts 16:14 Before the Holy Spirit came Jesus supernaturally
helped some people understand the Scriptures.
• John 14:26; 16:13 — the Holy Spirit is our teacher & guide about spiritual things
• 1 Corinth. 2:10-14 “… no one knows the things of God but by the Spirit of God.
• 1 John 4:1-6 Test the spirits!
• Ephesians 1:16-17; Colossians 1:9-10; Psalm 119:18; 2 Timothy 2:7
• Matthew 11:25-27; 16:17; John 6:37, 44,65; 7:17 The Father supernaturally
reveals the Son, and the Son supernaturally reveals the Father
• John 6:63 Jesus’ words were of the Spirit, and difficult to understand for the
logical, natural mind.
3. Angels: God speaks though heavenly messengers
Ex. Abraham, Moses, Ezekiel, Mary, Joseph, Paul, John, overseas testimonies
• Angels who appear as men — Ex. Gen. 18:1-19:1; Hebrews 13:2; Gen. 32:24 (Hos.12:4)
• Angels who appear as they are, in spectacular form — Ex. Gen. 16 Hagar incident; Judges 13:3, 6; Luke 1:26-33; 2:8-11; Acts 12:5-10
• Angels who appear in other forms: Ex. Burning bush Exod. 3:1-4
• Angels sometimes come in dreams: Ex. Joseph — Matthew 1:19-21
• Angels sometimes appear in visions: Zechariah 3:1
**Angelic encounters can be spectacular — and demonic spirits can appear as “angels of light” — bringing great deception and starting false religions and cults: Ex. Islam, Mormonsim, Branhamism. So, heed Paul’s warning to beware anyone, including angels, if they have a different Gospel than we have already received. The Bible is your best and truest, most reliable source of God’s word to you**
4. God’s word — the Bible: is the most sure, reliable, safe way we can know God’s voice. All other “communication channels” need to be tested against God’s word of truth.
• 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 10:1-11 God’s written word is profitable to us in many ways: for doctrine, reproof, correction, training in righteousness — and as examples for us to learn from.
• The preaching/proclamation of God’s word Ex. 1 Thess. 2:13
• Heb. 4:12-13 God’s word is living and powerful & sees every motive of our hearts
• Deuteronomy 8:3 Man shall live by God’s word
• Psalm 119:133 God’s word directs our steps
• Psalm 19:7-8 God’s word gives us wisdom and spiritual “light” (understanding)
5. Visions: God sometimes speaks through wakeful, visible, audible means.
• Acts 18:9-10 The Lord Jesus spoke to Paul in a night vision
• Acts 10:1-8 Cornelius has a vision of an angel coming and speaking to him.
• Acts 9:10-16 Jesus spoke to Ananias in a vision
• Acts 16:9-10 Paul’s Macedonian call night vision
6. Dreams (asleep) — God sometimes sends word in dreams. They can be symbolic, straightforward, and/or mysterious. They can bring a deep sense of horror (Daniel’s). They may bring warning, prophecy of future events, even help to build up the church.
• Genesis 15:12-17 The Lord spoke to Abraham in a deep, sleep dream
• Genesis 20:1-7 God warned Pagan King Abimelech in a dream
• Genesis 37:1-10; 42:6 God spoke to Joseph through symbolic, prophetic dreams
• Daniel 2:1-5, 19, 28 God spoke to Nebuchadnezzar through symbolic, prophetic dreams
• Matthew 1:19-21 The Angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph in dream.
• Today, God uses dreams often in the Arab world to bring Muslims to Christ
7. Circumstances & events — God’s sovereignty: God may choose to communicate His leading and movement in your life through nearly imperceptible means. Oftentimes you see God’s divine orchestration after the fact. Sometimes it is through an “open door” or a “closed door,” or a series of events — that He leads & guides you into His will.
• 1 Sam. 9 (chapters 8,10 for context) Watch how God brought Saul to Samuel!
• Prov. 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord… and He will direct your path.
• Phil. 2:13 Sometimes our own desires point to God’s choices in our lives.
• Psalm 37:23; Prov. 16:19 A man’s steps are ordered by the Lord: refer to 1 Samuel 9 for a great example of this.
• Suffering — C.S. Lewis said, "Suffering is God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world”: God’s chastisement is painful, but beneficial — Hebrews 12:10-11; See also Daniel 4:28-32 and 1 Corinthians 5:5.
• Waiting — God often works in unseen ways, challenging us to wait patiently for Him to answer. In waiting, He tells us “Not yet. My timing is perfect. My way is best.” Isaiah 40:31; Psalm 37:3-8, 23, 34 (Look what happened to Saul when he did not wait! 1 Sam. 15)
• Silence — Getting the “silent treatment” from God can be frustrating, putting it lightly. In our enduring silence, God is communicating any number of things — perhaps a grievous sin has not been confessed nd needs to be— or maybe God is testing us to see if we will be patient and wait for God in a matter, rather than taking things into our own hands — or maybe He is speaking in a way that we are not used to and He wants us to seek and find Him.
8. The Body of Christ — the church
• Wise counsel
Prov. 1:5
Prov. 12:15
Prov. 24:6
• 1 Corinthians 12: 8-11; 14:1-4 Certain Holy Spirit gifts God uses to speak to others.
• Acts 1:8 God proclaims the Gospel through the church, to the world.
9. Spiritual wisdom — you probably don’t think about this one much — you just figure it out and go on thinking it was you that came up with that great idea or solution.
• Daniel 1:17,20
• James 1:5-6
• Prov. 2:6,10-11
• 1 Cor. 1:24
•1 Cor. 2:6-15
• Eph. 1:17-18 (We see here that spiritual wisdom is connected to the Spirit!)
10. Through unconventional and even bizarre ways (i.e. Don’t put God in a box!)
Ex. Creation/nature: Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 10:16-18
Ex. A donkey: Numbers 22:21-31
Ex. A finger writing on a wall: Daniel 5:1-6, 11-12, 24-28
Ex. Moses hearing God speak through the burning bush! Exodus 3:1-4
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
SCRIPTURES for Exploring various ways God has spoken
How did God speak/communicate in each of these situations?
Abraham
Genesis 12:1 — “the Lord said” = apparently God spoke directly to Abram
Genesis 12:7 — God appeared (became visible) and spoke
Genesis 15:1-6 — the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision (while awake usually).
Genesis 15:12-17 — the Lord spoke to Abraham in a deep sleep/dream
Genesis 18:1-19:1 — the Lord appeared as one of 3 men and spoke; two apparently were angels.
-------------------
Abimelech, king of Gerar — Genesis 20:1-7 God spoke/warned him in a dream
Hagar — Genesis 16 (key verses 7-10) — The Angel of the Lord spoke to her.
Ishmael “God Hears”
Jacob — Genesis 28:10-16 symbolic dream of angels and the ladder, with the Lord above it speaking to him. (see John 1:51 for NT connection and Jesus)
Joseph — Genesis 37:1-10 (42:6 fulfillment) God spoke to Joseph through symbolic, prophetic dreams of his future as chief officer of Egypt, “with absolute and universal authority” (pg. 64, text note 41:43, Believer’s Study Bible).
Moses — Exodus 3:1-4 God spoke to Moses through the Angel of the Lord (possibly preincarnate Christ), appearing as a flame of fire in the midst of a bush. If you follow the story, God is the Angel [messenger], and Moses responds as such. Also Exodus 19:3 and Acts 7:38 use “God” and “the Angel” interchangeably.
Exodus 24:1-4 — Moses wrote down all the words and ordinances God gave them (He wrote the first 5 books of the Bible: Genesis through Deuteronomy)
Exodus 31:18 — God spoke and then wrote the 10 Commandments on stone.
Numbers 22:21-31 — The Angel of the Lord and a donkey spoke to Balaam.
1 Samuel 3:1-15 — Samuel heard the voice of the Lord and he confused it with Eli’s voice. Why do you think Samuel thought Eli was speaking? Why not a strangers voice?
1 Kings 19:9-16 — God spoke to Elijah in a delicate, whispering voice.
Isaiah 6:1-8 — Isaiah had a vision in the temple and heard and saw God on His throne.
Isaiah 1:1, 10-11 — Isaiah saw visions and spoke to the people about what He heard God say (typical prophet role)
Proverbs 16:33; 1 Samuel 14:37-43; Jonah 1:7; Acts 1:26 — Casting lots was a way to determine God’s answer in times past
Psalm 41:9; Acts 1:16 The Holy Spirit spoke prophetically through David about Judas.
Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 10:16-18 God’s general revelation, “heard” by all humanity, proclaims something of who He is and His great power and glory.
Ezekiel 1:1, 2; 2:1-3 The word of the Lord; Visions of God; the Lord spoke directly to the prophet, and sent him to speak to others with His Spirit in him!
Daniel
Daniel 2:1-5, 19, 28 King Nebuchadnezzar (“Nebby”) had prophetic, symbolic dreams of the future which could only be unraveled/revealed by God — because they originated with God! So then, God spoke through dreams, mysterious symbols, night visions, and through the prophet Daniel TO Nebby.
Daniel 5:1-6, 11-12, 24-28 The Handwriting on the wall episode: God can get your attention through a bizarre method, if need be!
(see also Daniel’s other experiences: Dan. 8:1-27; 9:20-27; 10:1-21)
Habakkuk 1:1, Malachi 1:1 God spoke through prophets like Habukkuk and Malachi, giving them emotionally heavy, prophetic visions.
Jeremiah 1:4, Jonah 1:1-2, Zephaniah 1:1, Haggai 1:1, Zechariah 1:1 The word of the Lord came to the prophet and then through him to God’s people.
Luke 1:26-33 Mary had an angelic visitation from Gabriel to announce the greatest event on earth!
Luke 2:8-11 The Angel of the Lord announces the Christ’s birth to the Shepherds.
Luke 3:2-3 The word of the Lord came to John the baptizer to proclaim throughout the region of the Jordan River.
Matthew 1:19-21 An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and God spoke through the angel (messenger).
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John — God spoke through Christ, God incarnate, the Living Word — to the world!
John 14:26; 15:26-27, 16:7-8, 13-14 God will speak through His Holy Spirit — to believers and through believer’s.
Acts 1:8 Upon receiving the Holy Spirit of God, believers would be empowered to be witnesses to the ends of the earth! That is, God would speak through believers to the lost.
Acts 2:1-4 The Holy Spirit (A.K.A. the Spirit of Christ) filled the believer’s and they spoke in other languages.
Acts 4:8-12 The Holy Spirit filled Peter to powerfully proclaim the Gospel — the Good News of Jesus Christ!
Acts 4:31 They were filled with the Holy Spirit and then spoke the word of God with boldness.
Acts 5:17-20 An angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and gave instruction to go and preach the Gospel (vs25).
Acts 8:26-35 An angel of the Lord and the Holy Spirit team up to give Philip instruction where to go in regard to the ministry of the Gospel.
Acts 9:1-6 Paul heard the voice of Jesus and saw a brilliant heavenly light.
Acts 9:10-16 The Lord spoke to Ananias (and Saul) in a vision.
Acts 10:1-8 God speaks to Cornelius through an angel in a vision.
Acts 10:9-16,19 (see also 11:19) God (identified as a voice) spoke to Peter through a trance-like state, and then after that by the Holy Spirit.
Acts 11:27 God speaks through His Holy Spirit to the prophet Agabus to foretell of a devastating famine that would come upon the land.
Acts 12:5-10 God spoke to Peter in prison by an angel. It was kind of surreal and he didn’t know whether he was seeing a vision or the real thing!
** Show Brother Yun video**
Acts 13:1-4 God spoke by the Holy Spirit to specifically set apart Barnabas & Saul for ministry work.
Acts 13:9-11 God spoke through the Holy Spirit, through Saul/Paul to Elymas the sorcerer — to chastise and cripple him from his demonic work.
Acts 16:6-10 The Holy Spirit did not permit Paul & Timothy to go into the Roman province of Asia nor Bithynia. Paul had a night vision which he concluded was from God, and it gave him direction.
** Testimony about Acts 16:6 and Varanasi**
Acts 18:9-10 The Lord Jesus spoke to Paul in a night vision to encourage him.
Acts 20:23; 21:10-11 The Holy Spirit foretells through the prophet Agabus, what Paul will go through.
Acts 23:10-11 The Lord Jesus appears and speaks to Paul to encourage him.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 ALL Scripture is God-breathed/inspired, and speaks to us today.
1 Corinthians 10:1-11 (key vs 11) God’s word speaks to us by providing examples that we can follow and learn from.
Hebrews 1:1-2 Prior to New Testament times, God spoke to the masses primarily through His prophets. In the New Testament era, God spoke primarily through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Optional homework: go through each of these and discover WHY God spoke as He did, when He did.
Abraham
Genesis 12:1 — “the Lord said” = apparently God spoke directly to Abram
Genesis 12:7 — God appeared (became visible) and spoke
Genesis 15:1-6 — the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision (while awake usually).
Genesis 15:12-17 — the Lord spoke to Abraham in a deep sleep/dream
Genesis 18:1-19:1 — the Lord appeared as one of 3 men and spoke; two apparently were angels.
-------------------
Abimelech, king of Gerar — Genesis 20:1-7 God spoke/warned him in a dream
Hagar — Genesis 16 (key verses 7-10) — The Angel of the Lord spoke to her.
Ishmael “God Hears”
Jacob — Genesis 28:10-16 symbolic dream of angels and the ladder, with the Lord above it speaking to him. (see John 1:51 for NT connection and Jesus)
Joseph — Genesis 37:1-10 (42:6 fulfillment) God spoke to Joseph through symbolic, prophetic dreams of his future as chief officer of Egypt, “with absolute and universal authority” (pg. 64, text note 41:43, Believer’s Study Bible).
Moses — Exodus 3:1-4 God spoke to Moses through the Angel of the Lord (possibly preincarnate Christ), appearing as a flame of fire in the midst of a bush. If you follow the story, God is the Angel [messenger], and Moses responds as such. Also Exodus 19:3 and Acts 7:38 use “God” and “the Angel” interchangeably.
Exodus 24:1-4 — Moses wrote down all the words and ordinances God gave them (He wrote the first 5 books of the Bible: Genesis through Deuteronomy)
Exodus 31:18 — God spoke and then wrote the 10 Commandments on stone.
Numbers 22:21-31 — The Angel of the Lord and a donkey spoke to Balaam.
1 Samuel 3:1-15 — Samuel heard the voice of the Lord and he confused it with Eli’s voice. Why do you think Samuel thought Eli was speaking? Why not a strangers voice?
1 Kings 19:9-16 — God spoke to Elijah in a delicate, whispering voice.
Isaiah 6:1-8 — Isaiah had a vision in the temple and heard and saw God on His throne.
Isaiah 1:1, 10-11 — Isaiah saw visions and spoke to the people about what He heard God say (typical prophet role)
Proverbs 16:33; 1 Samuel 14:37-43; Jonah 1:7; Acts 1:26 — Casting lots was a way to determine God’s answer in times past
Psalm 41:9; Acts 1:16 The Holy Spirit spoke prophetically through David about Judas.
Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 10:16-18 God’s general revelation, “heard” by all humanity, proclaims something of who He is and His great power and glory.
Ezekiel 1:1, 2; 2:1-3 The word of the Lord; Visions of God; the Lord spoke directly to the prophet, and sent him to speak to others with His Spirit in him!
Daniel
Daniel 2:1-5, 19, 28 King Nebuchadnezzar (“Nebby”) had prophetic, symbolic dreams of the future which could only be unraveled/revealed by God — because they originated with God! So then, God spoke through dreams, mysterious symbols, night visions, and through the prophet Daniel TO Nebby.
Daniel 5:1-6, 11-12, 24-28 The Handwriting on the wall episode: God can get your attention through a bizarre method, if need be!
(see also Daniel’s other experiences: Dan. 8:1-27; 9:20-27; 10:1-21)
Habakkuk 1:1, Malachi 1:1 God spoke through prophets like Habukkuk and Malachi, giving them emotionally heavy, prophetic visions.
Jeremiah 1:4, Jonah 1:1-2, Zephaniah 1:1, Haggai 1:1, Zechariah 1:1 The word of the Lord came to the prophet and then through him to God’s people.
Luke 1:26-33 Mary had an angelic visitation from Gabriel to announce the greatest event on earth!
Luke 2:8-11 The Angel of the Lord announces the Christ’s birth to the Shepherds.
Luke 3:2-3 The word of the Lord came to John the baptizer to proclaim throughout the region of the Jordan River.
Matthew 1:19-21 An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and God spoke through the angel (messenger).
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John — God spoke through Christ, God incarnate, the Living Word — to the world!
John 14:26; 15:26-27, 16:7-8, 13-14 God will speak through His Holy Spirit — to believers and through believer’s.
Acts 1:8 Upon receiving the Holy Spirit of God, believers would be empowered to be witnesses to the ends of the earth! That is, God would speak through believers to the lost.
Acts 2:1-4 The Holy Spirit (A.K.A. the Spirit of Christ) filled the believer’s and they spoke in other languages.
Acts 4:8-12 The Holy Spirit filled Peter to powerfully proclaim the Gospel — the Good News of Jesus Christ!
Acts 4:31 They were filled with the Holy Spirit and then spoke the word of God with boldness.
Acts 5:17-20 An angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and gave instruction to go and preach the Gospel (vs25).
Acts 8:26-35 An angel of the Lord and the Holy Spirit team up to give Philip instruction where to go in regard to the ministry of the Gospel.
Acts 9:1-6 Paul heard the voice of Jesus and saw a brilliant heavenly light.
Acts 9:10-16 The Lord spoke to Ananias (and Saul) in a vision.
Acts 10:1-8 God speaks to Cornelius through an angel in a vision.
Acts 10:9-16,19 (see also 11:19) God (identified as a voice) spoke to Peter through a trance-like state, and then after that by the Holy Spirit.
Acts 11:27 God speaks through His Holy Spirit to the prophet Agabus to foretell of a devastating famine that would come upon the land.
Acts 12:5-10 God spoke to Peter in prison by an angel. It was kind of surreal and he didn’t know whether he was seeing a vision or the real thing!
** Show Brother Yun video**
Acts 13:1-4 God spoke by the Holy Spirit to specifically set apart Barnabas & Saul for ministry work.
Acts 13:9-11 God spoke through the Holy Spirit, through Saul/Paul to Elymas the sorcerer — to chastise and cripple him from his demonic work.
Acts 16:6-10 The Holy Spirit did not permit Paul & Timothy to go into the Roman province of Asia nor Bithynia. Paul had a night vision which he concluded was from God, and it gave him direction.
** Testimony about Acts 16:6 and Varanasi**
Acts 18:9-10 The Lord Jesus spoke to Paul in a night vision to encourage him.
Acts 20:23; 21:10-11 The Holy Spirit foretells through the prophet Agabus, what Paul will go through.
Acts 23:10-11 The Lord Jesus appears and speaks to Paul to encourage him.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 ALL Scripture is God-breathed/inspired, and speaks to us today.
1 Corinthians 10:1-11 (key vs 11) God’s word speaks to us by providing examples that we can follow and learn from.
Hebrews 1:1-2 Prior to New Testament times, God spoke to the masses primarily through His prophets. In the New Testament era, God spoke primarily through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Optional homework: go through each of these and discover WHY God spoke as He did, when He did.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Special segment: faith, difficulties and salvation
December 21st lesson Special seasonal segment: the connection between difficulties, faith, salvation — and that wonderful baby in the manger.
* Red, bold words correspond to class worksheet fill-in-the-blanks.
**I originally intended to jump right into the Christmas story, but I’ve had a growing sense in my spirit that I need to cover a passage in 1 Peter. **
1 Peter 1:3-10
Vs3
• God has showered us with His great mercy in that He has “begotten us again” — that is to say, He has birthed in us new life, where once there was no life, now there is a vibrant, new, precious life in us who believe, that is connected to the life of God. We were born dead spiritually in this world, but now in Christ, we have LIFE!
• That new life in the Spirit, gives us a living hope. We have hope HERE AND NOW, and a hope that stands and lasts forever. Remember Jeremiah 29:11 — “… a future and a hope.” Life now has meaning because Christ changes EVERYTHING.
• This new life and hope come to us because the little, innocent baby in the manager, 2000 years ago, gave His life, all His life for the lives of all mankind — even to the death on the cross 33 years later. But He didn’t die and that was end of story. He powerfully, and wonderfully resurrected from the dead! He came back to life, conquering sin, hell and the grave! He paid the price for our sins on the cross. His resurrection made effective God’s plan to overcome the damage of sin in the world. Eternal life with God in heaven is now available to all who desire it.
THE RESURRECTION CHANGED EVERYTHING AND GAVE US HOPE.
Vs4
• The Bible talks about an inheritance that each true believer has waiting for us in heaven. It is unclear ALL that it is, but it will be wonderful. It seems to primarily deal with salvation and all the benefits of living blissfully with God for eternity. It is something beautiful that we will share with Christ, and should give us hope, and something to really look forward to when we get there. It may be hard for our minds to grasp how wonderful this will be, but consider we were meant to be in unbroken relationship and fellowship with God — enjoying His presence and the beauty of His manifest love toward us. It will finally be in heaven, what it should have been here. The terrible and horrific consequences of sin will be no more.
Some people look forward to earthly inheritances — they seem to be a long way off — but eventually comes. This is so much better and worth the wait! And this, unlike the stuff of earth, will never run out, never be stolen, and never in any way deteriorate.
• Why should this give us hope? Why did God ensure we know this? Because this world is hard — and it tears us down, robs us of joy and hope. If we had no hope, many of us would be on the brink of giving up altogether. I know I probably would have. There is a future waiting for us, that is not long off, that should really encourage us and be a steadying presence in our lives from day to day. This life, though troublesome and hard, is very, very, very, very, VERY short — compared to eternity. It cannot even be compared. But because we live here and now, it is extremely difficult at times to remember that. Right?
WE HAVE AN AWESOME BLESSING WAITING FOR US IN HEAVEN
Vs5
• We are “kept”, [that is “guarded”— like by soldiers] by the power of God through faith — for salvation. That is, God is actively protecting our souls in unseen, probably mostly undetectable ways, to secure our future and completion of salvation. You see, if we believe on Him, we are saved past tense, but we are in a sense still being saved, and this will culminate in the final completion of God’s salvation plan when we get to heaven. God protects that process to assure us our final home with Him. And if God is guarding it, you can be sure you will never lose it!
Vs6
• SO, KNOWING ALL THIS, WE CAN GREATLY REJOICE.
• Though we rejoice in our blessed future, we must for a time endure the hardship of life.
WE MUST NEEDFULLY, ENDURE FOR A LITTLE WHILE, DISTRESSING TRIALS OF ALL SORTS. And life is full of trials. We all must go through them. And some shake us to the core of our being. Some even very nearly destroy us. So, why does God allow this?? God, being God, could save us from every and all problems! Why doesn’t He? I mean doesn’t this show a lack of love and fatherly compassion toward us?
Vs7
• No. On the contrary, our Father in heaven is allowing things into our lives “to do us good.” Remember Deut. 8, where God allowed all kinds of stuff to happen to Israel, His chosen people for their good?
• Q. Can you remember a time as a child when your dad did something that you didn’t like very much, but it was for your good? Did you understand it then? When did you understand it?
• And here we see the same thing. God is doing something for our eternal good: “that the genuineness of YOUR FAITH, BEING MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD…” may be proven.
• Imagine the world’s largest storehouse of gold. Gold brick after gold brick stacked to the ceiling. Not thousands, nor millions, nor billions, but trillions of dollars worth. It could buy cities, countries, continents, nearly anything the heart desires. Which would you prefer: all that gold or the little bit of genuine faith that you have? Well, let me tell you how God sees it. Your faith is more precious than all the gold in the world. It cannot even compare. Earthly gold is finite. It has an end. It will not last forever. But your faith will, and eternally effects you. Gold cannot buy your salvation — which by the way is the most precious thing on this earth that we NEED to obtain. But a small bit of faith can indeed make salvation certain for you. Can you see why faith, and what it can do, is far superior than a chunk of metal? Money can buy a lot of things, but it cannot buy life’s most precious thing.
• I want you to imagine that late one night you awake to the terrible sound and smell of your house on fire. Your child is upstairs at one end of the house, your safe-box and your life-savings at the other. You only have time to get one of them. It’s not even a contest. The child’s LIFE wins every time, right? It’s a hideous thing to even compare the two. Choosing your child does not mean you do not value money or think that you do not need it, it just means you got your priorities straight. It shows what you value most. Compared to your precious child, no amount of money in the world can be even compare to them. Faith is like that in a believer’s life. It’s not that money/gold has no use or value, but compared to what faith is and what it can do, it’s almost an insult to compare the two — faith wins out every time. It is far more precious than gold — and God wants us to have the genuine, kind that will bring praise, glory and honor to Christ when He comes back for us.
• Our faith is tested by life’s trials. They are needed to develop and strengthen and prove genuine our faith. A refiner’s fire melts the gold and the impurities can be separated and removed. Trials have that same effect on our faith: God is refining the impurities out of our faith and lives that will not bring praise, glory and honor to Christ upon His return.
• God sees into the heart, soul, and spirit and discerns those things that are vile, unprofitable, and hindering our faith walk with Him.
• Others say they believe on Christ and think they have salvation, and then when that faith is tested by a trial, they give up on God. That kind of faith is not profitable for salvation, so the Lord tests it to show us where we stand and encourages us to develop that real sort of faith that is genuine and profitable.
• Genuine faith gets refined through trials and makes the believer stronger and stronger in the faith.
OUR FAITH IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN ANY EARTHLY POSSESION.
TRIALS ARE STRATEGICALLY PERMITTED TO TEST AND STRENGTHEN OUR FAITH.
Vs8
• Most of us on earth have not seen Christ — but we believe by faith — and have joy because of what He means to us.
Vs9
• The purpose and culmination of faith: our salvation — an eternal home with God in heaven.
THE BEAUTIFUL RESULT OF OUR FAITH IS SALVATION.
V10
• The prophets of old prophesied about Messiah — the Christ — our Lord Jesus, and they searched carefully [with intensity] to discern when and where He would come. They were given pieces of a larger prophetic puzzle that they had to figure out. Different prophets had different pieces of that puzzle.
• Micah 5:2 — the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem
• Isaiah 7:14 — the Messiah would be born of a virgin
• Isaiah 9:6-7 — the Messiah would be called: Son, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He would be a direct descendant of David and fulfill a kingly role
• Isaiah 11:1-2 — the Messiah would come from the lineage of Jesse, David’s father and He would be very special in that the fullness of God’ Spirit would be upon Him.
• Isaiah 42:6-9 The Messiah would be a miracle worker, both physically and spiritually.
• Isaiah 52:13—53:12: the Messiah would be a suffering servant
• David — in Psalm 22 — the Messiah would die an excruciating death by His enemies.
• Psalm 16:10-11 (Acts 2:31-32) The Messiah would not stay dead for long , but be given life — He would be resurrected.
THE WHOLE LIFE OF JESUS WAS FORETOLD — FROM THE BABY IN THE MANGER, TO HIS RESURRECTION.
* Red, bold words correspond to class worksheet fill-in-the-blanks.
**I originally intended to jump right into the Christmas story, but I’ve had a growing sense in my spirit that I need to cover a passage in 1 Peter. **
1 Peter 1:3-10
Vs3
• God has showered us with His great mercy in that He has “begotten us again” — that is to say, He has birthed in us new life, where once there was no life, now there is a vibrant, new, precious life in us who believe, that is connected to the life of God. We were born dead spiritually in this world, but now in Christ, we have LIFE!
• That new life in the Spirit, gives us a living hope. We have hope HERE AND NOW, and a hope that stands and lasts forever. Remember Jeremiah 29:11 — “… a future and a hope.” Life now has meaning because Christ changes EVERYTHING.
• This new life and hope come to us because the little, innocent baby in the manager, 2000 years ago, gave His life, all His life for the lives of all mankind — even to the death on the cross 33 years later. But He didn’t die and that was end of story. He powerfully, and wonderfully resurrected from the dead! He came back to life, conquering sin, hell and the grave! He paid the price for our sins on the cross. His resurrection made effective God’s plan to overcome the damage of sin in the world. Eternal life with God in heaven is now available to all who desire it.
THE RESURRECTION CHANGED EVERYTHING AND GAVE US HOPE.
Vs4
• The Bible talks about an inheritance that each true believer has waiting for us in heaven. It is unclear ALL that it is, but it will be wonderful. It seems to primarily deal with salvation and all the benefits of living blissfully with God for eternity. It is something beautiful that we will share with Christ, and should give us hope, and something to really look forward to when we get there. It may be hard for our minds to grasp how wonderful this will be, but consider we were meant to be in unbroken relationship and fellowship with God — enjoying His presence and the beauty of His manifest love toward us. It will finally be in heaven, what it should have been here. The terrible and horrific consequences of sin will be no more.
Some people look forward to earthly inheritances — they seem to be a long way off — but eventually comes. This is so much better and worth the wait! And this, unlike the stuff of earth, will never run out, never be stolen, and never in any way deteriorate.
• Why should this give us hope? Why did God ensure we know this? Because this world is hard — and it tears us down, robs us of joy and hope. If we had no hope, many of us would be on the brink of giving up altogether. I know I probably would have. There is a future waiting for us, that is not long off, that should really encourage us and be a steadying presence in our lives from day to day. This life, though troublesome and hard, is very, very, very, very, VERY short — compared to eternity. It cannot even be compared. But because we live here and now, it is extremely difficult at times to remember that. Right?
WE HAVE AN AWESOME BLESSING WAITING FOR US IN HEAVEN
Vs5
• We are “kept”, [that is “guarded”— like by soldiers] by the power of God through faith — for salvation. That is, God is actively protecting our souls in unseen, probably mostly undetectable ways, to secure our future and completion of salvation. You see, if we believe on Him, we are saved past tense, but we are in a sense still being saved, and this will culminate in the final completion of God’s salvation plan when we get to heaven. God protects that process to assure us our final home with Him. And if God is guarding it, you can be sure you will never lose it!
Vs6
• SO, KNOWING ALL THIS, WE CAN GREATLY REJOICE.
• Though we rejoice in our blessed future, we must for a time endure the hardship of life.
WE MUST NEEDFULLY, ENDURE FOR A LITTLE WHILE, DISTRESSING TRIALS OF ALL SORTS. And life is full of trials. We all must go through them. And some shake us to the core of our being. Some even very nearly destroy us. So, why does God allow this?? God, being God, could save us from every and all problems! Why doesn’t He? I mean doesn’t this show a lack of love and fatherly compassion toward us?
Vs7
• No. On the contrary, our Father in heaven is allowing things into our lives “to do us good.” Remember Deut. 8, where God allowed all kinds of stuff to happen to Israel, His chosen people for their good?
• Q. Can you remember a time as a child when your dad did something that you didn’t like very much, but it was for your good? Did you understand it then? When did you understand it?
• And here we see the same thing. God is doing something for our eternal good: “that the genuineness of YOUR FAITH, BEING MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD…” may be proven.
• Imagine the world’s largest storehouse of gold. Gold brick after gold brick stacked to the ceiling. Not thousands, nor millions, nor billions, but trillions of dollars worth. It could buy cities, countries, continents, nearly anything the heart desires. Which would you prefer: all that gold or the little bit of genuine faith that you have? Well, let me tell you how God sees it. Your faith is more precious than all the gold in the world. It cannot even compare. Earthly gold is finite. It has an end. It will not last forever. But your faith will, and eternally effects you. Gold cannot buy your salvation — which by the way is the most precious thing on this earth that we NEED to obtain. But a small bit of faith can indeed make salvation certain for you. Can you see why faith, and what it can do, is far superior than a chunk of metal? Money can buy a lot of things, but it cannot buy life’s most precious thing.
• I want you to imagine that late one night you awake to the terrible sound and smell of your house on fire. Your child is upstairs at one end of the house, your safe-box and your life-savings at the other. You only have time to get one of them. It’s not even a contest. The child’s LIFE wins every time, right? It’s a hideous thing to even compare the two. Choosing your child does not mean you do not value money or think that you do not need it, it just means you got your priorities straight. It shows what you value most. Compared to your precious child, no amount of money in the world can be even compare to them. Faith is like that in a believer’s life. It’s not that money/gold has no use or value, but compared to what faith is and what it can do, it’s almost an insult to compare the two — faith wins out every time. It is far more precious than gold — and God wants us to have the genuine, kind that will bring praise, glory and honor to Christ when He comes back for us.
• Our faith is tested by life’s trials. They are needed to develop and strengthen and prove genuine our faith. A refiner’s fire melts the gold and the impurities can be separated and removed. Trials have that same effect on our faith: God is refining the impurities out of our faith and lives that will not bring praise, glory and honor to Christ upon His return.
• God sees into the heart, soul, and spirit and discerns those things that are vile, unprofitable, and hindering our faith walk with Him.
• Others say they believe on Christ and think they have salvation, and then when that faith is tested by a trial, they give up on God. That kind of faith is not profitable for salvation, so the Lord tests it to show us where we stand and encourages us to develop that real sort of faith that is genuine and profitable.
• Genuine faith gets refined through trials and makes the believer stronger and stronger in the faith.
OUR FAITH IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN ANY EARTHLY POSSESION.
TRIALS ARE STRATEGICALLY PERMITTED TO TEST AND STRENGTHEN OUR FAITH.
Vs8
• Most of us on earth have not seen Christ — but we believe by faith — and have joy because of what He means to us.
Vs9
• The purpose and culmination of faith: our salvation — an eternal home with God in heaven.
THE BEAUTIFUL RESULT OF OUR FAITH IS SALVATION.
V10
• The prophets of old prophesied about Messiah — the Christ — our Lord Jesus, and they searched carefully [with intensity] to discern when and where He would come. They were given pieces of a larger prophetic puzzle that they had to figure out. Different prophets had different pieces of that puzzle.
• Micah 5:2 — the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem
• Isaiah 7:14 — the Messiah would be born of a virgin
• Isaiah 9:6-7 — the Messiah would be called: Son, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He would be a direct descendant of David and fulfill a kingly role
• Isaiah 11:1-2 — the Messiah would come from the lineage of Jesse, David’s father and He would be very special in that the fullness of God’ Spirit would be upon Him.
• Isaiah 42:6-9 The Messiah would be a miracle worker, both physically and spiritually.
• Isaiah 52:13—53:12: the Messiah would be a suffering servant
• David — in Psalm 22 — the Messiah would die an excruciating death by His enemies.
• Psalm 16:10-11 (Acts 2:31-32) The Messiah would not stay dead for long , but be given life — He would be resurrected.
THE WHOLE LIFE OF JESUS WAS FORETOLD — FROM THE BABY IN THE MANGER, TO HIS RESURRECTION.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Jennifer R. Walter’s angel story
The second time I believe God spoke to me is what I believe was an angel. I have always believed that God places angels in people’s lives when they need them most. In June 2006, I was faced with a devastating blow. What the actual blow was doesn’t matter, but it was a life changing, and not for the better, situation. I was leaving Colonial Heights to go to work in Richmond. My usual morning coffee stop at the 7-11 in Chester was first on my agenda. From Colonial Heights to Chester thoughts of just taking my kids and husband and leaving everything kept entering my mind. I just wanted to run away from it all and never come back to Colonial Heights. I had other family here, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to run. I pulled up to the 7-11 and decided to keep my sunglasses on because I had been crying all the way and didn’t want anyone to notice. 7-11 was empty except for the cashier so I said hey to her as I did every morning and made my way to the coffee. As I was making my coffee, an elderly man walked up to the counter and stood across from me. I knew he was elderly because I peaked up real quick when he approached. I also noticed he had a red vest on similar to the one the cashier had on. As he stood there wiping the counter, he just began to speak to me. He told me that what gets him through his hard times is his faith in God. That trusting in Him will guide me in the right direction. I wondered how this man knew I was upset because my glasses hid my eyes, but I smiled at him and told him to have a nice day. Once I got back into the car and started my drive to Richmond, I thought of what the man had said to me and stopped crying immediately. Suddenly I had a sense of calm come over me. I knew everything was going to be o.k. and that I had to face my problem straight on. I wasn’t going to let the situation I was in define me.
The next day, I made my usual 7-11 stop. I went straight up to the cashier to ask who was the man that worked there that I had spoken to the day before and if she knew when he was working again. I wanted to thank him for changing my life that previous morning just by taking the time to talk to me and remind me of what God would want me to do. She told me that they had no elderly man that worked there and that she and another female employee were the only 2 on staff that day. I went in there daily for months after my encounter but never saw him again. So who was this man? Was he an angel sent from God in my time of need? Or was he just a customer wearing a red vest that I had mistaken for an employee who sensed I needed help? Either way, I truly believe he was there by God’s will.
The next day, I made my usual 7-11 stop. I went straight up to the cashier to ask who was the man that worked there that I had spoken to the day before and if she knew when he was working again. I wanted to thank him for changing my life that previous morning just by taking the time to talk to me and remind me of what God would want me to do. She told me that they had no elderly man that worked there and that she and another female employee were the only 2 on staff that day. I went in there daily for months after my encounter but never saw him again. So who was this man? Was he an angel sent from God in my time of need? Or was he just a customer wearing a red vest that I had mistaken for an employee who sensed I needed help? Either way, I truly believe he was there by God’s will.
Chris' guardian angel story
In October of 2006, I was invited to participate with over 50 Southern Baptist Missionaries in a Global Mission Conference at Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Florida. I had heard that this church had a motorcycle ministry, of which I was very interested. My hope was to return to Japan in 2007 and begin a motorcycle ministry to the many Japanese men that come to the island of Hokkaido, where we lived as missionaries, every year.
When I arrived at Bell Shoals, the leader of the F.A.I.T.H. riders motorcycle ministry asked me if I would like to go with the group to Daytona Beach to participate in an evangelistic event for the multitudes of bikers that come to Biketoberfest. I said that I would love to, but didn’t have a bike to ride. The group found a motorcycle for me to ride, and early on a Saturday morning in October, I found myself on a 1500cc motorcycle, cruising down the highway to the opposite side of Florida.
After experiencing a wonderful day of ministry, we headed back across Florida to the Tampa area. The leader of the group and I separated from the rest to fuel up. After we got back on the interstate, something very frightening happened to me.
We were very close to Orlando, and approaching an entrance ramp to the highway. My new-found brother in Christ was just in front of me as we began passing the on-ramp. There was a car coming down the ramp onto the highway and didn’t notice that I was in the first lane. There was a car immediately behind me, so to slow down quickly would have caused them to rear end me at 75 mph. The car coming down the ramp came closer, almost touching my front tire with their back panel. I had no choice but to immediately go into the lane beside me, not knowing if there was a car there or not. The decision had to be made in a split second, or I would have been struck by the rear quarter panel of the car coming onto the highway, and found myself skidding along the highway, surely to be struck by another vehicle in the heavy traffic.
I prayed as I pulled into the lane beside me, and, with great thanksgiving to the Lord, there was no one there.
Just a few miles up the road, we pulled off to meet the rest of the group at a Bob Evans restaurant. As I stopped my bike, my friend said that he was watching the incident, praying that all would turn out well. We went into the restaurant to meet the rest of our group, and my friend told the story to the rest. I slipped out and went to the restroom to splash some cold water on my face and take a moment for myself.
On the way back to the table, I noticed a young lady with a bus-cart full of dirty dishes. I hadn’t noticed her there on the way to the restroom. She looked at me with a gaze that went right through me and said “hello”. I returned the greeting and walked on to the table with my friends. I ordered, and then sensed that I really needed to go outside and have some time with the Lord. I retraced the route from which I had just come…no young lady with a bus-cart full of dirty dishes.
I went outside and had a time of thanksgiving and gratitude with the Lord, shedding a few tears that He would look after a wretch like me with such tender care.
As I returned back to my table, there was the same young lady with the same intense gaze. She repeated her greeting: “hello”. I, again, returned the greeting and walked back to the table.
As I sat back down, I asked another friend if he had seen the young lady when he went to the restroom. He said no, and we went on with our conversation.
The next morning, I was sitting in the worship service listening to Gordon Fort, one of the Vice Presidents of the International Mission Board, and a dear friend. God interrupted the sermon for me as I, almost audibly, heard Him say “Chris, do you remember yesterday?” I said “Lord, how can I forget yesterday. You saved my life!” He replied “Chris, the young lady you saw in the restaurant was your guardian angel”. In the middle of the service, I had to restrain myself from jumping up and shouting.
After the service, my host family was taking me out to lunch for one last time of fellowship with them before I left to return home later that afternoon. I hadn’t had a chance to share with them the previous night about what had happened, so I filled them in on the way to dinner. Before I could even share about what God revealed to me during the service, the wife, who was sitting in the back seat, leaned forward with great excitement and said, “Chris! That was your guardian angel!” I told them that is what God revealed to me during the service. It was a wonderful affirmation to what God had shared.
I truly do believe that God allowed me to see the physical manifestation of the angel that He has put in my life to watch over me. What a wonderful, loving God we have. To Him be all the Glory, forever and ever.
When I arrived at Bell Shoals, the leader of the F.A.I.T.H. riders motorcycle ministry asked me if I would like to go with the group to Daytona Beach to participate in an evangelistic event for the multitudes of bikers that come to Biketoberfest. I said that I would love to, but didn’t have a bike to ride. The group found a motorcycle for me to ride, and early on a Saturday morning in October, I found myself on a 1500cc motorcycle, cruising down the highway to the opposite side of Florida.
After experiencing a wonderful day of ministry, we headed back across Florida to the Tampa area. The leader of the group and I separated from the rest to fuel up. After we got back on the interstate, something very frightening happened to me.
We were very close to Orlando, and approaching an entrance ramp to the highway. My new-found brother in Christ was just in front of me as we began passing the on-ramp. There was a car coming down the ramp onto the highway and didn’t notice that I was in the first lane. There was a car immediately behind me, so to slow down quickly would have caused them to rear end me at 75 mph. The car coming down the ramp came closer, almost touching my front tire with their back panel. I had no choice but to immediately go into the lane beside me, not knowing if there was a car there or not. The decision had to be made in a split second, or I would have been struck by the rear quarter panel of the car coming onto the highway, and found myself skidding along the highway, surely to be struck by another vehicle in the heavy traffic.
I prayed as I pulled into the lane beside me, and, with great thanksgiving to the Lord, there was no one there.
Just a few miles up the road, we pulled off to meet the rest of the group at a Bob Evans restaurant. As I stopped my bike, my friend said that he was watching the incident, praying that all would turn out well. We went into the restaurant to meet the rest of our group, and my friend told the story to the rest. I slipped out and went to the restroom to splash some cold water on my face and take a moment for myself.
On the way back to the table, I noticed a young lady with a bus-cart full of dirty dishes. I hadn’t noticed her there on the way to the restroom. She looked at me with a gaze that went right through me and said “hello”. I returned the greeting and walked on to the table with my friends. I ordered, and then sensed that I really needed to go outside and have some time with the Lord. I retraced the route from which I had just come…no young lady with a bus-cart full of dirty dishes.
I went outside and had a time of thanksgiving and gratitude with the Lord, shedding a few tears that He would look after a wretch like me with such tender care.
As I returned back to my table, there was the same young lady with the same intense gaze. She repeated her greeting: “hello”. I, again, returned the greeting and walked back to the table.
As I sat back down, I asked another friend if he had seen the young lady when he went to the restroom. He said no, and we went on with our conversation.
The next morning, I was sitting in the worship service listening to Gordon Fort, one of the Vice Presidents of the International Mission Board, and a dear friend. God interrupted the sermon for me as I, almost audibly, heard Him say “Chris, do you remember yesterday?” I said “Lord, how can I forget yesterday. You saved my life!” He replied “Chris, the young lady you saw in the restaurant was your guardian angel”. In the middle of the service, I had to restrain myself from jumping up and shouting.
After the service, my host family was taking me out to lunch for one last time of fellowship with them before I left to return home later that afternoon. I hadn’t had a chance to share with them the previous night about what had happened, so I filled them in on the way to dinner. Before I could even share about what God revealed to me during the service, the wife, who was sitting in the back seat, leaned forward with great excitement and said, “Chris! That was your guardian angel!” I told them that is what God revealed to me during the service. It was a wonderful affirmation to what God had shared.
I truly do believe that God allowed me to see the physical manifestation of the angel that He has put in my life to watch over me. What a wonderful, loving God we have. To Him be all the Glory, forever and ever.
Angels Among Us — special segement
Special seasonal segment: Angels Among Us: Exploring how God speaks and works through angels.
Start with 2 stories from Billy Graham’s book Angels God’s Secret Agents (1975 ed.)
1. Story of Chinese woman calling upon the name of Jesus — pgs. 1-2
2. Story of the Reverend John G. Patton, missionary in New Hebrides Islands — pg. 3
Read lists from Halley’s Bible Handbook (88th ed.) on the subject of angels: Pgs. 426-428
1. Sometimes angels appear and look and sound just like us — and we cannot at first discern they are not one of us. But there is just something peculiar about them, what the say, how they act, what they bring into our lives, that leads us to discern that they are from God.
Genesis 18:1-22; 19:1-3 Story of the “three men”— two were angels, one was God!
Q. How did the Lord appear to Abraham? [v2 He saw 3 men — from what we can tell, one of them was the Lord, and the other two were… 19:1 “The two angels”]
• From the context of the story, it seems Abraham discerns there is a leader of the group (vs3) and addresses Him as “Lord”= “Adonai” which is an emphatic way of saying “Master!” or emphatically expressing a title of reverence. It could be used of God or men.
• As the story unfolds it appears Abraham understands that this leader is The Lord God. He may have realized from the very beginning, which I believe to be true.
• Sarah’s uses the word “lord” too (v12), of her husband Abraham, but it’s Hebrew from is different than when Abraham uses it. It is in the non-emphatic sense = “Adown,” in the sense of “husband — the one who leads our household.”
• The other uses of the Lord in this chapter, by the author (Moses), and God Himself use only the Hebrew term “YHWH” (or Jehovah) — God’s proper name, meaning, “existing one.”
Q. Why do you think God chose to speak to Abraham? [We may not know all the reasons, but we do know God had a special covenant with Abraham for a world-changing plan]
Q. What possible reason might God have for angels being disguised as humans?
Hebrews 13:2
• It’s possible we could be in a discussion with an angel and not even know it!
• “Some”= not all, not many
Hebrews 1:14
Matthew 18:10
• Believer’s have angels who watch over and guard them
• Angels not only minister to God, but also to us.
• Angels have a special purpose and mission with us — they are actively ministering to all of us who are saved and who are being saved. They are actively working on our behalf in ways we do not often see or hear.
• Most times they are hidden but in our midst.
• Sometimes God deems it necessary or beneficial for them to be revealed.
• It seems when angels reveal themselves and speak it is for a strategic reason — and their words are to the point.
• Most of the times we hear sightings of angels, it is in VERY difficult circumstances, or when circumstances absolutely warrant their appearance — like to verify that God is doing something special.
• Because angels often appear looking as one of us, it is easy to dismiss the very real possibility that ANGELS HAVE BEEN AMONG US.
Jennifer’s story: Angel at 7-11? (click here)
Hebrews 2:2
• God uses angels to communicate God’s word and warnings (Ex. Gabriel speaking to Mary)
Psalm 91:11
• Angels are sent by God at times to protect.
Psalm 34:7
My friend Chris’s angel story: click here
CORE LESSON: God has spoken and still speaks and works through angels!
Start with 2 stories from Billy Graham’s book Angels God’s Secret Agents (1975 ed.)
1. Story of Chinese woman calling upon the name of Jesus — pgs. 1-2
2. Story of the Reverend John G. Patton, missionary in New Hebrides Islands — pg. 3
Read lists from Halley’s Bible Handbook (88th ed.) on the subject of angels: Pgs. 426-428
1. Sometimes angels appear and look and sound just like us — and we cannot at first discern they are not one of us. But there is just something peculiar about them, what the say, how they act, what they bring into our lives, that leads us to discern that they are from God.
Genesis 18:1-22; 19:1-3 Story of the “three men”— two were angels, one was God!
Q. How did the Lord appear to Abraham? [v2 He saw 3 men — from what we can tell, one of them was the Lord, and the other two were… 19:1 “The two angels”]
• From the context of the story, it seems Abraham discerns there is a leader of the group (vs3) and addresses Him as “Lord”= “Adonai” which is an emphatic way of saying “Master!” or emphatically expressing a title of reverence. It could be used of God or men.
• As the story unfolds it appears Abraham understands that this leader is The Lord God. He may have realized from the very beginning, which I believe to be true.
• Sarah’s uses the word “lord” too (v12), of her husband Abraham, but it’s Hebrew from is different than when Abraham uses it. It is in the non-emphatic sense = “Adown,” in the sense of “husband — the one who leads our household.”
• The other uses of the Lord in this chapter, by the author (Moses), and God Himself use only the Hebrew term “YHWH” (or Jehovah) — God’s proper name, meaning, “existing one.”
Q. Why do you think God chose to speak to Abraham? [We may not know all the reasons, but we do know God had a special covenant with Abraham for a world-changing plan]
Q. What possible reason might God have for angels being disguised as humans?
Hebrews 13:2
• It’s possible we could be in a discussion with an angel and not even know it!
• “Some”= not all, not many
Hebrews 1:14
Matthew 18:10
• Believer’s have angels who watch over and guard them
• Angels not only minister to God, but also to us.
• Angels have a special purpose and mission with us — they are actively ministering to all of us who are saved and who are being saved. They are actively working on our behalf in ways we do not often see or hear.
• Most times they are hidden but in our midst.
• Sometimes God deems it necessary or beneficial for them to be revealed.
• It seems when angels reveal themselves and speak it is for a strategic reason — and their words are to the point.
• Most of the times we hear sightings of angels, it is in VERY difficult circumstances, or when circumstances absolutely warrant their appearance — like to verify that God is doing something special.
• Because angels often appear looking as one of us, it is easy to dismiss the very real possibility that ANGELS HAVE BEEN AMONG US.
Jennifer’s story: Angel at 7-11? (click here)
Hebrews 2:2
• God uses angels to communicate God’s word and warnings (Ex. Gabriel speaking to Mary)
Psalm 91:11
• Angels are sent by God at times to protect.
Psalm 34:7
My friend Chris’s angel story: click here
CORE LESSON: God has spoken and still speaks and works through angels!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Kimmy Barker's God speaking testimony
This "video" is actually only audio, and is approx. 8 min. long.
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