1. 5. God Speaks, Part II 1 Peter 1:20-21 | Psalm 37:4 | Matthew 7:7-12

2. Last Week  God speaks through Prayer, Scripture, and People  We must listen  John 10 – “his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”

3. This Week  More Ways that God Speaks  How this affects our Decision making process

4. God Speaks in Other Ways  More direct  Visions  Dreams  Word from God  Audible Voice

5. God Speaks through Prophecy  Prophecy or Prophetic Revelation  Purpose: Edification, Rebuke, or Both  Prophecy is: predictions about the future and the end- time; special messages from God, often uttered through a human spokesperson, which indicate the divine will for people on earth and in heaven.

6. God Speaks through Prophecy  In a nutshell: God speaks to people, and people speak to God’s people.  Not just in the Bible  Can be a bit tricky

7. Prophecy is Tricky  Can be Controversial, Sexy  Urgency and Authority, Can get out of Whack  Story: Flame above your head, and your head too.  Prophecy can be dangerous

8. Prophecy is Tricky  UC: We Acknowledge Prophecy  But how do we determine whether a Prophecy is Valid?  Carefully and with Discernment

9. Side Note: on Hearing God’s Voice  Tends to be personal, a means of great encouragement  Those who hear it are sure that it is God  It usually changes a life completely  Texas Pastor preaching about his Predecessor

10. Testing the Voice with Scripture  1 Thess 5:19-22 : 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.  Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. (Acts 17:11).

11. Testing the Voice with Scripture  Even Paul was Tested  Any prophetic word that comes along in our community has to be tested against the scripture.  Pei-Ling’s Vision  Revival and Geoff Praying  God’s voice will never disagree with God’s voice.

12. Testing the voice with the community  2 Cor 2:11b-12 no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.  Because of the Spirit, we are able to test.

13. Testing the voice with the community  1 Peter 1:20-21: 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

14. Because God speaks, we can have a blessed assurance about our decisions  God speaks to us in so many ways  Directly, Visions, Dreams, Words of revelation  Scripture, Prayer, Circumstance, Through One Another  We can have a wonderful and blessed assurance about the decisions we make each and every day.

15. Because God speaks, we can have a blessed assurance about our decisions  Deep within each of us is a desire to choose well – to do what is right, to act in wisdom, love, truth, and justice. We long for this in part because we fear the consequences of poor decision. But we also long to please God, and we long to do what is right for those we love and those we serve. And the only way we will rise above our potential for foolishness and misguided choices is to learn to make decisions well. (Smithc, Listening to God… p 14.)  Friendship with God

16. Because God speaks, we can have a blessed assurance about our decisions  7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

17. Because God speaks, we can have a blessed assurance about our decisions  Easy Decisions  Paying for Gas  Difficult decisions, God is there  Volleyball

18. Egyptian Christians Protecting Muslims During Prayer

19. Because God speaks, we can have a blessed assurance about our decisions  Psalm 37:3-4 3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Take delight in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Joe’s Testimony