TV 1761 | Listen to Him Part One

I've had some thoughts that I'm just trusting the Lord to organize, but they are in ways, important ways, I believe, related to things that the Lord has spoken to us lately. I know we all would profess to believe the Lord wants to take us further and deeper, to grow in Him, to have more of His presence when we gather, to have more of His presence in our lives every single day, to see His hand operating in the church and changing lives. Anybody want that? Yeah. I believe many of us would certainly want that and profess to want it. There's one element that just seems to have jumped out at me in the last few days, and I can't quite get away from it, so we'll just start out and see what the Lord says. You know, it was two or three weeks ago or so, we had a message titled, A Tale of Two Churches, and basically it was showing what the church was like after Pentecost, but then also what the church of Laodicea in Revelation chapter three was like, and how easy it is to slide from one to the other. And I guess the question was, we need to look in the mirror and say, where are we on that scale? And just ask God to make Himself real so that we can really be the church and not simply a form of it. Because it's awfully easy to settle into a form and a tradition and feel like because we're doing all the outward things that we've got what it takes. There's more to it than that, isn't there? But there's one thing that I noticed in these letters, now number one, there are seven different letters to the churches. Seven different churches the Lord addressed, and every one of them had a particular need. It wasn't the same for everyone. It wasn't like, here's the handbook, go to it. It was every church was in a particular situation, a particular place in their journey, and they needed something from the Lord. And so the Lord sent them a very specific message.

And in some cases it was, you know, there was a message of warning. You know, you've got the outward form, but you've lost your first love or like it was in Laodicea. I think it even gotten beyond that. And so there was a real danger that they were going to lose their testimony altogether because if the Lord is not present and acting, what do we have except another form of religion? And God help us. We've said that so many times. That's not what we want. I don't want it. And I believe there's a good company of people here who would agree with me on that. So anyway, the Lord was warning that that was the case. And it's interesting that while these churches were seemingly doing the right things, yet they were in a place of need. Didn't even realize they were in a place of need. That's a sobering thought, isn't it? That we can get to a place where there is a great need from God's point of view and we're just waltzing along thinking everything's okay. And of course you had churches like, well, the second church, I'm not going to go through all the details, but the Lord had a special word for them. It was a word of instruction. Something is coming. You need to be ready. Boy, I'm trusting the Lord because aren't we in that time in history? We are in a time, as we've said so many times, where life is relatively easy here compared to what it is in the rest of the world. And what happens if that changes? Are we really ready? Well, the Lord wanted to get this church ready for that and speak to them a word of encouragement. It wasn't, hey, you're messing up, you know, straighten up.

It wasn't any of that. But it was, you know, this is coming and I have great promises for you. You look to me, you trust me, you stand fast and there's great reward at the end of the way. Well, then you had a couple of churches in particular where there were some people there that were doing okay, but they were tolerating false teachers who were compromising the gospel in one form or another without going into the details. They were basically saying, hey, it's okay to sin because it's all taken care of. Or some form of that where they were justifying living according to the desires of the flesh and just this is coming right out of the scriptures, folks. Here's a prophet saying these things, you can believe it, but it wasn't from the Lord. And so there was a need for them to wake up and say, wait a minute, you're believing a prophet. You're calling yourself a prophet or a prophetess in one case, yet her message is not from me. You better wake up and recognize this and deal with it or else you're going to be in a bad, bad place. And for those of you who aren't following her teachings. teachings, hang on, you know, just keep doing what's right. And of course, you had the church of Philadelphia where the, well, there was one church, wasn't it, where you have a reputation for being alive, but you're dead. Boy, that's a sad thing. I wonder how many times, how many churches in the world today the Lord would have to say that. Now it's quiet. Yeah, you've got a reputation that you're alive, but you're actually dead. Wouldn't it be nice? There was a line in the song that we just sang about seeing everything through His eyes. Now there's something in our human nature that we're still, we still have a measure of in these bodies, too much of a measure. That thought is uncomfortable, that I could actually see myself through His eyes.

But don't we need to do that? Do we need to live with an illusion or do we need to live with reality? And so the Lord was saying, hey, wake up. You're in a bad place there. And of course, you had the Philadelphia church that was, they weren't very strong. They weren't a big mighty church doing great things, but they were hanging on and doing what was right. And they were looking to God and Lord was encouraging them, keep doing it. I've given you an open door. Oh, I praise, wouldn't that be nice if the Lord said to us, hey, I've given you an open door. I want to be in a place where He could say that instead of just, all right, we got through another service. We're good. Let's go back to life. That's not what it's about. God has called us out of this world to be a kingdom company in the midst of a dark world. And there's only His leadership that can produce that, only His life in us that can possibly produce anything that has any spiritual value. So anyway, at the end of each of these letters, there is a promise to those who listen. But the basic word that is repeated time and time again is whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Now that immediately implies there are people who don't even have ears. They're not spiritually alive or awake. But folks, just having a spiritual ability, having Christ birthing His life in us and bringing us to life does not instantly convert us into something that can just, is totally in tune with Him and His kingdom. There is a part that we are meant to play. You could have divine life. You could have salvation and be walking in a sense with the Lord, sealed by His Spirit,

and still be kind of carelessly muddling along through life. And I just felt like the Lord convicting me about a greater need to be, to have ears. Not just to have ears, but to actually use them. Wouldn't that be amazing? How many of you realize that the One who created the universe not only knows you, knows your name, we said these things many times, but actually wants to talk to you? What an amazing concept. The One who made the stars and just flung them out over unimaginable distances. The One who knows every hair on your head, but actually wants us to have such a relationship where He could actually talk to us. He hasn't delivered this book, thank God for the book, He hasn't delivered this as a rule book that we just study and say, okay, I'm going to fashion my religion after things that it says in here and everything will be great. It has got to be personal. We have got to be in a place where in our journey we go through many kinds of circumstances, many places, many seasons. Because like these seven churches, their circumstances were all different. They were in the same region of the world and yet every one of them was in a certain place of need in their journey and the Lord wanted them to have a specific message for that occasion. How many of you believe that when we come in here on Sunday, the Lord actually has something He wants to say to us? It's more than just unpacking the words in this book, although God's going to use this book obviously. But we need to hear what, something that is relevant to where we're at right then. Needs that exist in us, things He wants to say to us. I wonder how tuned in. we are. You know, you see this pattern all the way through Scripture. What did Jesus say through Moses in Deuteronomy 8? I'm not going to even turn there, but you remember how the Lord said, remember. Well, I will turn there, okay? I forgot I did put a marker in that particular spot.

But remember, verse 2, how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these 40 years. Obviously, Moses was talking to the children of Israel. And the purpose was to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger, and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known. So there they were being worked on. God was putting them to the test, trying to teach them His ways, not their ways. That was the problem. They were full of their ways, their ideas, all earthly based, all centered in human nature. And here's God trying to separate a people who actually would learn how to walk with Him and be His people in the middle of this crazy world. So why would He do? In fact, why would He put them in a place of need? Thank God He does that, because how else would we have a reason even to reach out to Him and feel that there was a need? If everything went great, we'd forget about Him in practice. We'd say the words and just go on and do our thing and praise God everything's wonderful. And it isn't. So anyway, so why did the Lord do all this? He said He did all this to teach you. Anybody here need to be taught? Yeah. Starting with me, I need to be taught. There is so much I think I know I don't. And even if I know stuff that the Lord has taught me to this point in my life, I'm not there yet. I'm not there yet. I mean, if Paul wasn't there yet, I'm sure not. So there are things that I need Him to communicate with me that I can't just go, oh, I got a problem, let me figure it out. I need to ask Him. Now, He might direct me to something in there, but it's got to be personal to where I'm at, what my need is, where I'm at on my journey. And so the Lord wanted to teach them something. What is that lesson that He wanted to teach them? Man does not live on bread alone. But on what? Every word, every word that comes from the mouth of God. Now, we've said this many times. I thank God for the words that came from the mouth of God and have been recorded for us. That's wonderful. That gives us a place. It gives us a tool that God can use to help us. All right? Because He's not going to speak anything now that doesn't comport with that. But I don't just need that. I need what He is speaking to me now. Because again, you and I are different in many respects. I mean, we're the same in many respects, but we're very unique and different. My journey is not your journey, even though we walk together. There are things that God is doing in me that are unique to me. And boy, how does that happen? We talked the other day about Paul and the place that God brought him to where not only did He recognize what took place at the cross and the resurrection, He wanted to experience that

in a very personal way. Now, don't you think that just maybe Paul had to be brought to a place where he realized, hey, it's not just knowing about all these things. I don't just need to know the Word in the sense of knowing Scripture. I need to know Him. Him, Him, Him. That's a person. I need to come to ... And knowing, again, is not knowing about Him. I need to realize that there's somebody with me who has wisdom I don't have. Who has a purpose that I don't always understand. I don't know why things happen to me the way they do, but there's someone there who could help me to have a place of rest and a place of hope and a place of knowledge. Is there anybody else here who needs any of this? Yeah. I don't think we realize. The Lord just had to really remind me of a lot of things this week, and I just, I thank Him for it. I want to take that place where I'm ... I'm a child. When it comes to the kingdom of God, we're all little children. We don't know the stuff we think we know. And we are far more influenced by the world around us that we can see and touch and the voices that come to our heads. And nobody has the power with just the human brain to unlock all this. You know, I remember many times, some of you will remember this, Brother Don Johnson. Look forward to seeing him one day. But how many times do you remember him talking about the Bible and he said, this is one good, one book. There's no good without the author. We're going to have to be in touch with the author to say, Lord, you're going to have to unlock what I need. Now I don't sit here and expect you, Lord, to answer every question I could possibly think up. I don't have to understand it all. You know, it's like Paul said, I'm forgetting what's behind and I'm reaching for what's before. But that's just today and that's all I have to worry about. Thank God. There are things that are coming.

I don't, Lord knows all about that. I just have to deal with right now. But I need wisdom. There are voices trying to echo in my head. You think of this theme coming out in so many ways. When the three disciples were taken up on the mountain with Jesus and they saw Moses and Aaron talking with him, and then all of a sudden a brilliant cloud came and enveloped them and it said, this is my son with whom I'm well pleased. Listen to him. Well, what would you do if you were in that circumstance? You'd do the same thing they did. They fell on the ground. And Jesus went over and said, hey, get up. Don't be afraid. Wow. But what was the Father's word to them? Listen to him. You want to know where wisdom is found, where true knowledge is found? I am, Jesus said, the way, the truth, and the life. The Lord is looking for a people, just as he was in the wilderness, just as he was with his disciples. He's looking for a people who are willing to seek him from their hearts and say, Lord, I have got to hear from you. I need your voice. You remember how Jesus used parables with the people and he counts spiritual truth in natural pictures and didn't really explain it to the people. But then the disciples said, why are you doing this? He said, well, it's given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but not to them. There was a season where that needed to happen.

God was working with a certain number of people. And so he explained the parable of the soil, the four different types of soil was the context there. But then he talked about how important it was to listen and to understand. And one thing he said, I'm going to have to turn over there because I want to read what it says. It's in Luke chapter eight. Let's see if I can find it real quick. Luke chapter eight is where this account happened and it's down at the beginning of chapter eight. Okay. So anyway, in verse 18, he's talking, he has just talked about the fact that nothing is hidden from God's eyes. He sees it all. Now I know human nature would say, oh my God. Every thought, every motive, everything I've ever done that I thought was totally secret, he knows it all. Isn't that amazing that he could know everything about you and you and you and me and still love us and want to walk with us? I want to walk with somebody like that. Praise God. But this is interesting because Jesus is talking to people and said, it's given to you to know the mysteries. And then he turns around and says, therefore consider carefully how you listen. That sounds to me like there's a responsibility on the part of the listener to say, I need to listen to this. I need to hear it and I need to hear it and take it seriously because this is meant to make a difference. This is God Almighty taking time to talk to me about something that I need to know. Wouldn't it be good if we had a heart that said, oh God, I want to hear your voice.

I need to hear your voice. voice and an attitude, it's a way of thinking, it's a way of living where I think I've said many times, the Lord has impressed on me at times, I guess, to say, to have this attitude, Lord, give me a hearing ear and a willing heart because I can't get that from Adam's life. I wasn't born with that. That's going to have to be God helping me. I need him to help me, but I want to hear what he has to say. I need it. So consider carefully how you listen. Now, here's a promise and a warning. Whoever has, whoever has what? They have the ability that God's given them to hear. Everyone who has and uses that and reaches out and says, God, I want to hear your voice. Help me, right? You see where I'm at, Lord. You know I don't have the wisdom to do what's right. I don't have the power. Help me right where I am. Whoever has will be given more. Anybody need more? Well this is a good path here. I need more. Well, what am I doing with what I got? Think about that. What I'm doing and the attitude with which I'm doing it right now has everything to do with more and the Lord moving us on. But whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them. You see where the world's at? You see where a lot of religious folks are at.

I don't want to be like that, but if I'm left to my own devices and I forget all about my need to hear His voice, it's not a good place to be, is it? I need Him. You know, there's so many different ways you could go with this, but the very need that we have to hear His voice, I need Him, don't you? Here's one thing, there's so many different ways, like I said, I could go, God help me to say what you want me to say. But one thing about this is God is going to talk about different things. Like He said, He talked about the need for encouragement. That's a good thing. Oh yes, Lord, encourage me. Give me a verse. Well, He will do that. He knows exactly what we need. And how many times is it we know something, we know it, but yet we need to hear it. It needs to be refreshed in our minds. And I know everyone here who has known the Lord any length of time, and you've walked along, you've been in places in your life where you needed something. You felt your need, and sometimes you open the Bible, and there's a verse that just jumps off the page at you, and it's like God breathed life into that. It's not just words on a page. It's a voice that absolutely breathes life and encouragement to you, and it meets that particular need. Don't we need that? Isn't that a picture of the relationship the Lord wants? I have a particular need at a particular time, and there He is meeting that need. But suppose I wasn't listening. This has been the Midnight Cry broadcast. If you would like a DVD or CD of today's message in its entirety, please request it by program number.

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