Choose to Listen to God

Father, we ask that your Holy Spirit would first do a work in us.

May your Holy Spirit fall upon us and do a work within us

so that we might use the best of our mind and the best of our heart

and the best of our will to think upon your word and to receive your word.

But Father, we ask that your Holy Spirit would do a second and deeper work within us

to humble us so that we will know, Father, that the best of our mind and heart and will

is never enough, that we are dependent upon you to move and work and act in our lives,

for you to bring your word deeply into us to form us.

So, Father, we ask for this double work of your Holy Spirit.

Father, please have your Holy Spirit poured out upon us and deep within us.

Make us good soil so that your word will come into our lives

and bear much fruit in our lives for your glory.

And this we ask in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Savior. Amen.

Please be seated.

Our service has a bit of a different...

The sermon always has a bit of a structure for this current series.

Usually, the rest of the year, we'd be looking at bigger chunks of the Bible week in, week out.

It would be the text that one of either myself or the other reader would read.

But we're just looking at every week just a very, very short verse.

And so, just to see it in context, I ask you to get your Bibles out.

I'm going to read the text now that we're going to look at.

And I'll start a bit earlier so you get the context.

And then I'll sort of point out the part that we're going to look at this morning.

So, if you have your Bibles, please turn in them to 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 9 to 21.

1 Thessalonians 5:9–21

If you've forgotten your Bible, there's always some Bibles here at the front,

which you're welcome to use and or to keep afterwards if you'd like.

And here's how the scripture text goes.

1 Thessalonians 5, verses 9 to 21.

1 Thessalonians 5:9–21

And by the way, this is all part of a series entitled Practical Discipleship.

And today we're going to talk about choosing to listen to God.

Choosing to listen to God.

And here's the text.

For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep,

that means either alive or dead, it's a metaphor,

we might live with him.

That's with Jesus.

Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up just as you are doing.

We ask you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you

and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,

and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

Be at peace among yourselves.

And we urge you, brothers and sisters,

admonish the disorderly,

encourage the faint-hearted,

help the weak,

be patient with them all,

see that no one repays anyone evil for evil,

but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

Rejoice always,

pray without ceasing,

give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Do not quench the Holy Spirit.

Do not despise prophecies.

But test everything.

Hold fast what is good.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

And the text that we're going to be looking at today

is those last few words which I read,

verses 19, 20, and 21.

Do not quench the Holy Spirit.

Do not despise prophecies.

But test everything.

Hold fast what is good.

Now I'm going to do something unusual in my sermon today.

I'm going to let you know where I hope we end up.

You know,

there used to be a joke that a three-point sermon was,

I'm going to tell you what I'm going to say,

and I'm going to say what I'm going to say,

and then I'm going to tell you what I just said.

And that was sort of a three-point sermon.

And I'm not quite doing that,

but I want to,

Jeremy,

if you could put it up,

I want,

by the end of the sermon,

to have us be able to say this prayer together

or have the Holy Spirit convict many of us

to want to pray a prayer like this

and to study something like this

and pray something like this every day,

that what this prayer describes as a reality

would become more and more and more a reality in our lives.

And so,

sorry,

I want to end up with this

is that we would be able to say something like,

dear God,

please help me to listen to you every day

as I humbly read your word written.

Please help me to pray every day

for your guidance and your wisdom.

Please help me to listen for your answer.

Please help me to dwell on your word written

in the company of your people

as I prayerfully consider your personal word to me.

As I hear you,

please help me to trust you

and put your word into action.

Please help me to do all things for your glory.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Now,

it sounds like a very simple prayer.

And,

you know,

with any of these things,

if I was to preach the same sermon,

maybe several times,

I could probably make the language a little bit better.

But here's the problem.

On one hand,

we can all say,

George,

I understand that.

Yes,

amen,

sign me up.

I'll pray it.

And let's go on and get on with the rest of the service.

Maybe sing a few more praise songs

or something like that.

But here's the problem.

The problem is both within the church

and outside of the church.

Quite a few years ago,

there was a person who had a connection

to many people in our church.

And I was sort of drawn into it.

And people in my congregation,

in this congregation,

were very excited

because she had very powerful prophetic gifts.

And I,

they brought me to meet her.

And first,

they were telling me all of the things

that she was saying,

you know,

the prophetic gifts and words

that she was bringing into the congregation.

And I went to meet her.

And here's the problem.

The very,

very first thing that I thought

when I met her

was that she was mentally ill.

And

this,

this was problematic.

I don't know what you,

where you are,

but

for my more charismatically inclined friends

that were listening to her,

they had a lot of suspicion

that Anglicans don't believe in prophecy.

In fact,

Anglicans don't really believe God speaks it.

In fact,

Anglicans don't even believe the Bible.

So I was very,

very,

I was very conscious

that if I was to be hesitant

or try to speak a little bit

about what might be going on here,

that they would very quickly dismiss me.

At the same time,

I was also very aware

that the fact that,

you know,

God's an,

God is an untamed God.

His character is completely

and utterly rock solid certain.

But God doesn't just stay

according to our categories.

He doesn't work through committees.

In fact,

most of the times

in the New Testament

or the Old Testament

where there's a committee giving advice,

the advice is usually wrong.

And so,

but we tend to think

that God speaks through institutions

or committees

or we're more comfortable with that.

But, you know,

God,

you know,

if you read the Old Testament,

God's prophets

do all sorts of wild and crazy things.

So I have to be careful.

I don't want to limit God.

On the other hand,

there's things about this person

that make me believe

that she in fact

is having a psychotic incident

and that she's mentally ill.

And it's very,

very difficult.

I don't want to quench

the Holy Spirit.

I don't want to despise prophecies.

But on the other hand,

just because somebody says

they're speaking from God

doesn't mean they are.

And on the other hand,

we all know of different people

who really just do

completely and utterly

deny the fact

that God can speak

into individual lives

in a fresh way today.

So how do we sort of balance that?

How is it that we hear

this word of the Scripture?

Do you want to put

the Bible passage up for us,

Andrew?

Just say it with me.

Do not quench the Spirit.

Do not despise prophecies.

But test everything.

Hold fast what is good.

So, you know,

within the church,

how do we sort of

handle this text

when, you know,

there's some problems

with this text, right?

And we all know

other types of...

I mean, when I was

a younger man,

one of my early...

in my early Christian years,

a fellow who became

a Christian around

the same time as myself,

he got involved

in a church

that ended up

getting really...

I mean, it was a very,

very controlling church

that believed in shepherding,

that the elder

or several of the elders

got words from God

and they would tell

these words from God

to the different people

in the congregation

and basically control

all of the decisions

that these people made

and, in fact,

even controlled them

so that they would have

very little contact

with outside Christian groups.

It was a very power-hungry

and abusive situation

and I was very concerned

for my friend

and eventually,

after a couple of years

of putting up with this,

they finally crossed a line

and his normal common sense

came to bear.

But it scarred him

for many years

in terms of believing

that God would speak

prophetically

or speak into people's lives

because of the abuse of power,

the appearance of wisdom

and discipleship-making power

of this guy.

It just deeply confused him

for a long time.

But outside of the church,

we have problems as well.

It really became evident,

actually,

in a funny way

that God works.

That God works.

When I was in the Starbucks

yesterday trying to put

the finishing touches

to my sermon

and early on in my time,

a fellow came along beside me

and asked me what I'm doing.

He's a regular person

that I talk to

and he saw that I'm reading the Bible.

I'm going to do a sermon

on prophecies, etc.

And he said,

George,

you know,

he didn't say you're guys

like you were a joke,

but you could tell

that's what he thought,

you know.

He said,

come on, George.

Like there's all these prophets

out there in the world

and there's all these people

saying all these different things

and, you know,

Islam says it's a prophetic word

from God

and Mormons say that

and you say that.

Why on earth

do you ever possibly believe

that your word

is the correct one?

Like why on earth

would you ever possibly believe that?

Like the whole idea

is absurd.

At the same time,

he would tell me

about how the fact is

that the human race,

as you can see,

he said in countries

like Canada,

United States,

it's evolving

and moving to a new level.

It's moving to a new type

of reality

where institutional religion

has no power,

where people can be spiritual

without being in those

types of connections

and this is just the way

things are moving, George.

This is the future

and you should get

with the program.

And shortly after that,

there was another fellow

came in and sat

in a different spot.

I'd never seen him before,

but he noticed

that I was reading a Bible.

I could tell that he noticed

that I was reading a Bible

and I could hear him

sort of go up.

As he passed me

and he sat directly

in front of me

and he opened like this

and put down a magazine

that said skeptical thinking.

And he'd continue

for the,

I was there longer

than he was.

He'd keep looking over at me

and I could,

he didn't say harumph

every time,

but I could tell

that he was,

the eyeballs kept hitting

the top of the,

of the,

of his skull

and he was saying harumph.

He was reading skeptical thinking.

I was reading the Bible.

At the same time,

not in this particular day,

but just within

the last week or two,

I was talking to another person

once again in Starbucks.

I wouldn't talk to anybody

if I wasn't in Starbucks.

No, I'll talk to you.

I promise.

You don't have to meet me

in Starbucks

for me to talk to you.

But, you know,

this particular barista

is always listening

to different types

of prophecies

and prophetic words

about the future,

all from completely

non-Christian sources.

So here's the problem.

When we have,

say this text with me again.

Do not quench the spirit.

Do not despise prophecies,

but test everything.

Hold fast what is good.

So how do we listen

to this text?

How do we learn from it?

What is it that the text is saying

when we live on one hand

in a world

where many people

will just completely

and utterly dismiss

this idea whatsoever

in differing types of ways,

not always dismissing it

in the same way.

And within the church,

on one hand,

we realize that sometimes

there's great abuses

to text like this.

So what is it

that we have to do?

How do we understand

all of this?

Well, here's the first thing

that we need to understand.

If you could put the point up.

I'll get my glasses

so I can read it.

Actually, I can see it up there.

It is deeply human

to want to hear

the voice of God

and it is deeply human

to want to silence

the voice of God.

It is deeply human

to want to hear

the voice of God

and it is deeply human

to want to silence

the voice of God.

Many of you know

from your own experience

how this is true

at a very, very simple level.

How many of us

come into a situation

and we call out to God

and we wish that

he would just give us

the word

to say in this situation?

And sometimes he does

and sometimes we leave

disappointed.

Yet at the same time,

and unless I'm just

vastly more wicked

than the rest of you,

how many times

are we proceeding

on a course of action

and it almost seems

as if God is telling us

not to do it

and we tell him

to be quiet?

Or we realize

that we're doing

a particular course of action

and it's almost as if

we hear God speaking to us

to do something,

to maybe call somebody up

and we don't do it.

We don't want him

to interfere

with what we're doing.

And so if Christians

are honest within themselves,

they understand

that it's deeply human

to want to hear

the voice of God.

We might think

it's just a spiritual thing,

it's just a thing

for those who are Christians,

but I think the Bible teaches

that it's not just

a Christian thing,

that it's a deeply human thing

to want to hear

the voice of God

and it's deeply human

to want to silence

the voice of God.

I mean, you go into chapters

and the wide range of things

on Wicca,

on different New Age spiritualities

are all different ways

in a sense to connect

to the divine.

You know, even,

and this is,

I'd have a hard time,

and I'm just going to say it

to you very briefly

and you might have to

puzzle about it

to get your mind around it,

but in effect,

often a lot of university studies

and a lot of things

which are believed

in newspapers,

which are all very,

very secular,

without them realizing it,

what they're believing

is a secular prophetic word.

And I'll explain

what I mean by this.

In fact,

I'm not making

a political comment here

because it's a bit,

it sounds a bit political

in our current context,

but it's a bigger type

of problem.

That many people

think they understand

where history is going

and that history

is going to a particular place.

And whether it's going

to be a classless society,

whether it's going

to be a place

of complete sexual liberation,

whether it's going

to be a place

which is portrayed

in all of the Star Trek movies,

that basically our politics

and our secular humanism

and our technology

and our technique

has caused,

has solved all human problems

and human wars,

or whether it's

a classless society,

whatever it is,

whenever we have this sense,

whether it's through capitalism

or whether it's

through technology

or whether it's

in terms of social processes

or social movements,

that history is going

inevitably in a particular direction

and we know that,

only God could know that.

And so a Karl Marx

is a secular prophet.

Without us realizing it,

he's making a claim

of a type of knowledge

that only God

could possibly have.

And much of what passes

for wisdom in the newspapers,

much of what passes

for wisdom in politics,

is in fact a belief

that they know

the voice of God.

And they know

what God is calling

human beings to do

and they know

where God is calling

human beings

to develop into.

One of my friends

that I was talking

about yesterday,

in fact even in his language

about how human beings

are evolving

and how human beings

are changing

and where history is going.

I mean on one level,

and we didn't have a chance

to talk about this,

on one hand,

he dismisses

the scripture text,

but he believes

he has some prophetic knowledge

which has come

from the editorial pages

of the Ottawa Citizen

or the New York Times

or from some professor

that he had

when he was in university.

I'm not saying this

to dismiss him,

by the way,

and I apologize

if I sound like

I'm dismissing it.

I'm just saying

that in fact,

on one hand,

within our culture,

we want to hear

and hear the voice of God

and in a sense

be able to act

on the voice of God,

yet at the same time,

we want to be able

to say to God,

you can't speak into this.

How dare you try

to speak into this?

How dare you try

to impose these types

of limits on me?

Even the whole move

for many of our culture

who are very deeply attracted

by being spiritual

but not religious,

you know,

partly it is

that they still want

to be able to hear

from God,

but they also don't want

to hear from God.

You see,

the Bible teaches

that it's deeply human

to want to hear

the voice of God

and it's deeply human

to want to silence

the voice of God.

If you go back later on

and read Genesis chapter 1,

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

2, and 3,

you capture in a nutshell

the beginning

of the grand narrative

of the Bible

and that's what

the grand narrative

of the Bible teaches us.

That in Genesis 1 and 2,

it's taught to us

that God creates us

and he makes us

in his image

and in his likeness

that every human being

bears the image

and likeness

of the living God

and so it is

that there's this

natural thing

as me a creature

and to know my creator

that I bear the image

and likeness of God

and so do you

and that that

which is within me

which bears the image

and likeness of God

that it longs

to commune

to that which is

it is an image of.

And we see

at the beginning

of Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

and the end of chapter 2

that God

God made human beings

to converse with him

and to have communion

with him

and so because

we always bear

the image

and likeness of God

there is this

always draw and pull

to that which we image

and to the creator himself

and then in Genesis 3

we see that as human beings

in the person of Adam

and Eve

that they choose

to be like God

as God themselves

to supplant God

to become not

not only God's equal

but maybe even God's superior

to be like God themselves

that the human race

becomes bent

and the image of God

within us

is not completely removed

it isn't completely

cut out of us

it now becomes

something which is bent

and in Genesis 3

it's told

in a very very powerful story

that now human beings

well on one hand

they want to hide from God

and now when they speak to God

their speech is bent

it's filled with blaming

and they feel uncomfortable

standing before God

because of their nakedness

and death enters

into human affairs

and different types of bondage

enters into human affairs

and so we see

that at a very very fundamental level

that human beings

that exist now

that desire to speak with God

and to hear God

is always there

it doesn't matter who you are

there is that desire

to commune and know with God

and at the same time

there is this desire

to silence God

it's a human thing

it's a human issue

a human issue

that the Bible

I think more wisely

than any other system of thought

accounts for

why it is

that in an age like ours

with science

and all of that

there is still such an interest

in alternative spiritualities

and astrology

and all sorts of other things

that on one hand

don't fit with science

and are completely contradictory to it

yet we hold both

the Bible makes clear

it is deeply human

to want to hear the voice of God

and it is deeply human

to want to silence

the voice of God

let's put the scripture text up again

Jeremy

say it with me

do not quench the spirit

do not despise prophecies

but test everything

hold fast what is good

so here's the

here's the

here's the problem

some people will say

I've had many many people

say to me

well George

you know

here's the problem

George

you know all these gods

that say things to you

and then people have wars

over these gods

and they think they're better

than other people

because they hear the word of God

and

but George

don't you actually think

that

I mean

the high

like even George

your own mystics

Christian mystics

sometimes talk

as if the highest type

of union with God

is completely and utterly

speechless and wordless

doesn't George

even your own tradition

sometimes teach

that the highest form

of spirituality

is a form of silent union

with God

where there are no words

George

don't you think

it's actually

probably far

just far more helpful

given the problem

that words

supposedly from God

have come in the human race

to think that

the real God

that does exist

must be a God

that's a wordless God

that's just

like that God

is everything

that God is in you

or in me

that God is just

like this energy

which unites

and brings people together

it's like a force

that brings people

together

and that's a far

higher form of God

and it's a very

very common belief

but here's what

the Bible is telling us

if you could put up

the next point

and I think that

reason tells us this

a God that cannot speak

cannot be God

the true and living God

speaks and listens

and acts

a God that cannot speak

cannot be God

the true and living God

speaks and listens

and acts

if I was to try

telling my wife

that I was no longer

going to talk to her

because we were going

to just have

wordless communion

because that's higher

well hopefully she'd just

laugh and say

George stop being silly

you can try stop

talking to me

but I'm not going

to stop talking to you

and she'd be wise

to say something like that

you know in fact

there are times

in a couple

that you know

whether it's a married

couple or a couple

dating or just a couple

of very very good friends

where they can

enjoy a very very

silent time

of communion

with each other

but those silent

times of communion

are built upon words

the fact of the matter

is is if we were

to watch a science fiction movie

and we were to be invited

to some type of

higher form of being

and that's what

everybody tells us

and it can't

it can't do anything

or say anything

it can't even communicate

directly into our minds

we would all

we would all think

and the viewers

would all think

well why is that

higher than us

it can't even speak

if it can't even speak

how can it be higher than

or in a different type

of science fiction movie

if there's some

creature that comes

to earth

to devour us

and do all these things

and it can't speak

it might be something

that we're afraid of

it might be something

that we have to fight

but who would think

that it's higher than us

if it can't even speak

and if we understand this

at just a sort of

a very very practical level

then why is it

that we would think

that a God

that can't speak

or listen

or act

how could that God

be higher than us

and if it's not higher

than us

how could it be God

one of the things

that if you go back

and read the Old Testament

one of the things

which is a regular comment

of the Old Testament

prophets about idols

is they can't speak

it's a sign

that they

aren't real

Isaiah has a very very funny

inviting comment

about a guy

who goes out into the woods

and he cuts down a tree

and part of the tree

he uses

to make a fire

so he could eat

and the other part

of the tree

he turns into an idol

and he bows down

and worships it

to give him thanks

for everything

without the person

realizing that

one moment

you cut the tree down

you made the idol

why are you now praying to it

and why are you bowing down to it

so

maybe our atheist friends

are correct

and there is no God

maybe they are correct

I think they're wrong

but maybe they are correct

and there is no God

but surely common sense

and the Bible

teaches us

that if what we think

is God

can't speak

it surely can't be God

we need to look

somewhere else

for God

and the Bible teaches

that the true

and living God

that truly lives

and truly exists

is a God

who speaks

he is a God

who listens

he is a God

who acts

if you go back

later on

and read

1 Thessalonians 5

9 to 21

and you'll see

that just before

this part here

which is all about

listening to God

the three verses prior

and we spent

three Sundays on it

you can go back

and listen to the sermons

are all about

us speaking to God

and if we

if we can speak

to God

if the Bible

is telling us

to speak to God

it not only implies

that he can hear

and understand

but it definitely

implies that he

can speak to us

and so after

three texts

which tell us

to speak to God

speak to God

speak to God

now we have

a Bible text

saying to us

listen to the God

who speaks

the true and living

God speaks

and listens

and acts

put the Bible

passage up again

please Jeremy

let's say it together

do not quench

the spirit

do not despise

prophecies

but test everything

hold fast

what is good

now some of you

might be saying

okay George

I'm a little bit

confused

you're still missing

the sort of

the point

that that fellow

in Starbucks

gave you

that you know

it sounds awfully

narrow

to just think

that only your

God speaks

why doesn't

all the other

you know

all the other

there's lots

of other religions

and you know

is you know

is Muslims

believe that Muhammad

God spoke to Muhammad

directly

and Mormons

believe that

that God

brought these

books

to Joseph Smith

like what

like George

what do you do

with that

well there's

several things

that we do

and the first

thing is this

if you put

the point up

Jeremy

since humans

speak as God

and the devil

speaks as God

and the true

and living God

truly speaks

we need to test

every claim

of divine speech

since humans

speak as God

and the devil

speaks as God

and the true

and living God

truly speaks

we need to test

every claim

of divine speech

that's the very

very interesting

thing about the

Bible passage

that we're looking

at is the

Bible passage

says it

doesn't say

don't listen

to the

don't even

pretend to think

that God

speaks

it isn't like

the fellow

reading skeptical

thinking

harrumphing at me

but at the

same time

it's not

be gullible

in a sense

it's like

when I was

having that

trying to

prayerfully

discern what

to do

with those

people in the

congregation

this is quite

a few years

ago

who thought

that their

friend was

having many

prophetic words

and by the way

it eventually

did come out

that in fact

she was

suffering a

psychotic

episode

that she

did have

a mental

illness

problem

and it

got cleared

up

and I

don't think

it caused

any spiritual

damage to

anybody

at least

none of the

Christians

it might have

caused some

to some of

the skeptical

friends

giving them

yet one more

reason why not

to believe the

Christian faith

but God

and his

providence

can work

all of those

things out

but the

Bible doesn't

tell us

to just shut

up and to

pretend

to think

that nothing

happens

nor does it

say it's just

to be gullible

to any claim

it goes beyond

this text

but the fact

of the matter

is that the

devil can

speak into

people's

lives

and you

know as

we've seen

already

Karl Marx

in effect

is making

a claim

to have a

type of

knowledge

like God

has

and you

could go

through all

sorts of

speakers

Hitler thought

that he in a

sense knew

the future

completely and

utterly wrong

but in a

world where

there are

many words

that claim

to come

from God

what the

Bible is

saying is

that there

are words

that come

from God

so the

Bible is

telling us

that that's

the situation

that we live

in

the situation

that we live

in is that

there are

many people

who think

that they are

speaking words

of God

and whether

they're just

coming from

themselves or

whether they're

coming from

the devil

but the fact

is there is

a God

who speaks

and so we

have to test

we have to

test

we don't

we aren't

gullible

we shouldn't

be gullible

let's put the

scripture text

back up again

say it with

me

do not

quench the

spirit

do not

despise

prophecies

but test

everything

hold fast

what is

good

one time

when a

fellow at

a Starbucks

was asking

me

like why

it was

that I

thought

that my

God was

different

my religion

was different

what I

said to

him was

what is

different

is Jesus

that the

Christian faith

out of all

of the

different

types

of all

of the

different

religions

and philosophies

and theologies

and spiritualities

which may claim

about speaking

to God

God speaking

into their

lives

that only

Jesus

only Jesus

only in

Jesus

does God

actually provide

in a sense

an historical

test

that can be

studied

to ground

the claims

the Christian

claim

and that not

only is there

a historical

claim of

something central

happening to

the person

of Jesus

but it just

doesn't happen

out of the

blue

it doesn't

happen with

a whole pile

of completely

and utterly

absurd

beliefs

that can't

really explain

or make

anything

understandable

I don't know

like the

existence of

aliens

or that there

are pink

elephants

or the trees

speak

it's not like

there's a whole

pile of

ancient mythology

I don't know

that the whole

world is resting

on a turtle

but that in

a system of

thought where

the Bible

contains

just as I

said

with the

Genesis 1

2 and 3

it's such a

powerful story

that explains

so much

of human

life

and affairs

and it's

also not

just a

powerful

stories

but there's

powerful

doctrines

the doctrine

of the

fall

the doctrine

that good

and evil

that good

is rooted

in God's

character

that there's

these powerful

ideas that

emerge from

the Bible

that explain

so much

of what

human experience

and human

knowledge is

like

and it's

also part

of not only

powerful stories

and powerful

ideas

and a powerful

overarching story

of God

making all

things good

and then human

beings bringing

evil into the

world so that

all things are

bent

and then God

beginning to

promise that

he himself

will do

what human

beings cannot

do

and we have

the age of

Israel

and of the

prophets

and of the

giving of the

law

and the age

of the promise

and then we

have the coming

of Jesus

which is God

keeping his

promise

in this first

stage

God keeps his

promise

and fulfills

all of these

prophecies

and this is

vindicated in the

person of Jesus

by Jesus saying

I have come to

die

and I will die

and I will rise

from the dead

and then Jesus

dies and rises

from the dead

and it ushers in

this other period

of the already

not yet

where people

can know

Jesus

and in a sense

hear God's

final word for him

and it's the age

of the church

and the promise

of Jesus coming

and the end

of the story

which is the

beginning of the

story which goes

on for all

eternity

is the return

of Jesus

and the creation

of the new

heaven and the

new earth

new heaven and

earth

and in the

midst of

powerful stories

and of powerful

ideas and of

powerful philosophy

and of a large

overarching story

there stands

the person

of Jesus

put the point

up please

true and

in a world

with millions

claiming to

speak for

God

the death

and resurrection

of Jesus

Messiah

is

vindication

that the

person

work

and words

of Jesus

are true

and trustworthy

in a world

with millions

claiming to

speak for

God

the death

and resurrection

of Jesus

Messiah

is

vindication

that the person, work, and words of Jesus

are true and trustworthy.

I think it was just after the Second World War,

there was a lawyer who decided he would put to death

all nonsense of these claims of Christians

of the historical reality of the death of Jesus

upon the cross and his resurrection.

And he figured with his legal training,

I think he was an Oxford grad or something like that as well,

that he would be able to assess the evidence

and write the definitive book to show that it was nonsense.

And as he studied the evidence as it existed in those days,

the surprising conclusion he came to

was that not only was there solid historical evidence

that Jesus lived, solid historical evidence that Jesus died,

solid historical evidence that he was buried,

that there was also solid historical evidence

that the grave was empty,

and that the most reasonable, rational explanation

for the empty tomb was the resurrection of Jesus.

And the book that he was to write,

to disprove the Christian faith,

is available now.

The name's author is Frank Morrison,

and it's called Who Moved the Stone?

And about 50 years after, 40 years after that book was written,

another man, also legal training,

an investigative journalist, winning many awards,

decided he would do the same thing

because to his complete and utter horror,

his wife had become a Christian.

And he decided that he was going to write the definitive book

to show that there's no evidence

for this Jesus person having risen from the dead.

And the man's name is Lee Strobel,

and the book he wrote is called The Case for Christ.

Without realizing it, he retraced the steps of Frank Morrison,

and after a deep study, came to the conclusion

that not only is it reasonable to believe

that the death, that the resurrection,

not only is it reasonable to believe

that Jesus, the reason the grave was empty

was because Jesus had risen from the dead,

but that is the most reasonable answer.

I think it's G.K. Chesterton who once said,

Christians believe in miracles because of evidence.

Many people disbelieve in miracles because of doctrine.

G.K. Chesterton wrote over 100 years ago.

And that's the thing which makes it different.

Jesus, in the historical records of his life,

says, I have come to die, I will die,

I will rise from the dead.

And he tells in the historical record

the purpose of his dying and rising.

The accounts of how he institutes the Lord's Supper

shortly before his death and resurrection

is that he's doing this for the forgiveness of sins.

He says he comes to seek and save the lost.

He says he comes to free the captives.

He comes to give life.

He comes to reveal God.

Jesus claims that in him and in his death upon the cross,

there is the most perfect and complete revelation

of who God is.

That the great longing that many of us have

that God is love is true.

The great mystery that we have

as to how God can be loved

and how God can be completely good

and completely just,

without compromising any of those things,

Jesus teaches that it's only in the cross

that these mysteries come together.

And we see how God can both be completely good

and completely just

and completely loving

and completely merciful

and completely graceful of grace.

Only in the cross

is that made clear.

Only in the person of Jesus

is that made clear.

And so the Bible teaches

that the resurrection of Jesus Messiah

is the vindication of the person,

work, and words of Jesus

are true and trustworthy.

And that's why it is that we as Christians,

put up the scripture text again.

That's why we listen to this text

and say it with me.

Do not quench the spirit.

Do not despise prophecies,

but test everything.

Pull fast what is good.

Put up the next point, please.

The Bible is the true and final word

from the true and living God.

And the Bible's account

of the person and work of Jesus

is the key to knowing God

and his word written.

The Bible is the true and final word

from the true and living God.

And the Bible's account

of the person and work of Jesus

is the key to knowing God

and his word written.

Jesus, if you go back

and listen to the records

of Jesus' life,

that Jesus goes back

and he says that that

which we now call the Old Testament

is the very word

that comes from God.

Why do I believe

that the Old Testament

is a prophecy in a sense,

a direct word from God

into our human situation?

Not because of,

I believe it ultimately

because that's what Jesus said.

Why do I believe Jesus?

Because I,

in his death and resurrection,

in the context of profound words

and stories in the Bible

and of ideas and doctrines

that make so much sense

and explain so much thing

in a profound metanarrative,

that Jesus is in the midst

of all that,

vindicating that

and providing historical evidence

for it.

And it's a revelation

that's not just a revelation

that's about knowledge,

but it's a revelation

about being coming united

with God

through what Jesus does

on the cross,

that God speaks to us

to save us.

He speaks to us

to call us back to himself

that we might be his.

And it's in the context

of his love

and his desire

to have us be his

that he reveals himself.

And Jesus says

the words of the Old Testament

are words that come from God.

And Jesus says

that my words

will not be forgotten.

That's the reason

why Christians believe

that the New Testament

is ultimately

from God himself.

And it's only by knowing

and understanding Jesus

and what he did for us

on the cross

and his resurrection

that the Bible makes sense

and that God

can be truly known.

And that God

can be truly known.

Now here's the issue for us

as we sort of bring

this sermon to a close.

You could put up

the next point.

God is always more willing

to speak to me

than I am willing

to listen to him.

God is always more willing

to speak to me

than I am willing

to listen to him.

Every single one of us

can probably share

lots of stories of abuse

of people who say

they have the words

of prophecy

or they hear the words

from God.

That we could probably

have a very interesting

coffee time discussion

of really, really,

really dumb things

and really, really evil things

that Christians have done

claiming to hear from God.

We could probably share

many, many stories

like that.

But my suspicion is

that when we get to heaven

and God speaks into my life

and speaks into my life

about, you know,

he's letting me into heaven

because of what Jesus

has done for me

on the cross,

we're still going to help

make clear to me

the meaning of my life

and what went on

in my life.

And I bet God

will confront me

far more about the times

that I refused

to listen to him

than about the times

that it was abused.

That I will probably

be shocked

if God was just

to replay my life

and say,

you know,

George,

see that?

I told you not to do that

and you went ahead

and did it.

And you heard me,

didn't you?

And George,

you were doing this

and I told you

you should be going

and maybe saying that word

or maybe making that apology

and you didn't do it,

did you?

But you knew that,

didn't you, George?

And you know,

George,

that time you asked me

for wisdom

about a particular point

in your sermon

and George,

didn't I right away

put an idea in your head

and didn't you completely

and utterly ignore it

and do something

that you thought

would make a bigger,

in your feeble,

God can say that to me,

your feeble mind

that you thought

would be better

and you asked for my help

and I gave you help

right away

and you didn't use it,

did you?

And my guess is

that when we get to heaven,

God's going to spend

vastly more time

with us refusing to listen

than those times

that we invented

listening or abused it.

God is always more willing

to speak to me

than I am willing

to listen to him.

The Holy Spirit,

to put the text back up,

Jeremy,

say it together with me,

do not quench the spirit,

do not despise prophecies,

but test everything,

hold fast what is good.

You see,

don't despise the fact

that God speaks.

God is far more willing

to speak to you and me

than we are,

than I am to listen

than you are to listen

and the Holy Spirit

is the means

by which God speaks to us,

brings God's word home to us

and brings us personal words

of direction,

guidance as well.

And so to not want

to hear God speak

is to,

in a sense,

to say that the Holy Spirit

has no role in our lives

and that God's to have

no role in our lives.

Here's the final point.

Put it up,

please, Jeremy.

God can speak directly to us

and he can speak

through other people,

but each word,

I would now maybe say

personal word

if I was to write it again,

each personal word

must always be weighed

by the prayerful,

communal reading

of God's word written.

You see,

the main way

that we start to be able

to hear the word of God

is by actually learning

how to just hear the Bible

because we know

we can depend upon this

being the way

that God speaks.

You know,

if you think

that God is telling you