Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s arrive with many reminders that things are not as they should be. Relational tension, loss of a loved one, loneliness, inner struggles and conflict in the world around us are all causes for grief. The title and focus of this message comes from the truth declared in verse 1 of Joy to the World by Isaac Watts, who knew his share of pain. 300 years ago, Watts discovered the truths in Psalm 98 and wrote Joy to the World intending to direct his generation to the glorious and triumphant coming of our Lord. This message will encourage you to prepare Him room and avail yourself to His joy this Advent season and beyond.
When we listen to a child we love a child, when we listen to our neighbor we love our neighbor. Similarly, Jesus said when we listen to Him we love Him. Is there an area of life that is He asking you to listen to Him so that with His Spirit’s help you can walk accordingly in a way that will reveal that you love Him?
We have all probably heard a lot about what it means to follow Jesus. We are His sheep so we are to follow Him. But, how do we follow Jesus? If we truly want to follow Jesus and live the life God is calling us to – the FULL abundant life – we must listen to His Spirit in every area of our lives.
Sic enim dilexit Deus mundum ut Filium suum unigenitum daret ut omnis qui credit in eum non pereat sed habeat vitam aeternam. Omnis enim quicumque invocaverit nomen Domini salvus erit. Et ait faciamus hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem nostram et praesit piscibus maris et volatilibus caeli et bestiis universaeque terrae omnique reptili quod movetur in terra. In principio creavit Deus caelum et terram.
When does God speak? Where does God speak? Beyond His artwork and His writing, how does God speak? In I Kings 18 & 19, we discover that God speaks loudly through fire and softly through silence. A careful reading of the whole Bible reveals that His voice reverberates throughout the universe. So, in this message we are encouraged by stories from those who are learning to listen to God and we discover how we can receive renewed ears to hear His voice everyday everywhere.
Psalm 19 declares that the Bible is infallible and immensely beneficial to those who read it. This can only be possible if the Bible is truly God’s voice in written form.
How can we hear God’s voice? We now come to the point in our series where we begin to explore some of the ways God speaks, beginning today with His creation. In this message, we are encouraged and equipped to tune our ears and eyes to God’s artwork in creation which speaks every day, everywhere to everyone.
As we learned last week, God’s voice is the most powerful, transforming force in the universe. Yet, with so many distractions in our world today, His voice can appear muffled or non existent. In this message we are encouraged and equipped to take time to acknowledge and address the distractions in order to become still as we prepare to hear His voice.
Omnis enim quicumque invocaverit nomen Domini salvus erit. In principio creavit Deus caelum et terram. Omnes enim peccaverunt et egent gloriam Dei. In principio creavit Deus caelum et terram. Omnis enim quicumque invocaverit nomen Domini salvus erit.
Who God is dictates what He does, and what He does is most often accomplished by His voice. That is why we listen.