Ways God Speaks

Hearing God - Part 2
Perry Duggar

June 18, 2023

I. Introduction: (Job 33:14; Acts 2:17): Continue our series, Hearing God!

A. Today, we will explore the Ways God Speaks.

1. Job 33:14 (CEV)—God speaks in different ways, and we don’t always recognize His voice.
2. God speaks in diverse ways to different people according to distinct circumstances.
3. He uses delivery methods that are appropriate for the situation and the person receiving the communication; so we can’t focus on only one method for hearing God speak.
4. God communicates in a manner that will capture the attention of the individual hearer.

B. Ways to Hear God:

1. An Audible Voice. (Matthew 3:16-17; 17:5-6; John 12:28-30; Acts 9:3-7)

1. Sometimes God speaks directly and audibly to individual people and to crowds.
2. God the Father spoke at Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:17) and at His Transfiguration (Matthew 17:5), saying the same thing, “This is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy.”
3. The difference was, at the Transfiguration, it frightened the disciples; Matthew 17:6 (NLT)—The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.
4. Following His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, John reported a voice from heaven at John 12:29-30 (NLT)— ²⁹ When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to Him. ³⁰ Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine.” [Why?]
5. Jesus spoke to Saul on the Damascus Road, blinding him physically, opening his eyes spiritually; the men with Paul heard Jesus’ voice, but didn’t see Him. (Acts 9:3-7)
6. God the Father and Jesus both speak audibly at times; they can control who hears clearly and who doesn’t, as well as the effect their voice will have on the hearers.
7. His words can inform, confront, comfort, or caution, depending on the person’s need.
8. ILL.: [A man wrote] When I was in college in the 80's I never used to buckle up when driving (it was a different time and there were no laws about it back then), one day when driving home in some bad weather I felt that I heard God (or an angel) speak to me and tell me to buckle up.
   
   My roommate who was riding with me knew something was different because neither of us normally buckled up, and he asked me, I just told him that I felt compelled to do so. He buckled up as well. We pulled onto the Interstate and probably 5 minutes later we got severely rear-ended by a semi-truck. The highway patrol officer said if we had not been buckled up we almost certainly would have been killed in the accident.
9. APP.: Has God ever spoken directly to you? Did you respond? What happened?

Another way God speaks is by sending an emissary through the…

2. Appearance of Angels. (Daniel 9:20-22; Zechariah 1:9,14; Luke 1:11-19; Acts 8:26-29)

1. Angel” (Greek ἄγγελος, aggĕlŏs, means a messenger who conveys God’s communication).
2. Angels appeared in the Old Testament, delivering messages to prophets from God.
3. Gabriel spoke to Daniel (9:20-21) and an unidentified angel spoke to Zechariah (1:9,14)
4. Luke 1:19 (NLT)—Then the angel said [to a different Zechariah], “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was He who sent me to bring you this good news!”
5. An angel guided Philip the deacon Acts 8:26 (NLT)— … “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza”; as he walked, he was prompted by the Holy Spirit to approach an Ethiopian official (Acts 8:29) to explain the Gospel about Jesus (Acts 8:35)
6. APP.: Have you received a message from God through an angel? [Angels in services.]

Another way to hear God speak is to…

3. Apply the Bible. (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

1. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT)—¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God [thĕŏpnĕustŏs, theh-op´-nyoo-stos, lit., God-breathed] and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. ¹⁷ God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work.
2. Even though the Bible was written long ago (oldest part written 1600 years ago), but human nature has not changed and neither has the truth of God or the nature of faith.
3. The Bible is still relevant and reliable, not outdated, because God is the author.
4. The Holy Spirit spoke through men, but He preserved the message. [2 Peter 1:20-21]
5. The Bible is true and reliable when it provides general guidance for life and faith, but it also speaks individually and personally to each of us.
6. John 17:17 (NLT)— “Make them holy by Your truth; teach them Your word, which is truth.”
7. Sometimes the Holy Spirit illuminates a verse or passage and applies it specifically to your situation or problem in a very specific way. (Ex.: Words seem to “jump” off the page.)
8. This happens as you are reading the Bible or when reminded of verses by the Holy Spirit.
9. APP.: The key to understanding the Bible is your relationship with God; when you read His inspired Word, listen for His voice, look for His presence; you will see and hear Him!

When hear God speak as we…

4. Allow the Spirit’s Leadership. (John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12; Galatians 5:16)

1. Galatians 5:16 (NLT)—¹⁶ So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. [Because we listen and respond to His direction.]
2. The Spirit, who is within every believer, is the primary means of hearing God’s voice.
3. God addresses our personal circumstances and individual needs through the Spirit.
4. God speaks from within us, where the Spirit resides; that’s why His voice is rarely audible.
5. We experience His voice as thoughts, ideas and impressions that we hear, often in our own voices, but typically about issues and attitudes that are different from our own.
6. This causes many Christians to be skeptical about what they hear; because it is subjective.
7. The Spirit reveals God’s nature and will; He explains the meaning of His Word, the Bible.
8. John 16:13 (NLT)—¹³ “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own but will tell you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future.” [John 14:26]
9. APP. Approach Scripture with prayer; ask the Spirit to reveal the meaning and application.

Another way we hear God is to…

5. Accept People’s Advice. (Psalm 37:30; Acts 21:10-11; 1 Corinthians 12:7-8; 1 Thessalonians 2:13)

1. Psalm 37:30 (NLT)—The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong.
2. We all have blind spots, incomplete information, and unseen biases.
3. Seek counsel from people whose faith, character, wisdom, and lifestyle, you admire.
4. God speaks through people—and not just pastors, Bible teachers or small group leaders.
5. Every born-again person possesses the Holy Spirit who can inspire God’s truth to be spoken to an audience or to an individual person about a specific thing. (1 Corinthians 12:7-8)
6. Just as the Spirit will direct me to add an application or insight in a message, He will direct you to communicate truth to each other, so you can hear God speak through other people.
7. If God’s Spirit gives you a special insight into a person’s situation, ask permission, then tell what you heard; the Spirit will confirm to that person if the message was for him/her.
8. 1 Corinthians 12:7–8 (NLT)—⁷ A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. ⁸ To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. [We can hear God through each other.]
9. APP.: Are you willing to seek and listen to God’s advice through godly people?

To hear God, we need to…

6. Anticipate Dreams and Visions. (Job 33:15; Matthew 1:20; Acts 2:17; 10:1-5)

1. Acts 2:17 (NLT)— “‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.’” [I think we are in the last days, the Spirit has been poured out!]
2. What is the difference? Dreams occur when asleep, visions while awake, but both are direct messages from God which are often conveyed through words, images or both.
3. A Bible won’t always provide guidance for situations where specific direction is needed.
4. ILL.: [From a woman] It was shortly after taking the TPM class at Brookwood (roughly 2014). Sounds strange, but I had never known that it was actually a real thing to communicate with God. I asked Him if we would adopt again. He said Yes. (that seemed highly unlikely based on current situation!!!! The odds were really really stacked against us even beginning the process, and continued to mount though out the process) On top of me hearing from God, my kids, that had also begun praying and listening to God also independently came to me with specific insight or revelations from God about an adoption. (Dreams and other things) And then also, my Husband heard. It was really amazing!!!! We adopted a little girl! (The little girl that my older daughter described from her dream). And it was against all odds because the country that our (adopted) daughter came from had closed its doors to foreign adoption midway through our adoption process.
5. Dreams instructed Joseph to marry Mary (Matthew 1:20), then warned him three times to move his family to protect Jesus (Matthew 2:13,19,22).
6. Sometimes God must overcome our hesitation or resistance to communicate His message.
7. Dreams can give insights into situations we failed or refused to recognize when awake.
8. Dreams bypass our blind spots, reluctance, fear, or defensiveness to reveal issues.
9. Job 33:15–18 (NLT)—¹⁵ “He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds. ¹⁶ He whispers in their ears and terrifies them with warnings. ¹⁷ He makes them turn from doing wrong; He keeps them from pride. ¹⁸ He protects them from the grave, from crossing over the river of death.”
10. Visions are instruction from God delivered in an unavoidable way, which, because of busyness, prejudice, or pride, we would reject the instruction and refuse to obey.
11. Cornelius, a Roman army officer was told in a vision by an angel to send for Peter at a place the angel identified (Acts 10:1-6); ordinarily, Peter, a Jew, would reject Gentiles as unclean, but at the same time, Peter received a vision that taught Him God did not reject Gentiles, so he shared the Gospel and Gentiles were saved. (Acts 10:9-48)
12. APP.: Have you considered that your dreams and visions might be messages from God?

To hear from God, we should…

7. Analyze Signs and Circumstances. (Jeremiah 18:1-6; Acts 1:23-26; 16:6-7; Philippians 1:12-14)

1. Definition of “sign”: something material or external that stands for or signifies something spiritual. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
2. The apostles asked God for a particular sign to determine who should replace Judas Iscariot among the apostles following his death—and they believed they would receive it!
3. Acts 1:24-25 (NLT)—²⁴ Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen ²⁵ as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.” ²⁶ Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven. [Urim and Thummim; Exodus 28:30]
4. A sign could be a spiritual object lesson derived from art (the potter and the clay; Jeremiah 18:1–6) or creation (caterpillar and butterfly), it might be a mental image or our imagination.
5. ILL.: Kaylyn (Wiant) When I was 15, I had been looking for a void-filling solution in all the wrong places. The scars from my parent’s divorce created a void that stuck. No matter how hard I worked to be good, how earnestly I sought Jesus and wholeness there was something keeping me at a disconnected place. But what happened in a TPM session brought me to a place where I knew that I felt unloved, alone and unwanted. What God told me in that moment was that I was good and I was His. A visual accompanied the words. An innocent little girl chasing butterflies in a field, laughing and full of joy. God said, "this is who you are. Let go of rest." Instantly there was a release of the weight I had been carrying. The results have been life-changing. All of the sudden my shame was weak and fickle and that visual He gave me overcomes it all. I am loved, I am made new, I am worthy to call Him Father. My defenses are no longer up and my ability to address other wounds is not so overwhelming, I can look towards the grief and know God is there to pull me out of the pain. I now have found my place at Brookwood in Care Ministries as a Lay Counselor, and I have a desire to continue growing in my faith and my curiosity for others. Everyone has a story, and everyone's story is worthy of being heard. For it's our story that aligns us with the crucifixion and resurrection.
6. “Circumstances” are occurrences, events, or situations that control a decision or outcome which can be interpreted to reveal God’s plan. (Paul imprisoned in Rome; Philippians 1:12-13)
7. EX.: Examining open and closed doors to determine God’s will about a decision.
8. APP.: Do you believe God speaks through signs and circumstances? (He is sovereign.)
9. Be careful interpreting signs and circumstances: pray, consult the Bible, and gather advice. 

Questions for message series Hearing God:

• Have you ever heard God speak?
• What did He say?
• What resulted?

Submit responses to brookwoodchurch.org/hearingGod.

• Cards available at the Information Desk for manual responses.
• Memory verse: Acts 2:17 (NLT)—¹⁷ “‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out My Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.’”