Confusing Things Christians Say - Week 6 - St. Peter - Pastor Bill Monday
Confusing Things Christians Say
Week 6 - St Peter
Pastor Bill Monday
There it was. The last time you ever have to watch the video. I hope so. There's a part of that video, too. That gets me every Sunday. So that's my daughter and she hangs up on me every Sunday. That's what I see before I start preaching. So, lack of confidence.
Welcome back to our last message in our series, “Confusing Things, Christians Say". And if you haven't seen any of our messages yet, I would encourage you to check them out online. There's a lot of things that we Christian people might say short-hand phrases that we lean on which could help, maybe not, maybe they're confusing, or things that we hear the world that people don't make sense and face value. So I love that today we're really not only addressing this idea, confusing things. Someone might say, a Christian might sa,y like I'm “spirit moved” or God has been talking to me. God called me. Not only will that message that we've got prepared today, bring some clarity, this message today is a good concluding message because this point from this message, say how God's speaks to us where he does actually clears up all confusion, that's out there. So before we jump into this message inspired by second Timothy 3, let's begin with prayer.
Sanctify us by the truth. Oh Lord, set us apart, speak to us, clearly remove all confusion that. We might know that we are yours and that you've called us to great things sanctify us by the truth. Your word is truth. Amen.
There's a little boy who was pretty excited. It was an autumn day. Blustery outside cloudy, but great weather to go fly a kite and anybody float or fly, kites back in the day or anybody do that. I did go on up. I think there's even a flight or kite festival. Today around two rivers and so I I think that I was such a joy just to have this weird kite and then see it fly forever up in the sky. So maybe something to renew if you haven't ever held a kite before for our children here. But anyway, this little boy, was out flying a kite and he was so excited. He wanted to see this kite flying to heavens as far as the line would let it See if it even disappeared above the heavens above the clouds, at least. And so that was his aim. And there was some other kids with their kites too, on a playground on the field. This old man came along and pretty embittered about life supposed. He didn't fare too well with the storms of life. So it comes up right to this. Boy, he was just enjoying kite day. Any begins to chide him, He says what a waste of time. This is why are you even out here and don't, you know, that that line leads to nowhere and to know one. So this old man would be really deep but there's a little boy. There's confused and didn't pick up on the metaphor. I guess the old man is talking about God. So as the man shuffled along, the little boy, kept going on that string. And he began to wonder doubt he's like Really something on the other end of the line. I can't see a thing. Just see this string and he looked up and down and up and down and Then the wind picked up a little bit. That's where the little boy began to smile and with wide eyes. He was happy again and he turned to the old man. He said sir I think you're mistaken.
This every now and again, I feel a tug, there's very much something up there here, give it a try. The old man wouldn't have anything to do with it, but I I love the answer to that response, that objection that the little boy gave, even though he didn't know the conversation, it turned to God.
There's a tug. I feel it. I know that there's something up there here, see for yourself.
Do you feel that tug, if you will? And it's so foreign to us to speak in terms like this, we are a Christian people who often don't make much of feelings. Surely? No, those feelings. Come and go, they're not trustworthy. But for today's sake for a message, do you feel the spirit move you you feel the tongue? Did you know that God is calling to you since that? But that's the question that we're really wrestling with today. If you're taking notes, maybe John in a few thoughts. Is God really tugging on the end of the line? We Christian people, we do hint at that whether overtly or just subtly, there are some Christians out there in some Christian traditions, some denominations that speak Very clearly that they believe God is tugging on the end of that line. They don't say things as boldly as God put it on my heart to tell you this. God spoke to me the other day and I wanted to share this with you ever. Heard Christians maybe speak that way.
Have we maybe we don't adopt that kind of phrasiology the spirit moved me today. God was calling to me today.
But we do know that at least we believe that God speaks
And that's one of the truths we're working with and it is a truth and it is reliable and we'll get to that in a moment. But please note that God does speak.
But still, we kind of wonder. What's he really saying in any particular situation? Is he really speaking to me and in some Christians, maybe even speaking in terms, like they got all figured out, God is talking to them, he's put thoughts on their heart. And maybe you walk away feeling. I wish I would like that. I wish I had that feeling. I wish I were so certain And maybe we feel like less of a Christian.
But we do even in our circles. We suggest God is talking to us. We might say it this way. I wonder what God's will is and this particular area of my life. We might talk to Christian friends, do life together. Try to figure that out. That suggests that God is talking. He's up to something, he's letting us know, his will and some promises. In church, you hear it. Whenever a called worker, pastor, a teacher, a staff minister gets a call to serve in another church. You say I received a divine call and love your thoughts. Please keep me in prayers so that I might know where the Lord would lead me.
I just shared earlier today. That by command of our Lord Jesus Christ by his authority. Your sins are forgiven you. That's all God talk. But she always believe it.
Or maybe gotten so beaten up in this life sometimes. You feel like that old man? I don't think there's anything on the other side of that line, maybe we're wasting our time, maybe it would be better off. We just realized it and moved on with the existence we have so hopeless.
I want to share with you from the scripture that God does indeed speak. I know, you know that But I really want to do a thorough job with you. We will study the scriptures together to find out where he speaks to us. And if he speaks anywhere else, and what exactly he is saying to you and me and I praise God at the end of our message here. There will be so many words of encouragement for you. For me, so that you never have to be that man shall come down that walkway and apart the sparing of life itself. For God, does speak. Here's the first proof, I'll read to you from Hebrews chapter one. One to two will revisit a beautiful promise that we spoke over earlier when our sins were forgiven.
The writer of the Hebrews says, in the past. God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets many times in various ways, whether Isaiah or Elijah that we read about today. But in these last days,
Finally definitively. He has spoken to us by his son. Home. He appointed the air of all things and through whom also, he made the universe.
The right of the Hebrews at the end of the Revelation of the Bible, he declares with all certainty. God has spoken God has called and he's called to you and to me and all the world really You know where we find his voice?
It's in a person.
His beautiful name is Jesus. That is where God definitely speaks. Jesus is the revelation of God God in flesh and blood. Praise God. Because it is so encouraging and comforting, no. That God is coming to this life. He's broken. The silence that was caused by our sin.
And he speaks beautiful words of salvation, redemption of hope, identity of purpose.
But maybe there's some dollars. What does it mean that God is spoken and through this person? Jesus, how does that apply to me today? What words of encouragement? What clarity comes in all the confusion. I experienced it. And knowing that, well, let's get real practical and apply it.
How many of you have ever wondered? If God really cares about you ever had a doubt like that I have, I wondered if God's really there for me. I means this is just a myth and I'm crazy for believing this word. Maybe some terrible thing is happening to me in life. I've experienced loss. I'm grieving, God, where are you?
And moments like that, God speaks. And God says to, you see Jesus
He is the word of God, my revelation to you. And John says that at the beginning of his gospel, John chapter 1. He says he is the word made flesh. The word of God. To see Jesus in the manger flesh and blood concrete. This is history, not mythology. He really lived. 2,000 years ago, by the way, did great things that he split time in half. We mark everything by him as far as time. But see him in a major. If you wonder if God cares here, the baby voice of Jesus crying out in the darkness, Oh God cares. He is here for you.
And if you wonder if God has wisdom for your life from the big things to the little things,
But to Jesus teaching He's the son of God. He's been in the heavens, he saw the presence in the face of the father. Now he comes down and he teaches us and he says things like this. Don't worry.
Trust me, don't worry about tomorrow or whatever today's got enough trouble of its own. And in that same sermon seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness, everything else will be taken care of, trust me, trust me, don't don't worry about what you're going to eat or drink or what you'll wear that the non-believers the ones who don't hear the voice of God, they run after all those things, but you You should know your father knows you need those things.
He will provide for you.
And so pray.
Jesus, the revelation of God. And if you wonder if God's love is strong enough for you, for me, when we blow it, when we run the other way, when we listen to everything else. But God, and we get so confused and so broke and in life,
See, God's love. It's so strong.
See it in flesh and blood at the cross. Whereas we learned last week. Jesus, yes, hates sin, but loves sinners. So much that he becomes the embodiment of our sin and dies for it all. So that you and I might hear the voice of God. You're forgiven for your my children 's case closed. And if you wonder, if God's love is strong enough to really do battle with all the challenges we face in this life even death. Just look three days later after Jesus was on the cross after he suffered health for us, made that payment, he rose from the dead and if God can conquer death. He can and he will conquer all the struggles. You face.
And do time, he will prevail. And you with them, see how God's speaks definitively in Jesus. There is no doubt, even if we doubt.
And it gives us a spirit. So that we might be moved by his true calling. That we might hear God called to us and live accordingly in grace and love and truth.
But still, there's doubt and I know we have it because sometimes we don't know where to look for Jesus' voice for God's voice. And so we look here there everywhere, or we look inside, we look at all the wrong places. So I think it's worthy as far as our discussion to talk about where God isn't speaking. Just in case we get a little confused.
Here's one truth.
God doesn't speak clearly in nature. I say that because I've heard that as a pastor, sometimes in meeting with people, good intention people, wonderful Christian people. Sometimes people are that just are seeking God out and they don't know it yet. But I ask. What do you think about God? How do you connect with them? And a lot of people will say, oh, I feel closest to God when I'm out in nature. And I get why we say, I mean, you look outside and it what a beautiful world God is. It's so much, a variety and so much into colors and plenty. And there's so much to enjoy in life. I could see why we would say. I feel so close to God, when I'm outdoors, when I'm up on a mountaintop and it's a starry night and the heavens are white open and the stars dot the sky. What feels like God is here and you know what God is there.
I mean the heavens Psalm 19. Verse 1 says declare the glory of God the sky's proclaimed, the work of his hands. If we're honest, and we look out on creation, we see God's fingerprints everywhere.
Because it's such an amazing creation. Of course, we're gonna feel the sense of closeness with God, when we're in his handy work,
But here's the interesting thing and you can just play it out this way.
What is God really saying to you and me through nature?
I remember what a seminary professor said to me and this kind of like brought me the wrong way at first, but I was so pretty, should have a really thinking on this
My professor said, Just so, you know. Though nature says so much about God, God is saying nothing to you in nature. Well, that's weird. What do you mean? Well, that happens declare the glory of God. Everything that we see does, but God is not there in nature for you. For me, he is not declaring anything about his will to you, or to me or any about his promises out there. And that's good. Why? Because God knows, it'll get real confusing. If you think nature is God's voice to you, For example today, beautiful sunny day.
What happens though, when horrific things happen on beautiful sunny days? What should we think that God is saying to us? He never thought about that. Not going to a beautiful sunny day when school just resumes and there's a mass shooting. Should we assume that since God kept the sun shining? And kept the laws of physics in place that God was complicit. In the destruction of life. Or should we assume that when a storm comes through? It's through a town and destroys everything and even lives. Those people must have been wicked, God must have been pronouncing judgment on them.
How about if you're feeling sick one day? And you find out. It's the worst case scenario. Or maybe you're poor and you can't pay the bills, should we assume that God is no longer? Favoring you? Oh but God is with the rich and powerful and the healthy. You see, nature is such a fickle saying, is it? And if we would think that God is speaking through nature, to us about his will and promises. Well, it's a sad thing. Because the last thing we will experience in nature is our death. What is God saying by that?
Praise God. He is not speaking to us in nature. Although nature speaks so much about God. God doesn't want you to be confused. God doesn't want you to be endowed and worry? And if you look in nature and if you commune with God, there, oh you will be and so alive. So remember, God speaks through Jesus, and Jesus is an end to speaking to you, through nature.
But where else then can we find the voice of Jesus? This is where it gets a little tricky, but another truth is that we want to use the qualifier that God does speak. Neither, does he speak clearly in our consciences or feelings? And you can go ahead and list all those passages here. I'm not going to read through some of those passages. But a Romans 2:14, 1st Corinthians 8 talks about consciences, you know, in consciences, right? It's kind of the voice of God, it sounds like that. God wired us with, in our hearts, all the conscience is kind of that good angel on your shoulder. That tells you, hey, this is good. Do that. You feel great, don't do that and that little devil is on your other shoulder. That's a sinful nature. And when we do it, we feel terrible. The Bible says that that is a gift from God and that we should listen to our consciences as God's representative.
But we should let God's word decide if our conscience is correct or in error. And it can happen very often. It can be conscious as we can kill so that we can actually praise. What is evil? Feel good about it. Or get overly sensitive. What is good? What is free? Well, now we start judging others by what we think is bad.
A conscious. I, you know what I have consciences. It's kind of like a recorded voice of God. But it's been tampered with which reminds me of some of the latest greatest technology advances we've made with AI. We have someone on staff who actually uses AI sometimes, writes poetry to us and guiding us how to use technology better. So I love this very much. I'm not going to John. That's he's over here, that's where he does that. But it's really cool. Like what you can do about AI just put in a question. Hey, can you write this to me? This is whatever and it spits out a whole essay or whatever kids don't use that in school. But there's also software that can manipulate voices. Have you heard that? I did this. I I looked up a Johnny Cash rendition of Psalm 23 and it sounded just like Johnny Cash although he never said that song is pretty cool. My kids have looked up plankton from SpongeBob SquarePants, his voice and popular songs. His whole list on Spotify where you can hear plankton the villain saying all these love songs.
The conscience is God's recorded voice, but somebody's tampered with it and parts are not reliable.
And we listen to it but then we always want to measure God's true voice. We don't want to hear a plankton rendition of what God is saying and sometimes he can do it maybe by extension. We could say feelings are the same way. Jeremiah 17:9 Proverbs 3:5. Jeremiah says nothing is sicker than the human heart.
Proverbs 3:5 is trust in the Lord, with all your might and lean not on your own understanding, but commit your way to him and he'll guide your paths. That picks up on our feelings and I don't know if there's a better message to proclaim today, do not trust your heart. Please remove it from your vocabulary. This idea of following your heart. Be true to yourself. That is not God's speaking. That somebody messed with the message. And why is that? Because so many people get confused by what their hearts tell them. It leads them astray not to the voice of God, which is why you find people doing things that they regret later.
So, if we're taking notes here understand this. God tugs on your heart. Through scripture alone through the word alone, through the word of alone, this written word
In just it just Scott has said, I've given you my son, it's the word of God carted in flesh and blood. Now, the Word of God, all that he is all that he was about. All his teaching, all his will, all is promises he by work of the spirit has put in written form and just as we buy faith, believe that God the son is perfect in every way although humble and frail and humiliated. So we believe this humble written word is perfect in every way even if I can't understand it, But I trust that God will lead me into hearing his voice there and they're alone.
That's so critical because life is so confusing.
That we would understand that God is speaking and he speaks to, to rid us of whatever confusion is robbing us of life. So I got a lot of passages. I'm not going to read them all, but this is just for you to know if you want to know, if God is really speaking and where he speaks in Christ Jesus, his son, the word, It's in the written word. Were saved when we speak to the written word as God's communication to us and nowhere else. You see Elijah and the general whisper he was looking for.
By God's design in these last days. That is all written down in the word. Holy scripture. That is God's still small voice Jesus. When he says, they will know my voice. He was speaking prophetically as to the written word, in its fulfillment, the old and new testament. That's the shepherd's voice. It's nowhere else. John 17 acts to Jesus by promise before he died and then 40. And then 50 days later would proclaim the spirits coming who would remind us of everything he taught. Written in the word. It is the soul authority by which Christ governs. All things in the heavens above Luke 24 after Jesus came back from the dead. Guess what? He turned to prove that he lives and that this was all part of God's plan of will and promises.
He didn't turned more miracles. He didn't say just trust me. Do you feel a burning in the bosom? In your heart? Tell you that this is true. Huh? No, he said is this not in fulfillment of the scriptures.
Even Jesus looks to the written word to prove. He is from God and for you, John for, Jesus, his greatest disciple. If you will or closest says test, every spirit that talks to you because it's confusing and tests it. What by the word, the Berean Christians act 17, they were commended as amazing. Christian people, why? Because they went to the word even when the apostle Paul was talking, it's all about the word. Finally, first Corinthians 2. I can skip over that. That's a summary by Paul saying that really the scripture is the mind of Christ. You want to know what? God's thoughts are, go to the word.
Second Timothy 3 says that this way.
Process from infancy, from a little baby, you have known the holy scriptures, look what they can do. So the voice of God, which is able to make you wise for salvation, gets you to heaven through faith in Christ Jesus. The word incarnate, Now all Scripture. It's the Bible. No, other religious works from any other religious face old and new testament alone is God breathed? That means God's spoke and he claimed every word that's written by the spirit. It's without air, and it's useful for teaching, rebuking and correcting training and righteousness so that the servant of God that's you. And I may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. That's every possible situation.
Praise God.
In Christ. Through the scripture alone. And when we trust that, when we apply ourselves to that all confusion dissipates,
And God is adamant. This is the only place he meets with us and that's for your security and mind don't look from anywhere else. Although there's evidence all around.
So much so that we could summarize this truth this way.
God, tugs nowhere else for you. Then in his holy word, Isaiah 8:20. Again, Isaiah says consult God's instruction and the testimony of warning the written word. And if anyone does not speak, according to this word, they have no light of God, don't even bother with them, don't even listen to them.
How good is our God?
That he speaks. So definitely So clearly that you really never in your life have to doubt or worry even though, We often doubt and worry.
Friends, God has spoken to you.
He speaks to Jesus because he loves you.
Justice. He has given us salvation by grace, so there's no doubt. So too, he has preserved the way that you know that No doubt.
I pray that as we continue to apply ourselves dedicate ourselves to the scriptures,
That we see very soon If not already.
There's no reason to be confused.
God can make it all clear. He already has in Jesus. Whether you're worried about where to live, what job to have, who you should spend the rest of your life with. Or if you should be single or whatever else you pursue, it is all here.
I love God that he removes. Then all confusion. May do so in your life and in mind, All of the praise of Jesus. Amen, let's pray.
