It’s Hard To Hear God

0:00:01.520 --> 0:00:02.800 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. 0:00:02.800 --> 0:00:05.800 I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. 0:00:05.880 --> 0:00:07.760 I wanted to thank you for joining us today. 0:00:08.080 --> 0:00:10.920 Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. Hope 0:00:10.960 --> 0:00:12.960 it gives your perspective to see God is moving in 0:00:13.000 --> 0:00:18.320 your life. Enjoy the message. Come on, clap your hands, 0:00:18.400 --> 0:00:22.439 make some noise for the Lord. Praise the Lord. Hey, 0:00:22.480 --> 0:00:24.040 thank God for the worship team. 0:00:24.160 --> 0:00:27.960 Thank God for our students, thank God for all these volunteers, 0:00:28.000 --> 0:00:31.120 thank God for the group leaders, for you tex thank 0:00:31.120 --> 0:00:35.080 God for Elevation Valentine celebrating a ten year campus anniversary. 0:00:35.680 --> 0:00:38.160 Elevation Raleigh, celebrating us wealth year. 0:00:38.040 --> 0:00:44.839 Anniversary, Happy Birthday, Raleigh, and celebrating you making it to 0:00:44.960 --> 0:00:47.720 church another day looking good. 0:00:48.640 --> 0:00:49.560 You're looking good. 0:00:50.360 --> 0:00:52.080 Tell somebody you don't look like what you've been through. 0:00:55.200 --> 0:00:56.680 Tell them I know you've been through some fire, but 0:00:56.800 --> 0:01:01.120 you don't smell like smoke. You smell like deodorant, and miss. 0:01:02.240 --> 0:01:07.959 Smell like creed. Praise the Lord. Let me look at 0:01:08.040 --> 0:01:09.720 you remains standing for just a moment. 0:01:10.040 --> 0:01:12.199 I do want us to take a moment and welcome 0:01:12.200 --> 0:01:13.280 our EPAM around the world. 0:01:13.280 --> 0:01:14.400 Would you help me do that elevation. 0:01:14.480 --> 0:01:18.680 Valentine, wherever you're watching it, let us know in the 0:01:18.720 --> 0:01:20.560 comments where you're watching from. 0:01:20.959 --> 0:01:24.080 And let us know in the comments today if. 0:01:23.600 --> 0:01:25.520 You feel like it a prayer request that we can 0:01:25.520 --> 0:01:27.160 pray for you about we would love to do that. 0:01:27.440 --> 0:01:30.360 We have an entire prayer team that just exists to 0:01:30.400 --> 0:01:31.440 surround you with prayer. 0:01:31.520 --> 0:01:33.680 I know we may not be together physically. 0:01:33.800 --> 0:01:35.480 But just to have these moments with you in the 0:01:35.480 --> 0:01:37.080 presence of God and to believe that there is no 0:01:37.160 --> 0:01:39.840 distance in the spirit. I believe God brought you here 0:01:40.000 --> 0:01:42.320 for a reason, whether you came in a car or 0:01:42.319 --> 0:01:45.120 whether you came through a link. I believe that God 0:01:45.160 --> 0:01:46.959 has something that he wants to do in your life. 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:49.280 I believe he wants to speak to you. It is 0:01:49.320 --> 0:01:51.720 an incredible honor and privilege that I will never be 0:01:51.760 --> 0:01:53.000 able to describe to you. 0:01:53.120 --> 0:01:54.880 To preach God's word from this pulpit. 0:01:55.480 --> 0:01:58.800 I value and treasure every opportunity that I get, and 0:01:58.880 --> 0:02:00.640 I prayed for you today that God might give me 0:02:00.680 --> 0:02:03.040 the words that he wants you to hear, cut to 0:02:03.080 --> 0:02:05.480 the continuity of your situation, to remind you that your 0:02:05.480 --> 0:02:07.520 God is greater than anything you will ever face. 0:02:08.160 --> 0:02:11.160 He can bring down any giant. He can cause any 0:02:11.160 --> 0:02:13.880 wall to tumble. He's a great God. 0:02:13.919 --> 0:02:16.240 And in the name of Jesus, today I come into 0:02:16.320 --> 0:02:20.040 agreement with you concerning your family, your children. 0:02:19.680 --> 0:02:22.400 Your health, your body, your mind, and your purpose. 0:02:22.440 --> 0:02:24.639 I pray that God would not only bless you, but 0:02:24.680 --> 0:02:27.200 that you would be a blessing. That God would set 0:02:27.240 --> 0:02:29.440 you back up on your feet so you can serve Him, 0:02:29.680 --> 0:02:30.680 make a difference for him. 0:02:30.720 --> 0:02:33.639 You were made to glorify Him. You were not. 0:02:33.600 --> 0:02:36.520 Made to be in depression and stay in the bed. 0:02:36.600 --> 0:02:39.680 You were not made to go through the motions of Christianity. 0:02:40.040 --> 0:02:43.880 You were made to glorify Him. And I pray that 0:02:43.919 --> 0:02:46.840 today God would give us a word to that end. 0:02:46.880 --> 0:02:55.079 Clap your hands and thank God for his presence. I 0:02:55.120 --> 0:02:56.720 don't think I have to tell you. I think you 0:02:56.800 --> 0:02:57.640 know what time. It is. 0:02:58.520 --> 0:03:00.960 Elevation, preaching time. 0:03:03.360 --> 0:03:05.400 Put it in the comments, just preaching time. 0:03:07.120 --> 0:03:09.240 Put it in the comments. Is preaching time. Say it 0:03:09.240 --> 0:03:10.520 out loud, it's preaching time. 0:03:12.880 --> 0:03:18.200 I'm going to be starting a brand new series today, 0:03:19.960 --> 0:03:24.600 and the title of the series is I know that voice. 0:03:26.440 --> 0:03:27.400 I know that voice. 0:03:28.840 --> 0:03:31.760 I'll explain it to you as we go, but let 0:03:31.760 --> 0:03:35.200 me read our foundational scripture for today's message, and it's 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:38.280 found in First Samuel chapter sixteen. I'm going to read 0:03:38.280 --> 0:03:40.760 only through verse four and then I'll pick up the rest. 0:03:40.840 --> 0:03:44.000 In just a moment, we stand in honor of the 0:03:44.000 --> 0:03:45.880 Word of God in our house. 0:03:46.080 --> 0:03:49.400 Is just something that we do to say to him. Speak, Lord, 0:03:50.000 --> 0:03:54.080 we respect you. It's something we do to say, you're 0:03:54.120 --> 0:03:55.680 the most important person in the room. 0:03:55.720 --> 0:03:58.760 Lord, So speak to me. Somebody say, speak to me. 0:03:58.840 --> 0:04:01.600 Lord. You may even want to stand right where you 0:04:01.640 --> 0:04:04.640 are in your home or in your kitchen. If you're driving, 0:04:04.680 --> 0:04:08.160 I understand there's limitations keep your seatbelt on, but just in. 0:04:08.080 --> 0:04:12.760 Your heart, your posture reverence the Lord. This is his word. 0:04:13.520 --> 0:04:16.240 On Samuel chapter sixteen, verse one. 0:04:17.680 --> 0:04:22.080 The Lord said to Samuel, how long will you mourn 0:04:22.279 --> 0:04:26.359 for Saul? Since I have rejected him as king over Israel? 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:30.480 Fill your horn with oil and be on your way. 0:04:31.520 --> 0:04:36.640 I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have 0:04:36.839 --> 0:04:41.120 chosen one of his sons to be king. But Samuel said, 0:04:41.279 --> 0:04:45.680 how can I go? If Saul hears about it, he 0:04:45.720 --> 0:04:49.719 will kill me. The Lord said, take a heifer. Take 0:04:49.720 --> 0:04:52.400 a heifer with you, and say I have come to 0:04:52.520 --> 0:04:59.320 sacrifice to the Lord. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice. 0:04:57.839 --> 0:05:00.000 And I will show you. 0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:02.440 I think that's the most beautiful thing that I've read 0:05:02.480 --> 0:05:04.640 in the Bible in a long time. For the Lord 0:05:04.680 --> 0:05:07.720 to say, I know you're confused, I know you're afraid, 0:05:08.120 --> 0:05:09.440 but I will show you. 0:05:10.279 --> 0:05:13.880 Somebody say that he will show me. The Lord said, 0:05:13.960 --> 0:05:17.040 I will show you what to do. 0:05:17.720 --> 0:05:20.680 You are too anoint for me, the one I indicate, 0:05:21.040 --> 0:05:23.960 and I'm going to stop my reading right here. Samuel 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:28.599 did what the Lord said, and that's really the goal 0:05:28.640 --> 0:05:31.440 of this sermon, the goal of this series, and the 0:05:31.440 --> 0:05:38.040 goal of our faith. Samuel did what the Lord said. 0:05:39.040 --> 0:05:42.680 And so for our week one installment of our new series. 0:05:43.120 --> 0:05:44.919 I know that voice. 0:05:45.080 --> 0:05:46.760 I want to say something to you that maybe you 0:05:46.880 --> 0:05:48.880 felt before, but maybe you don't have the courage to 0:05:48.920 --> 0:05:49.200 say so. 0:05:49.240 --> 0:05:50.320 I'll say it for both of us. 0:05:50.360 --> 0:05:53.000 This is the title of today's message. 0:05:53.240 --> 0:06:00.200 Is hard to hear God. It's hard to hear God. 0:06:01.560 --> 0:06:02.760 It's hard to hear God. 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:06.240 And if you disagree with me, you can send me 0:06:06.279 --> 0:06:09.080 an email to Hollyfordick nineteen eighty. 0:06:10.400 --> 0:06:13.000 At Juno dot com. 0:06:13.200 --> 0:06:15.440 But all the honest people look at somebody and say 0:06:15.640 --> 0:06:17.400 it's hard to hear God. 0:06:18.600 --> 0:06:21.800 Speak. Lord, we're listening in Jesus' name. Amen, you may 0:06:21.839 --> 0:06:22.359 be seated. 0:06:24.839 --> 0:06:28.600 Soone set up my series with a story. My oldest son, 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:33.839 Elijah turns twenty one this week. For those of you 0:06:33.880 --> 0:06:35.560 who have been in the church for a long time, that. 0:06:35.520 --> 0:06:36.880 Makes you feel old. 0:06:37.839 --> 0:06:40.000 You remember when we would come up there and hold 0:06:40.040 --> 0:06:44.360 those babies in our arms. And now Elijah is about 0:06:44.400 --> 0:06:47.680 to be twenty one, which means he's technically going to 0:06:47.720 --> 0:06:50.960 be old enough to pay for his own car insurance. 0:06:52.440 --> 0:06:55.520 But you think I was going to say. 0:06:56.600 --> 0:06:58.640 Had a flashback this week as I was preparing a 0:06:58.720 --> 0:07:01.080 series about hearing God's. 0:07:00.800 --> 0:07:02.880 Voice, which is so important. 0:07:03.640 --> 0:07:07.200 What could be more important to talk about? What could 0:07:07.200 --> 0:07:10.680 we spend better time pondering than the voice of God? 0:07:10.680 --> 0:07:13.280 But I was reminded of something that happened when Elijah 0:07:13.320 --> 0:07:17.920 was five years old. I'd been traveling a lot during 0:07:17.920 --> 0:07:21.040 a certain month, and I was leaving again for another trip. 0:07:21.080 --> 0:07:22.880 Holly brought him by the office to say hi to me, 0:07:23.640 --> 0:07:25.640 and I said, man, I'm really sorry I got to 0:07:25.720 --> 0:07:29.720 leave again to go preach in Louisiana, but I love you. 0:07:30.080 --> 0:07:33.480 I'd be back tomorrow. And he walked away and then 0:07:33.480 --> 0:07:36.920 he came back and I found pulling out my shirt 0:07:36.920 --> 0:07:39.160 and he was like, hey, I want to go to 0:07:39.200 --> 0:07:42.240 Easy called it Weezy. I was going to New Orleans 0:07:42.240 --> 0:07:44.400 to preach for the art conference. He said, I want 0:07:44.400 --> 0:07:46.720 to go to Easy. I said, you do. I said, 0:07:46.760 --> 0:07:48.920 I'm leaving in like two hours. He said, I want 0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:51.480 to go to What does he know about TSA? You know, 0:07:51.920 --> 0:07:54.600 I just want to go, And so I bought him 0:07:54.600 --> 0:07:58.600 a ticket and we were going to Easy. Me and 0:07:58.640 --> 0:08:01.000 Elijah were going to eat. Me and e were going 0:08:01.000 --> 0:08:03.560 to Weezy together. The only thing we had to do 0:08:03.800 --> 0:08:07.760 was get through the security line, and a very over 0:08:07.840 --> 0:08:14.640 ambitious TSA agent came and took Elijah and said, sir, 0:08:14.680 --> 0:08:17.000 I'm going to take your son through and then you 0:08:17.040 --> 0:08:18.040 can come through after him. 0:08:18.080 --> 0:08:20.800 I didn't really like that very much, but I let 0:08:20.880 --> 0:08:21.320 him do it. 0:08:22.360 --> 0:08:25.440 But after he took Elijah, like a minute goes by, 0:08:26.240 --> 0:08:30.040 two minutes goes by, like it felt like forever. 0:08:30.120 --> 0:08:31.520 It probably was only about two. 0:08:31.400 --> 0:08:35.520 Minutes, but I started getting very irate and very frustrated 0:08:35.520 --> 0:08:37.360 that I couldn't see my son because the man took him, 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:39.079 and I'm standing on the other side of the little 0:08:40.320 --> 0:08:42.720 What do you call him security things that you go through. 0:08:43.640 --> 0:08:45.920 And so I'm standing there waiting for the man to 0:08:45.920 --> 0:08:47.760 come get me, and the whole line is held up, 0:08:48.320 --> 0:08:50.240 and I'm like, hey, what's up man, My son's on 0:08:50.280 --> 0:08:52.079 the other side. You need to let me through. And 0:08:52.120 --> 0:08:54.640 the guy, not the same guy, but another guy comes up. 0:08:54.720 --> 0:08:59.600 TSA guy goes, you need to calm down, and I said, no, 0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:03.719 what I need to do is go through this security thing. 0:09:03.760 --> 0:09:05.520 What you need to do is move out of my 0:09:05.559 --> 0:09:06.800 way and let me be with my son. 0:09:07.040 --> 0:09:10.560 Because I'm a pastor, see I have a shepherd's heart. 0:09:13.320 --> 0:09:16.400 But before I'm a pastor, I'm a dad. And if 0:09:16.440 --> 0:09:18.640 those two ever have to fight, the dad is going 0:09:18.679 --> 0:09:21.720 to win. Okay, I've said a few words I had 0:09:21.720 --> 0:09:24.600 to repent for at baseball fields over that very same principle. 0:09:24.600 --> 0:09:28.880 I'm being honest with you. Well, anyway, it goes on 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:33.200 and on. Three TSA agents later, I'm yelling. I'm yelling 0:09:33.280 --> 0:09:35.640 so loud that I hear one of the TSA agents 0:09:35.679 --> 0:09:38.400 because I'm about to go Liam Neeson in this airport 0:09:39.320 --> 0:09:42.160 and I can feel it. And as I'm yelling top 0:09:42.200 --> 0:09:44.960 of my lungs, I hear the intercom and the airport, go, 0:09:45.120 --> 0:09:49.080 we've got a code one, and I realize I'm a 0:09:49.120 --> 0:09:52.040 code one, and I don't think this means a delightful 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:52.960 passenger who. 0:09:52.800 --> 0:09:54.960 Needs to be upgraded to first class. 0:09:55.000 --> 0:09:58.320 I'm like, oh God, I'm in trouble, but I'm still yelling. 0:09:58.600 --> 0:10:02.960 I'm yelling the whole time. Well, finally the smart TSA 0:10:03.080 --> 0:10:05.120 supervisor comes and goes, I'm sorry, we never should have 0:10:05.120 --> 0:10:06.679 separated you from your son. Come right through, Come right through, 0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:08.200 Come right through. And I'm like, that's still going right. 0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:10.560 Did y'all hear what he said? And when I got 0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:11.960 to Ali, joh, I'm and be honest with you, I 0:10:12.000 --> 0:10:13.360 was disappointed. 0:10:15.080 --> 0:10:22.240 Because he was calm. He was he was so calm. 0:10:22.679 --> 0:10:23.839 In fact, he was so calm. 0:10:23.880 --> 0:10:26.800 I'm still shaking, you know, I'm still shaking thinking I 0:10:26.880 --> 0:10:28.800 was about that prison ministry from inside the prison and 0:10:28.840 --> 0:10:30.559 the appreciate all from the other side of the screen. 0:10:31.000 --> 0:10:33.280 And then and then I'm walking with him through the 0:10:33.320 --> 0:10:35.800 airport and I said, son, you weren't scared. 0:10:35.840 --> 0:10:39.040 He said no. I said, why were you not scared? 0:10:39.040 --> 0:10:41.080 He said, I could hear your voice the whole time. 0:10:43.920 --> 0:10:47.240 That's how loud I was. I could hear your voice 0:10:47.280 --> 0:10:52.280 the whole time. Oh, to have the confidence. 0:10:53.520 --> 0:10:57.439 Of a five year old kid going through the TSSAY 0:10:57.520 --> 0:11:02.720 screenings of life, To have the confidence of a five 0:11:02.880 --> 0:11:06.840 year old boy for faith in my heavenly Father, to 0:11:06.920 --> 0:11:09.240 be able to hear his voice. But you know, and 0:11:09.320 --> 0:11:11.160 I know, at this stage in our life, it's not 0:11:11.200 --> 0:11:15.560 that simple anymore, is it. It's not that simple anymore, Even 0:11:15.600 --> 0:11:18.280 though there are some Christians who would tell you, no, 0:11:18.400 --> 0:11:21.160 I just hear from God all the time, and I 0:11:21.240 --> 0:11:24.440 obey him. I had one brother who came through the church, 0:11:24.480 --> 0:11:26.040 and he was honest enough to tell me. 0:11:26.360 --> 0:11:28.320 I don't know what y'all mean when y'all say. 0:11:28.200 --> 0:11:31.840 God told you. I've not been in the church my 0:11:31.880 --> 0:11:34.200 whole life. Maybe that's something y'all learned when you were little. 0:11:34.720 --> 0:11:36.560 But I don't really know what you mean when you 0:11:36.600 --> 0:11:37.440 say God told you. 0:11:37.640 --> 0:11:38.440 Is it out loud? 0:11:39.600 --> 0:11:42.040 I said, I've never heard him talk out loud, except 0:11:42.040 --> 0:11:44.000 when Holly's given me advice. That's bey as close as 0:11:44.040 --> 0:11:47.160 I ever get. He said, is it out loud? Is 0:11:47.200 --> 0:11:49.800 it an impression? Do you just mean like you knew 0:11:49.840 --> 0:11:52.080 the right thing to do? Is it like your conscience? 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:54.960 Is it like just reading the Bible? Is it just 0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:58.679 and as he went through all of the lists, I realized, 0:11:58.679 --> 0:12:05.679 we're confused. I realize we're confused, and we can't hear 0:12:05.760 --> 0:12:10.120 God because we're not in an airport, we're in anxiety. 0:12:11.640 --> 0:12:14.040 We're not in a physical location where we can hear 0:12:14.080 --> 0:12:17.400 the physical voice of a physical father. But we have 0:12:17.480 --> 0:12:20.319 a heavenly Father who we have to hear in our hearts. 0:12:20.760 --> 0:12:24.040 And the hard thing about hearing God in my heart 0:12:24.480 --> 0:12:29.280 is he's not the only one talking there. I've got 0:12:29.280 --> 0:12:32.800 fear talking in my heart. I've got shame talking in 0:12:32.840 --> 0:12:36.080 my heart. I've got lust talking in my heart. I've 0:12:36.080 --> 0:12:37.560 got greed talking in my heart. 0:12:37.600 --> 0:12:38.439 Y'all got quiet. 0:12:38.679 --> 0:12:41.240 You got some of the same stuff in your heart, 0:12:41.480 --> 0:12:44.080 and it all sounds the same. 0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:47.599 Sometimes it's hard to hear God. 0:12:48.200 --> 0:12:51.520 It's hard to hear God when you feel separated from God, 0:12:51.559 --> 0:12:55.920 although you understand theologically and technically that nothing will separate 0:12:56.000 --> 0:12:58.800 us from the love of God that is in Christ, Jesus, 0:12:59.400 --> 0:13:03.280 our Lord. You wish you could be like the five 0:13:03.400 --> 0:13:05.560 year old who says, I knew you were coming. 0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:09.120 I knew you were coming, you know. 0:13:09.240 --> 0:13:12.720 To Elijah, I would beat up every tsa agent. 0:13:13.640 --> 0:13:16.360 I would take air gun I would whatever it took 0:13:16.440 --> 0:13:17.800 to get to him. 0:13:18.160 --> 0:13:22.040 And though technically I believe this about God, is hard 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:28.960 because I'm having to hear Him through my dysfunction, so 0:13:29.120 --> 0:13:32.400 I don't exactly trust what I think I'm hearing when 0:13:32.440 --> 0:13:35.240 I think I'm hearing God, because I thought I heard 0:13:35.320 --> 0:13:38.520 God one time, and I ended up in a relationship 0:13:38.640 --> 0:13:40.200 that almost ruined my life. 0:13:40.520 --> 0:13:42.280 So now I've got to hear God. 0:13:42.080 --> 0:13:45.920 Not only through my present dysfunction, but my past decisions 0:13:46.120 --> 0:13:48.000 that caused me to lose my confidence. 0:13:48.280 --> 0:13:49.120 Because when I. 0:13:49.120 --> 0:13:52.880 Was five, when I was ten, it was simple, Jesus 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:54.960 loves the little children, all the children of the world. 0:13:55.160 --> 0:13:57.360 But now I'm living in this world where I realize 0:13:57.360 --> 0:14:00.640 that everybody doesn't love everybody heart for me to hear 0:14:00.679 --> 0:14:03.920 from God, because even some people who call themselves Christians 0:14:04.240 --> 0:14:07.480 say the most hateful things and do the most hurtful things, 0:14:07.800 --> 0:14:10.360 and live in the most hypocritical ways, And some of 0:14:10.360 --> 0:14:12.719 the biggest biggots I ever met in my life go 0:14:12.760 --> 0:14:15.000 in the church and quote the Bible over their bigotry. 0:14:15.240 --> 0:14:16.840 So now it's kind of hard for me to hear 0:14:16.880 --> 0:14:19.520 the voice of God when you're using the same book 0:14:19.760 --> 0:14:21.880 to tell me how to be saved that I've had 0:14:21.920 --> 0:14:24.360 people beat me over the head with and tell me 0:14:24.440 --> 0:14:25.440 I was going to hell. 0:14:25.800 --> 0:14:29.920 So it's hard for me to hear God. Not because 0:14:29.920 --> 0:14:31.040 I don't believe in him. 0:14:31.120 --> 0:14:34.400 I believe that He exists and that he rewards those 0:14:34.440 --> 0:14:38.560 who diligently seek him. Although I'm diligently seeking him the 0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:41.720 best I know how, I am not clearly hearing him. 0:14:41.960 --> 0:14:44.560 I do not have the direction that you seem to have. 0:14:45.000 --> 0:14:47.720 You say, God spoke to me. You open your Bible 0:14:47.760 --> 0:14:50.240 and tell us what God said. I go home and 0:14:50.280 --> 0:14:52.800 try to live that out. And I can't exactly get 0:14:52.840 --> 0:14:56.040 what you said to overlay with what I do. If 0:14:56.080 --> 0:14:59.440 it's not confusing, then I'm in conflict the good that 0:14:59.560 --> 0:15:03.160 I would. Paul said in Romans chapter seven, I cannot 0:15:03.200 --> 0:15:05.280 do the thing that I don't want to do. 0:15:05.360 --> 0:15:06.840 I find myself doing. 0:15:07.200 --> 0:15:10.320 O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me 0:15:10.400 --> 0:15:13.880 from this body of death? And this is Paul talking, y'all. 0:15:14.080 --> 0:15:17.680 The apostle Paul said, is hard for me to hear God. 0:15:19.400 --> 0:15:23.320 That make you feel better, feels good to get it out. 0:15:24.680 --> 0:15:27.520 Not always easy for me to know where the Lord 0:15:27.600 --> 0:15:33.640 is leading me. So it was for Samuel the prophet, 0:15:34.680 --> 0:15:37.000 the priest, and the judge. 0:15:37.960 --> 0:15:41.440 You said, which was he all three? He's the only 0:15:41.600 --> 0:15:43.320 person in the Bible. 0:15:43.400 --> 0:15:48.880 Who simultaneously occupied all three of those offices other than Jesus. 0:15:49.880 --> 0:15:51.280 I got to get that in because they'll put into 0:15:51.280 --> 0:15:54.560 comments what about Jesus and Jesus By as far as 0:15:54.600 --> 0:15:57.360 a human who is not the son of God, Samuel 0:15:57.440 --> 0:16:02.800 is the only onephet, priest, a lot hinges on his 0:16:02.840 --> 0:16:06.200 ability to hear from God. You know, he's a king maker. 0:16:09.320 --> 0:16:12.560 He's the one who anointed Saul. Saul was the first 0:16:12.640 --> 0:16:15.720 king Israel ever had. God didn't want them to have 0:16:15.760 --> 0:16:19.880 a king. He wanted to be their king. Be careful 0:16:19.960 --> 0:16:23.920 what you ask for without consulting God, you might get it. 0:16:25.520 --> 0:16:31.600 And Saul was a very irresponsible and reluctant king. Although 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:34.600 his height qualified him for the job, his heart cast 0:16:34.680 --> 0:16:38.560 him to lose it. They chose him because he was tall, 0:16:39.880 --> 0:16:41.320 a modern day influencer. 0:16:42.320 --> 0:16:47.840 He was very, very disobedient. I don't want to. 0:16:47.840 --> 0:16:51.479 Say that he was a bad man. I've had disobedient 0:16:51.680 --> 0:16:57.400 moments myself. But now, in verse one of for Samuel sixteen, 0:16:58.280 --> 0:17:02.320 the Bible says that Samuel is mourning for Saul because 0:17:02.360 --> 0:17:07.560 the Lord is tearing the kingdom away from Saul. Samuel 0:17:07.640 --> 0:17:11.800 is experiencing that acute disappointment when you invested much and 0:17:11.880 --> 0:17:12.560 it turned out. 0:17:12.400 --> 0:17:12.960 To be little. 0:17:14.480 --> 0:17:17.320 He prayed for Saul, he coached Saul, he put up 0:17:17.320 --> 0:17:21.480 with Saul, He did a lot for Saul. He poured 0:17:21.480 --> 0:17:24.439 the oil on Saul's head. And from the day that 0:17:24.480 --> 0:17:28.119 he anointed him, until the day when Saul refused to 0:17:28.160 --> 0:17:30.679 destroy the Amalekites and kept back the best part for 0:17:30.760 --> 0:17:33.400 himself and claimed he had obeyed what the Lord told 0:17:33.440 --> 0:17:36.640 him to do. Samuel thought he could pray him through. 0:17:37.960 --> 0:17:40.720 Nothing like praying for somebody you see potential in but they. 0:17:40.600 --> 0:17:41.800 Don't see it in themselves. 0:17:43.480 --> 0:17:46.560 That's the pain of every parent, that's the pain of 0:17:46.600 --> 0:17:49.679 every wife who knows you married a good man. But 0:17:49.800 --> 0:17:52.120 he can't get out of his own head right now, 0:17:52.160 --> 0:17:54.760 get out of his own way right now, and so 0:17:55.480 --> 0:17:59.520 he is paying the cost emotionally of Saul's decisions. 0:18:00.960 --> 0:18:02.240 That's when the Lord speaks. 0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:06.080 And this was the first thing that I wanted to 0:18:06.119 --> 0:18:08.359 tell you today in our new series. 0:18:08.400 --> 0:18:09.840 I know that voice. 0:18:10.440 --> 0:18:16.960 Expect God to give direction in times of disappointment. Expect 0:18:17.000 --> 0:18:21.200 God to give direction in times of disappointment. 0:18:22.080 --> 0:18:23.560 This is a literal disappointment. 0:18:24.800 --> 0:18:27.600 I say that because Saul was appointed to be king, 0:18:27.640 --> 0:18:31.000 and then he was disappointed, and it left an empty 0:18:31.600 --> 0:18:35.080 space to be filled, an empty throne to be filled. 0:18:35.720 --> 0:18:39.960 And into this uncertainty and agony. The Lord said to Samuel, 0:18:40.000 --> 0:18:42.320 give me verse one again, because I love how the 0:18:42.320 --> 0:18:47.840 Lord is still speaking to Samuel even though the problem 0:18:47.920 --> 0:18:52.440 is not solved. The Lord is still speaking to Samuel, 0:18:52.840 --> 0:18:56.320 even though Samuel is still mourning. God will give you 0:18:56.359 --> 0:19:00.840 a message in your mourning. God will give you a 0:19:00.880 --> 0:19:04.480 word in your weeping. You don't have to have a 0:19:04.600 --> 0:19:08.120 feeling from God to receive a word from God. 0:19:08.880 --> 0:19:10.520 And I'm going to prove that to you as we go. 0:19:11.359 --> 0:19:14.520 Notice in verse one what the Lord told Samuel to do. 0:19:14.600 --> 0:19:17.520 He said, how long will you mourn for Saul since 0:19:17.560 --> 0:19:19.280 I've rejected him as king over Israel? 0:19:19.359 --> 0:19:19.679 Question? 0:19:19.800 --> 0:19:24.159 And then instruction, fill your horn with oil and be 0:19:24.280 --> 0:19:29.680 on your way. Fil Everybody, say Phil, fill Phil. 0:19:29.760 --> 0:19:32.000 Put it in the chat. Please say Phil, Say it 0:19:32.000 --> 0:19:32.760 out loud. Phil. 0:19:33.600 --> 0:19:36.080 This is the instruction that the Lord gave Samuel. Kind 0:19:36.119 --> 0:19:39.800 of unusual because normally they would fill a flask with oil, 0:19:40.080 --> 0:19:42.520 but they're actually filling the horn of an animal. They 0:19:42.520 --> 0:19:46.200 did that for David and for Solomon, and in this 0:19:46.320 --> 0:19:49.439 filling of the horn with oil. It is important for 0:19:49.520 --> 0:19:53.280 us to realize that Samuel didn't have to feel it 0:19:53.680 --> 0:19:58.080 to fill it like that, because we think we have 0:19:58.200 --> 0:20:01.199 to feel everything what God wants us to do. 0:20:01.920 --> 0:20:02.760 Some of us think we. 0:20:02.760 --> 0:20:06.640 Have to feel God's presence to worship the ever present God. 0:20:06.920 --> 0:20:10.680 Who told you that you don't have to feel anything 0:20:10.840 --> 0:20:12.880 to throw your hands up in the air and worship God. 0:20:13.800 --> 0:20:16.600 I don't have to feel anything to do the last 0:20:16.640 --> 0:20:18.880 thing God told me. I don't have to feel anything 0:20:18.960 --> 0:20:20.440 to keep the appointments. 0:20:19.920 --> 0:20:21.040 That I put on my calendar. 0:20:21.720 --> 0:20:24.480 God doesn't have to confirm something to me that I already. 0:20:24.240 --> 0:20:27.720 Committed to do. Let me say that again. God doesn't 0:20:27.800 --> 0:20:28.120 have to. 0:20:28.119 --> 0:20:31.880 Confirm to me to do something that I've already committed 0:20:31.920 --> 0:20:32.159 to do. 0:20:32.760 --> 0:20:34.879 When the Lord called me to preach, he called me 0:20:34.920 --> 0:20:35.399 to preach. 0:20:35.760 --> 0:20:38.720 Whether I feel like preaching or not, this is my calling. 0:20:39.119 --> 0:20:41.040 And so I begin to study on the weeks that 0:20:41.080 --> 0:20:44.199 I don't feel like preaching because I don't have to 0:20:44.240 --> 0:20:47.440 feel it to feel it. And the more I study, 0:20:47.840 --> 0:20:50.440 the more I feel it. But I don't wait till 0:20:50.480 --> 0:20:52.840 I feel it to do it, because if I waited 0:20:52.880 --> 0:20:54.360 till I felt it to do it, I would never 0:20:54.640 --> 0:20:57.840 feel it. So tell somebody, say feel it, feel it, 0:20:57.840 --> 0:21:00.600 feel it. That's an instruction for somebody. For those of 0:21:00.600 --> 0:21:04.040 you who are fighting sorrow and fighting morning, fill your 0:21:04.119 --> 0:21:05.120 house with praise. 0:21:05.600 --> 0:21:07.560 Turn on worship music in your. 0:21:07.400 --> 0:21:10.000 House, even when you don't want to think about God, 0:21:10.400 --> 0:21:14.000 and start filling the house with the sounds of praise. 0:21:14.359 --> 0:21:18.040 Start filling the house with anthems of worship. Start filling. 0:21:18.080 --> 0:21:20.520 That's why some of you need to say thank you Lord, 0:21:20.840 --> 0:21:24.320 although you are going through something very difficult, because you 0:21:24.400 --> 0:21:24.920 don't have. 0:21:24.880 --> 0:21:27.000 To feel it to fill it. But then watch this. 0:21:27.040 --> 0:21:30.200 Watch this. Not only does he say fill your horn. 0:21:30.000 --> 0:21:33.320 With oil and be on your way, he says, I'm 0:21:33.440 --> 0:21:36.400 sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. 0:21:36.720 --> 0:21:39.760 I have chosen one of his sons to be king. 0:21:40.720 --> 0:21:45.879 Now, on the surface, God is giving Samuel the directions 0:21:46.800 --> 0:21:48.399 for what he's to do next, but I want you 0:21:48.440 --> 0:21:55.600 to notice those directions aren't complete. He says, I'm sending 0:21:55.680 --> 0:21:59.840 you and I've chosen one of his sons to be king, 0:22:00.359 --> 0:22:04.160 but he doesn't say which one, And so the challenge 0:22:04.160 --> 0:22:08.320 of faith is to fill your horn with oil and 0:22:08.440 --> 0:22:12.640 move forward before you have even found what you're looking for. 0:22:13.560 --> 0:22:14.960 I like you to write down that outline. 0:22:15.000 --> 0:22:25.879 Please put down fill forward found, fill forward found. And 0:22:25.920 --> 0:22:28.679 sometimes when we're waiting on God to tell us what 0:22:28.800 --> 0:22:30.800 to do next, we don't even do what he told 0:22:30.880 --> 0:22:31.639 us to do last. 0:22:33.359 --> 0:22:35.439 So it comes in sequency. 0:22:35.520 --> 0:22:38.040 If you wait for God to show you which one 0:22:38.080 --> 0:22:41.760 to anoint to fill your horn with oil, you will 0:22:41.760 --> 0:22:44.200 never find the one you're supposed to find. 0:22:44.680 --> 0:22:47.320 Because you think I'll feel it when I find it. No, 0:22:47.560 --> 0:22:50.400 you'll find it when you feel it. Let me break 0:22:50.440 --> 0:22:50.880 this down. 0:22:51.440 --> 0:22:53.640 You need to become the kind of person right now 0:22:53.680 --> 0:22:55.840 that the person you want to marry would want to marry. 0:22:56.119 --> 0:22:59.000 You got to fill it before you find it. And 0:22:59.080 --> 0:23:01.040 while you're at it, you need to work on paying 0:23:01.080 --> 0:23:02.960 down some of these debts that you have so that 0:23:03.080 --> 0:23:06.160 they don't inherit your bad decisions from the last decade, 0:23:06.640 --> 0:23:09.919 causing fights that you will spend your entire marriage trying 0:23:10.000 --> 0:23:13.680 to solve. You need to fill it before you find it. 0:23:14.040 --> 0:23:15.800 And it's hard for us to hear from. 0:23:15.640 --> 0:23:20.480 God sometimes because we want him to be like our 0:23:21.359 --> 0:23:22.440 maps app. 0:23:24.640 --> 0:23:25.320 You know, on the. 0:23:25.240 --> 0:23:30.959 Maps app the greatest technological invention of my lifetime, you know, 0:23:31.000 --> 0:23:34.000 because I have no sense of direction, and I can 0:23:34.040 --> 0:23:37.600 tell it two things. Watch, I can tell it where 0:23:37.640 --> 0:23:39.119 I want to go, and then I can choose the 0:23:39.200 --> 0:23:40.120 route I want to get there. 0:23:41.920 --> 0:23:44.040 But the difference between God and a maps app. 0:23:44.080 --> 0:23:46.080 And I really thought you'd enjoy this little illustration because 0:23:46.119 --> 0:23:49.160 it's going to help you see why. Sometimes you're confused 0:23:49.160 --> 0:23:50.879 and you go, I don't know what God wants me 0:23:50.880 --> 0:23:51.040 to do. 0:23:51.040 --> 0:23:51.920 I don't know how he's directing me. 0:23:51.960 --> 0:23:52.919 I don't know what he's say, I don't know he's 0:23:52.960 --> 0:23:54.800 being Okay, I got a few ideas about that number. 0:23:54.880 --> 0:23:58.399 In my life, I want to give God the destination 0:23:59.480 --> 0:24:03.840 and then let him give me the directions, because that's 0:24:03.880 --> 0:24:05.240 what I do on my maps. 0:24:04.960 --> 0:24:05.600 At y. 0:24:07.200 --> 0:24:10.520 I tell the maps at where I want to end 0:24:10.600 --> 0:24:13.760 up and then I expect it to tell me how 0:24:13.760 --> 0:24:17.080 to get there. So when it comes to this app, 0:24:17.920 --> 0:24:22.080 I tell it the destination and it tells me the directions. 0:24:23.119 --> 0:24:24.200 That's how we treat God. 0:24:26.240 --> 0:24:29.720 We tell God where we want our life to be 0:24:29.840 --> 0:24:33.560 at a certain age. We tell God what we want 0:24:33.560 --> 0:24:36.600 our kids to turn out, like we tell God what 0:24:36.760 --> 0:24:37.800 college we're going to. 0:24:38.520 --> 0:24:41.280 We tell God what we want him to use us 0:24:41.320 --> 0:24:43.440 to do. We tell God all of. 0:24:43.400 --> 0:24:46.360 These things, these destinations, and then we say, speak, Lord, 0:24:46.359 --> 0:24:51.800 your servant is listening. But I'm not sure he's going 0:24:51.880 --> 0:24:55.440 to give you the details if you didn't let him 0:24:55.480 --> 0:25:00.240 set the destination. I'm not sure that I I can 0:25:00.320 --> 0:25:05.000 just ask God for directions for a destination that I set. 0:25:05.760 --> 0:25:08.280 So I remember early in the church, I was talking 0:25:08.320 --> 0:25:10.439 to a great global leader and I said, what are 0:25:10.480 --> 0:25:12.840 some of the things that I need to do to 0:25:12.880 --> 0:25:14.880 have the kind of ministry that you have? He said, 0:25:14.880 --> 0:25:16.800 the first thing is to ask God, are you supposed 0:25:16.800 --> 0:25:19.760 to have the ministry that I have? What's he saying? 0:25:20.840 --> 0:25:24.000 It might not be your destination to do what I did. 0:25:25.359 --> 0:25:27.280 Some of the reason that it's hard for us to 0:25:27.320 --> 0:25:30.440 hear from God, some of the reason that we're so confused, 0:25:30.680 --> 0:25:33.119 some of the reason that we're so stressed out, some 0:25:33.160 --> 0:25:36.680 of the reason that we're so anxious is because we've 0:25:36.720 --> 0:25:41.320 set the destination to something that God never destined us 0:25:41.440 --> 0:25:46.040 to do. And the reason we can't hear God isn't 0:25:46.080 --> 0:25:51.960 because he's quiet. It's because we're comparing, and so we're looking, Oh, 0:25:52.000 --> 0:25:55.600 I'm teaching good today, I'm back, baby, I'm back to 0:25:55.720 --> 0:25:58.800 help you with this craziness you feel in your life. 0:25:59.080 --> 0:26:02.359 Because as long as you're looking at everybody else's destination, 0:26:02.680 --> 0:26:05.639 everybody else's eta, how long it took for them to 0:26:05.680 --> 0:26:07.720 get married, how long it took for them to get 0:26:07.720 --> 0:26:10.160 the job, how long it took them to get the promotion. 0:26:10.520 --> 0:26:12.760 As long as you're looking at all of these snapshots 0:26:12.800 --> 0:26:15.000 of their life and then bringing it to God and 0:26:15.040 --> 0:26:17.240 say God, I want to have what they had, I 0:26:17.280 --> 0:26:19.159 want to do what they did. I'm supposed to be 0:26:19.280 --> 0:26:22.120 like they are. As long as you're comparing, you will 0:26:22.160 --> 0:26:25.320 feel like God is quiet, but He is not going 0:26:25.400 --> 0:26:29.400 to give you directions for a destination that he did not. 0:26:29.560 --> 0:26:31.040 Set for your life. 0:26:31.480 --> 0:26:34.640 My Bible says the steps of a good man are 0:26:34.880 --> 0:26:38.360 ordered by the Lord. That means he sets the direction. 0:26:38.880 --> 0:26:42.240 That means he sets the time, That means he sets 0:26:42.280 --> 0:26:44.920 the purpose. There's a lot of things I may love 0:26:45.000 --> 0:26:47.240 to do that God did not call me to do. 0:26:47.560 --> 0:26:49.240 And I am always going to. 0:26:49.200 --> 0:26:53.080 Be frustrated if I try to anoint a king that 0:26:53.160 --> 0:26:57.240 God has canceled in my life. And the question is this, 0:26:57.720 --> 0:27:00.760 how long are you going to pity yourself over what 0:27:00.840 --> 0:27:05.080 God didn't give you. How long are you going to 0:27:05.119 --> 0:27:08.760 try to wear yourself out getting to somewhere that God 0:27:08.800 --> 0:27:12.000 didn't even call you. You're not going to even have 0:27:12.040 --> 0:27:14.720 a hotel room when you get there. God didn't call 0:27:14.800 --> 0:27:15.240 you there. 0:27:15.920 --> 0:27:18.400 Yea. And you hear other people talk and they make 0:27:18.440 --> 0:27:21.040 it sound so simple. God called us to Charlotte. What 0:27:21.080 --> 0:27:23.639 do you mean he called you to Charlotte. Really, if 0:27:23.680 --> 0:27:25.840 you were honest about it, you just thought the schools 0:27:25.840 --> 0:27:27.840 were good here and. 0:27:27.800 --> 0:27:30.320 They were gonna pay you fifteen thousand dollars a year more. 0:27:31.160 --> 0:27:33.640 But now you talk about it, God called us to Charlotte. 0:27:34.640 --> 0:27:37.800 Well, he may have called you to Charlotte, but to 0:27:37.840 --> 0:27:39.879 say that the biggest thing that God is going to 0:27:39.920 --> 0:27:42.480 tell you is what city to live in is to 0:27:42.520 --> 0:27:46.520 miss the very nature of God. Right, you could be 0:27:46.560 --> 0:27:54.159 a crack addict in Charlotte. 0:27:55.560 --> 0:27:57.800 One thing I love, I really love this. 0:27:58.920 --> 0:28:01.919 I love to get inside of the cliches that we 0:28:02.040 --> 0:28:03.720 use as Christians. 0:28:03.920 --> 0:28:05.800 And just talk about them a little bit. 0:28:06.080 --> 0:28:11.919 I call this Christian Eese. You can speak English and 0:28:11.960 --> 0:28:13.640 need a translator when you come to church. 0:28:13.720 --> 0:28:16.240 Really, the way we talk, you're. 0:28:16.119 --> 0:28:18.840 Reading an old Testament, says the Lord said, to Samuel. 0:28:19.000 --> 0:28:21.680 Well, he's a prophet the way that the Lord spoke 0:28:21.720 --> 0:28:22.560 in the Old Testament. 0:28:23.359 --> 0:28:25.000 I don't know if he spoke out loud to Samuel 0:28:25.119 --> 0:28:26.960 or not, but the Lord spoke to Samuel. The Bible 0:28:27.000 --> 0:28:29.280 says that Samuel was the most powerful prophet from Dan 0:28:29.280 --> 0:28:31.560 de Bersheba. The Lord let none of his words fall 0:28:31.600 --> 0:28:35.160 to the ground. Samuel was an amazing prophet. So much 0:28:35.240 --> 0:28:37.800 hinged on his word. History hinged on his word. The 0:28:37.880 --> 0:28:40.960 history of the nation hinged on him. Hearing God write 0:28:42.240 --> 0:28:46.239 what apartment you move into is not that important. So 0:28:46.280 --> 0:28:49.080 some of the cliches that we use in church, we'll 0:28:49.120 --> 0:28:51.640 be like, I'm just dealing with this red sea right now, 0:28:51.640 --> 0:28:52.280 what's the red sea? 0:28:52.360 --> 0:28:57.440 My rent's going up? I get it. I know that's 0:28:57.480 --> 0:29:02.480 a challenge. It's not a red see, it's a rent increase. 0:29:03.520 --> 0:29:10.320 Okay, let's talk about the difference rent increase, red sea. 0:29:11.040 --> 0:29:16.840 Okay, one you move, the other you die. They're not 0:29:16.920 --> 0:29:17.320 the same. 0:29:18.760 --> 0:29:21.280 The stakes are not always as high as the enemy 0:29:21.280 --> 0:29:25.560 would have you to believe. It doesn't always matter when 0:29:25.560 --> 0:29:27.720 the Lord speaks to you. The Lord did not tell 0:29:27.760 --> 0:29:30.479 me to wear matching denham today. I just did the 0:29:30.480 --> 0:29:32.720 best that I could to put it together. Did I 0:29:32.760 --> 0:29:36.560 do all right? Only God can judge me. Who cares 0:29:36.560 --> 0:29:40.880 what you think? I did not pray? This is this 0:29:40.960 --> 0:29:42.640 is so, this is so important for you to get. 0:29:43.160 --> 0:29:45.280 Some of the reason is hard for us to hear 0:29:45.320 --> 0:29:48.360 from God is that we want him to tell us 0:29:48.400 --> 0:29:52.400 things about situations that he just wants us to use 0:29:52.400 --> 0:29:57.800 wisdom for. And so we're singing this song and you 0:29:57.880 --> 0:29:58.520 thanks all week. 0:29:58.560 --> 0:30:00.000 I love this song. I didn't write this song. 0:30:00.160 --> 0:30:02.160 I'm jealous that I didn't write this song, but we 0:30:02.200 --> 0:30:03.320 sang it in church today. 0:30:03.440 --> 0:30:06.920 We're about to see revival like we've. 0:30:06.760 --> 0:30:12.320 Never known, like something out the Bible, the impossible. I 0:30:12.360 --> 0:30:16.440 think the room is ready for a miracle. I think 0:30:16.440 --> 0:30:18.320 this room is ready for a coma. Right about now, 0:30:18.360 --> 0:30:21.120 y'all ain't saying nothing. Come on, I think the room 0:30:21.200 --> 0:30:21.680 is ready. 0:30:22.600 --> 0:30:23.720 I don't know about. 0:30:23.600 --> 0:30:27.200 University City, but I think, come on, young people. 0:30:26.920 --> 0:30:27.920 Stand up real quick. 0:30:28.280 --> 0:30:31.880 Sing the song we're about to see. 0:30:31.600 --> 0:30:32.480 Like we never know. 0:30:38.600 --> 0:30:42.479 Oh, you're about to start something, singing like y'all were 0:30:42.480 --> 0:30:49.080 singing at Friday night, something out the Bible, the impossible. 0:30:49.440 --> 0:30:51.200 I think the room is Come. 0:30:51.040 --> 0:30:54.120 On, Church, help these young people praise the Lord what 0:30:54.320 --> 0:30:57.720 a smile on your bed. We're about to see a revival. 0:31:04.240 --> 0:31:11.120 I love that, all right. How many want to see. 0:31:10.920 --> 0:31:13.120 God do something like it's something out. 0:31:12.960 --> 0:31:16.840 The Bible in your life? Come on, come on, come on, everybody, 0:31:16.840 --> 0:31:22.240 get in on this. Come on, I want to How many. 0:31:22.120 --> 0:31:25.080 Want to see God raise something back to life like 0:31:25.160 --> 0:31:30.480 He raised Lazarus, like something out the Bible. Come on, 0:31:30.600 --> 0:31:33.720 touch your neighbors say, like something out the Bible, Like 0:31:33.840 --> 0:31:35.440 something out the Bible, like. 0:31:35.360 --> 0:31:39.120 A red sea splitting, like a mountain moving. I want to. 0:31:39.040 --> 0:31:42.040 See dry bones come back to life. I want to 0:31:42.080 --> 0:31:45.360 see the dead raised. I want to see the sick heal. 0:31:45.800 --> 0:31:48.400 I want to see it like it's something out the Bible. 0:31:48.640 --> 0:31:51.560 But the question becomes this, if you want to see 0:31:51.880 --> 0:31:54.719 something out the Bible, are you willing to do something 0:31:54.960 --> 0:31:55.680 in the Bible? 0:32:00.040 --> 0:32:04.040 Ah ah, I. 0:32:03.920 --> 0:32:08.840 Gotta ask you this because it's hard to hear a 0:32:08.920 --> 0:32:12.480 God speaking specifically who you will not obey generally. 0:32:15.160 --> 0:32:16.080 So I want to. 0:32:16.040 --> 0:32:21.240 See I want to see something out the Bible. 0:32:21.720 --> 0:32:24.080 But how can I see something. 0:32:23.760 --> 0:32:27.520 Out the Bible if I won't do something in the Bible. 0:32:30.200 --> 0:32:32.400 Sometimes I don't need to hear God's voice, I just 0:32:32.440 --> 0:32:37.280 need a verse because sometimes the verse is his voice 0:32:38.400 --> 0:32:39.600 in the beginning was a word, and the word was 0:32:39.640 --> 0:32:40.760 with God, and the word was God. 0:32:42.000 --> 0:32:44.280 So when I have God's word, I have God's voice. 0:32:45.600 --> 0:32:48.840 And I believe that the reason that Samuel was abel 0:32:49.720 --> 0:32:54.760 to hear the voice of God. Yeah, he knew that 0:32:54.880 --> 0:32:59.280 voice because he had known that voice since he was 0:32:59.440 --> 0:33:05.080 twelve years oh when he was ministering in the temple 0:33:05.240 --> 0:33:07.320 under Eli, whose vision was them. 0:33:07.320 --> 0:33:09.560 He couldn't see and the temple was corrupt. 0:33:09.680 --> 0:33:12.640 But the Lord called him Samuel, and he thought it 0:33:12.680 --> 0:33:15.200 was Eli, but it was God. And he called him 0:33:15.240 --> 0:33:17.800 again Samuel, and he thought it was Eli, but it 0:33:17.840 --> 0:33:20.000 was God. And he called him a third time, and 0:33:20.080 --> 0:33:22.400 Eli said, that's not me, that's God. 0:33:23.600 --> 0:33:27.280 Next time he speaks, say speak, Lord, your servant is listening. 0:33:27.160 --> 0:33:30.600 For Samuel three ten, six decades earlier than the passage 0:33:30.640 --> 0:33:32.960 I read you. The Lord came and stood there, calling, 0:33:33.000 --> 0:33:36.280 as at other times Samuel Samuel. Then Samuel said, speak 0:33:36.640 --> 0:33:39.080 for your servant is listening. Go to verse nineteen. 0:33:39.120 --> 0:33:39.479 Please. 0:33:40.200 --> 0:33:42.320 The Bible says the Lord was with Samuel as he 0:33:42.360 --> 0:33:45.600 grew up, and he let none of Samuel's words fall 0:33:45.640 --> 0:33:46.200 to the ground. 0:33:46.600 --> 0:33:49.080 And from Dan Tabersheba. Next verse, please. 0:33:49.520 --> 0:33:52.520 All Israel recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet 0:33:52.560 --> 0:33:52.960 of the Lord. 0:33:53.040 --> 0:33:53.720 Verse twenty one. 0:33:54.440 --> 0:33:57.320 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he 0:33:57.400 --> 0:34:01.760 revealed himself to Samuel through his word. 0:34:02.760 --> 0:34:06.280 Through his word, you have his word. 0:34:08.560 --> 0:34:12.000 And so before we go getting confused about the things 0:34:12.000 --> 0:34:15.520 that God isn't speaking to us, let's check on the 0:34:15.520 --> 0:34:19.920 things that he's already spoken. Because the more I'm flowing 0:34:19.960 --> 0:34:22.440 in what He's spoken, the more I can hear what 0:34:22.560 --> 0:34:27.120 he speaks. Clap your hands and praise the Lord. Come on, 0:34:27.160 --> 0:34:34.040 clap your hands and praise the Lord. You like that 0:34:34.239 --> 0:34:37.359 something out the Bible, Daniel in the lions, Then well 0:34:37.360 --> 0:34:39.520 you're not going to see something out the Bible if 0:34:39.560 --> 0:34:43.000 you don't do something in the Bible. What do you 0:34:43.040 --> 0:34:46.120 mean something in the Bible? I brought a list. You 0:34:46.160 --> 0:34:46.960 want to hear my list? 0:34:47.640 --> 0:34:50.560 Let's go through it real quick. Just a few things. 0:34:51.840 --> 0:34:53.520 How many want to see God do something out the 0:34:53.520 --> 0:34:54.279 Bible in your life? 0:34:54.320 --> 0:34:54.960 I mean a miracle? 0:34:54.960 --> 0:34:57.080 Brak okay, okay, all right, now I got something in 0:34:57.080 --> 0:34:58.720 the Bible, so you can see something out the Bible. 0:34:58.719 --> 0:35:04.160 Colossians three nine. Do not lie to each other. That's 0:35:04.160 --> 0:35:07.319 in the Bible. That's what the Lord wants you to do. 0:35:07.400 --> 0:35:08.960 I'll know what the Lord wants you to do. 0:35:09.080 --> 0:35:09.680 I know what the. 0:35:09.640 --> 0:35:11.600 Lord wants you to do. He wants you to do 0:35:11.600 --> 0:35:14.680 do not lie to each other. That means you have 0:35:14.760 --> 0:35:17.719 to maybe delete your whole social media account because maybe 0:35:17.719 --> 0:35:18.200 the whole. 0:35:18.000 --> 0:35:21.080 Thing is a lie. Maybe the whole thing is not 0:35:21.200 --> 0:35:27.120 a you. Maybe you are like something out the Bible. 0:35:28.239 --> 0:35:30.319 How about some in the Bible? Can we do some 0:35:30.480 --> 0:35:34.839 in the Bible? Do not lie to each other? Oh, 0:35:34.880 --> 0:35:36.279 I'm just getting started. 0:35:35.960 --> 0:35:36.640 With this list. 0:35:37.880 --> 0:35:40.920 They want something out the Bible. Give them Philippians to fourteen. 0:35:41.840 --> 0:35:47.239 Do everything without grumbling. 0:35:49.640 --> 0:35:54.320 Or arguing. Now now I want something out the Bible. 0:35:55.440 --> 0:35:58.560 I want to do something in the Bible because. 0:35:58.600 --> 0:36:00.760 I want God to ope in the grave. 0:36:01.600 --> 0:36:03.319 And God is like, before we start dealing with graves, 0:36:03.320 --> 0:36:07.600 can we deal with grumbling? Because your grumbling is the grave. 0:36:07.640 --> 0:36:09.319 For every good thing I'm trying to do in your life, 0:36:09.360 --> 0:36:11.960 you bury it in your complaining. You want see some 0:36:12.040 --> 0:36:13.160 out of the Bible. I wants you to do something 0:36:13.200 --> 0:36:19.760 in the Bible. Next verse, let's keep it going. James 0:36:19.760 --> 0:36:21.319 wanted you to know this is in the Bible. Now. 0:36:21.360 --> 0:36:22.960 He didn't know this was going in the Bible when 0:36:22.960 --> 0:36:24.840 he wrote it. He was just writing out of faithfulness, 0:36:24.840 --> 0:36:26.719 and now it's in the Bible. James one, chapter four, 0:36:26.800 --> 0:36:29.760 verse eleven says, brothers and sisters do not slander one another. 0:36:32.120 --> 0:36:36.560 That's in the Bible. That's in the Bible. I can't 0:36:36.560 --> 0:36:38.920 figure out why y'all aren't. 0:36:38.760 --> 0:36:42.399 Shouting over that, because when I was saying stuff out 0:36:42.480 --> 0:36:47.000 the Bible, it made us feel excited. But when I'm 0:36:47.000 --> 0:36:51.040 saying something in the Bible, we get quiet. And maybe 0:36:51.040 --> 0:36:55.279 God's not quiet. Maybe I'm just not doing what's in 0:36:55.320 --> 0:36:55.880 the Bible. 0:37:00.719 --> 0:37:02.239 You said you were glad I was back. 0:37:03.040 --> 0:37:06.840 Next verse touch somebody say it's in the Bible. 0:37:08.040 --> 0:37:10.040 Flee from sexual immorality. 0:37:10.880 --> 0:37:13.720 Put that on the Uthex twenty twenty seventy shirt. 0:37:14.160 --> 0:37:17.400 Flee sexual immorality. That's in the Bible. 0:37:19.200 --> 0:37:21.400 I love you enough to tell you you're not gonna be 0:37:21.440 --> 0:37:23.799 able to hear God if you're so tangled up in 0:37:23.800 --> 0:37:27.440 intimacy that isn't really intimacy, that's just corrupting your ability 0:37:27.480 --> 0:37:29.440 to think you're not gonna really be able to hear 0:37:29.480 --> 0:37:32.200 the great, imprecious promises of God, if your mind. 0:37:32.000 --> 0:37:34.880 Is consumed with porn, you got to you gotta run from. 0:37:34.680 --> 0:37:37.240 Some stuff in order to receive some stuff. 0:37:37.360 --> 0:37:41.440 And it's not just true for the youth. It's in 0:37:41.520 --> 0:37:45.359 the Bible. Touch somebody say it's in the Bible. It's 0:37:45.400 --> 0:37:49.360 in the Bible. It's in the b I, B L E. 0:37:50.040 --> 0:37:54.480 Bible. I think I got one more. I don't remember. 0:37:55.320 --> 0:37:58.720 Oh yeah, put this for the kids. Honor your father 0:37:58.880 --> 0:37:59.400 and mother. 0:38:00.560 --> 0:38:04.840 Come on, parents, you ought to tie this week with 0:38:04.960 --> 0:38:05.919 this sermon. 0:38:10.320 --> 0:38:16.040 About to see revival, life, heaven. Honor and my mama. 0:38:16.560 --> 0:38:19.800 When I get back home, the leading all my snapchat 0:38:20.040 --> 0:38:22.720 from my phone, and now I've got a fire. 0:38:23.440 --> 0:38:26.480 And this in a Bible, you can change. You can 0:38:26.520 --> 0:38:33.959 be transformed through the renewing of your mind. Jimmy verse 0:38:34.000 --> 0:38:39.200 four again, first Samuel sixteen four. Here's the goal. Samuel 0:38:39.680 --> 0:38:44.120 did what the Lord said. Oh, it's wonderful to hear. 0:38:44.400 --> 0:38:47.920 It's wonderful to be in tune. It's wonderful to be educated. 0:38:48.120 --> 0:38:51.680 It's wonderful to have information. It's wonderful to quote scripture. 0:38:51.920 --> 0:38:54.279 But I would rather you walk in one than quote 0:38:54.280 --> 0:39:02.800 a hundred. Now I'm going to encourage you a little 0:39:02.800 --> 0:39:07.520 bit more uplifting message that the Lord gave me today 0:39:08.360 --> 0:39:08.799 called I. 0:39:08.760 --> 0:39:13.239 Know that voice. By the way, I got to put 0:39:13.320 --> 0:39:13.799 this in there. 0:39:15.440 --> 0:39:19.200 If you hear me condemning you right now, that's not 0:39:19.320 --> 0:39:24.920 God's voice. Just because I'm being loud doesn't mean I 0:39:24.920 --> 0:39:25.400 don't love you. 0:39:26.400 --> 0:39:27.680 Doesn't mean God doesn't love you. 0:39:29.520 --> 0:39:34.959 And sometimes we confuse correction, which is a sign of love, 0:39:35.800 --> 0:39:44.359 with condemnation, which is the opposite of love. You can 0:39:44.440 --> 0:39:47.080 drive your car wherever you want tonight at two am. 0:39:47.520 --> 0:39:50.000 I don't love you like that, Graham Fredick. 0:39:50.480 --> 0:39:53.280 We got to have some boundaries around two am because 0:39:53.280 --> 0:39:54.239 I love him so much. 0:39:55.320 --> 0:40:02.239 I love him so much. Yeah, but so much to share. 0:40:02.400 --> 0:40:03.919 Will you come back to next week too? 0:40:04.040 --> 0:40:05.560 I'm not done, but will you come back to next 0:40:05.560 --> 0:40:08.640 week too? You know, one of the things that I 0:40:08.680 --> 0:40:12.680 associate with hearing from God is frequency. Frequency. That's an 0:40:12.680 --> 0:40:14.440 interesting word because it has a double meaning. One we 0:40:14.520 --> 0:40:19.600 hear in frequency. Sound has a frequency, but frequency also. 0:40:19.400 --> 0:40:20.960 Refers to how many times you do it. 0:40:22.239 --> 0:40:25.000 And did you notice that the Lord continued to reveal 0:40:25.080 --> 0:40:28.799 himself to Samuel. But what encouraged me that I really 0:40:28.880 --> 0:40:33.200 don't want you to miss here is that even though 0:40:33.280 --> 0:40:37.399 Samuel had been doing it for decades, he still found 0:40:37.440 --> 0:40:38.359 it hard to hear God. 0:40:39.080 --> 0:40:39.640 Good watch. 0:40:39.880 --> 0:40:42.520 The Lord said to Samuel, how long will you mourn foresaw? 0:40:42.600 --> 0:40:44.480 Since I've rejected him as king o is Israel. By 0:40:44.480 --> 0:40:47.080 the way, I could preach another message sometime about how 0:40:47.239 --> 0:40:52.439 sometimes God says, your grieving period is over, even though 0:40:52.480 --> 0:40:55.080 your grief is still real, and you have got to 0:40:55.160 --> 0:41:00.640 move forward filled until you find what's next. That's another 0:41:00.680 --> 0:41:06.360 message for another day, filled forward found. But see, Samuel 0:41:06.440 --> 0:41:08.680 has to launch out with the knowledge that he has 0:41:08.760 --> 0:41:12.359 to pass through Saul's hometown to get to Bethlehem, where 0:41:12.400 --> 0:41:14.680 God is sending him. So the word God is giving 0:41:14.760 --> 0:41:17.719 him is taking him through a difficult place. So he's 0:41:17.760 --> 0:41:19.759 got to go back to his school and live it out. 0:41:20.000 --> 0:41:22.200 He's got to go back to a loveless marriage and 0:41:22.200 --> 0:41:24.279 love his wife as Christ loves the truth. He's got 0:41:24.280 --> 0:41:26.560 to go back to a job where there aren't many Christians. 0:41:26.719 --> 0:41:28.440 He's got to go back to a job where the 0:41:28.480 --> 0:41:32.000 boss doesn't even appreciate or actually the boss is the problem. 0:41:32.120 --> 0:41:32.799 He's got to go. 0:41:32.960 --> 0:41:35.640 Back to something in this case that could cost him 0:41:35.680 --> 0:41:39.120 his life. So in verse two it says, but Samuel said, 0:41:39.280 --> 0:41:42.960 how can I, which we're all familiar with, How can 0:41:43.000 --> 0:41:45.480 I he heard God? He recognized and discerned this is 0:41:45.480 --> 0:41:48.479 God because he knows that voice. But what that voice 0:41:48.560 --> 0:41:51.919 is saying is very hard. And so his question is how, 0:41:53.160 --> 0:41:56.960 And I think that's where most of us are. How 0:41:58.120 --> 0:42:01.000 How can I go? If so all hears about it, 0:42:01.600 --> 0:42:03.680 he will kill me. Now we all have a how, 0:42:03.760 --> 0:42:05.120 and we all have an if. 0:42:06.800 --> 0:42:08.960 How do I do that? If this happens? 0:42:09.000 --> 0:42:12.520 That happens, and the Lord responds verse three, So beautiful, 0:42:12.640 --> 0:42:14.920 the Lord said, I got this cover. Get your heifer. 0:42:16.360 --> 0:42:19.600 It's your heifer. Tell somebody get your heifer. I don't 0:42:19.640 --> 0:42:21.120 know what that means. I just wanted to hear you 0:42:21.120 --> 0:42:23.239 say heifer too. If I got to say it, we 0:42:23.280 --> 0:42:24.120 all got to say it. 0:42:24.440 --> 0:42:26.759 Get your heifer, take your heffer with you. Of course, 0:42:26.800 --> 0:42:27.800 this is very symbolic. 0:42:28.680 --> 0:42:32.359 He's a priest, a prophet, and a judge, so he's 0:42:32.400 --> 0:42:35.360 going to make a sacrifice when he goes by the way. 0:42:35.600 --> 0:42:37.759 I used to think that this was a lie when 0:42:37.800 --> 0:42:39.920 the Lord told him take a heifer and tell him 0:42:39.920 --> 0:42:43.200 I've come to sacrifice to the Lord. But it's not 0:42:43.320 --> 0:42:45.640 a lie because every time there is an anointing. 0:42:45.719 --> 0:42:49.719 There's a sacrifice, and. 0:42:49.640 --> 0:42:52.359 What the Lord is giving him here is a strategy 0:42:52.520 --> 0:42:55.320 for a difficult act of obedience. How many have a 0:42:55.320 --> 0:42:57.760 difficult act of obedience hanging over your head right now? 0:42:58.000 --> 0:42:59.520 How many have something in your life that is going 0:42:59.560 --> 0:43:01.000 to be hard to obey God about? 0:43:01.080 --> 0:43:01.600 Raise your hand? 0:43:01.840 --> 0:43:05.359 A difficult act of obedience God has called you to. 0:43:05.840 --> 0:43:07.839 I'm going to slow down and ask you again, because 0:43:07.880 --> 0:43:10.400 I just read do not lie. How many have a 0:43:10.560 --> 0:43:15.240 difficult act of obedience ahead of you? It could be anything. 0:43:15.480 --> 0:43:17.960 It could be staying sober. It could be staying on 0:43:18.000 --> 0:43:20.240 this diet because you're trying to take care of your body. 0:43:20.480 --> 0:43:23.480 It could be being more loving. It could be refusing 0:43:23.520 --> 0:43:26.480 to consume certain things that you know are actually consuming you. 0:43:26.760 --> 0:43:31.960 A difficult act of obedience. Sometimes it's not hard to 0:43:32.040 --> 0:43:35.040 hear God. Sometimes it's hard to know how you're going 0:43:35.080 --> 0:43:41.680 to do what he said. Lors said, take a heifer, 0:43:43.080 --> 0:43:44.520 and we don't have to have heifers anymore. 0:43:44.520 --> 0:43:45.440 We have Jesus. 0:43:46.320 --> 0:43:49.480 Praise the Lord somebody. We don't have to have a 0:43:49.520 --> 0:43:50.160 heifer anymore. 0:43:50.160 --> 0:43:52.520 We have the Holy Spirit. We have Jesus, the once 0:43:52.560 --> 0:43:57.160 and for all sacrifice. But now watch this this crazy. 0:43:57.600 --> 0:44:01.160 He's been doing this for six decades, Prophesy. Not only 0:44:01.200 --> 0:44:03.600 has he been hearing from God, he's been speaking for God. 0:44:03.760 --> 0:44:05.200 He should know how to do this by now. 0:44:05.719 --> 0:44:07.439 They said, how can I go, Saul, here's somebody coming, 0:44:07.640 --> 0:44:11.040 should take a heffer and bite Jesse to the sacrifice, 0:44:11.360 --> 0:44:16.120 and I I will show you what to do. But 0:44:16.200 --> 0:44:18.400 I'm not going to show you what to do there. 0:44:20.120 --> 0:44:27.640 Here. I'm gonna show you what to do today. I'm 0:44:27.640 --> 0:44:28.960 gonna show you what to do this moment. 0:44:30.480 --> 0:44:32.160 I have a weird time when I'm coming back from 0:44:32.200 --> 0:44:36.520 time off from preaching, where I start thinking about, oh man, I've. 0:44:35.760 --> 0:44:38.120 Got to get ready. I'm not I. 0:44:40.040 --> 0:44:41.520 Don't even know if I remember how to do this, 0:44:41.560 --> 0:44:43.960 you know, And then the enemy start loading me with 0:44:44.000 --> 0:44:45.799 all the preaching that I've got to do over the 0:44:45.800 --> 0:44:48.040 rest of the year, and I have to come back 0:44:48.080 --> 0:44:49.200 to You don't have a preesure rest of the year. 0:44:49.200 --> 0:44:50.960 You just have preach today. 0:44:52.640 --> 0:44:55.759 You just have to forgive today. You just have to 0:44:55.760 --> 0:44:58.240 love today. 0:44:59.360 --> 0:45:01.400 You just have to go the meeting today. 0:45:02.360 --> 0:45:06.160 Today. You just have to breathe today. You have to 0:45:06.200 --> 0:45:09.280 get on the peloton today. You gotta read the Bible today. 0:45:10.000 --> 0:45:11.479 You just got to not freak out and not lose 0:45:11.520 --> 0:45:15.600 your mind, not go crazy. Today, the Lord said, I 0:45:15.600 --> 0:45:17.400 will show you. 0:45:16.880 --> 0:45:17.399 What to do. 0:45:17.480 --> 0:45:19.640 You are to anoint for me the one I indicate. 0:45:20.280 --> 0:45:21.799 Samuel did what the Lord said, but now I want 0:45:21.800 --> 0:45:24.160 to read the rest to you. When he arrived at 0:45:24.160 --> 0:45:27.160 Bethlehem versus four party, please, the elders of the town 0:45:27.320 --> 0:45:29.480 trembled when they met him. They asked, do you come 0:45:29.520 --> 0:45:33.240 in peace? That's a loaded question. They mean, is their trouble? 0:45:33.239 --> 0:45:36.360 Because the prophet could declare a war, prophet could do 0:45:36.400 --> 0:45:37.120 almost anything. 0:45:37.200 --> 0:45:39.239 I mean, Samuel was the man, But. 0:45:39.200 --> 0:45:40.799 I think it's kind of got a double meaning to it, 0:45:40.840 --> 0:45:43.080 don't you. He has a problem, but he came in 0:45:43.120 --> 0:45:47.040 peace because he heard from God. I think that's the 0:45:47.080 --> 0:45:50.520 most amazing thing in life, when you have a problem 0:45:50.600 --> 0:45:56.360 and peace. I think that's the most amazing proof of 0:45:56.400 --> 0:46:00.200 God's presence. Is that I am dealing with stuff you 0:46:00.200 --> 0:46:03.799 wouldn't believe right now, and I'm concerned about. 0:46:03.480 --> 0:46:07.239 It, and I am losing some sleep. But something down 0:46:07.320 --> 0:46:11.680 in me knows that voice. I can hear his voice 0:46:11.680 --> 0:46:14.279 on the other side of that tsa line. I know 0:46:14.440 --> 0:46:17.720 somehow he's going to get me. I don't know how, 0:46:18.000 --> 0:46:26.080 but I know who. I know. Sama did what the 0:46:26.080 --> 0:46:27.680 Lord said. When he arrived. The elder said, do you 0:46:27.760 --> 0:46:28.280 come in peace? 0:46:28.360 --> 0:46:30.960 And Samuel replied, yes, in peace, I have come to 0:46:31.040 --> 0:46:34.400 sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the 0:46:34.440 --> 0:46:37.480 sacrifice with me. And then he consecrated Jesse and his 0:46:37.520 --> 0:46:39.520 sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 0:46:39.640 --> 0:46:41.279 Now reset, because I. 0:46:41.239 --> 0:46:43.879 Need your full attention for this last thing I want 0:46:43.920 --> 0:46:46.160 to give you on this sermon today. I need you 0:46:46.200 --> 0:46:47.920 to not be checked out. I need you to not 0:46:47.960 --> 0:46:50.160 be thinking. Man, he's been talking a long time. If 0:46:50.239 --> 0:46:52.280 God is still talking, don't you want to still be listening? 0:46:52.560 --> 0:46:55.480 So listen close to what I'm about to say when 0:46:55.520 --> 0:46:58.919 they arrived. I think this is the pivotal skill when 0:46:58.960 --> 0:47:01.840 it comes to hearing from God. Because in this series, 0:47:02.040 --> 0:47:04.160 I want to talk to you about how to know 0:47:04.280 --> 0:47:08.279 the difference between your crazy impressions in God's voice. I 0:47:08.320 --> 0:47:10.279 want to talk to you about how to discern the 0:47:10.360 --> 0:47:14.000 difference between just a burst of motivation or a surge 0:47:14.040 --> 0:47:16.080 of ambition and a mission. 0:47:15.719 --> 0:47:17.480 That comes from the Holy Spirit. 0:47:17.840 --> 0:47:20.279 I want us to see together how to not just 0:47:20.360 --> 0:47:22.880 wait for something out the Bible, but to do what 0:47:23.040 --> 0:47:26.040 is in the Bible, so we can see something out 0:47:26.040 --> 0:47:28.759 of the Bible happen in our lives. But I need 0:47:28.800 --> 0:47:32.719 you to understand what verse six says. When they arrived, 0:47:33.160 --> 0:47:40.880 Samuel saw Eliab and thought, surely, the Lord's anointed stands 0:47:40.880 --> 0:47:42.640 here before the Lord. 0:47:42.920 --> 0:47:48.080 But the Lord said to Samuel, do not consider his appearance. 0:47:47.680 --> 0:47:51.600 Or his height, for I have rejected him. 0:47:51.920 --> 0:47:54.760 Listen close to me. The Lord does not look. 0:47:54.520 --> 0:47:57.920 At the things people look at. People look at the 0:47:58.080 --> 0:48:04.719 outward appearance. The Lord looks at the heart. So I 0:48:04.760 --> 0:48:07.800 want to preach a little about verse six. It says 0:48:07.880 --> 0:48:13.840 Samuel saw Eliab and thought, surely, how many times have 0:48:13.920 --> 0:48:16.920 you got in trouble in your life because you saw 0:48:17.360 --> 0:48:23.640 and thought surely? You saw and thought surely, and you 0:48:23.719 --> 0:48:26.239 held so hard to what you thought because of what 0:48:26.320 --> 0:48:29.320 you saw that God couldn't show you what he wanted 0:48:30.480 --> 0:48:34.680 because you were so sure about what you thought. The 0:48:34.719 --> 0:48:38.160 reason he thought Eliab was the one is that Eliab 0:48:38.280 --> 0:48:43.319 was tall. Guess who else was tall, Saul. So the 0:48:43.360 --> 0:48:45.960 first thing Samuel wanted to do was pour the oil 0:48:46.000 --> 0:48:49.359 on somebody who reminded him of the past. But God said, 0:48:49.360 --> 0:48:52.200 I'm done with the past. I'm doing a new thing 0:48:52.360 --> 0:48:55.480 in your life. I'm doing a new thing in this generation. 0:48:55.920 --> 0:48:58.719 I'm doing a new thing in this church. I'm doing 0:48:58.760 --> 0:49:00.000 a new thing in your faith. 0:49:04.960 --> 0:49:07.200 I can't hear God's voice. 0:49:06.920 --> 0:49:09.920 Sometimes because I can't do what God says if I 0:49:09.920 --> 0:49:11.320 don't see as God sees. 0:49:12.360 --> 0:49:14.000 So the Lord says, the first. 0:49:13.680 --> 0:49:16.600 Thing I've got to get you to do is stop 0:49:17.440 --> 0:49:21.480 thinking that everything you see is true, thinking that everything 0:49:21.560 --> 0:49:22.680 you feel is true. 0:49:23.239 --> 0:49:24.919 Y'all. They send me a clip the other day. 0:49:25.280 --> 0:49:27.480 One of my friends send me a clip of one 0:49:27.520 --> 0:49:30.759 of my sermons and said, I got this the other day. 0:49:30.760 --> 0:49:32.520 It was kind of surprising. Show real quick. They send 0:49:32.560 --> 0:49:34.560 me on YouTube is a fifty second clip. I want 0:49:34.560 --> 0:49:37.200 to show you this. It's called how to make a 0:49:37.239 --> 0:49:40.120 man miss You Deeply. Sometimes the hardest thing isn't about 0:49:40.160 --> 0:49:43.200 making someone love you. It's about making them feel your 0:49:43.239 --> 0:49:48.160 absence to miss you deeply, not just in passing, but 0:49:48.280 --> 0:49:50.640 in that place where their heart aches and their mind 0:49:51.040 --> 0:49:55.400 keeps coming back to you. It's not about chasing or pleading. 0:49:55.640 --> 0:49:59.560 It's about becoming so powerful in who you are that 0:49:59.600 --> 0:50:04.080 you lingers even when you're gone. Today I want to 0:50:04.120 --> 0:50:07.880 show you how to unlock that power, the kind that 0:50:07.920 --> 0:50:12.000 doesn't beg for attention, but commands it naturally. This is 0:50:12.080 --> 0:50:16.319 about mastering the art of being unforgettable, of creating a 0:50:16.360 --> 0:50:19.680 space in his life that only you can fill. Are 0:50:19.920 --> 0:50:23.760 you ready because what you're about to learn will change 0:50:23.800 --> 0:50:24.399 the way you. 0:50:24.480 --> 0:50:30.600 Love and the way he remembers you. Let's dive in. 0:50:32.320 --> 0:50:37.359 Let's dive in. That's crazy. 0:50:37.440 --> 0:50:44.480 It had my image, it had my name, It even 0:50:44.560 --> 0:50:48.360 kind of had my voice, but it didn't have my values. 0:50:53.239 --> 0:50:57.839 That's how you can tell. Because you listen to me preach. 0:50:58.040 --> 0:50:59.279 You know my values. 0:51:00.160 --> 0:51:03.200 And no AI bought in the world, trained on a 0:51:03.280 --> 0:51:07.600 manual about seduction can make you believe that's me because 0:51:07.640 --> 0:51:13.400 you know that boy, when you know God's boy, when 0:51:13.480 --> 0:51:18.719 you know what God values. No devil in hell, no 0:51:19.040 --> 0:51:23.759 freight room, no toxic person can't talk you out of 0:51:23.880 --> 0:51:36.360 what God said without surfish, no lie. I think the 0:51:36.440 --> 0:51:38.440 Lord is saying over some stuff. 0:51:38.120 --> 0:51:42.439 In your life that's not me. Touch somebody say that's 0:51:42.520 --> 0:51:43.040 not God. 0:51:44.440 --> 0:51:47.319 I don't care if it sounds spiritual, if it does 0:51:47.360 --> 0:51:50.880 not align with his word, it is not God. I 0:51:50.920 --> 0:51:52.759 don't care what culture calls it. 0:51:53.120 --> 0:51:56.440 If God calls his sin, run from it and be 0:51:56.680 --> 0:51:57.720 ye sextified. 0:52:02.520 --> 0:52:04.399 And if God says He's for you, I don't care 0:52:04.400 --> 0:52:07.280 if the whole world is against you. What he says 0:52:07.360 --> 0:52:12.640 is the final Say phil your horn with oil and 0:52:12.719 --> 0:52:13.960 be on your way. 0:52:16.600 --> 0:52:18.400 Even if you feel like you don't know what to 0:52:18.440 --> 0:52:18.960 do next. 0:52:20.120 --> 0:52:25.239 It's hard to hear God speaking about your future when 0:52:25.239 --> 0:52:27.040 you're still talking to him about your past. 0:52:29.719 --> 0:52:32.279 It's hard for you to hear God talk about the 0:52:32.400 --> 0:52:34.680 heart when you keep focusing on the height. 0:52:40.200 --> 0:52:42.439 And if you want to hear God's voice, you got 0:52:42.440 --> 0:52:47.879 to have God's values so you'll know what to do, 0:52:49.440 --> 0:52:52.280 so you'll know how God wants you to treat somebody. 0:52:53.080 --> 0:52:54.480 So you'll know how he wants you. 0:52:54.480 --> 0:52:57.799 To live, whether you're in Miami or Montana, so that 0:52:57.880 --> 0:53:00.719 you'll know what He's saying about your life, so that 0:53:00.800 --> 0:53:07.880 you can fill your horn, move forward with God. 0:53:07.880 --> 0:53:10.400 And find his purpose. Because watch this. 0:53:12.160 --> 0:53:15.520 The proof of Samuel's ministry is not that he never 0:53:15.560 --> 0:53:18.960 got it wrong. You saw him get it wrong twice 0:53:20.760 --> 0:53:26.560 in his seventies. Anybody in their seventies in here tell 0:53:26.600 --> 0:53:32.680 these young people. Listening to God is a life long skill, 0:53:35.760 --> 0:53:39.279 and doing what the Lord said requires that you get 0:53:39.320 --> 0:53:43.880 the grace for this season of your life, because the 0:53:43.880 --> 0:53:48.239 Bible says in verse seven this Maybe you won't care 0:53:48.280 --> 0:53:51.640 about this, but this blew my mind, y'all. I called 0:53:51.680 --> 0:53:54.240 three preachers and said, have you ever seen this before 0:53:54.239 --> 0:53:56.000 in the Bible? And they all said no. And if 0:53:56.040 --> 0:54:00.239 you don't preach it this Sunday, I'm stealing it. There 0:54:00.280 --> 0:54:06.120 is a progression that happens. In verse six, Samuel thought, 0:54:06.920 --> 0:54:10.080 because he saw, surely, I want you to I want 0:54:10.120 --> 0:54:11.640 you to get that this week and kind of work 0:54:11.680 --> 0:54:12.040 it through. 0:54:12.280 --> 0:54:12.880 I saw. 0:54:13.200 --> 0:54:15.960 I thought, surely. I was so certain about it. I 0:54:16.480 --> 0:54:19.960 was so committed to the thing that wasn't God. I 0:54:20.000 --> 0:54:23.680 was so like I hear things and they sound like God. 0:54:23.800 --> 0:54:26.200 You know, certain things sound like God, but just because 0:54:26.239 --> 0:54:27.440 they sound good doesn't. 0:54:27.200 --> 0:54:28.040 Mean they're from God. 0:54:30.160 --> 0:54:33.160 I've heard sermons before where people say God has to 0:54:33.200 --> 0:54:35.480 take you into isolation to give you revelation. 0:54:36.960 --> 0:54:39.399 That rhymes, but that's not right. 0:54:40.680 --> 0:54:43.640 Occasionally God will give you revelation in isolation. But our 0:54:43.680 --> 0:54:47.640 God is a God of community, and God doesn't want 0:54:47.680 --> 0:54:48.400 you in isolation. 0:54:48.520 --> 0:54:51.800 The enemy does. God speaks through peopure. 0:54:51.800 --> 0:54:54.200 You know what I'm saying, And it sounds like God, 0:54:54.920 --> 0:54:57.080 like that video sounded like me kind of. 0:54:57.120 --> 0:54:58.200 That's not his values. 0:54:58.480 --> 0:55:04.680 And when you know his values, you will know his voice. 0:55:05.920 --> 0:55:11.560 In verse six, he said, Samuel saw and thought surely, 0:55:11.840 --> 0:55:14.680 But the Lord said to Samuel, you're wrong. 0:55:15.719 --> 0:55:17.640 You got the wrong one. 0:55:18.800 --> 0:55:22.760 And God doesn't measure faith by your confidence. He measures 0:55:22.760 --> 0:55:29.000 faith by your correct ability. Oh wow, wow. Is not 0:55:29.200 --> 0:55:32.720 in never getting it wrong that God calls you faithful. 0:55:33.480 --> 0:55:36.760 It's that when the Lord spoke and interrupted what Samuel 0:55:36.800 --> 0:55:38.320 thought was supposed to happen. 0:55:38.640 --> 0:55:39.440 This is crazy. 0:55:39.719 --> 0:55:43.560 In verse seven, the Lord said to Samuel, he's. 0:55:43.320 --> 0:55:46.120 Not the one who said, come on, talk to me. 0:55:46.160 --> 0:55:50.960 Who said, okay, The Lord corrected Samuel's values. He said, 0:55:51.000 --> 0:55:53.040 I'm not looking at what you're looking at. Now look 0:55:53.080 --> 0:55:55.880 at verse eight. Then Jesse called a benedab that was 0:55:55.880 --> 0:55:58.719 his second son, the second one that wasn't right. He 0:55:58.760 --> 0:56:00.839 called a Benaedabh and had him pass in. 0:56:00.800 --> 0:56:03.600 Front of Samuel. But Samuel said. 0:56:03.600 --> 0:56:06.360 The Lord has not chosen this one either. Who said, 0:56:07.920 --> 0:56:15.360 read it again, Samuel. Because he's heard God's values. 0:56:16.560 --> 0:56:18.359 Now he knows God's voice. 0:56:19.239 --> 0:56:21.640 And God doesn't have to tell him over and over 0:56:21.680 --> 0:56:26.600 and over again. He has internalized the word of God 0:56:27.600 --> 0:56:34.440 until the point where seven sons of Jesse passed before Samuel, 0:56:34.560 --> 0:56:36.840 and he kept saying, not that one looks good, not 0:56:36.920 --> 0:56:39.120 that one sounds good, not that one seems to be 0:56:39.120 --> 0:56:40.160 a king, not that one. 0:56:40.280 --> 0:56:42.960 No, no, no, noe is that all you have? 0:56:43.280 --> 0:56:47.000 And Jesse said, there's still the youngest. He is tending 0:56:47.280 --> 0:56:49.839 the sheep. And Samuel said, sin for him. We will 0:56:49.880 --> 0:56:52.279 not sit down until he arrived. So he sent for 0:56:52.400 --> 0:56:55.200 him and had him brought in. He was glowing with 0:56:55.320 --> 0:57:00.680 help and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then 0:57:00.760 --> 0:57:04.759 the Lord said, rise and annoying him, this is the one. 0:57:04.920 --> 0:57:08.239 So Samuel took the horn of oil, the one that 0:57:08.320 --> 0:57:12.080 he filled back home, for the one that he found, 0:57:12.520 --> 0:57:15.400 even after he got it wrong to love this sermon. 0:57:15.440 --> 0:57:17.560 Today he took the oil that he. 0:57:17.640 --> 0:57:20.840 Filled, not knowing, and anointed him in the presence of 0:57:20.920 --> 0:57:24.040 all of his brothers. And from that day on the 0:57:24.080 --> 0:57:29.440 spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David, and Samuel 0:57:29.720 --> 0:57:32.480 went to Rama. And all I'm trying to say to 0:57:32.560 --> 0:57:36.480 you today is when you know God's voice, when you 0:57:36.680 --> 0:57:42.040 know God's heart, when you know your God. When Jesus said, 0:57:42.240 --> 0:57:46.200 my sheep know my voice, and they follow me. 0:57:47.600 --> 0:57:48.760 And I know his hard. 0:57:52.000 --> 0:57:55.360 I know his heart for you to hear for what 0:57:55.400 --> 0:57:57.360 God wants you to do about this situation. 0:58:00.680 --> 0:58:02.200 But I want to remind you of something. 0:58:03.800 --> 0:58:10.640 You've heard his voice before, You've missed his voice before, 0:58:12.400 --> 0:58:19.439 and he didn't stop speaking, and he's still speaking. Even 0:58:19.480 --> 0:58:24.120 though you can't always feel him, you can be filled 0:58:24.880 --> 0:58:28.400 with him, even though you didn't get it right the 0:58:28.440 --> 0:58:33.520 first time. Even though your morning there is a message. 0:58:35.280 --> 0:58:38.560 When Elijah went to college, he came home after three 0:58:38.560 --> 0:58:41.800 weeks and he said, it's been so hard for me 0:58:41.840 --> 0:58:43.080 to get on track without you. 0:58:43.200 --> 0:58:46.360 Dad. I said, dude, I miss you too. 0:58:47.080 --> 0:58:49.200 It's kind of crazy because sometimes we would drive each 0:58:49.200 --> 0:58:52.520 other crazy in the house. But there were days where 0:58:52.520 --> 0:58:54.120 I'll be like, man, I love for Elijah to be 0:58:54.160 --> 0:58:55.240 here driving me crazy. 0:58:56.440 --> 0:58:59.680 You know what I mean? He said. The hard part 0:58:59.720 --> 0:59:01.120 is you have always been. 0:59:00.960 --> 0:59:05.000 The voice in my head giving me wisdom. And I 0:59:05.040 --> 0:59:06.520 know I can call you, and I know I can 0:59:06.560 --> 0:59:08.400 text you, but it's just not the same because when 0:59:08.400 --> 0:59:10.440 I lived at home, you would come wake me up 0:59:10.480 --> 0:59:13.440 and get me to work out, and nobody does that 0:59:13.520 --> 0:59:16.240 for me now, he says. 0:59:16.240 --> 0:59:17.000 So now. 0:59:19.200 --> 0:59:22.280 I have to hear you even though you're not here. 0:59:25.760 --> 0:59:27.600 I know that God is always present. I know that 0:59:27.600 --> 0:59:30.560 he's always here, but there may be somebody in here 0:59:30.640 --> 0:59:33.880 who you have been feeling like God is not speaking 0:59:33.920 --> 0:59:36.000 to you anymore. And I think you think that because 0:59:36.000 --> 0:59:38.600 you think you did something that disappointed him so much, 0:59:39.880 --> 0:59:42.360 you did something that was so different, you are secretly 0:59:42.400 --> 0:59:47.840 afraid that he's left you. You are secretly afraid that 0:59:47.880 --> 0:59:51.960 you messed it up. Do you really think that the 0:59:52.080 --> 0:59:55.960 God who raised up a shepherd named David to replace 0:59:56.440 --> 0:59:58.720 a king named Saul doesn't have a plan for your 0:59:58.760 --> 0:59:59.280 life too? 1:00:00.000 --> 1:00:03.640 Do you really think God's that small that. 1:00:03.480 --> 1:00:07.160 There's something you can do that's bigger than the blood 1:00:07.200 --> 1:00:10.600 of Jesus. Do you really think that the God who 1:00:10.640 --> 1:00:13.880 created you didn't have a contingency plan? Do you really 1:00:13.920 --> 1:00:16.440 think that the God who knows your destination doesn't know 1:00:16.440 --> 1:00:19.760 how to reroute you when you take a wrong turn? 1:00:23.080 --> 1:00:29.520 So he's still speaking, Somebody says, speak, Lord, your servant 1:00:29.560 --> 1:00:32.520 is listening. Stand to your feet all over this room, 1:00:32.560 --> 1:00:37.000 heads bowed, eyes close. Although you may not be Samuel, 1:00:37.160 --> 1:00:39.000 and you may not be a prophet, I'm not either. 1:00:40.880 --> 1:00:44.280 A lot hinges on you hearing from God. The truth 1:00:44.280 --> 1:00:46.040 of the matter is, if you keep listening to the 1:00:46.120 --> 1:00:48.200 voice of the enemy. You're going to drive everyone and 1:00:48.280 --> 1:00:51.920 everything away that you love. If you keep isolating and 1:00:51.960 --> 1:00:54.320 thinking that God has you isolated, when God has really 1:00:54.360 --> 1:00:57.160 surrounded you by people, you are going to continue to. 1:00:57.120 --> 1:00:59.280 Be depressed and you can't pray it away. You're going 1:00:59.320 --> 1:01:01.840 to have to obey it away. You hear me. 1:01:02.200 --> 1:01:04.200 You can't pray that away. You're going to have to 1:01:04.200 --> 1:01:06.600 take the next step. If you keep staring at the 1:01:06.640 --> 1:01:09.440 missed opportunity called Saul, you will never meet the future 1:01:09.480 --> 1:01:11.920 called David. You are going to have to fill your 1:01:11.920 --> 1:01:14.960 horn with oil and be on your way. 1:01:16.360 --> 1:01:18.040 With heads bowed and eyes closed. 1:01:19.000 --> 1:01:20.720 I want to pray for the people in this room 1:01:20.720 --> 1:01:24.880 today who have been feeling like God has stopped speaking 1:01:24.880 --> 1:01:27.760 to you. You feel like it's been silent from heaven, 1:01:29.240 --> 1:01:31.040 with heads about and eyes closed, no one looking around, 1:01:31.040 --> 1:01:32.680 and even online. Would you raise your hand if that's you. 1:01:33.560 --> 1:01:35.520 I felt like God has been not talking to me. 1:01:37.240 --> 1:01:42.560 All right, we're gonna fix that right now. God said 1:01:42.600 --> 1:01:47.760 he loves you. God said he knows you. God said 1:01:47.760 --> 1:01:49.880 he knit you together in your mother's roomb. God said 1:01:49.920 --> 1:01:53.000 that you are not a mistake. God said that he 1:01:53.040 --> 1:01:55.880 knows the plans that He has for you. God said 1:01:55.880 --> 1:01:59.520 that you're more than a conqueror. God said that nothing 1:01:59.520 --> 1:02:01.680 in all create will be able to separate you from 1:02:01.680 --> 1:02:05.320 the love of God that is in Christ, Jesus, our Lord. 1:02:07.000 --> 1:02:11.680 I know that's God's will, because that's God's word. I 1:02:11.680 --> 1:02:14.000 want to pray for those today who have been paralyzed 1:02:14.000 --> 1:02:17.080 by some decisions, and you've been letting the details that 1:02:17.160 --> 1:02:19.160 you don't have distract you from the things that you 1:02:19.240 --> 1:02:19.720 know to do. 1:02:19.920 --> 1:02:22.840 Raise your hand. If that's you. I've been so distracted and. 1:02:22.760 --> 1:02:25.240 So stressed about what I don't know that I haven't 1:02:25.240 --> 1:02:25.600 been putt it. 1:02:25.680 --> 1:02:26.120 Raise your hand. 1:02:26.160 --> 1:02:28.640 If that's you, raise your hand, Raise it boldly. Father, 1:02:28.720 --> 1:02:31.120 in Jesus' name, Your sheep, know your voice. 1:02:31.600 --> 1:02:33.800 I pray that this week there's going to be clarity 1:02:33.840 --> 1:02:34.600 in their spirit. 1:02:35.280 --> 1:02:37.080 They're going to maybe not know what the next ten 1:02:37.120 --> 1:02:39.320 steps are, but they will know what the next one is, 1:02:39.360 --> 1:02:41.720 and they'll know who's with them. I thank you God 1:02:41.760 --> 1:02:43.800 that we're walking in the confidence of a God who 1:02:43.920 --> 1:02:45.400 never stops carrying us. 1:02:46.000 --> 1:02:48.000 I thank you that we're walking in the confidence of 1:02:48.040 --> 1:02:48.760 belonging to a. 1:02:48.760 --> 1:02:52.040 God who knows the end from the beginning and God, 1:02:52.120 --> 1:02:52.760 I thank you that. 1:02:52.760 --> 1:02:56.240 You speak to us, not through the words that we 1:02:56.280 --> 1:03:00.000 can hear, but through the whispers that we can't. 1:03:03.880 --> 1:03:07.600 Father, help us to quiet the noise. What's that song 1:03:07.640 --> 1:03:09.880 that we sing? Tune the whole world out. I don't 1:03:09.880 --> 1:03:14.160 need a thing, couldn't ask for more. If I have 1:03:14.280 --> 1:03:16.320 seen your face, I have all I want. Put me 1:03:16.360 --> 1:03:20.640 at your feet. Tune the whole world out. You know 1:03:20.720 --> 1:03:24.480 where I'll be in my father's house. 1:03:26.240 --> 1:03:27.360 Thank you for joining us. 1:03:27.640 --> 1:03:30.120 Special thanks to those of you who give generously to 1:03:30.200 --> 1:03:33.680 this ministry. Is because of you that this ministry is possible. 1:03:34.120 --> 1:03:36.320 You can click the link in the description to give 1:03:36.400 --> 1:03:40.560 now or visit Elevationchurch dot org slash podcast for more 1:03:40.560 --> 1:03:44.360 information and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. 1:03:44.640 --> 1:03:46.000 You can share it with your friends. 1:03:46.280 --> 1:03:48.560 You can click the share button, take a screenshot and 1:03:48.600 --> 1:03:50.720 share it on your social stories and tag us at 1:03:50.720 --> 1:03:58.240 Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. God bless you.