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Trinity Community Church
Trinity Community Church
Encounter - Hearing the Voice of God for Yourself - Part 2
Can you truly discern God’s voice amidst the chaos of daily life? In this powerful message from our “Encounter” series, Pastor Tyler Lynde explores the profound ways in which the Holy Spirit speaks to us. Drawing from John 10:1-5, Tyler unpacks the metaphor of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, emphasizing the importance of recognizing His voice among many distractions.
Tyler delves into the dynamic relationship within the Trinity as a model for our spiritual connection. He discusses how the Holy Spirit communicates through Scripture, teachings, and inner impressions, guiding us to make godly decisions that align with His will. By confronting challenges like materialism, selfishness, and other worldly distractions, Tyler helps us understand how to resist temptation and live faithfully according to God’s purpose.
Addressing the spiritual battle against Satan, Tyler emphasizes that our true enemy is not people but the forces of darkness. He offers practical advice on recognizing Satan’s lies and standing firm in our God-given identity. Tyler also highlights obstacles that hinder our relationship with God, such as unresolved conflicts and unforgiveness, stressing the necessity of reconciliation and forgiveness.
Throughout the message, Tyler encourages us to prioritize God’s voice despite life’s busyness, making an intentional effort to hear and follow His guidance. He invites us to collective prayer, trusting in God’s transformative power to cultivate spiritual maturity. Whether you’re seeking to deepen your faith or navigate life’s challenges with divine guidance, this message offers valuable insights and practical strategies.
Join us in this transformative exploration of faith as Tyler guides us in hearing God’s voice for ourselves. Let’s cultivate spiritual maturity together, supporting one another in faith and prayer.
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All right, let's look at John, chapter 10, verses 1 through 5, and that's where we're going to start this morning. We're in a sermon series right now called Encounter. It's all about understanding the person and work of the Holy Spirit. God desires for each one of us to have real encounters with the Holy Spirit that lead to godly transformation in our lives and in the lives of others around us. Last week, we began to talk about the fact that the Holy Spirit speaks to us. Aren't you glad about that? How many of you experienced that in a more profound way this week? Even Amen, very good. Today we're going to be continuing this thought. We, as believers in Jesus, have the God-given ability to hear, to recognize and to discern the voice of God. So the title of today's message is Hearing the Voice of God for Yourself, part 2. Or two or dos Whatever you want to put in your notes is part two. So John, chapter 10, verses 1 through 5. And let's read this together. Truly, truly, I say to you he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber, but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. Who's the shepherd of the sheep? Jesus, excellent To him. The gatekeeper opens, the sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger, they will not follow, but they will flee from him for they do not know his voice. A stranger, they will not follow, but they will flee from him for they do not know the voice of strangers. Let's pray together. Father. We thank you for your word this morning. We thank you that your word brings life and light. And, lord, we pray that you would illuminate our hearts, that you would speak to us directly, that you would help us, help our faith to be strengthened, encourage us that, lord, that you desire to have a relationship with us that is dynamic and real. And, lord, we ask that you would help us in every way to connect to you as our Father, and we thank you for it in Jesus' name, amen.
Tyler Lynde:So how many of you remember cartoons from your youth? And almost every cartoon had a rendition of this. So I don't care if you were watching Bugs Bunny or Donald Duck or Elmer Fudd or whatever.
Tyler Lynde:You had one of these scenes somewhere along the way where the individual, whoever it was, was coming up to a very important decision. They had to make a very important decision, and the decision could take things one way or another way. And so what did you see appear on each shoulder? On one shoulder, you had an angel, and on the other shoulder you had what A devil right. And the angel would say something like you know that you want to be really nice to that person, you don't want to hurt their feelings. And then the devil would say kill them, or whatever the case was. You know that you want to be really nice to that person, you don't want to hurt their feelings. And then the devil would say kill them, or whatever the case was. You know. And so they were in this valley of decision, and I'm not trying to take that illustration too far or to make a huge, you know, biblical explanation out of that, but it is true that we do hear a lot of voices, isn't that correct?
Tyler Lynde:There are a lot of voices that are vying for our attention, and when we're in the point of trying to make a decision, we have to know how to hone in to the voice that matters, and that's the voice of the Lord right and the voice of his spirit as he speaks to us. The Trinity itself is characterized by the relationship that they have with each other and the common purpose that they share, and we who are followers of Jesus are a part of God's family. How much time do you spend on a daily basis reminding yourself that God is your father? Wow, think about that. If we could just meditate on that for a bit. Wow, think about that. If we could just meditate on that for a bit. We're part of God's family and his desire is to have constant fellowship with us.
Tyler Lynde:In John 10, as we just read, jesus uses a common metaphor of being the good shepherd and we being his sheep. And again, I'll just refer to the couple of sermons in the beginning of September. Mark did a great job of explaining a lot of that, what that motif means, and giving so much definition and clarity on that that I don't feel like I need to address it much this morning. But what is God really saying in John 10? He speaks of his genuine care for the sheep, which is never ending. It never ends. He also explains that there are strangers who attempt to use their voices to lead the sheep astray and harm them. But before we get into new material, let's just quickly run through a review of last week.
Tyler Lynde:We first learned that Christians have the ability to hear and obey the voice of God. Aren't you thankful for that? Some ways that the Holy Spirit speaks to us through the word of God, through sound biblical teaching, through other people, through supernatural means, and some of those examples are the gifts of the Spirit, dreams and visions, signs and wonders, angelic visitations and the audible voice of God. The Holy Spirit also speaks to us through our circumstances. We could spend a lot of time on that, couldn't we? And then, finally, we said that the Holy Spirit speaks to us through an inner voice or an impression that we have on the inside, and I just wanted to say something a little bit more about that, because I think this is probably the most common way that most of us hear and discern the voice of God in our lives. Okay, that most of us hear and discern the voice of God in our lives. Okay, so many times we can know that it is God speaking to us, because it's not something that we would have thought of on our own. Does that make sense.
Tyler Lynde:So one of the ways that I can initially discern that possibly this could be God speaking to me is I wasn't thinking about it. It was kind of out of the blue. It just came into my conscience, into my soul, into where I recognized what it was, and so I needed to pay attention to it. Okay, that's one thing. The other thing is, a lot of times when God speaks to us in this way, we don't like it at first. Can we be honest with each other? Sometimes, when God speaks to us, it hurts a little bit before it heals.
Tyler Lynde:I remember one time when I was going through a little bit of a crisis of faith because of everything that had happened, with my dad walking away from our family and from the church, and I was really concerned about where I was in my relationship with God, and God helped me with that by saying you don't really know me. That's what I felt like God was speaking to me in my heart. Now my first thought was and this is what I said to him I said what do you mean? God's good, he's fine with clarifying. He doesn't mind that. I said what do you mean? I've been serving you for 20 years. At that point in my life, right For 20 years, at that point in my life, right For 20 years, and I've been in the ministry for the last five years. What are you talking about? I don't really know you, he said. You only know me through the eyes of your teachers. You've never taken the time to know me for yourself, and so that could have shut me down and put me in a deep, dark depression, but it didn't do that.
Tyler Lynde:You know what it did? It inspired me to open the Word of God and to begin to read all of the passages concerning who God the Father is and who God the Son is and who God the Spirit is. It started me on a year-long journey where I journaled through every single verse that talked about the character and nature of God as found in the Bible. And you know what I discovered for myself? Some of the things that I had read and heard and believed were not accurate according to the whole counsel of Scripture, the whole Bible, and so God began to recalibrate some of my thinking, and I'm so grateful for that opportunity. Does that make sense? So sometimes, when he speaks to us in that inner voice, it's not like we immediately go. Yes, sometimes it makes us think, sometimes it takes us back a little bit. Right, we also talked about the fact that believers can learn how to hear the acronym hear the Holy Spirit clearly by making it a habit to listen to the Holy Spirit, expecting to hear the Holy Spirit in whatever way that he chooses to speak, anticipating growing in your ability to discern the voice of Holy Spirit and responding in humble obedience to what the Holy Spirit is truly saying.
Tyler Lynde:Okay, so let's start. This morning, there are a lot of voices around us, am I right? If you don't believe me, we're only a few weeks away, maybe less than that, three weeks away from an election. And how many of you know? Depending upon the channel you tune to or the radio station that you're listening to, you're going to hear a lot of chatter from a lot of different sides and all kinds of angles.
Tyler Lynde:Right, we need to be able to discern the voice of God in the day and time that we're living in, maybe more than ever before, because we have all of this knowledge, all of this opinion that is always being spoken. It's like people are not holding back their opinions anymore, and now we have social media, which gives a platform for people to espouse their opinions and to talk about things that they believe to be absolutely true, even if they are found later to be false right. So we really need to be able to know how to hone into and discern the voice of God. We must be aware of voices that are not from God, and in this passage, in John 10, it says a stranger they will not follow. That is our story, that is our testimony, that is the end goal that God has for us as believers in Jesus that we will not follow the voice of a stranger, but they will flee from him, for they do not know or discern or understand or listen to the voice of strangers.
Tyler Lynde:In our passage today, jesus continues to talk about us being like sheep, those who follow him as their good shepherd, hear and obey his voice. And we don't follow the voice of strangers. Easier said than done. Because why is that the truth? Because, remember, the still small voice is a lot of times in competition with screaming voices, voices that are so loud and piercing that it's like we can't turn away. It feels like that we have to pay attention to them, right? So let's talk about the first voice that we need to avoid. It is the voice of our flesh. The voice of our flesh is opposed to God's will. No, but I'm a pretty good person, I mean overall, from an overarching standpoint. I make good decisions, I think good thoughts, I speak good words. I'm a great person. Actually, I'm not even a good. I'm a great person. Everybody who knows me loves me, right? Everybody who knows me loves me, right. What do they love about you? If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, they love the God that's in you, because we can't even know love without knowing the love of the Father, right? So let's be careful with how we, you know, congratulate ourselves and want to give ourselves a reward for being the world's greatest people. Okay, because the voice of our flesh is opposed to God's will.
Tyler Lynde:1 John, chapter 2, verse 15, says this do not love the world or the things in the world. Again, culture crying out to us, screaming out to us. This is the way you should go. This is the way you should live your lives. This is the way that you should raise your children. This is the way that you should be married or not be married. This is the way. How many of you know we don't need another way. John 14, six tells us. Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me. Jesus is the way. It goes on to say if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father but is of the world. And the world is passing away and the lust of it. But he who does the will of God abides when. How long? Forever, forever. We are not to love this world or the ways of this world. This isn't the physical creation.
Tyler Lynde:By the way, we went out yesterday and had an amazing day, my family and I. We drove up to Kentucky. How many of you ever heard of Sonny's Barbecue? Okay, I'm not sponsored by Sonny's. I don't receive any kind of kickbacks, although if you're watching and you want to send us a coupon, that'd be great. But the nearest Sonny's is like an hour and 15 minutes away from our house and I've been wanting to go there since my birthday in September, and so we just decided to get in the car and drive up there and have Sonny's. And so we did that yesterday with our boys, levi and Ben, and had a great trip. It was beautiful outside.
Tyler Lynde:Some other people did some other things yesterday. Mark, did you do anything yesterday? Were you busy? Huh, a little something, miss Amy. I noticed, I got a little picture and on that left hand there's something that well, there's a little bling.
Tyler Lynde:So Mark and Amy got engaged yesterday, yep, in the middle of God's creation. So the earth is good and the fullness thereof, right. The earth is good, but the world is not good. The system of the world that is comprised of Satan's dominion and his way of doing things. It's the very opposite of what is godly and holy and spiritual. We have to make sure that our desires line up with God's desires. We are led astray when we listen to the voice of our flesh leading us into temptation. So what are these three things? The lust of the flesh is the cravings of sinful man that are opposed to God's will and God's way. What is it that we crave that is against God's purpose or God's plan? It is the basis for rebellion against God and the pursuit of all things that can be defined as selfish in nature.
Tyler Lynde:Have you ever realized? I realized, when we had our firstborn son, jordan, who's a wonderful blessing to us, but he was born Caesarian, and he was born after Amy was in labor for a very long time I can't even remember the hours, but it was a couple of days. It feels like right, is it that long? It was a long time. We try not to go back there too much in our memory bank to that portion of things, right. So when Jordan was born and we brought him home, amy's mom stayed for a while for a day or, and helped around the house and helped with the baby and helped with Amy. Amy was pretty much bedridden. She couldn't do much at all. When Amy's mom went home, I realized something very quickly. What do you think I realized?
Tyler Lynde:Tyler, you are a very selfish man. I never thought of myself as selfish before, but, boy, I realized when this kid needed everything from me and my wife needed everything from me too, which was so different from her normal way. She's such a giver. I realized, lord, I need help with this because I, in my sinful nature, in my flesh, I'm a selfish, I can be a selfish person.
Tyler Lynde:So what kinds of things are the lust of the flesh? What about materialism? Having to have the latest, greatest, whatever it is and when I say these things, please understand, I've been dealt with by the Lord this week as well Egocentricity, always thinking about myself and how I'm going to benefit from something. Exploitation, taking advantage of other people so that I can get ahead in life. Lust of the flesh? How about racism? This is an outworking of the lust of the flesh. Or how about neglecting those in need? These are all evidences or things that we can point to that say I'm dealing with temptation in this area. Right, and moving on to the lust of the eyes, anything that entices the eyes, especially sexual lust.
Tyler Lynde:We live in a day when, literally in the palms of our hands, we carry computers that have storage that's beyond our belief and with just one accidental push of a button we can get to a place where we shouldn't get to and we can linger there and it can become a problem that becomes an addiction in our lives. But how many of you know we can't blame the phones. We have to blame lust, which is a desire to have something that we actually never. Even if we were to get what it is that we desire, we wouldn't be fulfilled by it. That's the sick part about lust it can never be fulfilled. So we're talking about pornography. We're talking about covetousness. We're talking about never being satisfied.
Tyler Lynde:These are voices that we hear on a daily basis that attempt to take us away from the will of God and from his way of doing things, and we need to stand against them. Take us away from the will of God and from his way of doing things, and we need to stand against them. How about the last one? The pride of life, pretentious hypocrisy that causes one to glory in themselves or their possessions. Look at what I've done. Look at what I've accomplished. We can't wait for somebody to ask us what we do for a living, because we're a fill in the blank and we're very proud of it. We can't wait for somebody to ask us about our house, because we have the biggest house on the block and it's amazing. We're driving new cars and all of this has been done because we're so good.
Tyler Lynde:I'm speaking pretty plainly because these are the kinds of thoughts we have, folks. Let's be real. Can we just be honest with each other? These thoughts try to infiltrate our lives and try to direct us and lead us and steer us in the wrong direction. This is very familiar because it started in the very beginning.
Tyler Lynde:Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden, succumbed to the temptations as they saw that the tree was good for food, lust of the flesh. The tree was pleasant to the eyes the lust of the eyes and it was a tree to be desired. For what purpose? To make one wise, the pride of life. Look at me, look at my accomplishments, look at what I know. Yeah, they knew something. What did they know? They knew that they were sinners and they needed to try to cover it up. The first shame ever experienced happened in the Garden of Eden and every single one of us born since then has been born in sin and shame and has given in. Before we came to Jesus, it wasn't even given in. It was a way of life. We lived according to the flesh, according to our fleshly desires. But how many of you know that's not the end of the story?
Tyler Lynde:Because Jesus, like Adam and Eve, was tempted by Satan. He was tempted as he was taken into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit after his baptism and he resisted the temptation of the enemy. On every turn, satan said turn these stones into bread, and that's the lust of the enemy. On every turn, satan said turn these stones into bread, and that's the lust of the flesh. What did Jesus say? Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. And then what does Satan do? He took him to this high place and he said all the kingdoms of the world, everything that you can see with your eyes, I will give to you, if you will just bow down and worship me. All the kingdoms of the world, everything that you can see with your eyes, I will give to you, if you will just bow down and worship me, the lust of the eyes. If you are the son of God, throw yourself down from this high temple wall and the angels will protect you. The pride of life, when Jesus say. He said thou shalt not tempt the Lord, your God. And on that last one, the one where he said bow down and worship me and I'll give you all the kingdoms, he said get out of here, depart from me. I will worship the Lord, god only Lord, god only. He defeated every temptation. He defeated every temptation.
Tyler Lynde:The Bible says that he was faced with every temptation known by man, yet without sin. Why is this important for us? Because not only did he do all of that, but then he gave himself into the hands of a holy God and took upon himself the wrath of God, all of the punishment that every person that has ever given into temptation deserved. Jesus took it upon himself on the cross and he said Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing. And he said it is finished, and the curse that came upon Adam and Eve and all of the rest of humanity up until that point in time was removed and we have the ability by grace, through faith, to put our faith, hope and trust in a living Savior and not only to be forgiven of our sins, but listen to how good our Heavenly Father is. He writes on our account, not guilty, and he also writes always did the right thing, always said the right thing, always thought the right thing, always had the right motivation. What, how scandalous the grace of God truly is. How amazing our God is that he would care that much for us to call us his children, my friends, just like Jesus did. We must understand that we must hide God's word in our heart that we might not sin against him. The word of God is essential when it comes to resisting temptation.
Tyler Lynde:Romans 12, verses 1 and 2, says I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice. The living sacrifice part is the part that's hard. Why? Because we have to do it every day, sometimes many times a day. We have to remind ourselves wait a minute, my life is on the altar, I have given my rights up and I am following Christ. Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Tyler Lynde:Do not be conformed to this world. How many of you know the world wants to conform you. The culture of this world wants to conform you, and I don't care what side of an issue it is. The culture of this world wants to conform you, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that, by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Do you want to be able to understand the will of God? Do you want to be able to hear the voice of God? Do you want to be able to hear the voice of God. Don't be conformed to the culture of this world. Don't give in to the voice of your flesh. Understand, know the word of God, hide it in your heart so that you may not sin against him.
Tyler Lynde:Romans 8 is a beautiful chapter that I encourage you to go home and read as well. It talks about the difference between those who walk in the flesh and those who walk in the spirit. And here's the deal. It's not us walking in the spirit, in our own strength. We're walking in the very spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and he lives in us and he can overpower us and encourage us and help us and strengthen us and lead us and guide us, and all of those things. So, first, the voice of our flesh. Secondly, satan is always attempting to get us to believe his lies. You ever heard the voice of Satan? Maybe not Satan himself, but I'm sure you've heard the voice of demonic influence. I'm sure that you've heard it, even maybe at times, from people that you love.
Tyler Lynde:Satan loves to use those closest to us to mess with us. How many of you are thankful that we don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and rulers of darkness? People are not our enemies. Satan is our enemy. Jesus makes it clear just a few verses after the ones we read in John 10. In verse 10, the thief comes only to steal and kill and to destroy. What is Satan's MO? What is his mode of operation? What is his job description? To steal, to kill and to destroy. He hates us because we're a part of God's family. Ultimately, he hates God. But if you can't get to the parents, what do you do? You try to get to the children, and that's what Satan attempts to do over and over again. Satan always condemns. So if the thoughts you're hearing are negative, destructive, vicious or accusing, it's not God, it's the enemy. Vicious or accusing, it's not God, it's the enemy.
Tyler Lynde:God doesn't talk to us like that. Does he correct us? Does he discipline us? Does he sometimes scold us? Does he all of those things? Absolutely yes, but he never beats us up, he never abuses us. He never leaves us feeling hopeless or helpless or without an answer to the problem. He's with us and we are his own. How does Satan do this?
Tyler Lynde:Satan tries to remind us of our past failures. How many of us live in our daily lives wrestling with an old version of ourselves? What I did before, what I used to be, how I used to live. Satan tries to make your past seem like it's in the present. It's one of his greatest weapons. Here's the reality, folks. He's a liar. If he's speaking to you, here's what you can know for sure. It's not the truth. Run from it, flee from it, resist it. He loves to throw up our past sins, our past rebellions, things we're so embarrassed about that we can't tell any other soul on the planet. These are the things that he loves to remind us of.
Tyler Lynde:When God is asking us to step out and to be a blessing to somebody else, to minister to somebody else or to change in an area in our life, and he's giving us a lifeline, a way that we can do that, satan tries to tell you oh, you think you're going to do that. You're a liar, you're a thief. This is what he says to us. You're a thief, you're a liar, you're no good. Just settle down. Just settle down. Just settle down, just lay down, just embrace who you are. You're never going to change. In the words of a man named Carmen, which some of you will never know who that is. When Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future. There is a day coming when Satan and every demon that exists in the heavenlies will be called to account. They will bow their knees and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, because they'll have to, and they will be thrown into the pit of hell and locked up forever and ever and ever.
Tyler Lynde:Satan also tries to scream at us through our present circumstances. He loves this. Oh, remember what the doctor said You're going to be sick the rest of your life. Look at your checking account. Do we have checking account? Look at your credit card statement. You're not going to be able to dig out of that. That relationship that's broken. No hope, it's over. This is the voice of Satan screaming at us. Where is your God? That's the one he loves the most. You know where our God is. He's with us. He's with us. He's with us through the miry clay. He's with us through the fire. He's with us through everything that we face in this life.
Tyler Lynde:Satan also tries to terrify us through fear about the future. I was tempted to ask for a show of hands, but I won't do that. But how many of you know that since 9-11, especially in America, there has been such a release of fear Terror and fear, loathing, reeling what's going to happen next? And here's the one that he whispers is it really worth it to follow Jesus? If you follow me, I'll take care of you, I'll keep you safe. Is God really going to be faithful in the future?
Tyler Lynde:James 4, verse 7, says submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Listen to him, listen to his voice, submit to his word. Make sure that you're in fellowship with one another. Keep yourself in a place where you can be healthy in your relationship with God, but don't just stop there.
Tyler Lynde:We are called if you want to fight something. Some of you have it in your heart to fight something. If you want to fight something, resist the enemies. Temptations is lies. Stand up against them and say no, you won't. I'm a child of God and you're not going to talk to me like that. Do you ever talk to yourself this isn't, I'm not getting you in trouble with this question. Do you ever talk to yourself? I'll tell you what I do. If my mind starts to wander in a place that it shouldn't go, I say mind shut up in the name of Jesus. Strong words, I know, but you know what's stronger than that? The temptation that wants to lure me into thinking about something I don't need to think about. Resist it, stand against it. If you're having a problem with pornography, get rid of your internet, lock down your phone, do whatever it takes Resist.
Tyler Lynde:Resist when Satan brings a lie to you. Speak the truth to him. Speak the truth to him. That's what Jesus did. He spoke the higher truth. You see, satan doesn't come out and just blatantly lie where it's so convincingly obvious, he laces it with elements of truth so as to try to confuse you. But how many of you know the Holy Spirit that resides on the inside of us is not fooled, is not tricked, ever, ever, and if we listen to him, he will lead us and guide us into all truth. We must continually remind ourselves of the truth that we know in Christ.
Tyler Lynde:John 10, 10, verse B. Let's not forget that I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly. That's Jesus's purpose, that's our good shepherd, that's the MO. He's walking with us and he wants us to live this life above the fray, above the chatter, above the discontentment that this world tries to throw on us, above the lies, the realm of lies that Satan world tries to throw on us. Above the lies, the realm of lies that Satan wants us to live in. Saints, submit yourselves to God, resist the devil, and he might. If he feels like it, he will flee from you. We have become far too passive In our approach to sin and temptation and the lives of the enemy. I encourage you, I beg of you, stand up, having done all to stand. Stand, therefore, understanding that the battle is not ours. The battle belongs to the Lord, but the Lord has called us to be in his army to be a part of it. Lord has called us to be in his army to be a part of it.
Tyler Lynde:So let's move on to something nice. How do you know it is God who's speaking to you. So when you hear a voice, when you sense something on the inside, you have this kind of inner knowing that we've been talking about, or even you have this audible voice that you hear. Whatever the case, you have a dream, a vision, whatever it is. How do you know it is God who's speaking to you? Number one can you guess what? It is Pretty simple.
Tyler Lynde:Look at scripture. Look at scripture. Is the Bible in agreement with what we think we are hearing. Now, I don't mean one half of one verse somewhere, because all of us can create a doctrine that we like at a one half of a verse, right? Don't get me started on that. So I'm talking about the full counsel of Scripture. So you know. What does the Bible say about any particular subject? Right? If this is not in alignment with what the Word of God says, I'm not going to count it as the voice of God. Right? We must have the full counsel of Scripture. What all the Bible says about any given topic? If it doesn't line up with what the Bible teaches, it's not from God. There is no new revelation that divorces itself from Scripture. Please hear me. There is no new revelation that divorces itself from scripture. Please hear me. There's no new revelation that is greater than the scripture that's already been provided to us. And if somebody tells you there is run, run, number two seek godly counsel. How do you discern whether what you're hearing is from God? Talk to somebody that's mature in the Lord. Explain it to them. Ask them about it. Ask them to help you to discern.
Tyler Lynde:I'm having a hard time really understanding if this is God speaking to me. I think that it is, but can you help me to discover if this is really God? God is faithful to confirm his word. I'm so grateful because I am Gideon. If you know the story of Gideon, he kept asking God to confirm what God was saying because he was scared, he wasn't sure if it was really God speaking to him. And so, god, you know what God did. He smote Gideon. No, he confirmed it multiple times over. Because you know why. He knew Gideon, he loved Gideon. He understood what it was going to take for Gideon to be able to be obedient. God is faithful to confirm to us. I think it is frustrating, though. After, like the 18th time God confirmed something to us, we go really, are you sure? Is that really you, god? A bird flies by and goes yes, it's God. You're like. I didn't hear that.
Tyler Lynde:Nothing wrong with seeking godly counsel. I encourage it, encourage it. Peace or torment this can't always be the gauge, but all of these things together can help us If God asks us to do something. It may be difficult, we may not want to do it, we may want to run from it, but eventually, if we listen and we pay attention, there will be peace that will come with it. God will provide us a sense of peace and the grace that's needed to be obedient to him, even if it's a difficult thing. How many of you have experienced that? Yeah, it's an amazing thing.
Tyler Lynde:Number four ask yourself what is the impact that this will have on others. How do I know if this is the voice of God, one of the ways you can test it? How will this impact other people? Why is that important? Because God cares about his kids. God cares about his family. God will not tell us to do something that will harm other people and is against his commands to us. Now, that doesn't mean he's not going to ask us to say something that's very difficult to say or very difficult for somebody else to hear, but he's not going to tell us to harm somebody else.
Tyler Lynde:God will never if you don't get anything else out of this message, get this God will never ask us to sin. It's weird that you have to say that, but it's true. God will never ask you to sin. How many times in my life have I seen well-meaning people think that they heard from God that they were supposed to leave their spouses and pursue somebody else because they were the real husband or the real wife that God had for them. That's sick and it is not God. That's obviously somewhere deep in there. I didn't realize that was so egregious to me, but it is true. It is true God will never ask us to sin. How do well-meaning people become parts of cults? Because they get into this realm right here, where they start believing that God is asking them to sin.
Tyler Lynde:Next thing is tested against God's characteristics, his character and his nature, the fruit of the spirit. Knowing God, his word and his characteristics gives us a good picture of what God does and does not want us to do, right? If it's not in line with God's character and nature, then we need to be careful. Right? God's not going to ask us to do something outside of that. Next, does it bring glory to God? What you're hearing should always lead to God as the recipient of glory. If it brings glory to yourself alone, then that's not from God. But if it brings glory and honor to God, then there's a good chance that you're hearing the voice of God.
Tyler Lynde:And here's just a little sub point you must discern the timing, because we assume when God speaks to us he means now, and sometimes he does mean now, but a lot of times he speaks to us and forewarns us about something or gives us direction. That's meant for the future, but we bring it into the context of the present. We try to make it happen Right. How about Joseph with his dream? 17 years later he says what you meant for evil, god meant for good. This was all a part of his plan, but along the way I'm sure it didn't feel like that. So the second question I ask God when I discern that he's speaking something to me, is I ask him when do you want me to do this? It's important. We need to know the timing. So let's finish with some hindrances to hearing God clearly. And again, these are all basic, but we need to have them, we need to know them, we need to know them. We need to know them right.
Tyler Lynde:There are some things that scripture teaches us that hinder us in our relationship with God. Number one is unrepented sin. Not sin itself, but unrepented sin, sin that we haven't brought before the mercy seat of God and asked for forgiveness and cleansing. 1 John 1 speaks to this so beautifully. This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him, while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one another, and the blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we what Confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Tyler Lynde:Friends, we should be quick to repent, because another thing the Holy Spirit will do is convict us, not condemn us and say look at you, there you go again. That's Satan's voice. The Holy Spirit says hey, tyler, remember we're not doing that anymore. I'm here to help. Lean on me, lean on me Right and then also come back, son, turn around. It's amazing, when we turn around, god's right there.
Tyler Lynde:We always think that he's the one that's deserted us and we're the ones that turn from him. He's as close as the mention of his name, pride. This is another thing that causes a problem in our relationship with God. God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. Which one of those do you need Resistance from God or grace from God. I need grace. You know what it takes Humility, acknowledging your need, being honest with the Lord.
Tyler Lynde:There are some less egregious things or things that we would think would be less egregious. One is just being busy. Sometimes being busy is a blocking point from us hearing the voice of God. We're busy at work, we're busy at play, we're busy doing everything else except for having time with God, and another form of that is distractions away from God, and sometimes these can be really good things. We think of distractions away from God as being evil things and sinful things, but sometimes there are things that like for me I don't know how many of you are considering yourself doers.
Tyler Lynde:What I mean by that is like, if you see something that needs to be done, you'd like to just do it and get it done right, and you especially would like to check it off your list, even if somebody else does it. You want to be able to check it off the list right Because you're a doer. You're a doer, you're a doer, and how many of you know we need to spend time knowing God and being with him just as much, or probably even more, than the doing part, and so sometimes, in my desire to do, I forget to be in his presence, to be still and know that he is God. And here's another one unresolved conflict with others. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there, remember that your brother has something against you. Leave your gift there before the altar and go First be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift. My friends, life is too short to hold on to things like that. Let's clear it up as much as within our ability to be able to clear a relational issue. Let's do that.
Tyler Lynde:You know some of you are waiting for an apology from somebody that I'm telling you is never going to come. How do I know this? Because I've experienced it. But you know what you have the power to do. By the grace of God, you can choose to forgive in spite of not ever receiving an apology, and you can also pray for a blessing for that person. Lord, bless them. Meet them where they're at, show them who you are when you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against anyone so that your Father also, who is in heaven, may forgive you your trespasses. Unforgiveness is a horrible thing because it puts the person who's exercising it in their own prison. We think it's punishing somebody else, those people who did those things, but it's only harming ourselves. I pray, by God's grace, that you have the ability, and I have the ability, to realize that the door's already been opened. It's not even shut, it's not locked. Walk out.
Tyler Lynde:Another area of resistance is a lack of faith in God. James, chapter 1, verses 5 through 8. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all, without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind, for that person must not suppose that he's speaking to you. Exercise faith in this area. Put your hope and confidence and trust in a God who doesn't promise something, and then withhold Now the way he speaks to you. We've talked about, I think I've tried to throw everything I could possibly throw into the kitchen, hoping that it would apply to somebody in the room. Because God is so creative in the way he approaches his relationship with each of us, aren't you grateful for that? And finally, this might be the saddest of all a lack of effort, people who just don't even try to hear from God.
Tyler Lynde:James 4.7 says Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. These are not my words, these are his words. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Let's put our hope and confidence and faith in a God that loves us, has chosen us to be his children, and who speaks to us and wants us to hear him, to know him, to discern his voice and to follow his voice. So, in conclusion, if you want to hear the voice of God, remove the barriers in your life and make time to listen to him. To listen to him, create an environment of stillness and solitude where you can lean into his quiet and still voice.
Tyler Lynde:Once a year, our elder team goes away and does a prayer retreat where we're asking God to speak to us for the upcoming year. So it won't be this week coming up, but it will be the week after, for a few days. We ask that you begin to pray with us even now that we would hear the voice clearly concerning what God wants to do with this church in 2025. And as a precursor to that, amy and I are going to go away for a few days this week and we're going to spend some time praying and fasting and seeking the Lord and asking Him to speak to us and to speak to me from a visionary standpoint concerning what God might have for our lives and also for this church. And, by the way those two things run together, they're not opposed to each other. Together, they're not opposed to each other. But we're doing that intentionally, because we recognize our need to make room, to make space, to take time.
Tyler Lynde:I know not everybody can afford to do that. You can't afford to take two or three days off at a time and go somewhere. But how many of you know that? He's as close as the mention of his name? There were times when I was working in a secular job that I would go in my car during my lunch break and I would sit in there and I would speak to God, but I would also listen. I would take time to listen to him during my lunch break because that's the only time that I really had, but I was making time for God, right?
Tyler Lynde:Well, I hope that this has been encouraging to you over the last couple of weeks. I appreciate your attentiveness and my hope more than anything is that, not that you will remember my words or think that, wow, that was an amazing sermon, but that you will begin to once again and well, let me say it this way, for those of you who have made this a priority in your life to hear the voice of God, I pray that God would put it on your heart to help other people around you to do the same, that you would be those wise counselors, that you would be those who would walk with people so that they can learn how to do this, how to know and discern God's voice. I pray for those of you who once did hear the voice of God regularly but, for whatever reason, it doesn't seem like that's happening much anymore. I pray that this will give you hope to kind of tune back in, to take the time and make the effort to listen more closely and carefully. And I also pray for those who feel like you've never heard the voice of God, that this will become such a part of your everyday life that a year from now, you'll look back on this time and you'll say I cannot believe how different my life has become because of the realization that God, the creator of the universe has time to care for me and to speak to me and to lead me in the direction that I should go. Wouldn't that be amazing?
Tyler Lynde:Imagine a church full of people who could discern the truth about a circumstance and situation, and not all the hype that goes on around us. Imagine what a difference we could make. Let's pray together. Maybe, if you want to stand, you can. I just want to quickly circle back around to the fact that there may be somebody here this morning that doesn't yet know Jesus Christ as your Savior. The good news is that the very first time that you may hear the voice of God is in this very moment, because the Holy Spirit may be calling you even now to acknowledge your need for a savior, to repent of your sins, to turn away from your old way of life and to put your faith and hope and trust in Jesus Christ, who lived and who died and who rose again and went to heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father.
Tyler Lynde:Put your hope in Jesus this morning and just pray a prayer to him, a simple prayer of acknowledging your need. Lord Jesus, would you save me? Change my heart, change my mind. I want to be a part of your family, lord. We pray for that right now. If there's anybody here, or anybody that's listening online, lord, that finds themselves in that place. Lord, we believe that you want many more children as a part of your kingdom, and so we ask that you would speak by your Holy Spirit, that you would draw them, that you would do the work that only you can do, and that they would put their faith and hope and trust in Jesus, even now. And, father, we pray for the rest of us as well.
Tyler Lynde:Lord, we ask for those who have maturity and a listening ear and hearing your voice, and who aren't influenced by much by the voice of the flesh or the voice of Satan.
Tyler Lynde:I ask that we would see the need and have the desire to be disciples of others, to walk with them, to help them on their journey.
Tyler Lynde:And, father, for those who are struggling with giving into the flesh, lord, I pray, in the name of Jesus, that you would cause us to listen to your voice and that your voice would rise above the voice of temptation, and that we would flee from temptation, that we would run away from it. In Jesus' name and Father, also for those who have been inundated by Satan's evil thoughts. We take authority over every lying spirit that has tried to operate to speak to individuals that are hearing this and we command you, in Jesus' name, to stop, stop your work, stop your lies, and we declare freedom over the minds and the hearts of every individual in the name of Jesus Freedom to hear, to know and to discern the voice of God and Lord. We ask you for that. Unstop our ears, lord, our inner ears, that we might hear you the way that you desire for us to hear you, and we thank you for this in Jesus' mighty name. Amen.
