Session 1:
The voice can only reproduce what the ear can hear – I can’t say anything I can’t hear
The root problem in our world is that our ears have been deafened to the voice of God
If I listen to lies of the enemy will take away my ability to hear God’s voice in my life
He speaks healing, wisdom, truth, grace, joy, peace, and power
Let there be light – his voice is still creating galaxies at the end of the universe
His voice can heal the lame, give the blind sight, give the deaf hearing, and call a dead man from a grave
God’s audible voice is a thin slice of his vocal range
God’s ability to speak is not limited to our ability to hear him audibly
What voices do I need to tune out or turn down?
1 Samuel 3 – Speak Lord, for your servant is listening
1 Kings 19:11-12
God uses the natural things to get Elijah’s attention so he wouldn’t miss the voice of God
The goal of hearing God’s voice isn’t just hearing him – it is producing intimacy with Him
Questions for session 1:
- How well do you hear the voice of God?
Why do you think that is? - What kinds of things “deafen” you to the voice of God?
- How much power is in God’s voice?
Creation story - What are some ways you feel God communicates with people?
What about you personally? - Why does God sometime speak in a whisper?
- John 10:1-10: What is the relationship between the sheep and the shepherd?
Why do the sheep follow the shepherd’s voice? - Would you say it’s easy or difficult to know when something is from God or not?
- What does the thief in the story in verse 10 do?
- How are the other voices in my life trying to steal, kill and destroy?
- How does scripture play a role in knowing what God has to say?
- How has the voice of Jesus proven trustworthy in your life?
- What practices can I put into place to hear God better?
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Hearing the voice of God Session 2:
The whispering spots in the US capital building
Whispering spots in scripture:
- The burning bush
- Daniel in the upper room of his house
- Jesus in the wilderness
- Paul in prison
- Moses on the mountain
Whispering spots in my life:
- Geographical locations
- Everyday places
- Do I hear different things at different places?
How can I recalibrate my ears to hear what is really being said?
Ps 46:10
Matthew 3:17
Ps 32:7
Isaiah 54:17
Silence is the difference between
- Sight and insight
- Happiness and joy
- Fear and faith
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Session 3: The key of keys – the Bible
Scripture is our anchor
Tolerance has become more important than truth – truth is the anchor
The Bible is living – active – powerful
It reads us as we read it
The Holy Spirit is on both sides of it – He inspired people who wrote it, and He enlightens us as we read it
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Hebrews 4:12
How to get into it:
- Reading plans
- Consistency
- Notes, underlining, highlighting
- I Corinthians 8:1
- 2 Timothy 2:15
Hermeneutical principles: Context, type of writing being done, etc
Dependence on the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what is going on
Read until we have a “cause to pause” – confusion, convicting, prompting to pray
The Bible redefines possibility
Philippians 4:13
1 Corinthians 2:9
John 1:12
Is the Bible just a picture to me or is it alive and life changing?
John 15:7
Hearing without doing isn’t helpful
Tell me about a time when scripture was powerful in your life.
4 questions to ask as you study scripture:
- What’s happening in the passage?
- What about this passage was significant to the original audience?
- What does this passage teach us about the character of God and humans?
- How can we apply the timeless principles from this passage to our lives this week?
Ruth 1
1-5, 6-10, 11-18, 19-22
How did you feel about reading the whole first chapter?
Who is the story about?
How are the characters related to each other?
What time period is the story set in?
What natural disaster happened in the beginning?
What was their response to it?
What happened to all the men?
Where are Ruth and Orpah from?
Where was everyone else from?
What does God do in vs 6?
What does Naomi do after hearing what God had done?
Who left Naomi? Who stayed with her?
What did Naomi name herself after returning to Bethlehem?
What time of year did Naomi and Ruth return to Bethlehem?
What is different from us to the people of ancient Israel?
If we cross reference vs 1 with Judges 2:16-19 we see what’s going on in Israel.
If we search for Moab/Moabite in scripture we get Deuteronomy 23:3-6. What do those verses tell us about Israel and Moabite’s relationship?
What would the Israelites have thought about Naomi’s sons for marrying women from Moab?
How does digging into the history change how you read the text?
What is Naomi’s attitude toward God in the story?
What was God’s action in the story? Vs 6
What does that teach us about God?
What is Ruth’s attitude toward God?
How should my faithfulness toward God influence our actions toward others?
What would it look like if I chose to treat someone in my life like Ruth treated Naomi?
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Session 4
The 7 languages
What are the most significant words someone has ever said to you?
How does your relationship with that person impact the significance of the words?
August 10, 1874 – Alexander Bell – working on the audio phonograph – 2 years later his assistant heard a voice over a phone line for the first time
God doesn’t always speak to us the same way (through the same means)
What are examples of God talking to people in scripture?
- Scripture
- Desire – Psalm 37:4
- Dreams – Acts 2:17
- Doors – Revelation 3:7-8
- People –
- Prompting –
- Pain – C S Lewis quote –
Hebrews 1:1-4
How can I be sure what I heard from “God” is really from Him?
John 16:7-15
We don’t just listen with our ears –
Credibilty – 55% to body language, 38% to tone, 7% to actual words
Different people are smart in different ways
Spirituality filters through many different things
What have you learned through this series?
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