Recognizing God’s Voice

Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers
But whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither –
whatever they do prospers.

I don’t know about you, but I’m always curious to see what books are currently on
the NY times best-seller list.
You probably won’t be surprised to hear that the #1 book on that list this past week, is
John Grisham’s latest thriller entitled “The Boys from Biloxi”.
Since his first book came out in 1989, Grisham has written over 30 bestselling novels,
sold more than 300 million books!
But what the NY Times doesn’t tell you, because it’ not counted in these lists, is
that consistently, the #1 best-selling book in the world, week in & week out, year in & year
out, is this book (the Bible). It is estimated that over 25 million Bibles are sold every year
just in the United States alone, and that number continues to rise every year.
In former communist countries like Russia and China, where the Bible was
unavailable for so many years, Bible Societies and Mission organizations simply cannot
keep up with the demand for copies of the Bible and the NT.
According to the Can Bible Society, portions of the Bible have now been translated into
over 3500 different languages and dialects around the world, and 40 million Bibles are distributed around the world each year.
So why is it that, even in a day when many people seem to have drifted away from God
and from the church?
Why is it that the Bible continues to be such a popular book?
I believe that the reason the Bible has maintained it’s popularity and it’s influence on
peoples’ lives down through the centuries, is because this book is unlike any other book
ever written. Here in the 66 books that make up the Bible, God has spoken to us and
revealed himself in a way that we simply do not find anywhere else.

Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT):
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us
realize what is wrong in our lives.
It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”

I like how the NIV translates that first phrase: "All Scripture is God-breathed… " Just
as God breathed life into Adam, he also breathed his truth into the hearts of the people
who wrote the words in this book. And so even though the books of the Bible were written
by 40 different authors, over a period of hundreds of years, the one thing that they all had
in common was, as the apostle Peter explained,
they “spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
And so as they were moved to write, the HS was directing the prophets and later the
apostles, to speak the very words of God himself. That does not mean that these people
were simply stenographers who just copied down what God dictated.
Certainly, their own unique personalities come through very clearly in their writings.
But I am personally convinced that every word written in this book, was given under the
inspiration of God, that the words they wrote were exactly as God intended them to be.
Now, we may not always understand everything this book tells us. And we may not like everything it is telling us.
But we dare not reject or ignore what it is trying to say to us. This book is the foundation
for everything that we know about God and his will for our lives.
Many times Jesus himself affirmed the eternal, unchanging truth of the scriptures
as having come from God. That these words speak with the very authority of God himself.
“Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.” (Matt 24:35)
In Psalm 1, which we read earlier, we read these words:
"Blessed is the one… whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates
on his law day and night.”
To me these verses summarize why it is so important for us to be reading and seeking
to apply the Bible to our lives on a regular, daily basis. Here the Psalmist encourages us
to “meditate on God’s law, God’s word day and night”
Now this kind of meditation doesn’t mean to empty your mind until you achieve some
kind of transcendental state. Rather it means to concentrate our minds, to focus on a
particular verse or passage of scripture, to think deeply about its meaning and what it
means for me personally.
Certainly there are times for me when I pick up my Bible, and I don’t seem to be able to
get anything out of it. But there are other times, when as I am reading, the Lord seems to
bring a certain verse or thought alive for me, and I sense that God wants to speak to my
situation right now.
So how does God speak to us through the words in this book? There are many different
ways:
Sometimes the Bible is like an Owner’s manual for our lives, that helps us to
know what to do in a specific situation. It gives us very practical direction as to how we
should live our lives, and how we should treat other people

But there are other times when the Bible is more like a love letter from God.
Those times when we are discouraged or worried or depressed, and we can turn to the
Bible and hear God say to us:
"I have loved you with an everlasting love…
I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…
I will never leave you or forsake you."
When we hear God speak to us in this kind of personal way, that is when reading the
Bible becomes a delight to our soul.
And as we seek to read and meditate and apply this book to our lives day by day, the
Psalmist tells us 3 things will happen:
1st, he says our lives will Fruitful. We will be "like a tree planted by streams of
water, which yields its fruit in season." As we read and obey God’s word, the HS will begin
to renew our thinking, our attitudes, and literally transform our lives.
He will begin to produce in us the character qualities that Paul refers to as the fruit of the
Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control.
2nd, we will be like "a Tree whose leaf does not wither"
In other words, we will have strength to be Steadfast, to Persevere, even when
difficult times come our way. As we get to know Jesus through his Word, we become
rooted in him. The psalmist says we will then be like a tree whose leaves do not wither,
even though drought and heat come, because it’s roots can receive sustenance from a
constant supply of water under the ground.
3rdly, the person who delights in God’s word will Prosper "in whatever he
does" That doesn’t mean material prosperity necessarily, but certainly prosperity in the
things that really matter: In our relationship with God, with the people around us, in being

slowly transformed into the likeness of Jesus. These are the kinds of things that God
wants to prosper in our lives
And yet while most of us probably would agree on the importance and value of the
Bible, I suspect that many of us would also agree that we have experienced some degree
of frustration in our attempts to read and to understand this book.
And so this morning, I want to spend some time talking in very practical terms about
how we can begin to get into this book more effectively and consistently. How we can
cultivate the habit of reading and meditating on the Bible on our own. Because if you are
going to grow in your relationship to God, this to me is an absolutely fundamental
prerequisite.
A few years ago, Christianity Today did a survey of people in various Christian
churches, and were shocked to find that less than 10% of evangelical Christians were
reading the Bible on any kind of regular basis. That same CT survey identified 3 basic
reasons why people were unsuccessful in their attempts to read the Bible.
The 1st reason was Discouragement: Let’s face it, most people today, in this
age of Smart phones and YouTube, are not in the habit of reading books of any
description
And so to suddenly pick up a 1,000 page book which was written thousands of years
ago can be very intimidating for people. And so if we begin to try to read the Bible without
any kind of guidance or direction, we may find ourselves getting bogged down by all the
strange names or genealogies, or just the sheer length of the book, and finally give up in
frustration and discouragement.
Another problem was that people said they couldn’t understand the Relevance of
what they were reading to their own lives. What do all these stories about the Israelites wandering through the desert have to do with me today?
When you initially begin to read the Bible, it’s sometimes hard to understand what these
events that took place thousands of years ago have to do with life in the 21st century
Yet another barrier that prevented people from reading the Bible was that they
didn’t know Where to start, or what to read. Should I just start on the 1st page in
Genesis, and keep going straight through?
Or do I just randomly flip open my Bible, and start reading wherever I happen to land?
Without some kind of a Plan or Guide, people often find it difficult to navigate their way
through the Bible, which is really more like a library, than a single continuous novel.
If you can relate to some of these obstacles, let me give you some practical suggestions,
that can hopefully help you to start building a pattern of regular Bible reading. Or if you are
already doing so, help you get more out of what you are reading.
1. I would suggest that you set aside a specific time each day when you will sit
down with your Bible. Even if it’s just 10 or 15 minutes a day, that will help you develop
the habit of consistent, regular Bible reading.
Personally I find I need to do this first thing in the morning, or else it gets pushed out of
the way by all the other things that come along through the day.
David writes: “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my
trust in you.” (Ps 143:8)
2. Start with a modern translation that is geared to your reading level. Unless
you have grown up with the KJV, I would suggest something like the NLT or NIV (which is
what our pew Bibles are) because they are both accurate and readable.
If you don’t have a Bible, you are welcome to borrow one of our pew bibles until you can
get one of your own

3. Set some achievable goals that can help you develop confidence about your
ability to read the Bible. If you say that you are going to read the Bible every day for the
rest of your life, you will be setting yourself up for failure and discouragement. Instead
why not say that "I will set a goal of reading the Bible every day for the next 2 weeks."
4. Start with the New Testament, maybe the Gospel of John, or one of Paul’s
short letters like Philippians.
Now if you have a smart phone or a tablet or a computer, there is an excellent
app you can download for free called YouVersion. I have personally found this extremely
helpful.
Not only does it put the entire Bible on your phone, it also has all kinds of reading plans
that can help you achieve your goal of reading the Bible consistently. You just go to that
plan, and it will tell you what to read each day. I have been using this for my devotional
reading for the last several years.
Right now I am working through an excellent reading plan by Nicky Gumbel
called “The Bible in One Year”
Again these are only suggestions to try to help you improve your Bible reading
experience. If they are helpful to you, great!
If you already have something that works better for you, then keep going with that. But I
want to encourage each of you to begin to walk in God’s word on a daily basis
So as we close this morning, would you take a moment to pray this prayer with
me:
"Lord, it’s my heart’s desire to be able to hear you speak to me through your Word. I want
to be that man or that woman who delights in your word, who meditates on it day and
night.

Lord, would you help me to get into the Bible on my own, and would you help me to grow
in my walk with you
And as I hear you speak to me through your words, would you help to apply it personally
to my life, so that you would heal my heart, and renew my mind, and transform my life into
the image your Son Jesus”

Gerald & Allison – The Wonderful Cross

Benediction Hebrews 13:20-21
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back
from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with
everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through
Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.