Kingdom Living: Moving Out and Moving On!

Title: Hearing Gods Voice

Introduction: What do you fear? Todays Topic: Trusting.... really trusting... what God says....
Can we.... do we... really trust what God says about us? How we stand before Him? What His promises are to us?

Principal Passage:

(Rom 3:19-26 NKJ) " Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that 20 every mouth may be stopped, and all the world m ay becom e guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the 22 Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For 23 24 there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His 25 grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that 26 were previously committed, to dem onstrate at the present tim e His righteousness, that He m ight be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Teaching:

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Righteousness - Covenantally considered, Covenantally determined Types of Righteousness By Law By Something Other Than Law Law - Covenantally Considered Righteousness / Justification by Law Potential for Perfection Role of Law Damning Witness to Mans Desperate Plight Sphere of Repentance for Regenerate Hearts (vs. 20, cf. Rom. 7) Tutor to Christ (Gal. 3:24,25) But Now! Righteousness of God apart from Law.... Righteousness of God Covenantally Considered Implicit witness of Law, Explicit witness of Prophets Righteousness as Faith in Jesus Christ, as the Faithfulness of Jesus christ Inclusion in Covenant Exclusion from Covenant Necessity of a Different Kind of Righteousness Extent of Sin, Effects of Sin if No Other Righteousness Provided Provision of a Different Kind of Righteousness A Specific Redemption

A Specific Propitiation The Particular Demonstration/ Manifestation/ Heralding The Breaking Down of Walls The Perfection of Gods Wisdom First: Whatever we are facing, we have to start with where we stand before God. 1. 2. Trusting God is tied to our relationship (status) with God Our status before God depends on how God views usa. b. Are we righteous before Him or not How we deal with lifes questions, with lifes fears, must necessarily be grounded on this... i. ii. iii. 3. If we are righteous before God then all of His promises and all of His Fatherly guidance are with us and for us. If we are not righteous before God, then Gods hand is against us and we have no hope for our lives, eternal or otherwise. Thus the issues of our lives must first be seen through the lens of where do we stand before God?

Righteousness defined: a. b. c. It is a covenantal term... Righteousness is a relative status, measured against some previously defined standard. Apart from a defined standard, the word righteousness is meaningless

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With respect to being righteous before God, there are two ways of seeing it: a. b. We are righteous according to the standard of righteousness that is the Law... We are righteous by some other standard than that of the Law.

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Righteousness according to (the) Law a. b. Pursued by those who are categorized as under the Law (vs. 19) Conformity to Gods revealed will in every particular i. ii. c. Actions that are consistent with His precepts Internal dispositions, emotions, will - that are reflections of Him (image bearing)

Any violation of Gods revealed will constitutes a person liable for the full weight of punishment that violation deserves (or God is unjust according to the Law)

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Righteousness according to (the) Law is impossible for fallen men born in unrighteousness a. b. c. d. e. Before we ever know right or wrong (e.g. the Law comes - Rom. 7:9) we were already guilty of sin The Law comes and we die - we recognize our depravity and our total worthiness of Gods wrath Because by the Law is the knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20 above) And thus, whether they know the Law or not, all the world is guilty before God (vs. 19 above) Thus, by deeds of the Law no flesh is justified (declared righteous) in His sight (vs. 20 above)

Second: Trust is the Antidote to Fear 1. 2.

Fears power is that it diminishes or destroys hope

Distinguish anxiety - generalized apprehension Fear - specific, directed object a. b. Fear of heights, crowds, dentist chairs, hospitals (people go there to die) Has in mind a probable outcome that is considered along the continuum of unpleasant - intolerable

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Hope is the expectation of positive outcomes a. b. c. Has specific, directed object also: (income tax return; pregnancy; wedding plans; etc.) Distinguish wish - desired outcome apart from consideration of its probability Has in mind a probable outcome that is considered along the continuum of probable - certainty

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Fear acts to diminish or destroy hope a. b. May or may not be irrational - (mistake on tax return; health of baby; fiancee changes mind; etc.) Undermines entire continuum of hope

Trust = confidence in agent/Agent/instrument which protects against fear 1. 2. 3. Restoring confidence = restored hope Hope in the Lord = trust/confidence that He will protect/preserve/uphold the specific, directed outcome Illustrative passage; (Psa 46:1 NKJ) " God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. waters roar and be troubled, Though the m ountains shake with its swelling. not be m oved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
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Therefore we will not fear,

Even though the earth be rem oved, And though the m ountains be carried into the m idst of the sea; m ake glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
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Though its

There is a river whose stream s shall God is in the m idst of her, she shall

The nations raged, the kingdom s were m oved; He uttered His voice, the earth m elted.
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The LORD of hosts

is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. the earth. chariot in the fire.
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Com e, behold the works of the LORD, Who has m ade desolations in

He m akes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted am ong the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge." a. Note the divisions of the Psalm: i. ii. iii. iv. b. c. d. Vs. 1-5: The Big Picture Vs. 6-9: The Immediate Picture Vs. 10 - The Obedience Commanded & The Promise Which Motivates It Vs. 11 - The Praise Which Follows Obedience

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What fear is motivating this song? What is the antidote to this fear? What is the basis on which this antidote is commended? i. ii. What is the status (previous discussion) of those the Psalmist is addressing? What is the foundation on which this status thereby warrants confidence?

e.

How would this confidence be registered?

Where do we go with this?

ii. iii. b.

How things affect us determines how we value them... Probably the single biggest problem with modern American evangelicalism

Self is viewed our judge, our hope, our strength i. ii. And when it is clear that self is inadequate (as it always proves to be) Then despair, hopelessness, and fear dominate Masochistic - it perpetuates our pain rather than our pleasure Idolatry - it takes away from God that which is rightfully His, our trust.

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This is a form of masochistic idolatry i. ii.

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The solution: externalization of our reference a. b. c. d. Fear is fought by trusting in God Trusting in God is promoted by listening to His voice His voice is heard in and through Scripture Our reference must be outside of our selves and in God as He speaks to us through His Word.

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Scriptures bearing on the issue: a. (Luk 4:3-4 NKJ) " And the devil said to Him , "If You are the Son of God, com m and this stone to becom e bread." i. ii.
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But Jesus answered him , saying, "It is written,`Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word of God.'"" Satans temptation was for Jesus to solve His problem (being hungry) with His own strength and authority. Jesus response was to shift the source of authority for knowing: (1) (2) (3) iii. (1) (2) iv. what He should be feeling now what He should be doing now what He should be expecting now God speaking His word is the key Knowing what has God truly said is the requirement

And the source of authority for living is clearly denoted as every word of God

Jesus clearly is teaching that every conceivable circumstance which any individual is to face, can be rightly understood and rightly responded to by: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) a regenerated will who has consciously and zealously pursued understanding by depending on the enlightening power of the Holy Spirit in the study of Scripture such that the voice of God is heard and understood in so doing.
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b.

(Rom 10:15-17 NKJ) " And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!" all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?" and hearing by the word of God." i. Two major points for this discussion: (1) faith comes by hearing (a) (b) right understanding and right responses to lifes issues growing out of that understanding is faith/faithfulness and this condition of life comes by hearing
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But they have not

So then faith comes by hearing,

(i) (ii) (2)

hearing Gods voice speaking personally and intimately to us sense of His personal interest in us conditioned by our conscious submission to His will in hearing

hearing comes by the word of God (a) (b) (c) Gods word is living and active (Heb. 4:12) and through the Holy Spirit is communicated to us in precisely that way which we are capable of receiving it. He condescends to open up Himself and our lives in relation to Him such that our souls are awakened to His reality this process is called hearing the word of God (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) and it is the primary means by which Jesus Christ directly governs the lives of His people. He communicates His mind to us which then is to be in us (Phi. 2:5) Empowered by His Spirit we become, individually, members of His body and bear fruit unto righteousness

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These two points, taken together, form the life of a disciple (1) (2) (3) (4) the feed back loop of growing in faith and bearing fruit builds confidence (hope) and security in Gods Kingdom this confidence is expressed in thankfulness and increased love and this love casts out fear (1 John 4:18)

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Thus fear in its multiple forms (hesitancy, timidity, terror, escape) is to be fought and conquered by shifting our reference away from ourselves and to God. a. b. c. Zeal and boldness are the corollaries of trust Freedom is the sphere of trust Love is the fruit of trust