Sunday Notes: October 13th, 2024: Hearing From God Through Worship

Hearing from God in Worship

Introduction: Worship is a vital part of our relationship with God. It’s not just a time of singing and praise; it’s a sacred space where we can hear God’s voice and experience His presence. Today, we will explore how we can hear from God in worship through three key aspects.

• The Holy Spirit

• The Word

• Community

John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

This verse highlights the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding and teaching us.

John 14:23 Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Here, Jesus emphasizes the importance of His Word and the relationship that comes from following it.

John 14:12-14 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

This emphasizes the value of a community of believers working together in faith, united in prayer and purpose.

John 14 beautifully ties together the themes of the Holy Spirit’s presence, the significance of Jesus’ words (Scripture), and the collective strength of believers in worship. It serves as a reminder that through these three elements, we can effectively hear from God.

1. Holy Spirit plays a vital role in Worship

The Holy Spirit is our helper and guide, enabling us to hear from God.

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things

and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought,

but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

An important aspect of our relationship with the Holy Spirit is taking time to listen. Embrace the silence. He is always speaking.

Psalm 37:7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. 9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

In Acts 2, during Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled the believers, enabling them to speak in different languages.

This event not only marked the birth of the church but also demonstrated how the Holy Spirit facilitates communication between God and His people.

2. There is extreme Power released when we prioritize Scripture in our Worship

God speaks to us through His Word, providing guidance, comfort, and revelation.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), He responded to each temptation with Scripture.

This illustrates how engaging with God’s Word during worship can help us discern His voice and resist the enemy.

3. There is value in being in a Worship community

Worship is not just an individual experience; it’s a communal one. We can hear God’s voice through one another.

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

God does speak to us individually, however, sometimes it is within a community where there is accountability and where we can grow in what is being said together with others.

Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

In 1 Samuel 10:5, the prophet Samuel tells Saul that he will meet a group of prophets while on his way to worship. The Spirit of God will come upon Saul, and he will prophesy with them. This shows how worshiping together can lead to powerful encounters with God and His voice.

Conclusion: As we gather in worship, let us be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, engage with Scripture, and encourage one another. God desires to speak to us, and through worship, we can hear His voice and be transformed. Let us open our hearts to Him today.

Meditate on this scripture throughout your week:

Psalms 63 (ESV) O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, 6 when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; 7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. 9 But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; 10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. 11 But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.