"I Can't Hear You"
TEXTS: Romans 10:5-21; Matt. 13:14-23
TRUTHS:
1. God doesn’t need to withhold anything from those whose hearts are thrilled about receiving the gift of eternal life. But your ability to hear the voice of the Lord will become dull if you treat lesser things as more important than Christ.
2. Every genuine believer will stand before God clothed in the righteousness of Christ. This means we will not experience shame as we stand before our Creator--we will experience joy!
3. What actions and attitudes blind us from seeing the glory of Christ? What hinders our ability to hear the Lord speak to us? We should be careful to avoid: (1) wrong doctrine, (2) wrong expectations, (3) pride, (4) jealousy, (5) hatred, (6) bitterness, (7) greed, and (8) immoral living.
4. We should expect to continually hear the Lord speak to us. We never reach a position in our earthly lives where we outgrow our need to hear God speak to us.
5. Although the Lord forgives our sins, that doesn’t mean all the problems associated with committing a particular sin will instantly vanish. The consequences of our sin will often remain present in our lives long after we have repented. The sins of our past create future struggles even though we are completely and fully forgiven by the Lord.
6. We need to be extremely careful concerning what we allow into our minds (especially in our current cultural landscape). What we allow into our minds eventually impacts our emotions, thoughts, and, ultimately, our decisions.
TALK TO EACH OTHER:
1. Why would the Lord withhold blessing from someone who is more captivated with the temporary world than they are with eternal life?
2. Do you think that the Lord speaking to you will always happen in the same way (throughout your entire life)? Have you noticed a change in the way the Lord speaks to you (from when you first became a believer versus right now)?
3. Why doesn’t the Lord “fix” all the consequences of our sin? Why does He allow us to experience them even after we are forgiven?
4. Can you think of some “wrong expectations” that believers commonly have concerning their relationship with the Lord?
TALK TO GOD:
Pray as you feel led concerning the following area(s):
- To be sensitive to the voice of the Lord
- To be discerning about what we allow into our minds
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