Sermon Listening 1 Kings 19:9-12
Title slide
How quiet do you have to be... to hear the voice of God? Do you even think it’s possible...
would you want to...hear what God has to say to you.
Yet as the quote on our order of service says...
silence before God... is an essential form of worship whether we hear God’s voice or not.
And in my experience... it’s an essential spiritual discipline as well.... Learning to be still...
and listen... instead of bombarding God with words.
Listening is huge... in a relationship.
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In the marriage course Reg and I are leading
at the moment. Five couples from our church...
are learning how to build a marriage...
that lasts a life time...they’re learning how...
to listen to each other.
They’re learning about the filters...and the noise... that keep them from being able to listen to each other... effectively.
They know there’s external noise like traffic... radio television... but they’re also learning about internal noise too...
How internal noise is just as likely to interfere with...
our ability to really hear what people we love...
are trying to tell us.
Internal noise comes from our brains...and gets in the way ... of understanding...
just a word someone says can start us listening to ourselves...
just a words can trigger
Word slide [could come on one at a time]
memories and images from the past... or we can begin to listen through the filter...of our beliefs and assumptions... our feelings... values... attitudes and expectations.
When we don’t learn how to listen well...people wont feel understood by us... just like we feel misunderstood when people don’t listen to us.
Blank slide
I think it’s the same in our relationship with God isn’t it? We have to learn to listen...
Remember my favourite Christian writer about Jesus’ yoke... meaning the rabbi’s yoke...well that same guy...Rob Bell...who makes the NOOMA series...
We’re showing tonight... he’s been wrestling with the idea of listening for the voice of God...with the same text we had set down for today from first kings... about Elijah’s listening for God’s voice.
So this NOOMA DVD fits right in with our worship today...And some of the questions it raises...
are on your order of service for you to take home.
Play DVD http://nooma.com/ you can find it here
What kind of noise do you have in your life?
If we were to have a time of silent reflection about how long do you think it should be?
Why is silence so hard to deal with?
Do you ever surround yourself with noise intentionally? If so why do you think you do this?
Do you wish God’s voice would be louder in your life?
Does your schedule look like the one of a person who wants to hear God’s voice?
Jesus said, ‘come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest’. How is Jesus going to give you rest if you’re never still?
Have you spent the same amount of time worrying and talking about your difficulties as you have listening in silence to what God might have to say?
Do you avoid silence because you’re afraid of what God might have to say to you?
After we watched we sat in silence and then we sang Be still and know that I am God.
Title slide
How quiet do you have to be... to hear the voice of God? Do you even think it’s possible...
would you want to...hear what God has to say to you.
Yet as the quote on our order of service says...
silence before God... is an essential form of worship whether we hear God’s voice or not.
And in my experience... it’s an essential spiritual discipline as well.... Learning to be still...
and listen... instead of bombarding God with words.
Listening is huge... in a relationship.
Blank slide
In the marriage course Reg and I are leading
at the moment. Five couples from our church...
are learning how to build a marriage...
that lasts a life time...they’re learning how...
to listen to each other.
They’re learning about the filters...and the noise... that keep them from being able to listen to each other... effectively.
They know there’s external noise like traffic... radio television... but they’re also learning about internal noise too...
How internal noise is just as likely to interfere with...
our ability to really hear what people we love...
are trying to tell us.
Internal noise comes from our brains...and gets in the way ... of understanding...
just a word someone says can start us listening to ourselves...
just a words can trigger
Word slide [could come on one at a time]
memories and images from the past... or we can begin to listen through the filter...of our beliefs and assumptions... our feelings... values... attitudes and expectations.
When we don’t learn how to listen well...people wont feel understood by us... just like we feel misunderstood when people don’t listen to us.
Blank slide
I think it’s the same in our relationship with God isn’t it? We have to learn to listen...
Remember my favourite Christian writer about Jesus’ yoke... meaning the rabbi’s yoke...well that same guy...Rob Bell...who makes the NOOMA series...
We’re showing tonight... he’s been wrestling with the idea of listening for the voice of God...with the same text we had set down for today from first kings... about Elijah’s listening for God’s voice.
So this NOOMA DVD fits right in with our worship today...And some of the questions it raises...
are on your order of service for you to take home.
Play DVD http://nooma.com/ you can find it here
What kind of noise do you have in your life?
If we were to have a time of silent reflection about how long do you think it should be?
Why is silence so hard to deal with?
Do you ever surround yourself with noise intentionally? If so why do you think you do this?
Do you wish God’s voice would be louder in your life?
Does your schedule look like the one of a person who wants to hear God’s voice?
Jesus said, ‘come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest’. How is Jesus going to give you rest if you’re never still?
Have you spent the same amount of time worrying and talking about your difficulties as you have listening in silence to what God might have to say?
Do you avoid silence because you’re afraid of what God might have to say to you?
After we watched we sat in silence and then we sang Be still and know that I am God.
