Recognizing God's Voice Through Biblical Discipline
Summary
### Summary
Good morning, everyone! Today, we began our service with a prayer, thanking God for His goodness and faithfulness. We then delved into our summer series, "Olympic Spirituality," which draws inspiration from 1 Corinthians 9:24-25. This series emphasizes the importance of self-discipline in our spiritual lives, akin to the discipline athletes exhibit in their training. Today's focus was on the spiritual discipline of studying the Bible.
We explored the story of Samuel from 1 Samuel 3, where Samuel, despite living in the temple and being surrounded by the things of God, initially failed to recognize God's voice. This story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of being close to God yet missing His voice due to a lack of proper biblical study and understanding. We discussed the importance of not just reading the Bible but truly "eating" it—digesting its teachings so that they become a part of us.
We also examined the current state of biblical literacy among Christians, noting a concerning trend of declining engagement with Scripture. Despite the abundance of Bible translations and resources available, many Christians are not deeply studying the Word. This lack of engagement has led to a spiritual famine, even amidst a glut of available resources.
To counter this, I offered practical suggestions for improving our Bible study habits. These include giving God the best part of our day, considering a "no commentary summer" to rely solely on the Word, marking observations in the Bible, viewing Bible reading as a two-way conversation with God, and journaling our thoughts and insights. By adopting these practices, we can better recognize and respond to God's voice in our lives.
### Key Takeaways
1. The Importance of Recognizing God's Voice: Samuel's story teaches us that it is possible to be surrounded by the things of God and yet miss His voice. This happens when we do not engage deeply with the Bible. We must study Scripture diligently to recognize when God is speaking to us. [50:13]
2. The Spiritual Famine Amidst Abundance: Despite the plethora of Bible translations and resources available today, many Christians are not engaging deeply with Scripture. This has led to a spiritual famine, where people are spiritually malnourished despite having access to abundant spiritual food. [01:01:18]
3. Practical Bible Study Habits: To truly "eat" the Bible, we must give God the best part of our day, free from distractions. This means finding a time when we are most alert and focused. By doing so, we can better absorb and understand God's Word. [01:12:15]
4. Relying Solely on the Word: Consider a "no commentary summer" where you rely solely on the Bible for your spiritual nourishment. This practice helps us become self-fed Christians, not overly dependent on others' interpretations. It encourages a direct and personal engagement with Scripture. [01:14:57]
5. Two-Way Conversation with God: View Bible reading as a two-way conversation. Start by asking God to speak to you through His Word, then respond in prayer to what He reveals. This approach makes your devotional time more interactive and meaningful, fostering a deeper relationship with God. [01:24:39]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[09:30] - Opening Prayer
[09:30] - Introduction to Olympic Spirituality
[41:30] - The Importance of Self-Discipline
[42:59] - Announcement for Bruce and Rosella
[44:30] - The Story of Samuel
[46:17] - The Rarity of God's Voice
[49:04] - Recognizing God's Voice
[50:13] - Samuel's Failure to Recognize God
[51:53] - The Danger of Missing God's Voice
[52:35] - The Importance of Studying the Bible
[56:41] - Eating the Bible
[01:01:18] - The State of Biblical Literacy
[01:12:15] - Practical Bible Study Tips
[01:24:39] - Two-Way Conversation with God
[01:37:30] - Closing Prayer and Song
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. 1 Samuel 3:1-10
2. 1 Corinthians 9:24-25
3. Hebrews 4:12
#### Observation Questions
1. In 1 Samuel 3:1-10, why did Samuel initially fail to recognize God's voice? What does this tell us about the importance of understanding and recognizing God's communication? ([50:13])
2. According to 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, what is the comparison Paul makes between athletes and Christians? How does this relate to the concept of self-discipline in our spiritual lives? ([41:30])
3. Hebrews 4:12 describes the Word of God as "living and active." What does this mean in the context of studying the Bible and recognizing God's voice? ([57:36])
4. What practical suggestions were given in the sermon to improve our Bible study habits? How can these suggestions help us better recognize and respond to God's voice? ([01:12:15])
#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does Samuel's failure to recognize God's voice despite being in the temple (1 Samuel 3:1-10) serve as a cautionary tale for modern Christians? What are the dangers of being close to God yet missing His voice? ([50:13])
2. The sermon mentioned a "spiritual famine" despite the abundance of Bible resources. What factors contribute to this spiritual famine, and how can we address them in our own lives? ([01:01:18])
3. The concept of "eating" the Bible was emphasized in the sermon. How does this metaphor deepen our understanding of engaging with Scripture? What does it mean to truly "digest" the Word of God? ([54:42])
4. The sermon suggested a "no commentary summer." How might relying solely on the Bible for spiritual nourishment change our approach to Scripture and our relationship with God? ([01:14:57])
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt close to God but struggled to recognize His voice. What steps can you take to ensure you are more attuned to His communication in the future? ([50:13])
2. Considering the "spiritual famine" mentioned in the sermon, what specific changes can you make to increase your engagement with Scripture and avoid spiritual malnourishment? ([01:01:18])
3. The sermon emphasized giving God the best part of our day for Bible study. When are you most alert and free from distractions? How can you rearrange your schedule to prioritize this time for God? ([01:12:15])
4. How can you implement the practice of viewing Bible reading as a two-way conversation with God? What steps will you take to make your devotional time more interactive and meaningful? ([01:24:39])
5. The sermon suggested marking observations in the Bible. How comfortable are you with this practice? If you haven't tried it before, what might be a good starting point for you? ([01:18:36])
6. Reflect on the idea of a "no commentary summer." How might this practice challenge you to rely more on the Holy Spirit and your own understanding of Scripture? What are your thoughts on trying this approach? ([01:14:57])
7. Think of a specific distraction that often prevents you from focusing on your Bible study. What practical steps can you take this week to minimize or eliminate this distraction? ([01:12:47])
Devotional
Day 1: Recognizing God's Voice
Description: The story of Samuel in 1 Samuel 3 serves as a powerful reminder that it is possible to be surrounded by the things of God and yet miss His voice. Samuel, despite living in the temple and being in close proximity to the sacred, initially failed to recognize God's call. This highlights the importance of engaging deeply with Scripture to attune our ears to God's voice. Without diligent study and understanding of the Bible, we risk missing the divine messages meant for us. Recognizing God's voice requires more than just being in a religious environment; it demands an active and intentional pursuit of His Word. [50:13]
Bible Passage: "And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!' And Samuel said, 'Speak, for your servant hears.'" (1 Samuel 3:10, ESV)
Reflection: Think of a time when you felt God was trying to communicate with you but you missed it. What steps can you take today to ensure you are more attuned to His voice?
Day 2: The Spiritual Famine Amidst Abundance
Description: Despite the plethora of Bible translations and resources available today, many Christians are not engaging deeply with Scripture. This has led to a spiritual famine, where people are spiritually malnourished despite having access to abundant spiritual food. The abundance of resources can sometimes lead to complacency, where the availability of the Word is taken for granted. To counter this, it is crucial to develop a disciplined approach to Bible study, ensuring that we are not just consuming information but truly digesting and internalizing God's teachings. [01:01:18]
Bible Passage: "Behold, the days are coming,' declares the Lord God, 'when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.'" (Amos 8:11, ESV)
Reflection: Reflect on your current Bible study habits. Are you truly engaging with Scripture, or are you merely skimming through it? What changes can you make to ensure you are spiritually nourished?
Day 3: Practical Bible Study Habits
Description: To truly "eat" the Bible, we must give God the best part of our day, free from distractions. This means finding a time when we are most alert and focused, allowing us to better absorb and understand God's Word. Practical habits such as marking observations in the Bible, journaling thoughts and insights, and viewing Bible reading as a two-way conversation with God can significantly enhance our study experience. By adopting these practices, we can ensure that our engagement with Scripture is deep and meaningful, leading to a more profound recognition and response to God's voice in our lives. [01:12:15]
Bible Passage: "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:2, ESV)
Reflection: What is the best part of your day when you are most alert and focused? How can you dedicate this time to studying the Bible without distractions?
Day 4: Relying Solely on the Word
Description: Consider a "no commentary summer" where you rely solely on the Bible for your spiritual nourishment. This practice helps us become self-fed Christians, not overly dependent on others' interpretations. It encourages a direct and personal engagement with Scripture, allowing us to hear God's voice more clearly and develop a deeper understanding of His Word. By relying solely on the Bible, we can cultivate a more intimate and personal relationship with God, free from the influence of external commentaries and interpretations. [01:14:57]
Bible Passage: "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." (Hebrews 4:12, ESV)
Reflection: How often do you rely on commentaries or other resources when studying the Bible? Can you commit to a period of relying solely on Scripture to deepen your personal engagement with God's Word?
Day 5: Two-Way Conversation with God
Description: View Bible reading as a two-way conversation. Start by asking God to speak to you through His Word, then respond in prayer to what He reveals. This approach makes your devotional time more interactive and meaningful, fostering a deeper relationship with God. By treating Bible study as a dialogue rather than a monologue, we open ourselves up to a more dynamic and transformative experience, where we not only hear from God but also communicate our thoughts, questions, and reflections back to Him. [01:24:39]
Bible Passage: "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known." (Jeremiah 33:3, ESV)
Reflection: Before you start your Bible reading today, ask God to speak to you through His Word. After reading, spend time in prayer responding to what He has revealed. How does this change your experience of Bible study?
Quotes
1. "The same effort that is required to run in a race to win is the same effort that you and I are required to put into our relationship with Jesus. And then in verse 25, it says this, every athlete exercises self-control in all things. And so the idea that we want to run with all summer is this, is that in order to run with everything that we have, to put everything together." [41:30] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Samuel failed to recognize when it was God who was calling his name. And the reason that I want to park on that is that what is amazing about the story is Samuel lived in the temple. His entire life revolved around the things of God. He knew about God. He probably was in the place where his glory dwelled. He would have had very vast, big knowledge of all the customs, even at an early age, of what is supposed to happen at the temple." [51:03] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "Many people can be so close to God and yet still miss the convicting voice of the Holy Spirit when God speaks to them. Here's what I mean. You might be saying, that's impossible, Dan. The Bible is the word of God. So when you're reading it, you're hearing God's voice. Yes. But hear me out on this, okay? My entire life is revolved around study. Okay? And I have, if you go to my house right now, in my basement, I have an office from floor to ceiling covered in commentaries." [51:53] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "We could be surrounded close to God every day. You could grow up in church. You could read every hymnal. You could be at every Bible study. You could go to every single sort of prayer meeting. You could enlist your kids in private school and homeschool. And you could do everything to surround them in the Christian culture. But they miss when God is speaking through the Bible to them. How many times have you read... You've read your Bible and read the same passage over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again." [53:41] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "The spiritual discipline we are learning about today is studying the Bible or what I like to call eating the Bible. Okay? And I'm going to tell you why I'm phrasing that for a second. And that's not a literal meaning. I don't mean that you literally take the pages of Scripture, put a little soy sauce on it and eat it. That's not what I mean. But fun, useless fact that you'll learn in church. There was a guy that did it. It was called the emperor. The emperor who ate the Bible." [54:42] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6. "Just as athletes exercise self-control over their diet, Christians must be disciplined in what they eat. And what I mean by that is that the Bible uses the image of eating. Eating as a metaphor for studying the Bible. Just a few passages to kind of show this out this morning. It goes like this. Revelation 10.10. And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and I ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach was sour." [55:33] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7. "We need to let the reality of Scripture break tightly into our scripted piety. Enter fully into it, or better yet, let the Word of God enter into us, uncooked, uncensored, that we take and discipline ourselves and eat it. So that's the discipline, okay? Now, lastly, I want to give a way for you to read your Bible. Because most followers of Jesus struggle from time to time with routine in a less than life-changing times reading God's Word." [01:11:33] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8. "Give God the best time of day, not the leftovers. Okay? So I don't know, someone last week asked me the question, Dan, is it sin? Sin not to read the Bible in the morning? Well, maybe, maybe not. So the question really is this, is like, is there an appropriate time to read the Bible? And my answer to you is you should be reading the Bible in a space of your day where you can give God the best part of your day." [01:12:47] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
9. "I think it's possible that some of us have gotten too reliant on what other people say about the word of God. And we don't feed ourselves ourselves. Okay. Just as an illustration. Does anyone know the name Glenn Flewelling? Okay. A few of you. Well, Glenn Flewelling was one of my professors at Prairie. And he taught this class called homiletics, which is preaching. And he told me that what they used to do in the old days of Prairie is that you would get your commentaries like six or seven of them and you would throw them away." [01:16:13] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
10. "I think the whole drift in culture, in Christian culture, is only to eat parts of the Bible that are easy to digest. There's so much... There's so much in the Bible that bores us. The Levitical laws on mold. The endless genealogies in 2 Chronicles. There's so much about the Bible that puzzles us. God was bent on killing Moses until his wife circumcised their son. There are brutal wars. God ordering the death of men, women, and children. Or making the earth swallow entire families whole." [01:08:27] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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