male announcer: This presentation is brought to you 00:00:02.40\00:00:03.70 by the friends of the "Amazing Facts" ministry. 00:00:03.83\00:00:06.50 Doug Batchelor: You've probably met people that, they live in a 00:00:14.24\00:00:17.28 very spiritual state and they say, "God told me to buy this 00:00:17.31\00:00:20.58 kind of toothpaste," and, "I was driving and God said this is 00:00:20.62\00:00:24.19 where He wanted me to park." 00:00:24.22\00:00:25.69 God's not; the main reason the Spirit speaks to us is so we can 00:00:25.72\00:00:29.19 reach others. 00:00:29.22\00:00:30.56 Doug Batchelor: One of the greatest male voices, not 00:00:34.10\00:00:37.13 talking about singers, that might be Caruso, but one of the 00:00:37.17\00:00:41.04 greatest male voices according to history was a preacher by the 00:00:41.24\00:00:45.14 name of George Whitfield. 00:00:45.17\00:00:46.88 George Whitfield was a friend of the Wesleys. 00:00:48.11\00:00:50.55 Early in life, he had such an incredible voice he went to the 00:00:51.05\00:00:54.02 theater and he studied acting. 00:00:54.05\00:00:55.58 And back then, they had no PA system, you would project from 00:00:55.62\00:00:59.15 the stage. 00:00:59.19\00:01:00.49 And he learned to take what was already an incredible voice and 00:01:00.52\00:01:03.66 project from the stage, and then he was converted and God put 00:01:03.69\00:01:07.66 that to good use. 00:01:07.66\00:01:09.00 He was kicked out of the churches of England for 00:01:09.96\00:01:12.50 preaching the conservative Puritan message and so he began 00:01:12.53\00:01:16.57 to do open-air evangelism and preaching, preaching thousands 00:01:16.60\00:01:21.01 of sermons over the course of his comparatively short life. 00:01:21.04\00:01:24.15 But he made history in that they say that probably more people 00:01:25.38\00:01:29.98 could hear him without any artificial amplification than 00:01:30.02\00:01:34.86 any other human. 00:01:34.89\00:01:36.22 He was called The Trumpet of the Lord because God gave him this 00:01:36.26\00:01:38.99 incredible set of pipes. 00:01:39.03\00:01:41.06 Benjamin Franklin even comments about George Whitfield in his 00:01:41.83\00:01:45.37 autobiography, they became good friends. 00:01:45.40\00:01:47.34 Whitfield worked for years to try to convert Franklin but they 00:01:47.60\00:01:52.21 were good friends and Franklin printed many of his tracks. 00:01:52.24\00:01:54.98 And Franklin, being a scientist, he had heard that 25,000 people 00:01:55.01\00:02:00.05 were listening. 00:02:00.08\00:02:01.42 Can you imagine me trying to preach to 25,000 people? 00:02:01.45\00:02:03.35 I need a PA system and we've got, you know, 500 here. 00:02:03.39\00:02:05.89 25,000 people. 00:02:06.96\00:02:08.46 And so what Franklin did is, Whitfield was preaching from the 00:02:09.79\00:02:13.63 steps of the Philadelphia Courthouse, and he began to 00:02:13.66\00:02:16.60 pace-off distance. 00:02:16.63\00:02:18.53 He was right up at the front and he paced-off and he got nearly 00:02:18.57\00:02:22.00 half a mile away and he could still hear him distinctly until 00:02:22.04\00:02:25.71 it was interrupted by other background sounds on the street. 00:02:25.74\00:02:28.54 And then Franklin, being a scientist, he figured how many 00:02:29.14\00:02:32.65 square feet each person takes up, how many people could 00:02:32.68\00:02:35.58 theoretically hear him gathered in a semi-circle and he said 00:02:35.62\00:02:38.62 30,000 people could be gathered to hear him. 00:02:38.65\00:02:41.36 One man, Trumpet of the Lord. 00:02:41.89\00:02:43.53 Now, not only was he a preacher with a loud voice, he was a 00:02:44.73\00:02:49.13 powerful preacher. 00:02:49.16\00:02:50.53 Franklin used to wonder why people would go to hear him 00:02:51.03\00:02:53.20 preach, because they said when they'd hear Whitfield preach he 00:02:53.23\00:02:55.54 would talk to them about their sins and it was so convicting 00:02:55.57\00:02:57.74 and he was so, sometimes powerful in proclaiming 00:02:57.77\00:03:05.81 their sins. 00:03:05.85\00:03:07.15 He thought, "Why would anyone go?" 00:03:07.18\00:03:08.52 But they came because they knew it was true. 00:03:08.55\00:03:09.88 And he goes through a town and all the saloons would close. 00:03:11.42\00:03:14.39 Franklin comments, he says, "After Whitfield went through a 00:03:15.12\00:03:17.99 community preaching," he says, "Where before you'd hear 00:03:18.03\00:03:20.66 cursing," he said, "You would hear people gathered on the 00:03:20.70\00:03:22.70 streets singing Psalms." 00:03:22.73\00:03:24.77 This one man had heard about Whitfield and he wanted to hear 00:03:25.47\00:03:28.10 him preach but he didn't want to give up his drinking, but he was 00:03:28.14\00:03:31.31 very curious to see the man that had such a powerful voice. 00:03:31.34\00:03:34.48 And a friend said, "Look, you better not listen to him because 00:03:34.51\00:03:37.15 if you listen to him you'll be converted." 00:03:37.18\00:03:40.08 He says, "No, I won't be converted," he said, "I'm not 00:03:40.12\00:03:42.18 about to give up drinking." 00:03:42.22\00:03:43.52 He said, "I don't even want to risk it," he said, "I'm going to 00:03:43.55\00:03:45.39 go plug my ears." 00:03:45.42\00:03:46.72 Well, when he came to the place where Whitfield was about to 00:03:46.76\00:03:48.42 start speaking it was so crowded he couldn't get anywhere near. 00:03:48.46\00:03:51.16 So, like Zacchaeus, he found a tree and he climbed a tree. 00:03:51.19\00:03:55.86 And up in the tree he saw Whitfield was getting ready to 00:03:55.90\00:03:57.93 go on this wooden platform and start preaching quite a ways in 00:03:57.97\00:04:01.10 the distance. 00:04:01.14\00:04:02.37 He thought, "Look, I don't want to get converted," so he wrapped 00:04:02.40\00:04:04.51 his legs around the branch of the tree and he leaned against 00:04:04.54\00:04:07.38 the trunk and he plugged his ears, and Whitfield 00:04:07.41\00:04:11.38 commenced preaching. 00:04:11.41\00:04:13.01 Well, back then, they came to listen riding horses and so 00:04:13.05\00:04:15.78 there are a lot of horse flies, and horse flies bite. 00:04:15.82\00:04:18.85 And this man saw a horsefly was buzzing around his face getting 00:04:18.89\00:04:23.69 ready to land and the horse fly landed on his nose. 00:04:23.73\00:04:30.47 So he pulls his fingers out of his ears to swat a horse fly, 00:04:30.50\00:04:35.30 and right when he did that was at the very moment when George 00:04:35.34\00:04:38.17 Whitfield said, "He that has ears, let him hear what the 00:04:38.21\00:04:42.84 Spirit saith," and he was so convicted, he figured he'd 00:04:42.88\00:04:47.08 better keep listening and he was ultimately converted. 00:04:47.12\00:04:51.52 Now, most of us don't have problems talking and a lot of us 00:04:51.55\00:05:00.13 talk much more than we should. 00:05:00.16\00:05:02.46 The Bible doesn't say, "He who has a mouth, let him speak." 00:05:02.50\00:05:05.43 It says, "He that has ears, let him hear." 00:05:05.47\00:05:08.44 In fact, seven times in Revelation, Jesus makes that 00:05:08.47\00:05:11.27 statement word-for-word, "He that has ears, let him hear what 00:05:11.31\00:05:14.88 the Spirit says." 00:05:14.91\00:05:16.51 "He that has ears, let him hear." 00:05:16.54\00:05:20.42 You know, people talk about the gift of tongues but a lot of us 00:05:20.45\00:05:23.49 need the gift of hearing, because sometimes we struggle to 00:05:23.52\00:05:27.32 hear what God is saying to us. 00:05:27.36\00:05:30.26 Now, when I talk about hearing the voice of God, I am not 00:05:30.29\00:05:34.83 talking about hearing God speak audibly; God has done that a few 00:05:34.83\00:05:39.80 times in the history. 00:05:39.83\00:05:41.87 We -- read about that in Deuteronomy, where God spoke in 00:05:41.90\00:05:45.57 giving the 10 Commandments. 00:05:45.61\00:05:47.21 You can read in Deuteronomy 4:33, "Did any people ever hear 00:05:47.24\00:05:51.58 the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you 00:05:51.61\00:05:54.65 have heard, and live?" 00:05:54.68\00:05:57.29 Happened a few times in the Old Testament, where God spoke 00:05:57.32\00:06:00.62 audibly to people like Moses and Abraham and Jacob, there are 00:06:00.66\00:06:08.20 others, Samuel. 00:06:08.23\00:06:11.40 In the New Testament, it tells about from the baptism of Jesus, 00:06:11.43\00:06:15.90 "A voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, 00:06:15.94\00:06:20.08 in whom I am well pleased,'" and people heard that. 00:06:20.11\00:06:24.21 John 12, verse 28, "Jesus prayed, 'Father, glorify 00:06:24.25\00:06:27.88 Your name.' 00:06:27.92\00:06:29.15 Then a voice came from heaven, saying, 'I have both glorified 00:06:29.18\00:06:32.82 it and I will glorify it again.' 00:06:32.85\00:06:35.46 Therefore the people who were standing by" 00:06:35.49\00:06:37.56 said they thought they heard thunder. 00:06:37.59\00:06:38.89 "Others said, 'An angel has spoken to Him.' 00:06:38.93\00:06:40.96 Jesus said, 'This voice did not come because of Me, but for your 00:06:41.00\00:06:44.77 sake,'" that they might believe. 00:06:44.80\00:06:46.97 Then Jesus took Peter, James and John up on the mountain, and 00:06:47.00\00:06:51.57 after they saw the vision of Moses and Elijah, it says then 00:06:51.61\00:06:55.44 there was a voice from Heaven and God said, "This is My 00:06:55.48\00:06:58.58 beloved Son, hear Him." 00:06:58.61\00:07:01.78 Now here's my question for you. 00:07:01.82\00:07:03.52 Why would God say, "Hear Him," if it was not possible to 00:07:03.55\00:07:06.69 hear Him? 00:07:06.72\00:07:08.49 Is it possible to hear the voice of God? 00:07:08.52\00:07:12.59 Problem is we're not very good listeners most of the time. 00:07:12.63\00:07:18.53 Jesus said, Matthew 13, verse 14, "In them the prophecy of 00:07:18.57\00:07:23.10 Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, 'Hearing you will hear and not 00:07:23.14\00:07:27.18 understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the 00:07:27.21\00:07:32.35 hearts of these people have grown dull. 00:07:32.38\00:07:34.88 Their ears are hard of hearing, their eyes of closed, Lest they 00:07:34.92\00:07:38.45 should see with their eyes in here with their ears, and they 00:07:38.49\00:07:42.56 should understand with their hearts.'" 00:07:42.59\00:07:44.56 So what's the hearing that God wants from us? 00:07:44.59\00:07:46.53 It's a hearing where we understand in our hearts. 00:07:46.56\00:07:50.17 "So that I should heal them," heal them from our sin. 00:07:50.20\00:07:56.60 So how do we know if we're hearing the voice of God? 00:07:56.64\00:07:59.81 I thought I might even ask for a show of hands but I changed my 00:07:59.84\00:08:02.44 mind because it frightened me. 00:08:02.48\00:08:04.88 I was going to ask if anyone here feels they have audibly 00:08:04.91\00:08:07.85 heard the voice of God. 00:08:07.88\00:08:10.42 You don't have to raise your hands. 00:08:10.45\00:08:12.12 I meet people every now and then that think that they heard the 00:08:12.15\00:08:14.49 voice of God and you've probably met people that they live in a 00:08:14.52\00:08:21.26 very spiritual state and they say, "God told me this today and 00:08:21.30\00:08:24.87 God told me that," and usually they mean God spoke to their 00:08:24.90\00:08:27.10 hearts or impressions or their spirits somehow. 00:08:27.14\00:08:29.50 But some folks just are really walking in the spirit 'cause I 00:08:29.54\00:08:32.44 know people will say, "God told me to buy this kind of 00:08:32.47\00:08:35.14 toothpaste," and, "I was driving and God said this is where He 00:08:35.18\00:08:38.85 wanted me to park," and, "God told me to buy this dress." 00:08:38.88\00:08:43.25 And you've met people like that, right? 00:08:43.28\00:08:45.65 You know what I'm talking about? 00:08:45.69\00:08:46.99 That's okay, some people are just very sensitive to 00:08:47.02\00:08:48.66 the Spirit. 00:08:48.69\00:08:50.13 And I know when I was a baby Christian I was listening for 00:08:50.16\00:08:52.83 the voice of God in everything because I realized God 00:08:52.86\00:08:55.36 was everywhere. 00:08:55.40\00:08:56.70 So I was talking to Him all the time and I was looking for 00:08:56.73\00:08:59.50 indications and impressions and guidance on things that, you 00:08:59.53\00:09:02.84 know, later, you mature and you realize, "God just wants me to 00:09:02.87\00:09:05.01 use good judgment." 00:09:05.04\00:09:06.57 I mean, you know, I was asking God, just, "Should I buy the 00:09:06.61\00:09:10.15 white corn chips or the yellow, Lord? 00:09:10.18\00:09:12.91 Which one is it? 00:09:12.95\00:09:14.25 Your perfect will, I want to be in your perfect will." 00:09:14.28\00:09:17.12 And then, you know, God says, "Which one do you like? 00:09:17.15\00:09:18.89 I don't know." 00:09:18.92\00:09:20.56 But and so some people, they're always saying God told me this 00:09:20.59\00:09:24.03 and God told me that. 00:09:24.06\00:09:25.93 And so how do you know the voice of God? 00:09:25.96\00:09:29.06 And I looked at some of the different things and there 00:09:29.10\00:09:31.57 probably a dozen different keys that we could look at about how 00:09:31.60\00:09:35.44 do you know when you're hearing the voice of God or how do you 00:09:35.47\00:09:38.34 identify the voice of God. 00:09:38.37\00:09:39.94 Well, I'm going to give you four and you may want to write some 00:09:39.97\00:09:45.01 of these down, they won't be on the screen. 00:09:45.05\00:09:47.72 Number one, "Is what I'm hearing in line with Scripture?" 00:09:47.75\00:09:53.79 Does the voice that you're hearing, the impression you're 00:09:53.82\00:09:56.06 receiving, does it line up with Scripture? 00:09:56.09\00:09:59.86 Romans 10:17, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by 00:09:59.89\00:10:03.93 the Word of God." 00:10:03.97\00:10:05.40 We measure what the voices are telling us by, "Is this matching 00:10:05.43\00:10:08.64 up with what the Word of God says?" 00:10:08.67\00:10:10.74 Psalm 25, verse 5, "Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You 00:10:10.77\00:10:16.85 are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day." 00:10:16.88\00:10:21.42 We're listening for what the Word of the Lord says. 00:10:21.45\00:10:25.39 Deuteronomy 13, verse 1, "If there arises among you a prophet 00:10:25.42\00:10:30.03 or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 00:10:30.06\00:10:34.30 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass," it does come to pass, 00:10:34.30\00:10:37.13 "Of which he spoke," but then he says, "Let's go serve other 00:10:37.17\00:10:40.64 gods," well, that's not a true prophet. 00:10:40.67\00:10:42.97 So if you're hearing a voice and it's saying, "You know, you 00:10:43.00\00:10:46.24 don't really need to pay your taxes," but the Scripture says, 00:10:46.27\00:10:50.28 "Obey the laws of the land," you want to believe that's the Voice 00:10:50.31\00:10:54.48 of God that says, "Don't pay your taxes," but it's probably 00:10:54.52\00:10:57.89 not because the Bible says that we ought to do everything that 00:10:57.92\00:11:03.09 is decent and we ought to live lives of integrity. 00:11:03.12\00:11:05.66 Or, if you think there's a voice that's saying, "My spouse is 00:11:05.69\00:11:10.03 evil, God wants me to find a new one," and the Bible tells us 00:11:10.07\00:11:17.11 that, "What God has joined together let not man put 00:11:17.14\00:11:19.51 asunder," that may not be the Holy Spirit or God's voice 00:11:19.54\00:11:24.38 that's talking to you. 00:11:24.41\00:11:27.38 And if you think you're hearing a voice and it's saying, "I 00:11:27.42\00:11:30.15 could probably buy this and not tell my spouse," well, that's 00:11:30.19\00:11:35.56 not honest and it's probably not the Holy Spirit telling 00:11:35.59\00:11:38.93 you that. 00:11:38.96\00:11:41.43 The Bible says in Isaiah 8:20, "To the law and to 00:11:41.46\00:11:44.47 the testimony!" 00:11:44.50\00:11:45.90 that means the law and the prophets, the Word of God. 00:11:45.93\00:11:47.74 "If it speaks not according to this Word, it is because," what? 00:11:47.77\00:11:50.57 "There's no light in them." 00:11:50.61\00:11:51.94 So right away, you can eliminate a lot of false voices out there 00:11:51.97\00:11:55.18 by just saying, "Is what the voice is saying measuring with 00:11:55.21\00:11:58.88 the Word of God?" 00:11:58.91\00:12:00.28 But frankly, a lot of things that we need to know about 00:12:00.32\00:12:02.15 you're not going to find word-for-word in the Bible, so 00:12:02.18\00:12:05.05 what are some other ways you can know if God is speaking to you. 00:12:05.09\00:12:09.69 Second point, and this may be one of the most important, if 00:12:09.72\00:12:13.40 you really want to hear the voice of God, Bible says, "He 00:12:13.43\00:12:15.96 that has ears, let him hear." 00:12:16.00\00:12:17.30 How many of you want to hear the voice of God? 00:12:17.33\00:12:19.77 Are you like that guy in the branch trying to plug your ears 00:12:19.80\00:12:21.97 and still listen? 00:12:22.00\00:12:23.30 "You know, I want to come to church, but God, don't speak 00:12:23.34\00:12:25.04 to me." 00:12:25.07\00:12:26.44 Are are you like the Israelites, saying, "Moses, you talk to us, 00:12:26.47\00:12:28.48 but don't let God talk to us, it's too much." 00:12:28.51\00:12:31.71 But don't we want to be led of the Lord? 00:12:31.75\00:12:33.21 Don't you want to hear Jesus speaking to you? 00:12:33.25\00:12:36.15 Alright, one of the most important criteria if you want 00:12:36.18\00:12:39.75 to hear the voice of the Lord: Are you willing to do what the 00:12:39.79\00:12:42.79 voice says? 00:12:42.82\00:12:44.76 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's life-changing 00:12:45.19\00:12:47.30 free resource. 00:12:47.30\00:12:48.73 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, you can 00:12:48.76\00:12:51.00 download a digital copy straight to your computer or 00:12:51.03\00:12:53.64 mobile device. 00:12:53.67\00:12:55.34 To get your copy of today's free gift, simply call us and ask for 00:12:55.37\00:12:58.64 the offer number shown on your screen, or visit the web address 00:12:58.67\00:13:02.38 and download a digital copy and be sure to select the Digital 00:13:02.41\00:13:06.38 Download option on the Request page. 00:13:06.41\00:13:08.38 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 00:13:08.42\00:13:11.69 "Amazing Facts" wherever and whenever you want, and most 00:13:11.72\00:13:15.22 important, to share it with others. 00:13:15.26\00:13:17.93 Doug Batchelor: Do you remember we read a verse a moment ago and 00:13:19.43\00:13:21.16 it said some people thought they heard thunder. 00:13:21.20\00:13:23.37 Others said, "No, it was a voice from heaven." 00:13:23.40\00:13:24.83 And others, the Apostles heard what the voice said, that it 00:13:24.87\00:13:27.67 was, "This is My Son. 00:13:27.70\00:13:29.34 I have glorified your name and I will glorify it," they 00:13:29.37\00:13:31.71 understood what was said. 00:13:31.74\00:13:33.11 Why did some understand and some not understand? 00:13:33.14\00:13:35.71 I think it's because God had those understand who were 00:13:35.74\00:13:39.38 willing to listen, who are willing to follow Jesus. 00:13:39.41\00:13:42.92 You know, we're accountable for all that we know, God knows 00:13:42.95\00:13:47.42 that, and if you don't have a heart that's willing to do God's 00:13:47.46\00:13:50.36 will, He's not going to make you understand more than you need 00:13:50.39\00:13:53.13 to know. 00:13:53.16\00:13:54.73 The Bible says, "My people are destroyed for lack of 00:13:54.73\00:13:56.77 knowledge," not just because they don't know but, "Because 00:13:56.80\00:13:59.90 you have rejected knowledge." 00:13:59.93\00:14:02.57 So, do you want to hear what God is going to say? 00:14:02.60\00:14:07.64 What if He's going to point out some sin in your life, do you 00:14:07.68\00:14:10.85 still want to hear Him? 00:14:10.88\00:14:12.88 Another very important criteria for understanding, something 00:14:12.91\00:14:16.35 very important to understand God's will; is what the voice 00:14:16.38\00:14:20.42 you're hearing, the guidance, is it supported by 00:14:20.46\00:14:23.99 Christian counsel? 00:14:24.03\00:14:26.83 In other words, it's not that God just speaks through His 00:14:26.86\00:14:29.70 Word, God speaks through other people. 00:14:29.73\00:14:33.87 I'm hoping that's true or what are we doing right now listening 00:14:33.90\00:14:36.34 to me? 00:14:36.37\00:14:37.84 Like I said, if you're just listening to me, 00:14:37.87\00:14:40.08 that's dangerous. 00:14:40.11\00:14:42.01 We hope that God will speak through Christian counsel. 00:14:42.04\00:14:44.75 Let me give you some verses on that. 00:14:44.78\00:14:46.15 Proverbs 11:14, "Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But 00:14:46.18\00:14:51.35 in the multitude of counselors there is safety." 00:14:51.39\00:14:54.92 It's not just any counselor, you want good counselors. 00:14:54.96\00:14:57.69 I'm always amazed in the Bible of the story of Rehoboam, when 00:14:57.73\00:15:01.86 he had to make a tough decision that was going to keep the 00:15:01.90\00:15:03.77 kingdom together he had the choice of getting Solomon's 00:15:03.80\00:15:06.67 counselors or his friends. 00:15:06.70\00:15:12.44 I mean, who would say no to Solomon's counselors? 00:15:12.47\00:15:15.14 this was the wisest man who ever lived. 00:15:15.18\00:15:16.85 If he picks a counselor, he's gotta be like top-tier, right? 00:15:16.88\00:15:21.12 that's the A-team. 00:15:21.15\00:15:23.49 And young Rehoboam, he said, "No, they're old fuddy-duddies, 00:15:23.52\00:15:28.09 you know, they're stuck in the mud, they're too conservative. 00:15:28.12\00:15:30.16 I'm going to get my buddies to tells me what to do." 00:15:30.19\00:15:33.26 And they gave them some advice and he lost half the kingdom, 00:15:33.29\00:15:37.13 the kingdom was split from that time on for 200 years after that 00:15:37.17\00:15:41.74 because he listened to the wrong counselors. 00:15:41.77\00:15:43.74 So when you're getting counselors, it's not any 00:15:43.77\00:15:45.74 counselors, there's plenty of counselors out there, you want 00:15:45.77\00:15:49.01 counselors with integrity, Christian counselors. 00:15:49.04\00:15:53.15 God speaks through people. 00:15:53.18\00:15:54.62 Ephesians 3:10, "To the intent that now the manifold," manifold 00:15:54.65\00:16:01.06 is like on your car you've got an intake and an exhaust 00:16:01.09\00:16:03.19 manifold, it's got many different ports, "The multiplied 00:16:03.22\00:16:06.63 wisdom of God might be made known by the church." 00:16:06.66\00:16:10.27 Within the church, God has some are prophets, some are 00:16:10.30\00:16:13.44 evangelists, some are pastors, some are teachers, there are 00:16:13.47\00:16:16.24 elders, there are leaders, there are people you can go to who 00:16:16.27\00:16:19.97 have some age and experience and they will teach you, they'll 00:16:20.01\00:16:23.28 give you advice, they'll counsel. 00:16:23.31\00:16:26.85 That through them might, "The manifold wisdom of God might be 00:16:26.88\00:16:29.72 made known by the church." 00:16:29.75\00:16:32.55 Acts 9:6, you remember when Paul had his vision on the road 00:16:32.59\00:16:35.22 to Damascus. 00:16:35.26\00:16:37.03 It says, "Trembling and astonished, he said, 'Lord, what 00:16:37.06\00:16:40.10 do You want me to do?' 00:16:40.13\00:16:41.50 And the Lord said, 'Arise, go to the city, and it will be told 00:16:41.53\00:16:44.37 what you must do.'" 00:16:44.40\00:16:45.73 Well, Lord, aren't you going to tell me? 00:16:45.77\00:16:47.10 No, I'm going to tell you through a person, his name is 00:16:47.14\00:16:48.74 Ananias; God uses people to talk to people. 00:16:48.77\00:16:53.51 Acts 10:4-6, "And when he observed him, he was afraid," 00:16:53.54\00:16:58.58 this is when Cornelius sees the angel, "And said, 'What is 00:16:58.61\00:17:01.85 it, Lord?'" 00:17:01.88\00:17:03.28 He said, "Your prayers and your alms have come up as a memorial 00:17:03.32\00:17:05.22 before God. 00:17:05.25\00:17:06.55 Now send men to Joppa, to the house of Simon whose name 00:17:06.59\00:17:10.56 is Peter. 00:17:10.59\00:17:11.89 He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, who is in the house by 00:17:11.93\00:17:14.40 the sea. 00:17:14.46\00:17:15.73 He will come and he will tell you what you must do." 00:17:15.76\00:17:17.40 I want you to go get this man to tell you what to do, Spirit-led 00:17:17.43\00:17:21.70 man; God speaks to people through people that are 00:17:21.74\00:17:25.77 connected with God. 00:17:25.81\00:17:27.64 That's why it's so important we're connected because other 00:17:27.68\00:17:30.41 people may need our guidance. 00:17:30.45\00:17:32.95 Now, when we're asking about listening to the voice of God, 00:17:32.98\00:17:40.02 this is a very important subject because it's through listening 00:17:40.06\00:17:45.26 to the voice of God we have opportunities to reach others. 00:17:45.29\00:17:49.80 Have you ever had the voice of the Lord tell you to say 00:17:49.83\00:17:52.20 something to somebody and maybe you are afraid? 00:17:52.23\00:17:55.50 I wish I could tell you, "I've always listened to the voice 00:17:55.54\00:17:58.54 of God." 00:17:58.57\00:18:00.24 You read stories like Philip and the Ethiopian. 00:18:00.28\00:18:06.45 The Spirit of the Lord said to Philip, "Arise and go down 00:18:06.48\00:18:10.19 to Gaza." 00:18:10.22\00:18:12.05 He doesn't know why, he said, "That's where the Spirit's 00:18:12.09\00:18:14.12 telling me to go, I'm not sure why." 00:18:14.16\00:18:15.79 He figured there was someone or somewhere to preach so he goes, 00:18:15.82\00:18:19.39 and when he goes he's standing on the road and this entourage 00:18:19.43\00:18:24.37 is going by, it's an official going down to Ethiopia, having 00:18:24.40\00:18:28.30 come from worship in the temple. 00:18:28.34\00:18:30.64 And there's this chief treasurer for Candace, the Queen of 00:18:30.67\00:18:35.28 Ethiopia, and he's riding along in his chariot and he's reading 00:18:35.31\00:18:38.75 out loud from Isaiah chapter 61, he's reading the prophecy, or 00:18:38.78\00:18:44.55 I'm sorry, it's Isaiah chapter 53, reading prophecy 00:18:44.59\00:18:47.79 about Christ. 00:18:47.82\00:18:49.82 And Philip knows this is an opportunity and the Holy Spirit 00:18:49.86\00:18:52.93 says, "Draw near to the chariot." 00:18:52.96\00:18:54.40 He hears a voice say, "Go to Gaza," now he says, "Go 00:18:54.46\00:18:56.40 to chariot." 00:18:56.43\00:18:57.80 And he ends up saying, "Can you understand what you're reading?" 00:18:57.83\00:19:00.37 He said, "No, I need some help actually." 00:19:00.40\00:19:01.74 He says, "Well, you know, I specialize in that 00:19:01.77\00:19:03.87 very chapter." 00:19:03.91\00:19:05.37 "Well, come up on in my chariot, tell me about it," and the man 00:19:05.41\00:19:08.81 ends up getting baptized. 00:19:08.84\00:19:10.08 The Holy Spirit spoke to Philip not 'cause God's always talking 00:19:10.11\00:19:13.95 to us telling what kind of toothpaste should I buy and what 00:19:13.98\00:19:17.09 kind of mouthwash, God's not. 00:19:17.12\00:19:19.19 The main reason the Spirit speaks to us is so we can 00:19:19.22\00:19:21.26 reach others. 00:19:21.29\00:19:23.12 It says in Acts chapter 1 "And I will give you My Spirit and you 00:19:23.16\00:19:26.90 will be My witnesses." 00:19:26.93\00:19:28.36 The Spirit will speak to us and help us recognize opportunity to 00:19:28.40\00:19:32.10 witness to others. 00:19:32.13\00:19:35.17 You know, something else I've noticed about receiving the Holy 00:19:35.20\00:19:40.31 Spirit; we hear God's voice when we accept God's plan. 00:19:40.34\00:19:44.48 This is a very important point, we hear God's voice when we 00:19:44.51\00:19:49.35 accept God's plan, God said to Abraham, Genesis 22:18, "In you 00:19:49.38\00:19:55.12 and in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed," 00:19:55.16\00:19:58.69 notice, "Because you obey My voice." 00:19:58.73\00:20:02.43 God did something through Abraham because 00:20:02.46\00:20:04.73 Abraham listened. 00:20:04.77\00:20:06.43 Have you read in Isaiah chapter 6? It says there in Isaiah 6, 00:20:06.47\00:20:10.81 you read the first eight verses, "In the year that King Uzziah 00:20:10.84\00:20:13.17 died, I saw the Lord on a throne, high and lifted up, and 00:20:13.21\00:20:18.31 the train of His robe filled the temple." 00:20:18.35\00:20:20.38 And on the right and the left were these angels that were 00:20:20.42\00:20:23.12 declaring the, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord of hosts; The whole 00:20:23.15\00:20:25.82 Earth is full of Your glory!" 00:20:25.85\00:20:27.26 And the temple shook from the voice of God and the angels that 00:20:27.29\00:20:31.29 were there, and Isaiah fell down on his face and he said, "Woe is 00:20:31.33\00:20:35.36 me, I am undone! 00:20:35.40\00:20:36.87 I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people 00:20:36.90\00:20:39.13 of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord 00:20:39.17\00:20:42.07 of hosts." 00:20:42.10\00:20:43.87 And because he confessed his sin, God then sends an angel 00:20:43.91\00:20:46.54 who takes with tongs a coal from the altar and he places it on 00:20:46.57\00:20:50.31 Isaiah's lips, and he said, "'Your sin is purged,' your sin 00:20:50.35\00:20:54.25 is forgiven, your iniquity is purged." 00:20:54.28\00:20:57.45 So after he sees the Lord, he hears the voice of God, his sin 00:20:57.49\00:21:02.39 is purged, then he hears the voice of the Lord saying, "Who 00:21:02.42\00:21:06.96 will go for Us, Who will I send?" 00:21:07.00\00:21:09.20 After his sin is purged, he hears the voice of the Lord. 00:21:09.23\00:21:13.34 You notice after Jesus is baptized, he comes up out of the 00:21:13.37\00:21:15.74 water, it says the heavens are open and there's a voice that 00:21:15.77\00:21:19.77 says, "This is My beloved Son." 00:21:19.81\00:21:22.14 It seems like we hear the voice of God a lot better after we 00:21:22.18\00:21:25.88 accept the plan of salvation. 00:21:25.91\00:21:30.45 You know, I remember reading about Helen Keller, it's kind of 00:21:30.49\00:21:35.06 an interesting story from history that, you know, she was 00:21:35.09\00:21:38.93 born blind. 00:21:38.96\00:21:41.46 Well, she wasn't born blind, she actually got a disease and she 00:21:41.50\00:21:44.13 became blind and deaf. 00:21:44.17\00:21:49.20 I think she had scarlet fever or something and it completely took 00:21:49.24\00:21:52.41 away her hearing, took away her sight. 00:21:52.44\00:21:55.01 She did eventually learn to talk, she had that famous 00:21:55.04\00:21:57.35 teacher, Anne Sullivan. 00:21:57.38\00:21:59.95 But some friends, she was with a group of friends one time and 00:22:00.05\00:22:04.62 they were listening to their radio back in 1925, and they 00:22:04.65\00:22:09.82 said, "Oh, Helen." 00:22:09.86\00:22:11.79 You know, they're talking to her through braille or tapping on 00:22:11.83\00:22:16.40 her hands, and they said, "If you could only hear, this is 00:22:16.43\00:22:19.90 so majestic. 00:22:19.93\00:22:21.24 We're listening to Beethoven's ninth, it's being played by the 00:22:21.27\00:22:25.91 best orchestra in the world in Carnegie Hall, they're 00:22:25.94\00:22:28.91 broadcasting it on the radio." 00:22:28.94\00:22:31.25 And she said, "Well, let me feel the speaker of the radio." 00:22:31.28\00:22:35.72 So she put her hand on the speaker of the radio and she was 00:22:35.75\00:22:39.45 amazed to discover, a matter of fact, I'll read it to you, it's 00:22:39.49\00:22:42.99 in her words. 00:22:43.02\00:22:44.56 "Last night, when the family was listening," she wrote a letter 00:22:44.59\00:22:46.83 to Carnegie Hall. 00:22:46.86\00:22:49.83 "Last night, when the family was listening to your wonderful 00:22:49.86\00:22:52.50 rendering of the immortal symphony, someone suggested that 00:22:52.53\00:22:56.14 I put my hand on the receiver to see if I could get any of 00:22:56.17\00:22:58.87 the vibrations. 00:22:58.91\00:23:00.68 He unscrewed the cap and I lightly touched the sensitive 00:23:00.71\00:23:03.31 diaphragm," of the actual speaker itself. 00:23:03.35\00:23:07.35 "What was my amazement to discover that I could feel not 00:23:07.38\00:23:10.05 only the vibrations but also the impassioned rhythm, the throb 00:23:10.09\00:23:13.86 and the urge of the music. 00:23:13.89\00:23:15.52 The intertwined intermingling vibrations from the different 00:23:15.56\00:23:18.63 instruments enchanted me." 00:23:18.66\00:23:20.13 This is a person entirely deaf, her fingers were so sensitive 00:23:20.16\00:23:23.50 from reading braille that she put her fingers on the speaker. 00:23:23.53\00:23:29.20 "'I could actually distinguish the coronets, the role of the 00:23:29.24\00:23:31.67 drums, the deep toned violas, the violins singing in 00:23:31.71\00:23:35.34 exquisite unison. 00:23:35.38\00:23:36.95 How the lovely speech of the violins flowed and plowed over 00:23:36.98\00:23:40.12 the deepest tones of the other instruments, when the human 00:23:40.15\00:23:42.88 voice leapt up thrilling from the surge of harmony I 00:23:42.92\00:23:46.32 recognized them instantly as voices. 00:23:46.35\00:23:48.72 I felt the choir girl more exultant and more ecstatic, up 00:23:48.76\00:23:52.43 curving, swinging like a flame until my heart almost 00:23:52.46\00:23:55.43 stood still. 00:23:55.46\00:23:57.23 The women's voices seemed an embodiment of the angelic 00:23:57.27\00:23:59.93 voices, rushing in harmonious flood of beautiful and 00:24:00.04\00:24:03.30 inspiring sound. 00:24:03.34\00:24:04.94 The great chorus throbbed against my fingers with poignant 00:24:04.97\00:24:08.48 pause and flow.' 00:24:08.51\00:24:10.38 The composer of the symphony Keller enjoyed was Beethoven." 00:24:10.41\00:24:14.98 Now you realize Beethoven had written it 100 years earlier 00:24:15.02\00:24:18.65 while he was deaf; perhaps one reason deaf person could hear it 00:24:18.69\00:24:26.90 is because a deaf person had written it, and perhaps the 00:24:26.93\00:24:32.47 reason that we can hear the voice of the Lord is because God 00:24:32.50\00:24:35.67 became one of us so he understands our speech so that 00:24:35.70\00:24:40.28 we can hear his voice. 00:24:40.31\00:24:42.81 Isaiah 51, "Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness." 00:24:42.84\00:24:48.45 Isaiah 54, verse 4, "Listen to Me, My people; And give ear." 00:24:48.48\00:24:53.22 Isaiah 51, verse 7, "Listen to Me, you who know righteousness." 00:24:53.25\00:24:58.59 Over and over, God is appealing, He wants to speak to us and, "He 00:24:58.63\00:25:03.97 that has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says." 00:25:04.00\00:25:05.90 Do you want to hear the voice of the Lord? 00:25:05.93\00:25:08.17 If you submit to the Gospel, if we will unmute the plugs in our 00:25:08.20\00:25:14.61 ears so that we're willing to do His will and read His Word, He 00:25:14.64\00:25:18.85 will speak to us. 00:25:18.88\00:25:20.45 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's life-changing 00:25:24.19\00:25:26.32 free resource. 00:25:26.35\00:25:27.79 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, you can 00:25:27.82\00:25:30.26 download a digital copy straight to your computer or 00:25:30.29\00:25:32.79 mobile device. 00:25:32.83\00:25:34.10 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, simply text 00:25:34.13\00:25:37.17 the keyword on your screen to 40544 or visit the web address 00:25:37.20\00:25:42.07 shown on your screen and be sure to select the Digital Download 00:25:42.10\00:25:45.44 option on the Request page. 00:25:45.47\00:25:47.14 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 00:25:47.18\00:25:50.55 "Amazing Facts" wherever and whenever you want, and most 00:25:50.58\00:25:54.12 important, to share it with others. 00:25:54.15\00:25:56.32 male announcer: Deep within the pages of the Bible, stories of 00:25:58.42\00:26:01.92 great heroes, heroes of great deeds, great love and 00:26:01.96\00:26:09.80 great sacrifice. 00:26:09.83\00:26:12.17 But behind them is another Hero, hidden in plain sight, amid 00:26:12.20\00:26:17.57 the shadows. 00:26:17.61\00:26:20.14 He was there from the beginning and He'll be there until 00:26:20.18\00:26:25.15 the end. 00:26:25.18\00:26:27.12 Discover the golden thread of a Savior woven throughout the 00:26:27.38\00:26:31.29 entire Bible tapestry. 00:26:31.32\00:26:35.16 "Shadows of Light: Seeing Jesus In All The Bible," a new book by 00:26:35.19\00:26:41.36 Doug Bachelor. 00:26:41.40\00:26:43.10 Get your copy today by calling 800-538-7275 or 00:26:43.13\00:26:48.47 visit AFBookstore.com. 00:26:48.50\00:26:50.61 Once again, to purchase your copy of "Shadows of Light," 00:26:50.64\00:26:53.24 call 800-538-7275. 00:26:53.27\00:26:57.01 male announcer: What if you could know the future? 00:26:59.75\00:27:03.59 What would you do? 00:27:03.62\00:27:05.72 What would you change? 00:27:05.75\00:27:08.32 To see the future, you must understand the past. 00:27:08.36\00:27:12.63 male: Alexander the Great becomes king when he's only 18, 00:27:12.66\00:27:15.13 but he's a military prodigy. 00:27:15.16\00:27:18.27 male: 150 years in advance, Cyrus had been named. 00:27:18.30\00:27:23.27 male: Nebuchadnezzar built the city as a showcase to the 00:27:23.30\00:27:26.11 entire world. 00:27:26.14\00:27:28.24 male: Rome was violent, they were ruthless, they 00:27:28.28\00:27:31.81 were determined. 00:27:31.85\00:27:33.68 male announcer: This intriguing documentary hosted by Pastor 00:27:35.75\00:27:38.52 Doug Batchelor explores the most striking Bible prophecies that 00:27:38.55\00:27:43.12 have been dramatically fulfilled throughout history. 00:27:43.16\00:27:47.13 "Kingdoms In Time," an extraordinary adventure through 00:27:47.20\00:27:50.80 the Bible's most amazing fulfilled prophecies. 00:27:50.83\00:27:54.34 Are you ready? 00:27:54.37\00:27:56.81 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's free offer, it's 00:28:02.94\00:28:05.18 sure to be a blessing. 00:28:05.21\00:28:06.78 And thank you for your continued support as we 00:28:06.82\00:28:09.12 take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. 00:28:09.15\00:28:12.09 We hope you'll join us next week as we delve deep into the Word 00:28:12.12\00:28:15.59 of God to explore more "Amazing Facts." 00:28:15.62\00:28:19.23 male announcer: This presentation was brought to you 00:28:24.23\00:28:25.53 by the friends of the "Amazing Facts" ministry. 00:28:25.57\00:28:28.54