YOUR ZEAL FOR GOD'S HONOR (Part 2)

I will now reveal my zeal.

"It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Read carefully the words of Jesus Christ, the Lord.  Read first what He did NOT say.
 

He did not say, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but every word written by the finger of God."  He could have said that to Satan.  God quite literally wrote the 10 commandments on 2 tablets of stone.  Jesus said three time, "It is written," to Satan.  He knew the word and could have said it.  So could Solomon when He wrote this proverb:

 

"For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding." 

Proverbs 2:6

 

Solomon could've said, "from his finger comes knowledge and understanding."

• But Solomon said that knowledge and understanding come from the mouth of God.
• Jesus said that man lives by every word that comes from God's mouth.

My zeal is for the honor of God's voice.  My passion is the voice of God.

 

I draw the line when some Christians say God does not speak to us today. 

When they say that God only speaks through the Bible.

 

Some will say that He speaks through scripture, circumstances, the church, and the "promptings of the Spirit"/conscience.  Some include "common sense" in this list of how God speaks. They will then say, after whatever list of ways God speaks, that none of the things on the list will contradict scripture, and thus really say that the only way God speaks to us today is the Bible.  Anyone who claims to "know God's voice" is adding to the closed canon of scripture and on the verge of heresy, if not outright crazy. 

 

Sola scriptura.

 

But they ignore, disregard, or explain away verses like these:

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.  John 16:13

 

The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” Acts 8:29

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Romans 8:16


Some will say, "Oh that was only for the apostles or those called in the early church to authenticate the scriptures. Once the canon was completed, then God stopped speaking to His people directly.  There are 'no new revelations.'  Etc.  Etc. Etc."


But I'm not zealous for "new revelations," or adding to the scriptures, or false prophecies, or heresies, or conspiracy theories, or the date and time and place of the "rapture," or prayer cloths, or "messages from God," or "God told me to tell you such and such and so and so...." or whatever else may be argued or debated about hearing God's voice today. 


I'm zealous for the honor of God's voice:  I'm passionate about God's personal intimacy with me as my Father in heaven, and as the Bridegroom I eagerly await to return for me. 


I myself am a father.  I have been speaking personally and directly to each of my 7 children from the moment they exited the womb of their mother.  As Jesus said, if I, being an "evil father," know how to give the good gift of my voice to my children, how much more will my heavenly Father speak to me, when I as desperately need Him to do so as my children need me to speak directly to them?  I didn't write my children a book and tell them to read it for the rest of their lives.  I speak to them.  In fact, I've been speaking to them AS IF THEY UNDERSTOOD ME before they could understand me.


I myself am a bridegroom, a husband.  From the day I gave my wedding vows until my wife and I go to sleep, I speak to her.  I didn't give her a copy of the wedding vows and tell her to read it everyday and memorize it, because I would give her "no new revelation" of my love.  Our wedding vows are not a "closed canon."  If I, an imperfect bridegroom, talk directly to my wife every day, how much more does our Perfect Bridegroom speak to His bride every day? 


This is my zeal for God's honor.  The work of the devil I am here to destroy is the lie that God does not speak to us directly and intimately today by His Spirit.  Now of course we have a scriptural test for the voice of the Spirit of God:  The Testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ!  As it is written,

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,  but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. 1 John 4:1-3


We are to be discerning and we are to resist deception.  But we are also the sheep of Christ, and Christ's sheep know His voice.  I honor God's voice as He honors His own voice.  He is not a deaf and dumb idol, as it is written,

“Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak."  Habakkuk 2:18


Now you know my zeal, my intensity, my passion.

I ask you again, what is yours?

• What do you honor about God as much as God honors it about Himself?
• What work of the devil were you saved to destroy in the name of Jesus and by His Spirit, according to the scriptures? 
• What inspires holy anger in you? 
• What perfect love, from God and for God, casts out your fear of rejection, suffering, or death? 

This is your zeal for Gods honor. 
Amen.