Hearing God’s Voice from His Word
James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Take a moment and turn your attention to God. Tell God that you desire to trust and obey Him. Ask God to speak to you from His word.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 135:8-14
He struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both people and animals.
9 He sent signs and wonders against you, Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his officials.
10 He struck down many nations and slaughtered mighty kings:
11 Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan,
and all the kings of Canaan.
12 He gave their land as an inheritance,
an inheritance to his people Israel.
13 Lord, your name endures forever, your reputation, Lord,
through all generations.
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.
Read the Entire Psalm
God is the keeper of his covenant promises. He will always keep his promises. He rescued the Hebrew people from Egypt. He led them to a land and commanded them to possess the land. His reputation is untarnished. He is and will always be faithful and constant. Praise Him.
SCRIPTURE READING:
John 1:1-18 – The Message
1 1-2 The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
in readiness for God from day one.
3-5 Everything was created through him;
nothing—not one thing!—
came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
the darkness couldn’t put it out.
6-8 There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.
9-13 The Life-Light was the real thing:
Every person entering Life
he brings into Light.
He was in the world,
the world was there through him,
and yet the world didn’t even notice.
He came to his own people,
but they didn’t want him.
But whoever did want him,
who believed he was who he claimed
and would do what he said,
He made to be their true selves,
their child-of-God selves.
These are the God-begotten,
not blood-begotten,
not flesh-begotten,
not sex-begotten.
14 The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish.
15 John pointed him out and called, “This is the One! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact was ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, has always had the first word.”
16-18 We all live off his generous abundance,
gift after gift after gift.
We got the basics from Moses,
and then this exuberant giving and receiving,
This endless knowing and understanding—
all this came through Jesus, the Messiah.
No one has ever seen God,
not so much as a glimpse.
This one-of-a-kind God-Expression,
who exists at the very heart of the Father,
has made him plain as day.
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Express thanksgiving to God.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you.
- Confess your sin to Him and receive forgiveness.
(1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.”) - Bring your personal requests to God.
(Psalm 62:8 “Pour out your heart before God”) - Pray for someone in your small group.
- Join with others from River and pray today for Christian Challenge as they meet tonight at River.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
Why didn’t the people Jesus created receive him? What are some of the reasons Scripture gives for human rejection of Christ? We find in Scripture that Satan blinds the minds of some. We find that some reject Christ because their deeds are evil, and they do not want a Lord and Savior. We find that some reject Christ because of ordinary unbelief; they just don’t think he is who he says he is. Some people start down the path of belief, but then the cares of life choke out the growth. There are many reasons why people reject Christ. Why did you receive him? If you have received him, he has made you his child through rebirth. What was it that led you to receive Christ as Lord and Savior? Of course, it was a work of God in your life. We cannot make this about pure human choice. At the same time there is human choice involved. What are some things that God used to bring you to faith? Even if you came to Christ as a child, what are some things he has used over the years to grow that faith? Consider these things so that you can better understand and pray for your friends and family who are not Christians. There are many reasons they may be rejecting Christ, but there is only one way they can be saved. They must receive him and believe in his name. His “name” means him, all that he is. Pray now for people you know who aren’t Christians. Pray that God would open their eyes. Pray that the various barriers to faith in their lives would be torn down.