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 55:4-8
My heart shudders within me;
terrors of death sweep over me.
5 Fear and trembling grip me;
horror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “If only I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and find rest.
7 How far away I would flee;
I would stay in the wilderness.Selah
8 I would hurry to my shelter
from the raging wind and the storm.”
Read the Entire Psalm
The person speaking in this Psalm is in a desperate situation. Notice how honest and open they are with God. There is no pretense. They are gripped by fear and they tell God about their fear and the overwhelm they feel. If you are trembling, you can tell God. Give thanks that he listens and cares.
Scripture Reading
John 7:25-52 – English Standard Version
Can This Be the Christ?
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” 28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” 30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”
Officers Sent to Arrest Jesus
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”
Rivers of Living Water
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Division Among the People
40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people over him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.
45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Give thanks to God for His gifts and His goodness.
- 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 for the River Youth attending Super Summer in Salina. Today is their first full day. Pray that the youth would respond to God and grow in their love for him.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
Many have claimed to have gone to heaven and to have seen or heard God. They then claim to have brought back to other humans what they went up and received from God. Jesus is the only one who has claimed to have originated in heaven. He didn’t “go up” and bring down the word of God. He came down and would later return to the glory of his Father. In every possible way, Jesus is a singularity in human history. Out of billions, there has literally only been one like him. Think of that, just one. No one else has even been close. It really does all come down to this question: “What will I do with Jesus?” We can debate any number of things in the Bible, or differences in religions, but the question John is putting before us, and the one we must all ultimately answer is, “Who is Jesus?” This is not to say these other issues are not important. It is to say that what is of ultimate importance is Jesus. John has written his gospel, and God has given it to us so we would believe that Jesus is the Messiah and that by believing we would have life in his name. I know that most, if not all, reading this already believes. My purpose is not to convince you to believe something is true. My purpose is to assure you that what you believe is true. Be confident and courageous in your belief.