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 96:7-13 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
bring an offering and enter his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;
let the whole earth tremble before him.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.
The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken.
He judges the peoples fairly.”
11 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and all that fills it resound.
12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate.
Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy
13 before the Lord, for he is coming—
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with his faithfulness.
Read the Entire Psalm
The Lord Reigns – It is good to proclaim this out loud. The Lord Reigns. He is sovereign over every event in the universe. He permits and He prevents. He acts. He rules over every part of your existence. When you sleep – He reigns. When you are sick – He reigns. He is never not reigning. Praise the Lord who reigns. Tell yourself that the Lord reigns.
Scripture Reading
John 8:12-30 – English Standard Version
I Am the Light of the World
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. 17 In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
21 So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” 25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. 26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” 27 They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” 30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
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 Embrace. Ask God to use their programs to introduce the gospel to women in need. Pray that they would be effective in protecting unborn children.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
Jesus stood in the temple courts at the time they were lit up by huge golden lamps seventy-five feet high and said, “I am the light of the world.” Imagine yourself there in that place at that time. The giant flames are seven stories over your head. Jesus stands in their flickering light. He looks straight at you. You are thinking, “This man is either crazy, or I am looking at the Lord of the Universe himself.” There is nothing crazy about him; he is clearly the sanest person you have ever seen. There is plenty crazy about what he is saying, though. Who could make such a claim? You hear the flames flickering, smell the burning oil, see faces lit up by their light. They are all looking at Jesus. One by one some kneel before him as one by one others turn and walk away. What will you do? Don’t think it was easier or harder to believe in Jesus then than it is now. It has always been a choice that everyone faces. There are people you will encounter today who give Jesus little to no thought, but he is the one who made them. All that they find themselves desperately trying to obtain is ultimately only to be found in him. When you walk through our city, imagine Jesus saying to everyone you see, “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will have the light of life.” Imagine this, because it is, in fact, happening. He is drawing people to himself, to the light of his life. Will you see where he is at work in their lives and join him?