A Man Who Hears from God - Session 1

(Speaker Notes for Live Teaching)

Confession time! When you were in school and were asked to read a book and write a report did you:

• read the book?

• read the Cliff/Spark notes?

• watch the movie?

• Google it?

• phone a friend (aka copy from someone else)?

Next week we start a new series on Biblical Manhood called Creation, Distortion, and Redemption. For the first few weeks we will be in Genesis and focus on God’s original design for men in CREATION. The following two weeks will look at how sin affects us as men, or how men live in DISTORTION from the original design due to the curse. The final five weeks we will see the REDEMPTION of man in Christ.

Before we get going on our study, let’s talk about how a man can get the most out of these next 10 weeks.

This study is about becoming a powerful man who is redeemed and responsible.  If I want to be a man who is redeemed and responsible, then I must be a man who  hears God’s voice and obeys God’s Word.

Wouldn’t you like to hear from God? Every man would.

The problem is:

1. Most men don’t like to read.

2. When men do make an effort to read, very few understand what they are reading and they don’t hear from God. They flame out fast and go right back to where they were spiritually. They pray some, and go to church, but read the Bible very little.

If a man can read the Bible and hear from God, he will not lack motivation to spend time daily time with God. Furthermore, to read and hear from God is essential if a man determines to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

In this session let’s discuss some skills a man can use to help him read the Bible and hear from God. We will learn these skills by looking at 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (as well as some other methods/tools).

• To hear from God a man must spend time in the Word of God. (By nature of inspiration (God-breathed), the Bible is not like any other book. The Bible has a “living quality (Heb. 4:12)” about it. So, when a man reads the Bible he should approach it:

• Prayerfully - ask the Spirit to illuminate Scripture to you. Pray a passage like Ephesians 1:15-23 over yourself before you begin to read. Ultimately the Bible is spiritual in nature. It can be approached academically or casually like other books, but if you want to hear God’s voice a man must be receptive to the work of the Holy Spirit as he reads and meditates on God’s Word. 

• Submissively - the Bible carries God’s authority. To disobey the Bible is to disobey God.

• Carefully - there is a right way and a wrong way to read the Bible (2 Tim. 2:15). The idea of “rightly dividing” refers to how a butcher cuts meat. He doesn’t just hack away, but he makes precise cuts so that the result gives him choice portions to enjoy.

• Observe the text. (this is about slowing down and paying attention to the who, what, when, and why of what’s there. You’ll leave here tonight with a good set of questions that will help you do just that).

• Interpret the text. (mark repeated words, define words you don’t understand, mark words or sentences that seem important or stand out to you, how does the text fit with what’s around it? Dig a little! Get some tools out. There are plenty of resources to help you get deep into the Word. Just like the elements in the earth, when it comes to God’s Word, the best stuff is down deep. The more you dig in God’s Word the more truth you’ll mine from it.)

• Apply the text. Always ask: What will I do today about what I’ve read? A man who doesn’t care to apply God’s Word deceives himself. Daily time in the Bible isn’t something you mark off a checklist to obtain a blessing. You read the Bilbe to hear from God, glean it’s wisdom, and do what it says (James 1:22).

Now let’s use four keywords in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 to help us slow down, mine the passage, hear from God, and do what the Bible says.

The Word of God is profitable for:

1. Teaching - What information is this text giving me about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, sin, or a doctrine?

2. Reproof - What is this text telling me that I’m doing wrong?

3. Correction - What do I need to do about this text to do it right?

4. Training in righteousness - What will I do repeatedly to change the habit?

Every Man a Warrior - Quiet Time Method (Revised)

1. What are the major themes/big ideas from the passage I read today? 

2. What is the verse that speaks to me the most today?

3. Ask questions:
   
   

• Is there a command to obey?

• Is there a principle to apply?

• Is there a sin to avoid?

• Is there a truth to believe?

• What is the best verse?

• Write the verse in your own words.

• Use the verse to guide me in prayer.

When Reading Narrative Sections:

• Who is/are the key character(s)?

• What happened in the story?

• How did this person or these people obey/please or disobey/displease the Lord? How do their actions point us to Christ?

• Why did they make the decision to do what they did?

• Where do you see yourself in the story?

• When does this story take place in Scripture? What are some of the events that happen before and after?

The Next 10 Sessions:

God doesn’t call us to just read the Bible, but to meditate on it. The word meditate means to bring it up and chew on it again and again. Meditation comes through memorization. Each week you will be challenged to memorize a verse(s) and recite them to your group. Memorization is like a muscle. It will get stronger the more you use it so don’t get discouraged if it is more difficult in the beginning. Stay faithful, the Lord will honor your effort. 

You will find the verses for memorization and your daily times with God posted in several places. 

• Session video (YouTube)

• Liberty Website

• REALM

• LBCEngage App

Weekly format:

• Teaching time.

• Group time.

• Aim to meet with the same 3-4 guys each week.

• Say your verse.

• Share one quiet time from the week.

• Discuss the questions.

• Look over the coming week’s assignments.

• Prayer time.

• Your prayer time will be at the tables. Get to know one another. Pray for one another.

• Closing.

• We will reassemble for announcements and a closing word from the leader for the night.

Round Table:

• Get contact information from each man at your table. Agree on how you will stay in regular contact with one another.

• What is going to be your biggest challenge over the next 10-12 weeks?

• How can the men in your group pray for you?

• Pray Ephesians 1:15-23 over the group. Pray this for the other men in the group daily and over yourself as you begin your time with God.