Bible Study - Voice (3) - Does It Call You to Trust GOD? - Hebrews 11:1-6, 13-16 - February 5, 2023

 Bible Study – Voice (3) – Does it Call You to Trust GOD? – February 5, 2023

This lesson is three (3) in our series of study entitled, “How to Discern the Voice of GOD.”

Our focus scripture is Hebrews 11:1-6, 13-16.

Discerning and obeying GOD’S voice calls for faith in HIM.

Building the right relationship with GOD through faith in JESUS and discerning HIS voice is an exciting Spiritual journey. Since JESUS’ crucifixion, resurrection and ascension into Heaven, HE sent the Holy Spirit back to indwell all Spirit-born believers. Therefore, the Holy Spirit speaks to all Spirit-born people in many different ways.

My favorite example of discerning the voice of GOD is recorded in 1 Kings 18 and 19. We read in 1 Kings 18:17-18 about an encounter between King Ahab and GOD’S Prophet Elijah:

¹⁷ When (King) Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, the one ruining Israel?”

¹⁸ He (Elijah) replied, “I have not ruined Israel, but you and your father’s family have, because you have abandoned the Lord’s commands and followed the Baals. ¹⁹ Now summon all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

The Prophet Elijah had faith in GOD to challenge the King Ahab to summon all Israel and prove once and for all that the one true GOD, Yahweh, is greater than the false gods that Israel was following. We read that GOD revealed HIS supremacy over the pagan gods.  

We know that the prophets of Baal were killed after GOD consumed the sacrifice to GOD after the prayer of Elijah.

Following this demonstration of the One True GOD’S supremacy over all other gods, the Prophet Elijah went up on Mount Carmel and prayed for rain. GOD answered Elijah’s prayer for rain. For it had not rained in Israel for three and one-half years. Notice how James, the half-brother of JESUS stated it in James 5: ¹⁷ Elijah was a human being as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit.

Yes, Elijah was a human being and GOD used him to reveal Himself to all people. Yet, GOD was still working on Elijah. GOD led Elijah to go up on Mount Carmel and pray to end the drought. Elijah did and when he saw a cloud the size of a man’s hand, he instructed his servant to move quickly off the mountain because that was going to be a deluge of rain and the rain came.

Then we read in 1 Kings 19:1-3:

19 Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. ² So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods punish me and do so severely if I don’t make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow!”

³ Then Elijah became afraid^[a] and immediately ran for his life. 

Elijah exhibited great faith in GOD, yet when he was put on Queen Jezebel’s hit list, what did he do? He responded in a human way. He fled the area. Yet, he had witnessed the mighty works of GOD. But was GOD finished teaching Elijah? NO! Oh, the best was yet to come as we read on. Why do you think Elijah fled? Elijah witnessed the mighty works of GOD, the ravens brought him food, the widow fed him and her son during the drought and the cruse of oil never gave out. But when it came to Elijah’s personal protection after GOD had demonstrated HIS might, did Elijah question it? We only speculate. But the key is GOD wanted to complete the work HE had started in Elijah. GOD also wants to complete HIS work in all of us, who HE has called to get to know HIM in a real way.

As we walk with GOD through faith in JESUS, we must keep in mind that we may experience ups and downs in our Spiritual journey. But we must trust that GOD is still working on us to prefect us for HIS service. YES!!!

Let’s read on ----

It is comforting for me to see that following a mighty work of GOD Elijah became afraid for his life. Elijah ran to safety but in doing so, he ran to a teaching moment by GOD. We read in 1 Kings 19 that Elijah encountered GOD along HIS journey to Mount Horeb where he encountered GOD in a most dramatic way.

We read in 1 Kings 19:8-13:

8 Then on the strength from that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God. ⁹ He entered a cave there and spent the night. Elijah was running to where he knew GOD would be!

Elijah’s Encounter with the Lord

Suddenly, the word of the Lord came to him, and he (GOD) said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” [GOD spoke to Elijah as usual.]

¹⁰ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Armies, but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life.”

¹¹ Then he said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord’s presence.”

At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

The LORD showed up and demonstrated to Elijah that HE (GOD) was not a destructive force to be feared but HE came to him in a still small voice.

Oh, how precious and loving. Our GOD and Elijah’s GOD is real and speaks “in a still small voice, a whisper.” When HE speaks it is personal, unmistakable, so clear and understandable. It is a knowing which is confirmed by the Holy Spirit.

GOD did not abandon Elijah but GOD told him in 1 Kings 19:15 ¹⁵ Then the Lord said to him, “Go and return by the way you came to the Wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram -----

In essence, GOD told Elijah to place his faith in HIM, trust HIM and return by the same route and complete the work GOD had for him to do. Ahab and Jezebel had you on the run but I will show you who really is in control. Trust ME!

Elijah’s return began after he heard the “still small voice of GOD.”

Isn’t GOD awesome!!! This is a good segway how vital faith is in the lives of believers.

Walking with GOD requires faith and HE still speaks via HIS still small voice. We who know the truth will likely experience ups and downs but know this as GOD’S Son or Daughter, the best is yet to come. WHY? Because HE does not abandon HIS Children.

Elijah was a prophet of GOD, yet he experienced issues in his life and GOD did not abandon him. Instead, GOD taught him through them. Elijah ran but GOD taught him. GOD teaches HIS Children even when they are fleeing from HIM. GOD’S objective is to draw them closer to HIM.

How do I know? Because HE never abandoned me when I was in the far country of sin. But when you get through these struggles, you learn that there is nothing more precious than knowing GOD through a personal relationship with JESUS.

Let’s explore our focus scripture.

Let’s read Hebrews 11:1-3:

11 Now faith is the reality^[a] of what is hoped for, the proof^[b] of what is not seen. ² For by this our ancestors were approved.

What is reality? It is a knowing that what GOD reveals to us as true or truth, we can count on even when it appears not to be true. We, who know the truth, battle the spirit world but JESUS defeated Satan and won the victory. We are to claim victory in JESUS as we journey through life as GOD’S Children. “For greater is HE (JESUS) that is in us than he (Satan) that is in the world.” 1 John 4:1

GOD’S Word reveals to us the Spiritual journey of GOD’S chosen. Their lives were not perfect but GOD remained faithful to them as they were being perfected. Never give up on GOD because HE does not give up on us.

Abraham had great faith in GOD and we read in Romans 4: ³ For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was ^[b]accounted to him for righteousness.”

We read in Genesis 15:6: ⁶ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Abraham was not perfect and neither are we. Abraham believed GOD.

³ By faith we understand that the universe was^[c] created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.^[d]

⁷ By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

⁸ By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹ By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

¹¹ By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she^[f] considered that the one who had promised was faithful.

When Sarah had passed child bearing age, she got pregnant with the child of promise, Isaac. Why? GOD wanted Abraham to know that Isaac was the child of promise.

Let’s read Hebrews 11:4-6:

⁴ By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.

⁵ By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away.^[e] For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God. ⁶ Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

When we place our faith in JESUS all of us are Spiritually born into GOD’S Family and receive eternal life, never to lose it. It is by faith.

JESUS told Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin that he had to be born-again. We read in John 3:1-3: There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.”

³ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again,^[a] he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:16-17: ¹⁶ For God loved the world in this way:^[e] He gave^[f] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

So simple even a small child can understand. Salvation is not complicated. Have you asked JESUS to forgive you for your sins and ask for HIM to come into your life? If not, why not right now? JESUS gave HIS sinless life for you to have eternal life through the miracle of Spiritual birth. Yes, being born-again. This is not a Baptist or a Pentecostal word, it is JESUS’ word. YES!!! To those who have prayed this prayer, welcome into the Family of GOD. This is the beginning of a lifelong Spiritual journey. You now have the Holy Spirit indwelling you and teaching and guiding you. The still small voice of GOD reigns supreme as you grow Spiritually. Read and study GOD’S Word and as you do ask GOD to help you to understand it and apply it.

How do you know that all in GOD’S Word is true? Let’s read on ---

Let’s read Hebrews 11:13-16:

¹³ These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. ¹⁴ Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵ If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But they now desire a better place—a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Yes, GOD has prepared a place for all of HIS Children to reside when they depart earth. Not only that but GOD is fashioning a special body for all Spirit-born people to have the instant they exit their earth suits. The instant we shed our earth suits we are seamlessly adorned in our Heavenly suits until we receive our New Glorified bodies when JESUS returns to earth to rapture the church and raise the dead.

Hebrews 11:⁶ Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Does eternity with GOD sound too good to be true? Where is your faith. Take the step of faith by trusting what GOD reveals to us and trust what JESUS has done for us.   Blessings!!!