Audio File: 

2012-01-29 PM - Ps Gebhardt Berndt edit.mp3

Sermon Notes

Introduction

Matthew 3 : 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 16As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

There are three things that I want you to see;

The WORD + The Spirit = The Voice of God
Jesus (the Word) + The Holy Spirit on Him created a reaction of God. God spoke!
The Christian (full of the Word) + Full of the Spirit = The ability to hear God’s voice and to follow it.

The Christian is commanded in scripture to:

Col 3: 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly
Eph 5: 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Creation:
The Word was present in the beginning at Creation: John 1: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

The Spirit was present at Creation: Gen 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth wasa formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light

The Word + The Spirit + God the Father = CREATIVE ABILITY
The Word + The Spirit + the Command of the Father = Creation
The Word + The Spirit + In the Christian = The Manifestation of the Kingdom

3 Key Principles to God speaking:

a. When God speaks expect a response

After God said, " this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased" there was an immediate response, a test, and a contradiction to test the word spoken.

In the Garden of Eden after God has spoken to eve and Adam, there was a challenge to contradict it .

Matt 4 : 1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:”’ He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”7Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”10Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
On the flop side of this is that whenever the devil does something, God may contradict the current reality with a future promise.

Examples:

You are poor – “ God is my helper! The Lord is the provider for my life.” Psalm 54:4
You have no future – “ For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jer 29 : 11
You have made to many mistakes God cant use you – “ You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins.” Psalm 85:2
You are not holy enough, you make to many mistakes – “ But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me “ 2 Cor 12 : 9

b. When God speaks we need to respond appropriately

2 Kings 13 : 15 Elisha said, “Get a bow and some arrows,” and he did so. 16“Take the bow in your hands,” he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.
17“Open the east window,” he said, and he opened it. “Shoot!” Elisha said, and he shot. “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!” Elisha declared. “You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.”
18Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. 19The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.”

The king responded incorrectly and thus had limited results. Our attitude or response will determine the outcome, one of the greatest lack of knowledge displayed at time is to think at we don't need to respond when God has spoken.

When God has said something there is a response required.
The difference between call and election as an example .
Angel speaks to Zechariah - negative response:

18Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
19The angel answered, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.”

Angel speaks to Mary - positive response:

Luke 1 : 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Some of us need to be uneducated to be educated again by the Word. Some of our responses are so based on education received by the world that we cannot respond appropriately.

Example: When Jesus wanted to pay Simon's and His temple tax, He gave a method that made no sense in the natural , but if Simon responded incorrectly he would not have had the desired result .

c. When God speaks He confirms you as you are, even when you don’t see it yet.

Our identity is not birthed out of our performance! Rather it is birthed out of what God has said about us.

Jesus' identity was not birthed out of making stones bread, rather He's identity was birthed out of God's Voice or testimony about Him. " This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased "

Jesus was God’s Son, the Messiah, the anointed one even before He began anything, His identity was found in God.

God reveals who you are, even before you have become it.

Jesus said Peter is a rock even before he became that.

God always says who you are; you must agree with His Word and align yourself according to that destiny!

Therefore His Word needs agreement with flesh to come to pass.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word became Flesh. His Word + Flesh agreement brings manifestation.