How much of God do you understand? Do you find God and His leading, hard to hear, and understand

1 Kings 19:9 There he (Elijah) came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

How much of God do you understand?

Do you find God hard to know and understand, and how He deals with us in life?

Who knows what that is called?

God is what theologians call ‘incomprehensible‘ meaning that God is not completely knowable.

But there is also what is called the ‘Hiddenness of God’ and that refers to the fact that He is not seen directly and does not reveal everything equally or immediately.

But, God transcends those barriers to some degree, and makes Himself known to humans in various ways.

– General revelation creation (Undeniable, but people do.)

– Holy Spirit speaking in a still small voice

– Special revelation – His Word

And I believe from Scripture, that God speaks to every single person that is ever born, by general revelation, but also by His still small voice and their conscience.

Even every person born in a remote, untouched community, that has never heard of Jesus Christ, hears and knows of God. They know that God exists even though they do not know His Name. The question is, will they seek Him.

Having been born with the ‘knowledge of good and evil’ (conscience or moral awareness) will they seek after the ‘good’ and the God of the ‘knowledge of good and evil?’

That is why every single person at the end of their life, will stand before God and give an account of how they responded to God’s revealing of Himself to them.

Why do so few get saved?

Because they are not listening and obeying the ‘still, small voice’ of God.

They do not want to seek ‘the good’ when they intuitively know they are sinful, or seek that God, even though He placed in them a God-consciousness knowledge, and a need to know Him – a ‘God-shaped vacuum.’

Yet commonly today, believers think that God has made it is so easy for them to be saved. “Oh, God will tell me whatever I need to know, so I will never be deceived or fall away, and end up in hell.

That’s not what the Bible says ‘work out your salvation with fear and trembling’ and persevere to the end and you will be saved. There must be a constant seeking to hear from God.

No, we want and demand that God show Himself to us in the ‘great and strong wind that tears the mountains and breaks the rocks in pieces before us. And in an earthquake, and a great a fire’ kind of ways, then we will know and believe that God speaking with us, and then we will obey.

It is a tragedy that so many dying, will immediately think “Oh no, why didn’t God tell me more clearly, then I would have believed in Him.” But they loved their sin too much.

Or for many church-goers “Oh no, why didn’t God tell me more clearly, then I would have obeyed that still, small voice.” But they loved self too much.

Some get so caught up in ‘special theologies’ or ‘end times’ or ‘a church cause’ but are so disconnected from God. (Many in the Pentecostal Church today need to die to self in wanting so much, to have ‘power’ for healings, miracles, and casting out demons. It became more important that holiness, and just plain obedience to God in the basics. Yes, die to self in that desire and love God just for who He is again. It is a very sad reality that there are so many Christians, that, find loving God and obeying Him as the great cause of their life, is just too boring. The pleasures of this world have created in them, a demand for something of a ‘fun & exciting’ experience, and they have to blend some of that into their Christian life in order to remain being a Christian. Take that away, and they would drift, walk, or run away from Christ.

Or they get caught up in ‘deep Bible study’ and know a lot about Scripture, but it covers their lack of, just living for God, every day, every hour. That becomes their defining character, not holiness, love for God and obedience. Over the years, I have watched as some people studying and learning so much from Scripture, but they become more self-opiniated and sometimes quite arrogant. I see it online every day. They need to die to that and truly live for God.

Or some are so into ‘worship’ and everything is about how deep singing worship is where God at, but it covers their lack of true devotion to God that others do not see. Because they sound so spiritual, others cannot see how little, they are truly obedient to God. Holiness, obedience in the ‘little’ things.

Or others get so busy doing Church ministry, running here and here, and everyone thinks ‘Wow, what a good Christian’ but it only appears like true devotion, and the longing to ‘be’ like Christ, in obedience and holiness is absent. There are things they do and attitudes they carry that are biblically wrong, but no-one is allowed to correct anymore, because supposedly in the modern Church, that is judging and not being like Jesus.

Many others just float through life enjoying what they want to do, not genuine commitment to obey God, to cling to the Great Cause of Christ and be transformed. The fun life they seek, the immoral movies they watch, etc. with God having no real influence on their life.

We all have to check our heart, our motives and our attitudes. Are we doing it for Christ and to die to self, or is it actually for self?

God IS the Great Cause of life, and if being holy, being obedient to Hm, being like Christ, is a bit boring to you, then were you ever born again? Were you ever truly saved?

Oh, the joy of walking in brokenness and surrender with God.

Paul Washer makes a incisive point (I may not state it so strong that ‘the only thing that is going to save the Church…is a fierce horrifying persecution’ though it is most probably correct, but being stripped of everything, most certainly will expose those yearning for holiness and obedience, who do not have Christ as their Source and Great Cause, instead of Church activities.):

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And they do not even realise it. Where will they go when they die? Will they be told “I never knew you!” So many are deceived by the modern ‘traditions of men’ that Jesus warned so strongly about. We MUST be listening and obeying the ‘still, small voice’ of the Holy Spirit, loving the truth so much, that our anchor is so firmly in Scripture. (Of course, if we do, we will seem to be inflexible, unkind, too intense and not like Jesus, as we understand it today.)

Christ dies for us/you, in order to have you respond to the still small voice and not only be saved, but to be transformed into the likeness of Christ. To be like Christ. Be holy as the Lord is holy.

As we come to communion today, I urge you to listen to the ‘still, small voice’ of God. Is He also asking you as He did to Elijah “What are you doing?” What has the still, small voice of God been saying to you, that you do not really want to hear and obey?