Does God speak outside of the Bible?

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Frequently avoided questions of the Christian faith, “Does God speak outside of the Bible?”
Psalm 19:1-6, Romans 1:18-22

Intro…”God moments” for me… in our lives…
Text: Psalm 19:1-6
Big Pic: God has revealed himself to mankind since the beginning of time. If we have eyes to see and ears to hear, we can be surprised at the messages he has for us that can come in a variety of ways.

These verses speak of the majestic heavens and describe how features of the sky bear witness to their Maker.
• Through creation, there is a divine speech that goes out to all humanity.
• Part of that creation as includes mans creativity, movies, music, books, art etc.
• I do believe that God speak primarily through the Bible…

V. 1 “The heavens, the sky above…”
• The heavens show God’s creativity, power, majesty, wisdom etc.
• They also show God’s worthiness of honor and worship.
• Think of the last time you saw the stars away from the city lights, or witnessed and amazing sunset or sunrise…it’s truly awesome.

v. 2-3 “Day to day pours out speech”
• God is speaking to us with each new day…if we’re willing to listen.
• Every evening reveals God’s knowledge.
• God is speaking to us through His creation, and he’s saying, “Look for me, I’m here. I created all this for you.”

v. 4 All the world has received some kind of message from God.
• But what it comes down to is, “Are people willing to listen?”
• It’s important to distinguish between “general revelation” (what is known about God through the natural world) and “specific revelation” (the proclamation of the gospel).
• Ps. 19:4 refers to “general revelation.”
• Romans 10:14-18 is “specific revelation.”

Let me mess with your mind for a minute when it comes to the gospel going to the ends of the earth.
• Let’s look at Romans 1:18-22
• God’s power and divine nature are clearly revealed through the world he has made (so that men/they are without excuse).
• The wonder, beauty and majesty of all of creation points directly to God (not just a “higher power”).
• No one can complain that God has left insufficient evidence of his existence and character. The fault is on those who reject him.
• Usually it’s pride that gets in the way of believing that.
• When we get to heaven, we are going to be surprised at who is there and who isn’t.
• I believe that God can reveal himself even to someone “in the middle of nowhere” if they look up at the heavens, or at God’s creation and realize there is something bigger than themselves and that they have a need to connect with God.
• All cultures and people have a knowledge of right and wrong…
• People’s moral standards are always better than their behavior.
• Yet salvation does not come through “general revelation”
• People have an inner sense of what God desires…a need for forgiveness and redemption…

v. 5-6 Just consider the power of the sun, a specific way in which the voice of the heavens is revealed to all mankind.
• The sun is so powerful, we need protection from it.
• The sun comes out every day with the “excitement of a bridegroom.”
• The suns runs its course or does its job with joy (like a strong man).
• The sun is all-powerful shining on the entire earth, there is nothing hidden from it.
• Same with God, same with his relevations to us, through his creation and specifically through the scriptures. (As verses 7-11 show)

One of the key factors in determining if God is speaking through sources other than the Bible…is the Bible!
• The more we study the scriptures and God’s character throughout history, the more we’ll be able to detect a wrong message.
• Silly example, the movie “Hall Pass”….it doesn’t take a theological genius to know that it’s going to be a trashy movie…
• On the other hand, sometimes I’ve heard God speak clearly to me through the story told in a “non-Christian” movie.
• God can insert his messages into popular culture that tell us something about our world, our neighbors, ourselves and our relationship with God.
• God has used wicked rulers etc. throughout history…
• Again, the key is having the Christian maturity to be able to discern right from wrong.
• The bible never says that God would at some point limit himself to speaking exclusively through the written text and abandon any other form of communication with humans.
• To refuse to listen to God through whatever medium he chooses diminishes our experience and awareness of him.
• “God is larger and more bountiful than our intellectual boxes or theological constructs that we tend to put him in.”

Conclusion:
• There is no book we should love and treasure more than the Bible.
• Every time we read it we should approach it with a sense of wonder and awe, always ready to hear from God in a new way.
• When it comes to hearing from God, let’s see when we look, hear when we listen and understand with our hearts what God is saying to us everywhere and at all times.
• God can speak to us clearly everyday through his word.
• Let’s not limit what God has to say to us to only that time we spend in the Bible.
• However, when we do feel like we are getting a message from God, let’s always go back to the Bible as a comparison.
• Mark 8:14-21