Hearing God’s Voice, Faith, & Entitlement - Bill Johnson Sermon | Bethel Church

I go into a situation I think I know exactly what he wants to do and I can give you the chapter I can give you the verse whe this is what he wants on Earth as it is in heaven and I don't bother asking him for his voice in that situation and I start praying all the right stuff what am I doing I've moved into entitlement out of faith into entitlement these things are supposed to happen because I now know the formula no I got to go first and hear the voice [Applause] all right hello

hello probably have it on I have this habit of leaving it on my back and then wondering why there's no sound cheap Mike of course if my mouth was on the back of my head then it would work but it be kind of gross huh oh well I saw this little a while back it said said something like it's an injustice for those who recognize coffee as a medicinal element to have to stand in line behind people who considered a recreational [Laughter] activity that just sounded like a Discerning word to me I like this one

it said this morning I drink water because it's healthy warmed up and poured over coffee grounds in a mug this is coffee morning a yawn is a silent scream for coffee that made sense right I like that well I just uh got back on Friday from uh man it seemed like a world tour in uh Korea Japan Taiwan and China and uh it uh I I I don't want to take up the time to talk about it now maybe another time but uh there's just wonderful things going on all over the world I appreciate the

video we just watched I I love I love to see people who are just not impressed with the Devil that's what I like to see just not impressed with the stories of how dark it is and just take the gospel into these places and watch Jesus do what only Jesus can do and so encouraging that video just shouts that message to us and I spent some time uh um in communist China and uh it was just very wonderful to be there see what our brothers and sisters are doing there and the favor that's given to

them and the changes that are going on my goodness encouraged encouraged in Japan to have not only uh Pentecostals and charismatic come out and to just a packed out event but also Evangelical leaders some of the key leaders were there U just because there's this hunger and a recognition for the kingdom and it's not it's not about what side of the river you live on it's about the fact that we're all one nation and paying attention to what Jesus is doing anyway it was a great trip um take your Bibles open to the Book of

James chapter one and um I uh I'm just going to kind of externally process with you about um about this this thing called Faith here's what I've not let me just tell you what I've noticed and what I'm going to speak to I've noticed I've noticed that Faith unchecked becomes entitlement if you could picture any work that God does in our life is a plant and Jesus Illustrated this profoundly in John 15 and he said every branch that bears fruit he prunes so the concept is is that pruning follows growth growth is a response of

grace to the person who has obeyed so pruning is never punishment pruning is always positioning us for greater increase greater manifestation of purpose greater demonstration of who God is in us and through us God is much more concerned about what he's building in us than what he builds through us so this Grace work that God is doing in US is always needs refinement always needs refinement always needs pruning so that it doesn't lead us to entitlement and what happens is the definition of Hope For example excuse me hope is is literally translated the joyful anticipation

of good that's what the Biblical word hope means so anytime you find people growing in Hope what happens is you start to get breakthrough hope becomes the birthplace of faith and you find breakthroughs happening and what happens as we start seeing what God has promised us in Scripture and if we're not careful we move from faith into entitlement because we start thinking that we actually have a role and bringing about our own destiny instead of it being the working of God's grace uh hopefully this makes sense by the time we get to the end all

right the salvation for us of the thing that keeps us in check or keeps us where we remain healthy is being poor in spirit poor in spirit is the key to maintaining Health as you become blessed very few people through history can manage a life of increase in blessing what happens is when people move into blessing they end up sabotaging their own M maturity because they can't handle the increase why because increase leads to entitlement and the only thing to keep us safe in progressing from glory to glory is a Bishop Garlington tells us we

go from glory to glory but it's hell in the hallway so it's glory to glory the the whole the whole word that the Lord has for us is not to turn us into introspective people how many of you have ever gone Inward and came out encouraged yeah it never has never happened in the history of man you know nobody comes out going the world is waiting for me you know you don't you don't have these encounters you know like the Apostle Paul when Jesus knocks him off his donkey and he gets this revelation of his

purpose in life he doesn't strut you know saying wait till you read the books I'm about to write uh there something else happens in the encounter is you discover that everything is by grace everything is by Grace here's the deal a 100 million years from now it will still be by grace not by your performance see Revival doesn't happen because we make something happen Revival happens because we step into the momentum of something God has already declared he declared and I will pour out my spirit on All Flesh it's the momentum of his voice and

what happens is anytime in church history people step into the momentum of what he has said then things happen and to have the idea that we bring things about is really an exaggeration he won't do it without us but we can't do it without him it's entirely Grace there'll never be a time in all of our existence all throughout eternity there will never be a time where things happen because of us it will always be because of Grace it's that profound in fact in Ephesians 2 it says in the ages to come we will see

the surpassing riches and greatness of his grace it will take the ages to come to unravel what we've only scratched the surface of the only thing that can keep us in that tension where we continuously advance in the things of God is to remain poor and spirit poor in spirit is not self-criticism that's just stupid because you're partnering with the Devil he's the Accuser so porn spirit is not that porn spirit is maintaining the perspective that he gives me credit for what he does through me it's maintaining the perspective that everything that's done in and

through me is done as a gift of God's grace all right so I lay hands on somebody and I have this great gift of faith and a miracle happens and their blind eyes open where did the faith come from came from him was a gift from him I got to partner with him this privilege and the honor of being a redeemed one but it didn't originate with me it's not a part of my purpose and plan I've adopted his so it is now mine but nothing originated with me it all originated with him so as

a result of that staying mindful of our potential sinfulness I don't think breeds proper humility but staying mindful of our need for continuous Grace keeps us poor in spirit here's one of the things that that uh that baffles me throughout scripture and and we'll read we'll read a story in a moment is how often God gives his best to the least deserving you you would think something as Grand as the resurrection of Jesus he would first appear to the faithful 11 remaining that's not what happened his first appearance was to Mary Magdalene the one out

of whom he cast seven demons here here's the deal when Jesus was born of a virgin the first one to touch him was the Virgin Mary when Jesus was resurrected from the dead which biblically is also called a birth first born from the dead the first one to touch him was Mary [Laughter] Magdalene first one to touch him after his natural birth was the Virgin Mary what was happening in this season is the Fulfillment of the law under the law you you are affected by what by the evil around you and so everything is to

remain clean you touch a leper you become unclean it's that entire season Jesus comes along and the first one to hold or to touch him if you will is the Virgin Mary but after his resurrection which is a birth the first one to touch him is Mary Magdalene out of whom was cast seven demons why because the message has shifted from contamination by whatever touches you to the power of righteousness that now touches you to change you and so the illustration I use often Old Testament you touch a leper you become unclean Jesus now touches

a leper the leper becomes clean so there's a reversal in the effect of things fact we're going to read a story in a moment where it says uh the woman at the well uh she Jesus says he who comes to me in drink come to me and drinks out of his innermost being will flow rivers of Living Water in fact he says the drink will become a fountain just follow this with me what you touches changes the nature of who you are a drink becomes a river Old Testament contaminated by anything dark or evil New

Testament you're transformed by anything righteous that touches you all right let's uh let's do James James 1 verse uh two my brethren count it all joy uh do the math count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience that patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing let's read it again my brethren count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience let patience have its perfect work that you may be

perfect and complete lacking nothing count it all joy how can he say count it all joy because he's describing the outcome lacking in nothing we pray for so many things for God to fill our life with this anointing this breakthrough and this favor and these open doors and he's saying that's exactly what I'm doing that's why you can get excited when you're facing a problem because it's the shortcut to lacking in nothing it's the only way you can be trusted with lacking in nothing I don't believe that the Lord arranged is negative problems to shape

my life but he planted Us by Nature into a world that we were to redefine that's why I put Adam and Eve in a garden where the devil already existed on the planet because their assignment was to Infiltrate The System until there was a transformation of the entire planet delegated ones representing God extending his government we still have that mandate and the responsibility is to take this Yi yielded that we enjoy to the Holy Spirit himself to God himself this yielded that we enjoy through that to extend the boundaries of his kingdom until this world

is shaped and looks like that one there's no problems there there's not to be problems here but God uses them for our benefit I don't believe he orchestrates them but he uses them he's able to maneuver and to position us so that we end up going through that trial and come out at the end being qualified to lacking nothing discipline is never punishment it's the reward for being fruitfulness for being fruitful discipline is not punishment now honestly this requires a shift in perspective because here here's what happens is you get breakthrough you get this answer

to prayer you get this answer to prayer and then you pray and nothing happens why hasn't God answered me why has he been deaf to me why why is he ignoring my prayer what's happening entitlement is creeping into the heart that thinks it has a right to anything outside of Grace and what happens is the Lord is allowing the delay in the Breakthrough to refine our hearts so that we remember remain poor in spirit why what happens what what do you receive if you're merciful what does it say blessed are the merciful they shall receive

Mercy all right what do you get when you're pour in spirit the whole Kingdom blessed are the poing spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven what's the point po spirit is access to every breakthrough Po in spirit is what enables us to experience breakthrough through without it leading us to entitlement without poing spirit I will adopt an entitlement mentality on why I think certain things are owed to me I prayed I fasted I did this I confessed I did everything I know to do there's still not breakthrough I've looked there's no sin in my

life I've got my relationships right it's just not right what's happening it's entitlement until entitlement dies blessing will kill me once he takes me through that knot hole we entitlements left on the other side of the door and I make it through that what happens is I'm positioned for him to give me what he wanted to give me all along that's the very thing I prayed for he doesn't withhold out of punishment he withholds because he doesn't want the increase to kill me countered all joy do the math if looking at a problem a difficulty

a challenge to our faith doesn't release Joy then I don't see it correctly if I look at a problem a challenge to my faith and it honestly does not release Joy then I don't see it right I don't see it I don't see it through the lenses of Divine Purpose what's the intention for the problem on the other side I lack nothing I I lack nothing you know let's let's let's be silly for a moment our let's say all of our goal is to save $10,000 so we restrict lifestyle we do this we do that

we save we we go through self-imposed restriction why because we see the end result we want to end up with $10,000 okay silly illustration but follow me self-imposed a restriction why well we're counting it all joy it's a privilege for us because we can see it's increasing it's mounting we're all we're soon going to have the amount of money that we're trying to save all right and the things of the spirit is the exact same we've cried out for the anointing where every Cancer case is healed so so what happens you pray for your friend

and they die of cancer is that punishment for you no is it scolding you no it's a part of the trial to get us position for the anointing for the the the lifestyle that can hold the anointing that we've asked for he's grooming us he's grooming us outside of entitlement into true faith that stays authentic faith and doesn't cross-pollinate with entitlement all right count it all joy do the math if you don't come out if you look at your problem and you start adding it up and the answer isn't joy we got to redo the

math that's you got you got the wrong numbers in there all right John chapter 4 wives if you see your husband not rejoicing when he's facing a difficulty just tell him to do the math husbands if you see your wife not rejoicing facing a problem I'm not giving you any advice whatsoever um I'm not [Music] stupid you're on your own that's all I can say you're on your own I saw this this has nothing to do with anything except I thought it was so funny I saw a sign that said I'd take a bullet for

you not in the head but like maybe in the leg or something [Applause] oh I think that's F all right that's John 4 John 4 John 4 John 4 all right verse 7 of John 4 a woman of Samaria came to draw water Jesus said to her give me a drink his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food then the woman of Samaria said to him how is it that you being a Jew ask a drink for me a Samaritan woman Jews have no dealings with Samaritans Jesus answered and said to her

if you knew the gift of God who it was who says to you give me a drink you would asked him he would have given you living water verse 13 Jesus answered her and said whoever drinks of this water will thirst again whoever drinks of the water that I give him will never thirst but the water that I give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into to everlasting life verse 16 go call your husband the woman answered and said I have no husband Jesus said you've well said I have no

husband because you've had five and the one you're living with Now isn't your husband you told me the truth she said I perceive your a prophet yeah verse 21 verse 21 Jesus said woman believe me the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem worship the father you worship what you do not know we worship we know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews the hour is coming and now is when true worshippers will worship the father in spirit and in truth for the father seeks such to worship

Him jump down to verse 39 many of the Samaritans of that City believed in him because of the word of the woman who testified he told me all that I ever did but when the Samaritans had come to him they urged him to stay with them he stayed two more days and many more believed because of his word all right here's one of those situations where an undeserving person gets the best I personally believe what Jesus gives here in John 4 about worship is the greatest Revelation in the Bible on the subject of worship the

father seeks for worshippers not worship those who worship Worship in spirit and in truth in truth is nothing hidden in spirit means it's an engagement with the spirit of God who enables us to become true authentic worshippers it's so clearest Revelation I believe greatest in the Bible why would the greatest Revelation in the Bible be given to a Samaritan woman first of all I remind you Jesus had given instruction to his disciples to not take their Ministry to the Gentiles to the Samaritans the reason is this message by Jesus during his ministry was to be

given to the Jews first in their Rejection it would be taken to the Gentiles the father gave that to Jesus Jesus passed it on to his disciples that's why in this story the disciples are shocked that Jesus has an ongoing conversation with this Samaritan woman number one she's a Samaritan number two he's a man speaking with a woman in this culture at this time that was that was not acceptable and so Jesus in this opportunity senses what the father is doing outside of the original plan it's important for us to catch this little detour is

it the scripture tell Jesus told us I only do what I see my father do well do you remember when he ministered to the S Phoenician woman the woman who said please heal my daughter Jesus said I can't give the children's bread to to dogs highly offensive statement but Jesus doesn't mind highlighting hurdles that are between us and a miracle and unless we get over a fence we can't enter into the realm of the kingdom and obtain the miracle that we've asked for it's not punishment it's reality yeah it's glory to glory hell in the

hallway that's what it is all right so he says to the syop phenician woman I can't give the children's bread to dogs I can't give what belongs to the Jews to those who are not Jews why that period doesn't end till the death and Resurrection all right are you alive all right so what does he do the woman says well even the children's bread uh even the dogs get the crumbs from the table Jesus recognizes in her faith knowing he has a responsibility to only do what the father's doing and he sees faith in her

so he instinctively knows that faith can only come from the father so this faith in her is the work of the father that's how he knows what the father's doing sometimes we know what the father's doing because he directs us but sometimes it's because we observe where he's working sometimes he doesn't give it directly to us sometimes we actually have to follow what he's doing right and so in this case he's talking to this Samaritan woman and he gives her this unqualified lady the greatest Revelation on worship she runs and tells her city the whole

city shows up and begs him to stay two more days this is such a profound moment because this is something that he had no plans on doing because he was forbidden to minister among the Samaritans but when he saw Grace operating there even though it was out of season he changed the season this this to me reveals the profound nature of hunger Hunger is able to pull into our day something that was reserved for another day it's able to pull into our season something that have maybe was originally appointed for a different season God God's

clock is affected by Passion by hunger those who give up and say well evil is just consuming then guess what evil consumes because those who were put in the position to hold up the righteous flag and to set a standard saying you know uh Darkness will not uh Advance any F farther than this we put that stake in the ground we say we're taking territory those that have that responsibility give up and in the absence of righteous advancement the enemy of always is going to advance his purposes but it's never the purpose and will of

God we were born into a war because the nature of our life is to have a warrior-like effect on our surroundings I at the psalm I I read the to start the service today Psalms 9 in the passion says something to this effect when God shows up I worship and as I worship the enemy's Fleet I always get this picture of just enjoying the peace of God the presence of God he goes out thrashes on the devil and he comes back and calls me a brave Warrior and I'm thinking well when was I in a

fight I was just loving on you Jesus and that's the whole point is that is war in the Kingdom in war in the Kingdom so here we've got this challenge before us the challenge is when we're facing well here let me take this week this week it's fresh on my mind with uh what my daughter Leah just went through and my mom the first thing I do in a crisis like this the absolute first thing I do is I look to the word I've got to find a word from God I've I've got to have

a word so much of what happens or doesn't happen happens because of what we've done with this so much of what happens or doesn't happen happens because of what we've done with this we what we've done with what he says he formed the worlds with his voice with his word faith itself is created through his voice his word is what summons us into life everything about our life in God is connected to his voice and when I'm facing situ situation that's uh challenging or or inviting doesn't matter the first thing I do is I I

I open the Bible say I I'll go to a familiar passage I I don't want to quote it I want to see it because I want to see it I want to say it because I want to hear it and I want to believe it and I grab hold of that verse and I begin to pray from there I've I've got to war according to the promises given to me I've got to hear his voice again I've got to know what is he saying in this situation because what can happen is if I don't hear

from him I can assume I know what he wants and I can even show you scripture I know what he wants to do this is what he wants to do because I can show you a verse um it's just better if you hear him say it it's it just doesn't I get into trouble when I assume I know I go I I it happens to me all the time I wish it didn't I go into a situation I think I know exactly what he wants to do and I can give you the chapter I can

give you the verse this is what he wants on Earth as it is in heaven and I don't bother asking him for his voice in that situation and I start praying all the right stuff what am I doing I've moved into entitlement out of faith into entitlement these things are supposed to happen because I now know the formula and while I would never say that in the middle of it at the end I look back and I go ah I did it again I did it again I made the Assumption because I know this about

God what he wants to do that I know what he wants to do no I got to go first and hear the voice once I've heard the voice now I'm invited on a journey I can no longer stay where I am I'm invited into a journey of what of going through the knole going through that trial through that difficulty so that I end up lacking nothing I I want to get on the other side of this challenge because right on the other side is the kingdom Jesus said unless you go through tribulation unless you face

trial and walk through that trial you can't enter the Kingdom so the point is picture a veil a curtain and that curtain is offense or that curtain is difficulty it may be as intense as persecution it may be as simple as slander it may be any one of those kinds of things those oppositions that we face in life and we Face these things if you turn and get get offended you turn you move into entitlement you you don't get the Breakthrough but when you go through that by what God has said and you go through

that word through that trial you come into a place that's called Kingdom and that's where you've left the part of you that is inclined to move in entitlement you lift on on the other side and now you're standing in a place where you can legally be entrusted with lacking in nothing did that make sense I hope so rewind it if it didn't it it it made sense up here and so you come into this place now what do I do I've got this word I've got this at least a conviction of what God wants to

do in this trial this problem this challenge this whatever is in front of me now what do I do I've got to find out what he wants me to do because on one hand he has this word that says stand still see the salvation of the Lord which I will accomplish for you today some of our breakthroughs have to be brought to to us as children receiving an inheritance it's not dependent on what we do other breakthroughs are entirely dependent on what we do here it's oh minute 35 awesome all right unless you receive the

kingdom as a child you will not enter it what is this it's position of inheritance your breakthrough your increase comes as a gift brought to you what is this one Matthew 11 the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force so here we have two ways to advance in the kingdom and you can't you can't do them both at the same time you you get a whiplash you hurt yourself you lose body parts so this one is the violent Act of Faith Faith is violent in the Kingdom so this one requires

obedience to what he says to do strike the you know strike the rock you know uh speak to the water you know throw the salt in the water all these different things throughout scripture uh take the tree branch throw it in the water it heals the waters there's a prophetic act that releases the Breakthrough and so this one is the violent response of Faith this one is I am resting in who he said I am and he's going to bring me the Breakthrough as an act of me receiving inheritance so both of these Realms are

accesses to breakthrough but here's my problem I want to do whatever I did last because it worked right I fasted three days I did this I stood up and I declared on the mountain I went to the boundaries of the city I stood there and I prophesied God's intent and I stood here this violent Act of Faith and when three hours we got the Breakthrough let's do that again the key is fasting 3 days then shouting that's the key to all breakthroughs from this point on bless God and then there's the time he just says

stand still this one's on me this this one this one if I give it to you through your Warfare you'll move into entitlement but if I give it to you as a son that didn't work for it's entirely by Grace it will keep you connected to PO in spirit which will enable me to to entrust you with everything you need all right that's close enough let's stand by the way Randy Clark's going to be here this week do not miss this please anytime we have a gift like this brought to our city I want to

make sure that we take full advantage of the anointing that he's bringing you know what I'd like to see a massive massive healing Revival [Applause] released Exodus 14 the Lord excuse me Moses stood before Israel and he said stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which he will accomplish for you today the very next verse God speaks to Moses why are you crying out to me so what does that tell us he did after he prophesied he prophesied stand still and he's going oh God oh God oh God oh God and God says

why are you crying out to me tell the children of Israel to go forward I don't know if you know notice this but there's little difference between standing still and going forward sometimes you stand to get your breakthrough sometimes you go forward come on and the only way to know is by knowing the voice I don't know any other way to do this but to go over this word prayerfully meditate it quote it pray it sing it get in my heart and mind a picture of the absolute best that God has for me and that

is lacking in nothing that's why I can add it all up and say all right this works for me I believe that the Lord brings people like Randy here this week not only for us to see breakthrough in our city Jesus we need breakthrough in our city we need breakthrough in our city but breakthrough in us the Lord wants to impart more and so I I just pray that that we can come together this week and see the more so father release the grace the grace for the more the grace for the increase and help

us to have the wisdom to be able to do the math do the math and get happy ahead of time yeah Isaiah says shout for Joy Barren one you who have borne no child cry aloud you who have not travailed because the sons of the desolate woman will become more numerous than the sons of the married woman it's getting happy ahead of time getting happy ahead of time prepares us for dramatic increase I pray that all across this city one more thing get ready to disciple people I feel like the a massive massive Harvest is

starting and we've got to be ready don't send them to a class or classes we work hard to make sure we take care of people but the answer isn't a class the answer is you loving someone into the Kingdom so let's have Ministry team come to the front real quick and if you'd hold your places it really does help us and Ben uh will tell you what to do ministry team come on down