Discovering God's Sovereign Theme in Your Life

[00:00:00] For the purpose of today, when I speak about your preaching voice, it means the honest, undoctored expression of who you are and then how that comes through our Bible teaching and our preaching.

[00:00:19] Hey, welcome to the Expositors Collective Podcast, episode 352. I'm your host, Mike Neglia.

[00:00:26] And the voice that you just heard is also the voice of Mike Neglia.

[00:00:32] This was the final session of our Temecula Expositors Collective Preacher Training event that was recorded back in August of 2023.

[00:00:47] Many of the episodes that we've released from that event are a little bit more like academic or kind of skill-based modules.

[00:00:57] But this episode really, it's kind of about speaking from the heart.

[00:01:02] And in the recording, you know, I'll be talking about how to find your own authentic preaching voice, which is not by perfecting techniques, but it's by embracing the unique way that God has shaped you as a person, as a Christian.

[00:01:19] And then out of that, we're able to speak from our heart to the hearts of those that we're serving.

[00:01:25] So I hope that this is an encouraging message.

[00:01:30] I want it to be.

[00:01:32] And I hope that it can help people to be released from maybe burdens of trying to sound like or be like somebody else.

[00:01:43] If you follow Expositors Collective on Twitter or X, a couple of weeks ago, things kind of blew up over there as everyone was chiming in on their opinions about how to find your own voice or what are the wrong ways and the right ways to find your own voice.

[00:02:00] And so I thought it'd be worth it to release this episode as kind of a longer form conversation about finding your own voice, realizing God's sovereign theme in your life, moving from imitation into kind of an authentic expression of who God made you to be and then who God is working with you to present to the world.

[00:02:25] So without further ado, here's this recording on finding your own voice or identifying God's sovereign themes in your life.

[00:02:41] So it happens every time I ever speak at a church in America.

[00:02:50] Whenever I am visiting, whether it's this church, Reliance Church or any of the other churches that I get a chance to visit or have a relationship with in the U.S.,

[00:03:03] I am always introduced as the visiting pastor from Ireland is going to come up and Pastor Mike from Cork, Ireland is going to share the word of God with you today.

[00:03:16] And then I come up behind the pulpit and then I say in my strong American accent, hi guys.

[00:03:26] And I instantly disappoint every single person in the room.

[00:03:32] As soon as I open my mouth and speak, I have let people down already.

[00:03:39] Because the reason why is because my voice reveals something about me instantly.

[00:03:46] And the voice that I have, well, it shows people that although I have lived in Ireland for half of my life,

[00:03:55] I am originally from just over the hill in a town called Fallbrook.

[00:04:01] And I am just another boring preacher from Southern California instead of an exotic traveler,

[00:04:08] an exotic Irish person to share wisdom with God's word.

[00:04:12] So my voice reveals something about me.

[00:04:15] And it's true when I'm in the U.S.

[00:04:17] And of course, it's true when I'm back home in Ireland.

[00:04:21] Every interaction that I have with anybody, as soon as I speak, it's, oh, so you're not from around here, are you?

[00:04:29] And this is true for different regions of the U.S. as you travel.

[00:04:33] And of course, any international travel.

[00:04:35] As soon as you speak, your voice reveals something about you.

[00:04:38] In the context of preaching, we also have a voice.

[00:04:44] And this session is entitled Finding Your Own Voice.

[00:04:49] And what I'm not here to talk to you about, I'm not here to talk to you about proper microphone technique

[00:04:55] or voice modulation or the right volume or the use of pauses or speaking too fast or too slow.

[00:05:04] In fact, I want to talk to you about the big picture, the idea that goes beyond our regional dialects or our accents.

[00:05:14] For the purpose of today, when I speak about your preaching voice, it means the honest, undoctored expression of who you are

[00:05:25] and then how that comes through our Bible teaching and our preaching.

[00:05:32] Because your voice, it is a mixture of human and divine.

[00:05:41] If you have read anything in the literature of Bible study or Bible teaching and preaching,

[00:05:49] you've probably come across this quote from Philip Brooks or some variation thereof.

[00:05:56] He says that preaching is divine truth through human personality.

[00:06:04] As far as I know, I think Philip Brooks was the first person to say that.

[00:06:08] But so many others have put their unique tweak or slant on it.

[00:06:14] So your voice, yourself, well, there's a human aspect to that.

[00:06:20] And also there's a divine aspect to that.

[00:06:24] It's human because your voice, like who you are, well, it's shaped by so many things.

[00:06:31] It is shaped by your family of origin.

[00:06:36] It is shaped by if your parents told you they loved you enough or not.

[00:06:43] There's all kinds of things that are outside of our control.

[00:06:47] Whether we were bullied in junior high or not.

[00:06:51] Whether we were abused as a child.

[00:06:55] Whether we had the incredible blessing of having Danny Ramos as your youth leader.

[00:07:02] There's these things that are humanly shaping who we are.

[00:07:07] But of course, in regards to our voice in preaching, it's divine.

[00:07:14] And it's divine in two different ways.

[00:07:17] Like first, let me be clear in saying this.

[00:07:19] The reason why our voice in preaching is divine is because the content of what we're expounding is divine.

[00:07:26] Our preaching is from the pages of a book from heaven which is given down to us here below.

[00:07:33] You're not a content creator.

[00:07:35] You're a proclaimer of a predetermined message.

[00:07:41] And so because of that, your preaching voice can also be said to be divine.

[00:07:45] And then additionally, another layer upon that is because your life or your birthplace

[00:07:53] and the time in which you were born, that's not up to you.

[00:07:56] Who decides that?

[00:07:58] According to Acts 17.26, it says that he made from one man every nation of mankind

[00:08:04] to live on the face of the earth, having determined the allotted periods

[00:08:09] and the boundaries of their dwelling place.

[00:08:12] So there's shaping influences that happen because you were born in a certain time in a certain place

[00:08:19] and God chose that all of us would be alive at the same moment at the same time.

[00:08:25] Hey, Alan, could you pass me that booklet, actually?

[00:08:28] This is not like a... I actually forgot to bring it up here.

[00:08:30] It's not like a clever...

[00:08:31] And just like how Alan brings me this, so too we bring...

[00:08:37] When I talk about finding our own voice,

[00:08:40] allow me to really just kind of quote a paragraph from this.

[00:08:44] On page 43, the Bible is the grand narrative of human history and salvation.

[00:08:50] The Bible...

[00:08:52] This grand narrative is filled with many sub-narratives

[00:08:55] that tell the stories of regular people with real struggles, failures, and sins,

[00:08:59] as well as their successes, joys, and aspirations.

[00:09:03] You have a story.

[00:09:04] There's only one you.

[00:09:06] God has crafted, designed, and called you to the ministry of preaching

[00:09:09] his glorious gospel.

[00:09:10] And it's vital that you get comfortable in your own skin.

[00:09:15] The story is just that.

[00:09:16] It is yours.

[00:09:18] When the simple truth is owned,

[00:09:20] something causes your story to have incredible power.

[00:09:22] You are a living witness of the power and ability of Jesus to transform a life.

[00:09:28] Your unique perspective sheds light on the glory of Jesus

[00:09:31] in a way that other people need to hear.

[00:09:35] And then it goes on to speak more about how we develop our own voice.

[00:09:40] And I'm going to talk a little bit about that.

[00:09:43] As we discover our own voice,

[00:09:45] as we learn who we are as a Bible teacher or as a preacher, an expositor,

[00:09:51] well, the journey in that, it's always going to start in the same way.

[00:09:55] It always is going to begin with and prominently feature imitation

[00:10:01] in the early stages of teaching and preaching.

[00:10:05] And hopefully, Lord willing, it's going to end with confidence,

[00:10:11] with being comfortable in your own skin

[00:10:15] and bestowing on others the unique gift of your unrepeatable life

[00:10:23] and stewarding the grace of God that has been given to you,

[00:10:28] that has upheld you through struggles and triumphs and challenges

[00:10:32] and valleys and mountaintops.

[00:10:34] And we have a certain sense of authority,

[00:10:38] even calmness that comes as we develop our own voice.

[00:10:43] Some of you are listening to me talk and you're thinking,

[00:10:46] there is nothing more nerve wracking than standing in front of strangers.

[00:10:50] How dare you talk about having a calmness that comes up when this takes place?

[00:10:56] Some of you are thinking,

[00:10:57] man, I was nervous talking to four people earlier on.

[00:11:01] How is this going to come?

[00:11:02] Well, it's going to come with a,

[00:11:04] John Calvin says that there's two knowledges that matter,

[00:11:08] knowledge of God and knowledge of self, which is crazy.

[00:11:11] Like John Calvin doesn't seem like the most kind of like Enneagram type of guy.

[00:11:16] You know, you really got to know your own heart and your,

[00:11:18] but he is, that's called a tangent.

[00:11:22] You should not do them.

[00:11:23] A little, a little, a little.

[00:11:25] Let's talk about the positives of imitation.

[00:11:29] All of our lives, all of our aspects,

[00:11:31] our preaching ministry is one of them and so many others.

[00:11:34] It begins by copying other people.

[00:11:37] This is a natural part of child development.

[00:11:41] This is a natural part of any sort of vocational training and apprentice.

[00:11:46] And even as we're learning to preach

[00:11:49] or begin to put work into improving our preaching and Bible teaching,

[00:11:54] we're going to involve copying what some people do.

[00:11:59] I've got three kids.

[00:12:00] I've got Finn, who's five.

[00:12:03] I've got Rosie, who is eight.

[00:12:04] And Owen, who's 17.

[00:12:06] These days, I am working really hard,

[00:12:11] unsuccessfully, to teach one of my sons how to tie his shoes.

[00:12:16] He does not need an explanation from me.

[00:12:20] He doesn't need a diagram or a slideshow

[00:12:24] to properly understand how to tie his shoes.

[00:12:28] He needs to see me do it, and he needs to copy me.

[00:12:33] And this is a process that continues on nearly every morning

[00:12:37] before we walk to school.

[00:12:39] And then it often ends with, nope, try again.

[00:12:43] Let's try again.

[00:12:44] Watch me carefully this time, and soon you'll learn how to do this.

[00:12:48] You see, God has designed this world in such a way

[00:12:51] that apprentices learn from masters,

[00:12:55] and disciples learn from rabbis,

[00:12:58] and children learn from their parents,

[00:13:01] and that young and new Bible teachers

[00:13:04] are influenced and shaped by the preachers that they listen to

[00:13:09] and the mentors that they have.

[00:13:11] So there's positives of imitation.

[00:13:15] But you know I'm going to say this.

[00:13:17] There also are negatives to it as well.

[00:13:21] So the negatives that come with imitation,

[00:13:25] really, it goes all the way across the spectrum.

[00:13:28] On the one hand, there is obviously sinful plagiarism,

[00:13:34] where you just steal someone else's content

[00:13:37] and their persona,

[00:13:40] not just how they say it,

[00:13:42] but not just what they say,

[00:13:43] but how they say it.

[00:13:44] But then also on the other end of the spectrum,

[00:13:47] here's another negative that comes from imitation.

[00:13:51] Really, it comes to limiting the impact

[00:13:53] that we can have on our hearers,

[00:13:57] on our congregation,

[00:13:59] on the people that we're trying to help and to teach.

[00:14:02] We believe a lie that God only uses certain types of people,

[00:14:08] and I'm just not that guy.

[00:14:11] And so I know what I'll do.

[00:14:13] I'll pretend that I'm a different sort of person.

[00:14:16] The man God uses is like this,

[00:14:20] and so I'll just act that.

[00:14:22] I'll fake it until I make it.

[00:14:26] Maybe some of us deep down,

[00:14:27] theologically, we believe that God can use any person,

[00:14:31] but practically, we have a hard time believing

[00:14:34] that God can use us the way that we are.

[00:14:37] We might say that in a counseling conversation with somebody.

[00:14:41] Hey man, God can use you.

[00:14:43] But the question is,

[00:14:44] do you believe that God can use you?

[00:14:46] The real, authentic you.

[00:14:49] God has called you to be a prophetic voice,

[00:14:54] and don't settle for being a plagiarizer,

[00:14:58] a paraphraser, or a parrot,

[00:15:01] but be that prophetic voice that he's called you to be.

[00:15:05] One of the distinctions about Jesus' teaching and preaching

[00:15:08] was that he spoke with authority,

[00:15:11] not as the scribes.

[00:15:14] Now, of course, there's a difference

[00:15:15] between our teaching ministry

[00:15:17] and Jesus' teaching ministry.

[00:15:19] Am I right?

[00:15:20] Like, he spoke with authority

[00:15:21] because he is like the author

[00:15:24] and the subject of the book.

[00:15:27] But at the same time, too,

[00:15:28] I would hope that we could have

[00:15:29] a little bit of confidence,

[00:15:31] and we're not constantly saying,

[00:15:33] well, I read here this,

[00:15:34] or I think that.

[00:15:36] We can have confidence.

[00:15:38] Here's some of the ways that we can grow

[00:15:39] in finding our own voice

[00:15:41] and leaning into that

[00:15:43] and speaking as one who has authority,

[00:15:47] knowing ourselves,

[00:15:49] knowing God's word,

[00:15:50] and then sharing that openly and honestly

[00:15:53] as an act of love to help his people.

[00:15:56] You can ask yourself some questions.

[00:15:59] Who are you?

[00:16:00] And what is your unique contribution to the world?

[00:16:05] What are the sort of things that make you, you?

[00:16:11] It's kind of a work of, like,

[00:16:13] self-auditing that is needed

[00:16:16] and some self-awareness in this process.

[00:16:21] You'll notice that almost everything

[00:16:23] that we've done thus far

[00:16:24] on these two very intense days,

[00:16:26] a lot of it has been about

[00:16:28] looking deep into God's word

[00:16:31] and absolutely yes and amen.

[00:16:34] That's right.

[00:16:35] And as a preacher,

[00:16:36] we want to also look at ourselves a little bit.

[00:16:40] I know there's a spread of teenagers

[00:16:43] to grandparents in this room.

[00:16:46] And I want to say,

[00:16:47] you grandparents,

[00:16:48] you have such an advantage

[00:16:49] over those of us who aren't

[00:16:51] because you've lived with yourself

[00:16:53] longer than we have.

[00:16:54] You know a thing or two about yourself

[00:16:57] as you've lived in your own skin

[00:16:59] and in your own body

[00:17:01] and with your own experience.

[00:17:03] You're a bit more in touch,

[00:17:05] potentially, than some of us.

[00:17:07] But in this room,

[00:17:09] there is a collection

[00:17:10] of spiritual gifts that are present.

[00:17:15] There's also anointings and callings.

[00:17:19] There's also what some authors

[00:17:21] have called a sovereign theme

[00:17:24] in your life.

[00:17:27] What is,

[00:17:28] what's a sovereign theme?

[00:17:31] Well,

[00:17:31] it's what,

[00:17:32] one author talks about how

[00:17:34] it's just like,

[00:17:34] it's the sort of things

[00:17:35] that God has imprinted

[00:17:37] into your heart.

[00:17:39] Or there's events

[00:17:41] that have taken place

[00:17:42] like in your life

[00:17:44] that has changed the way

[00:17:48] that you relate to the world.

[00:17:50] Or there's burdens

[00:17:51] that you have

[00:17:52] for certain types of people

[00:17:54] or certain genres of suffering.

[00:17:57] And that is a sovereign theme

[00:17:59] in your life.

[00:18:01] And usually,

[00:18:03] a sovereign theme in your life

[00:18:06] is often accompanied

[00:18:07] with an area of anointing.

[00:18:10] God has highlighted something to you.

[00:18:14] My sister, my brother,

[00:18:15] God's highlighted things to you.

[00:18:17] And also,

[00:18:18] he's like enabled you

[00:18:19] to be a force of good

[00:18:21] in that area.

[00:18:22] It's usually something

[00:18:23] that's worked deeply

[00:18:25] into your heart.

[00:18:26] And then that comes out

[00:18:28] through our teaching.

[00:18:30] And there's a,

[00:18:30] and when it does,

[00:18:32] there's a degree of like

[00:18:33] self-authenticating authority

[00:18:36] that comes from it.

[00:18:38] When we talk about certain topics

[00:18:41] that are close to us,

[00:18:43] there's like a hush

[00:18:45] that comes over the room.

[00:18:47] Maybe you've experienced it.

[00:18:49] Maybe you haven't.

[00:18:49] But like,

[00:18:51] people stop clearing their throats.

[00:18:53] People stop shuffling

[00:18:55] in their seats.

[00:18:57] The notifications

[00:18:58] are silenced on the phones.

[00:19:00] People lean in

[00:19:01] because they're realizing

[00:19:02] you're not just talking

[00:19:04] about something

[00:19:04] that you read in a commentary

[00:19:05] a few days ago

[00:19:06] and you're refreshing it

[00:19:08] or you're regurgitating it,

[00:19:09] but you're speaking

[00:19:10] about something

[00:19:11] that's so deep in your heart

[00:19:13] that's been worked in.

[00:19:14] And so as the Bible addresses it,

[00:19:16] you're able to explain it

[00:19:18] as one who has been

[00:19:20] deeply impacted

[00:19:21] and has lived with this

[00:19:22] and you speak

[00:19:24] and people listen to it.

[00:19:26] There's a holy hush

[00:19:28] that comes on that room.

[00:19:29] In that moment,

[00:19:31] you're like,

[00:19:31] you're truly parental

[00:19:33] as we speak

[00:19:35] to our congregations

[00:19:36] or to our audience

[00:19:37] or to our women's Bible study.

[00:19:38] We're actually parenting them

[00:19:40] saying,

[00:19:41] I want you to know this

[00:19:42] because this has really helped me.

[00:19:46] It's authoritative,

[00:19:47] not because you're yelling

[00:19:48] and slamming your hands

[00:19:50] on the pulpit,

[00:19:51] not because you're slamming doors

[00:19:52] or shouting or roaring,

[00:19:54] but you're saying,

[00:19:55] this is real

[00:19:55] and if you would just see

[00:19:57] what I've seen,

[00:19:58] if you can just experience

[00:19:59] this as I have,

[00:20:00] I want to help you.

[00:20:02] That feels a bit like

[00:20:03] maybe you're walking

[00:20:04] in that sovereign theme

[00:20:05] or there's that anointing

[00:20:07] that God has for you

[00:20:08] and you're leaning into it.

[00:20:10] In my life,

[00:20:12] and all I can talk about

[00:20:13] is my life,

[00:20:14] you know,

[00:20:15] that's the whole point of this.

[00:20:16] I'm up here talking about me

[00:20:17] so that's going to help you

[00:20:19] to find that voice for yourself

[00:20:21] and so that all the stuff

[00:20:23] that we've looked at previously

[00:20:24] up until this point,

[00:20:25] we can speak that with our voice.

[00:20:27] In my life,

[00:20:29] I think there's like three

[00:20:32] areas of like sovereign themes

[00:20:34] in my life

[00:20:35] that's been worked into me

[00:20:36] over the decades

[00:20:37] and that just comes out

[00:20:39] in my teaching

[00:20:39] and I feel the most comfortable

[00:20:41] in my own skin

[00:20:42] talking about

[00:20:43] like these types of things.

[00:20:46] Number one,

[00:20:47] the grace of God

[00:20:49] as the antidote

[00:20:50] to a harsh,

[00:20:52] self-critical,

[00:20:53] anxious self-assessment.

[00:20:55] Like that is so important to me

[00:20:58] and I talk about that

[00:21:00] whenever I get the chance

[00:21:02] because this is a deep

[00:21:03] and ongoing experience

[00:21:05] for me personally.

[00:21:07] It is the grace of God

[00:21:09] that has pulled me back

[00:21:10] from so many ledges

[00:21:11] over my life.

[00:21:12] I am keenly aware

[00:21:16] of the layer upon layer

[00:21:19] of like shortcomings,

[00:21:21] failings,

[00:21:22] and so many other things.

[00:21:24] I have said this before

[00:21:27] but my dad comes from

[00:21:29] a Catholic family,

[00:21:30] Italian Catholic.

[00:21:31] my mom was from like

[00:21:33] a long,

[00:21:34] long generations

[00:21:36] of Methodism,

[00:21:37] you know,

[00:21:37] so in Ireland

[00:21:38] we call that a mixed marriage,

[00:21:39] Catholic and Protestant

[00:21:40] together.

[00:21:41] But it means that

[00:21:43] when I was born

[00:21:44] that the chromosomes

[00:21:46] merged in such a way

[00:21:48] that I inherited

[00:21:50] the Protestant work ethic

[00:21:51] and the Catholic guilt complex

[00:21:54] which means

[00:21:55] that I am always aware

[00:21:57] that there is

[00:21:58] so much to do

[00:21:59] and I am keenly aware

[00:22:01] of my inability

[00:22:02] to do it

[00:22:03] and a constant sense

[00:22:05] of guilt.

[00:22:07] But I'm so thankful

[00:22:08] for the Bible,

[00:22:09] I'm so thankful

[00:22:10] for God's word

[00:22:11] that helps

[00:22:12] messed up people

[00:22:13] like me

[00:22:13] with an overactive

[00:22:15] conscience.

[00:22:16] If left unchecked though

[00:22:18] that can be like

[00:22:19] an overweight anchor

[00:22:20] that just drags

[00:22:21] my little boat

[00:22:22] to the bottom

[00:22:23] of the sea.

[00:22:24] But God in his grace

[00:22:25] has met me time and again

[00:22:26] more than I deserve.

[00:22:28] And so God's grace

[00:22:29] that covers sin

[00:22:30] and failure

[00:22:31] is one of the mega themes

[00:22:33] of my life

[00:22:34] and my preaching.

[00:22:35] And so I am finding

[00:22:37] my voice

[00:22:38] when I speak about that.

[00:22:40] Similarly,

[00:22:41] the destructive power

[00:22:42] of shame

[00:22:43] and the dignifying

[00:22:45] and empowering difference

[00:22:47] that the love

[00:22:48] of God makes

[00:22:49] that is so important

[00:22:50] to me.

[00:22:51] That is not a doctrine

[00:22:53] in a book

[00:22:53] but that is blood

[00:22:55] in my veins.

[00:22:57] That is something

[00:22:58] that's been worked

[00:22:58] through my life

[00:22:59] at a very deep level.

[00:23:01] And I feel

[00:23:02] that I'm able to speak

[00:23:03] about issues related

[00:23:03] to shame

[00:23:04] with a very unique voice.

[00:23:08] And Ireland,

[00:23:09] where I live,

[00:23:10] is a nation

[00:23:11] of honor-shame culture.

[00:23:14] And to speak

[00:23:16] honestly,

[00:23:17] humbly,

[00:23:18] accurately,

[00:23:18] and scripturally

[00:23:21] about shame

[00:23:22] and disgrace

[00:23:23] and how grace

[00:23:25] is the antidote

[00:23:26] to that,

[00:23:27] God has used me

[00:23:29] and my voice

[00:23:30] in the life

[00:23:31] of many Irish people

[00:23:32] over the past decades

[00:23:34] speaking about

[00:23:35] what the Bible says

[00:23:36] about shame

[00:23:37] and disgrace

[00:23:38] and God's overwhelming grace

[00:23:40] to those that have been shamed.

[00:23:42] That's part of my voice

[00:23:43] and I want to use it.

[00:23:45] And then briefly,

[00:23:46] the third thing

[00:23:48] is that

[00:23:48] I'm a parent

[00:23:49] of a special needs teenager.

[00:23:52] He's the one

[00:23:53] that I'm trying to teach

[00:23:54] how to tie his shoes.

[00:23:57] And parenting my son Owen

[00:23:59] like has shaped me

[00:24:00] in more ways

[00:24:01] than I know.

[00:24:02] And I'm told

[00:24:04] that I'm very patient

[00:24:05] with other people.

[00:24:07] I don't feel that way

[00:24:08] all the time

[00:24:08] but like

[00:24:09] it looks that way

[00:24:10] on the outside.

[00:24:11] But God has enabled me

[00:24:13] to be more patient

[00:24:15] than I think

[00:24:16] I would have been

[00:24:16] ordinarily.

[00:24:17] I know that people

[00:24:19] are limited

[00:24:20] and sometimes

[00:24:22] it's a result

[00:24:23] of circumstances

[00:24:24] that are outside

[00:24:25] of their control.

[00:24:27] So those are

[00:24:28] some of the sovereign themes

[00:24:29] of my life.

[00:24:32] Those are some things

[00:24:33] that have combined

[00:24:35] to make me

[00:24:36] who I am.

[00:24:37] And I wonder

[00:24:39] what are yours?

[00:24:41] Now again

[00:24:41] we're all exhausted

[00:24:42] and lots of you

[00:24:43] stayed up

[00:24:43] way too late

[00:24:44] last night.

[00:24:45] I don't know

[00:24:45] if this is time

[00:24:45] to like dig deep

[00:24:46] into your story

[00:24:47] and trauma

[00:24:48] and crisis

[00:24:48] and all that type of thing.

[00:24:49] But this is something

[00:24:51] for you to think about.

[00:24:52] As a wise man said

[00:24:54] go take a walk

[00:24:55] with this.

[00:24:56] Think about this

[00:24:57] over the course

[00:24:57] of who has God

[00:24:58] made me to be

[00:25:00] and when I speak

[00:25:01] with my voice

[00:25:02] what kind of voice

[00:25:04] is it?

[00:25:06] Some of the ways

[00:25:07] you can ask that

[00:25:08] is like

[00:25:08] if you were asked

[00:25:10] to preach

[00:25:11] tomorrow

[00:25:13] and you weren't

[00:25:14] assigned a topic

[00:25:15] you could just talk

[00:25:16] about whatever you want

[00:25:17] what would you

[00:25:18] preach about?

[00:25:20] Tomorrow

[00:25:21] I'm speaking at

[00:25:22] Calvary Marietta

[00:25:24] and Pastor Brian

[00:25:25] said I could preach

[00:25:26] about whatever I want.

[00:25:27] Guess what I'm

[00:25:28] preaching about?

[00:25:29] I'm talking about

[00:25:29] Mary Magdalene's

[00:25:31] shame

[00:25:31] and her life

[00:25:32] of disgrace

[00:25:33] and how the risen

[00:25:33] Jesus found her

[00:25:35] in the garden

[00:25:35] and he overcomes

[00:25:37] her disgrace

[00:25:38] and how he's

[00:25:39] a gentle

[00:25:40] and patient

[00:25:40] gardener

[00:25:41] who's at work

[00:25:42] in our lives

[00:25:43] even until this day.

[00:25:44] It's a sovereign

[00:25:45] theme in my life

[00:25:46] whenever I have

[00:25:47] a chance

[00:25:47] I want to speak

[00:25:48] and I want to use

[00:25:49] my voice

[00:25:50] to communicate

[00:25:51] one of the messages

[00:25:52] that's so crucial

[00:25:53] to my heart

[00:25:54] and my life.

[00:25:55] So what about you?

[00:25:56] What can you talk

[00:25:57] about endlessly

[00:25:58] with no prep?

[00:26:02] What do people

[00:26:03] ask you about?

[00:26:05] Who are the

[00:26:06] hurting people

[00:26:06] that God brings

[00:26:07] into your life

[00:26:08] and you think

[00:26:09] that by God's grace

[00:26:10] you actually have

[00:26:10] been able to help

[00:26:11] them?

[00:26:11] Those are some

[00:26:12] of the areas

[00:26:13] maybe of just

[00:26:14] like God's

[00:26:15] sovereign anointing

[00:26:16] in your life

[00:26:17] and he wants

[00:26:18] to use you

[00:26:18] in this.

[00:26:20] So identifying

[00:26:21] God's work

[00:26:21] in your life

[00:26:23] obviously

[00:26:23] everything that I'm

[00:26:24] saying here

[00:26:25] about these

[00:26:25] sovereign themes

[00:26:26] it's all under

[00:26:28] the umbrella

[00:26:29] of the ultimate

[00:26:30] sovereign theme

[00:26:30] of God's word

[00:26:32] right?

[00:26:32] And everything

[00:26:34] we've been talking

[00:26:34] about today

[00:26:35] and yesterday

[00:26:36] it's still true.

[00:26:37] We are still

[00:26:37] subject to the text.

[00:26:39] The Bible determines

[00:26:40] the topics

[00:26:41] and the themes

[00:26:41] but the emphasis

[00:26:42] and the voice

[00:26:43] that's kind of

[00:26:44] up to us.

[00:26:46] And so

[00:26:47] kind of the

[00:26:48] final thoughts

[00:26:49] that I want

[00:26:49] to leave us

[00:26:50] with is

[00:26:51] something that

[00:26:52] John the Baptist

[00:26:53] was asked.

[00:26:55] There's kind of

[00:26:56] some confusion

[00:26:57] as he appears

[00:26:57] on the scene

[00:26:58] people are

[00:26:59] wondering

[00:26:59] is he the

[00:27:00] Messiah to

[00:27:00] come

[00:27:00] or are they

[00:27:01] waiting for

[00:27:01] another?

[00:27:02] And then in

[00:27:02] John chapter 1

[00:27:04] essentially they

[00:27:05] asked him a

[00:27:05] question.

[00:27:06] They said

[00:27:07] well who are

[00:27:07] you?

[00:27:08] He confessed

[00:27:09] and he did

[00:27:10] not deny

[00:27:10] I am not

[00:27:12] the Christ.

[00:27:13] And they said

[00:27:13] well what then?

[00:27:14] Are you Elijah?

[00:27:15] I am not.

[00:27:17] Are you the

[00:27:17] prophet?

[00:27:18] No.

[00:27:19] Well then who

[00:27:20] are you?

[00:27:21] We need to

[00:27:21] give an answer.

[00:27:22] What do you say

[00:27:23] about yourself?

[00:27:24] And he said

[00:27:25] this.

[00:27:25] I am the

[00:27:26] voice of one

[00:27:27] crying in the

[00:27:27] wilderness.

[00:27:28] Make straight

[00:27:29] the way of the

[00:27:30] Lord.

[00:27:31] You know for him

[00:27:32] to kind of identify

[00:27:32] himself first he

[00:27:34] says what he's

[00:27:34] not.

[00:27:35] I'm not this nor

[00:27:37] am I that but

[00:27:39] this much I know.

[00:27:40] I have found my

[00:27:41] voice or rather I

[00:27:43] am the voice

[00:27:44] that's to come.

[00:27:45] And so he has

[00:27:45] confidence to say

[00:27:46] I'm not this but

[00:27:48] I am that.

[00:27:49] I am the voice.

[00:27:51] So are you the

[00:27:52] next Chuck

[00:27:53] Smith?

[00:27:55] Are you the

[00:27:55] next Beth Moore?

[00:27:57] Are you the

[00:27:57] next Tim Keller?

[00:27:58] Well no you're

[00:27:59] not.

[00:28:04] Like maybe one of

[00:28:05] you might be but

[00:28:05] odds are statistically

[00:28:07] you're not.

[00:28:08] But are you you?

[00:28:10] And are there

[00:28:11] sovereign themes

[00:28:12] in your life?

[00:28:13] Is there areas of

[00:28:15] deep need that God

[00:28:16] has met and then

[00:28:18] now is there an

[00:28:18] anointing for you to

[00:28:19] help others to see

[00:28:20] that?

[00:28:21] I believe the

[00:28:22] answer is definitely

[00:28:23] yes to that.

[00:28:25] so we go deep

[00:28:27] into God's word

[00:28:28] with an awareness

[00:28:29] of ourself and

[00:28:30] then we want to

[00:28:31] communicate out of

[00:28:32] our own voice to

[00:28:34] help people.

[00:28:36] And so you have a

[00:28:38] spiritual gift set

[00:28:39] that no one else in

[00:28:40] this room has and

[00:28:41] don't hide that

[00:28:43] under a bushel.

[00:28:45] So get to know

[00:28:46] God's word first

[00:28:47] and foremost.

[00:28:47] Get to know the

[00:28:48] author of God's

[00:28:48] word and then ask

[00:28:50] himself how has he

[00:28:51] been at work in your

[00:28:52] life?

[00:28:52] How has he shaped

[00:28:53] your voice and

[00:28:55] how can you use

[00:28:55] that to help his

[00:28:56] people?

[00:28:59] Well hey thanks so

[00:29:00] much for listening

[00:29:00] all the way to the

[00:29:02] end.

[00:29:02] This is something

[00:29:03] obviously that is

[00:29:04] very important to

[00:29:05] me, something very

[00:29:05] personal to me and

[00:29:07] so it means a lot

[00:29:09] that you would

[00:29:09] listen all the way

[00:29:10] through.

[00:29:11] If this is the

[00:29:11] sort of thing that

[00:29:12] that you think

[00:29:14] especially younger

[00:29:15] or newer Bible

[00:29:16] teachers in your

[00:29:17] life need to hear

[00:29:18] well do pass this

[00:29:19] on.

[00:29:20] This is something

[00:29:21] that it's the sort

[00:29:22] of thing I wish I

[00:29:22] heard many many

[00:29:24] many years ago

[00:29:26] and so help

[00:29:27] this one to

[00:29:28] find the right

[00:29:30] people who need

[00:29:31] to hear this

[00:29:32] type of stuff.

[00:29:33] Well if you are

[00:29:35] listening and

[00:29:36] you're thinking

[00:29:36] man I wish I

[00:29:37] could have been

[00:29:37] in the room

[00:29:38] well you know

[00:29:39] what friend I

[00:29:40] wish you were in

[00:29:40] the room too.

[00:29:41] I'm actually

[00:29:42] thrilled to

[00:29:43] announce the

[00:29:45] first date that

[00:29:46] we have for

[00:29:47] 2025.

[00:29:49] So the plan

[00:29:51] is Lord

[00:29:51] willing we're

[00:29:52] going to be in

[00:29:53] Longmont Colorado

[00:29:54] April 4th and

[00:29:57] 5th.

[00:29:58] That's Longmont

[00:29:59] Colorado at the

[00:30:01] wonderful White

[00:30:02] Fields Community

[00:30:03] Church pastored by

[00:30:04] my friend and

[00:30:05] colleague Nick

[00:30:06] Katie.

[00:30:07] We're going to be

[00:30:07] there April 4th

[00:30:09] and April 5th.

[00:30:11] There's other dates

[00:30:12] that we're working

[00:30:13] on but they're not

[00:30:13] confirmed yet but if

[00:30:15] you are in that

[00:30:16] region of the

[00:30:17] world we would

[00:30:18] love to see you

[00:30:20] there April 4th

[00:30:21] and 5th in

[00:30:22] Longmont Colorado.

[00:30:24] Alright well I

[00:30:25] hope that this

[00:30:26] episode and all

[00:30:27] that we do at

[00:30:28] Expositors Collective

[00:30:29] help you to grow

[00:30:30] in your personal

[00:30:31] study and public

[00:30:32] proclamation of

[00:30:33] God's word.

[00:30:34] This podcast is a

[00:30:35] part of CGN Media

[00:30:36] a podcast network

[00:30:37] that points to

[00:30:38] Christ.

[00:30:38] We are supported

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[00:30:40] you.

[00:30:40] To help us

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