Overall Question: How does God reveal Himself to men?

Memory Text: Hebrews 1:1-2 NIV “1 ¶ In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.”

Sunday – God Revealed Through Nature
Psalm 19:1-4 “1 NRSV ¶ The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; 4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun,”
Psalm 19:1 COMMENTARY BY MATTHEW HENRY The heavens so declare the glory of God, and proclaim his wisdom, power, and goodness, that all ungodly men are left without excuse. They speak themselves to be works of God's hands; for they must have a Creator who is eternal, infinitely wise, powerful, and good.
Romans 1:18-20 NRSV “18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth. 19 ¶ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse;”

Monday – God Speaks Through Our Conscience
Genesis 42:18-23 NLT “18 On the third day Joseph said to them, "I am a God-fearing man. If you do as I say, you will live. 19 We’ll see how honorable you really are. Only one of you will remain in the prison. The rest of you may go on home with grain for your families. 20 But bring your youngest brother back to me. In this way, I will know whether or not you are telling me the truth. If you are, I will spare you." To this they agreed. 21 ¶ Speaking among themselves, they said, "This has all happened because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his terror and anguish and heard his pleadings, but we wouldn’t listen. That’s why this trouble has come upon us." 22 "Didn’t I tell you not to do it?" Reuben asked. "But you wouldn’t listen. And now we are going to die because we murdered him." 23 Of course, they didn’t know that Joseph understood them as he was standing there, for he had been speaking to them through an interpreter.”
Matthew 27:3-5 Holman “3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was full of remorse and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. 4 “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What’s that to us?” they said. “See to it yourself!” 5 So he threw the silver into the sanctuary and departed. Then he went and hanged himself.”
Matthew 27:4 PEOPLE’S NT COMMENTARY The Jewish law demanded that if new testimony was offered after condemnation the case should again be heard. Perhaps Judas thought his testimony to the innocence of Christ might, under the circumstances, be heard.
John 8:1-9 MKJV “1 ¶ But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 And early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him. And He sat down and taught them. 3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman taken in adultery. And standing her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, Teacher, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stoned. You, then, what do you say? 6 They said this, tempting Him so that they might have [reason] to accuse Him. But bending down, Jesus wrote on the ground with [His] finger, not appearing [to hear]. 7 But as they continued to ask Him, He lifted Himself up and said to them, He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her. 8 And again bending down, He wrote on the ground. 9 And hearing, and being convicted by conscience, they went out one by one, beginning at the oldest, until the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.”

Tuesday – God Speaks Through Prophets
Exodus 7:1-6 ESV “1 ¶ And the LORD said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them." 6 Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the LORD commanded them.”
Exodus 7:1 COMMENTARY BY ADAM CLARKE At thy word every plague shall come, and at thy command each shall be removed. Thus Moses must have appeared as a god to Pharaoh[, and Aaron] Shall receive the word from thy mouth, and communicate it to the Egyptian king [like a prophet].
Continuation of Gift of Prophecy After Old Testament
1. Prophets mentioned by name –
Luke 1:67 CEV “The Holy Spirit came upon Zechariah, and he began to speak:”
Luke 2:36 CEV “The prophet Anna was also there in the temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. In her youth she had been married for seven years, but her husband died.”
Acts 13:1 CEV “The church at Antioch had several prophets and teachers. They were Barnabas, Simeon, also called Niger, Lucius from Cyrene, Manaen, who was Herod’s close friend, and Saul.”
2. The abiding gift – 1 Corinthians 12:28 God’s Word to the Nations “In the church God has appointed first apostles, next prophets, third teachers, then those who perform miracles, then those who have the gift of healing, then those who help others, those who are managers, and those who can speak in a number of languages.”
1 Corinthians 14:1-5 God’s Word to the Nations “1 ¶ Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially the gift of speaking what God has revealed. 2 When a person speaks in another language, he doesn’t speak to people but to God. No one understands him. His spirit is speaking mysteries. 3 But when a person speaks what God has revealed, he speaks to people to help them grow, to encourage them, and to comfort them. 4 When a person speaks in another language, he helps himself grow. But when a person speaks what God has revealed, he helps the church grow. 5 I wish that all of you could speak in other languages, but especially that you could speak what God has revealed. The person who speaks what God has revealed is more important than the person who speaks in other languages. This is true unless he can interpret what he says to help the church grow.”
3. False Prophets – 2 Peter 2:1 NKJV “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, [and] bring on themselves swift destruction.”
2 Peter 2:1 PEOPLE’S NT COMMENTARY A heresy is a schism, or that which tends to produce schism. Denying the Lord that bought them. This is the culmination of false teaching in the church and has been fulfilled by those professedly Christian teachers who reject the divinity of Christ and the atoning power of his blood.
Revelation 2:20 NKJV “"Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.”
4. Characteristic of the Remnant Church –
Revelation 12:17 NKJV “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
Revelation 19:10 NKJV “And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See [that you do] not [do that]! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."”

Wednesday – God Reveals Himself in His Word
2 Timothy 3:14-16 20th Century NT “14 You, however, must stand by what you learnt and accepted as true. You know who they were from whom you learnt it; 15 and that, from your childhood, you have known the Sacred Writings, which can give you the wisdom that, through belief in Christ Jesus, leads to Salvation. 16 Everything that is written under divine inspiration is helpful for teaching, for refuting error, for giving guidance, and for training others in righteousness;”
2 Timothy 3:15 COMMENTARY FAMILY BIBLE NOTES All who have the Bible may, and if they rightly treat it will, become wise to salvation; and if they do not, it will be their own fault.

Thursday – Christ, God Coming to Us In Person
John 1:1-2 World English Bible “1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God.”
John 14:9 WEB “Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you such a long time, and do you not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How do you say, ‘Show us the Father?’”
Hebrews 1:1-3 WEB “1 ¶ God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds. 3 His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself made purification for our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”
Hebrews 1:2 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES the Son of God has spoken to us, imposes the highest obligations to attend to what he has said; that he has authority superior to all those who have spoken in past times; and that there will be peculiar guilt in refusing to attend to what he has spoken.
John 5:36-40 CEV “36 But something more important than John speaks for me. I mean the things that the Father has given me to do! All of these speak for me and prove that the Father sent me. 37 The Father who sent me also speaks for me, but you have never heard his voice or seen him face to face. 38 You have not believed his message, because you refused to have faith in the one he sent. 39 You search the Scriptures, because you think you will find eternal life in them. The Scriptures tell about me, 40 but you refuse to come to me for eternal life.”
John 5:36 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES These works or miracles bore witness of him; that is, they showed that he was sent from god, because none but God could perform them, and because God would not give such power to any whose life and doctrines he did not approve.