Jesus In The Scriptures
Hello there. My name is Vincent Ball and I attend Kings Road Baptist Church, Chingford, in the United Kingdom. I like to share my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and let people know the benefits of following Him and the love that he gives.
Jesus In The Scriptures
The Ways God Speaks To Us
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Today we will be unravelling some of the ways God speaks to us in Psalm 19
Friends, thank you for listening. Hope to see you again shortly. Blessings in Christ from Vincent
Psalm 19 - The Ways God Speaks to Us
Vincent Ball
Communication / Psalm 19:1–14
Looking at the various ways God speaks to us
Psalm 19 ESV
TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A PSALM OF DAVID.
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Introduction
The ways God speaks to us:
• Scripture (the written Word)—the complete, authoritative revelation of God's will and character
• Jesus (the incarnate Word)—God's fullest self-revelation and the centre of all Scripture
• Creation's design and beauty—God's general revelation available to all people
• Human conscience—the moral law written on human hearts that testifies to God's character
• Direct communication to prophets through visions, dreams, and spoken messages—God's special revelation to his chosen messengers
• Providence and provision for human needs—God's sustaining care and guidance
• Miracles and supernatural interventions—God's power demonstrated in history
• Theophanies (divine appearances)—direct encounters with God's presence
• Audible voice—God speaking directly to individuals
• Visions and dreams—personal revelations from God
• Angels—God's messengers and agents
• Circumstances—God's guidance through life events
God's Priority
God gave us the Bible and Jesus first and most importantly. They are permanent, available to everyone, and complete. Everything else should be checked against Scripture and Jesus to verify that it is from God.
Creation and conscience are available to all people and come next in importance. Miracles, visions, dreams, and personal experiences are real ways God speaks; however, they are less important to Christian faith because they are temporary and do not happen to everyone.
God's Authoritative Communication
God's primary method has shifted fundamentally. In the past, He spoke through prophets; in these last days, He has spoken through His Son—Jesus Christ is God's fullest revelation. Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, correction, and equipping us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16–17).
While God communicates through the Spirit, the Bible emphasizes extreme caution about personal divine direction. We must test the spirits, for many false prophets exist (1 John 4:1). False prophets speak from their own minds, and Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:13–15).
Scripture provides clear tests: A prophet's words must come to pass (Deuteronomy 18:20–22), and false prophets are recognized by their fruits—whether their message produces godliness and aligns with Scripture (Matthew 7:15–20). The Bereans were noble because they examined Scripture daily to verify claims (Acts 17:11).
Spiritual Gifts
Christians disagree about whether God still gives miraculous gifts, such as speaking in tongues, prophecy, healing, and words of knowledge. Some believe these stopped when the apostles died and the Bible was completed; others say the Holy Spirit still gives them today. The Bible does not clearly state when these gifts ended, so both sides have biblical support.
The real disagreement concerns whether gifts are truly miraculous, how we verify them, and whether they function today as they did in Scripture. I believe gifts do not operate as they once did—we do not see Christians healing everyone in hospitals, and claims like "God told me to tell you this" warrant scepticism. Scripture does not support such claims, and many simply seek the spectacular.
My Three Points
1. God speaks through creation
2. God speaks through Scripture
3. God speaks through Jesus
1) God Speaks Through Creation
Psalm 19:1 (ESV)
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Have you ever laid on the grass on a summer's evening and looked up at the starry night, wondering what it is all about? Yes, the heavens do speak. But what they say does not have to be a mystery. Evolutionists suppress the truth (Romans 1:18–23) by attributing creation to random chance. But we know that the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. The cosmos communicates God's majesty through many ways and dimensions that biblical writers consistently emphasize. The vastness of creation points to a Maker—God—and His sovereignty. He named the stars individually (Isaiah 40:26). He is a God of both great vastness and minute detail. All of this is speech.
Ancient Idolatry
Ancient people worshipped the sun, moon, and stars as gods. They built temples, made sacrifices, and created statues to honour these heavenly bodies, believing they had divine power and intelligence. Different cultures gave the sun different names—some called it Baal, others called it Molech or Chemosh. Even some kings of Judah dedicated horses and chariots to the sun-god. These people thought the stars controlled their lives and destiny. But this was wrong, because the sun, moon, and stars are merely part of God's creation, not gods themselves. They were made by God to give light and help all people on earth, not to be worshipped.
The fact is, creation speaks, and the voice from which it comes is Almighty God. If you believe that it comes from anywhere else, this shapes your worldview and ultimately determines your destiny. That is why it is so important to get this right. Jesus holds the cosmos together by his power (Colossians 1:17). Evolution and the Bible are incompatible because Scripture portrays God intentionally creating life according to distinct kinds through intelligent design, while evolutionary theory relies on random, purposeless mutations to develop new species.
Psalm 19:2 (ESV)
Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
Elsewhere it says this:
Romans 1:20 (ESV)
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
There really is no excuse. People suppress the truth and turn to other things to worship instead. They worship the created rather than the Creator. When people stand before God for judgment, no excuse will be valid. These "invisible" qualities pour forth speech and knowledge that cause people to know from the heart that there is a God. Unbelievers tend to bury their heads in the sand because, truthfully, they do not like accountability before God. Scripture says, "A fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'"
Psalm 19:3 (ESV)
There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.
Psalm 19:4 (ESV)
Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,
Psalm 19:5 (ESV)
which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
Psalm 19:6 (ESV)
Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
The whole world is exposed to God's speech and presence throughout the heavens. Everyone can see.
Questions About Unbelievers
Some argue, "What about someone who does not know Jesus?" Well, God's moral law is written on our consciousnesses, and it is evident that there is a Creator—it is clear. The statement about the tent for the sun speaks of God's majesty on display through creation, and this alone speaks without words. This is called general revelation—when God speaks through creation.
In the same way that we cannot escape the presence of our Creator, we will not escape the presence of Jesus when he returns. We will be totally aware.
Revelation 1:7 (ESV)
Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
So the best thing you can do is be ready! If you are an unbeliever, you have now heard the good news of Jesus Christ. Repent of your sins and turn to Him, who died on the cross for you as a substitute for everything you ever did wrong (this is called special revelation). There is no other way forward. Come now and make your peace with your Creator.
2) God Speaks Through Scripture
Psalm 19:7 (ESV)
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
Psalm 19:8 (ESV)
the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
What is the Law of the Lord?
The Law is the first five books of the Bible—the Torah—which guides and instructs us in a way of happiness. It is perfect, like a good parent's instruction. These commands were not meant to be burdensome but liberating. Israel embraced them and became a set-apart nation. They were a guide for life. Now we have the whole Bible to counsel us. The Law is not merely instructional but covenantal—it reveals God's character and our obligations to Him.
When you live in a way that honours God, you are truly blessed. It is so nourishing that it is like food for the soul and refreshing. In this day and age, people in the West have abandoned God's will, and we have a malnourished society, largely void of God's influence. The "Law" is not meant to be merely a rule book. Through it, we see ourselves and discover our sinfulness—which leads to our need for a Saviour, and that Saviour is Jesus and His gospel.
How Jesus Fulfills the Law
Jesus fulfils the Law in three ways: He lived it perfectly—obeying every commandment as no one else could—He completed what it pointed toward through his death and resurrection, replacing the animal sacrifices and rituals with himself as the final offering, and He freed us from the burden of trying to earn God's favour through our own obedience. Through faith in Jesus, we are made right with God—not by keeping rules, but by trusting in what He accomplished for us. This truly does revive the soul.
Psalm 19:9 (ESV)
the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.
When we fear the Lord, it is clean—meaning not out of terror, but genuine faith and reverence. The rules of the Lord are true, and because they are not a lie, they can be trusted to be kept. An illustration of this could be a football match—without rules, it would descend into chaos. Take Christian influence away, and what are we left with? Chaos. This is what seems to be happening.
Psalm 19:10 (ESV)
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Unbelievers quite often cannot see value in the commands and rules of God. They see God as a killjoy. How wrong they are! They abandon God's guidance for their lives and wonder why everything goes wrong. From personal testimony: when I was young, I admired certain people and thought they had the recipe for life. By following them, it ended in a dead end. Then I thought, "I am fairly smart; I will do it my way." But this too ended in tears. It is only when I started to listen to Jesus that life made sense. Yes, applying God's instruction to your life is precious.
Psalm 19:11 (ESV)
Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Psalm 19:12 (ESV)
Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
Psalm 19:13 (ESV)
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
When we acknowledge the counsel of God through His speech, we should understand our wrongdoing. Feeling warned is a believer's natural response to the truth of God's words. Who can "discern his errors"? Obviously, God can, and only He can declare us innocent from our "hidden faults" and presumptuous sins—that is, sin we commit deliberately in secret, which ultimately manifests in public and, if left unchecked, can lead to apostasy. We are not talking about accidental sins, but sins to which we do not harden ourselves—sins that give us no cause for concern.
Psalm 19:14 (ESV)
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
After all the words and speech from the voice of God through this psalm, it finishes with the Lord asking us to have good words and meditations of the heart. God's speech pours forth goodness, and therefore He expects it back from us. If you are a child of God, there will naturally be no swearing, lying, flattery, dirty talk, or coarse joking. We should have pure speech like the Lord and be acceptable in His sight. As we mature as Christians, these things naturally fall away. The tongue is hard to tame, as James says in James 3:2–12, but the Holy Spirit can tame it in us.
3) God Speaks Through Jesus
Psalm 19:14 (ESV)
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
God speaks to us through Jesus in several ways, and each connects to how Psalm 19 describes God's revelation:
Through Jesus's life and presence — Jesus shows us who God is. When we see Jesus, we see the Father (John 14:6–9). This is like how Psalm 19 says the heavens declare God's glory—Jesus is God's ultimate declaration.
Through Scripture — All of the Bible is God's word, and since Jesus is God, Scripture is Jesus speaking to us. This matches Psalm 19's second part, which describes how God's law transforms and guides us.
Through creation — Jesus created everything and holds it all together (Colossians 1:15–20). So when Psalm 19 says the heavens declare God's glory, it is really declaring Christ's power over all things.
Through inner illumination — God shines the light of knowing Jesus into our hearts (2 Corinthians 4:6). Like Psalm 19 describes, this happens without words but reaches everyone.
Through personal revelation — Jesus reveals the Father to those who believe in him (Matthew 11:27). Psalm 19 moves from creation speaking to God's law transforming us—Jesus completes this by offering us a real relationship with God.
The Key Connection
Creation whispers God's power, but Jesus is God's full and final word. Psalm 19 shows us two ways God speaks (creation and law), and Jesus fulfils both. Truly, He is our rock and redeemer!
Conclusion
Psalm 19 shows us how great it is that God speaks to us in two ways: through nature (the sky and creation) and through the Bible. Both tell us about God.
The Connection to Jesus
There is a profound connection to Jesus: In the beginning, the Word existed with God and was God (John 1:1–14). The Greek word logos means both "word" and "reason" or "message." When the Bible calls Jesus "the Word," it means Jesus is God's ultimate message and communication to us.
All things were made through Jesus (John 1:1–14), which means when God created everything, He did it through Jesus. Just like in Genesis when God spoke things into existence ("Let there be light"), Jesus is that creative power and voice of God.
The Most Important Part
The Word became flesh and lived among us (John 1:1–14). This means God's Word—Jesus—became a real person who walked on earth. He was not just a distant voice or invisible force anymore. People could see Him, touch Him, and hear Him directly.
God's Complete Revelation
When Psalm 19 celebrates God speaking through creation and Scripture, it is pointing toward Jesus. He is God's complete and final word to humanity. "Whoever has seen Jesus has seen the Father" (John 14:9). Through Jesus, we do not just hear about God—we encounter God Himself in person. That is why Jesus is called "the Word"—He is God's perfect and personal message of love to us.
