LAST SUNDAY'S SERMON NOTES
Read Peter's preaching notes....
“The Wisdom of Your Dreams”
Job 33:13-18
1/8/23
Today & next several weeks: way to receive God’s guidance may never have explored
has potential to revolutionize relationship w/ Lord, understanding of self
Hebr 1:1: God speaks to us & guides us in many ways
X as God’s perfect expr of himself to the world: Word who became flesh
HS testifies to X, makes his rev available to us, until we meet him face to face
multiple ways HS leads & guides: Scripture, of course: all others secondary
prayer, fellow believers, church teachings
also dreams: avenue of insight from God we often overlook/ignore
but 1st, what are dreams?
Imagine self as iceberg: conscious waking self what is above water
much more to who we are below surface: concealed even from our own awareness
we each have a gatekeeper that monitors what we allow selves to be aware of
perhaps too painful to exp, perhaps doesn’t fit our image of self, etc
when asleep, this gatekeeper leaves its post
or explain other way: boundary between con & uncon gets fuzzy
“Dream-maker” gets to work: shows you what’s beneath the surface, but part of you
“gatekeeper” often too strict or fastidious: blocks what can be helpful
dream-maker loves you: only shows you what thinks you can handle
Two things:
1. dreams in service of healing & wholeness
even if don’t seem: nightmares & recurring dreams trying to get your attention
what you hiding from yourself? How are you hiding from yourself?
may tap into emotions that you restrain yourself from experiencing in waking life
eg my violent dreams: to exp full range of emotion everyone has
2. dream is not a puzzle to be solved as much as it is a mystery to be explored
“dream-maker” incredibly creative: dreams full of symbols
often mean multiple things at same time
only you know what they, although others can help uncover what you’re repressing
each detail matters: if only remember snippet, probably most important part
each part & person in dream is part of you (except if significant part of life)
Pretty straight-forward psych description of dreams: as far as many people go
“mechanistic:” sorting through, processing, integrating waking exps
Freudian: arise from repressed desires & anxieties (eg my church dreams)
depth psychs like Jung go step further: back to image of iceberg
doesn’t exist in vacuum: surrounded by ocean, just as we are by God’s presence
dream-maker draws on what lies beyond yourself, not part of you
dreams therefore inc God’s messages to us, in addition to what is hidden w/in selves
Exactly what find in Scripture: by my count, described/mentioned in 20 out of 66 books
fellowship in 21
dreams can be communication from God: one of ways Hebr 1 mentioned: Job 33:14-16
Numbers 12:6: how he speaks to prophets
but not just select few: Joel 2:28 (Peter quotes in Acts 2 on day of Pent)
dreams are God’s conversation w/ us
when “Gatekeeper:” rational, controlled & controlling part of selves not blocking him
Scripture teeming w/ examples of God speaking to & leading people in dreams
sometimes explicitly called dreams, sometimes “vision at night”
will talk about in coming weeks: guidance, warning, comfort, encouragement
messages about future events
Scripture also tells us not all dreams are communication from God
Is 29:7-8: sometimes dream of what desire/wish for: doesn’t mean we’ll get
Eccl 5:3, 7: arise from cares, fears, anxieties: no real point to them
Jude 8: dreams can actually lead us astray from God
multiple times, Bible warns against & condemns people who falsely claim to have
dreams from God (Deut 13:1-5, Jer 14:14, Jer 23:25-32, Jer 29:8-9, Lam 2:14, Ezek 13:6-9, Ezek 22:28, Zech 10:2)
do need to be careful not to put too much emph on dreams
but because we live in society so quick to dismiss God’s role in dreams,
more likely to err in opposite direction than to attribute to God what not from him
if from God, will not contradict what God is teaching you in other ways
eg Scripture, other believers, prayer life, church trad & teachings
Not only does Scripture tell us the God can guide us through dreams,
lack of this guidance indicates have fallen away from God: problem in relationship
1 Sam 28:6: Saul sought God’s guidance, got none: desperate enough went to conjuror
Micah 3:6-7: refused to send message because of sinfulness: also Lam 2:9, Ezek 7:26
Even when dreams come from God, can be troubling or disquieting
Job 4:14: “Fear and trembling seized me and made all my bones shake”
Job 7:13-14: “When I think my bed will comfort me & my couch will ease my complaint,
even then you frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions”
some of most famous dreams in Bible: Phar’s which Jos interp’d, Neb which Dan did,
both use word “troubled” to describe how felt after: also trans “disturbed”
sometimes don’t want to hear what God is telling us: Is 30:10
Everyone has multiple dreams every night: can learn how to remember them
before going to sleep, ask for a dream: have it in your mind as you go to sleep
write down what remember as soon as wake up, even before out of bed: notebooks
keep in mind: if only remember tidbit, probably most important
pay attn not only to “what happened” in dream, but emotions you felt as was happening
dream group not only helps us understand & integrate selves better (a good thing!)
but also to process what God may be showing us
w/ others: waking self excellent at self-deception: g-keeper may try to force back down
Job 33:13-18
1/8/23
Today & next several weeks: way to receive God’s guidance may never have explored
has potential to revolutionize relationship w/ Lord, understanding of self
Hebr 1:1: God speaks to us & guides us in many ways
X as God’s perfect expr of himself to the world: Word who became flesh
HS testifies to X, makes his rev available to us, until we meet him face to face
multiple ways HS leads & guides: Scripture, of course: all others secondary
prayer, fellow believers, church teachings
also dreams: avenue of insight from God we often overlook/ignore
but 1st, what are dreams?
Imagine self as iceberg: conscious waking self what is above water
much more to who we are below surface: concealed even from our own awareness
we each have a gatekeeper that monitors what we allow selves to be aware of
perhaps too painful to exp, perhaps doesn’t fit our image of self, etc
when asleep, this gatekeeper leaves its post
or explain other way: boundary between con & uncon gets fuzzy
“Dream-maker” gets to work: shows you what’s beneath the surface, but part of you
“gatekeeper” often too strict or fastidious: blocks what can be helpful
dream-maker loves you: only shows you what thinks you can handle
Two things:
1. dreams in service of healing & wholeness
even if don’t seem: nightmares & recurring dreams trying to get your attention
what you hiding from yourself? How are you hiding from yourself?
may tap into emotions that you restrain yourself from experiencing in waking life
eg my violent dreams: to exp full range of emotion everyone has
2. dream is not a puzzle to be solved as much as it is a mystery to be explored
“dream-maker” incredibly creative: dreams full of symbols
often mean multiple things at same time
only you know what they, although others can help uncover what you’re repressing
each detail matters: if only remember snippet, probably most important part
each part & person in dream is part of you (except if significant part of life)
Pretty straight-forward psych description of dreams: as far as many people go
“mechanistic:” sorting through, processing, integrating waking exps
Freudian: arise from repressed desires & anxieties (eg my church dreams)
depth psychs like Jung go step further: back to image of iceberg
doesn’t exist in vacuum: surrounded by ocean, just as we are by God’s presence
dream-maker draws on what lies beyond yourself, not part of you
dreams therefore inc God’s messages to us, in addition to what is hidden w/in selves
Exactly what find in Scripture: by my count, described/mentioned in 20 out of 66 books
fellowship in 21
dreams can be communication from God: one of ways Hebr 1 mentioned: Job 33:14-16
Numbers 12:6: how he speaks to prophets
but not just select few: Joel 2:28 (Peter quotes in Acts 2 on day of Pent)
dreams are God’s conversation w/ us
when “Gatekeeper:” rational, controlled & controlling part of selves not blocking him
Scripture teeming w/ examples of God speaking to & leading people in dreams
sometimes explicitly called dreams, sometimes “vision at night”
will talk about in coming weeks: guidance, warning, comfort, encouragement
messages about future events
Scripture also tells us not all dreams are communication from God
Is 29:7-8: sometimes dream of what desire/wish for: doesn’t mean we’ll get
Eccl 5:3, 7: arise from cares, fears, anxieties: no real point to them
Jude 8: dreams can actually lead us astray from God
multiple times, Bible warns against & condemns people who falsely claim to have
dreams from God (Deut 13:1-5, Jer 14:14, Jer 23:25-32, Jer 29:8-9, Lam 2:14, Ezek 13:6-9, Ezek 22:28, Zech 10:2)
do need to be careful not to put too much emph on dreams
but because we live in society so quick to dismiss God’s role in dreams,
more likely to err in opposite direction than to attribute to God what not from him
if from God, will not contradict what God is teaching you in other ways
eg Scripture, other believers, prayer life, church trad & teachings
Not only does Scripture tell us the God can guide us through dreams,
lack of this guidance indicates have fallen away from God: problem in relationship
1 Sam 28:6: Saul sought God’s guidance, got none: desperate enough went to conjuror
Micah 3:6-7: refused to send message because of sinfulness: also Lam 2:9, Ezek 7:26
Even when dreams come from God, can be troubling or disquieting
Job 4:14: “Fear and trembling seized me and made all my bones shake”
Job 7:13-14: “When I think my bed will comfort me & my couch will ease my complaint,
even then you frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions”
some of most famous dreams in Bible: Phar’s which Jos interp’d, Neb which Dan did,
both use word “troubled” to describe how felt after: also trans “disturbed”
sometimes don’t want to hear what God is telling us: Is 30:10
Everyone has multiple dreams every night: can learn how to remember them
before going to sleep, ask for a dream: have it in your mind as you go to sleep
write down what remember as soon as wake up, even before out of bed: notebooks
keep in mind: if only remember tidbit, probably most important
pay attn not only to “what happened” in dream, but emotions you felt as was happening
dream group not only helps us understand & integrate selves better (a good thing!)
but also to process what God may be showing us
w/ others: waking self excellent at self-deception: g-keeper may try to force back down
Old Union Presbyterian Church | 200 Union Church Road, Mars, PA 16046
724-538-8672 | OldUnionChurch@gmail.com
724-538-8672 | OldUnionChurch@gmail.com