What’s My Word Say?
Sunday Morning
Pastor Jim Lowe III
Sunday Morning, 9:30am Stream
4/11/21
{All scriptures are NIV unless stated}
We’ve been spending the past 3 months talking about purpose.
New People:
We aren’t just living here without a reason.
Many of us may question what’s going on.
Why we’re here.
Is there more to life than what we have now?
Am I doing what I’m supposed to be with my life?
Am I built for more?
We’ve been talking about how yes, we DO have a purpose.
God had things in mind when he created us.
I want to encourage you to find what it is God has for you.
If you know what it is…to start walking in it.
Proverbs 19:21
21 Many are the plans in a man’s heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
There are many things we might want to do with our lives.
But God’s purpose is the best thing we can do.
Over the past few months more and more people have been talking about purpose.
More people are encouraging one another:
to not just be great at life, but to go after what God has for you.
Over the last few months, we’ve been talking about how to find that purpose.
Some people are hearing and running with it.
Others are still working on making sure they’re hearing God correctly.
It’s Important To Hear God Correctly!
Out of all the directions you can go and things you can do…you need to get it right.
There are many people who are running doing things God didn’t tell them to do!
So I began teaching on ways to make sure we can HEAR correctly when God speaks to us.
In February we talked about making sure we had the right people around us.
If you are attempting to hear God, you need people around you who want the same.
Just Because People Are With You Doesn’t Mean They Are With You
You can have people in your own family praying for your downfall.
You can have “friends” trying to sabotage you.
You can also have people around you who aren’t trying to help you.
We need people around us to push us towards our purpose.
We need people around us to encourage us to do more…to step out on faith.
If we want to seek purpose…to find what God has for us, we can’t have people around us snatching the ideas.
We need to clean out our closet.
Last month we talked about our connecting with God himself.
It’s important that if we’re trying to seek something from God…that our relationship had to be in good standing with him.
What’s Your Relationship With God Look Like?
We discussed how God is in love with us.
He there and available.
We have to work on our relationship with him.
We discussed time in our word.
We discussed time with him in prayer.
We finished up talking about how far it can go.
In a relationship with God, you can go as far as you want.
The more we give up for God, the more he replaces it with better things.
But as we approach a new month…I hear I needed to slow down a bit.
I need to back up and address some things.
I have to make sure you are being changed.
Are You Allowing What You Hear To Change You?
Are you being changed in church?
Or are you just here?
Are We Listening For Feelings Or Growth?
Life isn’t always about the feel good times.
Sometimes it’s about growth.
We believe in a God who can change us and help us grow.
BUT!
To be changed, we need to study.
We need to spend time in the word.
We need to spend more time reading what God has given us.
Let’s go back to talking about the word.
…And why we should know it!
Why We Should Know The Word:
- It Is How We Learn God’s Personality
We said last month:
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
In the beginning…
At the start of it all…
There was to word.
The word was with God…
“The word was God.”
This is telling us that God is the word.
We Learn About God From His Word
Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
It is alive.
It is active.
It is sharp.
It penetrates.
It judges.
Let’s look at 2 of the 5 things it says the word does:
- The Word of God Is Living And Active
Because the word is God…
Your word is alive.
You are reading an autobiography of God himself.
We teach the stories of individuals.
But don’t forget this is about GOD.
Don’t take him out of it!
It’s Not Just The Story Of Daniel, It’s The Story Of God’s Protection And Faithfulness!
Daniel would have been lunch if it weren’t for the faithfulness of God who kept him.
Daniel didn’t hide his religion even when the government told him to.
God rewards faithfulness!
There’s more:
It’s Not Just The Story Of Gideon, It’s The Story Of God Working Your Problems Out For You!
Gideon was told to go up against multiple armies who had taken God’s people captive.
Because Gideon was obedient and listened to God,
When it came time to fight.
He didn’t even have to fight.
God is looking for someone to go!
God will fight for you if you just go!
It’s Not Just The Story Of Noah, It’s The Story Of God Remembering YOUR Faithfulness In Spite Of Everyone Else!
Noah was considered righteous amongst the people during that time.
He wasn’t perfect, but was credited righteous.
Because of that, HE and his family were the only ones saved when the flood came.
Your God sees your faithfulness to him and will reward you inspire of everyone else.
What else does it say about the word?
- It’s Sharper Than Any Double-Edged Sword
Double Edged Sword
During biblical times, many weapons were used, but swords were very popular for close and personal encounters.
Single Edge swords needed to be swung at certain angles and were great for cutting at those angles.
Double Edge Swords were sharpened on both sides and could cut at any angle with any movement. More versatile for different situations.
The bible being sharper than any double edged sword means it is the best weapon you could have.
God’s Word Is Versatile Enough To Handle Any Situation
If you need to find out how to handle a situation,
What Does The Word Say?
What would Jesus do?
You’d have no clue if you don’t know the word.
The Word Helps Us To Know God’s Way Of Handling A Situation
The bible TELLS us to know it!
2 Timothy 2:15
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
Do your best to present yourself…
To GOD!
We are presenting ourselves to God!
As someone who correctly handles the word of truth.
We Are Supposed To Know The Word!
Proverbs 23:12
12 Apply your heart to instruction
and your ears to words of knowledge.
Don’t just put your mind to it.
Put your heart to it.
Learn to love this.
This is God.
This is his character.
This is his being.
I read somewhere you can’t say you love God and not read his word.
How can you love God and not love what he is?
But there are other reasons we need to know the bible.
There are many reasons we should spend time in the word.
{Why We Should Know The Word:
- It Is How We Learn God’s Personality}
Why We Should Know The Word:
- It Ignites Our Prayers
God loves it when we pray his word back to him.
It shows we KNOW what we are talking about.
We can ask for God to bless him.
Or we can remind him of the Prayer of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:9
Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!
Or we can remind him that because we are listening to him, walking in purpose and being obedient that we accept our blessing.
Based on Deuteronomy 28:2 that we are blessed.
Deuteronomy 28:3-6
3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. 4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. 5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. 6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
When you know the word, you can go boldly before the throne.
Isaiah 55:10-11
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
God sends his word to accomplish his will.
We can use it to ignite our prayers!
{Why We Should Know The Word:
- It Is How We Learn God’s Personality}
{Why We Should Know The Word:
- It Ignites Our Prayers}
Why We Should Know The Word:
- So Others Can’t Tell Us What It Says
People will lie to you.
They will say things to you that just aren’t true.
When You Don’t Know The Word, Others Can Manipulate You!
We post our scriptures so you can see them.
We want you to read what we read.
If you can’t see it or already know what it says…how do you know if it’s true?
People will dress it up all nice also to make you think it’s what the word says.
But it’s not!
They might even mix some real word in there to trick you.
We have many sayings out now that people would swear came from the bible…
But they don’t!
And no one ever looked them up to make sure!
People just making up scripture!
Let’s play a game:
What’s In My Bible?
I’ll throw a phrase out.
You tell me if it’s in scripture.
Let’s start with an easy one.
{Slide 1}
Person A:
I told them when the Prince of Zamunda asked them over email to bail them out of jail that it was a scam. Now they're out of all their money.
Person B:
Well you know what the bible says:
{Slide 2}
Stupid Is As Stupid Does!
Where is this found?
Found in the book of gump!
Forrest Gump’s mother!
This one was easy
Let’s do another one:
{Slide 3}
Person A:
We've been praying too long. The time for prayer has passed. We have to do something! You know what the bible says:
{Slide 4}
God Helps Those Who Help Themselves
Where is this found?
How is this not in the bible?
It’s NOT!
It’s actually one of Aesop’s Fables!
The bible actually teaches against this!
You can’t help yourself!
It’s GOD who does it!
You can’t do anything!
Philippians 2:13
13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Proverbs 28:26
26 He who trusts in himself is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.
{Slide 5}
"Get up! The Pastor and Deacons are coming over! Straighten this house up! Get off your mat and walk! They can't come in this dirty house! You know what the bible says:"
{Slide 6}
Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness
This is kinda sorta consistent with scripture, but it’s NOT in your bible.
It’s not about if your house is clean.
Your house can be clean and your life a wreck…
In the old testament it was to set God’s people apart from other nations.
In the new testament it’s about more of our lives from the curse of sin.
John 15:3
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
If you are a believer, you have been made clean.
If you are NOT a believer…
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
We have to know what our word says.
We have to spend more time getting to know the God of all.
Recap:
Why We Should Know The Word:
- It Is How We Learn God’s Personality
- It Ignites Our Prayers
- So Others Can’t Tell Us What It Says
This is where God is.
It’s one of the easiest ways to him.
Bishop has created a reading plan for members of GLC.
Bible Reading Plan
www.guidinglight.org/discipleship
Anyone interested can read it.
