Showing posts with label God's Word. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's Word. Show all posts

Our Mission Is Grounded In The Written Word Of God.

Our mission is grounded in the written Word of God, which has been given to us by divine revelation. If what we call "prophetic ministry" is not thoroughly grounded in the Word of God, we have surely abandoned our God-given foundation for mission and we have forfeited the right to speak in His Name. What do we have to say to the present day? What do we have to say to guide people towards the future? Unless our faith is firmly rooted in what God has spoken to us in Scripture, we are making it up as we go along. Our talk about relevance has taken on a life of its own. We have forgotten that the call to be faithful must take priority over the clamour for relevance. God calls us to "ask for the old paths." He calls us to "walk in the good way" (Jeremiah 6:16). Old doesn't necessarily mean better. New is not to be written off just because it's new. In a single verse, we have a very thought-provoking combination - "the old paths" and "the good way." In our mission, we must take care that we do not forget that we are called to "contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).

The Way Of The World And The Way Of The Lord

When we read the words of Jesus Christ, we are reading the words of a Preacher who spoke the truth without fear of man. Again and again, as we read Jesus' words, we find that there is a striking difference between what the world says and what the Lord says. the way of the world and the way of the Lord are two very different ways. When Jesus preached His challenging messages, there were those who closed their minds to the Word of God. They closed their hearts to the love of God. They closed their lives to the power of God. As we read Jesus' words, we are challenged. Jesus challenges us: Are you open to the Word of God, the love of God and the power of God? Is your mind open - to receive the challenging teaching of God's Word? Is your heart open - to enjoy the heart-warming influence of God's love? Is your life open - to experience the life-changing effects of God's power?
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Here's a link for the rest of this sermon: Sermons on Luke's Gospel - Luke 6:17-26

"He Who Has Ears To Hear ... "

Mark 4:1-34
God’s Word carries this message: ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says...’ (9; Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22). We must listen for the voice of the Spirit. Grace has been ‘given’ to us (11). It is God's gift. To God be the glory! Sadly, some refuse to listen. Think about yourwe be ‘visual aids’ to whet people’s appetite - for God! response to God's Word (15-20). Let your light shine (21-23; Matthew 5:16). Use your gifts, or lose them (24-25). We preach the Word. God gives the growth (26-29; 1 Corinthians 3:6-7). A small child can count the seeds in an apple. Only God knows how many apples there are in a single seed! God’s Word is a ‘seed’ which bears much fruit (30-32; 1 Peter 1:23-25). Parables whet the appetite - for more! They were given to people ‘as they were able to hear it’ - ‘a starter’ (33-34)! May we be ‘visual aids’ to whet people’s appetite - for God!

"When Doubts Fill Your Mind ... "

When doubts fill your mind - remember this: "God does speak ... though man may not perceive it"!
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Job 32:1-33:18
‘The Bible is the Word of God’ - What do we mean when we say this? Two statements from Elihu may help us to think about this question. (a) ‘Understanding’ comes from ‘the breath of the Almighty’ (32:8). (b) ‘God does speak - now one way, now another - though man may not perceive it’ (33:14). ‘The breath of the Almighty’ - This is where the Scriptures come from: ‘All Scripture is God-breathed’ (2 Timothy 3:16). God has spoken. He has breathed out His Word. ‘God does speak - now one way, now another’ - There is great variety in the Bible. We have our favourite passages. Let’s not forget the more obscure and difficult passages - He speaks through ‘all Scripture’: ‘now one way, now another’. When the doubters fire their questions - remember: ‘God does speak...though man may not perceive it’!

"You May Not Be A Moses Or A Joshua ... "

Worldly people create problems (Exodus 17:3). Moses asks, ‘What shall I do...?’ (Exodus 17:4). Indecision asks, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ (Exodus 17:7). He gives victory (Exodus 17:8-9, 13). Joshua is being equipped for special service - ‘in the ears of Joshua’ (Exodus 17:14). God’s great concern is that His people move forward together. The work is not to be left to the few (Exodus 18:18). God is looking to faithful servants who will ‘bear the burden’ together (Exodus 18:21-22). There is much to be done, but we must never forget this: ‘prayer and the ministry of the Word’ (Acts 6:1-4). You may not be a Moses or a Joshua, but you can play your part. We rejoice in who God is and what He has done for us. Assured of His presence with us, let us worship Him: ‘Blessed be the Lord...’ (Exodus 18:10-11).

God Speaks To Us, God Speaks Through Us.

Jeremiah 1:4-9
Called by God to bring His Word to others, let us draw strength from the Word which He speaks to us: "I have put My words in your mouth" (Jeremiah 1:9).

"There Was A Man Sent From God ... " (John 1:6-7).

How does the Lord speak to us through His Word? - "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through Him" (John 1:6-7). there is great benefit in reading the Scriptures day-by-day in our own homes. There is, however, also a special ministry of preaching and teaching which the Lord has appointed and anointed so that men and women hear the Gospel, be led in the light of God's Word and be strengthened in faith. We should seek always to take advantage of every opportunity of hearing God's Word preached.

"In Him Was Life ... " (John 1:4-5).

What has the Lord Jesus been doing since the very beginning? - "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4). Jesus has been constantly at work in the hearts of men and women, calling them out of their spiritual darkness and into His marvellous light, out of spiritual death and into eternal life. How has Jesus Christ, the eternal Word of God, been speaking to men and women from the very beginning? He has been speaking to us through the created world (Psalm 19:1-4). Those who get a taste of the Lord soon find that they get hungry for more of Him. Once, we start to become aware of God the Creator, we long to know Him more fully, not only as Creator but also as Saviour. To know His saving power in our lives, we must turn only to the world created but also to the Word inspired by God (Psalm 19:7-10).

"In The Beginning Was The Word ... " (John 1:1-3).

The Bible begins with the words, "In the beginning, God". The Gospel of John begins with the words, "In the beginning was the Word."At the very beginning, there is Jesus Christ (John 1:1-3). He was there at the very beginning. He did not suddenly appear at the beginning of the New Testament. It should not surprise us that we find Jesus in the pages of the Old Testament. From the very beginning, He is there. "In the beginning was the Word." Before Isaiah and Jeremiah, before David and moses, before Abraham and Noah, before Adam and Eve, there is Jesus Christ. It's no wonder we find glimpses of the Lord Jesus throughout the Old Testament. Jesus was there before the Scriptures even began to be written (John 1:1-3).

The Inexhaustible Treasure Chest Of God's Precious Word

Sharing my Bible Reading Notes, on this blog, is a God-given privilege.
It is my prayer that these notes will help others to dig more deeply into the inexhaustible treasure chest of God's precious Word and its wonderful message of salvation.
In all of our study of Scripture, may we learn to say, with Jesus, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have ... revealed these things ... " (Matthew 11:25).
Let us always rejoice in this: "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words" (1 Corinthians 2:12-13).

Preaching A Message Which Is Relevant To The Life Of Our Hearers

If evangelical preaching is to make a significant impact on today’s world, it dare not rest content with giving theological lectures. ...The preacher dare not place himself far above the people, preaching a message which goes over the heads of the people. The preacher, no less than his hearers, must sit under the Word of God. If he is to preach a message which is relevant to the life of his hearers he must first find in Scripture a Word that is relevant to his own life. This involves much more than being an academic theologian who seeks intellectual stimulation from his study of the Bible. The preacher is not to remain a stranger to the people. He dare not speak as a theologian, proud of his education yet detached from his hearers’ life-situation. The preacher is to be a friend to his hearers. He lives among them. He meets them in the streets and at the shops. He visits them in hospital and at home. He teaches their children at school. He hears about and shares the joys and concerns of the community in which he lives. Within this very human context the pulpit must not become an ivory tower of irrelevance. Though not merely human - he is an ‘ambassador for Christ’, bringing to his hearers ‘the message of reconciliation’ (2 Cor. 5:19-20) - the preacher must not ignore the very human context in which the word of God is to be preached. In preaching from the Scriptures he proclaims a word which transforms the present and not merely a word that belongs to the past. The preacher who is sensitive to the pastoral relationships which exists between himself and the people will not preach messages which could be preached anywhere and at anytime. He takes account of the particular situation into which he is called to preach God’s word. He seeks to hear and to speak the word which God wants to speak to this people at this time.
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This post is an excerpt from my article on The Use of the Bible in Evangelical Preaching Today.

If We Seek Relevance At The Expense Of Faithfulness, We Will End Up Being Irrelevant!

If we are to be faithful preachers of God’s word, we must preach what people need to hear, and not simply what they want to hear. This is not only the way of faithfulness, it is also the way of relevance. Those who seek relevance at the expense of faithfulness turn out to be irrelevant. Their shallow and superficial preaching turns out to be no real substitute for ‘the living and abiding word of God’ through which alone the hearers can be ‘born anew’ (1 Pet. 1:23). Before we can truly appreciate the grace of God in the Gospel, we must understand that ‘there is no human solution to the human problem.’ This can be a painful experience. We do our hearers no favours if we pay little attention to the uncomfortable truths of God’s Word. ... In the presence of Jesus Christ we learn that we are sinners, but we learn also that Christ loves sinners. Unlike the Pharisees who despised ‘sinners’ Jesus Christ ‘receives sinners’ (Lk. 15:2). In the presence of Christ we encounter both perfect holiness and perfect love. In Christ, we discover ‘an unmerited abundance of love.’ This love leads us to a special kind of obedience - the obedience of love. ‘We love because he first loved us’ (1 Jn. 4:19).
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This post is an excerpt from my article on The Use of the Bible in Evangelical Preaching Today.

'The Spirit ... Opens Up The Scripture To Us And ‘Opens’ Us To The Scripture.'

In our preaching of God’s word today we must earnestly pray for this dual ministry of the Spirit: 'The Spirit ... opens up the Scripture to us and ‘opens’ us to the Scripture.' Being opened up by the Spirit to the Scripture can be an uncomfortable experience. Where the Word of God is preached in the power of the Holy Spirit, we have the situation described in the letter to the Hebrews: 'The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword ... discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do' (4:12-13). Scripture does not speak of salvation only. It also speaks about sin. Scripture does not speak only of the love of God. It also speaks of the holiness of God. When Jesus spoke of the ministry of the Holy Spirit he said this: 'When he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment' (Jn. 16:8). There are uncomfortable truths concerning which the Lord Jesus says, ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’ (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22).
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This post is an excerpt from my article on The Use of the Bible in Evangelical Preaching Today.

Interpreting The Authoritative Word Of God.

However strongly we affirm the authority of Scripture, we dare not elevate our own theological understanding to the level of Scripture itself. When we recognize clearly the distinction between authority and interpretation, we will not be afraid of interacting with theological perspectives different from our own. We need openness without a loss of the divine Word. We need not make the ideal of ‘open-mindedness’ so prominent in our thinking that we end up emptyminded, with no clear conviction concerning the divine Word. ... Our interpretation of the vital relationship between authority and interpretation is directly connected to our understanding of the dual character of Scripture as both the Word of God and the words of men. Scripture speaks to us with authority because it speaks to us as the Word of God. The study of Scripture involves us in the complex business of interpretation, since it speaks to us as the words of men, words written at various times and places by many writers.
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This post is an excerpt from my article on The Use of the Bible in Evangelical Preaching Today.


Let Us Preach God's Word As The Living Word.

In the pulpit, faithfulness and relevance are to be held together. In the study authority and interpretation are to be held together. If, in the study, Scripture is not honoured as the authoritative word of God, there will not be faithful preaching from the pulpit. A commitment to faithfulness carries with it a concern for relevance, since God ‘is not God of the dead, but of the living’ (Matt. 22:32). He is the living God and his Word is to be proclaimed as the living Word. If we are to speak a word of relevance, we need to interpret God’s Word for this generation. It is not sufficient to affirm the authority of the Bible, if we do not give serious consideration to understanding what God is saying to the world of today.
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This post is an excerpt from my article on The Use of the Bible in Evangelical Preaching Today.


It Is The Holy Spirit Who Binds Faithfulness And Relevance Together.

God’s Word is seen to be ‘the living and abiding word of God’ as God’s people believe it to be and proclaim it as ‘the living and abiding word of God’. The faithfulness which is ever relevant involves a real commitment to walking in the Spirit as ‘ministers of a new covenant, not in a written code but in the Spirit; for the written code kills but the Spirit gives life’ (2. Cor. 3:6).... It is the Holy Spirit who binds faithfulness and relevance together. He ‘makes it clear that this ancient word never becomes antiquated but is permanently relevant.’ This relevance is always a matter of something more than mere words. Our lives as well as our words must be faithful to the Word of the Lord. Faithfulness and relevance do not belong only to the study and the pulpit. There is a life to be lived in the world as well as a sermon to be preached in the church. Our lives are to be a ‘letter from Christ’, ‘known and read by all men’ (2 Cor. 3:2).
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This post is an excerpt from my article on The Use of the Bible in Evangelical Preaching Today.

The Heart Of The Matter Is The Matter Of The Heart.

Mark 6:45-7:23
The storm is raging: ‘they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them’(48). Jesus draws near, and there is peace: ‘the wind ceased’(51). Another ‘storm’ continues to rage: ‘Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders...?’(5). How did Jesus respond to this ‘storm’ of criticism? - He exposed the hypocrisy of those who made the tradition of men more important than the Word of God (7-9,13). He invited ‘the people’ to come ‘to Him’, to ‘hear’, to ‘understand’. His Word was addressed to ‘all’ of them (14). Jesus emphasizes this point: ‘man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart’(1 Samuel 16:7). The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. Which will it be? - ‘Their hearts were hardened’(52) or ‘Loving the Lord your God with all your heart’(12:30).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

God’s Word Is A ‘Seed’ Which Bears Much Fruit.

Mark 4:1-34
God’s Word carries this message: ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says...’(9; Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22). We must listen for the voice of the Spirit. Grace has been ‘given’ to us (11). It is God's gift. To God be the glory! Sadly, some refuse to listen. Think about your response to God's Word (15-20). Let your light shine (21-23; Matthew 5:16). Use your gifts, or lose them (24-25). We preach the Word. God gives the growth (26-29; 1 Corinthians 3:6-7). A small child can count the seeds in an apple. Only God knows how many apples there are in a single seed! God’s Word is a ‘seed’ which bears much fruit (30-32; 1 Peter 1:23-25). Parables whet the appetite - for more! They were given to people ‘as they were able to hear it’- ‘a starter’(33-34)! May we be ‘visual aids’ to whet people’s appetite - for God!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

We Must Do God’s Work In God’s Way.

Exodus 40:1-38
Here, we highlight three lessons: (a) The work of God begins with the Word of God:‘The Lord said to Moses...’(1). Before we can do anything for God, we must be taught by God. (b) The work of God must proceed in the way of God: ‘Thus did Moses; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did’(16). If we are to accomplish anything for God, we must do God’s work in God’s way. (c) The work of God must lead to the worship of God: ‘The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle’(34). If we are really seeking to work for God, we must seek to give Him the glory for all that is accomplished. Making these our priorities - the Word, way and worship of God - , we will look for ‘the cloud and fire’, the presence and power of God among us: He will be our Guide ‘throughout all our journeys’(38).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

We May Not Always Be Facing The Rising Sun, But We Should Always Be Facing The Risen Son!

Exodus 26:1-37
From the outside, it was a ‘tent’. On the inside, the tabernacle was a place of great beauty. Many look at Christ, and see ‘no beauty that we should desire Him’(Isaiah 53:2). The believer looks at Christ, and says, ‘You are beautiful beyond description, too marvellous for words, too wonderful for comprehension, like nothing ever seen or heard’(Mission Praise, 788).The ‘veil’ has been removed (2 Corinthians 4:3-4,6). Our sin had separated us from God, hiding His face from us (Isaiah 59:2). When Christ died, ‘the curtain of the temple was torn in two...’(Mark 15:37-38). He has changed everything (Hebrews 9:7-8,11-12). Once, we were ‘separated... alienated... strangers... far off’. Now, we are ‘in Christ Jesus’- ‘brought near in the blood of Christ’(Ephesians 2:12-13; Hebrews 10:19-22).

Exodus 27:1-19
We highlight two interesting phrases - (a) ‘as you were shown on the mountain’(8); (b) ‘towards the sunrise’(13, New International Version). We need both ‘the Scriptures’ and ‘the power of God’(Mark 12:24). Our faith is based on divine revelation - ‘according to the Scriptures’(1 Corinthians 15:3-4). We are ‘not’ to ‘go beyond what is written’(1 Corinthians 4:6). Face the risen Son - We may not always be facing the rising sun, but we should always be facing the risen Son! The revelation, the resurrection, the Scriptures, the Son - these are the great focal-points of our Christian Faith: God has revealed Himself, Christ has risen. Encouraged by the Scriptures, and empowered by the Son, we face the risen Son and we say, ‘I will proclaim the glory of the risen Lord’(Romans 15:4; Matthew 28:18-20; Mission Praise, 14).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com