Bible Foundations: “The Word of God Lesson 1” (Continued)

 

Bible Foundations: “The Word of God Lesson 1” (Continued)

Smith Wigglesworth said: “Never say this book contains the Word of God, but say; “THIS IS THE WORD OF GOD.”

The Bible is God's written expression of His will to man. When we consider that it is God speaking to man, it should never be considered as just instruction in a general sense, but God's instruction to me as a person. In other words, each of us should read the Bible with the thought in mind that; “God is speaking to me.”

In this series we will be using Scriptures to answer questions and statements throughout the lesson. You may want to take notes of the Scriptures and read them from your Bible.

Is our Bible of any real value to us? Only when we believe it and build up our Faith by reading and Hearing it.

Mark 7:13 (We can make it ineffective by our tradition.) “You nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many other similar things.”

Even though the Bible is the Word of God . . . . it can be just words with no real power, OR it can be something more than we even understand words to be !!

6. We should remember when we consider God's Word, that Jesus is the Living Word (“the Logos”) He is the total expression of God to us.

   John 1:1-14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That  was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

Genesis 1:1-27 Tells us the events of creation: God spoke and then there WAS - - He called those things that were not as though they were and they became as He directed them to be.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.”

God continued to speak into existence vegetation, animals and living creatures.

When God decided to make man, he formed man from mud and then breathed on him the breath of life. When God made woman, he caused the man to sleep, and took from his side a rib and created woman.

The worlds were framed by God's spoken Word. 
 Hebrews 11:1,3 - - “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Colossians 1:15-17 - - (And the world is kept in order by God's Word.)
“ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things are held together. 

(God's Word is alive and full of power.)
Hebrews 4:12 - “ For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

7. The early church was a good example for us to follow. How did they relate to the Word of God?

They allowed the Word to do it's work in their lives and their ministry and the church grew because of it.

Acts 2:41 - - They received it - “Then those who gladly received the word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.”

Acts 4:4 - - They believed it - “However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.”

Acts 6:7 - - It increased - “Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.”

Acts 12:24 - - It Grew - “But the word of God grew and multiplied.”

Acts 19:20 - It Prevailed - “So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.”

The New Testament Believers allowed the Word to do it's work in their lives and their ministry and the church grew because of it. We should just speak and believe God's Word; and allow God to do the rest.

8. God has a responsibility to the words He has spoken.

 The word God speaks shall come to pass.  Ezekiel 12:25 - “For I am the Lord. I speak, and the word which I speak will come to pass; it will no more be postponed; for in your days, O rebellious house, I will say the word and perform it,” says the Lord God.’ ”

The Word shall accomplish what God desires to be done. Isaiah 55:11 -  “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

Isaiah 46:9-11 - God purposed it, He will also do it. “Remember the former things of old,

For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,  Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’  Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.

2 Timothy 2:13 - God can't contradict Himself. (He is just and He can't do anything inconsistent with himself.) “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”

Titus 1:2 - God can not lie.

“in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,” 

9. Our responsibility to the Words that God has spoken.

Romans 3:3-4 - Let God be True - “ For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?  Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.”

Be fully persuaded that what He has promised He is able also to perform.

Romans 4:21 “and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.”

God's gifts to the Church are various ministers to encourage, challenge and equip us to serve our Lord. We are to seek earnestly for these gifts to operate in us as believers.

Ephesians 4:11-16 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head —
Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

We become progressively sanctified or separated onto God by His Word.

John 7:17 Jesus prayed to his Father; “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

The word “sanctify” in verse seventeen means “to consecrate, or to set apart persons or things to God” Jesus tells us that we have a practical progressive sanctification of our present life by the application of the truth of God’s Word.

The more we understand God's Word, the more freedom we will enjoy.

John 8:31-32 “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

There is constant transformation of our lives as we believe His Word.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

His Word builds us up so that we believe and become partakers of our inheritance in God.

Acts 20:32 “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”

2 Peter 1:4 “whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in that world by lust.”

(To believe that I personally can be a partaker of divine nature does not mean that I am trying to become greater than God. I am not even trying to put myself on His level. God is many things that I will never become. Among other things, He is Almighty, the Creator, all-knowing.) 

Becoming a partaker of the divine nature means that the characteristics of God’s nature become my own. For example, among other things, His divine nature is:

• Good, Gentle, Righteous, Merciful, Forgiving, Long suffering, Patient, Joyful, Peaceful,
  Self-controlled, Faithful, Kind, Honest, And above all, loving!

As we grow in grace, we also become partakers of the deeper truths of God's Word.

Hebrews 5:13-14 “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.  But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

As Believers in Christ Jesus, we need the basic truths, the A-B-C's of the Gospel.

1 Peter 2:2-3 “Therefore, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

There are foundational truths that all of us must understand.

Hebrews 6:1-3 “Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits.”

Jesus the Word, is the foundation of our faith.

John 1:1-4, 14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

1 Corinthians 3:10-11 “ According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 

God's Word is our sure foundation. It is also our source of growth and is the factor in our maturity in God.

Colossians 2:2-3 (Amplified version) [For my hope is] that their hearts may be encouraged as they are knit together in [unselfish] love, so that they may have all the riches that come from the full assurance of understanding [the joy of salvation], resulting in a true [and more intimate] knowledge of the mystery of God, that is, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge [regarding the word and purposes of God].

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