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COLLECTIONS
Commentaries,
Word Studies, Devotionals, Sermons, Illustrations
Old and New Testament. |
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What You Will Find on This Page |
Introduction and
Instructions
Blank chart for Class to fill out
Chart filled out to aid discussion
Explanatory and background notes for the leader
References for discussion with introductory quote
Quotations related to Word of God |
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THE
POWER
and
SUFFICIENCY OF GOD'S WORD:
A Simple Inductive Study using Select Scriptures
Introduction and Instructions |
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GOAL: The objective of
this study is to examine the Scripture and chart out the truth
revealed about the benefits or promises of God's Word and what our responsibilities
are in order to realize those promises. In this exercise the student
should see the value of simply observing the text and interpreting the
passage based on those observations. The ultimate goal is for each student
to comprehend the power and sufficiency of God's Word, so that they leave
the discussion like newborn babes who have a passion and desire for the
pure life giving milk of God's Word. Pray much before, during and after
the study, for our battle is not against flesh and blood but is spiritual
and the enemy of our souls hates the Word of God.
This study could be
easily tailored for a Sunday School class or small group session by
handing out a chart like the one below (without the columns filled in of
course!). Another handout could be the Scriptures you would like to
discuss, which has the advantage of saving time (if time is at a premium)
and assures that everyone is reading the same translation. Alternatively
the students could observe the passages in their own Bible, which is
always a good practice. The Scriptures used to fill out this chart
are from the NAS translation, because it is one of the most literal (BIBLE
VERSIONS How Literal is your
translation?)
If you have access
to an overhead projector, prepare a copy of the chart to fill in as the
class observes each verse. Alternatively you could fill out the chart on a
white board if available.
You probably have
some favorite verses that are not included in this brief survey and you
are encouraged to add or substitute as you desire. It would be best to
select verses that are not controversial and in which it is easy to
observe Man's responsibility and God's promise or benefit.
Note that the
explanatory comments in parentheses are to be used by the leader as deemed
appropriate to guide and amplify the discussion. It is a good practice to
briefly establish the
context of
the individual verses to ensure accurate
Interpretation of the passages.
Copy and paste the handout
chart below
noting that the columns for "Our Responsibility" and "Our Reward" are to
be filled in on an overhead transparency or a white board as your class
offers their observations on each verse. You
might want to substitute other Scriptures that speak of the sufficiency of
the Word of God for all life and godliness and the rewards thereof (e.g.,
Psalm 19:7-11
"in keeping them there is great reward"). You will probably need to delete
some of the Scriptures if your discussion time is limited. In a test
run with a group of Indonesian Christian students, going through this
chart interactively took about 90 minutes, but even then the last 4-5
verses had to be discussed hurriedly! Obviously the length of time
depends on how long you spend explaining the background context and whether you
illustrate or explain some of the Scriptures with ancillary material in
the
Leader's Guide.
Read the Bible as if God were speaking
to you. He is!
Give it a try! Read each Scripture and
simply observe what your responsibility is in order for the benefit or
promise of God to be realized or "activated". Keep it simple. It will
still be profound and convicting because it is God's pure word. Let the
Scriptures speak for themselves and guard against subjective comments
such as "I feel this verse means...", etc. Direct the participants back to
pure
observation...what does the text say. It is only when we allow God's
Spirit to speak directly to us through the Word that we are able
to determine what He meant when He inspired the human authors to write
the passage. At strategic points during the discussion you will have opportunity to
insert application type questions or comments, some of which are suggested
in the
Leader's Guide.
This study would be
excellent "warm up" prior to another Bible study because it
emphasizes the power
and sufficiency of God's Word and it also makes the point that any Bible
study that is going to have significant life transforming impact
"stay very close" to the pure milk of God's Word. Bible studies that drift
away from "thus saith the LORD" may "feel good" but only God's Word discerns the
thoughts and intentions of our heart. Only God's Word provides
everything the believer needs for true, fulfilling and abundant life. |
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This quote
that can be printed out and converted into a handout or a transparency
to be utilized as an introduction to the discussion of the sufficiency of
God's Word. |
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What is the Bible?
"THIS
BOOK contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the
doom of sinners and the happiness of believers.
Its
doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and
its decisions are immutable.
Read
it to be wise, believe it to be safe and practice it to be holy.
It
contains light to direct you, food to support you and comfort to cheer
you.
It is
the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the
soldier's sword and the Christian's character.
Here
paradise is restored, heaven opened and the gates of hell disclosed.
Christ
is its grand object, our good is its design and the glory of God its end.
It
should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.
Read
it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully.
It is
given you in life and will be opened in the judgment and will be
remembered forever.
It
involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labour, and
will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents."
—
Anonymous (found on the flyleaf of an old Bible) |
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Melvin Worthington gives us
a wonderful lesson entitled "The Wonderful Word" based on 2 Timothy
3:14, 15, 16, 17...
Introduction:
The Bible is an amazing book, a living book. It provides information
which can be found in no other book.
1. The Nature of the Bible (2
Timothy 3:16 {note}; Ps. 119:1,
2, 3, 4, 5ff;
1 Peter 1:20;
21 {note}). The attributes which make the Bible a unique book include its
author, authority, accuracy, adequacy, appeal, and agenda.
2. The Need for the Bible (see notes
1 Peter 1:23;
24;
25; James 1:18; John
5:24). The Bible addresses all the needs of the human being. It is
essential for life, likeness, liberty, light, and labor.
3. The Nourishment from the Bible (see 1 Peter 2:2-note). The Bible reveals
and regulates the development God planned, the diet God provided, the
disposition God prescribed, and the diadem God promised.
4. The Neglect of the Bible (1Cor 3:1, 2). Neglect of the Bible
leads to dullness, drifting, disobedience, despising, denouncing, and
departing from the Lord.
Conclusion:
Christians need to peruse, ponder, and pray over the Scriptures. This
takes time, thought, toil, and tenacity. We need to pray—Father help me
hear, heed, hold, honor, and herald the Word of God.
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LEADER'S
GUIDE |
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THE LIVING
AND ACTIVE WORD OF GOD
Provides Everything Necessary for Life & Godliness
Hebrews 4:12;
13,
2 Peter 1:3 |
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SCRIPTURE |
GOD'S PROMISE
and/or BENEFIT |
OUR
RESPONSIBILITY |
2Ti 3:16,17
Click note
(Context= Paul's last words charging Timothy to Guard
the Treasure of God's Word & Entrust it to faithful men who can teach
others)Adequacy |
All Scripture is profitable for:
Teaching (show us what's right)
Reproof (shows us what's wrong)
Correction (shows us how to get right)
Training in Righteousness (shows and leads us to live right =
according to God's standard, not men's standard of what's right)
Adequate, equipped for
every good work |
Believe It
(Do you believe that all
Scripture has been inspired or breathed by God - from Genesis to
Revelation?)
(Do you believe that all
Scripture is truly profitable for your life? Even the Old Testament?) |
1 Peter 2:1,2
Click
note1;
note 2
(Context = 1Pe1:23,
24, 25 Peter readers have been "born
again" by the "living and abiding word")
Spiritual
Growth |
Putting aside all...
Malice
Guile
Hypocrisy
Envy
Slander
Approach the Word like a...
newborn baby
Long for (desire, delight) pure
milk of God's Word (a command not a suggestion)
(No desire? Are you a "newborn baby"? Are you born again?
Have you "put aside"? Perhaps you need to confess your sin to God and
repent) and believer upon the Lord Jesus Christ Romans 10:9,10) |
Growth in salvation
(Not grow to be smarter sinners but to be more like the Savior) |
Psalm 1:1-3
Click notes
1:1;
1:2;
1:3Real "happiness" and
Prosperity |
Does not...
Walk in counsel of wicked
Stand in path of sinners
Sit in the seat of scoffers
Delights in the Word
(When something delights us, we become preoccupied with it and we tend to
protect and guard it)
Meditates in the Word day and
night
(Meditation is to our inner person what digestion is to our body -
“chewing the cud”. Make the Word a part of your life and you grow) |
Blessed (fully satisfied
independent of circumstances) Is
like a tree planted by water
Yields fruit in season
Its leaf does not whither
All he does prospers
(Prosper = expresses idea of a successful
venture, as contrasted with failure and the source of such success is God) |
Psalm
119:9, 10, 11
Dealing with Sin |
Treasure (memorize) the Word
Keep (heed, obey) the Word
Pray the Word (do not let me
wander) |
Keeps our way pure
Equips us so that less likely to
sin against God |
Joshua 1:8
Moses has died
Lord instructs Joshua
Leadership
Spiritual Warfare |
Meditate on the Word day and night
Do not let it depart from your mouth
(it should be a constant component of your conversation - not necessarily
quoting Bible verses but speaking according to the principles of the Word)
Be careful to do (obey) it |
Way prosperous
Success
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Ezra 7:9, 10
Click note
Ezra 7:10
Leadership
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Set your heart to study the Word
Practice the Word
Teach the Word |
Good hand of God upon him |
Jeremiah 15:16
Feeling downcast |
Find the Word
(Do you seek it?)
"Eat" the Word
(Do you just nibble at it?
Is the word just "snack" food?)
Digest, Assimilate and make the Word part
of your very being.
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Joy
Delight in one's heart |
Matthew 4:4
Temptation
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Eat the Word
(Implied)
Unless the Word
becomes a vital part of our inner being, we can’t receive nourishment and
grow in the spiritual life. |
Live
(Real Spiritual Life) |
Job 23:10, 11,12
See notes
Job 23:10;
11;
12
Trials
(Context = Job 1 =
blameless, upright, fearing God, turning away from evil" Loss of children
and wealth. Responds with worship)
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Hold fast to His path,
keep His way
Don't turn; depart from His command
Treasure His words more than food! |
Come forth from trials
As "pure gold" |
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SUPPLEMENTAL
NOTES
To Be Used As Needed by Leader to Amplify the Discussion
(See also
Quotations related to Word of God) |
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2
Timothy 3:16-17 (For more detailed exposition
click here)
What is man's responsibility?
To believe that all (every word) of
Scripture from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 is inspired or breathed by
God and to order our steps accordingly.
Reproof -
“Men do not reject the Bible because it
contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them.”
In 2 Timothy 3:17
(note), "adequate"
describes the man or woman of God who is able to meet all the demands of
the work God has prepared for them beforehand in Christ Jesus that they
should walk in them (see Ephesians 2:10-note). They are full ready,
qualified, fully ready, perfectly fit. The following story illustrates what it means to be "adequate,
equipped":
The disease often plagues armies,
explorers, and crusaders, since these men’s diets normally consisted of
biscuits and salted meat that could easily be stored and kept unspoiled on
a ship. A Scottish naval surgeon named James Lind discovered Vitamin C
after a four year sea voyage which was lead by Admiral George Anson.
During the voyage more than a thousand sailors lost their lives to scurvy,
after which Lind began investigating the disease and came to the
realization that the disease was most common among people who’s diet had
been extremely limited. To test his hypothesis (that the disease was
caused by a limited diet), he decided to treat sickened sailors with
different foods during a ten-week sea voyage. He found that a diet with
citrus fruit provided the most dramatic cure for the disease. Lind
published his findings as Treatise on the Scurvy in 1753, and as a result,
in 1795 daily doses of lime juice were prescribed to all the sailors in
the British navy and Scurvy quickly vanished. However, the British were
the only people who accepted the idea that Scurvy was the result of a
dietary deficiency, and Great Britain was the only place where there was a
decline in the cases of Scurvy. In America, during the Civil war, many men
on both sides of the war died from this disease due to the lack of a
source of Vitamin C in their diet. THEY WERE NOT ADEQUATELY EQUIPPED
Thanks for the Bible
Thanks for Thy Word, O blessčd
Redeemer!
Open our eyes its beauty to see;
Grant us Thy grace to study it wisely,
Close every heart to all but Thee.
Refrain
Thanks for the Bible, off’ring so freely
Pardon and peace to all who believe;
Help us, O Lord, its counsel to follow,
Meekly by faith its truth receive.
Thanks for Thy Word of precept and promise,
Lamp to our feet and light to our way,
Points us afar where pleasures immortal
Bloom in Thine own bright realm of day.
Refrain
Blessed are they who keep its commandments,
They shall abide for ever with Thee;
Close by the clear and beautiful river,
Sharing the fruits of life’s fair tree.
-- Fanny Crosby |
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1 Peter 2:1-2
(See notes on
1 Peter 2:1;
2:2) |
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Psalm 1:1-3
(For this psalm "charted out"
click here)
Blessed You will take
careful note that there is an obvious concentration of this Hebrew word
blessed ('esher)
in Psalms.
Click
and ponder the uses of "blessed" noting associations and asking God
to search your heart. Blessed is a state of prosperity or happiness when
superior bestows favor (i.e., God for Christians). The Hebrew is
translated in the
LXX in this verse (and
often in other OT uses) with the Greek word
makarios which means fully satisfied
independent of one's circumstances (which therefore has to be a
supernatural work of the Holy Spirit). One can be "makarios" - blessed -
and in miserable circumstances. "Blessed are you," Jesus said, "when they
insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely
on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven"
(see Mt 5:11-note;
Mt 5:12-note). So "blessed are you"
does not mean untroubled are you" or "healthy are you" or "admired are
you" or "prosperous are you." It means "between you and God all is well."
You are deeply secure, profoundly content, happy in God - even if you are
weeping over the pain of a struck body, a perplexed mind, or a
heartbreaking relationship. Strengthened by His Spirit you can still in
all things give thanks and rejoice always.
You will note that nowhere does Scripture tell us that God blesses programs or
promotions. But it does teach that He blesses individuals. He blessed
Abraham so he might be a blessing to others. And He blesses us so we might
bless others.
Delight (2656) (see
also notes on
Psalm 1:2) Hebrew chephets = basic meaning = feel great favor towards
something. The root idea is to incline toward something. In
chephets, the object of one's delight solicits favor by its own intrinsic
qualities (E.g., "O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day."
Ps 119:97). The subject is easily attracted to it because it is desirable.
What you delight in is what will
direct your life, so be careful what you enjoy.
The Bible: The more you read it, the
more you love it; the more you love it, the more you read it.
Spurgeon in his Treasury of
David writes...
1. Blessed. See how this Book
of Psalms opens with a benediction, as did the famous Sermon of our Lord
on the Mount! The word translated blessed is plural, and it is a
controverted matter whether it is an adjective or a substantive. Hence we
may learn the multiplicity of the blessings which will rest on those whom
God has justified, and the perfection and greatness of the blessedness
they will enjoy. We might read it, “Oh, the blessednesses!” and we may
well regard it (as Ainsworth does) as a joyful acclamation of the gracious
man’s felicity. May the like benediction rest on us!
Here the gracious man is described both
negatively (verse 1) and positively (verse 2). He is a man who does not
walk in the counsel of the ungodly. He takes wiser counsel, and walks in
the commandments of the Lord his God. To him the ways of piety are
paths
of peace and pleasantness. His footsteps are ordered by the Word of God,
and not by the cunning and wicked devices of carnal men. It is a rich sign
of inward grace when the outward walk is changed, and when ungodliness is
put far from our actions.
Note next, he standeth not in the way of
sinners. His company is of a choicer sort than it was. Although a sinner
himself, he is now a blood-washed sinner, quickened by the Holy Spirit,
and renewed in heart. Standing by the rich grace of God in the
congregation of the righteous, he dares not herd with the multitude who do
evil.
Again it is said, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. He finds
no rest in the atheist’s scoffings. Let others make a mock of sin, of
eternity, of hell and heaven, and of the Eternal God; this man has learnt
better philosophy than that of the infidel, and has too much sense of
God’s presence to endure to hear His name blasphemed. The seat of the
scorner may be very lofty, but it is very near to the gate of hell; let us
flee from it, for it will soon be empty, and destruction will swallow up
the man who sits therein. Mark the gradation in the first verse:
He walketh not in the counsel of the
ungodly,
Nor standeth in the way of sinners,
Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
When people are living in sin they go
from bad to worse. At first they merely walk in the counsel of the
careless and ungodly, who forget God—the evil is rather practical than
habitual—but after that they become habituated to evil, and they stand in
the way of open sinners who willfully violate God’s commandments; and if
let alone, they go one step further, and become themselves pestilent
teachers and tempters of others, and thus they sit in the seat of the
scornful. They have taken their degree in vice, and as true Doctors of
Damnation they are installed, and are looked up to by others as Masters in
Belial
. But the blessed man, the man to whom all the blessings of God
belong, can hold no communion with such characters as these. He keeps
himself pure from these lepers; he puts away evil things from him as
garments spotted by the flesh; he comes out from among the wicked, and
goes outside the camp, bearing the reproach of Christ. O for grace to be
thus separate from sinners.
2. And now mark his positive
character. His delight is the the law of the Lord. He is not under the
law as a curse and condemnation, but he is in it, and he delights to be in
it as his rule of life; he delights, moreover, to meditate in it, to read
it by day and think upon it by night. He takes a text and carries it with
him all day long; and in the night-watches, when sleep forsakes his
eyelids, he
muses (click) upon the Word of God. In the day of his prosperity he
sings psalms out of the Word of God, and in the night of his affliction he
comforts himself with promises out of the same book. The law of the Lord
is the daily bread of the true believer. And yet, in David’s day, how
small was the volume of inspiration, for they had scarcely anything save
the first five books of Moses! How much more, then, should we prize the
whole written Word which it is our privilege to have in all our houses!
But, alas, what ill-treatment is given to this angel from heaven! We are
not all Berean searchers of the Scriptures. How few among us can lay claim
to the benediction of the text! Perhaps some of you can claim a sort of
negative purity, because you do not walk in the way of the ungodly; but
let me ask you—Is your delight in the law of God? Do you study God’s Word?
Do you make it the man of your right hand—your best companion and hourly
guide? If not, this blessing does not belong to you.
3. And he shall be like a tree
planted. Not a wild tree, but one planted, chosen, considered as
property, cultivated and secured from the last terrible uprooting (see
Matthew 15:13).
By the rivers of water. Even if one river should fail, he
has another. The rivers of pardon and the rivers of grace, the rivers of
the promise and the rivers of communion with Christ, are never-failing
sources of supply.
That bringeth forth his fruit in his season. Not
unseasonable graces, like untimely figs, which are never full-flavored.
But the man who delights in God’s Word, being taught by it, brings forth
patience in the time of suffering, faith in the day of trial, and holy joy
in the hour of prosperity. Fruitfulness is an essential quality of a
gracious man, and that fruitfulness should be seasonable.
His leaf also
shall not wither. His faintest word will be everlasting; his little deeds
of love will be remembered. Not only will his fruit be preserved, but his
leaf also. He will neither lose his beauty nor his fruitfulness, and
whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Blessed is the man who has such a
promise as this. But we must not always estimate the fulfillment of a
promise by our own eye-sight. How often, my brethren, if we judge by
feeble sense, may we come to the mournful conclusion of Jacob, “All these
things are against me!” For though we know our interest in the promise,
yet are we so tried and troubled that sight sees the very reverse of what
that promise foretells. But to the eye of faith this word is sure, and by
it we perceive that our works are prospered, even when everything seems to
go against us. It is not outward prosperity which the Christian most
desires and values; it is soul prosperity which he longs for. We often,
like Jehoshaphat, make ships go to Tarshish for gold, but they are broken
at Ezion-geber; but even here there is a true prospering, for it is often
for the soul’s health that we should be poor, bereaved, and persecuted.
Our worst things are often our best things. As there is a curse wrapped up
in the wicked man’s mercies, so there is a blessing concealed in the
righteous man’s crosses, losses, and sorrows. The trials of the saint are
a divine husbandry, by which he grows and brings forth abundant fruit.
Meditation is to the soul (real "soul
food") what digestion is to the body. It means assimilating the Word of
God.
Warren Wiersbe comments that...
A tree has roots. The most important
part of your life is your "root system." Don't be like the ungodly, who
are like chaff (Ps 1:4). Chaff doesn't have roots. It is blown away by
every wind that comes along. Your root system is important because it
determines your nourishment. It also determines your stability and your
strength when the storm comes and the wind starts to blow.
People can't see your root system, but God can. Praying and meditating on
the Word of God will cause your roots to go down deep into His love.
God delights in blessing His children. But we must prepare ourselves for
His blessings by first appropriating the resources He has given us.
Delight in the Word of God and feed on it. But do more than occasionally
read the Word; meditate on it constantly. Make it your source of spiritual
nourishment, and God will bless you with strength and stability.
Two of the most popular words in the
Christian vocabulary are bless and blessing. God wants to bless His
people. He wants them to be recipients and channels of blessing. God
blesses us to make us a blessing to others, but He has given us certain
conditions for receiving blessings.
First, we must be separated from the world (Ps 1:1-note). The world is
anything that separates us from God or causes us to disobey Him.
Separation is not isolation but contact without contamination. Sin is
usually a gradual process. Notice the gradual decline of the sinner in Ps
1:1. He is walking (Mark 14:54), standing (John 18:18) and then sitting
(Luke 22:55). Becoming worldly is progressive; it happens by degrees. We
make friends with the world; we become spotted by the world; we love the
world, become confirmed to it and end up condemned with it. Lot is an
example of someone who became worldly. He looked toward Sodom, pitched his
tent toward Sodom, lived there, lost everything and ended in sin.
Second, we must be saturated with the Word (Ps 1:2-note). Whatever
delights us directs us. We saturate ourselves with the Word by meditating
on it. Meditation is to the spirit what digestion is to the body. When we
meditate on the Word, we allow the Spirit of God within us to "digest" the
Word of God for us. So not only do we delight in the Word, it becomes a
source of spiritual nourishment for us.
Enjoy the blessings God has for you and allow Him to make you a blessing
to others. (A third condition, being situated by the waters, is the topic
of our next devotional.)
God desires to bless us, but we must meet His conditions for receiving
blessings. By staying separate from the world and keeping
saturated in the Word, ("This is pure and undefiled
religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows
in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."
James 1:27) we
may expect God's blessings. Resolve to meditate on the Word of God and
obey it. He will make you a blessing to others.
"Like a tree": A tree is a
blessing. It holds soil, provides shade and produces fruit. The godly are
like trees, with root systems that go deep into the spiritual resources of
God's grace (Ps 1:3-note). But sadly, many professing Christians are not
like trees but are like artificial plants or cut flowers with no roots.
They may be beautiful for a while, but soon they die. (Ed note: Cf Jesus'
words that "those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive
the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while,
and in time of temptation fall away. And the seed which fell among the
thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way
they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and
bring no fruit to maturity." Luke 8:13,14, 15; Paul's warning about those who
"profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable
and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed." Titus 1:16
(note), Jesus'
stern warning "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the
kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.
Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your
name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many
miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM
ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS." see Mt 7:21-note;
Mt 7:22-note;
Mt 7:23-note)
A tree needs light, water and roots to live. We all have resources upon
which we draw life. The question we need to ask ourselves is, Where are
our roots? The person God can bless is planted by the rivers of water.
We must be careful not to be like Christians who are dry and withered and
depend upon their own resources. They are like tumbleweeds, blown about by
any wind of doctrine.
To have the blessings of Ps 1:3, we need to meet the conditions of Ps 1:1,
2. That is, we must first be separated from the world and
saturated with the Word to be situated by the waters. God
desires to bless us, but we need to meet certain conditions to receive His
blessings. We bear fruit only when we have roots, and we must draw
upon spiritual resources to bring forth fruit in due season. To bear the
fruit of the Spirit, we must allow the Spirit to work in us and through
us.
In contrast to the believer, the ungodly are not like trees but are
like chaff. They have no roots, produce no fruit
and are blown about. The ungodly reject the Word of God
and will perish without hope (Ps 1:6). As Christians we must not
reject the ungodly but try to reach them. God blesses us so that we
might be a blessing to others. His Spirit helps us bear fruit that can
help win the lost.
Are you like a tree or like chaff?
We need God's resources to bear fruit. But where we place our roots is
paramount. Only as we grow them deeply into the spiritual resources of
God's grace (Ed note: His Word, cf "And now I commend you to God and to
the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to
give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified."
Acts 20:32)
will we produce fruit. Make the Bible your spiritual resource. Delight in
it and feed your soul with its truth. God can use you to help win the
lost. (Wiersbe, W:
Prayer Praise and Promises:
A Daily Walk Through the Psalms)
(Bolding added)
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Psalm
119:9-11 How in the
world a person keep clean in this unholy world? The psalmist answers
that it is "By taking heed according to God's word" a truth which
doesn't apply only to young men but to every man, woman and child.
The world is spiritually "dirty" and the pollution will not get better but
worse so as we walk around in this world we need to make sure we walk in
the Word of God by daily reading and hiding the Word (in our
heart - our "command center" so to speak) so that we can be heeding
the word.
G. Campbell Morgan noted that
this verse...
It tells us about the best book--'Thy
Word'--in the best place--'my heart'--for the best purpose--'that
I might not sin' against God.
When was the last time you
memorized a passage of Scripture? God's Word has a cleansing effect.
You must (no excuses please) get into the Word so that it can
get into you and can then become effective in your life, as the Spirit
uses it to renew our minds and transform our thinking so that we are
enabled more and more to discern the will of God at every turn of the road
of our life. The Word obeyed is the best preventative for the "dirt"
of this world which is passing away as are it's lusts.
What does it mean to "treasure"
something? (Click
definition of the Hebrew word)
I know of no other single practice in
the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing
Scripture...No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends!
Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and
much more effective. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your
mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will
be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified. (Charles Swindoll)
I am convinced that one of the greatest
things we can do is to memorize Scripture. (Billy Graham)
One of the most important Christian
disciplines is Scripture memory. If I had it my way, every student would
know 500 verses word perfect with the references before leaving Dallas
(Dallas Theological Seminary) (Howard Hendricks)
God's Word more clearly unveils
God's will for your life than any other modality and as Alexander Maclaren puts
it...
When God’s will is deeply planted
within, it will work quickening change on the heavy dough of our sluggish
natures.
It is when we bring
the springs of our actions — namely, our motives, which are our true
selves — into touch with His
uttered will, that our deeds become conformed to it. Look after the
motives, and the deeds will look after themselves. ‘I have hid Thy word within my
heart.’
(Click
to read Maclaren's entire
message)
Warren Wiersbe notes that...
You must also rejoice in God’s Word,
delight in it and meditate on it. Meditation is to your inner person what
digestion is to your body. When you truly delight in the Word, you will
have a desire to meditate on it and make it a part of your life. In Psalm
119, the writer connects “delight” and “meditation” (Psalm 119:15,16,
23,24, 47, 48, 77,78) Cultivate an appetite for the Word of God. (Wiersbe,
W: With the Word: Chapter-by-Chapter Bible Handbook. Nelson
or
Logos)
A powerful
illustration of someone "treasuring" the Word of God:
The first requirement for keeping that
TREASURE is to recognize that it is a TREASURE. A beautiful and touching
story is told of a young French girl who had been born blind. After she
learned to read by touch, a friend gave her a Braille copy of Mark’s
gospel. She read it so much that her fingers became calloused and
insensitive. In an effort to regain her feeling, she cut the skin from the
ends of her fingers. Tragically, however, her callouses were replaced by
permanent and even more insensitive scars. She sobbingly gave the book a
goodbye kiss, saying,
“FAREWELL, FAREWELL, SWEET WORD OF MY
HEAVENLY FATHER.”
In doing so, she discovered that her
lips were even more sensitive than her fingers had been, and she spent the
rest of her life reading her great treasure with her lips. Would that
every Christian had such an appetite for the Word of God!
The Preacher's Commentary
addressing the question “How can a young man cleanse his way?” writes...
The question is classic because it is the great issue of the Bible. How
can a sinner stand in the presence of a holy God? The cleansing of our way
implies that we have fallen. How can we be washed and restored? The
reference to youth reminds us of the Book of Proverbs (see Proverbs 1:4,8,
10, 15, etc.). The answer to the question is as follows: “By taking heed according
to Your word.” This taking heed includes two things. First, the Word of
God cleanses us as it separates us from this world and all of its
uncleanness. Thus Jesus tells His disciples, “You are already clean
because of the word which I have spoken to you” (John 15:3). But, second, the Word
of God also cleanses us as it directs us in the paths of righteousness. It
not only separates us from the world; it also separates us to God. The
Word works to bring us into the will of God.
Next, the psalmist confesses: “With my whole heart I have sought You”
(v10; see v2). Because of his singleness of purpose, his “whole heart,” he
can then continue, “Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments.” God not
only reveals His will to us; He keeps us in that will. We must note again
that the psalmist is not a legalist. He has no illusions that He can do
God’s will in his own strength. He is entirely dependent upon the God who
calls him to keep him. This divine keeping is a matter of the heart. Thus
he continues in verse 11, “Your word I have hidden [‘laid up’] in my
heart, / That I might not sin against You.” As the Word is memorized and
internalized, it be comes directive for our lives. No wonder Jesus tells
us that if we “abide” (“continue, remain”) in His Word, then we are His
disciples (John 8:31). His Word will determine our walk.
As a new Christian I was encouraged to memorize Scripture. Introduced to
the Topical Memory System of the Navigators (Click to
open the Navigator's Topical Memory System with "Electronic
Flashcards"), I
amassed several score of verses on salvation, prayer, the Christian life,
etc. Often during my high school lunch hour I would slip away to a quiet
place for review. This investment was for a lifetime. Again and again in
preaching and counseling, these verses have come back to me. How grateful
I am that as a young believer I was introduced to hiding God’s Word in my
heart. (Briscoe,
D. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. The Preacher's Commentary Series. Thomas Nelson
or
Logos)
C H Spurgeon (Treasury
of David) comments...
"How will he become and remain
practically holy? He is but a young man, full of hot passions, and
poor in knowledge and experience; how will he get right, and keep right?
Never was there a more important question for any man; alas, his way is
already unclean by actual sin which he has already committed, and he
himself has within his nature a tendency towards that which defiles.
Here, then, is the difficulty, first of
beginning aright, next of being always able to know and choose the right,
and of continuing in the fight till perfection is ultimately reached.
Let him not think that he knows the
road to easy victory, nor dream that he can keep himself by his own
wisdom; he will do well to follow the psalmist, and become an earnest
inquirer asking how he may cleanse his way.
Let him become a practical disciple of
the holy God, who alone can teach him how to overcome the world, (2 Peter
1:4{note},
1John 5:4,5, Gal 6:14) the flesh, and the devil, that trinity of defilers
by whom many a hopeful life has been spoiled. He is young and unaccustomed
to the road; let him not be ashamed often to inquire his way of him who is
so ready and so able to instruct him in it.
Our way is a subject which concerns us
deeply, but it is not to be answered by unaided reason, nor, when
answered, can the directions be carried out by unsupported human power. By
taking heed thereto according to thy word. Young man, the Bible must be
your chart, and you must exercise great watchfulness that your way may be
according to its directions. You must take heed to your daily life as well
as study your Bible, and you must study your Bible that you may take heed
to your daily life. To obey the Lord and walk uprightly will need all our
heart and soul and mind.
Yet the word is absolutely necessary,
for otherwise care will darken into morbid anxiety, and conscientiousness
may become superstition. It is not enough to desire to be right; for
ignorance may make us think that we are doing God service when we are
provoking him, and the fact of our ignorance will not reverse the
character of our action, however much it may mitigate its criminality.
Let each person, young or old, who
desires to be holy have a holy watchfulness in his heart, and keep the
Holy Bible before his open eye. There he will find every turn of the road
marked down, every slough and miry place pointed out, with the way to go
through unsoiled; and there, too, he will find light for his darkness,
comfort for his weariness, and company for his loneliness, so that by its
help he will reach the benediction of the first verse of the psalm, which
suggested the psalmist’s inquiry, and awakened his desires.
Note how the first section of eight
verses has for its first verse, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way,”
and the second section runs parallel to it, with the question,
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?” The blessedness which is
set before us in a conditional promise should be practically sought for in
the way appointed. The Lord says, “For this will I be inquired of by the
house of Israel to do it for them.” (See also Spurgeon's comments on
Verse 10
and
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