The Power of
the Written Words of God
1 Thessalonians 2:13
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
1 August, 2010 AM
I.
Introduction
()
A.
Beginning
a new series
for the month of August –
God’s Open
Revelation
B.
Looking at
the Book you
hold in your hands.
I hope to give you
a new and
fresh appreciation for an eternal Revelation, from God about God
C.
We are going to study and learn:
1.
God’s Word in Our Hearts
2.
God’s Word in Our Hands
3.
God’s Word in Our Homes
4.
God’s Word to the World
D.
Sounds simple, but it is THE most
attacked truth today (2Cor 2;17)
1.
The Bible is the foundation of
what we believe, and it is the basis for everything we do – if it is not in
the Bible, then we don’t do it!
2.
If the foundation is tampered
with, then we are lost (Psalm 11:3)
3.
But if the foundation is rock
solid, then we can build, and strive, and risk everything, all because this
Book, THAT Book you hold in your hands is absolutely, and completely true
from start to finish (Ps 119:16)
E.
Let’s look into Bible, and Start
to get it MORE and more into our Hearts
II.
Message –
God’s Word in Our Hearts (1Thes 2:13)
A.
The Preaching
of the Word of God
(1Thes 2:13)
1.
Paul, Silas and Timothy arrived
in a small city called Thessalonica about 51 AD
a.
It is less than 20 years after
the crucifixion of our Lord
b.
Thessalonica was an awful, pagan,
heathen society – we forget how dark and wicked the world was before Jesus
Christ came and the Gospel broke that darkness
c.
In Thessalonica, as in all the
Greek cities, sexual promiscuity was common
1)
Every home was filled with dark
idols to sex, as well as marriages and relationships that were built upon
whatever felt good!
2)
To live a life of purity, and
monogamy was regarded as a freak.
3)
There was great pressure for
everyone to just to fall into line with the common sex practices of their
day.
4)
The entertainment was sexually
dark
5)
Children were constantly at risk
of abuse
6)
THAT was the kind of world that
the Gospel went out into!
2.
They Had the Word of God in their
hands
(2Tim 3:15)
a.
Didn’t talk about philosophies,
dreams, theories, and cunningly devised fables
b.
They held up something unusual –
a BOOK!
1)
Held it in their hands
2)
Pointed to it
3)
They called it the WORD of GOD to
all men and women everywhere!
4)
Asked people to examine it, and
see if it was true (Philp 2:16)
5)
Preached it
6)
And they Commanded the people to
follow it
3.
They Preached it!
It was delivered in the only way Jesus said it should! By Preaching!
a.
This is where it starts
1)
God doesn’t spend chapters of the
Bible trying to prove He exists
2)
He just starts off declaring that
He is there, and that He did this and He did that!
3)
He just expects people to hear
His word PREACHED first!
b.
Jesus commanded that the word of
God
1)
Be PREACHED (Mark 16:15)
2)
Be TAUGHT (Matthew 5:2, 7:29;
Acts 14:21)
c.
They didn’t spend all their time
proving it… they just preached it and showed how powerful it was
1)
It would be like trying to point
to a stick of dynamite and through analysis, and examination, and testing,
and experimentation trying to determine if it was powerful or not
2)
When what you do is you light it,
and throw it, and then watch it work!
3)
That’s what preaching is!
d.
They used the Old Testament
1)
They didn’t have Matthew, Mark,
Luke, Acts, Romans yet
2)
Those New Testament Books were
coming, they were being written by eye-witnesses, by people who had seen
known and handled Jesus Christ
e.
Paul, Silas and Timothy explained
the Gospel from out of the Old Testament – it was nothing new, but was
throughout the pages of the Law and the Prophets!
1)
The first Lamb in the Garden of
Eden
2)
The promised Lamb in the place of
Isaac
3)
The Brazen Serpent on a Pole in
Numbers 21
4)
The cloud by day and the fire by
night
5)
The fourth man in the fire with
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Dan 3
6)
The wheel in the middle of the
wheel in Ezekiel 1
7)
The suffering Servant of Isaiah
52 and 53
8)
The Mighty God of Isaiah 9
f.
They ALWAYS included the
Crucifixion – the centrepiece of history!
4.
They Expected Results
a.
Believed in God’s way of doing
things
1)
Not just helping people, feeding,
clothing them
2)
Not just giving medical supplies
3)
Not just discussing things,
debating things
4)
But using the foolishness of
preaching (1Cor 1:17,18,21) And not polished preaching, just powerful
preaching (2:4)!
5)
They patiently spoke the words of
God, and ploughed them into the hearts of the hearers, and then waited for a
harvest!
6)
They expected God to mightily
bless like He promised!
b.
They expected people would get
saved – we need to believe this more and more!
1)
Sometimes MANY got born again
(Acts 2:40,41)
2)
Sometimes only a few (Acts
17:32-24)
3)
But someone will always get saved
when we do things God’s way!
c.
They expected Christians would
adjust their lives to get in line with the Bible (1Thes 2:11,12)
d.
If you use the right tools, you
can count on things getting fixed!
B.
The Power of
the Words of God
(1Thes 2:13) – it Works!
1.
God designed the written words on
the paper in your hand to do some incredible work!
a.
Isaiah 55:8-11
b.
Genesis 1:3 – Believe me, when
God spoke, things happened!
c.
Matthew 8:26,27 – even calming
storms
d.
These words are the written form
of the spoken words from the very mouth of God (Mt 4:4)
2.
What Does God’s Word Do?
a.
It CUTS first
(Hebrews 4:12; Acts 7:51-55)
1)
It has to hurt first
2)
It has to go “under the skin” and
get to the heart, and stab at the lies and deception that are there
3)
Don’t defend the Bible’s work –
any more than you would try and stop a surgeon from removing gangrene from
your leg! LET IT CUT!
b.
It CONVICTS
(Romans 3:19) – makes us feel guilty knowing that we ARE guilty before God!
People hate this Book because it “tells on them” – tattles, and exposes
their sins, and proves that they are sinful, and guilty before God! But it
HAS to convict before it can ever convert a soul!
c.
It CONVERTS
– changes us from stubborn, rebels, into followers of Jesus Christ (1Peter
1:23). If we Let it do its perfect work in our hearts; if we stop resisting
the truths and start accepting God’s way, and God’s Son, and God’s will!
d.
It CASTS OUT
all the Darkness, Lies, Demons, and Bondage that is in people (Luke 4:36)
e.
It CLEANSES
(
f.
It COMFORTS
(1Peter 2:1-3), like a newborn baby with its mother! Some of us are not
ashamed to declare that we find comfort in just sitting down and reading the
Bible for an HOUR! It comforts our hearts, it calms our worries, and it
carries us through the dark hours! You need the Comfort that this Book
offers!
g.
It CONVINCES
– gives us a confident faith in God (Romans 10:17)
h.
It CONFORMS
(2Cor 3:18) – It moulds our lives into a whole new life – it changes us from
OUR glory (not much here), to HIS glory as we look into and read and study
this Book! The more you are in this Book, the more you become like its
Author – the more you think like Him, and react like Him, and love like Him!
3.
I am here to tell you it does all
this for me and my family, it can do it for YOU!
4.
How can it do all this? Because
it is the TRUTH, and it is GOD’S word, not man’s!
C.
The Pursuit of
the Word of God
(Psalm 119:18)
1.
Now we get down to the
nitty-gritty. This is the challenge; to PURSUE the truth, to search for it,
and find it, and live and die by it!
2.
None of the above happens by
accident. You have to WANT it to start to work in you and on you!
3.
How does a dumb, ignorant, pagan
Gentile learn this Book, this Bible?
a.
Hear it
1)
Hear it out - Give God a chance
2)
Read it with a listening ear
3)
Start in Matthew
4)
Don’t try and understand it all
at first – just let the truth get into your brain
5)
Just let God talk, and you listen
for a while!
b.
Heed it
1)
Start obeying what God says to do
a)
b)
Acts 16:31 “Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ”
c)
Matthew 9:9 “Follow me” – do and
live like Jesus did
d)
Crucify your anger
e)
Love your enemy, bless that
person who has used you and hurt you
f)
Pray about everything
g)
Praise God and thank God for
everything
h)
Honour your parents
i)
Assemble together as a church
every time its doors are open – every time!
2)
Then, STAY doing what the Bible
says to do (
c.
Study it (2 Tim 2:15) – don’t let
ME be the only person who studies this Book
1)
Take time to search out the
answers to the questions that will arise from your reading
2)
Pay attention to the preaching
and teaching in Church Meetings – your pastor has studied some awesome
truths for you to take home with you and chew on
3)
When you are not here on Sunday
nights and Wednesday nights, it is YOUR loss
4)
This Book was meant to be studied
and learned, and nearly mastered!
5)
Don’t let confusion, and
misconceptions stop you from learning this Book of books. Most people
STUMBLE at what they read here, but the Bible believer, studies it out and
finds that the mind of God is so brilliant!
6)
So, get back to taking notes, and
get back to thinking through what we learn
d.
Store it away (Ps 119:11) –
Memorize it
1)
Let it become the things you
think about
2)
Let it go deep into your heart so
that it can take root, and then sprout, and produce much fruit in your life!
3)
Work at memorizing the Scriptures
again - notecards
e.
Savour it (Psalm 119:97,99) –
Meditate on it
1)
No one in here knows anything of
God if they do not ponder what they read in this Book. You may know facts,
and places, but “I” want to know the Author
2)
The Bible is not just facts and
information…
3)
But truths, and eternal
principles that work across time, and across cultures
4)
Illustration:
a)
No one should EVER cook a thick
steak, and then gobble it down in 5 seconds flat! What a waste! Go eat a
McDonalds!
b)
A steak is meant to be cooked
perfectly, and then eaten slowly, savouring every drop of juice and flavour!
c)
That’s how I love to read and
apply this Book!
f.
Cling to it, Lean upon it, hold
it closer and closer every year that you grow!
1)
Modern Christianity is full of
knowledge, but empty of consistency
2)
People know a lot, but do not
live by any of it
3)
They act fine, and confident,
until troubles come, and then they throw it all to the wind
4)
A Bible believer clings to what
this Book says
a)
Its commands are non-negotiable
b)
Its promises are irrevocable!
c)
Its comforts are incomparable!
5)
The Bible will be no good to you
if it is not clung to when needed most!
III.
Conclusion
A.
We are beginning
a new series
for the month of August –
God’s Open
Revelation
B.
We are looking at
the Book you
hold in your hands
– not some lost, mysterious code that has yet to be unravelled!
C.
I hope to give you
a new and
fresh appreciation for the Bible
D.
We started
with The Preaching of the Word of God
1.
Paul, Silas and Timothy arrived
in a small city called Thessalonica about 51 AD
2.
They Had the very words of
Almighty God in their hands
(2Tim 3:15)
3.
And They Preached it!
From Genesis to Malachi!
4.
They Expected Results
– because there will always be results! If you use the right tools, you can
count on things getting fixed!
E.
We then looked
at The Power of the Words of God
(1Thes 2:13) – What Does God’s Word Do?
1.
It CUTS first
2.
It CONVICTS
3.
It CONVERTS
4.
It CASTS OUT
5.
It CLEANSES
6.
It COMFORTS
7.
It CONVINCES
8.
It CONFORMS
– changes us for the better! To be like Jesus!
F.
The Pursuit of
the Word of God
- How does a dumb, ignorant, Gentile learn this Book, this Bible?
1.
Hear it
2.
Heed it – obey it, and stay
obeying it!
3.
Study it
4.
Store it away (Ps 119:11) –
Memorize it
5.
Savour it (Psalm 119:97,99) –
Meditate on it
6.
Cling to it, Lean upon it, hold
it closer and closer every year that you grow!
G.
Today, I want to challenge you
that are sceptics to believe God – not me! Begin to read this Bible,
starting in Matthew, and read 2 chapters a day, one in the morning and one
in the evening, and look to Jesus and see if He will not change your life
and save your soul!
H.
And, I want to challenge every
Christian in this church, to read 10 chapters a day through all of August!!!
Let’s see how much we all change for the better!
I.
Let’s all fall in love once again
with this Book of Books that tells us about Jesus, and about heaven, and
about ourselves, and about life that is meant to be lived and not lost!