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Abide in the Vine

Help Restoring the Church of Jesus Christ 

Truth that sets men free, can only be experienced when the Word of God is constantly obeyed and practiced.

TEACHING

LAYING AN EXCELLENT FOUNDATION

 

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Session 2

 

 

The Living Word of God

Part 1

The Basics

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Living by the Scriptures

2Tim 3:14-17 But as for you, continue to hold to the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced, knowing from whom you learned [them], 15 And how from your childhood you have had a knowledge of and been acquainted with the sacred Writings, which are able to instruct you and give you the understanding for salvation which comes through faith in Christ Jesus [through the leaning of the entire human personality on God in Christ Jesus in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness]. 16 Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action), 17 So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 

  • The Sacred Writings – The Scriptures / The Bible – OT & NT

    • which are able to make you wise

      • The bible has a purpose

      • When something or somebody instructs you, you are their student or apprentice

      • We must allow the bible to instruct us for change through apprenticeship

    • and give you the understanding for salvation

      • If you want to determine whether you are saved you must compare yourself with Word of God

      • To be saved is threefold

        • Spirit – Salvation

        • Soul – Deliverance (Renewing your mind)

        • Body – Healing / Health

    • which comes through

      • faith in Christ Jesus

        • We must learn to have true faith in the Word of God

 

  • Every Scripture is God-breathed – This is God’s own Word as if Spoken today (Heb 3:12)

    • (given by His inspiration) – (2Pet 1:19-21)

      • and profitable for instruction,

        • The Bible must be your instruction manual

        • Not some church statement

        • Or doctrinal point of view or opinion

      • for reproof and conviction of sin,

        • Reading the Word of God bring conviction of sin or sins

      • for correction of error

        • You can only illuminate error and powerlessness through the Word of God

        • Only when error is corrected can we live an effective life as a Christian

      • and discipline in obedience,

        • When you read the bible you must not only getter information & head knowledge

        • You must become an apprentice of the Word

          • You must live the Word of God

          • You must practice what you learn

            • Repetition of the Word changes the mind and also the heart

      • [and] for training in righteousness

        • (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action),

        • This a very important thing that the Word of God is doing – training in righteousness – will look in detail at what this means

        • Most of the New Testament was written by the apostle Paul. Who refers to righteousness in all his letters

        • Two types of righteousness

          • Righteousness by the LAW

          • Righteousness through Jesus Christ

        • We must learn to train ourselves to live and walk in righteousness

          • To train we must exercise our faith in the Word of God

          • We will learn by making mistakes & through failure

          • We will become more mature as we grow

    • so that

      • the man of God may

        • be complete

          • The goal of Jesus’ death and resurrection was not salvation / going to heaven

          • The goal was to grow up and become mature

        • and proficient,

          • A proficient person is an effective person

          • How long have you been trying to change something in your life?

          • Why do you not have the power to overcome your fears or sicknesses?

          • It must come out of you automatically

        • well fitted

          • Most Christians will be unbalanced in some way

          • God want us to be well balanced (John 4: - Spirit and Truth)

        • and thoroughly equipped

          • Most of the church is very inexperienced and unequipped in the work of God

          • They cannot do the job!

            • They believe but do not have true faith in God for

              • Healing / Deliverance / Daily overcoming and changing / To share their faith

    • for every good work

      • God had planned for each of us to do good works

      • What are good works? (When God made heaven and earth He said: “It was good!”

      • Good works are God works / Works that needs love and power!

The Power of the Word of God

Heb 4:12-13 For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analysing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. 13 And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.

 

  • For the Word that God speaks

    • allow the Word of God to speak to you

  • is alive

    • is a person (John 1:1-2)

    • not dead – applicable today

      • never become outdated / only historical

  • and full of power

    • [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective];

    • has inherent power

    • everything that was created through it

    • has creative power

    • Has ability to change your life

    • power will be evident when we practice it

  • it is sharper than any two-edged sword,

    • compared to a short two-edge sword – Roman sword

      • is an effective weapon to attack and defend

      • will pierce your soul (Luke 1/2/3?)

  • penetrating to

    • penetrate past any barriers in our hearts

      • believe the Word - No excuses valid

      • reaches into the deep places of our hearts

  • the dividing line of

    • can distinguish between the soul and the Spirit

    • makes visible a dividing line between the soul and the Spirit

  • the breath of life (soul)

    • What & where is the soul?

    • What is the heart?

  • and [the immortal] spirit,

    • What & where is the spirit?

  • and of joints  & and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature],

  • exposing

    • Many people hide behind excuses

      • of business

      • of work

      • family

      • lack of understanding

      • pain – because of rejection or bitterness

  • and sifting

    • make clear separations

    • not gray areas – not open to interpretation

  • and analyzing

    • I believe in something wrong, because

      • Traditions

      • Not knowing God & Fear of trusting God

      • Compromise

        • Ignorance

      • Deception - doctrinal error

      • What I allow shows my heart

  • and judging

    • must discern the truth from the lie!

    • To prove the truth – must know the Word of God

    • Do not judge! - cannot judge the truth!

  • the very thoughts and purposes

    • God knows the motives of our hearts

    • struggles with identity

    • lack of understanding inability to accept God’s love

  • of the heart

    • God sees the attitude of your heart

    • As a man thinks in his heart – SO is he!

    • What do you think about yourself?

  • And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight,

    • What if I was to play a video of your thoughts

  • but all things are open and exposed, naked

    • live in a such away - can be seen nakedly by everybody every day

    • God is not partial – no exceptions for you

  • and defenceless

    • Cannot defend ourselves against God

  • to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.

    • one day we must give an account

    • will have no excuse!

The Futility of Human Traditions

Matt 15:1-2 THEN FROM Jerusalem came scribes and Pharisees and said, “2 Why do Your disciples transgress and violate the rules handed down by the elders of the past? For they do not practice [ceremonially] washing their hands before they eat.”

 

  • Why do Your disciples (When we truly are Jesus’ disciples we will be different and live by a different set of rules)

    • transgress and violate

      • When people feel accused they will attack to defend what they hold dear

      • People will be so convinced that they are right and they will

        • Persecute and even arrogantly start to slander and mistreat

      • Threatened, insecure people will attack

    • the rules handed down by the elders of the past?

      • People are very protective about certain religious traditions that they learned

      • We must test where these doctrines come from and whether they have a biblical basis?

      • Many traditions have developed over many years and have infiltrated the church with most people not even knowing it

      • The Word of God got twisted to fit our interpretations, which were made mostly because of our experiences, if any!

      • When we do not know God and His Word we will start to make strange assumptions and accept strange doctrines which are not biblical and according to the character and nature of God’s Word

  • For they do not

    • practice [ceremonially] washing their hands before they eat.”

      • Do you know of any traditions that men are holding onto today?

      • Do you think that you could unknowingly be holding to such traditions?

      • A great test to know whether you do have traditions in your live:

        • Do you live an overcoming live / Do you fall back all the time?

        • Do you easily become sick?

        • Do you love reading / studying the Word of God?

      • Known traditions

        • Infant baptism – Believer’s Baptism replaced by infant baptism

 

Matt 15:3-6 He replied to them, And why also do you transgress and violate the commandment of God for the sake of the rules handed down to you by your forefathers (the elders)? 4  For God commanded, Honor your father and your mother, and, He who curses or reviles or speaks evil of or abuses or treats improperly his father or mother, let him surely come to his end by death. [Exod. 20:12; 21:17; Lev. 20:9; Deut. 5:16.] 5 But you say, If anyone tells his father or mother, What you would have gained from me [that is, the money and whatever I have that might be used for helping you] is already dedicated as a gift to God, then he is exempt and no longer under obligation to honour and help his father or his mother. 6  So for the sake of your tradition (the rules handed down by your forefathers), you have set aside the Word of God [depriving it of force and authority and making it of no effect].

 

  • And why also do you

    • transgress and violate

      • We violate the Word of God when we twist it

      • then God’s intention for His Word cannot come to pass

      • To violate something

        • is to rape the Word

        • To do with it something it was not indented for

        • We say it says something it does not say!

        • We break the intended pattern

      • the commandment of God

        • for the sake of the rules handed down to you by your forefathers (the elders)?

          • People do not even know that they have believed a lie for many years

          • Why? They are blinded! Lies were handed down to them (we inherited lies)

          • People will do everything to prove their doctrine is not true

          • For the sake of traditions, people have to misinterpret many scriptures use them out of context to justify an old tradition or belief system

          • We interpret the Word of God out of a wrong perspective and out of our own issues

  • For God commanded:

    • “Honour your father and your mother, and, He who curses or reviles or speaks evil of or abuses or treats improperly his father or mother let him surely come to his end by death. [Exod. 20:12; 21:17; Lev. 20:9; Deut. 5:16.]

      • God’s commands are specific

      • God means what He says and says what he means

  • But you say,…”

    • “…then he is exempt and no longer under obligation to honour and help his father or his mother.”

      • Doctrinal traditions always replaces the meaning of the word of God

      • Traditions removes the responsibility from us and put the blame on God or others

  • So for the sake of your tradition (the rules handed down by your forefathers) – the story of the bread that was cut in the pan!

    • you have set aside the Word of God – The Word of God always gets replaced / It intended purpose is then lost!

      • [depriving it of force

        • When the Word is not used as it was intended, it is powerless to do what it was intended to do

        • When the Word is correctly used it effortlessly has power to produce the intended results

        • The Word is easy and must not be made more complicated, not over analyzing the Word’s meaning, but rather must be practiced

        • There is nothing to understand – It is something to believe and do!

      • and authority

        • Many live defeated lives because they only have traditions and not the pure Word of God / Truth

        • The Word of God has powerful authority over devils and evil forces

        • When the Word is correctly applied it gives great authority to rule over darkness

      • and making it of no effect].

        • We have watered down the Word of God

        • What is your standard by which you “live & die?”

 

Matt 15:7-9 You pretenders (hypocrites)! Admirably and truly did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said: 8  These people draw near Me with their mouths and honour Me with their lips, but their hearts hold off and are far away from Me. 9 Uselessly do they worship Me, for they teach as doctrines the commands of men. [Isa. 29:13.]

 

  • You pretenders (hypocrites)!

    • A pretender acts like he has power and authority, but is only a charlatan

    • It is only a counterfeit – It looks real, but is fake

  • Admirably and truly did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said:

    • These people draw near Me (We all want to worship God – Time is precious!

      • Is your relationship with God a frustration?

      • Do you often feel defeated and powerless against the enemy’s attacks?

    • with their mouths

      • Lip service only, is dangerous

      • Lips service claims religion, but do not taste and live the promised power of the Word of God

      • Lips service = Religion and do not know God

  • and honor Me

    • with their lips

      • Lips service is allot of religious jargon, but no spiritual depth accompanied by power

  • but

    • their hearts hold off

      • Such men are deceived

      • Self-deceived and deceiving others even unknowingly

    • and are far away from Me

      • They might think they are close to God, but they are far away and deep down they know it

  • Uselessly do they worship Me,

    • We waste our time with just going to church as a ritual

    • Uselessly do people service and live a religious life

    • Some consider singing worship songs as worship

    • Keep looking in the mirror – James 1:23

  • for

    • they teach as doctrines

      • the commands of men. [Isa. 29:13.]

        • Most who hold to any such deceptive tradition has replaced the word of God in another place

        • People are so convinced of their doctrines they even prove it from the scriptures (they are in error & Do not know God – Matt 22:29 & Mark 12:24

Prophetic Word must be without Human Interpretation

2Pet 1:19-21 And we have the prophetic word [made] firmer still. You will do well to pay close attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dismal (squalid and dark) place, until the day breaks through [the gloom] and the Morning Star rises (comes into being) in your hearts. 20 [Yet] first [you must] understand this, that no prophecy of Scripture is [a matter] of any personal or private or special interpretation (loosening, solving). 21 For no prophecy ever originated because some man willed it [to do so--it never came by human impulse], but men spoke from God who were borne along (moved and impelled) by the Holy Spirit.

 

  • And we have the prophetic word

    • What is prophetic Word?

      • Word spoken and given by revelation to prophets and apostles

      • Most of the Old Testament word was prophetic

      • The Word they received came directly from God

  • [made] firmer still.

    • Why is the prophetic word made firmer?

      • It came to pass as was prophesied

      • Peter / James / John saw Jesus in His glorified state and knew who He was!

 

  • You will do well to

    • pay close attention to it

      • When we pay close attention – we give attention to detail

      • We thoroughly study / we do not skim over / assume things

    • as to a lamp shining in a dismal

      • (squalid and dark) place,

    • until – refers to something that will happen when a certain time is reached

      • the day breaks through [the gloom]

        • the first light of morning

        • Prophetic Word draws our attention in the right direction – instigates us

      • and the Morning Star rises

        • The Morning Star is Jesus Christ

    •  (comes into being) in your hearts.

      • The star arise in our hearts when Jesus Christ is completely formed in us

  • [Yet] first [you must] understand this,

    • There is something we must FIRST understand!

    • This is of the utmost importance

    • This is more important than anything else

  • that no prophecy of Scripture

    • is [a matter] of any personal

      • Many people want to interpret the bible to suit them

      • The Bible will not bend for specific individuals and to suit their doctrines

    • or private

      • Many want to interpret God’s word away

      • It try to make it say what it does not say

      • Any try to not make it say, what it does say

    • or special interpretation

      • We must be careful of spiritual interpretations & experiences used to make interpretations

      • Rather acknowledge that it is your opinion

      • Humility will be the key to finding the truth

      • The truth is absolute because everything was made according to a pattern in heaven (John 3:8?)

    • (loosening, solving)

      • The Word of God is a perfect puzzle

      • We can not only interpret the Word of God based on human logic

      • We must read the Word in context (rightly dividing the Word of Truth)

      • We might do all to ensure we are logically scripturally correct in building the puzzle, yet we can still be spiritually out of line! (1 Cor 2:14-15)

      • Only the Spirit of God can truly interpret the Word of God spiritually correct

      • Generally, we do not have to interpret the Word of God, we must just hold to it and do it, then we will truly understand its meaning (John 8:31-32)

      • When the Word is correctly interpreted it will be powerful and have great force of power behind it

  • For

    • no prophecy

      • ever originated because some man willed it

      • [to do so--it never came by human impulse],

        • The Prophets did not interpret the Word of God to them

        • They received them by faith and had to write them down accordingly

        • Not even Moses was allowed to break the pattern, but had to pay attention to the pattern God had shown him on the mountain

        • When the pattern is correct and adhered to – the Glory will manifest

    • but

      • men spoke from God

        • who were borne along

        • (moved and impelled)

          • by the Holy Spirit

            • It was the Holy Spirit who gave the prophecy

            • Therefore the Holy Spirit can also interpret the prophecy / Word of God and understand its purpose

Daily Lifestyle - Testing all men

Acts 17:10-11 Now the brethren at once sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea; and when they arrived, they entered the synagogue of the Jews. 11  Now these [Jews] were better disposed and more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they were entirely ready and accepted and welcomed the message [concerning the attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God] with inclination of mind and eagerness, searching and examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

 

 

  • Now these [Jews] were

    • better disposed

    • and more noble

      • God was pleased with them

      • God see the attitude with which we read the Word of God

        • Do you read out of fear / Love for God?

    • than those in Thessalonica,

    • for they were

      • entirely ready

        • Very few people still regularly read the Word of God

        • How eager are you to read the Word of God?

          • Do you have a hunger for more of God and His Word?

          • We must not do things half heartily, but love God with ALL our hearts

      • and accepted

        • Only a mental acceptance of the information, will not bring transformation

        • We must take the Word of God to heart / we must identify with the Word of God

      • and welcomed

        • Reluctance comes from fear and doubt

        • We must make sure we are truly following God’s heart revealed in His Word

        • Those who welcome the Word have a great zeal for God to find the answers they seek – God will reward them who earnestly seek Him (Heb 11:6)

    • the message

      • [concerning the attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God]

        • The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been twisted and watered down to such a degree that we only have a form of religion left, but with no substance

        • The pure message of the gospel must still be restored again to its original state

        • Paul is very serious about those who teach another gospel than the ONE he received directly from Jesus Christ

        • We must humble ourselves in order to find the truth – otherwise, we might only be kicking against the goads of the Spirit of Jesus Christ like Saul did

    • with

      • inclination of mind

        • When we incline our minds

          • we change our minds

          • change the direction

        • We stop what we were doing and start to apply the Word of God we were taught

      • and eagerness,

      • searching

        • We must not only read the Word of God for info

        • We must learn to how to study the Word of God and apply it

      • and examining – The Scriptures are very rich and is like treasure/gold that is hidden on the bottom of the ocean and only the diligent finds it and are rewarded for it

        • the Scriptures

          • The Scriptures now include the New Testament

          • We must remember the Old Testament must now be seen through a New Testament perspective of Jesus’ complete price

  • daily – this is a lifelong lifestyle of growing into the Word of God

    • to see if these things were so

      • Paul the apostle was sent by Jesus, but the Thessalonians test all that Paul said to the Word of God and the character and nature of God in it!

Practical

We must learn to read our bibles with understanding.

 

 

A practical why to help you is through a simple acronym:

  • S – Scripture – Read the scripture in context for what it says

  • E – Explain – Now explain the scripture to the best of your ability to yourself, putting the word in your own words

  • P – Point – Now find the point that this scripture is making, by summarizing it in a short sentence

  • I – Illustration – Now use an illustration to make this scripture and the point of the scripture relatable to your life

  • A – Application – How does this point and illustration apply to my life and what do I need to change and do to line up with the Word of God

 

 

We must also learn to have a practical and a living two-way relationship with God:

  • T2G – Speak to God

  • G2U – Allow God to speak to you

 

 

A practical way to help us begin is also through another acronym:

 

  • Speak to God:

    • A – Adoration – Praise God for Who He is and what He has done

    • C – Confession – Speak and declare God’s Word over your live

    • T – Thanksgiving – Thank God for what He has already done in your life

    • S – Supplication – Seek / Ask / Knock – Present your requests and desires before God

 

  • God Speak to you:

    • W - Wait on God – Become quite and allow yourself to come into a place of peace and rest

    • L – Listen to God – Open up your heart and listen to what is in your heart?

    • L – Look to see – While your eyes are closed in prayer, look up in your heart and see what you see or experience?

    • W – Write down what God told you

    • T – Test what you have heard. Compare it with the Word and character of God and Jesus Christ

    • O – Obey what God told you to do?

    • T – Trust God will be with you when you take a step in faith

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