Hereafter, I will never be the same. Never, never, never! In the name of Jesus, for His honor and glory, both now and forever more, Amen.

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1 #1 GOD SPEAKS THROUGH HIS WORD Led by: Pastor Josh Franklin, Antioch Baptist Church The Pledge to the Bible This is my Bible. It is God s inerrant word. It is my most valuable earthly possession. I will, therefore, make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and I will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God. The Bible is God talking to me personally. I will, therefore, listen to it carefully and obey it fully. And I will endeavor to internalize it in my life by doing four things: I will know it in my head by diligent study, I will stow it in my heart by memorization and meditation, I will show it in my life by obeying its teachings, and I will sow it in my world by my witness. Hereafter, I will never be the same. Never, never, never! In the name of Jesus, for His honor and glory, both now and forever more, Amen. The Victory Pledge "I m too anointed to be disappointed, too blessed to be depressed, too chosen to be frozen, too elected to be rejected, too inspired to be tired, I have more to shout about than to pout about and more to sing about than complain about." 10 Imperatives for Continued Spiritual Growth: 1. Internalizing the Word Joshua 1:8; James 1: Infilling of the Holy Spirit Ephesians 5:18 3. Intimacy with the Father Psalm 27:4 4. Intentional Involvement in the World Mission of Christ Matt. 28: Interrelating with others to share one s life (Mentoring) - 1 Thess. 2:8 6. Investing your money redemptively with the Lord beginning with the tithe to your church Matt 6: Identification with, support of, and service in a local church Heb. 10:25 8. Intense devotion to one s family, especially his wife - Eph. 5:5 9. Intentional discipline of the physical body 1 Cor. 9: Instant repentance and cleansing from all sin Matthew 5:4 WHAT DOES AN AUTHENTIC CHRISTIAN LOOK LIKE? Matthew 5:3-12 Our world today is sick and tired of hypocrisy and pretensions in spiritual matters, and is looking to see an Authentic Man or Authentic Church. Even the great Mahatma Gandhi, steeped in Hinduism, said to Billy Graham face to face, Mr. Graham, I will become a Christian when I see a Christian. I believe there are millions of persons in this old world who are looking for Authentic Christians. This raises the question, Who is an Authentic Christian? We do not need to wonder. Jesus, our Lord and Savior, the maker of all Christians, describes the Authentic Christian as He began to teach the Sermon on the Mount, the greatest sermon in history. In fact He gives us eight powerful marks of the true Christian in the beatitudes. He 1

2 begins each trait with the adjective BLESSED. The Greek word is makarious, which to the Greeks meant divine joy and perfect happiness. This word was never used to describe a man, but only the gods. But Jesus applied it to real Christians and it means, Congratulations and Felicitations because you are experiencing the most wonderful life this side of heaven. Let us now observe them one by one. And note that Jesus pictures an ascending spiritual ladder, beginning with the first rung and going up to the eighth. 1. The First Rung - The Authentic Christian realizes He is SPIRITUALLY BANKRUPT. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). This is when the true Christian life begins - when an individual realizes he does not deserve to be saved and cannot earn it for he is totally bankrupt in himself, so he admits his lostness, repents of his sin and surrenders to Jesus. Have you climbed this rung? 2. The Second Rung follows the first - The Authentic Christian is BROKEN-HEARTED over things which break the heart of God. What are those things? Seven are mentioned in Proverbs 6:16-18: a. Pride f. False witness b. Lying g. Sowing discord among the brothers, c. Murder which is the worst sin of all, called an d. Wicked heart abomination in God s sight. e. Feet which run after sin Dr. Bill said: As a pastor of the smallest and largest churches I found that sowing discord was the most disruptive thing one could do; then I discovered that in the eyes of God it was even more serious, for God says in 1 Cor. 3:17, If any person defiles the temple of God (the local church), him will God destroy. I think I have seen this judgment fall on a number of people. Illus: An Army Colonel, 75 years old, said to me, Pastor, I sowed discord in my church 30 years ago, and I have suffered more from it than anything on earth, including the military, and I would never, never be guilty again. We cannot all agree on everything, but God forbid that anyone by word or act would sow dissension among the people of God. The most destructive sin in Baptist churches is murmuring of members. Illus. According to Numbers 14:27-29, God caused all of the Israelites 20 and above to die in the wilderness and not enter the Promised Land because of their murmuring. 1 Cor. 10:6 says that is a warning for the church today. 3. The Third Rung - The Authentic Christian lives humbly under AUTHORITY. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Meek does not mean weak or a door mat. Moses and Jesus were called Meek. The Greeks said that a wild animal is meeked when it is tamed and brought under the control of its master. The Meek live under the authority God has set over him. The pastor is over the church, and Hebrews 13:7 commands Obey those who rule over you and submit When I first read these words, I wondered what obey and submit meant in Greek. I checked and found they meant Obey and Submit. Such is the mark of an Authentic Christian. Do you? 4. The Fourth Rung - The Authentic Christian Hungers and Pursues Holiness in Life. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, and they shall be satisfied. Holiness is not optional in the Christian life. Hebrews 12:14 says, Pursue Peace with all people and HOLINESS, without which no man will see the Lord. One prayer I pray constantly, O Lord, make me as holy as a sinner saved by grace can be. As people observe your lifestyle, do they see you growing in holiness or lukewarmness? 5. The Fifth Rung - The Authentic Christian reaches out to the needy with SACRIFICIAL LOVE. Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. What is mercy? It is more than mere pity or sorrow or even prayer. It is identifying with another person until we get as it were in their skin, feel their pain and relieve it the very best we can. Do you offer the mark of mercy? Illus: The Good Samaritan showed mercy (Luke 10:25-37). 6. The Sixth Rung - The Authentic Christian is Single-Minded in his devotion to Jesus Christ. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Of course the pure in heart are morally clean, but pure in heart means to be single-minded in one s devotion to Jesus Christ, until his motives are unmixed and focused on pleasing Jesus. 2

3 Dr. Bill said: My late wife Doris had the purest heart I ever witnessed. Her favorite song was and is I d Rather Have Jesus, and her favorite verse was and is For me to live is Christ (Phil. 1:21). Jesus was #1 in her life - above her husband, her children, her home, material things, her wardrobe, pleasure, etc. As God commands in Col. 3:1-2, she sought those things which are above and set her mind on things eternal. She was so heavenly minded that she was of great earthly good to thousands of others. So when people saw Doris, they saw Jesus, for she was an Authentic Christian. What do they see when they see you? 7. The Seventh Mark - The Authentic Christian is a PRO-ACTIVE PEACE-MAKER. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Note the word, Peace-Maker, not mere Peace Lovers. Illus: I read that the Scots who first wish their neighbor Happy New Year are called The First Steppers. Authentic Christians are the First Steppers in making peace with others. The best way to make peace is by leading a lost soul to Jesus Christ, resulting in peace between them and God. Peace-making is also the life-style of a real Christian, as they obey God s command, If it be possible, as much depends on you, live peacefully with all men (Romans 12:18). And let us pursue the things which make for peace and things which edify one another (Romans 14:19). Praise the Lord for those wonderful souls in local churches who bend over backward to keep peace knowing how good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity For there the Lord commanded the blessing - even forever more (Psalm 133:1). 8. The Eighth and Final Rung - The Authentic Christian is a SACRIFICIAL WITNESS to the gospel. Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Illus.: 200,000,000 million in 60 countries are being persecuted this minute just for being a Christian and Paul predicted that in the last days, All who lived godly would suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). Dr. Bill said: In 1998, 100 heavily armed Hindus pounced on our pastors in India, injuring 42 and sending 7 to the hospital. I was ordered to stay in my room and lived under virtual house arrest for 48 hours. Are you ready for the rising persecution which is coming in America? Our answer to this question will reveal how authentic we are in being a Real Christian. Conclusion: 99% of us here today profess to be a Christian. Judging yourself by the words of Jesus, are you authentic or just a pretender or counterfeit? You may not have fully achieved these objectives, but if authentic you are on your way. If you know you are not really a Christian, what should you do? Start on the first rung. Admit you are bankrupt, lost, hopeless without Jesus, repent, turn to Him, and confess Him. And you who are already on that road, if you will continue come down and lay your life again upon the altar. And be sure to confess any sin which hinders you. WHAT DOES AN AUTHENTIC CHRISTIAN LOOK LIKE? Matthew 5:3-12 Martin Luther rightly declared... The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me. The Word of God is living. It s not just alive metaphorically, but it is living in reality. Every book of the Bible (66 Books; 1,189 Chapters; 31,132 verses; 773,692 words) Luke 1:37 (KJV) For with God nothing shall be impossible. (Amplified) no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment. The Bible was written by 40 individuals in 66 books whose backgrounds and personalities and races were different and over a period of 1600 years, but while the books of the Bible were humanly penned, they had but ONE AUTHOR and one message. SUCH IS THE MIRACLE OF DIVINE INSPIRATION. 3

4 1. This Miracle Is Explained By The Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which declares that ALL SCRIPTURE was THEOPNEUSTOS, that is GOD BREATHED. What does the word mean? It is simply a powerhouse when you really understand what it means. It comes from a combination of two Greek words. The Greek word Theos means God. The Greek word pneustos means Breathed. Together these words mean God-Breathed. Breathed on whom? On 40 individuals. Just as a musician blows on an instrument to produce a distinct sound, God mightily moved on those 40 persons who wrote the Scriptures. Note: The word Theopneustos is found in only one place in the entire Bible - 2 Timothy 3:16). It is my understanding, that this word occurs no where else in Greek writings, but was created by the Holy Spirit to describe the miracle of our Bible. Just as the word Agape was created by the Holy Spirit to express the real meaning of God s love to human kind (1 John 4:7-8; Romans 5:8). 2. Moreover, God Did Not Just Breathe Out His Word to the biblical writers, but it must be noted that the Holy Spirit so guided the thoughts of the 40 biblical writers that they wrote what God Breathed out to them with no error at all. This fact is categorically affirmed by the apostle Peter who wrote NO SCRIPTURE - all 66 books, etc had its origin in the will of man, but holy men wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). In Acts 27:27, this same word moved (pneromenoi) is used to describe the movin of a ship in a storm. In other words, the ship did not move itself but it was borne along (moved) by the winds of the storm. In exactly, the same fashion, the Holy Spirit moved fallible men - 40 of them - to write down God s very words until we can safely say as we do in our Pledge to the Bible in the Mentoring School, The Bible is God talking to me personally. Thus God breathed out or produced His word and then chose men to write it down under His complete guidance, an unparalleled MIRACLE in HUMAN HISTORY 3. The Supernatural Breath and Life of God that are held within His written Word is the reason Paul went on to say that the Word is profitable. The word profitable is the Greek word ophelimo, and it means helpful, profitable, useful, beneficial, or something that is to one s advantage. Paul goes on to list all the ways that God s Word brings benefit to the one who reads it, meditates on it, and taps into its pneuma. 2 Timothy 3:16 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, (Message) Every part of Scripture is Godbreathed and useful one way or another showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. (NLT) All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. One writer has observed: Once you understand the meaning of theopneustos (God breathed), you realize that the Bible is not just a Book about God; it is a Book that actually contains God. His own breath and Spirit are contained within it. That s a very good reason why you should spend time studying, memorizing, and meditating on God s Word. By so doing, you will learn to unlock the power contained within it. And when you have 4

5 unlocked that door, the power of God will come pouring into your life and into the situations you are facing. Believe me when I tell you that when this power begins to operate, it will definitely be to your advantage! 1 4. Think About It - The Bible You Hold in Your Hand or that is sitting on a shelf, stored away in your desk drawer, sitting on the back seat of our car, situated nicely on our coffee table, or placed in a night stand next to your bed, contains the very life, energy and dynamism of God Himself, If you get hungry for more of God and determine to memorize and meditate on His Word day and night (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 119:148; John 14:21) long enough to tap into it, God Himself will come pouring out of the Bible into your life and situation. The PNEUMA held inside the Word will blow mightily upon you and upon situations that surround you - and when that happens everything will change. Men and women will become godly individuals, godly husbands/wives and godly fathers/mothers. 5. Finally, Please Note With Me That The Pneuma of God did not create the Scripture and then depart from it. This power - the same Pneuma power that originally created the Scriptures is still working inside the Word, upholding and empowering it to be just as strong as it was the day it was penned by God -Breathed writers. 2 This reality is described vividly and powerfully in 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 (Hebrews 4:12). What is the significance of the two-edged sword? The word two-edged is taken from the Greek distomo, which is a compound word, di meaning two, and the word stomo, meaning mouth, literally a two-mouthed sword. Ephesians 6:17 calls it the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. The word in Ephesians 6:17 is not the word of God in general (the logos) but the RHEMA, which describes something that is spoken clearly. Three Greek Words for Word of God Graphe BOOK - Word of God in written form (Scripture) Logos MESSAGE - The Word of God given (John 1) - generally Rhema SPEECH - The Word of God spoken or declared. - specifically The Rhema is the VOICE of the MESSAGE that comes from the BOOK. The Graphe gives you the Logos, but it is the Rhema that plunges in. In the New Testament, the word Rhema carries the idea of a quickened word. The following is an example of a Rhema or Quickened Word: You are praying about a situation, and suddenly a Bible verse rises up from inside your heart. At that moment, you are consciously aware that God has given you a verse to stand on and to claim for your situation. You ve received a word that came right out of the mouth of God and dropped into your spirit! That word from God was so sharp that it cut right through your questions, intellect, and natural logic and lodged deep within your heart. After you meditated on that rhema, or that quickened word from God, it suddenly began to release its power inside you. Soon you couldn t contain it any longer! Everything within you wanted to declare what God has said to you. You wanted to say it. You want to release it out of your mouth! And when you did, those powerful words were sent forth like a mighty blade to drive back the forces of hell that had been marshaled against you, your family, your business, your ministry, your finances, your relationship, or your body. First, the word came out of the mouth of God. Next it came out of your mouth! When it came out of your mouth, it became a sharp, two-edged - or literally, a two-mouthed - sword. One edge of this sword came into existence when the Word initially proceeded out of God s mouth. The second edge of this sword was added when the Word of God proceeded out of your mouth! 3 1 Rick Renner, Sparkling Gems from the Greek, Thomas Nelson, 1982, p Ibid. p Ibid. p

6 There is nothing more powerful in this life than hearing the Holy Spirit speak to you with His small inner voice and then you speak that word to the devil, to yourself, to your audience. Question and Answer: 1. Do you think it is important to know that the Bible is the God-Breathed Word? Why? 2. How many professing Christians know this truth? 3. If Christians knew this truth, would it motivate them to internalize the Word of God? 4. Why does the word inspiration fail to describe the nature of the Bible? 5. One man was checking into an airport and had in his luggage copies of the New Testament. When asked what those books were, he replied, these books are TNT. When the agent pulled him out and started to call the police, this man said with a smile, By TNT I m talking about THE NEW TESTAMENT. Do you think the average Christian look upon their Bibles as spiritual dynamite? What if they did? 6. If a person really believes that the Words in the Bible is God speaking what impact would that have on a. Those facing surgery? Isaiah 41:10,13 b. Those who have lost loved ones? Psalm 119:92 c. Those facing serious temptation? 1 Cor. 10: If one does not look upon the words of the Bible as God Himself speaking to them, (the Rhema) but just as the Good Book, will that person receive much help from the Bible in time of great crisis? 8. Who spoke these words, Speak, Lord, for your servant hears? (1 Samuel 3:9). 9. The reason many persons do not hear the voice of God is because they are not listening. (Allen Holmes) Do you agree? 10. The reason many persons do not hear the voice of God is because their deeds are evil and they turn away from hearing. (See John 3: 19-20). a. One man said to a preacher, I know you preach the truth, and I can t stand it so I am going to a liberal church where the preacher does not preach so plain. Your reaction? 11. What instruction does God s Word give on how we are to hear the Word? (James 1:19). 12. What is more serious, for a preacher not to preach the Word, or for a hearer not to hear the Word if it is preached? 6