In the Power of His Might

Transcription

1 In the Power of His Might

2 LESSON 2 A Lamp Unto My Feet, And a Light Unto My Path

3 A man read in Daniel about the stone that became a great mountain and decided that with enough faith he could do the same thing.

4 He would grow his own mountain by planting stones.

5 He cleared and tilled the land. He planted row after row of handselected stones. He watered, weeded, and prayed. But of course, all his hard work was in vain.

6 You cannot grow a mountain by planting stones.

7 Not everything done in faith is approved by God. Many things are done in vain.

8 Except the LORD build the house, they labour IN VAIN that build it (Psalm 127:1)

9 Matthew 15:9 But IN VAIN they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

10 The older we get, the more we realize that time is too precious to waste.

11 James 4:14b For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

12 We need to know we are not wasting our time and strength on fruitless ventures.

13 1 Corinthians 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

14 Imagine the disappointment of the man who thought he was running in first place

15 Imagine the disappointment of the man who thought he was running in first place but discovered too late he was running the wrong way.

16 Paul knew he would rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain (Philippians 2:16).

17 How can we know the same thing for ourselves?

18 Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

19 It is a lamp unto my feet that keeps me from stumbling.

20 Like the Bethlehem star, it is a light unto my path that shows me the way to go.

21 Without it, the best we can do is feel our way through life.

22 Isaiah 59:10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.

23 James 4:3 says, Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss.

24 What SHOULD we be asking for?

25 and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Psalm 119:34

26 Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: that I may learn thy commandments. Psalm 119:73

27 I am thy servant; that I may know thy testimonies. Psalm 119:125

28 The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: and I shall live. Psalm 119:144

29 Let my cry come near before thee, O LORD: according to thy word. Psalm 119:169

30 The understanding we need comes from God s Word: Psalm 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

31 But understanding the Scriptures can be difficult. Every Bible reader has experienced the frustration of the Ethiopian eunuch: Psalm 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

32 Acts 8:30-31a 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me?...

33 Acts 8:30-31a 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me?... Thankfully, a guide has been provided!

34 God is our guide. Psalm 48:14 For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.

35 God is our guide. He will guide the meek. Psalm 25:9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.

36 God is our guide. He will guide the meek. He will teach us the way to go. Psalm 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

37 God is our guide. He will guide the meek. He will teach us the way to go. He will teach us the way of his precepts. Psalm 119:27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.

38 This is a systematic learning process: Isaiah 28:10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line...

39 We learn to put first things first: Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

40 We must be certain that the precepts we build on are truly of God. Isaiah 29:13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

41 The FIRST commandment defines our relationship with our Creator and fellow citizens.

42 The FIRST commandment defines our relationship with our Creator and fellow citizens. Mark 12: And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

43 There is a FIRST thing to know about the interpretation of the Scriptures: 2 Peter 1: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

44 Only God can clarify the meaning of his message: Genesis 40:8 And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God?

45 Only God can clarify the meaning of his message: 2 Timothy 2:7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

46 It is the work of the Holy Spirit to guide us into truth: John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

47 The Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit will never contradict one another. 1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

48 They work together like the three legs on a stool to keep our lives in balance.

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54 We base our faith on what we learn from two or three witnesses, here a little and there a little. Isaiah 28:10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

55 This precept itself is established by multiple witnesses! Deuteronomy 19:15... at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. Matthew 18:16... in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

56 Remember the fable of the six blind men of India who met an elephant crossing the road:

57 The first man felt the elephant s long trunk and said, Aha! An elephant is like a snake!

58 The second felt the elephant s pointed tusk and said, Aha! An elephant is like a spear!

59 The third felt the elephant s flapping ear and said, Aha! An elephant is like a fan!

60 The fourth felt the elephant s thick leg and said, Aha! An elephant is like a tree!

61 The fifth felt the elephant s massive side and said, Aha! An elephant is like a wall!

62 The sixth blind man felt the elephant s tail and said, Aha! An elephant is like a rope!

63 They spent the rest of the day arguing about the true nature of the elephant.

64 And so these men of Hindustan, Disputed loud and long, Each in his own opinion, Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, And all were in the wrong. From "The Blind Men and the Elephant" by John Godfrey Saxe ( ).

65 Today we have The United Church of The Elephant is a Snake, and The First Assembly of The Elephant is a Wall.

66 Each group stubbornly clings to its singular perspective:

67 Each group stubbornly clings to its singular perspective: God is light, and in him is no darkness at all (1 Jo 1:5)

68 Each group stubbornly clings to its singular perspective: God is love (1 Jo 4:8)

69 Each group stubbornly clings to its singular perspective: God is angry! Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched (Jer 7:20).

70 Romans 11:22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God God is light, and in him is no darkness at all (1 Jo 1:5) God is angry! Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched (Jer 7:20). God is love (1 Jo 4:8)

71 The Law All the pieces fit together. The Psalms The Prophets The Epistles

72 The Law The Prophets The Epistles

73 The Law The Epistles

74 The Law

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76 The scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35).

77 When we follow the trail of his precepts, our lives will be pleasing to God and to ourselves,

78 When we follow the trail of his precepts, our lives will be pleasing to God and to ourselves, Psalm 119:45 And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.

79 When we follow the trail of his precepts, our lives will be pleasing to God and to ourselves, John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

80 When we follow the trail of his precepts, our lives will be pleasing to God and to ourselves, and our labor will be not be in vain. Isaiah 65:23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.

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82 Test Your Understanding of Lesson 2 1. Paul said he would rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run, neither laboured (Philippians 2:16).

83 Test Your Understanding of Lesson 2 1. Paul said he would rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run, neither laboured (Philippians 2:16). 2. Explain the necessity of a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

84 Test Your Understanding of Lesson 2 1. Paul said he would rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run, neither laboured (Philippians 2:16). 2. Explain the necessity of a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. 3. What did the Psalmist ask of God that we should ask as well?

85 Test Your Understanding of Lesson 2 1. Paul said he would rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run, neither laboured (Philippians 2:16). 2. Explain the necessity of a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. 3. What did the Psalmist ask of God that we should ask as well? 4. What is the first thing to know about the interpretation of the Scriptures?

86 Test Your Understanding of Lesson 2 1. Paul said he would rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run, neither laboured (Philippians 2:16). 2. Explain the necessity of a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. 3. What did the Psalmist ask of God that we should ask as well? 4. What is the first thing to know about the interpretation of the Scriptures? 5. How do the Scriptures indicate a truth is established by God?