Pointing Others to God's Word
Discipling • Sermon • Submitted
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· 75 viewsMessage focused on bringing an understanding and need for us to disciple one another in order to encourage and point future generations to the Kingdom of God.
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Oh how I love your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the aged,
for I keep your precepts.
I hold back my feet from every evil way,
in order to keep your word.
I do not turn aside from your rules,
for you have taught me.
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.
Do I really love God’s laws?
How do the commandments make me wiser than my enemies?
What happens if I backslide?
The Baptist Faith and Message
The Baptist Faith and Message
is a tool that helps us remain focused on the task at hand and what we should be focused on doing as believers in Christ. So often we get distracted by the world around us and the ever changing culture, but the creeds and confessions of the local church keep us pointed to the Word of God. This is what we find in the Baptist Faith and Message (2000 update) in regards to Evangelism and Missions.
It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations. The new birth of man's spirit by God's Holy Spirit means the birth of love for others.
Missionary effort on the part of all rests thus upon a spiritual necessity of the regenerate life, and is expressly and repeatedly commanded in the teachings of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the preaching of the gospel to all nations.
It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness undergirded by a Christian lifestyle, and by other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
As a Christian father, I am diligently aimed at leading my family in family worship time. We spend time reading the scriptures, singing a song, and praying for the needs of others in our community, other ministries, and our family as we walk with the lord and follow his lead. Marsha and I are aimed at pointing our kids onto the right path, the path of righteousness.
Before we get started breaking down the passage this morning, I want to invite you back tonight at 6pm when we will dive into discipling one another using the scriptures as our focus using the book of John.
Breaking down the Word
Breaking down the Word
psalm 119.
Do I really love God’s laws?
Oh how I love your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
Currently we are working through all the Ten Commandments in the Youth Sunday School class. As we dig in, we have been learning that the Ten Commandments are just a relevant to us today as we live our lives from day-to-day. What are the Ten Commandments?
How do the commandments make me wiser than my enemies?
No other gods.
No idols or images made of things on the earth or in the heavens.
Do not take the LORD’s name in vain.
Remember the Sabbath.
Honor your father and mother (honoring those in authority over our life).
Do not murder.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not steal.
Do not bear false witness.
Do not want, or desire your neighbor’s possessions.
Can you actually say, “I love the LORD God’s law!”?
Many times when we think about rules and someone being in authority over us, several cringe at the thought and say I can do my own thing, I don’t need you.
What happens if I backslide?
What is the purpose of God’s law written in the scriptures?
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Profitable for Teaching
Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus 5 The Local Church
Christians join churches, and no one comes alongside them. There is no culture of single folks living with families to learn how to serve Christ. No culture of sharing the gospel with international students. Little hospitality. Only occasional invitations to Sunday lunch or Thursday night dinner. No men shepherding their wives, and no wives or older women generally discipling the younger women. No biblical counseling among the members themselves—counseling occurs only in offices. No thought of going to a church where the style of music may not be your favorite, even though it serves others. No thought of helping a family or marriage in trouble. Little reaching out to people with a different skin color or accent. Few if any young men meeting up with other young men to study Scripture.
With churches like this, it’s not surprising that some have turned to parachurch ministries. Their experience has taught them that the local church is the last place to look for discipling opportunities.
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Profitable for Reproof (to charge with a fault, to point out the fault)
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
Profitable for Correction (to redirect the steps of the individual)
Profitable for training in righteousness
All of this in order that the man of God may be complete and equipped for every good work.
Do you meditate on the the scriptures all day long, or just for a couple minutes in the morning or evening?
or, is your interaction with the scriptures limited to Sunday mornings when we meet in a cooperate setting?
Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
How would you like to be wiser than your enemies?
When the world is running around attempting to figure out how life is to operate, those who meditate on the scriptures all day long can overcome problems and situations that come up in everyday life activities.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deut6.
Those living in the days before all 66 books of the Bible were ever compiled into one single volume, they were instructed by Moses to keep the law on their heart, teach them diligently to their children, talk while they sit down, walk along the road, when they lie down, and when they wake up. They were instructed to keep them with them at all times. “it is ever with me.”
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your testimonies are my meditation.
psalm 119.
Who wouldn’t want to be smarter than all your teachers?
In order to do this, we need to branch out and read, listen, and study things both inside our interests and outside our interests. This passage is also reminding us that we need to have more than one teacher. To become well learned is to reach out and be teachable.
Example: When you learn only Math from one teacher, then that Eventually as the student grows in understanding, that understanding gets put on top of more understanding.
When getting ready for a sermon, Sunday school lesson, teaching series, and so forth, the teacher needs to read a lot and be prepared to instruct those gathering to listen and learn.
The testimonies we hear need to point us back to Christ in order to guide and point us to declare Jesus as the LORD of all our life.
I understand more than the aged,
for I keep your precepts.
Elihu, the younger of Job’s friends, speaks up with an answer to why he waited so long to speak up. Sometimes when we keep our mouth shut and our ears open, we can hear and then respond.
7 I said, ‘Let days speak,
and many years teach wisdom.’
8 But it is the spirit in man,
the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.
As we get older, we keep compiling information and knowledge, but that information and knowledge gained is nothing compared to knowledge the Holy Spirit that dwells within reveals to us. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes and ears to be receptive to the Word of God. As we read and learn about the Word of God we grow in a desire keep His precepts, His Word in our heart.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
I hold back my feet from every evil way,
in order to keep your word.
The Ten Commandments help in holding our feet from evil ways. Looking through each one of the commandments and meditating on it helps us understand their purpose within our everyday life. If we truly love the law of God, then we will overwhelmingly have a desire to keep God’s word.
I do not turn aside from your rules,
for you have taught me.
As we read the scriptures, we learn how to focus our daily life. In response to what we have learned, our steps are adjusted to stay on target and remained focused on the task ahead. Because scripture becomes so amazing to us, it keeps us on the right path. We are also drawn into a life that does not drift to the left or right but instead remains focused on the goal, the prize ahead.
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
All of us are running the race of life, and Verse 26 reminds us that we do not run aimlessly, but it is with a purpose and a goal in sight. We need to and desire to remain focused on the law revealed to us within the pages of God’s holy and precious Word.
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Have you ever tasted pure honey straight from the comb? So far as close as I have gotten to the comb is when raw honey is packaged in a jar with the comb inside. I can imagine straight from the comb tastes even sweeter.
To the believer, the law of God is:
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Ps19.10
To the individual who is not a follower of Christ, the words written in the Bible are disruptive to their personal lifestyle and are not considered sweet but instead are counted as bitter.
I’ve seen countless videos of Christians protesting abortion clinics this year and have seen responses coming form those misguided by abortion clinics saying it’s your body, it’s okay to remove that “clump of cells.” From the believer’s perspective of the video there is a plea for those entering the clinics to give their baby up for adoption, in this case many have been saved from death. Even though the believers outside are pointing to redemption in Christ and forgiveness of sins, the unbeliever acts in disgust and then hurries to satisfy their own desire for control over their own body.
In the final passage we are reminded:
Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.
We gain understanding through the Bible, the Word of God, every time we sit down to read the words across the page. We oppose every false way. We oppose every false teaching. We oppose every false religion. We oppose anything that goes against the Bible.
Do you flinch when a curse word goes across your eye sight when you read it on Facebook, or any other social media?
Or, do you plug in movies that riddle the mind with words that do not point yourself and others to Christ?
Our everyday life needs to be an example, a testimony, of God’s Word dwelling within.
If your lifestyle has drifted away from the foundation of God’s Word, then there is forgiveness.
The Old Testament law reminds us over and over again that in result of a sinful action, death is the only payment. If caught in adultery, then the penalty is death. If caught lying, then the penalty is death. If men are laying with men or a woman with a woman, then the penalty is death.
The beauty of the New Testament promise is redemption, there is forgiveness through Jesus Christ our Lord. When we realize we are sinners and are in need of a Savior, then we come to the Lord to find forgiveness and to seek him first.
ESV Chapter 6
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romas 6.23
Knowing this about the Old Testament law gives us a greater understanding of Christ’s fulfillment of the law. He fulfilled the law by dying in our place and taking on our punishment. Christ’s death on the cross fulfilled the punishment required for our disobedience but Christ also overcame death by raising to life on the third day revealing his power over death and separation from God.
Christ
If God is calling you, then you need to respond. Come to the front and talk with one of the deacons about Christ