Revival By God's Word

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Introduction: The Bible is God’s spoken word, making known his reality, his sovereignty, and his purpose. It is God’s revealed word, made known through Jesus Christ. It is God’s written word, making it sacred. Tertullian, the second-century theologian, said, “The Scriptures are the writings of God.” It is God’s authoritative word, providing us with truths and guidance to live our lives.
tells us that “the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”
2 Chronicles 34:19 KJV 1900
19 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.
2 Chronicles 34:19
Background information:
Josiah became king at 8
16 yo began to seek God on his own
20 yo began to clean up Judah and Jerusalem
26 yo purged the land and temple to restore it. This is when the Word was found in the temple and once it was read to him, it changed his life forever!
In order for the Bible to awaken our hearts, we must:
1. Accept its authority (, ).
2 Peter 1:20–21 KJV 1900
20 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.
2 Timothy 3:16 KJV 1900
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
The Bible consistently affirms its divine origin. It represents God’s words.
God did not overwhelm the human authors as dictation secretaries.
Rather, by his Spirit, God worked in and through the human authors so that the end product was precisely as God intended it and could thus accurately be called God’s Word.
Theologians have referred to the process as “inspiration.” When one yields to the authority of Scripture, they yield to God’s authority.
We all have authorities. Our authorities are the preconceptions that determine how we spend our time, invest our money, make our decisions, and determine our beliefs.
Some people base their preconceptions on unreliable authorities, such as:
People (“Well, so and so said . . .”),
culture (“Everybody is doing it.”),
tradition (“We’ve always done it that way.”),
reason (“Well, I’ve always thought . . .”), or
emotion (“It just feels so right.”).
John L. Cooper lead singer of Christian Rock band “Skillet” wrote a post here recently speaking about this subject and how some influential “worship leaders” have stepped away from their faith! Here is what he said: It is time for the church to rediscover the preeminence of the Word. And to value the teaching of the Word. We need to value truth over feeling. Truth over emotion. And what we are seeing now is the result of the church raising up influencers who did not supremely value truth who have led a generation who also do not believe in the supremacy of truth. And now those disavowed leaders are proudly still leading and influencing boldly AWAY from the truth.
Look at Josiah’s reaction to it’s authority again: He was broken by what the word had to say
Only one reliable and trustworthy authority abounds—God’s Word. The Bible must become the authoritative standard for your life. It must have the first and last word in your life.
2. Incorporate its insights.
It is not enough to just believe the Bible; you must fill your mind with its insights and truths. To do this, you need to:
a. Read the Bible.
Awake: The Call to a Renewed Life
To be used with:
Session
Four:
Return to God’s Word
Sermon Title Possibilities:
The Bible is not a newspaper to be skimmed but rather a mine to be quarried.
Read Daily
Scripture:
Don’t just read books about the Bible, read the Bible.
©LifeWay Christian Resources www.biblestudiesforlife.com
It takes seventy-one hours to read the Bible from cover to cover.
a. Read the Bible. The Bible is not a newspaper to be skimmed but rather a mine to be quarried. Don’t just read books about the Bible, read the Bible. It takes seventy-one hours to read the Bible from cover to cover. If you break it down into minutes and divide it into 365 days, to read the entire Bible would only take twelve minutes a day.
If you break it down into minutes and divide it into 365 days, to read the entire Bible would only take twelve minutes a day.
b. Study the Bible.
The difference between reading and studying the Bible involves two additional activities: asking questions of the text and writing down your insights.
Study the Bible a little at a time. God seems to send messages as he did his manna: one day’s portion at a time.
Chose depth over quantity.
c. Memorize the Bible.
he benefit of memorizing Bible verses is that they will help you resist temptation, make wise decisions, reduce stress, build confidence, offer good advice, and share your faith with others.
The benefit of memorizing Bible verses is that they will help you
resist temptation,
make wise decisions,
reduce stress,
build confidence,
offer good advice, and
share your faith with others.
d. Meditate on the Bible.
Meditation is focused thinking. You select a verse and reflect on it over and over in your mind.
If you can worry you can meditate.
Worry is focused thinking on something negative.
Meditation is focused thinking on God’s Word.
More Bibles are in print today than ever before. But a Bible on the shelf is worthless.
Many believers are plagued with spiritual anorexia, starving to death from spiritual malnutrition. Don’t be one of them.
Don’t be one of them. Begin today to make Bible reading, studying, memorization, and meditation a regular habit in your life.
“Where’s the mushrooms he asked?” It’s in there said the mom.
“Where’s the sausage”? It’s in there she replied
“Where’s the tomatoes?” It’s in there!
Everytime he asked a question, she would reply it’s in there. Prego had such great flavor because of what was inside of the sauce.
If you are looking for victory, it’s in the Bible! If you are looking for transformation, it’s already in there! If you are looking for power, it’s in there. If you are looking for delivereince, it’s in there. If you are looking for wisdom, it’s in there. If you are looking for a brand new you, it’s already in there!
The divine nature has given you everything you need and you can learn about what’s available to you by studying the Word of God!
What do you need to do? Begin today to make Bible reading, studying, memorization, and meditation a regular habit in your life.
3. Apply its teachings: ().
James 1:22 KJV 1900
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
It’s not enough just to believe the Bible, and to fill our minds with the truths of the Bible. We must, also, apply its teachings.
The Bible is to our spiritual lives like oxygen is to our physical lives. We need oxygen to sustain us physically; we need God’s word to sustain us spiritually.
Just as oxygen has to be internalized to give us life, so does God’s Word. Without implementation, Bible studies are weak.
God’s Word exposes our motives, points out our faults, rebukes our sin, and expects us to change.
Applying God’s Word is often hard work. But it is well worth the effort.
Josiah took the word to the people and made a covenant with God and in Josiah made the people “diligently serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not depart from following the Lord God of their fathers.”
He took God’s word to heart. He reinstated the passover feast. He gave the people everything they needed to participate. Others offered their belongings as well. Josiah didn’t just hear the word, he applied the word!
The great preacher Charles H. Spurgeon once said, “A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to a life that isn’t.”
4. Allow its truth to transform.
We accept the authority of God’s Word by believing in it, by assimilating its insights, and by applying its teaching. Then the Holy Spirit can transform us with the truth. Truth transforms.
Rick Warren writes, “Spiritual growth is the process of replacing lies with truth. . . . The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to make us like the Son of God. To become like Jesus, we must fill our lives with his Word.”
D.L. Moody said it best: “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.”
When your name is William Franklin Graham III, you know you’ve got a lengthy heritage. But when your father is Billy Graham, your heritage throws an even deeper shadow. Franklin Graham fought to escape that shadow for many years. He lived one adventure after another, but still felt an emptiness. One evening in Rome, he found his friend, David Hill, reading , “I have the will to do good, but not the power” (). He felt like that deep inside. In his room that night he read the gospel of John. When he came to the third chapter he grasped that Franklin Graham had to be born again as well. Franklin Graham is a changed man who carries on the ministry that his father Billy Graham began years ago.
Graham fought to escape that shadow for many years. He lived one adventure after another, but still felt an emptiness. One evening in Rome, he found his friend, David Hill, reading , “I have the will to do good, but not the power” (). He felt like that deep inside. In his room that night he read the gospel of John. When he came to the third chapter he grasped that Franklin Graham had to be born again as well. Franklin Graham is a changed man who carries on the ministry that his father Billy Graham began years ago.
Graham fought to escape that shadow for many years. He lived one adventure after another, but still felt an emptiness. One evening in Rome, he found his friend, David Hill, reading , “I have the will to do good, but not the power” (). He felt like that deep inside. In his room that night he read the gospel of John. When he came to the third chapter he grasped that Franklin Graham had to be born again as well. Franklin Graham is a changed man who carries on the ministry that his father Billy Graham began years ago.
The truth of the Bible can transform anyone—regardless of past, or age, or race, or disposition.
Remember the old Prego commercial? The mom was cooking and the boy was looking in the pot trying to understand what he was smelling.
“Where’s the mushrooms he asked?” It’s in there said the mom.
“Where’s the sausage”? It’s in there she replied
“Where’s the tomatoes?” It’s in there!
Everytime he asked a question, she would reply it’s in there. Prego had such great flavor because of what was inside of the sauce.
If you are looking for victory, it’s in the Bible! If you are looking for transformation, it’s already in there! If you are looking for power, it’s in there. If you are looking for delivereince, it’s in there. If you are looking for wisdom, it’s in there. If you are looking for a brand new you, it’s already in there!
The divine nature has given you everything you need and you can learn about what’s available to you by studying the Word of God!
Scripture is the message of God to man. Whatever your theories, arguments, concerns, or reservations, the Bible is big enough, broad enough, high enough, deep enough to meet any human need, and it contains everything you will ever need to know to show you the way to God.
tells us of Jesus speaking to a crowd and a woman offered her thoughts and told Him “blessed is the womb who carried you”. Jesus said “more than that! blessed are those who hear the word and keep it”
Have you kept God’s word. Have you allowed it to transform and shape your life. Have you applied it and acknowledged the authority from whom it came from. Are you a saved child of God who has never been baptized. if not it’s time to follow the word of God. Are you in need of a church home where you can learn and serve, it time to follow the word of God. Have you never called upon the name of the Lord to save you from an eternity in Hell. It’s time you return to the word of God and be broken just like Josiah. Seek Him and you shall find Him when you search for Him with all your heart. What is God calling you to do today?
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