Diligence in the Word #3
The AMP translation says, (20) “My son, attend to my words, consent and submit to my saying. (21) Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart. (22) For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh.”
God is saying to give His Word 1st place in our lives, He’s also telling us to practice putting our ear to His Word. God is saying here in (V. 20) from the AMP, “to consent and submit” ourselves to what He says in His Word. James expresses the same thought.
I) JAMES 1:22.
A) Hearing the Word means to understand it. How can you be a doer of the Word if you don’t understand it, or have any revelation knowledge of it?
1) Hearing also implies that you agree with it and consent to it.
a) We cannot consent or even submit to something that we have no knowledge of.
b) That’s why we are admonished to get into the Word of God.
2) Back in (PRO 4:21) it says in reference to the Word, “Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart”.
a) In the NIV it says, “Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart.”
b) I think it’s clear that He’s saying, Let God’s Word continually be in your sight.
3) Also in that same V. it says, “Keep them in the midst of thine heart.”
a) We are to keep or guard the Word in our heart.
b) We’re to keep the Word as a reality in our heart.
c) When we see the word “heart” in our bibles it usually refers to our “spirits.”
d) We are to keep His Words in our spirits.
B) Jesus made a statement that tells us why it’s so important to keep the Word in our hearts or spirits.
1) JOHN 6:63.
2) The word for “life” in the Greek is “ZOE” which is the God kind of life.
a) It’s life in the absolute sense.
b) Life as the Father has it.
3) This is why we need to keep God’s Word in our heart or spirit.
a) His Word is life to our spirit.
b) It produces life in our lives.
c) Once you have it in your heart, then you can allow the Word to manifest itself in your body in the way of divine health....
C) We know that He wants His children to walk in divine health.
1) And He’s provided it for us.
2) But, God points out that only the diligent in His Word will come to the reality of that truth.
3) Go back with me to PRO 4:22.
a) Notice it says, “FIND THEM” this requires a search, and not just any kind of search, but a diligent one.
II) When you desire to know more on a certain subject, you need to dig deep into the Word of God.
A) Then when you finish your search you need to search your search.
1) How are you going to search your search?
a) By meditating on your findings.
b) Do you know what the word meditate means?
c) It means “TO PONDER, TO THINK ON, TO IMAGINE, TO CONSIDER.”
2) When you find your scriptures that will fit the need that’s in your life, ask yourself, “What is God saying to me thru these Vs?”
a) How does this truth affect me?
b) How do I apply what God has said?
B) Lets look at a few scriptures to find out what the Word says about people who search diligently.
1) LUKE 15:3-7 This V tells us something about diligence.
a) Notice the man, in (V. 4), searches until he finds it.
b) Then after he finds what he was searching for, he rejoices.
c) When your diligently seeking after the Word of God your going to find your need met and joy will come.
2) Look at LUKE 15:8-9.
a) She sought diligently and she found it.
b) A diligent search will result in success. The man who is diligent in the Word of God will be a successful man.
C) PRO 10:4.
1) PRO 12:24. The NIV translation says, “Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor”.
2) PRO 13:4. The NIV says FULLY SATISFIED. THE LIVING BIBLE says, “Lazy people want much but get little, while the diligent are prospering.”
a) The NEW KING JAMES words like this, “The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.”
3) PRO 21:5 The NIV SAYS, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit.”
4) PRO 22:29.
5) If you want a few more examples of being diligent in the Word of God, look up (ACTS 17:11-12); OR (ACTS 18:24-25).
III) GOD WANTS US DILIGENT, NOT ONLY DOES HE “WANT” US TO BE DILIGENT, BUT NEXT WEEK WE’LL FIND OUT THAT HE “REQUIRES IT.”
December 27, 1989 TFC and 8/4/91 WOLCC Sun and WOLCC Sunday, November 14, 1999