Sermon / Receiving God's Word as God's Word

For my newsletter this time I am sending you a message God put upon my heart to preach to the churches. I hope it will be a challenge and encouragement to you.
If you want to hear it from the church website where I preached it, you can go to www.fbcgolden.org under sermons for 6-22-14.

Background: Read 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16. This church was a church that stood out as an example of what the church should be. Paul, the founder of this church commended them highly. In these few verses we come to a very critical reality that Paul's letter to the church hinges on.

A reality that makes the church different from every other organization.
A reality that sets the Christian church apart from every other religion.
A reality that give the church its authority.
A reality that transforms the lives of the people who step into this kind of church.
A reality that is often and sadly missing from many church bodies.
A reality that if it is missing in our church or our personal lives, leaves us vulnerable to the culture's whims and the enemy's disillusionment.

The reality I am speaking of is "Receiving the Word of God as the Word of God!!!"

1) There is a profound result when we hear and receive God's Word, not as just another word of men, but as The Word from the Lord God Almighty Himself!

A) We are inundated with men's opinions and 'expert' advice. We are a nation that takes polls continually in order to know how we should do things.

Just a few examples: The View, The Talk, The Doctors, 20/20, Dr. Oz, The Chew, etc.
Everyone wants to share their opinion and we spend hours listening to what someone else has to say about the subjects and events of life.
I am not saying good discussion is wrong, nor as believers we are not to hide from life and not be aware of what is going on in our world.
But do we recognize the significant difference between the words of men and the Word of God.

B) Words of men can challenge us to be better people, but only the Word of God can transform us into a new creation.
And according to Paul's words to the Thessalonians that is exactly what was taking place! (verse 13)

1 Thessalonians 2:13
13 And now we look back on all this and thank God, an artesian well of thanks! When you got the Message of God we preached, you didn't pass it off as just one more human opinion, but you took it to heart as God's true word to you, which it is, God himself at work in you believers!

C) Look at the reaction of the people of Israel when Ezra read God's law. (Nehemiah 8:1-12) / And how should we react having been given the Living Word become flesh in Jesus Christ life and teachings.

D) How should we react knowing we have even more than just the law of Moses?!

John 1:1, 14:1) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Jesus is God's Word! A message from the creator of the universe! God's Word is not just another word from another source! God's Word to us is like no other! Yet I am afraid we often respond to God's Word as just another source of good advice rather than the life transforming truth that can and will set us free from sin and empower us to live a holy life for Him.

God's Word is what gives the church of Jesus Christ authority in the world we live! Our own opinions and arguments have no authority, but when we speak the Word of God there is an Author, God Himself, that stands behind it!!!

The Thessalonians were so impacted by receiving God's Word that it was transforming them. Look at what it says here: the word of God, "which is indeed at work in you who believe." If we are not being transformed by the Word of God we have received, then we most likely have not received it b faith as God's true Word!

II) We must deliberately receive it and act on it as God's Word and not compromise it! Verse 13: "but as it actually is, the word of God."

A) The danger of the blending technique (illustrate with the artist line blended to a shadow) There is a technique in are medium of blending.

It is where you take a distinct line or lines and begin to rub them till the lines are blended and it becomes more of a shadow than a line. You can do this when the medium you are using stays compromise-able.

If the medium is permanent, such as a permanent ink, this technique no longer works.

When we get away from Biblical truth and begin to yield to cultural trends, we find ourselves working with compromise-able teachings and vulnerable boundaries. Things begin to lose their distinctive lines and it becomes more of a shadow of truth rather than clear distinct identifiable truth.

B) Often we inject our belief upon God's Word / There needs to be a change in the language of our churches, (when we meet in small groups or preach and teach, we often make statements such as "Well, I believe" or "I think" / when the language of the church when we are addressing the truth needs to be "God's Word says."

C) We need to challenge each other concerning our source of truth. When someone makes a statement of what they believe, we need to ask the question, "Where is that in God's Word?" (We need to ask that of ourselves as well)

III) Each individual is responsible as well to know and respond to God's Word (Verse 14a) "For you, brothers, became imitators of God's churches..."

A) Do we really reflect the image of Christ? Is it evident that we have received God's Word as God's Word? And we are not just referring to what we claim to believe, but how we live it out in our everyday practical lives.

B) Paul's charge to Timothy / 2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly the word of truth." (KJV)

IV) There is a risk when we receive God's Word as God's Word/ 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16

14 For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God's churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus; You suffered from your own people the same things those churches suffered from the Jews 15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to everyone 16 in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved.

A)  We live in a world that is often hostile to the truth of God's Word. And when we live it and speak it, it will convict people's hears of sin. John 16 speaks of how the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement.

V) There is an even worse risk when we oppose God's Word / 1 Thessalonians 2:16

16 in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they many be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last. (or them fully)

We need to be sure, as God's Word is given to us, and the Holy Spirit moves and works, that we are not in opposition to the truth. Once exposed to God's truth we can never be the same. Either we will receive it and be transformed, or we will reject it and fall under God's wrath.

Conclusion:

Are you and I going to be as the Thessalonian church where they received and were transformed by God's Word because they fully accepted it as God's Word?

Who are we longing to hear from? Some great man or God Himself?

Is God's Word more to you than just another opinion?

Is God's Word the climax of our worship?

For whom would you drop everything to go hear speak?

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Continue to keep us and this ministry in your prayers.

God bless, Rick Messer / Pastor of a church without walls.