The Word Series - The Bible - God's Word - 1

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[0:33] We thank God for this morning. I want to talk about the Bible, God's Word. All right. I want to talk about the Bible, God's Word.

[0:45] Let's turn our Bibles to Genesis chapter 3. And Bible talks about how in Genesis chapter 1, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was without form and void.

[0:58] And God said, let there be light. And there was. In the verse 3 and the verse 6, God said. Verse 9, God said. Verse 11, God said. Verse 14, God said. Verse 19, God said.

[1:09] Verse 21, God said. Verse 24, God said. Verse 26, God said. Verse 29, God said. So, everything God made, He made by speaking.

[1:21] Everything that exists. In Hebrews chapter 11, verse 3, it says that, for by faith we understand that the wells were framed by what?

[1:34] By what? The prayer. Let's read it from the screen. Let's go. By faith we understand that the wells were framed by the word of God. So that things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

[1:48] All right. So, you can't see a word. You can't see a word, but the word is behind everything you see. All right. So, it says, by faith we understand that the wells were framed by the word of God.

[2:02] So, everything God did. God created the heavens and the earth. Everything He created, He created by His word. God created the heavens and the heavens and the heavens and the heavens. It's so important.

[2:14] And then, when you read Hebrews chapter 1, verse 3, just actually talking about Jesus, it says that He is the effulgence, the express image of God's glory.

[2:27] Hebrews chapter 1, verse 3 says that, who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, God's person. So, if you want to know how God looks like, you just have to look at Jesus Christ.

[2:38] Jesus was the express in His human life. He was the express image of God's glory. The Bible says that the express image of God's person. He was the effulgence.

[2:51] One translation is the word effulgence. In the New Kingdom, it says that being the brightness of His glory. Now, the sun has got rays. You can't actually look at the sun, but you can't see the rays.

[3:05] If you keep looking at the sun, you'll harm yourself. But usually, with the undercadre, we see the rays of the sun. Like the way some of the beams of these lights, when they are thrown and there's a bit of haze, you can't see the rays.

[3:18] So, it tells you the direction of the light. It tells you the color of the light. It tells you whatever, the intensity of the light. In the same way, Jesus Christ is the effulgence or the radiance of God's glory.

[3:32] All right? He's the effulgence, the brightness, the radiance of the glory of God. And He says that He's a very image, the express. He used the word express. The King James says that He's the express image.

[3:45] Now, express, express image is the exact. If you want to know that, the fastest, the exact. Because nothing, watch this. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Nothing created can capture the totality of the creator.

[4:00] All right? So, you can't have anything in the created form to exhibit the totality of the creator. Because the creator is so grand.

[4:12] He's above. That is why theologians talk about how God created us in His image. So, for us to have a communication with God, there must be some grounds, common grounds.

[4:27] Other than that, if God is totally, they use this word, utterly dissimilar. If God is completely dissimilar, then there can't be any reference point between us and God for us to communicate with God.

[4:41] Am I making sense here? So, in a sense, God created us in His image and His likeness. And so, there are elements of creation that points to God.

[4:55] Creation cannot, in totality, encapsulate or capture God. That is why it is absurd, it's naive, it's unintelligent for any human being to assume he can research God and find Him.

[5:15] Because, even the definition of God tells you that it's beyond human comprehension. So, how well can you train yourself, how well can you train your dog to give birth to a human being?

[5:31] It's absurd. It can't happen. All right, so, it's the same way, it doesn't matter how well educated you are. Have you seen anyone who is a master of everything?

[5:42] Even if created things you are not a master of, you can't be a master of, you can't be a professor of science, of medicine, professor of chemistry, professor of law, you can't.

[5:55] So, when a professor has a problem, a girl goes to look for a lawyer, maybe she's a medical professor. Yes, go and look for a lawyer who can help him here, help me out here, somebody.

[6:07] So, that tells you how restricted, that tells you how, even lawyers have so many restrictions. There are experts in a particular law, company law, and other experts in maybe litigation, family law, and some are even immigration law, and things like that.

[6:24] You know what I'm talking about. So, you can't, human beings are so restricted. Bible says, one of the attributes of God, immediate attributes, early attributes of God, is that he's omniscient.

[6:39] He knows everything. Right. So, then, that's why it's absurd for any human being to assume he can have a comprehensive understanding of God.

[6:51] None of us can. You know what Jesus said? Jesus said, I have a lot to tell you, but you can't bear it. No, you can't handle it. You can't handle it. I mean, when the spirit of truth, he can lead you, he can guide you as you go, but you can't, he can't have everything.

[7:05] Because the fact that you are mortal tells you you are finite, tells you you are limited, tells you that your capabilities are not transcendent. Somebody shout, hallelujah.

[7:18] Hallelujah. So, Christ, Jesus Christ, he is, this is all coming on the back of express image. He is the express expression of God the Father.

[7:33] So long as creation is concerned, the best thing that reflects God, his person, is Christ. Accurately, expressly. So, if I take my thumb and I dip it in ink and I print it on a paper, it's to be an express image, not my thumb, but express, if you don't want to know everything about my thumb, you can't see it on a paper.

[7:56] It's to be temperate. That's why Jesus, so in John chapter 14, from verse 8 there, the disciples, they said, you know what, all these things you are talking about, Philip said, you just show us the Father and that's sufficient.

[8:13] Just show us the Father and that's enough for us. He said, I've been, have I been with you all this while and you don't know, he didn't say you don't know the Father and you don't know me. Have I been with you all this and yet you have not known me?

[8:26] Then he went on to say that, Philip, he said, Philip, you have been with me all this while and you don't know me. Philip, Phil, man, you don't know me?

[8:37] And then he went on to say that, he who has seen me has actually seen the Father. So stop saying, show us the Father and it will be sufficient. I am here.

[8:48] I am here. Hallelujah. So Jesus Christ is the express image of God. All right, let's go back. Actually, that's not part of what I'm teaching you.

[9:01] Hebrew chapter 1 verse 3. Hebrew chapter 1 verse 3. I was trying to explain something from that. Express image of his person that upholding all things by what?

[9:13] The way of his power. Right? So everything is upheld by God's word. Everything was created and was upheld by God's word.

[9:24] So it's very important to understand that the word of God plays or understand the centrality of God's word in the universe. Because it says that we understand that by faith, it takes faith to understand, all right?

[9:38] We understand, what did I just say? It takes faith to understand. Say it takes faith to understand. It takes faith to understand. If you want to doubt, there will always be a reason to doubt.

[9:52] Bible says, actually, you can easily doubt some things, but I think it enters into the realm of stupidity and foolishness to doubt the existence of God.

[10:04] Bible says that it is foolish. The fool said in his heart there is no God. There is no God. There is no God. Because the evidences that are showing, pointing to God are so glaring so obvious that it will take a higher level of stupidity to deny it.

[10:22] So it's foolishness to say that, no, it's not. It's not. It's Pastor David in this building. You must be very deluded to say he's not here.

[10:35] As you are seated here, you say, he's not here. Where again is he? Do you understand? And so, it's very important to understand. The Bible says that by faith we understand that the worlds, not the welt, the wells, the wells, the universe, the galaxies, everything that be, the wells, Hebrews 11, 3, by faith we understand that the wells were framed by the word of God to things that exist, things that are seen were not made of things which are visible.

[11:05] Praise God. So, on the back of that, we go to, all I started by saying is that God creates by speaking. He creates by his word.

[11:17] All right, let's all say by his word. By his word. I'm talking about the Bible, God's word. Now, the centrality of God's word is the sub-topic for today.

[11:31] You can call it like that. 3 verse 1 of Genesis. He said, now, the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord had made.

[11:43] And he said to the woman, he said to who? The woman. He said to who? The woman. He said to the woman.

[12:04] Hallelujah. Praise God. So, he said to the woman, has God said, has God indeed, has God indeed said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

[12:21] And the woman said to the serpent, we may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it lest you die.

[12:38] Alright. And the devil said, then the serpent said to the woman, you will not surely die. For God knows, God knows that in the day that you eat of it, your eyes will be open and you shall be like God, knowing good and evil.

[12:53] the first question ever recorded in history, the first question ever recorded in history was to challenge and doubt the integrity of God's word.

[13:11] So, it's not new. It's an ancient. It's primordial. The first question ever in history was, has God said? Did God say? That was the first question ever.

[13:25] The devil has been around but the first thing he had to say when he showed up, the earliest thing the devil had to say was to challenge God's word. Does it surprise you how people are trying to attack God's word from every angle in a modern day?

[13:46] It's always been like that. That's the devil's hobby. Because Jesus said, sanctify them by your word. John chapter 17 verse 17. Sanctify them by your word.

[13:58] Your word is truth. Your word is truth. Alright. Let's read it out loud. Let's go. Please, are you tired or hungry?

[14:10] Read it out loud. Let's go. Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. So, sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. That's Jesus' prayer.

[14:24] So, it takes God's word to get you sanctified. One of the days, I think last two weeks or so, I was teaching about working with God or so, I was teaching about how the title was on how to deal with sin.

[14:40] But one of the things I was talking last two weeks or so, and I spoke about how it doesn't take willpower not to sin. Or, it doesn't take just bare, bare willpower not to sin in order not to sin.

[14:57] It takes more than just willpower. Willpower is necessary, but it's not enough. It's not sufficient. There's actually something that is stronger than the willpower. It takes word power in your heart.

[15:10] God's word in you is what can keep you away from sin. It's just like vitamins. One of the five days, take it and it keeps you, it helps you.

[15:26] One of the statements I made recently was a Christian walking in sin is a reflection of a Christian who is not building his spirit. It's not necessarily a reflection of a hypocrite.

[15:39] It's a reflection of a Christian who is not building this. Am I speaking the truth to somebody? There are so many people here, most of you, and listening to me, who are genuine Christians and you find yourself in one sin or the other, you hate it.

[15:52] Am I speaking the truth? You hate it, but you find yourself back there again. And then you vow, never me, never, never again, never again. Two hours later, there again.

[16:07] Praise the Lord. So, so, what I'm saying is that it takes God's word in your spirit. And I found that your word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you.

[16:18] And then, you know what I saw even profoundly, more profoundly, in the same Psalm 119, verse 9, it said, how can a young man cleanse his, how can a young man cleanse his ways? See, don't try and do reflexology.

[16:32] It's not, the problem is not, I'm telling you, the problem is not what we think the problem is. We are littering around it, going around it, circumventing it and not dealing with the real issue.

[16:46] The real issue of sin is wordlessness. righteousness. The word of God, he said, sanctified, I can't wait to start on sanctification, because we are justified by faith, but we are sanctified, sanctified by your truth, your word is truth.

[17:08] So the farther you stay away from God's word, the more Satan will get you. The more every plan Satan has against you, it doesn't matter how born again you are.

[17:20] Every plan that Satan has got in place for you gets easily fulfilled when you are outside of God's word. Because it's a spiritual thing.

[17:33] So you don't read your Bible because a pastor said you should read it. No, you read your Bible because the Bible says that man shall not live by bread alone. So if you are not reading it, you are dying.

[17:44] You are dying softly. You are sleep walking into an abyss. You are sleep walking thinking. He said in the book of Psalm 119 verse 19.

[17:58] Look at it. Psalm 119 verse 19. What does it say? I am a stranger in the earth. Do not hide from my mind from me.

[18:09] I am a stranger where? In the earth. Do you know this earth very well? All you know is just where you live and where you be traveling to. That's all. You don't know you know.

[18:20] You are a complete stranger. You are complete tell someone I am a complete stranger. I am a complete stranger. Those of you who live in South West London, South East London, Croydon, some places, you don't know all that, even just that place.

[18:37] You don't know the names of the streets. Let alone where you think I used to be a cabrava, I know every corner. You don't. You don't. We are all strangers and very, very strangers.

[18:53] We are strangers. He says that I am a stranger on the earth. The only way you can make your way forward is the sudden life. Most of us, about your financial life, your child care, your marriage, your future, your ministry, that's what you are in life.

[19:08] God's word to help you navigate through the meandering roads of life. Remember, he says 119 verse 105, your word is a lamp onto my feet and a light to my path.

[19:26] So anyone who tells you you don't need the word, oh, this is someone's idea, he's killing you, the devil is speaking to the person, very clearly, in a very articulate way, unambiguously speaking to you. Because the devil's number one assignment is to attack God's word.

[19:41] If you can get God's word out of your life, he's finished with you. Doesn't matter how much you can pray and fast, doesn't matter how much you can scream, some of us have wonderful, very nice certificates, which even the certificate alone commands attention, it's very nice.

[20:00] But what has he done for you? So, what I'm trying to say is that sometimes you can get all those certificates but still be a pauper and not get a job, especially if you are dealing with major issues in your life.

[20:17] What kind of makeup you have invested in? You are more than an investment banker. All kinds of makeup, all kinds, even the ones you don't use, they are the ones that some people who look posh are now beginning to discover.

[20:36] Those ones you've gone past, they're a long time ago and there are somewhere, you have every time and still sister, no brother. No, that tells you that something is wrong.

[20:53] Something is wrong and you are treading in dangerous grounds and you are missing, you are in the woods without light. Full of foxes and wolves and all kinds of beasts waiting to pound on you and make you a victim of life and make you one of the atrophies and look at this one.

[21:13] They use you as a point of going to tell others if you dare, we will make you like that one. The devil is a liar, not like someone who has got the word. Shout hallelujah. If you've got the word, you've got life.

[21:25] Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. So, discipline yourself to go for the word. Some of us are disciplining ourselves to exercise.

[21:35] It's good. Disciplining ourselves to cut down our diet. It's good. But how about your eating? You're not eating something. Satan came, the first thing he said, has God said?

[21:50] You should not eat this. Has God said? And he actually twisted it. Look at it again. Oh, man. Someone get something.

[22:03] Genesis chapter 1. Don't forget Genesis chapter 3. That's where all the problems started. Oh, yeah. That's where it started.

[22:19] Food. It started with food. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Before then, let's go to chapter 2. Look at verse 16.

[22:34] And the Lord God commanded the man saying, verse 16 of Genesis chapter 2, of every tree of the garden you may freely eat. Of what? How many?

[22:46] Take notice of that. Okay. What did God tell him? Of every tree you may freely eat. All right? Of every tree of the garden you may. Verse 17. But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.

[22:58] For in the day that you eat, what will happen? You shall surely die. Chapter 3, verse 2. Verse 1. Satan came and he said to the woman, Has God indeed said you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

[23:16] Is that what God said? Did you notice that? He didn't say you shouldn't eat of every tree of the garden. Satan asked him, Satan asked, did he say you shouldn't eat of every tree?

[23:29] Every tree. The serpent, has God indeed said you shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Has God said that? What did God say?

[23:39] Look at the verse. Verse 16 on chapter 2. Verse 16 says that of every tree of the garden you may freely eat. Ah, he said of every tree you may freely eat. Satan comes and said, has God indeed said of every tree of the garden you should not eat?

[23:59] He said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden. God didn't say that. He actually said of every tree you may freely eat. You got to know your word.

[24:13] Let's see what the woman said. And the woman said to the serpent, we may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden. Let's go to 2 verse 16 again. Chapter 2 verse 16.

[24:25] Let's read it out together. Let's go. Let's go. And the Lord of God said, of every tree of the garden, you may eat. Okay, that's what God said. What did the woman say?

[24:36] Verse 2 of chapter 3. You may eat the fruit of the trees. He didn't say the fruit. God said eat the trees of every tree.

[24:46] He said of the fruit. So she added something. She added something. And then go to the next verse.

[24:59] She added something. He said, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat nor shall you touch it lest you die.

[25:11] Did God say that? No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. Go to verse two again. Go to verse two. No.

[25:22] Verse two. We may eat. We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden. All right? We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden.

[25:38] She omitted something. And then the next one, she went on to say that we may not eat this particular one nor touch but God did not say don't touch verse 17 of chapter 2 God didn't say don't touch but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat for in the very day you eat you shall surely die where did the touching come from she's making the story sensational and you know that that's what most of us like when the preachers have to mix make it sensational add something subtract something embellish it and you know clites make it very powerful and now with this we are having it in or even some other translations the Bible some of the translations are not actually true to God's word right and I have a problem

[26:46] I have a problem when I see preachers constantly staying on certain translations because it's very simple for everybody to understand because they are trying to make these translations adaptable to the cultures we are in so the culture why must the culture tell us what God cannot say now the culture is beginning to tell us what God cannot say and what God should say and what he shouldn't say if he says something we don't accept it it's not culturally relevant most of us cannot be bold enough to stand and say this is God why am I doing this because God's word is saying it but you know the problem there's the problem where we don't maybe we don't see something the way we think and generally so people begin to water it down but God can't really mean this for instance for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life so then but God can't mean that everyone who doesn't believe in Jesus Christ is going to perish you are talking like the devil they just shall live by faith also are you really do me

[28:03] God really thinks that God is really saying that I mean if I don't what is the word saying leave the word the way it is and let God be true and every man a liar sometimes you want to interpret God's word based on our experiences so because this is my experience two years ago my little brother was very sick and we prayed and prayed my father was a preacher every time going to church and every time we prayed and prayed he actually was a healer we prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and my brother died so in a situation like this we can't really say that you know faith always will deliver because Jesus said be to you according to your faith a man shall live by faith now why is it that your situation now suddenly that particular scripture becomes nullified because it cannot mean what he is trying to say the scripture means what he says and the basic message of the scripture is unambiguous that's right this is very important other than that you see we will begin to fall into mixing God's word trying to change God's word and then beginning to say that Satan actually

[29:21] Satan is a figment of someone's imagination Satan is a mythological creature so he doesn't Bible says what verse 3 Satan the devil the serpent was won and Satan came in the name of like the serpent he came disguised and Eve should have questioned why the serpent was talking to her I believe that the garden that garden looked like a shopping mall that's just a joke did you understand what I'm trying it's important that's why I've taken upon myself by the inspiration of God to teach on God's word the Bible the Bible this whole thing Bible what is this Bible about what role does it play in our life today I just wanted to talk about the centrality of God's word God's word is so central I mean how can there be a church without a church operating without making God's word central and there are other ideas for instance oh but why does the church exist let's go to the document and find out why the church exists it doesn't matter what popular opinion wants us to be doing what does the document say we are who are we and what are we supposed to be doing pastor what are we and what are we supposed to what's the joke of your pastor go to the scriptures why do we do praise and worship go to the scriptures why do we fast go to the scriptures why do we do what we are doing go to the scriptures if you can't find it out of the scripture you might as well check it out because it's not Christ hallelujah it's about time someone boldly says this is my bible

[31:14] God speaks to me through his word in John chapter 10 verse 35 and this just cannot be broken thank you Jesus and so every leader who has been through training in this church knows you don't stand before two or three people in this church whether in the church setting or outside the church without making reference to God's word said that's the authority school of ministry I can't wait to go on there a pastor without God's word in your mouth you don't have authority read your bible it says that let all the elders be counted worthy of double honor especially those who labor in the word and doctrine not those who are praying for people labor in the word and doctrine what's the worth of a pastor who can't be studying his word you have become worthless spiritually doesn't matter the price of your suit as we have reduced this whole work into the image the word of God in your mouth is what gives you spiritual credibility both as a pastor or an ordinary genuine normal

[32:38] Christian if you don't have the word in your mouth you are toothless paper tiger empty thank you empty empty empty the word first of all it goes into your heart then it's issued out of your mouth that's what gives you your rating faith comes by hearing of the so what what kind of thing are you preaching on and you don't have the word read your memory in the tube read it read it if someone can have the audacity to be dressed in certain ways and they even think that everyone is wrong and you can't read your some people will be reading all kinds of things on the tube oh you know what my time is up I think we should end here did you resist something put your hands together for Jesus hallelujah thank you for listening for more resources please visit caries.org or call us on 0207 740 9960 god bless you