We're tonight, we're going over number seven on the nature, purpose, and the power of Scriptures.
And as always, we turn to the Word of God, and we allow for what does the context have to say,
and what do the connections of the Word of God have to say.
So we're expanding on the understanding of the flawlessness, the purity of Scripture,
and we're learning about what the Word of God is in regards of being true.
And so before we go any further, I know we've started, let's go ahead and pray,
and we'll just go ahead and get started into the truth, the trueness of God's Word.
So we pray together, Father God, we come before you tonight, we're hungry for your Word,
we're hungry to learn about what you have to reveal to us today.
We're continuing learning about the descriptive words that describe who you are
and describe what you have written down, what you have spoken.
We ask that you help us learn more about you and the truth that is in your Word.
We ask that you're with us tonight, and the words that I speak will be received well,
and that the ears that are listening will learn and grow well.
So just be with us tonight as we are continuing our study with session 7
of the Nature, Purpose, and Power of Scripture.
It is in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen.
So our first Bible verse is going to be on Psalm 119, 160, 610.
Ah, I flipped it around. Page 610.
Alright, so Psalm 119 verse 160.
It says here, the sum of your Word is truth,
and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.
That word truth comes up, right?
The sum of your Word is truth.
It's just when you're reading it on the surface, it's very beautiful language, right?
The entirety of God's Word is truth.
So the question, the first question that's going to be on your sheet is,
what does the Psalmist mean?
When he is saying, the sum of your Word is truth.
So go ahead and take a moment and write down your thoughts.
When I read a verse like that, it's very comforting to know that all of God's Word is truth, right?
It's beautiful language whenever we read Psalms, whenever we read Proverbs, wisdom literature,
the biblical poetry.
And what's interesting, I'm curious, in the translations that you are using,
which one are you using?
So this is going to be really good.
And when researching and studying this specific passage,
you'll find there's a lot of different variations for the translation of this.
New International Version says, all your words are true.
At least that's what I'm thinking.
New Living Translation, the very essence of your words are true.
English Standard, the sum of your Word is true.
The KJV is, Thy Word is true from the beginning.
And the New King James is the entirety of your Word is truth.
And all of these are really good statements.
It's like, well, which one is it and why is there such a difference in it?
Well, what's very interesting is the Word that is being used when we're looking at the translation of the sum of your Word.
There are different ways that truth, right, the sum can mean beginning.
It can, so it can mean, and it'll be on your notes here, time, totality, and priority.
And what's interesting is in the Hebrew, it can mean either of those.
That's why there's a, I don't want to use the word discrepancy,
but there's a variation in the translation of that word.
So when you're looking at this verse, the sum of your Word or all of your words,
the essence of your words from the beginning, it all comes back to that one word.
And I'm like, that's, that's very interesting.
So you're saying that this verse, we're talking about the sum, right?
Or all of the word, it couldn't mean time.
So from the beginning can also mean the entirety of the Bible, and it can also mean from the top, meaning from the beginning.
So what's interesting on this, then you'll notice on your notes why there's such a big presence there,
is that biblically, it can mean all three of those.
The word of God is timeless, right? And when we talk about Jesus Christ being the word existing before the creation,
that can mean, and that can be one way of reading that, that specific verse that from the beginning,
well, what do you mean from the beginning?
Do you mean from the beginning of time?
Or do you mean from the beginning as in Genesis or Job, if you're considering Job as the oldest one?
So which one is it?
It can mean either of those.
And I found that that was very beautiful that that's in there.
So it says, I put in here, the word of God is timeless.
God's word from the beginning is true.
In the beginning was the word.
Well, we can see that in that verse, it very well can mean that, right?
Beginning of time, also the beginning of the Old Testament, if you will.
So let's turn to John real quick here, because this is interesting.
I'm thinking, well, you see such a variety.
It's because the translators are trying to figure out which one are they using.
Are we talking from the beginning of time?
Are we talking from all of Scripture?
Are we talking priority is when I mean the top of Scripture, it means the importance of Scripture.
So saying all of your word is important, right?
The importance of the word is truth.
I'm like, that's interesting.
But yeah, let's go to that first one.
John, all right.
So we know this one in the beginning was the word and the word was with God.
And the word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through Him and without Him was not anything made that was made.
I always love turning to that because there's so much to that, right?
There's so much to those two verses.
So in the beginning was the word.
Okay.
So we're looking at the Psalmist saying that the from the beginning,
well, from the beginning of time can be a way we read that.
Okay.
So that's one thing we can see in Scripture that that holds up to be true.
Then we have Psalm 90 verse two.
So we'll start from verse one, Psalm 90 verse one.
Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations before the mountains were brought
forth or ever you had formed the earth and the world from everlasting to everlasting.
You are God.
So again, beautiful poetic language here, right?
So here we're talking about you formed the earth and the world from everlasting to everlasting.
And it ties in with the John one passage, right?
That we know that God had existed before the creation of the world and then also with having Christ
existing as the word with him.
Right.
And of course, there's other verses when we were going over Proverbs or when we were looking at Christ's existence before the creation.
So just looking at passages like this will help us seeing that.
Okay.
This Psalm 119, right?
From the beginning, like the King James is saying,
thy word is true from the beginning of time, so to speak, from the beginning.
It can mean from the beginning of time.
All right.
So let's go to our question here.
Let's think about this.
I put knowing that the word of God stands the test of time.
How does that help us in today's world?
I want you to think about this before you answer that question.
The word existing before the creation of the world and then the word existing thousands of years,
being able to last as long as it has.
That's remarkable.
You know, when you think of civilizations that have come and gone, people who have lived and died and so much time that is passed by, but yet God's word is remaining.
It's just a very powerful thing.
So when we're looking at from the beginning, right?
Your word is true from the beginning.
Not only is it truth from the foundation of the world, but from the beginning it is timeless.
It will continue to last just as the Psalm is saying from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.
Well, God existing outside of space and time.
Well, he puts in his word.
That is going to last.
He's seen to it that that will be that will last.
So just kind of wanting to add to that, but feel free to answer this question.
Knowing that the word of God stands the test of time.
How does that help us in today's world?
Yeah, it's, you know, the same the same God that spoke into motion, the universe, right?
How we've talked about God upholding the universe, he is going to uphold his word.
And when we find knowledge, saving knowledge of who Christ is, right?
Knowing that he is the Son of God, that he's the savior of the world.
That's kind of like the, I think of living, the living water, like it's a constant stream.
And it's like, are you ready to drink this water, so to speak?
Knowing that somehow God's word has lasted as long as it has.
And the fact that we have Bibles today, that helps us.
Or at least it should help us in our faith.
Even when people have tried to use the Bible for evil intent, God hides away the secrets, if you will, the depths of the word.
And I think I mentioned that last Sunday, I realized I sometimes say controversial things, but
there have been people who have talked so much about artificial intelligence.
Oh, you can go and use AI, it will take over the world and it will get everyone out of a job.
And that may be true, maybe it may be not, but
when you really think about it, the depths of scripture, the wisdom, the knowledge of scripture is for mankind, so to speak.
It is meant for its God's revelation to people, right?
So think about this.
Machine, as powerful as it can be, as wonderful as machines can be with our cars and our computers, it will never have a soul.
Therefore, it cannot find what we can find in scripture.
It has information and it comes to conclusions, but it does not have emotions, does not have a beating heart.
And even if it had those things, the end of the day, it still will not have a soul.
And so because it does not have a soul, when we talk about God's saving grace or someone's soul being saved,
that is explicitly, that is intentionally made for people.
And when you think of that, it's like, oh, well then we don't have to worry about artificial, I mean, I guess for the job market, sure, I guess for changes in culture, sure, but
when people are saying, oh, well, it's going to know more of the Bible than you, well, it might be able to regurgitate memory passages.
But memorizing passages is great, but that's different than I'm going to read the Bible and I'm going to let God speak to me.
Does that make sense? And I realized when I was, because I listened to the sermon just kind of how far off the script did I go today.
I realized when I said that I'm like, it's true though, you know, if that should bring us comfort that no matter how powerful these machines are,
even if they did take over the world, let's say that happens, let's entertain that idea.
Well, God will hide away His word as He has before in those kind of times.
When an evil, like you're talking about divine revelation, if a worldly or an evil person takes the Bible and tries to read it,
they'll, what does scripture say? It is foolishness, right, to those that are perishing.
It's like, well, how true is that today with people who have evil intent with their machines?
I'm not saying all machines are evil. I mean, we use machines every day, you know.
I don't think a washing machine is evil, you know, but certain things, it just, I'm not worried about it.
And I think when we're talking about hope in the Word of God, hope from the Word of God, there's also that sigh like, hey, look, you're a machine,
you can't know what we know. And I just think that's just very, I've even used artificial intelligence before.
I've tried it out to see what it knows and it's very limited. I want you to think about this.
AI is fed information, right? And it therefore can only pull from that information.
In order for it to become smarter, you must continue giving it information, right? And that information comes from man.
So just check this out. How can God go into the machine? I mean, I guess the Lord could.
I'm not going to say that that can't happen, but it cannot think.
It just uses what's existing in the database to come to conclusions.
Well, that's different than if I am revealed something in the Word of God and then I give it information.
So that's just kind of like, there's a natural, there's a limitation to technology.
And I realize a lot of people like to use technology as a scare tactic, you know, oh, it's the end of the world with the AI.
It might be used in the future, sure, but I'm not afraid of technology in of itself.
I'm more afraid of the use of technology for bad, you know.
Deep fake technology. That's a pretty scary one. Making someone look like something they're not.
You know, you can use technology to make a video. Let's just say, let's say Joe Biden, for example, you can make him say something he's never said and it looks real.
Well, that's a whole other ballgame, right? And I would say yes, there should be regulations on that because how do you stop fraud from happening?
You know, if it takes to clone your voice, it takes two minutes of you speaking.
And I've tried it before. I've recorded my voice for an AI just to see if it can duplicate my voice and it can.
It's not perfect, but it's getting there. But, well, who can use that?
Well, you can use it if you're lazy, I guess, and you want to pop out audio or something.
But you can also use that for scam phone calls or, you know, fraudulent activity.
A lot of it's fun, but you have to be careful with any new thing.
Yeah, all that to say, though, I know with AI and technology, I used to think, oh, I used to be more of the belief that, oh, you know, technology is going to, you know, use the Bible against us and, you know, use all these things.
But even if it does, that's different than the divine revelation that comes from God, which I'm like, oh, I'm letting the negativity or the scare tactic get through to me and then think that, oh, the devil's actually going to use the Bible against you and know more than the Lord.
But that's not true. The Lord knows more than the devil.
So it goes on to a big thing there, but let's go ahead and move on.
So totality, right? So we're talking about from the beginning that God's word is true. It's true in the past. It's going to be true in the present and it will be true in the future.
And no matter what happens with changes in culture or changes in technology or politicians or laws that are passed, God's word will remain true.
It's beautiful to know that. So totality, it's that all of the word of God is true.
And when we're talking about specifically, I'm pointing, I don't mean to point out the KJV here, but it's the one that's saying from the beginning, right?
Well, from the beginning of our Bibles, that's where you would have the sum or the totality or all of Scripture, right?
That's where it could mean for Psalm 119, 160.
The very essence, the entirety of it, from the beginning from Genesis to Revelation, that all of Scripture is true.
So let's turn to 2 Timothy 3 verse 16 in page 1182.
How many times have we visited this one Scripture, right?
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.
And we'll finish it off that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work, right?
So all Scripture being breathed out by God because God is perfect and God is light in him exists no darkness, right?
No mud on the flashlight, no imperfection, God is capable of sinning.
Therefore, the entirety of that which is spoken or that which is inspired by the Lord must be true.
So we find that when we're talking about the totality of Scripture, it is true.
It is breathed out from God, like we've talked before, that God breathed on the pages of the Word of God,
much like how God breathed into humans the breath of life.
And so that helps us with our understanding of the totality of all of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, from the beginning, in the beginning was the Word,
or in the beginning God speaking the creation account, that it's all true.
And in Proverbs chapter 30 verse 5, I'm going to put that on the slide.
So in Proverbs 30 verse 5, the words of Agar, every word of God proves true.
He is a shield for those who take refuge in him.
Verse 6, do not what?
Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.
Nice little stinger right there, right?
And so, I mean, that's always a good thing when we're thinking about the changing of the Word of God.
Now I know translation is one thing. Well, what does this mean? Can it mean this? Can it mean that?
That's very different than I'm going to intentionally change words so that it doesn't mean what it should or what it ought to mean.
And so that's something that we have to just be on the lookout for. I like looking at the languages and I like looking at the translations.
Because sometimes it's like, ah, that was a poor choice of words, buddy.
Other times it's like, you know what, that was actually a really good choice because it conveys the meaning in here.
Example, when we're looking at the new living translation for Psalm 119, the essence of your words.
I just love that wording for that. The essence of your words is true.
But then it's like, we have to be mindful at least, because I know some people are saying, well, I don't like the new living translation.
Or the King James version is old. Whatever. Look at all of them.
And if there is a discrepancy like I found in here, or there's different translations, go to the Greek, go to the Hebrew.
And I would encourage that in any sense to kind of help you with understanding of Scripture.
And so the question that comes up then is, what are some potential dangers if we only accept or focus on certain parts of Scripture as being true?
Why is this crucial to trust the truth of all the entirety of God's Word?
Yeah, looking at the context of Scripture is so critical.
You find nowadays, biblical illiteracy is probably one of the most dangerous things that's happening.
And that's a very big thing I know myself, I know my wife, we're very big on is every person needs to be educated in the Word of God.
It takes a lifetime to learn Scripture, but that's the beauty of it though, is that you continue to let God work in your mind, work in your heart, mold you into who you're meant to be.
I bring up this question, if we only focus on certain parts of Scripture, if we disregard certain sections and you say, I don't agree with this or I agree with that.
God is love, but God is also just, God is sovereign, right?
There's many attributes to God, and unfortunately that does happen more often than I like to admit.
So we must look at Scripture and say, I'm going to let God work through me, work in me, come what may.
It's almost like you're meant to, I don't like using the word struggle, it's meant to be challenging though, it's meant to be a constant, we think of refining, making pure like we were talking about last week.
Well, there's going to be those growing pains, there's going to be times where you're trying to get out that little imperfection or your understanding of Scripture.
It's a tough question, it's definitely a tough one.
Well, let's move on.
The third way of looking at this verse, because you've got to think everything up to this point has been looking at this one verse, is priority of Scripture.
Right?
When we're looking at the different translations for Psalm 119 verse 160, all of God's words are true, the essence of the words is true, the sum of your word is true.
The word is true by word from the beginning, the entirety of your word.
Well, we also need to realize that the word of God is to be a priority and in looking at the Hebrew, it can mean the top, starting from the top.
Well, that would mean the priority.
But it should be a priority in our life, not just one part of our life or some parts, not just some of Scripture.
All of Scripture should be a priority in our life.
And we shouldn't just implement it on part of our life, right?
You hear that, I don't like the saying, but the saying of, you know, you're a Christian on Sunday and you're a sinner on Monday.
I guess it's true we're all sinners, but that doesn't give you a ticket to sin on Monday, you know?
You don't just, it's not a jacket or a clothing you change into.
So the word of God being, and I like using the language of it's at the center of our life, right?
I understand not everyone is going to be in ministry.
You're not going to be a police officer or a firefighter, a teacher and do everything in excellence for the glory of God.
In how you're living your everyday life, you can be an example for others.
Living your life in such a way where people say, you know, there's something different about Sally or there's something different about you.
What's different than they talk to you?
Oh, I'm a Christian or this is how this is what I believe in.
It's those kind of interactions and conversations that's so critical.
So that's why we have it in priority.
So let's go to Psalm 12 on page 528.
So Psalm 1, blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the seat of scoffers, right?
But his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night.
Is this verse showing the priority of scripture, right?
The priority of reading and studying scripture, so to speak.
Day and night.
That's a challenge.
It's a challenge for all of us.
How does one meditate day and night on God's word?
And delighting in God's word is another thing.
I have to read my Bible again.
So part of it's having a habit of reading the word of God.
The other part of it is the heart of reading it.
When you think of children or teenagers, I have to read my Bible, do I have to pray to the Lord again?
Well, which it's a lot of discipline there.
The habit of reading God's word, the habit of praying, then also doing it with a joyful heart.
Doing it with joy, not being angry or rolling your eyes at saying your prayers or whatever it is.
So that's just a good one.
Always a good verse.
Let's turn to Matthew chapter 4 verse 4.
Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
After fasting 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry and the tempter came and said to him,
If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.
But he answered, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
I think Jesus won that temptation.
And so we're thinking about this.
It's focusing on every word that is in Scripture, having that as a priority.
And that leads us to our question here.
What are some reasons we may be tempted to not make God's word a priority in our lives?
What does making Scripture a priority look like practically?
You can answer that in your own life, or maybe how someone can do that.
So in researching this verse to see if there's any passages that are connected with Psalm 119, 160,
I just found that there's not really many connecting verses that are speaking to just this specific language
about the entirety or from the beginning that all of God's word is truth.
I did find one.
And it's going to be next on our slide here.
It's going to be John chapter 17 verses 13 through 19.
I will say though, John might, I can't 100% say he's quoting it, but it appears that he's quoting it.
Because sometimes you see that they're explicitly quoting another verse in the Old Testament.
It might be. I don't want to say with 100%, but the wording of your word is truth, just like it is in the Psalm,
is it's a possibility.
So I'll just leave it at that.
So John chapter 17.
So this is the high priestly prayer.
And we're going to start on verse 13.
But now I am coming to you.
And these things I speak in the world that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
I have given them your word.
And the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
They are not of this world, just as I am not of this world.
Sanctify them in the truth.
Your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world.
And for their sake, I concentrate myself that they also may be sanctified in truth.
So in reading that, there's a question that comes up.
Feel free to take a moment.
In the verses, we were reading here that in verse 14,
when Jesus is saying, I have given them your word and the world has hated them
because they are not of the world, as I am not of the world.
So the question that comes up is how can believers stay grounded in truth
in a world that often rejects or distorts God's word?
How can believers stay grounded?
I think that's probably your best answer there,
is to just don't put the Bible on the shelf.
We're talking about how you have worn Bibles compared to pristine looking Bibles.
How many family Bibles are out there where it looks brand new?
But certainly, there's nothing wrong with a worn Bible.
You take care of it just as God is taking care of you.
Really think about that. God's word is taking care of you.
It's going to be worn out.
There's going to be times where you accidentally rip a page,
or you're marking it, or whatever it is.
You drop your Bible, but it's going to take care of you.
It's a very spiritual way of looking at the Bible,
but I don't find any wrong in that though.
Staying grounded in God's word,
reading it, studying it, looking at the context,
looking at the connections, and then seeing,
okay, that's what you meant here.
Christ is quoting this Psalm, let's say.
What does the Psalm say?
When Christ is saying, you have heard this,
well, there's more to what was quoted there.
He's just quoting a certain part to it.
It's just very, very good to...
How are we grounded in truth is by opening God's word
and allowing our Bibles to get worn, so to speak.
God's word's going to be preserved anyways,
so you shouldn't be afraid of opening your Bible
many different times.
So I want us to focus on verse 17 of that.
John 17, chapter 17, verse 17,
which says to sanctify them in the truth.
Your word is truth.
For most of the translations, I usually do about five or six of them.
The NIV, sanctify them by the truth.
Your word is truth.
ESV, sanctify them in the truth.
Your word is truth.
KJV, sanctify them through thy word.
Thy word is truth.
New King James, sanctify them by your truth.
Your word is truth.
So it's pretty much...
I guess if you want to...
This one says by or this one says in.
They're pretty much the same.
The one that was very different, though,
is not the amplified version.
It was the new living translation.
It says, make them holy by your truth.
Teach them your word, which is truth,
which is an incredible run-on sentence.
But I understand what they're doing.
They're trying to define what sanctify is.
I'm like, okay, I can understand that.
It's a different reading level, so to speak.
So then that comes up with the question then,
is how does someone get sanctified?
So take a moment and think about that.
I like that you bring up that.
To be made holy, right?
To be sanctified, you must be a Christian first and foremost.
It's kind of like...
You have some Christians who think you can...
I'm not going to say Christians.
Let me rephrase this.
There are some people that believe you can bypass.
You can receive all the blessings of God
without becoming a believer.
And that's incorrect.
You have to become a believer first and foremost
to understand the intricacies of Scripture to be sanctified.
That's the beauty of Scripture,
is that God is molding you, right?
That you're going to go through this changing process
to be more like Jesus, and that's just beautiful.
So let's go with the answering of the question.
So someone gets sanctified, hit it right on the nail.
Must be a Christian first and foremost.
And then allow for the truth to dwell within you, right?
That's what this verse is saying.
When Christ is saying,
sanctify them by the truth.
Well, what is the truth?
Your word is truth.
It answers the question right then and there.
And we find that that word sanctify is used in the Lord's prayer.
Our Father, hallowed be your name.
It's the same Greek word that's used.
In this context though, he's saying,
Holy is your name.
So whenever you read,
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
hallowed be your name,
you're saying basically, Our Father, Holy is your name.
So that's one way of reading it.
Now, I mean, you don't have to change it.
Just understand what it's saying in here.
Let's go to 1 Corinthians.
So there's two more verses,
and I'm going to go into the chart here.
So 1 Corinthians 6 11 in page 1134,
verse 11,
as such were some of you.
You were once this way, right?
You were once a idolatry.
You were once sexually immoral.
As such were some of you,
but you were washed.
You were sanctified.
You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and by the spirit of our God, amen.
Right?
So seeing in that,
the verse is significant because it helps us to understand
that Christ's sacrifice on the cross,
we were justified, right?
But also in this specific verse,
and we'll see in the next one as well,
that we were sanctified.
So that's why in doing all this research,
I'm like, I need to make a chart,
so I don't confuse anyone here.
So the question that comes up from the 1 Corinthians passage is,
how does being washed,
how does being sanctified and justified,
how do they relate to each other,
and what role does each part play in our salvation?
So take a moment.
Being washed by the blood of the Lamb, right?
So it's talking about Jesus Christ dying on the cross, right?
Being washed from our sins.
As we've mentioned before,
it all begins with believing in the Lord, right?
You believe in the Lord,
you are washed clean,
you are justified, and then there's sanctification, right?
And it is out of order technically,
but they're all there.
And you'll see when we're going to get to that chart,
sooner or later,
you'll see in this next verse then,
that it also is talking about sanctification.
So we're seeing kind of thinking of everything we've gone over.
We're seeing that all of God's word is true, right?
From the beginning of time, the beginning of Scripture,
all of that should be priority in our life.
And then we're learning about here,
about how we get sanctified by the word, right?
How Christ is saying to the Lord,
sanctify them in the truth, God's word is truth.
So let's move to this next passage.
Hebrews chapter 10 verse 14.
This is our last verse.
Verses 10 through 14.
Let me see here.
And by that,
by that will, we have been sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all, one and done.
Jesus does not have to go on to the cross again, right?
So once for all.
Verse 11.
And every priest stands daily at his service,
offering repeatedly the same sacrifices,
which can never take away sins.
Uh-oh.
But when Christ had offered for all,
all time a single sacrifice for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of God,
waiting from that time until his enemies
should be made a footstool for his feet.
Verse 14.
For by a single offering,
he has perfected for all time
those who are being sanctified.
So we see this in verse 10, right?
By that will, we have been sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all.
And then verse 14.
A single offering, he has perfected for all time
those who are being sanctified.
Okay.
So I bring this verse up because it's talking about sanctification
and what happens as part of our salvation story, so to speak, right?
Our aim should be to know Jesus Christ,
to believe in him.
And from that belief, it starts our spiritual walk in Christ, right?
You'll hear me say in sermons sometimes,
my hope is that you have a spiritual journey towards Christ, right?
Well, it's to get to Christ,
from that point, you're on a much better journey, so to speak, right?
You're on a journey of being sanctified in.
There's justification, there's purification,
there's all these things that are happening
when we're thinking about our life in Christ.
And so I wanna, you know, we were justified in faith,
we are sanctified, so there's the ongoing sanctification process, purification process.
So in these verses, justification was one and done.
Sanctification is ongoing.
So we'll get to that chart and it'll make a lot more sense.
So we have the final question here, which is,
why was Christ's sacrifice necessary for our sanctification?
How does his sacrifice make us holy?
Just like we were reading in those verses, right?
Once and for all.
But all of this to keep in mind,
it is through believing in Jesus Christ that we receive salvation in him,
and by receiving salvation, we are justified because of the sacrifice that Christ made for us,
one and done.
In being justified, we begin on the spiritual journey towards holiness,
being Christ-like, being sanctified.
And God's word being true will lead us to the saving knowledge of him
and will continue to work upon us in believing in him.
And so that leads us to this chart on here.
I did not put it on the screen, so this is, we'll go over it together.
So what you see on here, to help me understand what I'm gonna be teaching on,
I wanted to make sure everything was correct.
Those two verses of the Hebrews' passage, the Hebrews and 1 Corinthians' passage,
are talking about what's known as immediate sanctification.
So I'm gonna go from the top and I'll go down here, okay?
So you see the first four verses on the Romans, Romans 10-17, James 1-21, John 17-3,
and the 1 Corinthians, I guess I did not put a one or a two there.
You hear the word, right?
You hear the word of God.
That is the implanted word, right, as we've talked about.
The seed that is being scattered onto the soil,
and it, you keep preaching and teaching the word of God until someone has the saving knowledge
and they get it.
They learn about who Jesus Christ is and they make a decision for Christ.
They believe in him, as the scripture says.
Then they believe in the word.
They believe in Christ.
That leads them to salvation, right?
So as that happens, that top triangle, you have the indwelling of the word, right?
That the word of Christ dwells within us richly as we have gone over, right?
And you're allowing for the word of God to mold you.
On that, the end part, the word abiding in us.
As you are growing that you are, the word is abiding in us as 1 John is saying.
So when you are saved, okay, we have the salvation plan from the Lord.
We have the justification, the sanctification and the glorification, okay?
Being justified, the one and done through Christ.
So done deal as those verses say.
Then there's sanctification and I'm leaving that for last, okay?
Because that's where the third triangle is, immediate, ongoing and final.
So justification by faith, sanctification, the ongoing process of being made more holy and glorification at the end.
And we're talking about the end of days as Christ mentions.
So in terms of sanctification, what I found very interesting in those two verses, Hebrews 10, 10 and 1 Corinthians 6, 11,
is that it's talking about, well, it says you were sanctified.
Wait a minute, is sanctification ongoing or is it immediate? Which one is it?
There seems to be two sanctifications. What does that mean?
Well, the moment that you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you're justified and you're sanctified.
Now, from that sanctification, it continues, it begins at that moment. Does that make sense?
So the immediate sanctification is you are made holy, but you're going to continue to be holy.
Just like how there are verses that are saying, you're saved, there's this idea in James, ongoing salvation, right?
You're working out your faith, those passages, right?
But what it's talking about is you're saved, but you're going to continue to be molded.
It's the ongoing salvation, much like there's the ongoing sanctification.
And then finally, as you are being made holy, you then have the final holiness, right?
Wesleyan traditions, Nazarene churches and Methodists believe that you can reach complete holiness in this life before death.
Other Christians would argue, well, no, you're not completely holy until you die.
There's a small discrepancy there that depends on your theology, but at the end of it, you will be holy.
I would personally be more of the belief that you are not holy completely until death, right?
But there are some that will disagree with that, but I'm not going there.
All that to say, you're on a process of being more Christ-like, being more holy in that.
So that final triangle is the process that is kind of in line, right?
So immediate sanctification is in line with justification, so to speak.
Ongoing sanctification is how we understand sanctification as it's, okay, now you're a Christian, now God's going to work in you.
Well, the final sanctification is very similar to what we would call glorification.
So they're all kind of, it's complicated, but making a visual like this, I'm like, oh my gosh, this makes so much sense that it's part of our growth process, so to speak, that there is all of this here.
And so I hope that this chart will help you in understanding this.
This chart might grow as time goes on, but this was all I had time for. It took me a couple hours to find the verses and then make it look pretty like this.
So, because originally, as I mentioned, this is what you were going to get.
I mean, that was drawing it out and trying to have it all make sense, but this looks a lot cleaner for you.
It's definitely a lot. I mean, we can expand this into, this whole chart would be our life, right? Our life in Christ.
There's the whole before your life in Christ, right? There's the Christ life and then after this would be the reign of Christ, right?
When we're talking about the end, the end, right? The final end, right? And so it would take a lot more time to make something, but I really, I think I'll start making more charts like this,
because I'm feeling like this will help people in their faith journey, because when we're talking about biblical literacy, part of it is understanding,
okay, what does the Word of God say? But the other part of it is how is this all connected with each other?
All right, I'm reading a passage about being sanctified. Well, what does that do with the big picture, right? In understanding our faith?
And so, yeah, I don't know if what I'll do with this, but I'll have it available online. I know I'll have that there.
What I didn't point out is the on the sanctification part is in the triangle, the John 1717 1 Peter 2 2 and Hebrews 5 13-14 is that we are sanctified by the Word of God,
going from milk to solid food of the Word, right? So when we talk about implanted Word, right, the seed that gets planted into us,
well, eventually it's going to grow and manifest into saving knowledge, and that continues us through the sanctification process.
That's why the title of this is the Word, because the Word is what makes all of this even possible, right?
The Word becoming flesh, which is Christ. So I'm not just saying just the Bible, it's Christ being the Word and the interconnection with each other.
And so that is, God works in some amazing ways, because I couldn't come up with this myself, man.
So any questions on this chart or any? Yeah, it's very easy to fall into, well, it's like when you think of Christ saying,
I came to seek and save the lost. It's such, it's a harsh word to be called lost, right?
Especially people who have it together, right? People who are successful, people who are educated, people who, what more can I need?
They have that kind of mindset. And certainly they have what they need in the eyes of the world, but in the eyes of God, they're still lost.
And it's like, oh, that's a big ouchie for a lot of people. And yeah, just always pray for them, always be that open door for them.
And that's why when we think about faith comes through hearing, right?
So how do we get them to hear? That's the challenge, right?
And then also if they hear it, are they responding to it? Because sometimes you do a Bible study with someone and they get all angry and they don't want anything to do with God.
And it's like, oh, okay. So let's just pray and we'll get on out of here.
And so we thank you for bringing us here tonight as we're going over your word. Such connections, such, so much to you, so much to your word, but in all of that, we're thankful for you sending your son, Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life.
We're thankful for the word, your word, being true, being pure, being living and active.
We're so grateful that we even have Bibles and that we can study who you are. We can learn more about who you are and we can grow in who you are.
We ask that you mold us and you allow for us to grow. And I pray for this church that everyone that comes through those doors, that they will come to know you.
Father, this isn't some show. It's not a concert. It's not about me. It's about you. It's about you and your word. And we just pray that lives are transformed.
People come to know you and that they'll grow in you, becoming the men and women that you want them to be.
And we pray that through this church, through the people that make up this church, that families will be healed, restored, that there will be transformation in this community.
Lord, reading about the ratio of how many dispensaries there are and the sin that exists out here, we realize that there is a way that seems right, and that way leads to death.
But we know that you provide hope, hope for those that are lost. And we ask that your word can be preached, that it can be taught, and that people hear and respond to your word by believing in you.
For it is in you that we find new life. It is in you that we find salvation.
I mean, most especially would like to pray for those who they say they don't need a savior, or they say they've paid their dues.
The ones who have completely written you off, we pray that your word will be that implanted seed in their lives, that you'll move in their hearts.
You'll move in their lives for them to come to know who you are.
We pray for our families. We pray for this community. We pray for our children, our cousins, our relatives, our families, the ones that don't know you.
We pray for this next generation, that there will be men and women who come to know you and be on fire for you and on fire for your word.
That they will be that light that comes from you. They will exhibit love and truth.
For it is through Christ that you have given grace and truth. And so we ask that you are with us as we go from this place for the rest of the week.
So we thank you so much for bringing us here tonight. We just thank you for giving us this opportunity to be here tonight.
This is in Jesus' name that we pray and we all say together, Amen.