THE POWER IN THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD
SERMON 002
THE MEANING OF INSPIRATION
Inspiration is the process by which God “breathed”, His message into the original writers of scriptures. He moved them by the power of the Holy Spirit to write the scriptures during different times of the history of man.
Inspiration was God’s influence on the minds of the writers of the Bible. The inspired writings are the infallible rule of faith and practice.
All Scripture is God – breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2Tim 3:16 – 17).
The Apostle Peter explained that holy men of God spoke “ as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit”. (2 Pet 1:21). This facts make the bible a unique book. It was written by different people , from different backgrounds , but all were guided by the Holy Spirit.
The bible remains a leading bestseller over the centuries and has been translated to more languages than any other book in the world. The writers of the bible spoke and wrote by the authority of God. It is therefore God’s book. It is one of the oldest books in the world. Parts of the bible were written 4000 years ago, but it is still a relevant book today. The bible has the answers to this profound questions in a man’s life
· Where do I really come from?
· Why am I here?
· Where am I supposed to go to from here?
Why you should believe the inspired word of God
1. JESUS AUTHENTICATED THE SCRIPTURES WRITTEN BEFORE HIM
Jesus approved the Jewish torah, the history books, the poetry books and the writings of the prophets , written before he was born on earth as the inspired word of God.
I tell you the truth until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, nor the least stroke of pen will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished. Matthew 5:18
2. THE BIBLE IS A CONSISTENT MASTERPIECE
Although the bible is a library of 66 books written by different writers , during different times of history over a period of 1600 years, in different locations and in different circumstances. Each writer amazingly contributed to the same theme and goal. Having been an English and Literature teacher for several years it never seizes to amaze me , that when I read through the bible (have practiced this for the past twenty years) from Genesis to Revelation it seems that it is the same author writing the different books. The themes of Love, Justice, Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Righteousness, Wisdom, Salvation and many more are consistent throughout the bible.
A good illustration is that of many different painters, each painting on the same material using their unique painting skill, to paint the same beautiful picture.
3. The Bible reveals Man to Himself
‘The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitude of the heart.’Heb 4:12
The bible is man’s manual written by the creator of man; God. According to the above scripture the bible has the ability to penetrate, divide, dissect the different parts of man that is body , soul and spirit. It reveals the true nature of man.
Several years ago I was involved in leading a house fellowship / church cell group in the capital city of our nation. A young man joined our Church cell group. We will call him John (not his real name). John being a new believer was still struggling with some sin issues. Understanding that he was still growing spiritually the group members were tolerant and loving towards him. However he persisted and simply refused to change even after several months. One day a sister who hardly knew John was ministering at our fellowship. She powerfully shared the word of God under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. After ministry in the cell group ended, brother John followed me out of the house where we had been meeting in. He was visibly angry and upset. I asked him what was the problem. He started, “who told this lady all about me?”. I had a very difficult time explaining to John that nobody told the lady minister anything about him, but that the word of God has the ability to cut through the very nature of man and reveal our deep thoughts and intentions. Eventually John accepted the truth about the word of God, he allowed the word to transform him. I met im several years later and he was faithfully serving the Lord together with his new lovely family. The bible is able to reveal the true nature of the heart of man.
4. The Bible has the ability to Positively Transform
Millions of people over the centuries credit positive change in their lives to the teachings of the bible. Exposure to the teachings of the bible has made drunkards to become sober minds, thieves and robbers to become faithful workers, immoral and indecent people to become pious and righteous, sick and unhealthy to receive healing ,the shamed have been glorified , the poor have become wealthy, the sinners have obtained forgiveness , the oppressed have obtained freedom , the unschooled and unwise have obtained wisdom not available in the world best universities.
The teachings of the bible has not only positively influenced individuals , but entire nations and even continents. Europe , Africa and America can directly credit their civilizations to the teachings of the bible.
5. The Bible points to the Only exclusive way to Salvation
The bible is God’s manual to man, giving him direction on how to obtain salvation. God is the author of life and salvation, in His book the bible, He has explained and illustrated to Man how he can be saved. From the first book of the bible; Genesis, to the last; Revelation , God is pointing man to His exclusive way to Salvation. The four gospel books which focus on the life of Jesus Christ, magnifies the plan of God for the salvation of man.
THE BENEFITS OF THE WORD OF GOD IN A BELIEVERS LIFE
A) THE WORD OF GOD IS THE SOURCE OF LIFE
“The spirit is the life giver ; the flesh is of no value : the words which I have said to you are spirit and they are life.” John 6:63 (BBE Translation). In the beginning God spoke the words “let there be….” And it was created. Hence the Word of God is the source of life. The first chapter of the gospel of John equates the person of Jesus Christ with the Word of God, making it impossible to separate God and His Word. It is therefore correct to say that ‘God and His Word are one, inseparable and the source of life’.
B) THE WORD OF GOD SANCTIFIES US
“Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you”. John 15:3 (KJV) The word of God has the ability to ‘point out our sins and failures’. Thank God it does not just stop there, but the same Word also has the ability to sanctify us and justify us unto purity and holiness.
C) THE WORD OF GOD IS THE LIGHT OF OUR LIVES
“Moreover, we possess the prophetic word as an altogether reliable thing. You do well if you pay attention to this as you would to a light shining in a murky place, until the day dawns ant the morning star rises in your hearts”, 2Pet 1:19 (NET) The world is a dark and murky place. Currently the world is facing the worst pandemic in decades with hundreds of thousand of people sick and thousands already dead just in six weeks throughout the world. Such calamities leave individuals, families , communities and even nations with a dark cloud of un answered questions. Only the word of God can shine the light of Christ in this murky darkness and give supernatural answers that are able to satisfy the broken and depressed souls of men.
D) THE WORD OF GOD IS SPIRITUAL FOOD
“But he answered and said ,”it is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of God’s mouth.” Mat 4:4 (NHEB) Jesus spoke this words after the devil tempted him to eat after praying and fasting for forty days. It was natural for Jesus Christ to desire food after this long period of fasting. Instead of listening to the advice of the devil, the Lord shows us a ‘higher way and a greater need ‘,than the temporal food His body requires. Through his conversations with the devil , Christ reveals to us that man has greater needs than the obvious physical needs we are all aware of. Man being a triune being, is made up of soul, body and spirit. The devil would like Jesus to prioritize his physical needs of eating bread to satisfy his hunger. In contrast , Jesus number one priority is to satisfy His Spirit Man. He reveals to us that the food of the spirit man is the word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Therefore the word of God is our spiritual food. In order to grow spiritually, we need to ‘eat ‘ the word of God.( 1 COR 3:1-2)
E) THE WORD OF GOD IS A SEED IN OUR LIVES
“The ones that fell among the thorn and bushes are the people who listen, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries, wealth and pleasures of life, and their fruit doesn’t mature. But the ones on the good soil are the people who hear the word but also hold on to it with good and honest hearts, producing a crop through endurance.” Luke 8:14 -15A wise man once said, the most powerful thing in the world is a seed. He went on to say that, although seeds are generally small and insignificant before they are planted in the ground, they have the ability to reproduce larger and more significant things than the original seed. One single seed has the ability to endlessly multiply. It therefore comes to no surprise that Jesus would compare the word of God to a seed in the above scriptures. He wanted to illustrate the nature of the word of God. To the natural and carnal mind the word of God may seem meaningless, but if the same word of God is planted into a believing, willing and ready heart:; it has the ability to transform significantly a life, a family, a marriage, a situation, a business, a ministry or even an entire nation.
F) THE WORD OF GOD IS A SWORD AND A SPIRITUAL WEAPON
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Eph 6:17 When the devil tempted Jesus , he constantly answered him with the phrase “it is written……”. He used the word of God as a weapon to demolish the arguments of devil. The bible in several scriptures symbolizes the word of God as a sword. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double – edged sword, piercing until it divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow, as it judges the thoughts and purposes of the heart. Heb 4:12 . The believer needs to saturate their minds and hearts with the word of God. The Holy Spirit dwelling inside the believer stirs up them in times of need or spiritual warfare , to use the word of God as a weapon against the tricks and attacks of our spiritual enemy – the devil.
G) THE WORD OF GOD EMPOWERS US
“Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock”. Mat 7:24 -25 . This scripture illustrates the word of God in the christian’s life, as a well-built permanent structure, that is able to withstand rough weather. However it qualifies that in order for the word of God to empower the believer and establish them in their walk with God, it is not only enough to hear the word of God , but the word of God must also be done or applied in the believers life.
Sermon Compiled by
WILLY OCHIENG
SENIOR PASTOR
BUSIA LIGHTHOUSE CHURCH