- Matthew 4:1-11 – bread
- I love bread. All of it. Donuts. Pretzels. White bread. Rolls. Cinnamon rolls. Bread sticks.
- I never met a carb I didn’t like. I could make fresh bread all day every day and be fine
- Here’s the problem- Jesus says- you can’ t live on that. You might be able to live, but you cant
- You can’t live on Bread- you need the word of God. You need to feast on it. You need to know it
- We live by the word of God
- 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
- You hear me and us talk a lot about the Bible here- Its something that we believe in and that we preach and stake our lives on
- For some people, that’s a struggle because they have never lived by any restraints ever. But even your job has some sort of guiding principles, no matter how weird they may be
- We put full trust in the Bible. We believe we’re going to heaven based on the Bible. That we’re forgiven from our sins. That God speaks to us, and we can listen and communicate. We believe in all the stories. It literally directs every affair of my life. Wife, kids, finances, health, relationships, what I watch, where I go, who I am friends with. I am directed in all aspects of my life by this book. – When I first got saved- Go get a bible- read it- do what it says. Still have it
- But why? Why is the Bible central to our faith? Some will say that I don’t have to read my Bible to believe in Jesus. But this is the best selling, most studied, translated, distributed book in the world. It’s one of the few books that people are actually afraid of. Governments fear it.
- But why?? Why does it direct our lives? Why a book? Easy- Verbal Plenary Inspiration
- Easy for you to say- 2 Ti 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for [a]instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
- What does that mean? Verbal- Every word. Plenary- All parts are divinely authorative . Inspiration God guided the Process
- Verbal Plenary Inspiration means that Every word in the bible, all parts of it, in its entirety is authorative by God and because of God who guided the process of it being written and recorded in history 2 Peter 1:21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but [a]holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
- means- men didn’t sit down to write the book to do anything more than what God told them.
- 40 authors over 1500 years wrote the Bible and it all fits together. Because God directed them
- Jesus said this about the OT- Luke 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.
- The Apostle Paul said this- Romans 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
- Paul, the former Christian killing Jew, says, everything that was written was for us
- And who can testify this morning that Bible has changed their life? Redirected your path, comforted you, loved you, spoke to you, inspired you, helped you, healed you, changed you!
- Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
- Every last part of this Bible- every jot and tittle- meaning every small part. Every word. If its plural or not. If its included or not. Its all there for a reason to teach us something and shouldn’t be discounted for any reason
- This is why we defend this thing so deeply. It doesn’t change because God doesn’t change.
- Proverbs 30:5-6 Every word of God is [a]pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
6 Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar. - Now, the words themselves have no power. They are just words. It’s the grouping of words. The direction of the sentences and how them come together. The order. The timing. The direction
- All of it is God’s word. It is God speaking. It is Jesus, “the word” speaking to us.
- Matthew 24:35 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
- This is why we defend it so deeply. Study it. Love it. Preach it. Its central to who we are and what we do. It’s why We set aside time on Sundays and Wednesdays to study it.
- This isn’t fun time. It can be entertaining at time, but its not my job to entertain you, its to teach you. Explain to you and have God speak through the preacher to you- direct your life by the word
- If you really respected it, you’ give it your full attention- you wouldn’t miss anything
- Hebrews 4:12 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
- That’s what the word does! It will change you if you allow it- It will change you-
- Luke 11:28 28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
- Do you know why people don’t live by the word of God?
- They don’t want to do what it says
- They don’t want to forgive people. Serve people. They want to hold on to their complaints and ways. They want to spend their money they way they want and have lust, envy, and greed in their hearts. They want to own their own time and their own lives.
- And Jesus says- In this world- if you’re only trying to live on bread- you’re not going to make it
- Here’s what I’ve seen through my ministry- hang arounds that don’t love and live by the word
- They end up becoming reprobates. They fall away. They have disobedient children and failed marriages. They die in their sin and they live sickly lives.
- We don’t misuse the word of God – bread
- 7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not [a]tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
- Satan is the tempter . 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said,
- “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
- “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
- if You will fall down and worship me.”
- Notice he knows and uses the word of God? Misuses- but uses nonetheless uses
- This has been his plan from the beginning of time- to get people to act contrary to the word of God- And what he usually does is a cosmic redirect- a misuse of the word or bend of it
- Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
- In the garden of eden- he told the woman to rethink what God had said to get her to sin
- Sadly- Satan will infiltrate preachers and churches to get people to go against the word of God
- Happened in the NT- issues of circumcisions, foods to eat, days to keep holy, Sabbaths etc
- All described in Colossians 2. Paul was refuting people that were trying to get people to gain godliness through any other means than faith in Christ.
- Col 2:20 -23 READ
- Basically- You came from the world where you worked for righteousness- Don’t go back to it. Live in Christs forgiveness. Live in his grace.
- But that’s what self- serving preachers do- put a yoke of bondage on someone instead of setting them free- and then they don’t do it themselves. Pharisiacial spirit
- Of the Pharisees- Matt 23:4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
- This is the world we live in- Its why I bang on people that say things like don’t use the OT.
- 2 Timothy 4:3-43 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
- And when it comes to twisting the word of God- Its always the same- Issues of sexual morality, means of salvation, being able to live like the world and not by God’s standards. Tithing.
- Paul had some advice when you get around these types:
- Romans 16:17-1817 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord [a]Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.
- You can tell these people from a mile away because they don’t desire righteousness.
- They flee from all things Godly. They smell like rotten flesh. They misuse scriptures.
- 2 Peter 3:1616 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
- I know people who have actively pursued adulterous relationships contrary to the scriptures and say that the Lord is blessing them, because “Behold the plans I have for you”
- This is the end times prophecy. This is the end that was spoken of.
- 1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit [a]expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
- Do you know how many arguments there are with professing Christians who live contrary to the scriptures? Clear demonstrative scriptures they refuse to follow
- In the army- loved the regs because they were ambiguous. Black and white. Safety. Comfort
- But in the military- so many people who just loved to bend the rules. Dirtbags.
- The Gospel is simple- Jesus Christ died for your sins. Turn from sin, embrace forgiveness.
- Galatians 1:6-96 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert[a] the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be [b]accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
- The only way you can stay away from false doctrine is to know what the word of God says
- If not, you will turn away from the things of God
- IF you know what it says- you can always defeat satan. That’s what Jesus did.
- V 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
- Jesus knew the word so he could fight satan. If he didn’t know the word- he couldn’t fight him.
- Do you know how you misuse the word of God?
- You use it to manipulate people. Just like Satan did to Jesus.
- You use it to justify sin and live in unrepentant sin
- You twist it to indulge in fleshly lusts.
- This whole story is a story of Satan misusing the word of God to manipulate the son of God
- He used his words against him- Just like a manipulator- Don’t do it
If you’re going to live you have to live by and through the Bible.
This year I have not missed one day of reading my bible. Not one day
I send out a text every day. It’s the first thing that I do
It changes my life. It changes how I live. I have the word of God on my heart and in my mind.
Make a commitment to read every day no matter what. First thing.
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