#1 - Love It, Learn It, Live It

Opening

• Welcome to a New Year

• Bible Study Tuesday night

• Boudreaux Joke

Message Opening

• Pray

• Prayer and fasting coming up 1/22 through 1/28

• Start the year off right

• More details on just how it will happen next week

•

This will be the best year of your life if this is the best year of your life spiritually.

• If you go all in with God, it will change every part of your life for the better

• CS Lewis - if you aim at heaven you’ll get earth with it. If you aim at earth, you’ll have neither.

• Fasting:

Matthew 9:14–15 NIV

14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

• Jesus sanctioned fasting

• Early church fasted for almost everything

Acts 13:2–3 NIV

2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

• Wouldn

• Paul himself said this:

2 Corinthians 11:27 NKJV

27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—

• Fasting isn’t some form of penance

• Boils down to what’s in charge: body, soul or spirit

• Only creature with a spirit

• image of God - a spirit

• designed to be spiritual being housed in a fleshly tent

• body in charge if: drink, drugs, food

• soul in charge if always depressed, worried, anxious, angry

• king of the hill - strongest guy wins

• in your life the strongest part wins

• If you’re struggling, the wrong part is in charge

• Rom 8 - first few verses addresses it

• Fasting starves the other two parts that aren’t the spiritual parts

•

Whatever I starve dies. Whatever I feed thrives.

• Types of fasts

• Just try it!

Complete Fast

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Selective Fast

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Partial Fast

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Soul Fast

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The Holy Bible

• Not just a bible - its the HOLY bible - set apart

• attitude toward bible is very important

• Start bringing a physical bible to church

• We’ve made it too easy - but it doesn’t get IN you

• Goal today is to get you to love it like I do

• Get you to use it, apply it, turn to it for help

• Make it personal

• Want you to have a love relationship with the word of God

•

Psalm 119:97–98 NIV

97 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. 98 Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.

• Longest chapter in the bible is about the bible

• This verse is right in the middle of the chapter

• take it with me

• makes me wiser than my enemy

• 3 things highlighted in this verse:

1. Love the Word of God.

• What does it mean to love something

• Why love it so much

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NIV

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

• God breathed

• its useful

• it equips me -

• builds me

• corrects me

• God’s autobiography

• It is God!

• What’s your attitude about it?

• Paul prayed for church in Thessolonica:

1 Thessalonians 2:13 NIV

13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.

• “received” - “I’m so glad you’re hear”

• accepted ti as God’s true word

• May not realize it, but great love grows from discipline

• check you’re children - see if it isn’t true

• Gumbeaux -

• When you discover something or someone that will change you for the better, you love it

• One thing I want for you above all else: treasure the word of God

• That’s why this series, the bible study starting Tuesday night

• Our devotionals based on the word

2. Learn the Word of God.

• Learn it by:

Listen to God’s Word.

• Come to church

• Bible study

•

Matthew 7:24 NIV

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

• Built on the rock

• Strongest lives are those that take in the word

•

Read God’s Word.

• Jesus said:

Matthew 4:4 NIV

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Set aside time

• Pick a time - make that time HOLY - set apart

Get a paper Bible.

Have a Bible-reading plan.

• We’re posting one - dont’ worry about days you miss, don’t get into a bondage, just read the next day’s reading

Don’t just read the Bible, let the Bible read you.

• And don’t just read it:

Study God’s Word.

• Study it!

• Start by devoting 1 hour on Tuesday evenings to be with us

•

John 5:39 NIV

39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me,

• The whole reason is it testifies about ME

• About Jesus

3. Live the Word of God.

• Now it becomes a tool that I fight the devil with

• Armor of God - only one is offensive

• Some don’t have anything to fight with

• Why David said:

Psalm 119:9–11 NIV

9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

• Only one way

• Never live the life you were intended to live until you live it according to the word

• Hide it in your heart

• Memorize a verse today

• Read it twice, then turn it off and say it together

Psalm 119:105 ESV

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

• 2 times

• Now repeat it

• LOVE, LEARN, LIVE word

• Closing