Is it really alive?

Welcome new people

Companion resources for this series (Donald Whitneys book)

Quick Plug for Woven?

Ephesians 6 ESV

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. 5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. 9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. 21 So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts. 23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.

“Is it alive”

Series Re-cap / Logos (λόγος) in Greek means: The Word, Message…. or Divine expression

the bible is Gods divine expression, His word, His message. the word is unlike anything else we have, it is completely unique in its form. and its imperative that we know our bibles.

Week 1 What is it?

2 Timothy 3:16–17 “16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

WHY DO A SERIES ON THE BIBLE: My hope is that you would strengthen in it, return to it…. or just pick it up

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life Chapter Two: Bible Intake (Part 1) … for the Purpose of Godliness (Vance Havner)

No Spiritual Discipline is more i

Statement: If you know (& are in) the word, you will lead a better life

Week 2 Can i trust the bible?

(ps David).

Week 3 What does it do? Last week we talked about how the book isnt something we read its something that reads us, that studies us and shows us what needs to change and how to change it.

THE BIBLE IS LIKE A SUPERNATURAL LEVEL: It shows me where im “off”

where im “wrong”

and…. how to make things “right”.

....

INTRODUCTION: now to today: Is it alive? (and if so, how do i use it)

We are in a spiritual battle every single moment in this life. There is a war going on in the spirit realm and it is very real. If you dont think it is thats fine but the spirit of God reveals to our spirit how intense it is at time and when we see the chaos in the world its a clear indication of whats happening behind the veil.

There is a battle going on for your spiritual condition. If you arent saved, in Christ, then there is a war thats being waged in the heavenly realm right now to keep you from coming to Christ. you gotta know that.

John 10:28 “28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:29 “29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

if you are in Christ, there is a battle to make you completely ineffective as a son and as a daughter of the king. The enemy while he cant snatch you oyt of the hands of Jesus, he will try to steal, kill and destroy you in a way to stop you from being effective in this battle.

So how do we fight?

How do we go about doing this?

what are the tactics God gives us?

What is the right way to go about this? [Well Here is the good news: its all here].

THE WORD OF GOD,

DOES THE WORK OF GOD,

IN THE PEOPLE OF GOD,

BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD

(you aren’t gonna win any other way)

The word does the work.

Now to answer our question: The Bible is alive because it is the "sword of the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:17: "and take the helmet of

salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,").

A sword is only as effective as the warrior who wields it; similarly, the written word becomes a living flame in the heart of the believer through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The Common Misunderstanding

We often experience "Biblical Deadness”; reading pages without feeling or life. We might assume the Bible is at fault, but the problem is the disconnect between our reading and the

Spirit’s illumination. We treat the Bible as a relic of the past rather than the present voice of the….Living God.

When we are constantly in the word, and we are constantly praying, the spirit empowers our lives in such a way that we move forward and win the war - one battle at a time.

Remember the way Gods people inhabited canaan? It wasnt a one big thing, it didnt happen in one day - they had to drive out the enemies one city and one king at a time. Its no different in our spiritual lives.

The word does the work.

So How do we take this living word and see it come to live in front of us as we walk the level ground that God is calling us to?

we battle in 3 ways

1.THE WORD.

The Bible is a SWORD

This is our primary weapon in the battle in the spirit realm. everything is here to be victorius.

The bible is the only offensive weapon in pauls list: why? because it it is tied directly to the person of Jesus christ.

John 1:1 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Ephesians 6:17 “17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”

IF YOU WANT TO MOVE FORWARD, WE CANNOT DO SO WITHOUT THE WORD. It wont happen.

Hebrews 4:12 ESV

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

The Sword is the logos, is the living word, is jesus himself. Because He is the word

Revelation 1:16 ESV

16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

Revelation 2:12 ESV

12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.

THE WORD DOES THE OFFENSIVE WORK, THE DRIVE THE BALL DOWN THE FIELD TYPE OF WORK. IT MARCHES US ONWARDS TOWARDS VICTORY.

But it has to come first.

The word has to come first. it has to have primary positioning.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

Joshua 5:13

2.WORSHIP.

How will we know what to sing if God didnt tell us what to say?

why is that important?

so that when we sing, when we worship: Our songs make good use of the sword… and become a weapon

But we first have to enquire as to what God says about the issue. When we go to the word first, thats worship, thats a commitment to God that he honors. When we start off our days with a desire to see God and know what HE SAYS.

our efffort’s are blessed, our sacrifice is supernaturally responded to

You know how you can tell a worship song from a secular one? its anointed. you can tell

know what that is?

its because the word is in it

It carrys the sword within the song

thats why people will testify that when that song came out it helped me through that really tough time… why? because of the word.

God loves it when we sing to him His word: thats what WORSHIP IS.

2 Samuel 22:1 ESV

1 And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.

We enter his gates with thanksgiving and praise

we sing in joyful celebration.

thats why we dont ssing songs that make us feel misrable. they make us sing with a joy because meeting the risen lord changes everything:

We sag this morning!

You save you redeem …you change everything

Where would i be without you Jesus, you have done what no one else could do

your love reached for me

and its better than i dreamed

and now my heart belongs to only you

you save

you redeem

you deliver

you set free

When we worship, we use the word…. and our hearts and souls go to battle with and for the Lord. And he comes, like He did in Jericho… and give us the victory.

“nothing but the blood, nothing but the blood of Jesus”

3.PRAYER

The Living Word, the Logos is given to us

to read

to worship

and to pray

Now Jesus prayed. He himself prayed.

Matthew 26:36 ESV

36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.”

Matthew 14:23 ESV

23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,

Whens the last time you said to your wife…. to your kids.. maybe your co-worker. hey you hang back, im going to go over there and pray. I need to go spend some time with the Lord.

You know those moments - when theres no one else. Just you and him. Theyre the best times. Deep, rich.

But Jesus gave us the prayer guide of all prayer guides.

So that when we pray, we pray from the word, with the very words that Jesus (the word) the logo’s gave us to speak.

so what am i saying; these words are powerful.

Bible Alive, Spirit Empowered, Prayers

Matthew 6:9–13 ESV

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

So when you pray, pray the word, pray the words of Jesus

pray for the very thing

Ro 8:12–17 ESV

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

walking in victory—spiritually, mentally, and in daily life:

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:37

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.” 2 Corinthians 2:14

“For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” 1 John 5:4

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”Philippians 4:13

Notes:

:17: “That the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Week 4: Is the Bible Alive?

How does the Spirit make the letters of the page a living reality in the heart?

Exegetical Opening

Romans 8:16: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”

The Bible is alive because it is the "sword of the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:17: "and take the helmet of

salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,").

A sword is only as effective as the warrior who wields it; similarly, the written word becomes a

living flame in the heart of the believer through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The Common Misunderstanding

We often experience "Biblical Deadness”; reading pages without feeling or life. We might

assume the Bible is at fault, but the problem is the disconnect between our reading and the

Spirit’s illumination. We treat the Bible as a relic of the past rather than the present voice of the

Living God.

Theological Exposition

The Bible is a "living" document because it is the current, active communication of a Living

Person. It is energized. In the same way that a radio is "alive" when it catches the signal from a

broadcast, the Bible comes alive when the Spirit of God hits the receptive heart. It is the bridge

between eternity and time. It provides a constant, fresh stream of revelation that applies

specifically to the believer's unique struggle in the present day. It is never outdated, because the

Holy Spirit is the author, and He is timeless.

Moral Pivot

If the Bible is alive, it demands a living response. We cannot remain the same after an encounter

with the Living Word. If our life shows no change, no fire, and no transformation, we are not

interacting with the Bible as it is, we are merely reading it as a history book.

Application

• Pray for illumination: Before you read, ask the Spirit to open your eyes to see the

beauty of the text. Psalm 119:18: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out

of your law.”

• Walk in the Spirit’s revelation: Allow the Bible to guide your decisions as you live in

the current reality of the Spirit’s lead. John 16:13: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he

will guide you into all the truth.”

• Become a living epistle: Let the Word move from the page into your actions so the

world sees the life of Christ in you. 2 Corinthians 3:3: “You are a letter of Christ... written

not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God.”