The Word of God
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We’re going to look at Paul’s trip to Thessalonica and then something he said to the Thessalonians that is very relevant for us today.
1 After they passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As usual, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and rise from the dead: “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah.” 4 Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, including a large number of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a number of the leading women. 5 But the Jews became jealous, and they brought together some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. Attacking Jason’s house, they searched for them to bring them out to the public assembly. 6 When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too, 7 and Jason has welcomed them. They are all acting contrary to Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king—Jesus.” 8 The crowd and city officials who heard these things were upset. 9 After taking a security bond from Jason and the others, they released them. 10 As soon as it was night, the brothers and sisters sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. Upon arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and upsetting the crowds. 14 Then the brothers and sisters immediately sent Paul away to go to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed on there. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible, they departed.
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13 This is why we constantly thank God, because when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is, the word of God, which also works effectively in you who believe.
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Paul claimed that the message he was presenting were the very words of God, not a human message but a divine message that God Himself spoke.
Before we go deep into Paul’s claim, let’s look really quickly at how the Jew’s viewed the Old Testament really quick, ~~~~You do not have these verses in your bulletin, they were a last minute addition~~~~~
Paul said of the Old Testament Scriptures given to the Jews
28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, and true circumcision is not something visible in the flesh. 29 On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. That person’s praise is not from people but from God. 1 So what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? 2 Considerable in every way. First, they were entrusted with the very words of God.
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And Jesus said these things
4 He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
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6 he does not have to honor his father.’ In this way, you have nullified the word of God because of your tradition.
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13 You nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many other similar things.”
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21 But he replied to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear and do the word of God.”
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28 He said, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”
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and then the new testament apostles about the Gospel message said
2 The Twelve summoned the whole company of the disciples and said, “It would not be right for us to give up preaching the word of God to wait on tables.
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7 So the word of God spread, the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.
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14 When the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
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1 The apostles and the brothers and sisters who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.
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and on and on and on and on
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So coming back to Paul
13 This is why we constantly thank God, because when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is, the word of God, which also works effectively in you who believe.
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Paul claimed that the message he was presenting were the very words of God, not a human message but a divine message that God Himself spoke.
~~~
Charles Taze Russell — Joseph Smith
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The apostle Peter said this talking about the letters that Paul was writing.
15 Also, regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him. 16 He speaks about these things in all his letters. There are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable will twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures.
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Paul quotes two passages of scripture:
18 For the Scripture says: Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain, and, The worker is worthy of his wages.
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The first “Do not muzzle an ox while it treads out grain” is found in the Old Testament — Dt 25:4
4 “Do not muzzle an ox while it treads out grain.
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The second: “The worker is worthy of his wages” — Jesus said that in Luke chapter 10, not in the Old Testament
7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they offer, for the worker is worthy of his wages. Don’t move from house to house.
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The writers of the New Testament believed that they were speaking the very words of God to the people and their letters were treated as Scripture. This is not something that developed decades or centuries later.
~~~~ Christmas Coming of Christ John 1:14
14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
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