The Seven Editions of God’s Word
Intro:
1. At the judgment, some may say, “I didn’t believe in God because nobody shared Him with me.”
2. So - “it’s the Christians I knew who were at fault for not telling me”.
3. God very well may hold you to account for being too ashamed of Him to share Him with others.
4. But - that’s not a good excuse for the unbeliever.
5. God’s word - His revelation - was written at least 7 different ways!
Romans 2:6-16
I. It was Written in Nature
A. Ps 19:1 - The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
B. ILL: The presentation at Great America.
1. Nature shows His absolute majesty.
2. The universe is so big we can’t even imagine it.
3. God is bigger than His universe!
C. There is enough evidence in nature to believe in God - our society just chooses not to.
II. It was Written in Conscience
A. v14-15 Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.
B. God is just - but He is also fair.
1. God does not discriminate but plants a basic knowledge of right & wrong in everyone.
2. So - even without the knowledge of God - you know when you are doing right & wrong.
3. In addition - before the Law of Moses - God talked directly to the patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac & Jacob
III. It was Written on Tablets of Stone
A. Ex 24:12 - The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction.”
B. This was the 1st written word of God - The Law of Moses.
1. Moses climbed Mt. Sinai & received the 10 Commandments written by the finger of God.
2. These tablets - The Ten Commandments - became the basis for Jewish society & individual life.
3. If anyone could obey these laws perfectly - they could be saved.
4. Nobody ever did - except the Lord Jesus! (Heb 4:15)
5. Rom 3:23 - all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
IV. It was Written into the Lord Jesus - The Living Word
A. Jn 1:1 & 14 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
1. Word (λόγος) = the verbal expression of an idea.
2. Jesus is the expression of the Father like a spoken word is the expression of the thought it represents!
B. Heb 1:1-4 - In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
1. Jesus is God in the flesh - the full representation of God’s word & truth in a human life. (Jn 14:6)
2. He lived the life God designed for you to live perfectly - displaying the fact that it could be done!
3. Lord Jesus - in what He said & the way He lived - was the Living Word!
4. When Jesus went to the cross, He paid the price for your sins so you could live forever with Him in heaven.
5. When you surrender your life to Him, you acknowledge that you aren’t good enough to get to heaven on your own. You are trusting Jesus to do it for you!
6. Out of gratitude for His salvation, you now desire to live your life to please Him.
V. It is Written in the Bible
A. Rom 15:4 - For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
B. Heb 4:12 - For 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 attitudes of the heart.
1. The Bible is the way God makes Himself known to you today.
2. It has everything He wants you to know.
3. The Bible will convict you of your sin & show you how to live victoriously!
VI. It is Written on Your Heart
A. Heb 8:10 - This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
B. This is done through studying & meditating on God’s written word.
C. The 4 Step Process:
1. Read the word regularly.
2. Study what the word is saying.
3. Memorize portions that are meaningful to you.
4. Meditate - turn it over & over in your mind - until it becomes a part of your heart!
VII. It is Written into You & Me
A. II Cor 3:2-3 - You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
B. The transformed life is the best witness you could have to others.
1. Rom 12:2 - Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.
2. You show in practical ways the power of God’s life when you live it personally (Jam 1:22)
3. Jam 2:14-18 - What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
God loves you so much He was willing to reveal Himself to you in so many ways. Reveal what He has shown to you to everyone that you know!
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