Exploring the Bible II - Col 2:8
June 19, 2022
what worldview do you live by… framework from which we view reality and make sense of life… everybody has one… combination of all we believe… driving force behind every emotion, decision, action… affects response to every area of life…
do you have a biblical worldview… according to Barna Research… only 4% of Americans and 9% of born-again Christians do… based on Word… allows bible to be foundation of everything we say and do (lying, worry, abortion, sex, giving)…
biblical worldview leads to life… builds confidence in our faith… strengthens us during storms… helps us make Godly decisions… proper response to evil… pray…
Isa 5… “what sorrow… call evil good and good evil… who think they are wise…”
Psa 119:25… “my life is in the dust… give me life thru your Word…”
Rom 12:2… “don’t copy behavior of world… be transformed by renewing mind…”
1Cor 3:10-23… “laid foundation… foundation is Jesus… world is foolishness…”
Phil 2:16… “God is working in you… hold firmly to the Word of life…”
Col 2:8… “don’t let anyone deceive you based on world… rather than Christ…”
Although most people own a bible… most have little idea how to integrate core biblical principles to form a unified and meaningful response to the challenges and opportunities of life because they don’t read it consistently. —Barna Research
be careful… developing biblical worldview will offend people… Word offends people… not from God… but devil who wants to take you away from God…
Matt 11:6… “blessed is the one who isn’t offended by Me…”
Matt 13:57… “they were deeply offended and refused to believe in Him…”
Matt 15:12… “do you know the Pharisees were offended by what you said…”
Gal 5:11… “if I were no longer preaching Christ… no one would be offended…”
skandalizo… stumbling block; cause to fall away; distrust one you ought to trust and obey…
good reporters ask questions when preparing news story… not about opinions or commentary… who, what, when, where, why, how… we should read Word…
Who
who should read depends a little on who it’s written to… ideally the world… but specifically, God’s children… impossible to understand without HS…
Mark 12:37… “and the common people heard Him gladly…”
John 3:16… “God so loved world… gave Son… all who believe will not perish…”
Rom/Gal/Eph/Phil… “to saints… brothers… churches… God’s holy people…”
1Cor 2:6-16… “God revealed these things to us by HS… so we may understand…”
James 1… “to the 12 tribes… Jewish believers scattered abroad…”
1Pet 1… “to God’s chosen people…”
1John 2-4… “my little children… dear friends… children… brothers and sisters…”
Rev 1… “this letter is from John to the seven churches…”
What
pretty simple… read the Word… but what word, logos or rhema…
John 1… “in beginning was Word… Word with God… Word was God…”
logos… expression of a thought; total message of God to man; written message…
Matt 4:4… “man shall not live on bread alone… but every word from God…”
rhema… actual spoken words of God…
Jesus is called the Word (logos)… Jesus is total message of God to man… He is the subject of entire written word… cannot be separated from it… He is life…
John 5:39… “search Scriptures (word) because you think they give you life… but the Scriptures (word) point to Me… yet you refuse to come to Me to receive this life…”
John 14:6… “I am way, truth, and life… no one comes to Father except thru Me…” Col 1:19… “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Christ…”
Col 2:9… “the entire fullness of God’s nature lives bodily in Christ…”
John 17:17… “sanctify them by your truth… your word is truth…”
Col 1:25… “I have become a servant… to make the word of God fully known…”
Heb 4:12… “the word of God is living, effective, and powerful…”
logos… expression of a thought; total message of God to man; written message…
another word is rhema… actual spoken words of God… Jesus clearly demonstrated you must speak the words of God to overcome an enemy… not just written word…
Luke 1:37… “no word from God will ever fail (nothing impossible)…”
Matt 4:1-11… “it is written… every word from God… it is written… it is written…”
John 6:63… “the words I have spoken… they are full of the HS and life…”
Eph 6:17-18… “take the sword of the Spirit… which is the word of God… and thru all prayer and praying in the Spirit at all times…”
rhema… actual spoken words of God…
when we say word of God… much more than printed words on page… its the voice of God… His heart speaking thru creation… prophets… Jesus… and HS… goal is to know Him, not just read words… good to hear every way He speaks…
Psa 19:1… “the heavens declare glory of God… proclaim work of His hands…”
Hosea 12:10… “I will speak thru the prophets…”
John 14:10… “words I speak are not My own… but my Father who lives in Me…”
John 16:13… “Spirit of truth will not speak on His own… but what He hears…”
Rom 1:19-20… “truth about God evident… thru earth, sky, divine nature…”
When
negative words bombard us… need positive words of love, hope, healing daily… nothing will change your life more than spending time in Word… not just reading, but relationship with Author… see for yourself how much He loves you… pray…
Deut 6…. “words in your heart… repeat them to children… at home, road, bed…”
Deut 11… “imprint words on your heart and mind… when you sleep and rise…”
Deut 17:19… “it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life…”
Josh 1:8… “this book must not depart from your mouth… meditate day and night…”
Neh 8… “Ezra read from daybreak till noon… read from it daily (context-rejoice)…”
Psa 1:1-3… “delight in Lord’s instruction… meditate on it day and night…”
Psa 16:7… “bless the Lord who guides me… even at night… heart instructs me…”
Eph 5:26… “make holy and clean… washed by cleansing of God’s word…”
1Tim 4:13… “focus on reading Scriptures to church… encouraging and teaching…”
Americans spend an average of 2.5 hours on social media and 12 hours with all forms of media daily. Gen Z (age 10-25) spends an average of 9 hours per day in front of a screen. —Review 42