It’s in the Word

By Pastor Bob Rasmussen

God’s Word cannot be simply destroyed
God’s Word is eternal
Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.
In the same week, I heard an ad for a medicine
- Do not remember the medication
- But there was a reference to the effect of your “sex assigned to you at birth”
- I was curious as to what that really meant and I found a Organization called “Amaze”
- Here is what they believe:
- Sex assigned at birth is about how someone else sees our bodies and does not take into consideration how we feel inside. Gender identity is all about how we feel inside about our gender. It is an internal feeling or sense a person has of being male, female, somewhere in between or something else altogether. Sometimes people’s gender identity matches their bodies, and sometimes it does not
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
When I read my bible, that was done and then He was finished. He did not create anything else, just a man and a woman from where we all have come from. In His image.
The bible does not say, and Adam decided he was a male or a man and the same goes for Eve, she was created and was a woman. End of story.
But the World does not want to accept the Word of God if it goes against what they want the world to be.
This group Amaze that I referenced has developed over 100’s of videos
Picture
The videos are meant to attract children, to keep their attention and fill their minds with contradictions to God’s Word
I watched one, I will not play it for you, where the depiction was a young couple and the girl went to buy some clothing. Her boyfriend questions her and introduces the situation of another child who identifies as a girl and she is supporting that friend.
Lots of colors, it was a cartoon – it is being used to indoctrinate children to what God is against.
Maybe I should not be concerned, but based on their 2020 annual report they are having an impact.
- 50 million YouTube views
- Engaging 20,000 educators
- Hundreds of thousands of views all over the world
  - Latin America
  - Asia Pacific
  - Africa
  - Europe
What this group is doing is nothing different than the main stream media as well.
Commercials flaunting things that are not aligned with the Word of God
Television shows that appear to make the deplorable – palatable.
That is a bleak picture of where we are in this world, but I am not here to share gloom and doom, because the world is forgetting about the power of the Word of God
They are trying to deny the very God who created it all, and whether they believe or not, it does not change the fact that Jesus is the ultimate authority and ruler of the Universe.
Colossians 1:13 For He has rescued us and has drawn us to Himself from the dominion of darkness, and has transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption [because of His sacrifice, resulting in] the forgiveness of our sins [and the cancellation of sins’ penalty]. 15 He is the exact living image [the essential manifestation] of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible], the firstborn [the preeminent one, the sovereign, and the originator] of all creation. 16 For [d]by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, [things] visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [that is, by His activity] and for Him. 17 And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.]
18 He is also the head [the life-source and leader] of the body, the [e]church; and He is the beginning, [f]the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will occupy the first place [He will stand supreme and be preeminent] in everything.
The world thinks by trying to limit the Word of God, or ripping pages out, they can somehow stop God – they can not
They can try to change an entire generations perception of who God is and what He is, and what He believes, but His Word will not allow it.
And for those that call Christianity racist or homophobic, or judgmental they do it out of ignorance and they do it out of rebellion against Jesus.
What they do not understand is that the Jesus we worship, will always be victorious, always.
Revelation 1:17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. And He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last [absolute Deity, the Son of God], 18 and the Ever-living One [living in and beyond all time and space]. I died, but see, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of [absolute control and victory over] death and of Hades (the realm of the dead).
Hallelujah and amen
So, what do we do? It is about being in the Word and doers of the Word.
The Word is alive, because Jesus is alive.
1 Thessalonians 2:11 As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, 12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. 13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
So what is that work?
One way the Word works is that it forms, it creates, it develops something in a believer.
For those that are not within God’s will and have not accepted Him as Lord and Savior, the bible is just a book of letters, words, and sentences that are trying to teach us to be better people, how to live a better life, but that is receiving the Word as a human Word.
The bible is not a human word, but these are divinely inspired words of God, and not man.
The Words in the Word are the words of creation.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth
The words of God are powerful, they are divine, and they are meant to accomplish something.
It is a good thing for me to remember when I open my bible, or my app, or on my computer, I can have the expectation that I get to encounter the Words of God. Those words are the ones that work in the believer, amen?
What will it form inside of us
- Godliness
- Passion
- Faith
- Steadfastness
- Servant heart
The Word of God will help us to not conform to the world, but to the will of God. It helps us change so that we resemble and represent Him in the world.
It forms us into the man or woman who will not waiver and to desire the things of God.
When the rest of the world continues to rebel against the ideals and laws of God, the Word of God forms inside of us godliness that will not bend a knee to the enemies of God.
We just celebrated Resurrection Sunday not to long ago. Jesus died on a cross, defeated Hell and death, and many saw him, and then He went to heaven. But He did not leave us alone to try and figure this whole life thing out, did He?
He left us His Word and when combined with His Spirit – and when we read that scripture, when we receive it as God actually speaking to our hearts, it can be like a fire welling up inside of us, and that is what changes us.
And so when the rest of the world says you have to be unique, you have to be popular, you need to fit in, you need to just accept this or that – I don’t want any of that! I would rather look like Jesus, no matter the cost to the world – because I know the cost that He paid for my salvation, for my freedom, and for everlasting life.
I just have to look at the world and I can see how well their model is working. In the last several weeks there have been a significant amount of shootings, people dying.
If you flip on the news one side says well, it is a gun control problem. The other side says it is a mental health issue. Let me tell you that in my opinion it is not a gun problem, it is a God problem!
If someone is truly in a relationship with Jesus and knows His Word, they will not be on the shooting side of any weapon except in self-defense or combat. There are people that have issues, granted, but if they are in the Word, they know how God not only feels about murder, but commands “Thou shalt not kill”.
What are some other things that are “In the Word”
Revelation as found in The books of Genesis
- How and when the world was created
- Revelation of man and what sin was, and where it came from
- We can see the true nature of God
We could have been left to speculation and to plain guessing how it all began, but God made sure that we did not have to.
God gives us an eyewitness and detailed account of things about God and human existence the we would never know otherwise.
God’s Word is also the final authority for what is right and what is wrong, no matter what the world says
2 Timothy 3: 16 All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; 17 so that the [a]man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.
If you are doing something, and your not sure if it is right or wrong, it’s in the Word. The Word allows us to correct our thinking and behavior so that we can be more like Jesus.
1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
What else is in the Word?
The Word produces!
In Luke chapter 8 we see Jesus sharing the parable of the Sower. And the apostles asked Jesus a question.
Luke 8:9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? 10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
First, there is the hard heart, the seed that falls along the roadside. This represents people who hear the Word of God, but never really believe. I have a friend who had a friend that even at the end of his life, He rejected Jesus, his heart would not change, no matter how hard my friend shared the love of Jesus – it was rejected.
Then there is the shallow heart. That is the seed that falls on stony ground. This signifies the people who hear the Word of God and receive it with joy, but because there is no root to sustain them, they wither.
I see this more in the charismatic churches where sermons are preached with a prosperity gospel. Where the worship is more of a show made to make individuals feel good and then a message with a single scripture focusing more on self then on Jesus
Next, there is the crowded heart. This is the enemy’s favorite. That is the seed that falls on ground where weeds choke out its growth. Slowly and surely, these people, busy with the cares and riches of the world, just lose interest in the things of God. This is a good barometer for all of us. Are we keeping Jesus first? Are we doing all we can for His Kingdom?
Finally, there is the fruitful heart that receives the Word. The seed falls on good ground and the plants produce a rich harvest. That is the kind of heart that I want to have.
Luke 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. 16 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.
That is the goal, that people would see a light in me that would encourage them.
A friend of mine just died. Her name was Betsy.
- Size
- Confined to a wheelchair
- Unable to speak at the end
- She was a light to me
  - Scripture
  - Sermons
  - She talked about heaven
  - She knew something. If the world would look at Betsy, they would be like, where is your God?
  - But she knew something they didn’t
    - Jesus came for every man and woman, and not just the perfect ones
    - Jesus gave her peace and hope in a life with some very real physical challenges
    - The Word that she read daily gave her strength for whatever she was going through
    - That she loved to learn and share the Word with others reading her bible and attending bible studies and doing other studies. A sower of the Word
    - And most importantly she knew this:
Revelation 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
Hallelujah and amen
When I was told of Betsy’s passing, all I could think of was her being in heaven with her sly smile, no longer bound to the confines of wheelchair, no pain, full use of all her limbs worshipping the Jesus that she came to know and love, forever in His loving arms.
What else is in the Word – the power to revive and restore
Psalm 138:Though the Lord is exalted, He regards the lowly [and invites them into His fellowship]; But the proud and haughty He knows from a distance. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. 8 The Lord will accomplish that which concerns me; Your [unwavering] lovingkindness, O Lord, endures forever — Do not abandon the works of Your own hands.
Jesus knew that our lives would have challenges. Jesus knows the same pain that we go through, but in His Word He constantly reminds us that He will be with us. In the middle of tragedy, He is there, if we only reach for Him.
In moments of loss, He can comfort us and encourage us – especially in His Word.
If we are in a healing process, He can encourage to keep going so that when we are healed from illness, disease, broken ribs, whatever the case may be, we can continue to be that light that the world so desperately needs.
And with His Holy Spirit in us, He can do the miraculous
It’s in the Word
All the promises of God, all the ways that we should live our lives, it’s in the Word. And when we have an opportunity to comfort someone or answer questions they may have, it doesn’t have to come from us, it can come from the Bible. Every single Word is intentional and will not return void. When we share the Word of God with someone, that can be more powerful than any words that we have.
Worship Team
We have responsibility to be passionate about the Word of God
We need to make it a priority so that others see it.
When my son Tim was growing up
- Saw me playing the guitar and trying to get better
- He saw that I was passionate about it
- He saw that Diana and I would practice
- He became passionate about guitar as well, and honestly, he plays incredibly better than me
- But the lesson is that our kids, friends and family know what we are passionate about, what we want to spend time focusing on, and they can see that.
- The Word of God is like a seed. It is meant to be grown, to be shared, and spread.
- Maybe you have fallen away from God and your listening this morning, Jesus is just waiting for you to come home again. He is hopeful and wants so much to restore that relationship with Him. Maybe you went the way of the world and started believing all the World says. Just open your bible and find your way back home, I can assure that is what He wants.
- Luke 15::20 But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
- It is time to be alive again! The altar is open