Some people don't believe God's Word because they have been taught that it condemns them and puts them down. Some people don't believe God's Word because they believe that what it asks of them is too difficult. Many people don't believe God's Word because they believe that God is unjust or unfair because they've been taught that death and suffering come from Him. Other people don't believe God's Word because they believe, rather, what science or philosophy (or religion, believe it or not) tells them. All these people don't believe God's Word because, not knowing or understanding the Word of God, they have been intentionally deceived and robbed of the truth by the Deceiver! It is ONLY God's Word which sets forth The Truth and it is only The Truth which sets people free!
My purpose here is to teach you about “the Mystery”. I wouldn’t be surprised if you don't know what I mean by that; it’s the primary problem in Christianity today. The reason you don't know anything about it is because you haven't heard anything about it in your church and yet, if we are to believe the writings of the apostle Paul, this is THE most important topic in God's Word!
THE BASICS:
Before I get into in the body of this part of our study, I must go back and lay down some basic truths regarding the “right-dividing” (2Tim.2:15) of the Word of God so that you will be able to understand where I'm coming from. I believe that there is only ONE WORD OF GOD and that God knew exactly what HE meant to say when and where HE said it. (i.e.: If you wrote a poem, letter, article, book, etc., and, in it, you wrote: "The sky was blue". If one reader thought you meant 'purple' and another reader thought you meant 'teal', it would not change what you meant when you said it at all) The important thing is what HE meant and not what we THINK He meant! To the best of my ability I am teaching you the accurate, authentic Word of God, as HE meant it. They are HIS words to you and, as if He were speaking to you Himself, they WILL have HIS desired and intended effect in your life!
As it says in Isa.55:9-11: "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will (shall absolutely) accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." I passionately desire (as in 'crave') with all my heart to re-present the Word of God accurately so that, as a 'worker-together with' Jesus Christ, (2Cor.6:1) I might carry out 'the will of the Father', (like he did) for (again) it is ONLY the precisely accurate Word of God (with no additions, no subtractions, no substitutions or changes of any kind) which shall absolutely accomplish HIS purposes.
First we must address what has been called 'man's basic spiritual problem', and that is whether you can believe that the Word of God is, in fact, THE WORD OF GOD. Approaching it logically, if we already believe that God designed and made us and gave us life, it just makes sense that He would also explain to us what life is about; Giving us an "owners manual" for life which tells you: -it's 'features', -how to operate the controls, -how things are supposed to be when it's running right, -how to keep it that way, -and how to fix it when it's not; all, of course, from the manufacturer.
To borrow from the field of modern technology: One of the 'features' people come equipped with is a brain and, it so happens, in modern times, man, in turn, has designed a tool, patterned after the design of our own brain, which we call a computer. Now, any twelve-year-old will tell you that a GameBoy or a Sega Genesis is useless without a Tetris or a Mortal Kombat cartridge. A computer, like a brain, is incomplete without a program and that's exactly what the bible is to our brain. Also, just like one of these 'dedicated' computers (meaning a computer designed for one specific purpose, e.g.: a game machine, a car computer, etc.) our 'circuitry' is designed (again, by the manufacturer) to hold ONLY this 'program'. In other words: OUR BRAINS ARE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO HOLD AND OPERATE BY GOD'S WORD AND NOTHING ELSE!
Just for the moment, try to gear your mind to believe that the bible is God's Word and that it is perfect. (If you take anything which man has made, such as a Swiss watch, a gold earring, a micro-chip, the finest, most precise work of men's hands, and put it under a high-powered electron microscope, the higher power you use, the more you will see the pits, the gouges, the lopsidedness and the crookedness of it. In other words: the closer you examine anything man makes, the more you will see it's imperfection. Conversely, if you do the same with a flower petal, a leaf, a strand of hair, a feather, a seed, a drop of blood or a piece of skin or bone, the more you will see it's balance and symmetry i.e.: The closer you examine anything God makes, the more you will see it's perfection. If God made HIS Word, it must be perfect. There can be no flaws in it.
Certainly, no English (or any other language) version of the bible that we have today is perfect. There are errors in all of them. You have to compare versions, study the context, use a concordance & an interlinear and get back to the Hebrew & Greek; You have to research it yourself. Then, and only then, when you know and are certain of what the bible accurately says, can you trust that you have the truth, even if it disagrees with what religion tells you.
If you've been reading my teachings, several times I have taken one word and shown every usage of (i.e.: every time God used) that word in the bible. Doing so is one way of seeing the Word's perfection. What you end up with is a perfect book containing the truth; all the truth on that word/subject. If you want to know the truth about love, hate, work, play, music, grace, sorrow, joy, or anything else in life, get yourself a good concordance and look up every time God spoke about it in HIS Word and you will have the truth on it. It's that simple. That is how perfect God's Word is and, believe it or not, that is the way HE designed it!
Jesus said in Mat. 5:18 "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass till all be fulfilled." 'Jots & tittles' are little marks which the scribes used at the end of each line in the handwritten manuscript copies of the scriptures which noted the number of characters in each line so they could be sure there were no errors.
note:There were no spaces or punctuation between words, so it would look something like:
'HEGAVEHISONLYBEGOTTENSON'
This gives us an idea of the perfection and precision which Jesus Christ attributed to God's Word. With this being the attitude in our mind, in addition to Isaiah 55:9ff, (above) let's take a look at some other basic things God tells us about His Word:
Jos 1:8 Do not let this BOOK depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Jos 23:6 Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the BOOK without turning aside to the right or to the left.
Neh 8:7-12 The (teachers) instructed the people They read from the BOOK of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being readThen all the people celebrate(d) with great joy, because they now understood the WORDS that had been made known to them.
Psa 12:6 And the WORDS of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.
Psa 33:6 By the WORD of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
Psa 107:20 He sent forth his WORD and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.
Psa 119:9-11 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your WORD. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your WORD in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Psa 119:130 The unfolding of your WORD gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
Psa 119:160-162 All your WORDS are true; all your righteous laws are eternal. Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your WORD. I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil. (fortune)
Pro 2:1-6 My son, if you accept my WORDS and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Pro 4:4-7 He taught me and said, "Lay hold of my WORDS with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my WORDS or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; LOVE her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
Pro 4:20-22 Pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my WORDS. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body.
Pro 22:17-21 Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the LORD, I teach you today, even you. Have I not written sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge, teaching you true and reliable WORDS, so that you can give sound answers to him who (is) sent (unto) you?
Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my WORDS will never pass away.
Joh 8:31,32,36 Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Act 17:11 (They) were of more noble character for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the SCRIPTURES every day to see if what Paul said was true.
1Th 2:13 We also thank God continually because, when you received the WORD of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the WORD of men, but as it actually is, the WORD of God, which is at work in you who believe.
2Ti 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the WORD of truth. (*2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the WORD of truth.-KJV)
2Ti 3:16,17 All SCRIPTURE is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Heb 4:12 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.
1Jo 2:5 If anyone obeys his WORD, God's LOVE is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:
A term you will hear among computer programmers is 'GIGO' which is short for 'Garbage In = Garbage Out', or: If the program is faulty, it won't run right. In the case of a 'dedicated' computer this idea is even more important because this type of computer is designed to run only one program and do only one job. If some smart-alec took the computer from a Hyundai and stuck it's program in the computer of a Cadillac, that car would spit and sputter, hardly work at all, fry a few circuits and maybe self-destruct AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING TO YOUR LIFE TO THE POINT THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF GOD'S MAGNIFICENT WORD IN YOUR MIND!
Make no mistake; You are going nowhere You are spinning your wheels You are breaking down on the road of life without the Word of God in your mind and heart, guiding you through every twist and turn. You who believe in the name of the Son of God are God's sons also and, as His sons, are specifically and beautifully designed for one purpose. The 'program' of God's Word in your mind makes it possible for His spirit within you to 'interface' with your brain so that you can know and do His will, and the devil is working overtime to stop this from happening by jamming a faulty program into you so he can control you and, without the Word, the only 'input' you have is what you get from this world which he controls.
(If you don't believe me, take a look at Luk 4:5,6: "the devil showed him (Jesus) all the kingdoms of the world, and said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to." And also at 2Co 4:4: "The god (over-ruler) of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel (Mystery) of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.")
Now, you don't have to spend very much time around a newborn baby to realize "This kid has no 'program'!". We all start out blank. Over the years there have been a few changes, but we are still the same basic 'model' of man. Originally the human being was made from three fundamental parts, (by the design of the manufacturer): 1) BODY -a physical body w/ arms, legs, eyes, ears, etc.. (plant-life also shares this level) 2) SOUL -'breath-life', personality, individuality. (which animals also have) 3) SPIRIT -(most importantly) that part of man (exclusively) which came from God Himself, (see John 4:24) called the 'image' of God. (Gen.1:26,27) The most crucial feature of man's 'operating system' is free-will so that, although he came 'computer-equipped', man was/is definitely not intended to be a 'robot'.
At that point (in Eden) the manufacturer (God) was 'inputting' the 'program' personally, intending this 'model' to manage the 'factory' (the world). This is when the 'competition' (Satan) snuck in and slipped a 'virus' into man's 'program' causing him to 'malfunction' and lose that most important part: spirit, (which put man, though equipped with higher intelligence, on the same level of existence as animals) and, in turn, give over the control of the 'factory' to the enemy.; But what the 'competition' didn't know is that the 'manufacturer' knew about the planned sabotage of man and had an 'alternate program' ready to 'input'. It is our 'good fortune' (blessing) that God didn't 'scrap' the whole 'line'.
It is in Romans 10:9 that we are instructed as to how we receive this spirit once again: "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will (shall, absolutely) be saved." (made whole/complete) We see this 'wholeness' described in 1Thess.5:23: "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole SPIRIT (and) SOUL and BODY be kept blameless at ('unto'-KJV) the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
All the teachings I have presented to you so far focus on advanced learning for the Christian believer, with particular attention paid to applying the Word of God in your life in light of the truth regarding 'The MYSTERY'! The book I am working on is entitled "God's Love Among Us", and subtitled "Strong Meat" and is intended for those who believe in and love Jesus, regardless of anything else (such as denomination) and I believe with all my heart that what I am presenting in it is THE accurate truth of God's Word that every Christian needs to understand and apply in their lives to "grow up into him"!
MILK TO MEAT
In the Word of God the analogy of 'eating' or digesting (i.e.: taking in and absorbing) God's Words is used: Jer 15:16 Thy WORDS were found, and I did eat them; and thy WORD was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. Mat 4:4 It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every WORD that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
As I have emphasized before when we are first introduced to the truth about Jesus Christ, that He is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead (Rom.10:9) and we accept and believe these two truths, we are immediately 'saved' which, in the Greek, means 'rescued' as well as to be 'made sound', (or whole/complete) referring to the great truth that, at that exact moment that you believe, God (re-)places His holy spirit (called 'the image of God' in Gen.1:27)(which (again) is what Adam and Eve lost, when they disobeyed God) in you!
The difference now is that, because of the obedience of Jesus 'unto death', we can't lose it! Take a look at 1Pet.1:23-2:2 where it calls this holy spirit from God 'incorruptible (or permanent) seed' causing us to be 'Born Again' unto eternal life!:
"Being born again, not of corruptible SEED, but of INCORRUPTIBLE, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the Word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the Word which by the GOSPEL (of THE MYSTERY) is preached unto you. Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, all evil speakings, As newborn BABES, desire the sincere MILK of the Word, that ye may grow thereby:" (KJV)
So when someone is first saved or 'born again' by coming to Jesus, (because we are, spiritually, at that point, that newborn 'BABE' in Christ, with no 'program') we need the 'MILK' of 'first (basic) principles' of God's Word to 'feed' that 'seed' of God's spirit in us so that we can 'grow up into Him' and 'be no more children' (Eph.4:14,15) becoming mature in power, wisdom and love as sons of God!
In the book of Hebrews, Paul was telling the Jews who were saved that they should be the ones who were mature and teachers of the Word since, having been raised knowing the law, they were already familiar with the 'basics' of God's Word, and yet they were still BABES, not ready for 'STRONG MEAT'. As it says in Heb.5:12-14:
"For (at) the time (when) ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of MILK, (BABES) and not of STRONG MEAT; (i.e.: solid food) For every one that useth MILK is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a BABE. STRONG MEAT (great truths) belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use (i.e.: -LOVING: praying, ministering, witnessing, teaching, healing, etc.) have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." (KJV)
One of the things I have been repeating over and over throughout these studies is, as I stated (again) above, I AM DELIVERING GOD'S MESSAGE TO YOU WHICH HE URGENTLY DESIRES THAT YOU KNOW! (NOW!) You might well ask "Why should I believe him?" and, as a matter of fact, you should ask. Please be suspicious. Please be skeptical. Please don't just accept what I say, or anyone else who is 'speaking God's Word' to you because you 'feel' you can trust him or because you think he's a 'great guy' or something.
Bare with me here; It is true that, through God's spirit within you, you can discern between good and evil, truth and lies, BUT, as we saw in Heb.5:14, this ability comes with time when 'by reason of use' you have your 'senses exercised' to do so. Question: 'Use' what? Answer: The Word of God and the holy spirit within you as you reach out to others with God's LOVE. In other words: This statement indicates that there are truths in God's Word which He will reveal to our hearts only as we are 'able to receive' them, and that the only way that will happen is by our applying 'the first (or basic) principles' of God's Word, obeying it ourselves and speaking it to others in LOVE.
This is what marks the difference between the 'BABE in Christ' and the mature Christian. Witness what God says in 1Co.3:2,3:
"I have fed you with MILK, and not with MEAT: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able, (to live by LOVE) for ye are yet carnal: ('going by' the five senses = selfishness) for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk (live) as (mere) men?" (and not as sons of God) (KJV)
If we 'backtrack' in 1Corinthians a little bit, to chapter two, we can see what Paul was talking about, in practical application, in his reproof teaching to the believers in Corinth who, being 'immature' Christians or 'BABES in Christ', could not yet 'receive' the greatness of this MYSTERY!
Continued...
Part II of this message can be found as the first of "my links" at the bottom of the page... God Bless! *S*
