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2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”
The word ‘doctrine’ simply means teaching. Bible doctrine, therefore, refers to the teaching of the Scriptures. Since the days of the apostles, Bible-believing people have had an emphasis upon sound doctrine, but today doctrine is often downplayed in favour of ecumenical unity. 1. We know sound doctrine through obedience (John 7:17) - If a man is open to the truth and willing to obey God, the Lord will give him wisdom so that he can discern sound doctrine from false. In Proverbs 1:23 God says, “Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.” God has promised to make His truth known to those who repent and submit to Him. 2. We know sound doctrine through continuing in God’s Word (John 8:31-32) - In 2 Timothy 2:15, the believer is commanded to rightly divide the Word. This refers to interpreting it properly and knowing its doctrine correctly. Would God require a Christian to rightly divide the Word of truth if He did not intend to give him the ability to do that? This verse indicates that God will hold the Christian accountable for this task, because the one who rightly divides the Word of truth is approved. It is implied that the one who does not rightly divide the truth is disapproved. This means that Pat Boone and other ecumenists are wrong when they say that God does not hold the believer accountable to know sound doctrine. 3. We know sound doctrine through the Holy Spirit - 1 John 2:20-21 says, “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.” Verse 27 says further, “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” Thus the Scriptures plainly state that the believer has the Holy Spirit to teach him and he can know the truth. – David Cloud The following subject headings for the various sections of the Psalm 119 are based primarily on F. W. Grant's notes:
vv. 1-8 The Blessedness of Obeying the Word vv. 9-16 Cleansing By the Word vv. 17-24 Discernment By the Word vv. 25-32 Sense of Personal Insufficiency Through the Word vv. 33-40 The Power of the Word vv. 41-48 Victory Through the Word vv. 49-56 Rest and Comfort Through the Word vv. 57-64 Perseverance in the Word vv. 65-72 The Pricelessness of the Word in Good and Evil Times vv. 73-80 Insights Through the Word vv. 81-88 The Afflicted One Sustained By the Word vv. 89-96 Eternity of the Word vv. 97-104 Wisdom Through the Word vv. 105-112 The Word a Lamp and Light For All Occasions vv. 113-120 The Wicked and the Word vv. 121-128 Separation and Deliverance Through the Word vv. 129-136 Joy and Communion Through the Word vv. 137-144 Zeal For the Word vv. 145-152 Experience Through the Word vv. 153-160 Salvation Through the Word vv. 161-168 Perfection of the Word vv. 169-176 Prayer and Praise Through the Word We all desire to have our prayers heard by our Heavenly Father; and our great God desires to hear our prayers. However, there are some things that hinder our prayers from reaching the ears of our God. When we look at Scripture we see a few things that encourage us to make sure we are in tune with God and have our prayers heard.
Sensitive to the Word Proverbs 28:9 “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” It is of the utmost importance to value and be serious about the Word of God. If we take God’s Word seriously, He will take our prayer seriously. If we would love to seek God through prayer, and have them heard, then we must love to seek and heed God’s Word. Spurgeon once said “Philip was a searcher after Christ in the place where Christ loves to be—in the pages of Scripture—and you must be the same if you desire to find Jesus!” Standing Upright Psalm 84:11 “…no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Unconfessed sin in our lives will stop us from walking uprightly and in return will hinder our relationship and communication with God. The psalmist mentions that “no good thing” will God withhold from those that walk in integrity and truth. God also states that their prayers will have strength and prevail; in others words their prayers will be heard by God like God answered Elijah’s prayer. James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Standing with Forgiveness Mark 11:25-26 “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. Vs 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” A heart that harbors resentment toward others will defiantly hinder our prayers to God. Sensitive to our Wives 1 Peter 3:7 “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” The Bible mentions that when the husband has an insensitive spirit towards the needs of his wife, his prayers will be hindered. Standing with Faith 1 Timothy 2:8 “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” Matthew 21:22 “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” A life that is lived by faith will cause us to pray in faith. George Muller once said "“I believe God has heard my prayers. He will make it manifest in His own good time that He has heard me. I have recorded my petitions that when God has answered them, His name will be glorified.” Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” 1. Love
Negative thinking: Nobody cares Positive thinking: Everybody cares Biblical thinking: God cares 1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 2. Purpose Negative thinking: I am nothing Positive thinking I am something Biblical thinking: I am made by God Psalm 139:14 “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works…” 3. Sufficiency Negative thinking: I am not sufficient Positive thinking: I am sufficient Biblical thinking: God is my Sufficiency 2 Corinthians 3:5 “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;” 4. Christlikeness Negative thinking: I cannot change Positive thinking: I can change Biblical thinking: In Christ I can change 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 5. Victory Negative thinking: I am a looser Positive thinking: I am a winner Biblical thinking: I have victory in Christ 1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 6. Trust Negative thinking: I can’t wait Positive thinking: I will wait Biblical thinking: I’ll wait on the Lord Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” 7. Forgiveness Negative thinking: God won’t forgive me Positive thinking: God will forgive me Biblical thinking: God can forgive me 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 8. Success Negative thinking: I will fail Positive thinking: I will succeed Biblical thinking: I must obey Joshua 1:8 “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” 9. Faith Negative thinking: I am fearful Positive thinking: I fear nothing Biblical thinking: God is with me Joshua 1:9 “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” 10 Strength Negative thinking: I can’t do it Positive thinking: You can do it Biblical thinking: I can do it through Christ alone. Psalm 138:1-2 "I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name."
Magnify = to make large, to honour, to lift up, to extol, exalt… Question: Why does God Magnify His Word above His name? 1. God’s Faithfulness to His Word reflects on His Name. Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.’ 2. God’s integrity is based on God keeping His promises. God keeps His promises. God is a God of His Word! Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Here are a few ways we can Magnify the Word of God in our lives. Meditate on the word of God Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Appreciate the Word of God Psalm 115:1 “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.” Grow by the Word of God 1 Peter 2:2 “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” Navigate from the Word of God Psalm 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Invite the Word of God Psalm 119:133 “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.” Faithful to be under the Word of God Proverbs 27:8 “As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.” Yield to the Word of God James 1:22-25 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. Vs 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: vs 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. Vs 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” Delight in the Word of God “For Your Law is my delight. God will not let a man die who delights in His Law! You are the sort of man who shall live. If you love the Law of God, the Word of God, the will of God, the way of God, He will not let you die! There are none too many of your sort in the world, so the Lord will keep you alive so long as you can serve Him here.”— CH SPURGEON Proverbs 3:1-2 “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: vs 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.”
King Solomon once again is instructing his son to take heed unto Wisdom. This portion of Scripture among many is not only addressed to Solomon’s son but to us also, because the Wisdom given by Solomon is the Word of God. Notice the first part of Verse 1. “My son, forget not my law…” We are to: A. Remember the Word of God The reason we are encouraged not to forget the Word of God is because we are forgetful people. We have the tendency to forget especially when it comes to God’s Word and the things of God. Here are some helpful ways which may help you remember the Word of God: 1. Purposely place yourself under the teaching of the Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:14 “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned…” 2. Understand that the teachings of the Bible are the very “WORD of GOD” 2 Timothy 3:14 “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; When you hear the preaching and teachings of the Word of God, keep in mind that your are being taught the Wisdom and Word of God. This will help in remembering the Word of God. 1 Thess 2:13 3. Delight in God’s Word Psalm 119:15-16 “I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. Vs.16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. B. Retain God’s Commandments Proverbs 3:1 “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:” The purpose of remembering the Word of God and keeping it in our hearts is for the vital purpose of keeping it! We are to keep God’s Word, not with our lips, but with our hearts. Warren Wiersbe has called the heart, “The master control unit of the body.” The heart controls our thoughts, emotions, and will. C. The Result of Obedience Proverbs 3:2 “For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.” 1. Length of day, and Long life. It is God’s desire is to give quality of life here on earth - life and health to our families, marriages, churches, and relationships. But most importantly an abundant life through Jesus Christ. John 10:9-11 2. Peace True peace is found in Jesus Christ – John 14:27 True peace is found in God’s Word – Isaiah 26:3
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