(Deuteronomy
6:4-5) (4) “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: (5) and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy might.“
A pleasant greeting to the SAINTS
OF GOD. We the Directors for “MESSAGE
OF THE SWORD MINISTRIES” bring you GLAD TIDINGS in the name of our LORD and SAVIOUR
JESUS CHRIST. Today we continue with our “Devotions with
Bro. Lendor”. The topic today is entitled “The
Word”- part 2. Based on our last installment
Jesus the Christ has demonstrated his words can be trusted for they are life.
Read and Consider.
John 6:63. It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth
nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Psalm 119: 9 & 33. 9. BETH.
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according
to thy word.
33. Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion
over me.
Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live
by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Consequently, as we
receive this word, spiritual growth is a result of a union of the earthly and
the divine.
1 Peter 2:2-5. 2. As
newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
3. If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 4. To whom coming, as
unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
5. Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus
Christ.
1 Peter 3:1. Likewise, ye
wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word,
they also may without the word
be won by the conversation of the wives;
Also be reminded God is a
healer.
Psalm 103:2-3. 2. Bless
the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 3. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who
healeth all thy diseases;
Psalm 107:20. He sent his
word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
8. The centurion answered
and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but
speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9. For I am a man under
authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth;
and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth
it. 10. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in
Israel. 11.And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and
shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
12.But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13.And Jesus said unto
the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be
it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame
hour.
Proverbs 4:20-22.
20. My son, attend to my words; incline
thine ear unto my sayings. 21. Let
them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. 22. For they
are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
Deuteronomy 8:3.
And he humbled thee, and
suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not,
neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth
not live by bread only, but by every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
1 John 5:4-8.
4. For whatsoever is born
of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world,
even our faith. 5. Who is he that
overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 6. This is he that came by water and blood,
even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the
Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7. For there are
three that bear record in heaven, the
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8. And there
are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood:
and these three agree in one.
Search the
Scriptures,” Christ said; “for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they
are they which testify of me.” The Christian should be diligent in studying the
Scriptures; he should read over and over again its precious truths. Wilful
ignorance of the word endangers Christian life and character. It is this that
blinds the understanding and brings confusion into our lives.
We need to
have systematic knowledge of the principles of revealed truth. By Bible study
and daily communion with Jesus, we shall gain clear, well-defined views of
individual responsibility, and strength to stand in the day of trial and
temptation. He whose life is united to Christ by hidden links will be kept by
the power of God, and he will not be carried about by every wind of doctrine.
We all need
a guide through the many strait places in life, as much as the sailor needs a
pilot over the sandy bar or up the
river
the reader to the Bible. Inspired of God, written by holy men, it points out
with great clearness and precision the duties of both old and young. It
elevates the mind, and softens the heart, and imparts gladness and joy to the
spirit. The Bible presents a perfect standard of character; it is an infallible
guide under all circumstances, even to the end of the journey of life.
After the
first acquaintance with the Bible, the interest of the earnest seeker grows rapidly.
The discipline gained by a regular study of the word of God enables him to see
a freshness and beauty in truth that he never before discerned. Reference to
texts, when speaking, becomes natural and easy to a Bible student.
The mine of
truth is never exhausted. Thousands of gems lie hidden from the surface-seeker.
The more you search with humble heart, the greater will be your interest, and
the more you will feel like exclaiming with Paul, “O, the depth of the riches,
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments,
and his ways past finding out.”
Above
everything else, it is essential for the teacher of the word of God to seek
most earnestly to possess himself of the internal evidence of the Scriptures.
He who would be blessed with this evidence must search the Scriptures for
himself. As he learns the lessons given by Christ, and compares scripture with
scripture, to see whether he himself bears its credentials, he will obtain a
knowledge of God’s word, and the truth will write itself on his soul.
The truth is
the truth. It is not to be wrapped up in beautiful adornings; that the outside
appearance may be admired. The teacher is to make the truth clear and forcible
to the understanding and to the conscience. The word is a two-edge sword, that
cuts both ways. It does not tread as with soft, slippered feet.
There are
many cases where men who have defended Christianity against skeptics have
afterward lost their own souls in the mazes of skepticism. They caught the
malaria, and died spiritually. They had strong arguments for the truth, and
much outside evidence, but they did not have an abiding faith in Christ. O,
there are thousands upon thousands of professed Christians who never study the
Bible! Study the sacred word prayerfully, for your own soul’s benefit. When you
hear the word of the living preacher, if he has a living connection with God,
you will find that the Spirit and the word agree.
In Conclusion, to those
who obey, the Word of God is the tree of life. It is the word of salvation,
received unto eternal life. Those who follow its teachings eat the flesh and
drink the blood of the Son of God. On the effect which this word produces on
us, depends our destiny for eternity. It possesses the elements necessary for
the formation of a perfect character. The Christian is appointed to connect
with God in such close relationship that his life is bound up with the life of
Christ in the eternal life of God.
In His wonderful prayer, Christ said, “Neither pray
I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their
word” (John 17:20). This takes in all who believe the gospel. “That they all
may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be
one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (verse 21). Our
unity and love for one another are the credentials by which we testify to the world
that God has sent His Son to save sinners.
“And the glory which thou gavest me I have given
them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that
they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast
sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me”. The word of life is that
by which the Christian is to live. From this word we are to receive a
continually increasing knowledge of truth. From it we are to gain light,
purity, goodness, and a faith which works by love and purifies the soul. It is
given us that we may be redeemed and presented faultless before the throne of
divine glory. Wondrous victory, gained by Christ in man’s behalf!
Respectfully Yours.
Your Brother in Service and in Christ,
Angelo Lendor,
Speaker/Director
Message Of The Sword Ministries
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