Brian Schulz
Omega Institute
Fall 2016
Spiritual Formation - Lesson 5
The Word of God
1. Definition –
A. Jesus as the ______Word (logos) of God John 1:1-3
B. ______as the Written Word of God
1. 2 Timothy 3:16
2. It is absolutely imperative for any believer to be ______to the written Word of God
3. The ______of The Word of God
A. Brings about ______ 1st Thess. 2:13
B. “It performs its work in you who believe”
C. The Word has the power to change lives.
4. The Word of God ______us spiritually
A. Psalm 119:103 – food for our inner man –
1. Milk, meat, honey, etc…
5. The Word of God ______and daily cleanses us
A. It guards our minds and hearts
6. The Word of God ______our lives and activities
A. Psalm 119:105… “A lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
1. If we just had the wisdom to have the Word of God guide and directs us… what would the ______look like? – A very practical element to the Word
7. God’s Word brings fruitfulness & ______to our lives, families & ministry
A. God ______blesses obedience – not health and wealth gospel
Joshua 1:7-8 and Psalm 1:1-3
B. Sometimes the reward is purely ______in nature and sometimes the rewards can be ______in nature
8. My personal ______- Psalm 119:11 – I must have reverence for the Word
9. I must know and ______the Word2nd Timothy 2:15
10. ______God Jeremiah 9:23-24 and Philippians 3:7-11
A. Illustration Ministry likened to drawing water from a well (pure, cold, clean water) and dispensing of that water to those who need it… ie. God’s People.
1. Dispense it into whatever containers they bring
2. Sometimes the line gets long
A. The line gets long… and in a hurry to serve you don’t continue to draw water from the well…
B. You end up going through the motions of dispensing water but there is actually no water being dispensed… only the motions are taking place.
3. The key is maintaining a vibrant ______through the well of His Word
23 Thus says the LORD, " Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD. Jeremiah 9:23-24
7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:7-11
11. Examples of people who ______the Word of God
A. David
Ps 119:72
72 The law of Your mouth is better to me
Than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
NASB
Ps 119:97
O how I love Your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
NASB
B. Paul
2 Tim 4:13
13 When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments.
NASB
C. George Muller
1. Loved the word of God… 1829 A lover of the Word of God
2. Read through the Bible more than ______times – Basil Miller
D. Robert Murray McCheyne
1. “I have great desire for personal growth and holiness. I love the Word of God, and find it sweetest nourishment to my soul.”
12. ______a Love for the Word of God
13. When we attempt to cultivate these disciplines… ______in such a way that God will honor that desire and will grant that prayer
14. The Voice of God… 2 Timothy 3:16 “God Breathed”
15. The ______of Salvation 1 Peter 1:23, Romans 10:17, 2 Tim 3:15
16. Life and ______from the Word
A. It lives and acts Hebrews 4:12,13
(There is power in the reading of the Word)
B. It accomplishes God’s purposes Isa 55:10,11
(God works through the Word)
C. It is at work in those who believe 1stThess 2:13
17. ______before the Word
A. God esteems those who tremble at His Word Isa 66:2
B. Trusting the Word
(It is perfect, trustworthy, and priceless Psalm 19::7-11
18. ______the Word
A. There are 10 men who will fight for the Bible to one who will read it” L.A. Akers
B. In the true sense of the Word, “read,” few people actually read the Bibles.
J.I. Packer
C. The entrance of your Word gives light; it gives understanding to the simple Psalm 119:130
19. Make ______for What Matters
A. “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God Matthew 4:4
B. Job –“I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread”
C. Our ______to spend time in the Word grows out of our love for the Word.
20. Devotion to ______
A. 1st step Acknowledge that truth exists: it can be known, and God’s Word is the ______of absolute truth
B. The truth will set you free John 8:32
C. Your Word is ______ John 17:17
D. ______devoted himself to the study, observance, and teaching of God’s law
22. Connecting Truth with ______(Excellent Ministry description)
A. Pharisees had access, but failed to grasp it
B. Handle ______the Word of Truth
C. Watch your doctrine closely
23. The Importance of a Daily ______
A. Choosing the ______time
1. Chose the best time for your quiet time
2. As a rule, the best time is in the morning
3. At least 20-30 minutes (anytime is better than none)
“In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation” Psalm 5:3
24. Making the Right ______
A. Unconfessed sin, unresolved sin Psalm 88:18
B. Confess your sins and come clean before God in your quiet time
1 John 1:9-10
C. Resolve conflicts and strained relationships before coming to God
Matthew 5:23
D. Take a moment before you begin reading God’s Word to ask God’s help in understanding what you are about to read
25. Choosing the Right ______
A. Find a place that will allow you to get alone with God
B. Choose a place that will afford you some privacy, and go there every day during your quiet time
26. Following a helpful ______.
A. Get quiet
B. Reflect on what you’re about to do. Think about who you are meeting
C. Begin by praising God, confessing your sins, and acknowledge your willingness to accept what He has to give you
D. Balance your reading time. Old & New Testaments read regularly from Psalms and Proverbs.
27. Grocery list of things to do regarding the Word
A. ______the word
B. Read
C. Study
D. Paraphrase
E. Meditate upon
F. ______
G. Internalize
H. ______
I. Apply
J. Pray the word of God back to our father
K. Model (fruit)
L. Share!