FIRST THING YOU KNOW
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
MOMENTUM: The strength, power or force that something has when it is moving.
WHY ARE WE WEAK AND TIRED? CAN WE HAVE SPIRITUAL ANEMIA?
ARE WE AND OUR CHILDREN BIBLICALLY ILLITERATE?
ANEMIC: Question: How can we DO … if we do not know?
There seems to grow an apathy or indifference to the word of God.
TEXT:
Matthew 22:29 (KJV) Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU KNOW?
Matthew 22:29 (MSG) Jesus answered, "You're off base on two counts: You don't know your Bibles, and you don't know how God works.
This apathy and indifference to the Bible REALLY HINDERS AND LIMITS US KNOWING GOD IN A PERSONAL WAY.
*WHILE 87% OWN A BIBLE THE PERCENTAGE OF THOSE THAT READ THE BIBLE DAILY IS VERY LOW.
*ONLY 36% OF AMERICANS BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS TRUE. This means 64% do not believe the Bible is true? (How sad?)
*We have a distorted perception of truth because WE LET EXTERNAL SOURCES DEFINE TRUTH.
ISLAM HAS VOWED TO DESTROY THE BIBLE AND JESUS.
THIS DISTORTION HAS ALLOWED A RE-DEFINITION AND WE HAVE OUR OWN INVENTION OF GOD OF LOVE AND NO JUDGMENT OR ACCOUNTABILITY. We are viewed as BIGOTED, HARMFUL AND OUTDATED.
*37% BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS HELPFUL TODAY! (63 NO) Many blame and say the Bible is harmful. WHY?
WHO HAS THE DEFINITION OF TRUTH?
THE OPRAH DOCTRINE IS THRIVING TODAY WITHIN OUR SOCIETY AND THE CHURCH. She teaches that all roads lead to God.
87% of AMERICANS OWN A BIBLE.
64% of Americans say GOD ACCEPTS ALL THE WORSHIP OF ALL RELIGIONS.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Compromise is the NORM of the day. We do not want to offend or hurt anyone.
Christians tend to be looked at as old fashioned and dogmatic.
ANEMIA- Anemic = FEWER RED BLOOD CELLS THAN NEEDED AND THEN ONE DEVELOPS WEAKNESS AND TIREDNESS.
Lacking force or strength, lacking interest?
ARE WE INVESTING ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF SAND? WHAT DOES TRAIN MEAN?
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Could many be standing on a foundation of sand? I saw a contest on the sand beaches of the ocean shores. The winner of the best art in the sand won $10,000. The groups worked for many hours building great beautiful works of art. Late that evening the tides came washing in and erased all the hours of work. In a few minutes the tides destroyed everything?
TRAIN: We diaper train our kids. We teach our kids to walk? We teach them to read, do math and look pretty.
Ask 10 children what the 10 commandments are? See the answers you get?
40 years ago I read about a family. The mother was a terrible mother. After she got the children weened, she had a cave in the back of her property. She would take the child and place it in the cave with her other children. They never had any contact with adults. She would throw scraps of food in a trough through a hold in the door. The kids ate and drank out of the trough. When someone notified the authorities the police and child care authorities came and put the mother in jail and the kids in foster care. The authorities thought the children were severely mentally handicapped.
There was an old couple that loved kids and they read about the animal like behavior. The kids could not walk? They could not talk? They ate like dogs? The old couple had raised 3 sets of children, so they accepted the challenge. Slowly,
they taught them how to eat with a spoon and a fork. The NEXT THING you knew they were sitting at the table eating properly. The children started saying a few words. THE NEXT THING you knew the children watched the adults walking and they started taking a few steps. They were walking. The children were walking, talking, loving the old couple. They started watching TV, sleeping in a bed. After maybe two years the children were learning to read. They were assimilated in the local church and were well behaved. Then they became so adjusted to people the children attended school. They all graduated high school.
WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE? A loving, patient old couple accepting the children as they were. With love and time they accepted the children into their family, then the church. Later they were assimilated into school and society. The kids were quick learners. The children just needed love and patience and THE EXAMPLE OF SOME CARING ADULTS.
WHAT ARE YOU LEARNING? YOU HAVE TO LEARN TO TEACH?
WHAT OPTION DO WE FACE? HATE THE WORD? OR HIS WORD --- MY HEART ---
Psalm 50:17 Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.
Psalm 50:17 (MSG) You never answer the door when I call; you treat my words like garbage.
Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Psalm 119:11 (MSG) I've banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won't sin myself bankrupt.
Many start the new year with a promise to read their Bible daily. They get hung up in the heavy parts of the Old Testament and the NEXT THING YOU KNOW, there is Dust on the Bible?
When asked, I always suggest start reading in the little books of the New Testament. Maybe 1 John, 2 John, 3 John? (Love books.) As you read a book, put a dot in the front of your Bible that you finished that book. Then maybe, 1 Peter, 2 Peter? How about James, it is only 5 chapters about practical Christian daily living? Then 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Galatians? Place a dot in front of each book. They are not heavy? The more you read, the more you want to read? The NEXT THING YOU KNOW, you are half way through the Bible. Or how about listening to the Bible on CD’s, or even your telephone?
Each book you finish, each dot you draw, means God’s word is growing into your heart and your spirit person.
YOU HAVE GOD’S WORD AND POWER AND THE MOMENTUM TO OPEN THE EYES OF YOUR HEART!
PEOPLE SAY: I CAN’T REMEMBER? WHY READ?
It is amazing what we can remember? I have preached many times and said: What’s the first thing you know?
The reply has been: JED IS A MILLIONAIRE, KIN FOLK SAY, JED MOVE AWAY FROM THERE, SAID CALIFORNIA IS THE PLACE YOU OUGHT TO BE SO THEY LOADED UP THE TRUCK AND MOVED TO BEVERLY, HILLS THAT IS… MOVIE STARS, SWIMMING POOLS…
Mark 12:24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?
Mark 12:24 (MSG) Jesus said, "You're way off base, and here's why: One, you don't know your Bibles; two, you don't know how God works.
I heard an old man, Joe Arnette explain why Bible reading was important with this little story.
A young boy watched his grandfather. The old man sat next to the warm morning stove and read his Bible every morning and every evening. The little boy thought, I am going to start reading my Bible like grandpa. So the lad got the family Bible and started reading. He read that morning and evening. Then the next day the boy jumped up and said: READING THE BIBLE DOES ME NO GOOD.
The coal was burning in the stove. His grandpa said what is wrong and the grandson said I can’t remember anything I read. So the old man told the boy to grab the coal basket and run to the river and bring a basket of water home. With great excitement the boy grabbed the basket and ran to the rivers edge and got a basket of water. The boy ran and the water all leaked out. The boy went back to the river, threw the basket in, filled it up with water and started running to the house. Again nothing. Grandpa yelled do it again. So the little lad tried his best, to retrieve a basket of water. It was
absolutely useless.
With tears in his eyes, the boy said: Grandpa, I know you told me the family needed water. I have tried at least 10 times and this basket will not hold any water to bring home. The old man called his grandson over to him. The boy was carrying the basket and crying. Grandpa called the boy near him and sat him in his lap. Now, grandpa said: I love you grandson. I have a lesson to teach you. LOOK AT THE BASKET. When the lad looked at the basket he was amazed, the old dirty coal basket looked different. Throwing the basket into the water did something. The mission was not accomplished, but a change had occurred. The dirty basket was sparkling clean. The old man hugged his grandson and said: SEE GRANDSON, YOU WERE NOT ABLE TO RETAIN ANY WATER TO BRING HOME, BUT THE WATER CLEANED THE OLD COAL BASKET. The word of God does the work of God. You may feel like reading the Bible is useless. You may feel like you can’t remember much. BUT GOD’S WORD WILL NEVER FAIL, IT WILL KEEP YOUR BASKET CLEAN.
Many years later the boy was now an old man sitting next to the old stove reading his Bible. His grandson started to read his Bible. The young man now an old man said: GRANDSON, WILL YOU GO GET ME A BASKET OF WATER?
See, the GIFT OF THE WORD GOES ON AND ON… WE NEED MORE THAN A HEAD KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. WE MUST HAVE A HEART KNOWLEDGE…
NOW FAITH WORKS ON THE WORD OF GOD AND KNOWING THE POWER THERE IN… DO WE REALIZE WE ARE ONE GENERATION FROM EXTINCTION.
Extinction: a situation when something has died out completely.
Galatians 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
LET US LOOK AT THE FUNDAMENTAL FACTS, OUR ENEMY SEPARATES & TEARS FAMILIES APART, AND TAKES PEOPLE TO HELL USING THE SAME OLD --- SAME OLD TOOLS…
DOUBT AND FEAR OPERATED BY PEOPLE NOT KNOWING THE BIBLE AND NOT KNOWING THE POWER OF GOD.
Is it possible to read the Bible without believing the contents of the Bible is for me and I can apply the Bible’s words and become a better person?
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 (MSG) The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see.
HAVE YOU EVER HAD A PET DINOSAUR? BARNEY? WE ALL KNOW BARNEY WAS TOTALLY IMAGINARY?
Dinosaur faith can be possible?
My boys were little and we were driving in the mountains of east Kentucky on 23 between Prestonsburg and Ashland.
There was a beautiful old brick church that was in a state of sad disrepair. The stain glass windows were broken.
There was a big graveyard on all four sides of the church.
I was thinking out loud. I thought in years gone by many people were saved in that old church. There had to be many stories of changed lives and changed families. WHAT HAPPENED? Why was the beautiful building decaying and fallen down?
I spoke to my family… I said I wonder WHY THAT CHURCH DIED? My little son said: I KNOW DAD, THEY BURIED ALL THE MEMBERS AND NEVER MADE NEW ONES. Tears?
Judges 2:10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. 11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:
Judges 2:10 (MSG) Eventually that entire generation died and was buried. Then another generation grew up that didn't know anything of GOD or the work he had done for Israel. 11 The People of Israel did evil in GOD's sight:
IS IT POSSIBLE TO FORGET WHAT YOU KNOW?
ARE WE REACHING OUR POTENTIAL? The saddest words, WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN IF WE KNEW THE WORD AND THE POWER OF THE WORD?
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
