Stronghold Beliefs Part 6
Scriptures: Hebrews 11:6; Romans 10:17; Matthew 4:1-10
This past week, in the United States of America, we celebrated the Fourth of July holiday. The Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day or July 4th, has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution. On July 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration of Independence officially broke all political ties between the American colonies and Great Britain and set forth the ideas and principles behind a just and fair government. The Constitution outlined how this government would function.
The men drafting both documents for the most part were Christians. The Constitution begins with the language “Blessings of Liberty” in the preamble and ends with the words “in the Year of our Lord….” If you focus on the word “our” at the end, which all of the signers agreed to use, it implies that they were Christians. They were men of faith, some more than others, and they were men who knew the power of prayer. For example, history records an incident when the Constitutional Convention was finding itself stalling, and the members of the convention were arguing to the point that it was nearly coming to blows. Benjamin Franklin requested a break and called for prayer at a time when it was much needed. In his request, Franklin stated, “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth - that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?” He was referencing what is recorded in Matthew 10:29.
George Washington presided as president over the Constitutional Convention and was sworn in as our first president. He took the oath of office that is written in Article One, Section Two of the Constitution and added the words “so help me God.” When he left office after two terms he said this in his farewell speech: “Of all dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.” John Adams, the second President of the United States, said, “Suppose a nation in some distant Region should take the Bible for their only law Book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God ... What a Eutopia, what a Paradise would this region be.” (Diary and Autobiography of John Adams, Vol. III, p. 9.)
Lastly I want you to hear something that Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, said as a warning and which we are seeing lived out in the United States today. He said, “God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath. Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever; that a revolution of the wheel of fortune, a change of situation, is among possible events; that it may become probable by Supernatural influence! The Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us in that event.” (Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVIII, p. 237.) Did that statement give you chills or make the hairs on your neck stand up when you think about the current state of these United States of America? As a nation we no longer have the conviction that our liberties are a gift from God. And by the way, does anyone know what the official motto of the United States is? It is found on our currency. It is “In God We Trust.” Interesting uh?
Our first three presidents were Christians. They believed in God. They believed in the Bible and believed it was God’s word. The Bible at that time was probably the most important book in America. In fact, on September 12, 1782, after the war was over and America was no longer under British rule, as an act of Congress, the Holy Bible was the first English language Bible printed in America to be circulated for use in schools and would be one of many acts of Congress promoting the Bible and Bible Societies. An early school text book called the New England Primer contained Bible scripture and was ordered to be reprinted by three of the founding fathers, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Noah Webster. They all considered this book essential for children to have in school and it was used until the 1930’s. I want you to keep this little bit of American history in your minds as I go into part six of my series on Stronghold Beliefs.
Today we are going to talk about the Bible, the Word of God. In the first five messages, I gave you Godly strongholds that must be non-negotiable for us as Christians. Number one, we must be about our Father’s business. This was the reason that Jesus did what He did and the reason that He suffered and died for us, He was doing His Father’s business. Number two, we must believe that God is our loving heavenly Father and there is absolutely no darkness in Him whatsoever. Number three, we must believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He is the only way to Heaven. Folks, we must know this and we must believe this with every fiber of our being. For a Christian, this is non-negotiable and not open for discussion. And number four we must believe in the Holy Spirit and we must know and recognize the role He plays in our lives. These four stronghold beliefs are developed, nurtured, and matured through the Word of God – the Bible and it starts with our studying our Bibles. Through our studying the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us into truth found within the Bible and when we are out in the world He will remind us of that truth that we have planted within our hearts.
So the fifth stronghold belief that all Christians should have is the belief that the Bible is the Word of God and is the “proof source” for how Christians should live. Now for clarity purposes, in a sales situation a “proof source” is a source separate and apart from the salesperson. A proof source is used in a sales presentation to substantiate selling points, benefits and/or claims made by the salesperson. In other words it is the separate source material that proves the statements made by the salesperson are indeed factual. If you are trying to sell the notion to people that you are a Christian then the Bible is the “separate” source that you would use to prove it. The Bible is the proof source for our lives – it will prove if we are truly walking with God and living according to Jesus’ commandments. Remember in Romans when Paul talked about the Law and how it changed his thinking? In the seventh chapter of Romans he made this statement: “….I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.” (Romans 7:7) He was saying that the Law taught him what sin was so if the Law had not existed (or he had not learned it) he would not have known about sin because the Law told him what it was. This is one of the functions of the Bible – it tells us right from wrong so that we can live a life that is pleasing to God. When we read scripture and commit it to memory, the Holy Spirit uses that knowledge to help us walk strongly in this world, especially when we are facing our true enemy. There are two key points that I want you to take away from this message today. First, I want you to understand why the Bible is so very important, and secondly, to understand the impact the Bible can have on our lives when we allow it into our lives. This is another way of saying we must study the book and then we must believe and do what we have studied. This second point cannot be emphasized enough. It’s not enough to read the Bible. We must believe it. We must allow it to become a part of us – to be what God has designed it to be. Simply put: the Bible is the love letter that our Heavenly Father has written to us to explain how we are to live for Him while living here on earth. We must believe this and then we must do what we believe.
Last week I told you that God holds the Bible in such high esteem that He has placed it in a position above His very name. God is trying to help us understand that there is nothing that we possess – nothing – that is more important than the Bible – His Word. As Christians, we must have complete and unwavering faith and trust in the Bible, in the book that the Holy Spirit spoke to people like Moses, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Obadiah, and the apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter and Paul. Now listen to me, our faith and trust in the Bible will determine whether or not we are victorious when we face Satan’s fiery darts – when we face the people and situations that he will bring against us.
If you recall some of the statements I shared earlier from the founding fathers of America then you know without a doubt that two-hundred and thirty-seven years ago the Word of God was important. What was written in the Bible impacted what they believed. In fact it was so important that when John Adams was asked by Dr. Benjamin Rush during the War for Independence if he thought the war could actually be won, John Adams replies: “Yes! If we fear God and repent of our sins.” Where in the world would he have gotten this belief? From the Bible, the Word of God! Now two-hundred and thirty-plus years later, let me share some information with you that you might not find surprising based on how Christians live today. This research pertains to what Christians today believe about the Bible. Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about issues, attitudes and trends that shape the world conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research. In 2017, it produced “5 facts on how Americans view the Bible and other religious texts.” In talking about Christians, the piece said 75% believe the Bible is the word of God which means 25% did not. 71% are divided on how to interpret the Bible. 39% say it should be taken literally and 36% say it should not be interpreted literally. 18% view it as a book written by men, not God. 42% said reading the Bible or other religious materials is an essential part of what being Christian means to them personally. Another 37% say reading it is important but not essential to being a Christian. And finally, 21% say reading the Bible is not an important part of their Christian identity. (Really? Okay, I had to shake my head on that one.) We are Christians and you would think that Christians would at least be at 100% when asked if they think the Bible is the word of God! Do you think our first three presidents would recognize America today?
As I read this, especially about the views concerning reading the Bible, it underscores for me the truth about why so many Christians struggle when it comes to evaluating what they see and what they hear in the world. They have little to no foundation other than the beliefs or strongholds they have personally developed. Last week we saw how the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is the one who spoke the Bible to various writers. And yet, we have Christians who don’t even see the Bible as essential in their daily living and who don’t believe it is divinely inspired. For these Christians, how can they ever please God since there is absolutely no way they will ever walk in faith without His word within them. Do you think the men who rebelled against England could have done so if they did not believe in God and their understanding of the truth captured in His word? Also, and this is important, there is absolutely no way people who don’t read their Bibles can ever love people the way God loves people because you can’t really know God outside of His word!
I am going to show you in the Bible everything I just told you. I said that a Christian who doesn’t see the Bible as essential in their daily living will never please God. Well the first part of Hebrews 11:6 says “And without faith IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to please Him…” By using the word “impossible,” the Holy Spirit is saying faith is THE ONLY WAY to please God. And He should know! A Christian who doesn’t see the Bible as essential in their daily living will never walk in true faith because the Bible tells us what faith is, how to walk in it, and even more important, how to get it! Romans 10:17 says “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Faith only comes when we read the Bible. There is no other way to receive faith. If we hear the Word preached or taught we must still go back and study it for ourselves for it to take hold within us.
I also told you that a Christian who doesn’t see the Bible as essential in their daily living will never love people the way God loves people. Well Galatians 5:6 says, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.” The last part of the verse says “but faith working through love.” The Bible says that the only way we can please God is to have faith. The Bible also says that the only way for us to get faith is by reading the Bible. And the Bible says that the thing that makes faith work is love. Now follow me closely. The only way to have faith is to walk in love. But to have faith, we have to study the Bible. If we are not studying our Bibles that means we don’t have love working in us to produce faith. And if we are not studying our Bibles, we will not have the faith that love produces and therefore, it will be impossible for us to please God. Do you see how critical it is for us, as Christians, to read the Bible? Last week we learned from Second Peter 1:19-21 that no one has the right, the authority, to say “This is how I read this verse.” or “This is what this verse means to me.” The verses tell us the Bible is not open to “private interpretation.” We also learned from Second Timothy 3:16-17 that there is profit in reading the Bible. Personally, if something I do is going to be a profit to me, is going to give me a valuable return, I’m all for it. And that is exactly how the Holy Spirit describes the Bible!
I have some questions. One of the most recognizable Christian children’s song that we teach our children is “Yes, Jesus Love Me.” All of us learned this song as a child. But how do we know Jesus loves me? Well the song tells us. It says, “Because the Bible tells me so.” And it sure does! John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Now, if the Father so loved, don’t you think that the second person of the Trinity so loved the world too? Absolutely! Another question: How do we know what to do to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior? Well once again the Bible tells us so. Romans 10:9-10 says “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” That’s the Word folks! One more question: How do we know that God will keep His Word? Again, the Bible tells us so. Isaiah 55:11 says, “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” What would be an example of God’s word, God’s promise that He will accomplish? Look at Philippians 4:19. “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Aren’t you glad that God’s ability to provide for you is not based on your paycheck, but on the finished work of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? But if you do not read His word and commit it to your hearts you’d never know this and would live your life fully of worry and stress.
For me, the best example of how important the Bible is, how importance the Word of God is, can be found in the very words of Jesus Himself. He says in John 6:63 that “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” Jesus says the words that He has spoken are spirit and life. The words that Jesus spoke can produce life in us. Where can His words be found? In The Bible!!! In Proverbs 3, Solomon describes the work of “Wisdom,” which is a prophecy, a foretelling, of the work the Holy Spirit will do in our lives. I encourage you to read the entire chapter, but I’m going to read verses 14 through 18. It says, “For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; and nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who hold her fast.” (Proverbs 3:14-18)
Solomon is talking about what Wisdom, the Holy Spirit, has given to us in the Bible. In these few verses we see that spending time with the Bible, seeking Wisdom from the book given to us by Wisdom, by the Holy Spirit, can produce “long life” and can be a “tree of life” for us. Now this is not talking about spiritual life, something we already have. It’s talking about the impact the Bible can have on us physically. That’s why Jesus says His words, for us, the Bible, are spirit and life. Now follow me closely. The words that Jesus has spoken He gave to the Holy Spirit, He gave to Wisdom, who only speaks what Jesus tells Him to speak. The Holy Spirit, Wisdom, then spoke what He heard to the different writers. The results of Jesus’ words to the Holy Spirit, to Wisdom, is the Bible that we hold in our hand. And the Bible, if we will commit ourselves to studying it like we watch television, can bring healing to our bodies! Healing! Just by reading it. The Bible contains life for us! I hope you see this!
Now one last question and it’s a big one. How important was knowing the Word of God, and living by it, to Jesus? We’re going to close with Matthew 4:1-11, the passage of Jesus being tempted by the devil. It says, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’ But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You and on their hands they will bear you up, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’ Jesus said to him, ‘On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’ Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. (Matthew 4:1-11)
I want you to see this. What was Jesus’ response to each and every one of Satan’s temptations, especially when Satan was also quoting the Bible? Jesus responded with the correct interpretation of the Word of God. He doesn’t hesitate nor does He pause. He makes no consideration or comparison with what He was being offered as it relates to what He already had. He Had The Word! Jesus responds with the Word of God! He knew what God had said because He had read the Law and the Prophets. Jesus even told us how we are to live with His very first response to Satan – “…on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Jesus is saying we are to live by every word of the Bible! We see two things in this record – one is obvious and the not so obvious supports the obvious. The obvious thing is Jesus’ responding to the devil’s temptations with the word of God – “It is written.” He didn’t argue with him. He didn’t debate with him. He told him what God had said – “It is written.” Period and end of discussion! And the not so obvious that supports this: before Jesus experienced the temptation, He had already spent time – hours, months, years – studying the Law and the Prophets. He knew them like the back of His hand. He did what He instructs us to do in Second Timothy 2:15: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” We cannot accurately handle, interpret, understand and explain the Bible if we don’t spend time studying it; if we don’t spend time in prayer with it. Jesus is our example. He says in Matthew 4:17 that He came to preach the kingdom of heaven. In other words, everything Jesus teaches in the four gospels, every single thing, is teaching us how to live and operate in the kingdom of heaven.
And the first lesson Jesus teaches us is that we must respond to the enemy of the soul, the devil, and the things of this world with the Bible. We must speak what the Bible speaks. We must speak words of spirit and words of life. We don’t respond out of our emotions. We don’t respond out of how we think things should be. None of that will touch the devil. None of that will help us in our everyday lives. Jesus says in John 5:30 “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” How did Jesus know the Father’s will? How did Jesus know to be about His Father’s business? He studied and studied and studied the Law and the Prophets. How can we know the Father’s will for our lives? How can we know that we are doing the Father’s business? We must study and study and study the Bible – the book that God Himself exalts above His very name.
I will close with this statement. If you are not studying your Bible to gain wisdom for this life, then you are not living the life that God has called you to live. If you are not committing His word to your hearts (memory) you are not capable of responding to the attack of our enemy. If you want to know what your life can be, start studying the Word of God and find out! God has something to say to all of us through His word! The fifth stronghold belief that Christians must have is that the Bible is the Word of God. Period! End of discussion!
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
(If you are ever in the Kansas City, KS area, please come and worship with us at New Light Christian Fellowship, 15 N. 14th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102. Our service Sunday worship starts at 9 a.m. and Thursday night Bible study at 7 p.m. Also, for use of our social media, you can find us at newlightchristianfellowship on FB. To get our live stream services, please make sure you “like” and turn on notifications for our page so you can be notified when we are live streaming. We also have a church website and New Light Christian Fellowship YouTube channel for more of our content. We are developing more social media streams so please stand by and we will notify you once those channels are up and running. We look forward to you worshipping with us. May God bless and keep you.)
