The Life Changing Power of God's Word

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham later in the program will tell you how you can get a copy of Dr. Graham's brand-new book and reignite the first hears his message. The life-changing power of God within. Finding J chapter 1. I do want to talk to you about your words and about God's work. We are born again by the word of God. This one verse 18 says of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creation. We are a beautiful offering to God in Christ, then verse 19 staccato like words know this, my beloved brothers, let every person be quick to hear, are you listening, slow to speak, slow 02 anger for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. We live in a communication society and information. A we are in a veritable tsunami and tidal way of words that come our way every single day.

For example, daily. People send out 10 billion email 10 billion emails every day. This way, more than 10 times the population of the entire earth about text messaging 6 trillion a year 6 trillion text messages, words, words, and more words each day.

Every day, 5000 new books are published and whether it is all line media are media we are inundated with communication and so much of this is good. We are able to learn so much in this age of communication.

You can Google this and Google that you can google almost anything and that's not even to speak of the 24 hours news channels which the stories change every hour and not every minute more and more conversation, more and more communication. Interestingly and J. God's word speaks to people just like you and me about all the words that we hear in the words that we speak. This is to us. James says be quick to hear the quick to listen and slow to anger is the transforming power of God's word and three Mary practical personal words to us number one listen up, listen up, be quick to hear you sit there in verse 19. Be quick to hear.

Be quick to hear that literally means run to hear as the amplified gives it the our already listener and primarily, this starts with hearing the word of God and stopping long enough to hear from God and you notice that we tend to speak more than we listen. James was speaking to a congregation.

Early Christians who did not have the privilege of having Bibles as we have the written copies of God's work had scrolls at synagogues where the Scripture was written Old Testament Scripture forced the New Testament was still in formation, so they were learning the apostles teaching the words of Jesus in and writing these these down, but but James is placing an emphasis on gathering the people and when we gather as a church, what is our primary focus is upon the word of God. The testimony of Jesus. When told that we are born again by the word of truth. In verse 18 born again by the word of truth, not a word of truth, but he word of truth. The Bible is God is infallible and inerrant word filled with God's words. We believe in the verbal preliminary inspiration of the Bible which means that the words of the Bible are given by the Holy Spirit.

The authors who use their vocabularies were guided along by the Holy Spirit so that when they wrote they were writing just big ideas about God or our thoughts about God, but the very words of God. Preliminary meeting all the Bible is inspired, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine reproved correction and instruction in righteousness, that the man of God, the woman of God would be thoroughly equipped in all good works and James focus is on hearing the word of God and then responding because we've received it and living it out. Being transform a new birth produces a new behavior. The word of God transforms us from the inside out. Therefore, listen carefully to God's work.

Today we have a nap for almost everything on my phone. I got music apps exercise at nutrition apps news apps video apps all kinds of apps we are addicted to apps if I did you know that some more research I read indicates that the saying parts of our brains that light up when people are on drugs like we were on ourselves and on our screens so much. There is addiction you know now the cell phone and our screens. These are amazing tools for information they truly are, but it can be harmful if it disconnects us from people or, especially, if anything disconnects us from God because we don't have time.

Why don't people have time to listen to God because we got so much noise all around. When listening to something else. Jesus talked about people who heard things but didn't listen.

He said be careful how you hear Mark eight verse 18. He spoke of those who have ears but do not hear one of the descriptions of this passage about hearing the word of God welcoming the word of God is tuning and it's like getting in on the right frequent connecting with God and hearing from God start listening and start learning if you're talking you're probably not learning.

That's why it's good to slow down and listen up. A true Christ ball is committed and submitted to the word of God and the will of God as revealed in Scripture. The mark of a Christian is that we have an appetite, hunger, a desire for the milk of the word, the meaning of the word. We love God's word.

This is like a great meal. Job set I honor your word of the Lord.

I seen your word more than my necessary meet. It is more than me. It is, it is life itself. The living word of God is like dessert. He said the psalmist.

That is like honey we are to desire the word of God.

The psalmist said in Psalm 119 rings on 119 is all about the Bible and it says I love your law of God.

Therefore, we listen. We tuning into the word of God. Listening is a discipline is we don't listen we don't learn anything in life but if you will listen. You have a great advantage and you have the blessing of God. Unfortunately, our American attention span is reducing we get our information in short sentences and small bits and bytes. We even want our messages in our sermons like that, give it to me. In short, bite-size chunks, I wrote down just several words as to how you can receive the word of God, we listen. Listen prayerfully did you pray before you came and asked God to speak to you through his word as you pray for your pastor as you pray that God would speak to you personally that God would open your eyes.

As the psalmist said to the whole wondrous things out of your law. Secondly, come humbly humbling. That is God, I need you. I desperately need a word for you. I'm hungry for you then come expectantly asking God and expecting God to move in your heart and move in your life come submissively. My with a take it or leave it attitude while I may believe this, I may not believe this, I may do this, I may not do that come submissively to the word of God and when the word of God comes to you in force and full throttle. Don't resist it, but respond to it come continually come faithfully to hear God's word and again that's the mark of a believer, you have a desire to be where God's word is taught and I would encourage you not only in these worship services were you going to hear God's word. What personally and in small groups come continually hear the word of God continually, and then opening listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham in the message. The life-changing power of God's word brings fresh passion and joy to your faith. Dr. Graham's newest book, reignite an intimate account of how God let Dr. Graham to one of the darkest seasons of his life. Whether you're facing disappointment out depression or heart ache. Reignite offers biblical insights to encourage you in your pain and help fan the flames of faith in your life and it's our way to thank you for your gift to PowerPoint so call today to get your copy of reignite as thanks for your support: 800-795-4627 that's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131. And don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop E store. Give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional our website again is Jack Graham.4G now let's get back to today's message. The life-changing power of God's word.

Secondly, phone dial the quick to listen and slow to speak.

The Bible says life and death are in the power of the tongue change your words. Even the words that you speak to yourself and you will change your life, and James clearly is saying to us here. Listen before you speak.

Think before you talk. The rabbis used to say, God gave us two ears and one mouth, and he put the tongue behind the cage of ivory. Therefore, we ought to listen twice as much, as we speak. Some people love to hear themselves talk to be the center of the conversation that's all about the ego and they ought not only use their tongue, but their keyboard there typing in their texting to spew out their opinions and hasty words. Proverbs 2920 you see a man who is hasty in his words, there is more hope for a full then for him.

Can you imagine how much better your relationships would be your marriage would be if you practice this principle listen more and talk less.

The Scripture here says be slow to speak, listen to me that's a command that has a command in God's word be slow to speak. Jesus said it in Matthew 1236 that on the day when we are judged that every word of every idle word every careless word will be call into account. We all know that social media can be a place for mean-spirited haters to hang out at spew their venom. But the problem is many Christians are interacting with this kind of behavior and this kind of of spewing venom and some times we we write it. Sometimes we listen to it, but so much of it is putting garbage in our ear and we need to clean that up.

How many times have have you written an email and hit send before you took time to think about The 10 Hundred and 24 hours whenever no bail take that and once it gets out into cyberspace in a never coming back is out there forever.

Henry Ward Beecher said this speak when you are angry and you make the best speech you will ever regret how many times have we heard our mates with words that we regret because we weren't slow to speak, where popping off and saying things out of anger or disrespect words do hurt. I would say students men and women we need to submit everything we write on the Internet to the Holy Spirit before we send we need to ask God for permission before we say anything or send anything that could be hurtful or harmful, especially to the body of Christ one last word and that is lighten up.

He said listen to tone down, lighten up, calm down, but we are to be slow to anger that is slow to take offense slow to get angry.

Let me give you a few riveting scriptures about this. Ephesians 431 let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Colossians 38 but now you must put them all away.

Anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene. Paul from your mouth. James is a series of tests initially burst our test during trials how we respond to trials, then a test regarding temptations and how we resist temptation. Now he's talking about how we restrain our tongues and that's a test.

How you use your tongue, your speech, your words is a test. Proverbs 2911 says a fool gives full vent to his spirit.

The wise men quietly hold back. I didn't call you a fool, but God calls you a fool if you can't control your temper when you lose your temper you are really losing some you're actually losing sanity at some level anger is borderline insanity. You're not thinking straight. When you loosen something you lose it way too much. Get up mad you breakfast man go to work man go to lunch man come home mad watch TV man go to bed man sleep mad mad all the time about something somebody's happy you're mad about that serious God says get control of that control that now there's a place for anger in life. Jesus was angry when he saw the temple being abused. There's a place for moral outrage. It makes me angry when 60 million babies are aborted. It makes me angry to see the degeneration of our culture and our our society makes me angry. But more than anger, we should be driven to anguish in prayer for people all around us is I will.

God gets angry. Yes, God is angry with the wicked every day. That's what the Bible says God according to Exodus 34 six God is low to anger. Aren't you glad about that. God is not the kind of God who just waiting to catch somebody doing something wrong and smashed. God is good all the time and all the time God is good and he is gracious and merciful and slow to anger, and so should again commanded to be slow to anger.

This is a Proverbs 1632, James is often described as I said, as the book of Proverbs in the New Testament is like Proverbs.

This is like a proverb that were reading but Proverbs 1632, says whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he takes James 120 look at it right there in front of you in your Bible for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Nothing righteous about unrighteous anger while we are often ready to say well I just righteously indignant or righteously anger most of the time.

That's about our preferences and opinions and not about a godlike anger, so God says be slow to anger, and then he says and put all all wickedness and strip away filthiness is a picture of taking off filthy dirty clothes he speaking of immorality but is also speaking of the duality of disposition and anger that's immoral to you know there. This is a dissipation there also the sins of disposition.

He said put away strip all that stuff all man asked his wife if his shirt was too dirty to where she said you have to as it is stripping away and the superfluous sin that remains interesting.

He uses James uses a medical term for earwax. There talk about hearing and listening. He said get the wax out your ear, get this, fill out your ear. Some of that stuff you get out of the Cupid Is gross right.

And James says get that stuff out is knowing your hearing is keeping you from connecting with God.

Get rid of any sin that clogs up communication with God. I wrote this in my Bible as a teenager and often help me God's word will keep you from sin or sin will keep God's work. So open up your heart and open up your ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church get rid of anything in your life that limits you from hearing God. And when you take off the guilt close put on the grace clothes. How do you overcome anger and abuse and all the rest with our words, the fruit of the spirit, love and joy and peace and patience and goodness, kindness and meekness and self-control.

Pray every day. Lord, your patience, your love, your joy, your peace, your goodness your self-control. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is in you and in the power of God spirit, we have the opportunity for the beauty of Jesus to be seen in us so listener home that lighten up and let the word of God. How transforming listening to PowerPoint attack ran in the message.

The life-changing power of God's word, chances are you faced your share of crisis. Maybe you're even in the fight of your life right now.

Or maybe you're simply feeling exhausted by the busyness of life and sap the spiritual strength. Whatever you're facing.

We want to help fan the flame of faith in your life by sending you Dr. Graham's newest book reignite this personal account of how God let Dr. Graham his own crisis will help me focus on God during difficult season.

See you can experience fresh passion and joy in Jesus and will send you a copy as thanks for your gift today. Call now to request your copy of reignite: 800-795-4627 that's 1-800-795-4627.

You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131. And don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop how E store. Give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional our website again is Jack Graham.Margie Castro what is your PowerPoint for today.

So often we don't come to God's word to really listen to be spiritually attuned to what God is saying, so if we're going to open God's word and received God's word and welcome God's word and our lives than first we need to listen prayerfully to God. So when you hear God's word as on this program today or your minister or pastor is preaching prey like the psalmist prayed open my eyes that I may see wonderful things that Psalm 119 in verse 18 and not only when you open God's word and when you listen to God's word. Should you come prayerfully or listen prayerfully but you should listen humbly recognize how much you need God's word and come with a hungry and desperate heart to hear his voice and then listen expectantly.

When you pray when your heart is humble and you begin to listen.

Then you can stand on God's promises confidently expecting that he's going to do what only God can do in your life and that is to transform you from the inside out and then listen submissively when you listen to God's word.

When you go to church. The next time to hear God's word don't show up with a take it or leave it attitude that you plan on accepting some things God says and not others. Submit yourself to the word of God completely trust him and he will change your life. Finally come to the hearing of God's word continually listen continually. There's never a moment in your life when you will get me on your need to hear God's word and that is today's power. Remember when you give a gift to PowerPoint today will send you Dr. Graham's brand-new book, reignite as our thanks. Call one 800-795-4627 1-800-795-4627 also text the word PowerPoint 313131 text PowerPoint 3131.

Join us again next time you Dr. Graham brings a message about how you're always welcome God's family, that's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint ministries