The Word Of God Converts Us Part 2

Looking to Jesus. Each believer needs the word of God on a daily basis just like we need food and water. We need to develop the Bible, but sin can quench that appetite real fast today.

More on making the way clear to the word of God to do its work. Stay with from the Moody Church in Chicago this morning to with Dr. Sir we are teaching helps make across the finish line is again the first Peter chapter 2. As you teach about how the word of God converts us yesterday. The amazing thing is that God takes his word, the message of the gospel and let me put it this way, the word of God combines with the spirit of God to birth within us the life of God, the power of the word of God. I'm holding in my hands a very delightful book entitled awesome Bible verses. Every kid should know and what they mean for a gift of any amount. This book can be yours.

It's for children about ages 6 to 12. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for some Bible verses. Every kid should know and now let us turn to the word of God and find out the power of those verses, you know that's the case, I believe that many believers in the body of Jesus Christ. There basically infants and they are there, start spiritually and as a result of that starting at they don't know how to receive the pure spiritual milk of the word that Peter talks about. Now imagine a baby who gets fed once a week every Sunday morning he goes for some and then he started during the week and then he comes on Sunday and he sings songs and he hears the word of God preached in the opens his or her Bible and and so they are inspired and they say wow you know that was really interesting and helpful in my motivated and then nothing. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday starved and they don't grow and why is it that we don't have an appetite for the word but I think what we need to do is just look at the context of what Peter is talking about here.

You'll notice it says in chapter 2, verse one. Put away all malice by that'll stifle your appetite for the word of God, you have malice in your heart if you're overcome by hatred and all deceit. What are you doing that's deceitful, you begin to live a deceitful life and I'll tell you it will be hard for you to put up with church, much less reading the word and being encouraged by it and being read by a what about high hypocrisy and envy and all slander you see as sin develops in our life.

It saps our appetite for the word and the world does. So we got all of these other things going on including the technology around us that is constantly distracting us and so there's no way for us to grow spiritually and would be very interesting to see what Moody Church would look like if we took all the spiritual babies and put them in a nursery. Wonder how many we'd have and so you see appetite needs to be developed and that's what were going to do are going to do it together as a church we are going to restart jumpstart an appetite for the word now what does the word do for us what is food it is food spiritually speaking, it is food. If you need food to grow physically.

You need food to grow spiritually. You'll notice it says that pure spiritual milk of the word that you there by May grow milk but is not just that you need milk, you also need bread. And that's what Jesus was using when he was combating Satan know milk is just the basics of the Christian life how to read the Bible reading the stories about Jesus in the New Testament. All that is. But Jesus is withstanding Satan any quotes from Deuteronomy that says man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God and in the Scripture bread is spoken of what Brad is to the body in the same way the Scriptures to the soul.

So if you want to graduate from being a baby in the Lord that needs milk, you begin to memorize Scripture so that you can use it the way Jesus used it against Satan. Satan comes down with one temptation in Jesus as it is written. Wonder anyone who's been saved here for two, three, five years how many verses of scripture.

Could you quote in a moment of fierce unrelenting temptation. How many would you be able to quote the more you're able to quote and to apply the word now you're getting to the level of bread, but the Bible also is meet. It's also meet. You'll notice that the author of Hebrews and you can just write this down and read it later on picking it up in chapter 5, verse 11. He says about this in context is talking about Melchizedek and Jesus and the parallels we have much to say and it is hard to explain. Since you have become dull of hearing and saying I just don't understand this that's going to something else. Let's answer the cell phone for though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need is someone to teach you again the principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food. Solid food is translated in some translations as meet which is what it is for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness because he's a child but solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good and evil. So what's an example of solid food meet well, certainly the doctrine of Melchizedek.

How long has it been since you have read the book of Hebrews to try to understand the relationship of addicted Jesus and how it affirms the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Did you know something about that that would be an example, Paul's writings, no doubt, the book of Romans and Ephesians in Philippians and Colossians now we're beginning to get into the meat and he says you should be able to teach others fathers you should be able to teach your families and if you say I don't know even where to begin. I'll give you a suggestion.

Take the book of Proverbs and read it with your children read a chapter a day of the book of Proverbs. For example land and learn along with them, but the point of spiritual growth is that eventually we become disciple others of other people rather than simply saying okay. We have all this truth and we are not sharing it with anyone else. You begin to get to the meat of the word so that you can instruct others. And it doesn't mean that a formal classroom, though it includes that it means just in relationship. Are you able to sit down with someone else and say let's read the Bible together and lets them. Let's figure out what it says together and let me be able to guide you, because I have come to the point and of course I'm being very careful in what I say here. None of us comes to the point where we understand everything, but were further along growth and then of course you say, I'll let you know there's milk, there's bread there is me. That's pretty heavy but I need some dessert anything it would be wonderful. Just like me yesterday after I had a sandwich for lunch.

I had a chocolate attack. I don't know whether or not you've ever had a chocolate attack you really needed chocolate at that moment. That was my dessert sale. I need dessert.

The Bible has led to an Psalm 19. The Bible says that the precepts of the Lord are more important and more precious than gold gave then much fine gold sweeter also than honey and the dripping of the honeycomb you need dessert go into the songs and it's full of honeycomb so the word of God has within it. The whole meal and meditation is to the soul. What digestion is to the body and is the transforming power of the word of God grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ growing, vibrant Christian yourself. I've been defeated by sin.

All this time will yeah have you been reading the word and listening to the word. That's where the power is what I want to do is to nail this down.

I was going to mention being confronted by the word but believe that some other time. First of all God wills God wills. Then we grow into a predetermined image that we grow into a predetermined image namely the image of Jesus. I emphasize that we have the deep DNA of Jesus. One of the most remarkable things to me about the miracle of birth. I don't know how in the world. Somebody can see a newborn baby and not believing but that's a separate issue. The fact is this the miracle of birth where you can look at a child is a couple of weeks old and you can see in that child.

Actually the features of his father or his mother and and you just say to yourself.

This is incredibly amazing. The color of eyes is determined already. When the child is conceived height haircolor all kinds of features all wrapped up all wrapped up in that in that embryo in that birth process all their already, God says when I convert you I give you the stamp of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says in the fourth chapter of the book of Ephesians.

It says that we are to exercise her gifts within the church and communicate with one another within the church so that we might grow up into him in all things into the image of Christ. Scripture says in the eighth chapter the book of Romans that God puts us through various experiences that we might be conformed into the image of his son. When you are converted.

God had his son Jesus in mind, and said that if this person grows and gets out of this spiritual nursery and begins to allow the word of God to feed him or her. When that begins then Jesus is going to break through some of the characteristics of Jesus were all different. Just like members of the family are different.

I mean I can't believe we have three daughters who are so radically different.

All the same parents and within us very much difference racial differences economic differences abilities different, but all of them having with in themselves implanted all that they need to have Christ likeness apart from the fact that they must be in the word of God and learn to feed themselves and one of the things and then be doing in a future message is to speak specifically about meditation and how the feeding process works. Second, growth can only take place with the intake of the word growth can only take place it with the intake of the word of God. Now, the idea of listening to seven chapters a day or whatever turns out to these so that you listen to the whole New Testament in the days. For many people seems fermentable, they just say I don't know where I would have the time to be very sensitive here that I don't believe you that clear title. I don't believe you. I was on the phone this week with a pastor friend of mine in California who had leukemia and he went through a treatment that involved five hours a day for several weeks will we are in the world that the pastor a busy pastor get five hours a day. Please tell me that his life was at stake when your life is at stake you find five hours a day. Thank you much.

And when your spiritual life and your eternity is at stake and whether or not you really live a life to the glory of God.

When that's at stake somewhere, someplace you find 28 minutes a day somewhere someplace and when you think of listening to it nowadays you can do that with your family over a meal to be wonderful to have a meal without any arguments because everybody's just listening to the scripture being read.

You can even listen to it in the car. Though I remind you that angels that guard you. When you drive officially retire at 75 so be vigilant, be vigilant, but you know you can listen in that context.

If you are creative you will find that half an hour, somewhere, some ice and of course if we do it together. If we all say today is our beginning date and we write that on the back you can imagine the impact that it's going to have. This is what the Bible says in first Timothy chapter 4 it says exercise yourself.

God there are other ways to do it. You know what you can do you can read a chapter a day and so forth. This is this is jumpstarting this is immersion and when you read or when you hear the word of God before you do, you have to pray this and say Lord open thou mine eyes, that I might behold wondrous things out of thy law.

Pray that prayer from Psalm 119 then what you do is you ask God for the ability to concentrate and that means turning off everything all the stimuli that normally interrupt you and say, God, I'm giving you this time.

You know it's going to happen of the first times it's going to be so hard you're gonna say I did it yesterday and I don't even remember. So what you do you do it the next day that's what you do and you keep doing it day after day, until suddenly there's an appetite that develops within you and you say to yourself, you know, I don't think I can go whole day without the word of God, because you've tasted and you've seen that the Lord is good and the appetite as you deal with issues through the word will happen. Now I have to tell you I had a heads up here and so yesterday I listened to today's section sign ahead of you all day yesterday because I did it in the morning, all day yesterday. Various passages came to mind in this passage, and then I'd be think about this. In this passage when you're going through a large section like that you don't have to stop and smell the flowers, so to speak. You know you go back later and you can study and what you're interested in is the whole sweep of it.

And remember, were only challenging you for 40 days that we believe it's going to go much longer that Israel was in the desert for 40 years.

Goliath challenged David for 40 days. 40 days and then David took care of. Maybe it'll take 40 days for you to slay Goliath, but be faithful. Jesus was tempted of the devil for 40 days.

We can do this together for 40 days. I have a witness that we can do this together. Now I have to ask you a question. Have you been born again by the water. Jesus mentioned water as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Have you been born of the spirit and the word that's a very good question. As I mentioned, it's not something that you grow into.

It's not church attendance. Jesus was talking to Nicodemus that religious leader who came by night because this leader had a hunger within his soul and he knew that there's gotta be more to religion than this boring these boring rituals. He knew that it isn't just a matter of rules and regulations and promises that we make to ourselves that we break anyway. There's got to be more to it.

And Jesus said to him immediately. You must be born from above. It's a miracle that you can't do is not a matter of determination. The Scripture says that we are born from above by the will of God. Had you been born from above. Has God created within you that new nature because now you're hearing the word of God that Jesus died for us as sinners. He shed his blood so that we could be reconciled to God. And he rose again in triumph to show that what he did was legitimate and right and and do you say I believe on him as my Savior and no happen in a moment of time when you without kind of desperate faith. Know your sinfulness. The moment you believe, how does that song go is just coming to mind as I'm preaching the moment we believe that pardon from God we receive something like that but it's right, and God transforms for some people it's a great experience because the environment is such for others it's a quiet experience. You can believe on Christ right now. Those of you are listening by radio or by Internet or any other way that you are listening right now you can say Jesus today. I accept you as my substitute as my Savior and I believe and trust you alone for my eternity. You know I'm in the book of acts in acts chapter 16, there are two remarkable conversions. One is the conversion of the Philippian jailer. There was an earthquake and he was so terrified he began to get his life in order. Really, really fast and he said to Peter and the others, he said, what must I do to be saved and they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved and evidently he was saved right there because they went into his almond all those who believed were baptized. We don't know that there were any children in the home.

There's no infant baptism in the Bible, but they were baptized and and that was rather spectacular conversion.

I'd say, but in the very same chapter, there is the story of Lydia in the Bible says that Lydia was going along by the river and there was going to be a Bible study.

There had says she was a woman whose heart God opened and later on she hoped the apostles, are you listening today and your heart is being open to God when you say okay I reach out to Jesus as my Savior. To receive the miracle that he alone is able to give bottom-line a man was explaining how he got saved to someone and he said it very very simply said I did my part. God did his part that all interesting.

Explain. He said my part was to do the sinning Jesus Christ part was to do the saving the end of the day. That's what the gospel is our part is the sinning his part is the saving and then as a newborn infant.

You'll notice that the text says you'll begin to desire the pure unadulterated milk of the word because you're gonna be reading the Bible that you may grow thereby, and with that, I invite you to pray with me. Father we ask today that tab you might grant us as a church, a great opportunity to be able to be involved in your word. Lord, if we are discouraged and we miss the day.

We pray that you might help us to continue on the next day because you understandably, but at the same time. May we be determined to listen to your word to read your word, and above all, with open hearts to be transformed by it.

For those who never trusted Christ, may they do that right now. I pray that your Holy Spirit works in their life and brings them to saving faith. We thank you. You need to pray right now you pray as God is listening and he knows your thoughts. We ask in Jesus blessed and my friend. I hope that you prayed that prayer today.

If you've never accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior. Admit your sinfulness and believe the goodness of the gospel. The gospel that comes to us through the word of God.

I'm holding in my hands a book entitled awesome Bible verses.

Every kid should know not have to tell you that this book was written by my wife. For this reason years ago.

She told me, you know, the children grow up in Sunday school and they know the stories about Daniel and David but they don't know doctrine so she wrote this book awesome Bible verses.

Every kid should know for children. Perhaps, ages 6 to 12 in which there are 20 or 30 different essays of about a page each 20 or 30 different topics that are covered scripturally to help children understand Bible doctrine for a gift of any amount. This book can be yours.

Here is what you do go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. This would be a great book for your children for your grandchildren so that they are grounded in the word of God at their level. Go to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 running to win is all about helping you find God your race of life.

Next time I'm running to win will turn to Psalm 19. To find out how word of God teaches us. Thanks for listening to our series on being changed by the word. This is Dave McAllister running to win his sponsor by the teacher