 Welcome back. So we continue, we just read the passage from Matthew 4 verses 1 to 10. So we're reading about the temptation of Jesus. Any observations from here about how Jesus used the word? Anything else? So in that passage. Jesus, whenever he said about the word, he said it is written. Yes. He goes back to the written scripture whenever he's looking for something for him to stand on. He goes back to what has been written in the Word of God. Thank you. So he didn't go back to what is somebody teaching or what have I experienced. He went back to what is the Word of God say. Any other observations? Yeah, every time he was tempted by the devil. So he used that scripture to attack the devil and resist that temptation. Yeah, he uses scripture to resist temptation. So by reminding himself of the truth, he is almost saying, this is what I live by. So he's declaring what are his standards and he's declaring the Word of God is the standard by which he lives. I think somebody just shared on chat as well. Yes, he was replying from the Word of God. So some other things that we can see here is he was in a place of weakness. He was already hungry and thirsty and probably in a place of just wanting to eat whatever he could get. But it is the Word of God that strengthened him in his physical weakness. So he was physically weak, probably even spiritually weak. But the Word of God is what gives him strength in that time. And then we see the second temptation. Satan uses scripture as well. So Satan takes a passage of scripture and what does he do with that scripture? What is it? Yeah, he manipulates it. So this is something we are trying to guard ourselves against. This is why we're doing this subject. We don't want to misinterpret scripture and we don't want to misapply scripture, which is what Satan was doing. He'd taken a passage of scripture and he was using it in a way that was not intended to be used. But because Jesus knew the whole Word of God, he could interpret the scripture in the right way. That is what we want to learn to do. So we need to take a passage of scripture, understand it within the rest of scripture and be able to interpret it in that way so that we are applying it correctly. So if Jesus didn't know that other passage, don't test the Lord, you're a God, then he can say, oh yeah, the Word says that if I step off, or if I'm in risk, God will send His angels to protect me so I can do that. So many people do those kinds of things based on scripture because they've not understood the full Word of God. And so many times scripture is being taught that way by people who have not taken the whole Word of God into consideration when they're interpreting a passage. And so we see how Jesus knew the whole Word of God and was interpreting it correctly and he was able to stay away from wrong teaching, wrong application of the Word of God. And then we also see how Jesus refuses to step down from the Word of God, the standard of the Word of God, which is what I mentioned earlier. So these are some things that we can see how Jesus used scripture and say, okay, these are some ways we can learn to use scripture as well. And then we look at Luke 4, 18 to 21. Someone can read that for us. Luke 4, 18 to 21. Yes. To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, today scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. Thank you. And Mark 14, 49. Mark 14, 49. Day after day, I was with you in the temple teaching and you did not say me, but let the scriptures be fulfilled. Thank you. And Luke 24, 44 to 49. Luke 24, 44. 44 to 49. 44 to 49. Luke 24, 44 to 49. Then he said to them, these are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures and said to them, thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead. And that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations. Beginning from Jerusalem, you are witness of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you, but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. Okay. So we see in these three passages, we see in Luke 4, where Jesus is beginning his ministry and he quotes from Isaiah and he says, the spirit has anointed me and these are the things that I'm going to do. So he recognizes that this is the Holy Spirit who empowers him to live out or to fulfill the scriptures. So he's walking in obedience to the scriptures in the power of the Holy Spirit. So that is something for us also to recognize. So when we are looking at scripture, when we are saying we want to live by the standards of scripture and we want to walk in obedience to scripture, we also recognize that it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can do that. And we also see Mark 1449, Luke 24. Jesus did everything that was said of what he would do. He fulfilled everything even to the point of death. So we see elsewhere where it says Jesus learned obedience by the things that he suffered. So that was he was walking in obedience to the Father and he was walking in submission to what the scripture had said about what the Messiah would do. So Jesus fulfilled those scriptures by the power of the Holy Spirit and so these are some things we can take away from the life of Jesus. How Jesus honored the Word of God, how he himself as the incarnate Word of God gave that reverence to the written Word of God. And if Jesus said that example, then we should definitely be following it. Okay, we'll also look at 1 Corinthians 121 and I'll just read that for us. For since in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God. It pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. So we are just looking at some examples of how scripture itself points to its own importance. So the first part we looked at was how Jesus honored scripture, how Jesus handled the Word of God. Now we're looking at what does scripture say about salvation. Salvation comes through the preaching of the gospel. The gospel is the Word of God. And so when we are talking about people's eternal salvation, the salvation of people's souls, how does that happen? Yeah, so it's through believing that Word of God. What God has said in his Word that Jesus is the way to the Father, that it is through Jesus that we are saved. All of that is written in scripture and that's how all of us are saved. And so when we are taking the gospel message to others, that's what we're preaching to others. We're preaching what has been written in the Word of God. So that is the power of the Word. The power of the Word can save someone's soul. That's how important the Word of God is. That's how powerful the Word of God is. So scripture itself, so what we read here in 1 Corinthians 1-21 is saying, it pleased God through this message that is preached, through the message of the gospel, which is in the Word of God, through that to save those who believe. And so we recognize that scripture has the power to save people, to save someone's soul, for someone to encounter God through hearing that Word when they receive it, when they believe it. And it's also through the working of the Holy Spirit as well. We'll look at 2 Timothy 3, 15 and 16. Can somebody read that for us? If you have your book, you can read it from there or you can open to it in your Bible as well. That's the passage we looked at right at the start of class as well. 2 Timothy 3, 15 and 16. And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. So we see here in 2 Timothy the reminder that scripture actually comes from God. It's inspired by the Holy Spirit. And that's why it is so powerful. It's not just words that contain truth, but they are divine words. Words that the Holy Spirit Himself has inspired people to write. So 2 Timothy 3, 16 says all of scripture is inspired by God. And we see also in 2 Peter 1, 20 and 21. I'll just read this for us. It says, knowing this first that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. So we look at all of scripture as a prophetic text in that it was all inspired by the Holy Spirit and all of it will come to pass. There's no part of the scripture that is just words that will not happen. So either it has already taken place or it is a promise for something that is going to happen. And so all of these words carry divine power in them. And they carry wisdom that is beyond human wisdom. This is why the word of God is so powerful. There's just one line here that I think is very important. God has chosen to distill what he considered essential and sufficient for our lives on earth through his word. So he didn't reveal everything about himself or everything about creation or everything about the world to us in the word of God. He only chose what he thought was most important for us to know him and to know why we are here on earth and how we should live here on earth, what is our purpose, what is the end goal of our lives here. So he has put all of that like most important information into the word of God. So that is something to be treasured, something that we hold on to. The scriptures are also a window for us to know who God is. If someone can read Psalm 119 and 18. What else? Psalm 119 and 18. Open my eyes that I may see wonders things from your law. So through scripture our eyes are opened to see more of who God is. So scripture teaches us about God's character, about who he is, about what is important to him, about his heart for people, about his heart for the world. So it is a revelation of the person of God. We are being invited into a relationship with this God. It's as we read scripture, as we discover more of who he is that we can grow in our intimacy with him. We understand more of who he is, we understand more of his heart and we are able to then develop a deeper intimacy with him. God most definitely also reveals himself through people. He reveals himself through others in the body of Christ. He reveals himself through creation. All of these are other ways in which he reveals himself. But we use the word of God as the standard. So even if we are seeing something about God say in creation, does the word of God also say that about God? We'll always go back to the word of God and that is what will be our standard for truth. So that is what we can be sure of is something that is dependable. So other things will contribute but they won't be the standard by which we declare who God is. Scriptures are our standard or our pattern. So we see that in that example where we were looking at Jesus' temptation that he went back to scriptures and he said this is the standard by which I live. Likewise that is our standard as well that we will not step down from what scripture has said is the way we should live. So Psalm 119, 133, if someone can read that for us please. So Psalm 119, 133, direct my steps by your word and let no iniquity have dominion over me. Thank you. So the word of God keeps us from falling into sin. And so when we are walking in obedience to the word of God we can be sure that we are walking in line with God's will. We are walking free from sin. We are walking in a way that is blameless, that is righteous, that is holy, that is as God desires us to walk. So we don't step down from the standard of scripture just to please other people or just to let other people make sense of what we are doing. Sometimes what scripture is asking of us is very, very different from what the human mind would think is a rational way to respond in a certain situation. And so for example when Jesus is saying if somebody slaps you on one cheek you turn the other cheek. That is not a rational human way to respond. Our immediate response is to fight back, to defend ourselves. So in that situation if we feel okay this is the way we should be responding. This is what Jesus said, this is how I should respond. We live by that standard not because it's the rational way or it's the way that everybody else recommends but because it is the way scripture has, the standard scripture has set. Okay and then we don't also try to reduce scripture to make it something that is acceptable to people around us. So sometimes we want to make it culturally acceptable, sometimes we want to make it relevant to people around us and in the process we lower the standard of scripture. We say okay we are going to let go of this truth or we are going to distort the truth. We are obviously not thinking that in our minds but we distort it so that we can make it relevant or so that other people will accept it and that is not what we want to encourage. We want to say no we will live by that standard and if other people don't accept it then we are not going to step down for the sake of what others think. We will continue to live by the standard that God has set. Scriptures are our authority which is similar to this but we look more at it. Psalm 119, 101 if someone can read that please. I have restrained my free from every evil way that I may keep your word. Thank you and John 12, 48. John 12, 48 he who rejects me and does not receive my words as that which judge me him. The word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. Yes so when we talk about scripture being our authority we are saying that we will submit fully to what scripture says. Whatever scripture is asking of us we will do that. Whatever scripture reveals about God's will for our lives we will live in accordance with it. And so we want to be in that place of being so fully submitted to what scripture says to what the word of God reveals about how we should live as believers. And we want to come to that place of full submission to God's revelation of his will through his word. I think this is the last point in chapter 1. Let the word of God dwell in you richly. So Colossians 3, 16 if someone can read that and someone else John 15, 7. Colossians 3, 16 let the word of Christ dwell with you richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual song singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And John 15, 7. John 15, 7 if you abide in me and my words abide in you ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. So both these passages are talking about the word of God being this deposit in our hearts that just remains there is something that the image I can think of is like if you think of food that is just left to soak in something like there are Indian sweets you leave to soak in sugar syrup and it absorbs all of that and that's where it gets all its sweetness from. So that's the kind of way we want to let the word of God be in our lives that our heart is so soaked in the word of God that what comes out of our lives is just the fruit of that word. We're living out that word just so naturally because that word is abiding in us and we are abiding in the word we're constantly going back to the word we're refreshing our hearts refreshing our minds refreshing our thoughts with the word of God. And that is what is informing the way we need to live. I just share this from personal experience that as I was growing up and I was growing in faith I started to read the word of God and I realized that there were so many thoughts I had in my head that were not in line with scripture. Just because we have so many things that we hear from around us whether it's from media whether it's from friends from family whatever that source may be it's not in line with scripture. Sometimes it may be just the way we've always lived it may be cultural it may be what is popular what is acceptable whatever it is something as simple as if someone is rude to you. You give it back to them so that they never do that to you again. That's just like a way of survival tactic for us and we never think about is this the way God wants us to live is this in line with scripture. So why we want to be in that place of abiding in scripture is because it starts to help us unlearn things that have been so ingrained in us without us even realizing. There are things that we've just absorbed and begun to live in accordance with maybe not even consciously accepting those things in our mind it's just something that's usual around us and it's become a way of life for us. So scripture when we talk about the word of God being something that cleanses us that's what it means it teaches us what is true what is right what is holy. It teaches us the actual the true way we're supposed to live and so we want to be abiding in the word of God we want to be soaking it in and allowing it to to make our lives that sweet fragrance of God's presence that we want to be able to carry that wherever we go. And so that is something we want to encourage that we as believers as people who are seeking to know the word of God more start to search start to study start to be in this place of letting scripture inform the way we live every day. Letting it be the way we walk through our daily routines and allowing it to impact every aspect of our lives. So Matthew 7 24 25 talks about the wise man and the foolish man right the wise man is the one who takes the word of God and lives in accordance with it he hears it and he practices it. So that is the kind of foundation we want to have we want to build our lives on a foundation that is so strong which is the word of God to be people who hear the word of God and then put it into practice. So we are living our lives in accordance are everyday lives are everyday decisions are waking to sleeping all in accordance with the word of God. So with that we come to the end of chapter one. Would anyone like to share any thoughts any questions so far. Sister I have a question. So every time we say the word for a certain problem in your life you have to say it is written or you can just say the word of God. Yeah we don't we don't need to say that it is written. Our main thing is that we are declaring the word of God saying this is what God has spoken and whatever God has spoken will come to pass God's word can be trusted. You have to say it is written. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Anything else any thoughts you want to share. Yes, just one question. You just mentioned earlier that God hasn't revealed everything to man he has sort of revealed only what he wants us to know. Did you give it I mean I don't know if there's a scriptural reference to that if you can give it to me please. I'll I don't have a specific scripture reference but I will definitely look and check if there is something. Something specific in scripture that we can look at which has a reference that says that. But I do want to say that we see even through scripture that God revealed himself over time right and there are a lot of things. So even when Paul talks about the revelation he received he says that the revelation he received was so great that a person could not even speak it like the words could not the vision that he saw of God. We're so great that he couldn't even put it into words. So that is that is an example of we have some things that Paul has written but there are some things that are beyond what he has written that that he couldn't even express in words. So likewise God is the word of God is God revealed but God is bigger than his word. Right so we so when we're saying that word the word of God is what God has distilled or what God has chosen to reveal of himself. We are saying that God is bigger than that like we cannot fully know God we cannot fully understand God and that's why we want to keep reading scripture going to keep studying scripture because we want to discover more of who he is. But we will never get to a point where we fully have God understood right and that's why we are saying that the word of God is just a part of a revelation of who God is. So it's not a full picture. God is bigger than that. I hope that gives us that's perfect. Thank you very much sister. Sam I think you had your hand raised. Yeah I was just wanting to I mean just I don't know if this verse of scripture is relevant to Warren's question but you know in John chapter 21 verse 25. John writes and there are also many other things that Jesus did which if they were written one by one I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen. So he ends the gospel of John by saying that hey you know I have I have written this by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. But there are many other things that Jesus did in this earthly ministry which the world even couldn't contain. So yeah just just thought of that was a scripture as Warren was asking that question. Thank you. Thank you Sam that's helpful. Yeah definitely so each of these books in the Bible were written with a specific purpose. So like the gospels were written to communicate a specific message to help people know some things about who Jesus was. And so like like Sam said in this passage in John 21 25 it's saying there were many more things that Jesus did. So John chose some specific things to talk about because those were the things that fulfilled the purpose of writing the book. There were many more things that he could have added but also yeah space time limitations exist. Thank you. In Sanjay you said Luke 8 17 nothing is secret that will not be revealed or anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. Yes that is in terms of receiving revelation from God and more in terms of final revelation of I'm just going back to Luke 8 16. So here he's talking about understanding the teaching that was received right. So he's talking about understanding what Jesus had taught and so in 18 that's the following verse he says pay attention to how you hear to those who listen to my teaching more understanding will be given for those who are listening even what they think they understand. For those who are not listening even what they think they understand will be taken from them. So that is how we receive God's teaching how we receive Jesus's teaching if we come to it with a with an attitude of wanting to learn wanting to receive then we will receive greater understanding. But if we have the attitude that we don't want to learn whether it comes from a place of pride or whatever barriers are there to us receiving what God is teaching us then even the little understanding that we have will be taken away. Okay, thank you. We can move on I think to chapter two unless anyone else had anything. So we're going to look at God's word as being pure and powerful. When we talk about its purity we're talking about just the fact that it is completely true. So if we are looking at truth we look at the word of God and because we know it's true we know that no matter what happens this will come to pass God's word will come to pass because that is what is something that is dependable and is also something that has power to produce to bear fruit. So we look at Romans 1133. Someone can read that Romans 1133. Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgment and his ways past finding out. Thank you and we'll also look at this passage it seems unrelated but we'll connect them both Exodus 31 1 to 11. Exodus 31 then the Lord spoke to Moses saying see I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri the son of Hugh of the tribe of Judah and I have filled him with the spirit of God. In wisdom in understanding in knowledge and in all manner of workmanship to design artistic works to work in gold in silver in bronze in cutting jewels for setting in carving wood and to work in all manner of workmanship. And I indeed I have appointed with him a holy abe the son of Ahisama of the tribe of Dan and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all gifted artisans that they may make all that I have commanded you. The tabernacle of meeting the arc of the testimony and the mercy seat that is on it and all the future of the tabernacle. The table and its utensils the pure gold lampstand with all its all its utensils the altar of incense the altar of burning offering with all its utensils and the labor and its base. The garments of ministry the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons to minister as priests and the anointing oil and the sweet incense for the holy place according to all that I have commanded you they shall do. Okay, thank you. So we see in Exodus 31 where Jesus where God gives bezel and the other people will be working on the tabernacle skills to do the work that they were doing. Right. So they continued to do their regular work they had to build the tabernacle they had to make the priests the robes that the priests were going to wear they were doing all of this work but God had given them the skills to do it. They were carrying out the work with the anointing of God on them. So sometimes why we're why we're looking at that example is we may not consider when we're looking at the work that they are doing something that God is doing we just look at them as skilled craftsmen. Right. But it was God who had given them those skills and God who had empowered them to carry out that work and it was in their obedience in their just daily doing what God had called them to do that they were carrying out God's work and they built this beautiful amazing place where God's presence rested. Right. So likewise sometimes studying scripture can just be that daily act of obedience that we choose to do. It's just something that is simple that may not seem in any way supernatural may not we may not see any miraculous things happening every day in our lives. But we believe that as we are carrying out that daily task of receiving God's word remaining in God's word studying God's word that God is actually doing or preparing us for miraculous things that in the course of us studying in the course of us dwelling in God's word God's presence God's power will be manifested in our lives. So to encourage the daily obedience the daily walk with God because in that is where the miraculous happens it's not in just the signs and the wonders and miracles. Let's look at Psalm 138 to if someone can read that for us please. Psalm 138 to I'll worship toward your holy temple and praise your name for your loving kindness and your truth for you have magnified your word above all your name. Thank you. So we see here God's word and his name are connected to each other. Right. So his when when he when he's saying your name it's his reputation. So his reputation is based on his word. If he is a God who keeps his word if he's a God who fulfills his word fulfills his promises then his reputation will be something of a God who is to be honored a God who is to be trusted a God who can be counted on. But if he is a God who says one thing one day does another thing another day and just is randomly doing things and you can never predict what he's going to do you never know what he expects you never understand whether he's going to be happy one day whether he's going to bless you one day whether he's going to bless you in your work whether he's going to bless your family if you can't be sure of those things. Then the reputation as a God is not going to be one of honor respect love trust it's going to be one of pure confusion. Just like you never know how to relate to this God. And so when God is talking about himself he's saying my reputation is based on my word. And so if I am a God who fulfills my word then you can be sure that you can trust in my name you can trust in who I am. Jeremiah 1 12 says I am alert and active watching over my word to perform it. So God himself takes it upon himself he takes it as his responsibility to fulfill the word that he has spoken. So he says if I have said it then you can count on it that I will make sure it happens. That is just a beautiful thing to be able to come to God with that promise to know that this is the kind of God we serve that he has good promises for us. And not only does he have good promises he's also a God who can be trusted and we can be sure that if he has promised it he will do it. On the other hand so this is where God himself takes upon himself to fulfill his word. But apart from God taking it upon himself we need to be people who know the word of God. Because unless we know the word of God unless we are claiming the word of God for our lives we are not going to be able to receive those promises for ourselves. If we have no idea what promises God has given us then we are going to walk in ignorance of it and we will not actually see those promises fulfilled in our lives. So we need to be people who are praying those words over us declaring those words over our lives and believing those words for our situations as well. I'm just going to look at the example of Abraham. Genesis 12, 1 to 3 and 6 to 7 if someone can read that and we'll close with that. Genesis 1 to 3 and 6 to 7. Genesis 12, 1 to 3 and 6 to 7. Genesis 12, 1 to 3. Now the Lord has said to Abraham get out of your country from your family and from your father's house to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and I will curse him who curses you and in all your families of the earth shall be blessed. Abraham passed through the land to the place of Shechem as far as the terrible tree of Moray and the Canaanites where then in the land then the Lord appeared to Abraham and said to your descendants I will give this land and they he built an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him. That's the word of God. Thank you. So we see from Abraham's life, right? When God called him, he didn't give him much detail about where he was leading him or what God was going to do. He just said leave all of these people and go to a land that I will show you. So God was going to show him the land as he was going, right? He had to actually leave all of these people. He had to pack up all his bags, take all of his possessions, his family and start to walk in some direction without knowing the destination. And sometimes it can be that way with God's promises where God has promised something but we don't have the full picture yet. We just have to keep walking in faith in the present, keep following God in the present and keep holding on to the promises that he has made to us as we are walking. So even in that, in the possible confusion or in the everyday just act of obedience, though we don't know that final destination, we keep trusting in the promise. So God didn't say leave and then he didn't he didn't just leave it at that, right? He gave him a promise. He said, I will bless you. I will bless those who bless you. So a promise of God's protection over him as he's traveling, a promise that he's going to make him a great nation. So I'm taking you from this place because I have a future that is yours and you are going to establish this nation. I will make your blessing to others and all the families on the earth will be blessed, right? So along with that commandment or along with that invitation to walk in trust, walk in faith is also a promise for him to hold on to. And that can be the way we are called to live a lot of the time where we have a promise which is not fully clear. But we just keep walking in faith, walking in obedience at that time in our everyday lives. And then verse 7 where he goes to Canaan and God promises that that land is going to be given to his descendants. So these are promises that were fulfilled so many hundreds of years later, right? Even the fact that Abraham would be a blessing to many nations. That's fulfilled in the New Testament. That's thousands of years later. But for us to know that God, once he says something, he will do it and we can hold on to those promises and trust in him. So we'll close with that for today. For all of you who are in the next class, we'll come back in 10 minutes. Thank you.