| IS
THERE A WORD FROM THE LORD? |
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16 When Jeremiah was
entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins,
and Jeremiah had remained there many days;
17
Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him
secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And
Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the
hand of the king of Babylon. Jeremiah
37:16, 17(KJV)
Intro:
Jeremiah was known as “The weeping prophet.”
He lived during the Babylonian invasions of Jerusalem. He
most likely didn’t realize it but he was speaking for all ages
when he said;d, “There is” a Word from the Lord!
In the Old Testament there are more than 3800 places which say,
“the Word of the Lord came unto me” or some phrase parallel to it.
In fact there are 773, 692 words from the Lord in 31,173 verses;
1,189 chapters; 66 books, divided into the Old and New Testaments.
Paul
declared with great authority in 2 Timothy 3:16,
“All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness:”
Ezekiel,
another man of God, prophesied in Babylon among the captives while
Jeremiah prophesied same message in Jerusalem. Ezekiel was to preach
Word of the Lord to a valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37.
No preacher had it as hard as did Ezekiel.
The bones were scattered and dry.
There was no unction. Like
a lot of churches today. But,
all can be fixed! By the
Word of the Lord! Ezekiel
preached God’s Word, the bones were unified.
He preached again, this time to the wind and breath entered into
their bodies and they came alive! The wind symbolized the Holy Spirit who gives life to the
word.
“Who
also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the
letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth
life.“
2
Corinthians 3:6
It
is my conviction that we need preachers today who will declare the word
from the Lord!! Jeremiah
was speaking even for today when he said, There is!”
The
Word from the Lord will in the first place--------
1.
SAVE THE DOWN AND OUT
(1.)
Example of Samaritan woman - John’s gospel, the 4th chapter.
4:4
And he must needs go through Samaria.
4:10
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and
who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked
of him, and he would have given thee living water.
4:13
Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall
thirst again:
4:14
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of
water springing up into everlasting life.
4:28
The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and
saith to the men,
4:29
Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this
the Christ?
The
met at Jacob’s well, she could not understand why a Jew would ask a
Samaritan for a drink. Jesus was mostly concerned for her spiritual
thirst.(v10)
She
said that she had no husband(v17). Jesus told her she was right, she had
five husbands and she was living with one who was not her husband(v18).
She came to believe Christ was the Messiah! Then she became a
great witness for Jesus.
(2.)
Example of Bartimaeus in Mark chapter 10
10:46
And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his
disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of
Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.
10:47
And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out,
and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
10:48
And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the
more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
10:49
And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the
blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.
10:50
And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.
10:51
And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do
unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my
sight.
10:52
And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And
immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
This
exciting story took place in Jericho.
(Illustrations:
Brown family-Cornerstone Baptist Church many years ago.
Norman Bradshaw-converted from Grim Reaper Motorcyle gang-Galesburg,IL)
not
only will the Word from the Lord save the down and out,but it will------
2.
SAVE THE UP AND OUT
(1.)
It has been said that John Wanamaker, J.C. Penny, Andrew Kraft, Cyrus
McCormick, J. Pierpoint Morgan were all millionaires who were born-again
believers.
(ill.
R.G Laturneau, Colonel Sanders, “wing and a prayer.”)
(2.)
Zacchaeus, a wealthy publican Luke chapter 19
19:1
And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
19:2
And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among
the publicans, and he was rich.
19:3
And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press,
because he was little of stature.
19:4
And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for
he was to pass that way.
19:5
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said
unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide
at thy house.
19:6
And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
19:7
And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be
guest with a man that is a sinner.
19:8
And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of
my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man
by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
19:9
And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house,
forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
19:10
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
(3.)
Nicodemus, a religious pharisee
3:1
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
3:2
The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that
thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that
thou doest, except God be with him.
3:3
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
3:4
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he
enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
3:5
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
3:6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit.
3:7
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
3:8
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof,
but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every
one that is born of the Spirit.
3:9
Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
3:10
Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and
knowest not these things?
3:11
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify
that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
3:12
If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye
believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
3:13
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from
heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
3:14
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the
Son of man be lifted up:
3:15
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal
life.
(4.)
Lydia, a seller of purple, 1st convert of Europe - Acts 16:14, 15
16:14
And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of
Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened,
that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
16:15
And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying,
If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and
abide
(5.)
Jairus, a synagogue ruler, recorded in Mark chapter 5
He
listened closely to the preaching of Jesus, his daughter was healed
because of his faith.
5:22
And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by
name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,
5:23
And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point
of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be
healed; and she shall live.
5:24
And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.
5:38
And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the
tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.
5:39
And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and
weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.
5:40
And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he
taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with
him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.
5:41
And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi;
which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.
5:42
And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of
twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.
5:43
And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded
that something should be given her to eat.
(ill.
Mayor Gene McCleary of Colorado Springs.)
not
only will the Word from the Lord save the down and out, save the up and
out, but it will
3.
STABILIZE THE IN AND OUT
The
luke-warm, in and out church member needs either conversion or
dedication.
(1.)
The answer is plain preaching.
4:2
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke,
exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
4:3
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but
after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having
itching ears;
4:4
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned
unto fables.
2
Timothy 4:2-4
(2.)
Peter is an example. Had
denied Christ three times. But obeyed the orders of Luke 24:49 “And,
behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the
city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”
He
tarried in the upper room until the power of pentecost came. 3,000 were
saved on the Day of Pentecost!
(3.)
Thomas became stabilized when he saw Christ!
John
20:24-29
20:24
But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when
Jesus came.
20:25
The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But
he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the
nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand
into his side, I will not believe.
20:26
And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with
them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and
said, Peace be unto you.
20:27
Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands;
and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not
faithless, but believing.
20:28
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
20:29
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast
believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
(4.)
Ananias and Sapphira Acts
chapter 5 -when judgment came the whole church was stabilized. v11,
“great fear came upon the church.”
5:1
But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a
possession,
5:2
And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and
brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.
5:3
But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the
Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
5:4
Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it
not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine
heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
5:5
And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and
great fear came on all them that heard these things.
5:6
And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried
him.
5:7
And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not
knowing what was done, came in.
5:8
And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so
much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
5:9
Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to
tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried
thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.
5:10
Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost:
and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth,
buried her by her husband.
5:11
And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these
things.
not
only will the Word from the Lord save the down and out, save the up and
out, stabilize the in and out, but it will-----
4.
STIR THE OUT AND OUT
(1.)
Stir and arouse out of lethargy. Feed and bless the faithful.
(2.)
<ill.> A certain family prayed for a baby boy, already had two
girls. God answered their
prayer, but the boy was crippled. One
evening dad was coming home from work, walking down the sidewalk the
girls welcomed him with a bouquet of flowers.
The boy wasn’t to be outdone!!
He picked a dandelion from the yard and wrapped a string around
it, put a stick in it and brought it to his daddy.
The father picked him up and said it was the best gift of all.
It’s not so much the gift, but the heart of the giver.
Though
it may seem we have little to offer, God is pleased with our best.
NEVER
GIVE UP
Never
Give Up, Never lose hope.
Always
have faith, It allows you
to cope.
Trying
times will pass, As they
always do.
Just
have patience, Your dreams
will come true.
So
put on a smile, You’ll
live through your pain.
Know
it will pass, And strength
you will gain.
-Charlie
Remiggio, Motivational
poet
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