Jun. 30, 2024

Believe Again

The Word at Work

Primary Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:13         

Last Week’s Teaching:  The Word Incarnate

1)  The Word in the Beginning 

John 1:1–5, 14:  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it….  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

2)  Rhema

Matthew 4:3–4:  The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”  Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 

Ephesians 6:17:  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 

3)  The Word of Truth

John 17:16–18:  They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.  Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

Hebrews 1:3:  The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.  

This Week’s Teaching:

1)  The Word Received

Colossians 1:24–27:  Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.  I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness--the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.  To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Acts 11:1:  The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.  

DQ 1) What is “the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages”?

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2)  Working in You

1 Thessalonians 2:13:  And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.

1 Timothy 4:4–5:  For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.  

DQ 2) How is the Word of God “at work in you who believe”?

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3)  Words of the Spirit

John 16:13:  But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.  He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.  

DQ 3) Why is it very important to learn to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit?

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4)  Words that Bless

Revelation 1:1–3:  The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.  Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. 

DQ 4) How does the Word of God continually bless its readers and listeners?

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