What We Believe and Why We Believe It, Part 1

Welcome to the Word of the Lord, the weekly television

broadcast of Living Word Christian Church, proclaiming

the good news of the gospel of the Lord Jesus

Christ. Pastor Mark Clements, in -depth, relevant

biblical teachings will help you in life and

living in today's world. Now, let's join Pastor

Clements in the service already in progress.

These are our 12 guiding principles as a church,

and we had them engraved. rather than just printed

where they could fade. And our 12 guiding principles

are, number one, number one. Can you see it?

Number one. We'll have these for you next week.

We might have them up on the screen today. I

just didn't ask them to dig for it. But number

one, God's word is truth. Not true. God's word

is truth. It is to be proclaimed through preaching

and teaching, received and believed by all who

hear. and applied to and practiced in each of

our daily lives. Our second guiding principle

is worship, that we're all created as worshipers.

Number three, leadership. Number four, excellence.

Number five, faith. Number six, discipleship.

These are guiding principles for this church.

Number seven, unity. Number eight, participation.

Number nine, fellowship. Number 10, prayer. Number

11, stewardship. And number 12. Those are our

12. Thank you. Now you can put them up and try

and get them straight. Give them a hand. Come

on. They did a great job. Jumped right up there.

Some of you doubted them. Needed a little encouragement.

Praise God. Thank you, man. We're going to...

Once we're done with our statement of faith,

what we believe, then we'll take a week or maybe

two weeks and we'll take our 12 guiding principles

and just share those with you as well. Why do

we do what we do as a church? First, it's why

do we believe what we believe? And we're going

to start where I believe we should start based

on that 12 guiding principles as well, and that

is God's Word. Because if I take the foundation

out, if I take the foundation of God's Word being

anointed, and God's Word being eternal, and God's

Word being His voice speaking to me, and God's

Word being inerrant, and God's Word being practical,

and God's Word being relevant, and God's Word

being for me today. See, if I listen to the church

teaching where I grew up, One of the churches

that I grew up in, we moved around a lot. My

dad was in traveling sales. We moved all over.

In ninth grade, I entered my ninth different

school. And he was not in the military. We just

moved a lot. And everywhere we went, we landed

at a church and always had a church to attend

and always a church we were a part of. And in

more than one of those churches, I was told,

well, that was just for the early church. That

was just for back then. It's not for us today.

When I got old enough to read through my Bible,

I looked for that verse. I looked all the way

through it to find where it said, and this will

not be for you today. I couldn't find it. I still

can't find it today. If you read through the

Bible, you go ahead and look for it all your

way through. You'll never see it. There's not

a verse in there that says this is not practical,

this is not applicable, this is not relevant

for you. This was only for the early church or

the early days. You'll never find that in there.

I found out that God never changes, that God

is always the same, and his word is identical

to his character and his nature. Hebrews 13,

8 says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today,

and forever. James chapter 1 and verse 17 says

James 1 · chapter mention

there's not even a shadow of turning in God.

Not a turn, his shadow don't even move. And not

even a shadow of turning. Malachi 3 and verse

6 says, I am the Lord, I change not. I change

not. He doesn't just change his mind. He never

changes his mind. He's perfect in all of his

ways. And so, again, we're taking this up as

number one. I realize in that statement of faith

I just gave you, it's number 11, 12, and 13.

11, 12, and 13. But we're just going to really

quickly, if you're taking notes, you're going

to have to really write fast. I'm not doing the

whiteboard today for that very reason. I don't

want to wait. I've got too much to cover in too

little time. We're going to just talk just for

this few minutes we have in this service about

what we believe and more importantly, why we

believe it. Because there's no way to cover everything

that we believe as believers and as Christians.

There's no way to just take everything you believe

as a Christian wife and a Christian mother, or

a Christian husband and a Christian father, or

a Christian business owner, or a Christian employee,

or a Christian in the school system, or a Christian

in the college system, the university system,

or a Christian in whatever profession you're

in, or whatever family that you came from and

are a part of. There's no way to take in a service

and say, here's everything that we believe. But

I can give you a base and tell you why we believe

it. Why we believe it is always the same answer.

It's not because it worked for me. It's not because

I had a dream or a vision. I may have, but that's

not why I embrace or believe anything that I

believe. It's because God's word is truth. God's

Word is truth. Those words came from the lips

of the Immaculate Son of God. Those words. John

17, 17. He's praying, and he says, Father, sanctify

them through truth. Your Word is truth. Your

word is truth. If I embrace my Bible as anything

less than that, I place myself in disagreement

with the master, with the Lord of lords and the

king of all kings, with the Lord of eternity

and the king of glory, with the son of God who

lived a perfect sinless life and died on a cross

on Calvary's hill for you and for me. He said

God's word is truth. Number two, number two.

2 Timothy chapter 3, 16 and 17. 2 Timothy 3,

2 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

16 and 17 says, All Scripture. Not half Scripture.

Not some Scripture. Not Old Testament Scripture.

Not New Testament Scripture. Not major prophet

Scripture. Not minor prophet Scripture. Not gospel

Scripture. Not epistle Scripture. All Scripture

is given by inspiration of God. The Word of God,

the Bible, is inspired in its entirety. All Scripture.

Now, it may not all be written to you. Did anybody

bring your lamb? Or goat? Or two turtle doves?

Or drag your... oxen with a rope around his neck

into the parking lot this morning to bring him

up here and hand him over to me so I could cut

his throat and offer a blood sacrifice. Of course

we didn't because those verses aren't written

to us. They're written for us. They're written

for our admonition, it says in 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10. Twice in that same chapter, it says

it was given for our instruction and for our

admonition as an example to us. Those blood sacrifices

pointed to a sacrifice that would come in there.

future and has been already provided in our past.

And that's the blood that was shed on Calvary's

cross by the Lamb of God who was slain from the

foundation of the earth. The Lord Jesus Christ

supplied that blood. We don't have to do that

anymore. And the Bible's very clear about that.

Very clear about what we have to and what we

don't have to any longer do. All Scripture is

given by inspiration of God and is profitable

and is beneficial. and is helpful, and is productive.

All Scripture is given, number one, by inspiration

of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,

for correction, and for instruction in right

living. Instruction in righteousness, so that

the man of God, so that the woman of God, so

that the people of God, the young people of God,

and the old people of God, so the rich people

of God, and the poor people of God, so the educated

people of God, and the uneducated people of God,

educated people of God. This is for Christians.

This is for the people of God. Doesn't matter

what race you're from. Doesn't matter what color

you are. Doesn't matter what age group you're

a part of. Doesn't matter what socioeconomic

class. Doesn't matter what your education level,

praise God. You're part of the people of God.

And we're all the same. This is given that the

people of God may be perfect, mature, complete,

thoroughly furnished, and fully equipped unto

every good work. That's your Bible. All Scripture

is given. Not all tradition is given by inspiration

of God. Not all experiences are given by inspiration

of God. But all Scripture is given by inspiration

of God. And is profitable. The Bible is inspired,

bless God, in its entirety. Hebrews 4 and verse

12 says that the Word of God is alive. It's a

living document. It's inspired by the breath

of God Himself. And to this day, not one word

He's spoken has ever dribbled out onto the desert

floor or fallen to the ground unfulfilled. The

Word of God is living and is powerful. It says

over in 1 Thessalonians 2 and verse 13, one of

my absolute all -time favorite verses, and it

says, For this cause we thank God without ceasing

for you, my brethren. We thank God. Because when

you received the Word of God, which you heard

from us... See, Paul had preached there. His

traveling companions had preached there. And

he said, when you received the Word of God, which

you heard from us, you didn't receive it as the

words of a mere man. Now see, when I talk as

a mere man, I ought to tell you that. I ought

to tell you that. I would just stop and say,

now this isn't the word of God, but my favorite

ice cream in the world, what I think is best,

is turtle dove from Culver's. Now you think what

you want. You can be wrong. It's okay. I don't

mind. I don't mind. Listen, that is not given

by inspiration of God. That's given by inspiration

of Mark. Paula bought me my own little tub. Emphasis

on little. But it's a tub. She bought it for

me for Christmas. Boy, I sat down the other night,

and I just sat there up there in my jogging suit

and my socks, and I just ate rice right out of

there. I didn't even put it in a bowl. I just

ate rice with a spoon, and I said, glory to God.

Hallelujah. He said, eat the fat and drink the

sweet. So I did both right there. See, that's

not inspired of God. You don't have to eat that.

You don't have to go try it out. That's not an

instruction. I've got no business putting my

opinions or likes or beliefs unless they come

out of God's word. God's word, he said, when

you spoke, you didn't take what I, when I shared

the word of God with you, you didn't take it

as the words of a mere man. But as it is in truth,

the Word of God, which effectually worketh, that

means is full of divine power to produce results.

See, God's Word is living and powerful. My opinions

are not. Anybody else, any other preacher, any

other woman preacher, any other man preacher,

any evangelist, any apostle, any prophet, any

teacher, any pastor, no, no, no, no, no. But

God's Word is full of... divine power to produce

results in your life that believe it, that embrace

it, that live it, and that adhere to it. Number

three, God's Word is eternal. Matthew 24, 35

says, forever, O Lord. Not till 2021, 2022, not

till COVID, not till 2025, not till the 21st

century. No, forever, O Lord. Forever, oh Lord.

So many people made excuses for me when I was

growing up and said, well, that's not for us

today. That's not for us today. That was only

for the early church. That was till the last

apostle died. All of those things. You can't

find any of that in the Bible. Nowhere. What

you'll find in the Bible is heaven and earth

will pass away, but my word will never pass away.

What you'll find in your Bible in Psalm 119 verse

Psalms 119:89

89 is forever, oh Lord, your word is settled

in heaven. Forever, oh Lord. Your word is settled

in heaven. And then 1 Peter chapter 1, 23 through

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

25, and right down to the end of that section,

it says the grass will wither and the flower

thereof will fade away, but the word of God will

endure forever. The word of God will endure forever.

24, flesh is as grass, the glory of man is the

flower of grass, the grass withers and the flower

falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever.

I like the simplicity of the Bible. Even I can

understand it. Forever means forever. You can't

misunderstand that word. Forever, O Lord, your

word is settled in heaven. The word of the Lord

endures forever. Heaven and earth will pass away,

but your word will never, never pass away. The

word of God's inspired, the word of God's anointed,

the word of God's eternal. We find something

about God's Word in Jeremiah 1 .12. He watches

over His Word to perform it. He doesn't watch

over my Word to perform it. He watches over His

own Word to perform it. Isaiah 46 and verse 11,

right at the end of that verse, it says, I've

spoken it and I will bring it to pass. Yep, I

spoke it and I'll bring it to pass. I said it

and it's going to be so. Isaiah 55, 8 through

11, specifically just verse 11. And it says,

so shall my word be that goes forth out of my

mouth. It shall accomplish what I send it to

do and prosper in the thing that I send it to.

See, God said my word is going to do what I want

it to, and I'm sending it. If I send it, I'm

going to bring it to pass. And God said, I watch

over my word to perform it. And Mark 16, verse

Mark 16:20

20 says he confirms his word with signs following.

And so God watches over it, and God confirms

it, and God performs his word. Here's a couple

of wonderful verses. Psalm 19 and verse 8. Psalm

19 and verse 8. Psalm 19 and verse 8. And then

we'll go to Psalm 33. Let's see. The statutes

of the Lord are right. Huh. All right, enough

said. The Bible is right. Well, yeah, but modern

day studies have shown, listen, modern day studies

will change. Yeah, modern day studies will change.

Lo and behold. Poor, out of step, out of sync,

out of date, Pastor Clements. in his dogmatic

stance on alcohol, was just proven to be right.

Because yesterday, the day before yesterday,

the day before yesterday, they said, we've been

studying this since the 80s, and we've been telling

people that just one drink a day can't hurt you,

and it might even do you good, and now we have

to put a new label on every alcoholic beverage

starting this year that says these elements cause

cancer, even one drink. Well, I'm not so smart.

I just read my Bible. It said, wine is a mocker

and strong drink is raging and a fool it is that's

deceived thereby. I just, okay, I'm not preaching

on that today. But I'm going to give you the

Bible. The statutes of the Lord are right. I

said the statutes of the Lord are right. Are

right. Psalm 33 and verse 4. Psalm 33 and verse

4. The word of the Lord is right. That's not

hard to understand. The Word of the Lord. Not

sometimes right. Not could be right. Not if everybody

agrees and all the voters line up. The Word of

the Lord is right. The Word of the Lord is right.

And His works are done in truth. Psalm 119, verse

Psalms 119:128

128. Right down to where the rubber meets the

road. We esteem all of your precepts concerning

all things to be right. And hate every false

way. And if Psalm 19 in verse 8 that says God's

word is right, is that not enough for you? If

Psalm 33 verse 4 says the word of the Lord is

Psalms 33:4

right, if that's not good enough for you, if

Psalm 119 verse 128 says all of your precepts

Psalms 119:128

concerning all things are right, if that's not

good enough for you, then I got a good verse

for you. It's Psalm 19 in verse 7. Psalm 19 in

verse 7. The law of the Lord is perfect. There.

So if I can't embrace that the Bible's right,

then the Bible's perfect. You can't fix perfect.

It's already perfect. Doesn't need any adjustment.

Praise the Lord. I'm having fun. How about you?

All right. Now here are some almost... See, if

you're a preacher, if you're a teacher, if you're

a ladies Bible study leader, if you're a men's

Bible study leader, Pastor Robinson, just before

you retired, pastored for how many years, Debbie?

He might not know, but you know every one of

them. 50 years he pastored. 50. 50 years. And

you know, go ahead and clap. That's praiseworthy.

Retired and now comes to church. Man. I would

think, you know what I'd think? I'd think if

I pastored 50 years on Sunday morning, you know

where I'd be? I'd be up in my den in my sweatsuit

and my slippers on reclining. He's in church.

Why? Because of what the Bible says. Because

of what the Bible says. I'm telling you, for

preachers and for ministers, these along with

the book of James, it says do not seek to be

Bible instructors. You will be judged more harshly.

Very first pastor's conference I ever went to,

March of 1985. And Dr. Frederick K .C. Price,

out in Los Angeles, California, just did an absolutely

tremendous job. Life -changing, life -adjusting,

five days straight. And the very last day, he

had every pastor stand up, come down. He stood

there. He just, I mean, glared, not stared. I

mean, he was piercing your soul. Dr. Price, the

apostle of faith, one of the greatest ministers

in our generations, in our lifetime. And Dr.

Price walked right up there and he looked and

he said, I'm leaving you. I'm leaving you with

this. You're leaving this conference and I'm

telling you this. You better study that word

of God. You better study your Bible to show yourself

approved unto God. You better rightly divide

that Bible, the word of truth, because somebody

is going to listen to you and somebody is going

to believe you and their eternity. is your responsibility.

And you better get it right. I didn't know if

I wanted to pastor anymore or not. See, the Bible

is very straightforward about this. And you don't

find this about any other book, any other publication,

even about preaching and teaching. But you do

have it about the Bible. You want to see how

important God takes His Word? Deuteronomy 4 and

verse 2. Deuteronomy 4 and verse 2. You shall

not add to the word which I command you, neither

shall you diminish anything from it, that you

may keep the commandments of the Lord your God.

That is a commandment. You don't add anything

to the Bible, and you don't take anything away

from the Bible. It is perfect. It's perfect.

Proverbs 30, verses 5 and 6. Proverbs 30, verses

Proverbs 30:5 Proverbs 30:5

5 and 6. Every word of God is pure. He's a shield

to them that put their trust in Him. Verse 6.

And you shall not unto His words, add thou not

to His words, lest He reprove you, and you be

found a liar. Oh yeah. Don't go adding something

to the Bible because you like it, because you

think so, because you think it ought to be a

command, because you don't think it's right for

the 21st century. Add nothing to the Bible. Add

nothing to the Bible. And if that wasn't enough,

Revelation 21 and verse 5. Revelation 21 and

verse 5. If you missed the first two, don't miss

this one. And he that sat upon the throne said,

Behold, I make all things new. And he said, Write

these words. I'm not sure why I had verse 5 on

there, but it's a good verse anyway. Chapter

22, verse 18 and verse 19. Ready? Revelation

22, 18 and 19. And lastly. Unto every man that

hears the words of the prophecy of this book,

if any man shall add to these things, God shall

add to him the plagues that are written in this

book. Next verse. And if any man shall take away

from the words of the book of this prophecy,

God shall take away his part out of the book

of life and out of the holy city and from the

things that are written in this book. You don't

mess with the Bible. You don't mess with the

Bible. I shudder to think about some of the modern

translations, while most of them are really helpful

in assisting in understanding God's Word. Some

of them downright delete particular verses. Matter

of fact, one very, very well -renowned and utilized...

translation of the Bible. I find it great in

other chapters and in other verses. But right

there in the book of Acts, when the man jumps

into the prison cell with Paul and says, what

must I do to be saved? And Paul gives the answer,

believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall

be saved in your house. And one modern translation

deletes that whole verse, just doesn't even have

it in there. Found it to be too controversial.

I say let it be controversial. I want my name

left in the book of life. I don't want to be

found a liar by adding something or taking something

away out of that book. I remember right now a

time when Paul and I... we had a visitor come

to our house. And she had embraced a particular

religion that didn't believe the Bible was enough.

That the leader of their particular sect, the

leader of their particular group, the leader

of what they embraced and believed, had a special

revelation and received an addition to the Bible.

And a being appeared to him and told him where

to find a golden tablet with some additional

things to add to the Bible to bring it into completeness.

And so she came over to our house to try and

enlighten us. And when that didn't work, then

she got confrontational. and she said, what makes

you think that there can't be more than just

a Bible? I said, well, I'm going to just give

you one verse, maybe two. I'll just maybe give

you two verses, and then you answer those, and

then I'll answer your question. And so we opened

our Bible, her and I together, to 2 Timothy chapter

2 Timothy 3:16

3, verses 16 and 17, in which I read to her,

The same verse I've already read to you this

morning. It says, what's that first word? What's

the second word? Okay, this was written before

your golden tablets were found in the dust underneath

the pinyon tree. All scripture is given by inspiration

of God. She said, fine, no problem. I don't have

any problem with that. I said, keep reading.

And is profitable. Okay, yep, yep, the Bible

will help you. Yep, and for doctrine? Yes. For

reproof? Yes. For correction? Okay. For instruction

in right living? No problem. Next verse. So that

the people of God may be perfect, complete, entire,

fully furnished, and completely equipped unto

all good works. Ma 'am, if the Bible as I hold

it is enough to make you perfect, complete, mature,

entire, fully equipped, and completely, thoroughly

furnished, why do I need something else? If the

Bible is enough to mature you, disciple you,

equip you, complete you, and mature you, and

perfect you, and it's enough to thoroughly furnish

and fully equip you, why do you need anything

else? She folded her stuff up. She put her books

back in her bag. She went out the door. She turned

around and looked right at me and said, you're

right, and left. I don't care about being right.

I want to help people. I wouldn't know to this

day whether or not I helped you. When you take

additions to your Bible, you're in dangerous

ground. Because it's only the Bible that claims

divine inspiration. It's only the Bible that

declares eternal nature. There's only the Bible

that declares inerrancy. Yeah, only the Bible.

The Word of God. And so let's briefly, and then

we'll wrap up. Let's briefly, let's again look

at this list. We mentioned it a couple weeks

ago. 1 Peter 1, verse 23. It's the Word of God

1 Peter 1:23

that we're born again by. Proverbs 4. 22, it's

life to us who find it and health to all of our

flesh. Matthew 4 .4 and Luke 4 .4 both say that

the Word of God is the bread that we live by.

Romans 12 and verse 2, the Word of God renews

our mind. James 1 .21, it's the saving of our

soul. Psalm 107 verse... 20, He sent His Word

and healed them. It's what brings healing to

us. Ephesians 6, 17, it's the sword of the Spirit

that we are victorious in battle with. Romans

10, 17, it's the source of our faith. Faith comes

by hearing and hearing, by the Word of God. John

17, 17, the Word of God is what sanctifies us.

Psalm 119, verse 130, it's light to us and...

Psalms 119:130

Brings understanding to the simple. The entrance

of Your Word brings light and is understanding

to the simple. Psalm 119, verse 105. It's a lamp

Psalms 119:105

to our feet and a light to our path. Psalm 119,

Psalms 119:165

verse 165. Great peace have they which love your

word. It's a source of great peace. Luke 11,

28 and James 1, 25 say it's the source of blessing.

And James 1, that verse states that they'll be

blessed in all of their deed. In Joshua 1, 8.

Meditation on and acting on the Word of God,

you'll make your way prosperous and you'll have

good success, which means you'll deal wisely

in all the affairs of life. And then Psalm 1,

1 through 3, says that meditation on God's Word

will cause you to prosper in everything you set

your hand unto. The Word of God is the source

of your blessing, the source of your sanctification,

the source of your great peace, the source of

faith. It's the sword you fight by. It's healing

for your body. It renews your mind and saves

you. your soul, it's the bread that we live by,

it's life to us who find it, and we're born again

through the Word of God. It is God's voice, Hebrews

Hebrews 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3 and chapter 4, three different times,

it is God's voice speaking to us, after which,

after hearing it, we are commanded to not harden

our hearts. That's the Word of God. Now, one

more portion of Scripture, 2 Peter chapter 1.

2 Peter 1 · chapter mention

I want you to turn there with me. I realize I've

gone through a number of these verses and Scriptures,

all to declare here in this church this morning

that there is one reason that we believe, and

that is it's written in the Word of God. Whatever

we believe, we ought to be able to support it

with a chapter and a verse. And not just one

chapter and one verse, but in the mouth of two

or three witnesses, let every word be established.

It ought to be a consistent doctrine throughout

the scriptures. Not just even just one place

that we just pull out of its context. Well, the

Bible says, well, what does the rest of the Bible

say? You ought to write that down. That is one

of the primary rules of Bible interpretation.

What does the rest of the Bible say? as well.

Not just pulling one out and say, I found a new

doctrine. What does the rest of the Bible say

about that? That's the best way to understand

Scripture is to see what the rest of Scripture

says. Is that a consistent flowing doctrine all

through the pages? Or do I need to study it a

little more? Do I need to do a little more study

on it? Now, did you find 2 Peter chapter 1? All

2 Peter 1 · chapter mention

right, 2 Peter chapter 1, 16 through 21. And

2 Peter 1 · chapter mention

this is where Peter is, he's about, he's come

right down to the end of his life, and the Lord

showed him he's going to have to put that tabernacle,

that's his earthly body, he's going to have to

put that off. And he says, after my decease,

I want you to have these things in your remembrance.

What things? The things he's preached to them

in five chapters in his first letter, 1 Peter.

The things he's already spoken here in this first

chapter. And he didn't say, I want you to have

my jokes in remembrance. He didn't say, I want

you to have the suits that I wore, my ties in

remembrance. He said, I want you to have these

things in remembrance. These things. 4, verse

16. We have not followed cunningly devised fables,

cleverly designed myths and stories. When we

made known to you the power and coming of our

Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of

his majesty. And so he said, I'm not just giving

you secondhand someone else's testimony and some

secondhand story. He said, I saw it for my own

eyes. I saw everything Jesus did. I watched his

miracles. I watched him open blind eyes and cleanse

lepers. I was up on the mountaintop when he was

changed right before us. And he was transfigured

right before us. That's Matthew chapter 17. He

Matthew 17 · chapter mention

said in verse 17, For he received from God the

Father honor and glory. When there came such

a voice to him from the excellent glory, this

is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.

And that voice which came from heaven, we heard

it when we were with him on the holy mountain.

And so on your time, go back and look at Matthew

17 again, and you'll see that Jesus said, I'm

going to take Peter, James, and John. We're going

up to the mountaintop. And while he was there,

he stood there, and he was transfigured before

then. He became glistening. brilliant and glowing,

just as he will when he comes to the clouds at

the second coming. And they all fell on their

faces. This bright, glistening, brighter than

the sun was shining, and they were on their faces,

and they heard a voice say, This is my beloved

Son. Hear ye Him. And he said right there, that

voice came from heaven. It didn't come from a

loudspeaker down in the valley. It came from

heaven. They saw the resurrected Christ. They

saw, short of Saul of Tarsus, Paul on the road

to Damascus, they saw Him in His resurrected

form. They saw Him right there while He was standing

there. become as He would when He'll return.

And they heard the voice of God. They heard the

voice of God speak. Now that's a vision. I said

that is a vision. And then they heard God's voice

with their own ears, and He says right there

in verse 19, and we have a more sure word of

prophecy. We have a more sure word of prophecy

right here in this book, the Bible. Right here

in this book, the Bible. And so He said, I'm

an eyewitness of His majesty. I saw Him with

my very own eyes. I saw the Lord Jesus Christ

resurrected high and lifted up. I heard the voice

of God Almighty from heaven come tumbling down

and I heard it to say, this is my beloved Son

in whom I'm well pleased. But we have a more

sure word. That word in the Greek means more

reliable, more certain, more immutable. More

reliable. More dependable. Think about that.

I heard the voice of God Himself. How many human

beings can say that? I saw the resurrected Christ

with my very own eyes. But we have a more certain,

more stable, more immutable, more dependable,

and more reliable Word. And you'd do well if

you take heed to it. As a light that shines in

a dark place, a day dawn, a day star rise in

your heart, knowing this verse, no prophecy of

the Scripture is of any private interpretation,

for this prophecy came not in old time by the

will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they

were moved by the Holy Ghost. This Word is inspired

in its entirety. And we don't believe something.

We don't believe because somebody had a vision.

We don't believe because somebody had a dream.

We don't believe because I prayed and it worked

for me. We don't believe because we saw a finger

in fire right across the sky. We believe in the

creation of all things. And we don't believe

that because we can prove it scientifically.

We don't believe that because we didn't find

a monkey with a face that looked like a man.

We don't believe it because we can understand

how a God could create all the fowls of the air

and all the fish and marine creatures all in

one day. And once we can wrap our brain around

it, then we'll believe it. No, we don't believe

it because of that. We believe it because the

Bible says it. We believe it because the Bible

says so. That's why we believe in creation. We

believe in the virgin birth of Christ. Never

happened before. Will never happen again. But

it happened that day. And there are others that

want to come up with their ideas and their explanations.

I don't believe it because somebody can't explain

it. I believe it because the Bible says it. That's

why we believe what we believe. Because it's

in God's Word. We believe that the Red Sea parted.

Not because the water was shallow or because

the wind blew really strong. We believe that

because the Bible says it. We don't believe it

because they found a couple of chariot wheels

down in 300 foot deep of water. We believe it

because the Bible says it. We believe that Jonah

spent three days and three nights in a dark,

smelly belly of a very big fish or a whale, whatever.

Not because we found the fish that could actually

swallow a human being. Hey, you can believe the

Bible now because we found this fish and it actually

could happen. No, we believe it because the Bible

says it did happen. We believe in a paradise

called heaven, a place where all believers will

go and spend eternity in the glory of God. And

we believe in a horrible, detestable place of

torment called hell. Not because it's popular.

Not because the majority of Americans want to

believe in hell. But because the Bible teaches

it. The Bible reveals heaven. And the Bible reveals

hell. We believe in Noah's Ark not because they

found a few splinters up on a mountain in Armenia.

We believe in the Ark because the Bible says

it. The Word of God teaches it. We believe that

Saul of Tarsus... traveling to Damascus, Syria,

met the resurrected Christ on that road, and

had a conversation, and his life was changed.

in the twinkling of an eye. We believe that a

young boy named David took one stone and slung

it through the air and killed the greatest warrior

on the planet whose name was Goliath. We believe

that manna rained out of heaven for 40 years,

six days a week, 52 weeks a year for 40 years

because the Bible says so. We believe that a

rock followed them around and poured out enough

water to support 2 million people. Oh, pastor,

you can't really believe that. Of course I believe

it. Why? Because you tell me it's... It's impossible.

It's in the Bible. I believe it. It's settled

forever. That settles it for me. We believe that

three Hebrew boys were cast by a heathen king

into an extermination pot, a fire that he was

so angry that he kindled seven times greater

and threw them in so hot that the executioners

died when they cast him in there and that those

boys walked around right in the midst of that

flame and the fourth came to walk amongst them.

It was the Son of God. We don't believe that

because it makes sense, because it's a great

bedtime story. We believe it because it's in

God's Word. We believe that the bones of Elisha,

after the prophet of God died and was buried,

and all the flesh rotted off his bones, that

they threw a dead man into his grave one day,

and that dead man stood up and was revived back

to life. You can't possibly believe it. I can

possibly believe it because it's in the Bible.

I don't believe it because it's ever been done

or because you believe it could be done. I believe

it and you ought to believe it because it's in

God's Word. I believe that Jesus died, that Jesus

was buried, that on the third day Jesus was raised

from the grave, that He ascended up into heaven

and that Jesus will return because the Bible

tells me that. I believe that Jesus loves me.

This I know for the Bible tells me so. I believe

in a hill called Calvary on a cross, an old rugged

cross. I believe in a grave whose stone was not

heavy enough to hold my Savior. I believe in

the upper room on the day of Pentecost. And I

believe Jesus is going to come to the clouds

when the last trumpet blows. Because the Bible

tells me so. Because the Bible tells me so. Stand

to your feet. The Apostles' Creed may not be

perfect, but it may very well be the best that

the church has. Ready? I believe God the Father

Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus

Christ His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived

by the Holy Spirit. born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,

dead, and buried. He descended into hell and

on the third day rose again from the dead. He

ascended into heaven and sits on the right hand

of God. From there, He shall come to judge the

living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit.

I believe in the holy Christian church, the communion

of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection

of the body, and in life everlasting. Amen. Amen.

And amen. I don't believe it because somebody

prophesied it. So they got one right. They might

have got a thousand wrong, but everybody makes

a big deal out of it and they got one right.

I don't believe it because somebody had a prophecy.

I don't believe it because somebody had a vision.

I don't believe it because somebody had a dream

and that somebody might be me. I don't believe

it because the Pope said it or the bishop said

it. I don't believe it because Pastor Clement

said it. I believe it because the Bible said

it. Let the Bible be your firm foundation. Let

the Bible be your source. Let the Bible be what

you go to first and what seals and settles it

for you for eternity. Let it be where you gain

your instructions, your marching orders, your

directions, your corrections. Your instructions.

Let God speak to your life, and let this Word

be settled in you forever as the Word of God.

You'll never be sorry. You'll never, ever, ever

be disappointed. The Word of the Lord is pure,

and we consider all of His precepts concerning

all things to be right. To be right. It's inspired,

it's inerrant, and it is eternal. Inspired, inerrant,

and eternal. Now, I'd like to ask you to be seated,

but I'm not. Because that's my introduction.

That's the introduction. Point number one. Introduction.

Point number one. Matthew 9, 27. There has been

an eternal, redemptive sacrifice. Made for you

and I. Made for every human being. Every human

being. Number one is Jesus. And he made an eternal

redemptive sacrifice for us. Eternal redemptive

sacrifice. And I'm going to get the 12. Hebrews

9 -12. We'll go back to Matthew a different day.

Hebrews 9, 12. Neither by the blood of bulls

and goats, but by his own blood, he entered once

into the holy place, having obtained eternal

redemption for us. We'll start with Jesus and

his plan to redeem all of us. And if you're here

today or if you're watching this broadcast or

if you're even viewing it later, right now it's

Sunday morning, the 5th of January, 2025. Shortly

before 11 o 'clock here central time in Wisconsin,

no matter when you're watching this, that eternal

redemptive sacrifice was made for you, made for

every member of the human race. Everyone. Everywhere.

You can't go too far. You haven't done too much.

And there is no such thing as hopeless with our

God. You can be born again and you can accept

that redemptive sacrifice today. And make the

greatest decision of your life and your life

can change. Your hopelessness can become hope

-filled. You're decimated. You heard the email

earlier. My life was a wreck, but look what the

Lord has done. But as a Christian, we have to

have one thing stable. We have to have one thing

straight. We have to have one thing that we are

immovable on, and that is that this book is God's

Word. And it speaks to us, and we willingly accept

and receive it and obey it. And obey it. I'm

not the best on earth with a compass. I can get

by. I'm not near as qualified and as experienced

an expert. as a number of other people are. But

I can get by. Know why I can get by? Because

I know there's one unchangeable on that compass.

I know there's one thing that is absolute principle

that never changes. And that's that arrow points

north. That's solidified. I don't have to pick

it up every day and just wonder, well, I wonder

what direction it's going to point today. I wonder

if I turn this way, which direction it's going

to point. It's always identically the same. Therefore,

it can be trusted. I've been out in fog so thick,

I couldn't have seen these people in the front

row. I got lost in the fog one day with my dad,

and it was getting dark. And we were on a lake

with no development. None. Not one light. anywhere

on the bank and unsure. Wouldn't have done any

good when the fog came in because we couldn't

have seen it anyway. I couldn't see him sitting

in the front of a 16 -foot boat. I couldn't see

him. It was that thick and it was getting dark

and we were lost. And I remembered in my tackle

box I had a compass. And I knew beyond a doubt

that I was going straight east across that lake.

And that compass said I was going northwest.

And I took it and I shook it. I should have shook

me. The compass doesn't change. I said, listen,

the compass doesn't change. The compass doesn't

ever change. But I have to trust the compass.

And I said to my dad, this goes against everything

I sense. It goes against everything I feel. It

goes against everything I believe right now.

Because I thoroughly, totally believe I left

the west side of this lake, and I kept that thing

straight, and I know I'm going east. But I'm

going to believe the compass. Now, a different

time I was out in my boat. You might think I

spend a lot of time in my boat. Just know this.

I don't spend near enough. And we were up in

Canada. And, again, no development. A million

ways to break your motor. And islands and rocks

and reefs and just, and you have to go all, and

we had a couple that were lost. And I said, I'll

take you up to as far as the bridge, you can

get to your cabin then. And I took them all through

those islands and all through. And by the time

we got there, it was pitch black. And I had asked

him, do you have a light? They said, oh yeah,

we have a light. I said, well, keep it shined

on my boat and just follow me because I know

the way. And I turned around and I see these

people in this boat like this. That's the only

light they had. You're in a million acre lake,

man. And they're out there with a little cell

phone light. So I gave them my big spotlight

and then I went up and by the time I got back,

it was pitch black. And my spotlight went out.

But I've got this locator with GPS on it. And

I've got a track on it. And I turned it on, and

I kept my face just like this. Just like this.

And it got so bad, I wanted to look around to

see if I could see an island. And so finally,

I pulled my hood up over my head and put it right

over top of the locator. And I was driving down

the lake like this, swerving to miss Big Rock,

swerving to miss islands, swerving. And I never

took my eyes off that track on that GPS because

I knew that was unchangeable. And I could trust

that track. And then when I got back, I pulled

my hood up, and I was back, and there was the

landing right there. If I can do that with a

compass and if I can do that with a GPS, neither

of them are eternal. Neither of them are divinely

inspired. This is. This is. Make it what you

trust. Keep your eyes glued to it. Keep it in

the midst of your heart. Thank you for watching

The Word of the Lord, a weekly television broadcast

of Living Word Christian Church. Living Word

Christian Church welcomes you to join us at 2015

Ward Avenue in La Crosse, Wisconsin. And Wednesday

evenings at 7. For more information on Living

Word Christian Church,