The Power of the Engrafted Word | Pastor Paul McGee

Amen. Good to see your faces today in

the House of the Lord. Amen.

On this Sunday morning, he in God's house and be able to

gather ourself around his word. And I think it's in order today

to say thank you to all the many hands that was involved this

past week with Sister Sharon's funeral and preparing food and

meal. I know you was a great help to

my wife and myself, being that we were traveling back from

Mississippi and I know there were some announcements made

here last Sunday and people just came and stood for the task of

making sure food was prepared. There were people that took some

time off work and other things like that in order to help

facilitate everything that took place here at the church.

And we thank you and appreciate you for that.

Thank you for being of encouragement and support to the

family during that time, Amen, Of their need and no doubt

surely still yet days to come, Amen.

And so we appreciate you for that.

Appreciate Bishop and but rather Mason filling in than last

weekend as well. I in my absence, I haven't had

the chance to listen to both of those messages yet, but I assure

you I will. I usually always do.

Whether I'm mowing the lawn or something.

It's going to I'm going to get to it eventually.

What what was said and spoken here?

And I know that you were blessed by that, encouraged by that.

And then we're. Going to look turn to the book.

Of James this morning, James chapter #1 and I'm going to kind

of be in teaching mode here today.

I just tell him Bishop, he asked me if I was all right, said

yeah, I'm just a little tired. Seems like whenever we left to

go to Mississippi then with the funeral, it just been like,

boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom ever

since then. But that's OK, that's all right.

I told you the Reese said this is just my physical body, you

know, so I'm thinking about that song someday.

Praise the. Lord, I have a new body.

I have a new life, you know. But anyway, someday it will

happen. Amen.

But until then, James chapter #1 I'm going to start reading the

verse #17 and again, I kind of do some teaching here this

morning. Tonight, though, Bishop is

ministering. The summer months are kind of

crazy months as far as with people's schedules here and

there. But prior to the summer months,

we were a little bit in the mode of that.

The 2nd, the 4th Sunday nights that we were using people in the

church and we still using Brother Alex in the 4th, but

trying to use Bishop and Brother Mason then on that second.

And so he's going to be ministering to us again tonight

and going to try to continue with that here.

Routine starting up again. School's back in session.

Everybody's getting more fixed to routine of life and you know,

vacation settled down a little bit typically and such.

So we're just going to get into a routine of life here, not in a

bad way, but in a good way. James chapter #1 and verse #17

you're probably there by now. The Bible says every good gift,

and every perfect gift is from above cometh down from the

Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, and neither

shadow of turning of his own will begat he us with the.

Word of truth. That we should be a kind of

firstfruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my beloved brethren,

let every man be swift to hear solo, to speak solo to wrath.

For the wrath. Of man worketh not the

righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all

filthiness and superfluity of knightiness, and receive with

meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls

for a little while. This morning I want to talk to

us about the power of the engrafted word.

The power of the engrafted word. Can we talk to the Lord one more

time as He'd help us. Father, we need you this

morning, God. We're appreciative, Lord, for

this day. We're appreciative, God, for

those that have gathered together.

I pray, O Lord, you have to touch our hearts and minds, God,

as we turn our attention to your word today, God, for it is a

lamp and to our feet, and a light and to our pathway, God.

Help it, O Lord, today to establish our goings.

And we've not failed to praise you, God.

And thank you, Lord, for what you accomplished in this place

today. In the name of Jesus Christ, we

pray Amen of the church say Amen, Amen.

You may be seated today, Amen, in Jesus name.

Also, just as a side note, we just have three more Wednesdays

here in the month of August that connect groups will be

happening. We've been divided between men

and women and of course, than the youth through the summer

months. So there's just three more

Wednesdays to participate in that until we go back to a more

of a corporate teaching type of format on Wednesdays.

But when we do starting off in Wednesdays in the month of

September, we'll be starting off with a series on a self worth

for about a month's time. And so that's going to be in the

month of September. And so just something to, I

don't know, I want to say look forward to it.

Maybe someone's like, no, I'm not looking forward to it.

Well, I'm just going to say look forward to it.

All right. So nonetheless, so the power,

the power of the engrafted word James here, the epistle of

James, he begins. He's speaking to the 12 tribes

of Israel and the 12 tribes of Israel at this particular time

are are scattered here and there.

The church had went through a a major time of persecution.

They were centrally located by and large in Jerusalem.

But due to the persecution that the church underwent, people

begin then to spread out and move away from Jerusalem and

there was a dispersing of the tribes and the people here in

Yonder. And so it's one of those

scenarios, what the enemy meant for bad, you know, God used for

good, because what that meant is that their message and their

gospel that they had. 12 times preached in Jerusalem now is

going to the far reaches of the world, to these different places

that the people have scattered to all, all across Asia and

otherwise. So James is speaking to the

scatter group because no doubt it could feel a little

overwhelming for them now to be separated from Jerusalem here

and beyond. And so they're going through

times, no doubt, of difficulty and persecution and troublous

times. And so James takes a moment to

call their attention back to a gift in particular that God has

given them. And he, of course, is referring

to their new birth experience of being born again.

So while all of this, this very much so confusion is happening

in their land and among them, he's calling them back to

something a very good gift, Amen, for them to remember.

And that is being born again. And, and, and with that, that,

that no matter where you are, right, no matter where you are

or what your circumstance or a situation may be, nobody can

take that experience away from you.

Nobody can remove that fact away from you, regardless of the

persecution that you may face. And so James begins to tell us

in just this short little section of the passage, although

we could look at the overall, but in this short section,

basically letting us know that that if God begat us with the

word of truth, then he also wanted them to know that that

same word of truth can maintain and keep them right.

Our God is he don't just save and then like abandoned this

over here to some field and say OK.

You're on your own. Good luck.

Great. No, that the same word that that

was used for our new birth experience is also the same word

that disciples us, the same word that even keeps us.

And so he tells us, even starting out when he's going to

talk about every good and every perfect gift coming from above

all of this. All of this follows James

talking about there's going to be temptations and there's going

to be testings. And no man can say when he is

tempted. He is tempted of God.

For every man that is tempted is drawn away of his own lust and

entice. And he, he goes through and

talks about that when this happened, that that whenever we

have temptation, if if, whenever it's finished, there's

conception of sin and sin bringing forth death, all of

this stuff. And he says then in verse #16

then do not error, my, my beloved brethren, do not air.

And so he already told them about tempting and testing and

the reason that God is doing what he is doing or not doing

what he is doing. Then he comes to the fact of

this. He says, you, you now understand

you have temptation and test, and you're scattered here and

brought. And that all seems very, very

negative. He says, So now let's shift the

focus and see what is good. And he wanted them to relate

that every good gift and every perfect gift truly, though,

comes from above. He wants them to understand that

God is ultimately the giver of the good and the perfect gifts.

There's, there's a spot in the Gospels that Jesus relays this

to us even once more. He basically said, and some of

you will remember the scripture. I think it's in Luke, but it's

it probably more than one of the other gospels as well.

But he said that if, if a child would come to you and ask of of

bread, would his father give him a stone or would he ask of fish,

would he give him a, a, a Viper? Or if he asked of him an egg, I

believe the other one is would he give him a scorpion?

Of course, it's a rhetorical question, but the answer in our

minds like absolutely not, a father wouldn't do that.

And he says, well, if a natural earthly father would give, you

know, appropriate gifts to his Son, then how much the more

shall your heavenly Father give you the gift of the spirit or

the gift of the Holy Ghost and want to give you a good gift?

And so when we talk about every good and every perfect gift, and

we're talking about gift, we're absolutely speaking about the

act of giving and the act of receiving.

James is telling us that all of the good acts of giving,

particularly humans, can do good in their giving, but the good

and the perfect, the whole and the complete, Our gift sometimes

can be marred by ourselves, our hands, or our own personalities.

But he said every good and perfect gift truly comes from

from above. And he says it cometh down.

And that means that it doesn't just come down once, but it

comes and it continues to come. Those good and perfect gifts

come down and continue to come. Amen to men and women.

And so we're on one side. He told him about the testing,

the temptation. Now he's trying to even out the

scale, so to speak, and talk about the good things.

One thing was negative. He's trying to talk about the

positive things. And the positive thing is this,

no matter how hard you're testing and trial and you're

scattering persecution is right now, don't forget how good your

God is. Don't forget how good he is and

how good he has been and it's still coming how good he's going

to be to you amid everything that you're facing.

The Bible says, the psalmist said in Psalms 18 and verse 30,

it says As for God, his way is perfect.

The word of the Lord is tried. He is a buckler to all those

that trust in him. David, or the Psalmist rather

pin these words after his deliverance from the hand of

Saul. No testament Saul was he felt

intimidated by David somewhat jealous by David and he forms a

conspiracy to try to get David's life and at different times

attempted to take David's life. It's after all of this

deliverance that David wrote these words that God his way is

perfect and the word of the Lord is tried David.

How can you say this You've been going through a very hard trial.

You went through a very distressing time, darkness and

difficulty. There were people that were

looking for your for life. There was a lot of

misunderstandings and misery that you were enduring.

And yet David backs up and says, well, God's way is perfect.

Amen. He wasn't necessarily saying,

oh, it was perfect that I was being used up for for life.

But you know what David is saying is that God just has

every all things work together. All things work together for the

good to them that love the Lord and are the called according to

his purpose. He didn't say all things are

good. He just says whatever it is, God

can use that to work towards something that is positive or

furthering in your life. And so David says the way of the

Lord is perfect. And no doubt he would probably

said if I could have traded running for my life from Saul

for, you know, being able just to be in one spot, not having to

be a fugitive, I would have done that.

But he says in spite of that not happening, God's used all of

this in my favor. God's used all of this in my

favor. And as he's describing God,

these gifts that come down from the Father of lights, he says in

whom is no variableness, right? Neither is there any shadow of

turning. It's not even is no

variableness. The literal can be, can be no

variableness. He's talking about your God.

He's talking about your God. He's immutable.

He does not change. The God of David and the God of

Moses is the God of Paul McGee and the God of Re Singer.

He does not change. He doesn't change with culture,

He doesn't change with race, He doesn't change with time.

He's a immutable God. The there, there cannot be any

variableness to our God. Amen.

And not just that, but there is no shadow of turning.

To have to have a changeable variable God is almost a

contradiction in terms because God speaks about his

immutability, his his ability to not change.

We read in scripture even of Christ that Jesus Christ the

same yesterday, today and forever.

And if that if every good and perfect gift then comes from

that type of God, then the gifts that come have a a element of

not being able to change as well because they come from an end

changing God. The gift is going to be good.

The gift is going to be from above.

And we need to take consolation this morning.

And the fact that we have a God that does not change wouldn't be

horrible. It would almost be like if you

ever had a employer that are constantly changing the rules or

their mind about what they want you to do or not doing it.

It changes every day and it's like you're walking into a new

world every day because you don't know what their

expectation is. I'm ministering to somebody

right now. It would it be like every day

you just don't know. Could you imagine serving God

like that? Well, today this is OK for that.

And then it flip flops the next day and then and you're just

constantly in a whirlwind because you can't live life like

that, right? You can't live life without some

type of consistency. We have a God that does not

change, not just in his expectations, but also in how he

pours out then upon us, right, and how he treats us.

There's no shadow of turning concerning our God.

Look at verse 18. Now this is important of his.

His will, His own will He begat, or he gave birth to us with

what? The word of truth.

The word of truth this is important because God gave birth

to us with the tool of the word of his truth.

The Bible says in other places of the gospel that we are

begotten by the word. The Bible speaks of it being the

incorruptible seed. Again, there's something that's

not prone to change or prone to corruption.

It's the incorruptible seed. And so James shares with us that

the good part, the perfect part of the gift from God above is

primarily that we've been begotten by the word of truth.

Sin before this He said sin bringing forth death, bringing

forth death. But when we're talking about

God, God and his gift is bringing forth life, more

importantly spiritual life to us.

And so the whole verse really hinges on those 3 words that he

begat or begat he us. It is the work of God, Amen.

The work of the Spirit in our life is the work of God, Amen.

He accomplishes something in US, and He does so by using the Word

of truth to accomplish it. God uses His Word to bring about

new birth, new life, and our discipline of life after we've

come to know the Lord. What's that mean?

We can be touched by a song in service and that's great, but we

were not begotten by a song. We were not begun by song or

some gimmick or or or. No, it's the word, the word of

truth that does the beginning. And so there might be other

things in a service that draw us near into God, but ultimately

when we ultimately, when we are born of God, it's going to be

the word. And the word takes, takes a

prominent place in the Bible. It's spoken of very, very lifted

up. It's exalted.

The psalmist said, for thou Speaking of God, thou hast

magnified thy word above thy name.

You've magnified your word above your name.

That's how much even God esteems the word that he shares with

you. And I the Bible says in Acts

Acts 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6 and verse #7 it says in the word of God increase and

the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly.

A great company of priests were obedient to the faith.

Word increases number of disciples, which mean pupils or

learners, people that are continuing with a maintenance of

growth after they've received the Spirit of the Lord said they

multiplied because the word is not just important for your new

birth. The word is important for your

new life, not just your new birth, but your new life.

The Word of God will tutor you. That's the reason why later in

the same chapter it begins to talk to us about not being just

hearers of the Word only, but doers of the Word.

The same word of truth that he begat us by will also teach us

and instruct us and disciple us. Amen into the ways of life.

Amen. It will do that.

And so here are these, these, these 12 tribes that are

scattered, and the word of life even brings some, some revival,

if you will, to them. The psalmist said in Psalms 119

and verse #50 he says that this is my comfort.

Look at this, this is my comfort in my affliction.

For thy word hath quickened me, said in my affliction, I don't

tell you my comfort. He said, This has been my

comfort, your word. How many times have you ever

sought consolation through the word?

Something said, something spoken, a story read, something

you could identify, something that that that would say.

When the enemy comes in like a flood, the.

Spirit of the Lord will. Upraise a standard against him

that comforts me and my. Affliction to read that there's

no weapon formed against me that shall prosper brings me comfort

in my affliction right all of these type of things it's

bringing comfort and so David or rather James is speaking the

epistle of James is speaking to those that are in deep times of

affliction and he says hey that word begot you but that word is

not just for your birth. That word is for your life and I

know your infliction David is relaying he says but that word

can even be your comfort Amen during any time of your life.

Amen. It wasn't just the midwife that.

Brought you and help supple you and salt you.

It's the one that's helping you grow and mature and get strength

and it'll lift up your head when it's falling down.

But if you allow it, the word will will quicken you, it will

revive you, if you will, when you've been beaten down by

circumstances, folks I know been, you know, doing this thing

called life for a few years now. There are times I you know, the

song is if you walk in, you know, whatever sick you're going

to walk out, he'll well, there's sometimes I've walked in

depressed, I've walked in down, I've walked in tired, but just a

little bit of time in that service.

And those lyrics have have the word of God in them, and

somebody's testimony has the word of God in that.

And then that preacher teaches or whatever the word of God.

And before I've left, I've got a Band-Aid of his word upon my

affliction, and I feel comfort in my soul because of that word.

Amen. The Word has resurrection power.

John said it right, that in the beginning was the Word, and the

Word was with God, and the Word was God.

And verse 14 tells us that that Word became flesh and walked

among us, and we declared His glory as the only begotten of

the Father, full of grace and truth, Speaking of Jesus Christ.

If that's so, Jesus got about the grave.

If all of that parallels, then this Word has resurrection

power. Resurrection power.

So it's a word of encouragement to each and everyone of us.

Doesn't matter you're a walk or station in life, Amen.

You're a handler of the word or you're a receiver of the word,

Amen. It's going to minister to you.

Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 5 and verse 14.

Wherefore thus saith the. Lord God of hosts, because ye

speak this word, behold, I will make my words, and by mouth

fire. And this people would, and yet

Speaking of the word shall devour them.

Jeremiah was in a situation, he had some opposers, right?

Some adversaries. He said if you speak this word,

he said it, it will be fired. They will be wood.

It won't be able to stand before you.

But that ain't going to happen just with some literature book,

right? That's not going to happen with

the concoction of your own brain and mind.

But if you speak this word, you speak this word, the word works.

John Blanchard said this, He said we must never evacuate the

message in order to accommodate the method, right?

This, this, this is this is the the guide book, so to speak, the

handbook for life. And if the writer said it as so,

and he did, that faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word

of God, and that without faith it's impossible to please God,

then I need the Word in affliction, out affliction, good

time, bad time, everything well, everything in turmoil.

I need the Word and I need to educate myself about God just as

much as I do the trial. That's what James is doing.

Don't forget the gift that's been given to you and this gift

that we, you've gotten you. I've begotten you by the word of

truth in such a way that you've become a kind of first fruits

of, of his creatures, first fruits of his creatures.

It's it's kind of similar when you talk about the first born of

the Old Testament, whether it was a child or whether it was

cattle, it was the first born, It was the first product of the

reproduction or it was the first fruit that came from a harvest.

All of those things, first fruit, first born, all those

things were consequent to the Lord.

No one else got any part of that God did, he said so when I have

begotten you become kind of like a first, a first fruits of of my

creature. You know what that means?

That means my life therefore is consecrated or should be

consecrated or dedicated unto the Lord.

My life is not my own. My life is not my own.

I belong unto the Lord. And in that fact, then if it's

per Southeast a trial I face, it's really not my trial, it's

His trial. I'm your.

I'm yours, Lord. You, you, you own me now.

With all this, James gives us some other, gives us some other

wisdom about hearing and speaking in wrath.

He says since we are these. Creatures firstfruits of his

creation and since you are going through some troubling times.

This is good for Satan center alike all right, but

particularly to those that have been born again of the water and

the spirit. He says here's the wisdom of

James. Be swift to hear, slow to speak,

slow to wrath. Now we need to wake up in the

morning. Repeat that five times before we

start our day. Swift to hear, slow to speak,

slow to wrath. What are you saying?

What are you saying, James? Here it is.

You've begotten us for a new life.

Now new life will impact behavior.

You just got new creature in Christ Jesus, right?

Romans talks about putting off the old man and putting on the

new, new Minecraft. He says so, so new birth brings

about new life, new life. So he begins, he begins to

reason with them that that their belief in their behavior or what

has occurred in them and their behavior goes hand in hand.

So he says be swift to hear Jesus himself in the Gospels,

Jesus said to take heed what you hear.

He said that Mark four, he said take heed to what you hear.

But he also told us in Luke chapter 8 to take heed how we

Luke 8 · chapter mention

hear. That's interesting.

It wasn't just take heed to to the what, but to the how.

Sometimes we have this predisposed mindset that a.

Person could be saying something, but we're only

hearing what we want to hear. Because we've already got it

filtered through a mind that's made in a certain direction or

way or a preconceived notion or idea.

So it's not just what you hear, but it's even.

How you hear. And so it's evident even through

scripture that that we we should guard what comes into our ears,

what what we listen to, what we give attention to, right?

He says. So in this new life, with this

gift that's God-given you. Be careful what you give your

full attention to. Listen, listen, ladies and

gentlemen, there are some things that is undeserving of your

attention. There are some things that are

sad that are just undeserving of your attention, right #1 because

you're not the person you used to be.

You're not the same old whatever and the same old whatever.

I know you look, you might, you know, your voice has the same

tempo and, and cadence and all that, but you're not the same

person that that you used to be. Amen.

And so you don't have to give ear to everything that is trying

to penetrate your ears. Matter of fact, I advise you,

you probably shouldn't give ear to everything that's trying to

penetrate your ears. Some of it needs to go directly

to file 13. You know, it needs to hit the

spot or whatever you call your trash can, it needs to hit.

Amen. Sometimes we're like the couple

who were in with some friends in the subject of marriage

counseling came up and Mary said, Oh, TomTom and I will

never need counseling. We have a great relationship.

He has a communications major in college and I majored in drama.

He communicates real well and I just act like I'm listening.

She said so you you got to watch what you give your give heed to

hear and how that you hear. Proverbs 1813 advises US 1813

says he that answereth the matter before he heareth.

Have you ever been guilty of that?

I'll raise my hand. You ever answered the matter

before you heard it? I mean like totally heard it.

It is falling shame to him now. Like just kind of get in on like

a little bit of a conversation and then think you know the

whole ball of wax, right or just hear one side of a conversation.

Think you know everything there is know the know the matter when

I haven't really heard it right or maybe I have preconceived

notions about whatever they're talking about.

And so it's translate. They're saying stuff, but it's

translating differently whenever it hits me because I already got

my ideas right. And so he says new birth gonna

go help new life. So it's not just being being

slow to or swift to hear. It's being slow to speak.

Oh, God help us, the engrafted word slow to speak.

They say biologically, God was telling us something when he

gave us two ears and one mouth. We should listen twice as much

as we talk. Amen.

Remind us to listen more than we speak.

Matthew 1236 my grandpa Weisenberger.

My grandpa Weisenberger would bring this verse up from time to

time and it's quite penetrating, honestly.

He says. But I say to you that everybody

say every idle. Word.

That men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day

of judgement. Let that settle in for a moment.

Grandpa would bring this up sometimes to me.

I'd be. Foolish or whatever you know be,

and he'd tell me Paul Junior, every idle.

Word. Yes, Sir.

Yeah, that graph voice. Paul Junior.

You know every idle word. She'll give an account.

She'll give an account of idle words.

Slow to speak, slow to speak and slow to wrath.

Proverbs 14 verse 29. He that is slow to wrath is of

Proverbs 14:29

great understanding. Wow.

But he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.

He that has slowed the wrath not, you know, it's not a

compliment for someone to tell you got a short Wick.

It's not a compliment. I know some people think it is,

you know, I'll just give them a piece of my mind.

I always tell people, if you keep that up, you won't have a

mind left. The thing is, in a many of those

scenarios, we all could. It's not like no one doesn't

have the ability to do that, but it shows a sense of temperance

and self-control not to right. And so there's, there's, there's

sometimes can be a fine line between like quote, UN quote,

righteous anger and just personal irritation.

Some people go with their sword. Well, I'm just, you know, this

is right, Righteous in the nation.

Is it really, or is it personal exploitation?

You know, whatever is going on here, there's a fine line.

So it doesn't say that we would be without wrath, but we would

be slow to wrath. I'm not saying we'd never get

upset or never angry or none of that, but that it will take us a

little bit to get there, right? And hopefully it will take a lot

to get us to that point. The Bible says that we can be

angry and sin not right. So that God gave us these

emotions of our bodies, whether it's happiness or sadness or

anger, all these things to to be experienced, but they're also in

check by his spirit. And so then the next verse tells

us why we must be slow to wrath because man's wrath does not

produce the righteousness of God.

Again, I'm still talking about the ingraphic word.

We're begotten by this, but this word then continues to disciple

us. I've already this morning in

just our little short setting thrown several at times, little

verses your way about, you know, listening and and about how we

speak. What is that I'm using this word

that begot us to again to secure us in our discipline with the

Lord. He said then in verse 21.

So wherefore? As a result of as a result of

this gift you received and all of these things, wherefore lay

apart all filthiness. Here it is this word of truth

that helped us get saved. It's going to help us with this

filthiness, superfluity of naughtiness received with

meekness, the engrafted, the engrafted word which is able to

save your soul. So there's a few things that

need to. Here's the thing with the

Christian experience, there's some things that need to be

removed and there's other things that need to be adopted.

There's things that need to be displaced, and there's things

that need to be adopted. All right?

According to the Scripture, we're laying apart some things

in verse 21 and we are receiving some things in verse 21.

And so he's linking this with everything that he's already

said. Filthiness, right whenever

you're, whenever you're unwilling to to hear and you're

swift to speak out of terms and you're becoming soon angered.

So you got to lay these things aside again.

I I referred to earlier that some of the other epistles spoke

about us taking off some things here.

Here are some of those verses of Scripture, Colossians chapter #3

and verse #8. But now ye also put off all

these anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication.

Out of your mouth. Put off, put off those Hebrews

12 and one. It tells us many are familiar

with this one. Wherefore sin we also are

compassionate. So great a cloud of witnesses.

Let us lay aside right every weight.

A weight may not be a sin, but it can become a sin.

A weight loads you down may impede your progress.

May not be a sin, but it may lead to that.

It could be that a wait for one may not be a wait for another.

But but you got to know yourself and what you have a propensity

for or toward. And he says, and the sins we're

laying side weight and the sin which does so easily beset us.

And let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

Amen. And so there there are some

black and white precepts in God's word of yes, do or no

don't do. There are then principles also

in God's Word that is this overarching principle then that

we gather some of our guidance in life from.

And then there are things as you read God's word that his Spirit

may bring conviction in your heart about certain weights that

that may not fall under the category of per southeast of sin

for all, but maybe a weight to you that you need to lay a

aside. Amen, for your discipline and

growth in the Lord there. I've told you about this 1000 of

times. The Scripture tells us that all

things that all things are are basically, you know, for us, we

have the liberality of all things.

But if any of those things come to a place where it becomes the

master and you become a slave to it.

If you, if it, if it becomes between you and God, then that

thing for you needs to go because it's hindering your

walk, it's hindering your experience, it's hindering your

growth in the Lord. He said in first Peter chapter 2

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

and verse #1 again, he says, wherefore laying aside all

malice and all dial and hypocrisies and envies and all

evil speakings. So here's a lot of stuff here in

just a few verses that we need to lay aside and the terminology

and many of these is is every or all listen sin or things that

stand in the way of our relationship with God are not

things that need to be taken lightly with our new birth

experience. Huh.

And the analogy may not be perfect, but if you were told

today, I'm sorry we. Found a mass in your body.

We did the test and the biopsy came back.

It's malignant. So we're going to take 50% of

that out of your body. We're just going to take 50% of

it, but we're going to leave the other 50%.

Now you might be OK, That's fine.

Personally, I'd be like, no, if it's malignant, any trace of it,

get it out. Because if you just leave 50% of

it there, what type of impact is that going to have up on me just

with 50% of it there? You understand what I'm saying?

And so all in every, we can't just be casual right with with

with sin and weights that are impacting our relationship with

the God Proverbs. Proverbs is the one that said he

said that fools make a mark at sin.

It's foolish to to not treat it with the gravity that it is and

the and the seriousness that it is.

All right. And so when we talk about this,

when we talk about filthiness, the word filthiness, it comes

from a Greek word which when it was used medically, meant wax in

the ear, wax in the ear. And that, that that interests

me, but because you can't be even swift to hear, it doesn't

always translate well. You ever talk to somebody that

had built up wax in their ear, huh?

What? That's kind of gets frustrating,

don't it? The message that is sent is not

the message that's received. Amen.

And so. These things got to be.

Laid aside and then he says so that you can receive the

engrafted word because I can be speaking to you truth.

I can be sharing with you life. But if you have the filthiness

as it was used medically, wax in the ear again, the message that

sent isn't the message that's received there.

There is, if you will, something that stands between that is

muddling the message. That's muddling what should be

received. And so then it tells us then,

though, once we've laid aside some of these things, right,

laid these things aside, then we're to receive the word with

meekness and a willingness to hear what, what, what is God

trying to say? I'm going to lay aside my

thoughts and my feelings and I'm saying, God, what, what do you

have to say through your word? And it's important when you

approach the word, approach it with a teachable spirit.

Teach me Lord, let your word teach me, because this is the

engrafted or the. The implanted word.

I looked this up this morning just to look it up a little bit.

Talking about engrafting or drafting.

Whenever you talk about like engrafting or drafting a branch

that's into a tree, the purpose of that is that you what the

ultimate purpose is. You want the good qualities of

both to succeed. All right.

So I'm gonna take a branch and they're gonna cause an incision

with the branch, and there's an incision that they're gonna make

on the tree and they're gonna put that in there.

And what's happening is in that moment, they're giving that

branch a. Root source.

You hear me giving that branch a root source and I read there's

layers, I don't remember the name of them, but there's layers

on that branch and tree that are known as growth layers.

And when they insert that branch into the tree, they try to put

as perfectly as possible in alignment those growth layers

because that's going to help the overall production of that

branch that's been grafted in. But whenever it gets grafted in,

then there is the melding of the pieces in the parts and the

overall is hope is what they're going for is the good, the

productive parts of both. Then going forward, when we come

to God, listen. There, there are some, you know,

decent areas of our life, but there are some others that's

kind of shady. You know what I'm just saying?

But when we receive the engrafted word into our lives,

we are being attached to something that's going to grow,

and that's not just listen, it's not as though it just lays on

the surface. It's engrafted in our lives,

right? It's engrafted.

That's the reason why, the psalmist said by.

Word have I hid in my? Heart that I might not sin

against thee. And so there's a process that

starts that the word that begot me.

That same word then continues to train to teach, write me and

instruct me because it's that engrafted word.

It's a on board, it's on board GPS system that's guiding and

directing my life if I'll allow it to do so.

It's not just laying there, it's available.

It's there on demand if I need it.

Amen. And so there's a process that

was started and it's going to continue until we reach glory

someday. I'm hoping that this onboard

engrafted Word of my life challenges me from day-to-day.

It leads me from day-to-day. It's the engrafted word.

And so as I remove some things, that allows me for the reception

of some other things. As I create vacancies Amen with

things that was in my life, it allows other areas for God's

Word and His purpose to feel and to come in to to my life.

I tell always told Dawn when we traveled with the travel

trailer. You know, like 3536 foot travel

trailer, you know, you only have so much space and she want to

get something, you know. Off times whenever we went

somewhere I studied and this was before like real cell phone days

even for us. We had like AI even remember it

was flip phone or something, something I don't know.

It wasn't a bag phone. We didn't go that far back, but

nonetheless, what she would do, she would like phone book.

If it was a hotel or something, she'd look up Goodwills.

So she'd go to the Goodwills as I was trying to find the will of

God and Sister Cock. She'd come back, you know, with

a bag or two or whatever. And I'd say, dear, there's only

so much square footage in this travel trailer.

Not only that, that's more weight.

I got to pull behind the truck, got tires to think of, you know,

stuff. I said it's going to have to be

the product of replacement. That's what we've always lived

by, the product of replacement. If something's coming in,

something's got to go out. Amen.

Something's got you got something's got to create the

vacancy for for what's coming in.

And our lives in many ways has to be like that.

Amen. Sometimes in order for there to

be growth, then we got to cut off the other parts of life that

may be hampering growth, right? That maybe, you know, they come,

those little sucker shoots, sometimes on trees.

Sometimes you got to get rid of those because they're still in

the life. They're still in the life from

where it needs to go right and so you got to got to remove some

of those other portions. Amen in order to receive and

primarily respond to the word. That's what James is going to

get into when he talks about not just being a hearer but a doer

right. We'd sit here all day.

It's like go and receive instruction.

But if we never get from there to application from there to the

actual doing or the responding to the word, then it's not

really profited us in the way that it needed to profit.

So I need today. This is the reason why we show

up on Sundays and Wednesdays and, and we, we in and we, we,

we converse with the Bible throughout the week because that

engrafted word that that saved us as also the word that will

keep us and if we'll allow it, help grow.

Us in our lives, how many wants to grow?

Don't you want to grow? Listen folks, and you can stand

with me. I've read this Bible through I

don't know how many times, and every time I read it through

again, you know what? I find something that challenges

me in growth every time. And it's the same thing that I

read before, but it challenges me in the area of growth.

And so that constant intermingling with the Word will

do that. It will affect not just a one

time, what happened when you receive the Spirit of God, but

it will affect your life. That's important.

It will affect your life as long as you remain open to it.

God, God's a gentleman. He doesn't force himself upon

anybody. He's a gentleman.

God, God's not going to come down for a hammer fist and say

this. And so, but whenever you fall in

love with him, when you truly fall in love with the Lord,

anything's game because you're in love with him.

When I fell in love with my wife, I would wear suits out of

my rotation that wasn't coming up in my rotation to match her

right. I I would go to things maybe

that she liked that I didn't necessarily like because I love

her to this day, almost usually if it's a I'm not a sports

person whatsoever, I could care less.

I don't care what's going on in any of it.

It just just that's just me and if you otherwise that's fine.

We're like polar opposites when it comes to male and female

stereotypical things. She's the one yelling at games.

I'm. Reading a book right?

I'm doing something else. It don't it don't really matter

to me. Could care less.

And so typically, usually, not always, but usually around our

anniversary time, we're usually in Tennessee around then.

And you know what she wants to do at least one of the weekends

before, after go to a Tennessee football game.

I could care less really about going, but I'm going to go.

You know why? I just love being with her.

So everything that you do in your Christian experience might

not always be hoorah, but you know why you walk some of those

paths? You're just in love with Him.

And it's about relationship. It's about when you love his

Word, you're loving Him. These are the word of life, the

Scripture says. And they're not there to hurt us

or to infringe upon us. It's his love letter to us.

Amen. And I need it engrafted.

I need it implanted. I need it.

I don't need it just a a coffee table ornament.

Everybody has a Bible. It's a best seller.

Has been for years. Bible's been the best seller for

years. Everybody has a Bible makes

makes the coffee table look nice, makes the bookshelf look

complete, Right. But is it engrafted?

Is it implanted? If you're truly allowed to be

there, it will impact the way you live.

It will impact the way that you live.

That's about our heads in this place today.

God, I need your engrafted word. I challenge you this morning.

A man that when everything is as is, that you would concentrate

upon that particular gift, the gift of his spirit that he has

begotten men, a man with, with the tool of his word.

I pray, O God, today, can you just make a prayer to the Lord

right now and just say, Lord, I, I want to allow that word.

I want to allow that word to be implanted in my life.

I want to allow that word to be implanted in my heart.

God help me, Lord, with anything that anything that may be

skewing the message. God, anything that may be

skewing the message in my life or slanting the message or God

being an interruption, Lord, of the signal of the message that I

sent, what I'm receiving. I, I pray, Oh Lord, God, let

those things be put off and let those things be laid aside and

let those things take second chair and help me Lord, to

concentrate. Lord, your words wanting to do

something in me. Your word is wanting to do

something through me. Your word is wanting to impact

my behavior. God, I don't want to be a hearer

of it only, but God, a doer of it as well.

I wanted to challenge some spots in my life.

I wanted to sure up some spots in my life.

I, I need your word to come and fill some of the voids and

vacancies of what used to be me and what what one time was me,

but no longer me. I God with the anger, Lord, the

quickness to anger was I want there to be a peaceable spirit

if at all possible. I I need your word today got to

perform a work upon my life. God, it started to work, but God

I'm a incomplete work. It's still working.

It's still coming down. It's a gift that's still coming

down. It's coming down.

It's coming down. Hallelujah, Jesus, Hallelujah,

Jesus, oh word of God, speak of my heart, Word of God, speak of

my life, word of God, speak of my circumstance.

Good Pat Lord Mountain Valley word of God, help me Lord, to

get my direction from you. Let me do look at your word.

God, I know I can confide Lord and people and things of that

nature, but God, I need to know what, what does your word say?

What's the application of the word concerning that?

I need it implanted. I need it engrafted today.

Oh, can we talk to the Lord right now and worship him?

I need your word. It begot me and it will maintain

me and disciple me. Hallelujah, Jesus.

Oh yes, Jesus, word of God. I need you, Jesus.