When Jesus spoke in the first century, scribes took down His words, and these words are in the
New Testament. Hello, I’m Phil Sanders, and this is a Bible study “In Search of the Lord’s Way.”

 

Welcome to In SEARCH of the Lord’s Way! We’re here to search the Bible for God’s will. We search
the Scriptures, because they come from God. No other book contains the wisdom, the prophecies, and the righteous commandments found in the Holy Bible. The Bible is the only book in the world that offers objective evidence to be the Word of God. Only the Bible gives real proof of its divine inspiration through its fulfillment of prophecy. No other book can give us the truth about the beginning of, of time or the end of time. The Scriptures introduce us to Jesus Christ, providing testimony from witnesses of His death, burial, and resurrection. Oh, the more you study the Bible, the clearer your knowledge of God will become.

Thanks for taking time with us today. We want to be a part of your life each week.

 

 Hugo McCord explained the concept of inspiration. He said: “The Bible was given by inspiration of God as the Holy Spirit worked within select men, revealing to them the thoughts of God and enabling them to use the appropriate words to communicate divine truth without error. God put the Holy Spirit into the writers of the Bible and, through Him, guided them in the writing of the Bible. Thus ‘inspiration’ may be defined as the process by which God breathed His Spirit into men, enabling them to receive and communicate divine truth without error. The Bible is God speaking!

“The writers of the Bible wrote about both facts that they knew and facts they didn’t know without
inspiration. The known facts that they wrote about came either from personal observation, existing documents, or oral tradition. Much of what was written by these men came to their knowledge for the first time through revelation from God. Whether they were writing known facts or revelation, inspiration guided them in making known only truth, without error in communication.”

 

Well we offer this study on how God has spoken free. And if you’d like a printed copy or a CD of our study and you live in the United States, mail your request to In Search of the Lord’s Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083 or send an e-mail to searchtv@searchtv.org. Or, you can call our toll-free telephone number. That number is 1-800-321-8633. We also have materials free on our website at www.searchtv.org.

 

The Edmond church will now worship in song, we’ll read from 2 Peter 1:16 to 21, and consider how God has spoken.

 

Our reading today comes from 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 16 to 21. And Peter is describing how
prophetic utterances and how the scriptures came about through inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Let’s
read together.

 

For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory
from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”— and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

 

So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp
shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

 

That’s how scripture came about. Let’s pray together. Father we’re grateful that through Your love and Your mercy You sent the Holy Spirit to select men. And inspired them and moved them to write so that we may know Your love and know the truth. Father may Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus name, Amen.

 

Have you considered the power of God’s words? God speaks and things happen. “Then God said,
“Let there be light”; and there was light” (Genesis 1 and verse 3). And each time God speaks in this
chapter, we see the unfolding of God’s creation. God spoke creation into existence. Psalm 33 and verse
6 says, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.” Verse 9 says, “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” If God could speak creation into existence, then He has far greater power than we can imagine or understand.

 

The words of Jesus are likewise powerful and authoritative. Colossians 1 verses 16 to 17 reminds us, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” When Jesus spoke, miracles happened.

In Mark, chapter one, Jesus was teaching with authority in the synagogue in Capernaum. And verses 23 to 27 say, “And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’

 

And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

Well, Jesus not only had authority over unclean spirits, He also had authority over nature. And this power is shown frequently in the New Testament. Matthew 8 verses 23 to 27 says that, “When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” (and) He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

God speaks with great power and authority, and all of nature and the universe respond. Man is the only creature that can hear what God says and ignore or disobey Him. When people disobey the word of the Lord, they face great consequences. Some people don’t take God seriously, but God has shown through time that He means what He says. Some think God will not condemn anyone no matter what that person does.

When you hear the words of the Lord Jesus, remember that He created you and sustains your existence. Without His power over creation, you couldn’t exist. He deserves to be heard! One day the words that He has spoken will be the standard for your judgment. The Lord Jesus said in John 12:48
that, “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.” Now since the words of Jesus will judge you, you should know what He said and take it seriously. The words of Jesus will not disappear, and Jesus will not forget what
He said. What Jesus said is just as binding today as it was in the first century. Changes in time and culture do not change what the Lord said. No one can ignore the words of Jesus on the Day of
Judgment. The Lord said in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”

 

The Lord Jesus said in Luke 9and verse 26 that, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the
Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Many people regard Jesus as a great moral teacher, but then they feel free to disagree
with Him or ignore Him. What Jesus says about moral issues embarrasses some Christians. They
imagine that Jesus doesn’t care whether they live righteously or not. They listen to what He says about salvation but ignore what He says about repentance. They want Jesus as their Savior but not as their
Lord and Master. They want all of His promises but they dismiss His commandments.

 

Now how we respond to the Lord matters, and what we teach and practice will affect how the Lord judges us. 2 Peter 2 and verse 3 speaks about some disobedient false teachers. The apostle Peter said, “and in their greed they will exploit you with false words;(then he says) their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” I tell you the Lord is not asleep or idle; He sees and knows what the righteous and the wicked are doing. He will judge us all.

 

Peter explains in 2 Peter 2 verses 4 to 9, “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to
destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live
ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of
unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.” Since the Lord has a record of how He deals with sin, we should take Him seriously.

 

When we become Christians, we recognize Jesus as Lord. Jesus built the church and purchased it with His own blood (Acts 20 and verse 28). And when we were forgiven, He redeemed us with His
precious blood and added us to the church. The word Lord describes Jesus as divine, as the One who created us. Philippians 2 verses 9 to 11 says that, “God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the father.” Because He is Lord, everyone will be subject to His authority. He is our Lord and Master, and there is no other. As Lord, He has complete authority over our lives on earth and
in the hereafter. 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has
done, whether good or bad.”

Because Jesus is Lord, His words will judge our souls and determine our destiny in the hereafter.
Hebrews 4 verses 12 to 13 says, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do (that is we have to deal Him one day).”

 

Without the Scriptures, without the bible, we would not know many things. We wouldn’t know about where we came from, why we’re here, or what will happen to us after this life is over. The Scriptures give us hope of eternal life with our Creator, who loves us and wants to bless us eternally.

The Scriptures teach us about God’s grace and forgiveness. When we realize the extent to which God has gone to forgive our sins, we love Him more and more. We are all sinners saved by the grace of God through the gospel message by the blood of Jesus Christ when we obey Him. The message of that salvation is found in Scripture and it’s crucial. Paul wrote in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the
gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to
the Greek.” God powerfully uses His word to reach into our hearts with the gospel. 1 Corinthians 1:21
says “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached (that is the message preached) to save those who believe.” God saves people today through that message preached.

 

The Lord Jesus said in John 6:44 and 5 that, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.” Now God works in and through the preaching and teaching of the word to convict men of sin and to bring about faith.

 

Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” When we study God’s word, we come to believe in Jesus Christ and in His teaching. This is why James says in James 1:21, “Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.”

 

The word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, causes us to be born again. 1 Peter 1:23 to 25 says, “for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word which was preached to you.” When a person hears the preaching of the gospel and obeys it, God causes him to be born again. The gospel story is filled with God’s love for mankind and His willingness to send Jesus to atone for our sins and grant us forgiveness. Now this true story comes from God and has all of His qualities. His goodness and kindness they lead us to repent. His love causes us to love Him!

 

Because the gospel is good news, it brings about a joy unspeakable! Sin is bad news, but
forgiveness from sin that condemns us, is good news! Hope for eternal life is good news! The Lord Jesus preparing a home for us in heaven is good news! God has spoken through His Son Jesus and in the gospel message. And all I can say is what a blessing! What a blessing. Let’s pray together. Oh Heavenly Father we are so grateful for all of the love and the grace You have given to us through our Lord Jesus Christ. That He was willing to die for us upon the cross. Father we pray that we may come to believe more strongly in the words that have been spoken. And may be obedient to Your will in every way. This is our prayer in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Peter, James, and John were on the holy mountain with Jesus, when He was transfigured. Moses
and Elijah were there as well. Matthew 17 verses 4 to 5 says that Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good
that we are here. If you wish, I will make three (tabernacles) tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” God the Father was well pleased with Jesus His Son, so He distinguished Him from Moses, the great lawgiver, and Elijah, the prophet. God said, “listen to Him.”
Hebrews 1:1 and 2 says that, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of
all things, through whom also He made the world.” God is now speaking to us through Jesus Christ. If we want to know God’s will, we must go to the words of Jesus and His apostles and prophets
commissioned to speak for Him. And that’s found in the New Testament. Jesus is Lord, and there is no
other!

And if you wish to obey the Lord, then listen to Him. Hear what He says and believe Him. Hebrews 11 and verse 6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Repent of your sins and turn to
righteousness. Confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Be baptized into Christ, immersed in water, for the forgiveness of your sins. God has spoken; let’s hear what He says and obey Him. Nothing is so important!

Well we hope that today’s study about Jesus and about how God has spoken has stirred you to
consider the price paid for your soul. If you live in the United States and want a free printed copy or a CD of this message, mail your request to In Search of the Lord’s Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083 or send an e-mail to searchtv@searchtv.org. Or, you can call the Search office toll-free at 1-800-321-8633. You can also download these lessons or a newsletter, the Search Light, you can do it online at our: www.searchtv.org. There’s also a schedule of our programs and a map with the location of
churches in your area. You can watch SEARCH anytime on YouTube! Subscribe to our channel,
“SearchTVMinistry.” We also offer free Bible Correspondence courses. Now if you get a hold of us don’t worry, we’re not here to get your money. We’re here to help you get to heaven.

 

So please get involved with a church of Christ. And if you’re looking for a healthy, Biblical church
home, we’ll be happy to help you find one. We’ll be back next week, Lord willing. So we ask that you keep searching God’s Word with us and tell a friend about this program. As always we say God bless you and we love you from all of us at In Search of the Lord’s Way.