Participants: Shelley Quinn
Series Code: EHW
Program Code: EHW000010S
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00:19 Hello!
00:21 I'm Shelley Quinn 00:22 and I welcome you to 00:24 Exalting His Word! 00:25 Today, we'll be looking at 00:26 how to prepare our hearts 00:28 to receive the promises of God 00:30 and how to get the power of His promises 00:33 planted in our hearts. 00:35 But first, 00:36 let's discuss our theme text for just a moment. 00:39 That's Psalms 138:2 00:41 And in that verse the Bible says that 00:44 God exalts His name and His word 00:48 above all things 00:49 and that he magnifies His word 00:51 even above His name. 00:54 You know, this truth is so important! 00:57 It will impact our lives in a great way 01:01 if we understand it. 01:02 So, what does it mean? 01:04 It means that 01:06 God exalts His word 01:08 above everything. 01:09 That means nothing is more important to God 01:14 than His word. 01:15 He has promoted it 01:17 to the highest rank of importance. 01:19 He has assigned it 01:21 the highest position of praise! 01:23 And, He has empowered His word 01:27 with greater force 01:28 than anything else. 01:30 Creative life giving force 01:33 to accomplish all of His will. 01:36 I believe that 01:38 it's safe to say if God's word is 01:41 most important to Him that 01:43 it should also be 01:45 what's most important to us. 01:48 The Bible reveals 01:49 God's plan for our lives. 01:51 And it also has the creative life giving power 01:55 to put that plan into motion 01:58 and to transform our lives. 02:02 To get our reminds ready 02:03 to receive the Bible teaching for today 02:06 on planting God's promises 02:07 let's briefly consider a couple of things 02:09 about God's design for the harvest potential. 02:13 In the physical realm we know that 02:15 if we sow corn... we reap corn. 02:17 Sow wheat... we reap wheat! 02:20 Why? 02:21 By God's design! 02:23 The potential of the harvest is 02:25 wrapped inside this seed. 02:27 And in the spiritual realm 02:29 the Bible counsels us that 02:30 if we sow to our flesh nature 02:33 we reap CORRUPTION! 02:35 But if we sow to the spirit 02:38 we reap everlasting life! 02:41 The conclusion is obvious... 02:43 YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW!! 02:46 When Jesus told the parable of 02:48 the sewer and the seed in Luke chapter 8... 02:50 He described the word of God as "seed". 02:56 We can draw an obvious conclusion here. 02:58 Since God designed the potential of the harvest 03:02 to be wrapped inside the seed, then 03:06 all of your potential is 03:08 wrapped inside God's word. 03:10 I'd like to summarize 03:12 the four steps that Jesus identified 03:14 in Luke 8:15 03:16 for us to sow seeds and yield a crop that is 03:20 a hundred times greater than what was sown. 03:23 Here are the four steps necessary to 03:25 plant God's promises for 03:27 a harvest of righteousness. 03:29 [information on screen] 03:56 Before we begin today's study, 03:58 let's go to the Lord in prayer. 04:02 Heavenly Father, 04:03 we come today to ask 04:06 your blessing on this study. 04:08 We thank you Father God that 04:09 the potential of the harvest is in the seed. 04:13 We thank you Father for your design that 04:17 your word is life giving 04:19 transforming seed that 04:21 we can plant in our hearts Lord. 04:25 And I ask in the name of Jesus that 04:27 the Holy Spirit would teach us today 04:29 how to prepare our hearts to receive from you. 04:33 In Jesus name Amen. 04:36 Let's take a closer look at step number one... 04:40 Making our hearts good soil. 04:43 Soil prepared for 04:44 the planting of God's promises. 04:46 You know, most Christians 04:48 believe they are good soil. 04:50 Simply because they are the people of God. 04:52 Yet, if we think about what God said 04:56 in Jeremiah 4:3 to his people, of Judah 04:59 and Jerusalem, 05:01 He said, 05:02 "Break up your fallow ground 05:04 "and do not sow among thorns." 05:07 Do you know what fallow ground is? 05:09 It's ground that hasn't been plowed or tilled. 05:14 Now, what about us? 05:16 Is the planting ground of 05:18 our hearts hardened and unplowed? 05:22 Are today's Christians sowing among 05:26 weeds and thorns? 05:28 Christianity has changed 05:30 since the early church. 05:33 We're different. 05:34 We're comfortable. 05:37 Complacent. 05:38 Compromising. 05:39 It's easy to identify today's church age 05:43 with the Laodicean church of 05:45 Revelation 3. 05:47 So many of us think we have it all!! 05:50 And that we're in need of nothing. 05:53 This hardened attitude has left us with 05:57 untilled 05:58 unplowed ground. 06:00 We're sowing among thorns. 06:02 Focusing our attention on 06:04 the temporary things of the world 06:06 rather than the eternal things of God! 06:10 Our hardened hearts, 06:12 luke warm with indifference, 06:13 keep us from understanding our identity in Christ 06:17 and God's true purposes for our lives. 06:20 God's word cannot take root 06:22 and flourish in our hearts if 06:24 we have a hardened attitude. 06:28 We can learn 06:30 a valuable lesson by looking at 06:31 the ground of the earth. 06:34 If the ground is exposed to 06:37 the elements of nature for a period of time 06:40 without rain then 06:41 the soil becomes hardened. 06:44 And in this condition 06:45 the ground is unfit for planting seed 06:49 until its plowed! 06:51 We're not any different! 06:52 When all our focus shifts from 06:54 depending on the Spirit of God 06:58 and on His word 06:59 and when we allow our hearts 07:01 to be exposed to the elements of 07:04 the world system 07:05 a spiritual dryness 07:07 and a certain hardening of 07:10 the heart occurs. 07:11 And I could tell you from experience 07:13 when we allow this to happen 07:17 then our hearts just quench 07:20 the living water of the Holy Spirit! 07:22 And the result is suffocating 07:24 to our spiritual growth. 07:27 In fact, our hearts become dry 07:30 and crusty to the word of God. 07:33 Jesus wants our hearts to be good soil. 07:38 Gardens committed to Him. 07:39 Plowed and ready for the planting. 07:42 Now, most of us have some area of 07:44 our lives that needs plowing. 07:47 The center of our hearts may be good soil 07:51 ready to receive His word 07:53 while outside corners remain hardened. 07:56 For example; 07:58 -Some may accept all that He has to say 08:00 about salvation by grace 08:02 but deny the requirements of obedience 08:04 to His commandments. 08:07 Then there are those 08:09 who walk in obedience to His law 08:11 but reject His love 08:14 and forgiveness that 08:15 He wants to pour into their hearts 08:18 for others. 08:20 The Bible declares 08:22 God is love. 08:24 And God is Holy. 08:26 His Spirit is 08:27 the spirit of love and holiness. 08:31 You know, we must recognize that 08:33 any action that we take that 08:36 is not motivated by love 08:38 and holiness is not of God. 08:42 Because we sow among thorns 08:45 we spoil God's harvest of 08:48 righteousness in us. 08:50 And the heart of our Heavenly Father 08:53 is breaking. 08:54 I know that we can listen to 08:58 the voice of the Lord in Jeremiah 3:19 09:02 when He said, 09:04 "I thought you would call me Father 09:07 "and not turn away from following me." 09:12 God wants to cut away the thorns of 09:17 worldly habits and attitudes. 09:20 He wants our hearts to be plowed 09:22 and pliable 09:24 so we can receive His seed... 09:27 THE WORD OF GOD. 09:28 Our loving Creator desires that 09:31 we put forth an earnest effort 09:35 to seek Him 09:36 and to know the good plan that 09:38 He has for our lives. 09:41 If we're willing, 09:42 He is ready and able to conform us to 09:46 the image of His Son Jesus Christ. 09:48 The heart of our Father longs 09:52 to send showers of blessings upon us. 09:55 He waits for our cooperation. 09:58 Here's His message to us today... 10:02 [text on screen] 10:16 You know, only plowed grown is 10:19 fit for planting seed. 10:22 It's time that you and I 10:24 put the hand to the plow! 10:26 And here are some steps that 10:29 I've found helpful 10:30 in turning over 10:32 or tilling up my heart... 10:34 And getting my heart prepared for God. 10:39 Number one... 10:40 [information on screen] 11:00 We'll be right back to 11:01 discuss these four points 11:03 after these brief announcement. 11:05 So please stay tuned... 11:10 If this dynamic series 11:12 is making a difference in your life, 11:13 then you should know about 11:14 a special study guide 11:16 written by Shelley Quinn. 11:17 Exalting His Word with 11:18 Life Affirmations From Scripture 11:20 is an in depth study of the word of God. 11:24 Please send your love gifts to... 11:40 We don't have much time 11:42 to spend on these steps but 11:43 let me quickly review these 11:46 and give you an idea of 11:48 how I go through this process. 11:50 To plow up my heart so that 11:52 I can receive from the Lord. 11:55 The first is 11:56 experiencing the joy of repentance. 12:00 You know, 12:02 with all of life's demands 12:03 it is easy to let 12:05 our priorities get out of order. 12:07 Some people think because 12:08 I'm in full time ministry that 12:11 I don't have this problem. 12:12 But, just as with any profession... 12:14 I can let ministry work take priority 12:19 over my relationship with God. 12:22 And then the intimacy of 12:25 my relationship begins to suffer. 12:28 Suddenly I am aware that 12:30 my constant companion is... 12:32 I'm just not aware of His presence. 12:35 And when I have 12:38 gotten to this point, 12:40 I realize that Christ is no longer 12:44 my first love. 12:45 And when I'm there 12:47 I realize how far I've fallen. 12:49 But what the Lord has done 12:51 in the past... 12:53 I used to just 12:55 beat myself up over this! 12:56 And I would let guilt and condemnation 12:58 keep me away from Him! 13:00 But now what the Lord has done is 13:03 He has taught me to 13:04 come quickly back to Him 13:07 because I understand 13:09 the perfect law of liberty that 13:10 I am totally dependent upon God. 13:13 And I've learned the joy of repentance. 13:17 I come before the Lord 13:19 and I humbly confess my sin. 13:21 And I just acknowledge 13:23 my complete dependence upon His power 13:26 to change me. 13:27 He gives me a new beginning 13:29 and He wipes my record clean. 13:31 Praise God I'm so thankful that 13:34 His compassion never fail. 13:36 They are new every morning! 13:39 And then the second step after that 13:42 I pray to be filled with the Spirit. 13:46 I ask God to forgive me 13:48 for grieving Him 13:50 and for resisting 13:52 or even quenching His Holy Spirit. 13:57 You know, 13:58 it is something that 14:00 we must constantly be aware of 14:03 how our actions are affecting the Lord. 14:05 I ask God to help me to die to self 14:09 and live for Him. 14:11 And I pray that by 14:12 the power of His Holy Spirit that 14:16 I will put to death 14:18 the misdeeds of my flesh 14:20 and be emptied of self. 14:21 Then, I pray that the Holy Spirit 14:24 will give me understanding of 14:27 God's spiritual words 14:29 and teach me His will. 14:31 Asking Him to teach me 14:34 to know God's character better. 14:36 To know His plan. 14:38 And to be taught 14:40 who I am in Christ. 14:43 I ask God to fill me 14:45 with His Spirit. 14:47 In Luke 11 14:50 Jesus said... 14:51 -You're gonna be familiar with this text... 14:53 Because most people say it this way... 15:00 "Ask,... 15:02 Ask and it shall be given 15:03 seek and ye shall find, 15:05 knock and the door shall be opened. 15:06 But did you know in the Greek it really is... 15:08 "Ask and keep on asking..." 15:12 "Knock and keep on knocking. 15:16 And He says 15:17 How much more 15:19 will your Heavenly Father 15:21 give the Holy Spirit to those who ask 15:24 and continue to ask for Him? 15:28 We also need to pray to be sanctified 15:32 by the word of God. 15:34 When Jesus prayed to the Father for us, 15:37 He said in John 17:17 15:40 "Father sanctify them by your truths. 15:43 "Your word is truth." 15:45 Every time I pick up the Bible 15:48 I always try to remember this prayer 15:50 and make it mine. 15:52 I ask God to do 15:54 a sanctifying work in me 15:56 through His word. 15:58 Creating a pure 15:59 and undivided heart in me. 16:02 I pray that 16:03 God will give me 16:05 the power to overcome! 16:06 And I give Him permission 16:08 to cause me to be all that 16:11 He has called me to be! 16:14 The fourth step is... 16:16 Pray for the desire to read the Bible. 16:19 You know I often pray that 16:21 God will give me an unquenchable desire 16:24 for His word. 16:25 A prayer that He is eager to answer! 16:29 I acknowledge to Him that 16:31 His word is life to me. 16:33 I ask Him to open my spiritual eyes. 16:36 And give me His wisdom. 16:38 If we humble ourselves 16:40 before the Lord in this way, 16:43 He will make our hearts good soft soil. 16:46 He will teach us to trust Him 16:48 and lean on His understanding. 16:50 Then the spirit 16:51 and the word will be ready to come with 16:53 a demonstration of His power 16:55 to change us. 16:57 Glory to God!! 16:58 Now it's time to talk about 17:00 broadcasting the seed of His word. 17:04 When the soil is ready, 17:05 it's time to plant the seed. 17:07 God will not disappoint us 17:10 when we approach Him 17:11 with a plowed up heart. 17:13 He will expand our trust in Him 17:15 and He will give us an increased measure of 17:19 faith in His testimony. 17:21 That faith comes 17:23 as we meditate on His word. 17:26 The Bible says that faith comes by hearing. 17:29 And when it says that faith comes by hearing, 17:31 it doesn't mean that faith produces... or 17:35 Hearing produces faith. 17:36 Rather, faith is 17:38 the broadcasting system that 17:40 broadcasts the seed of His word. 17:43 Excuse me... 17:45 Hearing is the broadcasting system that 17:47 broadcasts the seed of His word. 17:50 Let me explain what I mean. 17:52 Have you ever used your hand 17:54 to broadcast flower or 17:56 vegetable seeds in a garden? 17:58 You know, I've seen many folks that 18:00 sow wild seeds this way. 18:01 And it always fascinates me to see 18:04 the results come up in season. 18:06 Now, my gardening skills aren't the best, 18:08 so, usually when I plant something 18:10 I chose seedlings to plant. 18:12 Because I figure, 18:14 since they've already sprouted 18:15 they have a better chance of surviving my care! 18:18 Yet I do recall an exiting experience 18:21 I had in witnessing some dried up seeds 18:25 burst forth with life! 18:27 When I was on the third grade 18:29 I was curious where the seeds for 18:31 pinto bean came from. 18:34 Now my teacher explained that 18:37 the beans that we ate 18:38 were actually the seeds for the bean stalk. 18:41 She also said that 18:42 if we planted these beans 18:44 in warm soil and kept them moist that 18:47 they would sprout back to life. 18:50 My nine year old mind had 18:51 a difficult time grasping 18:52 how those dead looking beans 18:54 could produce a life plant. 18:56 And I wanted to see for my self! 18:58 So I set up an experiment. 19:01 Taking several pinto beans, 19:02 I wrapped them securely 19:04 inside a cotton dish towel. 19:06 And then, I set them 19:08 on the window sill. 19:10 And I moistened them. 19:12 They were in the sunlight 19:13 and I moistened them daily with water. 19:15 And in a few weeks 19:17 I peaked inside that towel 19:18 and found that they had germinated. 19:20 To my delight, 19:22 there were little green sprouts 19:23 coming out of each bean!! 19:25 You know, 19:27 the experiment wasn't performed because 19:29 I had great faith that 19:31 those pinto beans would sprout. 19:33 Rather I had faith 19:35 in my teacher 19:37 who appeared to be smarter than I was. 19:39 Her words had seemed 19:41 impossible of fulfillment. 19:43 But her explanation made me seek 19:45 an experience with the truth. 19:48 Faith was ushered in by hearing that 19:53 the possibility existed 19:54 and trusting in the person who told me. 19:56 And through that small window of faith, 19:59 I witnessed what seemed 20:02 like a miracle to me. 20:03 Dried up old beans were 20:05 transformed into living plants. 20:09 I've heard unfortunately 20:11 people refer... 20:13 ...some people have referred to the Bible as 20:17 a bunch of dead letters. 20:19 Even notable figures within 20:21 the evangelical community have 20:24 unfortunately echoed that sentiment of late. 20:27 And these poor confused souls, 20:30 promote the idea of 20:32 worshipping in spirit and in truth 20:34 as a concept that is somehow 20:36 above the word of God 20:38 and requires little attention to 20:40 the old writings of the Bible. 20:42 I believe that such comments 20:46 are blasphemous. 20:47 There's no other way to describe it. 20:49 I pray that the Lord will open 20:52 the eyes of these professed followers who... 20:56 ...So that they may understand 20:58 the life giving power of God's word. 21:01 Because obedience to the word is 21:03 the highest expression of worship for God. 21:08 Jesus said... 21:10 [text on screen] 21:25 God says there is life in His word. 21:29 If we want to worship 21:31 in spirit and in truth 21:33 we need to worship in the word. 21:37 Making the Bible our primary focus! 21:41 Jesus is the word become flesh! 21:45 He calls his word spirit 21:47 and He calls his word life! 21:49 It is by the power of its word that 21:53 we are sanctified by His truth 21:55 and develop His holy nature. 21:58 The Council of God's word is eternal! 22:01 Bible writings are not 22:03 inoperative words of the past. 22:06 In Hebrews 4:12 the word of God is 22:08 described as alive, 22:11 living and powerful! 22:14 You know 22:15 my pinto beans appeared lifeless 22:16 to a mind that could not comprehend 22:19 the miracle of life stored within them. 22:21 Likewise the word of God appears lifeless 22:25 to men without comprehension. 22:27 To those without the spirit of God. 22:30 The Bible is God's message to His creatings. 22:34 The writings are 22:35 inspired spiritual words 22:38 only understood by 22:39 the help of the Holy Spirit! 22:41 Now, I don't want to sound harsh 22:43 with my comments about those who call 22:46 the Bible dead letters. 22:47 I'm not judging the motivation of 22:50 these poor souls. 22:51 Rather, by the word of God 22:53 I can determine their actions are wrong. 22:56 Jesus would reply to these individuals saying... 22:59 You are in error because 23:02 you do not know the scriptures or 23:05 the power of God. 23:06 Christ warned us... 23:08 [text on screen] 23:30 We must be careful of what we hear. 23:34 We should always measure 23:36 the message by the scriptures. 23:40 It doesn't matter 23:41 how much theological training 23:44 a person has. 23:45 There can be no understanding 23:46 without the spirit of God. 23:48 We must guard our hearts 23:50 to prevent scholarly credentials 23:54 from swaying us. 23:55 There is only one standard for truth. 23:59 THE HOLY BIBLE!! 24:01 Romans 10:17 says... 24:03 [text on screen] 24:12 The broadcast system that God uses 24:16 to spread seeds of faith 24:17 is hearing the word. 24:20 Hearing introduces 24:22 the message of God's love 24:23 and His wonderful plan for our lives. 24:27 But, as we already studied, 24:29 hearing alone does not produce faith. 24:32 When the seed of His word is broadcast 24:36 it will not take root and develop 24:38 unless our soil is good. 24:42 Do you want more faith? 24:43 Open your heart 24:45 to God's broadcasting system. 24:49 Invest more time in hearing 24:50 church sermons, 24:52 Bible studies, 24:53 Christian television, 24:55 radio, 24:56 oh, tapes and books!!! 24:58 These are all wonderful tools 25:01 to renew the attitudes of our minds. 25:05 The most effective way 25:08 to broadcast the word is... 25:10 ...that I've discovered... 25:13 is to read the Bible out loud. 25:15 Hearing it with my own voice 25:17 makes such a difference! 25:19 And I often as I study, 25:21 I will read out loud. 25:23 This practice seems to 25:25 increase my focus 25:27 and open my ears 25:28 and cause my heart to open 25:30 and receive God's word. 25:32 You ought to give it a try! 25:34 When I discover a promise of God 25:38 I lay hold of it 25:39 and I claim it for myself! 25:40 Then I return God's word to Him 25:43 as an affirmation! 25:44 The affirmation is 25:47 a declaration. 25:48 Confirming that 25:49 I accept what God has to say 25:51 about me as absolute truth. 25:54 Let me give you an example. 25:56 If I were to read for example 25:58 II Corinthians 5:17 which says 26:02 if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. 26:04 The old is gone and the new is come. 26:07 Then I might say thank you Father. 26:10 Thank you for including me in Christ. 26:13 Thank you Lord for making all things new! 26:16 I am a new creation in Christ Jesus 26:20 My old nature has passed away 26:23 and now my new nature has come! 26:26 You know something? 26:28 Hearing my own voice 26:30 speaking God's word is 26:31 the greatest way that I've learned 26:34 to usher in faith. 26:36 We're gonna be examining 26:37 the benefits of this more closely 26:40 in some upcoming programs. 26:43 For now 26:45 the most critical point to recognize is that 26:48 we should approach God in absolute trust 26:51 when we come to the scriptures. 26:53 The challenge that faces us is... 26:57 ...in learning not to 26:58 lean on our own understanding. 27:01 We need to 27:02 abandon human opinions. 27:04 We need to ask God to give us His wisdom 27:08 and by the power of His Holy Spirit 27:11 to teach us His will. 27:14 You know, 27:15 much of what God says 27:19 from our limited human viewpoint. 27:21 But our minds should readily accept God's word! 27:25 Believing in His testimony! 27:27 As being from the Almighty God 27:29 who cannot lie! 27:30 Well today we've learned 27:32 how to plow our hearts for 27:34 the planting of God's promises. 27:35 And how to broadcast His seed 27:37 into our hearts through hearing His word. 27:40 Please tune in next time 27:42 and we'll discuss 27:43 how to receive and retain His promises. 27:45 And persevere until He produces 27:48 His divine nature in us! 27:50 May God multiply His mercy, 27:52 love and grace to you. 27:53 And watch over His word to perform it. 27:55 Please spend your time 27:57 "Exalting His Word"! |
Revised 2023-09-11