Participants: Shelley Quinn
Series Code: EHW
Program Code: EHW000013S
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00:20 Hello.
00:21 My name is Shelley Quinn 00:22 and I welcome you to 00:24 Exalting His Word. 00:25 Have you ever really considered 00:27 the creative power of God's word? 00:29 That's what we'll be discussing today. 00:32 And we're going to learn how 00:34 you and I can put that 00:35 creative power to work in our lives. 00:38 It's important to exalt God's word. 00:42 Psalms 138:2 declares that 00:46 God exalts His name 00:48 and His word above all else. 00:50 And that He magnifies His word 00:53 even above His name. 00:56 God exalts 00:58 His word over everything. 01:00 That means nothing is 01:02 more important to Him! 01:04 God has promoted His word to 01:05 the highest rank of importance 01:07 and the greatest position of praise. 01:10 God has granted 01:13 creative life giving power 01:16 to His word. 01:17 Power to accomplish all of His will. 01:21 In fact, God has granted 01:23 more creative power to His word 01:24 than to any other force. 01:26 Today we are going to look at 01:31 a rather profound 01:33 yet simple teaching on 01:35 the creative power of God's word. 01:38 God wants you to experience 01:41 in a very personal way 01:42 the transforming power of His word 01:44 for your life. 01:46 Let's go to the Lord in prayer. 01:48 Heavenly Father, 01:50 we come today to ask for 01:52 your blessing on this teaching 01:54 and to ask that the Holy Spirit 01:56 will be our teacher. 01:57 And father 01:59 we ask in the name of Jesus 02:00 that you will sanctify us 02:01 by this word. 02:03 And help us Lord to 02:04 put your word into practice. 02:06 We praise you 02:07 and we thank you for 02:08 sending your word to heal us. 02:10 In Jesus name, amen. 02:12 Let me share a quick story. 02:15 There is a corner 02:16 in my kitchen that's dismal 02:18 even when the windows are wide open 02:20 and the sun is shining. 02:22 I bought a little Tiffany style lamp that 02:24 has very vibrant colors 02:27 and I placed it on 02:28 the table that's in that corner. 02:30 And when I plugged it in for 02:32 the first time 02:34 the whole room seemed 02:35 livelier and more beautiful. 02:38 In fact, 02:39 that lamp became 02:40 the focal point of the room. 02:42 So I just decided to 02:43 keep it on even during 02:44 the daylight hours because 02:46 it was just so cheery! 02:48 And one day 02:49 I walked into the room 02:50 and the lamp was out. 02:52 So I ran and I got a new light bulb, 02:54 I changed the light bulb 02:55 but there was still no light. 02:58 And suddenly I was impressed 03:00 with this thought; 03:01 what do you see? 03:03 Well I could still see the outline of 03:06 the various shapes of the design. 03:09 But there was no depth of colors 03:12 or no life to it. 03:14 So, I leaned over to 03:16 check the wall outlet 03:17 and I realized that it was unplugged. 03:19 I plugged it in 03:21 and as I raised up 03:22 I was impressed with another thought! 03:24 Now what do you see? 03:26 I saw a luminescent creation of beauty 03:31 with rich colors! 03:33 Plugging it into 03:36 the power source had brought 03:38 the multifaceted design of 03:41 this beautiful Tiffany lamp to life. 03:44 Did you know that you 03:45 and I are like that lamp? 03:47 God created man in His own image 03:51 and we are a marvelous 03:53 and complicated design but 03:56 the intention of our design is lifeless. 03:59 Its colorless unless 04:02 we get plugged in to 04:04 His power source! 04:06 If we get plugged in 04:08 God's great design 04:10 can be seen in us 04:12 and we will shine 04:13 with His radiance. 04:15 I love the way that King David said it! 04:18 He said, 04:19 "You are my lamp oh Lord. 04:21 "The Lord turns my darkness 04:24 "into light." 04:26 Today were going to 04:28 learn how to plug in 04:30 to God's source of power. 04:33 In 1996 04:35 God taught me how to 04:37 tap into the power of His word. 04:40 He led me to take hundreds of scriptures 04:42 and write them in the form of affirmations. 04:47 And as I practiced speaking 04:49 His scripture promises over my life 04:52 something amazing happened! 04:55 God began transforming me! 04:57 I started calling these 04:58 life affirmations from Scripture because 05:02 they really became life to me. 05:05 And today you're going to learn 05:07 why this practice can 05:08 change your life too. 05:12 In just a moment we'll carefully examine 05:15 two Greek words from the Bible. 05:18 And go into some depth of 05:20 their definition but don't worry 05:22 about storing the depth of 05:24 this teaching in your mind. 05:26 It's really a simple purpose that 05:29 I have for bringing this to you. 05:31 And that is to convince you of 05:34 the power of God's word. 05:35 When you see the power 05:38 we'll look at the way that 05:39 you can get plugged in 05:42 by speaking God's word over your life 05:46 with your living voice. 05:48 Sometimes is good to consider 05:52 the differences in languages. 05:54 I have a friend who speaks both 05:56 the English 05:58 and the Spanish languages fluently. 06:01 And when I heard her sing a song 06:03 one day was such a beautiful song that 06:06 she sang in Spanish. 06:08 I asked her 06:10 please translate that verse 06:11 into English for me. 06:13 And she just looked at me 06:14 and she said 06:16 "it doesn't translate!" 06:17 You know, 06:19 I'm still not sure that 06:20 I fully understand her reply but 06:22 one thing I do recognize is this... 06:24 The English language is somewhat 06:27 limited by comparison to 06:29 other languages of the world. 06:32 The Greek language is 06:34 far richer than English. 06:36 For example 06:37 multiple Greek words are 06:39 translated into our single 06:41 English word love. 06:44 In Greek there's a word for 06:46 unconditional love. 06:48 A different word for 06:49 brotherly love. 06:51 Another word for 06:52 the affectionate love of a friend 06:54 and the list goes on and on. 06:56 When the New Testament was translated from 06:58 the original Greek into English 07:01 we lost the rich under tongues of 07:04 these multiple words that are 07:07 simply translated into English 07:09 as love. 07:11 Now I wanna tell you, 07:12 I'm not a Greek scholar! 07:13 In fact, 07:15 I've never had any formal training 07:16 in the study of the Greek language. 07:19 But I am 07:21 an avid student of the Bible. 07:24 And my love for the word of God 07:26 has motivated me 07:27 to purchase many study guides 07:31 written by various 07:32 Greek scholars. 07:34 So when I study the Bible 07:36 here's how I do it... 07:37 I use several different translations 07:40 at the same time. 07:42 And then to see which 07:44 English translation provides 07:47 the fullest expression of 07:50 the Greek meaning, 07:52 I compare the verses to 07:54 the original Greek text. 07:57 When I first began 07:59 this method of study in 08:00 the fall of 1999 08:03 I noticed that 08:04 there were two Greek terms 08:07 LOGOS and RHEMA which 08:09 translate into English 08:12 as a single term WORD. 08:15 We'll look at these in just a moment. 08:19 But as I considered the limitations of 08:22 the English language 08:24 I wondered if a deeper study of 08:27 these two Greek terms 08:28 would reveal anything to me 08:31 and increase my understanding. 08:33 And sure enough! 08:35 As I dove into 08:37 the depth of this study 08:38 I found a great Pearl of value! 08:42 Let me tell you 08:43 right away that 08:45 it wasn't the scholarly definitions of 08:47 these two Greek terms that 08:49 fascinated me most. 08:51 Instead 08:52 it was the application of 08:54 these terms within scripture. 08:57 Here's how I studied them. 09:00 I reviewed 09:01 every single verse 09:04 in the New Testament. 09:05 Every reference that 09:10 used our English term WORD. 09:12 And then I looked up 09:14 and examined the original Greek 09:16 to find out if it was 09:17 LOGOS or RHEMA. 09:19 And as I studied that way, 09:22 I began to see 09:23 a fine distinction between 09:25 the use of these terms 09:27 LOGOS and RHEMA. 09:28 And they're are both simply translated 09:30 into our English as WORD. 09:33 I believe that 09:35 the Holy Spirit inspired 09:36 the choice of words penned 09:40 by Bible writers, 09:41 don't you? 09:42 There are subtle nuances within 09:44 the applied use of these two terms. 09:47 And what I discovered 09:49 helped me to understand 09:51 why affirming God's word 09:54 by speaking it 09:55 over my life brings 09:56 renewed vitality 09:59 and power to 10:00 my Christian experience. 10:02 Would you like to come with me 10:04 and dive deeper into 10:06 the divine reasoning of God? 10:08 Before we compare the definitions 10:11 let me explain that 10:12 they would derive in part 10:15 from multiple sources including 10:18 Vines Expository Dictionary of 10:20 the Old and New Testament words. 10:22 The Strong's Concordance, 10:25 word meanings in the New Testament, 10:28 and a volume that's called 10:30 Word Pictures in the New Testament. 10:32 But an equally important component of 10:35 my attempt to define these terms 10:38 came from their distinctive 10:40 application within Scripture. 10:43 Let's look at these definitions 10:45 and then I'll comment further. 10:48 [information on screen] 11:03 The vast unfolding of 11:04 the reasoning and the power of 11:06 the mind of God. 11:08 LOGOS is the expression of His will 11:11 and His purposes. 11:13 [second point on screen] 11:22 Because Christ is 11:24 the perfected revelation of God 11:26 to humanity. 11:28 [information on screen] 11:52 For example Jesus told Simon 11:54 to launch out into the deep 11:55 and cast out his fishing nets. 11:58 And Simon replied, 11:59 We have toiled all night 12:01 and caught nothing. 12:03 Nevertheless at your RHEMA word 12:05 I will let down the net. 12:07 Where we're concerned, 12:08 scripture indicates... 12:10 [information on screen] 12:20 As we continue in this study 12:22 an interesting pattern will develop that 12:26 will make the difference between 12:28 these two Greek words more evident. 12:31 The use of these terms within scripture, 12:34 indicates something exciting for us 12:38 and that is that you and I can 12:42 apply any instruction 12:44 any promise of God 12:47 from the Bible 12:48 as a RHEMA word. 12:50 A word from God that will have 12:52 an immediate 12:54 and practical application 12:56 to our lives. 12:58 Let me share a funny story 13:00 about being practical. 13:03 In 1996 13:04 a Baptist Pastor asked me to 13:06 come and preach to his congregation. 13:10 So, I went 13:11 and after the sermon was finished 13:13 everybody was coming up to me 13:15 and saying, 13:17 "Oh, that was marvelous! 13:18 "That was wonderful!" 13:19 And I got in the car 13:21 with my husband 13:22 and on the way home 13:23 I said well honey 13:25 what did you think? 13:26 And he said, "well 13:28 "it was very inspirational." 13:29 And I could just tell immediately by 13:31 the tone of its voice that 13:34 there was something he was thinking 13:35 that he wasn't saying. 13:37 So I said, 13:39 "inspirational but... what?" 13:42 And he looked at me immediately 13:44 and he said 13:45 Honey you've got to make it more practical! 13:48 Well I think that 13:49 I said something like 13:51 "That's an interesting observation!" 13:54 But what I didn't say that 13:55 I was thinking was inside 13:57 it was kind of a, 13:59 "Humph! How can I take 14:01 the wonderful DIVINE thoughts of God 14:06 the spiritual word of God 14:08 and reduce it to the ordinary mundane 14:14 practical things of this world? 14:16 You see my husband and I 14:18 had assigned a different value 14:21 to the word practical. 14:23 It meant one thing to him 14:26 and something entirely 14:27 different to me at the time. 14:30 A couple of days later 14:31 I was preparing a midweek sermon 14:34 and just an hour before 14:36 I had to leave for the church 14:38 the Lord impressed me with this thought... 14:41 "make it practical, 14:42 "look it up." 14:43 So, I went to my Bible and I opened it 14:46 to Luke 11:28 14:48 where Jesus said 14:49 Blessed rather are those 14:52 who hear the word of God 14:55 and obey it 14:56 and practice it. 14:58 Then I grabbed up 15:00 the dictionary to check 15:01 the definition of practical. 15:03 And guess what it said? 15:05 Practical means to 15:07 put into practice 15:10 or action. 15:11 God doesn't want 15:13 His word to be theory 15:15 or speculation 15:17 or just spiritual ideals to us. 15:21 He wants it to be practical! 15:24 Something that 15:25 we are putting it into practice. 15:28 And since that day 15:29 God has been teaching me to 15:31 present His truths in a way that 15:34 people can apply them to 15:36 their everyday lives by practice. 15:38 Well it's time for a brief announcement. 15:41 Please stay tuned because 15:42 we'll be right back to 15:44 continue our study. 15:49 If this dynamic series is 15:50 making a difference in your life, 15:52 then you should know about 15:53 a special study guide 15:54 written by Shelley Quinn. 15:56 Exalting His Word with 15:57 Life Affirmations From Scripture 15:58 is an in depth study of the word of God. 16:03 Please send your love gifts to... 16:19 Now and let's return to 16:20 our study on these two Greek words 16:23 LOGOS and RHEMA. 16:24 Because it does have 16:26 a very practical application to our lives. 16:29 I realize this is 16:30 some what a technical lesson but 16:33 please don't give up on me! 16:35 Because as we continue 16:36 the distinction between these two terms 16:39 will become much more clearer! 16:41 And there's great power 16:43 in learning 16:45 how to take God's promises 16:46 and apply them to your life 16:49 as a practical RHEMA word 16:51 of instruction from God. 16:53 This is the way that His word 16:56 enters our lives with triumph. 16:59 And it helps us achieve the overcoming victory. 17:03 God's word has great creative power. 17:07 The prophet Jeremiah said 17:09 God made the earth by His power. 17:13 He founded the world by His wisdom. 17:17 And He stretched out the heavens 17:19 by His understanding. 17:22 he said, 17:23 "Ah, Sovereign Lord! 17:24 "You have made the heavens 17:26 "and the earth! 17:27 "By your great power 17:29 "and outstretched arm. 17:31 "And nothing is too difficult for you!." 17:35 What was the dynamic power 17:38 by which God created the world? 17:40 Let's look at two verses in which 17:43 I have supplied the original Greek term. 17:50 [text on screen] 18:32 Remember 18:34 the definition of LOGOS 18:36 implies the vast unfolding 18:40 of the reasoning 18:41 and power of the mind of God. 18:43 The dynamic force of wisdom 18:46 and understanding by which 18:48 God created the world 18:50 was His LOGOS word! 18:53 The Bible testifies that 18:55 the power responsible for the creation of 18:57 all things was 18:59 none other than Christ Jesus 19:02 who is called in 19:03 the original Greek the LOGOS of God. 19:07 Christ spoke the reasoning 19:10 and purposes of His mind. 19:12 And he created something from nothing! 19:15 An act that only God can do! 19:18 He first spoke the LOGOS word to 19:22 create the heavens and the earth. 19:24 Yet in Genesis 1:1,2 19:28 the Bible says this... 19:30 [text on screen] 19:48 Now let's look at 19:49 what Hebrews 11:3 says. 19:51 [text on screen] 20:01 When it was time to equip 20:04 and perfect His creation 20:07 the Lord became very specific with 20:10 His commands 20:12 and the dynamic energy of 20:14 God's RHEMA commands 20:16 let there be 20:18 caused the completion of creation. 20:20 Equipping and perfecting all things. 20:23 The practical application of 20:26 the RHEMA word of God 20:27 put the framework on his creation. 20:31 Further still 20:32 the Bible tells us that the might RHEMA word of 20:36 Christ sustains 20:38 and upholds all things! 20:39 Let's look at Hebrews 1:3. 20:44 It says, 20:46 [text on screen] 21:05 God has a RHEMA command to 21:08 the earth that keeps it in its orbit. 21:12 And He's got another RHEMA command that's 21:15 called the law of gravity. 21:17 He has a RHEMA command to the seas 21:20 and the oceans that says 21:22 "you can come this far and no further." 21:25 God has a RHEMA command for 21:27 every object of His creation. 21:31 Everything is sustained by 21:34 His might RHEMA word of power. 21:38 Now, what about us? 21:39 The Bible says that 21:41 when we're born again, 21:43 we are God's work of art. 21:45 Recreated in the image of Jesus Christ. 21:49 To do the good works that 21:52 God planned in advance for us to do. 21:56 To walk in the path that 21:57 He had prepared for us in advance. 22:00 So, how does God recreate us? 22:03 When we look at our own experience 22:05 with the creative force 22:07 of God's power. 22:09 -His word. 22:11 We find an interesting parallel 22:14 to the creation process of the world. 22:17 Let's look at 1 Peter 1:23. 22:25 [text on screen] 22:29 -This is talking about us... 22:30 [back to text] 22:41 By His will 22:42 God chose to give us new birth 22:44 through His LOGOS word of truth. 22:48 Our rebirth happens when 22:50 we receive and welcome 22:53 the word of God. 22:54 Implanted and rooted in our hearts. 22:56 When we were born again 22:58 God made something of nothing 22:59 taking someone who was dead in sin 23:02 and making us alive in the spirit. 23:05 Making us a new creation in Christ Jesus. 23:08 At our spiritual rebirth, 23:10 we're just like little babies. 23:12 We're not the finished product! 23:14 We still require the daily process of 23:18 continued change that conforms us to 23:22 God's divine nature. 23:24 Just as the creation of 23:26 the heavens and the earth 23:28 begged completion, 23:30 we also need 23:31 the perfecting work of the Lord! 23:33 We're like a new lump of clay. 23:35 We should entrust our lives to 23:37 the Master Potter's hands. 23:39 God stands ready to equip us. 23:42 To complete and perfect 23:45 His work in us. 23:46 The Creator of the universe 23:48 will uphold and sustain us by 23:51 His mighty RHEMA word of power! 23:54 Let me summarize 23:56 these conclusions about 23:58 the creative power of 24:00 God's word from the study of 24:02 these two Greek terms. 24:04 [information on screen] 24:42 The entire Bible is 24:44 God's LOGOS word. 24:46 Making His word RHEMA means to 24:51 focus on individual Bible promises 24:57 and instructions. 24:58 To confess them over our lives 25:00 and to put them into practice. 25:02 It means that 25:04 we have to accept God's word 25:07 as something that 25:09 God will accomplish in our lives. 25:13 It is so important for us to remember that 25:17 it is not us performing His word 25:20 but it is the power of God working in us 25:24 watching over His word to perform it. 25:28 I tell you, 25:29 if you will just take these lessons to heart, 25:34 God will do a miracle in your life! 25:39 The miracle of God 25:42 is contained in His word. 25:45 In the next program, 25:46 we're going to develop 25:49 a clearer understanding of 25:52 the dynamic impact of this process! 25:56 For now, 25:57 we should just recognize that 25:59 there is power in the RHEMA word of God. 26:04 Power to equip us 26:06 and to complete the good work that 26:10 God has begun in us. 26:14 As I said earlier, 26:15 this is a profound yet simple teaching. 26:20 I thank you for staying with me 26:24 as I tried to escort you into 26:26 the depth of His creative word power. 26:29 What we've done is, 26:30 we've laid a foundation for 26:32 understanding our continuing study. 26:36 Next time 26:38 when we will look at the RHEMA word 26:40 in the context of scripture. 26:43 And what we're going to do is 26:45 let the Bible develop the definition for us. 26:50 You know, 26:51 it is so important that 26:53 we never let scholarly works really 26:56 determine our attitude about the Bible. 27:00 Something that I have learned is that 27:03 God's word never contradicts itself! 27:06 And it is interesting to study in the Greek. 27:08 Not everyone has that opportunity or 27:11 even the time to do that. 27:13 But it can help us sometimes 27:17 see something that's a little richer. 27:19 A little... 27:21 gives us a better understanding. 27:22 And I believe next week 27:24 you're gonna see 27:26 the exciting advantages of taking God's word 27:29 and making it your RHEMA utterance!! 27:30 I pray that the power of His Holy Spirit, 27:34 He will teach you 27:36 the dynamics of this affirmation practice. 27:38 May He multiply His mercy, 27:41 love and grace to you. 27:43 And watch over His word to 27:44 perform it in your life 27:46 as you cooperate with Him. 27:48 Please spend your time 27:49 making that which is most important to God 27:52 the very thing that is 27:54 also most important to you 27:57 Exalting His Word. |
Revised 2023-09-28