Participants: Shelley Quinn
Series Code: EHW
Program Code: EHW000014S
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00:19 Hello.
00:21 I'm Shelley Quinn 00:22 and welcome to 00:23 Exalting His Word. 00:25 We've got an exciting program 00:26 for you today. 00:27 We're going to learn how 00:29 the confession of our mouths can usher in 00:32 the transforming power of God 00:33 to change our lives! 00:36 The world as we know it 00:38 is coming to an end. 00:39 Great spiritual stamina will be 00:42 required to endure the closing trials. 00:45 The scripture puts it this way... 00:47 ...If you do not stand firm in your faith 00:51 you will not stand at all! 00:55 How can we stand firm in faith? 00:57 You'll learn the answer today!! 01:01 Before we begin our study 01:02 let's review our theme text. 01:04 Psalms 138:2 01:07 And that verse says that 01:08 God exalts His name 01:10 and His word above all things. 01:12 And that He magnifies His word 01:15 even above His name. 01:17 What does that mean? 01:19 It's important for us to know! 01:20 God has promoted His word to 01:23 the highest rank of importance! 01:26 That's what it means! 01:27 God has assigned His word 01:29 the highest position of praise. 01:32 That's what it means! 01:34 God has granted creative 01:37 life giving force 01:38 more power than anything else 01:40 to His word. 01:42 And it is so important! 01:45 If Almighty God 01:47 has done this for His word, 01:49 and if this is His attitude 01:51 about the word 01:52 it's important that 01:54 you and I do the same. 01:56 If there's anything that we need to learn 01:58 is to exalt God's word. 02:01 God has a plan for our lives 02:04 and that plan is revealed in His word. 02:07 The miracle working power of God 02:09 is contained in His word. 02:11 And the infused power of 02:14 His word and His spirit, 02:17 by those things 02:19 all that He has called us 02:23 to be. 02:24 bless our time together today. 02:29 Father God 02:30 we come before you humbly but 02:33 boldly into your throne room. 02:34 And Lord we are earnestly seeking that 02:39 your Holy Spirit will be our teacher. 02:43 Lord, 02:44 Help us to see this kingdom truth 02:47 and to enter it. 02:49 For your Glory, 02:50 in Jesus name, amen. 02:53 today we'll look at 02:55 how we can take 02:57 the LOGOS word of God 02:58 and make it a RHEMA word to us!! 03:01 Are you familiar with those two terms? 03:03 LOGOS and RHEMA? 03:05 Let me briefly explain them. 03:07 These are Greek words from 03:09 the original Greek manuscripts of the Bible. 03:12 Both logos and RHEMA are 03:14 translated into English as 03:15 W O R D [spelling out] 03:19 WORD! 03:20 In English we say 03:21 the Bible is the word of God. 03:24 In Greek the Bible is 03:26 the LOGOS word of God. 03:29 LOGOS implies 03:31 the sum of God's revelation to humanity. 03:34 The entire expression of His will. 03:40 Our English Bible says Christ sustains us 03:42 by His word of power. 03:45 The Greek version says 03:48 the RHEMA word of power is 03:50 how Christ sustains us. 03:53 RHEMA implies a specific word from God 03:57 used for a practical 04:00 and immediate function. 04:02 Where you and I are concerned, 04:03 we can take a single Bible verse 04:06 and make it RHEMA to us by 04:08 confessing it over our lives 04:11 and personally applying it! 04:13 If this sounds confusing just stay with me 04:16 and you'll soon understand 04:19 what I mean. 04:20 You'll see the transforming impact that 04:23 this teaching can have on your life! 04:27 Have you ever taken 04:29 a bite of food that's just 04:31 so delicious you want to 04:32 share the experience with 04:34 someone you love? 04:35 If I order a scrumptious treat 04:38 at a restaurant, 04:39 I instantly turn to my husband 04:42 and I'll say... 04:43 "Mmm, taste and see how good this is!" 04:45 Now, he doesn't always share my enthusiasm, 04:49 and you know, 04:50 I'm disappointed when 04:52 he refuses my offer! 04:53 I usually follow up with something like 04:55 "Are you sure? 04:56 "You don't know what you're missing!" 04:58 Well, as a Christian, 05:00 I'm excited to share 05:02 the goodness of God 05:04 that I've tasted!! 05:05 Like King David, 05:07 I just want to burst forth and say, 05:08 "Oh taste and see that 05:12 "the Lord is good! 05:14 "Blessed is the man who trusts in Him." 05:18 In Hebrews 6:5 05:21 the Bible speaks of those... 05:24 [text on screen] 05:35 Great spiritual stamina 05:37 will be required to endure 05:39 the closing trials of this world! 05:41 If we don't stand firm in faith, 05:43 we won't stand at all! 05:45 So, how can we stand firm in faith? 05:48 By partaking of God's promises. 05:52 This is the way the Apostle Peter explains it. 05:56 In 1 Peter -excuse me... 05:58 ...2 Peter 1 chapter 4... 06:02 Let me repeat that! 06:04 This is 2 Peter chapter 1 06:07 and verse four! 06:09 He says, 06:10 (I'm gonna read it from the Amplified Version) 06:11 "He has bestowed upon us His precious 06:14 "and exceedingly great promises 06:18 "so that through them 06:20 "you may escape by flight 06:23 "from the moral decay 06:25 "that is in the world 06:26 "and because of covetousness, lust and greed 06:30 "and become sharers, 06:33 "partakers of His divine nature." 06:39 How did that scripture say? 06:41 That we partake of His divine nature 06:43 and escape the corruption of the world? 06:46 Through the promises of God. 06:49 WE must taste 06:50 the heavenly gift of God's promises! 06:54 To escape evil 06:56 and partake of the divine nature of Christ!! 06:58 In Christ, we can stand firm 07:02 by the faith through grace in God. 07:07 If you choose to participate 07:09 in His divine nature, 07:11 God vows to conform you to 07:14 the image of His Son. 07:16 I think we all want to be conformed 07:20 to the image of Jesus. 07:21 Don't we? 07:23 We want His character to reproduce in us. 07:24 Aren't you hungry to partake of 07:27 God's heavenly gifts? 07:29 Do you desire to understand how Christ 07:32 can perfect His power in your weakness? 07:37 We cry out for the solution to our dilemma 07:42 and our answer comes from 07:45 looking into the word 07:47 as our life source. 07:49 In John 6 verse 63 07:52 Jesus said, 07:54 "The spirit brings life 07:56 "the flesh counts for nothing." 07:58 And then He said, 07:59 "The words that I speak to you 08:01 "are of the Spirit 08:03 "and they are life." 08:04 God's word WILL bring life to you! 08:07 If you have accepted Christ as your Savior 08:09 all of God's promises belong to you! 08:13 That's what the Bible says! 08:16 And the Bible says that 08:17 you are a new creation in Him. 08:20 If you will put your faith 08:21 and trust in God 08:24 and accept His testimony about 08:26 who you are as His child, 08:28 He will work all of His promises in you! 08:34 We can listen to sermons 08:36 from now 'til kingdom comes 08:37 and we won't be partakers of 08:39 His divine nature unless we personally 08:43 accept His testimony 08:45 and put His word into practice 08:47 in our lives. 08:49 We need to take God's word 08:51 as RHEMA 08:54 and make it 08:55 our affirmation of faith! 08:57 How? 08:59 All you have to do is 09:00 speak God's promises over your life. 09:02 And by faith, 09:04 accept His vows are 09:06 what God is willing to do in you. 09:11 You've got to get 09:12 plugged in to God's power source! 09:15 His life giving word! 09:17 And RHEMA affirmations are 09:18 the most efficient connection that I've found. 09:21 They transfer His mighty energy to us 09:26 and we're converted to His way of thinking! 09:29 We will look at some Bible verses 09:32 in just a moment that refers to 09:33 the benefits of God's RHEMA word. 09:36 When we come back 09:38 right after this brief announcement. 09:43 If this dynamic series is 09:44 making a difference in your life, 09:46 then you should know about 09:47 a special study guide 09:48 written by Shelley Quinn. 09:50 Exalting His Word with 09:51 Life Affirmations From Scripture 09:53 is an in depth study of the word of God. 09:57 Please send your love gifts to... 10:12 Thank you for joining us again! 10:15 The Bible reveals 10:16 this practice of RHEMA affirmations 10:20 can bring many wonderful benefits. 10:22 Let's look at some Bible verses that 10:25 refer to the RHEMA word of God. 10:30 In Romans 10:8-10 and 17 10:36 the Bible says... 10:38 [text on screen] 11:22 Let's unpack 11:23 the promise of these scriptures. 11:26 What's in our mouth? 11:27 What's the word of faith? 11:29 Scriptures of God! 11:31 That we confess with 11:33 our living voice 11:35 the word that has become RHEMA to us. 11:38 With our mouths we confess 11:41 the testimony of God over our lives. 11:45 And the scripture says that 11:46 with our mouth confession is 11:49 made unto salvation. 11:52 How does faith come? 11:54 By hearing 11:55 the RHEMA word of God spoken. 11:59 You know something? 12:01 Faith will develop quickly if 12:03 you're declaring God's word 12:06 with your own living voice. 12:09 Let me explain what I mean. 12:12 In Romans 8:29 12:14 the Bible says that 12:15 if you have accepted Christ as your Savior 12:18 you are predestined to be 12:21 conformed into His image. 12:24 Now, if I tell you that 12:26 your destiny is to become like Jesus 12:28 my words may not penetrate your heart. 12:31 But if you take God's testimony 12:35 from Romans 8:29 12:37 and by RHEMA affirmations say... 12:40 "I am predestined to be conformed to 12:44 "the image of Jesus!" 12:47 I'll tell you something... 12:49 When you say that 12:50 this promise will grow 12:51 and flourish in your heart 12:53 and in your mind! 12:54 Our confession increases our faith 12:58 and the promises of God 13:00 are ushered into existence by faith. 13:04 Now let's take 13:06 II Corinthians 5:17 13:08 as another example. 13:09 "That verse says that 13:11 "if anyone is in Christ 13:13 "he is a new creation. 13:14 "The old is gone 13:16 "and the new is come." 13:18 Now, if you apply this verse personally 13:20 and confess 13:21 I am a new creation in Christ Jesus 13:24 the old is gone 13:25 and the new has come. 13:27 I'm gonna tell you 13:29 from personal experience 13:30 you're gonna meet some 13:31 little resistance at first. 13:33 We are painfully aware of 13:35 our short comings and failures. 13:38 Aren't we? 13:39 We don't always feel like 13:41 the old is gone. 13:43 But, we can't trust our feelings! 13:46 We must remember that 13:49 God considers it as accomplished! 13:52 Because the Bible says 13:54 His power is being exerted to 13:57 complete the good works that 13:59 He has begun in us. 14:01 He knows the end from the beginning! 14:03 And He works all things 14:06 according to His will. 14:08 Therefore, 14:09 the Bible says that 14:11 He regards things that 14:13 had yet to be completed as 14:15 if they were already done! 14:17 And you know something? 14:19 We should too! 14:20 According to II Corinthians 4:13. 14:24 And that says, 14:26 [text on screen] 14:39 So what is the spirit of faith? 14:42 The spirit of faith is 14:45 calling things that are not 14:47 as though they already existed. 14:50 The spirit of faith is 14:52 taking God's revealed purpose to us 14:55 and speaking it over our lives! 14:59 When we know His plan 15:00 and confess His testimony over our lives, 15:03 when we speak it with 15:05 our living voice, 15:06 God works a miracle in us! 15:08 The potential of the harvest is 15:11 in the seed. 15:13 Jesus said that 15:14 the seed is the word of God. 15:16 All of your potential is wrapped up 15:20 in the Holy Word of God! 15:22 And as you repeat His promises aloud, 15:26 then He begins to wipe away 15:28 our old attitudes 15:30 and our old thoughts 15:31 and He replaces them with His thoughts. 15:35 The life of Christ 15:36 begins to form in us. 15:39 His creative word power 15:41 gives us the wisdom of Christ. 15:43 And amazingly it shapes us 15:48 and begins to shape His image within us. 15:52 The Bible councils us 15:53 "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly 15:58 "in all wisdom." 16:00 And then Paul said, 16:01 "meditate on these things. 16:03 "Give yourselves 16:05 "entirely over to Him. 16:06 T"hat your progress might be evident by all." 16:10 That's Colosians 3:16 16:12 and 1 Timothy 4:15. 16:17 What does it mean 16:19 to meditate on the word? 16:22 It means that 16:24 we should give serious consideration to 16:26 what the word of God 16:28 means to us on a personal level. 16:30 What it reveals about the character of God. 16:35 His love 16:36 and His plan for our lives. 16:38 Meditation means to 16:39 reflect on who we are in Christ. 16:43 It's interesting that 16:45 there's no commandment in 16:47 the Bible to memorize 16:49 and I think I understand why. 16:51 It's a wonderful process for 16:53 those who will work through it. 16:56 The problem is 16:57 the majority of us won't! 16:59 You know, as 17:01 I've traveled from church to church 17:03 I've poled congregations. 17:04 And less than 1% of members say 17:07 they enjoy memorizing. 17:09 In fact, 17:11 I think if the church would quit 17:13 referring to scripture as memory text 17:16 and start referring to His word 17:18 as life to us, 17:20 more people would wake up and take notice. 17:25 We would begin to recognize 17:26 the scriptures have a solid vows of God. 17:30 What He desires to 17:32 accomplish in our lives 17:34 and what He will accomplish if 17:37 we'll just give Him permission 17:39 and cooperate. 17:40 When the word is in our heart 17:43 and when it is confessed 17:44 by our living voice, 17:46 we begin to practice it! 17:48 Just like Deuteronomy 30:14 councils us. 17:56 [text on screen] 18:03 Affirming the scriptures is 18:05 not a mechanical repetition of a text. 18:10 It's not mind over matter. 18:12 It's coming to God's word as 18:15 our source of life giving power 18:18 and elevating His thoughts 18:21 above our own reasoning. 18:23 As we absorb the word into our hearts 18:28 and as we return it to Him 18:30 with our living voice, 18:32 He empowers us to do 18:35 all that He requires of us. 18:37 Then He bestows 18:38 the blessings of abundant life. 18:41 God knows that His word 18:44 will not return empty. 18:46 Because He is watching 18:47 and waiting to perform it in those 18:49 who have faith to accept His testimony. 18:53 Listen to God's promises 18:55 in Isaiah 55:11. 18:59 That's where I'll start 19:01 and then I'll also read 19:02 Jeremiah 1:12. 19:04 Isaiah 55:11 says this, 19:07 "So shall my word be that 19:10 "goes forth from my mouth 19:12 "it shall not return to me void. 19:16 "But is shall accomplish 19:18 "what I please and it shall prosper 19:21 "in the thing for which I sent it." 19:24 That's what the Lord said! 19:25 And then in Jeremiah 1:12 19:27 He says, 19:28 "I am watching to see that 19:30 "my word is fulfilled." 19:34 The benefit of RHEMA affirmations is that 19:38 we began taking God's testimony personally 19:41 and as the word becomes our testimony 19:44 it becomes more relevant to us. 19:48 We become by the blood of the Lamb 19:50 and by the word of our His testimony. 19:52 Just as Revelation 11:12 says. 19:54 Personal application of God's word 19:58 has transforming power. 19:59 There's one comment that I hear repeatedly 20:02 after I've shared this teaching 20:05 and people have begun 20:07 practicing RHEMA affirmations. 20:09 And that comment is, 20:10 "Wow! This is powerful!" 20:12 Oh I want you to taste and see 20:17 how good the RHEMA word of God really is! 20:20 As we speak His word 20:22 in our living voice, 20:24 He renews our minds. 20:27 Worldly thoughts 20:28 and attitudes wash away. 20:30 Whispers of our past 20:32 are silenced. 20:34 Our sense of identity in Christ is 20:37 deepened as we speak His word 20:39 with our living voice. 20:41 He connects our thoughts to 20:44 His plan for our lives. 20:46 We're filled by His power. 20:49 We begin concentrating all of this energy 20:54 on pressing forward to obtain 20:57 the goals of God's will. 21:01 By the power of His word 21:03 and His spirit, 21:04 our minds are renewed. 21:07 And God tranforms us 21:09 into new creations. 21:13 The RHEMA word is those scriptures that 21:16 we take personally. 21:21 Confessing them over our lives, 21:23 and putting them into practice. 21:25 That's how we taste and see 21:30 the goodness of God's word 21:35 and the powers of the accompanying agents. 21:37 And once you've tasted 21:39 I guarantee one thing... 21:40 You're going to hunger for more! 21:43 The Bible says that 21:45 it is the RHEMA word that 21:46 brings spiritual nutrition to us. 21:49 Let's look at Matthew 4:4. 21:54 Jesus said, [text on screen] 21:57 You know, I view the Bible, 22:11 God's LOGOS word as 22:14 a smorgasbord. 22:15 It's just a whole table of 22:18 sacred nutrition that is 22:21 laid out buffet style 22:23 for us! 22:25 He has provided this. 22:27 Everything that we need for 22:29 an abundant life 22:30 and Godliness 22:32 right here in His word. 22:33 Yet, we will die of 22:35 spiritual starvation if 22:37 the only thing that we do is observe 22:39 this divine dining arrangement. 22:42 We've got to get our own 22:45 spiritual strength from this 22:47 by loading up our plates 22:49 and personally partaking of 22:52 God's word. 22:54 Our spiritual nutrition 22:56 comes from entering in 22:58 and practicing God's word. 23:00 We must take the LOGOS word personally 23:03 and make it RHEMA to us. 23:05 The vitality of our Christian life 23:08 directly relates to 23:09 the amount of His promises that we digest. 23:13 Bringing them into our hearts 23:15 and minds 23:17 and confessing them as 23:19 the RHEMA word of faith. 23:21 Jesus invites us 23:23 to dine with Him. 23:24 He says in Revelation, 23:26 "Behold I stand at 23:28 "the door and knock. 23:30 "If anyone hears My voice, 23:33 "opens the door, 23:34 "I will come in 23:36 "and dine with him 23:38 "and he with Me." 23:40 You know, 23:41 the Prophet Jeremiah understood this. 23:43 He said, 23:45 [text on screen] 24:00 You know, largely, 24:03 faith depends on 24:05 knowledge of His word. 24:07 Faith expects very little 24:09 when God's word is unknown. 24:12 We must be mindful 24:13 there are different dimensions of 24:15 knowledge and belief. 24:16 There's the mental accent dimension that sees 24:20 and accepts the Bible as truth 24:22 but there's no personal application. 24:25 The greater dimension is 24:26 when we enter into His truths 24:28 through personal applications. 24:31 Personal experience. 24:33 Did you know that 24:34 it's possible to be very religious 24:36 and still be suffering from 24:38 spiritual starvation? 24:40 All we have to do is 24:41 consider the life of the Pharisee 24:43 and we will see this principle at work. 24:46 They had the scriptures memorized. 24:49 Word for word! 24:50 Yet most were not divinely nourished because 24:53 they didn't partake of 24:55 the word as their life 24:57 and as the substance that 24:59 they needed for life. 25:01 Hear what the Lord said to 25:03 Ezekiel in chapter two. 25:09 He said... 25:14 [text on screen] 25:29 As Christians, 25:30 we are either strong or weak 25:33 depending on the amount of 25:35 God's word that is alive in us. 25:38 And that we practice daily. 25:40 Our Lord said that 25:42 we live by every RHEMA word that 25:46 proceeds from the mouth of God. 25:49 When His word becomes RHEMA to us 25:53 it brings down the veil that 25:55 clouds out our vision. 25:57 The veil of guilt that 25:58 keeps us from entering 26:00 into His presence. 26:01 In addition, 26:03 something amazing begins to develop. 26:04 That is described in 26:06 II Corinthians 3:18 that says, 26:09 "But we all with unveiled face 26:13 "beholding as in a mirror 26:17 "the Glory of the Lord 26:18 "are being transformed into 26:21 "the same image from glory to glory 26:25 "just as by the Spirit of the Lord." 26:29 Through the nourishment of the word 26:32 and by the power of the Spirit to 26:35 put the word into practice, 26:38 we begin to mature 26:40 in the image of Christ. 26:42 Becoming involved in this practice 26:45 has caused me to gain 26:47 a true appreciation 26:49 for Job's declaration. 26:53 He said, 26:54 [text on screen] 27:09 The practice of 27:11 RHEMA affirmations 27:13 requires discipline. 27:14 But it is well worth the effort!! 27:16 There's a high return of 27:17 investment on our time. 27:19 Remember that 27:20 the Bible in its entirety is 27:22 the LOGOS word of God. 27:24 And the word becomes 27:26 RHEMA for us. 27:27 When we focus on a verse, 27:29 confess it by our living voice, 27:30 and apply it personally to our lives. 27:33 I pray that 27:35 God is encouraging you to 27:36 test this process for yourself! 27:38 Set aside 20 minutes each day for a month 27:41 and see what happens! 27:43 I can promise you one thing. 27:45 If you'll be consistent 27:46 in this practice of 27:47 speaking God's word 27:49 over you life, 27:50 and accepting His testimony about it 27:52 you'll discover that 27:53 the power of speaking 27:55 the RHEMA word of faith 27:56 results in God's 27:58 change in your heart. |
Revised 2022-01-27