You Can't Know the Truth Outside The Word of God! | Pastor Steve Smothermon

listen we're in a series that we titled basics and today we're going to talk about the importance of the word of god why we need to read it why we need to apply it why we need to think about it and for some this may seem fundamental to you very basic but folks it's when we forget the basics the fundamentals that we get in trouble you know in any in any walk of life whether in the military policeman you know whatever you do an athlete of any kind the one thing they always go back and revisit no matter how advanced a person becomes is the basics the fundamentals because everything every advancement every skill is built on basics or fundamentals well with god if we don't if we miss the basics we'll miss most of our walk with god and then one day you'll get the basics and say why didn't someone tell me that years ago because it would have changed my life it'll change the way i i think so the thought is you cannot know truth outside of the word of god the bible there's a lot of facts there's a lot of things and what's true today may not be true tomorrow in the world but what's true today in god's word is always true tomorrow god never changes so absolute truth is found only in the scriptures second timothy chapter 3 verses 14 through 17 but you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught you know they are true for you know you can trust those who taught you you have been taught the holy scriptures from childhood and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in christ jesus all scripture everybody say all scripture online all scripture i always want you to hear a miracle all scripture is inspired by god and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives it corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right god uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work so many times in life it is doing the basics working on the fundamentals that give us the biggest payoff but for a lot of people it is those basic things that have been ignored or people just don't know reading the bible is one of the most basic things about being a believer and it is often one of the most ignored or neglected things in our walk with christ and it's not just reading the bible because everybody say you've got to read the bible you've got to read the bible it's not just reading it you have to read it meditate on it and apply it if you if you forget anything that i said today read meditate and apply read meditate and apply because some people say do you read the bible well what is that well yeah i read it but i mean but there's there's more do you read it with the thought to apply it because if you read it without the thought to apply it it just becomes an ordinary book matthew 24 35 says heaven and earth will pass away these are the quote from jesus himself but my words will never pass away heaven and earth will pass away but the word of god will never pass away see you can't know god without the bible bottom line we get to know him through his word we can't know his character we can't know right from wrong good from evil without the bible this is why christians as a whole are not much different in their belief systems than the world is people will say they're saved but still believe all kinds of crazy things so here's the bottom line when you get born again or saved god changes your heart but you have to be willing to change your mind and if you don't change your mind your mind will never be changed what you think about that for a moment if i'm not willing to change my mind my mind will not be changed god's not going to change your mind he's going to give you his word you read it think about it meditate on it apply it and then you get your mind renewed don't be transformed this would be transformed by the word of god you renew your mind by the word of god to start thinking like god thinks so your mind will get in line with your heart that god has saved that's the way it works and so we have to understand that that's why there's a lot of so-called christians and they may be they may love god but they may be ignorant of his word and god says my people perish for lack of knowledge there is no excuse for ignorance we don't have to stay ignorant and a lot of people fight their christianity their whole life because it it when they get born again and they start hearing the word it comes against their core belief system that they've had forever and they don't want to give that belief system up therefore you can't walk with god you'll never know god you'll always be distant from god you'll always be contrary to the church and the kingdom of god matthew 4 4 jesus said but he answered talking to the devil it is written man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of god folks we we're not going to live by natural food alone we need the word of god to sustain our life psalm 119 11 i have hidden your word in my heart that i might not sin against you to truly hide the word in our hearts we must read it meditate on it and then of course apply it to our lives that's how you hide in your heart the word of god is like food for our spirit most of us won't go day without eating something how many of y'all did like the three day fast when we fasted how many all realize you are hungry like i'm hungry hungry how many all knew that and you know for me the toughest day is the third day because i start counting down when i can eat it's like eight more hours and your food is crying and craving for food then it comes down to the wire ten nine eight seven six five four three two one blast stop let's eat and then you realize every commercial is about food you know why because your body needs food to survive and to function the way it's supposed to function when you fast those three days you're letting your body know i'm in tr i have self-control i'm in charge you're not and for some of you hopefully it broke some things in your life change some thinking for you but but that's that's part of what fasting does it does a lot of good things for you and so we we fast but we're hungry our bodies are screaming for food because it needs it to survive so most of us won't go today without eating something so why do we think we can walk with god honor god know what god wants us to do without reading his word daily some of us don't even realize it we're starving ourselves spiritually i think barnard did a study that's where i got this from it says 48 percent of the people 48 of so-called christians read the bible or listen to something on their own three or four times a year only approximately 14 well that's less than that because now statistics are saying because of the shutdown and churches have shut down that people aren't reading their bibles as much so let's just call it 10 so only approximately 10 of believers read their bibles daily no wonder the church is all over the place it's because the vast majority of people who call themselves a christian really don't know god at all how he thinks what he calls us to do what his word actually declares and that's the conflict isn't it even when i sit up here and do what i do there'll be those christians that say i don't think he should do that but they don't know why other than they don't feel like it's right but scripturally it's the people of god who've called out the leaders when they've gotten off and saying you're in sin all through the scriptures that's what happened that's why john the baptist got his head cut off he told the king you're in sin you're sleeping with your brother's wife man you're an adulterer you're in sin and what did she do she got so offended she had his head cut off see folks when you don't know the bible you don't understand and so we tend to be against what we don't understand and so some people who call themselves believers are against the church and against the word of god because they don't understand it and it's because they're not reading it if only 10 of the people call themselves believers read the bible daily no wonder we're all in conflict no wonder there's crazy stuff and it says well my church doesn't believe that my church doesn't believe this but your church believes this that's why the body of christ has little or no influence in the culture today because so many of the churches have gone to a seeker mentality it's called seeker friendly where they don't want to offend anybody so they have to water down the scriptures and people follow these people by big numbers because the bible says in the last days men will heap up teachers to themselves he means teacher after teacher after teacher having itching ears in other words they're just going to say what makes me feel good and right and then you get a church that actually starts doing what the bible says pushing back fighting back saying we don't care we're going to serve our god the way the only true god the way we want to whether you like it or not and and folks it's not the world i'm concerned about because they don't ever get us it's the people who call themselves christians that open their mouth that concern me i've had it all i've been attacked by more so-called christians than the lost and when they lost attacks i get it because they're lost jesus said they hate me they're going to hate you but we don't also realize that meant those who called themselves godly the group of the pharisees the sadducees hated the christians because they hated jesus first so the church is in turmoil even in this church somewhat people say i don't know i don't think i don't know i don't feel instead say well what do you know what does the bible teach how how do how does how do you the bible says what are those who call good good evil and evil good how do you do that if no one's saying it think about it in our prosperity the church as a whole has gotten weak we've gotten away from the scriptures because we didn't need god and it didn't matter matters today so there's several kinds of churches out there one there's a church that believes the bible is still the bible and we should follow it then there's the state church that believes we should just succumb and submit to all the the rules of the state and then there's a church out there that really doesn't believe in anything anymore they're no different than the lost they have just bought into the ungodly and that's why there's conflict that's why you got to be in a church that actually teaches the word not just trying to have comedy hour it's funny to me when i hear about certain preachers well i like them because they're funny you know what they never say they don't like them they never say i like him because he preaches the truth it's just that they're being entertained and folks walking with god is more than being entertained is being taught and so that's why the church is in turmoil because very few people read the bible on their own see reading the word and applying the word is what is needed to know god to do his will joshua 1 8 says it this way study this book of instruction continually what is it a book of instruction meditate on it day and night so you'll be sure to obey everything written in it only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do who wants to prosper and succeed in all they do i do so you got to read it you got to meditate on then you got to apply it you got to purpose how am i going to put this in my life how am i going to walk in this what is god saying in his word that i need to begin to do in my life because it is a book this whole book is a book of instruction there's more instruction reproof rebuke correction than there is encouragement but what does the christian want all we want is a true encouragement instead of instruction and how to stay encouraged and when we wait on the lord the bible says we renew our strength but man we're impatient people today see it's just not reading it it's purposing to do it as well to act on it apply it in your life hebrews 4 12 says for the word of god is alive and powerful it is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword cutting between soul and spirit between joint and morrow it exposes our innermost thoughts and desires see the word of god is life changing it's living and dynamic as it works in us god's word reveals who we are and what we are not it penetrates the core of our moral and spiritual boundaries in life it discerns what is in us both good and evil and the demands of god's word requires decisions god's word will bring you to a place of decision we must not only listen read the word we must also let it shape our lives so again people get born again they have this whole belief system when they get born again they realize that belief system that they had is contrary to god's word and what do most people do in our society they keep it anyway this is the way i've always been the bible says the traditions of men will make the word of no effect and some people keep their traditions how they were raised this is the way i was raised it's the way i was taught and so god can't even come in and re-teach you because we have been bound to i don't want to change remember you can't change your mind until you're willing to change your mind think about it i don't know how many things have been changed over my life since i've gotten saved and still changing no one ever reaches perfection i'm not standing up here saying i'm perfect i'm far from it far from it i pray god have mercy on my life and grace please don't give me what i deserve and some of us who don't know god are crying out god i deserve this and i deserve that and i deserve another thing and god said if i really gave you what you deserve you wouldn't be here it's the wrong mentality but remember this if you carry the victim mentality you like abuse state of new mexico that's the spirit i talked about last week one of the spirits over in new mexico is the victim entitlement mentality it's a spirit of fear poverty and people like that they they continue to put the same people in power because they enjoy the abuse you won't like this power when you can't afford driving your car because you can't afford the gas see how much you like it then so we need to understand that the word of god brings you to a decision do i let god change my mind by how do i how do i get god to change my mind by getting in the word reading it meditating on it and applying it until it becomes part of you and then you'll change your mind and so things you thought were okay at one time may not be okay today studies have shown again with the pandemic and people not attending church services the bible reading has decreased so let me give you a few thoughts of what the word of god teaches us out of hebrews for it it teaches us the truth it teaches us by the the truth by saying what is right it rebukes our sin by saying this is wrong it corrects us and points us back to what is right because we have been reproved by the word we are pointed back to what we are supposed to be doing it corrects us by saying repent and serve the one true god notice it corrects it reproves it rebukes but the one thing the word of god doesn't do to a believer is condemned and so many people are walking in condemnation because you blew it you made a mistake you sinned and and folks let me say this who hasn't sinned in here and if you say you have no sin you're the greatest liar in the place because we've all sinned but god doesn't ever bring condemnation that comes from the evil one your enemy the devil he comes to condemn and torture god comes to rebuke and reprove and correct why to help you do the right thing he instructs so we know what the right thing is god's not trying to hurt you he's trying to help you it trains us the scriptures tells us both what is wrong and how to do what is right and some of the reasons people don't read the bible number one is this some don't feel they are worthy enough folks you're not worthy because you did something or didn't do something you're worthy because of what jesus did and you're not unworthy because of what you did or didn't do if you feel unworthy that comes from the enemy or you're not born again so therefore you would be unworthy jesus makes you worthy the bible says we're saved by grace lest any man should boast and what he's saying is it's grace that saves us just grace god's unmerited favor we don't deserve it he just says i'm a savior despite yourself because he doesn't want anybody to brag about you i did this and this and god did this and this i did this and god did that no he wants us to be humble and say i didn't couldn't do anything but god did everything that's what he wants so if you're feeling unworthy because the way you were raised and you were taught you don't need to read the bible some people come from a place where you're taught let the leaders read the bible and they'll tell you what it says folks that doesn't work with god god's too personal for that how can he instruct you if it's only coming from one person because the way he deals with you may not be the way he deals with me he gives a lot of times when i'm meditating i'll get sports analogies because i played sports i'm not getting knitting analogies and you say why because i know nothing about it god's not going to give me an allergy when i'm like what but if you're a knitter he might use those analogies if you're a baker or cook he doesn't give me cooking analogies either because i don't cook but if you're a cook that may be the thing he begins to use in your thinking to help you understand what he's trying to teach you maybe you've been broken and heard before and so god begins to give you thoughts about things like that when when so you can get better and how god loves you no matter what you're going through how he's for you it's the way we think that that separates us from god if god could get us to think more like him then we'd be more like him so don't ever feel unworthy enough to read the scriptures everybody can learn the scriptures number two some think it's stale and lifeless listen one of the reasons for this is maybe they aren't reading it with the intent to actually practice it if you're reading this like a history book it might be still and lifeless but if you read it with the thought to do it to apply it then it'll be life to all your flesh it'll be life to you number three some have a dysfunctional relationship with god see i want you to hear this statement it's kind of tricky if i want you to listen to it we cannot separate a love and desire for the word of god and the god of the word let me say it again we cannot separate a love and desire for the word of god and the god of the word in other words in other words if you love god you love his word if you love his word you love god you can't separate it and if you say well i don't really believe the bible then you don't love god well i don't think that's right i don't care what you think you can't know god outside this word see that's the problem we care about what too many people think instead of what the word of god actually teaches we care about what too many people feel well i feel this way and i've had these conversations maybe you have two and i said yeah you may feel that way but it's not right yeah but i feel like this anyway i don't yeah you feel that way but it doesn't it's not god that's not the way god operates and so if you don't love this whole word then you can't love god because you can't know god outside this word you can't know his character listen personally guys i know a lot of the bible i do but i struggle with addresses sometimes like i can get close but but the way my mind works when i grew up and i had to cross eye and all that my comprehension and and i just i've always struggled with those things certain things i struggle with but i know the bible and even i didn't know it all because i don't know it all when someone's teaching the scriptures i can i can just sit there and say man i don't know about this but it doesn't meet god's character and then i'll go back and study it out and say this is why i don't agree with this because when you know the character of somebody you'll know when somebody's talking about the right person or not it's like if you have a friend or someone who's very trustworthy that keeps their word and someone says i don't know if i can trust them you would vouch for them and say you can trust them because they're a man a woman of their word they'll keep their word and your your value for them because you're saying they will keep it this i'm telling you their character and a lot of us may know a little of the scriptures but we don't some of us don't know the character of god you hear people say god was so loving why'd he kill all those people well he killed all those people because those people were beyond repentance and they were killing his people oh but we don't care about that because i don't feel like that's right i don't feel like that's love well that's why we've got to go to the scriptures and find out what love is and what it's not love is not enabling love is not controlling either love is not conditioning people love is not just going along to get along love is not accepting every form of kind of behavior there is god gives us the definition of love in first corinthians 13 read it tell you what love is people say this well you're a christian you've got to love me anyway that's not true why do i got to love you if you're wha what i don't even like you i mean think about it we we have all these misconceptions of love because the way we feel not because what we read now i'll be kind and gracious to people of course let's just face we don't love everybody in fact there's some people we don't even like at all that doesn't mean i want harm to come to them and i'll pray for their soul let god love him he's the be he's the one that can love everybody he didn't give me that ability see i'm right now i'm messing with some of you because right now you're going i don't know that's right or not read your bibles see we we try to pretend we're god that's the the oh forgive and forget thing i've heard that until i've heard that for so long you've got to forgive and forget well then i realized one day i'm not god i don't have the ability to forget god can forget and throw it as far as these and from the west and remember it no more i can't throw it across the street and forget it oh my god i i know i threw it over there but i still remember because i'm not god god has abilities we do not have so we got to do the best we can with what we know not with what we feel that's why some have such a dysfunctional relationship with god they love god sincerely but they have no idea who he is in order to know right from wrong good from evil to know god's character and his will for our lives we must read the word of god let me give you about seven things that can help you start reading the bible daily are you okay with that and then we'll close number one choose a version a version of the bible that's understandable to you i tend to want to read the day out of the new living years ago i read mostly out of the amplified version now i don't mean this as a knock ladies but the amplified version is is kind of fun and funny uh by calling itself the woman's version and people used to tell me you know you're reading the women's version bible i said i know and they said why do you call it the woman's version because it's wordy in other words if you look at a bible and you look at like like you look in the king james in a chapter and you look at the amplified it is like longer because what the amplified does it breaks out the greek and the hebrew and it breaks it out so it'll tell you when it says bless it'll say and say you know you're fortunate to be envied and it'll break down what the word actually means a lot of times in the heat but if you like the amplified because i do read out of it still you you you get that version if you like the new living if you like the king james whatever version that really you grasp get a version of the bible and you get a virgin and i want to encourage you again get a life application bible if you want a bible we'll give you a bible today if you don't have a bible we'll give you the word but if you're going to study the word read it get a life application bible because when you have a life application about it has commentary right under the scriptures so you read and then you go the commentary and it'll give you some thoughts to meditate on how you can apply this in your life but you've got to find a version you like number two read a little every day and reading a little every day set a definite time to read it well pastor man i got kids and i got family yeah but if you get up at 5 30 get up at 5 25 and spend 5 minutes reading the bible set a definite time pray over what you read the bible says the holy spirit's our teacher and i pray holy spirit teach me today as i read your word meditate on what you read in other words think about it meditate means to mutter to think about so think about what you're reading all through the day whatever you read think about it how it can apply to your life god what are you saying to me god what are you speaking to me number six turn off your phones and your computers i try to read from my phone sometimes but if i get a text then i i said well i gotta i'm gonna see who's texting me because it's a distraction so get a real bible get it get a i mean there's nothing wrong with reading from the bible in your phones but get a bible that you you can write in you can take notes on that you can highlight you say you can write in the bible you should write in the bible and and and get and so get a physical bible so you can you can turn off your phones turn off the computers and there's no distraction you just spend a few minutes even a day if it would reading it i'm not telling you spend an hour or 30 minutes i'm saying spend five minutes if you can just read one scripture do something but read it every day and consider tracking in a journal get a journal write what you read and write about what you read and how you can apply to your life what is god saying to me today just a few lines i read you know psalms of proverbs 3 1 through 6 today and and and i believe this is what god's speaking to me this is what i got out of it just a few lines and then you date it and then you go back five months and you'll see how you've grown and you'll go back and read those things and say oh man i'm getting so much more from that today you train your body you train your mind to read to meditate and apply so if you'll do those things it'll help you get started you say but where do i start reading i always encourage people start in the book of proverbs or from acts to the end revelation you say why to there because those epistles were written and it tells us how we live as christians what you're supposed to do it'll help you renew your mind you say what about all the other books read them all enjoy leviticus so-and-so begat so-and-so big ass son there's a lot of begatten going on in the old testament these people were really fruitful and multiplied but the whole bible's good i'm just giving you a starting place you say why proverbs because it contrasts the wise and the foolish why axon because acts talks about the works of god and the things jesus did what the how god used the apostles and then when you get into romans and first and second corinthians and galatians you get into the epistles it'll tell you how to you're supposed to what a christian's supposed to be to start i end with this romans 10 17 says so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of god not only do you read it read it aloud to yourself take if it's just five minutes a day you say oh preacher you're not very spiritual five minutes i'm just trying to get people started you decide how long that's not for me to decide and read it out loud because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of god it's been proven that when you read it out loud you get more than if you just read it silently and you can learn from anywhere god can speak to you about anything and you watch how god begins to speak to your life how he begins to give you direction you'll be amazed you'll be blown away but then you'll understand more who god is and when the word of god is being taught and it goes against your feelings and what you thought was right you'll be like oh no i'm not going to go by my feelings because i know the word of god says whatever it says do you trust it this is his word written to us and if you trust it you'll do it and when you need encouragement ask the holy spirit to encourage you i do it all the time father i need encouragement today father do something in my life today that i look back and say only god knew that only you knew that guy because i didn't tell anybody else god will encourage he will comfort the hurting he will help the broken and he will calm your fears if you meditate on his word day and night you'll find your way prosperous and experience true success father in jesus name i thank you for being here thank you for teaching us i thank you for helping us i thank you god for your word that's truth it's all true all of it's inspired by you so teach us god your ways help us to understand your truths help us to renew our minds to think like you think instead like the world tells us to think father there's so much false doctrine and heresy going around the country today and father help us to realize that your word is above all those things your word is truth and it's forever settled in heaven and earth heaven and earth will pass away but your words will never pass away holy spirit open our eyes and teach us your ways help us know who god is and what he wants us to do help us to be able to discern right from wrong and good and evil help us god to walk in the path that you want us to walk in and god when we falter and fail please forgive us and i know you will if we repent in jesus name if you're here with every head bowed and if you're online watching it from whatever device you're watching it from whether it's youtube or facebook live or our app or a website you just be still for a moment too if you're here and you say pastor would you pray with me i have walk with god but i've walked away and now i realize why i walked away i was starving for something and i filled it with something other than the word because i was starving for something and i thought i could fill it with the lust and desires of this world but man it's just left me more shipwrecked would you pray with me i want to come home today i really want god to know i'm back i i need his forgiveness and i want to walk with him are you hearing you say pastor would you pray with me i've never truly given god my heart not with the way you just talked about i've never asked jesus to be lord of my life with the intent to do what he actually what the bible actually teaches i've never done it with a thought to actually get to know the bible in fact i've never given another thought but i know i prayed a prayer [Music] folks i wouldn't bet on that [Music] when you come to christ he means business he takes it personal because it's a personal relationship when you say yes to him he believes you he'll begin to work with you and help you and lead you and guide you but you got to come to him first we all have to come the same way humble hearts and minds say god please forgive me god i recognize your god and i'm not i've tried to be the god of my own life but it didn't work out real well i'm still lost i'm still empty on the inside and the only way to feel that emptiness that void is to ask jesus to come live in your heart he's the only one that can feel it so if you're here with every head bowed or you're online i can't see you online but god can i'm going to ask you online to do the same thing i asked everybody in person to do right now in jesus name if that's you and you say pastor would you include in your prayer i'm ready two one the thing i'm gonna ask you to do for two reasons number one i wanna see if i'm praying for anybody number two i want people to have the courage for just a moment to humble themselves and say god i don't care what anybody else thinks i want you in my life i need to get right if that's you in the powerful name of jesus whether you're online or in here you say preacher right now whatever he had bout and you said practice would you pray with me i'm ready if that's you in the powerful name of jesus right where you're seated wherever you're at online in jesus name would you just lift your hand up right will you see is anybody here thank you god bless you god bless you god bless you god bless you god bless you god bless you god bless you god bless you god bless you sir who else and god bless you sir because i look across you guys help me out who else god bless you god bless you up there god bless you waving at me god bless you man as i look at christ god bless you thank you kerry as i look across the top anybody else said pastor god bless you sir god bless you god bless you god bless you anybody else by the lifting of your hand said i don't care i just want to know i want to know i'm right with god if i die today preacher i want to go to heaven i don't want to go to hell god bless you over here i'm going to look across the top one more time everybody else want to join me there's so many we're all going to pray together god bless you thank you god bless you god bless you sir god bless you over here young man god bless you father in the powerful name of jesus god bless you thank you so much for all those who lifted their hand there was so many i pray with all my heart you touch their lives in a way that they'll know that you're real this will be a real moment a real experience and they'll say i know there's a god and father you're placed within the desire to get to know you and the only way to get to know you is through your word and so father as they read your word i pray that the scales fall off and the holy spirit opens their eyes and when they read it it'll be life to their flesh they'll be like oh my goodness i i'm getting so much out of this this is helping me so much because now the word would be life to their flesh in jesus name if you lifted your hand i want you to pray this prayer aloud with me right where you're seated if you're right with god i want all of you to pray it with us allowed in support of those and if you're online you prayed out loud with us would you pray this prayer with us would you pray father i choose to believe in jesus and i believe he is your son and according to your word i believe that in my heart and now i willingly confess with my mouth jesus be lord of my life thank you for saving me thank you for forgiving me thank you for restoring me i choose to believe teach me your way

Channel: Legacy Church

Views: 10,594

Keywords: legacy church, pastor steve smothermon, steve smothermon, smothermon steve, legacy church steve smothermon, legacy church the Word of God, pastor steve smothermon the Word of God, the Word of God, legacy church 2021 sermons, steve smothermon 2021 sermons, 2021 sermons, church sermon, church, Christianity, Jesus, God, God the Father, Holy Spirit, Bible, Albuquerque, New Mexico, sermons, best sermons., what is truth?, why is the bible true, why is the bible important

Id: NbJ9pWbFa3k

Length: 40min 1sec (2401 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 22 2021