“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2 ESV)

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I. The Word of God Video:

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II. The Word of God Transcript:

The first goal of the Christian faith is for men and women to find FORGIVENESS FROM GOD. This is meant to be followed by the second goal of the Christian faith – to begin learning how to find FREEDOM FROM THEIR SINS. This second goal requires us to become part of a group of disciples who support each other in the struggle we all face in dealing with the corruption that exists in human nature.

In order for a person to become a part of a group of disciples there has to be some Basic Christian Beliefs that everyone in that group uses as a starting point if they are going to find FREEDOM FROM THEIR SINS to go along with the FORGIVENESS OF SIN God offers.

These Basic Christian Beliefs have been called doctrines by Christians who lived in the past that found their relationship with God improved when they used these doctrines as lines that should not be crossed when we want to move closer to God’s Presence by ascending into heaven.

The alternative to moving closer to God’s Presence is to simply move to the right or the left without climbing any closer to God’s Presence. This is something I want to help you avoid, so let’s take a look at the first doctrine together we need to learn.

The Doctrine of the Word of God

The Doctrine of the Word of God is our belief that God has been speaking to people from every generation alive in this world since human history began. God’s voice can be heard by men and women before they received FORGIVENESS OF SIN or FREEDOM FROM SIN.

Hearing God’s voice is an invitation to someone to receive both of these things. This is why in Psalm 95:7 (ESV) we are warned that “Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

The people outside of a discipleship group are warned not to refuse God’s offer of the FORGIVENESS OF SIN if they hear his voice inviting them to receive it. At the same time, the people in a discipleship group are being warned not to refuse the invitation to gain a deeper level of FREEDOM FROM SIN.

Some of these invitations that God gave in both of these areas to people who lived in the past were written down so they could be used as guides for us to follow today. The detailed explanations of what God said and how God said it can serve as a border or boundary to help us move closer to God’s Presence.

Discussion Questions:

#1. Have you heard of the Doctrine of the Word of God before?

Hearing The Word of God

Now that we have looked at the importance of the doctrine of the Word of God, there is another question we need to ask about God’s offer of the FORGIVENESS AND FREEDOM FROM SIN.

The question we need to ask is this: how exactly does God speak?

We need to help the members of the discipleship group we are a part of be clear on this, if we are going to help them recognize when God is speaking to us. With that in mind, I want to share the three ways that God has spoken to people in the past.

The first way is simply this: sometimes God will approach you directly when He speaks. There have been many times when god will present Himself to you when you are struggling to replace the works of the flesh with the Fruit of the Spirit so you can obtain FREEDOM FROM SIN in your own life to help you.

There are a lot of examples of this in the Bible, and we have a lot of examples outside of the Bible to confirm what I am saying here is true. There have been people in every generation since the Bible was completed who experienced the present reality of God’s voice the same way it is presented in the Bible.

For example, in Genesis chapter 2 verse 10 the (ESV) Bible says “The LORD God commanded the man” and ever since that one encounter took place there have been many other times in history where other people were approached by God in the same way because God can use the direct approach with us any time He wants.

Discussion Question: Has God ever used the direct approach to try and communicate with you? (What happened as a result?)

The Human Messengers of God

Now we can look at the second way God speaks to us. The second way happens when God sends another person as one of His personal messengers to help guide us to the place where we can receive FORGIVENESS OF SIN or FREEDOM FROM OUR SINS.

In Jeremiah chapter 1 verse 9 the (ESV) Bible says: “I have put my words in your mouth” and then Jeremiah went to deliver a message to the people alive in his generation that was written down so it could be preserved to help us today.

While Jeremiah is just one example, there have been many times in the past when God chose another person to deliver the Word as one of His human messengers to help people alive at that particular time to receive guidance to gain the FORGIVENESS OF SIN or the FREEDOM FROM THEIR SINS.

There are going to be times when God chooses another person to deliver the Word of God to you as one of his human messengers when you are struggling with the problem of letting the Fruit of the Spirit replace the works of the flesh in our lives and relationships.

Discussion Question: Has God ever sent a human messenger with the Word of God to guide you? (What happened as a result?)

Oral Communicators Who Cannot Read

There is one more thing to consider about hearing the Word of God. We have to recognize that there are a lot of people alive in the world today who cannot read. God has not left these illiterate people behind.

Just because a certain group of people cannot read we should not assume God is limited by their lack of literacy. We need to recognize that God used writing to create a standard and then He used oral communication methods to reach people tho could not read. This allows the written word of God in the Bible (all 66 English books) to be memorized by those who could not read, and it was completely committed to memory after hearing it recited in public one time.

Discussion Questions:

#1. Does your local Church have a strategy ready for helping people who read to hear the Word of God?

#2. Does your local Church have a different strategy ready to help people who cannot read?

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Prayer Concerns:

  1. God, I want to learn how to receive guidance from the Word of God to help me obtain FREEDOM FROM MY SINS.
  2. God, I want to learn how to help others receive guidance from the Word of God to help them obtain FORGIVENESS OF THEIR SINS.
  3. God, I want to learn how to receive the Word of God in each one of the three different methods you have used to share it with people in the past.