inthespirit.r-l-w.net

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Excelling in Attitude

This sermon is presented online in s5 format. What you will see in a modern, standards-compliant browser is formatted to be used as overhead slides. The printed version of the presentation has been styled to look good on a portrait 8.5 x 11″page and includes additional content not displayed on the slides.

In John 1:1 we read “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” and in verse 14 of the same chapter “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

As is very clear from these verses, God himself is the Word and not only this, but Jesus is the Word as well, for there is only one begotten son of God and verse 14 can speak of no other.

In chapter 6 of John the crowd who had followed Jesus across the sea in search of another meal and asked him for a sign like the manna their ancestors had eaten in the desert. He replied in verses 32-35 “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

Jesus has declared himself the bread of life. In the first passage John declared that Jesus was the Word made flesh. By the commutative principle of logic that states that two things equal to a third thing equal each other (that is if a=b and b=c, then a=c), we can then say that the Word of God is also the bread of life.

The Word is spiritual bread that should be sustenance to our souls.

Indeed, Jesus himself tells us in Matthew chapter 4 verse 4 “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” and Jeremiah also says the Word is to nourish us in chapter 15 verse 16 “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.”

When a man preaches the Word, he is said to be “breaking the bread of life to us”. That is, the preacher is serving a meal of food for the spirit.

Food for the body is perishable. Mold and decay make it inedible. If food corrupted in this way is eaten, it can make the body sick even to the point of death, therefore bread must be examined and checked for mold before it is eaten.

In a like manner spiritual food being broken by any man must be examined and tested before the spirit can be allowed to partake of it as nourishment for some would serve us moldy bread.

2 Timothy chapter 3 speaks of such people in verses 1-13 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. 9 But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as their’s also was. 10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, 11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”

In verse 5 of this passage we read of men who have the form of godliness but deny it’s power. What is the power of godliness? As we see in Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” the power of God is the gospel and the power of godliness then is the Word of God. These men of verse 5 are those who would break moldy bread to us!

They would serve us a meal of corrupted spiritual food. They would give us bread that looks good, but is harmful. They would preach to us what appears to be the Word of God, but is not.

As moldy material bread can kill the body, so moldy spiritual bread can kill the spirit. Therefore we must examine not only the material bread we give our bodies, we must also examine the spiritual bread that is broken to us. 1 John 4:1 makes this plain “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” These spirits are those who break the bread of life to us. We cannot accept the words of any person who claims to know the Word of God until we have tested the bread being broken against the true bread- the Word of God. We must examine the bread and we must reject moldy bread.

However just as the body needs fresh material bread, so the spirit must continue to partake of sound spiritual bread as is seen in 2 Tim 4:14-17 “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

And not only must we reject moldy bread and eat sound bread, but we must be bakers of sound bread and break it to all who would hear. We are called in 2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” to be bakers who bake true bread. We must take the ingredients from the Word and assemble them properly and in the right proportions into the bread of life which is the Word of God- that is the expression of the truths of God’s Word. But to bake the bread is not enough, for we must as we read in 2 Timothy 4:1-2 “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.” be ready to break the bread of life to any and all who hunger at every opportunity.

Let us all behold that the bread of life that gives sustenance to the spirit is the Word of God. Let us also know that there are those who would serve us moldy bread and therefore we must test any spiritual food we are given. We must test it and reject what is moldy.

Let us also never forget that not only must we not cease in partaking of the true bread of life, but that we must become bakers of sound bread ready to break this bread to whoever needs spiritual nourishment.