Power Point - January 14, 2005

 

January 14, 2005

 

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

                                                           -Romans 10:17

 

Too many of us live secondhand Christian lives. We’re content to know what the preacher says about God, or what the latest best-selling author has discovered. Our problems today are similar to those of Luke 24. These disciples were operating on hearsay, on secondhand information about the events of that first Easter Sunday.

 

There is no substitute for firsthand knowledge of God. He wants us to know and experience the same truths Paul discovered. That’s why these things are in God’s Word. Jesus doesn’t literally walk along the road with you and me, but He reveals Himself and speaks to us in His Word.

 

The Emmaus disciples got an eye-opening revelation from Scripture (Luke 24:27), a full-length course in Old Testament delivered by Jesus Himself. He began at Genesis 1:1 and showed how every part of the Bible speaks of Him.

 

I meet with a lot of people who are struggling with life. Perhaps their marriages or their children have disappointed them, or their careers have left them unfulfilled. What a privilege it is to open the Scriptures and introduce people to the living Christ, because that’s when life begins to make sense.

 

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). It is in the Word of God that we meet the risen Christ, not the Christ of our or someone else’s imagination.

 

We must encounter the living Lord for ourselves. How about you? Have you walked with Him and heard His voice today as you met Him in the Word? The first step in restoring your spiritual passion is to know the reality of Jesus Christ by the revelation of Scripture.

 

GET YOUR INFORMATION FIRSTHAND

—FROM GOD’S WORD.