—— Pastor Josh Baker | "Not Bread Alone" | (follow along) | Jul. 15, 2024

• Matthew 5:6
  • ↪ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
• Matthew 4:1-4
  • ↪ When Jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempted came and said to him "If you are the son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, "Man Shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."
• The Word sustains us.

WHAT IS THE WORD?

• Logos: the written word. Literally means word or principle.
• Rhema: the spoken word. Literally means an utterance whether individually, collectively or specifically.
• 2 Timothy 3:16-17
  • ↪ All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

HOW DO I KNOW IF IT'S REALLY GOD SPEAKING TO ME?

• If you have a heart after God, then it would sound like God. The Spoken word will never contradict the Written word.
• God will never tell you to do something that contradicts what He has said before.
• Too much of the word and you'll dry out, but too much of the spirit and you'll drown. You need the Logos and Rhema working together to effectively hear God in our lives.
• God speaks because He CARES about things that are happening in your life and he will use another person to speak to you.

WHY IS THE WORD IMPORTANT?

• Helps us understand God ↔ John 3:16
• Helps us grow spiritually ↔ 2 Peter 3:18
• It encourages us ↔ Romans 15:4
• It guide us ↔ Psalm 119:105
• It's a weapon against the enemy ↔ Ephesians 6:17
• Helps us understand salvation ↔ 2 Timothy 3:15
• It sustains our life ↔ John 6:63

WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE WORD?

• STUDY IT. (Joshua 1:8) Meditate on it day and night. Even if it's just a chapter a day. Read stories that interest you or do topic searches from the Bible.
• HEAR IT. (Romans 10:17) Before you read your Bible, ask the Holy Spirit "Show me what you want to teach me today." I don't want it to be words on a page, the Bible is the living and active Word of God. Position yourself in atmospheres where God's Word was going forth.
• PRACTICE IT. (James 1:22) Apply the Word of God to your life. Your relationship and understanding with God will grow and grow. The more you apply the Word -> the more you see God move in your life -> the more you have a revelation on who God really is -> cycle repeat.

DOERS OF THE WORD WILL BE BLESSED

• Deuteronomy 8:1-3
  • ↪ The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not simply live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
• NOTHING WE CAN EVER DO WILL SUSTAIN US THE WAY THE LORD CAN.

DEPEND ON GOD'S WORD

• In every situation, we need God's word to sustain us.
• If there was no God, there would be no food or life in the first place.
• God is our source for everything in this life that we need FOR this life.
• When you're feeling anxious, depressed, alone, joy, when you have great friendships, when you're broke, when you're wealthy, when you're single or getting married: depend on God's word.