Holding On To Sound Doctrine – Pastor Kim – 18th Oct ’16
please pray
2 Timothy 4:1-5 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Jesus disciples have ministry witnessing to the gospel as they walk in this world of darkness. Those born again with that new nature of Christ have a testimony. A changed new life cannot help but declare it, it is the true christian’s nature and calling to fulfill this ministry.
1 Peter 1:23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever
Luke 12:12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Embracing Sound Doctrine
The disciple of Christ dare not cease to embrace this sound doctrine for it is the Truth – the Word of God that is setting him/her free. These 66 books are a revelation of God in this life. Spend time in the Word, not only when you come to a meeting, but you yourself spend time reading the Word of God for yourself, praying over it so that God speaks personally to you. We are to give ourselves time for the Word and not get engrossed in the world. This is our relationship – our walk with God.
This Word is spiritual – it’s not just reading a book a newspaper or article – that’s not the nature of this book.
This book requires the baptism of the Holy Spirit to teach you this book and impart life to you, it feeds us and this is how we grow. To hear the Word merely through preaching is not enough. You have to hear and read the Word for yourself so that God speaks personally to you.
Lord may I live this Word that I am reading and hearing
Applying Sound Doctrine
2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince,..
What is sound doctrine doing to me?’ Is it speaking to me – cleansing and releasing me – quickening me through trial? Is it bringing me closer to God?
Whatever the circumstances, whatever the season, whatever we’re going through whether individually or corporately – we are ready – we witness to The Word. We stay with it, we’re not going to allow circumstances to change our message. We’re not going to change because we’re not at the moment seeing any manifestations, we’re not going to even change our teaching with regard to divine healing. We are still going to stay with it and preach it even if nobody wants to hear it.
Holding on to sound doctrine requires demonstration of true Christianity.
Is your life as a Christian convincing, are you revealing the fruit, are you showing the joy of the Lord? Are you loving, sharing, giving, generous, are you ready to forgive, are you a brother or sister who will bare the weaknesses of those around? Are you known as a man or woman of prayer and intercession? Are you reliable? You may convince yourself that you are godly but others will see.
Matthew 7:20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Defending Sound Doctrine
.. rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching …
The true disciple must needs defend the truth that sets free. Sadly today so many of our brothers and sisters are victims of wrong teaching. They put their ears to so many preachers and teachers and we wonder why there is so much confusion in the house of God. Our brains are like computers – if you put wrong information in you eventually get wrong information out. The Holy Spirit has come to be our teacher – to erase wrong teaching that we’ve received in our minds and thinking so that we can be delivered. The anointed Word is vital for the accompanying deliverance and healing in the mind.
Continue to encourage in long-suffering even though there is not much response. We should always bring the positive into a conversation and not the negative. Our faith takes years to develop and grow. It must be nurtured by the edifying exhortation of the Word to counteract the negatives of the World.
The Cross and Sound Doctrine
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
If the cross isn’t central in the life of a believer there will always be problems regarding hearing the Truth. There are two aspects to the cross – there’s the cross that Jesus took up on behalf of the world – His obedience in taking up His cross. The second aspect is that we too are to take up our cross and follow Christ.
The Jesus disciple must never lose sight of the cross in dealing with the self life. Nobody can live the standard of the Word of God – that’s the reason God gave it. He was trying to show something bigger – that it was ‘not by might but by my Spirit’. The Word of God can only be obeyed by the power of the Spirit of God that dwells in the Spirit baptised believer. The question is are you drawing from that power every moment of the day? It comes as you take up your cross and follow Him.
When doctors perform successful operations they are called miracles; the gifts that Jesus left us of healings true miracles and faith are what the church should embrace – how does God feel about that? Jesus’ ministry is a witness to us to continue and walk the same yet most reject it because they are putting their ears over to fables, and so it is only a remnant that follow.
Father we thank you for this exhortation, Father you have admonished us, you have challenged us. We all of us at times have compromised with the Word or our time with Your Word. But Lord help us to be thoroughly nourished and taught in Your Word, not only in the meetings but also in our quiet times as-well. Help us Lord to just wait upon Your Word to pray over the Word, to allow the Holy Spirit to speak through Your Word to our hearts and to our lives. Father we thank You for this in Jesus Name. Amen.
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