Welcome to “Learning and Living the God-centered life”
Carmel Baptist Church
www.learningandlivingtheword.com
July 5, 2009

Learning and Living the God-centered Life
Coming in August
 The Trinity - Jesus and His relationship to the Father
(2 Weeks)
 The Trinity - Jesus and His relationship to the Spirit
(2 Weeks)

Coming in August
 Redesign of our Website

Coming in August
 Redesign of our Website
 5 top tabs, more compact and easier navigation
 More links for those who want to dig deeper
 Video, Audio and Notes
 Community Activities to be updated by leaders
Coming in September
 Attributes of God
 Incommunicable - those held only by God Himself
 Self sufficiency (2 Weeks)
 Immutability (2 Weeks)

The Summer Exhortation - Back to the Bible
1. Mission
2. Challenge
3. Authority
4. Importance
5. Accomplishment or Achievement

Back to the Bible
Community Mission Statement (from teaching perspective)
We exist as a community to spread a passion for Christ, as
His word becomes the food and daily nourishment for our
learning and living the God-centered life.
A life, that through His word, is transformed by the power of
the Spirit in seeing glory of Christ who is the image of God!

Community Challenge Statement
"FINALLY THIS YEAR" Lord you have my full and undivided
attention. There will be, by Your grace, no competition
between recreation, entertainment, business, kids activities or
anything else that can so easily distract and entangle me.
Though I recognize all these activities will be part of my life, I
maintain and cling to the truth that you are my life.
"FINALLY THIS YEAR" I first of all will prepare my heart to
hear from God as never before. I will recognize that God is
sovereign, and may do with me whatever He pleases. But
heavenly Father my prayer will be for You to extend to me a
measure of faith as never before, with regards to the reading,
devotion and study of Your word. And "FINALLY THIS
YEAR" I am praying to trust,depend, rely on Christ as never
before. "FINALLY THIS YEAR" I am longing to be desperate
for You Lord and You alone!!!

Authority of the Bible
 The word of God is inspired (God-breathed)
 The word of God is inerrant (no errors)
 The word of God is infallible (it will not fail)
Starting point of our study for this week
Mark 4:21-23 (Parable of the Lamp)
The Story (can you tell the story)
The Setting (what is the context)
The Spiritual Teaching (what is the main point)

Importance of the Bible
 God commands it
 A life priority
 Litmus test of salvation
 Primary way to know God

Importance of the Bible
 God commands it
 2 Timothy 2:15
 Chase the verbs (website and tutorial)
 Check parallel translations (website and tutorial)
 Be diligent
 to present yourself approved to God as a workman
who does not need to be ashamed,
 accurately handling the word of truth.

Importance of the Bible
 It is a life priority
 Psalm 1 (notice eliminate negative, accentuate positive)
 Joshua 1:8
 Deut. 32:47 “For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is
your life…”
 John 5:24

Importance of the Bible
 It is a litmus test for salvation
 John 8:31
 John 15:1-4
 John 6:35

Importance of the Bible
 It is the primary way we can know God
What is more important to man than God? He is everything.
To know God is the primary, pre eminent pursuit of any
human.
And how is he, man, to study, to know God? God has shut
Himself up, as it were, or limited Himself in His revelation to
mankind through the channel of the written Word of God, the
Bible.
This is the only authentic, true text to which we may turn.
Anything God has of Himself or His blessings comes from
Himself immediately, directly, and only to a human being
through this book, God's Word.

Consequently, to know God is to know the Bible; to know the
Bible is to know God. If God is all important, then His Word
is all important. In other words, The Word of God is as
important as God Himself.
As far as mankind is concerned, this is true. A hunger for
God will mean, must mean, a hunger for the Word of God.
Therefore, one must immediately realize if God's Word is as
important as God Himself (for by it we can know and
understand God), then how we interpret God's Word is just
as important as God's Word.

Importance of the Bible
 It is the primary way we can know God
 John 14:8
 John 1:14
 John 1:18
 John 17:3
In Summary
God Commands it
A Life Priority!
Litmus test for Salvation
Primary way to know God

Accomplishments of the Bible
It regenerates (1 Peter 1:23)
It converts the soul (Romans 10:17)
It makes wise the simple (Psalm 119:130)
It sanctifies (John 17:17)
It sustains spiritual life (Matthew 4:4)
 Check out the Greek word for “word” which is rhema
 This means a specific “word” from the whole word

Matt 4:4 Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.
1 Pet 1:25 The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the Word
of the Lord abides forever.
Rom 10:17 Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of Christ.
Eph 6:17 ..and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God.
Heb 1:3 He upholds all things by the Word of His power.
Heb 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by
the Word of God.
Eph 5:26 Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
having cleansed her by the washing of the water of the Word.

Accomplishments of the Bible
It promotes spiritual growth (1 Peter 2:2)
It produces hope and comfort (Romans 15:4)
It edifies (Acts 20:32)
It warns (1 Corinthians 10:11)
It performs surgery (Hebrews 11:4)
It judges (John 12:47)