by Brett Jacobsen

 

This twelve part video series is a call back to Jesus’ doctrine regarding the increase of His Kingdom. It is a re-examination of what the Bible teaches on evangelism and discipleship rather than man’s megre methods.

 

Sowing the Seed Pt 1- The Word

 

Below are the notes from this teaching so you can read along:

The seed is the Word

 

When he has made plain [level] the face thereof, does he not cast abroad the fitches and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principle wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place? (Is 28:25)

 

“Judge each day not by the harvest, but by the seeds you plant.”

 

There went out a sower to sow. (Mark 4:3)

 

The sower sows the word. (Mark 4:14)

 

 

Sowing the Word

 

I have planted… (1Cor 3:6)

 

A true spiritual awakening that endures is grounded deeply in well-thought-out biblical truth. Only when revival roots sink deep into the scriptures and draw their nourishment from God’s Word does revival last.                        

                                                                                                  Charles. G. Finney

 

 

Faith comes by the Word being preached (sown):

 

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias says, Lord, who has believed our report? So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Rom 10:14-17)

 

Our service is to reconcile; the Word is our apparatus for reconciliation:

 

… God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (2 Cor 5:18-19)

 

Sheep give birth to sheep, not pastors:

 

And he gave some […] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (Eph 4:11-12)

 

…let every man take heed how he builds thereon… (1 Cor 3:10b)

 

And herein is that saying true, One sows, and another reaps. (John 4:37)

 

They must “receive the word” in order to “believe”:

 

…they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; (Acts 17:11-12)

 

All must receive the Word in order to “believe” and “be saved”:

 

… Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your house. And they spoke to him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. (Acts 16:30-34)

 

 

What is the Word?

 

Commandment, prophecy, gospel, testimony, Jesus.

 

Commandment- Torah, new command.

 

Now we know that what things soever the law says, it says to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Rom 3:19-20)

 

Two types of law we will examine: the Law of Moses, and the works of the law on Gentiles hearts.

 

Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue to this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: (Acts 26:22)

 

And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. (Acts 28:23)

 

We are not limited to the Law of Moses in our preaching:

 

…the Gentiles, which have not the law, […] are a law unto themselves: Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) (Rom 2:14-15)

 

Dr. Wilbur Smith said of the seven outstanding revivals in the Old Testament apart from the one under Jonah: “Each revival rested on the Word and most were the result of preaching and proclaiming God’s law with power.”

 

But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; (1 Tim 1:8-10)

 

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: […] the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. (Ps 19:7-8)

 

 

Prophecy- The creative word.

 

Messianic - 330 prophecies fulfilled in incarnate Christ.

The modern science of probability:

8 prophecies fulfilled in one person- 1 in 1 times 10 to the 17^th power.

48 in one person- 1 in 1 times 10 to the 157^th power.

 

Eschatology – The end of the Jewish age according to Olivet discourse, Revelation and Flavius Josephus.

 

Governmental – Daniel’s visions and the like. E.g.: Dan 2:31-45 from Babylon to Messiah. (Dan 7:2-28 the four beasts on the sea and the everlasting kingdom)

 

Personal – Speaking the prophetic Word into people’s own lives; revealing to them what the Lord is saying. E.g.: Dan 5:1-31 -  “…I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation.” (17)

 

Judgment – “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death…” (Rom 1:32) “…treasure up to yourself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Rom 2:5)

 

 

The good news – general good news. E.g.: Covenant promises.

 

…whereof you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come to you, as it is in all the world; and brings forth fruit… (Col 1:5-6)

 

This is the word which by the gospel is preached to you. (1Pet 1:25)

 

We shall look more at ‘the gospel’ latter.

 

 

Testimony – proofs of His reality.

 

Witness (verb) – to see something happen

 

A witness has some kind of proof; they are a provider of evidence.

 

Personal testimony

 

You shall be witnesses to me. (Acts 1:8)

*“be witnesses” don’t do witnessing.

 

*“to me” evidence of Him?

 

… you are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart. (2 Cor 3:3)

 

We have seen and do testify that he Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. (1John 4:14)

 

Eyewitnesses

 

… he was seen of… (1Cor 15:5-8)

That which we have seen and heard declare we to you. (1John 1:3)

…were eyewitnesses of his majesty. (2Pet 1:16)

Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. (Rev 1:1-2)

We have seen and do testify (1John 4:14)

 

Creation a material witness

 

Use the awesomeness of creation in your preaching.

 

…The heavens declare the glory of God… (Ps 19:1-3)

 

… things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen… (Rom 1:19-20)

 

Forensic evidence

 

Literature scrutiny, archaeology, historical accuracy…

 

Incompetent witness- doesn’t count –either real close or controversial

 

 

Jesus is the Word

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. […] And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,   (John 1:1, 14)

 

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he does judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. […] he has on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. (Rev 19:11-16)

 

This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. (1 John 5:6-8)

 

Speak about Jesus and you will be speaking the Word.

 

Duplication and embedding of these videos and notes is permitted as long as they are complete and a link to www.christisall.org is included.

Thank you.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 5th, 2010 at 1:48 pm and is filed under Audio/Video, Brett Jacobsen's teaching, Christ's Kingdom, Evangelism / Discipleship, Living Christianity, Reformation/ Revival. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.