Bright Lights and Night Lights – Part 2

David J. Mullins: Hey podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's Word through the most effective media available, like this podcast. To support Pathway to Victory, go to PTV.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. Now, here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.
Dr. Robert Jeffress: Hi, this is Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory. God's Word is a lamp, it is a light. It is the only light that makes any sense in this chaotic world. And not only does it give us direction as a whole, as a country, in which way to go, but it also gives us individually light and direction in our lives. Let the Word of Christ richly dwell in you, so it can be a light giving you direction. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. Of all the resources at our disposal, the Bible is among the most important. But while most Christians would defend the value of God's Word, that belief is not always reflected in our daily experience. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Jeffress shares five simple secrets for allowing God's Word to richly dwell in your life. But first, let's take a moment to hear some important ministry updates.
Dr. Robert Jeffress: Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul wrote, "Let the Word of Christ dwell richly within you." On today's program, I'm going to break this sentence down so that we don't gloss over the significance. Nothing will enrich our relationship with Jesus any more than accepting this invitation from Paul. But first, I'd like to thank you for your engagement with Pathway to Victory as one of our valued listeners. This nonprofit ministry, now celebrating our 30th anniversary, would have no reason to exist were it not for friends like you. And we don't take your confidence in us for granted. Your trust is rooted in a consistent message of biblical truth that Pathway to Victory has delivered for three decades. Now that I've turned 70, I find myself dwelling on the remaining days God gives each of us. And in my moments of reflection, I recorded my thoughts in a brand-new book, "Seven Lessons from My 70 Years." These seven deeply personal lessons have shaped my life, and I believe they'll shape yours as well. So, let me send you my book today. It's yours when you give a generous 30th Anniversary gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. And now, let's turn our attention to Colossians chapter 3. We're resuming a study we started our last time together. I titled my message, "Bright Lights and Night Lights." Today, we're going to look at the second of the four steps Paul says we can use in our life to make our lives like that of Jesus Christ, to resemble Jesus in our attitudes, affections, and our actions. If you have your Bibles today, I want you to turn to Colossians chapter 3. Remember, in verse 15, he said step one to becoming like Christ is to allow the peace of God to rule, literally to umpire in your life. And now when we get to verse 16, we're going to look at the second step of becoming like Christ. Paul writes, "Let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you." Let me point out to you three benefits of allowing the Word of God to become a part of your life. First of all, God's Word produces spiritual growth in your life. God's Word is the catalyst that produces spiritual growth in our lives. Secondly, God's Word is a deterrent to sin. Third, God's Word allows you to experience the peace of Christ. There's a relationship in the way these two verses are worded. Look back at verse 15, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which you were indeed called in one body." And then look at verse 16, "Let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you." You see the relationship? It's not accidental. The way you allow the peace of Christ to have the final say in your life is by allowing the Word of Christ richly to dwell within you. Think about this: Isn't most of the worry in your life caused by changes you experience? I was thinking about that this week. Most anything and everything I'm concerned about has to do with some change that takes place in my life. I bet it's the same with you. It may be a change in the status of your health. It may be a change in your relationship with someone. It might be a change in your employment, but most of the anxiety we feel in life is caused by unexpected changes and unwanted changes that occur. And yet, even though people and circumstances change, God never changes. Second Samuel chapter 22, verses 32 and 33, say, "And who is a rock besides our God? God is my strong fortress." And simply put, when we read the Word of God, it is a constant reminder that even though people change and circumstances change, the God we serve and the God who loves us never changes. And that's how the Word of Christ allows you to experience the peace of Christ in your heart. Now, we've talked about the benefits of the Word of God. How many of you would like to have a better relationship with God than you're experiencing right now? How many of you would like to have victory over temptation when it comes into your life and be able to experience the benefits that come from obeying God? How many of you would like to have that supernatural equilibrium in spite of the world around you turning topsy-turvy? Are you interested in having that peace, that victory over sin, those things that come from the Word of God? The Bible says the answer is allowing the Word of Christ to richly dwell within you. We're going to go from the theoretical to the intensely practical. And I want to share with you five simple secrets for allowing God's Word to richly dwell in your life. You know, for years, The Navigators used the illustration of a hand. And they said the hand, the five fingers, represent five ways to what they called "get a grip on the Word of God." You know, think about this Bible in my hand. I can't just hold on to it with my thumb, or even my thumb and my index finger. I need all five fingers on this book so that nobody can rob it from me. And in the same way, there are five ways to allow God's Word to richly dwell within you, so that you have a grip on God's Word. I want you to write these five ways down. The thumb, let's think about the thumb, for example, that stands for listening to the Word of God. This is the easiest, most passive way to get God's Word into your life. We all need to be listening to the preached Word of God. Some people say, "Well, I don't need to go to church for that. I can just study the Bible on my own." Well, you can study the Bible on your own, but that's not enough. Did you know part of God's plan for your spiritual growth is that you be in a spiritual incubator, a spiritual greenhouse, if you will, that God has created? It's called the local church. You cannot grow as a Christian on your own. You have to have a church. You have to have a pastor who has been ordained to preach and teach the Word of God to you. That is God's plan for your spiritual growth. And so, all of us need to be in a church. We need to regularly be hearing the Word of God, but in the kind of world we live in, that's usually not enough. We need more intake of God's Word through the week. And we have many ways to receive that intake, through CDs, through Christian radio programs, other ways that we can listen to the Word of God being taught. And I really want to encourage you. Don't just go from Sunday to Sunday with one helping of God's Word. Use time in your car to listen to a message, or listen to a Christian radio program. My time to do that is in the morning when I'm running. You know, I guess I could watch the news, but I don't need any more news. I could listen to music, that's okay. But why not listen to the Word of God being taught? And every day when I'm running, I'm listening to some message from the Word of God. It is a great way to have God's Word planted into your life. As somebody said, all of us need a regular intake through the ear gate of God's Word. Listen to the Word of God. Secondly, reading the Word of God. That's the second finger. If you want to get a grip on God's Word, it's not enough to listen, you need to read the Word of God. Psalm 119, verse 18 says, "Open my eyes that I might behold wonderful things from your law." Do you realize that of all the ways God could reveal himself to us, the way he chose to do it was through the written word? And that's why it is important that we have a regular time to read the Word of God. Now, as a pastor, I've heard all kind of objections to why people say they don't read the Bible. Some people say, "Well, I just don't feel like reading the Bible." Now I appreciate that, that's honest. "I just don't feel like it. I don't have an appetite for it." You know, doctors tell us that the stage that precedes death from a patient who's starving to death, the stage that immediately precedes death is a stage that is characterized by no appetite whatsoever. When a person reaches that stage, that he is no longer hungry for physical food, he's on the verge of death. It's the same way if you're a Christian. If you're a Christian who has no desire to read the Bible, you're very close to spiritual death. And just like a patient who is starving to death physically, sometimes has to be force-fed in order to to to reestablish his physical equilibrium. Sometimes the thing you need as a Christian, if you don't feel like reading God's Word, is to force-feed yourself the Bible. Just start reading it. And you'll find the more you read, the more that hunger will return and the more you'll want to read the Word of God. Some people say, another excuse, "Why I don't have time to read the Bible. I just don't have time." Did you know the average American watches television 20 hours a week? You know, somebody said if we just spent half the time reading the Bible that we do watching TV, we would be a land of spiritual giants. Most of the books of the New Testament, did you know this, can be read in less than 30 minutes? We have time for the things we want to do. Thirdly, some people say, "Well, I I just don't understand the Bible. I don't understand what I read." Again, that's honest, but let me encourage you, if that's true for you, get a version of the Bible you understand. If you're reading the King James Bible and it doesn't make any sense to you, get a new Bible, a Bible that is in today's language. There is nothing holy or sacred about the King James Bible. I can hear the emails being typed to me right now from all across America. Listen, if the King James speaks to you, great, love it, enjoy it. But if it doesn't, get a New American Standard Version, a New International Version, the New Living Translation. It's all God's Word and will be blessed by God in your life. And parents, make sure your child has a Bible they can understand. I would recommend for a child the New International Version of the Bible. There are a lot of great editions of that in a children's version. Make sure your child understands the Bible and doesn't think the Bible is irrelevant because it's "thees and thous" and language he or she does not understand. Number four, some people say, "Well, I I forget what I read." I I try to read the Bible, I just forget it. I mean it's in one eye socket, out the other, you know. I don't remember it. You know, part of the problem is, we don't have a good plan for reading the Bible. A lot of us get on this plan where we're trying to read four chapters a day and trying to get through the Bible in a year, and it's mainly an endurance contest, you know, to see if we can get through our Bible, you know, in a year's time and so forth. I've shared with you before what I believe is a much more effective way to read the Bible. A plan I got from another pastor years ago and I've started doing it and it really has helped me. And the plan is simply this: take one book of the New Testament. Let's say it's the book of Philippians. And read it once a day for every day of that month, 30 times. You say, "Well, I don't have time to do that." You can read it in about 20 minutes. Takes about 20 minutes to read through the book of Philippians. Just once a day each day for 30 days. Let me tell you something, after you read a book of the Bible 30 times, you'll understand what's in that book. You won't even have to try to memorize it. Passages will come back to you. You'll have a firm grip. And then the next month, you move to another book of the New Testament. Now, when you get to longer books like Matthew or John or Romans or Acts, you can divide those books into half or even thirds. Read one third in April, the next third in May, the next third in June. But did you know if you follow that plan, in about three years, you will have read through the entire New Testament 30 times? Now, that is a powerful way to understand God's Word, to read the same thing over and over again. So that's one plan I encourage you to follow. Okay, we've talked about how to get a grip on God's Word. We listen to the Word of God, we read the Word of God. Thirdly, we study the Word of God. You know, as you read through the Bible, say you're reading through the book of Philippians, you'll come across a word, or you'll come across a phrase or a subject that says, "You know, I'd like to know more about that." There's a difference between being a tourist and an explorer of God's Word. You know what a tourist does? He comes to a city, he has maybe a day to spend time there, so he just hits the high points of the city and then moves on. But an explorer is somebody who takes time to explore and navigate and ask questions. It's the same way with the Word of God. If you're going to really get the riches and the benefit out of God's Word, you need to study God's Word. Now, I could do a whole series and maybe will on how to study the Bible, but let me just say, there are four tools every Christian should have in order to be able to understand the Bible when you come across a word or a subject. And I want you to write these down because if you don't have these tools, every Christian, not just preacher, every Christian ought to have these four things. First of all, a study Bible. A study Bible not only has God's Word in it, but it has explanatory notes at the bottom and interesting articles and charts that will help you understand the Bible. As you know, the one I use, the study Bible I use is the Ryrie Study Bible, composed by our friend and our fellow member Dr. Charles Ryrie. I think it's the best study Bible out there. You may have another one, that's okay, but you can get the Ryrie Study Bible in any version just about that exists: the New International, the New American Standard, the King James Bible. In addition to that, I encourage you to get a concordance. Now, a concordance looks like a huge oversized encyclopedia, and it's simply a listing of every word in the Bible and all the times that word is used in the Bible. For example, if you're doing a study or you want to know about love, or you remember some verse somewhere that has love, but you can't remember what it is, you look up love and it will list every verse in the Bible that uses the word love or any other word as well. A concordance. There are two of them that are standard. One is called Young's Analytical Concordance, one is called Strong's Concordance. Both of them will also allow you to go back and see what the original word in Greek or Hebrew meant as well. The third thing you ought to have is a Bible dictionary. Oh, this is so helpful. A Bible dictionary. Now, Bible dictionaries are like an encyclopedia in one volume. And if you want to say, for example, you're studying about the temple, and you wonder, "I wonder what Solomon's Temple looked like in Solomon's day?" You can open up an article on the temple and see all the history of the temple, and the three or four different versions of the temple, and so forth. Or if you want to know about the feast in the Old Testament, what were the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles and all of that? Look up feast and it will give you all that explanation. A Bible dictionary. The one I like the best is called the Holman, H.O.L.M.A.N., Bible dictionary. Then the final thing, the fourth tool is a commentary. Now, the more you get into God's Word, you'll buy commentaries perhaps on any book of the Bible you're studying. But to start out, you can get one commentary on the whole Bible. It's not in depth, but if you have difficulty with a verse, you can look up that verse and see what's been said about it. Matthew Henry has been around for hundreds of years, but Matthew Henry's commentary on the whole Bible is probably the best one-volume commentary. But these four tools will allow you to study the Bible. Years ago, I was in Wheaton, Illinois, and I had a little bit of time to kill before a publisher meeting, and so I went to the Billy Graham School of Evangelism. And they had a display case there filled with all kind of interesting things. And one item that caught my attention was a Bible that had been given to Albert Einstein. It didn't say who gave the Bible to Einstein, but there was an inscription from this person to Albert Einstein, and this is what it said: "Straws on the surface flow, but he who searches for pearls must dive below." That person was communicating to Albert Einstein, it didn't matter how smart he was. If he wanted to really discover the riches of God's Word, you had to go beneath the surface. You had to dig, you had to study. And the same is true for us as well. We need to study the Word of God. Fourthly, memorize the Word of God. Memorize the Word of God. Psalm 119, verse 11 says, "Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I might not sin against you." We need to commit God's Word to memory, so that when we're in the heat of spiritual battle, just like Jesus, we can recall those specific verses that speak to our situation. Now I know some of you are getting defensive at this moment when I talk about memorizing the Bible. You say, "Well, I can't even remember where I put my keys last night. How am I going to memorize the Scriptures?" You know, let's just say I said to you today, Colossians 3 is a great chapter to memorize. By the way, I did that years ago, memorized Colossians 3, and it still comes back to me. But suppose I were to say to you, I really want to challenge you to memorize Colossians 3 this week. And next Sunday, we're all going to come back and we're going to stand and recite it together. And by the way, everyone who successfully memorizes Colossians 3, I'm going to give a check to you for $100,000. How many of you think you could learn Colossians 3 in a week's time for $100,000? You see, it's not a question of ability. It's a question of motivation, isn't it? Listen, memorizing God's Word, placing it in your heart is like depositing money in the bank. "Your word have I treasured in my heart that I might not sin against you." To memorize the Word of God, I've mentioned this before, but I want you to write it down. One of the great tools I have found to memorize God's Word is put out by The Navigators, called The Navigator Topical Memory System. Now, since I mentioned it the last time, when I used the, and by the way, what that system is, it's about 60 verses on different topics: assurance of salvation, prayer, direction in life, and so forth. Just some basic things that we ought to all have scripture verses memorized about. And they used to come on little cards that you'd, you know, look at and put in a little card packet, but somebody showed me now The Navigators have upgraded. You can actually order this as an app for your smartphone. You can download it and you can actually be memorizing scripture verses off of your smartphone. But it's called The Navigator Topical Memory System. It is a great way to memorize some key verses in scripture. And then number five, remember, we're talking about getting a grip. The climax is five is to meditate on the Word of God. And that's where real success in our spiritual life comes. Joshua 1:8 says, "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have success." Do you know what it means to meditate on scripture? It means sit around being a trance. No, to meditate in Hebrew means to mutter, to murmur. The picture is somebody who is so saturated with the Word of God that he's constantly thinking about it and how it applies to his life. What happens to a person who does that? Verse 3 of Psalm 1 says, "That person will be like a tree firmly implanted by the streams of water, which yields fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither, and in whatever he does, that person will prosper." Do you desire a life that is marked by stability? That means no matter what circumstance blows into your life, you're not shaken at all, but you remain steadfast. Do you desire a life that's marked by productivity? That is, you're involved in activities that have eternal meaning, not just meaningless day-to-day activities. Do you desire to have a life that's consistent in your relationship with God? Not just short bursts of enthusiasm, followed by long periods of apathy and disobedience. Both Paul and the Psalmist says, the way to have a life that is marked by stability, productivity, consistency, is to allow the Word of Christ to richly dwell within you. Stability, productivity, consistency, not a faith of short bursts and long lulls, but a life rooted so deeply that no storm can shake it. This is what it means to let the Word of Christ take up residence in you. And it's the difference between a believer who's tossed about and one who stands firm through anything. So, the question is simply this: How deeply is His Word dwelling in you? Well, that very question is what led me to write my new book. In my 70th year, I sat down and gathered the lessons that have steadied me across a lifetime, and I put them in a book I've called "Seven Lessons from My 70 Years." It's part journal, part keepsake, with a few cherished photographs as well, and it's exclusively published by Pathway to Victory. For three decades, Pathway to Victory has been planting the Word of God in hearts all across the world. That steady consistency is precisely why you can trust this ministry with your investment. We need partners like you. So, would you give a special 30th Anniversary gift today? When you do, I'll send you my new book with my thanks, and you'll help keep this rooting, studying Word going out to a world that needs it.
David J. Mullins: Here's David to tell you more. Today, when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, you're invited to request Dr. Jeffress's brand-new book, "Seven Lessons from My 70 Years." Call 866-999-2965. Visit PTV.org, or text PTV to 78800. And in celebration of 30 years of ministry, we've gathered Dr. Jeffress's most requested messages from the past three decades into a complete teaching series called, "Truth You Can Trust." And we'll send it to you on DVD video and MP3 format audio disc as a thank you for your especially generous gift of $75 or more. One more time, call 866-999-2965, or make your request online at PTV.org. Now, you could write to us if you'd like. P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. That's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. I'm David J. Mullins, inviting you back next time when Dr. Jeffress shares another message from our 30 Year Anniversary Celebration. Discover why "Success without Succession is Failure." Wednesday, on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. The Apostle Paul sailed these waters, walked these streets, and the church was never the same. I'm inviting you to follow in Paul's footsteps on the Pathway to Victory Journeys of Paul Cruise through the stunning Greek Islands, into ancient Ephesus, and many other destinations as well. This is purposeful travel at its finest. Set sail May 14, 2027. Call 888-280-6747 or visit PTV.org. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word. To become a Pathway Partner, go to PTV.org/donate, or you can follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Oh, and one last thing before we go, don't forget to reserve your spot on the 2027 Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise. Now, you've heard me and Dr. Jeffress talk about this Bible conference at sea, and cabins, well, they're going quickly. Just picture yourself aboard the beautiful Celebrity Infinity, sailing round trip from Athens. Now, each day you'll gather for biblical teaching, worship, and fellowship, and then you'll step ashore to stand where Paul stood in Ephesus and walk the streets of Thessaloniki where his letters still speak to the church today. Nine unforgettable nights with more biblical destinations along the way. Every meal prepared, every detail taken care of, plus the joy of traveling with like-minded believers. There's also an optional pre-cruise extension in Athens. To book your spot, go to PTV.org.