Greetings MOL Family!
Welcome back to our study on how to live. Our opening text will give us a better understanding of this objective…
Instruction & Power
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. – Matthew 4:4
What do we live by? Do we live by bread? Oh yes, and what else? — Every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. If we want to know how to live then, we will accept and study the Word of God.
There are at least two things about living that we’re dependent upon the Word of God for. One is instruction in how to live. The other is power to carry out the instruction. Both are important. When we take a trip anywhere, we need to know where we’re going, and how to get there. We also need some method of transportation that has power, maybe an automobile, a plane, whatever. The important thing is we have to have directions and power. The Word of God furnishes both.
Let us notice something else in this verse:
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by [What?] every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. – Matthew 4:4
In nutrition we learn there’s quite a bit of difference between whole wheat and refined flour, don’t we? But the only difference is what’s taken away, isn’t it? That’s the difference. So, in depending on the Word of God for life, we need how much of it? — All of it.
We’re not only warned against taking away from the Word of God, but we are warned about adding to it.
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. – Proverbs 30:5-6
What are we warned about here? — Adding to the word of God. Every now and then I hear somebody refer to some statement in the Bible or the Spirit of Prophecy. I know they think they’re quoting something, but they’re putting into it some words that are not there at all. And sometimes it changes the message of it entirely.
God wants us to be very careful to get all the word and then not add anything. We need to know what God has said in the Bible and in the Spirit of Prophecy, and then be careful that we don’t mix in human opinions, our own or somebody else’s. This is vital because remember, we’re getting two things from the Word. First, we’re getting what? – Instruction; and the second? — Power.
The instruction is accurate only so far as it represents the mind of God. Is there a single human that has been over the road of tomorrow? — Nobody. Nobody knows what’s going to happen. The tallest son in the morning can’t look over the hill, but God can. God does. He knows the road. He knows the way.
But we’re getting not only instruction, but power. And man cannot give us power to do this. Even if men could tell us what to do, they’re powerless to enable us to do it. But the power is in the Word of God. And we don’t want to weaken that power by taking away from the Word of God. We don’t want to weaken it or nullify it by adding things of our own, or ideas of others.
All this calls then for earnest study. Let’s turn to John 5:39. Notice again the connection between the Word of God and how to live, life:
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. – John 5:39
See, Jesus is the Life. Christ is our life as Paul says. And we find Him where? — In the Scriptures. And so, Jesus says that we’re to do what? Search the Scriptures. Search to find out what we’re to do, and search to find the power to do it.
Now, I want to ask you a question, friends. You think about it. I want you to answer to yourself. Is the Word of God what guides your life? Let me put it this way: how many hours a day does this Book tell you what to do? One of my great goals in this class on how to live is to get us all fascinated with this thought; we can live every day guided by the Word of God. Eating and drinking and dressing, working and sleeping, praying and playing, everything in our lives can be the carrying out of these instructions in this Book. This is life. This is living successfully.
Now, this is true on every plane. Turn over to Exodus 15:26…The world is full of irreligion, atheism, materialism today. But even of those who count themselves religious, there are very few that spend much time thinking about the Word of God guiding them in what they do on Tuesday and Wednesday. Now, they go to Sunday school. And they go to a Bible class and they hear a sermon. They may expect the Bible to guide them in great things like avoiding murder or theft or something like that. But the idea of letting God, through His Word, get down into the minutia of our lives, this, my dear friends, is a rare concept.
But it is what makes this program worth coming to. I hope every one of you will find it out. This is the purpose of every class [*that is posted], to find out how the Word of God can guide us in the particular area or phase of life. This is it. Oh listen, if God has spoken on any subject, wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing to know what He has said? Wouldn’t it? This is the purpose of true education, to find out what God has said on these various phases of life.
God’s Healing Business
And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that heals thee. – Exodus 15:26
What business is the Lord in? — The healing business. Now, can you stand at least a little improvement in health? I suppose if the doctors would run some tests, try you out, test your muscles and your blood, and nerves, and all the rest, I imagine that there are very few of us that the Doctor would say, “Well, that fellow is just about perfect. He really has health. We don’t see any way to improve him.” And probably you could tell some things you’d like to have better health in.
Now, here is a wonderful promise that says, just paraphrasing it and putting it in our language today, “If you’ll just listen to what I tell you, and do it, you’ll get well and have health.” Isn’t that what He says here? That’s exactly what He says. I’m not adding to His Word. What’s that first word of what He says? — If, a condition. There are four conditions, really two just repeated in different words, if you’ll listen and do it.
If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. – John 13:17
That’s right. Well, here it is. “If you will listen to My commandments, and do them, then I won’t put any of these diseases upon you that I have put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord that heals thee.” Do you mean that God has given His people a way of life that includes instruction that bears on health? Is that the truth?
I want to ask you a question: have you, during the last week and a half, as the result of something you have learned in this class, put it into practice in your life? And has there been some change in what you’ve done? If not, keep coming to class, and maybe you’ll get something. Remember this, while there can be change without improvement, there is no improvement without change. Whenever there’s improvement there is change. And the only way your life can improve is for something that has been in it to come out or something that wasn’t in it to be put in. Do you see?
In fact, the two go together. Life being made up as it is of time, time given to us a minute at a time. The things we do occupy periods of time, seconds, minutes, hours, days. And all of us have our suitcases filled. The only way you put anything in is to what? [Take something out.] Did you know that? If you get hold of that, it’ll keep you from a lot of frustration. You won’t be forever trying to pack a gallon into a quart or a two-quart bottle. It just won’t go. And no matter how much you would like to get this, and this, and this, and this in, it won’t do. What? There isn’t room. And God never intended it.
So, my point is, making improvement means that we make certain changes. But remember, mere change is not necessarily improvement. Oh, no. But improvement involves change.
Now how are we going to learn what to change? We are going to listen, follow the Lord’s instruction:
If thou wilt diligently hearken to [What?] the voice of the LORD thy God… – Exodus 15:26
May I tell you, dear friends, on this question of health, I don’t know any area in human life where there are so many fads and fancies and human opinions floating around. And I had just as well tell you now as later, if you are interested in health, the enemy will see to it that you are exposed to all kinds of human ideas. They will be given to you in the name of health, something to do for some disease, or something to do to just have better health.
Do you know what a dog has on the front of his head? — A nose. Do you know what he does with it? He’s smelling things right along. He uses that nose all the time. It directs him where to go. It directs him in what to eat, a lot of things. Learn to use your nose. Don’t swallow everything that people offer you. I’m not talking about the stomach, although it just as well includes that. I’m talking about your mind.
There are people whose minds run in this way: if it’s printed, if it’s in a book, or paper, or even online, it must be so. I know a book very thick that tells all about all the herbs. Somebody says, “Oh, I want to get hold of it. A book on herbs! I want to know how to use herbs.” Well, my dear friends, I would rather not know so much than know so many things that aren’t so. That’s right. This is important. Isn’t it an interesting thing, friends, that if a thing comes out of a drugstore, that’s bad, but if it comes out of an herb store, that’s good?
Do you know what tea is? It’s an herb. Do you know what coffee is? It’s an herb. Do you know what tobacco is? It’s an herb. Do you know what opium is? It’s an herb. Marijuana, that’s an herb too. Use your nose, a good, sanctified nose.
But somebody says, “Hasn’t the Spirit of Prophecy talked to us about herbs?” Well, I mustn’t get into that subject today. There are some interesting statements in Sis. White’s writing about herbs. But I want to tell you something, friends. The textbook that you and I are studying in this class is called what? — The Ministry of Healing (The Wisdom of the Great Physician). Who wrote that? Sis. Ellen G. White wrote it. And she wrote over 500 pages on the science of human life. And she never once in all those 500 pages referred to the use of herbs. I wonder what was the matter?
I want to ask you something. Could you write 500 pages on health, and leave out everything about herbs? Could you? There are some people that couldn’t talk five minutes about health without getting into herbs. Sister White wrote 500 pages.
Don’t misunderstand me. There’s a place for herbs. That isn’t my subject. What we’re discussing, dear friends, is the importance of taking the Word of God (in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy) as it reads, and not bringing in a lot of human ideas that have no foundation either in revelation or science. This is very important!
Until next week – Invite a friend, and we’ll see you then…
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Are you familiar with God’s healing business? There is a ministry of healing. Get your wisdom directly from the source: the great Physician, Jesus. >> Learn More
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*This study has been adapted from classes taken by Elder W.D. Frazee.