Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022
Pastor Jerry Sellers, OpenDoor Church, Burleson, TX
I want to talk to you tonight about the Template, the Word of God – About how God uses scripture, His written Word. I must say this again: every time God speaks, His word becomes law.
God uses scripture
1. To show us how we are known
From the very beginning God has had us in mind. The focus of His love was set upon us like a Bullseye on a target.
Ephesians 1:3-6, 9-11
Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already been lavished upon us as a love gift from our wonderful heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus—all because he sees us wrapped into Christ. This is why we celebrate him with all our hearts!
4 And he chose us to be his very own, joining us to himself even before he laid the foundation of the universe! Because of his great love, he ordained us, so that we would be seen as holy in his eyes with an unstained innocence.
5–6 For it was always in his perfect plan to adopt us as his delightful children, through our union with Jesus, the Anointed One, so that his tremendous love that cascades over us would glorify his grace—for the same love he has for his Beloved One, Jesus, he has for us. And this unfolding plan brings him great pleasure!
9 And through the revelation of the Anointed One, he unveiled his secret desires to us—the hidden mystery of his long-range plan, which he was delighted to implement from the very beginning of time. 10 And because of God’s unfailing purpose, this detailed plan will reign supreme through every period of time until the fulfillment of all the ages finally reaches its climax—when God makes all things new in all of heaven and earth through Jesus Christ.
11 Through our union with Christ we too have been claimed by God as his own inheritance. Before we were even born, he gave us our destiny; that we would fulfill the plan of God who always accomplishes every purpose and plan in his heart.
Romans 8:29-30
For he knew all about us before we were born and he destined us from the beginning to share the likeness of his Son. This means the Son is the oldest among a vast family of brothers and sisters who will become just like him.
30 Having determined our destiny ahead of time, he called us to himself and transferred his perfect righteousness to everyone he called. And those who possess his perfect righteousness he co-glorified with his Son!
These scriptures talk about the Pre-determined purpose of God for us. Something I have been milling over and chewing on is the things I am doing and walking in. The Father actually thought about those things long before I was ever born. It was a passion in His heart. Those thoughts came from Him seeing me before I was ever born. It is the same for you.
Luke 1:11-17 (NKJV)
This passage talks about how that, before John was born God saw him. John was already known in a Heavenly sense before the earth was introduced to him. The pathway we are on has been known by the Father for a long time.
Think about that for a second.
Before John is born, his dad, Zachariah, is getting a word from the Lord about his unborn son. The Father says, “I know who your son is going to be.”
The same thing happened to Jesus in Luke 4. He goes to a synagogue and grabs a scroll and reads Isaiah 61. He then says, “Today, this scripture is fulfilled.”
What Jesus is saying is, “This is what I am known in Heaven; This is what I am to become and therefore, this is what I will do. This is how Heaven sees me. So because they know me like this they interact, with me like that.”
So God uses scripture…
To show us how we are known.
2. To Uncover our Potential
If you discover who you are (Being), then you can discover how to operate (Doing).
Dominion, Authority, Power
These words have risen to the forefront of many conversations in these exciting biblical times. Its seems many are using them in what looks like a prophesied movement in these last days. To get a thorough understanding is to look deeper.
Dominion…To rule over creation from the heart of God another wards with the best interest of creation in mind.
Authority…power to act, being as a right or privilege, delegated empowerment, delegated power globally
Power…force, ability, In Luke 10:19 you see authority and power together
Luke 10:19
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
In this verse you see these NT words that Jesus speaks and establishes law. Authority and Power.
Authority… legal permission, ability to control or to choose
Power…abilities and capacities, what actions a person can do or has done “power,” “might,” “influence,” “authority,” and “force.
Jesus did not restore us to the place of Dominion and give us power and authority so we could just sit, to just soak up all we can and wait for the rapture.
Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV)
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Mark 16:15-18 (NKJV)
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who [a]believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they[b] will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
He set us up with dominion, gave us power and authority to deal with and to dominate the works of the devil. He gave us power and authority to silence the illegal voice that torments people with lies and deception. He empowered us through the Holy Spirit to set people free!
The Father has given us the great privilege to walk in the anointing and favor that Jesus walked in.
John 14:12 (NKJV)
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
We cannot escape the fact that God has called us to invade and do the impossible and to demonstrate His Love, demonstrate His righteousness, demonstrate His Power. To walk this out we have to know who we are. We have to discover our identity.
This is Identity at it’s finest!
Identity is a 2 part Epoxy ….Revelation and Obedience
Obedience seals what has been revealed in scripture.
Identity is a big deal
Say that with me.
God knows who you are and He knows who you are becoming. It’s as if there is a path laid out for you that’s been predetermined in His heart.
He wants us to discover, to understand how we are known in Heaven. Heaven has a knowledge see the complete picture of who you are. And I would bet it’s not how you view yourself. It’s probably not the image that you see. If or when you’re able to uncover the revelation of how you are known in Heaven then you know how to Operate on earth.
When you can tap into the image and knowledge of who you are in the Mind and Heart of the Father, you then know how to Be; how to Become; you begin to reflect the Image of God, of Jesus Christ. It’s called “Being.”
We remember the prophetic language “Alignment for our Assignment “
Alignment: Being; Becoming; Knowing how we are positioned…In Christ
Assignment: Doing…If we are in Alignment if we are discovering how to be who we are and how we are known then when we are equipped and empowered to go after our assignment we are resourced and we are equipped with the ability to accomplish, to gain, to overcome but this doesn’t happen if you have not learned how to Be.
God uses scriptures the written word so we can understand who we are in Him and He uses scriptures to show us how to operate with those he has called us to and given to us as an assignment.
Another way God uses Scripture is
3. To show us our inheritance.
God has granted our Inheritance based upon His Promises. There are times when God’s word is high lighted to you maybe through our own reading and study, or maybe in a teaching, a pod cast or a sermon that a scripture jumps off the page and becomes alive, It makes your baby leap so to say.
These can be called “Inheritance Words.” When you know God is specifically talking to you.
I’ll give you an example: I have always been intrigued with John 10:10. IT’S ALWAYS CAUGHT MY ATTENTION. I read John 14 earlier. In 2008, that was a huge word for me.
Now, there is a tendency to run with inheritance words to others, but that is really the secondary purpose of it. The primary purpose of it becoming alive to you is that you have confidence and permission to pursue the promise in that scripture.
When you know how Father sees you, then you know you have favor in that context. All the favor and all the resources of God now are available to you in that context.
I challenge you to look up in a concordance the word “Favor.” The first 20-25 verses about favor all start off with the same context: “If I have found favor in your eyes, in your sight.”
Against that backdrop now unpack this: God gives you a scripture, a verse, a specific word and it’s like He is looking at you and He is saying, “See this word? This scripture? It’s yours. Everything in it belongs to you. This is your inheritance. You have favor with me in the context of that inheritance word.”
Picture this: God works from the whole to the particular and back again. He looks at the whole of creation and what He is doing, and then He comes down to you as an individual who is being conformed to His image. “This is how I see you,” He says. “This is what I like. This is who you are. This who I plan to be for you and if you plant your feet in this–if you can learn to be–if you can partner with Me in this word, in your inheritance Word, then I will open all of this up to you. The whole.
James 1:23-25
If you listen to the Word and don’t live out the message you hear, you become like the person who looks in the mirror of the Word to discover the reflection of his face in the beginning. You perceive how God sees you in the mirror of the Word, but then you go out and forget your divine origin. But those who set their gaze deeply into the perfecting law of liberty are fascinated by and respond to the truth they hear and are strengthened by it—they experience God’s blessing in all that they do!
When God gives you a personal word it is the place, the ground where you stand and claim. You take ownership because you believe it belongs to you. Out of this place it will blossom to the whole.
Another way to call this is the Prophecy of Scripture.
John the Baptist had one, Jesus had one and we have one. We are joint aires we get included into an inheritance.
The Bible, the Word of God is a book of Encounters and Experiences. It’s the story of Mankind’s journey and the process of relationship with Father. It tells how to know Him, walk with Him, to understand His ways and to live within His Favor. The language He uses with us is Prophetic because it’s rooted in the Eternity of His purpose for us that goes back all the way to the foundation of the world.
He foreknew us and speaks to us from that Prophetic dimension.
So when we get an Inheritance word we are to steward it. We are to confess it, profess it, declare it in the same way Jesus and John did.
Abraham – what was his inheritance word that God gave him? He would be the father of many nations.
He held onto the Promise even though his body was actually becoming old and decrepit. He and Sara had gotten to the place where the plumbing didn’t work anymore. So he learned how to steward the Promise/His inheritance word.
Romans 4:19-21 (NKJV)
And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
When God gives a Promise a critical point of certainty a place where you can stand, place where maybe doubt has been residing but now faith can arise up in you.
This word belongs in you and Father will will shape your life around it. Shaping is when things that you haven’t been able to conquer of change maybe weaknesses, maybe habits, maybe actions and desires have controlled you now begin to fall into alignment or submit to the word of God spoken over you.
Inheritance Words enable you to prevail! Your inheritance Word keeps you in the heat of the battle. It keeps you from the furnace that you go through; It keep you in all of the circumstance of life.
So where doubt and fear have been I know pray differently I pray my inheritance words with confidence. I have hope, I have assurance cause I am living from a different perspective, I am learning to pray out, speak out what has been spoken to me.
We tend to treat promises circumstantially when we should treat them relationally. We call them down into our circumstances and that’s okay but there is a higher level we are being invited to walk in. If we only treat Promises we find in God’s word as a bandaid for our circumstances we only get a measure of what God wants to give us and not His fullness.
Fullness is attached to an ever growing relationship not our constantly changing circumstances. We need to understand that Everything in the Kingdom is Relational that it is the reality Father wants us to dwell in. Everything is relational. It’s not about performance it’s not about hey God look at me, I quit doing this, I’m not lusting, I’m not a drunk no more, I’m not mean and demeaning anymore, I’m not an addict, I don’t swear as much, I don’t look at porn anymore, no what I am doing is I’m focusing on my relationship with you, I’m putting my energy and attention on you and your word not on where I’m a screwup. What you focus on is what gets empowered. I’m walking out your promise to me.
Promises are geared to lift us into a fresh experience and encounter with the Father. We call a word down but in reality a promise is designed to call us up to a whole new upgrade in relationship.
When we are given an inheritance word/ a promise then we get a new layer of Revelation of who we are a new layer of our Identity.
The term “More that a Conqueror” is honestly this…..you know the result before the battle even starts. There is a confidence there that this whatever it may be belongs to us and we are taking it back. Subdue the earth means when God told Adam and Eve in the Garden We are taking it back.
When we can find those inheritance words that the Lord has for us the Promises we move up from a much loved Son into Warrior of the Kingdom status. We walk with a Warrior Spirit and a Warrior anointing.
It’s like Caleb.
Joshua 24:12-14
Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.” And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance. Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. And the name of Hebron formerly was Kirjath Arba ( Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim). Then the land had rest from war.
If we can hear, seek, if we can find the Promises that are ours and we can confidently go after them then we can rise up and become mighty warriors for the Kingdom.
David had his mighty men they where so important that they where not only mentioned but they where named in the Bible.
2 Samuel 23:8-38
Gideon and the 300. He functioned off of his inheritance word. Off of the promise God gave him and won an incredible victory over impossible odds.
We tend to treat promises circumstantially when we should treat them relationally. We call them down into our circumstances and that’s okay but there is a higher level we are being invited to walk in. If we only treat Promises we find in God’s word as a bandaid for our circumstances we only get a measure of what God wants to give us and not His fullness.
God uses scripture to enable us to understand our own story and for us to partner with Him in our journey.
How God uses scripture: Identity, Potential, Inheritance, Relationally, Freedom, Healing, to cancel Doubt, Because He loves you