THAT I MAY KNOW HIM…Logos/Rhema
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr Kyfingers@aol.com
I read a story from 100 years ago. A young student was studying ABRAHAM LINCOLN. The boy was reading all he could find to write a paper about Lincoln. The boy was talking to his grandfather about Lincoln. The Grandpa said: You have learned about Lincoln, I worked in the White House with Abraham. I KNOW HIM, I COUNTED HIM A FRIEND. He said grandson, you know about Lincoln, I KNEW THE PRESIDENT, HE WAS MY PERSONAL FRIEND.
Many people know about Jesus! I DON’T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT JESUS! I MUST KNOW HIM IN A PERSONAL WAY!
Philippians 3:10 (KJV) That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Philippians 3:10 (NIV) I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
Philippians 3:10 (NLT) I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,
Philippians 3:10 (MSG) I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself.
Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13 (MSG) Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. 14 I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
You can read the Bible. You can be baptized until every minnow in the stream knows you by your name. You can sit hours in the garage but that does not make you a car! Do we KNOW JESUS IN A PERSONAL WAY? Jesus is about a personal relationship maintained on a daily basis.
HOW DO WE VIEW THE WORD OF GOD? DO WE UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LOGOS AND RHEMA?
*LOGOS: The written word, Accepting the word is inspired by God.
*RHEMA: The quickened word, To hear the word as personal, from the mouth of God to the heart. The Holy Spirit opens the word directly to the person. Life giving. Life changing.
We need both the LOGOS and the RHEMA word of God.
Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
WHAT IS FAITH?
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1 (NLT) Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.
Hebrews 11:1 (MSG) The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see.
HOW DOES A PERSON GET FAITH? FAITH BECOMES THE ANCHOR THHAT HELPS US DURING THE STORMS AND TRIALS OF DAILY LIFE.
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
BE HONEST ARE YOU GROWING IN THE FAITH? WHY OR WHY NOT? A 50 YEAR OLD MAN IN KINDERGARDEN IS SO SAD.
1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
WE MUST NEVER FORGET THAT LIVING LIFE EMPTY IS DANGERPOUS.
We had a friend that lived in rural northern Ohio. He had a heart attack and his wife called 911. An ambulance was dispatched and they loaded him and was rushing to a large city. About 15 miles down the road the ambulance ran out of fuel. There was another ambulance dispatched but by the time the second ambulance arrived, my friend was dead. EMPTY IS DANGEROUS?
Today we live in a world of EMPTY… EMPTINESS is dangerous! Spiritual emptiness seems to be accepted from the pulpit to the bar? How do we get empty? HOW OFTEN DO YOU FILL UP?
Matthew 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE LIVING, GROWING, MULTIPLING FAITH? WE NEED LOGOS and we need RHEMA!
TO KNOW THE HEART OF GOD…
IN THE MYTHS OF YESTERDAY THERE WAS AN ISLAND CONTROLED BY WOMEN CALLED SIRENS. WHEN SHIPS OF MEN WENT SAILING BY THE SIRENS WOULD SING THEIR SONGS AND LURE THE MEN TO COME ASHORE. Once there, the sirens would kill every man in a cruel torturous ways. The men knew this but the songs had such lure that the men would sail straight to the shore and sure death.
How do we overcome this LURE that will bring us to destruction? One young captain had the answer. The captain would use ear plugs to dampen any sound, THEN HE WOULD TEACH HIS MEN TO SING THE SHIP’S SONG SO LOUD, THEY WOULD DROWN OUT THE SONGS OF THE SIRENS.
Just in case a sailor would hear their song, the captain would tie each sailor down. He would set the sails to cruise past the island, and even tie himself down until they were passed the SIREN ISLAND… The answer was from within… plug your ears, sing as loud as possible.
Might I add the only way to overcome is release the LOGOS, RHEMA, then learn the song of PRAISE AND EDIFICATION…
The word knows: When you find it hard to pray ---PRAY HARD… There is a time to quit crying. Get up, share, and rejoice. We need an attitude adjustment. LAUGH! REJOICE! FOR GOD BRINGS JOY!
WE CAN SEE THE LOGOS WORD AND THE RHEMA WORD OF GOD RELEASED IN A TROUBLED LADY THAT TRANSFORMS HER WHOLE LIFE. FEW LEARN THE LESSON OF BROKENESS AS AN INVESTMENT TO GAIN WHAT WE CAN NOT GAIN FOR THAT WHICH WE CAN NEVER LOSE.
Mark 14:3 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
Luke 7:37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
I love the lesson of the dark lady breaking open her expensive ALABASTER BOX to POUR at Jesus’ feet. She was doing a great deed and did not even realize it… I think the wonderful fragrance arose to the Throne Room of God. See her expensive gift released her selfish sinful desires. All her frustration, depression and hopelessness well released and JESUS UNDERSTOOD HER REAL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS… JESUS I GIVE YOU ALL MY PAST, PRESENT AND FURTURE TO INVEST WHAT I HAVE FOR THE THINGS I COULD NEVER ACHIEVE… I will trade my sin, sorrows, depression, frustration, hurt, pain that represented my carnal desires… TO RECEIVE WHAT I COULD NEVER BE WORTHY … I TRADE MY TEMPORAL POSSESSION TO RECEIVE THE ETERNAL BLESSINGS OF GOD THE FATHER. I receive complete forgiveness, new life, new hope, new birth, new attitude, a new perspective, new her humbleness? Jesus brings a new patience, and a new outlook of her value system. SEEMS WE REUSE TO SEE THE LESSON OF THE ALABASTER BOX OF GREAT FRAGRANCE THAT WITNESS TO THE OTHERS IN THE ROOM. But more than a personal testimony, the lady BUILT A MEMORIAL THAT SPEAKS BEYOND THE POWER OF WORDS…
The disciples missed the lesson. Today we tend to miss the lesson that by breaking what we love and giving our love gift we now bury all the frustration and make the COMMITMENT I GIVE MY LOVE FREELY…
Matthew 26:13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.
LOGOS VS RHEMA? WHAT YOU LOVE YOU WILL FIND TIME TO DO. IT IS A DEEP TRUTH WE INVEST TIME TO DO THE THINGS THAT WE LOVE.
We learn to overcome life’s PROBLEMS AND FRUSTRATION and DEPRESSION by investing in the WORD OF GOD. Balance LOGOS and RHEMA! LOVE THE things that GOD LOVES… How many have buried, un-developed talents and are like THE TINMAN with Dorothy. They set on the shelf of DO NOTHINGNESS, waiting for the opportunity of advancement and applause? RUSTING ON THE SHELF? How sad?
James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
CONCLUSION: COME WITH ME TO THE LORD’S TABLE. Frustration and discouragement thrive in idleness and laziness and not knowing God’s word. Do you have THE WORD’S plan to pour yourself into your church? Your family? Little kids? Old people? Negative, angry words will add to your frustration and depression and destroy the RHEMA WORD. Quit allowing negative gossips to pour their poison into your ears and heart. We must turn our frustrations and depression into the WORD OF GOD. LOVE OF LIFE. Jesus intends us to fascinate with the new opportunities of each day. Have you buried the dreaming ability? Quit crying, my friend. Embrace the love of life and imperfect people. Identify the issues that cause pain and worry. We must realize the enemy of frustration and depression and identify the problems and the causes that keep us from the word. We need the Holy Spirit to teach us how to release the LOGOS AND THE RHEMA WORD handle frustration, discouragement and anger in better ways. WILL WE BRING OUR ALABASTER BOXES TO JESUS FEET?
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Kyfingers@aol.com
Please help me and do a favor for me? Could you tell some other preachers of my work? Be my partner and pass my work forward to others?
