Somebody Loves You

Raul Ries: You need to have an answer to those that are asking questions. How do you do that? You study God's word. Instead of watching so much television, being on the internet so much, doing nothing. You need to discipline your life in these last days for the word of God. To study it, to know it, and to know intimately our Savior Jesus Christ.

Guest (Male): I am falling in love with you. I am falling in love with you. I am falling in love with you. I am falling in love with you.

Welcome to Somebody Loves You Radio. The Bible teaching ministry of Raul Ries in Diamond Bar, California. We're so happy to have you with us today for our continuing Easter series, celebrating Jesus' saving power. Today, Raul will urge us to prioritize daily time with the Lord, allowing Him to transform us with biblical truth.

You'll see that no matter how long you've walked with Christ, He can always teach you more. And in every season of life, He can work through you to accomplish great things in His kingdom. Today's lesson is titled "The Authority of God's Word". Let's join Raul Ries in Matthew chapter 18, beginning in verse 18.

Raul Ries: And this morning as we're following the book of Matthew chapter 18, the title of my message: The Authority of God's Word in Prayer. In chapter 18, we've been studying. The first step was the correcting of an offending brother in attempting reconciliation in their lives. Secondly was the discipline of a brother that did not want to listen to his elders.

And I think it's of importance that if you're just coming to be a church member on Sunday mornings, then that's all you'll be. But you'll never really develop into maturity unless you study the word of God. And so it's really important for me as a pastor-teacher, not only for myself to study during the week and then be able to prepare to come and deliver the message to you, but at the same time that it will take effect in my life so that it takes effect in your lives.

And to much is given, much more is required. So it's really important what Jesus is doing here in this great chapter. He's been talking about church discipline. And at the same time, when you think of church discipline, think of how important the word of God is, prayer, and also the name and authority of the name of Jesus Christ in my life, in your life.

When you look back in church history, all of the men that not only suffered by martyrdom because of the Bible, bringing it from the Latin into the English language and then into almost every single language in the world today. They paid by going to the fire and then they were killed and burned at the stake. And then think about those that were beheaded or crucified.

And those that lost and were kicked out of their country for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's not easy. Think of the apostles, every one of them except for John. They all died martyrdom deaths except for Judas, who hung himself. And John the beloved is the only one that died of natural causes, old age. What about you? Are you making a difference in the world today with the Bible?

That's one thing that I'm not only continue to learn after 40 years, I'm still studying, still learning. Why? Because I want to make sure that I understand who God is. I want to understand what the Bible says about God and the conditions that He set in my life so that I can become a believer and live a holy life.

Why? Because there are too many Christians compromising today. And one of the things that Jesus writes in the book of Matthew and also Paul the apostle concerning prayer, he says, "Ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened unto you." In the actual Greek it says, "Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking."

In Matthew 21:22 he says, "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing you will receive it." What? According to the will of God. And then, Ephesians 6:18, when he talks about putting on the armor of God so that we can fight against the wiles of the devil and his demons. We can't do it in the flesh, but we can do it in the spirit.

He says, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Holy Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the Christians." The church. All the saints, all the hagioi, all the holy ones of God. Think about that.

I want to ask you a question this morning. What sin is keeping you down in your personal life that nobody knows about? That hasn't really set you free completely and totally to worship God? So that God can really use my life mightily and powerfully. And yet today, the church is being kept because of sin within each one that comes into the church. A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

And so for me, it's really of importance that people understand spirituality and they understand what a true disciple of Jesus Christ is. And this is what Jesus is teaching in Matthew 18. He's talking to disciples. And he's talking about restoration of a brother that has sinned. And if he doesn't repent, then kick him out of the church, let him go, let him be beat up by Satan, Paul said, so that when he wakes up, we'll have our brother back in the Lord.

But if we put up with sin like they did in the city of Corinth and in the church of Corinth, then the church will be polluted. And watch what he says. This is really amazing now because in the first observation of Matthew 18 verse 18, the first observation here is the authority of God's word. Very important. The power and authority that the word of God gives to the disciple of Jesus Christ, especially over sin.

Sin always makes me miss the mark. That's what it means in the English word, to miss the mark. Harmartia. I missed the mark. Came from an old English word of the archer shooting into a target with the bow and arrow. Out of 10 arrows, if I shoot nine and I hit bull's eyes but I miss one, they would say "you missed the mark." That's where the word sin came from. You missed the mark. We all missed the mark.

But then at the same time, think of the purpose of Jesus Christ out of all eternity coming down here and sacrificing His life for you, for me, so that we could become one with Him and we could be forgiven and cleansed and washed by the blood of the Lamb Jesus Christ. And where do we learn that? In the word of God. In the word of God. The power and authority of God's word.

Look at verse 18 what it says: "Assuredly or truly I say to you, whatever you bind on the earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth will be loosed in heaven." The same thing he used in the sermon on the mount. Same phrase: binding and loosing. What does that mean? Well, it's really of importance because this was a very familiar phrase used by the Jews.

And the rabbis would often speak of binding and loosing, which meant forbidding or permitting. How? By the word of God. Let's go to the word of God and see what it says. That's the way we need to live. Don't make your own rules and regulations. What does the Bible teach? That's why we come to Bible studies, to learn so my life will be better as a Christian.

So I can be salt and light in this world that is so dark, where the actual church has left a bitter taste in the world. And yet the power and authority of the word of God is very clear. We don't have to really look somewhere else. The Bible tells us exactly what we must do. We're coming to chapter 19 concerning divorce.

And it's really important when I read the word of God. Number one, that the word of God sets me free, according to Psalm 107:20. Secondly, the word of God bears witness with the Holy Spirit of God that I am a son and daughter of God in Romans chapter 8. He tells us this.

And then thirdly, the word of God produces faith in my life to believe and to stand by faith in what I've trusted in Jesus Christ in His life, Romans 10:17. And fourthly, the word of God makes me not a fool, but makes me wise in my decision making. The Proverbs, 31 chapters to give you instruction in wisdom and in knowledge in situations, what to do.

And then you can read the book of Ecclesiastes, the one that Solomon wrote. He wrote Proverbs and Song of Solomon. And when he wrote that book Ecclesiastes, it's amazing because he writes it and he says that in all of his life in the thousand women that he had, his 700 concubines, 300 wives, he says life was empty, empty, empty, empty apart from God.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. For Bible-based resources to strengthen and enrich your relationship with Jesus, visit somebodylovesyou.com. And while you're there, look for this faith-grounded series focused on Jesus' sacrificial love. Now back to more of our study, "The Authority of God's Word".

Raul Ries: The word of God is very powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, according to Hebrews 4:12. And if you're a Christian, you better do things according to the word of God. Why? We are on our way again in the way of Nazi Germany. The first thing they did is they put away the pastors and the word of God.

They threatened the pastors, and Bonhoeffer stood and the other stood, and 800 pastors got imprisoned. And then Bonhoeffer was killed and then burned. And you know what's amazing? The 800 pastors that were imprisoned, the rest of the actual pastors, listen to this, the rest of the Presbyterian church in that time joined the Nazi party because they didn't want not to lose their salaries or their wives or their children or everything they owned in Germany.

And they gave in. What's going to happen if that happens here? And they take away the word of God from us and then we really have to make a decision. What do I do? Do I say Caesar is Lord or do I say Jesus Christ is Lord? That's why it's really important for me to know God, to know His word. So if they take away the word of God, it's in my mind, it's in my heart.

You need to have an answer to those that are asking questions. How do you do that? You study God's word. Instead of watching so much television, being on the internet so much, doing nothing. You need to discipline your life in these last days for the word of God. To study it, to know it, and to know intimately our Savior Jesus Christ because He is going to be needed.

Second Corinthians 10:8 says, Paul, "For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us for building up and not for destruction, I shall not be ashamed," he says. And then Titus 2:15 he says, "Speak these things, exhort, rebuke with all authority, and let nobody despise you." Make a stand for Jesus Christ by knowing God's word, studying God's word, sharing God's word with others.

Secondly, notice verse 19, observation number two: the authority of prayer. Do you spend time in prayer privately? Are you praying? Do you pray when you get up in the morning? Do you pray on your way to work or school? Do you pray at lunchtime? Do you pray throughout the day? You don't have to be in public. You can do it just in your own heart. You can pray 24/7.

Look what he says in verse 19: "Again I say to you, that if two or three of you agree on earth concerning anything that I ask, it will be done for them by notice, by my Father in heaven." Notice the authority of prayer here by gathering together with two. And later he'll say three. Two. Think about that.

And what do they do? When the guy was in sin, the one person went, he didn't listen. He took another and another, three people. And then when he couldn't hear three people, they took him to the what? To the elders of the church and they made a decision to kick him out of the church until he would repent. And what did they do afterwards? They prayed. They didn't give up on him. They prayed for God to restore him, for God to bring him back into the fellowship.

Think of all the people you know that are backslidden today and the Lord's coming back. People that go to church, they get angry, they get mad, they get bitter because they can't get their own way. And yet God continues to move in us and through our lives. And we as believers as we stand before God, we have the authority of God's word, the authority of prayer.

And what are some of the requirements that are given to us in the value of prayer? Well, number one, he says there has to be behind prayer a pure heart. A pure heart. A heart that is pure. According to Psalm 66:18 and 19, David said, "If I regard iniquity or sin in my heart, the Lord will not listen to me." You see, fellowship cut off.

But if I repent, but certainly God has heard me, He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Why? Because David repented of his sin with Bathsheba. But he reaped the consequences of his sin. You reap what you sow. God forgives you, but you reap to your consequences.

Secondly, there has to be true faith when you pray. You really gotta believe in God. He says in Matthew 21:22, "And whatever thing you ask in prayer, believing you will receive it." And that's what? According to the perfect will of God, not according to my will. According to His will.

And when I sit down or stand up or I'm walking and I'm praying, I pray thirdly in the name of Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus. John 14:13 says, "And whatever you ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." God the Father gets glorified in the Son when we pray in the name of Jesus.

And then fourthly, I pray by God's perfect will. First John 5:14, listen: "Now this is the confidence that we have in Jesus Christ, that if we ask anything according to His will, He listens to us." He listens to us. When? When we pray according to His will. And what is His will? To read the Bible, to study the Bible, to share the Bible. To pray daily before God.

And then, you know what's amazing to me, thirdly and finally, is the power and authority of the name of Christ. Man, there's so much power. Think how Peter in the name of Jesus: "Rise up and walk." The miracles and the wonders that they did in the name of Christ.

You say, "well why isn't that happening today?" I'll tell you why. It should be happening and it has happened in many places of the world, but it's sin in the church. Sin in the church. You say, what do you mean? Remember Acts 5:1-11, Ananias and Sapphira, lied to the Holy Spirit in the midst of revival, and God stopped His movement and killed them and after He killed them, the Holy Spirit moved again and there was a great growth in the church. Miracles and wonders were done when the church got together back to God.

We need that. We need the power of the Holy Spirit. Very important. Look what he says in verse 20: "For where two or three are gathered there in my name." Notice that. The name of Jesus in making decisions, especially of the sinning brother which we were dealing with.

He says, "are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them." He's in the midst of who? Those that went to him, those that are disciplining him, and He's with the sinner too. Jesus Christ is right in the midst of everything. Why? Because the Holy Spirit can convict both the offender and the church. The offender and the church.

You know what amazed me studying this passage is the way the name of Jesus is used in the New Testament. For example, number one, He is called the Lord Christ. Not Christ Lord, Lord Christ. In Colossians 3:24, he says, Paul, "Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ." Kurios Messias. Notice that. The Lord Messiah.

And then He is called the Lord Jesus. In Acts 19:17, "This became known to both all Jew and Greek dwelling in Ephesus, and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified." Notice, magnifying what? The name of Christ.

Thirdly, He is called the Lord Jesus Christ. That's not His first, middle, and last name. Titles. Listen. In Second Thessalonians 2:1, "Now brothers and sisters concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you." Paul is writing to the church about the rapture and the antichrist coming and he uses the Lord Jesus Christ.

And then fourthly, He is called the Lord Savior Jesus Christ. In Second Peter 2:20 he says, "For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Did you hear what he said? He takes you back to the first point. When you escape the things of the world that you came out of, it's through the what? Through the teaching of God's word. Through the Bible, through the knowledge of God's word.

Guest (Male): Well, life has a way of deterring us from wholeheartedly serving the Lord, so it's good to be reminded that we can always call on Him to strengthen us with His word and guide us by His spirit.

You're listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. Today's study was titled "The Authority of God's Word". If you'd like to get an unedited copy, just call us at 800-634-9165 and for a donation of $5 or more, we'll send a copy to you.

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Visit somebodylovesyou.com or call 800-634-9165 to order Raul's 13-message study "Why the Cross Mattered and Still Does". We'll send you the CD set for $25 or the thumb drive for just $16. That's 800-634-9165. Or write to Somebody Loves You Radio, PO Box 4440, Diamond Bar, California, 91765.

Don't forget, Raul is available to personally respond to your Bible questions and prayer requests. You can email him at pastorraul@somebodylovesyou.com. For biblical guidance in establishing God-honoring habits, join Raul for Straight Talk on the Somebody Loves You worldwide YouTube channel every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. Pacific.

This is a listener-supported ministry and we're grateful for your partnership. Every contribution equips us to keep sharing the Bible's eternal truth. Join us next time as we continue this Easter series contemplating Jesus' power to radically change our lives. We'll be challenged to remember that we're ambassadors of the gospel and when we represent Jesus through our words and actions, He can use us to draw others to Him. Here's Raul once again with a closing comment.

Raul Ries: When you came out of the world and you got saved, now you're in the Lord and if you ever backslide, it's going to be worse than when you were a sinner. Worse. Why? Because you have the knowledge of the truth. You can't be the same person anymore. You've got knowledge now. You know right from wrong, where before you were ignorant.

Can't get away with sin, and then there's a day of judgment coming. So it's really of importance as we look at the word of God. The importance of the word of God, the importance of prayer, and the importance of the name and authority of Jesus Christ in my life when I'm dealing with a sinning brother.

Coming to them in love because I want to see their soul saved. I don't want to see them destroyed. I want them to repent and I want to invite them back into fellowship with Jesus so that God can use their lives to bring glory and honor to His name.