The Word is both living and written.  Both the living Word, Jesus Christ, and the truths of the written Word are eternal, they are immutable.  They are sure and they are the source, for you and me, of eternal life because we are born again by the incorruptible seed of God’s Word; amen?  So, we delight in that, we rest in that.  But one of the things I want to deal with today is where the church finds itself.  So excited about the study of God’s Word and not so excited about doing it; amen?  Even in some of our teachings.  We’ve had different teachings, hearing a lot of great comments that it brings about some real unity and koinonia as the rest of the evening, following the teaching, we’re discussing the Word.  It’s provoked some of us to go into a deeper study of the Word of God.

Whenever we see a great anointing that comes upon some of the teachings, different series that have touched different lives in different ways.  We love the study of the Word of God.  We’ve not had anybody come and ask if we could make prayer time longer.  Just making a point.  This Word, if we don’t take this Word and with all the teachings that we have and with all of the knowledge over these years that we’ve put into our minds, with all of this study, if we’re not doers, we’re deceived.  Beloved, we don’t need more knowledge; amen?  We need more basic, foundational truths such as, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments and they won’t be grievous;” amen?  That we are to be doers and not hearers.  That much learning can make us mad.  The learning will only give us a thirst for more knowledge.  More learning, when we begin to apply what we know so that it becomes life, enables us to love and creates communion with the living Word, Jesus Christ.

In Mark 4:1, it says he began to teach them, and “He taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine.”  In the fourth chapter of Proverbs, we see this great statement in verse 2.  We’re all very familiar with these great principles in the second, third, and fourth chapters of Proverbs.  He says, “For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law,” amen?  He says He taught them in His doctrine.  The doctrine of Jesus.  What is the sound doctrine of Jesus?  He’s telling us in this parable that there’s only one way for you to come into that place where we can glorify God through our good works through the fruit of our lives.  Jesus told us the very motive for prayer.  He said, “I want you to realize this.  If you ask anything of Me, I’ll do it.  Ask the Father anything in My name and we’ll do it, that the Father might be glorified in the Son.”

This fruit that you and I are supposed to be manifesting in our lives.  Men will see our good fruit; men will see our good works.  It’s so misunderstood today.  Works.  These good works are good fruit.  They’re exemplifying the lordship of Jesus Christ.  They’re fulfilling the statement Jesus made when He said that if they’ve seen Him, Jesus, they’ve seen the Father.  Then He gave us this great commendation, and it almost brings trembling to our lives.  “Those that have seen you have seen Me.”  I think I fall way short, on a daily basis, of people looking at me and going, “That looks just like Jesus.  That’s what Jesus would’ve done.  That’s what Jesus would’ve said.  That’s the choice Jesus would’ve made.”  His choice would’ve been motivated by the zeal and love for the house of God and not things that would distract us from the house of prayer.  For My Father’s house is a house of prayer (Amen?) and you’ve had other priorities.  You’ve had oxen to prove, investments to go check into, etcetera.