Well, we're on lesson, I think it's eight, on the mind, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ. And tonight we're going to look at submission to God's Word. Submission to God's Word. In Matthew 4, you can turn there if you want, in Matthew 4 when Christ is undergoing Satan's temptation and trying to coerce him to do what he wants him to do, three times our Lord answers him in verse 4, but Christ answered and said, it is written. It is written. Verse 7, Jesus said unto him, Satan, still Satan, it is written, in verse 10, then saith Jesus unto him, get thee hence, Satan, for it is written. So Christ himself submitted to the word of God. Now it was only half the Old Testament, was only, the scriptures were not fully canonized, they were not completed, but no one ever submitted to the word of God more than Christ himself.

So that's what I'm asking us this evening. Let this mind be in you before you go out in the morning, before you take upon yourself that which seems to be obvious, Go to the Lord and the Word. Submit to the Word. If we cannot go, and we saw this last week, and we can go boldly to the throne of grace, and are in time of need, and that's all the time. And I was reminded this week again, whatever the situation was, my time, your time, our time, lost or saved, are in the Lord's hands. And some people he turns how he wants to and makes them do things they may not want to do or say things they may not. But the believer, our time, and that's the good thing, it's precious time, it's sweet time, it's gracious time because it comes from him.

So let's look at Christ and how he submitted. to the Word of God. We are truly amazed and we're struck to see how often our Lord said, it is written. And that phrase occurs 14 times in the New Testament, 14 times. He commands us when he was talking to his disciples and all who would listen, he commands us to search the scriptures. And this is no better example and there's no better theme for us to follow, search the scriptures. What says the scriptures?

And we may think, you know, we get money, we can handle a situation without doing this or without prayer or whatever. No, no, never. The believer, it's not to be that way. Our lifeblood, so to speak, is prayer. And I know a lot of the writers, the old writers, said that prayer is probably, they thought was probably the main thing lacking in the believer's life.

And I'd say that's pretty accurate, pretty accurate. And you think about this, and this is what John McDuff said, and I've got it written down exactly. Think of this, Christ was a law unto himself. He was a law unto himself, but he often resorted to thus saith the scriptures or what says the scriptures, what saith the Lord. And turn with me to Matthew chapter three, turn back one page, Matthew chapter three.

And let's start in verse 13. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him. But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer to be so now, for thus it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness. And he's saying to fulfill all scriptures. Then he suffered them. Then Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water, and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him.

Turn, if you would, to Isaiah chapter 11. Isaiah chapter 11. This is speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, verse one, and there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots, and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom, understanding, the spirit of counsel, and might, and the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord.

This is speaking of the Christ. Now that's amazing. He who had the spirit of wisdom, next week we'll see without measure, and understanding Solomon was wise, but nothing like our Lord Jesus Christ, the spirit of counsel and might, spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Yet he submitted himself to the word of God. It shows how important the word of God is to him.

And we've talked, I know I've talked amongst us everybody, I don't know who specifically, but you know, I read something and then it doesn't, and then I read something again and it comes alive. This book is alive. It's a living word. You read a novel and you read something, you read it once, I don't know, I've never read a book twice. I would see a movie a couple times, the same movie, but I'm done with it. This, it's ever living. And we submit ourselves and our character and our actions to this.

Now turn to Luke chapter 24. That famous seen with the two on the road to Emmaus, Luke chapter 24, and starting in verse 27, Christ is speaking to those two disciples. They're talking back and forth, he comes among them. They don't know who he is yet.

And at beginning at Moses and all the prophets, all the scriptures, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures, the things concerning himself in all the scriptures. He submitted, he didn't say, well, I did this and you saw me have heel. You saw me this, you saw me turn water to wine. You saw me make, give bread to thousands. He went back. and started at Moses and said, in all the scriptures, how valuable, how valuable is this word?

All the scriptures, the word of infallibility is always over and above philosophy, church creeds, books, ministers, and religious opinions. And I think if we would realize this, maybe there would be quite so much arguing going on. You know, am I the church father? No, that's... What does the scripture say? What does the scripture say? So as our Lord was subservient to this book, shall we not also have the same mind? And I'm not saying these other things are... Because I look at a lot of other writers and get ideas and thoughts and stuff, and I recommend them to you. But never above the scriptures. What about us? What about us now? We look, we spoke about Christ. What about us? Brethren, let us emulate our Redeemer.

Turn to Psalms 119. Why? Well, this will say, it says it right here very plainly, Psalms 119 and verse 105. Psalms 119, 105, thy word The book, the holy scriptures, is a lamp unto my feet. always in a light unto my path. So when we walk out away from the scriptures, it's like Nathan said a couple Sundays ago, you know, the cloudy pillar and the fire by day and a cloudy pillar, you know, if your presence goes not with us, I don't want to go.

That should be our attitude. I don't care if it's, like I say, it's, you know, how quick can we ask the Lord for direction? And I like what my wife says, you know, and I've used this throughout the time here behind the pulpit, no direction is direction. No direction is direction. So, and the world there, you know, you come on, make decisions, what's that right in front of you? Come on, come on.

What sayeth the scriptures? What sayeth the Lord? Sayeth the Lord should be our motto. Let us do as our dear sister did, back in Luke chapter 10, you know that where Mary sat at his feet, or Martha, in Luke chapter 10 and verse 38, Luke chapter 10 verse 38, now it came to pass as they went, that he'd been to a certain village and a certain woman named Martha received him in her house, and she had a sister named Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word, and heard his word.

Heard his word. Now we're not there, but we have what he said. We have his word. And if you don't believe that the scripture's inspired, then I feel sorry for you. There's many people, many professing Christians, quote unquote, say they, well, it's not. Yes, it is. It's every word of God is pure, says the scriptures. Then if we do these things, if we submit to in Jesus' feet and hear his word, then by the Holy Spirit's help and enabling, we can discern between the precious and the vile.

In every situation, let the word of truth be the end arbitrator. Not your years of experience. I've been here 30 something years, Pastor. Somebody that's been here one year and knows the gospel, if they know the truth, they know the truth. Now there's experience. I'm not discounting that at all. But I think we throw too much weight on self. Let it be the end arbitrator.

Have the word of God as Colossians 3.16, dwell in us richly.

How do you do that? You make use of it. You make use of it. As Nathan prayed, you feed, you feed upon the word of truth. And all this other stuff is, this world is gonna get in the way, and jobs, and this and that. Well, let that take a back seat. Well, I need this to live. Who gave you that promotion? What does the scripture say? Promotion comes from Him.

It's easy to say retired, but I struggled with these things. Yes. I can't remember who I was reading. I remember it was so many different people, but they said it's one thing to believe God is sovereign, that for the future, but right at, well, it was our friend Carol Poole.

He said today, What about right now? What about today? Today's decisions, today's things that happen in life, he is over. And we need to submit these things to him, to his word. Well, what did Luther, Martin Luther say? Let's take his example. Here in I stand, I can do no other.

Well, I was one of God's faithful preachers who's still alive, said to me years ago, and I've told you this example, we were at Donny Bell's conference, I think the first time or second time we went, and there was a bunch of preachers, and we all went to Donny's house, we were in his living room, and I don't know how many, there was over 10, and I was just a, well, I don't know if I was a pastor then, but anyway, I was wanting to learn, and Donny would ask a question, and then he'd go around, and everybody would answer it, only one man, David Pledger, everybody said they gave their opinion, which was accurate, because they knew the scriptures. But David says, every time he said, what does the Bible say? He turned, and I'm thinking, that's the way to do it.

What sayeth the scriptures? So when we stand on questionable ground, which is a lot of times, and then you got people, your quote, worldly friends, talking and, you don't need to do this, you don't need to do that. When we stand on those kind of questionable grounds, consult this errorless volume and get on solid and holy foundation. They can say what they want to, but thus saith the Lord. What's the scripture say?

Seek its guidance, trust its promises, love its charter, which is Christ and Him crucified. It comes back to Him. Promises without Christ don't mean anything. Guidance without Christ, He's our counter, wonderful counselor, mighty God. Trust its promises because it's all about Him. If it doesn't come back to the cross, if it doesn't come back to the blood, if it doesn't come back to the atonement and substitution, it's probably just man's creed.

So let us seek its guidance, trust its promises, love its charter, Christ in Him crucified. And in closing, may God get the glory every time we read its pages. Let's seek to glorify Him. Otherwise, like we used to make fun of this pastor, when he wanted to know direction, he'd go, we call that the, and you know how I think about luck, it's not a good, it's not a biblical, believers need to get over that word, But we called it the lucky dip method because that's exactly what he would do it.

Let's see. Somebody said he did it one time and then it was about Judas. Do what you must do quickly. What are you going to do? Yeah. What are you going to do about that? So be careful. He, this is, this is what we, we need one another. We need to gather together. We need to love the brethren, but we need the word. and to submit to the word of God like Christ did. Bruce, would you close us?