Know The Scriptures
Mt 4:4 But he answered and said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."
Mt 13:19-20 "When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown by the wayside.
"But that which was sown on the stony places is this: he who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy. But he has no root in himself, and is temporary. For when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, he immediately stumbles.
"And that sown into the thorns is this: he who hears the word; and the anxiety of this world, and the deceit of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
"But that sown on the good ground is this: "he who hears the Word and understands; who also bears fruit and produces" one truly a hundredfold; and one sixty; and one thirty."
Mt 19:11 But He said to them, "Not all receive this word, except those to whom it is given."
Mark 4:14-20 The sower sows the Word.
"And these are those by the wayside, where the Word is sown. And when they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the Word that was sown in their hearts.
"And these are those likewise being sown on stony places; who, when they hear the Word, immediately receive it with gladness. But they have no root in themselves, but are temporary. Afterward when affliction or persecution arises for the Word's sake, they are immediately offended.
"And these are those being sown among thorns; such as hear the Word, and the cares of this world, and the deceit of riches, and the lust about other things entering in, choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.
"And these are those sown on good ground, who hear the Word and welcome it, and bear fruit, one thirty, one sixty, and one a hundredfold."
Mark 7:11-13 "But you say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, Corban! (that is, A gift to God, whatever you may profit by me) and you no longer allow him to do anything toward his father or mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have delivered. And you do many such things."
Mark 12:10 And have you not read this scripture "The Stone which the builders rejected has become the Head of the corner:
Mark 15:28 And the Scripture was fulfilled which said, "And he was numbered with the lawless."
Luke 1:13 Since many took in hand to draw up an account concerning the matters which have been borne out among us, even as those who from the beginning delivered to us, becoming eye-witnesses and ministers of the word, it seemed good to me also, following all things accurately from the very first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus,
Note: I've included these last two "non-Jesus" quotes here as well to point out two things:
a) Knowing Scripture, Mark is able to say Jesus fulfilled it. He has a more powerful witness because of it.
b) Luke makes it clear that HE wrote his scripture as an eye-witness. This contradicts the teachers who say that the Gospels were concocted long after Christ's death. Knowing this Scripture helps us defend the rest. These are "active" examples of the efficacy Jesus' command.
Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written that 'man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"
Luke 4:21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your ears."
Luke 8:11-15 "And the parable is this: The seed is the Word of God.
"Those by the roadside are the ones who hear; then the Devil comes and takes the Word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
"Those on the rock are the ones who, when they hear, receive the Word with joy. And these have no root, who for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
"And those which fell among thorns are the ones who, when they have heard, go forth and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of life, and do not bear to maturity.
"But those on the good ground are the ones who, in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience."
Note: Jesus parable repeats in three Gospels while John expands on it in his own more extensive way. Keeping the word results in bearing fruit, in the eventual creation of new Christians. Life by study and example.
Luke 11:28 But He said, "No; rather, blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it."
John 1:1-14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came into being through Him, and without Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
There was a man sent from God; his name was John. This one came as a witness, to bear witness concerning the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
He (the Word) was the true Light; He enlightens every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and the world did not know Him.
He came to His own, and His own received Him not.
But as many as received Him, He gave to them authority to become the children of God, to those who believe on His name, who were born, not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but were born of God.
And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth.
Note: John gives us the history of the world in a few sentences. Not the human history of strife and violence and rage, but the history of God's intent for the humanity and the origin of the plan for healing it. More pertinent to this section, we learn the the study of the Word IS the study, the getting to know Christ. From Genesis to Revelation, he inhabits every page.
John 2:22 Therefore when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them, and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
John 5:37-38 "And He sending Me, the Father Himself, has borne witness of Me. Neither have you heard His voice at any time nor seen His shape. And you do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He has sent."
John 7:38 "He who believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.'"
John 8:31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed on Him, "If you continue in My word, you are My disciples indeed."
John 8:37 "I know that you are Abraham's seed, but you seek to kill Me because My Word has no place in you."
John 8:51 "Truly, truly, I say to you, If a man keeps My Word, he shall never see death."
John 8:55 "Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I should say I do not know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I know Him and I keep His Word."
John 10:34 Jesus answered them, "Has it not written in your law, 'I said, You are gods?'
"If He called those gods with whom the Word of God was, and the Scripture cannot be broken, do you say of Him whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world, You blaspheme, because I said, I am the Son of God?
"If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me."
John 12:48 "He who rejects Me and does not receive My words has one who judges him; the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."
John 13:18 "I do not speak of you all; I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture might be fulfilled, 'He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me.'"
John 14:23-24 Jesus answered and said to him, "If a man loves Me, he will keep My Word. And My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words, and the Word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me."
John 15:3 "Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken to you."
John 17:12 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those that You have given Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."
John 17:14 "I have given them Your Word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."
John 17:17 "Sanctify them through Your truth. Your Word is truth."
John, who lived longer than the rest of the Twelve, stressed the importance of the Word throughout his scriptures, having seen the way men of even that early time misused and wrongly taught the Word. Many of his teaching undercut the sect who worshiped John the Baptist as the Christ, the Gnostics who claimed a "greater enlightenment" and pointed out Christ came to fulfill the longing of all religions, the desire to somehow reach God. As the Church lost it's original Apostles and those who actually knew the physical Jesus, John foresaw the continued rise of other teachings and took steps to say that Jesus wanted everything built on the Word, on Him.
