EXEGEOMAI – Declare
You know, I’ve taught people across the country that the Bible was never written for the agnostic, the infidel, the skeptic. The Bible was never written for a man who is a metallurgist or a philosopher or a historian. Basically, the Bible was written for men and women who want to know how to believe. With a capital H, a capital O, and a capital W. Men and women who want to know how to believe God. How to tap the resources for the more than abundant life. How to manifest an abundance of the power of God in this life. In other words, the Bible was written for men and women who want to know the score. Who want to know the answers. Now, if a person thinks he is smarter than God, then the Bible has no answer. But I have yet to meet a man who knows even one 1/100th of the greatness of that which is written in the Word. Whether they are men in science, or philosophy, or history or mathematics or wherever they are. This is why I know that the Bible was written for men and women who want to believe – who want to know the answers. In Psalm 119, in verse 161. You know that this is a Psalm that nobody ever reads, but every word in this Psalm - it has 176 verses – every verse in this Psalm has the greatness of the Word in it. It’s either commandments, statute, law, always the Word. And in the 161st verse, we read the following:
Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy Word. -- Psalm 119: 161
The more you work the Word of God, the more you study it, the more you learn to utilize the principles that are set forth in the Word of God, the more you stand at awe at the Word. It’s the man who doesn’t know anything about the Word, or he may think he knows it. But basically, he doesn’t know it. That’s the man who never stands in awe of the Word. We were talking at one of our Bible group meetings and we went through Ephesians chapter 1 again. And I’ve gone through Ephesians so much that it isn’t even funny because to me it’s one of the great Scriptures. And so whenever the opportunity presents itself and I feel inclined so and there are people that have that particular joy and love also, we go through Ephesians again. And I remember this night distinctly because a person was there that I knew. Her major interest is in the field of English, writing, grammar, so forth and so on. And therefore, she listening to the reading of this, as we were going along, she intimated how tremendous this first chapter of Ephesians was because of the literary beauty of it. We were talking about the literary beauty. I had never looked at Ephesians chapter one from the literary beauty point. But she had. And therefore this thing just thrilled her. She noticed it. There it was. Just tremendous - the literary beauty. And I suppose if you worked it from a literary point of view, you would find the Bible just as fascinating. I have known for many years that the greatest short story that has ever been written is written in the Bible. Short stories like the prodigal son. You know, the good Samaritan story. The greatest short stories are in the Word.
This man says that even though people may have persecuted him that he constantly stood in awe of the Word. And the more you study the Word, the more this Word dwells within you. The more in awe you stand of the greatness of that wonderful Word. In the 162nd verse, he says:
I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil. – Psalm 119: 162
One who findeth great spoil. If you found $1 million laying
outside of the
This record here in Jeremiah is regarding the discovery of the Word of God after the captivity that had been lost. As a matter of fact, when they came back, they found it under the debris in the temple. They never even bothered to get the Word out of the temple, they just dumped everything on top of it. It was all under the debris of the junk, you know, the dust, the plaster and everything else.
Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart; for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts. -- Jeremiah 15: 16
He ate them, that doesn’t mean he literally chewed on them. But he worked this Word, he ate them, he was in the Word and the Word was within him. He just kept working the Word. And thy Word, thy Word, the Word of God was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart.
I say to people all of the time. Is the Word the joy and rejoicing of your
heart? It isn’t. How can it be? Unless you’ve been taught
the Word. Right? If you have not been taught the Word, then
the Word can’t be the joy and rejoicing of your heart. The Saturday Evening Post may be, Life, Look, or Time or Gunsmoke. Or
He found the Word. He
ate it and after he ate it, it became a part of him, and the Word, the Word,
the Word, was the joy and rejoicing of his heart. He didn’t say that the influential
politicians were the joy and rejoicing of his heart, or that the money men or
that the
Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart; for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts. -- Jeremiah 15: 16
Look at the gospel of John 5: 39
Search the Scriptures; …………. ( 1st phrase )
Sure, if you want to know God’s Will, you’re going to search the Scriptures, for the Scriptures are His Word. If you want to know God’s Will, you must know God’s Word. And if you don’t know the Word, you will never know the Will of God. So He said search the Scriptures. He doesn’t say go search a theologian or commentary, Sunday school quarterly. You must become so versatile, you and I, that we can take this Word of God without any commentary and search the Scriptures. Because as long as you have to read VP’s books to understand the Word, the Word has not become the joy and rejoicing of your heart. It isn’t that you shouldn’t read VP’s books. That’s all right. But they can’t be the joy and rejoicing of your heart. You may be thankful for it like someone who reads all the books and literature of Dr. VPW. That’s wonderful. But people, we’ve got to get deeper than this. You’ve got to learn to handle the Word for yourself. Then the Word becomes the joy and rejoicing of your heart. That’s right. Therefore you search the Scriptures, search the Scriptures. Not the readers digest and all that stuff.
Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they [the Scriptures] which testify of me. – John 5: 39
You are not going to have a testimony of Jesus and what he is and what God is except we go to the Word. Here in the Word, we find the testimony of Him. Every other place we look, it’ll always be degrading. Here it is what the Word says it really is. Look at I Thessalonians 2: 13. I’ve read it to many of you in the classes through the years.
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received [lambano - objective reception] the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received [dechomai – subjective reception] it not as the word of man, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. – I Thessalonians 2: 13
You see, if it’s the Word of God, if it’s the Word of God, but if I do not believe it, will it work effectively for me? But is it still God’s Word? Sure, it is still God’s Word even if I never believe it, it’s still God’s Word. And this Scripture, the greatness of it thrills me because it is God’s Word that worketh effectually. God’s Word. Not man’s. Had this been the word of Paul, would it have worked effectively? No. If it’s the word of VP, it will not work effectively. But if it’s the Word of God and VP’s vocabulary, and when people believe it, will it work effectively? Sure, bless your heart. You know, when we ministered the Holy Spirit to them the other night, I said to them, open your mouth wide and breathe in. I explained it all to them like I did to all the rest of you that took the class. There is always got to be somebody that doesn’t do it. Because this Scripture always comes to me. Because they do not believe that I literally mean what I say and say what I mean. And I’ve watched this down through the years, I’ve proven it over and over. If they do not literally do what I say to them to do, when I minister the power of the Holy Spirit, they do not receive. So I said to the little gal sitting up there, I called her by name and I said look, open your mouth. Finally, she got it open halfway. Shouldn’t be hard for a woman to do. Do you remember how I still had to walk over there to her? I walked over, laid my hands on her by Revelation and I told her what God said.
But I know, for instance, when you give a man the Word, if it’s the Word of God, and he thinks that it’s VP, he won’t get anything. But if it’s the Word of God, and he effectually believes it’s the Word of God, he’ll get it. But if it was VP and he believed it, he still wouldn’t get it. Do you see it? That old boy has got everything to win and nothing to lose. When a person says - we minister here to a person who have needs. We minister to them. If the person ministering to you says that you got bad tonsils, and you know they’re not bad. I’ll bet they are. But, for you because you wouldn’t believe it, you won’t get the deliverance.
Ministered to one Friday night, thinking of all these tremendous things. She was in the class for two weeks just waiting for me finally to get to this. Thursday night after the class, she said, you haven’t forgotten about me, have you? She came to me two weeks ago and said she wanted to be ministered to, and I said, just bide your time. I knew she couldn’t die while the class was on. She has 60 years before. She could have died all that time. She couldn’t die during the two weeks of the class. Why do you want to die for? Sure. You’ve got all the time before and all the time after to die. You just don’t want to die during those two weeks, that’s for sure. And sometime during the week, I forget when, Wednesday or so, perhaps one evening, they were there early, they were always early, those two ladies. And I walked up to her chair just before I started teaching and I said, how has your back been? Oh, she said, there’s nothing wrong with my back, it’s my knees and legs that hurt me. I came up, taught the class, and then, Friday evening, as I ministered to her, then I brought her up, and I made her track the line. And remember how she admitted that she had always been so sore. The only thing God showed me that the only reason her knees were so bad and the rest of her legs all cut off was because she was all cut off back in here, right in here (visual is not available). A doctor’s prognosis was not helpful to me because I did not understand his terminology. I knew that the gal had trouble here (referring to a part of the woman’s anatomy). Now, had she believed it that night when I first I talked to her, that it was the Word of God instead of the word of VP, and had she believed that it was God’s Word. Do you know what she could have done for herself that night? Walked right out in deliverance.
I thank my God that when you receive the Word, you didn’t receive it as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God which effectually worketh in those that believe.
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received [lambano - objective reception] the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received [dechomai – subjective reception] it not as the word of man, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. – I Thessalonians 2: 13
That’s why, ladies and gentlemen, the vessel is not so important. But what is spoken is that which is important. In other words, VP isn’t important, I’m only important to the end that the Word liveth in me. When the Word comes, that’s what’s important. If I said it, or Johnny Jumpup said it, it wouldn’t make any difference or Snowball Pete. It’s not the person, it’s the Word that that person speaks. And this Word worketh effectually in those who believe. And people, many times you find the Word of God in the most unlikely places and in the most unlikely people. You just wouldn’t expect to find it some times in the places that you find it. But that’s why God set His Word so beautifully. That it’s the Word that magnifies. It’s the Word that glistens. It’s the Word that shines. It’s the Word that glows. Sure, bless your heart. Look at the gospel of John 17: 8
For I have given unto them the words (sayings) which thou gavest me; and they have received [lambano – objective reception] them and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. – John 17: 8
I have given unto them the words or sayings which thou gavest me. Jesus is talking about his heavenly Father. God gave the Word to Jesus and Jesus handed it out to the boys. Passed it on, right? Jesus didn’t speak his own opinion. Jesus spoke the words which the Father gave him. Not his own ideas. Remember he said, I always do the Father’s Will. The Father and I are one. He always spoke that which the Father said. They couldn’t receive spiritually and be born again. And have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst sent me. Isn’t that wonderful?
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[ FROM THE WEBMASTER OF SECTION 1:
You may remember that I said I would
interject when I felt it was absolutely necessary. I am concerned that you may be confused about two
Greek words that are used for ‘receive’ in the Bible: 1) Dechomai and 2) Lambano My goal is to make this very simple for
you. The following is how I learned
which word was used in the Bible.
When a
person gets born again, they are said to dechomai (receive
subjectively) the Holy Spirit. They
received the spirit of God in Christ in you.
But they did not yet lambano (speak in tongues - which is objective
reception) It’s
that simple.] You must dechomai first
and then you can lambano.
For I have given them the words;
. . . . . . John 17: 8a
The word ‘words’ of verse 8 is the Greek word ‘rhema’ meaning “sayings”.
While in verse 14 of this chapter:
I have given them thy word;……………..John 17: 14a
Word here is “logos”.
This Word (word) of God, the Word of God, is made up of the sayings, the
words. Therefore when he said, I’m
giving them thy word, it’s like an inclusive statement, while in verse 8, he
said I have given them the words, the sayings separately. You follow?
The lesser is included in the greater.
When it says, he has given them thy Word, the
Word is made up of words-sayings. Look
at verse 17
(John
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. -- John 17: 17
How can they be sanctified? When you were sanctified according to Corinthians, redeemed, made righteous, justified, sanctified, and so forth. Could they be sanctified the same way here? No. Because yours is a spiritual sanctification on the inside. There’s was simply a setting apart. A sanctification by setting apart because they were obedient to the law that was given. And yet you see, that was the Word at that time. The Word was, love God, love your neighbor and so forth. And as this wall was believed, they were sanctified, they were set apart. In John 1: 18
No man hath seen God at any time: the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. – John 1: 18
The word ‘declare’ means to make known. It is the Word of God which interprets the Father and His Will to us and for us. This word ‘declare’ is the Greek word Exegomai. The word exegomai comes from two words. The one means Ek and egemoai which means out - to lead out. Ek means ‘out’ – egemoai means ‘to lead out.’ To lead people out into a great knowledge is the meaning of the word ‘declare’ here in verse 18. He hath declared him. Jesus Christ has declared, has led people out into a knowledge of God, the Father. That’s what the meaning of that word is there. This word exegomai is the same word that we get the word exegesis. Exegesis is a course in every theological school, biblical exegesis, they call it. Where they exegite the Word of God. They lead us out into, supposed to, the Word of God. It’s a course in exegesis. They get the name exegesis from exegomai, spelled the same way. Now this leading out, to lead out, to declare is used only a few times in the Word and we’ll just quickly handle these to give you a little more light in this field. In John 1: 18, you’ve marked. Right? That’s where the word exegomai appears. In Luke 24: 35
And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. -- Luke 24: 35
Known of them – known of them in the breaking of bread. Known of them. This is exegomai. To make known, k n o w n, that’s the word. K N O W N in verse 35 is the same word as exegomai. Well, the word known of verse 35 used in Bullinger’s Figures of Speech should mention exegomai in his Greek on the side margin.
Acts 10: 8 is it’s third usage. It’s used only six or seven times.
And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa. – Acts 10: 8
This was Cornelius talking to the boys and telling them what to do. When he made known all of these things to the men, then he sent them to Joppa.
Then all the multitude kept
silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring [making known
- exegomai] what
miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. – Acts
The word known is again the word declare, exegomai, is the base root of it.
Simeon hath declared how God at
the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
– Acts
The word declare there in 14 is the same word exegomai.
And when he had saluted them, he
declared [exegomai] particularly what things
God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. -- Acts
These usages, class, the reason I gave them to you is because they are the only places in the Bible where this word is used. I’ve given all of them to you tonight. And it always means to make known, to declare. To bring something out into the open where it is fully understood. It is not just to lead a person a little ways, you know. You can be led a little way and have a little knowledge of the Word. Right? But he made known the Father fully, completely. That’s what the word exegomai means. It means to fully declare. It’s a one time deal to the end that it’s fully made known. This is its usage and the point that I wanted to make -- I hope I didn’t lose myself in the shuffle, is that the Word of God is for those who do what? Believe, and it’s so designed that God wants people to so know His Word that you know it completely. To fully understand, to be fully led into a knowledge of God’s Word. Isn’t that wonderful? In other words, just God never meant for people to be stupid on the Word. He expected us to know it. He wanted us to know it. And He’s made all the reservations for us to know it. All we need to do is to study to show ourselves approved, workmen who need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing. You see, you can take almost anything in the Word, like we started working with Psalms tonight and Jeremiah and John. You can take up Scriptures like this and just begin to pattern the things and you see how beautiful that Word is and it always blesses people’s hearts to see the greatness of God’s Word. There is one thing that you can’t ever do and that is to lift the Word of God too high. That’s you can’t do. He said He has set His Word above His name. Of all of God’s works, the greatest of His works is His Word.
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