Core Values: The Word Is Foundational.

Introduction:

As we continue with our worship of the Lord this morning, let's pause together and go to the Lord in prayer as we approach His word.

Let’s pray together.

We are kind of in a unique position as a church right now. We are in this time of transition. We have been together for a while now. Things have been going pretty well. But, I think we are in a spot where we have to ask ourselves, where do we go from here? What is our next move? What does God want us to do now? That is what really matters, isn’t it? Like, it doesn’t matter what I think we should do next or what you think we should do next, we need to be seeking the face of God and asking Him what He wants us to do next.

We can look around and we see God is at work here... But we have to look beyond our walls and look to the community and begin to ask... How do we reach them? How do we show the love of Christ to this community? How do we come together as the Body of Christ and do ministry together?

It is not by accident that we have the location that we do. God has placed us here for a reason.... and I do not believe for one moment that reason is so that we can shut ourselves off from the community. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. That was His mission. He wanted to redeem those who were far from God so that they could walk in a right relationship with Him. That is good news! That should make all of us excited... because that is what God has done for each and every one of us who has placed their faith in Christ. And we came to faith in Christ because someone did not give up on us.

Aren’t you glad for that this morning? Aren’t you glad that those around you did not give up on you, but rather they shared the love of Christ with you? Think back to that moment this morning. Do remember who it was that shared Christ with you? Do Remember where you were when you gave your life to Christ? Remember how you felt when you placed your faith in Christ? Do you remember how excited you were?

I remember. I was stupid on fire. I had no idea what exactly to tell people, but I was going to tell as many people as I could about this Jesus that I had encountered.

There is some sense in which, as we look forward, we need to look back. We need to look back to what God has done throughout our lives. We need to look back and see what God has done through this church. We need to look back and see how the church has ministered to this community and loved them. We need to look back, not to idolize those times as if they were the glory days.... we do not want to become like Israel and complain and wish we could just go back to Egypt... but I do think we need to look back and remember what God has done as we move forward.

As I was writing this sermon, this text of Scripture came to mind.

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 “ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent (Re 2:1–5.)

If you study the church at Ephesus, you will find a lot of interesting things. This church was started by Paul. He had spent a considerable amount of time in this church. He had raised elders for this church. Timothy and John both served as elders here, church history tells us. But here we are in the book of Revelation and Jesus is speaking to the church about some areas in which they have gone astray. It's not that they have failed doctrinally. It's not like they are not standing up for the truth. They are doing those things.

What does Jesus say that he has against this church? They have lost their first love.

Do you have any idea on how easy that is? We have to read this text and realize that this is very much a real possibility for us. It is possible that we can be doing all of the right things.... even with the right motives..... but we lose sight of why we are doing these things. We can lose sight of Jesus, and what He has called us to.

I don’t know about you, but I do not want this for my life. I don’t want this for your life. I don’t want this for us as a church.

So, as we make this transition together, I want us to spend a few weeks talking about our Core Values. I want to paint this picture that says we are going to strive to do these things together. And as we put these things into practice, I believe we will be able to keep our eyes on Jesus, and that is what we all want in the end. We want to seek Him. We want to please Him. We want to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant....” How do we get there? How do we not lose sight of our first love? This is what I want us to think about as we go through this series together.

Body:

So, let's define our terms really quick. When you hear the phrase “Core Values” what comes to your mind? What does that phrase mean to you?

Core Values can be defined as… “those values we hold which form the foundation on which we perform work and conduct ourselves. ... The core values are the basic elements of how we go about our work. They are the practices we use (or should be using) every day in everything we do.”

Core values are the very basics of what we should be doing as a church. And really there are two different types of Core values….there are actual core values….these are the things that you are actually putting into practice…and then you have your aspirational core values…..the things that you should be doing…..or would like to be doing……but when one stands back and looks at everything they are not the driving force of how you are actually doing business. Does that make sense?

Let me give an example. If I were to say to you one of my Core values is working out and taking care of myself….well then you would expect me to be fit and healthy….but when you look at me…..when you look at my life…..when you look at the fact that I make NO time to actually work out or anything….then you would have to question how much my “Core Values” really meant to me….or how important that really was to my life. In that sense it would be an aspirational value….it is one that I would like to do…. but I’m not there yet.

My fear is this is what can happen to us as Church and as followers of Christ. We hold certain things to be the very basics for how we want to go about our work…. or our lives…. but at times we lose sight of these things, and we stop striving for what we know is best for us.

Maybe it isn’t even that we have lost sight of them….maybe some of it is that we didn’t even know that there are certain things that should be governing our lives….or that there was a different way for us to be living life or doing Church and we are just stuck in our routine and going about “normal life” when God calls us and challenges us to so much more…..so much better.

When we look at the New Testament, we see some basic principles that are emphasized over and over again. Here are the Core Values that I believe we see in Scripture that we should strive together to put into practice as a church.

The WORD is foundational

PRAYER is vital

TRANSFORMATION is not optional

The GOSPEL is central

Every disciple is a DISCIPLE-MAKER

LIFE is to be lived together

GOD is to be GLORIFIED

Now this is not a perfect list or anything. There may be some better ways of saying some of these things, but that really is not what is important to us. What is important is us asking, do these things reveal the heart of God for us as His people and as His Church? If the answer is yes, if we believe that God’s word directs us in these matters, then it would be good for us to put them into practice. It would be good for them to become our core values... both in life and the life of the church.

What we are going to do for the next few weeks is walk through this list and see the biblical basis of, why it matters and how to apply those things to our lives.

This week we are going to focus on…… The WORD is Foundational.

Now, in some ways, the list is in no particular order. You can read through it any way that you want, and it doesn’t really matter which core value you focus on because they are all important. However, at the same time, this core value really sets the stage for all of them. The WORD being foundational changes how we see all the rest. That is why we have to start here in some respects. The Word is where we gather information for all the rest. The Word of God is what is going to direct our thoughts and hearts about the other matters or at least it should be the thing that directs us.

So, what I want us to do this morning in our time together is take a look at three areas when it comes to the Bible: 1. What Do We Believe About the Bible? 2. How Does The Bible Impact Life? 3. How Should We Approach The Bible?

What do we Believe about the Bible?

The Bible is the Inspired Word of God.

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.. (2 Ti 3:16.)

19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Pe 1:19–21.)

The Bible is the Inspired Word of God.

Think about that statement for just a moment. We believe, and there are a number of different passages we could look at this morning, that this book that we hold in our hands is the very Word of God. Yes, we understand that Men are the ones who wrote down the Words that we read. We get that. The Bible is not even shy about that fact either. Peter says that very plainly here in 2 Peter….even in the Old Testament we read of Moses writing down all the Words of the Lord. God used men to write His word to us!

How does this take place? How did God use Men to Write His Word? That is the question that we need to be asking ourselves. Did God dictate to them the very word that needed to be spoken? Were they in some sort of transcendent state when they were writing down as if they had no control?

Well we know from Scripture that there are times when God tells the people, especially in the OT, that they are to “Write this Down” and He gives them exactly what they are to say, but by and large, what we see here is that the Holy Spirit working alongside the authors and allows them to write with their own personalities in tack. That is why all 4 Gospels don’t read exactly the same. That is why the Psalms are different than Isaiah or Genesis. This is why Revelation is different than Romans….or at least this is part of the reason.

God worked through the human authors, or as Peter says, they were carried along by the Holy Spirit, to communicate to us His Message. We Believe that the Bible is the Inspired Word of God…meaning that we believe that the Bible has its origin, or beginning, with God! This Bible that you and I hold in our hands is God Breathed. When you read it... you are reading the WORDS OF GOD... AS IF HE WERE SPEAKING TO YOU.

The Bible is Without Error.

The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever (Ps 119:160)

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes (Ps 19:7–8.)

To say that we believe that the Bible is without error, or inerrant, means the Bible has no errors whatsoever! We believe that the Bible is perfectly written. We believe that the Bible does not contradict itself…that any error that we see in Scripture is more on us not understanding something than it is on God being wrong. Do you get what I am saying?

Those are the options that we are faced with when it comes to this doctrine. We can either believe that God is right, and we are wrong …. or that God is wrong, and we are right

Sadly…. I think far too often people fall into the 2nd category, but my hope is that we see this and turn from that kind of thinking and start seeing God as right…. and His Word as True and Correct instead of what our eyes, hearts, and minds tell us.

This doctrine really is the logical conclusion of the Bible being the Word of God because it calls into question God’s character. If God is the author, what kind of story does He want to tell?

I like how one person puts it. They said, ‘The Bible is inspired, but is it inerrant, that is without errors? The reason for a positive answer is simple: The Bible is the Word of God, and God cannot err; therefore, the Bible cannot err. To deny the inerrancy of the Bible one must either affirm that God can err or else that the Bible is not the Word of God.”

That is what we are left with. What are you going to believe?

The third thing I want us to see is that We Believe the Bible to be Sufficient.

What does the word Sufficient mean? Scripture is comprehensive, containing everything necessary for one’s spiritual life. Scripture is surer than a human experience that one may look to in proving God’s power and presence. Scripture contains divine principles that are the best guide for character and conduct. Scripture is lucid rather than mystifying so that it enlightens the eyes. Scripture is void of any flaws and therefore lasts forever. Scripture is true regarding all things that matter, making it capable of producing comprehensive righteousness. Because it meets every need in life, Scripture is infinitely more precious than anything this world has to offer.

Where do we get this idea from?

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes (Ps 19:7–8.)

4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” (Mt 4:4)

To say and believe that the Bible is sufficient is to believe that God has given us all things needed for a life of godliness in this Book. He has told us how our world is broken, He has revealed how He has sent His son to redeem us, and He has told us how to live in a right relationship with Him by surrendering to Jesus Christ. This is what we mean by saying that the Bible is enough for us. This book is the Word of God to US! It Is enough for US. It is all we need.

If we believe these things to be true, this should cause us to ask our second question:

How Does The Bible Impact Life?

Yes, it is good to understand what we believe about the Bible…. but we have to see what the Bible wants to do to our lives.

The Word of God equips us for every good work

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. ( 2 Ti 3:16–17.)

The Bible Reveals Our Hearts

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account (Heb 4:12–13.)

The Bible Keeps Us From Sin

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you (Ps 119:11.)

Shouldn’t we want these things in our lives? Shouldn’t we want these things for the Church? We want to be equipped. We should want to do good work. We should want to stay away from sin. The Bible meets us in all of these things and so much more.

Conclusion:

If we believe these things to be true. If we believe that the Bible is the Word of God….that it Has no errors….that it is everything we need for life and godliness….and that through this Book God wants to do a mighty Work in our lives…..wouldn’t it only make sense to ask what our last question: How Should We Approach The Bible?

I mean come on…think about it… If you heard the audible voice of God, tell you to go and do something…. or if He had given you a sign in the sky…. or whatever the case may be…. how would you react to such a message? I mean come on…. If God woke you up out of a dead sleep and told you to get up and go…. what would you do?

I think that most of us would jump out of bed and go! We would run knowing that we were walking fully in the Will of God….and yet…. we do not approach the Bible this way. Why is that? Why do we not approach the Bible as if it really is the Voice of God? What are the actions that we need to take in our lives if the Bible is going to become foundational to our lives?

We need to ask God to Teach Us His Word.

Teach me, Lord, the meaning of your statutes, and I will always keep them., 34 Help me understand your instruction, and I will obey it and follow it with all my heart. 35 Help me stay on the path of your commands, for I take pleasure in it. (Psalm 119:33–35 CSB)

We Need to Read the Bible.

And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law (Ne 8:1–3.)

There are a ton of passages that talk about reading the Word that we could look at, but really when you think about it this sounds so basic doesn’t it? I mean come on! We all know that we should be reading the Bible. Yet, in recent studies, they show us that only 32% of those who profess faith in Christ read the Bible daily. Think about that. We believe that the Bible is the VERY Word of God…. yet only 32% approach the Word daily. We are missing a huge opportunity to hear from God….to let HIM speak to our hearts…. to equip us to do the Work that He has for us….to keep us from Sin. Many of us are walking in our own power and strength when we don’t have to!

We need to think deeply on the Word of God

14 I rejoice in the way revealed by your decrees as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate on your precepts and think about your ways. 16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. (Psalm 119:14–16 CSB)

1 How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! 2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2 CSB)

We Need To Obey The Word Of God

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing (Jas 1:22–25.)

We Need To Value The Word Above Our Traditions

Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” 3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 5 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” 6 he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. 7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: 8 “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Mt 15:1–9.)

You want to talk about some hard words... Jesus does not pull any punches when it comes to dealing with the religious people of His day. But think for just a moment, how easy is this to do in our lives and in the life of the church? It is easy just to get stuck in our ways without ever considering if we are doing what God wants us to do. It is easy to trust in our traditions at times without ever looking to see if the Word of God says something different. That is a dangerous spot to be in. That is why, up front with you all, I want us to agree that we are going to put the Bible above any and all traditions that we might have. We are coming back to the basics here.

We are coming back to....The Word of God is Foundational.

This has to become more than just an aspirational value for our lives. If we are going to see God do a mighty work in our Lives, in the Church, and in this Community, then the Bible has to become that foundation on which all of life stands.

Ask yourselves, Do I Believe that God wants to do a work in my life?

Do I believe that the Bible is God’s Word and that He speaks through it?

Am I going to take the time to engage with Scripture and make it a priority in my life?

Am I going to let the Bible become the foundation for my life?

Here is my challenge to you this week, increase the amount of time you spend in the Word. Allow God to speak to your heart. Sit back and read the Scriptures…. take the time to slow down and listen to the voice of God….and then…. focus on one part and put that into practice. (Back of bulletin) Let’s let the Word of God become the foundation on which we base life. Let's stand on the Word of God.

(Preach the Gospel)

Let’s Pray together