"A Case for the Word" Part 3
Notes
Transcript
A Case for The Word Part 3
“Purpose and Profit”
Text before sermon
Psalm 19:1-6
1 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
Psalm 19:7-11
7 The law of the Lordis 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;
9 the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
Hebrews 4:12
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.
Introduction
What do feel that you need in life?
· Could be material things
· Could be needing life change – tired of living the way you’re living
· We determine the things we feel we need in life by what is most important to us
· If being a disciple of Christ, having a relationship with Him is most important, then the Word of God (Bible) becomes important
Today is 3rd and final sermon on Colossians 3:16: Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing each other in all wisdom
· Our focus is on the purpose of Scripture and how we profit from knowing it
Exegetical VS Topical Sermons
Exegetical: A systematic study of books of the Bible VS by VS.
· The accurate teaching and preaching of the Bible
· We interpret and teach what the text is saying.
· And then apply it to our lives
Topical: We pick a topic and use Scripture to back up what is being taught.
· Like Having the best marriage or how to live our best life and other topics
In reality, the product or result from exegetical sermons can be applied to any topic we may look at
So let’s look at some of the purposes of the Bible and how we profit from knowing Scripture
For time sake, I will quickly go through these before we look at our main text today
There are Scripture references in your bulletin backing these up you can look at later
Let’s start with what the Westminster Confession of Faith says regarding Scripture
· Since written in 1643 the language used is a bit difficult to understand so I have paraphrased it
Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence show the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable, they are not sufficient to give the knowledge of God, and of his will, which is necessary for salvation. Therefore, it pleased the Lord to reveal Himself, and to declare His will for His Church. Also, to preserve and promote God’s truth, and to establish and comfort the Church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world. The Scriptures are given by inspiration of God to be the rule of faith and life which make the Holy Scriptures to be most necessary. The authority of the Holy Scripture is to be believed and obeyed and they do not depend on the testimony of any man, or Church; but depend wholly upon God (who is truth itself). Therefore, we are to receive Scripture because it is the Word of God.
Overall purpose of Word
All sufficient for….
· For redemption and salvation
· For having a saving relationship with Jesus Christ
· Knowledge of Triune God
· Growing in our faith
· Godly living, living out our faith
SPECIFIC PURPOSES
· It’s only by grace through faith in Jesus that we receive salvation
· A gift we can’t earn
· Well, we come to faith when we hear the Gospel preached – Gospel revealed in the Bible
We learned this in Colossians 1:3-6
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.
So, Scripture comes with the power of salvation
Romans 1:16 Paul says as much
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes
As we study Scripture God imparts to us His wisdom, knowledge, understanding
Bible gives instruction, encouragement, and hope of Salvation
Scripture is our source of life
Scripture shows how we walk in a manner worthy of Jesus and the Gospel
Protects us from spiritual warfare
· Armor of God found in Ephesians 6:10-17
· Part of that armor is:
· The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God – Protects us from Satan’s lies
Knowing Scripture protects us from false teachings like we see in the church in Colosae
· People change God’s Word to fit society rather than Society changing to fit God’s Word
· Society says “That was written years ago and it isn’t true now”
2 Timothy 4:3-4
3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
2 Peter 2:1-3
2 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words.
· Knowing the Bible helps us be on guard against false teachers – This includes pastors.
· The Bible was written by the Prophets and Apostles – not individuals or the church
· Individuals and the church have no right to rewrite what God has said in Scripture
· Nothing more can be added to Scripture
Bible comes with power of God to transform our life
· We have new priorities, purpose, and values
· Before the sermon ____ read Hebrews 4:12
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.
· Reading Scripture comforts the afflicted and convicts the comfortable (luke warm)
Let’s look at our Main Text that encapsulates the 2 main purposes of Scripture
2 Timothy 3:14-17
14 For you Timothy, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and 15 From childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 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.
· The 1st main purpose of Scripture is to show us how to be saved in VS 14-15
o It makes us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
· The 2nd purpose is to show us how to live a Godly life being saved in VS 16-17
o 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.
o Teaching: Teaches us how to live in a manner worthy of Christ or Godly living
o Reproof: Exposing any errors or misinterpretations of Scripture we may have and expose times when we sin
o Correction: Positive form of reproof. It leads us to the proper interpretation of Scripture and leads us back into Godly living
o Training in righteousness: Scripture is part of the sanctification process. Growing and maturing in our faith. Becoming more Godly in living out our faith. And becoming more and more like Jesus
· This means that every time we read the Bible and listen to God’s Word is preached in a sermon
o We must determine if we should be focused on whether or not they we are saved
o Or whether or not we are being obedient to Scripture and living out their faith
· These are really only 2 options here
· And the order is critical
· You cannot try and live a moral life based on Scripture if you are not saved
· You will be applying the power of a corrupt flesh rather than power of Holy Spirit.
· We can also tend to take what we like a leave what we don’t
· Neglecting Scripture will make it almost impossible to be saved or live out our faith if we don’t read and study Scripture
Conclusion
In Colossians 3:12-17 we’ve been about what it looks like to live a Godly life
That a functioning faith should affect every area of our life
· Well, it’s God’s Word that informs us of how to live Godly lives and why
When Word of God dwells in us richly
· It becomes central to our lives
· It’s on the forefront of our minds
· It dictates our behaviors, thoughts, and words
When the Word of God is central and dwelling in us richly, it produces:
· Evidence of our faith
· Living a Godly life
· Spiritual growth and maturity
· And a strong relationship with Jesus
· These are all directly proportionate with the time we spend in Scripture
· If our actions don’t show this, the Word isn’t dwelling in us
In a phrase: The input of God’s Word = output of Godly living
My Goal in these 3 sermons: You would be thoroughly convinced of the importance of knowing and applying Scripture AND to be committed to regular study of Scripture
I hope I have met the burdon of proof as a prosecuting attorney arguing the case for God’s Word that I have met this goal
I think our application is pretty clear
“Read you Bibles”
· We have many excuses for not reading our Bibles – believe me, I know because I’ve used them
o I don’t have enough time
o I don’t understand it
o The sermons on Sunday is all I need to learn the Bible
1. Read Scripture references in bulletin
2. Pick one book of the Bible, I suggest from the New Testament and commit to reading and studying it
· Use the “Personal Bible Study” insert in your bulletin
A BELIEVER who studies Scripture is a healthy, thriving BELIEVER
A CHURCH who studies the Word is a healthy, thriving CHURCH