Where Am I With God’s Word?
Notes
Transcript
,ILLUST: Kids?? Place Bible, closed, ask to know what’s in it, where it’s marked
Or…instruction book…OR BIG Theology book
READ: Psalm 19:1-11
(Seated, and READ) Psalm 119: 111, 127-130
2 Tim 3:16-17
Where are you with God’s Word?
1) The Importance of God’s Word
1) The Importance of God’s Word
Presupposition - God is….revealed Himself
How God makes Himself known
Natural Revelation
Creation - Psalm 19:1
The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
All, in God’s image, have a longing to know Him
He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.
Special Revelation
In Person
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
His Word
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;
Scripture points to Jesus - The Word
If you desire to be close to God…
Where are you with God’s Word?
2) The Power & Purpose of God’s Word
2) The Power & Purpose of God’s Word
Seen in these two texts/passages:
Psalm 19:7-11
Words describing the Word
(IMAGE)
What it is
What it does
Law (instruction)
Perfect/complete - Restores the soul
Testimony (witness of)
Sure, like a crutch - brings wisdom when you lean on it
Precepts (decrees from authority)
Right, fair, just - brings joy
Commandment (All, the word is a SINGLE idea)
Pure, no hiding from the light - helping the eyes see clearly
Fear of the Lord (respect and reverence)
Clean/certain - eternal, endures forever
Judgments (Incrimination)
True/certain, nothing but good for us - leads to righteousness
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
Four keys to the Word helping the believer
The Word is authoritative, because it is inspired
The Word is useful, profitable, because it is the inspired Word of God
Intent - The Word is CRUCIAL, not merely “useful”
Teaching
Teaching
Understand 2 Timothy
Paul - on the way out
Timothy - next generation pastor, in Ephesus, a church where their first love is Jesus
Last things he writes to Timothy
Teaching = upholding truth/doctrine
Literally…teaching to the standard, all truth is measured by this standard
“Here is the standard, the expectation”
Reproof
Reproof
Or “rebuking” - I know, we don’t like to be rebuked
Exposing the error of false teachers - relevant then/now
AND
Showing sinners their failures - relevant then/now
It takes a rather mature believer to be open to this
Are you?
The Word is useful, profitable, crucial, to do this
Show the failure, clarify the mistake, and lead to truth
Which leads to peace and “right-ness” with God
Correction
Correction
Correction and Training - positive words
(Though…some people are not open to correction or training)
When you stray from truth/doctrine - correction is needed
When you are saved, Scripture is your guide
Along the way, you can err, lose sight of the Word, get “off track”
To be saved is an amazing place to be
To be living under God’s Word is an amazing privilege
Straying from truth ignores/dismisses that privilege
Correction aims to restore that
Driving a car - steering wheel is continually correcting
Small amounts, keeping the car on the road
Not usually large corrections
(though, might need a u-turn somewhere, or a detour, hard turn)
Or…Old Tyme cars at the theme park)
In our daily lives, temptation, mistakes, we allow Scripture to correct us
It is useful and profitable (crucial) that way
Instruction in Righteousness
Instruction in Righteousness
The moral training of Scripture - leads to righteous living
(not perfect, but in line with this truth of the Word)
Moral teaching of parents to children
Set the expectation - teaching
Reprove when errors
Correct the actions
All while explaining why, morally and otherwise
Training, always training
POINT - Connection to God results from connection to His inspired, inerrant Word
Where are you with God’s Word?
Bringing us to…
3) The Result of Connection through the Word
3) The Result of Connection through the Word
so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
This is the “So what?’
“Equipped” = “in fit shape” or “in fit condition”
REM: Resolutions? Resolution to get in shape?
Same concept here
God’s Word, the Bible is the means to get in good shape, spiritually
God has given you the task - make disciples
You cannot “GO” unprepared
You need to be equipped
The assumption is that YOU are already a growing disciple
A useful tool - you can give me the most useful tool
I need to learn it, use it, to get better at using it
I first need to want to do the job requiring the tool
I could ask: Do you want to be better at making disciples?
WAIT - that will come
First, I have to ask: Do you want to be close to God?
If so, then you must be close to His Word
Where are you with God’s Word?
Choice
(place Bible some distance away)
Look at the Word - wonder why you feel distant from God
Open and connect with the Word - and allow you soul to grow close to Him
These go hand in hand…
Where are you with God?
Where are you with His Word?
