Scripture-Centered

Introduction

WHO GETS TO TELL YOU HOW TO LIVE?

Last week, we started this semester with what I believe is the most important of our four DNA statements:

Always, Only Jesus.

We spent time in Colossians 1 looking at who Jesus actually is.

He’s the Creator. He’s the Sustainer. He’s the head of the church. He’s the resurrected King. He’s the One who reconciles sinners to God.

And Colossians 1:18 says that Jesus might have first place in everything. And tonight, we’re going to take the next logical step.

Because here’s the question I want to answer tonight:

If Jesus is really Lord over everything, then who gets to tell me how to live my life?

Think about that.

Who gets to tell you what’s right and wrong?

Who gets to tell you what is true?

Who gets to tell you what kind of person you should become?

Who gets to tell you how you should treat your friends?

Who gets to tell you what your identity is?

Who gets to tell you how you should handle your relationships?

Who gets to tell you what to do with your sexuality?

Who gets to tell you how to use your money?

Who gets to tell you what success looks like?

Who gets to tell you what your future should be?

Because here’s the reality:

Somebody is telling you.

Every day. Your friends are telling you. Social media is telling you. Your favorite influencers are telling you. Culture is telling you. Your emotions are telling you. Your coaches are telling you. Your parents are telling you. Your teachers are telling you. And sometimes, if we’re honest, we’re telling ourselves.

The question is: “Who is shaping me?”

And as followers of Jesus, we believe something incredibly important:

God has not left us guessing about who He is or how He wants us to live. He has spoken. And what He has spoken, He has given to us in His Word.

That’s why our second DNA statement is: SCRIPTURE CENTERED.

I want us to understand why Scripture should be at the center of our lives. So let’s go to 2 Timothy 3.

READ 2 TIMOTHY 3:16–17

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Let’s pray. Pray for yourself, the person on your left and right, and for me as I communicate the Word of God. Holy Spirit you are welcome to work in this room!

POINT 1 — GOD’S WORD IS FROM GOD

The first thing Paul wants Timothy to understand is where Scripture comes from. He says: “All Scripture is breathed out by God.” That phrase is incredibly important. Paul isn’t saying the Bible is merely a book about God. He’s saying the Bible comes from God. God has spoken. And that means when we open Scripture, we’re not simply opening an ancient religious document. We’re opening God’s Word. Think about how crazy that is.

66 BOOKS

~40 AUTHORS

~1,500 YEARS - The United States has existed for only about 250 years.

The Bible’s story of God’s written revelation spans roughly six times the entire history of the United States.

That’s an incredible way for students to grasp the scale.

3 CONTINENTS - Asia, Africa, and Europe

3 LANGUAGES - Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek

1 STORY - Despite all of this diversity, there is a remarkable unity to the story. One grand story of a holy God pursuing a broken people, ultimately redeeming and reconciling us to Himself through Jesus. From Genesis to Revelation, it’s all pointing us to Jesus and the restoration He came to bring.

Isn’t that incredible?! That’s the beauty of God’s Word!

That’s why we’re going to be a student ministry that’s Scripture Centered.

Because if God really did speak…

If God really did breathe out His Word…

If this story really is His story…

If Jesus really is the center of the story…

Then: I don’t want Scripture to be something we occasionally visit. I want Scripture to be the foundation we build our lives on.

THE BIBLE ISN’T JUST INFORMATION, IT’S GOD’S WORDS TO US

Because students can grow up around the Bible and still misunderstand what it is. You can own a Bible and never read it. You can read the Bible and never understand what you’re reading. You can understand what you’re reading and never actually obey it. And you can even know a lot about the Bible without ever allowing the Bible to change you. That’s not what Scripture is intended to do. The Bible isn’t merely information to fill your head. It’s truth intended to transform your life.

TRANSITION

So the first thing we need to understand is: The Bible is God’s Word.

But that creates another question. If God has spoken, and His Word is actually from Him…

What authority should it have in my life?

Because you can believe the Bible is God’s Word and still live like your own opinion has the final say. And that’s where we move to our second point.

POINT 2 — GOD’S WORD IS THE AUTHORITY

Look at what Paul says Scripture is useful for: “teaching…” What is true. “reproof…” What is wrong. “correction…” How to get back on the right path. “training in righteousness…” How to learn to live rightly.

In other words, Scripture doesn’t simply give us suggestions . It holds authority .

And this is where Christianity becomes radically different from the culture around us.

Our culture often says: “You decide what’s true for you.”

But Christianity says: God has already spoken.

Our culture says: “Follow your heart.”

Scripture says our hearts need to be transformed.

Our culture says: “If it feels right, do it.”

Scripture says: “What has God said is right?”

And this is where being Scripture Centered becomes so important.

Because being Scripture-centered doesn’t mean: “I agree with the Bible when the Bible agrees with me.” It means: When God’s Word disagrees with me, God’s Word wins. That’s the difference.

That’s why Scripture can sometimes comfort us and sometimes confront us.

A QUESTION FOR STUDENTS

Ask them: What happens when you disagree with the Bible?

Because that’s where our real view of Scripture gets revealed.

It’s easy to say: “I believe the Bible.” But what happens when Scripture tells you something you don’t want to hear?

What happens when Scripture confronts your sin?

What happens when Scripture challenges your relationships?

What happens when Scripture tells you to forgive someone?

What happens when Scripture tells you to love an enemy?

What happens when Scripture tells you to be sexually pure?

What happens when Scripture tells you to be generous?

What happens when Scripture tells you to humble yourself?

What happens when Scripture tells you to love people you don’t like?

That’s when we discover whether Scripture is actually our authority.

KEY STATEMENT

If God’s Word is only authority in your life when you agree with it, then you are still the authority, not God. Being Scripture Centered means: God gets the final word in my life.

TRANSITION

But there’s still another problem. You might be thinking:

“Okay, I believe the Bible is God’s Word. I believe it has authority. So I guess I just need to read it more.”

And yes—read your Bible.

But there’s something deeper happening here. Because the goal isn’t simply to have more Bible knowledge. The goal is to become more like Jesus. And that brings us to the third point.

POINT 3 — GOD’S WORD IS MEANT TO TRANSFORM US

Paul says Scripture is profitable for:

teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.

In other words, Scripture doesn’t just tell you what is true. It tells you:

What to believe. (Teaching)

What is wrong. (Reproof)

How to get back on the right path. (Correction)

How to learn to live God’s way. (Training in righteousness)

KEY STATEMENT

God’s Word doesn’t just inform your life. It forms your life.

Let me prove to you why I think that:

Guys this is CRAZY!!! The largest study done recently on the effects of Bible reading by the Bible Institute surveyed around 200,000 people for a long period of time and it showed that those who read their bible once a week didn’t show much difference, two to three times a week the differences were still not that noticeable of a difference but those who read the Bible at least four times a week experience:

30% less likely to feel LONELY.

32% less likely to be ANGRY.

40% less likely to be BITTER.

57% less likely to suffer from ALCOHOLISM.

59% less likely to view PORNOGRAPHY

60% less likely to feel SPIRITUALLY STAGNANT

228% more likely to share their faith

231% more likely to disciple/mentor someone

407% more likely to memorize Scripture

This

Go back to 2 Timothy 3:17:

“that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Paul’s goal isn’t simply that Timothy would know more.

It’s that Timothy would become more complete and equipped for the task God gave to him.

God’s Word is meant to change us.***

THE BIBLE IS A MIRROR

James 1 gives us a really helpful picture.

James says that the person who hears the Word but doesn’t do it is like someone who looks at himself in a mirror and then walks away and forgets what he looks like. PAUSE. Think about that. Imagine waking up in the morning. You look in the mirror. You see that your hair is completely messed up. And you walk away saying: “Wow. That’s interesting.” But you don’t do anything about it. That’s what James says happens when we hear God’s Word but don’t obey it.

KEY STATEMENT

The Bible isn’t a mirror for information. It’s a mirror for transformation.

God’s Word shows us who God is. But it also shows us who we are. It’s the only book that while you are reading it, it’s actually reading YOU.

It reveals:

our sin

our motives

our pride

our fears

our selfishness

our need for Jesus

And then it doesn’t leave us there. It points us toward Christ.

TRANSITION

So Scripture is: from God. authoritative. transformative.

But there’s one more question:

How do we actually live Scripture-centered lives?

Because I don’t want you to leave tonight thinking: “I guess I need to read my Bible more.” I want to give you something much more practical.

POINT 4 — GOD’S WORD MUST MOVE FROM OUR HEADS TO OUR HEARTS TO OUR HANDS

James 1:22 says: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only…” This is where the rubber meets the road. You can sit in this room every Wednesday night. You can hear sermons. You can take notes. You can memorize verses. You can know theology. And still not actually live like Jesus. Because biblical maturity isn’t measured simply by how much Bible you know.

It’s measured by how much the Bible is shaping the way you live your life.

GREAT STATEMENT

The goal isn’t to become people who just KNOW the Bible. The goal is to become people who LIVE the Bible.

JESUS AND SCRIPTURE

And here’s where I want to connect this back to last week. Remember what we talked about? ALWAYS, ONLY JESUS.

If Jesus is Lord over everything, what does that mean for Scripture?

It means: If Jesus is Lord over everything, His Word gets to speak into everything. And Jesus Himself had an incredibly high view of Scripture.

In Matthew 4, when Satan tempts Jesus, Jesus repeatedly responds:

“It is written…”

Jesus anchors Himself in God’s Word.

In Matthew 7, Jesus tells the story of two people who build houses. One builds on rock. One builds on sand. And Jesus says the difference is the person who: “hears these words of mine and does them.” Not merely hears it. But Does it.

That’s Scripture-centered living.

THE PRACTICAL CHALLENGE

So let me give you three questions to think about this week.

1. Am I actually in God’s Word?

Not: “Do I own a Bible?”

Not: “Do I hear Bible teaching?”

But:“Am I personally opening God’s Word and allowing God to speak to me?”

2. Do I let God’s Word correct me? Not just encourage me. Not just comfort me. Not just give me a good verse for Instagram. Correct me. Change the way that I live my life every day.

3. What is God asking me to obey?

Because if you read Scripture and God shows you something, the appropriate response isn’t “That’s interesting.” It’s: “Yes, Lord.”

CLOSING — WHO GETS THE FINAL WORD?

I want you to imagine something. Imagine that every morning when you wake up, you have two voices speaking into your life. One says: “You need to be popular.” Another says: “You are already loved by God.” One says: “Your worth comes from what people think about you.” God’s Word says: “You are made in His image.”

One says:

“Do whatever makes you happy.”

God’s Word says:

“Follow Jesus.”

One says:

“Get revenge.”

God’s Word says:

“Forgive.”

One says:

“Make yourself the center.”

God’s Word says:

“Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus.”

Every single day, we’re being discipled by something.

The question is:

Who gets the final word?

And that’s what it means to be Scripture Centered.

It doesn’t mean we don’t listen to anyone else.

It means God’s Word gets the final say.

RESPONSE

So here’s what I want you to do tonight.

I want you to think about one area of your life where God’s Word is saying one thing, but you are currently living another way.

Maybe it’s:

a relationship.

your sexuality.

your friendships.

your anger.

your forgiveness.

your social media.

your thought life.

your money.

your honesty.

your identity.

your future.

your time.

And here’s the question:

“Who gets the final word in that area of your life?”

Because being Scripture Centered isn’t about carrying a Bible around. It’s about allowing God’s Word to carry authority over you.

FINAL STATEMENT

Last week we said:

Jesus isn’t part of my life. Jesus is Lord over my life.

Tonight we’re taking the next step:

If Jesus is Lord over my life, then His Word gets to speak into my life.

So don’t just read the Word. Receive it.

Don’t just hear the Word. Believe it.

Don’t just know the Word. Obey it.

Don’t just carry the Bible. Let the Bible shape you.

We aren’t trying to become students who simply know more Bible.

We’re becoming students who look more like Jesus.

SCRIPTURE CENTERED

God’s Word comes from God.

God’s Word gets into us.

God’s Word works through us.

And next week, we’re going to talk about what happens when people who are being formed by God’s Word begin to follow Jesus together.

That’s our third DNA statement:

A GROWING FAITH FAMILY.