Worship Service

We've been talkin the past several weeks about the word of God about getting into scripture and being students of the word of God. I don't want to continue that seem a little bit. I went through multiple authors this week. Just got to get out of my own thinking until I read Max Lucado and NT Wright and Kay Arthur and RC sproul's land in about 15 authors on what they think about personal Bible study and getting rid of the word of God and I found some some real jewels that really kind of a firm what we've been talking about. I think this is gay author who said if we're really going to understand God's word in a way that makes it to the core of our being we need to know without a shadow of a doubt that it is what God said. We don't need secondhand knowledge. We need first-hand knowledge and that's a lot of what I've been preaching the past few weeks that we personally need to get into scripture on our own and research and study even if that means taking small bites, which actually many of these authors said. Yeah, that's exactly the way to do it don't Don't how do you eat an elephant? Yeah one bite at a time. And so don't get overwhelmed by saying I'm going to be a student of the word. I'm going in the Bible and immediately go get a teen books and commentaries and dictionary and then just get overwhelmed by it. I'll start with those baby steps and say I'm going to get in the word of God and I'm going to take a piece and I'm going to read for the purpose of understanding because that's part of what we've been preaching. The goal is to have Clarity that means to do the research and the work to say I really understand what this verse mean and to let that Clarity build conviction because when you're really clear about what something teachers or what the truth is about a subject that conviction really builds obedience or action in your your heart. So we study in order to understand in order to obey an order that God can work the change in our lives that he desires and I love this stuff and I could preach this the rest of the year and I can we can go to my office we guess I'll take a field trip everybody stand up. This is my favorite book here and I love the Bauer art and Gingrich Greek English dictionary. Look at how great it is and does it I'm a nerd on on many levels and I'll be going out we knew that you're not telling us anything that surprises us. I could really Camp there and talk about being a student of the words. But I want to kind of do a little bit of a detour and remind us of another vital aspect of being students of the word. Look at what the psalmist rights in Psalm 119 beginning and verse 129. This is the longest chapter in the Bible the longest Psalm in the Bible where just go look at a few verses out of its beginning adverse 129. Listen to the language. He uses about his attitude or relationship with God's word. He says your testimonies are wonderful there for my soul keeps them. Your word. God is so good. It is a joy to obey I willingly obey your scriptures. He continued the unfolding of your words gives light and imparts understanding to the simple. That's me and all of us as we come before God. We are in need of his understanding on so many aspects of life and his word is so good. And so wonderful that we willingly obey and it sheds light on the things that we need life shutdown. He continues I open my mouth and pant because I long for your Commandments. think about that language Hebrew song writer and author in the word of God is saying It's like it's like a deer you looking for water I pant for your word. This is not an intellectual only relationship with the word of God. He's engaging all of his heart and all of his emotions turn to me and be gracious to me as in your way with those who love your name. Keep Steady My Steps according to your promise and let no in that inequity iniquity get dominion over me Redeem Me from man's oppression that I may keep your precepts your law your words make your face shine upon me your servants and teach me your statutes your law your your ways. There's this there's this emotional longing or love for the word of God that the psalmist opens up here and it would be easy for me simply to ask that I could teach Forever on being a good student of the word knowing the right tools to use knowing how to unpack and understand so that you can say that's what Paul is talking about because I realized the contacts over here and the fact that he said it clearly in this other letter and then if you read this all those come together I can feel confident about this is what he saying In this passage, I love that kind of stuff but I am challenged by the word of God not just to be an intellectual student of the word of God, but to be Someone like the psalmist who loves the word of God in my heart in my emotion who loves the word of God and X verse my eyes shed streams of Tears because people do not keep your law. Now give him what I've read so far. Do you understand the spirit and which he sang that? He's not saying my eyes should tears because people do not keep your wall. Sometimes as Christians. We handle the Bible or God's word in such a way that it's almost like a weapon or a tool and we get angry at people for not how you're supposed to get the rules. But do you realize when you read the context of this his heart is so moved and so touched by the goodness of God's word by what it does for each of us when he's weeping over those who don't do not keep God's laws. He's weeping because of what they're missing out on. You see the difference in spirit about being concerned that others obey or keep the word of God or keep the law of God. You can't let it stay that kind of stuff. You can't say maybe we can just take over the government and we can make it a law. You can't do this on Sundays. You see how that misses what God is really long and for not that the government has created a law that the Christians took over and got the right councilman in the office so that we can suck make this sort of lost all the people I know. Because the way in which he wants us to keep his law is from our hearts. That we would love his law and love him and see the goodness in it and respond to it that way. So when we long for others to keep the word of God to obey the word of God, it's got to be out of this broken heart about what they're missing out on if God's word is not in their life. And the reason the way we will maintain that. Is if we make sure we don't slip into an intellectual only study and defense of scripture. And we miss out on being before God's word ourself with her heart on our knees saying, you know what my pant like a deer for water for your word God. I know that it's so good and so lovely look at what this song. I just went through a textbook. I said, I love resources and books and it what does this song say about the word? Look at all these amazing things by the word of God is the way of Happiness the way to avoid shame the way of safety the way of Good Counsel the way of strength and the way of hope that's just out of the first 43 vs. Remember we started out really Converse 129. That's how long this song. Is this Amma sang. My heart loves your word God's word is all of these things the word of God shows us. What is right? We're seventy-five. I know. Oh Lord that your rules are righteous verse 86 all God's Commandments are sure all of his precepts are right. That's up to verse 128 close to where we were at one author said this and I Love you so much. I want to share it. He said I sometimes you're Christians admits that they don't like what the Bible says. But since it's in since it's the Bible they have to obey on one level. This is an animal example of submitting oneself to the word of God and yet we should go one step further and learn to see the goodness and the rightness and all that God commands. Do you see that important distinction? It's not just this is the rule book. I better get with it. I'm going to get in trouble and you better get with it or you're in trouble. It's this is the word of God which reveals his heart which is a heart of love and care a heart that shows us the right past the way to Life's it flourish. And so we long not just obey because it's the word of God because he said so and there is that Authority there and it's good to have a but we learn to go even further and Obey because we believe that God is good and his instructions for us are good and righteous the author continues. God does not lay down arbitrary rules. He does not give order so that we may Be restricted and miserable. He never requires what is in Pure unloving or unwise his demands are always Noble always Justin always righteous. How often does the opposite of that get communicated not only in culture it as a whole but sometimes inside the church we think of scripture as I know. I know there's these rules as if they're just arbitrary and I know it supposed to keep the rules. If we get the rules then we're good to go, as opposed to thinking more deeply and more from our emotions and more for my heart about it. They're not simply rules that God just said, well I suppose if I came up with 613 of something and they kept all of my baby. Most of them I could cut him some slack. It's not that kind of arbitrary think it's the revelation of God's heart and his will for us and his love toward us. That he gives us his word that he gives us these rules so that we need to understand and Trust not simply that we should obey them but that their wisdom that there are right that they're righteous that they're good that they're Noble but he's calling us in a direction that is good for us. One author said it this way and I loved what this person said its first of all changing my mind and what they said just before this is sometimes if we're not careful on this is another Avenue we can slip down into we think in terms of here's what it says. Let's go do it and we just jump straight to obedience and it's not there saying look is good to obey but listen its first of all changing my mind so that it lines up with the word of God. So I'm not just loving my neighbor because God says that the love my neighbor, but the way I think about my neighbor the way I think about who is my neighbor. My heart's attitude toward others that that is transformed by the word of God cuz I've come to it not just as a student to understand, but I've come to it on my knees with my heart open. Loving God and loving his words trusting him and granting him greater wisdom than me, you know better you are wiser. You're good. You're worthy. I can trust you God as I'm going to let you direct my life. Not just intellectually, but I'm going to let you challenge me to change my very hard in my thoughts its first of all changing my mind so that it lines up with the word of God and then going out of living accordingly all of that equals the one goal that God has in all of this, which is that we Behold Him. We are changed from glory to glory and the His Image have there ever been people who followed God and follow Christianity went to church and obeyed. But their attitude or their Spirit or their actual love toward others was deficient.

If we ever slipped into that mistake of thinking I know I should do the right thing, but we never got before God's word in such a way. That would he let us our our hearts actually be changed. I know I know I shouldn't be racist picture says I should be righteous and I'm not going to say anything. Okay. I'm going to obey I'm not going to say a word but I would never let my daughter marry someone like that. You see that distinction. God doesn't want us simply to not say something to Simply obey the letter of the law. He wants us to be before his word in such a way that we let his character Challenge and change and transform our character as we see his glory. We are transformed from his glory to our play our hearts are changed so that when we see that couple or that person we don't just say I know I'm not supposed to have the attitude. I do something to keep my mouth shut and if that's all you can do that's good. Keep your mouth shut. But God wants us to be transformed people so that we not simply obey but we think the way he does. Until we look at all people and we see them as brothers and sisters children of God. They may be a prodigal son who's lost and needs to be invited back, but they are nonetheless created by God and God loves everyone Made In His Image and that includes everyone. In case you think I'm pushing a little bit I Think Jesus said it more bluntly than me right love your enemies.

Love your enemies. Well, that's just an American is it is?

In Christianity is not American. It was born centuries before our great nation that I love and love our freedom. So don't miss hear me. But it does not come before God or scripture. My biblical convictions should inform my political convictions and not the other way around. If God is Lord that he's Lord in me Lord over my life Lord over he's picked on Country. What could he pick on next Lord Lord over family? How many churches have been dysfunctional for decades because of family Dynamics inside the church? I've been there done that got the T-shirt. Well, that wasn't that the burchfield's they're the ones that kind of they run this so you can't really change that. We got to let you know they will I just I've seen it there are a million things and all of us are equally vulnerable to that. There are a million things that will slip in and claim in our hearts the Loyalty that only belongs to God the current culture will whisper to will you can't think that that's mean-spirited and intolerant and unloving you got to love and accept an affirm everything that comes down the pike and that that cultural whisper for us to give loyalty to that thinking and it's thinking over God's word. Or you got to have enough money. You got to have enough stuff. You got to plan your life and there are Christian. Gurus. It will say yes, that's the ultimate purpose of life to make sure you've got enough money in the bank so that your secure Department website so that I don't need God. And could that Council be counseled to all Christians all across the globe? Or is it an American truth? Could I not preach that to every continent that what you need to do is have zero debt in this much money in the bank and blah blah blah to the starving person. That's the word of God to me. A lot of stuff gets kind of tweaked before we know it weathers the rising Culture The Challenge us to think falsely about a lot of issues or its long-held truce until we can't just be students of the word that are intellectual only that dissect and say I understand it now I've done I'm done. I'm done. We've got to come before the word of God on our knees with our heart laid bare allowing him to challenge our deepest convictions about family about the meaning of life and consumerism and a million things that slip in one thing that just dawned on me this week. Is how naive I am about the number of Lies the Emissary constantly bombarding us with constantly you check out the grocery store line and every magazine says you should look this way and you're not significant unless you look this way or why this or where that and that's one of a million lies that just constantly get a flip on the news. Everything is falling apart. The world is coming to an end. You better pick a side and I was thinking the ground as if there's no God as if her life there supposed to be full of anxiety. Just over and over and over all these things. You got to own this car this house or have this or what that way. There are so many lies that battle to have the Loyalty of our hearts and the word of God comes to us like this cool water on a hot day and says, let me tell you the truth. And the truth will set you free. from all those pies All those things I can feel a heart with anxiety those things that cause us to identify some people as an enemy when they shouldn't be and even if they are Jesus still said love your enemies. We're not all competing for a scarcity of God's grace our love. We're God's children and those of us who know it already have the privilege in the opportunity to give that message to others that they are loved by God and invited to return to him and the word of God gives us that beauty not your troops to defend but that beauty of a heart change so that we Behold Him and we're change from glory to glory in His image. The word of God says, what is truth? This is one of the most fundamental things that I'm not going to spend this cuz next week we're going to go all about what it means to let the word of God tell us what is true about life and to live that out. So just briefly one of the foundations is that it tells us what is true and not true in a sense of where he was an arbitrary rule book and you better obey the rules true as in reality. Evan if you do this the other way you're going to break yourself on the Hard Rock of reality cuz that's not how the universe was made or how it unfolds until again and again scripture saying to us Whispering while shouting was pleading to us see the truth and live your life accordingly Wright net what Solomon says and there was so many authors in Proverbs and throughout scripture. Say then Jesus say listen, listen. Listen, what does it profit someone if they gain the whole world? He begging us to reject some of those lies that are constantly whisper to us. He says listen, he's not angry when he says he's pleading with us. What does it profit someone if they gain the whole world and lose their soul? He's begging for us to see the truth that will set us free. So we come the word. Yes as students who handle it rightly and correctly and do the work of study and understanding accurately and I'll bang a we also come to it humble. And willing to let God unraveled deep held convictions that was talk to us. bouncing on her mama's knee those are parents were in perfect as we are and there I say our children might have to unravel some of the things that we've taught them about life. And I welcome that if the crap that word of God. But I dare think that somehow my kids should obey me over God. There's a lot of stuff that they probably should reject.

But then I don't know that politically their diverse for that. Well, I just never mind that you just think this way about that subject. I've got bright articulate children who challenged me sometimes and when I look at it compared to the word of God sometimes I say, you know, that's a very legitimate point. Let's let's talk about that. You know, I don't think I can say with a stake in the ground. That's what a Christian should do or think in every case at all times about that until we even have to preach to ourselves and let our children preach to us at times. We have to go to the word of God willing to learn to be a student in that regard the word of God says, what is true What other said this if you ever think of your to yourself I need to know what is true. What is true about me? What is true about people true about the world true about the future true about the past true about the good life and true about God then come to God's word. Yes. Amen. That's what we desperately need. But just constantly all around us on the devices that we carry with us and constantly say, I do this. I'm not I'm not picking on anybody we constantly of every 20 minutes, right? What do you have for me a world, you know shape my view, you know Panda Facebook. I'll feel better in that for all feel worse that I saw their boat you my vacation was constantly let the world shape our understanding of ourselves and others the News tells us what to think and don't even get me started about talk radio. Write some everyday sometimes we say yeah, Jesus you're great, but I'm a disciple of click. That boys on the radio get to tell me what to think about my enemies in about my politics or maybe get to tell me what you think about my navel or whether my hair is good or whether I weigh the right amount or whether I should love this person or hate that person or whether I should look for some experience. That's a sign from the cosmos. I mean anything under the sun is out there and if we're not careful, we constantly pump it into our minds and our hearts. We will pay money for magazines that teach us how not to follow God. We will subscribe we will get channels that lead us away again this week one thing that just wait on me was how naive I am about the millions of voices that the adversary has in our culture and in my phone and in my life that constantly sometimes dramatically other times just subtly That tells me to worry about the label on my shirt or how I've secured my future is if there's no God in this world who will take care of everything for me so many things that we slip away from and the challenge is to not just be intellectual students of the word. But to be people who come to God's word with our hearts wide open Jesus said in John 17:17 sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth again. It's not arbitrary as if we do these things we get this little pellet like an animal being trained. It's the truth that shapes the very universe itself. It's reality and so God is begging and pleading with us and telling us That staying faithful to our spouse in our marriage is the way to a flourishing life when the cultural constantly was look out for number one. What about you? You got to self fulfill. In Jesus bags and plate that says I'm telling you. I know it feels counter logical but to give up your life is to discover it to give away. Your money is to not be controlled by money to serve others is the way to have a life that is rich and full to make God your Lord and Master is the way to Ultimate freedom. Until we have that truth and the challenge is not just a study and dissect it again. Good. I'm going to preach again next week and I'll print it many more times. It's good to be a good and faithful student of the word of the handle it correctly. Absolutely, but we've got to come to it on our knees with our hearts wide open and submit and allow God to even recreate unraveling replace long cherished and held convictions to cause us to love our enemies. Our neighbors I'll be staying to us. What are you doing? Well, I'm helping this guy out as part of the problem that you been watching the news if you help him in his whole family will want to happen in the whole neighborhood will be different Hallelujah. May the people of God behave in such a way that our neighborhoods become completely different May the people of God. Obey God in such a way that our friendships become different May the people of God live in such a way that our church has become difference that are cities become different that the lost and the lonely and the lease and the disenfranchised and the Overlook find in the church and in God's people eyes that see them love them care for them challenge them instruct them. Amen, May we'd be different. And the world around us. May we not find it easy just to join one group or the other and say yeah. Play we find it difficult to get pegged in one category of the other because God's word challenges us and so many different ways to be different than the culture around us that we really can't find one group that we can just sign up for inside. There we go hundred percent on board got the bumper sticker got the button. I'm ready to go. When we look at those issues and our lives and others and God's word. We realize he's calling us to be radically different like his son Christ. And that may lead to death. Maybe physical death, maybe just death of the American dream that we've had on a pedestal in our life for so many decades maybe death of family first above all else in our hearts, maybe death of country first above all else in our hearts. Maybe putting God on the throne as first puts other things as not first. And that's part picking up your cross denying your many selves and following him. So, how do we how do we come to the word more than just as students of the word? Look at what the song that says here? Yes, we study to understand Clarity in order to obey the conviction acted out in order to be changed 2nd Timothy 3. Remember the word of God was it designed for to equip us that we might do the things that God would have us do we don't do those naturally on our own we need the word of God to change us so that were equipped and able to be obedient to God until the purpose of studying the word of the word of God is to understand it to buy it in order to be changed people, but there's more We also need to love the word so that it's cherished as life-giving and our lives are immersed in it and shaped by it. We need to love the word of God. And know that it's not just a real book to keep to be in good standing or rulebook to bash our brother-in-law over the head with you know, what you're doing is wrong I hear this. Instead it's something that we cherish because we realize he has the words of life look my face. Sometimes it's not very strong. Okay is a preacher allowed to say that I might be a special meeting.

If that I just want Bonnabel and honest with you, okay, so if you're here and you're thinking sometimes sometimes I struggle I'm with you. But here's one little verse and true that always anchors me back when I'm tempted to doubt or struggle or drift away. I love in John 6. Where Jesus says some hard teachings and a lot of the disciples in this in this is not on the screen or thing when he deliver some hard teachings, it says a lot of them said this is too much and they leave and it looks to Peter and his immediate disciples and says are you guys leaving too and I love Peter's answer. He says where else would we go?

He says you've got the words of life. That's what he said and sometimes it when I struggle on my own I always come back to that truth. I say to myself. Where is she going to go? Have you seen anything else on the face of the earth that is as beautiful or powerful or life-changing as the word of God and the gospel of God in the message and character of Christ know even if I had all those options which is a fantasy anyway, but even if I played out my fantasies that I got a million options I could do this. I could be a movie star I could be rich I can probably blah blah blah that you can run through your head all those choices. Where else would you go besides Christ? And his word to find forgiveness. Define life that challenges you. To love others to deny yourself really think about it. I don't know if too many philosophies out there that are saying to people today is Oprah show is all about looking out for others denying yourself giving away your money infomercials about how to use the stock market to bless others.

Where else would we go to have somebody say we both know that if your life is going to flourish you're going to have to get out of the way. Where else would we go? Jesus has the words of life until we go to his word. We need to realize that his truth is life-giving and there's no other place to go. No other place to get a treatment on your weekdays when you think I don't feel like it full of faith and enthusiasm and passion. Just let logic say

Where else do you think you can somehow managing on your own? Go to the Lord and say I believe help my unbelief. Just like the man in the gospels. He'll take us just as we are. He said just a mustard seed of Faith just a mustard seed of Faith. So how do we get of the word a little more fully and I'll invite the worship team to come forward will run through this quickly. We sing the word the Simon Says in that great. We should we got some word we can sing here. I still remember Jude 24 and 25. I learned it in the eighties as a brand new Christian those verses and we sang it as a song to him who is able to keep you from falling and present you before his glorious presence without without Rachel to the old to the only God our savior be majesty and authority and power. I can't sleep lyrics

We can sing the word of God and it'll find a place in her heart. That will not leave. And I didn't necessarily understand the Greek or that Jude is one of the strangest books in the New Testament, but I understood that doxology saying I can trust Christ and because of Christ one day I of all people will be presented for God's presence without fault. And therefore with great joy that will be in God's presence one day with out fault because of Christ we can sing the word of God we can speak the word of God Scripture talks in Colossians about speaking scriptures and hymns to one another we can study the word of God. We can store up the word of God. We can obey the word of God we can praise God for his word and we can pray that God would act according to his word and that's just like I said, you just get a good top of the picture and say what does Psalm 119 saying wow, look at all these truths. That's just a simple Bible study of Psalm 119 and it calls us and challenges us to submit to and love the word of God because we love it. We will be good students who see handle it accurately and be good students of the word, but it won't be separate. It won't be isolated. Love will always be part of our going to the word of God because we cherish it as life-giving as the word of life itself.

Let's say a prayer and then I'll turn it over to Aaron in the worship team. Father we thank you for your word.

Help us not be naive about the power of your word that you spoke this universe into existence through your word and that Christ came to us as the word made flesh and that you tell us and James one that you can recreate are very hard souls and Minds through your word is O Father may we be good students who study the word but may we also be people who love the word and cherish it as the words of life itself Lord. We lay bare before you this morning any convictions, we hold that contradicts your word if we have dreams about what life is supposed to be about the American dream, even or money or career what we look like or who in our family we should dislike or liger who in the world. We should just like her like her politics or a million things father. We lay our very selves before you And ask you like the good position to take the scalpel of your word and cut out those false narratives those false ideas, please Lord for our sake. Help us jettison lies that the adversary constantly bombards us with and help us immerse yourself in your word to reading through song the art. The conversation and friendship and worship help us cherish your word and live our lives in such a way that they're shaped by Your Word give us that blessing of knowing the truth and being set free.