The Wonder of the Word

This morning we begin a new series

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God.

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God.

Psalm 19 NLT

For the choir director: A psalm of David. The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun. It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race. The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat. The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them. How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

This morning we begin a new series. In a way, I think it’s kind of a continuation of the Discipleship series we just finished. You see, I believe at the heart of Discipleship is the Word of God. As I said in our last series, I believe that it’s God’s work to change us (to make us more like Jesus). We don’t change us. And I believe that God uses a host of things to change us, but do believe that His chief way of going about that is through His Word - in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Word is transformational!

So, if we have a discipleship issue in the church today, then I believe we have a “Word of God” issue in the church today.

In fact, in 2015 the Barna Group did a “State of the Bible” survey in the United States and here are some of the things they found:

49% of Americans strongly agree the Bible contains everything a person needs to know and live a meaningful life

51% believe the Bible has too little influence on American society today

52% say they read the Bible at least 3 to 4 times a year

14% of Americans say they read the Bible every day

37% of millennials never read the Bible, the highest percentage of any generation polled

36% mistakenly believe “God works in mysterious ways” is a quote from the Bible - along with others

The more you read the Bible the more generous you are - direct correlation

Almost 90% of American households have access to a Bible - Average house has 4.4

60% of Americans wan to the read the Bible more

Americans who stated that their Bible reading had decreased, they were asked… “What do you think caused the decrease in your Bible engagement?

Too busy with life’s responsibilities - 42%

Significant life change (lost job, death) or difficult experience caused me to doubt - 27%

Now I’ve not done any of my own scientific research, and I can’t quantify the reasoning i’m about to give, but I believe that much of our problem today with Bible engagement is a lack of understanding. I do believe we have an issue with a lack of understanding what we are reading (let me pause for a minute and invite you to be here Saturday Oct 27 9am-2pm & Sunday morning Oct 28 - Dr. Smith), but what I’m really talking about is a lack of Awe & Wonder with the Word of God. This is something that Chris in our Children’s ministry attempts to accomplish - Creating a sense of awe & wonder at an early age in our children.

But it seems as though the older, more educated, more mature we get - we can lose that sense.

Do we realize…Do we believe… That what we have access to is the very inspired message of God?

People have asked me the question - Do you think it was easier then or now to be an ardent follower of Jesus? I don’t know. But I do know that we have right at our fingertips everything we need for an abundant life.

Do me a favor and close your eyes and listen to the following. Open up your imagination and allow the words to create mental images in your mind. Approach the text with an innocence that Jesus spoke of in - “So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Remembering that it’s not about mastering the biblical text, but about allowing the text to have mastery over you.

I’m going to read these words slowly, allowing you to breathe in His grace and breathe out His praise.

1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.

The skies display his craftsmanship.

2 Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.

night after night they make him known.

3 They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.

their voice is never heard.

4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.

and their words to all the world.

God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.

5 It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.

It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.

6 The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.

and follows its course to the other end.

Nothing can hide from its heat.

The sun - For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.

I want you to write down what leaped out of the pages at you. What words seemed new for the first time? What word pictures came to mind as I read the text? What feelings or emotions swept over you? Did anything draw you into worship? Was there something spoken that you just couldn’t move on from? Did any convictions become aware to you?

Take 60 seconds and write it down. I want to give you a moment to capture what you experienced.

Now it’s interesting as David continues to go on with his train of thought here in … I want you to do the same thing, close your eyes and listen to these words.

7 The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul.

reviving the soul.

The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

making wise the simple.

8 The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart.

bringing joy to the heart.

The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living.

giving insight for living.

9 Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever.

lasting forever.

The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair.

each one is fair.

10 They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold.

even the finest gold.

They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.

even honey dripping from the comb.

11 They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.

a great reward for those who obey them.

Again… I want you to write down what leaped out of the pages at you. What words seemed new for the first time? What word pictures came to mind as I read the text? What feelings or emotions swept over you? Did anything draw you into worship? Was there something spoken that you just couldn’t move on from? Did any convictions become aware to you?

The first 6 verse of proclaims the awe and wonder of God’s amazing creation and connects it with the awe and wonder of God’s amazing Word in verses 7 - 11.

Have we lost the wonder of the Word of God?

Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

Take 60 seconds and write it down. I want to give you a moment to capture what you experienced.

He gives us grace and glory.

The LORD will withhold no good thing

from those who do what is right.

Have we lost the wonder of God? But more specifically this morning, have we lost the wonder of the Word of God?

How do we rekindle it if we lost it, or create it if it’s something we’ve never experienced? A.W. Tozer said it best - “Our view of God is the most important thing about us.” So I believe it is for the Word of God...

I want to wrap up with a few questions for all of us...

Do we believe the Bible is

God-breathed; God’s very own words to us

Do we believe the Bible is totally reliable, without error, and relevant for us today

Do we believe the Bible holds the answers to questions like

What’s our purpose in life; How do I get to heaven; Why do I struggle to do the right thing; How can I have a successful marriage; What are the keys to friendship; How can I parent well;

Do we believe that the Bible is more than simply words on a page, but that it’s alive and active

Transition to Baptism

Transition to Baptism

Transition to Baptism

At this time I’d like to invite our candidates and their families back-stage to prepare for baptism.

But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.

In the end of Paul is explaining about the relationship between husbands and wives and weaves together this incredible tapestry of ideas;

Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He (Jesus) gave up his life for her (the Church) to make her (the Church) holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He (jesus) did this to present her (the Church) to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she (the Church) will be holy and without fault.

Baptism is a sacrament. We call it a sacrament and it is sacred because we find Jesus doing this in the Scriptures. It is not a substitute for salvation. There is nothing special about the water in the tub. What is special, and what is sacred is the presence of the Holy Spirit - promised to be in our midst. I’m reminded of God’s words to Moses when confronted at the burning bush;

“When the Lord saw that Moses had gone over to look (at the burning bush), God called to him… Moses! Moses! Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

The place that we occupy this morning is holy ground, because of the presence of the Holy Spirit

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