What Does God's Word Provide for the Christian--Part Two
What Does God's Word Provide for the Christian • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction:
1. Last week we asked the question...
A. What does God’s Word provide for the Christian?
1. God’s Word provides everything the Christian needs for life and godliness.
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
2. God’s Word provides everything the Christian needs to grow spiritually.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
B. As we continue to examine this question we need to realize that everything God’s Word provides us falls into one of these two categories or both.
1. It is either to make life and godliness available to us or to provide a means for us to grow in that life and godliness.
A. This is what the Christian life is all about.
1. Finding life and godliness.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
2. Then growing in that life and godliness.
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
Body:
1. God’s Word provides everything the Christian needs to be complete or perfect.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
A. To understand the meaning of this word better lets look at it in the KJV.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
1. God’s Word was provided so we could find life and godliness.
A. It is profitable for doctrine
B. It is profitable for correction
C. It is profitable for instruction in righteousness.
D. It throughly equips for every good work.
2. God’s Word was provided so we can grow into life and godliness.
A. That the man of God may be complete or perfect.
1. The word “that” shows the reason the Scripture was given.
2. The Scripture was given so that we may grow into completeness or perfection.
B. God demands that we grow with our aim being perfection.
48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
1. Since God demands it He provides the way.
13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
A. It is not that He demands us to be sinless but that He demands that we continue to grow into completeness or perfection.
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
B. This is required so that through this continual struggle for completeness or perfection we become more like Christ.
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Conclusion:
1. God has provided everything we need to be complete or perfect.
A. By doing this He has provided both the means to find life and godliness and the ability to grow in life and godliness.
B. Are you taking advantage of what God’s Word provides for the Christian?
C. Have you found life and godliness?
D. And, are you growing in that life and godliness?
E. The real question is...
1. Are you using what God has provided through His Word to continue to grow into the perfection of Christ.