What's the Story with You and the Word?

Billy C. Sutton, Jr.

Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

0 ratings

· 5 views

Notes

Transcript

Introduction

2 Timothy 3:14–17 ESV

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

PRAY

Acts 17:10–15 ESV

10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. 14 Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.

Are You Open to Listen to God’s Word

Are you open to hear the content of the Word of God?

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica.

Noble - fair-minded, willing to hear.

They did not have ears shut to hear the message proclaimed by Paul.

Acts 17:1–5 ESV

1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.

Are You Alertly Taking in God’s Word?

Received the Word - They listened, they accepted, they welcomed

With all eagerness - with readiness of mind, a determination of mind, rushing forward.

We are speaking of a state of mind that is serious about the word of God. Serious minded.

Practically, do you give your best times to Bible study?

Do you get enough sleep on Saturday nights in order to alertly receive the word?

So many people have ADHD when it comes to the word, but can sit for hours to watch a movie, surf the internet or play a video game, or something else.

Are You Seeking to Understand the Word?

Searched – to examine accurately or carefully; to sift up and down; make careful and exact research as in legal processes.

This has to do with how the Bereans handled the word of God? It was serious business to hear the word. Therefore, they were careful to examine the content of a person’s message according to the Scriptures. They were intense about knowing what the Scriptures say.

The Scriptures – the Jewish OT

What did they think about?

Psalm 22:1 ESV

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

Psalm 22:6–8 ESV

6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

Psalm 22:12–21 ESV

12 Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; 13 they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; 15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— 17 I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; 18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. 19 But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! 20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! 21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!

Are You Regularly Ingesting the Word?

Daily – with regularity; Everyday

Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV

3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Illustration: How long do you go without eating or thinking about eating? Are you easily able to miss several consecutive meals without the thought of food? Have you ever been seeking to fast? The first part of the day goes really well and you are excited, but your stomach begins to growl around 11:30am. This is when you normally eat lunch. Somehow you make it through lunch, but 2:00pm is now here and you just have to have something to eat. You are miserable and break down to eat a little snack.

If we are missing spiritual food, does it bother us at all? Can we coast along, without any regular nourishment from the word of God?

Matthew 4:4 ESV

4 But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

Are You Convinced by the Word?

To see if these things were so – if these things had it thus

Tradition versus truth – the Jews of Berea believed there was a Messiah, but not that he would suffer. Paul’s testimony about Jesus was that He was the suffered Servant. The Bereans had to measure their tradition against the authority of the Scriptures.

Illustration: A woman was about to cook a ham for thanksgiving and she began by cutting both ends off the ham. Her daughter was watching and asks her mom why she cuts the two ends off the ham. The mom responds, my mother, your grandmother did it that way, go ask her why. The grandmother is there and the little girl walks upstairs to ask her. The grandmother says my mother, your great-mother, did it that way, go ask her why. The great grandmother was also there, so the little girl goes to the living room to ask her great-grandmother the same question. The great grandmother replies, “My pan was too small to hold the whole ham.”

All things must be measured in light of the truth. Everything must be examined and tested.

Mark 7:5–12 ESV

5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” 6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” 9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban” ’ (that is, given to God)— 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother,

The New Manners and Customs of the Bible 7:11 Corban

Corban is a Hebrew word adopted into the Greek of the New Testament and left untranslated. It occurs only once, that being in our text-verse. It means a gift or offering consecrated to God. Anything over which this word was once pronounced was irrevocably dedicated to the temple. Land, however, so dedicated might be redeemed during the year of jubilee (Leviticus 27:16–24). Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for their false doctrine, because they had destroyed the commandment that requires children to honor their father and mother, teaching them to find excuse from helping their parents by the device of pronouncing “corban” over their goods, thus releasing them from all obligation to sustain their parents. It did not, however, bind them to consecrate their goods to sacred uses. These could be used for their own purposes, or given to whomever they pleased, except to those to whom they had said, “It is corban.”

Colossians 2:8 ESV

8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

Are you under the absolute authority of the Word of God for all of life?

Are You Saved by the Word?

Many of them therefore believed -

John 3:16–17 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

The truth is no good to us if it does not save us or rescue us. We must believe the word. We must know the word but we must experience what the word has to say about Jesus and the Christian life. If we have knowledge of the Scriptures without Christ, we are doomed

John 5:39–40 ESV

39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

Illustration: There was this man on a cruise ship and he was obsessed with the possibility that the boat might sink. So he had studied all the life boats on the ship to see how they would work and which one he would go to if the ship were to sink. He even found a manual about the life boats and began to study them. Before long he was telling all the other passengers about how good the lifeboats were and impressing them with all the details. On the last night of the cruise a storm began to toss the cruise ship around quite easily and the boat began to take on water. The crew did everything they could, but the bilge pumps were not working. As a last resort, they announced for everyone to get on the life boats. Tragically, the man who knew so much about the life boats refused to get in one. He could not be forced into one because of his fear. As a result, he drowned after the cruise liner sank.

2 Timothy 3:14–15 ESV

Are You Marked because of the Word?

They came there also and stirred up the crowds.

Stirred up - to move in mind, agitate, disturb, to excite the people, cause a tumult

This was a similar scene as in Thessalonica, a mob of rabble was stirred up against the new believers and Paul.

2 Timothy 3:10–12 ESV

10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. 12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

Practical Application

Augustine conversed with Alypius and became so agitated that he was physically ill. He still had some vestiges of intellectual snobbery. He cried out to Alypius, "What is wrong with us?...Uneducated people are rising up and capturing heaven and we with our high culture without any heart - see where we roll in the mud of flesh and blood. Is it because they are ahead of us that we are ashamed to follow?" Augustine decided to walk in the garden to calm down, but was so agitated that he tore at his clothes and hair and beat himself.

Augustine was overcome, and went to a bench to weep. From a neighboring house (or a church, or the very heavens themselves) he heard a child saying "Pick up and read" (a statement foreshadowed earlier in the book). This he interpreted as a divine command, and he picked up the Book of Paul. Augustine opened the book just as many Christians do today with their Bibles and read the first passage that his eye fell upon. "Not in riots and drunken parties, not in eroticism and indecencies, not in strife and rivalry, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in its lusts" (Rom 13 13-14).