God's Word is Needed

Good morning church! It’s great to see you!

If you are new here, we want to say welcome! We pray that even if this is your first time that you will feel loved and cared for here! We have a gift that we would love to give you today. If you will fill out the card from the back of the seat in front of you and drop it by NEXT STEPS on your way out today, the folks there will give you a t shirt and some info about our church. Please take advantage of that!

This morning, we are kicking off a new series called THE BOOK. Go on and turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 1.

God’s Word is an incredible thing that we often take for granted in our daily life. Because you probably have multiple physical copies and a digital version on your phone somewhere!

Anytime we have access to something like this, it changes our relationship with it.

Do y’all remember when people up here used to take pilgrimages to Birmingham just to taste Dreamland ribs? Our men at church would do that one or twice a year. And now, we have one right here in Huntsville, and I have only eaten at it a couple times. Why is that? Some might argue the food is not the same; however, a big part of it is that often with an increase in accessibility comes a decrease in interest.

Imagine being a Christian without the bound version of the Bible..... We might a few copies of the Old Testament scrolls and two or three copies of New Testament Letters. Can you imagine that? That’s what believers for the much of the first millenia dealt with!

I know we spent a week last month talking about God’s Word in our Rhythms series, but I think its important to talk through four key attributes of God’s Word that make it the book that we need to read so desperately!

This first week, I want you to see that God’s Word is NEEDED.

Romans 1:18–23 CSB

For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse. For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.

PRAY

This is a pretty depressing passage, right? But it teaches us something pretty foundationally important! It talks about how we can KNOW GOD!

Look at verse 18. Paul begins with the thesis statement. God deals with sin and unrighteousness. We may not like to think about God’s wrath against these things, we may like him better as a HAPPY PERSON. But it’s pretty plain there.

But notice verse 19.

Romans 1:19 CSB

since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them.

Do you see this? There are things that these unrighteous people know about God. And they know it because God has shown it to them!

1. God has revealed himself to man.

As you read the Bible, you find many attributes about God but three to mention here that tie into this discussion are invisible, spiritual, and transcendent.

These three things put God in such a place that humans would never even know he existed unless he made himself known.

Because God is invisible, we cannot see him with our eyes.

Because God is spiritual, he is of a total substance from us.

Because God is transcendent, he is on another wavelength intellectually from us.

With these three things, humans would be left wandering the earth with no purpose and no ideas that God even existed.

BUT

God didn’t leave us that way. He REVEALED HIMSELF to us in certain ways!

How has he done that?

2. God is somewhat revealed through creation

Well, let’s look back to the Scripture.

Romans 1:20 CSB

For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse.

Certain things about God were knit into creation! Have you not witnessed this yourself? Of course you have! People around the world right now who have never seen a Bible are looking at a tree thinking, that’s a complex thing! Or at the stars at night wondering how they got there!

Those are not natural thoughts of humans. That’s important for you to note. Paul says here that those questions are born out of an action of God to make everything that way. You see, we don’t wonder if there is a God, because we are so smart. We wonder if there is a God because he put it in our hearts to ask that question!

This is what we would call general or natural revelation. This is the ability of humans to come to the conclusion or at least have an idea that there must be some one or thing that has sculpted this wonderful world.

But what is the outcome of this revelation?

Romans 1:21–23 CSB

For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.

This is the birth of every religion known to man! There is a natural revelation built into creation that helps them know that there is a God. However, because of sin, they try to connect dots that aren’t there. They begin to worship the sun, moon, stars, cows, or even other people!

What we see is that this revelation, as awesome as it is at helping us know a few things about God, does not carry us all the way there! We are still lost in sin, no matter how much we study botany or planets! We cannot learn what is needed to be saved from that!

What we need is a deeper revelation! Something unique. Something we call SPECIAL REVELATION!

3. God is more fully revealed through Scripture

What we get in Scripture is a more full explanation of who God is! We see his character. We see his original intent for mankind to be his image bearers. We see how he continues to show grace to man even though we blow it. And most importantly, we see how in the person of Christ that we can be made right with God through salvation!

Apart from the knowledge we see in the Bible, this would be impossible!

Notice what Paul says later about this in Romans...

Romans 10:13–17 CSB

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. But not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message? So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.

How can people call on God if they don’t know about him? Paul says that faith comes after hearing a message. And that message in particular is about Christ which is found in the Bible!

This book that you and I take for granted and don’t read as often as we should contains the message that saves people! Think about that? It’s a pretty big deal!

a. God’s Word is needed to understand the Gospel

That’s why Paul started before this section in chapter 1 in verses 16-17...

Romans 1:16–17 CSB

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

The Gospel, the good news of Jesus is the power of God for salvation! The very message itself contains the power to save! That’s a unique idea for us. I can’t really think of any analogy for that! But Paul is making it clear that God’s Word is needed to be saved!

And if that was all that God’s Word was good for, you might could argue that Christians need something more than that! But even if you have already accepted Christ, God’s Word is still important for you! In fact, God’s Word not only reveals how we can know God. It also reveals how we can Grow after salvation.

b. God’s Word is needed to grow in Christ

If you are a believer, God’s Word is just as important for you now as it was when you were lost! It contains not only the message of salvation, but also the message of sanctification! You cannot grow in Christ apart from a greater understanding of God’s Word!

2 Timothy 3:16–17 CSB

All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

The Bible provides for us knowledge of who God is, what he expects, and how he interacts with the world. All of this helps the believer know how to grow in Christ!

We have got to stop pretending like we don’t need this! We do! We all do! We need God to continue to grow us, and the way he has set up for that to happen involves reading his word!

But don’t lose sight of where this all comes from.

Remember, you can’t know God. He is bigger in every way than you. However, God CHOSE to make himself known to you and me!

Let that sink in!

The beauty of creation and more specific, the word of God were part of God’s plan! He is the one who chose to reveal himself to us! We don’t deserve it, but God is doing it every day.

Today, if you have never trusted in Jesus, know that I love you. I love you enough to tell that you can believe in him and be saved from the sin that separates you from God. But you need to know more importantly that God loves you! He loved you enough to reveal himself to you! Not just through creation, but today, through the sharing of His Word! He wants you to know him!

Today, I would love to talk with you about how you can know him.

And if you have already accepted Christ as Savior, know that God revealed more than that about himself! If you know that God sent Jesus to die for you, that’s good. But if you have been a believer and that’s all you know. That’s not good!

God has called us to pursue him through his word! Today you can begin to set your self up to grow by getting in his Word regularly.

We are going to

Worship him for revealing himself.

Respond in faith.

Respond in repentance and pursue sanctification.