Overview

Introduction: Have you ever heard the phrase, “don't miss the forest for the trees?”

What is the key factor that helps us grow in Christ?

Now, as we read through the Bible we realize there are many factors that help us grow like; prayer, obedience, afflictions, discipline, and the list could go on. However, there is one factor that overshadows every other. The word of God. The Bible is like the vanilla of ice cream for spiritual growth. The closest second is miles away in terms of what the Holy Spirit uses to illuminate our minds and hearts to the obedience to Christ. As a result, we should not be surprised when there is so much temptation in our lives to neglect the Scriptures. We are not surprised that we have trouble reading, understanding, and obeying the Bible. This is why today we are starting a new series entitled...

Overview the concept of the series

Illustration of how themes unfold together to form the grand narrative of the whole Bible?

Example of what we are doing Luke 24:13-35

3 goals

Help us better understand “these days”. (vs.18)

I have heard many people allude to the current days we are living in as, “strange”. No doubt this is true is some since. However, we have not been left alone to try to figure out what is going on in our days. No, we have been given revelation. We have been given truth. We have been given God’s word.

Often, the problems we have in making since of our days is not because we don't have enough truth about the matter. Its not because we lack information.

Guard us from foolishness (lack of understanding) and halfhearted faith. (skepticism) (vs. 25)

Often experience holes in our theology, worship, obedience, love, etc… because we have an incomplete understanding of Jesus. We have an incomplete understanding of Jesus because we have an incomplete understanding of the Bible.

One of the major point of concern that we must have as a church is the gap between what the Bible actually says and how our lives conform to that truth. Inconsistent obedience.

This is exactly what Paul was alluding to when he writes to pastor Timothy regarding “sound doctrine.” To have sound doctrine is to have wholistic teaching. We might say sound doctrine is the whole truth, from the whole Bible, about the whole jesus.

Transition: When I was a little boy listening to sermons, Sunday school lessons, and observing the lives of those who made up the body of Christ that our family was a part of I remember thinking, “Perhaps some day when I’m older this will all start to make better since. perhaps when I’m older I’ll be able to walk in closer obedience to Jesus.” However, the possibility of that seemed far away for some reason. Then, as I got older, during the formative years of my late teens and early 20’s as I was attempting to obey jesus and go to Bible college, I remember thinking, “There is something missing in my understanding of the gospel. Perhaps when I’m older I’ll be able to discover the missing link in my understanding.” Now, that I’m older… you might imagine that after several years of studying and teaching the Scriptures that my mind has been illuminated to the mystery of the faith. However, to be quite frank about it, even though the truths of the gospel concerning Jesus Christ are clearer to me now than they have ever been, there is no doubt that I have many more layers to uncover about he person and work of Jesus.

3. That we might see Jesus. (vs. 31)

II Cor 3:14-18