3 Reasons to Study the Word

This is the talk which I gave at our Men's Retreat 2 years ago. Enjoy!

“3 Reasons to Study the Word”
2 Timothy 3:14-17
By Geary Lutz
Testimony
In Luke 18, Jesus said, “’Two men went up to the temple to pray, on a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!”’”
• This parable of Jesus is one that could have been spoken directly of me. This story directly summed up my life!
• I grew up in a loving Christian home. I grew up in church.
• I learned all the right verses, I gave all the right answers, I knew all the right lines.
• But there was one problem: I was not making it personal.
• All those verses about “the wicked,” those were for “the wicked,” not for me.
• I went to church, my parents were Christians. That made me good by default right?
• Remember, I knew the right verses!
• But all those “rights” I mentioned, those became my righteousness—my justification, in my eyes.
• This spawned in me a Pharisaic view that developed over the course of my pre-teen and teenage years.
• By the time I entered high school, I prayed “thus with [myself]” daily.
• “Oh, Lord! I thank You for the wonderful stuff you’ve given me. I’m thankful that I’ve been good enough to earn all this cool stuff from You.”
• See, I knew God was the Provider.
• I just thought that we were in some sort of “partnership.”
• If I do my part of being “good,” God gives me stuff because I deserve it.
• This self-righteousness led me into all sorts of sin; most of it mental, though some of it just done in secret.
• See, somehow I thought that the all-knowing God would just forgive me because I was one of the “righteous” who did good stuff, not one of the “wicked” who did “evil” at least not that evil.
• I mean, I wasn’t even getting caught.
• All that Biblical training and upbringing gone to waste, because I would not apply it to my life.
I. Intro/Context
• Gentlemen, it’s good to be here to talk with you this evening. My name is Geary Lutz and I attend Lake Ridge Church, and have for just about all my life.
• The topic of my talk is “The Value of the Word.” I’ve entitled my message “3 Reasons to Study the Word.”
• The Passage of Scripture I’ll be speaking on is 2 Timothy 3:14-17, although I’ll mostly be focusing on verses 15 and 16.
• 2 Timothy 3:14-17 says, (from the NKJV) “But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned [them], and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
• Now, before we talk about how the Bible is valuable to our lives, let’s set the context.
• It’s always nice to paint the backdrop before you do any in-depth study of the Scripture.
• For starters, 2 Timothy is the last of Paul’s inspired letters, meaning it’s the last book of the Bible that he wrote before he was executed.
• Paul wrote this letter from prison.
• Knowing that he was going to die soon (and he did, as seen in 2 Tim. 4:6 “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.”), he wrote his last letter to his son in the faith, Timothy.
• Timothy was the pastor at the church at Ephesus. He was a very young man, considering his position of leadership, probably somewhere in his 30’s at the time Paul wrote this letter to him.
• He was a very faithful man as well, known by those Christians in the city where he came from as a man of good standing before God
• Paul calls him a man with “genuine faith” (2 Tim. 1:5).
• But even with this widely known level of faith which Timothy possessed, he was also beginning to be fearful of all the false teachers which had begun to arise, even among his church.
• So, Paul reminds Timothy that he need not be ashamed of the Gospel which they were teaching to the churches, because it was the true Gospel in Jesus Christ.
• Paul also encourages Timothy to keep up the fight for the faith (2 Tim. 2:3), through diligent study of the Word of God (2 Tim. 2:15).
• Paul then describes the rise of false teachers among the churches, and all the destruction they would cause, or try to cause, among God’s people.
• Finally, Paul praises Timothy for his diligence in remaining faithful to the words and teachings which Paul had taught him, so that Timothy could teach his church.
• This brings us to the passage before us in 2 Timothy 3:14-17.
• Like I said, I like to paint a little picture in my head of what’s going on.
• Otherwise, in my head, Paul is sitting in his office at the local First Church of Philippi in a nice, comfy chair.
• No, he wrote this from prison, where he was in chains.
• This is one of my favorite passages in the entire Bible, because it contains such great truth, yet packed into such a small amount of words.
• The truths in these verses form the foundation of our trust and knowledge of the Bible.
• In particular, from these verses, we learn three reasons why we should study the Bible.
• First, it’s preserving—it saves our souls.
• Second, it’s powerful—it speaks for God.
• Thirdly, we learn that the Bible is profitable—it sanctifies our lives.
• It’s preserving—it saves our souls, it’s powerful—it speaks for God, it’s profitable—it sanctifies our lives.
II. It’s Preserving—it saves our souls
• Let’s look deeper, shall we?
• First, it’s preserving—it saves our souls.
• This is found in verse 15: “from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
• This is the central focal point of the entire Bible.
• Scripture’s pages contain all that is necessary for salvation—nothing is missing or left out.
• This is the Gospel.
• The Old Testament pointed toward it. Jesus said, in John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.”
• And in verses 45-46, “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.”
• The Old Testament points toward the Gospel.
• But, what is the Gospel?
• Well, I think we need to start “in the beginning.”
• “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1
• Well, that kinda narrows the origins theory, doesn’t it?
• God created the whole world in 6 days, 6 24-hour days.
• Man was created on the sixth day, in the image of God.
• These are found in Genesis 1-2
• In Genesis 3, man chose to disobey God. This is known as sin.
• As a result of Adam’s (the first man) sin, all men are born sinful, according to Romans 5
• According to Romans 3:23, all men have sinned–you have sinned, I have sinned, everyone has sinned.
• Now, you might be thinking to yourself, “Wait a minute, how does he know if I’ve sinned. I don’t think I’ve sinned, or at least not that bad.”
• What is God’s standard for what sin is?
• God’s Moral Law, otherwise known as the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20.
• Now, many people look at the Ten Commandments and think, “Ok, here’s the standard of what I should aim for.”
• This is incorrect. The Law shows us our utter inability to meet God’s requirements.
• Think about it: have you ever looked closely at them? Have you ever murdered someone? Have you ever committed adultery? Have you ever stolen? Have you ever lied?
• Now, some might be saying, “But wait, that’s the Old Testament. We follow the New Testament.”
• Ok, let’s move to the New Testament. Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount, preached by… Jesus.
• The Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount was Jesus pointing out the fact that none of them, or none of us for that matter, can keep the Law to its fullest extent.
• Was Jesus “rewriting” the Law? No, he was simply showing people the fact that is stated so nicely in 1 Samuel 16:7, “…man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
• Now, from Jesus perspective on the Law, let’s look again at the Commandments. Maybe you haven’t murdered anyone, but have you been angry with someone without just cause? Jesus said in Matthew 5:22, “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.”
• Maybe you haven’t committed adultery, but have you looked with impure sexual thoughts toward a woman who wasn’t your wife? In Matthew 5:28, “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
• So, we see that this standard has not been lowered just because we have a New Testament. It’s still has the same Author.
• Now, that we have been found guilty under the Law, or at least I’m assuming we all have, what are the consequences of this sin? What do our sins earn us?
• Death! Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death….” Ezekiel 18:4, “The soul who sins shall die.”
• Not just physical death, but spiritual death as well; Revelation 21:8, “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
• I’ve heard it said that Hell is as bad as God is good. Not just the absence of God’s presence, but the absence of His Grace.
• Picture gasping for breath as if you’ve been holding it for hours. Feel that burning feeling as if you’ve plunged your hands in hot oil, but with no cool, soothing relief.
• What then can we do? Nothing! Galatians 2:16, “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law…”
• What then? How can we be saved? How can we be freed from this terrible punishment?
• Christ! Romans 6:23, “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 5:8-11, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
• Christ’s death was in our place. Isaiah 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
• How then do we accredit this payment to our future judgment?
• We must do as Peter, in Acts 2, told those who believed the Gospel, who were “cut to the heart” by the message and asked “what shall we do?”
• Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.”
• We must repent! Intellectual acknowledgment is not enough to save us. James 2:19 says, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!”
• But what is repentance? Well, think about it like this. Suppose that you caught me outside your house smashing your car with a bat. You yell, “Stop, or I’ll call the police!” I say, “Oh, I’m sorry that I was smashing your car.” Then I proceed to start smashing again. I acknowledged I was sorry, but did I repent? No!
• A more real life, more personal example. A couple of years ago, I started watching pornography. And I’m not just talking occasionally when I was feeling needy. I’m talking about daily, viewing things on the Internet which were completely impure, giving myself some cheap thrill, and then giving my wife the leftovers when it was time.
• My wife asked me if I was looking at porn, and I admitted that I was. I figured if I admitted it, at least I was being honest about it. I apologized, told her I was a changed man, and that I was devoted to her from here on out.
• A couple weeks later, I was back to looking at porn. The same junk, with even more intensity and lust. I admitted I was sorry, but did I repent? No!
• I said I was sorry because I got caught. I had a horizontal repentance.
• I didn’t have a vertical repentance, repentance toward God for the terrible wretched sin that I was committing. Once I was confronted with this standard of God set before me in the Word, I had to stop. I couldn’t serve two masters, and at that point, my master was not God.
• I had to turn from my sin in the opposite direction, toward God, so that now, if I think of pornography, there is a deep hatred in the pits of my soul against it. My stomach is sickened by the thought of the wretched acts that I was committing against God and against the wife whom He had given me.
• See, God’s Word brought about a change in the affections of my heart. I sought more for God than I did the wretched filth of pornography.
• I say this, not to claim that I’m “super-spiritual” or that I’m above temptation. I’m still tempted daily by the thoughts of the filth that was instilled in my head. But my affections have changed, and I now desire more the pure love I have with my wife more than the plastic shallowness of self-love.
• God’s Word has wrought change in me from the inside-out.
• We must repent, turning from our sin, and embracing the saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ as payment on our behalf for our sins against God.
• This trust in Christ seals our salvation and enables us to receive from God the Holy Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit is the third member of the perfect Godhead Trinity.
• The Holy Spirit is the One who enables us to live in obedience to what we read in the Bible.
• Without the Holy Spirit’s power enabling us, any attempts to “better ourselves” will just be a shallow attempt to ease our guilty conscience, and will ultimately fail in the end.
• The Holy Spirit is the One who helps us to practice what we preach, as they say.
• The Holy Spirit enables us to understand the Scripture in the way that God intended it to be understood.
• Now, being able to understand the Scripture the way God intended us to know it, we can see the other ways in which the Word contains value.
III. It’s Powerful—It Speaks for God
• First we looked at how the Word preserves us, by saving our souls. Next we will look at the power of the Word, as it speaks for God.
• This is found in the first half of verse 16, “All Scripture [is] given by inspiration of God….”
• This may be a small phrase, only 8 words, but it packs one of the greatest truths in all of Scripture in it.
• This phrase “by inspiration of God” is more literally translated “God-breathed,” and some translations do read this way.
• This phrase is monumental, folks.
• This phrase is what I would stake my life upon, on why I believe every word in the Bible to be true.
• If the Word of God was literally “breathed out by God,” then we can all stake our lives upon it.
• Why is this? John 17:17, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”
• If God’s word is truth, and the Scripture is “breathed out by God,” and therefore is the Word of God, then the Bible must be completely and utterly true.
• Listen, guys. If God’s Word is true, we do not ever need to be ashamed of it.
• We do not need to be ashamed about it because it will shame men.
• Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God is pure….” This speaks of God’s Word as something which has been tested and found without defect.
• Another truth of Scripture is that it is sufficient.
• Much talk is made today of making the Bible “relevant.”
• We don’t need to make the Bible relevant to our lives; we need to make our lives relevant to the Bible.
• One passage in particular which speaks to the sufficient nature of Scripture is Psalm 19:7-8.
• In Psalm 19:7-8, we are given 4 different names for the Word of God: “the law…the testimony…the statutes… [and] the commandment of the Lord.”
• Each of these names gives us a unique aspect of the nature of Scripture.
• First it gives a sufficiency statement, then a purpose of Scripture.
• The first is: “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul”. We already touched on the saving nature of Scripture, but here it is again, a plainly stated goal of the Law is to convert people’s souls.
• The second is: “The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple”. The second goal of Scripture found here is that we gain wisdom from it. This book is full of all the true wisdom that you will ever need.
• It doesn’t contain all knowledge in the world; it is obviously not a school textbook, but pertaining to wisdom, it contains all truth.
• The third statement is:”The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart”. This speaks of the just nature of Scripture. The orders given by God through the Bible are right and just, and so therefore, they should make us rejoice in the fact that we serve a just Judge.
• Finally, we see that, “the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes”. The pure nature of Scripture brings light to our eyes spiritually.
• Our sin is spoken of as darkness. The commands of God in Scripture shine the light on the darkness of our sin, and help us to replace it with the light of obedience to God’s Word.
• So, if the Bible saves our souls, gives us all wisdom, enables us to rejoice, and opens our eyes spiritually, is there really anything that is lacking?
• Do we need to add any of our own ideas to this?
• No, most certainly not, brothers.
• These statements give us great insight into the sufficient nature of Scripture as it pertains to our spiritual life.
• Scripture is powerful, it speaks for God.
IV. Scripture is Profitable—It Sanctifies our Lives
• The final aspect of the Value of God’s Word which we will look at is the Profitability of Scripture.
• It’s profitable—it sanctifies our lives.
• This can be found in the second half of verse 16: “and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”.
• Now here we have four ways that the Scripture helps us, somewhat similar to the four areas which we read in Psalm 19.
• See, this is how I’ll get you. Three broad points in my message, you think “Ok, I can handle that.” But each point has 4 sub-points, and those sub-points have 8 sub-sub-points, and so on. So, by the time we’re done, I’ve covered 83 points in this 3 point message.
• We see that the first way that the Bible is profitable is “for doctrine”.
• Doctrine. What is doctrine?
• Paul speaks much of it, Titus 2:7 “in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility”.
• He also speaks much of doctrines to avoid: Colossians 2:22 “the doctrines of men”. I Timothy 4:1 “the doctrines of demons”.
• In 2 Timothy 3:10, Paul expresses joy over Timothy following true doctrine.
• But what is doctrine? What comes to mind when I say “doctrine”?
• Some may think of things like sublepsarianism and men in ecclesiastical garb discussing the writings of Calvin and Arminius.
• This is not the meaning of doctrine. These speak of doctrine, but they are not definitive of doctrine itself.
• So, then, what is doctrine?
• This is doctrine.
• Some of you are saying, “I knew there was a reason I’m so bored right now.”
• Doctrine is teaching, a systematic teaching of the divine truths found in the Bible.
• We look at Scripture and figure out doctrine based on what it says about a particular subject
• An Example: The doctrine of God’s Holiness.
• We would search the Scripture for verses speaking of God’s Holiness.
• We then build doctrines out of the verses which the Bible contains.
• We never bring our presuppositions in to doctrinal study.
• Now, some of you might think, “Doctrine? Why is doctrine important?”
• Doctrine is important because it establishes a standard of truth.
• Postmodernism is running rampantly through our society today, particularly through my generation, the kids in college and fresh out of college.
• Our generation is being taught that there are no absolutes, that truth is relative, and that we cannot tell anyone that their view is wrong, because views are all subjective anyway right?
• This is wrong, and not only wrong, but just plain stupid.
• When you older guys hear some young kid saying stuff like this, you need to smack ‘em up-side the head.
• What kind of thinking is this? Certainly not logical thinking.
• Logically there has to be a standard. Otherwise our entire judicial system is out of order. Laws are written based upon a set standard of right and wrong?
• Sadly, there are many, again, mostly in my generation, who have brought this thinking into the church.
• In fact, there’s an entire movement, known as the Emergent Movement, devoted, or at least from the vantage point I’ve seen, to this kind of thinking.
• They’ve made Jesus “a” way, instead of “the” way. He’s the way for me. He might not be the way for you, but you just know Him by another name, like Allah, or Vishnu.
• Again, this is stupid. Stupid and unbiblical.
• We don’t bring our own “thoughts” in and try to find a Bible verse to fit our thoughts.
• The other day, I was listening to a pastor try to justify homosexuality by saying that Jesus loved people more than rules. This is ridiculous.
• John said that Jesus was the Word become flesh. Jesus spoke every word of the Old Testament. Every Law. So if Jesus loved people more than He loved “the rules”, He would be contradicting Himself.
• Now, don’t get me wrong, Jesus loves people more than they will ever deserve, but this doesn’t mean that He will simply wink at sin because He loves us.
• James MacDonald says that God’s love is not a “pampering love,” but a “perfecting love”. “It’s a love which wants our highest and best usefulness for His purposes.”
• You see, guys, doctrine is important. It sets the standards by which we judge the world’s values.
• We don’t bring the world into the Bible, we bring the Bible into the world.
• Next, the Bible is profitable “for reproof”.
• This is the “cutting” aspect of the Word.
• This is what happens when we are convicted of sin while reading the Bible.
• Reproof is found throughout the Bible.
• It also goes hand in hand, many times, with correction, the third area the Word is profitable.
• Paul uses Reproof and Correction together plenty of times.
• “Do not do this, but do this.”
• First, the rebuke of something that’s wrong, then the correction with the right behavior.
• This can be seen, for example, in Ephesians 5:18, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation;” This is the rebuke, and here’s the correction, “but be filled with the Spirit”.
• See how these work together so nicely?
• Finally, the Bible is profitable “for instruction in righteousness”.
• This aspect of the Scripture speaks of training, as if speaking of a child.
• The Bible not only convicts us of sin, not only corrects wrong behavior, but it also teaches us the correct way to live our lives.
• This phrase “instruction in righteousness” would seem to encompass the process of sanctification.
• What is sanctification? As John MacArthur says, “Sanctification is matching our practice with our position in Christ.”
• It is a general progression in the direction toward Godliness in Christ.
• An example of instruction in righteousness could be found again in Ephesians 5:18b, “be filled with the Spirit”.
• This is somewhat of a mysterious sounding thing, isn’t it? “Be filled with the Spirit”
• But notice what comes out of being filled with the Spirit. Singing, giving thanks, a Godly family, etc.
• Now, if you look at Colossians 3, from verse 16 on, you get a similar list to Ephesians 5. Singing, giving thanks, a Godly family.
• And what is the instruction here? “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly”.
• So, then, what does it mean to be “filled with the Spirit”? It’s nothing mysterious. It’s letting “the word of Christ dwell in [us] richly”.
• What is the word of Christ? The Bible.
• If the Bible dwells in us, meaning it is at work inside us, then we will be “filled with the Spirit”.
• This is an example of instruction in righteousness.
• It’s living out the Word of God, according to the salvation and faith we have in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• We have looked tonight at a vast array of things pertaining to the Word of God. We have seen through many examples the value of the Word when it is at work in our lives.
• But if we only have the why and not a how, it might just lead to discouragement in the end.
• So, for a How to study the Bible, I’ve borrowed from John MacArthur’s piece on “How to Study Your Bible.” (available at Grace to You)
• Actually, these are a few of the things NOT to do when reading and studying the Bible.
• Don't make a point at the cost of proper interpreta¬tion . In other words, don't make the Bible say what you want it to say. That's like the preacher who proclaimed that women shouldn't wear their hair on top of their heads. His text was "Top Knot Come Down," supposedly from Matthew 24:17, which says, "Let him who is on the housetop not come down" (King James Version). Obviously that's not what the passage is about! Don't try to find verses to support a preconceived idea. I know if I try to make a sermon, I end up forcing the Bible to fit my sermon. But if I try to comprehend a passage, a message will flow out of the understanding that follows.
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• In 2 Corinthians 2:17, Paul says, "For we are not like many, peddling the word of God." The Greek word translated "peddling" is kapeleuo, which referred to selling something deceitfully in the marketplace--something that wasn't what it claimed to be. You must not force the Bible to illustrate your preconceived notions. Be careful not to interpret the Bible at the cost of its true meaning.
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• Avoid superficial Bible study . Unfortunately, some Bible studies consist of nothing more than person's saying, "I guess this verse means..." or "What does this verse mean to you?" Basically that's a pooling of ignorance--a lot of people sitting around telling what they don't know about the verse. To have a successful Bible study, someone has to study the passage beforehand to find out what it really means. Only then can you discuss it intelligently and apply it. Interpretation requires work. Don't take the easy way out and believe what everyone tells you the Bible says. Check the facts out yourself. Don't assume there are many interpretations of a biblical passage. There may be many applications, but there is only one true interpretation. God's Word is precise. It is not ambiguous. God has given us the ability to discover its meaning.
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• Don't spiritualize the text . The first sermon I ever preached was really bad. My text was, "The angel rolled the stone away" from Matthew 28. I entitled my sermon, "Rolling Away the Stones in Your Life." I talked about the stone of doubt, the stone of fear, and the stone of anger. Doubt, fear, and anger are all legitimate topics, but they have nothing to do with that verse! I call that "Little Bo Peep Preaching" because you don't need the Bible; you can use anything--even "Little Bo Peep."
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• Picture a preacher saying this: "Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep. All over the world people are lost. And can't tell where to find them. But they'll come home--ah, they'll come." Then you hear a tear-jerking story about sinners who came home "wagging their tails behind them!" Ridiculous? Yes, but unfortunately not too hard to imagine.
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• Many people tend to do that with the Old Testament. They turn it into a fairy tale with all kinds of hidden meanings--anything but what the text plainly states. Don't spiritualize the Bible. It deserves more respect.
• Now, as for what you should do; I would recommend reading an entire book through before moving on to another one. Not in one sitting, unless of course you’re reading one of the shorter books in the New Testament.
• I would recommend starting in the New Testament, maybe the Gospel of John, and just read it day by day, until you’ve read it all the way through. This will give you a good knowledge of Jesus’ life, and then you can move on to another book, maybe one of the letters of Paul, or another Gospel to give yourself a different perspective of Jesus’ life on earth.
• This is not to downplay the importance of the Old Testament. It is as much the Word of God as the New Testament. The reason I suggest starting in the New is that it fulfils what much of the Old Testament predicts and looks forward to.
• Now, finally, what is the end result of this salvation, speaking, and sanctification through the Word of God?
• Verse 17, “that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
• Scripture equips us for every good work.
• Is there value in the Word? Most Definitely, brothers.
• I now have a song that I feel emphasizes a good deal the value and nature of the Word of God.
• [Casting Crowns]…
• See, brothers, the Word is “living and powerful”, Hebrews 4:12 says.
• That Pharisee that I was telling you about at the beginning—he’s gone, by God’s grace.
• God has worked an effectual change in my life, from the inside-out.
• The theme of this weekend also sums up how the Spirit of God works in us through the Word of God—from the inside, out.
• It works inside us, and changes us inwardly, allowing change that is visible on the outside.
• As the Word has changed my heart through obedience to His Word, my prayer has changed from the Pharisee’s prayer to the tax collector’s: “God, be merciful to me a sinner!”
• It is God who does the changing, it is God who builds the character of His Son in us.
• We simply respond in obedience to His Word.
• Thank you, gentlemen.