Scripture in Your Heart
Attention: It may take you a couple of days to read this post but if you do you will be blessed greatly. It tells about Scripture which is one way God talks to us. Please read this post!
The Bible is not just a book you read for information. / You read it for transformation. / The words of Scripture are the very Word of God, and they change your heart as you meditate on them. /
This is what the Bible claims for itself: “It is the perfect treasure that changes us, enlightens us, judges us, equips us, and makes us grow.”
As you listen OR read what is said here, don’t just pass it over quickly. /Listen to the Scriptures used. /Savor them. /Repeat them to yourself. /Ponder their meaning for your life and allow them to penetrate your heart. / That is what Scripture itself tells us to do.
1) Meditating on scripture, the Word of God:
Joshua 1:8, “This book of the Law shall not depart (GO AWAY) from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do accordingly to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
Where does the Word of God belong? /In your mouth and in your heart. / In Joshua 1:8 “this book of the Law” refers to the five books of Moses, Genesis through Deuteronomy. / But the same command can be expanded to refer to all the books of Scripture, the whole Word of God. / The command is that it should be a part of your vocabulary all the time. /You should be speaking about Scripture and the things Scripture is concerned with at all times.
How can that happen? It will happen when you meditate on it day and night. / It’s a simple principle. / If you saturate your mind and your thoughts with the Word of God, it will come out in your speech. / If you saturate your mind and thoughts with other things, they will come out in your speech as well. /
The book of Proverbs tells us that as a man thinks in his heart, so he is, (Proverbs 23:7. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks,” (Matthew 12:34). If your heart is full of the Word of God, that’s what’s going to come out of your mouth. / Before that can happen, you have to fill your heart with the Word. /That’s why meditation is so important.
This is what the Bible claims for itself: “It is the perfect treasure that changes us, enlightens us, judges us, equips us, and makes us grow.”
As you listen OR read what is said here, don’t just pass it over quickly. /Listen to the Scriptures used. /Savor them. /Repeat them to yourself. /Ponder their meaning for your life and allow them to penetrate your heart. / That is what Scripture itself tells us to do.
1) Meditating on scripture, the Word of God:
Joshua 1:8, “This book of the Law shall not depart (GO AWAY) from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do accordingly to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
Where does the Word of God belong? /In your mouth and in your heart. / In Joshua 1:8 “this book of the Law” refers to the five books of Moses, Genesis through Deuteronomy. / But the same command can be expanded to refer to all the books of Scripture, the whole Word of God. / The command is that it should be a part of your vocabulary all the time. /You should be speaking about Scripture and the things Scripture is concerned with at all times.
How can that happen? It will happen when you meditate on it day and night. / It’s a simple principle. / If you saturate your mind and your thoughts with the Word of God, it will come out in your speech. / If you saturate your mind and thoughts with other things, they will come out in your speech as well. /
The book of Proverbs tells us that as a man thinks in his heart, so he is, (Proverbs 23:7. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks,” (Matthew 12:34). If your heart is full of the Word of God, that’s what’s going to come out of your mouth. / Before that can happen, you have to fill your heart with the Word. /That’s why meditation is so important.
When you meditate—when you read a verse over and over and study its meaning—it begins to fill your heart. / I believe that is why God gave us a book and not a music video. A music video just goes flying by, jumping from one angle to the next, bombarding you with images, and then it’s gone. / Even the best movie just washes over you like a wave and then recedes. / Our experience of it is passing. / But words on a page are frozen there permanently. / You can go back to the same page, the same verse, over and over, and keep meditating on it. / You can compare and contrast it to other verses. / You can combine what several verses say and interpret them carefully. /That is meditation—not just a temporary encounter with the truth, but immersion in it. / Putting His Word in a book was the best way God could put a tool in our hands that would teach us to meditate.
If you meditate on the Bible day and night, it will start to come out of your mouth. / Your speech will be, “Gracious and seasoned with salt,” as Paul says in Colossians 4:6). / It will be the kind of talk that edifies, building others up rather than tearing them down, (1st Corinthians 14:26).
The purpose of meditation on God’s commands is “that you may observe to do according to all that is written.”/ The purpose is not just knowledge but obedience. / The promise here is that meditation will ultimately produce changed behavior because our hearts will be saturated with the Word of God. / David asks in Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.” / He is asking, “O LORD, please govern and guard the meditation of my heart.” / Why? / Because that is what is going to show up in my behavior.
As the Bible shapes you as a Christian, it brings blessing. / It promises that if you meditate on the Word, speak the Word, and live the Word, your way will be prosperous and you will have good success. / This is the real, “Prosperity gospel” –not the false message that God wants everyone to get rich quick. / God does not promise to make you prosperous just because you want things. / God promises to bless your spiritual life and your spiritual life with success through the deep understanding and application of Scripture.
2) Delighting in the Law of scripture:
Psalm 1:1-2, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”
How can you be blessed? / How can you find the strength to keep from doing the things you know you should not do? /How can you find deep—seated contentment and spiritual well-being in all of life’s circumstances? / These verses are a promise of blessing, the psalmist says; don’t walk in the council of the ungodly. / Don’t be influenced by their spin on things, their assessment of the situation, or their solution to a problem.
A three stage process is pictured here, moving from walking to standing to sitting. / It starts with the image of walking alongside ungodly people engaged in casual conversation. Don’t even get started with that, the psalmist says. / Don’t expose yourself to the lies of people who evaluate the world apart from God’s Word.
The next image is standing with sinners. / If you find yourself walking with them, don’t allow yourself to stand and talk with them. / Don’t let the conversation become deeper and more penetrating.
The final image is actually sitting with the scornful—sharing their seat so that you become one of them. / Don’t get that close to those who mock God. / Certainly don’t take your seat in their classroom while they scoff at divine truth. / Too many young people sit in classrooms where a scornful teacher seeks to destroy their faith. /
If you want to be blessed, stay away from all that. Instead, find your delight in the law of the Lord. / To most of us today, the idea of delighting in the law is a strange concept. / We might fear the law or respect it, but to find pleasure in it is not something that crosses our minds. / But the Psalmist is thinking of the whole Torah as God’s gracious gift of guidance for how to live in a covenant relationship with Him. / God’s revelation of the right way to live and worship and know Him is something to delight in. / Psalm 119 uses the word; “delight” eight times to describe our attitude toward God’s Word. / It is a source of joy and satisfaction.
Rather than delighting in the latest sophisticated way of mocking what is good, find your pleasure in knowing and doing the will of God. / Meditate day and night on the Scriptures which reveal His will for your life. /
Then when you walk, you will walk with the godly; when you stand; you will stand with the righteous; when you sit, you will sit in the place of the holy. / This is the path to blessing!
3) The Diversity and Perfection of Scripture:
Psalm 19:7-9, The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The Statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The Commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; The Fear of the LORD id clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
The Bible has more than one function in our lives. / The psalmist gives the Scriptures six different titles, reflecting six different features.
(1) As “The Law of the Lord,” it is God’s standard for human conducts.
(2) As “The Testimony of the Lord,” it is God’s self-disclosure, God giving testimony about who He is.
(3) As “The Statutes of the Lord,” it is the set of guidelines and principles the Lord wants us to know.
(4) As “The commandment of the Lord,” it is the binding and authoritative command God gives to us.
If you meditate on the Bible day and night, it will start to come out of your mouth. / Your speech will be, “Gracious and seasoned with salt,” as Paul says in Colossians 4:6). / It will be the kind of talk that edifies, building others up rather than tearing them down, (1st Corinthians 14:26).
The purpose of meditation on God’s commands is “that you may observe to do according to all that is written.”/ The purpose is not just knowledge but obedience. / The promise here is that meditation will ultimately produce changed behavior because our hearts will be saturated with the Word of God. / David asks in Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.” / He is asking, “O LORD, please govern and guard the meditation of my heart.” / Why? / Because that is what is going to show up in my behavior.
As the Bible shapes you as a Christian, it brings blessing. / It promises that if you meditate on the Word, speak the Word, and live the Word, your way will be prosperous and you will have good success. / This is the real, “Prosperity gospel” –not the false message that God wants everyone to get rich quick. / God does not promise to make you prosperous just because you want things. / God promises to bless your spiritual life and your spiritual life with success through the deep understanding and application of Scripture.
2) Delighting in the Law of scripture:
Psalm 1:1-2, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”
How can you be blessed? / How can you find the strength to keep from doing the things you know you should not do? /How can you find deep—seated contentment and spiritual well-being in all of life’s circumstances? / These verses are a promise of blessing, the psalmist says; don’t walk in the council of the ungodly. / Don’t be influenced by their spin on things, their assessment of the situation, or their solution to a problem.
A three stage process is pictured here, moving from walking to standing to sitting. / It starts with the image of walking alongside ungodly people engaged in casual conversation. Don’t even get started with that, the psalmist says. / Don’t expose yourself to the lies of people who evaluate the world apart from God’s Word.
The next image is standing with sinners. / If you find yourself walking with them, don’t allow yourself to stand and talk with them. / Don’t let the conversation become deeper and more penetrating.
The final image is actually sitting with the scornful—sharing their seat so that you become one of them. / Don’t get that close to those who mock God. / Certainly don’t take your seat in their classroom while they scoff at divine truth. / Too many young people sit in classrooms where a scornful teacher seeks to destroy their faith. /
If you want to be blessed, stay away from all that. Instead, find your delight in the law of the Lord. / To most of us today, the idea of delighting in the law is a strange concept. / We might fear the law or respect it, but to find pleasure in it is not something that crosses our minds. / But the Psalmist is thinking of the whole Torah as God’s gracious gift of guidance for how to live in a covenant relationship with Him. / God’s revelation of the right way to live and worship and know Him is something to delight in. / Psalm 119 uses the word; “delight” eight times to describe our attitude toward God’s Word. / It is a source of joy and satisfaction.
Rather than delighting in the latest sophisticated way of mocking what is good, find your pleasure in knowing and doing the will of God. / Meditate day and night on the Scriptures which reveal His will for your life. /
Then when you walk, you will walk with the godly; when you stand; you will stand with the righteous; when you sit, you will sit in the place of the holy. / This is the path to blessing!
3) The Diversity and Perfection of Scripture:
Psalm 19:7-9, The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The Statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The Commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; The Fear of the LORD id clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
The Bible has more than one function in our lives. / The psalmist gives the Scriptures six different titles, reflecting six different features.
(1) As “The Law of the Lord,” it is God’s standard for human conducts.
(2) As “The Testimony of the Lord,” it is God’s self-disclosure, God giving testimony about who He is.
(3) As “The Statutes of the Lord,” it is the set of guidelines and principles the Lord wants us to know.
(4) As “The commandment of the Lord,” it is the binding and authoritative command God gives to us.
(5) As “The Fear of the Lord,” it is a manual on worship, teaching how to fear and worship God appropriately.
(6) As “The Judgment of the Lord,” the Scriptures provide for us the verdicts of the diving judge, God Himself. / The bible is all of that.
This psalm also tells us about the character of Scripture. / It is perfect. / The Hebrew word means complete, comprehensive, covering everything. / It is also sure—something reliable, something you can trust to support you. /
It is also right, directing you down the right path rather than steering you wrong. / It is pure. / The word actually means clear, without stain, without blemish, or flaw. / Finally, it is true, absolutely true. / What a testimony to Scripture: it is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean and true.
Then the psalmist tells us what the Bible does. / It converts the soul, transforming the whole inner person. / These are life-changing words. / It makes the simple wise. / The Hebrew word for “simple-minded” people were viewed as people who had the doors of their minds wide open. / They let everything in-with no discernment—but nothing stayed in. /
Sometimes I want to say to a person who brags about having an open mind. /“Shut it, please. / You’re letting everything get in and come out. / You need be more discerning than that.” / The Bible takes the simple-minded, who do not know the difference between what they should value and what is junk, and makes them wise. /
The Bible not only brings wisdom; it also brings joy. / The Lord’s principles for living are the real source of joy for the human heart. / It brings light to our eyes, enabling us to see what we could not see, making dark things understandable. / It endures forever. / We can trust that it doesn’t need to be updated for every culture. / It is permanently relevant.
(6) As “The Judgment of the Lord,” the Scriptures provide for us the verdicts of the diving judge, God Himself. / The bible is all of that.
This psalm also tells us about the character of Scripture. / It is perfect. / The Hebrew word means complete, comprehensive, covering everything. / It is also sure—something reliable, something you can trust to support you. /
It is also right, directing you down the right path rather than steering you wrong. / It is pure. / The word actually means clear, without stain, without blemish, or flaw. / Finally, it is true, absolutely true. / What a testimony to Scripture: it is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean and true.
Then the psalmist tells us what the Bible does. / It converts the soul, transforming the whole inner person. / These are life-changing words. / It makes the simple wise. / The Hebrew word for “simple-minded” people were viewed as people who had the doors of their minds wide open. / They let everything in-with no discernment—but nothing stayed in. /
Sometimes I want to say to a person who brags about having an open mind. /“Shut it, please. / You’re letting everything get in and come out. / You need be more discerning than that.” / The Bible takes the simple-minded, who do not know the difference between what they should value and what is junk, and makes them wise. /
The Bible not only brings wisdom; it also brings joy. / The Lord’s principles for living are the real source of joy for the human heart. / It brings light to our eyes, enabling us to see what we could not see, making dark things understandable. / It endures forever. / We can trust that it doesn’t need to be updated for every culture. / It is permanently relevant.
“The grass withers, and the flowers fade, but the Word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8). /
His Word is altogether righteous, producing in us a all-inclusive righteousness we could never achieve on our own. / What an amazing book? / What a reason to praise our God!
4) Desiring Pure Milk from scripture:
1st Peter 2:1-2, NIV, Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind. 2) Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.
How do we grow spiritually? / The apostle Paul says that we are to grow into maturity, into the full stature of Christ Himself. (Ephesians 4:13, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.) /
How does this happen? / It happens, Peter says, when we desire the pure milk of the Word of God the way a newborn baby desires mother’s milk.
We have always had babies around the Graves house; we had five children and 10 grandkids. / One thing is very clear about babies—babies want milk. / I once held one of my grandsons as a newborn and he had a serious desire for milk. / Unfortunately he wanted to nurse and his mother was not there. / I was utterly useless to him at that moment. / No matter how long he yelled at me, there was nothing I could do for him.
You see, babies basically want milk and nothing else. / Just give me the milk! / They are absolutely single-minded in their focus.
It is the singularity and simplicity of that desire that is so striking. / As the baby grows into a toddler, life gets more complicated. / The little child begins to want more than milk, more that food. / As you grow older, life gets even more complex and your desires become more diverse.
Peter is saying that if you want to grow spiritually, you need to get back to that simple appetite of a newborn baby and desire just one thing: the pure milk of the Word of God. / Set aside everything else. / Set aside malice (evil). / Set aside anything deceitful. /
Set aside hypocrisy, any envy of other people, and speaking evil about other people. / Strip yourself of all those things and focus on one thing, feeding yourself on the Bible, wanting that just as badly as a baby wants milk.
It is not only evil that we need to set aside. / We need to set aside all the good things that we could be doing that are not the best. / We need to set aside all the other things we could be hungry for that will not really help us grow. / We need to cultivate an appetite for Scripture. / I hope that these verses in this message will help you begin to taste how wonderful God’s Word is and create even more hunger for it. / Every time you have an opportunity to drink of that pure milk, you should be like a crying baby longing to be satisfied, and drink your fill. / That’s how we will grow!
5) the purpose of scripture:
2nd Timothy 3:16-17, 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.
These verses, taken together as one sentence, tell us not only how Scripture was given—by divine inspiration—but also why Scripture was given. /
4) Desiring Pure Milk from scripture:
1st Peter 2:1-2, NIV, Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind. 2) Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.
How do we grow spiritually? / The apostle Paul says that we are to grow into maturity, into the full stature of Christ Himself. (Ephesians 4:13, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.) /
How does this happen? / It happens, Peter says, when we desire the pure milk of the Word of God the way a newborn baby desires mother’s milk.
We have always had babies around the Graves house; we had five children and 10 grandkids. / One thing is very clear about babies—babies want milk. / I once held one of my grandsons as a newborn and he had a serious desire for milk. / Unfortunately he wanted to nurse and his mother was not there. / I was utterly useless to him at that moment. / No matter how long he yelled at me, there was nothing I could do for him.
You see, babies basically want milk and nothing else. / Just give me the milk! / They are absolutely single-minded in their focus.
It is the singularity and simplicity of that desire that is so striking. / As the baby grows into a toddler, life gets more complicated. / The little child begins to want more than milk, more that food. / As you grow older, life gets even more complex and your desires become more diverse.
Peter is saying that if you want to grow spiritually, you need to get back to that simple appetite of a newborn baby and desire just one thing: the pure milk of the Word of God. / Set aside everything else. / Set aside malice (evil). / Set aside anything deceitful. /
Set aside hypocrisy, any envy of other people, and speaking evil about other people. / Strip yourself of all those things and focus on one thing, feeding yourself on the Bible, wanting that just as badly as a baby wants milk.
It is not only evil that we need to set aside. / We need to set aside all the good things that we could be doing that are not the best. / We need to set aside all the other things we could be hungry for that will not really help us grow. / We need to cultivate an appetite for Scripture. / I hope that these verses in this message will help you begin to taste how wonderful God’s Word is and create even more hunger for it. / Every time you have an opportunity to drink of that pure milk, you should be like a crying baby longing to be satisfied, and drink your fill. / That’s how we will grow!
5) the purpose of scripture:
2nd Timothy 3:16-17, 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.
These verses, taken together as one sentence, tell us not only how Scripture was given—by divine inspiration—but also why Scripture was given. /
For what purpose did God give us the Bible? / We can understand the answer by starting at the end of the sentence and working our way backwards.
The goal is that we will do good works. / These are not good works we do in order to be saved. / These are not works that merely seem good in our own eyes. /
They are works that are truly good according to God’s standards and bring honor to Him. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify our Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). / Equipping us to do the things that bring glory to God is the purpose of Scripture.
To be equipped to do that, we have to be, “Complete.” / How do we get to that kind of maturity? / It requires a process by which we are equipped and made mature, and it includes four things: doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness.
It starts with doctrine. / What does doctrine mean? Teaching! / We have to be taught the content of the Bible, but it has to be the kind of teaching that works on us. / How does it work on us? / First, it reproves us. / We need teaching that confronts our sin and confronts our wrong thinking. / It points out where the errors lie. / Then we need teaching that corrects the errors. / Reproof points to a crooked place in our thinking, while correction straightens it out. / We need teaching that does both—first breaking down, exposing what is wrong, and then restoring, bringing us back to right. / Finally, we need teaching that instructs us how to walk in that righteous path
Where are we going to find truth that eliminates error, brings correct belief, and sets us on the right path? / This passage says, “All Scripture.” / All Scripture is profitable for those things. / The Bible is profitable—useful to us—because it brings sound teaching that tears down what is wrong and builds up what is right. / It puts us on the path of living so that we can become mature and equipped to do the works that honor God. / All Scripture does this.
It does this because it is given by inspiration of God. / The Greek word is “God Breathed.”/ Scripture comes out of the mouth of God, and when you read the Bible you are reading the very Word of God. / Men wrote it down, but God breathed it out. /It is that powerful, living Word of God that brings us the truth and equips us for every good work.
6) Scripture, The Word that cuts!
Hebrews 4:12, For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Do you think the Bible is a nice book? / Many people think of it as a book of religious stories. / Christians often think of the Bible as a comforting book, an encouraging book, a book that builds you up. / But the Bible itself claims to be a sword—alive, powerful, and sharp. / It cuts like the knife of a surgeon, all the way down into your joints and into the marrow of your bones. / That is a vivid imagery, / It sounds like something that hurts. / The Bible is not just a lotion we rub on to soothe us; it is a blade that penetrates deep into us. / It knows our thoughts and intentions better than we do.
Nothing cuts and penetrates like the truth of God. / All psychology and philosophy in the world cannot invade you to the depths of your soul like the Word of God can. / No psychologist or philosopher could ever know you the way God knows you. /
Jesus said in John 2:25 that He did not need anyone to tell Him what was in the heart of man because He already knew what was there. / Your heart is completely exposed to God.
He sees right into you. / His insight penetrates into your soul.
Nobody knows you like God. / No book gets to the core of your heart the way the Bible does, in both a negative and positive way.
When we are down, the Bible knows how to pick us up and comfort us or build us up.? / But when we are up—elevated by pride or human wisdom—The Bible know how to bring us down by uncovering our sin, unmasking our hypocrisy, and demolishing our willfulness. /
Reading the Bible is not a safe thing to do. / It can be a frightening experience. / But wherever God cuts with His Word, He heals, He will not create what He cannot heal. / What ever He reveals, He exposes for the sake of cleansing. /Jesus said in John 15:2 that we are the branches on a vine that the gardener prunes. / We have to be pruned or cut so that we can bear fruit. / It is the Word that does that cutting.
I am grateful for the Word of God as a source of comfort, hope, joy, worship, and praise. I am also grateful for the Word of God as a penetrating, convicting, discerning sword that doesn’t let me get away with anything, / As I expose my life to the Word of God, my sin is revealed. / When sin is revealed it can be dealt with. / It is that kind of cleansing that makes me able to bear more fruit, to my own joy and to the glory of God.
Conclusion:
This is a great lesson on Scripture and what it is and how it works in our hearts and in our life. / The Word of God is what I base my life on. / I look in to it for guidance to make the right decisions in life. / If I try my best to do the right thing based on the Word of God, there is no way I can do wrong. / God is in charge of my will. / Scripture in its own special way has persuaded me to will my will the God. / As you read this or listen to it, let the Word of God transform you into the image of Jesus
Christ.
Thanks and May God Bless you!
Robert N. Graves, Sr.
Fisherman for Christ.
The goal is that we will do good works. / These are not good works we do in order to be saved. / These are not works that merely seem good in our own eyes. /
They are works that are truly good according to God’s standards and bring honor to Him. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify our Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). / Equipping us to do the things that bring glory to God is the purpose of Scripture.
To be equipped to do that, we have to be, “Complete.” / How do we get to that kind of maturity? / It requires a process by which we are equipped and made mature, and it includes four things: doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness.
It starts with doctrine. / What does doctrine mean? Teaching! / We have to be taught the content of the Bible, but it has to be the kind of teaching that works on us. / How does it work on us? / First, it reproves us. / We need teaching that confronts our sin and confronts our wrong thinking. / It points out where the errors lie. / Then we need teaching that corrects the errors. / Reproof points to a crooked place in our thinking, while correction straightens it out. / We need teaching that does both—first breaking down, exposing what is wrong, and then restoring, bringing us back to right. / Finally, we need teaching that instructs us how to walk in that righteous path
Where are we going to find truth that eliminates error, brings correct belief, and sets us on the right path? / This passage says, “All Scripture.” / All Scripture is profitable for those things. / The Bible is profitable—useful to us—because it brings sound teaching that tears down what is wrong and builds up what is right. / It puts us on the path of living so that we can become mature and equipped to do the works that honor God. / All Scripture does this.
It does this because it is given by inspiration of God. / The Greek word is “God Breathed.”/ Scripture comes out of the mouth of God, and when you read the Bible you are reading the very Word of God. / Men wrote it down, but God breathed it out. /It is that powerful, living Word of God that brings us the truth and equips us for every good work.
6) Scripture, The Word that cuts!
Hebrews 4:12, For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Do you think the Bible is a nice book? / Many people think of it as a book of religious stories. / Christians often think of the Bible as a comforting book, an encouraging book, a book that builds you up. / But the Bible itself claims to be a sword—alive, powerful, and sharp. / It cuts like the knife of a surgeon, all the way down into your joints and into the marrow of your bones. / That is a vivid imagery, / It sounds like something that hurts. / The Bible is not just a lotion we rub on to soothe us; it is a blade that penetrates deep into us. / It knows our thoughts and intentions better than we do.
Nothing cuts and penetrates like the truth of God. / All psychology and philosophy in the world cannot invade you to the depths of your soul like the Word of God can. / No psychologist or philosopher could ever know you the way God knows you. /
Jesus said in John 2:25 that He did not need anyone to tell Him what was in the heart of man because He already knew what was there. / Your heart is completely exposed to God.
He sees right into you. / His insight penetrates into your soul.
Nobody knows you like God. / No book gets to the core of your heart the way the Bible does, in both a negative and positive way.
When we are down, the Bible knows how to pick us up and comfort us or build us up.? / But when we are up—elevated by pride or human wisdom—The Bible know how to bring us down by uncovering our sin, unmasking our hypocrisy, and demolishing our willfulness. /
Reading the Bible is not a safe thing to do. / It can be a frightening experience. / But wherever God cuts with His Word, He heals, He will not create what He cannot heal. / What ever He reveals, He exposes for the sake of cleansing. /Jesus said in John 15:2 that we are the branches on a vine that the gardener prunes. / We have to be pruned or cut so that we can bear fruit. / It is the Word that does that cutting.
I am grateful for the Word of God as a source of comfort, hope, joy, worship, and praise. I am also grateful for the Word of God as a penetrating, convicting, discerning sword that doesn’t let me get away with anything, / As I expose my life to the Word of God, my sin is revealed. / When sin is revealed it can be dealt with. / It is that kind of cleansing that makes me able to bear more fruit, to my own joy and to the glory of God.
Conclusion:
This is a great lesson on Scripture and what it is and how it works in our hearts and in our life. / The Word of God is what I base my life on. / I look in to it for guidance to make the right decisions in life. / If I try my best to do the right thing based on the Word of God, there is no way I can do wrong. / God is in charge of my will. / Scripture in its own special way has persuaded me to will my will the God. / As you read this or listen to it, let the Word of God transform you into the image of Jesus
Christ.
Thanks and May God Bless you!
Robert N. Graves, Sr.
Fisherman for Christ.
posted by Fisherman For Christ at 11/02/2006 09:12:00 PM
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