Promises of a Text Driven Life
"Living by the Book: A Text Driven Life" • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 8 viewsHave you been reading and tasting the goodness of God’s Word? Are you feeling a transformation from your education in the Bible moving you to joyous elation in Jesus?
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
God’s Promises
God’s Promises
Please find your way on your tablet, phone or through the pages of your Bible to .
ONCE THERE PLEASE STAND WITH ME AND HONOR THE GOD OF THE WORD AS WE READ THE WORD OF GOD
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
6 Its rising is from one end of heaven, And its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults.
13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression.
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.
PRAYER
She understood that her father’s promise was as good as done.593[1]
[1] Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (p. 172). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
Last week as we began the sermon series “Living By the Book” we found from God’s Word some proofs of how we know we are living a text-driven life.
[1] Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (p. 172). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
Last week as we began the sermon series “Living By the Book” we found from God’s Word some proofs of how we know we are living a text-driven life.
If you don’t remember or were absent the premise of a text driven life is based on text-driven preaching, a re-presentation of the scripture.
Why do I stand in this pulpit each Sunday preaching by the book? So that I can equip you to live by the book.
If you don’t remember or were absent the premise of a text driven life is based on text-driven preaching. Why do I prepare during the week and stand in this pulpit each Sunday preaching by the book? So that I can equip you to live by the book. Why does your Bible Study teacher prepare and lead you by the book? So in doing you are better able to live by the book. Why have we taken on the challenge of daily reading in the Book? So we will be a church that lives, worships, serves, grows, ministers and does missions by the book.
Why does your Bible Study teacher prepare and lead you by the book? So in doing you are better able to live by the book.
Why have we taken on the challenge of daily reading in the Book? So we will be a church that lives, worships, serves, grows, ministers and does missions by the book.
More than anything else, we as Christ followers, should want to be known for living by the book, giving a re-presentation of what we read in the book. The same should be true of us as a church the Body of Christ.
Illustration: Two young girls were talking, and one said she had ten pennies. The other girl looked at her hand and only saw five. She said, “You only have five pennies.” The first girl replied, “I have five and my father told me he would give me five more tonight. So I have ten.”
She understood that her father’s promise was as good as done.593[1]
[1] Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (p. 172). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
Today’s sermon is titled “Promises of a Text Driven Life” God’s Word is a testimony of His promises and the evidence of His promises being done in the lives of all who made the choice to live according to His Word, or by the book.
, most likely written by the Shepherd King, King David, is one of eloquent praise of the Word of God. He begins the Psalm with the first 6 verses presenting from nature the praises of the Great Law Giver, the Author of the Word is the Creator of Heaven and Earth.
We must be like David, having the conviction that God is the Creator of Heaven and the conviction that Jehovah is the Author of the Word.
God and Jehovah being one and the same Deity, the Triune God. We would miss so much if we do not notice the change of names from v.1 and v.7. V.1 - Elohim - God the creator wants to be known as Jehovah or LORD, as translated here in v.7. Jehovah is the personal name of God.
There are today and have always been those who are artistic minded, nature or earth lovers, mystics, and such who stop short at v. 6 - wanting to only recognize God in nature and worship nature as God. The natural world always gives evidence of God’s glory and power, but there is no pantheism in this Psalm nor should there be in our worship.
David, in writing this moves on to v. 7 having kept the created separate from the creator.
We must be like David, having the conviction that God is the creator of Heaven and the conviction that Jehovah is the Author of the Word. God and Jehovah being one and the same Deity, the Triune God. We would miss so much if we do not notice the change of names from v.1 and v.7. V.1 - Elohim - God the creator wants to be known as Jehovah or LORD, as translated here in v.7. Jehovah is the personal name of God.
Transitional Sentences and Keyword: The Law belongs to the LORD because it is from the Lord. Jehovah being the personal name of God, makes the Bible the personal revelation of God. We can say that the Heavens Declare His Glory & the Scriptures Declare His Grace. David reveals to us 6 personal Promises God makes about His personal Word. 3 we will cover today and finish up the other 3 next week.
Transitional Sentences and Keyword: The Law belongs to the LORD because it is from the Lord. Jehovah being the personal name of God, makes the Bible the personal revelation of God. We can say that the Heavens Declare His Glory & the Scriptures Declare His Grace. David reveals to us 6 personal Promises God makes about His personal Word. 3 we will cover today and finish up the other 3 next week.
Transitional Sentence and Keyword: The Law belongs to the LORD because it is from the Lord. Jehovah being the personal name of God, makes the Bible the personal revelation of God.
We can say that the Heavens Declare His Glory & the Scriptures Declare His Grace.
1st we find:
God Promises His Word is Transformational.
God Promises His Word is Transformational.
So YOU must LISTEN to God in His Word.
V.7 - Just as the Sun in the heavens reveals everything it shines upon, so does the Son of God in heaven when His Word shines upon your heart as you read it or hear it.
V.7 - Just as the Sun in the heavens reveals everything it shines upon, so does the Son of God in heaven when His Word shines upon your heart as you read it or hear it.
Illustration: Read a survey last year of the 8+ million people in the State of Illinois 49% seldom or never read the Bible. 30% read it at least once a month and 20% read it once or twice a month.
It’s been said that people don’t refuse to read the Bible because it is full of errors and contradictions; they refuse to read it because the Bible shines a light upon the errors and contradictions in their hearts.
The Hebrew word for “perfect” also means literally “all sided” or “many faceted.” God’s word is comprehensive and all encompassing that it will transform you, even if you are at your lowest point.
Illustration: Teri was a single mom working a full time job – life was tough. She believed her life was meaningless and was spiraling downhill. When she looked in the mirror she saw a failure. Having reached the bottom, she found herself sitting in a dark closet with a pistol and planning to end her life. In desperation she cried out loud to God, “If for some reason I should not end my life right here right now, you need to do something.”
Just then her son burst through the front door of their home shouting, “Momma, Momma, come look what I have.”
Teri put the pistol away, composed herself as much as possible and walked out to meet her son. He was waving a New Testament he had received from a Gideon after school that day.
“A Gideon was listening and doing God’s will, though he had no idea that a life was literally seconds away from eternity,” says Teri. That day she and her son opened God’s Word together and began the journey of faith.
- http://blog.gideons.org/2012/08/testimonies-of-how-gods-word-has-prevented-suicide/
The most accurate meaning for the word “convert” is “transform” because no matter the condition of your soul and no matter the depth of your sins and despair, God promises His word can transform you from top to bottom and from inside out, from past to future. Your very nature will be changed.
The word convert in Hebrew is also translated as restore in . Some translations use the word reviving the soul. Some of you may have been saved and converted long ago but you are no longer walking very close to God. God will use His word as a mirror up to our face to see our self and as a magnifying glass to shine light upon our sins that are keeping us out of fellowship with Him. So, God’s Word has a restorative quality.
So YOU must LISTEN to God in His Word. Especially If you are in need of a life changing encounter with God. Salvation and forgiveness of your sin begins in His Word. God’s Word is living and will point you to the living Jesus who died to save you from you sin.
God’s word will convert the sinner from his sinful ways
God’s word will restore the saint when she strays.
When we are walking in line with God and His will we can count on growing spiritually because:
When we are walking in line with God and His will we can count on growing spiritually because:
God Promises His Word is Educational
God Promises His Word is Educational
So, YOU must LEARN about God and Life in His Word.
God call us to be disciples and to go and make disciples. We do both with His Word.
God call us to be disciples and to go and make disciples. We do both with His Word.
The synonyms for law used by the writer of is used here in to emphasize that all the Words of God are beneficial for the one who makes reading and studying the Bible a priority.
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,
You can go to a thousand libraries and read millions of books and obtain numerous university degrees, yet the Bible is the greatest source of wisdom you can take into your mind. “Torah” has the meaning of “law for life” and “rule for living”
Illustration: You have heard the old saying, “By them books, send them to school and they still don’t know how to live.” or “You ain’t got a lick of sense”
The last word in v.7 - “simple” is used differently here than it is used in the book of Proverbs. It is used here to speak in a positive sense about those who may lack wisdom but can gain it through learning about wisdom from God’s Word (Proverbs, James) and gain through experiences with God in life.
There will always be some situation you will need God’s gift of wisdom for. Go to His Word and find this promise.
5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.
Both the new believer in Christ and the seasoned Christian can still learn from God every time they open His Word.
Both the new believer in Christ and the seasoned Christian can still learn from God every time they open His Word.
Why is God’s Word the greatest source of wisdom? The word “testimony” is about God from God, and the Bible says that God cannot lie. It is a witness to what is right and true for living in the world. He says it is “sure” meaning “reliable” and “durable.”
5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.
Why is God’s Word the greatest source of wisdom? The word “testimony” is about God from God, and the Bible says that God cannot lie. It is a witness to what is right and true for living in the world. He says it is “sure” meaning “reliable” and “durable.”
You and I can never go wrong by studying God’s Word. It will make each of us better Christians, and reading it together will make us a better Church, no matter how spiritually healthy we are now.
So, YOU must LEARN about God and Life in His Word. If you are struggling to know your direction in life, or you feel you lack the wisdom you need to be a committed Christ-follower, go to His Word as often as you can and stay in His Word as long as you can when you go.
I am praying about developing a condensed easy to remember statement of purpose for Pleasant Ridge and one of the Words I am coming to is the Word “Rooted” - (from your T-shirt) Rooted carries this idea of learning and growing in it.
When a tree or vine has deep roots in the good soil it begins to produce great fruits. We see that in the next promise.
God Promises His Word is Joyful
God Promises His Word is Joyful
So you need to LIVE for God in His Word
Joy is that inner peace and tranquility Christ followers exhibit when the rest of the world would be chaotic in the same set of circumstances. It comes from a pursuit of the God of the Word.
Joy is that inner peace and tranquility Christ followers exhibit when the rest of the world would be falling apart or in chaos if going through the same circumstance. It comes from a pursuit of the God of the Word.
Illustration: This country has a lot of people who call themselves Christian, yet they walk around and attend church looking like they were baptized in a combination of pickle juice and hot sauce.
God says that if you are consistently living in and reading His Word, His Word will produce in you a heart filled with Joy.
16 Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.
Jeremiah was not a popular preacher. Hated by all including his family. God’s Word - joyful.
Illustration: The writer of the commentary with my reading plan tells of taking His father to Russia before he died. They wanted to take Bibles over even though they were illegal. He had to scope out at church to make sure no KGB were there. He followed a man for a while then walked up to him on the street.
He pulled out one of his hidden Bibles and handed it to the Russian. He had an expression of almost unbelief. Then he pulled out a New Testament looking to be 100 years old. He said the pages were so worn they were almost see through.
When the Russian realized he had been handed the entire Bible he became so elated they just embraced and laughed with joy.
So you need to LIVE for God in His Word
Something else God keeps bringing me to for our purpose is “Rejoicing.” God intends for the Christian’s worship to be a time of rejoicing about our Savior and His Word to us. Everything we do in worship (prayer, giving, singing, reading, loving); it should be with rejoicing.
Conclusion: David writes here in v.10 that God’s Word is more precious than gold. Proverbs says that His Word is better than rubies. David says sweeter than honey on the honeycomb.
Have you been reading and tasting the goodness of God’s Word? Are you feeling a transformation from your education in the Bible moving you to joyous elation in Jesus?
Living a text driven life comes with God’s promises that you will if you make time and effort to read the Bible.
The Bible contains the answer to our soul problem, our sin problem, our societal problem, and our spiritual problem.
The answer is Jesus, who died so you and I could be converted, born again, forgiven and saved. Have you been convicted to be converted?
God’s Word says…Romans Ro
Church let me share the 3 words with you that I am praying about for our future:
Pleasant Ridge: Rejoicing, Rooted and Reaching
That means Pleasant Ridge should be a church of people who are rejoicing in Jesus, rooted in Scripture, and reaching the world. We want you to be a part of that if you are not yet.