God's Word: Nourishment For The Spirit

(I borrowed from William Richard Ezell’s sermon published in The Preacher’s Magazine—using his outline and some of his ideas. But I also included enough new material that I thought it worthwhile to post. I don’t have footnote material on the magazine. If anyone has it, please email it to me, and I will footnote this sermon properly).

May 26, 2004

Title: Nourishment for the Spirit

Text: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Introduction

1. Sir Walter Scott lay dying.

• He asked that he might be wheeled into his library…

• And placed before his window where he could see the river outside.

• He asked his attendant to read to him.

• The attendant looked around, seeing thousands of books…

• He asked, “which one”?

• Sir Walter Scott, that great author of books such as “Ivanhoe” and “Rob Roy” replied:

• “need you ask? There is but one Book”

• The attendant then took down the Bible and began to read.

2. The Bible is a Book in a class by itself…

• It remains the best selling book year after year…

• It is the most often quoted book…

• And perhaps, also the most MISquoted book.

• The Bible is not only a great book…

• But it is the foundation upon which our faith rests…

• We cannot become the Christians that God desires of us…

• Unless we are students of God’s Word.

• Our physical growth depends on the proper nourishment provided by food and water.

• In the same way, our SPIRITUAL growth depends on the proper nourishment of our spirit.

• The Bible is spiritual food for the Christian.

• With that in mind, I would like for us to begin a new Bible study on Wednesday nights on the book of 1 John.

• (handout & review overview)

• In order for us to receive the full value of the nourishment that the Bible provides…

• We need to do 3 things…

1. We need to accept the authority of God’s Word…

2. we need to incorporate the truth of God’s Word into our thinking…

3. We need to put the truth of God’s Word into practice.

Read Text: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

1. First of all, we need to accept the authority of God’s Word…

A. Our text says that “All Scripture is God-breathed” 2 Tim 3:16

• God didn’t actually take a pen or quill and write the words of our Bible…

• He inspired people to write the words that we find in our Bible…

• Thus we find that the Bible contains the mind and will of God…

• And yet, we also find the different languages…

• And different writing styles that come from different writers.

B. If all we think the Bible is; is a good book…

• Then it does not provide the foundation upon which we can base our lives…

• But if we believe that it contains the mind and will of God…

• Then we CAN and should base our lives upon it…

• We can use it for guidance and direction…

• We can use it for wisdom and knowledge …

• We can use it for knowing what God would want for us to do in different situations…

C. Today, we don’t have Jesus walking around and verbally speaking to us…

• But we have the next best thing…

• God’s Words to us, as recorded in Scripture…

• In order to get the most out of our study of God’s Word (and 1 John) we much acknowledge and accept the authority of the Bible as God’s Word.

2. Secondly, in order to receive the full nourishment from God’s Word, we need to incorporate the truth of God’s Word into our thinking.

A. A circuit riding preacher entered one church building with his young son, and dropped a coin into the offering box in the back. Not many came that Sunday, and those who did didn’t seem too excited about what was said. After the service, the preacher and son walked to the back, and he emptied the box. Out fell one coin. The young boy said, "Dad, if you’d have put more in, you’d have gotten more out!"

• That’s a somewhat humorous illustration of the importance of incorporating the truth of God’s Word into our thinking…

• The more that we put into our study of the Bible…

• The more time that we put into it…

• The more effort that we put into it…

• The more that we allow it to shape our minds…

• And our thinking…

• The more benefit we will receive.

B. If we go into this Bible study with the idea that we will only apply the parts that we like…

• And we will discard the parts that we don’t like…