Sermon Brief
Date Written: May 25, 2007
Date Preached: May 27, 2007
Where Preached: OZHBC (AM)
Sermon Details:
Sermon Series: A Spiritual Clean Sweep
Sermon Title: What do you have in your spiritual kitchen?
Sermon Text: 2 Tim 2:15 and 2 Tim 3:15-17
Introduction:
Junk food is the rage in our nation today…to some it is a wonderful and tasty way to eat, to others it is a health risk he or she is NOT willing to take.
In our nation today there are those who are enraged against all the junk food our nation consumes…and then there are others who are ravenous when it comes to devouring junk food…
I believe it is safe to say that for the most part, gone are the days of 3 square meals and plenty of good exercise…and this is because we live in a nation with a quick fix, on the go, can’t wait long, take out and drive thru mentality!
In a report released by Chicago-based Mintel Consumer Intelligence it reveals that young adults are the most tempted by the Big Mac’s of the Golden Arches or Burger King’s flame-broiled burgers or Papa John’s Pizzas. And that one in five of these young Americans has a diet of strictly fast and convenient foods.
But what is so ironic about this study is that the parents of those participating in this study, parents in the 45- to 54-year-old age group, were the least likely to dine at a greasy spoon or fast food establishment. And only 7% of this 45-54 yr old group says that their diet consists of mostly convenience and fast food.
This survey also revealed that salty snacks such as chips (oooh I love chips!) and pretzels form the foundation of the convenience/fast-food pyramid. And, according to Mintel, 17 percent of Americans report they just "can’t help snacking on salty snacks."
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4021/is_2001_Nov_1/ai_79501198
Now I love junk food as much as anyone else possibly could… I mean you can just look at my chiseled physique and you can tell that exercise and eating right are NOT at the top of my list! Which is really bad, because I need to eat better and I need to exercise MORE!
I want to begin this morning by sharing with you some results from a Bible knowledge test published by the Vancouver Sun. Here are some of the answers given by people who said they knew the Bible.
1. Who was Noah’s wife? The most popular answer was Joan of Ark.
2. What is the 7th commandment? “Thou shalt not admit adultery.”
3. What are the epistles in the Bible? The most popular answer was that they were wives of the apostles.
4. What happened to Lot’s wife? Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day and a ball of fire by night.
Now, as you might imagine some of those mistakes could be quite consequential after all there is a lot of difference between “Thou shalt not commit adultery” and “Thou shalt not admit adultery.”
God’s Word is NOT known to today’s believer like it has been in the past, and I believe it is because we are not studying God’s Word in depth as we should…
This morning I want to speak with you about what I see as a rising and overshadowing disaster that has all but consumed the church as we know it today!
And that is the fact that the spiritual kitchens of so many believers are filled with wonderful JUNK food… great for snacking and tasting, but terrible for the our health!
As believers we have come to eat spiritually like we are eating physically… our diet consists mostly of spiritual JUNK food and we are NOT partaking of the Bread of Life as we ought to!
Anne Graham Lotz once said, “…They fill up on "junk food"—Christian books, CDs, TV programs, seminars, and all sorts of church activities—none of these are bad, really, but they lead to a sickly spiritual state if consumed apart from the true Bread of Life…”
I know more than most people how hard it is to eat the good foods and pass up on the fast foods and junk foods. But I also know that broccoli and spinach have a greater nutritional value than “Cheez Its” or “Twinkies”…but that doesn’t change the fact that I would rather have the snack food…
Just because we know something is better for us does not mean that we will do it! But isn’t that the nature of man… to desire what we WANT and not what we NEED!
Parents how many times have you had to deal with your children and have had to MAKE them eat something you knew was good for them… but they just didn’t want to eat it.
Wives how many times have you had to make your husband eat something you knew was good for him, but he was being stubborn and wanting to eat cake instead!
I want to make this clear to all who are listening this morning… there is a time and a place for everything! There is a time when snacks can be eaten… and there is a time when REAL food needs to be eaten!
Likewise in the spiritual realm, as humans, we seek what we WANT and not what we NEED! We desire to please the desires of the flesh and most of the time we ignore the needs of the spirit!
Today, most believers have nothing but spiritual junk food in the kitchen of their soul. They try to exist and grow on things like Christian music, short devotionals, Christian books and TV programs, seminars and anything that is the latest fad!
But in reality what the believer needs is in depth study in the Word of God. Many church leaders have bemoaned the fact that the church has strayed away from sound and in-depth Bible study and they have fell prey to the less rigorous and more leisurely lifestyle!
I truly believe that many believers do not truly realize how important and special God’s Word is for them… they simply don’t understand the power behind God’s Word. The Bible is transformative and changes your life… if you will study it and begin to live it out in your life!
Many Christian leaders from the past have stressed our need for God’s Word…
"Many books can inform; only the Bible can transform." (unknown)
"If we keep to Holy Scripture, we cannot go wrong. With such a standard, we know that we are right. This Book is the Word of God, and if we teach it, we teach that which the Lord will accept and bless. Let our teaching be more and more Scriptural." Charles Spurgeon
"Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason, my conscience is captive to the Word of God." Martin Luther
But as I have said on many occasions… The Bible is the best commentary on itself, and God’s Word has shared with the believer that reading and getting to know God’s Word is imperative! It is an absolute must for the believer and his or her walk with Christ! Listen to what God’s Word says…
"And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you when you rise up." (Deut. 6:6-7)
"For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should teach them to their children." (Ps. 78:5)
"And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." (Eph. 6:4)
"Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old; he will not depart from it." (Pr. 22:6)
"Hear, my son, your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching." (Pr. 1:8)
Jesus, Himself, told Satan to get away from Him as all He needed was God’s Word and his needs would be fulfilled! In Matt 4, Jesus said, “…man shall not live by bread alone but with every word that proceeds from the mouth of GOD!”
As believers, we read books about God’s Word and we hear sermons based on God’s Word! However, practically speaking, most believers are sadly devoid of the power that God’s Word can bring into our daily lives because we don’t actually dive in and STUDY God’s Word!
When the circumstances of life kick you in the teeth and when life begins to unravel, there are so many believers that simply don’t know how to access its power and truth in a way that is relevant to their life! Because they are not equipped… because they have not studied God’s Word!
And so, as a result, thousands of believers are suffering and stumbling through their Christian experience because they have a spirit that is shriveling away from lack of solid spiritual food!
But what I hear as a pastor, is the question, WHY? Why do I need to study God’s Word for myself… I hear it in Sunday School, I hear it in the messages you preach… why do I need to study it?
Well it is important that each of us learn to immerse ourselves into God’s Word because it will only serve to enhance and embolden your walk with Christ. But let’s look at that question for just a moment… Why do I need to study God’s Word!
1) Why must we Study God’s Word?
In looking at our text 1 Tim 2:15 I want us to look at and define the term that the writer uses here in our text:
The word translated as “study” in some translations and “diligent” in others actually comes from the Greek word {spoo-dad’-zo} which means: to exert one’s self, an endeavor, and for one to give diligence to something:
So I want you to ask yourself, “Why would someone want to give and extreme amount of energy to the study of God’s Word?”
Well I will answer that question in 2 parts:
First I can see that when we study God’s Word… it is to:
A. To equip others (2 Timothy 2:2)
2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
I want us to take note here that there is a 2 fold purpose for the need to equip of the Saints of God for service, let’s consider what they are:
i. First and foremost, we must be equipped for spiritual warfare (1 Tim 1:18 and 2 Tim 2:3)
“…18 This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare…”
“…3 You therefore must endure[a] hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ…”
The believer who goes into spiritual warfare without the equipping of the Word of God in their lives… is going to be devastated and demoralized. The believer who is NOT willing to put in the Study time is NOT communing with God as they should and because of that they cannot discern what God desires and far too often they have to go it alone… and when we face Satan alone… we have NO chance!
But studying God’s word is not JUST for battling in Spiritual warfare, but it is also so…
ii. That others may be taught in the Word of God
We are to equip others so that they can equip others and that they can equip others… it is a cycle that must repeat itself, otherwise the Kingdom is hurt!
We are to equip ourselves to battle Satan and his minions and to train others up in the faith, but equipping ourselves is not the only reason we study God’s word… we also do it to…
B. To put an end to strife about belief (2 Tim 2:14)
14 Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers.
When we study God’s Word… actually STUDY it and seek to know what is in it… there is going to be less arguing about what is what in the kingdom…
There will be less arguing and more cooperating and more work being done toward the kingdom, because the believer will be more prepared to do the work of the kingdom… and he can fight those spiritual battles because knows what God expects of him and he understands his or her role in the kingdom!
When we know our place, we can do our job much better. When we know what God wants us to do and where He wants us to be… it strengthens our walk and the church as well…
Many people blame Satan for the church NOT growing today, but to be totally honest with you it is NOT Satan, although he has done much to disable the church…
But it is actually the inability of the believer to function as he or she should…
It is the inability of the believer to fight and win spiritual warfare battles because they are unarmed and defenseless before the enemy!
It is the inability of the believer to know his role or his place in the kingdom, and from that arises jealousy and envy of other believers and from that stems strife and discord in the church!
When we strive to study God’s word and show ourselves approved and rightly dividing the Word of Truth… the church is going to benefit, the Kingdom is going to benefit, but most of all the believer is going to benefit!
Well, preacher what if I simply feel that I don’t have to study God’s word… there are a lot of people in our church that do, so I am going to take it easy!
2) Does the church suffer because I don’t read and study God’s Word as I should?
That is actually a very good question to ask because by answering it we rid ourselves of any and all excuses. So in light of that, the 1st place we need to go is into God’s Word itself to find out what the Master has to say about this question!
Look with me at Matt 22:29
29 Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God…”
In this passage the religious leaders were trying to do anything they possibly could to trip up Jesus and make Him say things that would discredit his ministry. They asked if it was ok to pay taxes to Caesar and they also asked about who would be whose husband or wife in the kingdom…
Jesus told them… you are just blowing smoke because you don’t know Scripture, and because you don’t know Scripture you don’t understand or comprehend the power of God!
So many times we as believers get sidetracked onto issues of NON-IMPORTANCE because we simply do NOT know or understand Scripture or the power of God that is revealed in Scripture.
If we are NOT studying the WORD as we should, we are NOT going to understand God when He comes to us and directs our path in a certain direction. We are also NOT going to want to follow one who is being led by God and who is studying Scripture and hearing God’s instruction!
We need to study to show ourselves an approved workman… we need to study to show that we can discern what God wants out of us and what God is saying in Scripture!
But there is another reason that the church is going to suffer if YOU don’t study your Bible as you should!
I want you to think about it for just a second, if we are so busy that we cannot or will not discipline our self to study God’s word, then we are WAY too busy.
I have found that a person is going to find the time to do what they love. We could come out and say that it is the giant time killer of TV that is stealing time away from the believer in Bible study!
We could say that sports is taking up all our time and stealing away the time from the believer and his or her Bible study!
But I want us to understand that it is NOT TV (although there is almost NO redeeming value in what is on TV these days) and it is NOT sports. That is because there is nothing inherently wrong with watching TV or sports.
The wrong happens when the believer places more of a priority on watching TV or sports more so than they do on studying and ingesting God’s Word into their lives!
I was reading this week and I came across a very startling and disturbing survey… it said that 80% of pastors did not read even one chapter a day out of their Bible.
For a man of God to stand in the pulpit unprepared and unshielded by God’s Word is a dangerous and scary thing! But it is not just pastors… I have seen Bibles in the houses I have visited that I dare say their pages have not seen the light of day in years!
We do what we love, and we don’t do what we believe to be of little or no importance. How is your Bible study today? Can you see how NOT studying your Bible can debilitate the church?
As your pastor I want to say that for far too long we have NOT done what we should in the training of our flock. We need to begin to start young Christians on the lesson that reading and studying their Bible is actually and literally a life or death decision for the believer
Ok pastor, I can see how me not studying the Word can hurt the church, but what GOOD am I going to get from it and what reward will I receive when I do study it!
First we need to understand that this Christian life is not all about what WE can gain from this or that… or even for what GOOD it is going to do us when we are faithful. But I can tell you that when you are faithful to study God’s word, you are NOT going to have a difficulty when it comes to living as you should be living! And this is because…
3) The sin will keep us FROM the Word of God BUT the word of God will deliver us FROM sin!
The psalmist says in Psalm 119:10-11…
10 With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
When we are diligently seeking God’s Word we desire to please Him and obey what He has commanded. And for us to do that we must learn to hide His word in our hearts so that we will NOT sin against God!
When we are immersed in Bible study and reading… we are less inclined to give into temptation and sin! Understand that I am NOT saying that when we read our Bibles that we are going to be perfect… NO CHANCE OF THAT!
But what I AM saying is that when we are immersed in solid and deep Bible study in our personal life… the temptation and sin placed before us is NOT as appetizing!
When our lives are saturated with His Word our decisions become based on His desires and we don’t get caught off-guard because we are ready for the spiritual warfare and already know what is supposed to be done, and we begin to learn about Christ and how He desires us to live!
There’s an old Southern Gospel song that tells us what sin does to us, it says,
• Sin will take you farther than you want to go.
• Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay.
• Sin will cost you more than you want to pay.
When we allow sin into our lives it is going to take us away from reading and studying God’s word. It is going to re-prioritize our lives to where God is no longer important.
But if we cling to God’s word, if we do as the psalmist instructs us to do… if we hide His Word in our heart… we are not going to sin against God, we may fail and falter at times, but the more we are in His word, the stronger we are because of Him… and the stronger we are because of Him the greater the victory!
And I want you to know that when we do NOT invest in God’s Word, when we do not read and study our Bibles on a daily basis, when we do not seek after the knowledge and understanding we can only find in God’s Word… WE ARE FAILING GOD! WE ARE BEING UNFAITHFUL TO HIM!
Conclusion:
As your pastor, I believe that we must begin to study God’s Word on a much deeper level and begin to apply those teachings to our lives if we are going to be who God desires us to be…
With that in mind, I am suggesting some changes be made in how we ‘do’ church here at OZHBC. I want to see us focus on the Bible and get to KNOW the Bible in all we do!
Beginning in June our children’s department will be starting Bible Drill on Wednesday nights and we are going to make some changes to our discipleship training schedule and move it to Wednesday night and Sunday evening will be reserved for special things but mainly it will be for Choir practice and church service… after all Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest and we seem to try to fit EVERYTHING in on Sunday evenings…
I am working on several Discipleship series and when we move to Wednesday evenings we are going to be offering a choice to those wanting to learn… but that is in the future!
God’s Word is much too important for God’s Children to ignore it and not know what is in it! God’s Word is our life line and spiritual food… it is a must for our survival as a church… as a believer!
We cannot function as God desires if we are on a spiritual hunger strike… or if we are malnourished because of all the junk food we are ingesting…
Several years ago a volunteer missionary visited what had been a poverty-stricken country in Africa. As she flew in, she looked down on miles of African landscape as it was covered by what looked like long, green waves of grass. She asked about the abundant vegetation.
With joy, they explained that the crop she had seen was a newly discovered plant called "na-roo" that adapted easily to the climate and soil. Within a few short years, they expected na-roo’ to be the main staple of their diets.
But a few years later when this volunteer missionary returned, she was shocked to see miles of dry, barren land. When she could, she asked what had happened.
Sadly, her hosts told her how the na-roo’ had indeed become the main food of the local people, but they discovered it had no nutritional value. As a result, hundreds of people had starved to death—with their stomachs full!
Those African people symbolize the spiritual condition of many church members in America today. Sadly, we have taken things that offer us little or no spiritual value and we have made them the main staple of our spiritual diets!
Things like—political agendas, Christian entertainment and music, and the marketing strategies or growth programs for the local church. Now understand that these things are not bad in and of themselves, but they are merely junk food in our spiritual diets!
While you and I can certainly enjoy an occasional helping of "junk food," our primary source of sustenance must be prayer and the Word of God. Let me ask you to do a very difficult thing right now, take a moment and examine what spiritual food you are consuming, just what is your spiritual diet?
Now can you tell me what changes do you need to make in order to eat right and prosper as a believer? Most believers cannot!
We must become serious about our time with God each and every day. Reading and studying God’s Word are our lifeline to not only survival in this world, but for our ultimate victory in our walk with Christ! If we are not willing to make Christ our priority… we are not serious about our walk… and maybe the truth is simply NOT in us!
(Invitation 1st for lost, then focus on believers)
I call on you this morning to give your heart to God and begin to study God’s Word as you should. Clean out that spiritual kitchen of yours, get rid of the junk and replace it with the super nutritional, vitamin enriched Word of God. Dedicate your Bible study to God and He is going to honor that! Come as Bro Jerry leads us in our hymn of invitation.
