Word
2 Timothy 3:14-17
Two young boys were out in a large field playing hide and seek. As the first boy leaned against a tree covering his eyes and counting to 100, the other boy ran across the field and climbed up into another tree to hide. Just then the first boy reached 100 and he yelled out, “ready or not here I come.” Immediately the boy ran across the field looked up into the tree and said, “I found you! Now its my turn to hide.” The other boy climbed down out of the tree, then leaning against the tree, covering his eyes he began counting to 100. The first boy made the long run across the field climbed up into the first tree to hide. When the other boy finished counting to 100, he yelled out, “ready or not, here I come.” Without hesitating, he ran across the field to the other tree, looked up and said, “Ha, I found you!” Just then a third boy ran up to his friends and asked, “Hey what you guys doing?” When the boys told him that they were playing hide and seek, he excitedly asked if he could play too. In unison the other boys responded, “you can’t; there’s only 2 trees!” These two boys had fallen into a habit of playing the game the same way and never thought about why. We sometimes have a similar problem in church.
Have you ever considered why we repeatedly do the things we do at church, like the Apostle’s Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and such. These are traditions that have gone on forever, but what do they mean and why do we do them? This series is looking at the things we do regularly as the church and asking the question, “Why?” Today, we’re focusing on The Word. Why is Scripture foundational for everything we do. Every time we come together, we read the word and hear it proclaimed. Why is the Word of God so critical to us?
Our Scripture today is one of the earlier writings of the New Testament, written somewhere between 32-37 years after the Resurrection. What we see in this book are the practices of the early church. Paul established this church in Ephesus on the Aegean Sea, which is now modern-day Turkey. It was a prominent, prosperous port city in its time, but now through 2,000 years of silt, it is 6 miles inland. In its day, Ephesus was a center of travel and commerce, one of the greatest seaports of the ancient world. Three major roads led from the seaport to deliver its trade goods throughout the Roman Empire. Its wealth was legendary and combined with the continual stream of sailors and the influence of Roman culture which emphasized sensual pleasure among other things, in many ways, it was like New Orleans, where “laissez les bon temps roulez!” rules. Paul established this church in Ephesus in the midst of this culture, and after 3 years, he had raised up and appointed his young prodigy, Timothy to lead this church. These letters are Paul’s guidance to Timothy in the practices of ministry.
In the first book, Paul tells Timothy “until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of scripture…” Essentially, Paul says when you gather together, keep the “main thing the main thing”. Don’t talk politics, culture, weather or the Saints, instead devote yourselves to the reading and discussion of Scripture. So the Word becomes the foundation of the early church’s life and faith development. They read, preach, teach and discuss the Holy Scriptures.
But why is the Word central today for us. It’s not just because we’ve always done it that way. First, the Bible is the very Word of God. Paul states, “All scripture is God-breathed…” The word for breath is “pneuma,” which means spirit of God. Paul is saying the Bible is not a human book. It comes from God. Now there are two schools of thought regarding Scripture: the literal and the inspired. The literal says that this is the Word of God and God dictated every single word to the writers of the Bible. The Doctrine of Inspiration says the Bible was written by those who were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the Word of God. This is the only verse in the Bible that uses the phrase "God-breathed" regarding Scripture, but it is not the only place that describes Scripture as inspired by God. The Old Testament is full of statements claiming to be the Word of God. "Thus says the Lord" occurs 418 times in the Old Testament. "God said" occurs 46 times. And numerous times it says God spoke through prophets and even through common people. So, God is the source and ultimate author of Scripture and because of that, it carries the full weight of His authority. This is why we call this Book holy and why it is not only worthy of our attention and dedication but central to our life together.
Second, the Word is God’s revelation about himself. The Scriptures are God’s story about himself. In the Word, God reveals his nature, his heart and his character to us. From the beginning of time, people have basically been asking, “Who is God?” Moses, in the very first encounter with God in Exodus 3, asked, “Who are you?” And God gives Moses a very oblique answer, “I AM.” Now the verb used “to be” does not fit into any tense that we have in our language, it’s not past tense, it’s not present tense, and it’s not future tense and by using it God is saying, “I have always been and will always be.” “I am” means, “I am who I am” or even better, “I will be who I will be.” In other words, God is saying “Moses, you can’t fit me into a box to understand who I am. I’m beyond explanation and I’m not confined to your time and space, or to your definition of God. I AM. So Moses asked to see God’s face. Now the word face in Hebrew literally means “glory.” Why does Moses wants to see God’s face? Because when you look into someone’s face intently, you are looking into their soul and can see their character. God didn’t let Moses see his face because if he did, he would die doing so. But he did allow Moses to hide in the crevice of a rock, and when God passed by, Moses would see His “backside.” The ancient Rabbis interpreted that as “seeing where God had been.” So Moses was allowed to see where God had been and what God has done because nothing tells more about who a person is than their past actions. So Moses is able to see what God reveals about himself.
But God has revealed even more of himself to us through His son, Jesus. The Gospel of John puts it this way: “the Word became Flesh and dwelled among us.” Carey Kinsolving writes, “By presenting Jesus Christ as the Word through which all things were created, John is saying that God chose Jesus as his messenger/messiah to tell us about God. He is the revealer of God.” Moses didn’t get to see God’s face, but when we look at Jesus, we see who God is. Through Jesus, we learn that God is merciful. Through Jesus’ teaching in the Prodigal Son, we learn when we are lost, God is the one who pursues us and welcomes us back home with great joy. Through Jesus, we learn that God loves everyone equally, even sinners, tax collectors and prostitutes. And through Jesus’ death on the cross, we learn that God is not willing that any should perish, but everyone have life and have it abundantly. All this is recorded for us in Scripture. Through the Bible, we learn what the children sing, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”
Third, the Bible is our guide for life. Jesus said, “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” John 6:33 The Bible has often been described as ’Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth’ (B.I.B.L.E.) Through the Word, God gives us guidelines and parameters by which to live. God has told us over and over, “Do this but don’t do that. Don’t lie, don’t worship anything else but me in your life, don’t commit adultery, don’t hate people who hate or hurt you, don’t do anything else on the Sabbath but rest and worship me.” Following God’s word for our lives is truly a matter of life and death, living the life that God intends for us because that is the only place where true life is found. When we hear God’s word and seek to apply it to our lives in what we do and what we say, it truly brings new life in Christ. All throughout the Bible are strict rules by which God helps us to walk in His footsteps and honor Him. All this is so we could experience the best of what God promised and has to offer. God gives us strict regulations not because God is mean but because God is concerned about our well-being. God wants us to have the best He has to offer. You see God has already been to where we want to go. He is the Alpha and the Omega. God knows what we need but he also gives us the information and wisdom to get there. God gives us his word because it is a matter of life and death. He wants to give us the wisdom by which to live. Do you know the difference between knowledge and wisdom? Knowledge is knowing what I should do but wisdom is the power to do the right thing. If we live in the Word on a daily basis, we not only become wise but empowered to live for Him.
Fourth, through Scripture, God speaks to us. We call this the Living Word. Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and is active.” One of the most profound and easy ways that God can speak to us is through His word. It’s not just words on a page but now they are filled with meaning and power. We no longer have to drag ourselves to read the Word but now we are excited about what God might say next to us. The words on the page become a personal word from God and through this Living Word, you can clearly hear Jesus speaking personally to you. When I went to college, one of the foundational principles of faith I brought with me was that God not only created us but he gifted each person for a calling or purpose in life. As the decision neared to declaring a major, I knew the classes I enjoyed: history and psychology. I thought I was going to study to become a counselor or get a business degree. But I felt that God had to have a say in what I did with my life and so every night, I would finish my studies and begin reading Scripture. I started with the Gospel of Matthew and read verse by verse and chapter by chapter, reflecting, underlining and meditating on it. Then on a Tuesday night of the third week, I was reading and suddenly an impression came over my heart and my mind that God wanted me to become a minister. From that point on, I geared my studies to best prepare me for seminary. And as they say, the rest is history. When you have a relationship with God and the Word becomes living, then you can begin to hear God’s voice for your life: answers to questions, solutions to problems, insights into issues, calls to correction, paths to take. Let me ask you a question: When was the last time the Living Word spoke to you? The more time and discipline you have in reading and reflecting on the Word, the more keenly you can discern the voice of God to be inspired and guided to live for Him and Him alone.
Fifth, we are called to live the Scriptures. Scripture is the center of everything we do. It is not enough just to know the Bible, we have to live into the scriptures, and allow the scriptures to live in us. Our way of life is developed on the basis of teaching of the Holy Scriptures. We discover our purpose, and our mission in these words. It defines who we are by how we live. This is why, every day we’ve got to live in the scriptures and allow the scriptures to live in us. Paul encourages us to: “Continue in what you have learned, and have become convinced of because you know from whom you learned it.” God doesn’t want us to get off his path. And so God’s word should become “a lamp unto my path.” If I’m not living in the Word and allowing that word to live in me, then our culture begins to determine my values and beliefs and my life. This is why the Bible guides and directs our steps that we might stay on the path that leads to the abundant life God wants us to embrace.
God’s goal for us is that we would follow his map for our lives so that we would be thoroughly equipped and transformed not just for some occasion and work but for every good work and time. Suddenly, when the Word lives in you, you live for Jesus in every moment, every decision, every spoken word and every action taken. It no longer becomes a conscious decision because His Word is now in you, his desires are your desires and his principles and rules are yours. It’s like driving to church this morning. Your mind did not go through every single law, rule and guideline on how to operate your vehicle and drive on the roads. They are so much a part of you that you don’t even think about it any more. When you are rooted and connected to God’s word, it literally becomes a part of you and guide every part of your life. And the result is that God can use you to do something which you could not accomplish on your own. Your life has been literally transformed and changed for every good work that God sends your way so that “able to do all things through Christ who gives you strength.” Then we like Paul can say, Slide “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me.” Galatians 2:20 Then your life shall honor God and it shall be a blessing to other people.
