Beginning With The Word SUMC 06/13/2004
Good morning! Stephanie and I are so glad to be here serving as your pastors. Since the day we told the D.S. we would be happy to take this appointment, I have stewed over this message. I feel like this is a very important message. We need to reestablish our relationship with this church. Even though we have been here before, we are different and so are y’all. This is a new beginning. God has blessed us with this opportunity and we want to make a positive contribution to the Kingdom of God by being the best pastoral team we can be. Furthermore, we want to equip this local church to meet its full potential as a vital part of the Body of Christ. The issue at hand is how to begin. I say, “let’s begin with the Word!” John 1:1-4;14 says:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Stephanie and I are proud to be United Methodists. We are proud of the spiritual heritage we share with people like John, Charles and Susanna Wesley, and Francis Asburyand many others. We are proud to uphold the doctrine of the UMC as outlined in the B.O.D. in which Article IV of the “Confession of Faith of the Evangelical United Brethren Church” states:
We believe the Holy Bible, Old and New Testaments, reveals the Word of God so far as it necessary for our salvation. It is to be received through the Holy Spirit as the true rule and guide for faith and practice. Whatever is not revealed in or established by the Holy Scriptures is not to be made an article of faith nor is it to be taught as essential to salvation. As long as the UMC as a denomination and this local congregation continue to make the Bible the primary source, the foundation for existence and activity, then God will continue bless and protect us. Our denomination is grounded in the Word, so should we be.
Stephanie and I chose Asbury Seminary because of their stance on the Bible as the only primary source for faith and practice. If there were a seminary recognized by the UM board of higher Ed. with a reputation similar to ATS near Fort Worth, we may have never left Texas. But, there isn’t, so here we are! In Psalm 119:105 it says Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. Like the psalmist, I want every step I take to be informed by God’s word.
Many years from now when we are reminiscing about the wonderful years we spent together in ministry, my hope is that people will say Kevin & Stephanie were people of the Word… If we stay rooted and grounded in God’s Word, there is nothing we can’t do. In Isaiah 55:10-11 God says "The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. Wow! That is why I want to begin with the Word. I want to accomplish all that God wants, don’t you? This morning I want to take a quick look at a few of the things the Word says about the Word and look for ways to apply those things to beginning our ministry together.
I want to begin with the verses we just read from John 1. Verses 1 & 2 speak of the preexisting Word, which illuminates the fact that Jesus Christ (the Word) has equal status with God. Verse 3 indicates that the Word is the agent of creation. In the creation accounts from Genesis God simply speaks things into being. Everything came into being through Christ and ultimately depends on Him. Verse 4 teaches that the Word is the source of life; therefore we must come to Him for eternal life. Also, verse 4 teaches us that only the Word can light our path, so we must follow him. Finally verse 14 says that this Word that John wrote of is the one and only Son of God—Jesus Christ who became a man. And we must allow the word to become flesh in us too. How can we honor God and His word more than by living out that text in our home, our church, and our world?
Next, I want to take a look at 2 Timothy 3:16-17… All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the person of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. The whole Bible is God’s inspired Word. Because it is inspired and trustworthy, we should read it and apply it to our lives. The Bible is our standard for testing everything else that claims to be true. It is our safeguard against false teaching and our source of guidance for how we should live. The Bible is our only source of knowledge about how we can be saved. God wants to show us what is true and equip us to live for Him.
2 Tim 3:16 is known for its affirmation of the inspiration of Scripture, but it also serves as a basic pattern for applying the Scriptures. We can approach every passage with the assumption that it accomplishes one or more of the 4 purposes of Scripture: Doctrine, Reproof, Correction, & Training
1. Doctrine is the content and teaching of truth, which must flow from and be consistent with Scripture. By calling the Bible “God –breathed,” Paul was identifying its divine source; by making the Bible the source of doctrine, he was reminding Timothy (and us) of its authority. Doctrine that contradicts biblical doctrine is to be rejected, corrected, or replaced by accurate teaching. When we approach the Bible we should ask, “What basic truth that God wants me to know does this passage teach?”
2. Reproof is rebuking those in sin. The initial impact of true doctrine involves confronting of false doctrine and understanding. The offensiveness of some who teach biblical truth may have to be excused, but the offensiveness of biblical truth to error and evil requires no apology. When we approach the Bible we should ask, “What error in Judgment, understanding, or behavior might this passage be reprimanding in my life?”
3. Correction ishelping people straighten out errors. In the area of correction the Scriptures have 2 roles: 1) they provide a complete presentation of the teaching, where only part of the truth has been present; 2) they provide for a right understanding and application where true doctrine has been taught but has not taken effect. When we approach the Bible we should ask, “How might this passage correct, balance or direct me?”
4. Training is showing people how to please and glorify God. The ideal setting for doctrine includes the kind of preparation that minimizes the need for later reproof and correction. The nature of Scripture allows us to teach it confidently to our children and to learn from it ourselves. When we approach the Bible we should ask, “What does this passage present to prepare me for some future spiritual challenge?”
So you see, the Bible is not merely a record of the past—the history of the Jews and then of the Church. Rather, every story, every prophecy, every teaching, every admonition, and every command points beyond to the Author, to God, who came to us in Jesus Christ. God confronts us in the pages of His Word—telling us how much He loves us, how we can become His children, and how we should live in order to please Him. Believers should not study God’s Word simply to increase their knowledge or prepare them to win arguments. No! We should study the Bible in order to get to know God and His will for each and every one of us—our corporate and individual purposes. Knowledge of God’s Word is not useful unless it strengthens our faith and leads us to do good works. Ephesians 2:10 says, For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago (NLT).
Finally, let’s take a look at Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. There are no other written works that have withstood the test of time and scrutiny that the written Word of God has withstood. There are a few great literary works that we may choose to read more than once, but nothing can speak to our lives—to our very being—the way the Word does. The reason is because the word of God is living and active. Everything else that has been or will be written is authored by mortals. Only the Bible has an immortal—eternal author. Because the inspired Word is living and active there is and will always be an application of the Word to our lives privately and corporately. The Bible will never be obsolete to any person on this earth until every word in it is fulfilled. D. L. Moody once said that “the Scriptures were not given to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives.” The Word of God is not simply a collection of God’s words, a vehicle for communicating ideas; it is living, life changing, and dynamic as it works in us. Because the Word of God is living, it applied to 1st century Jewish Christians, and it applies as well to Christians today. The Word of God lives and it gives life to those who believe—energizing this present life and promising eternal life. The Word of God—living and powerful—breathes life for people today. God reaches out to those who look into its pages, calling them to life, meeting their needs, expressing their deepest emotions, offering answers to their greatest questions.
The Word of God breaks through the masks we wear revealing the part of us we keep hidden (or try to keep hidden) from the world. The analogy of a 2-edged sword pictures the Word of God, like a knife, revealing who we really are one the inside. It discerns what is within us, both good and evil. It penetrates the core of our moral and spiritual lives. The Roman short sword that Paul had in mind when he used this analogy was ideal for cut and thrust warfare. The Word of God pierces even to the division of soul and spirit, and joints and marrow. These words develop the analogy; they are not a commentary on people’s physiology or spiritual makeup. The analogy of the sword amplifies the fact that nothing can be hidden from God. Neither can we hide from ourselves if we sincerely study the Word of God. Maybe no human being knows you very well, but God knows us better than we know ourselves. God’s way of talking to us about our secret thoughts—and helping us confront them—is His Word, the Bible. The Bible, opened to us through the work of the Holy Spirit, is our clearest mirror and strongest counsel. Read the Bible and find out for yourself. Study the Bible and learn about yourself and God. Apply the Bible and change your life.
Stephanie & I are beginning an exciting ministry here with y’all. We are beginning with the Word claiming God’s promise in Isaiah 55 that as His Word is sent out it always bears fruit. AMEN
