SERIES ON FAITH
Part Two
“Reading the Word”
Adapted from a message by Bruce Shields
Romans 10:17
September 24, 2006
Broadway Baptist Church
INTRODUCTION
Last week we began a series on faith. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith involves putting our total faith in God to do what is impossible with man. We learned we can not have true biblical faith without a personal relationship with Jesus. We also learned we can’t walk by faith as long as there is unforgivness in our heart. Today we are going to see what reading God’s Word does to build our faith.
I. WHY READ GOD’S WORD?
A. If you don’t read it for yourself anyone can convince you what it says. For example I could say Isaiah 42:26 says, “All who are good in heart shall receive the blessings of the Lord.” If we would take the time to look up this verse you would see it’s not there. There are only 25 verses in Isaiah 42
1. How many of these thoughts are in the scriptures?
a. Spare the rod and spoil the child?
b. Jesus wept (the shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35)
c. It’s better to live in a corner of a housetop than in a house with a contentious woman (Proverbs 21:9)
B. You can make the Bible say anything you want it to
1. It’s dangerous to take scripture out of context. This thought came alive to me when my choir director told me, “Judas hung himself. Go ye therefore and do likewise.” If you never read it for yourself you can be easily deceived. On the other hand if you regularly read the Word whenever you hear something that doesn’t ring true to what you have read warning bells go off in your head.
C. The more we read the stronger our faith becomes (Read Romans 10:17)
1. Reading what we hear from the pulpit reinforces it in our heart.
D. Reading the word is the key to growth (Read II Timothy 3:16-17)
E. Reading the Word brings wisdom (Read II Timothy 2:15)
1. The more we read the more we learn. We NEVER get to the place where we have learned it all.
a. Sometimes I’ll be reading a familiar verse and God will show me something I’ve never seen before. Sometimes it’s a reassurance of what I already know and other times it’s completely new.
CONCLUSION
John 14:21 says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” Do you really love Jesus? If you do you will have the desire to read His Word.
.
