Greg Laurie - What Every Growing Christian Needs to Know (03/20/2018)
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Pastor Greg Laurie opens Psalm 19 in a mini-series "What Every Growing Christian Needs to Know," stressing that spiritual growth comes from delighting in and obeying God's Word daily. Using Psalm 1 and Psalm 19, he shows the Bible revives, transforms, gives wisdom, and brings true happiness—far better than gold or honey—while warning that neglecting Scripture leads to spiritual stagnation or failure.
Why Do Some Christians Grow Faster Than Others?
Tonight we are in Psalm 19. I would like you to turn there with me if you would. And this is sort of a mini-series that we are doing together and I am calling it "What Every Growing Christian Needs to Know." Okay, so quick poll before we start. How many of you are Christians? Raise your hand up if you are a Christian. Okay, good. How many of you want to be a growing Christian? Raise your hand up. Okay, that is very good. You have come to the right place.
Psalm 19. Go ahead and turn there. I heard about a father that was talking with his daughter and her five-year-old friend, Kristen, about birthdays. As it turns out, Kristen's birthday was March 30th and the father's was March 27th. And so he said to the little girl, "You know what, Kristen? Our birthdays are only three days apart." And she looked at him and said, "Yeah, but you grew much faster than I did."
But why is that? Why is it that some people actually grow faster spiritually than others? Here is another question. Why is it that some people make what we might call a commitment to Christ and then fall away immediately? Why do some take off and why do others crash and burn? Why do some make a commitment that lasts a lifetime while others can't make it through the week?
Some will even say, Oh, I tried Christianity. It didn't work for me. I reject that statement out of hand. And I will tell you why. Christianity is Christ. And Christ will work in any life that will be open to Him. Jesus has said, He that comes to Me, I will in no way cast out. Jesus is not a new brand of toothpaste that some like and others don't. He is the Lord of glory.
And so I am telling you, if it didn't work for you, it is because you didn't do your part. And I will tell you what I mean by that in just a moment. But there are certain principles that must be in play throughout a Christian's life. This is if you are a brand new Christian, only hours old or days old in the faith. And this is true if you have known the Lord for 30, 40, 50, 60 years. You never outgrow these principles. You don't move beyond them. You always need to do them.
Spiritual Growth Requires Daily Discipline
It would be like somebody saying, Oh yeah, I tried the whole eating thing once. Yeah, every morning I would get up and eat breakfast. And then have lunch and maybe a snack. And then dinner and even dessert. But you know, it didn't really work out for me. That is a little stupid. You are going to need to eat throughout your life.
Or it would be even more ridiculous if someone said, Yeah, I tried the whole breathing thing. You know, some people are into breathing. And I tried it. Yeah, yeah, big deal. You take your in. You let it out. Yeah, but I don't really do that anymore. Okay, you are going to be around for about two more minutes, okay? Because you have to eat to live. Obviously you have to breathe to live. And you have to do the things that we are going to identify to grow spiritually as well.
Listen, what I am going to tell you is not rocket science. You are not going to hear anything new tonight. I seriously doubt that when I identify these principles, you are going to say, I have never heard that before. But the real question will be, are you doing it?
Jesus, in His conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount, made this statement. Therefore, whoever hears these things of mine and does them, or puts them into practice, I will tell you what He is like. He is like a wise man who built his house upon the rock. And the rains came and the streams rose. And the winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.
But then He went on to say, Whoever hears these things of mine and does not do them, or does not put them into practice, he is like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. And then when the rain came down and the streams rose, it fell.
You know, I have never understood why people spend so much time building sandcastles. They even have sandcastle building contests that are quite elaborate. I mean, they will do these gigantic things, and I will just look at them and think, This is going to probably be gone by tomorrow. Maybe even sooner, because some little crazy kid is going to go stomping through it. Probably one of my grandkids, as a matter of fact. And if they don't do it, I am doing it. Okay? Because one of the great joys of building a sandcastle is knocking it down again. My sandcastles are very primitive. They are just basically a lump of sand. And I put my token moat in, and the first wave usually takes it out.
But you see, some people are like this spiritually. They build their whole life on sand. What does this mean? If you hear the sayings of the Lord and do them, you are on the rock. If you hear the sayings of the Lord and do not do them, you are a fool on the sand.
So right now, all of us are hearing God's Word audibly. Now the question is, will we do it or put it into practice? If so, you will grow spiritually.
Work Out What God Has Worked In
The Bible tells us that we are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12. And as I have told you before, that means to carry to the goal and fully complete. It does not say, work for your own salvation, because salvation is a gift from God. It says, work out your own salvation.
And the idea that is communicated there is a miner going in and discovering what is in that mine. Hopefully finding that great vein of gold. And this idea here is, we need to mine. We need to work out what God has worked in.
And as the apostles John and Paul said, we can work it out. That was John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Different apostles. That obscure Beatle lyric there. Forget it. If I have to explain it, it is just not funny at all, is it?
But, here is something to consider. There are some things only God can do, and some things only I can do. Now some would take issue with that statement. Oh, God can do anything. Well, yeah, He can do anything. But He doesn't do everything.
Illustration. Does God sin? No. So, we say God can do anything, but there are some things God will not do. Right? Here is something God will not do. He will not violate the human will. Sometimes we wish He would, because we know people that are doing the wrong thing with their life, and we just feel like the Lord ought to just grab them by the back of their neck and drag them home, you know.
And He will actually let them do the things they choose to do. He will let their life run its course. Sure, He will give them warning. Sure, He will speak to them. But He really honors human will.
So, it comes down to this. There are some things only God can do, some things only I can do. For instance, only God can save a person. A person cannot save themselves. You have never seen a drowning person rescue themselves. It doesn't happen. Only a lifeguard can do that, or someone else who knows how.
Only God can save a person. Only God can forgive our sins and then forget them. Only God can change a human heart. I can't change my own heart. Maybe I will try, but I can't. So, that is what God does.
But at the same time, only I can believe. God will not believe for me. He will give me the ability to believe. He will urge me to believe. He will tell me to believe. But ultimately, it is my choice. Only I can repent. Only I can follow.
It comes down to this. God says, Behold, I set before you death and life, blessings and curses. Choose life that you may live. I love that. That is sort of like a teacher saying, Today I am going to test you on who is buried in Grant's tomb. By the way, the answer is, Grant is buried in Grant's tomb. That is the correct answer. If you put that down, you get an A.
So the teacher told you what the question is. Then the teacher told you what to do. But you still have to write it down. So God says, Here is life and death. Here is blessing. Here is cursing. You choose. Oh, by the way, choose life. I just want to let you know, Here is the right answer. I am telling you. You can use this. It is okay. But it is still my choice ultimately, right? I have to choose.
Psalm 1 – The Blessed Man and the Word of God
Here is a psalm that pulls it all together and tells us what our first principle of spiritual growth is. Psalm 1. I committed this to memory as a young Christian, and it is still with me today, hopefully, because I am going to try to quote it now.
It says, Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law, or the word of the Lord, and in it does he meditate day and night. He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. He will bring forth fruit in his season. His leaves shall not wither, and whatsoever he does shall prosper.
So what do we learn from that beautiful psalm? Number one. If you want to be a blessed or a happy person, there are some things you should not do, and there are some things you should do.
First of all, here is what you should not do. Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scornful.
Have you ever noticed a progression, or maybe I should say regression there. First he is walking, then he is standing, then he is sitting. Don't walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Stand in the way of sinners. Sit in the seat of the scornful.
Isn't that the way temptation works? You know you are walking along, and you are on a diet, and you don't want to eat the wrong thing, but you decide to walk by In-N-Out Burger. Okay. And you know the aroma is wafting out, and of double-doubles and all that. And so you know if you walk by you are going to be tempted, because really you should go over and eat your tofu and rice cakes, or whatever else you are eating for your diet.
But you decide just for fun to walk by In-N-Out Burger. So first you are walking. Now you are standing, seeing them cook those fresh burgers. Now you are sitting inside, eating two double-doubles, one in each hand, Viking style. Like that. Okay.
That is how sin works. First you are walking by it. Then you are standing and contemplating it. Then you are sitting. And you are involved in it. So don't do that stuff. Don't hang around ungodly people that will encourage you to do ungodly things. Okay.
So don't do that. But the Christian life is not just don'ts. It is do's. Right? But his delight is in the law of the Lord. And in it does he meditate day and night.
Now law and word of the Lord are interchangeable terms. So effectively it is saying his delight is in God's word. And in it does he meditate day and night. It doesn't say he just reads it when he finds time. Or gets around to it when she has a break in her schedule. No they meditate.
Do you know what the word meditate means? I am not talking about transcendental meditation and clearing one's mind as you sit in the lotus position. If you can even get in a lotus position. I think if I got one I would never get out of one.
Now when the Bible uses the word meditate it doesn't mean to clear the mind. It means to fill the mind. It means to fill the mind with the word of God. Another way to translate it would be to chew, ponder, and think over. Sort of like chewing your food carefully. Pondering the word. Not rushing through it. But meditating in it.
When? Day and night. Okay if I do this what happens? He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that will bring forth fruit in his season. And whatsoever he does will prosper. Blessed is that man.
Principle #1 – Love and Meditate on God's Word
So that brings us to principle number one. Are you ready? Fasten your seatbelts. If you want to be a growing Christian you must read, study, and love the word of God. Again if you want to be a growing Christian you must read, study, and love God's word.
Joshua 1:8 says, This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth. Ye shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. Then you will make your way prosperous and you will have good success.
Why is this important? Because one of the first things you are going to face as a young Christian is doubt. Do you remember that? Right after you became a believer maybe you went forward at a harvest crusade or in a church service or prayed with a friend wherever it was. You made that commitment to Jesus. Maybe you had an emotional experience. Maybe you felt his peace. He sensed his presence. I didn't feel anything personally but I could see changes in my life.
But straight away I had a doubt. I thought oh man maybe what if this isn't true and I went and told a Christian friend and I said man I just had a doubt. What is wrong with me? They said oh you are going through a trial. I said what I am on trial? No you are going through a trial. Well okay what is that? You are being tested. By what? Tested by the devil. Oh no really? Oh yeah there is a devil.
And I am thinking of the guy with the red skin, the pointed ears, the pitchfork. No. There is a devil and he is testing you right now. And it was true. Just like the devil came to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. What did he say? They are in a paradise. He says did God really say you can't eat of any tree in the garden. Why don't you go ahead and eat of that tree over there? For God knows that in the day you eat thereof you will be as a god or a goddess knowing good and evil.
So what did he do? He challenged the word of God. Did God really say what you thought he said? You know come to the new Christian. Do you really think you are saved? Do you really think Christ has come into your life? Do you really think this is real? Well you really psyched yourself into it.
But if I know the word of God I can defend myself, you see. That is why one of the first things we do with new Christians is we tell them to start memorizing scripture. Starting with 1 John 5:13. These things we write to you that believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.
Your salvation is based on what God has said not on what you feel. And this is important to know the Bible. And start learning it early on. And that is how you defend yourself when you are being tempted.
Remember when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness and he had fasted for 40 days and he was hungry and the devil said, hey why don't you take a rock and turn it into a piece of bread? How did Jesus respond? He said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.
How did Jesus defend himself, if you will, of the word of God? Jesus could have just said, look I am Jesus, you are not, get out. He could have even said, go to hell. He has that kind of authority. And I don't mean in a profane way. I mean like literally, go to hell. Boom. That is done.
Jesus did not exercise his divine privileges. He faced the temptation like you and I would face it so we will know what to do when temptation comes. He didn't use executive privilege. He said, here is how you do it guys. Use the word of God.
So when the devil comes and tempts you, oh do you really think you are... Boom. You quote scripture. You quote scripture. Sometimes you quote scripture out loud. The Bible says, How will a man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to your word. And the psalmist reminds us, Your word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Listen, it is nice to carry a Bible in your purse or in your briefcase. But the best place to hide God's word is in your heart.
Practical Advice from Billy Sunday
Years ago I heard about a man named Billy Sunday who had accepted Christ into his life. He was a professional baseball player. And an older believer said to young Billy, Here is some advice. And if you follow this, Billy, they will never write the word backslider after your name.
He said, Number one, take 15 minutes every day and let God talk to you. Number two, take 15 minutes every day to talk to God. And thirdly, spend 15 minutes every day telling others about the Savior.
Billy Sunday followed that advice and ended up leaving pro baseball and became one of the greatest evangelists in human history. Sort of a forerunner of Billy Graham in many ways. And reached thousands and thousands of people.
But what great advice. Take 15 minutes every day to let God talk to you. How does God talk to us? He talks to us through the word of God.
The Bible as Our User's Manual
Heard about a man that took his wife to a doctor to see her because she wasn't feeling well. So she went into the doctor's office and a couple of moments went by and the doctor came running out of the office and asked if anyone had a screwdriver. And someone found one and gave it to the doctor and he went back into the exam room and came out a few moments later and said, Does anyone have a pair of pliers?
And this guy is thinking, What is going on in there? And someone gave him some pliers. The doctor went in and came out a few moments later and said, Does anyone have a hammer? Now the man is alarmed. He says, What is wrong with my wife? What is going on in there? Doctor says, I haven't even seen your wife yet. I am trying to get my medical bag open.
You see. See, the... Well, it wasn't that bad. Someone over here is like, Oh. Who said that? Is it you? That hurt. I am okay. It was really a bad joke. I agree. It's not going to do you any good to carry a Bible around if you don't open it.
Open the book up and start reading it. I remember when I was given my first Bible, I was embarrassed to carry it around at first. But as I started to read it, it changed my life.
I told a story recently of how my first prayer was answered. And I prayed that God would provide me with a nice Bible. The one I was given was kind of funky. And I wanted a cool one, a new one. So I found one because my grandmother bought it for me. She heard I had become a Christian and she bought it.
I was looking through my Bible today. I still have that Bible. This Bible is over 40 years old. And it has all my crazy little notes and drawings in it and underlining. And I have pages ripped out. It is not because I did not like this part and ripped it out. But it just has been abused over the years.
It has been said that a Bible that is falling apart is usually an indication of a life that is not. So I like to see beat up Bibles. I like to Mark up Bibles. I hope you write in your Bible. Please do. And underline things in your Bible and just wear the thing out and then go get a new one and do it again.
But it is just kind of fun to look at this old Bible and look at old notes that I wrote in it and so forth. But what a great thing it was to get that first Bible and then to continue to learn from it.
This is the user's manual. I have a newer one now. It is a little cooler. But this is the user's manual we have been looking. It could be summed up this way. Bible, an acronym, basic instructions before leaving earth. So you need to consult with it. Read the user's manual.
Now I do not know about you. But I do not like to read user's manuals. But I love gadgets. I am a gadget guy. So if some new gadget comes out I will go fiddle with it. And if I buy it I always end up doing the thing I was not supposed to do. I start pushing buttons and it blows up. And it is like, was that supposed to happen? And then I hear the theme song of Mission Impossible playing in the background. No I am kidding.
But and then I read the manual. It says whatever you do don't do this thing. And I just did that thing. So it is always good to consult the user's manual.
You ever notice those warning labels that are on everything right now? I mean they are getting more and more ridiculous. I came across a list of some true warning labels. I am not making any of these up. I wish I was. And the reason these warning labels are there. You know why, right? Because someone did the thing. They are telling you not to do. Here are some true but very goofy warning labels.
On a cardboard windshield sunshade. You know those things you put on your windshield when you park in the sun. It says warning. Warning. Do not drive with sunshield in place. Some idiot did that.
I had a lady come up to me the other day and she said her little boy used the word idiot. And she said, Honey we told you that is a bad word. She said Pastor Greg said it. So I did it again. That is not good. I am sorry. Children don't do this at home. I am a professional. Idiot.
On a hair dryer. I am not making this up. This warning is on the side of a hair dryer. Do not use while sleeping. How is that even possible?
This one really scares me. On an electric rotary tool. This product is not intended for use as a dental drill. Seriously?
These are not jokes. On a bathroom heater. This product is not to be used in bathrooms. But it is a bathroom heater.
How about this one? On a manual for a microwave oven. Do not use for drying pets. So someone took their little yappy dog. Open it up. Put it in. Sorry. It happens.
On a box of rat poison. Warning. This has been found to cause cancer in laboratory mice. Good. It is rat poison. I was hoping for something faster than that.
On children's cough medicine. Do not drive car or operate machinery. I will make sure I share that with my four year old.
On a string of Christmas lights for indoor or outdoor use only. That covers it. Where else would I use them? Do these work underground?
This one is really frightening. On a child sized Superman costume. Warning. Wearing this garment does not enable you to fly. Oh no.
On a bottle of sleeping pills. Warning. May cause drowsiness. Unbelievable.
Think of these crazy people trying to dry their hair when they are asleep. I am not sure how that works. Or jump off the roof because they are wearing their little Superman costume. They would have been a lot better off if they had read the warning label.
Isn't the same true of life? The Bible gives us direction. And yes it gives us warnings about things we should avoid.
2 Timothy 3:16 says, All scripture is inspired by God. It is useful to teach us what is true and make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out. It teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way fully equipped for every good thing that God wants us to do.
See God's Word is alive. The scripture says it is full of living power. It exposes us for what we really are. It is a powerful book.
I like the word of Martin Luther. He said, quote, The Bible is alive. It speaks to me. It has feet. It runs after me.
Now I am not talking so much about a living Bible, you know, where you open up the case and it jumps on you or something. Sorry, it is a living Bible. I will put it back in there. I have little air holes punched in the box. I keep it in. No, but the Bible, it is amazing how the words just jump off the page and speak to us individually.
Listen to this. Success or failure in the Christian life is dependent on how much of the Bible you get into your heart and mind on a daily basis and how obedient you are to it.
Again, let me say that again. Success or failure in the Christian life is dependent on how much of the Bible you get into your heart and mind on a daily basis and how obedient you are to it.
If you neglect the study of the Scripture, your spiritual life will ultimately unravel. Why? Because everything you need to know about God is taught in the Bible. If you need to know it for your spiritual growth, it is in the Bible. If you do not need to know it, it is not in the Bible. It is as simple as that.
The Transforming Power of Psalm 19
You know, one of the ways a doctor can tell if someone is healthy or sick is by their appetite or lack thereof. When there is not an appetite, it is usually an indication something is wrong.
So if you are a Christian and you do not have an appetite for God's Word, that is an indication of a spiritual breakdown. It would say that you are not where you ought to be spiritually. Hungry children are healthy children.
1 Peter 2:2 says, Like newborn babies crave pure spiritual milk, so by it you may grow up in your salvation.
You know, it is a funny thing. When you do not eat, it can affect your mood. I do not know about you, but if I do not eat, I get grumpy. And my wife figured this out a number of years ago, that I would have a bad mood and I would start becoming critical or nitpicking. She says, You are just hungry, aren't you? How do you say that? Yeah. Just throw a piece of bread at me and things will get better, okay?
You know, I mean, I start getting hungry around 10.30 and I am almost counting down until it is lunch time. And that is why it is hard for me if I am meeting someone for lunch and they are late, you know, and I am just sitting there, so hungry, must eat now.
And my wife will say, Now, do not order anything. It is rude. Yeah, but I am hungry. They are like a minute late. But you know, it affects my mood. The little kids are this way. And sometimes a small child that cannot talk yet, they will start crying. And you do not know why they are crying. What is wrong with them? Well, they are probably just hungry. Or they need their diaper changed. Or maybe they need a nap. Funny, all those things work for me too. Except the diaper. We are not there. Yet.
But I, even the Bible uses this picture. It says in Jeremiah 15:16, When your words came, I ate them. They were like joy in my heart's delight. I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty. Just eating God's word.
And yet there is a trend in many churches today to not even bring your Bible to church. I do not get that at all when people come to church without a Bible. That is why I always ask you, do you have your Bible? And grab your Bible. And turn to your Bible. And read this. And if someone comes here and they do not have a Bible, I want you to feel some positive peer pressure to go out and get yourself one.
And listen, I will give you a free one to hold you over. It looks like this. Right? But this is a little paperback. And you will wear this out quickly. The Start Bible that we give to every person who makes a commitment or recommitment to Christ or anyone who would want one.
But you need to go out and get your own copy of the Bible and start learning the Bible. Okay.
Well now, having said all that, let's talk about why the Bible is so important for spiritual growth. And it is all laid out before us right here in Psalm 19. We are going to read verses 7-11. So let's look at it together.
And this is so beautifully written. Remember how many of the psalms were originally songs. They were set to music. And this one had such a fantastic rhythm to it, you could see how easily it could be sung.
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yes, and much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned, and in keeping of them there is great reward.
Now remember again that this phrase, the law of the Lord, would be interchangeable with the word of the Lord, or in our case, just quite simply, the Bible.
The Word of God Is Perfect and Sufficient
So let's identify some important principles from this passage. Number one, we learned that the word of God is perfect. The word of God is perfect.
The phrase, the law of the Lord, is a Hebrew term used to define Scripture. And it is a word that speaks of the perfection of Scripture. It can be translated, the word of God as whole. It is complete. Another way you could translate it is the word of God is sufficient.
Even as culture changes, the word of God never does. I saw a preacher being interviewed recently on a news show. And this interviewer was pressing him on some issues that are not popular in culture today, and what the Bible says about them. And the interviewer said, Don't you think it is time for us to drag the Bible, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century?
And I thought, Oh my. That is the whole problem. Is that we have ignored the Bible. No. What it is time to do is to get the culture to adapt to what Scripture says. Because the Bible is never out of date. The newspaper is out of date. Quickly. But never the word of God.
Sort of like a yearbook. You know, do you ever go back and look at your old yearbook from high school and wonder, What was I thinking? The hairstyles always crack me up. I used to have hair once. I did. I had a nice little surfer wave right here. It is blonde. I do this all the time. Now in the place of the wave I just have beach. Lots of beach going all the way back.
But remember when mullets were popular? What was with mullets? Some of you still have them, I see. But the only thing worse than a mullet, and a mullet is where your hair is kind of cut short on top and then it is real long, you know. The only thing worse than a mullet is a bald guy with a mullet. And I have seen them. Guys, you know, they are completely bald and they have like long hair. And it is just like, this isn't working at all. Okay. Sorry if I just described you.
But just my personal opinion. And remember I already said earlier, I am a professional idiot. But these things are all dated. But God's Word never is.
2 Timothy 3:16 says, All Scripture is inspired by God. Or a better translation would be breathed by God. So we know that God's Word is sufficient. It is infallible. The original autographs or the first copies were without error. There is no mistakes. There is no contradictions. It is perfect.
Even when there is a discovery like the Dead Sea Scrolls that might have autographs that are older than some that we have used for translations. It is always wonderful to see that it says the same thing. The Word of God is perfect. Just know that. This is an adequate book. It is a sufficient book. It is a perfect book. Okay.
The Word Revives and Transforms the Soul
Number two. The Word of God transforms us. The Word of God transforms us. Verse 7 of Psalm 19. The Word of the Lord is perfect. Converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure. Making wise the simple.
This word converting would better be translated reviving, restoring, transforming. It is amazing how the Word of God can just revitalize your heart. How you can maybe be going into a tailspin of doubt or fear or some other thing. And then a scripture is quoted. That will just sort of lift you.
You ever had that happen? Someone just says, remember the Word says. And it is just like, that is right. You know, and I do not care how long you have known the Lord. You need to be reminded of things. That is why Peter said, these things I want to bring to your remembrance. That you remember them over and over again. Oh, that is right. I forgot that.
Even though we have memorized it and quoted it, sometimes we lose sight of these things. And it sort of corrects us in life. And that is what the Word of God does. It revives us.
How about those two discouraged disciples on the Emmaus Road? They had lost all hope. In their view, Jesus had failed in this mission. They did not realize that He was alive and risen. And Jesus walked with them, but they did not know it was Christ. And He began to open the Word of God to them and pointed them to all the scriptures that alluded to His death and sacrifice.
And after their journey was completed, and they realized they had been with Jesus, they said, Did not our heart burn within us while He walked with us on the way and gave us God's Word? So God's Word revives us. It brings us back to life again.
Now if you are not interested in being revived, if you have no interest in being transformed, if you do not want to grow spiritually, if you do not want direction or purpose in your life, then do not read the Bible.
But if you are like the rest of us, and you wish your life had focus and purpose, and you wish that you had direction, then start reading it.
There is even some fringe benefits. Sometimes the Bible even stops bullets. I read an interesting news article about some crazy woman who decided to kill her son, Kenneth, who had gone to church. She fired a shotgun at close range, but the shot hit his Bible. And the deputy that arrested this woman said, That Bible certainly saved his life.
That is a good reason to carry not only a Bible, but a big one. A little pocket Bible wouldn't have done much. No, don't. Big old, gnarly Bible, right? Maybe it had Kevlar on the outside. I am not sure. But the Bible will save your life as well.
But it is not enough to just read it. You must do what it says. James 1:22 says, Remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you do not obey, you are fooling yourself. If you listen and do not obey, it is like you are looking at your face in the mirror, but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see yourself walk away and forget what you look like.
But if you look steadily into God's Word, the Word that will set you free, and do what it says, and do not forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
So it is not just enough to read it. No. Read it. Think about it. Contemplate it. Ponder it. Let it sink in.
One man summed up what the Bible is. He says, Conversion turns us to the Word of God, which is our touchstone. A touchstone originally was a special rock that was used to measure precious metals by. So it was a point of reference. The Word of God is our touchstone.
He goes on to say, It is our mirror to dress by. James 1. Our rule to walk by. Galatians 5:16. This is all on our screen, I think. It is our water to wash us. Psalm 119:9. Our fire to warm us. Luke 24. Our food to nourish us. Job 23:12. Our sword to fight with. Ephesians 6. Our counselor in all of our doubts. Psalm 119:24.
The Bible is everything you need. This is why you need to memorize it and read it. And it gives you incredible wisdom.
The Word Makes the Simple Wise
That is point number three. The Word of God gives us incredible wisdom. Verse seven. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The Hebrew word used here for simple comes from a root that speaks of an open door. It was the idea of a mind that is like an open door. Everything could come in and goes out. Just a door that is always open. And this is speaking of a person that doesn't know how to control what they take in. They just, whatever comes in they take it in. Let it come in. Let it go out.
But the Bible can take a simple person like that with a mind that is too open and learn how to filter things and make such a person wise. And then you develop a biblical world view.
Listen. If you believe that man is basically good, and the only reason he does bad things is because of his environment, and if he can change his environment, then you will change the heart of the person, then things probably aren't making sense to you right now.
Because we look at all these so called government solutions that are supposed to improve our way of life in America. And we see they have really done no good at all. That is because changing an environment does not change the heart of a man or a woman.
The Bible does not teach that man is basically good and does bad things because of bad influence. The Bible teaches that man is basically sinful. And he is born sinful. He is not a sinner because he sins. He sins because he is a sinner. It comes naturally. It comes to all of us. That is the way that we are pre-wired to sin.
Well the Bible tells us that. That man is not basically good. It tells us that man is capable of very evil things. If you believe that we can bring about a utopia on earth through man-made solutions, you must be very disappointed because despite of all of our advances in technology, we cannot change the human heart. We cannot do anything to improve things.
But if you believe, as the Bible says, that one day Christ will come back and establish His kingdom and rule and reign, then things will make a whole lot more sense to you.
But sometimes people will sort of edit out things about the Bible they are uncomfortable with. Well you know, I am a Christian, they will say. And I believe in the Bible, of course. But you know, there are some verses I don't necessarily agree with.
For instance, I believe in a loving God who loves all of us and accepts us the way that we are. And I don't think it is really right for us to ever render a judgment about a person's lifestyle or life choices. And I believe in a heaven for all good people. And I believe in a hell for bad people.
These things sound nice, but everything I just said is completely unbiblical. The Bible doesn't say that heaven is for good people. Heaven is for forgiven people, you see. And hell is prepared for the devil and his angels and anyone that rejects the offer of forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
And you can't have heaven and not have hell. You can't edit out the parts of the Bible that bug you.
I had someone come to me a number of years ago and say, Well, Greg, what do you do when you come to a verse in the Bible you don't agree with? I just kind of looked at him and smiled. I said, Then change your opinion because you are wrong.
I don't think they would like that answer. But Romans 9:20 says, Who are you? A mere human being to criticize God. Should the thing that was created say to the one who made it. Why did you make me this way?
Now listen. The Word of God transforms us and it makes us wise. If you don't agree with it, change your opinion because you are wrong and the Bible is always right.
The Word Is Right and Rejoices the Heart
And that brings me to point number four. The Word of God is right. Verse eight. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.
In Hebrew, this means that the Bible has set out the right path for us to follow. You don't have to lose your bearings in the fog of human opinion.
That is why it is great to read and study the Word of God chapter by chapter, verse by verse, book by book. And as you read through the Bible, here are some questions you can ask yourself when you come across certain passages.
Ask yourself, is there... Well first of all, understand it contextually. That is the most important thing. I think that people get into more trouble because they read verses out of context. And they don't understand who it was initially addressed to and what it meant.
So first understand the context of the verse. And what it is saying in its proper place. Having established that, now looking at it personally, you might ask yourself the question, well is there any sin here for me to avoid? Is there any promise here for me to claim? Is there any victory here for me to gain? Is there any blessing here for me to enjoy?
So after you have understood it contextually, now you can look at it for your own life.
Number five. Keeping the Word of God will make you happy. Verse eight says, the statutes of the Lord are right. Rejoicing the heart.
There is a happiness in hearing, believing, and keeping the Word. As we read, more to be desired are they than gold? Yes, and much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
You know, it is just, it is sweet and it is like gold. It is precious. The Bible says, Luke 11:28, happy are those that hear the Word of God and keep it.
Listen to this. You can have a happy life without sin. It is hard for some people to believe. They think, oh no, the happiness is in sin. Well, look, I will be honest with you. There is some happiness in sin. There is some fun in sin.
Let me take a quick poll. How many of you have ever sinned? Raise up your hand. You have sinned. Okay. All right. Wow, you are really a messed up bunch of people. No, you are honest people. I like that. My hand was up too.
How many of you have ever had fun while sinning? Raise up your hand. You have had fun. Go ahead. You can all put your hand there. Don't tell me it was always miserable. You know it wasn't. And sometimes I think we are reluctant to say that. Oh, sin is bad. Well, it is bad. But you did have some fun here and there, right?
I mean, some preachers don't say it. I am saying it. But it came with a price. A hefty price. The Bible even says there is pleasure in sin for a season. Pleasure.
I am sure it would be very pleasurable to jump out of an airplane and fly through the air without a parachute. I think it would be the ultimate rush. I think it would be better than any rollercoaster or any amusement. But then you are going to hit the ground and die. Okay.
So there is fun for a time. But then there is payday. So if we don't say this and we say sin is always miserable, sin is always awful, and then you go out and the first time you get high, or the first time you fool around sexually, or the first time you steal something and get away with it, or the first time you do something And you have a little buzz or a little rush. You go, well the preacher was wrong. I had fun.
Okay, the preacher is telling you, you will have fun. And then it is going to bite back hard. There will be pleasure in sin for a season. Temporarily. Because then the addiction kicks in. Then the consequences kick in. Then the repercussions kick in.
Oh, I got away with this little fling and my wife never found out about it. This is so much fun. And then your wife finds out about it. Not so much fun now, is it?
The Bible warns that wages of sin are death. And now you are going to face the ramifications. And sometimes ramifications for a lifetime. For a moment of pleasure, you can have a lifetime of regret.
So yeah, it is fun for a little while. But long term, it is miserable. It is horrible. It is destructive. No question about it.
But if you keep the Word of God, you will be happy. The Bible says, Happy is the man that resists temptation.
Now sometimes you do not feel that way when it is there, you know, being very tempting. Because that is what temptation is. Tempting. Right? It is appealing. It is attractive. It is alluring. And you say, I am not going to do it. Oh, I really am not going to do it. No. No. And you do not do it. You walk away. Oh. And then about ten minutes later, maybe an hour later, you say, Oh, thank God I did not do that.
Because then maybe you have a friend that went and did it. And they face a repercussion for it. Thank God I did not do it. Happy is the man that resists temptation.
But at the time, there is a struggle. There is a battle. You take hold of God's Word. You rely on the Holy Spirit. But you can have a happy life without sin, without sex outside of marriage, without drugs and alcohol, without selfishness.
God is not out to ruin your life. He wants it to be fulfilled. This all comes from reading, studying, memorizing, and obeying the Word of God.
So if you want to grow spiritually, this is a staple. This is an absolute. This is Christianity 101. And you will have spiritual success.
Again, Joshua 1:8. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth. But you will meditate in it day and night. Observe to do all that is written in it. And God will make your way prosperous. And you will have good success.
So it is all there for you in a relationship with God.
Time to Apply – Are You Doing It?
Now some of you would say, Well, you know, Greg, that is kind of interesting. But I already knew all this stuff. Okay. Now here is my follow up question. Have you been doing it?
Maybe that is why you are cranky all the time. You need to eat something. You see? And you do not know what is wrong with my life spiritually. I do not know. I have been a Christian for like fifteen years. And I just feel sort of lethargic. And I am kind of being attracted more to these evil things. Or I am finding them more attractive. And I am weak in this area. I do not know what is wrong.
Yeah. Did you read your Bible this morning? Well, no. But you know. How about yesterday? Oh, no. Day before? Yeah. For, you know, thirty seconds.
And maybe you are just hungry. I am not saying this solves everything. Okay. Because there is more I am going to share with you about secrets to spiritual success, if you will. Things you need to do to grow spiritually. But I am just dealing with this for right now.
Start with a regular diet of the Word of God. That means tomorrow morning when you get up you discipline yourself to read the Word of God. Read it before you read the newspaper. Read it before you turn on a television set. Read it before you go to your favorite website. Read it before you update your Facebook page. Read it before you check out your emails. Read it before you respond to the text. Read it before fill in blank here. Read it first.
In it Does he meditate day and night? Start the day with the Word of God. Kind of a discipline. You know, if there is an emergency, you are excused. And deal with your emergency. But then come back to your discipline.
We don't like that word, discipline. I don't like discipline. Well, you better start liking it. Or you are not going to do well as a Christian. Because the word disciple comes from the root word, discipline. And it means we say, I am going to do certain things, and I am not going to do certain things, and there are going to be parameters in my life, and I am going to live by them, because they are there for my own protection. That is why God gave them to me.
Invitation – Come to Christ Tonight
So let us bring this to a close. And just simply reflect on something else the Bible says. The Bible, I already said this earlier, says we are all sinners. The Bible says that we are all separated from God. And the Bible tells me that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sin and Rose again from the dead.
And the Bible tells me that He stands at the door of my life, and He knocks. And if I will hear His voice and open the door, He will come in. And the Bible tells me that as many have received Him, they have the power to become sons of God.
And the Bible tells me that if any man be in Christ, he is an altogether different kind of person. The old things have passed away, and everything becomes fresh and new.
That is all here in the user's manual of life. Written for you. So you can know God.
And maybe you have come here tonight and you have never asked Jesus Christ to come into your life. You have never asked Him to forgive you of your sin. You do not have the confidence that if you were to die tonight, you would go to heaven.
Well listen, let us get that settled. Jesus can forgive you. He can change you. He can fill that void in your life that you have been trying to fill with all the junk this culture offers.
But you need to say, God I am sorry for my sin. And you need to ask Jesus to come into your life. And there might be some of you that have joined us who maybe were raised in the church, or you have walked with the Lord at other times in your life, but not so much now. You have been slipping away. You could come back to Him again tonight.
So I am going to give you an opportunity to make that commitment or recommitment to Jesus if you need to. Okay?
So let us all bow our heads in everyone praying. Father, thank You for Your Word to us. We know it is true. We know it will not return void. And now we pray for everyone who has heard it. And we pray for any that have joined us who do not yet know You. I pray, Lord, You will help them see their need for Jesus and that they will come to You tonight and be forgiven.
Now while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we are praying together, how many of you would say tonight, Greg, pray for me. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life. I want Him to forgive me of my sin. I want to know that when I die I will go to heaven. I want this void inside of me filled. I am ready to say yes to Jesus.
If that is your desire, if you would like Jesus to come into your life and you would like Him to forgive you of your sin, if you would like to go to heaven when you die, would you lift your hand up wherever you are sitting and I would like to pray for you. Lift your hand up where I can see it. If you want Christ to come into your life, God bless you. And God bless you there in the back. Anybody else? Lift your hand up. You want His forgiveness tonight. God bless you too. Anybody else? God bless you there in the back corner there. God bless you in the very back. God bless. You want that void in you filled. Christ can fill it. You were created to know God. But you must come to Him and ask for His forgiveness. Anybody else? Raise your hand up if you haven't lifted it yet and you want Christ to come into your life. I will pray for you. God bless you.
While our heads are still bowed, maybe some of you would say, hey, I have fallen away from the Lord. I know it is right. But I have turned my back on God. But I want to come back to Christ tonight. I want to return to the Lord. Pray for me. If that is your desire, would you lift your hand up? Let me pray for you right now. God bless you and you. God bless each one of you.
Father, I thank you now for each one of these that have taken this first step to follow you. Help them to take the next one we would ask now in Jesus' name. Amen.
Hey, listen. Everyone that Jesus calls, He calls openly and publicly. And in a moment our worship group is going to lead us in a song of invitation. And I am going to ask as they sing this song that if you just raised your hand saying you want Christ to come into your life, or even if you did not raise your hand but you want to make this commitment, I am going to ask that you would get up out of your seat, walk down these aisles here, and stand in front of the platform. And when you all get here I will lead you in a prayer of commitment or recommitment to Christ.
I am going to ask that nobody leave right now because we do not want that distraction. The only movement we want to see is the movement of those coming forward.
Now why do I ask you to come forward publicly like this? Because Jesus said if you will acknowledge Me before people I will acknowledge you before My Father and the angels in heaven. But then He said if you deny Me before people I will deny you before the Father and the angels.
So this is a way to acknowledge Him before people. So again if you raise your hand even if you did not. But you want Jesus Christ to come into your life. You want Him to forgive you of your sin. You want to go to heaven when you die? Or you have fallen away from the Lord and you want to come back to Him? Right now as the group sings, get up. Come on down here to the front. And I will pray for you when you get here. Here come the first ones. Come on.