Remain in the Word

I miss hearing all of your voices as we sing.

We have some people here, and I'm glad at least that we can sing together with.

We unfortunately can't really do Passing of the Peace.

We are all scattered about, so please just turn with me right away to 2 Timothy 3, verses 10-17.

2 Timothy 3:10–17

We're taking a little break from our series in the Book of Acts for this morning.

We were actually scheduled to have a guest preacher today.

He was going to drive up from Pennsylvania, but for obvious reasons, he couldn't come up,

and I had to fill in last minute because that was a way to retreat earlier this week.

And so I'm preaching a message I had prepared before, although it still took a lot of work

to make it more applicable to our congregation.

But it's something that I haven't preached on yet for our church yet.

So please turn with me to 2 Timothy 3, verses 10-17.

2 Timothy 3:10–17

We pray for the reading and preaching of God's Word.

Father, we come to the reading and preaching of your Word.

We don't come to it like we come to any other book.

We come to it trembling.

We come to it in awe because we know that here you meet us.

Here you address us as your people.

Because your Word is the scepter by which you rule over all creation.

So we humble ourselves before you now.

We ask that you would speak to us.

Help us to think of your Word, relate to your Word,

and submit to your Word,

as we ought to teach us.

And in it,

bring us to

an encounter with your Son, Jesus Christ.

Fill our hearts with His beauty and His glory today.

We ask in His precious name.

Amen.

2 Timothy 3, verses 10-17.

2 Timothy 3:10–17

You, however, have followed my teaching,

my conduct,

my aim in life,

my faith,

my patience,

my love,

my steadfastness,

my persecutions and sufferings

that happened to me at Antioch,

at Iconium,

and at Lystra,

which persecutions I endured.

Yet from them all,

the Lord rescued me.

Indeed,

all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus

will be persecuted,

while evil people and impostors

will go on from bad to worse,

deceiving and being deceived.

But as for you,

continue in what you have learned

and have firmly believed,

knowing from whom you learned it,

and how from childhood

you have been acquainted with the sacred writings,

which are able to make you wise for salvation

through faith in Christ Jesus.

All scripture is breathed out by God

and profitable for teaching,

for reproof,

for correction,

and for training in righteousness,

that the man of God may be complete,

equipped for every good work.

After decades of research,

pollsters George Gallup Jr.

and Jim Castelli

concluded that,

quote,

Americans revere the Bible,

but by and large,

they don't read it.

And because they don't read it,

they have become a nation

of biblical illiterates.

According to a survey,

over 50% of graduating high school seniors

in our country

think that Sodom and Gomorrah

were husband and wife.

12% of adults think that

Joanna of Arc was Noah's wife.

And over half cannot name

the four Gospels.

When asked who preached

the Sermon on the Mount,

many people responded,

Billy Graham.

Not only are people

in our culture

increasingly ignorant of scripture,

they are also increasingly

contemptuous of scripture.

I remember,

this feels like forever ago now,

but in 2008,

when then-president-elect Barack Obama

announced that Rick Warren

would be the minister

who prays at his inauguration,

there was a public outrage

because Warren believed

in the biblical definition

of marriage

as the union between

a man and a woman.

And to quell this controversy,

Rick Warren did a round

of interviews,

including one with

the Today Show with NBC,

where he was interviewed

by Ann Curry.

And during that interview,

in an effort to cast doubt

on the reliability of scripture

as a moral guide,

Ann Curry asked Warren,

But the Bible,

which you claim

is the authoritative source

for morality,

also teaches that people

who eat shellfish

should be put to death.

How can you believe

such a thing?

Warren goes on

to give a good answer

about how Christ fulfilled

the Old Testament law

and so on,

but he doesn't challenge her

on the misinformation

because nowhere

in the Old Testament

is there a death penalty

prescribed for eating shellfish.

Our culture is biblically illiterate.

People don't know the scriptures.

Most of them have never read

the scriptures.

And yet there is this

widespread assumption

that the Bible

is a regressive relic

full of error

and barbarity and bigotry.

The fact that a TV anchor

and their staff

didn't bother actually

to check the Bible

exposes their presumptions

about the Bible.

And in light of,

in this kind of climate,

it can be increasingly

more intimidating

for us to turn

to the scriptures,

for us to turn

to the scriptures

as our authority,

to use the scriptures,

to minister the scripture

to others,

to reference the scriptures

for our life,

as our source of morality,

as our guide.

But 2 Timothy 3,

10-17 teaches us

that in order to live

a godly life

in Christ Jesus,

we must remain

in the word of God.

For it is what makes us

wise for salvation

and equipped

for every good work.

In the passage

immediately preceding

this passage

that we read this morning,

Paul talks about

the godlessness

that will characterize

the coming days.

He warned Timothy

about false teachers

in the church

who are lovers

of self and pleasure

rather than lovers

of God

who have the appearance

of godliness.

They have the appearance

of godliness

but not the power

of true godliness.

These people

are always learning

but never able

to arrive at a knowledge

of the truth.

Sometimes people think

that they are being

humbled by always learning,

always questioning,

but never arriving

at an answer,

never making a decision

about Jesus.

But if God has revealed

his truth to us

in his word,

refusing to believe it

and continuing

to seek out alternatives

is not humility

but hubris.

So in verses 10 to 13,

Paul offers himself

as a contrast

to these false teachers

as an example

of the godly life

that we are to live

that Timothy should follow.

So he says in verses 10 to 11,

you, however,

have followed my teaching,

my conduct,

my aim in life,

my faith,

my patience,

my love,

my steadfastness,

my persecutions

and sufferings

that happened to me

at Antioch,

at Iconium,

and at Lystra,

which persecutions

I endured.

Yet from them all

the Lord rescued me.

Paul knows that

Timothy has been

following him

and observing his life

and so he is exhorting

Timothy now

to follow his example

and I don't think

Paul is arrogant

as he does this

when he points

to himself as an example.

It's not arrogant

for a doctor

to tell a resident

come and watch me

and learn from me.

Likewise,

it's not arrogant

for a mature believer

to tell a less mature believer

to come with me

and watch me.

Imitate me

as I imitate Christ.

And I think,

in fact,

it would be irresponsible

for us not to do that

because spending time

with someone

and learning from their life

and example

is an important aspect

of Christian discipling.

So the Christian faith

has to be taught

and it has to be caught.

And by no means

is Paul claiming

to be perfect.

He knows that

all that he is

is by the grace of God.

But nevertheless,

Paul's life

was consistent

with God's teachings

and he demonstrated

faith, patience,

love,

and steadfastness

in his life.

But note the surprise

items on this list

of things that Paul

cites as an example

of godliness.

Not only has Timothy

followed Paul's teaching,

conduct, aim in life,

faith, patience,

love, and steadfastness,

he is also followed

and he is exhorted

to continue to follow Paul

in his persecutions

and sufferings.

And we're familiar

with what he's mentioning here

because we've been going

through the book of Acts.

We've seen what he suffered

in Iconium and Lystra.

He was stoned

and left for dead

in Lystra.

God didn't keep Paul

from suffering

and persecution,

but he says

that from them all

the Lord rescued me.

Paul didn't pray

to be kept

from these sufferings

and persecutions,

but the Lord did

rescue him through them.

The Romans

persecuted Christians

for a number of reasons,

but mainly because

they refused to worship

the pagan gods

and claimed that

there was only one God.

They heaped insults

upon the Christians

and scorned them

as an exclusive,

antisocial,

and narrow-minded sect.

Likewise today,

persecution is an

unavoidable reality

for the Christian.

As Paul continues

in verses 12 to 13,

indeed,

all who desire

to live a godly life

in Christ

will be persecuted,

while evil people

and imposters

will go on

from bad to worse,

deceiving

and being deceived.

Persecution

is not a cause

to doubt

and question

what we have learned

and firmly believed.

It is all the more

reason to believe

that what we have learned

is true,

because all

who desire

to live a godly life

in Christ

will be persecuted.

If we are not

persecuted

by a godless world,

we were just talking

about this last week,

it's a sign

that we do not have

an authentic faith

and witness.

Persecution

is evidence

of a godly life

and therefore

a cause to rejoice.

Remember what Jesus

said in Matthew 5,

11 to 12,

Blessed are you

when others revile you

and persecute you

and utter all kinds

of evil against you

falsely on my account.

Rejoice

and be glad,

for your reward

is great in heaven,

for so they persecuted

the prophets

who were before you.

for you.

When we are persecuted

for our faith,

then we are like

the true prophets

who were persecuted

before us.

When we are persecuted

for our faith,

then we are following

in the footsteps

of our Lord Jesus

who was crucified.

Paul is preparing

young Timothy

here for persecution.

Be prepared,

Timothy.

If you live

a godly life,

if you live

according to the Bible,

you're not going

to be popular.

No,

you're going

to be persecuted.

So don't think

it's strange

when you are persecuted.

All who desire

to live a godly life

will be persecuted.

But as for you,

Paul continues

in verse 14,

continue in what

you have learned

and have firmly believed,

knowing from whom

you learned it

and how from childhood

you have been acquainted

with the sacred writings.

The relative pronoun here,

whom,

is plural in the Greek.

So we know

that it's referring

to more than one person

that Timothy

learned the Christian faith from.

Since Paul notes

that Timothy

has been acquainted

with the scriptures

from childhood,

it is likely that

the whom refers

to Timothy's mother,

Eunice,

and his grandmother,

Lois.

Earlier in 2 Timothy

2 Timothy 1:5

chapter 1 verse 5,

Paul has said to Timothy,

Timothy's father

was a Greek unbeliever,

so Timothy got

his Christian upbringing

from his mother

and grandmother.

And Paul is telling Timothy,

take these women

who have taught you

the scriptures

very seriously.

don't dismiss

what they have told you

as old wives tales.

Don't dismiss them

because they are not

current with the times.

Take these women

of godly character

very seriously.

Be very slow

to walk away

from what your mother

and grandmother

have taught you

from the scriptures.

I want to take some time

this morning

to directly address

the younger members

of our church

because so many children

teens and young adults

walk away from the Lord

after they leave

their parents' house.

If you have had

the privilege

of having parents

who brought you up

in the instruction

and discipline

of the Lord,

remember what you

have been taught

and don't depart

from it.

Don't throw away

what you have learned

from them

just because

what you have been taught

is scorned

by your peers

and professors

and mocked

in the media.

Remember that

all who desire

to live a godly life

will be persecuted.

And remember

who taught you.

Remember their life,

their teaching,

their faith,

patience,

love,

and steadfastness,

their persecutions

and sufferings.

I also want to address

the parents

in our church.

What your children

most need

to be acquainted with

first and foremost

is not their schoolwork.

It's not the SATs.

It's not their

extracurricular activities.

Soccer,

baseball,

piano,

dance.

It's the sacred writings.

That's what Timothy

was acquainted with

as he grew up.

What kind of aim

in life

are you modeling

for your children

and imparting

to them?

Are you aiming

for Harvard?

Harvard.

That's not high enough.

Instead of parenting

your kids toward Harvard,

you should be parenting

your kids

to heaven,

to the kingdom of God.

When they look

at your life

and example,

will your children

learn that your aim

in life

is to please the Lord

even through persecutions

and sufferings?

Or will they learn

that your aim in life

is health,

wealth,

and happiness?

Notice the contrast

between verse 13

and verse 14.

Evil people

and imposters

will go on

from bad to worse,

deceiving and being deceived,

but as for you,

continue in what you have learned

and have firmly believed.

Evil people will go on.

They will progress

in evil.

They will move on,

but you must continue

in the path

that you are on.

The word continue

more literally means

to remain

or stay,

which makes the contrast

with the evil people

and imposters

who go on

from bad to worse

a little more obvious.

The evil people

of this world

will continually progress

further in their transgressions,

but as for you,

don't go on.

Don't move on.

Don't graduate

from the Bible

and move on

to loftier studies

and speculations.

Don't progress

from the teachings

of the Bible

onto new ideas

that are in vogue.

Don't alter course

for every wind

that blows.

Instead,

remain anchor

to the word of God.

Don't listen

to the people

who say that the Bible

is old-fashioned,

outdated,

superstitious,

pre-modern,

and narrow-minded.

Don't leave the word.

Remain in the word

and stay in the word

and abide in the word.

trying to stay up to date

with our ever-changing culture

is the surest way

to go out of date.

The surest way

to be timelessly relevant

is to be in sync

with the eternal,

unchanging word of God.

So don't run after

what is trending

or what is viral.

Those are all fads

that pass away

like the clouds in the sky,

but the word of God

is like an immovable mountain

in front of which

all these clouds

pass by and dissipate.

Stay rooted there.

But why is remaining

in the word important?

I'm going to come back

to verse 15

a little later.

Look at verse 16

with me for now.

It says,

All scripture

is breathed out by God.

Older translations

used to say

that all scripture

is inspired by God.

This is where we get

the doctrine

of the inspiration

of scripture.

But this does not mean

that scripture

is inspiring

like a biography

of a Christian missionary

might be.

We say things commonly

like that was

an inspired performance

or you inspire me.

But that's not what

this word means here.

The way the English

Standard Version has it

is quite appropriate.

It says,

Scripture is breathed out

by God.

In other words,

it proceeds

from the very mouth of God.

It is God's very words.

It is His speech

which is why we call scripture

the word of God.

We throw that phrase around

so much,

word of God,

that we sometimes miss

the staggering import

of that statement.

In the Bible,

we are addressed

by God Almighty

who spoke creation

into existence

with His words.

In the Bible,

we hear the very

voice of God.

And I don't mean that

the same way

that we talk about

finding a writer's voice

in some latest fiction

that you read.

In every book,

the human author's voice,

tone,

and perspective

come through.

But that's not what

I'm talking about

when I say that God

speaks in scripture.

God's speech

is qualitatively

different from human speech

because whatever God speaks

comes into being.

Let me illustrate what I mean.

God's word

is the means

by which God

accomplishes His will.

Listen to this.

Psalm 33.

By the word

of the Lord

the heavens

were made

and by the breath

of His mouth

all their host.

For He spoke

and it came to be.

He commanded

and it stood firm.

God created

the universe

by speaking.

Listen to Psalm 107

Psalms 107:20

verse 20.

He sent out

His word

and healed them

and delivered them

from their destruction.

God delivers

His people

by His word,

by speaking.

When I say

let there be light

nothing happens.

I just create

some sound waves

but there are no

electromagnetic waves

no light.

but when God says

let there be light

there is light.

Whatever God says

happens.

So whenever

you open

this book

something is

about to happen.

And whatever

has the breath

of God

is living.

It comes alive.

Ezekiel 37

what happens

God breathes

into the dry bones

and the bones

take on flesh

and return to life.

In Genesis 2

God breathes

into Adam and Eve

and they become

living beings

human beings.

Likewise

it says

the word

is God breathed

it is therefore

living.

That's why

Hebrews chapter 4

Hebrews 4:12

verse 12

describes scripture

as

living and active

sharper than

any two-edged sword

piercing to the

division of soul

and of spirit

of joints

and of marrow

and discerning

the thoughts

and intentions

of the heart.

Maybe to use

a more

modern analogy

the Bible

is not only

a recording

of what God

has said

it is a

live stream

of what

God is

saying.

The word

of God

is the only

book in the

world that is

described as

the sword

of the spirit

in Ephesians

Ephesians 6:17

chapter 6

verse 17.

It is the only

weapon that God

has given us

in our spiritual

armory.

And how do we

handle swords?

Not carelessly

not without

respect.

We handle

swords with

care

because it is

sharp

because it is

powerful.

That's why

Paul says

earlier in

2 Timothy 2

15 that we

must rightly

handle the

word of

truth.

and this

is why

scripture is

described in

verse 15

as sacred

writings.

Writings

is a reference

to scripture.

It comes from

the same

Greek word.

The sacred

writings

is sacred

or holy

because its

author God

is holy.

And the

basic meaning

of the word

holy is set

apart for a

special purpose.

Something that

is special.

holy is

holy.

So even

though we

normally associate

the word holy

in contrast

throughout the

Bible,

the antonym of

holy in the

Bible is

actually the

word common.

So Leviticus 10

10 says you are

to distinguish

between the

holy and the

common,

between the

unclean and

the clean.

holiness is

an attribute

of God

and it

refers to

God's

transcendence

that he

is far

beyond

and is

separate

from,

differentiated

from the

rest of

the created

order

because he

is the

only creator.

He is the

holy one,

the one who

is set

apart.

By extension

then because

the writings

take on the

character of

the author

and because

the Bible

is a living

book,

it is what

God speaks,

it is God's

act,

the book

is holy,

the Bible

is called

the Holy

Bible.

So don't

let the

fact that

it has

covers and

pages and

ink on

paper like

all the

other books

that you

read fool

you into

thinking that

it is like

any other

book you

read.

It's a

sacred book,

a holy

book.

I went

to a

very liberal

arts college

where every

church history

and religion

class I

took,

they tried

to convince

me that

God's

word is

not special,

that it

is just

one of

many

historical

artifacts,

religious

artifacts,

and that

it carries

no special

authority.

But all

those reading

assignments that

I did

only reinforced

my conviction

that God's

word really

is like

nothing else.

Even the

most remarkable

human literature

is merely

human and

therefore

common.

the Hindu

Bhagavad Gita

is common.

Confucius'

Analects

is common.

Plato's

Republic

is common.

Karl Marx's

The Communist

Manifesto

is common.

Thomas Paine's

The Rights

of Man

is common.

I mean

Shakespeare's

plays are

common.

Homer's

Odyssey

is common.

The Koran

is common.

Tolstoy's

War and Peace

is common.

Tolkien's

Lord of the

Rings even

is common.

The Seven

Habits of

Highly Effective

People

is common.

How to

Win Friends

and Influence

People

is common.

The United

States Constitution

is a

common

document.

But the

Bible is

holy.

holy.

And note

that it

doesn't say

that the

scripture

writers are

breathed out

by God.

The human

author of

scripture were

inspired by

God to

write God's

word.

But this

verse says

more than

that.

It says

that the

sacred

writings,

the writings

themselves

are breathed

out by

God.

Not only

the red

words of

Jesus in

that version

of the

Bible that

you might

have,

but every

word in

these pages

of scripture

are breathed

out by

God.

That's an

amazing

reality.

And note

also that it

doesn't say

some scripture

is breathed

out by

God.

Sometimes

because we

do have

favorite

passages and

whatnot,

we say,

oh,

that's a

really good

part of

scripture,

as if

there's a

part of

scripture

that is

not good.

But all

of it is

God's

word.

All

scripture

is God

breathed.

Of course,

in this

case,

specifically,

Paul is

referring to

the Old

Testament

because the

New Testament

canon hasn't

been formed

yet,

but it is

not inappropriate

to apply

this verse

to the New

Testament for

a number of

reasons.

One,

Jesus assumed

scripture level

authority for

his own

teaching.

Remember the

Sermon on the

Bound?

Recall how

Jesus says,

you have

heard that it

was said,

and then he

says in

Old Testament

scripture,

and then he

says,

but I tell

you,

because he

has the

authority to

proclaim God's

word,

he is the

incarnate

word.

And in

John 14

10,

Jesus said,

the words

that I say

to you,

I do not

speak on my

own authority,

but the

Father who

dwells in

me does

his works.

He is

speaking the

Father's

words.

Ephesians

2 20 says

that the

church is

built on the

foundation of

the apostles

and the

prophets,

and Jesus

promised the

apostles himself

that the

Holy Spirit

will bring to

mind to

them the

things that

he has

taught them.

And it's

these apostles

who,

and their

close associates

who are

kind of

writing down

the eyewitness

testimony of

these apostles,

they are the

ones that are

responsible for

writing the

New Testament

scriptures.

scriptures.

And in the

New Testament

itself,

there is a

recognition that

the other

writings of

the apostles

carry the

authority of

the Old

Testament

scriptures.

For example,

in 2 Peter

2 Peter 3:15–16

chapter 3

verses 15

to 16,

Peter writes,

Our beloved

brother Paul

also wrote

to you

according to

the wisdom

given him,

as he does

in all his

letters when

he speaks

in them of

these matters.

There are

some things

in them that

are hard to

understand,

which the

ignorant and

unstable twist to

their own

destruction,

as they do

the other

scriptures.

He puts

Peter,

the apostle

Peter is

putting Paul's

writings in

the same

category as

the other

scriptures,

the Old

Testament

scriptures.

One more

example to

illustrate this,

1 Timothy 5

18,

Paul writes,

For the

scripture says,

You shall

not muzzle

an ox when

it treads

out the

grain,

and the

laborer

deserves his

wages.

To command

not,

there are two

citations there

in that verse.

The first

citation is

from Deuteronomy

25,

4,

where it

says to

do not

muzzle an

ox when

it's

treading out

the grain.

But the

second quote

is not

from the

Old Testament

scriptures.

The laborer

deserves his

wages is

actually a

direct quotation

of Luke

10,

7,

which is

also found

in Matthew

10,

10.

So Paul

is there

already referring

to statements

of Jesus

that's in

the Gospels

as scripture.

So then by

implication,

all scripture

are breathed

out by God.

That means we

can't pick and

choose which

part of

scripture to

accept and

which part to

discard.

This is not

our prerogative

because it's

God's word and

we don't have

the authority to

pick and choose

what part of

the king's

decree to

obey.

Paul completes

his thought in

the rest of

verses 16 and

17.

All scripture

is breathed

out by God

and profitable

for teaching,

for reproof,

for correction,

and for training

in righteousness

that the man of

God may be

complete,

equipped for

every good

work.

God's word

teaches us.

We do not

teach God's

word.

God's word

reproves us of

our sin.

We do not

reprove God's

word.

God's word

corrects us of

our error.

We do not

correct God's

word of

error.

God's word

trains us for

righteousness,

not the other

way around.

It is so easy

for us to

place ourselves

above scripture,

to critique it,

to judge it,

to evaluate it,

but the

appropriate posture

is to place

ourselves under

the authority

of scripture.

The scripture

searches us,

examines us,

and convicts us,

and challenges us,

and comforts us.

And God's word,

it says,

is sufficient to

make us

complete.

That's so

encouraging.

It can make us

complete,

equipped for

every good

work.

It doesn't get

us part of

the way.

No, it's

sufficient to

make us

complete,

lacking in

nothing.

It doesn't

equip us only

for some

good work.

It equips us

for every good

work.

Scripture,

as God's

revelation to

us,

is

sufficient.

We don't

need any

additional

revelation to

know and

obey God's

will.

All we need

to know in

order to be

equipped for

every good

work is

here.

All we need

to know to be

made wise for

salvation through

faith in Christ

Jesus is

here.

Do you really

believe that?

하�an?

I think many

of us know

this in

theory but

not in

practice.

And when the

push comes to

shove,

when the rubber

meets the

road,

we turn

elsewhere to

figure out

what we

should do

and how

we should

live.

But instead,

we should say

what Peter

said to Jesus

in John 6,

68,

Lord, to

whom

shall we

go?

You

have the

words of

eternal

life.

And that brings us back to verse 15

Which tells us that scriptures are able to make us wise for salvation

Through faith in Christ Jesus

Nothing else will make us wise for salvation

Salvation is found nowhere else

Why?

Not because we worship the Bible

Not because the Bible is God

Not because the Bible itself saves us

But because only the Bible leads us to Jesus Christ

Who alone can save

Scripture is where the gospel of Jesus Christ

Is recorded permanently and preserved reliably

The inscripturated word is where we meet Jesus

The incarnate word, the Son of God

Scripture is, we're right to say

The source and final authority of all our doctrine

It is not less than that

But scripture is also not merely an encyclopedia of doctrine

It is more than that

It's a relational book

It is a book by which God enters into a covenant relationship with us

It is the book by which God makes his promises to us

And we pledge our allegiance to him by submitting to the word

The Bible reveals Jesus to us

In fact, the Bible is all about Jesus

Jesus said in John 5, 39

You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life

And it is they that bear witness about me

Jesus said

We find eternal life in the scriptures

They were right to search the scriptures

Because they think they could find eternal life there

Why? Because the scriptures bear witness about Jesus

I feel like I've been mentioning this book a lot lately

But just the illustrations tend to just fit

The Insanity of God

The author, Nick Ripken

Tells the story of five Muslim believers

Where Christians are intensely persecuted

He writes

Quote

This is these men

The five Muslim telling the story of their conversion

How they came to know Jesus

They said

One of the five men told me

I dreamed about a blue book

I was driven

Consumed

Consumed really

By the message of the dream

Look for this book

The dream said

Read this Bible

I began a secret search

But I could not find a book like that

Anywhere in my country

Then one day

I walked into a Quranic bookshop

And saw this sea of green books

Lining the walls

I noticed a book of a different color

On a shelf in the back of the store

So I walked back there

And pulled out a thick blue volume

To discover that it was a Bible

It was published in my own national language

I actually bought a Bible

In the Islamic bookstore

Took it home

And read it five times

That's how I came to know Jesus

Another one told me

I dreamed about finding Jesus

But I didn't even know

How or where to look

Then one day

I was walking through the market

When a man I had never seen before

Came up to me in the crowd

He said

The Holy Spirit told me

To give you this book

And he handed me a Bible

And disappeared in the crowd

I never saw him again

But I read the Bible

He gave me three times

From cover to cover

And that's how

I came to know

And follow Jesus

Each one of the five men

Told me a different variation

Of the same story

Each one of them

Had come across a Bible

In some unusual

Miraculous way

Each one had read

The gospel story of Jesus

Each one had decided

To follow him

Why does God use the Bible

In this way

Why is the Bible

So precious to us

Because it's in the Bible

That we meet Jesus

Our Savior

Our Redeemer

Our King

Our Great High Priest

Our Lord

Because in the Bible

We see Jesus

Hanging on the cross

Bearing the weight

Of our sins

Because in the Bible

We see Jesus

Rise victoriously

From the dead

Because in the Bible

We behold the glory

Of the Lord Jesus

And we are transformed

As we behold him

Every single one of us

Came to faith in Jesus

One way or another

Because we read the Bible

Or because we heard

Someone proclaim the Bible

To us

What if I told you

That there is a place

You can go to

Meet personally

With Jesus

I know the address

What if I told you

That there is a number

You can dial

On your phone

To hear Jesus' voice

Brothers and sisters

We can do

Precisely that

Right here in the scriptures

Let us stay here

Remain here

Linger here

Let's pray

Lord

We are so privileged

Where we live

To have

Unrestricted

Access

To your word

It is so affordable

It is available

For free

There are so many

Resources

That help us

To understand it better

Oh Lord

Help us not

To take your word

For granted

Just because

We are near it

And familiar with it

Let us not lose sight

Of what a wondrous

Book it is

What power

There is

Within

Hunger for you

Drive us

So that we might

Know you more

That we might

Hear you

In Jesus name we pray

Amen

If you'd like to

Share your book

And bear your Youtube

And put this

I'll wear you

For in fact

If you could

Help us

Feed us

Where we reign

There is

To us

2

Question

Your

Make

In

Your

Off

3

Before

Ann

This

To us

Here

The

Thing

Talk

To us

Feel

It