March 16, 2014 – Pastor Tim – “Know Your Bible”
2 Timothy 4:1-5, I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
There is coming a time and it is now the time we need to know the truth and not trust in the fables of men.
Proverbs 4:20-23, My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them,
And health to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
In this passage, verse 21 tells us that we are to keep God’s Word in our hearts. Verse 23 admonishes us to keep and guard our hearts! How do we do that? By keeping the Word in our heart! How are we going to keep God’s Word in hearts? By meditating on God’s Word continually.
In other words, we need to think deeply about it until it becomes a part of our inner conscience. Don’t just memorize scriptures and forget them, and they won’t mean a thing in the world to us. Those verses are just in our minds. We can forget what is in our mind (or what we have learned). But, it is harder to forget what is in our heart, think on a verse until it gets down into your heart. Feed on them (like a cow chews on its cud). It will take a little time to do that. But, eventually, the scriptures will register in our hearts.
God’s Words are life to us and health or medicine to our flesh. I don’t know about you, but I never want to see myself as sick, depressed, panicked or in fear. I always want to see myself according to His Word… well, full of the joy of the Lord, rejoicing in all things, and in faith—faith in God’s Word, living in His promises. If a need arises—whether it’s healing or anything else—the first thing I want to pop into my mind (from my heart, the well spring of God in me) is what the Bible says about it. I don’t want to panic if something comes along, and say, “Oh, Lord, what are am I going to do now?” I’m not guarding my heart when I do that.
The title of today message is “Know Your Bible!” our litmus test for our life in Christ should be, “If you can’t find it in the Bible, don’t accept it!” Don’t let it get into your heart. I don’t want your faith to be in what I or another preacher says. I want your faith to be in what God’s Word says. The Word does not fail.
We need to personalize today’s text, and pray it daily!
Proverbs 4:20-23, I will give attention to Your words;
[I will put Your Word first.]
I will incline my ear to Your sayings.
(I will be able to recognize the truth when I hear it. Because I know it!)
21 I will not let those words depart from before my eyes;
(I will make my aim straight. Straight to You!)
I will keep them in the midst of my heart;
(I will box out untruths, like I’m getting a rebound)
22 For they are life to me who finds them,
And health to all my flesh.
[I will walk in health and healing.]
23 I will keep my heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
[I will walk in the life of God.]
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