Are You Ready to Listen to God's Word Proclaimed? Part 6

 “The Bible was not given for our information but for our transformation.” - D. L. Moody.
“The goal of Bible study is not to make us smarter sinners but to make us more like our Savior.” – Howard Hendricks
Too often so-called “students” of the Word are looking for more information without ever getting to the all-important step of application. We need to ask this: “How does this truth change my life?” We should not be satisfied with just hearing a good sermon. James 1:25 pronounces a blessing on what you do when you apply God’s Word to your life. The one who is described as blessed in this verse is not a “forgetful hearer”, but an “effectual doer”. A forgetful hearer is one who neglects what needs to be done. It’s like hearing a sermon, complimenting the preacher, and then waiting for a new one next week. Meanwhile, the effectual doer is one who goes to work. That’s the significance behind the word “effectual”. Listen to a sermon, and get to work putting it into action.
Some good insights are offered in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 on how we can listen to scripture and use it for changing our lives. These verses tell us that the Word of God is profitable (useful and helpful) in four ways.
First, it is profitable for TEACHING  Other versions use the word doctrine. The word has to do with giving us information. Such information may be something new to us, or something of which we need to be reminded. When listening to the Word of God, we should be asking questions about what we are learning. Here are some examples:

1.      What did I learn about ______________ (God, Christ, Church, holiness, etc.)

2.      What promise do I see from what I heard?

Second, it is profitable for REPROOF  Reproof means that you are being confronted with something that is sinful, either doing something you should not be doing, or not doing something that you should be doing. The verb form of this word is translated as “exposed” or “convicted” (James 2:9; Ephesians 5:11). So the Bible should bring conviction in your heart that you are doing something wrong. Here are some questions to ask:

1.      What sins have I committed and need to repent of?

2.      What should I start doing (or start doing it again)?

3.      Are there commands that I have ignored, forgotten, or not previously heard?

Third, it is profitable for CORRECTION  The positive side of reproof is correction. It sounds just like the word: correcting the wrong behavior. Something in our life is out of order, and it needs to be restored to its proper place. The Bible shows you what you should be doing. It is looking for the opposite of what you have been doing. Ephesians 4:22-24 and 1 Peter 1:1-2 offer some examples that can be found in the New Testament where we have to do the negative (“put off”) before we can do the positive (“put on”). Try these questions to help find areas of correction:

1.      What should I be doing instead of _________________?

2.      Where do I need to make things right?

Fourth, it is profitable for TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS
Training is what we do with people who don’t know how to do something, like our children, students in school or coworkers on the job. Here the object of the training is righteousness. This is not the righteousness that is to be gained by trusting in Christ alone for salvation. Rather, it is the righteousness that we are to live out day by day. We should be seeing how God wants us to think and act. Scripture shows us how we are to live. That's what Paul says in Titus 2:11-12. Here is what we can ask:

1.      What do I need help doing? Who can help me?

2.      Is there an example to follow (or not follow)?

These four ways of allowing the Bible to be profitable in your life will help you be a “doer of work” rather than a “neglectful hearer” and thus be blessed in your “doing”. That’s a promise!

Are You Ready to Listen to God's Word Proclaimed? Part 5

The church is constantly in danger of being exposed to false teacher. It is important that listeners be able to discern whether the teaching they heard is biblical. We saw the reason for preaching the word last time in 2 Timothy 4:3-4. People want to be entertained and feel good. They will reject sound teaching, turn away from the truth, and turn toward false teaching.

So that makes it important for preachers to preach the Word, as well as for listeners to listen to the Word in a way that helps them become strong in their faith. Let’s focus on 1 Timothy 4:6-7 to see the importance of our own work in listening to the Word.  

First, we have a need for NOURISHMENT  Here is the context of the verses we are studying. Paul has just stated that there will be people who will “fall away from the faith” in what he calls “later times”. This will happen as the result of false teaching. So he tells Timothy that he will be a good servant when he shows the Church what will be happening.

The next phrase says he is “constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.” Timothy was a student of the Word! God was feeding Him. The word used for nourish is the opposite of atrophy, a wasting away of part of your body due to a lack of nourishment or feeding. So Paul is saying that Timothy has been nourished by continuing to follow the teaching he had been given while growing up and working with Paul (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15).

By the way, the word for “good” (describing servant) and “sound” (describing doctrine) are the same, and it speaks of the quality of something. He was an excellent servant because he was following excellent teaching. That sounds like good advice. We need to always look for good spiritual nourishment rather than spiritual junk food! Paul talks to Timothy and Titus about “sound” doctrine or teaching several times, but usually with another word that means healthy (hygiene is the Greek word for “sound” in 1 Timothy 1:10; 6:3; 2 Timothy 1:13; 4:3; Titus 1:9, 13; 2:1-2). It is obvious that Paul was concerned about the kind of teaching the church was receiving. There has always been a great need for discerning listeners as well as sound teaching.

Second, we have a need for EXERCISE  The nourishment we receive from God’s Word does not come easily, however. In verse 7 Paul tells Timothy of the need to “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.” Other translations use the word “train”. But probably the best way to understand this word is from the good old King James Version: exercise. In English, we have the word gymnasium from this Greek word. It has the idea of a constant, strenuous workout.  You would be working up a good sweat! We need to go to God’s gym, and the equipment we need for our workout is the Word of God.   

Just as most people have a goal in mind with their physical exercise, when it comes to listening to God’s Word, we also want to focus on a GOAL. Paul tells us that the goal is GODLINESS, the opposite of what was being produced by  false teachers based on what Paul says elsewhere (1 Timothy 6:3; 2 Timothy 2:14-18). Jerry Bridges defines ungodliness as living your life with little or no thought of God. You don’t think of His will, His glory, or your dependence on Him. So the Christian who is getting the good exercise needed is going to be working towards Christlikeness. Sometimes we seem to be working more towards the goal of worldlikeness (a new word I made up! Think Romans 12:1-2). God needs to be the focus of our life.

Think about the nourishment and exercise you need, not just as a listener of the Word, but also as a student of the Word. That’s not just a once-a-week deal, but a constant, serious, in-depth time to dig into what God has revealed to us in Scripture.

Are You Ready to Listen to God's Word Proclaimed? Part 2

In reading through chapter 2 of Expository Listening, the parable of the sower is used to explain how the Word of God (seed) is received when it is preached. The context indicates that this reception basically had to do with hearing the gospel message of salvation, but by way of application, we can see that the same can be true when anything is taught from God’s Word. There are four different ways that we might respond.

First, Rolled Eyes: A Stubborn Heart  We might ignore the Word proclaimed.  Some people come to church, hear a sermon, but it doesn’t do them any good. It is specifically stated that the devil comes and takes the message away from them. Such a person is unsaved. The message of salvation needs the involvement of the Holy Spirit to take the Word, bring conviction, and give them repentance and faith (both of those are gifts, by the way!).  

Second, Teary Eyes: A Superficial Heart  We might “make a decision”.   The second type of soil is the kind where the seed finds a place to get some roots started. Such a person can hear the message, and they even respond to it in a positive way. They get excited about it! They appear to be truly impacted to the point that there is some type of change taking place. But such change does not last. When things get tough (“time of testing”), so dies the change. It disappears, just a memory. True, it is difficult to be consistent over the long haul, but there was no “long haul” with such a person. There is no lasting fruit, if there is any at all. It wasn’t heart change. This person was not saved.

Third, Distracted Eyes: A Strangled Heart  We might make some changes in our life.  This type of hearer appears to last longer than the second. There is even some fruit for a period of time, just as it takes weeks awhile before they begin taking over in a garden. They build up over time. The one who hears the Word of God can show some fruit for a while. But eventually, something becomes more important to them than the Word. They get distracted. They are deceived by a pursuit for more wealth. They become pleasure-seekers. The times in which they live have captured their attention, and they drift away, like Demas (2 Timothy 4:10). This person who showed such promise was not a believer at all, but a“make-believer”.

Fourth, Focused Eyes: A Soft Heart  We make changes that have a permanent impact on how we live. Then there is the person who not only is a hearer, but a doer (James 1:22). He hears the Word of God and puts it into practice, not just for a brief time, or even for an extended time. There is consistent, habitual action. There is fruit that is evident. And the fruit is abundant. It is clear to all who look at this person that there is a changed life. This is the only one of the four types of hearers that is truly born again.

We should be careful not to judge the amount of fruit that others are showing in their life (“I have more fruit than you!”). Their fruit may look different than our fruit. But there WILL be fruit if they are truly saved. If your life is evidenced by a continual response to God’s Word like the first three soils, then it is time to examine yourself, to see if you are in the faith (1 Corinthians 13:5). At the same time, however, we should always be striving to produce more fruit as we grow.

That brings up another point: growth. True believers do grow, just like plants will grow as they are fed with what is needed. We should always seek opportunities for more growth (by getting more of the Word), but we should continually producing more fruit. In people’s lives, the fruit may change. At one time, you may have been an aggressive evangelistic, or a faithful teacher of the Word. Later, your fruitfulness may be in more personal work, impacting smaller groups, or perhaps just one or two people. But there is still fruit.

Are You Ready to Listen to God's Word Proclaimed? Part 1

Ken Ramey wrote an excellent book called Expository Listening where he talks about how to listen to God's Word being preached. Over the next few posts, we will be looking at what the Bible says about hearing God’s Word. There is a big emphasis on not just hearing, but also obeying it, practicing it, doing it. We will be studying some of those passages, and applying those principles to our personal sermon listening. But we will begin this study with establishing a Biblical audiology: the study of hearing God’s Word (p. 10). Why should we do it? He provides four reasons, which I have slightly modified into five reasons.

First, God gave His Word to us. Two passages are important to review. In 1 Timothy 3:16, we are told that God’s Word is inspired, literally, “God-breathed”. They are the very words of God. Of course, that means that the teacher has a serious responsibility to be faithful in proclaiming, but it is also a serious responsibility for the listener to hear it. In our study we will focus on what it means to actually “hear” God’s Word.

In 2 Peter 1:20-21, we find out that scripture came to the writers as they were moved by God, which tells us the “how” of God breathing out His Word. What we hear when listening to an expository message, is God’s Word. Of course, human teachers are subject to error, but as they are faithful in preparing and presenting the Word of God to their audience, it will be their intent to accurately present God’s message. We do well when we act like the Bereans (Acts 17:11)

Second, we have not obeyed God’s Word. This was the practice of the first people God created. They knew God’s Word, and they chose to disobey it. The same is true of every human being ever since. Ephesians 2:1-3 describes the sinful condition of every person: we are all dead in our transgressions and sins. Romans 5:12-21 makes it clear that this is the result of Adam’s sin.

Third, God has saved us with His Word. Numerous places in the Bible tell us it is the Word of God itself that brings us salvation. 1 Peter 1:23 is very clear: “you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” Romans 10:17 also tells us that our faith comes from the Word. In this verse (“faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ”), the “word” is actually referring to the spoken word (rhema) in contrast to the message (logos).

Fourth, God enables us to understand His Word. Being a child of God gives us the privilege of the ministry of the Spirit of God. Jesus taught His disciples in John 16:13 that the Holy Spirit would guide us into all truth. In 1 Corinthians 2:11-13 we are told that the Holy Spirit who gives us the ability to comprehend those things that God wants us to know.

Fifth, God blesses us when we listen to His Word. This is the part that we may intellectually know, but we end up ignoring. We do a lot of listening. We hear a lot of sermons and Bible teaching from many different sources. But we are told that we are only blessed if we “do” them. Consider Luke 11:28. And when Jesus was told that His family was outside, he said, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” (Luke 8:21).

When the Bible talks about “hearing” the Word of God, it is clearly implied and often explicitly stated that it comes with the responsibility to do something with it. As we continue our study on this topic in the weeks ahead, that will be our emphasis. When we are finished, we will hopefully be different types of “listeners” than we have been in the past. We will not only listen, but we will be prepared to listen, and we will do something about what we heard.

Are You Ready to Listen to God's Word Proclaimed? Part 3

The third chapter of Expository Listening deals with being prepared to hear God’s Word. The author again uses the picture of farming to compare how we listen to God’s Word. The field that is hard is not ready for the seed. The heart that constantly ignores the message or just listens without taking action becomes hard and will not be fruitful. Here are some Biblical insights we can use to get our hearts ready to hear God’s Word.

1. Understand the purpose of coming to church. When we meet together, whether it is in an RMG, small group, or a Sunday service, it is not for our benefit. Hebrews 10:24 teaches a primary goal for the time together. Literally, it says, “Let us think carefully about one another towards the stimulating to love and good works.” It’s about the other people who are part of our group. Verse 25 goes on to say that we are deserting them (“not forsaking”) when we fail to come. That word is translated “deserted” twice in 2 Timothy 4. People need us to be there! The opposite of desertion according to this verse is encouragement, which means you come alongside them to offer them help. Think about physical presence when you think of being an encourager. These verses teach that we are obligated to take our eyes off of self and focus on how we can help others.

2. Meditate on God’s Word daily. Meditation is more than just reading the Bible. It is spending time with the Bible, probably just a few verses. It is a time when you think about what God is teaching you for how you ought to live. It is about finding a way to change your life. Psalm 1:2 says that the “blessed man” is doing it “day and night”. The result of such practice is fruitfulness. I loved reading the story of William Wilberforce who memorized Psalm 119 and then recited it every day as he walked to his office, where he fought against the slave trade in England. Bible memorization is one of the best ways to practice meditation, since you can do it anywhere, even when you don’t have a Bible with you. Spending extended time with the passage of scripture that will be taught in the Sunday message will be especially helpful as you come to church and listen to the message from the pulpit.

3. Get rid of sin that will prevent you from being hungry for God’s Word. Listening to God’s Word requires a heart this prepared, and that means it is clean. 1 Peter 2:2 commands us to have a longing for God’s Word, just like a baby has a longing for milk. But that longing is preceded by getting rid of sins that have been a part of your life. You’re not hungry for the good food if your filled up with junk. Make sure that you go to God in confession before ever going to His Word for instruction.

4. Pray daily for God’s Word being taught. The apostle Paul asked for churches to pray for him as he continued his ministry of the Word (Colossians 4:2-4 and Ephesians 6:19-20). Pray for the one who is teaching, that he will be “clear” (Colossians 4:4), and that the Holy Spirit will speak truth into the lives of the people (John 16:13). 

Also, Paul was in constant prayer for the people of the different churches where he had preached. It was often a prayer of thanks to God for how He had been at work in them, but it was also a prayer for God’s continued work in their lives. Consider the value of praying for others that you know with the words of Colossians 1:9-12. Pray that you and others who will be hearing the message will have these results in their lives as they hear God’s Word. 

Going to God's Gym

My blog is dedicated to the theme of 1 Timothy 4:7, in particular the final part of the verse: “Train yourself for godliness." Paul has left Timothy in Ephesus in order to provide some order and direction for the church from someone who represents him, Timothy, his adopted son and fellow-servant. He has already warned Timothy about false teachers in chapter 1, the need for a strong prayer life in chapter 2, and the guidelines for church leaders in chapter 3. In the fourth chapter he has warned him about the danger of apostasy, those who fall away from the faith. He wants Timothy to warn the church in Ephesus of this danger.

Then he comes to verse 7 and gives him two commands. First, he is to have no part in myths, or fables, that are irreverent or foolish and profane. Second, in contrast to such foolishness, he is instead to train himself in godliness. The word for train is the word that we use in English for gym. So Paul is telling Timothy to go to the gym and have a spiritual workout that will result in spiritual fitness which is called godliness. In fact, Paul goes on to tell him in the next verse that training your physical body has some value, perhaps temporal value for this life, but the exercise that he is talking about has eternal value.

What a great picture for the Christian! Most of us have had the experience (some of us many times), of starting an exercise regimen to get ourselves in shape. Perhaps it’s after the holidays and a part of our New Year’s resolutions. Or, we have a special event coming up where we want to look our best (that class reunion when we want to look the same as 20 or 30 years ago?). So off we go on some of type of diet and exercise plan. Of course, we have to get over some “pains”, both from the hunger as we diet, as well as the muscle pains from having neglected those workouts that we knew we should have been doing all along. But those who persevere, those who do the work, are rewarded with the improvement in our health. We probably won't always get the perfect body for which we were hoping, but we’re a lot better off than when we started.

The same is true for the spiritual diet and exercise plan that Paul is talking about. When we get serious about godliness, the lifestyle that is devoted to pleasing God, we may hurt for awhile as we are exposed to the Word of God and find all the areas in our life where we have failed to measure up; where we have put the world’s standards above God. It’s time to repent, to change our direction from following the world to following our Lord Jesus Christ. We need to put in the “work” in order to reach the goal of godliness. And we have the assurance that we will eventually get that perfect body, when Christ returns ((1 John 3:2)!

That brings us to the question of what is that “work”? What are the exercises that will bring us godliness? What does a believer have to do in order to follow these directions from the Apostle Paul? How do we train ourselves for Godliness? Some people call them the spiritual disciplines. A book that I have been reading lately is called Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney. He has another companion book called Simplify Your Spiritual Life where he has short “how to” sections on the various spiritual life. Both books are excellent! In future blogs I will write about some of these ideas. But for now, just to get us thinking in the right direction, let’s just name some of them. Here is a list that will require quite a bit of explanation in the future: the Word of God (read, study, meditate, memorize); prayer (confession, worship, thanksgiving, as well as petition); worship; serving; giving; journaling; and, so as not to forget everyone’s favorite, fasting! There may be some others as well, but if you will do a quick, short evaluation of these that are mentioned, I’m sure you will find, as I have, that these actions will require some effort. They’ll probably even cause some pain! But it will be worth it. That’s God’s promise.We find that promise at the end of verse 8, where Paul says, “for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” This is the passage that I will keep in my blog as a reminder to my readers of where we are headed.

I will frequently write a prayer that represents what we might pray as a result of what God is teaching us in the various passages from His Word that I use for teaching. Here is my prayer for myself based on 1 Timothy 4:7.

Father,

You have blessed me with the nourishment of your Word,

from those who teach me through the written Word,

from those who teach me through the spoken Word,

from my own time of reading and studying in your Word.

May I be faithful, through the power of Your Holy Spirit, in practicing the life that is presented to me through such teaching.

Life's Pursuits

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33

What are you pursuing in your life? The world has many different options from which to choose. It could be fame, power, wealth. As Christians, of course, we know that there is more. And there is. The Lord Jesus made it clear in the verse that is our focus in this study. You probably know that these words are a part of the Sermon on the Mount, a message that Jesus gave to a crowd of people with the theme presented in Matthew 5:20, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” This is a message that describes the character, attitudes, and actions of those who are going to be citizens in the Kingdom that Christ will establish when He comes again. And as members of His Church today, it is also a description for us as well.

In the part of the sermon that leads to our verse, Jesus has been discussing the attitude that His followers should have toward money and material possessions. Our treasure should be in heaven, not on earth (6:19). We cannot (read, “impossible”!) serve both God and money (6:24). And we are not to be worried about our everyday needs, like food, clothing, and shelter (6:25-34). More directly to our verse, which begins with that important conjunction “But”, He says, “Do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all” (6:31-32).

So, instead of having an attitude/action of worry over these areas of our life, we need to have a different focus, a different pursuit. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” we are commanded by our Lord. Let Him take care of those “things” that the Gentiles are pursuing. We have a different kingdom than they have. The world, those who do not follow our Lord, have different priorities. Or, at least they should. Do they? That is a question each of must answer. Where is our priority? What is our focus in life? What are you going to pursue as you go through your day?

We can have a lot of discussion about the meaning of “kingdom” in this verse. The scholars do. For some, it is the spiritual kingdom where God is ruling in your heart. For others, it is strictly the future literal, physical kingdom that is established at Christ’s triumphant return to earth. Hopefully, you see that the future kingdom is also a spiritual kingdom where God does rule in the hearts of His people as well as in the world. We certainly cannot separate a physical kingdom of God ruling without also having a spiritual kingdom as well.

But whatever your understanding of the kingdom, it is very clear what is meant by “righteousness”. It’s what Jesus has made his theme in the sermon. It involves doing God’s will. It means doing things God’s way. Go back and read the high level of character and obedience that Christ was expecting of his people in chapter 5. Look at how he talks about the way of “practicing your righteousness” in the opening verses of chapter 6 where he deals with giving, prayer, and fasting. There can be no mistake that He wants us to pursue everyday obedience, practical righteousness.

So what does that look like each day? Obviously, there is the simple aspect of obedience, of following not only the letter of the law, but also the spirit, as Jesus has already described in chapter 5. This is not legalism; it’s obedience that comes from the character of his followers as described in the Beatitudes. Further, since the message of my blog is “training for godliness”, which involves the practice of the spiritual disciplines, how can you not include them? Many of these disciplines are covered in the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus gives a description of righteousness. We have prayer, giving, serving. And He tells us how to do it correctly.

Finally, while not specifically taught in this famous sermon by our Lord, should we not also be concerned with what we do not pursue? Would it not be appropriate that we not pursue unrighteousness, which is so prevalent in our culture today? There is so much available for us to consume that truly cannot possibly be described as seeking God’s righteousness. I leave it to the reader to make his/her own judgments in this area.

There is so much to consider in these brief words given to us by the Lord Jesus. We would do well to ask ourselves each day, “What should I do today that will help me focus on God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness?” Perhaps the question should be asked throughout the day. And certainly we should be praying that we will be faithful in the life pursuit that He has directed for us.

Father and Provider of all that we need,

I thank you for all that I have,
For my food, which is more than abundant,
For my home, which is comfortable beyond my needs,
For my clothing, which is nicer than most,
You, Father, are a great provider
And you have chosen me to be a member of Your kingdom.
I ask that I might be a loyal subject in Your kingdom,
Making myself subject to Your rule,
Obedient to Your will,
Honoring You in my actions,
And committed to the work that You have given me to do.
May my treasure not be that which is valued by the world,
But may it be that which is valued by Your servants,
That I might pursue the righteousness that You have laid before me
as it is revealed in Your Word.
May my life pursuit be one that brings honor and glory to You
and to Your Son, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.