Investing in the Bible

 

Investing in the Bible

 

 

George Mueller was a director of a series of orphanages in Bristol England in the 19^th century.  During his life it is said that he read through the Bible more than 200 times, half of those times on his knees.  People greatly used by God have one thing in common always, they are people who invest their life in the Bible and prayer.

 

Joshua 1:8 tell us the value of investing in the Bible in our life.

 

“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.  For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8, ESV).

 

These days of challenge for our families and community is a great time to increase our investment in the Bible.  This week as you pray for your church family, community, nation, and world, I urge you to invest more time in scripture

 

 

 

1 Peter 2:1-10 "Reflect on our Identity"

 

1 Peter 2:1-10

Reflect on our Identity

 

I wish that everyone has a Stephanie in their life.  I am so grateful for her.  She will always be totally honest with me.  She will hold me accountable and not let me off the hook easy. She encourages me to be the very best Bill Wright I can be.

I was on the way to preach in a revival while serving with CMBA.  Stephanie was going with me on this service.  I was planning to preach from 1 Peter and so I asked her, “Honey do you remember in Aiken when we went through 1 Peter paragraph by paragraph on Wednesday nights?  How long did we study 1 Peter?  She said, “I think it was about 5 years.”  I said, Stephanie is only 5 chapters I know we did not spend 5 years in the book.  She said, “It felt like it.”

Everyone needs a Stephanie in your life.  Someone who loves you enough to always tell you the truth. 

The Theme of 1 Peter 1:3 – 2:10:  Those who have put their trust in Christ are to praise him for his promised salvation and to live out that salvation in our daily lives.

Who are we as followers of Christ?

We long for the word like a new born baby longs for milk (vv.1-3)

The Bible tells us we are to put away some things:

Malice- means to want to cause injury, pain, or distress to someone.

Deceit – means trying to trick someone, trying to get someone to accept as true something that is false.

Hypocrisy – actors would wear a mask for a different character in a play, play acting, behavior that contradicts what we claim to believe, or feel, or be.

Envy – jealousy about what someone else has with a desire to have it ourselves.

Slander- saying false things about someone in order to damage their reputation

Desire the Bible that will help us to grow spiritually

Baby begins by drinking milk and eventually is able to eat solid food.

Like our puppy Chance he started with his puppy and now he has learned that what we eat is better, so he wants that.  He is growing and hungry. 

When we read the Bible, when we have the Bible read to us.  When we learn the Bible by memory.  We want more of the Bible.  The more of the Bible we get the more we want. 

I became a Christian when I was 10 years old.  I am 58 now.  I want the scripture more now than ever.

The more I read and study the more I want.

Just like you eat healthy food to help you grow up physically, the Bible is spiritual food to help us to grow spiritually.  Develop a habit of reading the Bible early.  It will help you mature spiritually.

If you have indeed tasted that the Lord is good (v.3)

Some scholars believe that Peter was meditating on Psalm 34:8 when writing these words.

We have tasted and experienced for ourselves the goodness of God, because of that we hunger for his word and to know him better, to walk closer with him, to obey him

 

We are living stones (vv.4-8)

Jesus is the living stone (v.4)

Jesus was rejected and persecuted.  As his followers we will be also.

We are living stones as followers of Christ,

We are being built up into a spiritual house

We are a holy priesthood

Our lives, our love, our service to Christ is a spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God through Jesus (v.5).

Jesus is the cornerstone (vv.6-8)

Our faith in Christ the cornerstone means we will not be put to shame

Those who reject Christ he is a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense

They stumble because they reject and disobey the Word.

But we are living stones, a holy priesthood, being built up into a spiritual house.

We are God’s people (vv.9-10)

Once

·        Once we were not a people

·        Once we were far from God

·        Once we were walking in spiritual darkness

·        Once we had not received mercy

 

But now

·        We have received mercy

·        We are a chosen race

·        We are a royal priesthood

·        We are a holy nation

·        We are a people of his own possession

 

 

Now our purpose

We are called to proclaim the Excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

·        Proclaim his mercy, grace his love

·        Proclaim how he transformed our life

·        Proclaim his desire for all to come to the Father through his wonderful sacrifice on the cross

 

Listen to verses 11-12 in closing

We are aliens, strangers in this world, this world is not our home.

We are to live a life that demonstrates the power of the gospel to a lost and dying world.

That is who we are church

·        A chosen race

·        A royal priesthood

·        A holy nation

·        A people of his own possession

 

 

Children's sermon for Thomas Sumter (October 7, 2020)

 

1 Peter 2:2

Growing in our faith

 

I love babies, don’t you?  I have two grown sons, I love them so much.  I have two grandsons, they are so sweet.  I have a little tiny baby puppy at our home, his name is Chance.

He has literally stolen my heart.  He is so cute and sweet.  He was barely old enough to be away from his Momma when we got him.  We were thinking we might have to feed him a bottle.  But, my wife worked with him and he has a good appetite and he is growing and maturing.  He is doing great.

He has learned that our food is better than his little puppy food.  So being the spoiler that I am I will give him a little bit of what I am eating.   The other morning I had cream of wheat.  He was sitting beside our other puppy watching each spoonful I would eat.  I put a little on my finger and gave it to him.  He loved it.  He is growing and hungry.

You guys are growing and maturing too.  All the learning and activity you do each day makes you hungry.  You need healthy food so you will grow up strong.

Same is true spiritually.  The Bible is our source of strength as a Christian.  As we read the Bible or have the Bible taught to us we grow each day.

The Bible tells us we are to put away some things:

Malice- means to want to cause injury, pain, or distress to someone.

Deceit – means trying to trick someone, trying to get someone to accept as true something that is false.

Hypocrisy – actors would wear a mask for a different character in a play, play acting, behavior that contradicts what we claim to believe, or feel, or be.

Envy – jealousy about what someone else has with a desire to have it ourselves.

Slander- saying false things about someone in order to damage their reputation.

Desire the Bible that will help us to grow spiritually

Baby begins by drinking milk and eventually is able to eat solid food.

Like our puppy Chance he started with his puppy food and now he has learned that what we eat is better, so he wants that.  He is growing and hungry. 

When we read the Bible, when we have the Bible read to us.  When we learn the Bible by memory.  We want more of the Bible.  The more of the Bible we get the more we want. 

I became a Christian when I was 10 years old.  I am 58 now.  I want the scripture more now than ever.

The more I read and study the more I want.

Just like you eat healthy food to help you grow up physically, the Bible is spiritual food to help us to grow spiritually.  Develop a habit of reading the Bible early in your life.  It will help you mature spiritually.

What are you longing for?

 

What are you longing for?

 

1 Peter 2:1-3, ESV

“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ² Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

I love to do things for my family.  During this time of COVID-19 my schedule in the office has changed to Tuesdays and Thursdays in the office and Monday and Wednesday working from home.  One of the blessings of this time has been on those days that I am working from home I am able to make Stephanie lunch and see her for a few minutes during the middle of the day. I have really enjoyed that special time with her.

Monday, I started off the day working early.  I got up early studied, read and prayed for a while.  Then, I ran to the grocery story early on a mission.  I have wanted to make she-crab soup.  I love it. I also wanted to make Stephanie a little cheeseburger with fresh avocado sliced on top.  I know this combo might seem strange for many, but it just sounded good to me.  So, I got the stuff I needed and then at 11:30 I started cooking.  I like for it to smell good when she walks in for her few minutes for lunch.  The lunch was a success and she enjoyed it.

That might seem to be a strange combination to you, but I longed for it.  I really wanted it?  What do you long for?  What do you really want?

In the above verses the Bible tells us as a follower of Christ we are to put away some things;  “malice,” “deceit,” “hypocrisy,” “envy,” “and all slander.”  At the same time we are to long for the pure spiritual milk of the word of God.  The steady diet of the Bible helps us to grow up into a mature follower of Christ.  The more time we invest in the Bible, the more we want to invest in the Bible, and we grow in our relationship with Christ.

 

 

It is no longer I who live

It is no longer I who live

 

This morning I woke up with my sinus giving me a fit.  I am almost embarrassed to say it, compared to what most of us have been dealing with in the last few months.  I have more pressing things and more important things I am struggling with myself, but today this little problem slowed me to a crawl.

When the weather changes from cool to hot and rain to not, my sinuses act up.  I feel like my body is moving in slow motion and I am unable to think clearly.

The morning guy was struggling this morning.  As I started to read my Bible I focused on Galatians 2:20:

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. “

Then a BFO (Brilliant Flash of the Obvious) hit me, dead people do not fight.  Dead people do not push and struggle. In Christ today, I am no longer living.  The life I now live is Christ living through me, sinuses and all. 

So, I started asking the right questions this morning?  What are you up today in my life?  What is it that you are slowing me down so that I will not miss?  What is it that you are slowing me down to avoid? 

Lord, help me today, to not resist your guidance and direction.  Help me to not miss what you are wanting to show me and do in me today.  Thank you Lord, for today cloudy thoughts and all!