A few weeks ago, I bemoaned the fact that despite numerous NASCAR outings, my wife has been unable to get Dale Jr’s autograph. But after our lastNASCAR outing, we are pleased to tell you that we finally got his autograph! As we were leaving the track we noticed a large mob of people swooning around some driver. Upon closer inspection we noticed that it was Dale Jr.! Lara got his autograph twice! I have a video clip to show you how I went about getting his autograph.
[Seinfield clip of George knocking over women and children to escape fire.]
What is your identity?
Anyhow, this morning we begin a new series concerning our "identity" as Christians. For example, what are you known for? What do other people recognize you by? What are your distinguishing characteristics? In the newsletter we printed various definitions of the word "identity" to get at the purpose of this new series.
Identity is defined as one of four aspects.
1. Who you are under varying aspects or conditions.
2. Who somebody is, especially the name somebody is known by.
3. The set of characteristics somebody recognizes as belonging uniquely to himself or herself and constituting his or her individual personality for life.
4. The state or fact of being the same one as described.
Most of us in this room have a driver’s license. For all practical purposes, our driver’s license is our identity. But when I study my license there isn’t much there I’d like to be known by! My photo? My age? My weight? A number? No thanks!
But some of us have our identities wrapped up in other things. For example, we may find our identity in our job or in our family name. Our identity may center on our past or reputation, whether positive or negative. Our identity may center on an ability, accomplishment, possession, political affiliation, or sports team. When you go to a NASCAR race, fans identity themselves by their loyalty to a particular driver. For the whole week, that is their identity! I always thought is would be interesting if someone developed personality profile of NASCAR fans. If you cheer for driver ## you are.... If you cheer for driver ## you prefer...
When you came in this morning we handed you a brand new identity card. On the front of the card we have put a question mark over the face, because no one likeshis picture anyway. But on the back of the cardwe have listed eight identifying characteristics that the Christian should be known by. The first characteristic concerns the word.
I want you to simply ask yourself a question. Are you known asa well-grounded person passionately searching God’s word in order to know Christ fully and apply God’s wisdom to all of life?
What is a well-grounded person?
Well-grounded refers to the parable of the wise and foolish builders.In this parable Jesus is contrasting those who have built their lives upon the rock-solid foundation of God’s word and those who do not. What kind of foundation are you building your life upon?
Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV) says, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
What kind of person is passionately searching?
Passionately searching refers to the intensity with which we search for someone or something. If you go to a NASCAR race, fans spareno amount of time or expense to catch even a glimpse of their favorite driver. They wait seven or eight hours in the hot sun to see their driver. What is you primary passion in life?
What does is mean to know Christ fully?
To know Christ fully refers to our life’s ambition, our ultimate goal, or our all-consuming passion. In Philippians 3:7-12 (NIV) Paul says, "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christand be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."
Applying God’s wisdom to all of life.
Applying God’s wisdom to all of life refers to the means of achieving our goal. If you want to know Christ fully, it means taking his words to heart and applying them to all of life. Without obedience we never come to know Christ.
Hebrews 4:2 (NIV) tells us, "For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith."
James 1:22-25 (NIV) says, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirrorand, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does."
For the remainder of our time this morning I want to lay out some reasons why I think it is important to be well-grounded in the word of God. There are many more reasons than these five, but this is a good starting point for us, I think.
First, the word is the key to survival.
In the Bible we find images of survival associated with knowing God’s word. For example, Jesus speaks of the vital necessity of branches drawing their sustenance from the vine. Apart from the vine, the branches wither and die. This is how it is for people who do not know God’s word.
In John 15:5-8 (NIV) Jesus says, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."
Another image Jesus uses is bread. Bread is to our physical existence what God’s word is to our spiritual existence. In Matthew 4:4 (NIV) Jesus answered the devil, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "
One additional image is found in Psalms. The psalmist speaks of a tree planted by streams of water. Despite the fact that the land around the tree is barren, this tree thrives. Why? Because it is rooted in streams of living water. This describes the Christian who despite circumstances, flourishes by virtue ofhis thirst for the word.
Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV) says, "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers."
Second, the word is the key to clarity.
The Bible isn’t just necessary for survival. It is necessary for clarity. The word is a lamp, guiding and illuminating our paths. Psalm 119:105 (NIV) says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."
A while back, I was hauling out the trash in the dark and stepped on a slug, barefooted. Slime oozed under my foot. It was like living ghost busters all over again! What a mess! This is how it is in life as we walk around in darkness and sin. Think for a moment about the value of God’s word! Think of the kind of messes God’s word keeps us out of. It allows us to see danger before we step into it.
But the word also brings clarity to our inner lives. We are always tuning into Oprah orDr. Phil to understand ourselves. We read self-help books. Yet the Bible is sharper than any double-edged sword. It helps us sort out the inner confusion. It helps us understand why we think this way, feel that way, or act another that way.
Hebrews 4:12-13 (NIV) says, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."
Third, the word is the key to transformation.
To put it quite simply, the Bible is a useful tool. I love to do woodworking. In my woodshop I have many different tools, each with a unique purpose. My tablesaw cuts down large boards. My bandsaw cuts curves through thick boards. The right tools allow me to transform a stack of old lumber into a beautiful workpiece. I have learned that to transform the old into the new, you need the right tools!
But what if we don’t have the right tools? What if we attempt to transform our whole lives without the word? We might experience some success, but in the end we will fail. The word of God is a useful tool for us.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
Fourth, the word is the key to knowledge.
There is so much confusion about who God is these days. What we discover in the Bible is that God sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, to be a living, breathing picture of himself. By looking at Christ’s life we can gain a complete and accurate understanding of who God is.
John 1:1-5 (NIV) says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."
Hebrews 1:1-3 (NIV) says, "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."
The word of God is our primary source of information about Jesus Christ, and by extension, aboutGod himself. Without the word we would be completely ignorant of God and in the dark about his existence.
Fifth, the word is the key to eternity.
The word of Goddescribes as an imperishable, indestructible seed.Once planted in our souls, this seed grows up to provide eternal life for us. Without the word there is no hope of eternal life.
1 Peter 1:23-25 (NIV) says, "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, 'All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,but the word of the Lord stands forever. And this is the word that was preached to you."
There are other scriptures that allude to this same thing. In Philippians Paul describes the Bible as the "word of life." Philippians 2:14-16 (NIV) says, "Do everything without complaining or arguing,so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universeas you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing."
Jesus has much to say about the incredible promise found in obeying his words. John 8:51(NIV) says, "I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death." John 5:24 (NIV) says, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." John 14:23 (NIV) says, "Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.' "
Turning vision into reality.
I hope I have interested you in our vision of becoming,"A well-grounded person passionately searching God’s word in order to know Christ fully and apply God’s wisdom to all of life." You may be asking, how can we become well-grounded people of the word?
First and foremost, we need to create the expectation that it is normal for us to be well-grounded! It is normal for pastors, elders, staff, teachers, parents, and children. Can we expect this of one another?
Second, the Bible raises the value of the public reading of scripture, preaching, and teaching. What we do on Sunday mornings is of extreme importance.
In 1 Timothy 4:13 (NIV) Paul says, "Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching."
Third, there is the importance of diligent study. Consider the instructions God gave Moses concerning any future king appointed over the nation of Israel. Deuteronomy 17:18-20 (NIV) tells us, "When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decreesand not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel."
Last, there is importance in thoughtful meditation. Do you make it your goal to reflect on God’s word, with the goal of obeying it?
Joshua 1:8 (NIV) says, "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."