I am so glad to be able to be here to post another Weekend Sermon. As I have told you many times, this is my favorite part of the week. I really enjoy sharing the word of the Lord.
This week at work was hard, but it went really well. I had supervisor reviews this week, and I received good reports. My plan is still to keep this job for awhile and sell my house so that I can get all of the debts paid off that I accumulated when I was having so many problems after my folks passed and I was suffering financially from the great recession here in the United States. I hope to be able to start a larger ministry soon.
I would ask that you continue to pray that the job will go well. Also, please pray that the Lord will send me a buyer for the house. I am having trouble attracting interest to it, and I really need to get the house sold. I prayed last evening that the Lord Jesus would work in this matter. If He has another way to get the debts paid and my ministry going more, I prayed that He would provide a way and show me what He wants me to do.
In prayer this week, let us continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of the world especially the Middle East, North Africa and Ukraine. Pray for the leaders of the world as they negotiate with Iran about the nuclear situation there. Also continue to pray that the message of the love of Jesus will reach the people of the Maldives, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and other nations where speaking about Jesus is suppressed.
In last week's message, we focused on the great redemption that we have received. Our salvation was purchased by the precious blood of Jesus Christ who was a lamb without spot or blemish. He died for our sins, and He rose again defeating sin and sin's consequences.
Today, I want to focus on what the Apostle Peter has to tell us about the importance of the Word of God. Verses 24-25 of chapter 1 state, "For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and flower falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached to you."
Peter is expressing here a truth that we find throughout Scripture. Human life is fleeting. We are here today and gone tomorrow. We are like grass. Grass is green and beautiful, but when the dry wind blows, it doesn't take very long for the grass to turn brown and turn to dust. In his epistle, James compares life to a mist of steam. It rises from the water and vanishes out of sight almost immediately.
The Word of the Lord is not that way. The Word of the Lord endures forever. A verse from a song that we used to sing when I was a boy in Sunday school said, "The Bible stands tho the hills may crumble." How true this is.
There are three ways in which we can view what the Word of the Lord is. First of all, the Word of the Lord is the preached Word. When someone proclaims the message of the gospel, in an important way, that is the Word of the Lord. The Lord said that His Word would not return to Him void. When the message of the Lord is proclaimed and the seed is sown, those who hear the Word will have one of two reactions. Either they will accept the message and apply it to their lives, or they will reject the message and continue in sin and rebellion against God.
The Bible is the Word of the Lord. I firmly believe that the Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of the Lord. Those of us who are followers of the Lord Jesus should be diligent students of the Bible. I will speak more about this in a few moments.
In the truest sense, Jesus is the Word of the Lord. Jesus is the Word made flesh who came to dwell among us. Jesus is the ultimate expression of God's Word to the world. For this reason, all sermons and anything that we read in the Bible must be interpreted through the life and message of Jesus. He is the final word and authority in all matters of faith.
Because God's Word stands forever, we should lay aside the sins that so easily beset us. Peter mentions malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy and evil speaking. In other words, we should be people who speak the truth. We should speak words that heal and not words that hurt and demean other people who like us are made in the image of God. Also, we must guard against hypocrisy. This is the sin that Jesus spoke against the most. We should not say one thing and do another. The Pharisees of Jesus' day were condemned by Jesus for their hypocrisy. We must follow Jesus and not the path of the Pharisees.
In addition to laying aside sin, we are desire the sincere milk of the Word. The Word of the Lord should be our spiritual food. Just as we need physical food to survive, we need spiritual food to feed our souls and survive spiritually.
One way that we demonstrate our desire for the milk of the Word is through the reading and studying of the Bible. Unfortunately, Biblical illiteracy is growing in the United States and in many other parts of the Western world. Even in many conservative and evangelical churches, the average member sitting in the pew does not have even a basic understanding of the stories and themes found in the Bible.
I hope that if you claim to be a follower of Jesus, that you are spending time daily in the Bible. Through the study of the Bible, we know what Jesus expects of us. We know what pleases the Lord and how we are to respond to the situations that we encounter in this life.
I have heard several people express that they have a hard time reading and studying the Bible. I would just like to give a few suggestions that might help you get started reading and studying God's Word. First of all, find a version of the Bible that you can read well. In this day and age, there are many different versions and translations of the Bible available in the English language. Whatever your reading level might be, there is a version for you.
The two versions of the Bible that I enjoy reading the most are the New King James Version and the New American Standard Version. I use the King James Version for the most part here on the blog because of copyright issues. I also memorized most the the verses I know from the King James. I love the poetic language of the King James, but I know that many find it difficult to read.
If you have difficulty reading these versions, the New International Version and the New Living Translation are very easy to read and understand.
If you are new to reading the Bible, read the Gospels first. Start with Mark. I think that it is the easiest to understand. Also, read the Psalms. They are beautiful and filled with deep meaning. After reading the Gospels, read the epistles of I, II and III John as well as James, I and II Peter and Hebrews. Then, move on from there.
In order to understand the full context of what you are reading, commentaries and study Bibles are helpful. I like the Wycliffe Commentary. Other commentaries that are good are the Everyman Bible Commentaries, and the New International Commentary on the New Testament. Many people find the Matthew Henry Commentary helpful.
My favorite study Bibles are the Nelson Study Bible and the Disciples Study Bible. Many other study Bibles are available.
It is my hope that everyone who reads this blog will be a student of the Bible. Read and study it everyday.
As we should desire the milk of the Word found in the Bible, are ultimate desire should be for Jesus who is God's final and ultimate Word. We should speak to the Lord Jesus every single day of our lives. I am finding as I go through life that I have to talk to Jesus and spend time with Him throughout the day. He speaks to my heart and lets me know that He is with me no matter what I am facing at the moment. I know that I could not have gone through the problems that I have faced in the last few years if the Lord Jesus had not been with me helping me to get through each day.
I would encourage you to spend time with Jesus in prayer and meditation on a daily basis. At least once everyday if not several times each day.
When we spend time with Jesus and we read the Bible, we will grow in the faith and become mature Christians. That is what the Lord Jesus desires.
Next week, we will take a break from our series in I Peter. The week after, we will resume our study in I Peter. On Monday, I will post the verses and on Wednesday, I hope to have a review. May God bless you. Amen.
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