(John 2:17)
�And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.�
There is one thing about Jesus which we tend to overlook. It may be because of the error of those who only see Him as a great teacher. But, overlook it, we do. Jesus, in His earthly life, was an example of how we ought to be and act. This particular verse reminds us that Jesus was a man Who understood and revered Scripture. Jesus, as God, was the One Who had written the Scripture.
In the temptations in the wilderness Jesus answered each of the traps which Satan had set for Him. His answer was always an appeal to Scripture. Scripture is more than we often think of it. Scripture is not simply a Book of religious instruction. Scripture, we are told in II Timothy 3:16, is the very Words of God.
�All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.� (II Timothy 3:16-17)
The word �perfect� does not refer to any perfection, as we now consider the word for the most part; it refers to completeness. Coupled with the phrase �thoroughly furnished,� the word refers to one who is not a novice, but a master as his �trade.�
The concept is that the Scripture is able to make a Christian into a person who is taking part in good works. Good works never save; but salvation should lead to good works.
We are informed that the Scripture is inspired. That is a phrase which means �God breathed.� When we consider how it is that a person may vocalize his words, we are able to understand that the Scripture is, in actuality, the Words of God. The word �all� does not mean, as many of the modern language English versions have translated, �All Scripture that is inspired�� The meaning is that all of the Scripture, in its totality, is the Words of God.
The Holy Spirit has superintended the transmission of the Words of God through the people of the true churches. Even today we can point to a text which is the actual Words of God. Our Bibles are English translations of this text. We can, in a derivative sense since the Authorized Version is translated from this text, hold our Bible aloft and say, in truth, This Is The Word Of God!
In Luke 12:11 Jesus told His disciples of the power of God to act in this present world.
�And when they bring you into the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say. For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.� (Luke 12:11-12)
Recalling the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness, where He answered Satan with Scripture, we can surmise that we will also be provided with Scripture to answer the questions of the doubters. The use of the Scripture is always the best answer.
My best answer is only good until someone else comes up with a better answer. No one can stand against the answer of the Scripture. The Scripture is the Words of God.
As an inspired and powerful Word, endued as it is with the power of God, the Scripture is that to which we make our final appeal in matters of faith and practice. It is good to know the church charters and statements of faith. It is imperative to know the Scripture.
The Scripture is eternal as God is eternal. The Scripture is infallible as God is infallible. The Scripture is omnipotent as God is omnipotent. The Scripture, as it is carried in the hearts of the believer, is omnipresent as God is omnipresent. The Scripture is a manifestation of God in our world. The Scripture is God�s power with us. The Scripture is that which testifies about the total defeat of Satan. The Scripture is that which carries the very power of God in every syllable.
The Scripture is, not contains but is!, the Very Words of God.
Most of the modern day Bible critics will argue that the Scripture should be treated like any other book from antiquity. Madness! The Scripture is not simply another book; it is altogether Another Book! The Scripture is the Words of God for the people of God.
You will notice, in our text verse, that the disciples realized that Jesus was acting according to the Scripture. Wouldn�t it be great if that could be said of us!
How can we reach such a place? First, there must be that walk with Jesus through the door of repentance and acceptance of Him as our Savior. This is foundational. Nothing can be built of a Christian character until He has laid the foundation of our salvation.
After this, we need to heed the call of David, the Psalmist of Israel. David said, �Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.� (Psalm 119:11)
We need to read the Scripture so that we might know the message. We need to pray over the Scripture that we might be illuminated as to the message that a passage will carry to our hearts by the Spirit. We need to memorize the Scripture, to hide it in our hearts that it might become part of us.
Our text verse today centers on the disciples. �Then his disciples��
The Scripture is the children�s Bread of Life. The writer of Hebrews desires that we feed on the Word of God. He wants us to move from the elemental things on to the deeper things of God. As we read the fifth chapter of this Book we see the desire that we move on from the �milk� of the Word unto more meaty subjects.
The imagery used in that fifth chapter is of an infant and an adult. An infant will be fed milk. His system could not digest the meat even if he had the teeth to chew it. Likewise, there are many Christians who have never moved on into a study of the deeper things of God. They are deformed, malformed, in their spiritual lives.
It is through the Word that we are able to begin to understand and assimilate some of those things that God would have us to know. The Spirit guides us as we study the Words of God. We become less carnal in our attitudes and deportment and more spiritual in our outlook into the world about us.
If we were never intended to learn more of Him, if the salvation experience was all that He has for us, He would not have commanded us to study His Words. �Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.� (II Timothy 2:15)
Our salvation is the greatest thing, to be sure. Without that base of salvation our spirit can never be rejuvenated unto the things of God. But, once that salvation has renewed our soul, God expects us to move forward.
I am working on finished a book, �The Order of the Day of the Army of the Redeemed.� In that book I am examining the concept of the Christian life as a military experience in the Army of our Lord. In the same chapter where Paul admonishes us to study the Words of God, we are told that we are soldiers. �Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.� (II Timothy 2:3)
When I first joined the military on 1 February 1968, I had no real idea what being a soldier was all about. Our first duty, as new recruits, was to go through eight weeks of �Basic Training.� The purpose of �Basic� was to break us down so that we could be rebuilt into military personnel.
We live in a pluralistic and egalitarian society. Oh, we have our �classes� of persons. But these classes are not defined except in socializing. We are, basically, equal in our standing in society as pertains to the law and matters of opportunity. It may be that a person with a college degree can expect to find a �better� job than a high school drop out. But, who is it that defines �better.� �Better� may just be that, so called, low level job that one can forget about as soon as the closing whistle blows. The bearer of this job can just go home and forget about the trials of that job until the next morning.
The �high� level job might be one that consumes a person. He is never free from the constraints of the job. Even while at home, supposedly at rest, he must keep his mind on the duties and responsibilities of the job. Quality of life may just have more to do with the difference between �good� and �bad� in the job scene.
What I am saying is that this is not really a society of classes. We have formed classes and castes in our social situations but they are not mandated. However, in the military there is a definite call structure. Anyone with one more stripe, or bar, is better than me in every respect. He has the ability to control every aspect of my life. As a lowly soldier I am at the beck and call of the company commander twenty four hours of ever single day.
Meanwhile, that company commander is at the beck and call of his own superiors at all hours and every day.
If I were to meet, as an enlisted soldier, an officer, whether I knew the person or not, on the street, I am compelled to offer my salute to that person. He is of a higher caste than am I. In Basic Training we were taught to respond, immediately and without question, to any order of one who outranks us. That is part, a major part, of learning to be a soldier.
Then, after we have been thoroughly indoctrinated as a soldier, we are sent to �Advanced Training� in our �Military Occupational Specialty.� There, only after we have been taught how to act and think as soldiers, we are given training to perform our jobs as military persons.
How like this should be the Christian. We are brought to salvation through the free gift of God. Jesus has paid, in His passion at Calvary, all the price that ever needs be paid to effect our salvation. As young Christians we need to learn that we are not of the world anymore. We are Blood bought believers who are called to life everlasting.
We are called to fellowship with an assembly of like persons. Being around these persons, studying our Bibles, responding to the wooing of the Spirit, all these things tend to allow us to grow in grace. We tend to become more like the Master. We are becoming true Soldiers of the Cross.
Then, God will gift us with certain gifts which can be used in the work of the church. Some are called to preach. More are called to teach. All are called to learn. Some of us will move into a sort of friendship evangelism; we seek out others to reach with the Gospel. We might not be trained theologians. But, we are all called Christians.
Some will be called to be prayer warriors. No church will ever have any real vitality unless the people of that church are engaged in prayer. But some are called especially to this ministry. Some are called to be counselors. But this I do not mean the concept of professional counselor. I mean those who console others. They provide the shoulder on which some others might lean.
Some are even called to be financial �givers.� All should give to the work of the Lord as they are prospered. Some are especially prospered so that they can support. These, especially these, need to be led by their own prayer lives to understand what is of God and what is not of God. There are times when it is wrong to give to certain ministries. The good soldier of God will know when to say. �No.�
In all of this there is a need to be in the Scripture. What we eat determines how we grow in the physical. The same is true in the Spiritual. We need to feed on the Scripture so that our spiritual lives may be fully developed.
The Scripture is also the Christian�s basis for living.
How are we to act and react as Christians? We know this only as we study the Scripture. A thousand preachers will give a thousand pieces of advice. Advertising from the world will add to this advice. Television, radio, moves, newspapers, magazines, and - yes - even sermons will give advice. How do we decide what is the wheat and what is the chaff?
The Spirit guides us. That is why we need to be versed in the Words of God. As Jesus used Scripture to answer the tempter on the mountain of temptation, so must we be familiar with the Scripture so that we will find true guidance.
A word of caution, here. Along with the Scripture, we need a regular prayer life. The Bible is not a Book of instruction. Oh, the Bible is a Book of instruction. But, the Bible is, even more importantly, a Living Book. As the Words therein are inspired, they are the Words of God. Since God is eternally present, so are His Words alive and current. If we are attuned to His leading, His Words will speak to us freshly.
A verse we might have just �glossed over� one day will come back to our remembrance, brought there by the Spirit, just when we need its teaching. That is the wonder of this Book. Well, that is one of the wonders of this Book.
Another word of caution, here. I am fat. There just ain�t no other way to say it. That is not said with pride; I think it a sin against God to abuse my body as I have. Still, we must eat. That is a very important concept. However, we should not abuse the eating. Along with the eating there should be some regular exercise. Otherwise we are abusing the eating and we are abusing (Well, I am abusing) our bodies and the good food which God has given to us.
Likewise, we must pray. We must also study the Scripture. We must do both! To simply pray, and never allow God to speak with us through the pages of His Book, is to abuse prayer. Actually, such prayer generally becomes a monologue as we end up speaking to ourselves since we�ve never checked to see what it is that God is saying.
This is a recipe for fanaticism. Being a �fanatic� for God is a great thing. Being a �fanatic� about God generally means that we are really emphasizing our spiritual pride in ourselves. Seeing the Words of God in the Scripture is a strong guide against this practice as this allows Him to show us His message rather than our ideas.
To simply read the Scripture, and to never engage in real conversation with God, will lead to extreme legalism. The Pharisee�s of the New Testament knew their Scripture. When Jesus came along He began to tell them of what those Scriptures actually were saying.
To fail to pray is to fail to be in contact with the Spirit. As such our �religious devotion� fall into a series of what we want after what we know. Pride, once again, is the outcome. It is a legalistic pride where we are more prone to convey our point of view rather than that of God. It is a one way conversation where we never really allow Him, through the Spirit, to speak with us.
Bible study and prayer. Both are necessary if we are to be balanced in our Christianity.
The Scripture is also the certain Book of light.
Several years ago I was privileged to hear one of the premier preaches of our nation speak at a convention. He told the story of when he was a young preacher. He said that he was preaching some of the greatest sermons in history at a small church. �Yes,� he assured us, �These were some of the greatest sermons in history. Unfortunately they were the sermons of Spurgeon, Luther, Calvin��
His point was that we need to be in the Word.
Does this seem to be a constant point?
One time Spurgeon, at least I believe it was Spurgeon, preached several sermons in a row on the same theme. The theme was �Ye must be born again.� One of his parishioners asked him why he kept preaching on that same theme. His answer? Because �Ye must be born again.�
Folks, we need to be in the Scripture. We need to be in the Scripture. We need to be in the Scripture.
The Words of Life are the Words of Light to our pathway. If we are to know how to walk, we must find the path in the Scripture. If we are to know the truth about God and His glory, we must find the truth in the Scripture. If we are to find the way to be pleasing to our Savior, we must His Mind in the Scripture.
Too often we are casual in our reading. I read the following verse for years, in just the regular Bible reading, and never noticed what it said. �And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God.� (Joshua 22:34)
Did you notice what that verse said? My name was in there, �Ed.� I overlooked this fact for years. Finally, a couple of years ago I paid attention to what was said. My name is in the King James Bible!
More, that verse with my name is telling me to be a witness that the LORD is God.
How did I miss this? Simple. I just read and didn�t read.
Have you ever lost something in your house? You probably hunted all over for it. Finally, one day, there it was in plain sight. The light in the house hadn�t changed; only your attention to the object shown in that light had changed.
The Bible is the light to our path.
Our text verse centers on the disciples and their remembering the Scripture. ��remembered that it was written��
We see here the hidden Word. This was an example of the disciples having the Word of God hidden in their hearts. We generally think of thing hidden as being covered so as to be hidden from. This was a case of the Word being hidden for.
The Word was hidden for the devotion of the disciples. They had memorized the Words of God and could think on them at any point they so desired.
There are people in this world who would confiscate the Scripture. They would disallow anyone being able to hold a copy of the Scripture in their hands. Someday we may be in a culture where this is the case.
Years ago, when I was first starting out as a young preacher, I could not envision a situation where the Scripture would be confiscated in this land. But, as the years have passed, and the great hatred and hostility to the things of God has intensified, I can see such a day. It would be a day when people have decided that the people must be protected from all religion.
Isn�t this the rational used to deny even the mention of a Christmas Vacation among so many of our nation�s school�s? Isn�t this the rational used to deny the freedom of religion in having a simply �Christmas� parade in a town. We have a �Holiday Parade� here. The Name �Christ� is forbidden in the interest of not offending those few who do not believe, or who believe otherwise. There is no consideration given to the vast majority who do believe in the Name of Jesus.
Where the Christian is asked to grant tolerance; the Christian message is not tolerated.
What is hidden in our hearts can not be taken from us. It is precious to us, that which is hidden in our hearts. I was married on 22 September 1968. I didn�t have to look up that date. I know what it was. Taking Linda as my wife was a good day for me. I will never forget that date. Even though Linda left for Glory in 2000, I still tend to celebrate that day when we were first joined as man and wife.
How much more precious should be the fact that we are children of the King through the great sacrifice and love of Jesus Christ. We should desire to hide His Words in our hearts.
My son has a tool box. Within this tool box lie all his tools. He only takes them out when he needs them for some job. This isn�t what we need in the hiding of the Word in our hearts. We need to have those Words always in front of us as we walk through the day. The Scripture is not a Word for a �rainy day.� The Scripture is a Word for every day!
We see the helping Word. Here, in our text, the Word helped the disciples to understand that which the Master was doing. They saw that He was acting out of His Own love and devotion for the things of the Father.
The Word helps us to see God. The Word helps us to understand that God is, indeed, working in this world. We would often despair if the Word of God did not give us an understanding of the culture of this world and the flow of its history. We can look at the great events of the day, and the danger of the day, and those little things that add to our understanding that the prophecies of this Book are sure and developing even as we live in this day, and we can rejoice at the way God is working in our present world.
The world may look chaotic. The world may look full of crisis. The world may seem headed to a victory for the forces of darkness. Ah, lift up your eyes, child of God, those storm clouds in April will produce acres of flowers in May. God is in control!
We also see the hallowed Word. The Bible, as we have said, is not just another book. The Bible is altogether another Book. The Bible is the Words of God. The Bible doesn�t just contain the �God Story.� The Bible is the record of God�s actions in the Word - past, present and future.
We can trust the Bible to give us instruction on holy living. We can trust the Bible to give us instruction on living a victorious Christian life. We can also, and we often overlook this fact, trust the Bible to tell us how to live life to the fullest in this present time and situation.
I remember one time when I was in seminary. We had a �Coffee Break� every morning just before the chapel service. One day the lot fell to me to make the coffee. I had never made coffee in an �instant drip coffee maker.� I looked at the circular tray which held the coffee as the water dripped over it. I assumed that I need to fill this tray to the brim.
Wow! Was I ever wrong? Rather than using nearly half a can of coffee, I should have used just ten spoonfuls of coffee. My mistake produced a coffee so strong that we didn�t� need to go to the break room; the coffee came up the stairs to our class rooms and dragged us down to where it was!
Had I read the instruction manual that was with the coffee pot I would not have made the mistake. Likewise, we need to read the instruction manual that comes with our lives. God created us. He has more than a general idea of what works best in our lives. We harm ourselves when we dismiss His guidance.
Our text verse also shows the demonstration which the disciples saw. ��The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.�
The Scripture is an enticing Word.
It is somehow strange all the strategies which we plan for spreading the Word of God out into the world. All we really must do is follow the example of the people in Scripture. They simply used the Word. Peter, on the day of Pentecost, preached the Word. Luke, writing the history of the early church in the Book of Acts, said that he was simply telling what it was that Jesus did and taught.
God gave us this Word for a purpose. It is up to us to use this Word in the evangelization of the world. We simply tell what happened. All of our great plans and strategies are useless until we begin to relate the old, old story.
Martyrs shed their blood in the defense and propagation of this Word. And this Word gave them peace which passes any human understanding. Even as the flames began to leap about their feet as they were burned at stakes, the Spirit of God brought to their minds the simple message that Jesus Christ died in time so that they could live in eternity.
We don�t need to tell people to �clean up their act.� We need to tell them the story of this Scripture. Sinners do not need to learn how to live in this world. Sinners need to learn how to live in the world to come. Only this Book can adequately give them this story.
More, as sinners learn the old, old story of the Love of Jesus, they will be drawn to Him.
The Scripture is an enthusiastic Word.
Great libraries have been built by men who have spent years in this Book. The story of the Book never ends. It is a story which grabs the soul and renews the mind. This Book has the record of humanity, the record of the world�s creation and continuation, and the record of God involved with man due to His Own great love.
The stories of this Book have enthralled men and women, boys and girls, through the ages. What child hasn�t heard the story of David and Goliath with rapt attention as David shows the power of God? What man or woman can listen to the story of the passion of Jesus Christ and not shed a tear at the great sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus was whipped with whips, beaten with unholy hands, nailed to rough wooden cross, run through with a sword, buried within a borrowed grave. How can we not marvel, and yet draw back, from the great love of the Savior.
Jesus died for our sins. That sounds so clinical and simple. It wasn�t. It was a horrible death. It was a painful death. It was the death of a criminal foisted upon a Man Who had done no wrong.
Jesus died for our sins. It was an amazing death. Other men, crucified in the same manner, were the rankest of sinner. Jesus was the height of purity. The bones of others who died this death still rest wherever they were placed upon their death. Only Jesus returned from the death, with death a defeated foe, and continued to teach for several weeks. Only the death of Jesus was effective to cleanse the darkest sinner and empower the saint.
Jesus is our Lord. This Book tells only part of His greatness. The Spirit constantly reminds us of Jesus. He walked this earth twenty centuries before and yet His Name is still above that of the Caesar�s, the kings, the monarchs, the �great men� of ages are but footnotes while Jesus is the hub of societal change for the better. He is more loved, more hated, more revered than any other.
Jesus is the Name above all others when it is used of Jesus of Nazareth, the Savior of the World.
That is our final point for today. The Scripture is an evangelizing Word.
Our purpose on this earth is to see others come to The Master. We have been given such a great salvation that we must call others. This is the thread of the fabric of Scripture: Jesus Christ died in time so that others could live in eternity.
We may found great universities in His Name. The purpose of those institutions is to train others to reach out with the message that Jesus Christ died in time so that others could live in eternity.
We may build large Mega Churches. All that is so much fluff unless the purpose of those churches is to spread the message that Jesus Christ died in time so that others could live in eternity.
We may study, and write, and preach with great clarity and passion. Unless we tell the message that Jesus Christ died in time so that others could live in eternity.
Well, how about it? Have you ever accepted Jesus as your Savior? The New Year is about to turn. How many are there that have the number 2007 on their tombstones? Will the number 2008 be on yours? We don�t know! We do know that Jesus Christ died in time so that you could live in eternity.
Accept Him today!