Thursday, February 03, 2011

Taking In God's Word

I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11 (ESV)

Our calling is to be like Christ in every way, a calling impossible without God’s empowering us through His Holy Spirit. In following up from this weekend’s sermon on the value Living the Word of God, I want to encourage us all to follow Jesus in this matter. Jesus’ life, like no other, was so marked by living the Word of God. He was actually called the Word made flesh! (John 1:14a - The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.)

On Sunday we discussed that living the word of God begins (And only begins! We see Biblical examples in the Pharisees of men who took in the word but never lived it. Jesus reserved His strongest earthly rebuke for them.) with digesting the word of God. We explored together 5 ways followers of Jesus are to take in God’s word. Do you remember them?
  1. Read the Word: Revelation 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy.
  2. Hear the Word: James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
  3. Study the Word: Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD/
  4. Memorize the Word: Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
  5. Meditate on the Word: Joshua 1:8 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.

After mentioning that if we all took a verse a week, wrote it down and carried it with us, reciting it before every meal, everyone, (even kids-trust me!), could memorize over 50 verses a year. Someone approached me, asking what verses I would have people memorize. That is a great question. Listed below are 52 verses I believe every follower of Jesus should commit to memory. They are broken down topically. Why not join in with many in our community that will memorize these verses a week at a time?

The Word: Mt 4:4, Heb 4:12
Prayer: Phil 4:6-7, Jn. 16:24
Obedience: Rom 12:1, John 14:21
The Gospel: Rom 1:16, Mt 4:19
Great Commission: Acts 1:8, Mt 28:18-20
Salvation: Heb 9:27, Rom 5:8, Eph 2:8-9, Rom 6:23
Assurance: 1 Jn 5:11-13, Jn 5:24
Guidance: Js 1:5, Prov 3:5-6
Temptation: Ro 8:37, 1 Cor 10:13
Purity: Ps 119:9-11, 2 Tim 2:22
Jesus is Lord: John 3:30, John 13:13-14
Surrendered Life: Ro 12:1-3, Gal 2:20
Holy Spirit: John 14:26, 1 Cor 3:16-17
God’s Love: John 3:16, Ro 5:8
God’s Peace: Is 26:3, Jn 14:2-3
God’s Provision: Phil 4:13, Ro 8:32
God’s Faithfulness: 1 Thes 5:24, 1 Cor 1:9
God’s Grace: 2 Cor 9:8, Heb 4:15-16
God’s Strength: PS 18:2, 2 Cor 12:9
Humility: Phil 2:3-4, Jn 13:13-14
Waiting: Ps 27:14, Is 40:31
Jesus’ Return: 1 Thes 4:15-17, Rov 20:15
The Tongue: Eph 4:29, Js 1:19-20
Faith: Heb 11:1, Heb 11:6
Holiness: 1 Pe 1:15, Col 2:6-7

God’s word is eternal and I assure you that in lives filled with many regrets, you and I will never regret hiding God’s word in our heads and hearts. Bible memorization is not the end-all, a life lived for God’s glory is our end-all, but foundational to that is the intake of God’s word. I asked you this numerous times on Sunday, Is it in you?

We continue in our WE ARE PCC series on Sunday exploring the value Sharing Jesus Christ. Want to come prepared? Start reading, (Why not memorize it?) Romans 1:14-17. I look forward to being together on Sunday.