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RESTORATION THROUGH THE WORD
A. Introduction: We’ve begun a new series on the importance of developing the habit of reading the Bible for
yourself, and we have more to say tonight.
1. Many sincere Christians struggle with Bible reading. They don’t know where to start reading. They
don’t understand what they read and find a lot of it boring. They often conclude that it doesn’t seem to
have much to do with the struggles and challenges of everyday life.
a. To fully benefit from reading the Bible, you must know the purpose of the Bible (what it is and
what it isn’t) as well as how to read it.
1. The Bible isn’t a “how to solve your problems” book or a book aimed at telling you how to have
a happy, successful life. It’s not a collection of verses you can pull out when you need help.
2. The Bible is a collection of sixty-six books, and each book is meant to be read as it was written,
from beginning to end. The Bible wasn’t originally written in chapters and verses. Those
markers were added centuries after the Bible was completed, to help located specific passages.
b. Altogether, the sixty-six books of the Bible tell the story of God’s desire for a family and the lengths
to which He has gone to obtain His family through Jesus. These books gradually reveal God’s plan
for a family until we have the full revelation given through Jesus and His death and resurrection.
Each book adds to the story in some way.
1. The Bible reveals that God created human beings to become His holy, righteous sons and
daughters through faith in and dependence on Him. But all humans are disqualified for God’s
family because of sin. (Sin is disobeying God’s moral Law, His standard of right and wrong.)
2. Jesus came into this world to deliver humanity from the guilt and power of sin by dying as a
sacrifice for sin. In doing so, Jesus opened the way for all who believe in Him as Savior and
Lord to be restored to God’s family as His holy, righteous sons and daughters. Eph 1:5-4
c. The Bible is a historical record of real people and real events that relate to God’s plan for a family.
The Bible is 50% history (much of which is verifiable through archeology and secular historical
records), 25% prophecy, and 25% instruction for living.
1. The Old Testament (39 books) is primarily the history of the Jewish people, the people group
through whom Jesus was born into this world. It was originally written mostly in Hebrew.
2. The New Testament (27 books) was written not long after Jesus came into this world by
eyewitnesses of Jesus (or close associates of eyewitnesses). It records His ministry, teachings,
crucifixion, resurrection, and return to Heaven. It was originally written in Greek.
2. The Bible is much more than a historical record or a book with prophecy. It reveals the salvation from
the guilt and power of sin that is available to all who acknowledge Jesus as Savior and Lord.
a. Paul, an eyewitness of Jesus, wrote that the Bible gives us “the wisdom to receive the salvation that
comes by trusting in Jesus” (II Tim 3:15, NLT).
b. Paul then wrote the key verse for our new series: 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 Tim 3:16-17, KJV).
c. The Greek word that is translated Scripture is graphe, and it means to write. The Scriptures are the
the written Word of God. Paul states that the Scriptures are inspired or God-breathed. God
breathed out something of Himself through His Words when He inspired the writers.
1. The Bible is a supernatural book. God expresses His transforming power, life, and strength
through His Word and produces change in those who hear, read, and believe His Word.
2. Paul wrote that God’s Word…is effectually at work in you who believe—exercising its
[superhuman] power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it (I Thess 2:13, Amp).
3. The Scriptures not only make us wise unto salvation, they are useful for perfecting a man (or woman) of
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God. The Greek word translated perfect means to put in appropriate condition or complete entirely.
a. Human beings were created to be sons and daughters of God who reflect His moral attributes (love,
joy, holiness, etc.), and bring honor and glory to Him in every motive, thought, word, and deed.
But human nature has been corrupted by sin, and all of us are in need of salvation and restoration.
b. Salvation is the complete restoration of human nature to all that God intends us to be. Salvation is
accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit on the basis of Jesus’ sacrifice at the Cross.
1. The Scriptures are vital to the process of being saved (perfected or completely fully restored to
our created purpose) because, not only do they tell us how God wants us to live, they change us.
2. Jesus compared the Word of God to food: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’ (Matt 4:4, NKJV).
A. Food is vital to life and growth, and provides sustenance and nourishment to those who eat
it. In a similar way, God’s Word works to produce growth and change in those who take it
in, those who hear, read, and believe it.
B. Jesus compared the Word of God to a seed. Seed reproduces and multiplies. Just as a
tomato seed ultimately produces tomatoes, so God’s Word produces in us what it
expresses. Mark 4:1-20; I Pet 1:23
4. Paul wrote that the Bible is useful for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness.
We’ll talk more about what those words mean in upcoming lessons, but for now, here’s a short summary
of what God’s Word does for us: The Word of God tells us what we need to believe about God, shows
us what needs to change in us, and then changes us as we read and believe it.
B. Reading the Bible is not only essential to being restored to our created purpose as sons and daughters who are
fully glorifying to God. The Bible is essential to our relationship with God, because He reveals Himself, or
makes Himself known, through His written Word.
1. We were created to know God, love God, and serve God. True life, true peace, and true happiness and
joy come from knowing God.
a. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah wrote that God says men should not boast about their wisdom,
strength, or riches. Rather a man should boast or glory in the fact that he “understands and knows
Me (personally and practically, directly discerning and recognizing My character), that I am the
Lord Who practices loving-kindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I
delight, says the Lord (Jer 9:24, Amp).
b. Jesus, while praying to God the Father, said: And this is eternal life: [it means] to know (to
perceive, recognize, become acquainted with and understand) You, the only true and real God, and
[like-wise] to know Him, Jesus (Christ)…Whom you have sent (John 17:3, Amp).
c. God has progressively revealed Himself—His character, His works, His plans and purposes—until
we have the full revelation given in Jesus. Jesus is God’s fullest revelation of Himself to humanity.
1 Jesus is God become man without ceasing to be God. Two thousand years ago, God the Son
(the Second Person of the Godhead or the Trinity) incarnated or took on a full human nature in
the womb of the Virgin Mary and was born into this world.
2. For an in depth teaching on the Triune nature of God, the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit), see lesson TCC—1211 (March 3, 2023) at RichesInChrist.com
2. Jesus is actually called the Word of God. John the apostle (an original follower and eyewitness of
Jesus) wrote several New Testament documents, including the Gospel of John. John’s purpose in
writing was to show that Jesus is God Incarnate. John called Jesus the Word made flesh.
a. John 1:1; John 1:14—In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God…And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of
the only Son from the Father (ESV).
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b. Jesus is the Living Word of God and He reveals Himself through the written Word of God, in the
pages of the Scriptures. Jesus Himself said that the Scriptures testify about Him. John 5:39
1. The Living Word, Jesus, said that He is the Truth and that He is revealed in and through the
written Word of God which is the Truth. John 14:6; John 17:17
A. You can’t know God, you can’t know Jesus, apart from the Scriptures. The written Word
of God is the only fully reliable, completely trustworthy source of information about Jesus.
B. The Bible supersedes feelings, thoughts, circumstances, dreams, visions, and supernatural
experiences. All of that must be judged according to the standard of God’s written Word.
2. Consider the emphasis Jesus placed on the value of the Scriptures. On the day that He rose
from the dead, as word began to spread that His tomb was empty, Jesus appeared to two of His
disciples on a road leading to a nearby village, and then to His eleven apostles who were
gathered in Jerusalem. Note what Jesus said to all of them.
A. He “quoted from the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining what all the
Scriptures said about Himself” (Luke 24:27, NLT), and reminded them that “everything
written about me by Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must all come true. Then
he opened their minds to understand these many Scriptures” (Luke 24:44-45, NLT).
B. The resurrected Lord Jesus, instead of performing some supernatural action to prove who
He was and what had happened, referred them to the written Word (the Scriptures) to
confirm what He accomplished through the sacrifice of Himself at the Cross.
3. Jesus, the Living Word not only reveals God to us (because He is God), Jesus (in His humanity) shows us
what being perfect or completely restored to our created purpose (Christ-likeness), looks like. He
shows us how sons and daughters of God live in relation to God our Father and our fellow man.
a. Jesus is the pattern for God’s family: For God, in his foreknowledge, chose (us) to bear the family
likeness of his Son (Rom 8:29, J. B. Phillips). Sons and daughters of God are called according to
God’s plan, called to be Christ-like, like Jesus in character and behavior (Rom 8:28).
b. The written Word (the Scriptures) is the unique instrument that the Holy Spirit uses to deliver us
from the corruption of sin and make us Christ-like (perfect, restored us to our created purpose).
c. As we see Jesus, the Living Word of God, in the written Word of God, the Holy Spirit works in us
through the written Word to perfect us, to make us increasingly like Jesus.
1. Jesus said that His Words (which are recorded in the Bible) are Spirit and life: All the words
through which I have offered myself to you are meant to be channels of the Spirit and of life to
you, since in believing these words you would be brought into contact with the life in me
(John 6:63, J. S. Riggs Paraphrase).
2. II Cor 3:18—All of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of
God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own
image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes]
from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit (II Cor 3:18, Amp).
4. Not only are we called to be Christ-like sons and daughters of God, we are called to a vital, living
relationship with God and to have fellowship with the God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
a. I Cor 1:9—(God) has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord (J. B. Phillips);
by Him you were called into companionship and participation with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord
(Amp); you were divinely summoned into a joint-participation with his Son (Wuest).
1. The Greek word translated fellowship means partnership or participation. It is often translated
communion, which has the idea of sharing or fellowship, having similar interests.
2. Unger’s Bible Dictionary says that fellowship is “a relation in which parties hold something in
common. No one can be in fellowship with God unless he possesses like purposes and feelings
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with love”.
b. Mutual relationship comes out of getting to know someone. You cannot have a vital relationship
(communion or fellowship) with the Lord Jesus, the Living Word, without knowing Him through
the written Word, the Bible.
1. Note what the New Testament authors said about why they wrote their documents. Don’t
forget, these men were eyewitnesses of Jesus (or close associates of eyewitnesses).
2. I John 1:1-4—The one who existed from the beginning is the one we have heard and seen. We
saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is Jesus Christ, the Word
of life (NLT)…We are telling you about what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that
you may share the fellowship and joys we have with the Father and with Jesus Christ his Son
(TLB)…And we are now writing these things to you so that our joy [in seeing you included]
may be full—and your joy may be complete (Amp).
c. When Jesus was here on earth He called men and women to follow Him (Matt 16:24). The people
in that culture understood that to follow Jesus meant to learn from Him and seek to be like Him or
imitate Him (Matt 11:28-30).
1. You can’t follow someone if you don’t walk the same direction as them. You can’t imitate
someone if you don’t know what they are like. Amos 3:3—Can two people walk together
without agreeing on the direction (NLT)?
2. John the apostle wrote: He who says he abides in Him (Jesus) ought himself also to walk just
as he walked (I John2:6, NKJV).
3. Remember that Jesus is the pattern for God’s family. You must look at the pattern in order to
to follow and to imitate. We see Jesus, the Living Word, in and through the written Word.
C. Conclusion: For the last few years, at the beginning of each year, I have encouraged you to become a regular
systematic reader of the Bible, especially the New Testament. (The Old Testament is easier to understand
once you are familiar with the New Testament)
1. To read systematically means to read each of the New Testament books from beginning to end as they
were written to be read. To read regularly means read daily, if possible (or as close to that as possible).
a. Set aside 15 to 20 minutes to read as far as you can. Leave a marker where you stop and pick up
there the next time you read.
1. Don’t worry about what you don’t understand. You are reading to become familiar with the
text. Understanding comes with familiarity, which comes with regular, repeated reading.
2. It is also helpful to get good teaching from a competent Bible teacher. Much of what we don’t
understand when we read is due to the fact that the events described in the New Testament took
place two thousand years ago in a land and culture that is unfamiliar to us.
b. This year I’m encouraging you to begin your year by focusing on the four gospels (Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John). They are historical accounts of Jesus’ ministry (His teachings and miracles, His
death, resurrection, and return to Heaven), written by men who walked and talked with Jesus (or
their close associates). Find out what He is like and what He taught.
1. According to Paul (an eyewitness) Christ is the visible image of the invisible God (Col 1:15,
NLT). And, In these last days (God) has spoken to us by his Son…(Jesus) is the radiance of
the glory of God, and the exact imprint of his nature (Heb 1:1-3, ESV).
2. Remember, you’re not reading to earn points with God. You’re reading to get to know Jesus,
the Living Word, and to be changed by Him through His Word.
2. Almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ, wants to make Himself known to you and wants to be known by
you. As you read, ask the Lord to open your understanding just as He did for His followers on
Resurrection Day. Much more next week!
