Receiving and Treasuring – Proverbs 2:1
Intro.: The first focus that Solomon lays out has to do with the way we treat the Word of God. Proverbs 2:1 – “…if you receive my words and treasure my commands within you…” The “receiving” refers to how we posture ourselves before the Word of God and “treasuring” refers to how we value God’s commands.
I. Receiving: Encountering the Living Word
A. God expresses Himself through His living Word
1. The knowledge of God and the life of God are communicated through the Word of God
B. The Word and prayer
1. We treat prayer as a monologue it’s meant to be a dialogue
2. We call our devotional time “quiet time” for a reason
a. We can’t talk and listen at the same time
3. Prayer uses the language of God, which is His Word
4. God’s Word is the door through which we converse with God
a. Through His Word, His life is opened up to us
NOTE: If we do not understand the purpose of the Word of God, we will miss out on the life of God. Interacting with God through His Word, transforms us more into the likeness of God.
NOTE: Every word in scripture is a doorway into the heart of God and a stairway that leads to the realms of God.
C. Words…
1. Words in general express the thoughts, desires, intents, emotions and will of the one who is speaking
a. Words manifest and articulate that which is hidden
EX.: I may feel deep love for my wife, but until I say, “I love you!” to her, the emotion I have for her is hidden in my heart.
2. The Word of God is the “I love you!” of God to us.
3. Jesus is the Living Word, the expression of God
a. READ: John 6:63
b. Jesus’ words communicate the DNA of God
c. The Word of God is alive with God’s agenda.
D. Most people read the Word like they would a novel
1. A typical response is: “I don’t understand it” or “It’s boring”
2. That’s because the Word must be approached from a spiritual connection, not an intellectual connection
NOTE: The Bible must be approached differently than an ordinary book. It must be studied with awe, reverence and fascination. We must understand that we stand on holy ground the moment our eyes behold the words of this book!
NOTE: Just as the breath of God breathed life into Adam and breathed life into the army of Ezekiel 37, the same breath of God, through His Word, causes us to wake up and come alive in the Spirit.
II. The Purpose of the Word is to Encounter Us
A. The Word ushers us into encounter with God
NOTE: If this is not our expectation when we open the Bible, we will become dry, unaffected and bored. We will be limited to knowing about God without ever really knowing God.
B. The Word will indict our unbelief – READ: John 5:38-42
1. Jesus didn’t condemn them for searching scripture, He
condemned them for their attitude in doing so.
2. How could those who knew the Word best, kill the Messiah?
3. The Pharisees studied the Word as their occupation
4. They knew the word, but the Word did not know them
5. The Word was not living, moving & breathing inside of them
NOTE: If the Pharisees has allowed the Word of God to encounter them and had it abiding in them, they would have recognized who Jesus was.
Concl.:
1. How you posture yourself before the Word of God will determine what you receive from it.
2. If your prayer time is a one-way conversation, I’ll bet you are bored out of your skull with prayer! God designed prayer to be a two-way conversation.
3. When we understand the purpose of the Word, we will experience the life of God flowing into us and through us.
4. God’s Word is His “I love you!” to each of us.
5. The breath of God, through His Word, will cause us to wake up and come alive in the Spirit.
Next week will be a very practical message on how we can personally set ourselves up for encounters in the Word?
