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May 07, 2023

Word and Spirit

Word and Spirit

Passage: 2 Timothy 1:1-5

Speaker: Patrick Lafferty

Series: That’s the Spirit: Learning to keep in step with Him who indwells

Keywords: scripture, righteousness, prophecy, teaching, god-breathed, reproof

If our intent is to learn what it means to keep in step with the Spirit, we should probably back up and first consider the nature and purpose of the Words from which we learn most about the Spirit.

Readings & Scripture

PREPARATION: Psalm 119:33-37, 135
LEADER: Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes;
and I will keep it to the end.

PEOPLE: Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.

LEADER: Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.
Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain!

PEOPLE: Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.

LEADER: Make your face shine upon your servant,

ALL: and teach me your statutes.

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH/SCRIPTURE READING/CORPORATE PRAYER: Ephesians 6:10-18
LEADER: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

The Word of the Lord (if Scripture)

ALL: Thanks be to God!

CENTRAL TEXT: 2 Timothy 1:1-5; 3:14-17; 2 Peter 1:16-21
2Tim. 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,

2Tim. 1:2 To Timothy, my beloved child:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

2Tim. 1:3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. . . .

2Tim. 3:14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

2Pet. 1:16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

BENEDICTION: John 17:17
LEADER: Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth.

RELATED SCRIPTURES:

  • Judges 6:34, 2 Chronicles 24:20
  • 2 Samuel 23:2
  • Psalm 2
  • Psalm 85:8
  • Psalm 94:12
  • Psalm 119:18
  • Psalm 119: 135
  • Isaiah 55:10-11
  • Isaiah 59:21
  • Jeremiah 1:2, 8
  • John 15:14
  • Romans 10:14-17
  • 1 Corinthians 13:13
  • Ephesians 6:17
  • Hebrews 4:12-13
  • Revelation 1:9-11
  • Revelation 19:15

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. Favorite book? Why that? How many times have you read it? Do you treat that book any differently than others?
  2. What text(s) do you ever find yourself coming back to most for clarity or encouragement? What text(s) have you struggled with most? For each category, explain why.
  3. How might you read Scripture like you read any other book? How might the nature and purpose of Scripture require you to also read it like you don’t read any other book?
  4. What did Jesus make of the Hebrew Bible? (can you refer to specific passages?) What does His sense of what we know as the Old Testament mean for how we think of both it and the New Testament?
  5. How would you explain to someone the difference between inspiring words and the Bible’s words inspired by the Spirit? How are those two categories alike and distinct? What differences do those differences make?
  6. Refresh your memory from the sermon. We considered the Spirit’s purposes for the Word to be that of converting, maturing, and communing. Can you tell a story about a personal sense of the Word and Spirit–information and persuasion–serving any of those ends?
  7. If you had to place yourself on a spectrum of your attention to Scripture as “gets lost in the shuffle” - “an object of study” - “a source of refuge and nourishment,” where would you be? Why there? 
  8. The gospel is news–unparalleled information about what Christ has done for us. How is the Spirit involved in our belief in that news?

QUOTES: 

  • In the school of Christ, the Spirit is principal. He would not only have us learn of the Lord. He would make us his friends. Brad East, The Doctrine of Scripture
  • As the church waits, it begs of the Lord, “Make haste, my beloved.” He answers, “surely I am coming soon. With eager “longing” and “groaning,” the Spirit and the bride reply: “Amen, come Lord Jesus.” Scripture keeps us company in the interim. It work endures until it unites the bride with the bridegroom. Then it is finished. Brad East
  • One uncomfortable explanation for why so many aspects of modern life corrode our attention is that they do not merit it. The problem for those of us who don’t live in monasteries but hope to make good use of our days is figuring out what might. . . .[and to move] beyond the question of why the mind wanders to the more difficult, more beautiful question of where it should rest. Casey Cep
  • . . .let us preserve deep silence, both external and mental, but especially the latter; for what advantage is it that the mouth be hushed, if the soul is disturbed and full of tossing? I look for that calm which is of the mind, of the soul, since it is the hearing of the soul which I require. . . .If a man cannot learn well a melody on pipe or harp, unless he in every way strain his attention; how shall one, who sits as a learner to sounds mystical, be able to hear with a careless soul? St John Chrystostom 
  • The genius’s book or artwork may extend through time, but ultimately it isn’t eternally mandated. An artist or writer might highlight glimpses of eternity, but those reflections of divine reality are not sanctioned in the genius. Instead of the obedience owed to the apostles, geniuses request only our attention. Jessica Hooten-Wilson

BOOKS / DOCS

SERMONS