God Wrote a Book

God Wrote a Book Key Text: 1 Timothy 3:15-17 Intro: The thought that John Piper introduces here has absolutely captured me since I saw it the other day. God wrote a book! When we stop to actually process that it become more and more profound every time we think about it! God of the universe; God who spoke and it was; God who nothing is impossible; God who is completely powerful; wrote a book Tonight I want us to fall in love again with the God of this book; and see that He wrote a book so that we could see Him and know Him. He wrote a book so that - as Piper puts – we can see the real world! 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us of the privilege that the Bible is to us So won’t you turn there? The profound reality that God wrote a book to ensure that we could know Him is recorded in Scripture where Paul states I will be reading from verse 14 [READ] But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. You see God wrote a book this life giving window to see what needs to be seen in the world. The question is will we dive into the pages of His book; or will we leave it as a dead boring leathery book on our shelves? The reality is this window; this book of God is so powerful because 1. It’s how I know Him Paul reminds Timothy of something that we could even miss in the reading of this passage; “the scriptures made you wise for salvation.” I love the fact that God wants to be known; don’t you? He longs for people to know who He is. This knowledge is revealed to us in so many ways; Psalm 19:1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. 2Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge.… Romans 1:18-20 states this as well where it says 18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Creation shows God to mankind in wonderful way. Its wonder shows us over and over that there is a God. How often have you marvelled at a sunset or sunrise or a vista? These are witnesses of who God is. God also reveals Himself to us in our conscience Roman 2:13- 15 says 13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) We cannot escape the fact that God wants us to know Him! Even our own hearts beat with His laws and confess to us that He is real. The most common human experience is Religion; every culture has a view of god and a way to worship that god; why because the true God of heaven and earth has made Himself known. But the subjective experience of God shown to us in nature seems to leave us alone with our sin. And we refuse to acknowledge Him as God and manufacture god’s of our own creation. And So God wrote a Book; so that we could know Him, and know Him fully and in truth. The Bible exists not as some magic book; it exists as a display of our God; and it teaches us how to be wise for salvation. That is why it is called the cannon; it is the measuring rod which we weigh all information against in order that we might know who He is. Our hearts are always going astray and wondering on a tangent. God knew that our hearts will never find Him on our own. And so in His wonderful grace; He wrote a Book, a wonderful display of who He was so that we could look into these words and come alive to His truth. That our hearts would be revived by His words and enlightened to His truth. His book can’t simply be glanced at; it needs to be taken in deeply and fully. Why because it is about God. It’s the sum total of what He wants us to know of Him. God desires to be known by us and He knows that we would not find Him on our own and He also knows of our tendency to go astray and so in His wonder and in His grace God wrote a book. This window (as Piper puts it) this book is not only how I know Him… 2. It’s How I know Me Paul says in verse 16 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. It was John Calvin who wrote Scripture must be written by God because no other book in history so exalts God and so humbles man. We all have a tendency of seeing ourselves better that we are. The Bible paints a picture of us as desperate and in need of God. And the reality is that is what we are. And that is why we have the Bible; that is why God wrote His book so that we could lift up an untarnished mirror and actually see our true reflection and so reach out for the help that we so desperately need. The Bible reveals to me my sin, but it also reveals to me my healing and then who I am because of Christ. And then who I am in Christ becomes a clear mirror in which I can see what I truly am. This reflection of who I am because of what He has done gives me hope and centres my restless soul. The deeper I know God; the deeper I know myself; the less I strive for things that don’t matter; the more my life counts. As Christ puts it; I have come to give life and life in its abundance. The more I know Him the more I discover life and life in its fullness. I need to know Him so that I can truly know me. And that is why I am so grateful that God wrote a book; for without it I would never discover these things because of who I am; I am broken and unable to see by myself. So in His grace God wrote a book. And it blows me away that as I dive into the pages of His book so I discover myself; who I truly am. I am broken; in need of a saviour. I am a sinner; in need of grace. I have hope because of Him who died for me. In Him I am a saint (a holy called one) In Him I am free In Him I am love In Him I am a new creation In Him I have an inheritance Because of Him I am a child of God Because of Him I have purpose and a future Because of Him I have life! His book reveals to me who I was and what I am now. It shows me my true need and my true healing and when I dive in I discover the wonder of what He has done in me. And because of this 3. I will wait for the Miracle I will dive into this book written by the God of the universe; written by a God who loves to be known. I will read it and study it and dive into this knowledge with everything I am so that I can experience the miracle of the God who wants to be known. And let’s be real it is a miracle that we can discover Him in the pages of a book. It is a profound miracle that He can be known; but He can and He will if we look. This is why I study it! This is why I dive in day by day; so that I can again glimpse more of my God. And what has amazed me about the journey is that more I study the more I discover and the more I discover the more I realise how much there is to discover; and I realise over and over again that this journey to know the God who wants to be known will take my entire life! But I also know that it will be a worthy way to spend my life. And so I commit myself with abandon to search for this God who wants to be known and has given me His book in order that I can discover Him. And so church I want to invite you to dive into the book your God wrote. To discover the God who wants to be known. To push yourself to study this and too discover more and more the incredible, loving, powerful and wonderful God who want to be known by you. So dust off those bibles, dive in to discover again the beauty and wonder, the miracle of a God who wants to be known. Let’s pray [PRAY]