Central Place of Personal Bible Reading (2)

In this part of the sermon: Pastor Martin quotes Bishop Ryle's essay on Bible reading, highlighting its importance for salvation and practical living, while lamenting the widespread neglect and abuse of the…

Martin quotes J.C. Ryle's essay 'Practical Religion' to introduce the sermon's theme, emphasizing the importance of Bible reading for salvation and practical living, and lamenting its widespread neglect.

Two Lord's Day mornings ago, I began our study in the word of God by reading the words of an Anglican bishop written more than a hundred years ago, and I am deliberately beginning our study this morning by reading a part of that same section of Ryle's excellent essay on Bible reading, found in the collection of his essays entitled Practical Religion. Ryle writes, Next to praying, there is nothing so important in practical religion as Bible reading. God has mercifully given us a book which is able to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. By reading that book, we ma...

2:39 - 3:55 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Drawing from 1 Peter 2:1-3 and the analogy of physical nourishment, Martin asserts that spiritual growth comes from feeding on the 'milk' and 'meat' of God's Word, condemning…

Martin uses the vivid image of his grandson, Landon, growing fat and healthy from his mother's milk, to illustrate how believers grow spiritually by consistently feeding on the 'milk' of God's Word.

So is the milk. And the meat of the scriptures to the soul of the believer. As many of you know, last week we had the privilege of a visit for a few days from our son-in-law and our daughter and our newest grandson, little Landon. And as I saw him stripped down to his diapers, I commented to Heidi and Gord, it looks like someone stuck a catheter in every one of his limbs and blew him up.

28:45 - 29:18 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Drawing from 1 Peter 2:1-3 and the analogy of physical nourishment, Martin asserts that spiritual growth comes from feeding on the 'milk' and 'meat' of God's Word, condemning…

Extending the Landon analogy, Martin describes the hypothetical death of a baby who decides to reject his mother's milk and other food, illustrating the spiritual death that results from neglecting God's Word.

Now, if suddenly in his little brain he should come up with the notion, no longer do I need my mother's breast and the nourishment that comes from it, no longer do I need what would come by means of a spoon and some cereal or out of a Gerber's baby food jar or from whatever source. I will come up with a new means of growth. If he were capable of such thought and capable of implementing it, his death would be the horrible, horrible witness of his father. There is no substitute for the growth of that baby of solid nourishment.

30:32 - 31:18 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Drawing from 1 Peter 2:1-3 and the analogy of physical nourishment, Martin asserts that spiritual growth comes from feeding on the 'milk' and 'meat' of God's Word, condemning…

Martin uses the metaphor of spiritual anorexia to describe believers who starve themselves spiritually by not assimilating God's Word, contrasting them with the healthy growth of his grandson.

You see the imagery? And yet there are some of you who sit here and no one would ever think you've been blown up with a spiritual catheter stuck in you. In fact, they would wonder if indeed you were a spiritual anorexic.

31:20 - 31:35 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Based on 1 John 2:14, Martin explains that spiritual strength to overcome the evil one comes from the Word of God abiding in believers, using a wrestling analogy to illustrate the…

Martin recounts the story of a young wrestler who, after being humiliated by a stronger opponent in his weight class, resolved to train harder than ever. This illustrates the determination believers should have to overcome sin by developing spiritual strength through God's Word.

In fact I spoke to one down in Mebane. It was very interesting. And as you know. What's fair about high school and college wrestling and Olympic wrestling.

41:20 - 41:31 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And if the Lord Jesus, with no indwelling sin, with the inherent power of his own godhood joined to humanity, felt his need to fight spiritual warfare with the sword of the spirit, who are we to think we can go out and c…

Martin tells the story of a blind man who, having lost feeling in his fingers, learned to read the Braille Bible with his tongue, reading it three times in two years. This powerfully illustrates extreme dedication to God's Word, shaming those who claim lack of time or busyness.

He doesn't lay a hand on the devil. a hand on the devil. He takes the sword of the spirit, which is the word of lashes, and he cut Paris with the sword. And if the Lord Jesus, with no indwelling sin, with the inherent power of his own godhood joined to humanity, felt his need to fight spiritual warfare with the sword of the spirit, who are we to think we can go out and come from the field victorious, unarmed, because of our unfamiliarity with the contents of this book, through spiritual laziness, lack of discipline, whatever the cause may be, it is inexcusable. Inexcusable. Have you read the s...

52:35 - 53:59 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Expounding on 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Martin argues that Scripture thoroughly furnishes the man of God for 'every good work,' equipping believers for all life's challenges and…

Martin uses the analogy of a man meticulously outfitting himself for a long, challenging journey through diverse terrains and dangers. This illustrates how Scripture thoroughly furnishes believers for 'every good work' and every contingency in the Christian life.

Furnished completely unto every good work. And I tried to think of an illustration for what it means to be outfitted for every good work. And I thought of a man who's plotted for years as an avocation to take a long journey. It would carry him through an area of the world where there were high, breathtaking mountains.

57:27 - 57:53 Read in full sermon