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Show RIGHTL Y DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2: 15) familiar passage from Paul's second letter to his spiritual son This text is Timothy. It a might well be one of the most memorized passage in the New Testament, yes in The Bible. Young Christians and especially preachers and deacons commit this passage to memory and recite it over and over again to emphasize the need for spiritual growth and development. There are four lessons for all of us to learn if we would be all Page -1- that God wants us to be. If we would have the mind of God and walk in the example of Jesus, we must apply ourselves to the Word of truth. First, the text summons us to show ourselves approved." to "Study To be approved is to have a stamp of authenticity, to be genuine, to be the real thing, to be like God and what He has intended in His design. To study is not just to skim or speed read but to spend time with the Word helps us Psalm 1 text. We God day are to meditate on the Word of night. Then, we can expect that bring forth their fruit in and to be trees their great informer. with this part of the as our season and their leaves shall not whither. This approval is not for us Page -2- or any other man but "unto God." There is no approval, to seek the acceptance or recognition, or ratification reason for human of our fellow The work man. we are ours but the Lords. What really need is the endorsement and do is not support of the Lord Once approved, our we to we God. become "workmen that needeth not to be ashamed." For us to be effective in doing what God wants, we must be workmen who labor without shame. We must toil in the seek and to us vineyard of the save that if we are souls. Jesus reminded ashamed to before me, He will not Father. Our boldness Master to own own us comes when Him before His we are "rightly dividing the word of truth." Page -3- The point of this sermon is that God wants us to rightly divide the word of truth. Not to be false teachers with erroneous and misleading messages. It is tempting to throw together something left overs or unprepared at the last minute and give it to God's people. Nehemiah 8: 8 reminds us how important it is to read the word distinctly, to give the sense of the word and to help others to apply the word to their lives. When they discover the word of God after it had been lost, Nehemiah declared, "So they read in the book of the law of God distinctly, and caused them to reading." andfave the sense, understand the Given the context and the time, we are to read the Word, to take in the word, then to give the words to those who need to hear it. Page -4- John 1: 1 and 14 say, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word with God, and the Word was God. and the Word was made flesh, and was .. dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full ofgrace and truth. Page -5- " |
