Second Timothy. We are continuing on our series entitled Thrive 2025. This morning we tackled our two big issues that must be remedied for Thrive to be a part of who we are. But let's get involved tonight as we now really begin to touch this. I want to remind you, I have a great passion for God to work in your lives and to see you thrive for the Lord. God has blessed this church for many, many years. This church under the names that it's held and under this name now is a local church established by the Lord and His people. It has an amazing, great history. I happen to think that its greatest chapters have not been written yet. But all that God has done in the past for God's people have brought us to this place where we are. in the midst of what did the apostle call it? A crooked and perverse culture. The nation is a mess out there. We watched people get the highest civilian achievements this weekend who were some of the people who did some of the worst damage to the moral fabric of this nation. We have watched as wrong has been touted as okay and right. We have seen right be stomped and trampled in the mud. In the midst of all that, God has called us to be lights and witnesses and to shine brightly in this dark world. To see God work in you more. To see the Lord to help you have a more passionate walk with Him. There's no better time than a new year. We're only five days in. We're going to talk about that this evening. I know what's coming this week. For some of you, for some of us who are making New Year's resolutions, there will be horrible headaches from the stop of sugar intake in the body. About 72 hours after stopping eating sugar in its norm, most people experience painful headaches. That's because some people claim sugar is a poison. It's just legal. Other people will be detoxing from all of the junk that we ate over the holidays. Other people will be sore from exercising. Some people will actually be trying to give up habits or addictions that need to be squelched, and to try to replace them is definitely not easy. As a Bible-believing pastor, I also deal with people who serve our nation, and addiction is a horrible thing for many of them. They do everything they can. You and I have an advantage because we have the Holy Spirit working with us. But what I've learned is that when all of these things happen and these resolutions and commitments and all this is coming down, people tend to lose their focus for what's in the long term and we tend to gravitate more toward the immediate or what's happening right now. I want to encourage you to try to be looking months ahead. Next Sunday afternoon I'll have a deacon's meeting with the four men and one of the things that I try to do is give them one or two or even three months ahead of calendar items, you know, smashing and exciting days like sweater Sunday, you know. Just things that we can do to try to encourage the troops, you know. Winter is tough enough, but when you have to be in Michigan it can be even tougher. And as you get older, all the allure of the snow and the cold seems to lose its joy because now we are 74 days away from spring. You all know how it is. I just want to remind you, don't erase today, but keep reaching forward as if you will keep those resolutions and those goals deep into the year. Because Paul said, I can do all things through Christ. You can do this. Now, the way that I feel about this topic, it's truly been a consuming part of the last of 2024 as we got ready for this. It's my prayer to see God working in all of us. In our hearts, our thinking, our actions. Every part of us, if we will let Him in, He can also reign. Because it is a matter of learning to lean on Jesus. One of my favorite songs. We don't hear it much anymore. But learning to lean is a very powerful statement because everything we are doing is a learning process, isn't it? You cannot serve two masters. The two big issues we involved with this morning were the understanding that we know Christ as Savior and that we follow Christ as Lord. We know Jesus as Savior. Jesus said in John 10, I am come that they might have life. And then we follow Jesus as Lord of our lives. that they might have it more abundantly. That's the issue we're talking about with pride. So the two simple questions we asked this morning, number one, are you a Christian? And the second question, are you Christ's follower? Steve and I talked after the service this morning. He said, Pastor, I was so sure that issue number two was going to be about the assurance of salvation. And I said, well, brother, you either know Christ or you don't know Christ. And the assurance of salvation is salvation itself for a person who's not sure they're saved. It would be like saying I'm not sure that I'm a member of the church. You're either a member or you're not a member of the church. And we know that because of record keeping and witnesses and everything else. We know that we know we belong to Christ. So the first question, do you know the Lord? And I like Steve's thinking about that because he said so many people made that prayer based on what they understood at the time, but they didn't believe. They simply said a prayer. Maybe they were honoring a parent. Maybe they were trying to get out of trouble. Maybe they were at camp and a friend did it. We talk about that. It's for sure. Do you know Christ as Savior? The second question, are you Christ's follower? Is there a willingness for discipleship? A willing heart? I've used the illustration before. When I got married at Oakfield Baptist up in Rockford at the corner of Wabasas and M57, my wife, her dad did not drag her down the altar. Now you come down this altar right now and I'm telling you, we've spent good money for this wedding and so help me, you're going to marry him or mother and I are not going to talk to you. He didn't have to drag her by her hair down that aisle. Ann willingly came down that aisle and made the biggest mistake of her life. I'm just kidding. I hope not. We have Lauren, David, and Lindsay out of it, and five amazing wild men. So it's a willingness. a willingness to follow the Savior. So let's explore this subject tonight. I'm going to give you one principle, and then you can go watch the game. Just being honest. Let's pray. Father, help us as we look at the Scripture here. Thank You for God's people prioritizing this tonight. Help us as we study, open the Word together. In Jesus' name, Amen. 2 Timothy 2 Verse 1, Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. A famous theologian said, All that God does, He does through His Word. So tonight, to thrive in 2025, you and I must understand Paul's teaching of how Timothy can thrive in the faith. I'm telling you, these two questions, we cannot overemphasize them. Are you a believer? Are you a disciple of the Savior? Those are huge issues. And those issues must be cared for in every person's life. We had a man come to the service this morning to buy something from eBay. Oddly enough, right? And he came, we talked for a few minutes, a very considerate gentleman, Canadian, by birth. We talked upstairs for a little bit. I wanted to try to get him to come to the Lord's house. He at least came in the house. But we just talked together, and I wanted to give him the Gospel. After the service, he waited for a moment. I ran into my office and I grabbed a New Testament, the same ones I give to sailors and soldiers. And I handed it to him and I said, look, the greatest news you'll ever hear is in here. He said, well, you know what? I need good news. He said, I thank you. And he was on his way. I don't know if I'll ever see him again. I hope the medical device that he purchased can actually help his wife as it helped my mother when she first came home from having her stroke. But the most important part of that is anything that we deal with people, we want to spread the Gospel. I think there's a willingness for God's people to begin having the challenge, now that I am a Christian, to help others be able to confront that issue in their own life. Are they a Christian? And then of course, all of our goals of any contact with people. We talked about an important phone number I was given tonight for someone. Any contact with that has to be to the end of the Gospel. Because the Gospel is infinitely more important than anything else. So, challenging us to be a disciple of the Savior. You know, this quote is an amazing thinking that all God does, He does through His Word. And here in the Word, you're looking at how Paul is teaching Timothy to handle the Word itself. So when you look at this, you're seeing all that God does to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. What about the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses? I wonder what he was hearing. I know exactly what he was hearing. And it had everything to do with the Word of God. So tonight, I remind you, you can do this. You can. By the way, you already are. The willingness to even be in God's house is indicative of the fact that you want to follow the Lord. Keep it up. Be faithful. The devil's going to do anything he can to cause you to become unfaithful. And tonight's topic is probably the number one place where he tempts God's people. So, here it is. Number one. Do what God says. To thrive in 2025, do what God says. Now, by this, you understand what we're talking about. We're going to read, study the Scripture, and we're going to obey God's commandments. We live in a very independent culture. We live in an incredibly stubborn culture. We live in a culture that when God tries to put His hand on their shoulder, they pull away. We live in a culture that when God tries to turn their head, they stiffen their neck. You say, where do you come up with that? In the book of Proverbs. It's always been the same. Nothing new under the sun. So the recognition tonight is that you and I have a great privilege to follow God's commandments. Did you look at v. 1 to be strong? Do you understand what that means? To enable, to empower. You and I have the opportunity to enable people to be empowered by the Lord. The influence that we have can be used in a godly manner just as Paul is challenging Timothy to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Why are you in God's Word? Every one of us should be in God's Word so God's Word will be in us. So God's Word will become part of us. So that God's Word will shape our choices and help our decision-making process. It's part of what we would think when we think of our conscience or our gut feeling or a hunch. When the Word of God is in you, you're going to be more inclined to make wiser choices, even when they have to be made immediately, rather than secular choices that come naturally to us. I want to show you something in Deuteronomy. Let me have you turn there. I believe one of the most profound statements in the Old Testament is found here. Deuteronomy 11. Most Christians' favorite books of Scripture are not Deuteronomy and Numbers. However, principles of Scripture bypass time and culture. This is one of the most powerful statements of Scripture in the Old Testament, maybe in the Bible. Deuteronomy 11, I want you to look please at verse 26. Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse. Now think about that. I mean, you've got two polar opposites. A blessing, or a curse. Notice the words. A blessing if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you this day. Awesome. He's not talking to the pagans, he's talking to God's people. Notice the next statement. and a curse if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day to go after other gods which ye have not known." A blessing or a curse? I believe that the premier The number one, the greatest priority a Christian can have regarding their actions is to obey the Lord. Now, I firmly believe that the greatest, number one, paramount attitude that every Christian must have is to love the Lord. Jesus said it verbatim. Paul said it. Moses said it. Virtually every Scripture writer says it in one way or another. There is no substitute for loving God in the inner man, and that is what results in the actions of the outer man being more in line with Scripture. Why don't people want to obey what the Scripture says? because they have a heart problem. Most of the time, it's not ignorance. Most of the time, it's insolence. Totally different. So we want to obey the Lord. And I believe the area of inner commitment and love to the Lord If we could remedy that area in the attitude, then the outer areas of obedience would summarily be strengthened. It's almost as if they follow. It's like a developing story. It has to follow. Remember Joshua, what he told God's people? Right after he gets the reins of command to lead God's people into the Promised Land, he says in Joshua 1, verse 7, Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded thee. And as he's speaking to Joshua through Joshua, he says, Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest. Most of us never hear that verse. We hear the next one. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth. But thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein. Then thou shalt make thy way prosperous. Then thou shalt have good success. And most Christians never think about the ninth statement. In verse 9, the Bible says, Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage. Be not afraid. Neither be thou dismayed. For the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. The challenge of success for every believer is also based in the heart of every Christian who will willingly follow the Word of God in their lives. Everything, everything that has to do with God has to do with God's Word. And everything that has to do with Christian living, Christianity in general, all the good things that God has for us, all of that is found in God's Word. It's all there. There's no separating it. You remember when Jesus said, without Me ye can do nothing? By the way, who is Jesus? Well, in John 1, John says, in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. That's who we're talking about. Jesus Christ is the Word. It makes sense and logic that all Christians should have a consuming passion to know the Word of God better so that they could follow it and see better success in living. Does that mean I'll make more money? It might if that's part of what God's desire is for you. Everything that God wants to do with you is to the end of serving Him to bring the Gospel to the lost and encouragement to the saved. That's why we exist. We're simply a tool in God's toolbox. Here. The entire concept of Joshua 1 meditating, following, have not I commanded thee? The Word of God getting in you because you get into the Word of God. For the Hebrew people, it was 612, some say 613 commandments. For you and me, it's the principles of Scripture. It's knowing what God's Word says about the issues of life. But how am I ever going to know what God says about those issues if I don't know what God says? Carrying a Bible to church is good. Every Christian should have a Bible in church. Whether it's digital or analog. But that's not enough. Having Bibles in our homes is good. It's not enough. One of the biggest challenges we have at the house on McLean is dealing with all the Bibles of my parents. I've given three or four away to each sibling. I've given several away to grandkids and to children. My parents had a lot of Bibles. I'm grateful for that. I have probably 20 up in my office now. But just having those Bibles is not enough. It's good, but it's not enough. Opening a Bible at church and reading it along quietly as I'm reading it out loud is great. But it's still not enough. It's what we are doing outside of worship, outside of Bible study, that is telling us who we really are and who we really want to follow. You see, at worship, we come to hear the Scripture. I love it. We get to hear it. I was listening in the car on the way in. I was listening to Dr. Chuck Swindoll, that old voice. On our way home from church today, we were listening to Dr. J. Vernon McGee, that quintessential southern Tennessean mixed with New York. His accent is so unique. Listening and having the privilege of seeing Dr. McGee preach live. The privilege of seeing great men. Watching Dr. Fuller preach live. Watching Dr. John Rice preach live. Seeing so many of these great people. Seeing even prominent people. Dr. Truman Dollar. Incredible speakers. Dr. Ketchum. They're great men of God. Look, you and I have to understand that there is no way we will ever outgrow the Scriptures. You can't. The first step is to hear it. Romans 10-17. So then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. The word hearing speaks of believing it. The word hearing speaks of receiving it. It's not just enough to have it on your person. You've got to have it in your soul. You will never grow past the desire to attend worship. You will never grow past the attendance at Bible study. You will never grow past that. I know so many Christians. I don't go to church because churches are filled with hypocrites. and speaking from a hypocrite's point of view. They should know. You know, I think we're deceived in a culture where everybody's looking for a big new thing in a big great new way. I just go back to one of those little choruses I learned at Oakfield. Get the new look from the old book. Get the new look from the Bible. Get the new look from the old book. Get the new look from God's Word. I'm afraid that we have taken God's Word and made it secondary to worship choruses. to praise and worship bands. We have taken the Word of God and we have made it secondary in houses of worship when the most important thing for God's people is to open the Bible together. There is no substitute for this. There are no substitutes for this. When Dr. Fuller preached, I can guarantee you he preached that there were no substitutes for the Scriptures. When Dr. Young pastored you, I can guarantee you he preached there is no substitute for the Scriptures. When Pastor Swem pastored you, I can guarantee you that he preached there is no substitute for the Scriptures. And I'm here to stand in the shadow of those good men and remind you again, there is no substitute to the Word of God. It's the Bible we need. Psalm 119, verses 9, 10, and 11. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy word? With my whole heart have I sought thee. O let me not wander from thy commandment. Thy Word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against Thee. You know David's words. Go with me to Psalm 19. Let me show you. I'll show you a little more detail here. Psalm 19. Why is God's Word so essential for me to thrive for the Lord? Psalm 19. Cleansing and obedience always go hand in hand in Scripture. Wholeheartedness. Getting right with God. Being right with God. They go hand in hand by the Word of God. The reason for studying and reading and obeying the Word of God, David said in Psalm 119, it's so that he would avoid sinfulness and follow after godliness. Notice what he says here in Psalm 19. Verse 7, the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring, forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. I love how the Holy Spirit even allows it to rhyme. More to be desired are they than gold. And if you've ever seen a lot of gold, David would understand. Yea, than much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Oh, just in case we forgot, moreover, by them is thy servant warned. Oh, and how about this? And in keeping of them, there is great reward. What is he talking about? I wrote down 119 Ministries gave an explanation, and I wrote this down, I liked it. A commandment is an order or charge. It's given to us to keep or to observe. Things like the Ten Commandments. For the children of Israel, following the feast days, observing the Sabbath, The judgments tell us how to handle situations that arise between two of God's people who are in opposition. Statutes. Decrees or requirements describing how to live in obedience. The Bible almost always explains itself. We just don't read around what we're looking for. Contextual observation of the Word of God would solve the majority of problems that immature believers face. The statutes of God's Word describe how to live in obedience. The laws, that's the direction. That's the instruction God gives. And then the testimonies? They're the witness of God. They're the evidence of God's character, God's action, what is happening. If you don't believe it, look on a clear night at the universe. Pardon me, it is a witness of God's Word. Along with low humidity in the winter. There are no substitutes for the Word of God. I think I think you know this for over 20 years. I have written for a nationally actually an internationally published devotional aimed at young people, but they sell I Think hundreds of thousands of subscriptions to this to adults as well It's called glow-in-the-dark. I've written for him for many many years most churches I preach in around the country even around the world use them And I have been privileged to write for them for a long time. Glow in the dark. I love devotional. Folks, I'm going to say it. Right, wrong, or indifferent. I have gleaned great biblical truth before out of our daily bread. There's still some great things. When I was a young teacher, I read it every day to my 7th grade students. They just looked at me, you know. 7th grade? 8 o'clock in the morning? Who are you and what are you trying to sell? I love writing devotionals. It's been a privilege to do this, and I'm so glad that Glow Publishing does this. I like it. But more important than the devotional is the Scripture attached to it. The foundation of that devotional. All I'm saying is, I'm not against devotional. But don't let the devotional overshadow. There is nothing like raw Scripture. I love supplements. I love all that. But eating healthy is the best. God's Word, there's no substitute. It's the Bible we need. Do you have a Bible reading plan? You should systematically read the Bible. Some of my friends on Facebook happen to be students that I've taught through the past four decades. And one of them, a great young gal, graduated from PCC, loves the Lord, her and her husband. He serves the Lord. They're great people. And she posted the other night that for the first time she read the Bible through. It's a wonderful thing. Here's what Ann and I do. Every morning, we take about 10 to 12 minutes. We read three chapters of the Old Testament and one chapter of the New Testament. Five, six days a week, at least five. We read through the Bible every 10 months. Wow. Did you know that at an average reading speed, you could read through the entire Bible in less than 72 hours? We're overwhelmed by God's Word. when we should be empowered by God's Word. I'm all for the overwhelming nature of the Word of God, but this is an instruction manual. This is a repair manual. This is a how-to manual. This is everything we need. I can get the Bible on DVD for people to read every day for less than 10 bucks. Ann and I do it every day. It's habitual. I read the Scripture all the time. It's part of my occupation. I often see Ann reading the Bible by herself. But we take that time, we sit every morning together. Even when we had kids. Even over Christmas. I got Cam Man in one hand. I got Landon in another. And they're sitting there saying nothing because they're still sleepwalking. And we're reading the Scriptures together. Those little boys grew up in our house every morning. Every morning when their mother would drop them off, they already know the sound of the big Westminster chimes that introduce it. Dong, dong, dong. Even the dog knows when it's time to read the Bible. You've got to have a plan. There has to be a systematic plan of reading the Scriptures. If you've got one online, I'm all for it. If you've got through the Bible in a year, I'm all for it. I'm all for all of that. But you've got to begin reading it before you can meditate on it, before you can obey it. You've got to read it. Read the Word. You've got to learn to hear the Scriptures. That's what we do here. Take it home and read it. By the way, get yourself a good study Bible. This is a Ryrie study Bible. My favorite study Bible. And I have many different ones. I've just settled on Ryrie because Dr. Ryrie was a Baptist. He loves the Lord. He's with the Lord. And he was a genius, but he was also common sense. And he was a Midwesterner. May I say that? I'm just kidding. I don't care what you use. Get the dollar store one. I don't care. Make sure you get stronger magnified glasses for it. But read the Word. There's no way you can overemphasize reading it. But I like a good study Bible so you can actually study it. When's the last time you memorized stuff? I just found in some of my dad's stuff, I believe, some of my great-grandfather's stuff from Moody Bible Institute. And one of the most cherished things I found was a set of Bible memorization cards for theology. And as I sat and I worked through them and got the numbers, I could tell it was It was dialogue for answering in certain questions that they were going to ask. And it convicted me. Because I need to memorize God's Word more. Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee. You will learn to meditate more on Scripture as you memorize and study and hear and read it. Because the meditation of the Word will be the remuneration of it. You will begin to chew on it through the day. And by the way, what's the whole goal of it? To apply it in your life. Just having the knowledge of it. isn't the key. It's what you do with it. Look, the first way that you are going to survive and now thrive in 2025 is to have a deep relation with the Word of God. Taking care of the two issues. We know Christ. Are we willing to follow Him? Read it. Read it. Study it. Obey it. Love what he loves. Learn to shun what God hates. Oh, and just as a simple reminder, when you hear the Scriptures, it will prompt you to want to read the Scriptures. As you begin to read the Scriptures, it will prompt you to want to study the Word. And as you study it, the more you're looking at it, the more inclined you will be to memorize it, And the more that it's working in you like that, the more you will begin thinking about it and the working of it. This isn't just for preachers. This is for all God's preachers who know the Lord. And ladies and gentlemen, when we begin to apply it, that's when the change is effective. So this evening, I just wanted to share with you The simple ways that we work with the Scriptures. And can I finish by saying this? Just to consider obedience to the Lord. The places we go. How we look. The words we say. The people we befriend. The things we like. What we watch. The music to which we listen. the sites online that we explore. What we choose to allow to become habits, the very actions that we take in our lives, reading God's Word is vital. But, you've got to do what's right. Maybe one of the greatest statements of practical Christian living in the New Testament, James, reminds all of us to be a doer of the Word, not just a hearer. It cannot be overemphasized. So remember tonight. Remember, there's a big difference between merely being alive and learning to thrive. That's our goal. That's where we're headed. Jesus said, I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. I can be alive. Yes, that's great. I'm on the way to the kingdom. But I want to thrive and have an abundant Christian life. Question. What are you going to do? Father, thank You for the Word of God It is everything that we need. Everything that God wants us to know is in His Word. Everything that God does, He does by His Word. While Christians are sitting around debating and thriving on the gray areas, we keep ignoring the black and white truths of Scripture. I believe a great place to start would be the Ten Commandments. Lord, I pray that You will help God's people. Put in us a passion to have a living walk with the Bible. This is the difference between Christians and Christians who are faithful all lifelong. Our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed before we finish tonight. I just want to ask, what are you going to do with this? Don't substitute for the Scripture. But if you will overcome evil with good, you will include the Scripture more in your daily life. How about a verse for the day? Many of us have the app on our phones. I had a funeral yesterday over in Ithaca. A brother passed away. A brother in the Lord. A very good friend of my father. But he had a Bible verse app he used every day on his phone. And even the morning that he passed, they heard his phone ding. and the verse of the day, blessed are the dead who die. No mistake. God knows. What are you going to do? I challenge you. the reading level? Could you include a verse of the day? Could you include a plan for some type of Bible memory? Maybe a verse that's been sticking and staying with you. It's been something that God has been working in you. I know that's been happening with me, and I'm praying that it's happening with you. Let's thrive in 2025.