2 Timothy 3:14-17“THE B-I-B-L-E, YES THAT’S THE BOOK FOR ME!” 9-7-14 Pastor Braun Sept. 7,2014
Ever heard of the book: “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”? This Book, written by Robert Lee
Fulghum was published in 1988 and stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for almost two years. Currently,
there are more than 16 million copies in print, it has been published in 27 languages in 103 countries. Here are some
of his quotes from the book: 1. Share everything. 2. Play fair. 3. Don’t hit people. 4. Put things back where you
found them. 5. Clean up your own mess. 6. Don’t take things that aren’t yours. 7. Say you’re SORRY when
you HURT somebody. 8. Wash your hands before you eat. 9. Flush. 10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good
for you. 11. Take a nap every afternoon. 12. Watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. 13. Be aware of
wonder!
Can you imagine if the whole world had cookies and milk in the afternoon and then laid down for a nap? Did any of
you not go to kindergarten? When I just turned five years old, my dad accepted a Call to be pastor in St. Paul, MN.
We moved from a small country church/school (where they didn’t have kindergarten) into the city where they did so
Tom and I missed the first 10 weeks of kindergarten. She put us in kindergarten at the new school and Mrs. Lohse
was our teacher. I loved her. She could read stories to us in a dramatic way. She had a quiet demeanor, a
compassionate heart, she loved Jesus and brought me closer to my Lord. And also, we got to take naps after lunch! I
learned a lot in kindergarten. I remember Tom and I wearing our matching red cowboy outfits for the class picture.
Kindergarten was wonderful! A friend of mine gave me the idea for this twelve week sermon series on Bible songs
that we grew up learning as a child. And when I asked Pastor Lally he also loved it so I posted out on the church’s
face-book for song suggestions and got 48 of them. We narrowed the list to 12 (the number of Sundays before
Advent) and put them in Biblical chronological order.
This first song: The B-I-B-L-E, That’s the book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E. had to be
first since the Bible is the Book that no other book can match. In verse 14 of our text, Paul writes: “But as for you,
continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know that those from whom
you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures,” How well do you know the Bible?
How much do you love it? When did you come to treasure it? Or haven’t you yet? I had a mom and a dad who
taught me from infancy Bible stories and songs. I grew up in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School loving to
sing them. If you grew up in the church, what do you remember about Sunday School? We know that much of what
you learn by the age of 6 stays with you. By the time I started taking piano lessons in 4th grade, I started playing
them. Music has a way of bringing out the power of God’s Word! The list that was put up here on the screen – many
of them are still taught today. Paul writes that 1. FROM INFANCY, WE ARE TO BE TAUGHT THE BIBLE !
Why is it important to be taught the Bible at a young age? Because of Satan! He knows the power that lies here.
What was the first attack the devil had against Eve? In Genesis 3:1 the serpent said to Eve: “Did God really say,
‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?” He wanted to steal the Word of God. The first attack was against the
Word of God more than it was against her! Who received the Word from God? Adam, not Eve but he passed it on to
her. But think about this: If the only place you get the Word of God is from other people, you are very prone to
confuse it. You need to go directly to God’s Word yourself so God can speak directly to you! If you get into the
Word, it becomes alive! We know this is true because in verse 16 Paul writes: 16All Scripture is God- breathed
and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…” Look at all the things God’s
Word does!
This Book is the very breath of God. Every single word has been inspired breathed into! The Greek term for
“inspired” is Theo-neustas and literally it means “breathed out by God”. It’s as if God breathed the words into those
who wrote the words. Does God have lungs like you and me? No, this is called an anthropomorphism: it’s where
we give human attributes to God. We know that God doesn’t have a body – the Scriptures say that God is a spirit but
He chose to express Himself through the body of Jesus. So when we read about God breathing, it’s way beyond
physical breathing. I can’t explain it but God uses a physical example like breath to help us understand how we
received the Word. God didn’t (breath our quick short breaths), instead He spoke these words but the way He speaks
these words is through a Person – Jesus is the Word! All Scripture is God breathed from beginning to the end. It was
the breath of God and still is the breath of God. It’s not words of paper, it’s paper used to express God’s breath to us.
Sometimes it only takes a little bit for some of us to get out of breath – like if you run up a flight of stairs when
you’re not used to, or you hike at another altitude, or you play tag with your grandchildren. Let me ask you a
question: what happens when you’re out of spiritual breath or out of spiritual shape? What occurs? A lot of things
occur that are not good. Is it possible since Scripture is the breath of God, that some of us may live in spiritual
oxygen deprivation most of the time? Or is it possible that some of us are trying to hold our breath from this time
together till this time next week? God’s design is that we live from His Word and that in spiritual terms, we breathe
Him in all throughout the day. If you’ve ever gone to a mountain range and climbed or walked, you will encounter
what is known as altitude sickness because the air is thinner. You’re supposed to stay hydrated otherwise you’ll get a
bad headache. You can get a prescription from your doctor for a drug to prevent you from altitude sickness. What it
does is acetifies your blood which stimulates ventilation and enables you to process oxygen in your body. The oxygen
makes all the difference. Some will go mountain climbing without oxygen but most take the oxygen with them. As
we begin this series, it’s all about the oxygen from heaven. God gives us an oxygen source right here (Bible) that we
can use at any time. And when this gets into us we actually breathe heaven’s air! And when we breathe heaven’s air,
we experience heaven’s power. In the case of mountain climbers, they’re at a point where the air is so thin they carry
a bottle of oxygen that when they breathe it in, they are receiving pure oxygen. What if there was such a spiritual
reality? Would you want it? Would you use it? Would it be a priority? Would you take it with you knowing that at
any moment when you need it, you would have heaven’s perspective?
God’s design is that we live from His Word. In spiritual terms, it means we breathe Him in all throughout the day.
Listen to Psalm 63:1 “O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs
for You in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your
power and Your glory. 3Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. 4I will praise You as
long as I live, and in Your name I will life up my hands. 5My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise You. On my bed I remember You; I think of You through the watches
of the night.” Do you see the power of God’s Word breathing through us in these words all the time? It’s just like
how you breathe in your physical reality. God’s Word in us is important – that’s why I memorize it – so I can say and
think it all the time. When I have a spare moment, I want to spiritually breathe. When I’m driving I’m breathing.
When I’m struggling, I’m breathing in God’s Word! This is great breathing! If you’ve ever been to Northern
Minnesota or Canada or somewhere in the mountains, the air smells different – and it’s more than just the trees!
Breathing in the fresh clear air is amazing. But if you think that’s amazing, read this Book! 2. EVERY TIME YOU
READ THE BIBLE, IT’S AS IF GOD IS BREATHING LIFE INTO YOU!
In the book of Job, the oldest one written, Job 32:8 says: “It is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty that
gives him understanding.” Somehow this happens through reading the Bible. Let me ask you a question: Where do
you get your understanding? Is it fox news, MSNBC, the songs you listen to, the friends you talk with? Where do you
get your perspective in life? From the breath of God? If you look up the word “understanding” in Psalm 119, (the
longest psalm in the Bible), this psalm is all about the Word of God. What you’ll discover if you read it over and over
– the Word has the power to give us understanding. Have you ever found yourself saying: “If I could only understand
this situation a little better, I could get through it”? Have you ever tried to understand your children (when they’re
teenagers)? Have you ever tried to understand your spouse, your losses, your dreams, the sickness you’re dealing
with, the addiction you can’t get over, the world or the government? The Bible is the only way to get understanding.
The Bible is more than words – it’s given to us in love. Where there’s love or a relationship, there are words. The
Israelites loved this book. It’s important to understand what the Bible is and what it isn’t. It’s not primarily a book of
commands or doctrine. It’s not an owner’s manual, it’s basically a story or narrative of how we need Jesus to live and
breathe!
How long can you go without food? The answer is: 40 days before your muscles begin to break down and by 80 days
you’re going to die. In reality, you can live a pretty long time without food. How about water? Depending on the
temperature and humidity, they say about four to twelve days? It’s kind of a weird thought to think that we are only
4-12 days away from dying if we don’t drink water. It’s pretty essential, isn’t it? How long can you live without
breathing? The average is before you pass out – about 3 minutes. Then after 5 minutes or so your brain starts to break
down and you have irreparable damage. Another or minute or two you die so for all of us it’s important for us to
realize we’re 3 to 5 minutes away from not being here. If you’ve ever had a difficult time breathing because of
allergies, a cold or lung disease and you finally got relief, you know how enjoyable breathing is without difficulty.
Think about this: God has designed creation to breathe! Did you ever hold your breath as a kid to see how long you
could do it? Did you ever go down to the bottom of a pool, blow out all your breath and see how long you could stay
there? Was I the only kid who used to do that? I did some research: the world record for holding your breath, still
stands from 2009 (without oxygen) because if you suck in pure oxygen for 30 minutes to an hour, you can hold your
breath a lot longer. But the world record remains: 11 minutes and 35 seconds! The previous record was 10 minutes
and 12 seconds. His name is: Stephane Mifsud a French diver. He accomplished this with the international
discipline of static apnea. You may be thinking “that’s nothing, my husband does this every night!” He trained for 6
months and it took him 6 months to recover! The world record with oxygen is 22 minutes – you can watch it on line
on U-tube. It’s a little bit boring till right at the end.
Have you ever nearly been suffocated or drowned or been around a person who was in the process? You panic and
go crazy. The same thing happens spiritually! A person will panic and look for answers apart from what God
designed through His God-breathed Word. Are you panicking about anything? That’s one of the characteristics of
worry. Don’t forget that the peace of God will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. 3. GOD DESIRES
TO BREATHE HIS PEACE INTO YOUR WORRIED SITUATION. Are you out of spiritual breath? God
invites you to take in the Word of God and start breathing again. We are the generation that has the greatest access to
the Word of God but we read it the least. We fail to appreciate it’s power because we read in Psalm 33:6: “By the
Word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth.” When a person speaks,
there’s breath – that’s why God uses this image. You can’t speak without breath. In the song of Moses, back in
Exodus, we’re told that it was God’s breath that piled up the waters and flooded the Egyptians. It’s the power of
the breath of God. Let me ask you a question: is there a Red Sea in your life that won’t part? Go to the promises of
God where there’s power. Wherever the breath of God is, it gives life. The breath of God is a matter of life and
death. Do you remember Jesus saying that we don’t live by bread alone but by every Word from the mouth of God.
Breathe, don’t hold your breath! I wonder how many malnourished, spiritually thirsty, dehydrated, oxygen depleted
Christians there are in America? We don’t want to be one of them. Read it and God speaks into you, speak it and
God breathes into others! Let me ask: is one breath from God, once a week enough for you? Do not go one day
without God breathing life into you. And do not just try to read to get through it but to let God’s Word get into you!
In closing, I want you to listen to the testimony of a woman who has discovered the power of breathing in God’s
Word. As Pat said earlier in my former life I published words and there were lots of people in the world that thought
that was a really powerful thing to be in control of those words. But what I have learned in ministry what is far more
powerful is to be able to share the Word. And I would like to illustrate that with a story tonight. This past December
my husband and I had gone to a neighborhood party and we came home about 9:00 that night and my sister my older
sister who lives in Topeka Kansas had had surgery earlier that day. So, there was a voicemail message on the house
phone and I thought “oh okay it’s just Laura telling me everything is fine.” And there was a message on the house
phone from Laura that said, “ Mar I want to talk to you tonight. Could you give me a call?” So of course my heart
starts beating faster and I’m thinking that doesn’t sound so good. I still myself and I call her back and she said, “Mar
when we were in surgery today and when they opened my up they found cancer.” I will tell you that just leveled me. I
was naive enough to think that cancer would never touch my family because there wasn’t a lick of cancer one either
sides of our family. My mother or my father medical history in our family. It just leveled me and in the course of that
conversation we decided that I would go and see her in about a week. Because I wanted so badly when I heard the
news I wanted to be with her. I wanted to be physically right next to her and tend to her and to love her. So we
decided that I would go see her about a week later. In the course of packing for that trip I just had this nudging that’s
the only way I can describe it that I should include a daily devotion book that I read each morning. The name of the
book is called “Jesus Calling” and a dear friend to me gave this book to me last year. I had starting reading this
book and it gives me great comfort and it is written by a very talented writer by the name of Sara Young. This book is
written with daily devotion for each day of the year and after the devotion there’s 4 pieces of Scripture that follow
that you can read afterwards. It has given me great comfort.
So I listened to that nudging and put it in my suitcase and a week later I went to go see my sister. I wasn’t in her
house 15 minutes and I was kind of nervous about it because I was raised a traditional Lutheran you keep your faith
close to your chest. You don’t stand out at the farmer’s market and proclaim the good news. You kind of your faith
close to you. So I was kind of nervous about it that she was going to think that I was pushing my faith on her. Then I
realized that I was making it all about me. That if I had medicine that I could give to my sister to make her well of
course I would give her that medicine. And giving her the Word is like giving her medicine for her soul. So I said,
“Laura I have this idea. I’d like to give you this daily devotion book and I would like for you and my sister Marty who
lives in Waterloo and I to read this daily devotion book every day. Every morning and it doesn’t matter that we are
miles and miles away from each other. Each morning that you in Topeka, Marty in Waterloo and I in Des Moines can
pick this up and share the Word together each and every day.” She was so gracious. So open to the idea that she said,
“that sounds great. Let’s do that.” So all that crazy fear I had was for not. Over the months of January, February and
March when Laura had just grueling chemo therapy. Each morning the Park sister’s got up and we would read our
devotion. What was so awesome was that the devotions there but then that scripture takes you all over the Bible.
Places that I had never been before. It was a really wonderful experience to feel that encouragement and that
strength and that wisdom and that hope that only the scripture can give you.
In the course of that experience I learned 3 things: I learned that scripture teaches me who I am, who God is and who
God calls me to be. So this past weekend, I was in Kansas City with my sisters celebrating my middle sister’s
birthday. And we were at dinner last Saturday night and I asked them “Did I have their permission to tell you the
story tonight.” And they said “of course.” And I said, “what was that experience like for you? I would like to share
what it was for me but what was that like for you.” It was the most amazing conversation to have with 2 people that I
love dearly and I have never had that type of conversation before. We talked about our go to scripture, times that we
were really scared what was the scripture that brought us comfort, and how much hope and peace being in the Word
gave us each day. I learned what my sister Laura’s go to scripture was. She found in the course of reading scripture
over the last several month. I would like to share it with you tonight: Deuteronomy 33:27—the eternal God is your
refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying “Destroy him!”
For my sister that’s cancer. I don’t know what your enemy is. I don’t know if it’s illness, I don’t know if it’s addiction,
I don’t know if it’s financial problems, I don’t know if you are just worried sick about someone that you love what we
learn in scripture is that Jesus is calling each of us and that God is the only one that can give us the type of peace
that we yearn for. And underneath it all are His everlasting arms.