Rev. David Holwick
First Baptist Church
West Lafayette, Ohio
April 12, 1987
The Profit of the Bible
2 Timothy 3:14-17, NIV
Our nation operates under an economic system called "Capitalism." What is the name of the game in capitalism? Profit. Everyone is out to make a killing. Lately, the news has been filled with stories about people on Wall Street who rigged the system. They passed on illegal tips to each other and made millions. The biggest crook was Ivan Boetsky. When the government finally caught him, they made him give his illegal profits back. So he forked over $100 million. Don't cry for Ivan. He's still left with over $500 million.
Not everyone on Wall Street is a crook. Walter Decker is a retired Navy pilot who lives in Hawaii. He likes to invest in stock options. It the market goes up, a little bit of money turns into lots. If the market goes down, you lose your shirt. The Market has been kind to Walter Decker. He invested $10,000 in options in December. In only two months it was worth $90,000. That's a profit of 806 per cent.
People will risk anything to make a buck. What will you risk for God? Jesus himself put it this way in Matthew 16:26 -
"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"
It is possible to go through life with no regard for God. It's even easier to think about him every once in a while, as long as it doesn't make you change. But for real spiritual profit, you must follow the principle of Wall Street - risk everything.
To profit on Wall Street you have to study the literature. Walter Decker reads two monthly newsletters. One is called the Wellington Letter. It costs him $375 a year. The other is called the Elliott Wave Theorist. It's cheap at $233 a year.
If you want to retire at 35, read these newsletters. But if you want real security, direction in your life, and a hope that will last for eternity, don't turn to Wall Street. Turn to the Bible. Unless God speaks directly to you, this is the only way to find out what God is like. Others can give options - the Bible gives truth.
Even if the Bible is really God's Word, what is it good for? Paul lists four areas: teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. Many Bible scholars believe this is really an expanded description of the path of salvation. Before someone can become a Christian, they must understand the basic facts or doctrine. Who is Jesus? What did he teach? What does God expect of us?
When I was 17 years old I knew nothing about this. Jesus died on a cross and rose on Easter. And of course he was born at Christmas so we could open presents then. That's pretty much all I knew of Christianity. I had a sense of aimlessness in my life, and I wanted to change it, but I had no idea what the Bible had to say to me. One day, a friend gave me a New Testament in the Living Bible paraphrase. Out of curiosity, I began reading in Matthew. Jesus was much different than I expected. I though he was supposed to love everybody. But as I read, I came to passages where he condemned sin and told people to repent. I needed to read the Bible to understand God's basic requirements or doctrine.
The second thing the Bible is good for is rebuking. That's one of the things I discovered in Matthew. Rebuking really means conviction of sin. If you read the Bible with understanding, you will soon feel very inadequate. God cannot tolerate sin and he condemns it. Very few come close to purity. All human beings, including you, fall short.
A woman who was a strong church worker once said to D.L. Moody: "Do you mean to tell me that I, an educated woman, taught from childhood in good manners, and all my life involved in church, must enter heaven the same way as the worst criminal?" He replied "No ma'am, I don't say that, God does."
No matter how good you are, or religious, you must be born again.
The third thing the Bible is good for is correction. That sounds like discipline, but it isn't. It means to be brought back to the right course, back to God. This can only happen when we recognize our status as sinners.
Back in the 4th century lived one of the most brilliant men of all time. His name was Augustine. Like Timothy, Augustine's father was a pagan, but his mother was a very devout Christian. She taught him all about the Bible and the Christian religion. Augustine went through the motions for a while, but he wasn't satisfied with Christianity. The Bible seemed to crude and brutal. So he wandered away. When he was around seventeen he took a concubine. A concubine is a girl who acts like your wife, but you don't marry her. At the age of eighteen, he had a son.
By this time Augustine was dabbling in various philosophies and religions, but none of them satisfied him. His moral lifestyle was bothering him, especially his inability to control his desires. Augustine became depressed and anxious. One day he ran away from it all and found a quiet garden. While he rested he heard the voice of a small child singing in the distance, "Take, read. Take, read." Nearby he found a copy of the book of Romans and opened to this passage: (Romans 13:13):
"Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy."
That chance coincidence led Augustine back to God. Along with his son he was baptized and eventually became a great leader and teacher in the church. God wants to correct us. When we understand His principles, and feel guilt over our sins, He wants to bring us back to Him. He does not want to leave us burdened.
Finally, the Bible is profitable for training us in righteousness. The teachings of doctrine show us how to take the first steps - training in righteousness is what brings us to maturity. Everyone wants to be mature these days. In the vicinity of this church there stands a clubhouse built out of discarded lumber. Right on the door, these words have been written in chalk: "Andy and Jennifer". I immediately thought, one of his friends is teasing him. But I was wrong - he wrote it himself. [This was a good-natured poke at one of the adolescent church kids.]
Everyone wants to be mature. Do you? As a Christian? A lot of people learned the basic Bible stories in Sunday School, they made a commitment to Jesus as a young person, they put their Bible away. They don't need it anymore. They're saved.
That's wonderful, but it is only a beginning. Now is the time you really need the Bible. I have learned more from personal, daily devotions than from all my college and seminary courses combined. But the head-knowledge is secondary. What's most important is hearing God speak to you each day as you read. In order to lead a godly life, you need to know what God expects of you. Don't be ignorant and give the Devil ammo.
Through the Bible, God sizes you up and raps your knuckles. Through the Bible he gives you promises and hope when you've just about given up. It is your guide for eternity.
[Invitation]
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Typed on January 14, 2005, by Wendy Ventura of Ledgewood Baptist Church, New Jersey
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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