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Well, hello everyone. It's great to be together and to be going deeper together into God's word and into deep ministry. In this session, we want to focus on word-soaked ministry. Now, yesterday Andrew warned us against what he called Bible nudism. That's a pretty stark way to put it, isn't it? Uh stark, but

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but it makes a good point. Teaching and preaching and studying the Bible is not all that we do in ministry. In fact, if it is all that we do, there's a good chance that we are going to produce fat, puffed-up, arrogant Christians, not mature disciples. We need many ministries, many word ministries and non-word ministries to form healthy churches. We need goals and strategies and plans and resources for

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fruitful gospel work. Peter Adam has said, "We need pulpit-centered ministry, but not pulpit-restricted ministry." If the entire ecosystem, though, is to be healthy, if it's to stay focused and to stay faithful, if it's not to take on a life of its own and become an end in itself, but serve the gospel,

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then the word must always be foundational to everything we do. It must constantly feed us, fuel us, and fire us up for every facet of gospel ministry. And for that to happen, those of us who lead must be word soaked. Our words and our works must be saturated with biblical truth,

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biblical thinking, biblical perspective. You might know Spurgeon's famous and beautiful comment about John Bunyan. He said, "Prick him anywhere, his blood is bibline. The very essence of the Bible flows from him." It's a beautiful description, isn't it? And we need bibline blood.

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I want to give you four reasons for you to continue to be word soaked in all that you do in gospel ministry. First reason is this. God's word refreshes our souls. God's word refreshes our souls. In ministry, we're constantly pouring ourselves out and pouring ourselves into other people. There's training and teaching and mentoring and evangelizing and strategizing and and and doing all this work and to sustain that, we have

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to be fed. Now, that's obvious, but it's often not prioritized. And the risk is if we're not feeding our own souls on God's word, we'll look to ministry itself to fuel us for more ministry. And the fact is there are many things in ministry that can fuel you for a time.

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Maybe you're fueled by people's compliments. As a people pleaser, you are fueled by pleasing people. But then you'll be drained as soon as people are displeased with you. Maybe you're fueled by the adrenaline of breaking new ground. You love action. You love new ventures. You you love uh taking fresh steps in gospel work.

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But then you'll be drained when in God's providence things slow down. And when new steps are not possible. Or eventually when your own body slows down. Maybe you are fueled by your own inner drive and motivation and perfectionism. Inwardly motivated to get the job done and to do it well. But then you'll be drained by the fact

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that the job is never done. And it's never done perfectly. That that kind of fuel, those kind of motivations to keep driving us forward in gospel ministry, are really like trying to live on burgers and cookies. On fried food and sugar. It will energize you for a while. You will even see yourself growing. But you are not growing in the right

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kind of way. It will not sustain you long-term. Sickness is coming. God in his grace has far better food for our souls. I want you to think for a moment about those beautiful words in Psalm 19. Verses 7 through 11. David is meditating on the beauty of the law, the Torah, God's word, his instruction, God's wisdom and grace for our lives. He says

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at the end of that little section of verse 11 that God's word is more precious than gold. It is of supreme value. He says it's sweeter than honey. It is delightful to taste. And then he says, it is rewarding. It pays great dividends. Time in God's word is never wasted time. There will be

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great returns from the time we soak ourselves in the scriptures. Why does he say those three things? Well, if you backtrack in the Psalm from verse 7 onwards, he he tells us what the what the word of God does for us. Verse 7, he says, it revives the soul. There's so much in life and in ministry that drains us. But God, by his spirit, works through

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his word to refresh our souls as he gives us a fresh glimpse of his own glory and love and grace. Verse 7b, he says, it makes wise the simple. That is the word teaches us and it instructs us. It counteracts our natural folly folly and it counteracts the folly of the voices around us that don't accord with God's word. Verse 8, he says it gives joy to the

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heart. Again, you know all the stuff in ministry that burdens your heart. And so we go to God's word and there joy is rebuilt as we focus again on the absolute faithfulness and goodness and sovereignty of God. Verse 8b says, it enlightens our eyes. Sin blinds us to the truth.

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It blinds us to who God is. It blinds us to what really matters. And the word opens our eyes again. And we see clearly. Since God's word is so good for our souls, we need to slow down and let it seep in to our hearts.

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Not for ministry, but for inner life. Years ago I wrote on a yellow sticky note two little phrases, and they sat on my desk for several years because I needed them. I just wrote on it, "Don't rush. Don't rob." Because those are my two devotional time temptations.

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I easily rush time in God's word because I want to get on with the day. I want to get on with the to-do list. There are emails, there's action, there's stuff to be done, there are people to meet, there are meetings to go to, and there's news to check, and social media to to to check out. And so I rush my time in God's word. But if you are if you're pouring water into a potted plant that's parched, you can't do that quickly. You can't just dump a jug full of water on it. It will spill everywhere.

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You have to pour it in slowly and let it seep down. And we have to do that with God's word just for our own souls. My other devotion time temptation is to rob that time for a bit of extra ministry time. I'm having my morning devotional time with the Lord, and it just so happens that it's the same passage as the sermon I'm preparing

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or the Bible study I'm going to lead that night. And so I rob my devotional time. Now, you can justify that and maybe you can get away with it, but the reality is then I'm now listening to God's word for a message for other people instead of listening to God's word to hear his voice in my own heart and life. Don't rush. Don't rob.

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Allow for unhurried time in God's word for yourself and no one else. Go to his word simply to refresh your soul. That's the first reason to be word soaked. The word refreshes our souls. Second reason, God's word reveals our savior. God's word reveals our savior. What we see in God's word is not abstract truth

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or theological systems. We see a person. We see God who has made himself known in human flesh in the person of his son, Jesus. The gospel is not a scheme, a plan, a strategy. The gospel is good news and it's the good news of a person who loved us and gave his life for us. Our souls will be truly refreshed by

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God's word only as the Holy Spirit enables us to see Jesus more clearly. I was speaking at a conference recently and as usual I was feeling unsure and intimidated and inadequate. That is my normal default setting before speaking. But I was suddenly struck by a thought I hadn't actually had before.

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I suddenly thought Jesus is the friend of preachers. Now, now I know the Bible's phrase Jesus is the friend of sinners and I'm enormously encouraged and helped by that. But I saw something fresh when I thought Jesus is the friend of preachers. He preached in far more intimidating situations than we do. With much more resistance and

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opposition. And far bigger crowds and massive expectation. He was not just preaching the word. He was the word. I try to preach Jesus. He had to preach himself. That's massive. And I saw then how deeply and thoroughly

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he understood my rather pathetic fears and worries and anxieties and insecurities. And in fact he doesn't even see them as pathetic. His heart goes out to us in our weakness and vulnerability. Just as a mother's heart goes out to a little kid who's afraid of a shadow on the wall. Now, if we don't see such things about Jesus in God's word,

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we won't be able to show them to others. And that's what we've got to do in gospel ministry. We've got to see Jesus and show Jesus. You know that Jesus himself said all the Bible, all the scriptures are about him. You remember the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. And they reflected afterwards about how their hearts burned within them as Jesus showed to them how all the scriptures pointed to himself. He said to the Pharisees in John 5:39

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and 40, "You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life. And it is they that bear witness about me. Yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." The point of Bible ministry is not that people might know their Bibles better.

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The point is that through knowing their Bibles better, they see Jesus more clearly and come to him. And so in your handling of scripture, you need to see in the text, the Bible passage, the theme, the topic, whatever you're dealing with, you need to see what it shows about Jesus, see it, delight in it, and then show it to others. Don't just show

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the biblical theology that leads to Jesus. Don't just show the lines to Christ. Show the lines, get to Jesus, and show him. Show them a beautiful savior. Show them a friend, a helper, an intercessor, a high priest, a king. I suspect that one of the reasons we are not seeing Bible ministry produce more maturity

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is we too easily think that information is enough. We give Bible information. We become verbalized commentaries. We serve up exegesis. We do biblical theology. We expound the text, and then we tack on our application. And our application in the last few minutes is pretty predictable. We say, "And now then, give more love more serve more pray more read the Bible more go to church more and witness more."

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Amen. Funnily enough, information plus a few exhortations to do more does not mature people. And so we may need less information for more transformation. More time to work Christ

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into people's hearts. And to press the message of Jesus against their desires and their passions and their longings and their struggles and against the cultural context in which we're living. Time not just to explain the Bible, but then to hold up this vision of who Jesus is and give them a picture of Jesus Christ that is worth living for and if necessary worth dying for. Word soaked ministry

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does that. So it refreshes our souls and it reveals our savior. The third thing is this, the word resources our ministry. Uh Paul tells Timothy that scripture is God-breathed and inspired and therefore it's tailor-made to equip the man of God, that's Timothy, for every good work.

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Tim Keller identifies three levels of word ministry. And the word of God equips us for all these levels. Level one, he says, is all Christians engaging in conversation with each other, teaching and admonishing one another as the word dwells richly within them. It's the ministry of the pew. It's the ministry of one another in building each other up in the faith. And the word resources all believers to do that for one another.

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That's why lifting the stats on personal Bible reading is worth doing because it's the word that will equip our people to minister the gospel to one another and to their friends. Level two then, he says, is the gift of speaking the word. He focuses on what Peter says in 1 Peter 4:10-11, where he speaks of God's grace in its various forms.

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And then he says, "If anyone speaks, they should do it as one who speaks the very word of God." And Keller says, "This is not pre speaking about a preaching ministry. That, he says, is is level three." This refers to a whole range of other speaking ministries. Gifts of teaching and evangelism and counseling, taking workshops and seminars and training sessions.

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Such work Such work is to be done as speaking the very words of God. And then yeah, level three is the public preaching of the word. At all three levels, God's word is the premier tool for gospel ministry. How are people saved?

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People say it's by the living and enduring word of God. How are people sanctified? Jesus prayed, "Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth." How are people encouraged? Romans 15 says that it's through the encouragement of the scriptures that we have hope. How are people trained for ministry? Paul says, "The scriptures thoroughly equip you for every good work."

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Let's suppose you're financially strapped and on a miserably low salary. Some of you are not having to imagine too hard. So, you've got no Logos library. Your bookshelves are almost empty. You couldn't afford a first-class theological education. You have access to very few ministry resources. You sold your other shirt to come to Reach Australia. All you really have is a Bible.

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So, you actually have no choice but do use the Bible as your main evangelism resource. You're going to have to use the Bible alone in mentoring of small groups and youth ministry. It's going to have to be your sole resource for leadership development. Would you say you are terribly under-resourced?

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I know church planters in rural India who are virtually in exactly that situation. And they are seeing hundreds upon hundreds of people come to Christ in a context of persecution every single month. All the books and resources we have are a wonderful blessing from God. We are inundated with them. But they are not what changes hearts. God's word does that.

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Do you believe that with the Bible you are thoroughly equipped for every good work? The word refreshes our souls, it reveals reveals our savior, it resources our ministry, and finally, God's word replenishes our store. It replenishes our store. I said before, we're constantly giving out in gospel ministry. So, yes, we have to feed our

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own souls, but we also have to store up treasure from which we are going to draw continually in our planning and our strategizing and our preaching and our leading. We're we're going to have to be like a mom who just keeps a really, really well-stocked pantry because she's got a bunch of hungry kids and they raid it constantly. Jesus spoke of gospel scribes. Just as Old Testament Jewish scribes were trained interpreters and teachers

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of the law, he now speaks of those who under his tutelage are Christian scribes. In Matthew 13:52, he's been teaching in parables about the kingdom of heaven. And then he asks his disciples, "So, do you get it?" And they say, probably rather optimistically, "Yes." And he says, "Well, then, every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a house who brought out of his treasure what is new

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and what is old." Jesus is saying his disciples now, all disciples, actually, taught by him, are interpreters and teachers of God's word. And God's word is like this store. It's this massive pantry. It's this treasure trove, out of which we bring riches to others. One of my favorite descriptions of

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pastoral ministry comes from the 19th century Scottish pastor and preacher James Stalker. I want to read this. It's quaint old English, so hang in there. But, it's a beautiful description. He says, "I like to think of the minister as only one of the congregation, set apart by the rest for a particular purpose. And they say to one of their number, 'Look, brother, we are busy with our daily toils and confused with domestic and worldly cares. We live in confusion

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and darkness. But, we eagerly long for peace and light to cheer and illuminate our life. And we have heard that there is a land where these are to be found, a land of repose and joy, full of thoughts that breathe and words that burn. But, we cannot go further ourselves. We are too embroiled in our worldly cares. Come, we will elect you and set you free from our toils. And you shall go to the four us. And week by week trade with that land.

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And bring us its treasures and its spoils. Oh, woe to him, he says, who accepts this election and yet failing through idleness to carry on the noble merchandise appears week by week empty-handed. Or with merely counterfeit treasure in his hands. Woe to him, too, if going to that land he forgets those who sent him. And spends his time there in the selfish enjoyment of the delights of knowledge.

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Woe to him. If he does not week by week return laden and ever more richly laden and saying, "Yes, friends, I have been to that land. And it is a land of light and peace and nobleness. But I have never forgotten you. And your needs. And the dear bonds of brotherhood. And look, I have brought you back this and this and this. Take them. To gladden.

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And to purify your life. Well, it's an imperfect analogy for sure. But it's a wonderful way, too, to view our work. We are given time. To mine the scriptures. We're not to come back with predictable superficial thoughts. Prioritize the best time of your day. For this. And dig deep.

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Don't do it on the fly. Don't rush to the commentaries for quick answers. Don't allow yourself to be endlessly distracted by lesser things. Enjoy the privilege of being a gospel scribe. The word of God is a deep mine. It is a laden pantry. The longer you are in ministry, the deeper you will have to dig. We soon use up what is on the surface. But the joy of long-term ministry is

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finding new treasure in texts that we've already been over a dozen times. And it's the joy of mining in more remote areas and finding pure gold where we never expected it. And as Jesus and Stalker said, as you mine, never forget those you are serving. Love your people as you do it.

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And love means leaving a lot on the cutting floor. Love means laboring to make it clear and interesting. Love means thinking hard about people's lives, about culture, about the church, and bringing the word to bear on that. And love means using lots of sources and spices to make it all as appetizing as possible. Don't just serve up raw chunks of

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exegetical meat. Well, friends, in the course of a week, we do a lot of Bible. It is the foundation of all we do. It's the premier tool for gospel ministry. It's a beautiful tool. It's a powerful tool. By the Holy Spirit, it refreshes our souls. It reveals our savior.

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It resources our ministry. And it replenishes our store. And it's our unique privilege to go deep in the word first for ourselves and then for others. Thank you.